Chapter 4: HAPPY 2010!~~~!!! So I don't know if there's anything important I need to say on this one now. So READ, ENJOY, and REVIEW!!

The Past is Back

Chapter 4

It took Chase three whole months of nonstop searching before he finally returned home. Since the vandals disappeared using magic, any normal means for searching for her would be futile. The piece of shirt was useless, not even the blood on it helped. For three whole days Chase tried to locate her using the shirt, a crystal, a map, and a spell and nothing would happen.

When he returned home, he immediately went to the far side of the citadel and locked himself in a room for two weeks. During the first few nights, frustrated growls and furious roared echoed throughout the lair along with the sounds of breaking walls. Chase was lost; completely and utterly lost as to what to do next.

'Magical means didn't work. . .I could enlist outside assistance,. . .but if any Heylin find out that she's missing, the bounty on her would instantly quadruple and she would be in even more danger. . .So there is no one who can help me. . .except for her mother. . ."

"But what exactly do you plan on telling her Genius?" Chase's inner dragon questioned. "'Hello mother-of-the-girl-I-was-supposed-to-protect, I fucked up, she's gone.' Are you trying to get us killed?!"

"SHUT UP!!!!" Chase shouted. It had already been trying for him to keep his nerves in check, to remain as calm as possible; but now all of his patience went out the window. However, instead of lashing out in rage at the first thing that moved, he suddenly became very silent and still. His worries, his fears, and almost every one of his emotions literally faded from him in a white flowing mist onto the floor. Nothing and no one concerned him. Only their lives had any meaning to him, only their lives had value.

Chase took a deep, renewing breath as he decided on his next plan to find her. Nothing was going to stop him from completing his goal.

And for the first time in two weeks he stepped foot in his citadel to find little Kiara huddled up on the floor next to the door.

---------------------------------- PRESENT DAY----------------------------------------

"Finally they're finished!" Kiara sighed in relief.

"Your uncle is Chase?" Aisha asked Kiara as Chase Young emerged from the conference room with Rachael. While Aisha and Kiara were waiting for Rachael's meeting to end, they had wasted away the better part of an hour beating each other's scores at solitaire.

"Aisha," Chase smiled when he saw her and walked over to her desk, Rachael followed.

"Hi," she slightly nervously smiled back.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Rachael and Kiara asked in unison. Rachael was in genuine shock; but Kiara was just showing off her years of acting classes.

"Yeah, we met a couple of weeks ago," Chase answered and put his hands in his pants pockets. "First we find out that we live two floors away from each other and now we work for the same company... my company. Our worlds are overlapping each other's quite a bit."

"They really are. It's getting a little weird," Aisha replied pensively. "It's a bit too weird . . . It's almost as though- -"

"It's almost as though you were meant to be together," Kiara's small voice chirped in with the exact words that Aisha was about to think.

"Please don't mind her, she has quite an imagination. I think it was a few too many bedtime stories," Chase replied. "Well it was nice doing business with you Ms. Odona." He stretched out his hand to Rachael.

Rachael shook his hand, "It was nice meet you too. So you'll be back when?"

"I'll be back on Monday to finalize everything. Aisha, it was good to see you again. Kiara, let's go."

"Bye Aisha." Kiara looked up at Aisha with a huge grin and then gave her a quick hug before skipping off to follow Chase. "I hope we'll see each other again soon!"

"Me too!" Aisha smiled at the little girl as she left.

-----------A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER-------------

"Hi, you've reached Chase Young. Since I missed your call, just leave a message and I'll get back to you soon."

*BEEP*

"Hi Chase, it's me Aisha. Um, you're probably gonna be busy, but I was just wondering if you'd like to come bowling with me and a few of my friends this Saturday. I know it's a bit short notice since tomorrow's Saturday and all but it would still be great if you could come. Okay, now I'm rambling. Um it's at 8 o'clock at the 300 alley; you can bring some of your own friends if you want. The more the merrier. Just let me know if you can come. Okay, bye!"

With that Aisha hung up the phone and took a deep breath. That phone call was definitely going on her list of the embarrassing things she's done. Well now at least she was done with everything for the party, it was now time to relax with a glass of calming wine . . .

--------------------------FRIDAY---------------------------

"Aww c'mon Aisha, you need to release all of your stress and tension from this week's worth of work and planning Esmeralda and Tomas's engagement party. And I'm the best way to relieve that stress," Ilario coaxed in Aisha's ear from behind her as he slipped his arms around her slim waist.

Aisha kept her composure as though nothing was happening and rolled her eyes, "Rio would you stop before people start to wonder."

"Wonder what? Everyone in this room knows about us Aisha, it's not a secret."

"But still, I'm the hostess; I can't just disappear and go 'play' with you without having my absence noticed by everyone."

"Or you don't want your disappearance noticed by someone," Ilario implied suspiciously.

"Uh yeah!" Aisha replied. "If I miss when Essie brings in Tomas for the surprise, I'll be pissed and I'll make sure that you never get nookie ever again."

Ilario sucked his teeth and sighed as he let her go. "You're no damn fun anymore. Ever since you met that guy in the club. It's not--"

"Whoa, whoa. It's not Chase's fault and what do you mean I haven't been fun?"

"I hardly ever see you anymore. And when I do, we just talk and eat. That's not fun! I have needs you know, and as my friend I would hope that you'd be able to fulfill those needs."

Aisha narrowed her eyes at him; she was convinced that Ilario had just lost his mind. "Firstly, I know you have needs because I have the same ones. You just need to control your cravings like I do. Secondly--"

"Control? You consider your cravings controlled? You call screwing five guys every other Friday night control?"

Aisha stepped up to him and she glared at him right in his eyes, "Say it Rio! I know its sitting on the tip of your tongue, say it!"

Ilario stared right back at her and they stood in tense silence for a few seconds. He knew what she wanted him to say, but he knew better than to let the word roll from his lips: she would just throw it right back at him.

"Admit it, my way is a lot more practical than hooking up with someone every night," Aisha said as she broke the silence. "And F.Y.I., I haven't had a craving since I met Chase." And with that, she walked away from him and to the bar.

'Buck,' Ilario's mind groaned. 'I really messed that up. Ugh... and I haven't seen her that angry since our last break up. . . Her mother's gonna kill me. God I gotta get rid of all this sexual tension. Now who's gonna help me with that?' Ilario's own cravings were messing with his head. Normally he would've pursued the issue with Aisha and stay with her for the rest of the night, but he just couldn't think clearly at the moment. However through the thick fog in his head, he knew that he would have to keep an eye on Chase; something about him wasn't right.

"Your brother is such an asshole. I thought you taught him better," Aisha commented as she sat on a stool at the bar next to Erica.

"Adopted brother," Erica corrected. "And it's not my fault that he thinks with his ***k."

"Well tell him to stop; I'm getting tired of constantly having to avoid him."

Erica took a sip of her drink. She hated being dragged into the middle of Aisha and Ilario's problems; she really didn't give a damn and it made her slightly uncomfortable. "You two are in the same 'predicament', it's only natural that he comes to you for. . . 'help'?"

"Oh I haven't told you have I?"

"Told me what?"

"That I haven't had a craving since I met Chase."

"Aisha," Erica started very seriously in a slight whisper, "in the last two-hundred years, there have been plenty of times when your cravings just disappeared. And every time we think its magically cured to find out some 6 months later that it wasn't. This time is no different."

"But you don't get it. I feel fulfilled. I mean, my cravings aren't on the forefront of mind anymore. I've lost that fear of what would happen if I suddenly get an urge. This hasn't happened before, and really think it's because of Chase. It's weird, even just hearing his voice can calm me."

Erica was now beginning to wonder about her friend. She was starting to sound like an obsessive fan girl, and that has never been a good sign. Just as she was about to reply to Aisha's testimony, she stopped when she say her face light up with a smile.

"Chase!" Aisha exclaimed and went to hug him as he stood behind Erica's seat.

"Good evening Purple-Eyes," a voice greeted. "It's nice to see you again Erica."

"Yeah, good to see you too," Erica almost mumbled as her gaze froze on Chase's face. She was struck nearly dumbfounded by his greeting. ' "Purple Eyes". . . he called her "Purple-Eyes". Why would he do that? Her eyes aren't purple, well at least he shouldn't be able to see them as purple unless. . .'

"Oh God," Erica said still zoned out in her thoughts and at the same time her glass crumpled in her hand.

"Oh geez Erica are you alright? What's wrong?" Aisha asked as she grabbed some napkins and pressed them against Erica's bleeding hand.

"What? Oh, um, yeah, I'm fine. Just a little slip of my hand. I'll be alright, excuse me." She quickly answered and nearly jogged out of the room in search of a bathroom.

"Are you sure she'll be alright?" Chase's blonde friend asked. Aisha immediately recognized him from the day that Chase came to her job. He was one of Kiara's "uncles".

"Yeah. It was just a minor cut. She'll be fine," Aisha waved it off. "Maybe she was as shocked as I was to see that you made it. You didn't return my call so I just guessed that you weren't coming."

Chase smiled a little as he explained, "About that, it turns out that I left my phone at home and Kiara got to it before that afternoon and told me your message. She thought it was a better idea for me to surprise you."

"She's a very creative little girl. But she did catch the element of surprise."

"I definitely think you have her beat with the element of surprise. I thought you said a few friends."

"This is a few," Aisha stated simply about the some-odd seventy-five other people conversing and bowling in 300's sophisticated private party room.

"Right . . ." Chase replied. "She's still as slightly disillusioned as ever."

"Well you'll meet everyone later. Right now I just need your friends' names to be counted for catering." She began to scribble something on her clipboard.

"I'm Li-liang," the dark haired man said.

"And I'm Elonzo," the blond man said somewhat distractedly as most of his attention was caught by a pair of passing women. "It was nice meet you Aisha, but right now I'd like to meet some of your friends. Chase, Li-liang, I'll see you two later." And with that he walked away.

"Don't mind him, he can't help himself," Chase replied.

"It's alright, I can relate." Just then a young woman approached the group who was clearly upset. "Oh no, what happened?"

"Ilario happened! He's doing it again! Would you keep him on his leash so he stops creeping out everyone!" The angry woman erupted as she pointed across the room to the culprit who seemed to be conversing nicely with a young lady on a sofa.

"I don't see a problem," Aisha replied.

"Just wait for it," the woman stated as she crossed her arms and continued to glare in Ilario's direction. The next instant his hand was on the young lady's bare knee and they moved closer together.

"Hell no. Which number is this one?" Aisha asked.

"Number 5," the woman answered.

"Diane, hold this and make sure everything runs smoothly," Aisha said as she gave the woman her clipboard and then turned back to Chase and Li-liang, "Would you excuse me, I have to take care of something. Please enjoy the party." And with that she and Diane left the two men as they went over to Ilario.

"I wonder what she's going to do to him." Li-liang thought aloud; he knew that Chase was thinking the same thing.

But Chase knew that Li-liang knew what he was thinking and completely changed the subject. "You should find yourself a woman Li-liang; I see Elonzo isn't having any problems with that. You should join him." Chase suggested as they watched Elonzo bowl his third strike in a row and basking in all of the praise from the spectating women.

Li-liang looked on in slight disgust, he understood that the comment was meant to be a bit of a joke. "He was infamous for his lechery before we even met him. . .Ugh, look at him, it's like he hasn't seen a woman before!"

"It has been a couple of centuries since you two had time to enjoy yourselves hasn't it?"

"Two and a half to be exact."

"Well what are you standing around here for? Go make the most of this visit."

"Is that an order?" Li-liang asked with a raised eyebrow. The three men had known each other for so long that they would act like old drinking buddies at times, but as always with Chase, there were boundaries.

"What kind of question is that? Of course it's an order, besides I need you to keep an eye on Elonzo; I have things of take care of."

"Alright I'm going," Li-liang responded before they parted ways; he to the bowling lanes and Chase towards the door.

Chase had noticed that Aisha and the man Ilario left the part and he was curious to know why. That and his new fear of losing Aisha again prevented him from not trying to follow her almost everywhere.

But as he turned the corner into the hall, he almost collided into Erica who was too preoccupied with her injury to pay attention to where she was going.

"Excuse me," Chase said and began to walk away until he hear his name.

"Chase, we need to talk," Erica stated.

"This woman is becoming quite a nuisance," Chase thought. For the second time that they've known each other she was once again telling him what to do. "And if I refuse?"

Erica stood defiant and blank in front of him as she answered ". . .I'll make sure you'll never get what you want most."

This honestly surprised Chase (even though he didn't show it). He wasn't sure whether or not anyone else could have possibly known about his search for Aisha. ". . .All this guessing is becoming frustrating. We're so close to what we want and shit keeps getting in the way! Just talk to her, maybe you'll learn something."

"Alright. Whatever it is I'm sure you can tell me here."

"No I can't," Erica replied.

'So she does know. But how? Who the hell is she?'

Erica led Chase outside to the back of the building and lit a cigarette before she began to speak. "I can't believe this. . .After all this damn time running. . ." And she inhaled on her cigarette.

"Would you get to the point please," Chase almost snapped at her. He needed to know what she knew and his patience was wearing thin.

Erica leaned against the wall of the alley as she sighed a puff of smoke and chuckled. "You haven't changed at all you know. Actually, if I didn't know any better, you've gotten worse."

'What is this woman talking about? Now she's claiming to know me!' "Who are you?"

Erica exhaled her smoke with a smile. "I'm Erica Munoz and I'm hoping that you're Chase Young."

Chase just stayed silent, he couldn't tell of this girl was toying with him.

"I'm going to take that as a yes. You know it really bothers me that you can remember Aisha but not me." She inhaled on her cigarette again. "You still don't remember, huh? Well Isabella won't be happy to hear about your arrival. That's my job you know, to keep Aisha safe especially from you."

"What are you talking about? How do you know Isabella?" This girl was being more of a burden than a help. All she was doing was giving him more questions to ask.

"Then I'll show you," and she closed her eyes. At that moment Chase saw a slideshow of images flash before his eyes from inside his mind. They stopped on a recording looking down on Chase and Aisha in a village with people lying everywhere. They were discussing something and then Aisha's eyes looked up in the recorder's direction:

"It was you!" Aisha shouted pointing towards the recorder with one of her swords. "You damn bird! You followed me!"

Aisha was about to go after it but Chase held her back by her waist.

"You flying black rat! I'm gonna slice off your head and fry you up for dinner! Chase let go!" she shouted still trying to reach out for the bird as it flew away.

"You're the raven? But that's impossible, I remember watching you die in combustion of flames on my order. I had Isabella send me a new one, but that one is still in China." Chase said once the images finished.

"Well it obviously wasn't me that you killed," Erica responded. "After you sent me to look for Aisha after she disappeared, for some reason I wasn't able to return to you. I had no idea if you were getting any of the things I was seeing so I just kept on her. And when Aisha met up with Isabella in 570, she made me human to be able to help her more. I've been with Aisha ever since."

"Wait what? Isabella has known about Aisha's whereabouts since 570 a.d?" Chase asked as he massaged the area between his eyebrows. He was starting to get pissed; Isabella had known where Aisha was for the last 1500 years and hadn't bothered to bring her back let alone tell him!

"For the most part, yeah because of me. But it was such a hassle because every time the girl died, it would take forever to find her again," Erica answered with slight frustration over the past.

"Aisha has died more than once?!"

Erica put up her hands in defense, "Ahh calm down! She didn't exactly die, it was more like her soul was. . . 'recycled'. . .multiple times."

"God I gotta get her away from this," Chase muttered and started to walk back toward the building.

"What? No! Look I'm telling you, if she hasn't remembered you by now, she's not going to." Erica stated and turned him around to look at her. "Before you showed back up a couple of weeks ago, she hadn't mentioned your name in nine-hundred years."

It almost hurt Chase to hear that the only one he loved and who loved him back forgot about him.

"And for the first six-hundred years she spent any of her free time crying over you. I know she'll be ecstatic if she ever remembers you, but just don't do anything drastic. As of right now she fears you a bit so be careful how you tread or you'll scare her away."

Chase's face was blank as ever, but inside he was reeling from the fact that Isabella was basically hiding Aisha from him for all of this time. "Where is she now?"

Erica, thinking that he meant Aisha replied, "Um, well she's upstairs somewhere with--"

"No, I meant Isabella," he interrupted irritatedely.

"Oh! She's supposed to be home in Massachusetts but that's never guaranteed." Chase turned away from her in silence and walked back into the bowling alley planning his next move.

Erica sighed as she dropped her cigarette onto the ground and snuffed it out with the bottom of her shoe before taking out her cell phone. It rang a few times after she had dialed the number and a slightly agitated feminine voice answered.

"Hello?"

"It's me. Um we have a bit of a problem . . . well at least you do," Erica started.

"Erica, it is frickin' two in the morning over here. Don't play games with me."

"What are you talking about; it's only 8 o'clock here. The time difference Massachusetts isn't that different from New York's."

"I'm not in Massachusetts, I'm in Madrid. Now what did you want?"

"Oh, well he's here looking for her."

"Who's there looking for who?"

"Chase Young is here looking for Aisha."

The silence on the other side of the line lasted so long that it was almost deafening. "WHAT?! How long has he been there?!"

"It's been a couple of weeks since she met him--"

"A COUPLE OF WEEKS?! Shit! Your job was supposed to be to make sure that he didn't find her! What the fuck happened?"

"I don't know. He just showed up one day and I didn't realize it was him until about twenty minutes ago."

"Oh my God. I'm coming back on the next flight to the U.S. This is fucking ridiculous."

"Well this was inevitable. I really don't think it's anything to worry too much about."

"Nothing to worry about? If he could find her, what makes you think that other Heylin can't?"

"Well he is Chase Young, the best of the Heylin. I'm surprised it took him so damn long. . ."

". . . I should be in New York by eleven the next morning."

"What? No Isa, I'm telling you it's not necessary . . . Is-Isabella are you still there?" Erica heard a click and then a dial tone. 'Dammit! This is such a mess.'

Creating drama is sooo much fun!! So alot happened in this chapter and even more craziness will ensue next time. OK SEE YOU LATER!!!! and THANK YOU!!!