A/N: Another week, another chapter... I'm so happy with all the favs and followers! (But like where are the reviews? *totally not begging* Just a bit weird... idk.)

Whatever! Here's the next chapter!

"Lucas...? Are you okay?"

Lucas' mind barely registered his brother's voice coming to him. He couldn't remember much that had happened: a creature attacked him, he fell, and now, somehow, he was back in the alley, undoubtably feverish and shaking...

"Lucas!" Claus' voice sounded muffled, as if being heard through a pair of headphones. Lucas could feel Claus grabbing his arm; his way of making sure he was okay.

"I-I'm fine," Lucas murmured.

"How many times are you going to say that today?" Claus shot back, clearly exasperated. "You look like you're dying."

"I-I do?" There was no way to get out of this, it seemed. Lucas had hoped he didn't look how he felt and it was just his imagination, but of course, it turned out his imagination wasn't doing anything right now. He sighed. "Why do I always get in-"

"My way? You don't. Nor do you get in anyone else's." Claus' voice resounded with affirmation. "Stop being so hard on yourself, Lucas."

"I'm not-"

"Yes, you're hard on yourself. I've known you long enough to know that."

A silence ensued. It seemed weird; Claus being supportive like this. Claus wasn't good at this kind of thing — Lucas knew for a fact — yet when it came to him, Claus knew what to say, even what Lucas was about to say before he said it. Maybe it was some kind of twin synchrony, maybe it was just pure luck. Whatever it was, Lucas was glad that Claus had it, even if sometimes his brother's "support" came out as a bit blunt. It was the thought that counted, wasn't it?

Even if it didn't, Lucas would've appreciated it all the same.

"So," Claus continued, letting go of Lucas' arm, "are you *actually* okay?"

"...Probably not." Lucas stared at the ground, shaking even more. "I have no idea what's happening to me, why that creature was targeting me, if I actually am dying..."

"You better not be dying," Claus muttered. "As for that creature, I have no idea what it was."

"It's never going to be the same, is it? ...Our life, since that thing came... We have to find out what it is, Claus. W-What if it tries to hurt someone else?"

"Lucas..."

No more words came. Lucas knew he couldn't protect himself that well, but if it meant protecting other people, he would have to learn how to. These creatures... he didn't know what they were, but they were obviously dangerous.

Even if he didn't know how he escaped their grasp in the first place, he would learn how to do that again.

"...How did I escape from them?"

"What do you mean, Lucas?"

"The creatures. How did I get away from them?"

Claus looked at him blankly. He murmured something under his breath, but Lucas never got to learn what he said, because a second later he was tired, and then he was sleeping, drifting off into a fever dreams.

0o0o0o0

"Claus...?"

Maybe Lucas was just seeing things. Or more accurately, not seeing them. Maybe he was dreaming. He was probably dreaming. He had to be asleep.

The next minute he would wake up and realize that what was happening now was a lie.

But it didn't happen. No matter how much he wished them to, he was still there, in the alley, not seeing Claus anywhere.

He told himself to breathe, to calm down, but that didn't happen. It didn't happen. He was still there, still approaching hyperventilation. No, this wasn't happening. It couldn't be.

It just didn't make sense.

Everything he told himself to do he ended up not doing. He told himself to calm down: he didn't. He told himself to just breathe: he didn't, only hyperventilated instead. He was useless. He couldn't even obey what he told himself to do.

All because his brother wasn't there.

Was it that big of a deal? To everyone else, it wasn't. But Lucas wasn't everyone else: he wanted to be everyone else, because everyone else was normal. He wasn't. He couldn't get the simplest of things right.

Agitated sparks started flying from his fingertips, but he didn't notice them as his attention was focused on the creatures coming towards him. The same ones that had tried to kill him only twelve hours ago. He wasn't going to let them take him now; not now, not ever again. He didn't want to make anyone worry for his sake ever again.

So he ran. He ran away from the town, but the robotic things were still coming towards him. Why were they following him? Why did they have to be targeting him? It made people worry for him when he didn't want them to. Somebody else was strong enough for these creatures; unfortunately, Lucas knew he wasn't. He turned-

And he was cornered. They were upon him, he couldn't run away. They came at him at all angles, and in those moments, he thought it was the end of his life. Scared beyond belief, he stared as they came, first a few yards away, then a few feet, then one foot, eleven inches...

Something started speaking at the back of his mind. It felt like light, like a bright sun in the middle of the night. It was quiet, whispers like a cool breeze. He reached out for it, hoping against hope that it help save him, no matter how absurd it sounded.

And then he heard it. The voice.

'PK Love.'

The words washed a wave of calm over him in the midst of this trouble, like his life raft in the middle of a flood. He watched as the robots came closer, threatening to attack him now-

When the words came out of his mouth.

"PK Love."

Blue hexagons flooded the air around him, simmering like a beautiful fireworks show, demolishing the creatures surrounding him. He stood breathless in the middle of it, his limbs feeling like jelly, feeling completely draining of his strength. He fell to ground, his only thought that he was alive, still alive.

"Lucas?"

Lucas' head weakly turned towards the source of the sound: Ness was running towards him. Why someone he just met would worry about him was a mystery. Nobody he had ever shown his much overflowing compassion in the year him and Claus had been moving about for their lives.

"Are you okay?" Ness asked, sitting down next to him. Lucas stared at him for a moment — why was he so concerned? — then looked down at the ground. They would probably think he was a freak if he said what actually happened: who in the world can do whatever he just did?

"Don't worry, I have PSI too," Ness continued. Lucas' stare turned blank.

"...W-What?"

"You know that thing you just did?" Ninten interjected. "Yeah, that's PSI."

"Ninten..." Ness sighed. He rolled his eyes before he continued from where Ninten left off. "Though I don't think I've heard 'PK Love' before..."

"...I-I don't know either," Lucas murmured. "It just... came to me, a-and those creatures were attacking me..."

"It's okay. That's what happens with most PSI," Ness replied. "It mostly just suddenly comes to you." He paused, seeming not to know what to say.

"Hey, where's your brother?" Ninten asked, looking around the area. Lucas' face darkened, remembering why he was out here in the first place. "Because I... Oh." Ninten finally stopped talking after seeing Lucas' face.

"I-I don't k-know...," Lucas stuttered, feeling awkward, helpless, and lost at the same time. "H-He just... D-Do you think maybe... He g-got-"

"Captured?" Ness interjected, saving Lucas from further talk. Lucas nodded. "...Maybe, by those things..."

"I have a name for them, you know," Ninten spoke up. "They're called Starmen."

"Did you come up with it?"

"Actually, no." Ness looked stunned, and Ninten grinned. "Apparently, my great-grandfather studied PSI."

"I didn't know so many people knew about PSI!" Ness exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

"To be fair, everyone thought it was a hopeless study and my great-grandfather had gone crazy."

"...Oh." Ness stayed silent for a minute. He turned back to Lucas. "Anyways, if your brother has been taken by these 'Starmen' — I don't know how since he seems kind of strong — we'll help you find him. I would assume that he has, though, since... Well, those Starmen seem to be after you two."

"...But why?" Lucas asked quietly, trying to take all this information in. Ness gave a small shrug.

"We'll have to find out."

Lucas sat deep in thought. Nothing could take Claus without him putting up a fight, and Lucas knew that for a fact. The Starman had to have been a serious force to take him. They wanted him for a reason, and whatever that reason was, Lucas had a bad feeling about it.

Which was why he made up his mind to search for him.

He stood up, feeling a bit more confident than he had a minute earlier. "We'll look for him."

"That's good news." Ness beamed. "Except... How are we supposed to leave, Ninten?"

"I dunno," Ninten replied, shrugging. "Ask our parents or something."

"I doubt my mom will say yes to going off on a journey that could kill us."

"Worth a shot." Ninten walked off, leaving Ness and Lucas staring after him.

"He's like that normally," Ness told Lucas before following his friend.

"I heard that!" Ninten shouted back. Lucas trailed behind them tiredly, seeing no choice but to follow. Apparently, he hadn't recovered even halfway from his energy expanse, as he stumbled and almost fell over. Luckily, somebody caught him.

"Oh, I forgot. Sorry," Ness apologized, lifting Lucas back up. "It really expends your energy the first time."

Lucas stared, once again amazed by Ness' actions and how he already looked out for such a useless person like himself. "...Why do you care so much about me?" Lucas asked, a noticeable waver coming into his voice.

"Because you're my friend." Ness smiled before lightly pushing Lucas forwards. Lucas' eyes stung, unused to people acting like this, and he shook his head. "Now, let's see if my mom will agree to send me on a death quest, shall we?"

Ness walked up to house next to him and knocked. There was no answer.

"Hello?" Ness asked tentatively. He opened the door, seemingly shocked by what he saw.

Or what he didn't see.

"There's no one here..."