Sorry guys I had two essays and three projects in FIVE DIFFERENT CLASSES I love you all and don't hate me.

And now, the chapter we've all been waiting for...

EDIT 7-29-17 ive gotten better at kissing scenes so hopefully thats not as hellishly awkward anymore


Waking up after being knocked out is not a pleasant feeling. Unlike waking up naturally, which was usually a slow, gentle process, this was more like being dragged through a briar patch while rocks were dumped on you from above, all while a lovely chorus of death metal screamers were serenading you awake.

For the second time this month, Bobby woke up groaning. His head pounded, making his eyes water in the bright light. He rubbed his sore temple and tried to remember where he was.

The last thing he remembered was flying, feeling happier than he could ever remember, when suddenly pain. There was a falling sensation, a human-shaped silhouette, and nothing. Blackness.

He rubbed the uncomfortable sleep out of his eyes and gasped when he saw his hands. They were human again. If he remembered flying before passing out, then he was definitely a bird. He hoped he'd at least changed back before the girl saw him. Looking around, Bobby tried to assess his situation.

He was in a fairly barren room made of sandy brown stone, like most buildings on this territory. There was little decoration, but what was there was colorful. A plain table was set against the wall, a couple wicker chairs pushed under it. A wooden door blocked his only exit, a colorful blanket covering the window next to it. There was another open doorway on the wall near him, but he couldn't see into it from his current position. He guessed it leaded deeper into the house.

Bobby was lying on a cot, pushed up against the wall. Another colorful blanket was draped across him. It pooled in his lap when he sat up. He felt the fibers, rough but well spun.

Footsteps alerted him that someone was coming. His eyes snapped to the doorway, and he got his first good look at the girl who captured him.

She was tall and beautiful, and extremely familiar. Long black hair done in braids down her back swung behind her with every step. She wore black leather armor that barely covered her and showed off a lot of muscle. Her hands were covered in little smudges of flour, and she carried a loaf of hard bread she must have just made. When she met Bobby's eyes, her own lit up in a way that confirmed that she knew him.

A smile graced her lips as she rushed to his side, depositing the bread on the table as she did. Bobby flinched back as she dropped to her knees next to the couch and started firing questions at him

"Are you alright? Where were you? You were supposed to find me when you got to Zadaa! Everyone was worried when you disappeared and stopped answering the messages we sent through the rings."

Bobby's brow creased as he looked away from her expectant look. "Um-"

"It does not matter, though. I have finally found you!"

"Yes, but-" Bobby was getting irritated.

"And in the most curious way, too. I was walking along the street when a little bird fell from the sky. To my surprise, it was you! But you fell unconscious before I could ask how you came upon the ability to change your form!"

"You see-"

"I was worried when we found blood at the mouth of the flume. Saangi and I assumed the worst, and when we still had yet to find you, we only worried more. But you are fine, I see that now! Saangi will be relieved to hear this. She actually left to retrieve something for me, but should be back any minute now. She will welcome the fact that you are alive and well, and not-"

"If you would shut up for one second," Bobby interrupted, "then you'd know that I don't know who the fuck you are!"

The girl was shocked into silence, her mouth still open. Bobby would have thought the image funny, if he weren't still yelling.

"I don't know who you are, where I am, or even who I am! If you'd let me talk instead of constantly rambling on about things that make no sense, you'd hear that I don't remember anything!"

The girl's mouth worked as she tried to find her words. "I am… Loor."

Bobby scoffed. "That doesn't help if I don't have my memory. What are you to me? My friend? My enemy? Sister, neighbor, that person I spilled coffee on that one time?"

Loor hesitated, as if wanting to say something, but changed her mind. "I was your friend, yes. And a Traveler."

Ice dropped in the pit of Bobby's stomach. He stumbled to his feet and backed away, hands up to defend himself even as Loor looked on in confusion. "Y-You're a Traveler?! Saint Dane told me all about you guys, stay away from me!"

Loor's confusion turned to rage. "You have been with that demon? That is why we could not find you?" His very name incited hatred in her eyes. "I cannot believe it, I was right! He must have taken you from the mouth of the flume and wiped your mind. That is the only explanation." She began pacing, ranting to herself. She wasn't paying attention, her anger at the demon and furious planning on how to 'fix' this distracting her from what Bobby was doing.

He scoped the place for an exit, taking in and accounting for everything in the room. The wooden door looked to be the best option, the bright light coming from under it signifying it being to the outside. The covered window was a last resort, as he didn't know how high up he was or how big the window was. He needed to make a move, and make it fast.

Loor paced along the length of the cot, still thinking and ranting and not paying attention. She got to the far side and Bobby lept.

He threw himself towards the door and pulled at the handle. It was locked. In a split second he'd changed direction and yanked the blanket covering the window aside, diving out without looking. He closed his eyes and hoped he wasn't too high up.

An instant later his shoulder impacted with the ground. He rolled with it, springing back to his feet as Loor shouted behind him. The bright sun blinded him, taking precious seconds off his escape. He turned blindly down a street and sprinted, squinting to make sure he didn't run into anyone as his eyes adjusted.

The mental map of Xhaxhu he'd been building up laid out in his mind, but he couldn't figure out where he was. While he was out cold Loor had taken him to an unfamiliar part of the city, and all the memorizing and exploring he'd done were coming up useless. He cursed under his breath as he turned a corner and came upon a crowded market square.

People stared. Bobby realized with a start that with his pale skin and white robes, he stuck out like a sore thumb. Glares were thrown his way as he tried to sneak through the crowd, head bowed as he looked around for something or someone he knew. If he could just find one familiar building, he would know how to get home.

His shoulder bumped someone. He started to mutter an apology, when a large, calloused hand clamped into his robes and spun him around.

"What do we have here?" a gravelly voice said. Bobby was lifted off his feet by the neck of his robes and brought to eye level, a couple feet higher than his own. The Ghee warrior who captured him stared down her crooked nose at him, the glint of malice in her eye. Her face was brutish, and Bobby paled as he saw the gold bands around her bicep. This was the captain of the Ghee, and she looked pissed.

She stuck her nose in his face and laughed. "A wee little Rokador, lost on the surface!" The people around them slowed, stopping to watch and jeer. Bobby was terrified of what this woman could do to him. Would do to him, if the way her fist tensed in his robes.

"Why don't I shove you back in your hole the hard way?" Bobby tried to curl in on himself as she raised her fist. He closed his eyes and braced for the pain. There was no way he was making it out of this alive.

"Hey!"

The taunting shouts died off at the sound of the newcomer's voice. A hand on Bobby's shoulder pushed him back down until his toes scraped the dirt. Bobby tried to turn to see who the new guy was, but the captain's grip tightened.

"And who are you?" she sneered.

"Trainee, still new," Bobby's savior said. The hand on his shoulder tugged. "And I think you found my prisoner."

The hope that was blooming in Bobby's chest deflated. Prisoner. Great. Prisoner for what?

The captain seemed to think similarly. "This little runt is your prisoner?"

"Yes. I was taking him in for questioning when the little rascal slipped his bonds." A rope slid around Bobby's wrists, tying them in front of him. The Ghee captain finally let him go, though it seemed reluctantly. "Thank you for catching him. I might want to take him back now, before he runs off again."

The new man tugged on the rope, causing Bobby to stumble and follow. He looked up to see who his new captor was, but the dark face was unfamiliar. Bobby almost cursed again; out of the frying pan and into the fire. He really hoped this was just a mix up and that he would be let go as soon as the man realized his mistake.

As they walked further away, bobby finally got up the courage to whisper "E-Er, excuse me, but who are you?"

The man shushed him and walked a little quicker. "I'll tell you in a minute," he said under his breath, "but for now, you just need to trust me until we're away from them."

Now Bobby was even more confused, but he kept his silence. Who was this Ghee, and why was he helping a Rokador escape?

Suddenly the man ducked into an alley and dragged Bobby along with him. It was darker and cooler here, out from under the hot rays of the sun. They leaned against the wall of the stone building for a second, breath held, listening for sounds of pursuit. Nothing. They must have had better things to do than chase down a suspicious 'Ghee' and 'prisoner'.

The warrior turned to Bobby and smiled. "About time I got you back," he said, grinning, and suddenly his form turned to liquid. Before Bobby's eyes, he grew taller, his shaven hair grew longer, his dark skin lightened to pale white, and his black eyes shone blue. In an instant, he was faced with none other than a relieved and smiling Saint Dane.

At this point, Bobby should have been ready to expect anything, but his shock must have been evident, because Dane laughed.

"Wait wait wait," Bobby said, confused. "Weren't you taller? And older?" Compared to his usual colossal seven feet, Dane now hovered around the six foot four line; which, while still pretty tall, was not ridiculous. And his hair was now black, a dark, shiny black.

"Yes, yes, I've been trying out new things," Dane said, waving off the query. He started inspecting Bobby for injuries, raising up his arms and rubbing at his shoulders. "Towering over people lost its appeal to me, figured I would 'shake things up a bit', as you often put it. Now, are you alright? Did that Loor girl do anything to you?"

"Um-" Bobby stalled under the sudden onslaught of attention. "We talked a little, she spouted nonsense, mentioned she was a Travelers. I beat feet out of there, got lost, got caught by macho mama, then you came along. That about sums my day up, how have you been?"

Dane sighed with relief. "Better, now that I know you are fine. I was worried you had suffered brain damage, with how hard you hit that wall. Then, I thought you were done for when you transformed in front of that girl." He cleared his throat, looking away. "I was waiting outside her window, you know. Listening. Ready to jump in if she tried anything."

Bobby felt something swelling up inside, making him grin stupidly as his mentor and dear friend rambled about his health. Dane usually had such a way with words. If he was rambling the way he was right now, then that meant he was truly flustered, and really did care. The fact that he had been waiting outside, ready to help if a crisis arose, really meant something to Bobby. All his affection for the man was bubbling up, and something in Bobby made the snap decision to take huge risk.

"You see, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something-" Dane was cut off before he could finish his sentence. After all, it is kind of hard to talk when someone is kissing you.

It was unlike anything Bobby had ever dreamed of, and he admitted, he had thought of this quite often recently. For one, Dane's lips were cold. Like, ice cold. His chilly body temperature should have been the thing to tip him off on that, but Bobby was sorely unprepared for just how cold the man's lips were. Now that he was feeling them, with his own no less, it was a completely different ballgame.

Then Bobby realized what he was doing. His adrenaline spiked. Dane wasn't reacting. Dane wasn't reacting.

He pulled away quickly and looked into the demon's eyes. They were staring at him, but not really. They were staring through him. That was a bad sign. Bobby stumbled a step backwards.

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered out, looking at the ground but unable to do so for long. He looked back at Dane, then away again, not knowing where to look. "I just, I-I wasn't thinking, a-and I'm sorry and you can yell at me or g-go and I d-didn't mean to oh god I'm sorry-"

His excuses were halted as a finger laid itself on his lips. His eyes shot up to meet Dane's. Bobby's breath caught at the look in them- happiness, overflowing and joyful, and something else that looked suspiciously like love, but Bobby didn't let himself think that was it.

"..." Dane looked frustrated at his lack of ability to speak coherent words, but gulped and tried all the same. "Don't," he hesitated, licking his lips. "Don't be sorry." Then he leaned in.

Bobby's world exploded in stars as their lips connected again. His eyes slid closed as he pushed forward, deepening the kiss. He'd dreaded rejection, especially after the blank look Dane had given him directly after the first kiss. But this, oh, this was everything he'd dreamed of and more. His heart raced as arms slipped around his waist.

Bobby tried to put his arms around Dane's neck, but was stopped by the rope still tied frustratingly around his wrists. He grunted, whining as it he pulled at it, until Dane put a hand on the ropes and they disappeared. Bobby smiled and wrapped his arms around Dane's neck, pulling him in for an even deeper kiss.

Teeth danced on his lower lip and Bobby sighed, tangling his fingers in Dane's long hair and pulling slightly. Warmth spread through his body as he felt Dane tugging tenderly on his bottom lip. One hand moved to cup Dane's face, fingers pressing gently on his sharp jaw.

Bobby didn't fully know what he was doing, but his instincts told him to open his mouth, so that's what he did. And boy, the results were instantaneous.

Dane growled.

Gears switched suddenly, and they were thrown into overdrive. What had started off slow and sweet turned heated, fast. Bobby whimpered as he felt long fingers dig into his back as a hot, wet tongue pressed itself into his mouth. The push and pull of their mouths hazed his mind over, the back and forth of it dulling his senses and at once still making them sharper, making every movement and feeling ten times more sensitive until he was gasping, his back pressing against the wall and Dane pressing against him.

Bobby was getting dizzy, so he pulled back to take a breath, using the demon's hair as a handhold. Dane groaned at the sensation, then decided that they had been apart too long and nosed into Bobby's neck. He captured a bit of skin and nibbled on it, smoothing it over with his tongue before a mark could be made. The sensation sent sparks up his spine, and Bobby moaned, throwing all caution to the wind.

He used his grip on Dane's shoulders to push himself up, locking his ankles around the man's waist and pressing their chests together. The new angle brought on all sorts of friction that made Bobby moan again, letting out a full-body shudder as Dane shifted against him. He pulled Dane's lips to his own, tearing into his mouth and using some of the methods he'd been demonstrating earlier, forcing his tongue down the demon's throat until neither could barely breathe from the force of it all. Electricity danced through Bobby's system, alighting every nerve, setting everything aflame until there was nothing between them but this unbearable heat-

"Hey!"

The shout from the entrance to the alley startled them, making them tear away from each other in a hurry. Bobby dropped his legs, landing on shaky feet, and Dane pulled away slightly until there was some space between them.

A Batu man stood in the entrance, angry, slightly disturbed, but mostly irritated. He waved his hand at them, trying to shoo them away. "If you want to continue your, your thing, you'd best do it somewhere else. Go, before I have to chase you out!"

Bobby's face was blazing, but he extricated himself from between the wall and Dane and set off down the alley, dragging the demon behind him. He laughed as they turned a corner, giddy and bubbling, and leapt into the air, changing form mid-leap. His (Friend? Mentor? Lover?) followed, and the two sailed away as an odd pair of birds.


Outwardly, Dane was following along after the younger man, smirking as much as a bird could, and seeming faintly amused.

Inside, he was panicking.