AN: This is something I started quite a while ago, and finally got inspired to work on again. It's yet another backstory explanation fic. I've wondered a lot about Buguese's past in particular, and this fic draws heavily from what was said about him in the Teletoon Corp spoilers. However, it's set in canon continuity. And I also wanted to explain various blanks left by the canon, starting with what in the world Buguese and Aqune were doing sneaking around Mantid's castle in ep. 42. It always annoyed me that they never explained.

Ch 1- Something Happened in the Lab

"Aqune, have you remembered anything? About your past, that is."

"Hm?" To Aqune, this was a very out-of-the-blue question. The one thing she was sure of was that Buguese was never the type to ask personal questions like that on a whim. Something was definitely up.

"No. Nothing," Aqune replied. Despite her uncertainty of his intentions, she wanted to answer honestly. "I know about the things you told me, and what Corona said as well. But I don't actually remember any of it."

The subject of her past was all rather uncomfortable to her. Aqune had always wanted to know about it. She had approached Buguese one day after the war was over, having suspected he probably knew something. It was true; He did know a little. He found her in the Forest of Bewilderment, he admitted, and she most likely ended up there when a ship which was attacked by Buzzrays crashed after leaving Nuuma. This matched with Corona's story. Corona had remembered being on a ship, although she landed in Araaja Village, not in the forest. And according to Corona, she and Aqune were definitely sisters. It made sense that they were on the transport together.

Even before winding up in the forest, Aqune had apparently met Buguese one time. This was because he attacked her village. According to him, he was fatally wounded, but Aqune activated her handmaiden powers to save his life. After this, she was scorned by the people of her home village. This incident occurred shortly before Buguese found Aqune in the forest.

It wasn't that Aqune didn't believe any of this could happen. It wasn't even that she held any ill feelings towards Buguese for not telling her what he knew all this time. She never asked, they both had more important things to worry about, and it wouldn't have made any difference if she knew or didn't know. It still didn't make a difference. That was exactly why the subject of her past bothered her. It didn't feel real. It was all like some piece of fiction, except it was completely real to the people who did remember it. Only to her was it missing. Thinking about it too much just left her with an empty feeling. Would it ever become real to her? And what else happened? Buguese didn't know her when she was younger, and Corona herself hadn't managed to remember a great deal either. There was no one she could even ask.

"Buguese… this isn't about me, is it?" Aqune felt it rude to dwell on her own past, or lack thereof, if it wasn't really what Buguese was concerned about. But it had to be connected, somehow. She was simply confused.

"Perhaps not," he said. "But if you were at least able to remember something, it would have been satisfying."

Buguese sighed. He mostly expected this to happen when he came to ask her that question, but at the same time, he hoped she would have been contented to talk about herself and leave it at that. Then Buguese could put his own worries aside until another day. But with Aqune, that could never be. Once he'd opened his heart to her even a little, she would come to read it better than anyone. What a wonderful woman she'd become, he thought, as he gazed at her. He wanted to go deeper than and there, embrace her, take her lips, but well… that wasn't relevant nor appropriate now. He'd approached her simply because of the painful truth he'd been fighting with. If he was going to talk to anyone about it, it could only be her.

"Buguese, please tell me, if there's something on your mind," Aqune spoke, her voice soft and inviting.

"Very well." He moved a few steps away from her. Yet, uncharacteristically cautious as he was being, he was resolved to tell her. "The past week, Aqune, when you were away with your sister, I began wondering what would happen if you ever did remember." In truth, the thought always left him with a bitter aftertaste. If Aqune remembered another life, he feared, she would want to return to that life, and never think of him again. But that certainly wasn't something he intended to discuss with her. It was only a hypothetical anyway. So he continued on. "That led me to thinking further about the past. I have always thought of what the Insector world was once like. Or rather, what I believed it to be like in its past glory. I thought of failed battles, of other losses and regrets… But never about my own past. Of the days before I fought in Mantid's army."

He stopped then. Aqune inched closer to him, wearing a concerned look on her face. Seeing her within reach, Buguese took her by the shoulders.

"I can't remember that time at all!" He hadn't intended to shout, but it was just so frustrating. "I don't know why, but it's as if there never was a time before then."

"But… You…" Aqune was certainly not expecting to hear this. She wanted to say something reassuring, but the words wouldn't come out. "You really don't remember anything?"

"Nothing," he replied, irritated. "Did I have any family? Had I ever seen the Insector World as it was in the past? I don't know any of this. The strangest part is that I never once thought or cared about any of this. All that mattered to me was winning the war, taking revenge on the humans, and giving back to the Insectors what we deserved."

"Then… I guess we're alike." Worried and confused as Aqune was, that was the strongest thought on her mind. "I can't say that I'm happy that you might have a pain like my own. But, I never thought that you could understand." She held her hands together. Aqune didn't want to upset him. To presume anything. Yet, she did feel oddly comforted knowing that she wasn't alone.

"Indeed we are." Buguese's prompt agreement made Aqune feel a bit better. "It is an empty feeling, isn't it?"

Aqune frowned and nodded her head.

"Then… let's try to find our memories."

"What?" Buguese flinched. It was such an absurd-sounding response to him.

"I think it's possible. Or… I'd like to believe it is. In any case, I'll do whatever I can to help you!" Aqune smiled at him. She actually looked determined. It was enough positivity for even Buguese to see a faint possibility in the idea.

Well, it was all well and good that Aqune wanted to find their missing memories. But where to begin looking? That was the first roadblock, and even she was uncertain about that. Only one idea came to Aqune's mind.

"Corona was able to remember things just from being in Nuuma." That was a bit of an awkward point to start putting her thoughts into words at. "Of course, that didn't work for me."

"True," Buguese replied. "But that could have simply been a result of the mask's influence. If you were to travel to Nuuma now, that might help to trigger your memory."

"I suppose," Aqune replied. She hadn't considered that. "But it's a pretty far trip, and I wouldn't be able to get there without your assistance. If we went to Nuuma now, I don't think that would be a help to you." She liked the idea, but it didn't seem right to rush to help herself when Buguese had come to her because of his own worries.

"No, I don't think it would," Buguese agreed. Not that it was easy to speculate over something he knew nothing about, but it seemed very unlikely that Nuuma had a thing to do with his past. It was a far-off human kingdom after all.

"Traveling to Nuuma might not be a wise idea anyway," Aqune added. There was a hint of sadness to her voice. "After all, we attacked them. Would they even welcome us back?"

"I'm sure they would not hold anything against you, Aqune. Myself… That is a different story. But for that reason alone, it would also be wise to pay them a visit sometime soon. I've considered that before today. We Insectors need to build a better relationship with the human nations. We must try and make up for the wrongs we have caused."

"That's a great idea!" Aqune exclaimed. "I would be glad to come with you, and help to argue your case, if you think I would be seen in a better light. But… let's worry about that later. We still need to help you."

Seeing how down Aqune looked at his expense almost surprised him. But at the same time, he knew it was exactly what he should have expected. She was the type of girl who worried about everyone above herself. In truth, she was a lot like him. They were both people willing to put their own happiness below everything else. Probably, he could be just as frustrating to her as she could be to him.

"You needn't worry about that," he said. Buguese tilted her chin up towards him, causing her to blush.

"You don't even have a hint… or do you?" Aqune wondered. She appreciated his kindness, but she wasn't satisfied. She wouldn't be, until she was truly able to help him.

"Well…" Buguese paused. "Perhaps there is something. But something minor."

"Really?" Aqune replied. "Then… can you tell me?"

It happened a certain day after the Insector forces had returned from Nuuma. They came back successful, with one new Oracle Key in their possession. And because of the newfound power Mantid had acquired, he had unveiled brand new super soldiers he had created. On the surface, they appeared to be ordinary Insectors. But it was more than their enhanced powers that made them different. These Insectors were fully grown living beings, crafted in a day. They were not robots, like the various Machine-Sectors.

Buguese was always one to be thoughtful. Whether or not to have faith in Mantid was something he'd been questioning more and more frequently. But now that his leader had begun playing deity, crafting life without even yet possessing all four Oracle Keys… well, Buguese's curiosity about the situation had become insatiable.

It was on that day when Mantid went out to speak to the Insector populace. An extremely rare period where he would be leaving the castle. That was quite possibly Buguese's only chance to investigate. He hadn't anything else more pressing to do either. Buguse traveled down to the lab, the masked Aqune accompanying him. Why bring her? Well, for protection, he rationalized. Maybe for him, maybe for her, maybe for both of them.

Just as soon as he'd entered, Buguese felt a chill run down his back. Normally, he wasn't frightened so easily. But that was proof of just how eerie a place the lab was. He turned to Aqune, concerned for her reaction, but she didn't seem at all bothered. The mask's fault, naturally. But maybe it was a good thing in this case. As a handmaiden, she surely would have been disturbed by such a use of the Oracle Keys.

Buguese approached the tanks, which served as incubators for the newest Insector soldiers. There were still some in development at the time. Cautiously, he reached out to touch the glass on one such incubator. It was then when a shock rushed through his head, causing him to reel back in pain. He slumped down to his knees. Aqune looked surprised to witness this, but was still in no state to feel any real concern.

As he stood up from the floor, Buguese was shaking. Why? Just what was that? He felt so utterly stunned that he honestly didn't care to stay around and investigate any longer. Besides, Mantid could return at any time, he told himself. Even if he could likely think up some excuse, he didn't want the trouble of being in that position if he were caught. Buguese signaled for Aqune to follow, and ascended back up the stairs.

"So, you think Mantid's old lab could have a clue?" Aqune questioned.

"Perhaps," said Buguese. "At the very least, something was quite amiss that day. But I'd been down there since as well, and had no such problems. Still, that day… that feeling… it was one of déjà vu. Could something have happened to me there? Something I've forgotten, or even something that caused me to forget?" He immediately hated the thought. The very notion that he was perhaps a part of Mantid's twisted experiments disgusted him. Of course it was nothing more than a theory at this point. But one he felt he had to prove one way or another.

"Why don't we go down there, Buguese?" Aqune suggested. "It's a lot closer than Nuuma, after all."

Buguese sighed. If he wanted answers, or even the hope of finding answers, of course he had to do just that. Nauseating as the thought was, it wasn't like him to be cowardly. There was no time to be having doubts.

"Very well," he said. "Join me if you like, but you may find it to be unpleasant."

"I'll be fine," Aqune asserted, smiling at him. "I want to be there to support you."

Buguese couldn't help but notice Aqune's blush, despite saying nothing about it. She had tried to hide it. But flustered as Aqune was, she truly did want to support him. It meant being beside him through good and bad times.

Mantid's laboratory had been locked up since the war's end. Buguese had the keys, and was the one who chose to lock it. The initial reason was that he hoped to prevent it from being tampered with in any way. But because even cleaning crews were barred from entry, when Buguese and Aqune finally got inside, the room wasn't in the best of shape. Pieces of the ceiling had broken off, and lay crumbled on the ground. Shards from glass tanks which had been shattered were strewn around. Given how damaged certain parts of the castle were post-war, this was probably passable condition. Being under the ground worked in the room's favor. But it still looked like a mess.

"It really is creepy," Aqune admitted. She looked up at Buguese, who said nothing in reply. He was busy gazing ahead intently at one of the tanks which remained in one piece. "Hm?" She watched on curiously without following, as Buguese approached that tank.

"Perhaps… there's something…" Buguese was muttering to himself so softly that Aqune could barely make out what he said.

"What do you think?" Aqune stepped up so she was behind him.

Buguese groaned, and held his hand up to his forehead. He looked to be in pain.

"Are you alright?" asked Aqune, who was becoming increasingly worried.

A fleeting vision flashed through Buguese's mind. He saw the face of Mantid, his former leader. Between the two of them was a wall of glass.

Buguese could feel Aqune's arms wrapped around him from behind. With it came a feeling of warmth. That same calming warmth her light always emitted.

"Aqune…" he spoke, feeling he had to acknowledge her somehow. He was feeling more stable already, at least.

"What happened?" she asked, still holding him tight.

"It seems my worst fears are true," Buguese replied, simply out of respect for her. He didn't really want to speak about it at all. Not that he really understood the meaning of his vision. But it hadn't helped at all to comfort him.

"What do you mean?" questioned Aqune.

"I… I might have been a part of one of Mantid's experiments," he answered awkwardly.

Aqune gasped. She immediately wanted to ask more but… what was there to say?

"Mantid… did something to your memories?" she wondered.

"How would I know?!" Buguese snapped, which caused Aqune to flinch and back away from him. "I'm sorry," he muttered, regretting startling her. It wasn't what he meant, just… he was frustrated.

"No, I'm sorry," Aqune responded. It was a dumb question, she supposed.

"Don't be," answered Buguese. He turned to face her. She was shaken with worry. For him? Because of him? It didn't really matter. He threw his cape around her suddenly and pulled her tightly into his arms.

"Buguese…" Aqune spoke up in confusion.

"What's the point?" he asked out loud, though not specifically to Aqune. "I can't simply find Mantid and ask him to explain what he's done to me. Not unless I find some way to travel to the surface, where I would rather not be."

"I suppose that wouldn't be easy either way," Aqune answered.

"Whatever the case, I was truly more of a pawn than I even imagined," Buguese replied. "Was I a toy, like those super soldiers?"

"I don't know any more than you," Aqune said. "But… whatever Mantid did… whatever he intended for you, you overcame it in the end. You stood up to him."

Buguese pet at her hair, without consciously thinking about it.

"Perhaps, but…"

"But that's enough for me," Aqune interrupted. "I could never think of you as anything but your own person. Someone who believes very strongly in their own convictions."

"And if I were simply made to be that way?" Buguese replied. "If I never truly had my own convictions?"

"I… I don't know." Aqune was taken aback. But she wasn't willing to give up like this. She shook her head. "I don't agree. I might not have any more answers than you, but I'm sure we can find them. I'm going to do everything I can to help you."

Her face was glowing with determination. After all, Aqune understood Buguese. She longed for the truth about her own past. But Buguese knew that wasn't all. She cared about him, genuinely, more than she ever needed to. Even if Buguese couldn't quite believe her, he wanted to accept her sincere offer.

That night, Aqune went to bed feeling tense. Well, she couldn't help it. It wasn't very cold, but she buried herself in the covers.

'I might be able to find my answers by going to Nuuma,' she thought to herself. 'But for Buguese… I don't know what to do. Lately, he's been much happier. I wish he could stay that way. Even if the answers are as harsh as they seem, if at least he knew the full story… what Mantid did, and why… I'm sure we could work from there. Spirit Oracle, if anyone can help us, I'm sure if would be you. Please, hear me.'