Well, seeing as my laptop got a bug from somewhere and is currently unusuable, I'm unable to work on Tales of Flame or anything at the moment.

So I borrowed my mom's and decided to whip up a nice little oneshot for you. One that has been in my head for a while, one that I'm sure a lot of ANI fans are interested in.

It's a short, simple piece; for one of the most complex characters I have ever written.

Something I give to you all as a late Christmas gift, and as a promise that I'll get back to updating ToF and the like the moment I can.

But until then, enjoy one of Scyther's most precious memories.

~ Buwaro

A New Life

Banishment was the worst punishment that could be given, exile from the safe fields and trees that the Scyther Clan made home; left to the mercy of the cruel outside world. Yet, as the latest victim to that fate stood on the borders, preparing himself for leaving his home of ten years, he couldn't help but smile to himself. The young insect was free, free of the Clan's Elders and their rules and traditions that let them bully everyone else into submission. He was free of being outcasted for protesting said treatment, for standing up against the Elders, and the Head Elder's son; Celes.

Who was, at least, not in any fit state to gloat over the exile's Banishment; he was probably still shouting and complaining as the Clan's Healer tried to patch him up. The insect couldn't help but smile at the thought; after all, served the annoying Bralect right for saying those things about the Healer's daughter. Now the smile faded, replaced by a folorn sigh. She had been the lone person he could ever call a friend in this place, the only one who had never viewed him as an outcast from the get go, the only one willing to risk punishment to talk and listen to him. And he had returned the favour, assisting her when her own duties got too much for her, or when Celes was getting up to trouble again.

At least she had escaped the sham of a trial, her mothers position giving her enough influence to escape even the Head Elder's wrath. Besides, the old coot was probably glad that he could focus the blame solely upon the outcast and get an perminant exile for the 'troublemaker'. Although the youth had nearly escaped that, until the Elder made the mistake of making similar remarks as his son. At least he had taken the slashes across his chest with a little more dignity. That is; with less cursing.

Still, after the Guardian Bugs had managed to restrain the young Scyther, he had agreed to accept exile willingly; having always wanted to escape the Clan anyway. The world outside the Clan's borders was much more interesting, from the tales he had heard from a Dragonair that lived in a lake in the middle of the Clan's territory. Wide open plains, great mountains, deep forests, pillars of stone and something called glass that rose up to the heavens; and the ocean. He wanted to see the ocean. So, there were no regrets about leaving. Well, none except for one.

He had never gotten to say goodbye to anyone. His parents, the few other youths who never joined in Celes' taunts, or his one friend. Lucrecia.

"Hey!" The voice from behind snapped him from his thoughts. It looked like he was going to see her after all.

"Lucrecia, never thought I'd see you here." He turned to face her as she skidded to a halt in front of him, practically panting for air, wings flickering to a stop. To an outsider, the two looked completely indentical, but it was easy for an experianced eye to spot the little differences between them. His carapice being a slightly lighter shade of a green, her slightly sleeker armour and thinner blades, along with his larger wings.

"I came over when I heard from Mother," she managed to say eventually, after a moment of catching her breath, before she stood at her full height, actually towering over the male for a moment. "I can't believe you, trying to leave without me!"

"I'm sorry, they did not exactly give me a choice," he murmered, remorce crossing his features for a split second, before being replaced with confusion as Lucrecia's words sunk in, "wait, what?"

"You think you are leaving me here, you've got another thing coming. Without you, who'll keep Celes from doing what he likes? I couldn't repel him on my own forever. And I am not marrying him like Mother wants me too."

"You do realise that if you come with me, there is no coming back." Anyone who returned from exile, enforced or self-inflicted, would be killed. That was Scyther law.

"I do. Besides, you're hopeless without me. What if you get hurt? You wouldn't have a Healer with you and you don't know squat about curing Beedrill stings and stuff. Oh, and-"

"Lucrecia, you don't have to argue with me..." He cut her off, else they would be there until the sun rose, "I would be honoured to have you come with me."

"Really?!" Her wings flickered back to life, giving off a, nearly silent, cheerful buzzing sound.

"Of course." He smiled, having to resist the urge to buzz too, "the adventure just wouldn't be the same without you."

"Oh, thank you!" She leapt forwards, catching her new companion in a hug, careful not to let her blades cut him. An act that required a lot of trust from him, which he showed by returning the guesture, sharing her joy as they embraced on the grasslands under the stars.

But eventually they had to seperate, both looking into the other's eyes for the briefest of moments before nodding and she moved to stand beside him; the two looking out on the new lands beyound the border.

"We'd better get moving. Sunrise is coming, and I'm dead if I'm still here at first light." He said, after the moment had passed once more.

"Where to first?" Lucrecia looked around, in awe of the way the wild grass seemed to flow in the night wind.

"Well, forwards is a start. Let's start with that hill over there," he guestured to the great rising earth on the horizon, "and go from there until we reach the ocean."

"You and your ocean," she laughed, before her wings fired up to full speed once more as she rocketed off across the plains without a moments hesitation, calling back to him, "come on, I'll race you!"

"Hey!" he shouted back, surprised at the sudden challenge, "that's cheating!"

"No, it's called winning!" She shouted, rapidly gaining ground.

The young Scyther just sighed as his own wings flickered to life before he too left his old home behind, racing to catch up with Lucrecia as the pair's laughter echoed across the plains that would soon be illuminated by the rising sun. By then, they would be long gone, off on their travels, eager to find adventure with each other.

Funny, banishment was supposed to be a punishment. Yet it had set them free.