Normally I don't give out a disclaimer because its fairly obvious I don't own the story...if I did...why would I be writing fanfiction? Great question...and moving on. I do want to say that the Ether characters that are original, Sicerio, Lily, Cindy, and Red are mine. You can't have them. Not for a bajillion dollars.

Sicerio: Age 25

Lily: Age 24

Red: Age 25

Cindy: Age 24

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It had been just a little over four years, and the war, thanks to all efforts and hopes, was over. That was not to say that it had not come without its price. The end to such a tragic war, cost the independence of several ancient nations, and millions of lives. Sicerio...had been fortunate enough to return to the quartet of close friends...but he had returned much as they expected, like a broken man. He was 25 years of age...and yet it felt more appropriate to say 25 years old. He was beginning to thin in his hair, and sported a bit of a dark brown haze to his jaw in the form of a beard.

He had arrived home to them, in their house designed just for the four friends after high school. He had arrived, unannounced, and entirely unexpected. His arrival had been a joyous occasion at first, because they had not been able to receive word from or about him since he had been apart of the massive invasion into Western Europe, a major block to the world unity.

The three of them had been going about their normal routine, Cindy was attempting to cook a delicious meal for her, finally, husband. Red, was upstairs practicing his unrivaled skill at chess, and Lily had been taking a light nap on the couch, just laying there dreaming of what she felt might really be, her last night with Sicerio. Saddened, she hadn't even been able to hug him before he had left very early in the morning, on Christmas Day...to fight a bloody war.

The doorbell had rung, and it was Red who had answered the door at length, and much to his surprise there was a sallow, familiar face with a frown that seemed to be stuck on his face. It had taken Red awhile to realize who it was, but when he had he jumped in to give his best friend a welcoming hug, crying out, very manly like, in joy for the return.

Cindy had been the next to follow the sounds of her husband crying, very manly like of course. She too took a few moments before able to greet her long time friend, with a great big hug. The noises the husband and wife made attracted the sleepy redhead, and she, in just her PJ's, came to the front door to attend to the manner that had woken her up. Now, they say mates can immediately recognize each other. For all intents and purposes, lets assume this to be true, and that Lily really was just that sleepy. For she stood there for at least ten minutes, in the awkward silence her presence had brought in on the hugging trio, to realize the soldier her friends were hugging...was her other friend! It didn't take long there for her to be in his arms, and spinning around. Of course, Red and Cindy noticed that 'permanent' frown, was suddenly no where in sight, and all you could see was the epitome of white and shining teeth.

Once settled down, the four friends sat on very similar couch's to the ones they had been on late in the night, over four years ago on Christmas Eve. There, the four caught each other up on what had been happening. Lily hadn't had any suitors while Sicerio had been gone, which had seemed to please him outright. Obviously Red and Cindy had taken that final step. Cindy worked as a preacher in a nearby church, and helped in charities all the time. Red, was an accomplished Physicist, and not to mention a pretty well renowned Chess player. Lily...she had become a nurse, to help all the poor babies that caught her eye and without a doubt, instantly her heart.

So here they were, talking amiably with each other, as well lots of cuddling. It was only natural for Cindy and Red to cuddle, they were married. But to those who had not been in the war amongst the friends, they were surprised when Sicerio, had promptly upon sitting down, pulled Lily right to his side, and his arm refused to leave its spot around her waist. They say war changes you...and when it concerned what he was striving for and desired, war had changed Sicerio to be a go-getter.

Red and Cindy were surprised, but they each held identical smirks within moments, silent communication going on between them. They needed to shut their door tonight...just in case any extra noises were in the household. Lily was the one beyond surprised however. Sicerio had always been affectionate towards her...and really only her...but this...was adventurous for him, in front of their friends. That didn't weigh in on her decision to push her romantic momentum with him and lay her head on his shoulder.

Brown eyes looked down at her slyly...and a mini version of himself was doing a victory dance in his head, I was right...I was right! Boo-Ya!. "I do have something important to say...and...it will explain why I don't know how long I'll be here," at his words they were confused...and figured 'oh great...is there another war we don't about?'

Three pairs of eyes were on him and he chuckled very quietly and very nervously...a clear sign this wasn't easy. The brown pair of eyes was full of acceptance at anything his best friend had to say. The hazel pair of eyes was curious...but also accepting. It was however the blue pair of eyes, filled with a never ending pool of something he wanted so much to accept, that filled him with the courage to go on. "I believe that no amount of words could convince you of what I have to say...so rather instead...a demonstration would be more beneficial," and with that he looks off into the kitchen right in the open room next living room they were in, and before they could ask what caught his attention, they too noticed that a single plate came hovering towards them from the kitchen.

They watched the thing hover to a spot in between the group and waver up and down, before doing little back flips, if it was possible for a plate to do a back flip, and dances of kinds it seemed. Their attention was snagged suddenly by the sound of Sicerio's voice again, "Lily...do you remember our discussion about my thoughts before I left?"

All eyes diverted to Lily now...who at another time might've whammed the sly oaf beside her in the back of the head for putting the spotlight on her it such strange situation. But upon thinking about something vague came to mind, "This universe draws energy from a universe below it?"

He nods and gives her an affirmation secret from the couple on the other couch by squeezing her closer to him, "After I left for the war, I attempted to test this idea out...but the problem was...how do you test out such an idea?"

The nodded their heads in turn, he was in professor mode...and they'd been suckered into it! "After several hundred tries and fails...I came upon another idea...that objects that transfer energy use a selective field to influence that energy in a certain way...otherwise...the transfered energy would be of no use without a means to use it." That...made enough sense at least.

"So I tried more to influence the way I used the energy, rather than the transferring of energy, and much to my surprise...I discovered strings." He seemed to lull their making them think he was wacky in the head...but their eye caught the hovering plate and they thought better of it. "Their are relatively an infinite amount of strings on and inside your body...because each one is for each cell and how it reacts to its environment...I'd wager that each cell even has relatively an infinite amount...but thats something so minute I have no clue how to know. Anyway...their are eight unassociated strings to each body...and most of them are like flailing piano wires...what many people call our auras in nature. How we have the ability to make people move to the side depending how 'intimidating' we look...is really a clash of swirling strings and the stronger of the two is the one who parts the crowd."

He took a moment to breathe and let his fingers absently rub Lily's waist...much to her pleasure, and their friend's amusement. "While out in the field...my platoon saw me practicing using my strings to my own conscious will and command. We...didn't get along too well...to say the least, and in the end...I was forced to teach them how to use their strings," his voice seemed a little more hardened...something had happened that had angered him greatly.

"Eventually even these seven men," he spit out the word angrily, "quarreled amongst themselves on how to use these strings. The problem...is that all seven men...are not good people...and there is virtually no limit as far as I can figure to how much energy you can transfer. There are seve...eight men in this world with infinite power...and nothing to stop them." His correction was winking them in the face...himself. He was the eighth...or...rather the first.

"That is why I am going to be working to stop them...if its the last thing I do," and his words held the conviction to his statement too. He certainly sounded like he'd blow up the universe if thats what it took. His friends staring at him in total awe...the plate went back and settled itself in the cabinet. It was Red...the more knowledgeable of the three listeners who had the first question.

"So what does that do to the Big Bang theory?" Cindy felt a good urge to smack her husband in the back of the head, while the other couple just dropped their heads in shame.

Sicerio looked up into his eyes, "As far as I could figure...the Big Bang is the closest bet...just instead of everything starting off as matter super condensed into one tiny spot...lots and lots and lots of energy from what would be the universe below us now...was disturbed, and solidified into the universe we live in now."

Again, his friends sat around and stared at him in awe, and Cindy looked at him suspiciously, as much he knew she would. No one knew her quite like Sicerio did...save for Red himself. "Perhaps you used some sort of trick to do that, and you're just having us on?" Her eyebrow upraised as she gave him the challenge.

His smirk in return was to say the least disconcerting. "A trick?...perhaps. But no amount of trickery can do anything," and with that Lily's glasses lifted off of her face, Red's button up shirt unbuttoned itself, and Cindy's face turned really, really red. "So you see Cindy...how could I use trickery on all three of you at the same time?"

Red and Lily were rather smart people, and they were confused what had happened to Cindy to make her turn so red, but it was Lily who voiced her opinion...in a subtle manner of course. "Sicerio Bryant Mayo...what did you do to her?" Her response was all color draining from his face...aww...so he had failed to look too far into his actions.

He gave an innocent little whistle...and zoomed off the couch as fast as possible, Lily, Red, and Cindy who had refastened her pants, started chasing after him around the house, all laughing merrily inside their head.