Okay, I realize I took a while to update... again.I apologize. I've been busy (so what else is new?) and I had a reallllyyyyy bad writer's block. ;-; I hate those things.

Anyways, the thing with this chapter is that, if it seems to you like it ended suddenly, that's because this is only about half of the original chapter. My little sister, SylphWindDancer was getting on my nerves and convinced me to go ahead and update. So, don't worry, with any luck chapter 12 will be out relatively soon.

Disclaimer: If I owned ToS, do you seriously think I'd be having trouble putting out fanfiction chapters?

CHAPTER 11

Nari and Zach had dressed themselves in solid black outfits for the moonless night. They hid in the shadows as they examined the back door they had discovered earlier that day. Zach peered at the lock, then cautiously prodded it. When nothing happened, he smirked at Nari. "Leave this to me."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Nari muttered as she watched him fiddle with the lock. When it gave way to his fingers and he pushed the door open, she cocked an eyebrow. With a questioning look, Nari asked,"How is it that a noble teenage boy like you knows how to pick locks?"

"Because, my dear," Zach stood with the same smirk, "I live a secret double life in which I steal from my fellow nobles and distribute the wealth to the deprived of the city."

Nari rolled her eyes as they walked into what appeared to be the basement of the building. They glanced around at all of the machinery and rooms. Zach gave a small whistle. "This sure wasn't part of the tour earlier."

"C'mon, let's get to the sneaking around portion of our ill devised plan and get Lucas outta here." Nari gave him a slight push. "Lead the way."

Zach took a moment to sense Lucas' mana and stealthily took off, making sure that he made no noise. As they went down the long hallways, they made sure to stay to the shadows and peer around the corners carefully. After they had gone into the building a good ways, Zach's grey eyes peeked around a corner and he motioned to Nari, "2 guards- follow my lead."

Zach reached for his belth and withdrew a cylinder with a spearhead on it. He pressed a button with his thumb and it extended into a tall spear. Nari carefully placed her whip in her hands. When he was certain they were ready, Zach straightened and pressed himself against the wall. He inhaled deeply, then stepped out and walked towards the two guards that were dressed exactly like Nari and him.

"Hey there. We're here to relieve you." Zach cheerfully said.

"Really? Bit early, aren't you?" the male guard gruffly replied.

"That's 'cause we're rarin' to go!" Zach energetically pumped his arms. Nari had to restrain the urge to roll her eyes, but grinned anyways.

The two guards chuckled. "New recruits, eh?"

The female guard kindly said, "Well, next time to remember to come at the designated time. Cardinal Veele expects everyone to be prompt to reduce the possibility of infiltration."

"Alright, thanks!" Zach grinned as the two guards left and Nari and Zach took their posts.

Once the two were out of earshot, Zach smirked yet again. "Easy as pie."

"You know, that smirk is really starting to get on my nerves." Nari scowled. "And besides, how is being prompt supposed to 'reduce the possibility of infiltration!?' It just makes it easier!"

Zach turned to the door with a chuckle and prodded the lock again. " Man, their security is lax if they use the same kinda locks on all of their doors."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait." Nari listened intently. "Do you hear that?"

"Wha- oh, crap, they've found us out already!" Zach paled at the sound of the running feet and returned his attention to the door. "Lemme know when they get here."

"Try now." Nari cracked her whip against the floor.

"There's the lyin' infiltrators!" the guardsman from before snarled.

"Get 'em!" the guardswoman howled to her comrades.

Zach rushed to meet the four enemy guards with a cry of, "Air Cutlass!"

He swung his spear in a circle, then thrust in the center of it, creating a blast of green energy that traveled at high speed to the foursome. The two guards in the center of the four were thrown against the wall. The two on the outside managed to evade and charged in to attack Zach, swords raised and war cries ripping from their throats. The two swung down in concert at Zach, who stopped them with his spearhaft. As the two tried to splinter the seemingly wooden shaft through brute force, Zach jumped up and kicked the two away in their stomachs. He backflipped and landed in an attack position. He taunted, "Oh, sorry, did you want to fight me?"

While Zach had fought those two, Nari had started her battle with the guards who had recovered after Zach's Air Cutlass attack. She cracked her whip at them, snaking the tip around one of their swords. It ripped the sharp object out of the guard's grasp and landed safely behind her. As the other ran in, taking advantage of Nari's brief inattention to him, she stopped him by wrapping her whip around his ankles. He fell to the ground with a crack of protest from his chin and his sword scattered from his grip as well, joining the other behind Nari.

The first guard who had been disarmed charged in at her, swinging his fists. Nari reacted quickly and caught his wrists together. She used his momentum to swing him around into the other guard, causing them to hit the wall again. She closed her eyes, then began to crack her whip against the floor sharply, chanting, "Bring forth the evils of these sinners! Repent- ah!"

Nari was bowled over by the female guard, who had slipped past Zach's defenses. Zach was busy figting the last male guard. While the two guys continued to fight, Nari engaged the woman in combat.

Zach blocked the male's swings, one after another. Finally, he was fed up and kicked the man away. He backflipped again and immediately got into an attack stance. He braced himself, pointing the spear at the man, and bellowed, "Pyro Spear!"

Zach's spear was lit up in flames and he charged forward, sliding across the floor. The attack hit the man in the side as he sidestepped in the nick of time. The guard savagely swung his sord at Zach, scoring a hit across Zach's chest as he jumped back to avoid the blow. Zach winced, then focused again on the battle. He planted the spear point in the floor and grasped it in his hands. He used it as leverage to perform a roundhouse kick to the man's temple. The guard fell to the cold tiled floor noiselessly.

Zach swiftly turned his attention to Nari, who was having some difficulty with the woman. He ran forward and slammed the blunt end of his spear against the female guard's head. She fell onto the tiles as well.

Nari panted, then smoothed some of her bangs back. "Thanks."

Zach nodded, breathing heavily and ignoring his bleeding wound as he went back to work on the lock again.

"Wait."

Zach gave Nari an exasperated glance, then brightened. "Duh."

Nari finished checking the guards over and tossed Zach the keys. He deftly caught them, then unlocked the door. As he entered, Nari caught the crimson blood dripping onto the white floor. She sighed and began cracking her whip against the floor. She muttered, "Always makin' me work, yeesh. First Aid!"

Zach felt his chest stitching itself back together and the blood disappeared. "Thanks." He returned his attention to the dark room. "Hey, Lucas, you in here, dude?"

The two heard someone stir sluggishly. "Huh?"

"Lucas, rise 'n' shine, sleeping ugly." Zach prodded Lucas with his spear's blunt end with a mischievous look on his face.

"Zach, dam it, stop that!" Lucas jumped out of bed, avoiding the spear. Then he paused and rubbed his eyes. "Wait a minute, Zach?"

"The one and only, dude." Zach smirked.

"So, I'm gettin' outta here?" Lucas grinned.

"Oh, c'mon, socialize later, girls." Nari appeared in the room. "I dunno how long those guards are gonna stay unconscious."

Nari noticed Lucas. "Oh, there you are. Hey." Then she realized that he was only in his boxers. She gave him a once over and smirked. "Nice. Very nice."

Lucas flushed as Zach laughed. "Get some clothes on and let's get outta here."

Lucas turned on the lights and scrambled for clothes. He grabbed what he could stuff into his bag and managed to recover his longsword, as well. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's leave."

The three quickly exited the building without too many disturbances. Zach remembered to put all of the locks back as he had found them and the guards were propped up as if they had fallen asleep. Although they agreed that it was risky, the trio returned to the room at the inn for the remainder of the night.

"So, what happened?" Zach quizzed Lucas once they were positive that the doors and the windows had been locked tight and the curtains drawn. The only light was from the soft artificial glow of the fireplace.

Zach explained what had happened up until he had to leave Yuna and the others. He shook his head as he glanced at his left hand. "When I arrived here two days ago, they began running tests on me and put this on me. I don't know what they were going to do next. Probably more tests."

"What is it?" Nari leaned in closer to examine his hand.

"A Savior Stone." Lucas answered as he offered his hand up for examination. There was a Savior Stone, indeed, in the shape of a sword and seemed to be like a diamond. A gold crest outlined it.

Zach frowned. "Why put one on you?"

Lucas shrugged as his brows furrowed. "We weren't able to find out."

A silence passed between the three for a moment. Nari broke it suddenly with a yawn. "Whoo, I dunno about you guys, but I'm ready to sleep. We should probably leave here at dawn."

"Agreed." The two young men nodded.

Lucas offered, "I'll keep watch since I've already slept tonight."

"Thanks, man." Zach settled down into his bed comfortably. Within moments, Nari and Zach were asleep, leaving Lucas awake. Lucas glanced around, then he started to examine the Savior Stone, as if in the hope of a clue or two.

"So, what's the point of putting these Stones on the heirs of the Four Seraphim? It makes no sense." Lucas muttered to himself. "It's not as if we can redo whatever our ancestors did."

Lucas decided to give up on anymore sleeping and set to being alert and on guard.

When the sun rose, the travellers rose with it and checked out of their room. They wandered through the busy city crowd, unnoticed, and reached a rheaird launching area. They took off, Nari and Zach doubling up since they were the smaller of the threesome. They soared through the air, never looking behind them. They didn't notice a pair of cruel brown eyes following their movements from the moment they left their room.

Victor turned to his guards. "Follow them and keep me posted on their movements. With luck, they'll bring us back to the rest of the descendants."

"Yes, Cardinal Veele." the two black clothed halflings slunk away without a sound.

-------------------------------------

Ena and Andrew stood outside the sprawling mountain city of Hima.

"How can it not fall off the mountain?" Ena gaped as she shielded her eyes from the glaring sun, taking in the haphazardous sight.

"Engineering." Andrew grunted as he moved up the path. "Are you sure you sensed Roelle here?"

"Positive. Besides, didn't the tracker say he's here?" Ena caught up with the swift ninja.

Andrew glanced at it. "Hang on. Lemme make sure it's still set on him." He tapped the screen. "Yup, he's here."

Ena looked around, amazed by all the shops. "How are we supposed to find him in a place this big? It seems like they're all nothing but shops and stores!"

"Don't forget, Neotokio is way bigger than this place." Andrew pointed out as he glanced around. "But you do have a point. It's almost like trying to find a needle in a haystack."

"Well, all we can do is trust our instincts. Let's get started." Ena gave a resigned sigh.

"Yeah." Andrew nodded, attention distracted by the weapons shop.

When the two settled in for the night, they selected a hotel called Mountainview. The hotel was aptly named, for all of the rooms had floor to ceiling glass windows that led onto balconies. They offered beautiful views into the undeveloped valley below them.

"The windows are a good escape." Andrew muttered to himself.

Ena raised an eyebrow and cocked her pointed ear. "What'd you say?"

"The windows- they give a good escape route." Andrew pointed out. "If we need to leave, especially if anyone comes after Roelle after we've got him, it's a good way to escape."

Ena considered the argument, then gave a chuckle. "Wow, I never would've thought of that. I'm glad you came with me, Andrew."

"Weeellll, honestly," Andrew sheepishly looked at the floor, "It's become an instinct because of Sheena and my parents."

"What? What do you mean?" Ena raised her eyebrow, vaguely amused at this side of Andrew.

"If I've done something to upset my illustrious leaders, I usually have to make a run for it out the nearest window to escape their wrath." Andrew answered with a serious face.

Ena burst into laughter. "Quiet the troublemaker, aren't you, little boy?"

"Well, I do enjoy my pranks." Andrew smoothly grinned.

Ena just continued to laugh at Andrew's expense.

The next day, Ena and Andrew split up to cover the large city. They were able to keep in touch through the communication spheres that Zelos had given the groups for in case of emergency or if their rescue plans involved splitting up. The spheres were small and fit right into the palm of one's hand indiscreetly.

Ena wandered around, gazing at all of the shops. As she was coming out of a souviner shop that had caught her attention, a sudden tugging was felt by her heart. There was a familiar heart coming into her presence. She frowned, knowing that it wasn't Andrew. It seemed to be someone whom she had known for a long time, then forgotten.

She paused in the crowd looking around. The heart was coming closer. Suddenly, she saw a man with a strange hairdo of midnight blue hair and piercing blood red eyes. He was tall, powerful, and imposing, wearing wealthy clothes. He was talking genially with a lady at his right. She had soft red hair that was left down, cascading to her knees, and gentle green eyes that were almond shaped. Ena was able to tell two things- the man was the familiar heart and the woman had some nymphic blood in her.

Ena was confused. The presence of the heart was familiar, but she couldn't discern anything from it. There were steel walls that guarded his heart that only allowed a small trickle of constant pain to seep through. Her expression softened into slight sympathy.

"...So, milord, I hope you're pleased with-" the woman was cut off by the man. The man stopped, catching sight of Ena and gazing intently at her.

Ena felt herself drowning in his gaze. It was warm and calculating, a sudden flicker of recognition dancing across his face. She looked at him closely and gave a sharp intake of breath by the memory that beseiged her.

Flashback

"I won't hurt you, Ena. I swear this won't hurt." asoft voice whispered in her ear, pressure on her body.

Ena was suddenly hit by an explosion of smells, sounds, and crystal clear sight.

End Flashback

The man seemed to wake up from his trance at her gasp. "I'm sorry, my lady. You just look like someone I used to know."

Ena dumbly nodded her head, not trusting her voice. The man gave her a small bow and the two continued walking past. She was extremely baffled now. What was up with that? What did that man have to do with her past and how she was the way she was now?

A sudden violent tugging at her heart reminded her of her mission. Roelle seemed to be nearby and in pain.

"Andrew!" she called into the communicator. "I sense Roelle! He's close and he's in pain!"

"I"m already on my way! I've got him pinpointed to an hotel called Earthen Escapades!" Andrew's voice came back, crystal clear.

"I'm in front of it now!" Ena slammed to a stop from her run. "Hurry!"

Andrew appeared out of the crowd and nodded grimly. "Let's go in."

The two stepped in and looked around. It was an extravagant hotel with flowers in pots of eart everywhere. A natural spring ran through, channeled by a man-made fountain, with flora recreating the image of a babbling brook. The air itself seemed to lazily hum with tranquility.

A woman with curly violet hair and violet eyes glanced up at their appearance. "Welcome to Earthen Escapades. How may I help you?"

"Oh, we're thinking of opening up our own hotel. When we were doing research, this place came up as one of the highest-rated in customer satisfaction." Andrew gave an easy grin. "We thought we'd look around and get some tips." He glanced down at Ena. "Right, honey?"

"Oh, of course, darling. We were very impressed with the reviews of this wonderful hotel." Ena smiled back at him as she took his arm and stepped a little closer to him.

If the receptionist thought it was strange for a bizarrely dressed ninja and a perfectly normal girl to be together, she didn't say anything. Instead, she offered brightly, "Would you like to speak with Miss Rose, the owner?"

"No, that's okay. Thank you, though. I think we'll do better if we walk around on our own." Andrew continued grinning easily.

"Certainly. Please, let me know if there's anything else that I can do for you." The receptionist gave a sunny smile.

"We will. Thank you very much, miss." Ena and Andrew walked towards the elevator, talking about the decor and the style. Their comments as they waited for the elevator were completely innocent. When they stepped inside of the elevator and the doors had closed, Ena waited for the elevator to descend before bursting into laughter.

"That was some pretty sly acting there, darling." she nudged him in the side.

Andrew shrugged off-handedly. "I guess it's a good thing that I paid attention in my espionage classes, huh?"

------------------------------------------

Roelle shivered as he lay under his thick blankets, listening to his guard gnaw noisily at a drumstick. He didn't like being caged up under the ground. There wasn't enough warmth, enough light. And he didn't know how his sister was doing. Was she eating? Was she sleeping? Was she even breathing?

Roelle shook his head, trying to clear all of the morbid thoughts out of his treacherous mind. Of course Miralle was okay- he'd feel it if anything happened to her. Anyways, nothing should happen- Pryor had given his word that they wouldn't be harmed during their time away from the castle. Roelle assumed that they were going to return to the castle, given Pryor's wording. However, there was no telling.

He turned over and sighed, looking into the dying fire- light and warmth. There was some comfort watching the dancing flames. He spied a pale green flame near the bottom of the coals. His eyes stared at it, trying to think of when he'd seen a similar color before. Upon realization, he had to stifle his groan. Of course! It was when he and Miralle had met Mana while they were at the Tree.

The memories of that fateful ran through his head.

Flashback

Roelle and Miralle wandered around the Tree as Lloyd had instructed them to. Miralle glanced over it with sad eyes. "Can't you feel it, Roelle? This Tree is so sad. It's crying out to me, wanting to be loved and saved from whatever is stealing its love."

Roelle stopped in his tracks slowly. "What? How can you understand it?"

"I don't know." Miralle shook her head. "I just do."

Suddenly, Roelle tensed. He could sense the mana in this area suddenly concentrating. He stepped in front of his sister where the mana was building most rapidly and brandished his sword.

With a radiance of light, a woman appeared, dressed in green, white, and some gold. She held a staff and leaves from the Yggdrasil Tree covered her ears. Her gentle eyes and warm smile made Roelle relax instinctively.

"Well met, my little Guardian." she softly said, voice like leaves whispering in the wind.

Roelle and Miralle glanced at each other. "Who are you?" they asked in unison, standing close together.

"I am Mana. I am the guardian of the Yggdrasill Tree. However, I am also Martel. I am many souls. We are all the same and we are one." Mana gave a mysterious smile.

Roelle's eyebrows creased as Miralle gasped, a smile spreading across her lips.

"Martel? So, you're kind of like an avatar of the Goddess Martel?" Miralle blurted out.

Mana laughed. "There was a goddess of the world, whom has long been forgotten. She helped to create the world eons before Martel was even brought into this world. Martel was never a goddess to begin with. She was a half-elf with a brother named Mithos. I thought that Lloyd and the others had already explained that."

Miralle's smile vanished as she thought about Mana's reply.

"But, Mana, why appear to us? We're just two orphans. We don't even know who our parents were." Roelle protested.

"Martel sensed her blood within you and urged me to appear to you. She wanted you to know that you are not alone." Mana gave a motherly smile to the befuddled twins.

After a few moments of glancing at the other and remaining silent, Roelle muttered, "I guess Pryor wasn't kidding after all."

"No, he was correct in the aspect that you are of the Yggdrasil line. Do you wish to know how?" Mana offered, holding her hand out. A small orb of mana condensed into existance, a mingling of black and white.

The twins looked at each other again, as if holding a conversation with each other in their minds. In unison, they nodded and turned their sky blue eyes on Mana. "Yes, we do."

"Then, I shall give you this memory. It will be in both of your memories, but it will not unlock until the opportune moment." Mana glided to the two and placed it in the air before them. The two reached for it as one and it vanished into their hands.

"Now, I would like to speak with you two about your special powers..."

End Flashback

Roelle gave a wayward smile at the memory. He had a family after all. And he wasn't strange- apparently, whenever he was guarding someone he cared for with all of his heart, his hidden abilities would come out. Supposedly, they were a gene that he inherited from Mithos. However, he hadn't quite learned yet how to control his abilities- the superhuman strength, the elf-like hearing and sight, and the inability to feel his pain.

Roelle gave another sigh. He wished he could get out of here and find Miralle.

-------------------------------

"Look, I told you what I think. It's a classic move- put the captive in either the highest or the lowest floor of a base and put lots of obstacles in between the captive and the rescuers. So, I say we go to the fifth floor." Andrew stubbornly said.

"I say we go to the third floor." Ena replied, punching the 3rd floor button in the elevator.

Andrew scowled. When they stepped off, Ena concentrated and walked forward slowly. She knocked on a door at the very end of the hall.

"Who is it?" A gruff voice replied.

"Room service." Ena cheerfully said.

"About time! I was wondering what was taking-" a man opened the door, only to be met by Andrew's fist against his temple. The man went down immediately.

Ena stepped into the room. "Roelle, are you in here?"

Roelle looked up from the bed. "Ena? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me and Andrew. You ready to get outta here?" Ena jerked her thumb towards the door.

"Completely." Roelle stood up. "Let me grab some stuff, though."

Suddenly, the sound of combat was heard behind them.

"Might wanna hurry up, kid. There's a buncha enemies headed this way!" Andrew grunted as he unleashed crazy ninja moves on the crowd.

"I'm hurrying!" Roelle replied, stuffing various papers into his bag, along with various other items. "Okay, I'm good."

"Andrew, cover me so that I can get to the hall!" Ena summoned her scepter and bashed a guy over the head with it.

Andrew and Ena inched out into the crowded hallway with Roelle hidden behind them. When Ena saw that she had a clear shot, she wasted no time. She twirled her scepter like a baton as she changed a spell, then threw it up into the air. "Strike down the sins of my enemies!"

She caught it and brandished the top at the cronies. "Cleansing Chariot!"

A gold beam of light in the form of a pegsus drawn chariot swept down the hall, knocking away all enemies and leaving them unconscious. The three escapees ran swiftly after it and made it to the elevator safely. They were able to slip past the receptionist without any attention while she talked on the telephone with her boyfriend.

They heaved a sigh of relief in unison.

"How did you find me?" Roelle asked the two older teens as they moved away from the hotel, back into the crowded marketplace.

"Ena used Verius' powers to sense you and I used a mana tracker. Things worked out pretty well between that." Andrew replied.

"What happened to you? I was sensing pain from you. Were you hurt emotionally?" Ena gave Roelle a concerned look.

"Yeah, but don't worry about it." Roelle waved it off.

"Alright, but if you want to talk about it, just tell me, okay?" Ena put a hand on the blonde teen's shoulder with a warm smile.

Andrew began chuckling. "You're such a mom."

Ena flushed red and retorted, "So what?! Someone needs to keep you in line!"

Andrew's response was to continue chuckling.

Ena huffed off and went to a food merchant's stall.

Roelle grinned and nudged Andrew in the ribs. "I wonder what Mom's gonna cook for us tonight?"

The two guys burst into laughter as Ena ignored them. When she rejoined the two, she promptly grabbed their ears and led them back to the inn, the boys complaining the whole way.

There it is! Sorry if there's any typos in the last part, I forgot to add it beforehand. Hehe.

Please review!

Someone sent me a review that really amused me. I was going to reply to it, but I think my little sister is about to kill me for taking her internet time.

Once again, please review!

Ethereal Thoughts