A/N: Hey people. Princeleon here. I just have to say that I am impressed at how well Astral is doing. I only had the Prologue and Chapter 1 up which have 46 hits! (Super Excited ^_^). So I thank those that have taken the time to read my material. But I still need at least a review. So please R and R. I would really appreciate it.
Chapter 2- Reunion
The rest of Aaron's day proceeded as it normally would. He and his friends went to their various classes, regrouped together at lunch, and ended the school day altogether. When Aaron walked out of the building, Jack was waiting for him by the school gates.
"C'mon, man. I'll give ya a lift."
Aaron shook his head and declined the offer.
"Thanks, Jack. But I'll walk home. You go on ahead."
"You sure about that? It is your birthday an all."
Aaron reassured him and he nodded.
"Alrighty then. See ya tomorrow."
He opened the door to his limo and pulled off after giving Aaron a wave goodbye. Aaron watched him go until he disappeared down the street. He took a breath of fresh air and started walking home. As he walked, his thoughts started to drift to the dream he had this morning.
I wonder what that was all about. I've had plenty of bizarre dreams before, but that was just plain weird.
As he continued mulling over his dream, he failed to pay attention to where he was walking and bumped into someone. He looked up as he passed the person and turned around to apologize.
"I'm sorry, Sir," Aaron said. "I didn't mean to run into you."
The person didn't speak. When Aaron fully faced him, his eyes widened. In front of him was a man wearing a blue hooded cloak with the hood up. The exact image from his dream.
What the hell?
He closed his eyes to blink but as soon as he opened them, the figure was gone. Vanished without a trace. Aaron rubbed his eyes and placed a hand over his rapidly-beating heart.
Oh man. That was close. Where in the hell did that come from?
He shook off his thoughts and continued home at a faster pace. When he arrived home, his parents were waiting for him.
"Hello, Aaron," His father said. "How was school?"
Aaron smiled at his father as he closed the door.
"School was alright. Hey, where's Mom and Ann?"
"Well, your mother's upstairs and Anna's on her way back from school. When she gets in, we're all going out to dinner to celebrate your birthday."
His father smiled and playfully punched his son in the shoulder.
"13 years old, huh? You're practically a teenager."
Aaron smiled and nodded to his dad. He went upstairs to change and get ready, but he stopped when he got halfway.
"Hey dad, could I have a party tomorrow?"
His father nodded his head.
"Sure. That sounds like a good present."
He smiles and goes upstairs. He changes out of his uniform and throws on a pair of jeans with a nice button-up shirt. He walks out of his room and sees his parents and his sister downstairs.
"On my way down!"
Anna smiled and crossed her arms.
"Well hurry up, Birthday boy. I'm starving."
He smiled and gave his room one last look before shutting off the lights and closing the door. He walked down the stairs and he and his family left out for the restaurant. It was a fancy italian place downtown. They sat and ate dinner while interacting like any other family. Aaron got to order his favorite desert, and the restaurant staff along with his family sang him Happy Birthday. All in all, he had a good time. They arrived back to at their home around 10:00 PM. Aaron walked in with yawn when he realized something. He still had homework to do. He sighed and headed upstairs while waving to everyone.
"Alright, I'm getting some sleep. Night, everyone."
They all replied to him as he entered his room. He took out his homework and got started. 30 minutes later, he was finished. He left his room for a quick shower. When he came back, he put away his things back into his school bag and cut off the light. He was excited for tomorrow and needed all of his energy. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.
Later that night, at 11:00 PM, two hooded figures had entered Aaron's room. The boy was sound asleep, so he didn't hear them enter. These two were the same figures that were watching him while he was at school. The girl walked over to his bed and pointed at him.
"Aww! He's so adorable when he's sleeping."
Her partner didn't respond. He simply watched Aaron sleep while the minutes ticked by.
At 11:45 PM, the boy's body began to glow a soft white. The two figures had passed the time examining the things in his room. They were very much interested in his things, almost as if they had never seen them before. The girl had caught sight of the glowing light and looked up. Her partner spoke up before she could.
"Relax. He'll be here soon."
She nodded and they continued to watch him.
At 11:55 PM, the glow became brighter and brighter. Both figures stood and watched as Aaron tossed and turned, undisturbed by whatever was going in his room. All that was left was for midnight to come. The male pulled out his ancient clock and waited with his colleague.
At 11:59 PM, the girl was counting down the seconds until midnight.
"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1!"
Suddenly, the glowing bright light had peaked to its brightest form. Both figures shielded their eyes as an aura engulfed Aaron's body. The aura then seemed to gather and form a second Aaron. More like a spirit version of him. This Aaron, still asleep like his body, was gently placed over to the side of his bed...and fell on the floor.
"Oww!" he yelled. He was a bit delirious from being waken from his sleep like that. He yawned and rubbed his eyes as he stood up.
"I have got to stop sleeping so wildly. Almost gave myself a concussion."
He pulled back his covers and was about to get back into bed when he paused. He looked over and saw himself still sleeping his bed.
"What the?"
He reached over and touched the nose. When felt that it was solid, he jumped back. He was confused by what exactly was going.
"I...I don't get it. If I'm here, then who's that in my bed?"
He didn't have long to ponder this because soon the girl leapt for him and held him in a tight embrace.
"Oh Prince Leon! Thank goodness you've been alright for these 13 long years! Are you well? Have you been eating right?"
She then noticed that Aaron had not been responding to any of these questions. She looked down and saw that she was suffocating him. She let him go and watched as he stumbled back with a flustered look on his face.
"What...the hell!"
The girl folded her arms and waved her figure.
"Tsk tsk tsk. Language, Prince."
Aaron was about to say something else when the second figure came into his view. He quickly backed up into his desk and grabbed his lamp. He pointed it at the both of them.
"Okay. Who are you guys, and what are you doing in my house?"
Both of the figures exchanged glances and nodded. They took of their cloaks and gave Aaron a salute.
"I'm Felicia Amino, Captain of the Valkyrie Knights."
"I'm Rue Midou, Captain of the Royal Knight."
"And we are your assigned guardians, Prince Leon!"
Aaron was bit startled by their energy, but he examined while they spoke. The one called Felicia had light purple hair and violet eyes. Her hair seemed to be of medium length, stopping short of her neck. Her bangs were parted, so he could see her face. She gave him a warm smile, so he felt no ill intent from her. His eyes went to over examine her partner, Rue. The man had green hair and yellow eyes. His hair too was medium length, from what Aaron saw. He glanced at them more before lowering his lamp. He didn't who they were or what they were after, but for some odd reason he felt safe around them. He put the lamp down and spoke.
"Look, I don't know what you guys are looking for, but it's not here. So please get out of my room. I need to wake up from this dream."
Felicia giggled and stepped forward a little.
"We've been looking for you, Prince Leon."
"Yes," Rue added. "and this is no dream."
Aaron was now confused. He went say something, but kept quiet. Then he formulated his question.
"Wait a sec, why do you keep calling me "Prince Leon"? And whatdaya mean this isn't a dream?"
Felicia and Rue exchanged glances as the room got quiet.
"You," Rue began. "you...don't remember us do you, Prince?"
Aaron shook his head and rubbed it.
"Of course not. I think I would remember you guys if I'd met you."
The two guardians exchanged words without Aaron listening. Soon, Rue returned and looked at Aaron.
"Alright, Prince Leon. You're coming with us."
"Huh? W-w-wait a sec-"
Rue didn't give time for Aaron to speak. He pulled out a ring from his pocket and pointed it at an empty space in the room.
"GATE TO THE ASTRAL REALM, OPEN!"
As Rue commanded, a pair of golden gates appeared in Aaron's room. They opened up and a shining light came through. Felicia looked at Aaron with a smile.
"Time to go, Prince."
She quickly grabbed his hand and marched toward the gate with Rue brining up the rear. Aaron was baffled by what was going on.
"W-wait! What are you doing? Help! Someone help me!"
His screams and pleas fell on deaf ears as the gates closed. The shining light inside became too much for Aaron and he blacked out while Rue and Felicia traveled on.
A/N: Well that's it for chapter 2. Sorry that this one took so long to complete. I've been busy with other things, plus I had a terrible sore throat for a few days. But I do hope that you guys enjoy this chapter. I personally think that I did well with writing a comedic scene and my describing of the characters. But I would enjoy it even more if you guys reviewed it as well. So R and R and I'll see you on Chapter 3.