Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of the Abyss and her characters

Twilight PhoenixFyre: Yeah you're right my story seemed rushed, but I really hate doing those 10K word chapters, it's not my style. Well the many grammatical errors...well English ain't my first language...it's tagalog! I'm proud of being a Filipino!

Chapter 2: On the Wrong Side

Malkuth

"I can't believe this! First I got teleported across half the world with some stranger, who tried to kill Master Van. Then a certain someone had to tell me we were going in the wrong direction. Next thing we knew we're dodging the freaking Malkuth military at their own border! Finally I'm starting to miss my damn home!" Luke screamed in total frustration as she and Myst were traveling to a nearby village after leaving Tartaroo Valley. "And that stupid carriage bastard! We had to rip us off, did he?"

"Tch, we? I had to give up my necklace for the both of us to get a ride and I'm surprised on how much soldiers they sent after just a small group of bandits." Myst said in his usual tone, though there is anger within his eyes. "Why did you decide to walk to Engeve for the rest of the trip anyway?"

"I wanted to see the views!" Luke said as she looked amazed at the endless field in front of her. Sure a few monsters from boars to moving plants sorta ruined the adventure, but luckily she knew how to fight.

"You want to go home as fast as possible, but you're taking your time?" Myst wondered in disbelief at the girl in front of him. The red head looked at him with a begging look.

"Sorry! I was confined in my manor for all I can remember." Luke said as she realize they're finally getting to civilization. "Ah crap I gotta put my bindings back first!"

"N-Not in front of me!" Myst shouted losing his calm exterior in a second as the girl in front of her suddenly took of her shirt. He quickly turned around hiding his blushing face. As he waited he could hearing the fiddling and shuffling with occasional the grunts from Luke.

"Alright done!" Luke announced as Myst finally turned around to see her. There is an obvious difference when Luke keeps the bindings on and off.

"She's bigger than Major..." Myst thought as his face suddenly turned red again.

"S-stop looking at me chest perv!" Luke screamed as she realized where Myst was looking.

"U-um sorry." Myst said returning to his calm self.

Engeve

"Wow! Such a nice place!" Luke said as they finally made it to the village. She could see various people working at the fields, tending to the livestock, and markets hobbling with customers. She started giggling in excitement as she wondered around.

"You're suppose to act like a man, not a little schoolgirl." Myst said as he wondered how old is this girl in front of him. "How old are you anyway?"

"Seventeen. Why and how old are you anyway?" she answered and asked the long haired man in front of her.

"Really? You seem to act like a child, and I'm eighteen." Myst answered.

"Grrr." Luke growled with anger. She then felt her stomach growling as well.

"Hungry?" Myst asked with a smirk as he too heard his stomach begging for some food as well.

"Y-Yea, but we're broke!" Luke said a little too loud as they both wondered into the markets of the village. Many various food wait and lie at the many stands of the vendors. Luke sigh as her stomach began to growl more and more, as she can't take it anymore.

"Hey what are you doing?" asked an apple vendor as he sees a young 'man' suddenly swipe an apple and eat it right in front of him.

"Eating. What else?" Luke said simply as she took another bite of the apple.

"Luke you're suppose to pay for it, then eat it." Myst said simply, even though he too is hungry.

"But I'm so hungry and this apple is really good!" Luke whined with a pouty look.

"S-so cute..." Myst thought as he looked at the noble's expression. " I apologize for my companion's antics. How much was that apple?"

"Well by just looking at the two of you, you guys seemed you haven't eaten the entire day. So it's on me, but remember the next time you're hear please pay. Stealing is bad!" the vendor said as he gave the travelers a few more apples.

"Man these apples are so good!' Luke said as he took another one. All in the while Myst took small bites, with a small glance he took note of the crowd of people around the inn entrance. "Hey what's happening over there?"

"Seems like trouble it's best of we stay out of it." Myst explained as he realized the disguised girl is heading to the commotion. "What am I getting myself into."

"We gotta find that thief and make'em pay for his crimes!" said one of the men at the crowd.

"We can't forgive them for ever stealing our food!"

"Whoever's been stealing our storage has been doing it for weeks!"

"Maybe that so called thief really likes your food or something." Luke said as took another bite of an apple. The rowdy crowd looked at her with total anger as if it hit them. "What?"

Engeve - Rosa's House

"So that's why your here colonel" said a stout woman in amazement as she drank her tea. A tall man in front of her was a high ranking soldier of the Malkuth Empire. Wearing the officer's uniform from his military the older man pushed up his glasses to make it front of his reddish brown eyes. His dark blonde hair falls down to his shoulders as he seemed to be waiting. Suddenly the door was barged open.

"Rosa we got the theif!" said one of the men as he excitedly held a young red haired teen as if he was a trophy.

"How many time do we have to say, we just got here! I'm not your so called thief!" Luke tried to reason all in the while Myst is right behind the crowd. "Myst say something!"

"That's what you get for being so nosy."

"Not like that! You're suppose to back me up!" Luke whined while she's still being held firmly.

"You idiots this not the thief!" Rosa shouted in anger at her people. "Do you realize we have military official in this room!"

"But Rosa she was holding all these Engeve apples!" the leader of the crowd tried to reason.

"And I keep telling you, the apple vendor said the apples were on him!" Luke explained as she was suddenly let go. "Ow!"

"We're so sorry!" apologized the men as they suddenly bowed down and they left. Luke was startled by the sight. Suddenly the soldier approached the two travelers.

"Who might the two of you be? I've never seem you around Malkuth." he wondered in satisfaction as if he was a scientist.

"We're just travelers who ended up at the wrong side. I believe you guys chased off those bandits pretty harshly." Myst said as he finally decided Luke can't answer these questions. "I'm Myst and this is Luke."

"I'm Colonel Jade Curtiss of the Malkuth Military, Third Division." Jade introduced himself with a welcoming smile, though his eyes tell another story.

"Isn't Jade a girl's name?" Luke questioned the man her annoyance at the earlier incident still clear.

"Well isn't Luke a boy's name?" Jade retorted with a satisfying smile as took note of Luke's expression becoming sudden shock.

"H-How? Even Myst couldn't figure it if my bindings didn't fall." Luke wondered in amazement at the man in front of her.

"Simple: your stance, your antics, your voice are dead giveaways. I swear you seem to act like a seven year old." Jade said with a smug on his face. "It's not my place to tell the world of your real gender so I'll leave you to it."

"About this thief incident." Myst wondered as the atmosphere isn't as awkward with Luke keep on babbling.

"We figured out after finding this fur on the storage." Rosa said as she took out a small pile of blue fur. The two travelers examined the fur, both wondering on what animal leaves that kind of hair. The door was suddenly opened once again, but this time by a young boy at least fourteen.

"That's a cheagle's fur! They're the sacred animals of Lorelei, so they're the thieves." the boy said as he approached the small group.

"Fon Master Ion, where's your guardian?' Jade asked with his eyebrows raised up.

"Somewhere around town, I wondered off my apologies." Ion said.

"Fon Master!" Myst thought with a surprised look, "Now why would the leader of the Order of Lorelai be hear?"

"Um I guess it's important discussion for you guys so we'll be off!" Luke said as she dragged Myst out of the house. Once the two of them are out, Luke quickly questioned her current companion. "Do you know that Ion guy or something."

"Fon Master Ion is the leader of the Order of Lorelei, everybody should know that." Myst answered Luke as she turned away ashamed.

"Geez I can't believe I'm this stupid!" Luke gritted in anger due to her lack of knowledge of the outside world.

"You're not stupid." Myst simply said with gentleness in his eyes, "You're just unaware of things happening outside."

"Wow that must be the nicest thing you said to me since we met." Luke gasp in awe. Myst only sigh as they approached the inn. He took note of the darkening skies.

"It's getting dark, let's get to the inn and have a good rest."

"Alright."

Engeve - Inn

The two of were in disbelief when the innkeeper was the same man that held Luke like a trophy of sort earlier that day. Still they were glad when the man apologized and were able to have a room for free.

"Hey finally a bed I could sleep at!" Luke screamed in excitement as she jump straight to the bed and holding a nearby pillow close to her chest.

"Be respectful Luke, we're not the only ones staying here. Other people are probably sleeping already." Myst sigh at the sight of the teen in front of her.

"Yeah, yeah." Luke said as she wandered around the room opening drawers and closets.

"What are you looking for?" Myst wondered as he once again thought Luke's expression on searching was cute.

"You got a pen or anything I could write with?" she asked, all she got was Myst raising his eyebrow. "Look the doctors told me to write in a journal, just in case I get that massive amnesia when I was ten."

"I'm sorry." Myst said as he took out a simple pen out from his pocket. "I should try to understand you're situation, but I can't."

"I guess it's alright. Not a lot of cases of severe memory loss." Luke wondered as she began to write in her journal. "I guess I was just one of the unlucky ones."

"Yeah looks like it." Myst trailed off as he examined Luke writing her thoughts in the journal.

"Hey Myst can we take a detour tomorrow?" Luke wondered as she set her journal down on a nearby drawer as she brought the blanket around her.

"Let me guess to wherever those so called Cheagles live, right?" Myst guested as he took note of Luke's barrage of excited nods. He only sigh at the sight. "Fine but not too long, we still have to find a way for you to get home."

"Thanks Myst! Good Night!" Luke said excitedly as she drifted off into her dreaming form. Myst looked at the girl with total envy he couldn't believe that this girl will be with him for only a short time. For now he has to concentrate on escorting Luke back home, Van could wait.

"I swear she's really just a kid sometimes." Myst thought outloud as he blushed at the adorable face of a sleeping Luke. "Why do you have to be so cute, with such a bratty attitude."

Happy New Years guys! Tis the beginning of a new year, a new us, a new everything! 2012 here we come!