(AN: At last, they finally meet, after 3 chapters of getting things ready. This chapter is also a bit fillery, so there might not be large amounts of story progression, but after this chapter, things should be progressing fast.

Also, someone explain to me, why is there no character options for Ico and Yorda? Get on it :P)

As said in the last 3 chapters, both Ratchet and Clank and ICO are owned by Sony Computer Entertainment.

Ratchet and Clank watched the two… beings asleep on the couch.

"Clank? W-What are these? They look a bit like Markazians… but, not entirely…"

Clank's eyes began to brighten as he began to scan the boy and the girl on the chair.

"Hmm… yes… oh… oh my…"

"What is it Clank?"

"From what my scanners indicate, these two are a species known as "humans"."

"Humans? I've never heard of them... Does that mean... y'know, if we're seeing two species we've never seen before...?"

"Yes... Ratchet, I do not believe we are in the past or the future. I believe we ended up in another universe."

"Another universe? Oh great, how are gunna get back to Solana now?"

"I don't know Ratchet, but I'm sure we can get back somehow."

Unbeknownst to the lombax and the robot, the boy with horns began to wake up slowly, hearing the two's conversation.

"What about that kid with horns? Something's not right about him Clank…"

"I agree, according to the images I got for humans, none of them contained those horns. As for the girl, human females aren't that pale."

"So what's the deal with those two?"

Finally, the boy with horns woke up, and saw Ratchet and Clank. Ratchet's ears perked up as he turned his head to the side and saw the horned boy standing up. He yelled something in a strange language and grasped a stick he held in his hand tightly.

"Woah woah woah! Hold on there kid! We're not gunna hurt you!" Ratchet and Clank held their hands in the air, not wanting the boy to hurt them. However, the boy didn't seem convinced. The girl woke up from the commotion that occurred, gasping at the sight of Ratchet and Clank and walked to the boy's side, holding his hand.

All of a sudden, the same pool of darkness Ratchet and Clank encountered in the graveyard appeared near the couch. The horned boy and the pale girl gasped as the boy went after the pool, attacking the shadow beings as soon as they came out.

"Hold on kid, let me help! You're just gunna get yourself hurt!" Though Ratchet's statement wasn't true, as the boy knew what he was doing, but the lombax needed to trust his instincts. Holding his Omniwrench, he helped the boy clear out the shadow beings, all of them falling to Ratchet's wrench and the boy's stick. The pool disappeared as Ratchet began to pant. However, his relaxation was cut short by the boy yelling something.

"Uhhh, Clank? Wha… what is he saying? Is it some sort of alien language? It doesn't sound anything like the one's back in Solana."

"I believe this is the language he speaks, a different language then ours."

"So basically, I can't understand him?"

"Yes, but there is a solution."

Clank opened his metallic body and pulled out some sort of ear piece.

"I developed this translator in the event we would ever need it. Put it on and you should be able to understand him. Along with that, anytime you speak to him with this on, what you say will be heard in his language, so he can respond to you."

"Couldn't you be able to do that? I mean, you are a robot."

"I haven't uploaded the technology for understanding him into my A.I., but I can do it right now. In the meantime, put the translator in your ear."

Ratchet placed the translator into his right ear lobe, fitting perfectly.

"OK got it. Now what?" asked Ratchet.

"Try talking to him." replied Clank

"Ok…" Ratchet faced the horned boy. "Uhh… hi… My name is Ratchet. Who are you?"

To his surprise, the strange boy with horns responded. "Ratchet? I never heard of this name before…" The horned boy said.

"Clank! It works!"

"As for who I am, I am Ico."

"E-co?"

"No, Ico."

"Ico… that's your name…"

The horned boy-now introducing himself as Ico, stared at the lombax.

"What are you? You look like a cat. But cat's do not walk or talk."

"No no, I'm a lombax."

"Lombax? I have not heard of this either. I still do not understand why you walk or talk, I remember in my village, they told us stories of animals who could do stuff such as you. But I had no idea it was true."

"Wait, village?" Clank asked.

"Yes, Toksa Village. That is where I am from."

"Then why are you in some big castle?" Ratchet asked.

Ico looked at the ground somberly. "You… you seemed to have noticed my horns… Please, sit down and I shall tell you everything."

Ratchet and Clank sat down on the cold stone floor, beginning to listen to Ico's story.

"I… I come from a village where every generation, a child bearing horns is born."

"Horns? Why?"

"I do not know, my village's elder did not tell me. All he told me was about a man known as "the Wanderer", and how he is the reason kids like me have horns. If a kid has horns, then they are sent to this castle to be sacrificed at the age of thirteen."

Ratchet jumped at what the horned boy said.

"Woah woah! Sacrificed? You mean… they die?"

"No. The village elder told me that they become a part of the castle itself, and they live forever."

Ratchet reached in close to Clank. "I'm really not liking this place… I mean, sacrificing kids?"

"It seems that we have entered a world where sacrifices are still being held. So, you could say we are in the past."

The two listened to Ico's story again.

"I… I was one of those sacrifices, as seen by my horns. They took me here a week after my horns formed, around my thirteenth birthday, and put me into a sarcophagus. They had told me "Do not be angry. This is for the good of the village." ("Horrifying." Clank muttered under his breath). I was left there, most likely to starve to death, but fate had something else in mind for me. I was able to get out of my sarcophagus, and save myself from death."

Ico turned to the girl next to him. "While exploring this castle, I found this girl. I do not know much about her, however all I do know is that she is the daughter to the Queen of this castle, and her name is Yorda."

"Wait, a Queen?" asked Ratchet.

"Yes, she is evil. She is apparently Yorda's mother, and she plans to take her away from me, and she is using those dark creatures to do so."

"So I guess I know now who's causing them to appear." thought Ratchet.

"But, I plan to free the both of us from this castle, no matter what is thrown at us."

Ratchet saw the girl, Yorda, look at the ground, not saying a word.

"How did you end up here? You don't seem like you are from here."

"I'm from a galaxy known as "Solana". As for how I ended up here, me and my partner here, Clank, encountered a black hole while traveling in our ship. Next thing you know, we end up here." Ratchet explained

Ico and Yorda looked at the lombax and robot, confused at what Ratchet said. However, the two gave the horned boy and pale girl the benefit of the doubt, as they seemed to live in the past, and wouldn't understand modern technology.

"What is your partner? His name seems to be "Clank", but what is he? I've never seen anything like him before."

"I am what is called a robot. I am made up of various parts and machinery. One of them gives me the ability to speak." Clank said. Ico looked at him in awe and amazement, never seeing such a thing before.

"It seems… amazing. I had no idea people such as yourselves existed."

"Well, it seems we've learned more about our worlds then anything."

The four sat in silence for a while.

"Hey Ico, seeing as how we all wanna get out of here, how's about me and Clank help you and Yorda?" Ratchet asked.

"You mean, like a team?" responded Ico.

"You could say. We help you two out, and in return, you help us."

"Do you think it could work?"

"I'm sure!" Ratchet stood up and held out his hand to Ico, who took it. Getting him off the floor, Yorda and Clank stood up. All four of them looked at their surroundings.

"So, where to first?"

Ico said something in his native tongue as he pointed towards an opening on the right side of the room. The horned boy took the pale girl's hand as they ran towards it, the lombax and robot following right behind them.