Connor: Hey, everyone! Here we are with another chapter! :) we're nearing the mid-way mark of this story; this won't be something super long with dozens of plot arcs.

DarkFoxKit: Yeah, it's just something we were doing as a side project. And because we work separate, I should warn you now not to expect too many interactions between Lucas and Ness.

Connor: That's right. It may suck that the main characters won't interact too much, but it would suck more if we ended up ruining each other's characters by writing about the other person's main character. As you've seen, though, their actions still affect each other. :)

DarkFoxKit: Anyways, let's get on with the AN!

YellowTangerines: Connor: Heh, creating emotional scenes is easier than you might expect. Yeah, even the characters struggle with the age component of the war (mostly Ness; Paula thinks it's a shame but doesn't worry too much about it). But this is what happens when good times fade and tensions increase. Ah, thanks for pointing out my typo. :) I'm, uh… not actually in charge of the document on , but I would fix it if I could! Thanks for your support! :D

DarkFoxKit: I'm glad you enjoyed the scene with Lucas and Kumatora.

Random Reviewer: DarkFoxKit: Err… well Paula's been through a lot.

Connor:

Yeah, she's not the most likable character and she knows it (you'll probably be frustrated with her again this chapter) but I hope that you can see why she acts the way she does. :)

Ninten64: DarkFoxKit: Poor Lucas was just there at the wrong time. It's cool you think the fight between Paula and Kumatora was awesome, even though it was really brief. If this were an anime, there would be a lot of PSI fights, but since this is a written story there won't be too much of that here.

Karnelian: Connor: Yep, it's a habit of mine to kill of characters that I don't really click with. :P Thanks for your support! :D

DarkFoxKit: Lucas was in a really bad spot at a really bad time. Poor boy didn't want to hurt anyone. Thank you for loving this story. ^^

Chapter 10: Aftermath

Lucas was with Kumatora back in Merryville. The attack on Onett was compromised when the real army of Eagleland showed up. They may not have PSI but they were still a force to reckon with. Lucas believed it's because they were pushed to a corner, and when something even as small as a mouse is pushed to a corner that's when they're the most dangerous. Ninten had any American PSI user on the battlefield that could teleport to get their soldiers out of there, they had accomplished what they needed to at the moment, no need to suffer any unnecessary lost.

It's only been a few days since the attack on Onett. Lucas was relieved that Ninten hadn't said anything about his cowardice and abandoning the battlefield, perhaps it was because it was as Ninten said before they arrived to Onett; it was more of a field test for the newbie like him. Lucas hoped this meant he didn't have to join the battlefield anymore.

Of course a hope like that was just wishful thinking. Being a PSI user meant he was invaluable to the battlefield.

"Well now you went and done it," Kumatora said. "Ninten had to argue with the higher ups about your performance in Onett."

Lucas looked down. He knew while Ninten didn't say anything to him about his cowardice, obviously he'd have to report his less than stellar performance to the more important people of this operation.

"What's going to happen to me?" Lucas asked. "If they kick me out, would Dad and Boney go on to fight without me?"

The pink haired PSI user shook her head, "I don't think they'd kick you out, you're too invaluable. I think maybe they might either assign you a different kind of assignment or…"

Lucas looked up to her when she hesitated. "Or what?" he got an uneasy feeling.

Kumatora sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, "Well… they would do what they did with other soldiers who didn't want to fight; they'll train and break you until you become a loyal soldier who will follow orders to the t."

Lucas's blood left his face, he remembered seeing Fuel becoming like that and it honestly scared him. He didn't want to be like that.

"But I wouldn't worry about it, Ninten would prefer you didn't become a mindless soldier who only thinks of orders," Kumatora said.

Lucas wanted to be relieved about that, but if he didn't do what he should do the next time they had to fight, chances are they'll try to break him into the perfect soldier and he didn't want that. The boy couldn't help but think about that girl Paula and Fuel. Fuel had shot someone from his own side to save him, would that mean Fuel would be punished for treason?

"Kumatora… Fuel killed someone from his side," Lucas said. "To save me… what would happen to him?"

Kumatora frowned, "I'm not sure, it depends on what Eaglelanders do about their own men murdering each other, it could be considered treason. The punishment could be sentenced to prison, or worse; death."

Lucas felt his heart dropped. He caused Paula enough grief to go on a vengeful rampage and he got his friend either locked up or killed. Lucas knew war would mean tragedy, but to experience the guilt like this was a whole different thing. He didn't want the guilt or responsibility of killing others, so he ran away from the battle, and yet he ended up hurting a childhood friend the most out of it and is now on a dangerous PSI user's hit list.

"How did this happen?" Lucas found himself asking. He knew how it happened, but he still couldn't believe it did. "Not only am I a coward on the battlefield, I still end up causing tragedy."

"That's what war is, Lucas," Kumatora said softly. "You can't avoid some kind of tragedy or vengeful hungry people for killing the ones they love. Even if you didn't do it, misunderstandings are dangerously easy to have while in the heat of battle. People don't have time to think when they're fighting for their lives, they can only process what they can see right then and there and build on it."

Lucas knew all too well how easy it was since that guy Paula called Frank thought he killed someone close to him, but that got Lucas thinking another oddity. "That girl, Paula called me a liar when I told her what really happened. She didn't believe me because I told her an arrow of all things killed Frank's friend."

Kumatora raised an eyebrow, "I can see why she would have trouble believing you. Nobody really uses an arrow at this day and age, we mostly prefer our fancy guns, bazookas and grenades."

"But it's true!" Lucas said. "There really was an arrow, it pierced through that rebel's chest and that's what killed him! I don't know who shot him or why they used an arrow, but I can only tell you what I saw. And unfortunately I was standing right next to him when it happened and Frank must've saw me right after he died."

"But if it was an arrow, why didn't anyone else see it? Surely it would've still been in the body after it struck," Kumatora asked.

Lucas shook his head, "That's the confusing part. The arrow just disappeared after he died."

"What? How does an arrow just disappear?" Kumatora frowned.

"I don't know… maybe it wasn't a normal arrow?" Lucas asked. "I think that's why nobody else saw it."

"Hmm… it could've been a PSI arrow…" Kumatora said.

"PSI…?"

"PSI can take on many different forms depending on who or how it's used, an arrow shaped PSI isn't impossible. I can turn my PK Fire into a fiery spear if I wanted to," Kumatora explained.

Lucas thought about that, being able to manipulate one's PSI into a weapon. He remembered when he kicked Paula that his PK Love was enhancing his kick. If he could do that, then an arrow made of PSI wouldn't be all that farfetched after all. He wondered if he could do that again.

Lucas used to hate to touch his own PSI, he was uncomfortable to have anything to do with PSI, but after months of training and using it, he had grown used to it. He still didn't like it, but despising it wasn't going to do him any favors. At least he didn't lose control anymore. But he wanted to test this out. The blond haired boy focused and reached into his core, feeling the warmth of his PK Love. Lucas didn't really know much about PK Love, just that it was apparently a rare PSI to have, that it was powerful and only people with this ability can awaken the Dragon that was said to be sleeping under Nowhere Islands. The power itself was always a mystery to him.

His PK Love was waiting for Lucas to use it, he tugged on the power and felt it going to his arms and hands. His hands sparked with bluish white hexagon power, surprising Kumatora.

"Whoa! What are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm trying to test out PK Love," Lucas answered. "I wanted to see if I could use bits and pieces of it to enhance my body. It happened when I was fighting with Paula earlier, I think it could help more if I figure out how to use it. She might try to come after me again… and what if she brings Ness? He could be angrier and scarier than she is."

"Oh that's right, I forgot that you've never met Ness before," Kumatora said. "You know, other than that one time when he jumped out the window with Fuel. He does sound pretty intimidating since you don't know him personally, but he's a pretty understanding and nice guy. He likes to joke around a lot, which can get pretty annoying if you don't have a big sense of humor."

Lucas looked at her as he tried to take back some of the PK Love's power from his hands and spread it throughout his body. "You've met him?"

"I've managed to speak with him a few times back when he went on tour around America. I can't say I know him too well, but I can see enough to tell he's a nice person. I think you and him could get along, with your timid personality and his humor. You know, if we weren't in a war right now."

Lucas gave a small smile, "He sounds like how Fuel used to be, before he was trained to be a soldier. But I guess he wouldn't care about another soldier like me unless he wants revenge like Paula does."

"You can be pretty depressing sometimes." Kumatora rolled her eyes.

"Who can't be in times of war?"

"It's important to smile even in hard times… even if they're fake smiles, at least they're trying…"

Lucas wondered just what kind of tragedy did Kumatora herself faced before he came here.

"Kumatora… how can I be a part of this war if I can't even kill the enemy?" Lucas asked.

"You'll have to learn to isolate yourself from your guilt. Basically you'll have to learn to be cold and callous when you're on the battlefield. As you've seen for yourself, not killing still lead you to being on someone's hit list anyways. Better you get experience out there in killing rather than running away and being killed by someone stronger than you," Kumatora said.

Lucas didn't like that answer.

"I'm sorry. I know it's not something you wanted to hear…" Kumatora sighed. "But now I'm going to ask you something."

Lucas looked up at her, "What?"

"I've been holding this off because training came first and I didn't want to distract you with such things, but now I want to know…" Kumatora hesitated for a minute before she said, "You can use PK Love and you used to live on Nowhere Island, that means the Magypsies must've known you could awaken the Dragon that sleeps. So why didn't you?"

Lucas wanted to crawl under a rock and disappear forever when she asked him that, his PK Love retracted back into his core. He had thought he could pretend those people never existed and there never was a Dragon sleeping under the island when he came to America. He just wanted to leave the Pigmask war and the whole Dragon thing behind him.

"There's no Dragon under the island," Lucas said, his voice sounding colder than he intended.

"Lucas… I know you are aware of it," Kumatora said. "Please, don't try to hide this."

Lucas did know, and he hated that he did. Ionia, a Magypsy, was the one who awakened his PSI back on Nowhere Island, and she told him about the legend of the seven Needles that were spread out all over Nowhere Island that kept the giant Dragon asleep. Only those with PK Love could pull out the Needles and awaken the Dragon, and whoever pulls the Needles will pass on their heart to it. Once the Dragon was awakened, it will cause a cataclysm that would end the world, and if it inherited a good heart it will return the world back to its roots. Humanity would either be destroyed or put in a very long sleep until they are needed again.

When Lucas heard about this, he refused to go through with it. He refused to cause the end of the world and destroying humanity just because he happened to have this so-called chosen power.

"They wanted me to end the world, Kumatora," Lucas said bitterly. "They wanted me to use the Dragon to end the world and return it to the beginning. I didn't want that… there's no need to end the world like this. I don't know if this Dragon was created by a divine being or if it's a divine being itself, but I'm not going to wake it up just because the Magypsies say so."

"Is that why you left Nowhere Island?" Kumatora asked softly. "Not because of the Pigmask oppression, but because you didn't want to have to keep being pressured into waking up the Dragon?"

Lucas felt that was selfish of him when she put it that way. It was hellish to live with the Pigmasks everyday, they were the ones responsible for his mother's death and his brother's disappearance, and yet what ultimately drove Lucas to convince his father to leave was that he didn't want the Magypsies to keep pressuring him into pulling the Needles to wake the Dragon.

Lucas's silence was all the answer Kumatora needed, "Well… if I were you, I'd probably do the same thing."

This had Lucas perk up. "R-really?"

"Finding out you have the power to end the entire world would terrify anyone… well anyone who's sane enough to not want to destroy everything. I don't blame you for running away, heck I'm surprised you didn't run away when the Pigmasks came like I did. It shows you have potential courage, either that or stubbornness," Kumatora said.

Before Lucas could say anything to that, Ninten walked in on them, "Lucas, since you chose to hide during most of the battle in Onett, you've been reassigned to a stealth mission in Dalaam."

Lucas blinked, almost as if he couldn't believe what just came out of Ninten's mouth. "A stealth mission?"

"Yes. I'm actually rather impressed it took PSI users with PSI Magnet to track you down in the battlefield, and so were the higher ups, they've decided you'd be better suited for a stealth mission with a small team rather than on the battlefield," Ninten answered. "And I have a feeling you might like the team you're assigned with."

Kumatora smiled, "Well, looks like it's your lucky day, Lucas."

"Come on, I'll take you to the debriefing room. There you'll get details of your mission as well as your team," Ninten said, gesturing the young boy to follow.

Lucas nodded and followed the commander out the door, more than happy to be getting a mission that didn't involve him being on the battlefield.

Ness walked into the barracks in Fourside to see Paula and Fuel sitting across from each other in chairs. Both of them tried to act normal, but even a child could tell that neither of them were comfortable with each other's presence. Paula held onto the hilt to her laser sword in her hand while Fuel's rifle leaned on his chair.

"Okay," Ness said loudly enough to startle both of them. "What's it going to take to solve this dispute?"

"Killing one of your fellow soldiers constitutes as second degree murder," Paula said. "You think that we can just apologize and make everything better, but it's not that simple. We can't just ignore the law, Ness."

"Second degree murder?" Ness said. "Come on, the best that you can hope for is third degree."

Paula rolled her eyes.

"And that makes everything so much better, doesn't it?" she asked. "Bah, it's a stupid distinction anyway. Why does it matter if you kill someone in a fit of passion rather than a calculated manner? The victim's dead either way."

"I'm sorry," Fuel said. "I didn't really want to hurt anyone."

"You told me that you would have shot him again in the same situation," Paula said, turning her icy gaze on Fuel.

Fuel gulped and nodded.

"See?" Paula said. "He doesn't really feel sorry. Maybe it's just incapable for these Nowhere Islanders to feel remorse."

"Paula!" Ness said. "Well, this is quite enlightening. Did I mention that there was a time when I liked you, Paula? I'm guilty for those thoughts now that I discover who you really are. Take your racism and get out of this room."

Ness pointed at the door and stared Paula down. She grimaced, drawing a deep breath.

"I don't blame you for hating me," Fuel said. "But if you think that I stand for all Nowhere Islanders, then I have no respect for you as a human being."

"You're both right," Paula said, shaking her head. "I don't know what's gotten into me. I used to be kind and accepting. What the hell happened?"

Nobody answered her question.

"I never thought that this would be what I become," Paula said. "Just another bitter woman. I might as well be a statistic." She touched the cross that she wore around her neck and closed her eyes. "But at least I'm not alone. I have someone watching from above, always reminding me that I can do it. If only I could figure out what I want to do."

"I guess we could start with resolving this issue," Fuel said. "If the courts want to lock me up then I'll accept it."

"But your father…" Ness said.

Fuel's eyes flashed with pain. Ness could tell that Fuel had considered those consequences himself many times over.

"What about Fuel's father?" Paula asked.

"He relies on Fuel's income to support himself," Ness said. "He's physically handicapped and can't find a job as a Nowhere Islander. So what happens if Fuel gets locked up?"

Paula shrugged.

"We have welfare," she said. "It wouldn't be the end for him."

"And do you think that welfare payments to an immigrant would be top priority in times of war?" Ness asked. "It won't be enough to live off of."

"People around the world make do with less," Paula said.

"That doesn't justify this!" Ness protested.

"Ness," Fuel said, setting his hand on Ness' shoulder. "It's all right. My father fought through the pigmask wars without access to basic living supplies. He'll be okay."

"Do you think that I enjoy this?" Paula asked Ness. "Do you think that I see this as a fun time filled with sunshine and rainbows? I don't want to see Fuel locked up, but it's the right thing to do."

"So you don't want revenge for Frank's death? You were talking earlier about killing Fuel, and you nearly killed Lucas."

Paula lit PK Fire on her own hand and closed her eyes. Ness jumped back as the flames raged, charring the skin of Paula's hand. Fuel shot a panicked look at Ness, but what was he supposed to do? After what could have easily been a minute, the flames died out and Paula healed herself back up with Lifeup. She exhaled slowly, opening her eyes. After the power of regenerative PSI, Paula's hand looked completely normal.

"Paula," Ness said. "What was that?"

"I used to get migranes," Paula said, looking at her hand and smiling. "And while I would never say that I miss them... It wasn't all bad. The pain clears my head off these heavy thoughts and even weeds out these deep-rooted emotions of anger and frustration. Once I stopped getting headaches, I found that I sometimes needed a little… cleansing. Thus the fire. Symbolic, no?"

"That's not quite the word I would use," Ness said. "What you're doing is called self-harm, Paula. Even the name indicates that it's harmful over the long haul."

"Not the way I'm doing it," Paula said. "Using pain to empty the mind is just another form of meditation. Poo went through far more extreme practices during his Mu training and you never had a problem with that. Now can we please get back to the topic on hand?"

"She's not going to budge on this, Ness," Fuel said. "We should listen to what she has to say."

"Thank you, Fuel," Paula said, shooting a surprisingly genuine smile at him. "Now, it's true that I do feel terrible about Frank's death and that looking at Fuel fills me with rage. Perhaps this 'justice' that I seek is nothing more than anger I veil from even myself."

Well, at least that sounded like the old, thoughtful Paula that he knew. Maybe the stress was just getting to her. Ness couldn't really blame her after everything that had happened, honestly.

"But regardless, I should not have come so close to killing you back in Onett," Paula said to Fuel. "I am sorry."

Fuel nodded, accepting the apology.

"See, Ness, this is why I say that the distinction between third and second person murder is ridiculous," Paula said. "When I pinned Fuel to a wall and held my laser sword at his throat, did it matter that I was really angry? I came close to killing him either way."

"It matters," Ness said. "Because that wasn't the real you."

"A convenient excuse," Paula said. "And a false one. I let myself get angry. I held the sword up to his throat. It was my will that pushed me to become that person. It's as much 'me' as the person you see right in front of you."

"I refuse to believe that," Ness said. "People are generally good, and I know that you're a nice person. I blame the situation rather than you."

"Really," Paula said. "What happened to discovering the real, racist me? Didn't you say that you wanted me to leave the barracks?"

"I… wasn't thinking straight," Ness said. "I'm sorry."

"You were thinking straight, but you're so ridiculously nice that you fool even yourself into thinking that those angry faces and vehement words aren't really us." Paula shook her head. "But back to the topic at hand. I think it's about time…"

Right when she said that, the door to the barracks opened and a half-dozen Eagleish soldiers stepped inside.

"Excuse me?" Ness said. "It's polite to knock before you enter someone's living quarters."

"We apologize for the inconvenience," one of the soldiers said, although he couldn't have sounded less sorry. "We are here on official orders. Fuel, you are under arrest."

"Wait!" Ness said. "We need to work this out by ourselves. You know, team power and all that."

"It's okay, Ness," Fuel said. "I wouldn't want to cheat the rules just because I'm friends with a hero. Should I leave my gun here?"

"Yes," the soldier said, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. "Do not make any sudden moves."

Fuel stared the soldier in the eyes and nodded. Ness couldn't imagine being in Fuel's situation and just accepting it. But his experiences on the battlefield showed him that Fuel's mind worked quite differently from his. Fuel made split-second judgments that kept him safe and followed orders without complaint while Ness hesitated and contemplated. On his journey to defeat Giygas, Ness would have envied Fuel's simple style of thinking.

Now, he wasn't nearly as sure.

"Fuel," Ness said. "Do you regret it? Shooting Frank?"

"No, I don't," Fuel said. "There's not much that can push me through my soldier conditioning, but seeing my friend helpless and alone was enough."

"Quit talking," the soldier said, shoving Fuel out the door. "It's time to move."

The soldiers walked of the barracks and slammed the door behind them. Paula exhaled, looking away from Ness.

"Before you ask," Paula said, "Yes, I did report the incident to the military command. I don't regret it."

Ness tried to sort out his feelings about the whole mess and found himself left with frustration. It was so simple. Yes, Fuel had killed Frank, but he was still a good person. Could anyone blame him for trying to protect his childhood friend? No, of course not. So why did they still want to lock him up?

"I know that this is hard for you," Paula said. "Sometimes, I envy the way that your mind works."

"What do you mean?" Ness asked.

"You don't act on principles," Paula said. "You just do what feels right. It makes you more persuasive and compelling than I'll ever be. If all of what we did gets recorded accurately, people will see you as the hero and me as the villain. It's just hard not to like someone so simple and genuine."

"Are you calling me stupid?" Ness said, smiling to indicate humor.

"You know that's not what I mean." Paula smiled back, but nervousness shone through. "Do you know why I couldn't bring myself to let Fuel go without a trial that will probably lead to a lengthy sentence?"

"I could guess, but I would probably be wrong."

"Do you remember the promise that we made two years ago when we rose to fame after beating Giygas?" Paula asked. "We told each other that we would treat everyone the same. We promised that we wouldn't abuse our power to offer special treatment."

"We did," Ness said.

"And… Call me crazy, but I thought that letting Fuel off would violate that promise," Paula said. "Anyone else in the entire army would be locked up, so why should we use our power to give Fuel special treatment?"

"Because it would help someone," Ness said.

"I know, I know." Paula sighed. "But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I wouldn't let myself become a hypocrite. After speaking out against corruption and politicians using their power to play favorites, I couldn't let myself become one of them."

"I… never really thought about it that way before," Ness said.

"I know that it's silly," Paula said. "You don't have to tell me. I'm just always thinking, and once my thoughts wandered to what it would feel like to see a murderer walk free just because he was in cahoots with a pair of bigshot PSI-users… I just couldn't break my promise."

"That's fine," Ness said. "It's good to keep your promises."

"Not really," Paula said. "There's always a point where something else overrides a promise. Nobody should be willing to sacrifice everything just to stay true to their word. That's my problem. I act on principles. I act on codes. It doesn't allow for a lot of nuance."

"I don't think so," Ness said. "There are different ways of thinking, and sometimes different philosophies work better in different situations. I'm sure that your morals have just as much merit as mine, Paula."

"So you're not mad at me?" Paula asked, her eyes widening.

"I'm… not sure," Ness said. "I think that I would be lying if I said that I don't feel any different after what happened between us. But I'm tired of hating people. You, Pirkle, the Americans, anyone. None of it does me any good."

"I wish that I could just… drop my resentment as easily as you," Paula said. She brought her hands back up to the cross around her neck. "Oh, Frank. Nobody saw the real you, did they? That month we spent together learning how to become teammates…" Paula shook her head. "Ah, why does this still hurt so much?"

"It's only been a few days," Ness said. "Eventually, you'll come to terms with it."

"I hope so," Paula said with a smile. "Thanks, Ness."

"But I do know that it's been really hard on you," Ness said. "I don't think that anyone blames you for it. Fuel was less opposed to you trying to lock him up than I was."

"Yeah, I noticed that too," Paula said. "I think that we're more similar than we would like to admit. If it had been me back then watching Fuel put a gun to your head and say that he would kill you, I would have killed him just like he killed Frank. Judging from my hypothetical reaction to the situation, I think that Fuel feels bad enough that he views a prison sentence as justice, even though he believed that it was the right thing to do."

"Hopefully we can get his sentence minimized," Ness said. "But in the meantime, we should probably make the best of this situation. I know that you're still grieving, but why don't I take you out to lunch? Call it a date."

"Even without this complex and intricate situation, you know how I feel about traditional dating practices," Paula said. "Especially since my family is rich."

"Yes, yes, you're just as capable of paying for stuff as I am," Ness said. "I've respected that so far, haven't I?"

"Well, I doubt it's been hard since it basically amounts to you paying less," Paula said. "But why the insistence now?"

"Because I want to do something nice for you," Ness said. "I was wrong to call it a date. I don't see it as a boy paying for a girl. To me, it's a friend putting in effort to make another friend feel better. You can take me out somewhere once I hit on hard times and pay for the entire outing if you want."

Paula's eyes widened slightly.

"See, this is what I mean," Paula said. "You want to do something nice for me, and then I had to object out of principle…" she shook her head. "When you put it that way, I graciously accept. Thank you for thinking about me despite the fact that Fuel's the one locked away in a prison. Do you have a specific place in mind?"

"Well," Ness said, "There's this really good burger restaurant that I discovered…"

"Well, you know that I like burgers almost as much as you do. Let's give it a try."

Ness looked into Paula's deep, blue eyes and smiled. Even though they worked towards opposite outcomes, friends could still enjoy some time together.