Never Forget

"Do you know what's beyond the wall?"

The voice rang with nostalgia, the childish chime it had nagged at the back of his mind. He couldn't place it, but Otoya was sure that he had heard the voice before. His red eyes darted around the field looking for whoever it was talking to him. But no matter where he looked his eyes were met only with the baby blue sky and long untouched greenery.

"Of course!" He spun, looking around hoping for even a glimpse of this person. He wished he could remember who it was. "Freedom, hope and light."

"Bzzz!" He, it was definitely a male, said almost playfully. "Hate to tell you this, but there's a reason Ryuya wouldn't let you leave. Such a good man keeping you locked away like the princess you are."

Otoya frowned deeply, crossing his arms over his bare chest. Was this person mocking him? He shifted from one foot to another letting the sharp grass poke and prod at the heels of his feet, licking at what little leg wasn't covered by his tattered dark jeans. "Then what is out here?"

"Do you really want to know?" He hummed. It was like the air itself shivered around him at the sound of this person's voice. A chill ran down the redhead's back as he waited for the buzzing feeling to stop. The voice obviously knew that he didn't need to answer. This voice, this person, probably knew him even if Otoya couldn't remember. "I doubt it will change your mind and make you stay behind the wall. But remember, the truth hurts."

"I don't need mind games from a dream." Otoya scoffed. It was annoying to know, at least he thought he knew, that he was being ridiculed by a distant memory in a dream. "If you know something just tell me!"

"The world is full of hatred, darkness, illness and other horrible things." He said, more serious than before. "Don't let the bad corrupt you."

"As if anything could." He yelled out, sarcasm spewing from his gritted teeth. "I'm strong enough to take care of myself out there."

"Yes. But are you strong enough to protect your friends? If anything couldn't hurt you, it would be knowing you can't save them from what you all must face."

Otoya stopped. Before his very eyes, the sky turned a dark and ominous shade of purple, the grass beneath his feet withered, and the air turned cold. This isn't what he remembered the world to be. Is this what it was really like? And what did the voice mean when he asked if Otoya was strong enough to protect his friends?What was going to happen? Would anything happen? Or was his mind just playing tricks on him?

"Rest now little Master. Your guide will meet with in the morning."

Otoya faintly could see the outline of a person on the edge of his vision. Just a blur of shadows in the form of a human. Even not being able to see who it was she still wanted to reach out, to touch this person. A name, on the tip of his tongue, disappeared along with the shadow and the dream.

His eyes snapped open. The room was dark, even the moon had hidden it's self away, behind the clouds, to make the room appear eerier than it was. His red eyes darted, once adjusted to the darkness, to the two other people in the room. Heavy breathing from them calmed his racing heart a little. He gently pulled the light covers away from him, placing a foot on the floor, waiting for it to creak to life. The sound rang out like it usually did when he got up in the morning, but this time the other redhead didn't seem to stir. no, in the dead of night even his silent companion didn't rouse from his slumber to greet him with a firm nod like he did most times. Not that Otoya could blame him. A lot had happened the day before.

Otoya couldn't help but spare a glance at the furthest bed. It being empty was something so rare that it made him, once again, become uneasy. Since Ai's face had come back pale since talking to the new head knight, he had been in a state of silent worry. Though it seemed like everyone who had gone to see the man had come back in such a state. His younger blonde friend had all but burst into tears once away from prying cyan eyes. And Syo did not cry. Being the youngest among them he wanted to look as strong he could. tear, as Syo put it, made him seem weak. So he wouldn't cry no matter wat came his way. But whatever that knight had said shook him to the core. And if he could shake someone so fierce and confident within only minutes, he couldn't help but worry about Ai. And worst yet, the new guy had forced Ai out and away from them. So even if he was upset and needed to talk he couldn't.

Otoya couldn't heave a sigh of relief until he was outside his room, halfway down the hall, on his way outside. Outside to the firm, always dependable wall. With all it's ditz and grooves, it was still the one thing that could calm him down. The only thing he could lean against without fear of it toppling over.

He let his shoulders touch the cold stone, dragging against any sharp edges as he slid to the ground. "Why is this happening?" He couldn't help but voice aloud. Everything started with Ryuya leaving them. Why did he have to leave anyways? What was so important about that secret mission?

Otoya was shaken awake by Syo. The sun had yet to rise, but all three of Ryuya's charges stood before him, fully awake and packed. Somehow it had managed to escape him that they had to leave, and they had to leave before the others even began to stir. Though he wasn't sure why. It was something that Ai had insisted upon. The oldest among them didn't bother to explain his reasoning, stating it would be far too long a story and they didn't have enough time before making their escape.

That didn't really bother Otoya. He trusted that Ai had his reasons. And the sooner they found their master, the sooner their home would be a home again.

As Otoya stood, groggily, the other three shuffled to get his things together for him. It almost made him feel helpless, but he understood their reasoning. He should have gotten up earlier to do this stuff. Or when he woke up in the middle of the night and decided to have a small stroll to the wall, he should have done what he needed to after coming back to his room. It wasn't like Ai, being the heavy sleeper that he was, had anyone to wake him up. Syo was a different story. Tomo could easily have woken him up earlier. But no one but Ai knew where his new room was.

Otoya grabbed for his sword. His hand clenched around it until his knuckles turned white. That voice rang in the back of his head. He couldn't get the words out of his mind. Before he knew it they were being spoken, his tongue had slipped and his inner thoughts became words for the other three to hear.

"What's beyond the wall?"

Ai was the one to answer him as the other two blinked in surprise. "Everything. At first just a field, but then town after town, woods after woods."

"That's right," Syo mumbled, more to himself but loud enough for everyone to hear. "You were never allowed to leave. Ryuya never let you go to the town or even into the field for training."

Otoya shifted uncomfortably as he felt Tomo's red eyes glaring at him. "It's not like I never left."

"Oh really?" Syo grunted, pulling his pack up on his back. "I don't remember you ever leaving."

Ai nodded in agreement with the blonde.

If Otoya hadn't felt so back into a corner he would have joked about marking they day down. Ai and Syo agreeing was probably a once in a lifetime thing. He doubted he'd ever see it again.

"I-I.." He didn't want to word it wrong. But there was only one truth as to what he did that day. He couldn't simply say that he had left after being told not to. So with a shaken voice, he finally admitted to what he did. "I did run away. Once! And I came back before anyone ever found out."

"How far did you make it?" Ai asked dully. Did he care or didn't he? Otoya really wished that once day the older knight would make up his mind.

"Not far."

Tomo handed him his pack. "Be ready for anything." He said, his voice rough like it usually was in the morning. This was probably his first time speaking today, or maybe in two days. Who knew. Tomo didn't speak much after all. Otoya wouldn't doubt if that was his last time speaking to any of them that day.

Otoya nodded, taking his bag, hefting it onto his broad shoulders. "Let's go."

As those words left his lips, Ai opened the door and their journey started.

Four chapters until we got to the actual start. I hope those reading like long and slow build up.

Kuurosso- Thank you for reviewing.

Chaotic