What fascinating people...how are they able to communicate to those who have already joined the Lifestream? A spirit asked, idly watching the the sector of Lifestream he had been assigned since the planet of Gaia had come into being while also somehow watching those who still walked the living world. Does Gaia herself allow this to happen or is it something else?

"Terran! You there? Hello?!"

"What is it Hikin?" I growled irratably and turned to look at my fellow guide.

Hikin was a female spirit, relatively short but slim with spiked short light green hair. Added with her young appearence, Hikin looked like what humans classified as 'punk'. I continue to wonder why she chose a human appearence when she watched over the planet spirits. At least Rethian had choosen a form more like those of the spirits he watches over.

"Whacha thinkin' about?" Hikin asked, a large smile on her face. I sighed and looked away, causing my companion to imiatate a human behavior called pouting. "Aw come on Terri!"

She confused me at times when she attempted to connect with the spirits that we were charged with watching over. We are told to not get attached to any of the dead for any of them could be choosen by Gaia to return through reincarnation though she does not do that very often. I also believed that getting attached to the living spirits would lead to distraction and impair our ability as Guides. Still, we Guides were charged with a serious assignment and I'll be damned if I'm going to let one unruly spirit distract me from doing what I was assigned.

"Hikin, don't you need to be tending to your plants?"

"Nah, their fine. I just wanted to see what you were up too." Hikin shrugged, the smile never leaving her face. "You know, you really need to lighten up. Live a little!"

I sighed and glared at her, hoping she would leave. "We are spirits, Hikin. We were never alive and never will be. Besides, if we were alive, we would be at the same level as those that are living!"

"So?" Hikin shot back sharply. "At least the living know how to have fun!" With that, Hikin stomped off before fading out in the glow of the Lifestream.

With her gone, I sighed and summoned up a seat before sitting down. Hikin had always been a bit of a rebel and Rethian had recently started to go along with some of her ideas but luckily, not all. I still couldn't believe she could be thinking of having fun when we have the responsibility of ensuring that the Lifestream remains stable. But, as much as I hate to admit it, I was curious about the living world. What is it truly like? How do the living interact and, well, live? What is it about them that interest Hikin so much?

Damnit, stop it Terran. Your a Guide, concentrate on your job and not the world above. Sighing, I stood back up and returned my attention back to the humuniod spirits that wandered a city constructed in the Lifestream. I glanced once more upwards before scolding and returning my attention down below...

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"Hehe! See! I told ya!" Hikin laughed as a strange lion/ lizard combination sat beside her.

The iguanion sighed. "Hikin, he could simply just be curious."

Someone nearby chuckled, causing the two Guides to turn to look at a woman with long white hair. "Curiousity, Rethian, is a human expression. As much as Terran wants to deny it, he is interested in the living world."

Rethian raised a scaled eyebrow as he looked at the higher spirit. "What are you planning Gaia?"

"What makes you think I'm planning anything?" Gaia asked, a smirk across her face. Hikin and Rethian both exchanged glances, causing Gaia to laugh. "It is as you said Hikin, Terran needs to lighten up, live a little. And since he already has a curiousity of the living world, prehaps I will help him."

"What?! You're going to allow Terran to leave the Lifestream?" Rethian shouted. Gaia nodded. "But what about his sector? Whose going to watch over it?!"

"Well, you two of course."

"But-" Hikin started before Gaia turned to her.

"But what, Hikin? If you want to complain then complain to the Keepers. This is their idea." Gaia said, crossing her arms. "Why? Am I not sure but they have something planned."

Rethian sighed, flicking his lion like tail carelessly. "If it is the will of the Keepers then we must allow Terran to go to the living world and see what it happens." Hikin and Gaia nodded in agreement. "Hikin, we must share the responsibility of caring for Terran's sector while he gone."

"Yeah, just make sure you hold up your share!" Hikin huffed. Rethian chuckled but nodded. "So how long will Terran be gone?"

"That is up to him. If he wants to stay for a few weeks, then he can but if he wants to stay for the span of a human or cetran life, that is also allowed. The choice of when to return is his to make." Gaia explained. The two Guides in front of her sighed but nodded. "Don't worry, I will aid you at times." Hikin and Rethian nodded again before Gaia disappeared.

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"Terran," I turned to face Gaia as she appeared suddenly beside me. "What do you think of the living world?"

Why was she asking me this? "It is strange." Gaia looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to say more. I knew I had to say the truth to her. "I find it interesting."

"Is that so?" Gaia laughed. I looked at her and couldn't help but wonder what she was planning. "Would you like to see that world yourself?"

Yes, but I couldn't. She knew that. "..."

"Terran, you are not one of those lifeless machines that the living use. You have the choice and free will to do what you want. If you wish to go to the living world then you may."

"But my sector-"

"Hikin and Rethian have agreed to watch over it while you are gone." Gaia explained. How long has she been planning this? "I suggest you think of a name to use since you are leaving in five minutes."

"What?! I thought you said I had a choice!?" I shouted.

"You do and your heart chose the living world." Gaia smirked. My heart? I'm a spirit, we don't have physical bodies so we do not have hearts. Prehaps nearly 5 billion years has finally got to her... "Are you ready?"

I shook my head, mostly in disbelief and confusion. "Why are you allowing me to do this?"

"Just like Hikin said, you need to live a little. Besides, you've admitted yourself that you were interested in the living world so enjoy your time there." Gaia continued to smirk. I opened my mouth to say something but before I could argue, Gaia snapped her fingers and the world became white...

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Why? Why did she ever have to come here? Why couldn't she just leave us alone?

I always asked myself these questions whenever I tended to my younger sister. Kari, like our parents and many of our people, had fallen victim to a disease brought thousands of years ago by the Calamity and so far, no cure had been found and I doubted one would ever be found. The Cetra were one their last leg, struggling to survive.

"Cilla," I looked at my ten year old sister, Kari, who was now a shadow of her former self, thin and pale. "What do you think the Promised Land is like?"

I hated it when she talked about the Promised Land. Ten years old and she had already accepted the fact that she was dying. I think what helped her was the fact that our mother and father were there. Still, the Promised Land was I topic I usually tried to avoid.

"Kari, you should rest."

"But sis!" Kari whined before going into a coughing fit. I was instantly at her side, helping her sit up and rubbing her back till she finally stopped coughing. "Thanks."

"Take it easy Kari. You need to rest." I told her. My little sister sighed but slowly lay back down. "Oh, I'm going to run into town. Do you want anything?" Kari shook her head. "Alright then, I'll be back soon."

Kari smiled and nodded. "Bye sis. Don't take too long."

"I won't." I laughed, hugging her before I grabbed my coat that I had slung across the back of the chair and headed for the door. I looked back at her once more before opening the door to her room and heading towards the front door.

I was scared that I would come home to find her unresponsive and unmoving in her bed, I always was when I left but she was all I had left. At times, I wondered how many of our people there were left. I knew there wasn't many, those who lived moving to the far reaches of Gaia. Our parents had moved us to Icicle Village when Kari was five and I was fifteen. A year later, they both died within a couple months of each other. It had been four years since then and now Kari was sick.

She'll be fine, Cilla. You aren't going to be gone long. I reminded myself as I walked slowly through the snow covered ground. Sighing, I looked towards town which was just a few minutes but I noticed something strange laying in a snow drift. I walked over to see what it was a man. He didn't look much older then me and had short, brown hair. The idiot was also wearing a light grey t-shirt and blue jeans even though it was only 5 degrees out.

"Thats odd..." I mumbled to myself before reaching out to nudge his shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?" The man groaned and slowly opened amazing electric blue eyes. I had never seen eyes like that before. "Are you ok?'

The man looked at me confused before glancing around at the snow covered environment. Looking down at the snow under him, he scooped up a hand full and looked at it in curiousity. What is up with guy? The blue eyed man dropped the snow and turned his gaze at me, examining me as he stood up and then looked at his own body. What a nut.

"Excuse me but are you alright?" I asked again.

He looked back at me, his gaze now longer curious but rather serious. "I'm not sure. Can I ask where we are?"

I raised an eyebrow, once again wondering what was with him. He acted as though he had never seen snow before even then he was just sleeping in a snow dirft. "Um, just outside Icicle Village." I noticed a spark of curiousity flash through his eyes again. "Who are you and why are you out here?"

"My name is Terran Seirei. As to why I am out here, I got lost." He explained. I gave him a skeptical look as I noticed him shiver slightly. "I'm not from around here."

"So I can see. I would still think that a foreigner would have enough sense to wear a coat when its below freezing." I pointed out as he wrapped his arms around himself to keep warm. "Come on, we'll find you a coat in town and then get you a room in the inn."

Terran's eyes widened slightly but he nodded. "Thank you. May I ask for you name?"

I glanced at him, surprised at how polite he was. Most people now didn't care about manners, especially people our age. His child like curiousity was also a mystery. "Pricilla Hyan, but please, just call me Cilla. Now before you catch hypotheria, lets go get you some warmer clothes."

Ok first chapter is done. Many, many more to go... Read and Review please!