"...You don't hate me, right?"

"...No."

He'd loosened up a little but not that much. Yes, true, his eyes weren't nearly as cold as they'd been for days now, but he still seemed... tense.

"Good."

She wanted him to relax a little and she was almost certain she could do it. She'd always done it.

Besides...

...She always enjoyed it when he got into it as well.

She could feel him unwind.

And since he was calmer, she wanted to know something.

She separated ever so sligtly and kept her voice as soothing as she could:
"What happened...?"

She needed the reason for his emotions. She could do nothing unless she knew.

Slowly he locked his eyes on her, letting her wonder whether she shouldn't have asked that after all. Those depthless silver pools seemed so empty and a sudden hint of loneliness washed over her -for just a second...

"I can't tell you."

And he pulled back. She could almost feel another change in his mood.

"You can't... or you won't?"

And when he answered, there was no warmth in his voice at all. All the irritation that she had worked to get rid of, was back. He was cold again, almost icy.

"I won't."

"Why...? Why won't you tell me?"

He got up.

"It's no business of yours."

His tone almost made her shiver. It wasn't any tone he'd ever used on her before. It almost seemed... degrating.

He looked coldly down on her and he seemed more distant than he had been the first time she'd met him in this house.

"Null...?"

He turned around and took a step away.

He paused for a fraction of a second but kept on walking.

Sebille couldn't see his expression, and she was glad she couldn't.

She hated seeing him like this. It hurt her. And it made her afraid.

He'd never been so cold to her. Not for this long anyway. He'd always been back to himself within an hour and she'd always managed to relax him.

But now he seemed so far away. So far that she couldn't hope to reach him.

She hated it.

She couldn't stand fighting with him.