Ike, the amounts of monkshood, begonias, and carnations being snipped off him in handfuls. gazed wistfully at a small window. Peach, one of the few who knew how to cut the flowers without hurting Ike too much, was humming along to a tune, placing the flowers on a small coffee table beside them. It was early morning, the weather from before clearing up, but Ike still felt the stirrings of butterflies in his stomach.

Today was the day that they had to go and patrol the outer limits of the town, and Ike wasn't feeling ready at all. From what he heard based on brief information told to him by Link, Roy, along with Ryu and Robin, would have to be left behind. Ike never quite got the reason out of him, but he guessed that they needed people trained in the Dark. He probably wasn't staying because he volunteered for the front lines, something that he now slightly regretted.

"Ike, you're thinking too much about the plan, aren't you? I can see it, your face turns pale," whispered Peach, snipping off another handful of plants and placing them on the table with a small frown. "At this point I expect you to start sprouting wilted leaves or something. Calm down."

Ike frowned even deeper than he had been, his mind whirring with thoughts he couldn't explain. Sighing, he relaxed slightly and continued to look at the beautifully colored sky, pink, blue, and yellow creating a mystical mix of colors. Ike felt his thoughts slip into silent admiration before he silently agreed with Peach's words. He should calm down, worrying won't do him any good, and he doesn't need to be there when everyone needs help. But, there was still this need, this want in his heart that he couldn't quell.

vi.

Roy sat up in bed, Marth looming over him in armor and another outfit that Roy hadn't seen before. Shooting up, causing a few things to move such as the closet door shooting open from his sudden will and uncontrollable thoughts, he stared at Marth in confusion.

"Did I miss anything, why do you have armor and so many belts," mumbled Roy, standing up and peeking at Marth from every angle, counting every belt and buckle. "Did we go to another time again? Because based on that sword strapped to your hip and that tiara, I'd say that we're in England. That's at least close, isn't it?"

Marth laughed, his voice rebounding from the walls and ceiling. "Oh, heavens no, I don't specialize in time travel, trust me. If I had, I wouldn't even be in this time that we're in now, but no," said Marth, regaining himself from the sudden fit of giggles that wracked his body. "I'm going out to patrol, you're staying here for a while. You don't know how to use a weapon yet. I'll have Robin teach you all about that, trust me. But until then, we're to stay out until this time tomorrow."

Roy, with the most judgemental face he could muster stared at Marth, words on the top of his tongue. "I know you're good with swords, but do you think it's a good idea to go waving that thing around against something that might be stronger than us all combined? Plus, if Robin is going to teach me how to use a weapon, is it okay if I see what I'm using?"

Marth nodded, walking over to the window and putting a curtain over it. "Get out your flower and think about what you want it to be. Think about fighting with it, fighting with your flower as if your life depended on it."

Roy, who grasped his flower and closed his eyes, thought about what Marth had said, his mind whirring and questioning in response. Suddenly, the spark of a flame in his hand, Roy opened his eyes to a magnificent sword, flames erupting in short spurts as he stared at it.

Looking up, his eyes near unreadable, Roy silently consulted Marth on the matter. Marth said nothing, but instead pointed to the sword, causing it to become a pumpkin blossom once more. Silently gasping, Roy lifted the flower from the ground and quickly shoved it into his pockets, a light steam arising from his hands as his heart pounded.

Marth, who was simply waiting for him to calm down, adjusted the straps to his armor, his tiara seeming to annoy him. "You now know how to make the sword come to light," said Marth, being as speechless as Roy was, his eyes wild and bright. "Yet you don't have the skill to control the flames nor make it return to its form of rest. I hope that you learn how in at least the time we're gone, but until then, I'll tell you what I came here for."

Roy frowned, thinking that he already heard what Marth wanted to say. "Shoot," he mumbled, moving to the unhinged closet doors and grabbing a jacket and some jeans. "I'm interested."

"I have told you most of it, but what I came here for was to give you your battle gear. It wouldn't do us good for you to be pierced with holes, so I dug up some things in a basement or two and got this for you," Marth said, producing an outfit from behind his back that was neatly folded. "You'll know when to wear it. You're a smart kid, Roy."

Roy frowned, shivering slightly from the lack of light in the room. "If you say so," mumbled Roy as he gingerly took the clothes into his hands, the cool press of metal surprising him slightly as he jumped. Looking down, he saw that a metal headband was pressed against his arm, a corner of what he guessed to be a breastplate did as well. "Thank you, Marth."

Marth nodded, opening the windows with a flick of his wrist. Roy, wanting to see if he could will the curtains closed again, stared at the window long and hard. The curtains, nearly snapping in half from the pressure, slammed closed, Marth snapping his head over to Roy with a surprised look.

"I see you've been working hard," laughed Marth, opening the curtains with a gentler push than Roy had. "But you still need to practice more. I don't want you to do that to a vase and nearly send it zooming to the moon."

Roy nodded, his cheeks flushed as he finished dressing in his attire, the jacket being slightly too loose. Marth frowned before he nodded to Roy, leaving the room in an instant, a puff of smoke remaining where Marth once was. Roy, sighing and taking note of Marth's disappearing act, placed the clothes on top of his dresser, the leather book coming to mind almost instantly.

Looking around for a moment. he found it resting in a drawer of his, his memory of putting it there quite foggy, but he took it anyway. Ryu might know about it, he was quite the scholar on history, and Roy would use that to his advantage. Moving to walk out the door. Roy only stopped when he noticed that the door wouldn't open. Sighing, he forced it open, the screech of a being of the Dark and the battle shouts of Ryu and someone he didn't quite recognize filling his ears.

{next}

Ike sighed, leaning his body against an adjacent wall in thought. They'd made it to the boarder, the town being dead quiet besides the screech of the occasional bird. But the militia, as they would call it, was fewer in number than they expected. Only five stood there, the birds above migrating somewhere that they couldn't see, and Marth seemed happy to even have that amount.

Marth, with eyes of absolute adamant thoughts, cast his gaze over to Ike and the five others. "Okay, you all have been sent to patrol the walls, right? Good," he said, closing his eyes for a moment and testing the weight of his sword. "You all understand your mission, there is no need to tell you once again, but I only want you to know one thing: no ally left behind."

A ring of nods, a few salutes added for humor, and a battle shout or two later, they all hid in their respective places all around. Ike and Link hid in an empty home, Ike using the Light to sense where it would be and Link listening by ear. All they heard was the sounds of birds and the playful nature of a stray or two.

Ike sighed and leaned back, the turquoise glow diminishing from his hands in a quick moment. Link frowned, but continued to listen. Ike didn't want to be out here, but he wanted to help. He was glad to help, but this was painful. There was no way to see who was stronger than the other, there was no Darkness to destroy. Just simple, mundane silence.

"Hey," a familiar voice whispered from outside, both Link and Ike jumping in the seats from the sudden voice. "Link, Ike. You're in there, right?"

Link looked over at Ike, slowly drawing his sword as he nodded towards the door. "Fine," mumbled Ike, standing up and slowly opening the door, Link ready to attack if he was needed. "It's just Red, no need to kill him, Link."

Looking around in confusion, many pouches filled with red and white balls adorning his waist, Red seemed to try and collect his words. "You know," he said, grabbing and wrapping a scarf around his neck as a futile attempt to stay warm from the dry, frigid air. "There were too many birds and such at my post, so I thought I would come and stay here until they situate themselves. I'm sorry about this."

Ike frowned and nodded, nudging a crate towards him with his boot. "Take a seat and be quiet. You'll be our relay line just in case we spot whatever we're looking for," said Ike, an accidental sigh slipping from his lips only seconds later. "Monkshood hasn't grown on me, either. It should be good for now."

Ike, with his hands flashing a plethora of different colors began to break down the crate he sat on, the wood becoming no more than black sludge and stinking of metal. They weren't going to move for a long time, and Red looking out the window wasn't making the situation any more clear than he would rather it be. He was impatient, wanting to get rid of the quickened beating of his chest as quick as possible, and he would rather not admit it. Rather, he would wait out his time like he was supposed to. He didn't quite want to fight whatever was coming for them just yet.

{next}

Roy glares and swishes around the deft taste of honey in his mouth, eyes glued on Ryu and Robin with the Messenger beheaded beside them all. Ryu, opting to speak first, struggled to find the words to clear up the nervous and awkward aura. Robin did the same, playing with spells that were on a miniature scale. Sights for the untrained eye.

"Okay," mumbled Ryu, moving from side to side as they all stood in Roy's bedroom. "We should get going. Take the Messenger's body with us, we'll send a letter to Marth about it."

Robin sent an incredulous look over to Ryu, his mouth agape as he simply stated. "The Messenger being dragged along won't sully his power," hissed Robin, awfully offended by such accusations. "We should seal him first. Roy needs to find his proper power, anyway. We just can't show him how to drag things from room to room."

Ryu paused before he nodded, trying his best to keep his kicked puppy expression to a minimum. Leaning towards the chest Roy had sitting against a wall, Ryu opened it and searched inside for a moment, whispering his apologies to Roy all the while. Lifting his hand, he revealed a piece of chalk, holding it out for Robin to grab while Roy just took mental notes on the entire event.

"Okay, listen closely," Robin said, drawing an intricate symbol on the floor with his eyes glowing a soft hazel. "Watch, too. Observe, notice little things Ryu and I do. Don't move, either. Ryu will probably drop you from this astral plane by accident or something."

Ryu sent a frown in Robin's direction before he carefully placed the Messenger down upon the circle, careful as to not disturb the intricately drawn lines. "One, two," whispered Ryu, a sudden wave of cool brushing over everyone's face before Roy noticed that they were all in an odd field of space, cosmos surrounding them. "Okay, do your thing."

Robin, with hands glowing in their own violet, took a deep breath before he chanted foreign words, some sounding familiar to Roy as he chanted. A great, glowing set of chains formed around the Messenger's torso and legs, a sudden skittish feeling overcoming Roy as heat filled his mind all at once.

Freezing in place, trying his best not to fall backwards, Roy gazed into the depths of what had been inside his, now useless, hood. Looking closer, he saw a violet spark form inside the hood, the words of Robin getting louder and louder until they were near deafening.

With a great, grieving crash, the entirety of the Messenger was sealed into a tome, the book astounding Roy to most levels. Ryu glanced at Robin a few times before he sighed and the large view of the cosmos disappeared, leaving a somewhat clean room to their eyes. Roy turned around for a moment before he sighed and took a seat on the floor, his head burning with random emotions and words.

"Roy," Robin said, bounding over with slow and quiet steps. "Are you okay? If not, what do you feel right now?"

Roy looked up for a short moment, his eyes feeling as if they were about to pop out from his skull. "I feel like my mind is on fire with some odd sort of anguish. No, maybe anger. Anxiety, too? I don't quite know," whispered Roy as he stood and hobbled over to a window, opening it immediately and relishing the cool air that hit his face. "Something felt cold, too. It felt like a hex, but at the same time it felt as if I was being removed of a hex. I don't even know what I'm saying at this point, really. I'm sorry."

Robin made a sound that was oddly familiar to the sound you hear when someone doesn't quite know what to do. Not quite a whine, but not quite a sound of panic. It was odd to hear something from someone so composed.

"I see," he said, his voice shaking slightly as he paused in his movements. "Ryu, you stay here. I'll go report to Marth about this entire situation. Don't go anywhere."

Ryu nodded, seeming to understand the urgency in the situation completely. With a great rush of air and panic, Robin fled from the room, a small puff of dust representing where he had been only moments before.

Frowning, Roy chose that moment to stand, his mind whirring in silent thought. Remembering his plants, Roy grabbed a cup of water that had been by the nightstand since he arrived and poured it on his few plants. Ryu made a thoughtful sound and came closer to watch, his eyes glowing in intruige.

"They haven't been watered in some time," mumbled Roy, remembering the fact that he forgot his plants had even been there. "I feel bad for it, but the past few days was a lot of work. If they were real, do you think they'd understand?"

Ryu stared for a moment, his chocolate hues flitting between the plants and Roy's confused face. "They would," said Ryu, fidgeting slightly as he felt words bubble up in his throat. "I don't quite know what to say next, but they would. Anyone who met you would understand. Your motives are always pure, and you seem to be very serious about them."

Roy could only stare dumbstruck at a thoughtful Ryu, the plastic of the cup in his hands confusing him briefly. "Yeah," he mumbled, closing his eyes for a brief moment of thought. "I understand, thanks. Y'know, you're a good friend, Ryu."

"As to you, Roy," he said, smiling lightly before the wind outside blew more leaves from the trees, neither of them having more to say.

Whoops, I forgot to update this, haha. Anyway, to battle Marth and most of the others go. You never know who will win, really. Well, at least not too much. I'll slip in a few plot twists somewhere, I and review tho.