Author's Note: I am really, really, REALLY sorry that I didn't get this written sooner. My mom kicked me off the computer because she thought that I was spending too much time on fics and not enough time on homework.

Mob: THIS CHAPTER HAD BETTER BE WORTH IT!

Me: Not the face! NOT THE FACE! (Runs and hides.)

Disclaimer: Do I, or do I not, own the Animorphs? This question is a no-brainer—which is good, because my brain seems to have been misplaced.

Chapter Four: What's Wrong?

Tobias' POV

Esp pulled out Tom's laptop abruptly. "If it was an Andalite ship that grabbed Ax, chances are high that they've got some kind of file for this sort of thing," he announced, clicking on the blue icon. Tom's hands flew across the keyboard. "Hello, what have we here? This is too easy. Aximili's medical records. Hey, Elfangor, should I put in something about that disease or whatever that Crayak gave him?"

(Does it say where he is?)

"Ease up, Elfangor, being stressed out won't help anything. Hey, it's updating right now! Um… ejected from a Bug fighter… in vacuum for a brief period, not enough to kill him… identified through blood test… blow to the head? Memory loss?"

(WHAT?)

"Doctor… Raolef, it says the guy's name is… thinks Aximili suffered a blow to the head and possibly a concussion because he can't seem to remember who he is."

Jake leaned over Tom's shoulder. "How can you read that stuff?"

"I learned after my translator program got deleted. What the heck?" More text was appearing on-screen. "Oh, great. Now that's just plain wonderful."

(Esp, either explain what you are referring to or give me the computer.)

"Aximili's been saying that you're a traitor and I, a figment of his imagination, killed you."

Elfangor slipped his tail blade under the computer and up-ended it. (Do you honestly expect me to believe that?)

"That's what it says. Check it. Unless of course you just destroyed my computer."

(Um, I'm lost. What's happened?) I asked.

Tom/Esp sounded rather annoyed. "I just hacked into Aximili's medical record. It says that he's got major memory loss and thinks that Elfangor's a traitor and I killed Elfangor. The doctor who found out about this thinks that I'm a figment of Aximili's imagination."

"He thinks Elfangor's a traitor?" Jake glanced at Ricky. "Just how hard did you accidentally hit him?"

"Not very. Maybe the guy whammed his head on somethin' in the airlock."

My father did a very accurate impression of an erupting volcano. (My little brother thinks I'm a traitor?)

I felt rather guilty right then. I had been jealous of Ax and Elfangor's bond, which was pretty stupid. They were brothers, for crying out loud! Now Ax couldn't remember that? He thought Elfangor was evil? Had I wished him into amnesia or something?

You're so stupid, Tobias, I chided myself. Ax wasn't trying to keep you and Elfangor apart. It's impossible for you to have made this happen.

Well, I could tell myself that, but I couldn't make myself believe it.

"So where's Ax now?" Jake asked.

"Elfangor? Where's spaceport three?"

(On the Andalite home world.)

"He's on the Andalite home world." Tom bent down and retrieved his computer from the bush that my father had whacked it into. He frowned. "Why is this text clearer than it was before?"

(Maybe the bush cleaned off the screen.) No one laughed at my suggestion.

Marco got up—he'd been sitting on a tree stump. "I'd better go, I'm making dinner."

"We should go, too." Jake looked pointedly at Tom. Cassie and Rachel also left. Ricky glanced at his wrist, yelped and ran, muttering about being late for his shift. He somehow still held down his job at a convenience store, even though he didn't have as much time as he used too. He did his best to help us out, and helping the Animorphs took almost as much time as being one.

(I hope Ax recovers,) I whispered, once my father and I were alone.

(He'll be fine.) Arbron had popped up behind my father again. (I forgot to ask, Elfangor, do you want me to find Loren and tell her about this or do you want to?)

(I'll do it.) Elfangor turned into a duck and took off. Arbron disappeared into his tunnel once again. I was alone. Because of Ax.

Loren's POV

Elfangor flew into my trailer in duck morph. He was demorphing as he swooped through the open window and landed on the floor.

"What's wrong, Elfangor?"

Fully Andalite, my husband pulled me into a hug. Had he been human, he would have been sobbing—I could tell from the way he trembled. (Aximili doesn't remember me. Ricky dragged him off on a suicidal plan to steal a Bug fighter, and something went wrong. Aximili was ejected, and an Andalite ship found and revived him. Esp hacked into their files—Aximili's on the Andalite home world right now and telling everyone who will listen that I'm a traitor.) He began morphing human. My shoulder was soon damp with his tears.

"Shhhh. It's okay," I said, as soothingly as I could. "It's okay. Don't worry. Your brother will be fine."

"But what if he's not?" Elfangor pulled away. "What if he never remembers me?"

"He will. I'm sure of it."

Elfangor hugged me again. "Thanks, Loren."

"How's Tobias taking it?" I knew that my son and brother-in-law were close. Elfangor stiffened. I scowled. "You didn't think to figure out how he felt, did you?"

"I… I was so worried about Aximili… no, I didn't think about how Tobias would feel."

"Oh, boy." I shook my head. "Darling, I'm starting to think that you and I were not meant to be parents. We need to stop setting Tobias aside. He's been through enough."

"I should go." Elfangor began to change back to Andalite.

"Wait, I'll go too. I feel a bit guilty about not being around." I snatched my jacket and my keys to lock the trailer.

(Follow me.) Elfangor took off and I went in his direction. I had to wander a bit, and stay a good distance behind him, so that it would be hard to realize that I was following a duck. Once we were in the woods near the trailer park it was easier. I was going off course to avoid trees, and I had a hard time seeing Elfangor.

After an hour of walking, when I was about ready to collapse, we reached the scoop. Elfangor landed and demorphed once again.

(Dad? Mom?)

(Hello, Tobias. Listen, are you… alright?)

(What do you mean?)

(You were very close to Aximili. His disappearance is hard to deal with. Your mother and I were worried about how you were taking it.)

"You may not want to talk about it, Tobias, but I speak from experience when I say that it will make you feel better."

(IS THERE ANYTHING IMPORTANT TO YOU THAT DOESN'T REVOLVE AROUND AX?)

"Tobias!" I admonished.

(Ax this, Ax that, everything's about Ax! I'm sick and tired of it! Ax gets sick, Ax nearly shoots himself, Ax disappears, Ax gets amnesia! Can't we talk about something other than Ax?) Tobias abruptly took off. I considered calling him back, but he was so angry I thought it would do more harm than good.

(That was my fault, I believe. I've been spending a lot of time with Aximili this past week.)

"And now Tobias has a nasty case of sibling rivalry. Perfect. What else could go wrong?"

Forlay's POV

I didn't sleep much that night. I kept thinking about Aximili. My poor baby. There had to be some way to help him.

The next day, Noorlin and I received a message from Doctor Raolef. He requested that we meet him at the hospital. Noorlin responded with an affirmative.

(I have an idea for helping Aximili,) he explained, once we had arrived. (My daughter, Keritus, is about Aximili's age and studying psychology. She suggested that it might be best to let him believe as he does, and tell someone else about his memories. If we can find out where the most significant differences are, we can isolate what needs to be corrected.)

(That sounds rather complicated.)

(The mind is a very complex thing, Noorlin. Not even we Andalites fully understand it.)

(How do we find someone who is willing to listen to Aximili's garbled explanations of events that didn't even happen?)

(There is no need. Keritus has already volunteered, on the grounds that Aximili would be more comfortable with someone near his own age.)

(We can't ask your daughter to risk her safety that way,) I objected.

(There is no risk involved. I assure you, my daughter is a decent tail fighter, should it come to that. I don't believe that it will—Aximili only becomes violent upon suggestions that he and Elfangor are related.)

Noorlin and I glanced at each other, hesitant to agree. (I suppose it couldn't hurt…) said Noorlin.

Keritus-Sonibor-Nrocinu's POV

(Who are you?)

(My name is Keritus.)

(I'm Ax.)

(Nice to meet you.)

(You as well. I like having visitors.)

(I thought you didn't. Your last visits with people didn't go to well.)

(I just don't like people saying I'm related to the traitor.)

(What did he do?)

(He abandoned his family, tortured people by twisting their genetics, murdered more than once… He was trying to kill me when Esp killed him.)

(Who's Esp?)

(My friend.)

(What species is he?)

(Human, I think. I can't really remember.)

(What can you remember?)

(The traitor. The people he tortured. Esp on a computer… could I use a computer, please? Maybe I could send Esp a message.)

(I'm not sure if that's a good idea.)

(Why not?)

(You might mess up something important by accident. The doctors wouldn't want to risk it.)

(I don't like doctors.)

Good thing that I didn't tell you I'm training to be a doctor, then, I thought to myself. Over the next hour, I let Ax dictate the direction of conversation for the most part—it was easier than trying to force him to talk about something. I would occasionally prod him towards a specific subject. He seemed nice—just confusing. He assumed that I knew all about Elfangor and Esp. He never used Elfangor's name, instead calling him 'the traitor.' He seemed to bestow upon Esp the sort of hero-worship his mother had told me he had felt towards Elfangor. I didn't manage to learn anything more about Esp, though. 'Esp' was a hero, the one who had killed 'the traitor,' and brilliant with computers, all of which had been stated or implied in the first minute of conversation.

(I need to leave now, Ax,) I said finally. (I'll try to come back tomorrow.)

(I'll see you then!) Ax waved at me as I left the sealed room. Father had decided to leave Ax in there for the time being.

After I left, I headed for the nearest computer terminal. I recorded what I had observed of Ax's emotional state (stable, unless made to speak about Elfangor, generally cheerful), Ax's use of language (very casual), and his implied desire to use a computer to contact Esp. I added a note that I wasn't completely sure if Esp was a real person, or a figment of Ax's imagination, but most likely was a real person altered by Ax's memory loss. A recording was being made of our encounter, in case I missed something, or Ax became aggressive during the encounter.

(Well, how did it go?) my father asked. He was to update Ax's parents on their son's progress.

(Alright. Ax seems very willing to talk if he gets to choose the subject.)

(Keritus, you aren't speaking to him right now. You can call him Aximili.)

(I know that, Father. I just feel more comfortable calling him what he calls himself. It's confusing to call him by two different names. I suppose, once he's more willing to accept it, we can tell him that Ax is an abbreviation of Aximili.)

(How is it that no one thought to tell him that already?) Father asked.

(Perhaps because no one thought about Ax being the first syllable of Aximili. It so simple, it could easily be overlooked.)

(True. We did overlook it,) Father agreed. (If you'll excuse me, Keritus, I need to speak with Aximili's parents. Actually, perhaps you ought to speak with them. You know… 'Ax'… better than anyone else does.)

(I suppose so.) This was not the easiest notion to deal with. No one should know a person better than their parents, unless the person was married. No one knew me better than my parents. Yet I knew Ax better than anyone else… and I barely knew him at all.

Author's Note: Thanks for helping me figure out the genre, people! I'm having another mental debate: should I or shouldn't I have Ax and Keritus fall in love? I've got pretty much everything planned except for this.

Tobias is having mood swings or something. Half the time he's mad at Ax, half the time he's upset with himself. He's going through the teenage moody phase a bit late, has just found his parents, and now feels pushed to one side. Rather traumatic, when one thinks about it.

Keritus-Sonibor-Nrocinu is pronounced Ker-EE-tuss Saw-NEE-bore Nraw-KEE-new.

Mob: WE'RE STILL ANGRY!

Me: Are you ever not?

Mob: NO!

Me: THEN SHUT UP!

Mob: WE DON'T WANT TO!