AUTHOR'S NOTE: I wanted to reassure you that your reviews have not gone unseen. I've enjoyed reading all of them and they have given me the confidence to continue! For that, I wanted to specifically thank - wicked falcon, Luv4Uncas, RubyDracoGirl, Yautja321, TwinWarriors95, Caddaren, ScruffySock, AngelOfDarkness777, "Guest", and "de". By the way, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to slip me a quick PM. :) ENJOY!

BY ANY OTHER NAME

"In the flesh, baby."

Ri'ka stood, gaping with surprise. Mentally, she was inept to move. The princess began to jitter with anxiety while staring, stupefied by his seemingly delusive form. The warrior before her anticipated her response while flashing crooked smiles at her many attempts to speak. Finally breaking the lingering, yet temporary silence, Raz beamed with a fit of laughter; it echoed through her quarters like a siren through a city. Suddenly, while his eyes were clenched together in a struggle to suppress his laughter, a petite hand clamped his mouth shut, muffling his bellowing cackles.

"Don't be so loud!" Ri'ka hissed, her dainty lips caressing the curve of his ear. He shivered beneath her tickling touch and eyed her, a depraved smile cultivating beneath her slim fingertips.

"As you wish," he mirrored her benign tone.

In one swift motion, Raz spun around to embrace the princess, securing her body within his clutch. The former prince dipped her figure, allowing the top of her head to graze the marble tile, before stealing a kiss. He planted his lips against her forehead, dominating that region with a desirous, lingering smack. He braced his right hand around her back, allowing the cascading folds of her apparel to drape about his weathered armor. With his left hand, he held the side of her face, drawing her closer to him. Ri'ka's mandibles fluttered with an impulsive tingle. She gawked at him while his eyes were closed, lips pursed against her precarious skin. He was so convened; unwavering. This act only intensified her obsession with the brother she had learned to idolize.

Finally, his eyes opened to find another pair fixed on him. His pursed lips recoiled, but his biceps held her in place. With her body suspended, Ri'ka staunched the twinge in her neck, muscles strained and dulled. Even through the aching pain, she preferred to sustain this moment, for she seldom had the freedom to see him alone. Gradually, Raz leveled Ri'ka so that she was standing inches from his body, her eyes parallel to his collarbone.

"I've missed you, wee thing," Raz hummed, smoothing away a thick strand of her hair. His dismal, foreign accent could lure her to sleep.

His face flared with warmth as Ri'ka acknowledged him with a kiss in return. Heedless were her efforts to reach his scarred cheek, so the resourceful teenager concurred that a peck to the jaw would suffice. Raz was Ri'ka's eldest brother, but never mentioned as such. Since the day he was born into royalty, the prince rebelled against Orädd's autocratic and brutal lifestyle. Upon discovering that Raz was approaching a more domestic line of work, her parent's deemed his actions to be an equivocal betrayal.

Ri'ka inwardly shuddered at the memory. On that day, for the first time in his privileged life, Raz had expressed his pain, heartbroken that his sires would not favor the essence that he desired to liberate lives, rather than eradicate them. No longer welcomed on palace grounds, Raz accepted a most gracious offer to redeem himself on the front lines as a corpsman. Perhaps that is why Ri'ka loved him so much; he had once felt as she presently does. He knew.

Flung from her penetrating scrutiny, Ri'ka jumped when her brother dramatically gasped, lifting his index finger in front of her face. He began to gorge through the furrows of his bronze plating, searching for something he had previously hidden. With widening eyes, his excitement grew. The antecedent prince pulled an article of jewelry from his pocket, waving the tiny, convoluted pendant within the grip of his fingertips. It swung in front of the princess for mere seconds, before her greedy, miniature hands snatched it away with an enormous smile plastered along her darling lips.

"I have something for you," Raz chuckled at her reaction, "Well, had, more like it."

"How?! Where did you find one?" Ri'ka exclaimed, forgetting all forms of etiquette. Suddenly, her expression morphed into a scold, "Did you steal it?"

Raz pressed is hands against his hips while laughing at her untimely assumption, "No, Ri'ka, I didn't steal it! I used to be a prince, for the love of Paya! I did have to fight someone for it, though."

Ri'ka rose a suspicious eyebrow. She was convinced that Raz would never pick a quarrel over something as ridiculously primitive as a necklace. "Is that where you got that scar?" Ri'ka taunted with a smirk, pointing to the fresh blemish on his cheek.

Her brother scoffed, "You should have seen the other guy, that crazy bastard."

Ri'ka let out a soft giggle, shaking her head while peering at the shimmering stone in the palm of her hand, "Really, Raz. How did you actually manage to find one? There's only one other in existence!"

Plucking the gem from her hand, Raz gazed at it's dazzling surface as it reflected the radiance of purple from Ri'ka's torch-lit chamber. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Oh, come on, Raz! I only get to see you every twelve seasons!" Ri'ka begged, her needy hands pulling at his arm, "Please tell me!"

"Alright," Raz whispered with a grin. Seeing his angel, baby sister beam with such interest and temporary happiness was something Raz had increasingly longed to witness. His chest squirmed with an uncontrollable yearning for his complacent to become her's as well. So, naturally, it was only right that he give in.

"Månsten," Raz began, "That's what we call it back at camp."

"Moonstone?" Ri'ka translated, her eyes in a trance. "Why?"

"This here, wee little white stone, reflects any and all colors. Right now, the edges remain white, however the middle is a deep plum, like your room."

"That's amazing," Ri'ka gaped. Raz chuckled when he felt the tickling sensation of her breath as she drew closer and closer to the deceptive jewel.

"Believe it or not, this beauty is what you get for cracking the tooth of an xenomorph. A friend of mine was bitten, poor bastard. The beast tore off most of his skin, and there, lodged into the bone, was an xenomorph tooth, bloodied and broken. After I had removed it, pieces began to chip away and thus we have the Moonstone."

"Is your friend in recovery?" Ri'ka's mind was quick to transition subjects.

"He was... after I had fought him for it," Raz teased. "He wanted to surprise you with it as much as I did."

"What?" Ri'ka grinned in disbelief, "I don't even know your friend."

"Aye, but he know's you," Raz placed the chain back into Ri'ka's possession, squeezing her hand shut as if to finalize his gift to her. After receiving his sister's questioning glance, Raz sighed, reliving his painful past of loss and disapproval. "If you had to spend the rest of your life away from your family, you'd talk about them all the time too."

The princess' eyes began to water, her bottom lip quivering at the tone of his voice; so courteous and gentle. He stood, arms length away from her, yet she could almost touch the doleful aura surrounding him. His sandy eyes were now cast to the ground. Flicking away what hair draped along his back, Raz caressed his neck and desperately tried to laugh away his agony. She watched his eyes twitched, as if trying to find the nobility to look up at his fair ruler. Finding none, his gaze remained latched onto the vapid, alabaster floor.

Without another inch of hesitation, Ri'ka listened to the quiet patter of her own footsteps as she ran towards her brother; her prince. With incredible force, Ri'ka hurdled her body against his, causing him to stumble backwards in surprise. With her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, the future Queen refused to grant him clemency, even though he insisted it was unnecessary. Ri'ka knew better. By the light elevation in his chest, she could tell he was short of breath. This only aroused Ri'ka to tighten her embrace; flattening her body against his. The minor sovereignty felt tears erupt from the corner her eyes when the former prince returned her grasp, cradling her body within his steady arms.

"I wish it didn't have to be this way, love," Raz whispered, burying his face into the crook of her neck.

"When do you have to leave?" Ri'ka never withheld her grip.

Ri'ka's question was met with Raz's silence. Even though he sensed that Ri'ka already knew his answer, he was hesitant; the words tormenting his own heart as well as her's. "Tonight," he whispered, his face still pressed into the curve of her neck.

"I don't want you to leave..."

"He's not here to stay, do you understand me?" Ri'ka's wide eyes beamed with excitement as she continued to stand on her toes.

"Ri'ka, stand still and listen to your father," Queen Ezra said, a scowl in the curve of her brow.

"But, mom, I can't! Raz is coming!"

The petite princess stood a little more than four feet from the ground. Her light curls bounced in sync as she did. The little girl, pale and scrawny, acted as if her brother's rare visits were an international holiday. Her palms became sticky with sweat, every time, because, deep down, she had been nervous. Even as a child, she feared that the war would change him. She often had nightmares that her brother would return, having forgotten who she was.

"Where are your brothers, Ri'ka?" Suddenly, her mother's words impaired the child's chest, her expression immediately sagging with a painful frown.

"Kal'de said he'd come if it was convenient for him," Ri'ka sighed. The innocent princess began to shake with tears, deciding to continue, "A'dyn said he'd rather be slaughtered than be caught 'conversing', whatever that means, with a fucked-up-traitor he's forced to call 'brother'."

The Queen's eyes widened, hindering her from reacting quicker. "Mommy, what does that mean?"

Ezra turned away from her daughter to eye the King. She glared at his stout form before he felt her piercing gaze and turned around. "You better clean your son up, or Paya help me..."

"Understood, my Queen," he reassured.

"You," Ezra whirled around to revert her attention towards her daughter, "I don't want you to repeat that phrase again."

"My Lord and Lady." The King and Queen were directed to the guard entering the first corridor in which they stood. "He's arrived."

Stepping forward, the Queen held Ri'ka's hand within her's. By her side stood the King as they waited for the guard to present to them their long-awaited son. Prying from her mother's grip, Ri'ka pulled away to position herself closer to the entrance, taking a deep breath. Her previous excitement resurfaced, as did the continual bounce in her step. The moment she had waited for came like an angel fleeing from Heaven. As if time had ceased, Ri'ka charred the image of her brother, emerging from the mysterious outside world, into the most sacred part of her memory.

"Raz!" Ri'ka screamed, her hands flailing above her head as she lunged after him.

"Sweetheart!" Raz lifted the little yaut'ja up into the air. Her laughter made him smile as he squeezed her little form close to his armored chest before returning her bare feet to the marble floor.

"I scared you this time, didn't I," Ri'ka crossed her arms in sweet victory, smiling at her brother when he removed his decorated helmet.

"I don't know-" Raz playfully shook his head.

"Don't lie, Raz, I saw your face! It was a look of sheer terror!"

"Alright, alright!" the corpsman chuckled, "I admit it. You got me this time!"

To Ri'ka, Raz had led her to believe that she had successfully surprised him. As he did the last visit. And every visit before then. And he planned to do so again at future visits. Seeing her smile was all he could artistically take with him to war. To him, at this point in his deplorable life, was all that mattered.

With the child yanking at his sprawling array, Raz hadn't even realized that two yaut'ja rulers were discerning his every move. With hesitant eyes, the former prince regained his composure, patting the squealing pup on the head. With Ri'ka following closely behind him, Raz moved forward to present his respectful greeting. The bulky clank in his step furnished the now empty atmosphere. Aside from his attire rattling, metal against metal, the room was chocked with an awkward lull.

"My Queen," Raz bowed. He was grateful that his mother would nod at his gesture, but Raz was having difficulty hiding his hesitating affliction; Unable to call the Queen, 'mother', was undoubtedly conflicting in its own way in the eyes of a, practically abandoned, son. "My King." Raz was quick to switch his attention so that a balance of esteem was distributed.

"You boring grown-ups can talk later!" Ri'ka suddenly piped, "Let's have some fun."

That look. Raz was no stranger of its heinous glare. The only difference he could clearly detect was the fact that his 'parents' bored their gaze into his little Ri'ka instead of him; their treacherous son. Gripping her flailing arms and instinctive shoving the princess behind him, Raz stood between the king and queen's disprove and the exemplary pup naive to their hostility. No doubt he wore an expression of pure disrespect. With a quick flick of his head, he peered over his shoulder, catching her eye immediately.

Raz growled in a hushed tone. "Quiet now."

"But why?" Ri'ka's voice was hoarse with disappointment, "You promised last time that we would spend the ENTIRE day together!"

"I know," the former prince sighed, "Perhaps... another time, love."

"Mei'hswei."

Upon hearing that voice, Raz's smile had almost resurfaced, though his previous anger hindering him to do so. Instead, he gritted his teeth and mustered a sincere grin. Turning around with a light step, Raz faced his brother, Kal'de; a brother he had not seen in over a decade...

Raz was, more or less, appeased to hear a voice that he'd grown of age with. It was, as he suspected, more profound and etched with deceptive authority though. The fledgling pup he'd once been a mentor too, was now veiled in his parents' mutual scorn - having been taught over the years that Raz was nothing more than a traitor to both the Royal Family and the tribe. Feeling the strength in his shoulders subside with fatigue, Raz clicked his mandibles in submission, offering a short bow to his younger blood-brother.

Kal'de was hesitant. He'd been earnestly disciplined to adapt and conquer ever-changing environments and circumstances, but nothing, nothing could have prepared him for this; this unfortunate, premature uniting of two brothers - garbled by war and wavering credence. They'd undoubtedly grown apart, even from just one exchanged glance. They'd grown to think differently than one another; to act differently than one another; to be differently than one another. It couldn't have been anticipated and it couldn't have been helped.

Nothing was said while Raz's gaze gouged through the young prince's face, still pale and without fault. A sure sign that Kal'de presently remained an unblooded warrior. Twitching beneath his stare, Kal'de shifted his weight, unsure of the customs to which should follow. Raz's right hand smoothed across the top of Ri'ka's hair. The pup's dainty fingers were coiling around thick folds of his grime-stricken veneer. Relieved to be temporarily rid of their fixated eyes, Raz looked down at his sister's pleading face. Deciding that enough was enough, Raz scooped her tiny frame away from the jealous floor, cradling the princess in the crook of his left elbow.

"Now," Raz sighed, "How about that play-date I promised you, aye?"

"You mean it?" the pup beamed, her face morphing into a devious grin.

"Sei-i," the former prince accepted. {Of course.}

"Oh, oh, oh," the princess bounced, "Go that way, go that way! I have to show you something!"

Raz followed the direction indicated by Ri'ka's index finger. Amid the corridor shined the ardor of light from the outside world. Swiveled rays poured across the length of the marble floor while a clatter of bronze boots echoed through the lobby of the entrance to their beautiful palace. Slowly, Raz took Ri'ka away from their foiled presence; away from royal demand and expectation; away from their ill-conceived lies...