A/N: Sorry for the wait, peoples. I've lost my copy of Fire Emblem, and I've lost my computer with all my ROMs in it due to a crash (and I owned a copy of every Rom I had on there, and I don't condone using an illegal copy of a game. I do however; use it to play with cheats and hacks when I'm bored.) Anyway, I've also lost my will to write myself into a rather precarious line inside the existing Fire Emblem story. I will however, continue to write along with the story, but, the groups will split off.

Fire Emblem Redux: Dragon's Blood

Redux 1: Wolf in the Snow

AND

Redux: Gaiden 1: Cherry Blossom Decoy

AND

Redux: Gaiden 2: The history of the soul


I was paralyzed in the dream. The gullet of a massive dragon roared in front of me… and I knew its name. "N-n-n-Nils?!" The beast simply roared at me, but I could feel the meaning, and the accusations it gave. His sister… I would responsible for her early death. Somehow, I would change the fate of the world, in an irreversible way. I couldn't stay where I was.

Suddenly, the dream changed, although insignificantly, it seemed. The roar decreased in volume. And I felt something powerful beside me. A Sidelong glance revealed two creatures, the likes of which I had not seen before. One, tall and strong, with a massive crimson tail lashing behind him stood paralyzed, claws almost three inches long adorned his hands as he tried to break the spell. A desperate need to fight off the illusory dragon in front of him. His face… it made me think of Garnet.

The twin spires erupting from his head arched forward, then back, but they were short, probably made for goring an enemy, at only six inches long. His twin wings were massive and scarred with the marks of many battles. The spines on his decidedly scaled body were deadly seeming, and I could see drying or dried blood all over them, the sickly yellow color of a morph's life-blood discoloring his beautiful hue.

Beside him stood what I could call no less than a succubus. A Woman with curves in places I didn't think a curve could be, and beauty I had only seen matched once, but never in this world. Pale white clashed with an almost burning black hair color, but I noticed that the burning effect was caused by deep red highlights. The wind of the illusory dragon's roar made her hair fan out in front of her face, but I could see the colors of her eyes plainly through the cracks. An almost iridescent green iris with golden streaks and a tightly slit black pupil. Her almost royal seeming clothes and armor shone a brilliant crimson and green, and it hit me like a ton of hard stone.

Ariana, grown and transformed by MY Meddling stood beside her chosen mate, but still wore the colors of her first love. Sain's irreplaceable mark on her heart was expressed by the green, but I could plainly see the soul string between her and her dragon, the blackest of blacks, drawing in the light. She was supremely happy with her life now. Crimson colored wings adorned her back, but they did not erupt like Garnet's did, her wings smaller and more nimble seeming. Her tail, too, was slimmer, and more whip like. The only thing she lacked to seem a true succubus, fit the make love to the lords of the nine hells, was a simple spade on the end. Instead, a series of short, razor sharp spines lined it from base to tip. Her forearms and lower legs, left exposed by her armor, had a dragon's scales, and an obsidian colored spike erupting from just above her knee, and her elbow. Talons and claws, both completing the almost succubusishly beautiful illusion, made her look menacing. Her hair stopped wavering, and a toss of her head sent it behind her shoulders, revealing the now much more defined face.

She was beautiful. Angular eyes that seemed intense yet caring slit across her face and a cheerful smile bordered on a smirk. Her horns I could now see. Flowing backwards over her head and stopping atop her cranium made it all the more menacing. She looked at Garnet, and smiled vaguely. "Fur ball." I heard her say. He glanced over at her with disdain then his jaw dropped and hit the floor almost. "What?!" He SPOKE!

"What's going on here?"

The two newest recruits to the group stepped up. Kadan and Rohan, each looking so different than before. Kadan's slim curved sword hung over his back, and nearly touched the ground, its blade bare. A Daikatana. Rohan held a massive axe with one hand, a calm look on his face. "A Shared dream, Kadan."

I felt something rub my side again. I glanced about and up, but nothing… then I looked down. A Pure white wolf, his eyes as blue as the skies after a hard spring rain, looked at me calmly, and nodded slowly. I noticed my clothes… No longer was I in the clothes of a strategist, but a pure white shirt adorned my chest, with dust covered brown pants. My Katar too, were gone, replaced by a pair of gloves that hung at my side, claws and vague runes adorning them alternatively. "Amazing… perhaps this is prophecy?"

The wolf nodded slowly, and leapt onto a stump within the center of the group. Garnet was still staring unabashedly at Ariana, who had discovered her breasts, and her own jaw was dropped. I was more interested in the wolf. Besides, the Dragon had claimed her. Hiiro stepped beside me. He looked hollow. "I… I saw a white dragon devour Florina…" I turned back to the wolf.

"Good, all those who have been chosen are here now." It was my voice, repeating the wolf's words. I didn't know why, but I was giving voice to his speech. I could tell that Hiiro and Garnet weren't paying attention. Never expected them too, anyway. Ariana wasn't either, too interested in the rather massive new items she had acquired in this dream state. Kadan and Rohan paid attention however. "Leave Lyn. You have set her well on her way. Find the one known as Felan. You…" the wolf looked at me with a stern eye. "Will know him when you find him."


Suddenly, the sound of a fire spell woke me up. "Burn this stench away; it's the only way we will survive!" Serra was shouting at Erk, her eyes a brilliant Maroon.

"I'm casting them as fast as I can, Serra!"

"Oh that is IT!" I shouted, and stood, slicing my finger open nicely with my teeth. "Eldaris Elfanim, Pagasu Deiti, Shiva Slphyi!" I raised my now profusely bleeding hand at the green cloud. "FIMBUTELVIR!" The massive gust of wind slung Sain against a nearby tree as he howled desperately, and clung to the rough bark of the tree. A few chunks of solid ice slammed into the ground, and with a loud sound, shattered on impact before refreezing in a massive azure crystal block, that suddenly faded into nothingness. I fell back against the tree and panted as the green cloud floated up into the sky, before slowly descending. I pitied the place it landed. A Few of the leaves in our trees had begun to decay.

I panted slowly. "There. Problem solved." I jumped down to the ground, the sound of dead grass crunching under foot alerting me to the fact that the stench had not completely dissipated. It was goddess awful, and I could still smell every bit of it, despite the fact that I wasn't breathing. "Alright, come down everyone. Kadan, Rohan, Garnet, Ariana, Lyn, Hiiro, come with me."

The group slowly assembled, the five that had been in the dream with me all looking equally disturbed, Lyn just wondering what was going on. "Lyn, I need my amulet."

"What?!"

"I need my amulet back. It's too dangerous for me to stay with you."

"But… no, Kai. You can't leave, I still need you here…"

"If I go with you any father, not only will I die, but Florina, and everyone in this circle, WILL DIE."

"What? What do you mean?"

"A Shared dream is ALWAYS a prophecy, which much I have learned over the years. If I go any further with you, you will die, and your destiny left unfulfilled, will damn the world to the pit of hell."

"Eh?"

"Just give me my damned necklace."

"Fine." She jerked it off roughly, and I suddenly felt heavy. I had come to rely on every one of them. But I took the amulet in my hand as she handed it to me, and crushed it calmly. I took the Heaven Emblem from my side, and gave it to her. "This will protect you until I Return. When I do, we will BOTH be ready for whatever the world will cast at us."

"Why are you leaving?"

"Because. Your course is Set, though not in stone. You may still choose, but you will follow your path, no matter your choice. I've been assured of that." Elimine's words had been enough to assure me of that. Besides. My information on the world so far, had been both correct and incorrect. I decided to follow the path that was laid out in my dream. In OUR dream, rather. I could feel Elimine's hand, guiding me north. The Unbearable pain in my stomach pulled me north, like I was missing some key part of myself. "Look, Elimine has sent you one guide, in the form of Serra, despite the fact that she's as crazy as a loon… Another will come to you soon, and soon after, another god will send you a new guide. You know of my methods, and you are a brilliant woman. My gifts are wasted on you. Your legion is well experienced now, and they can fight. They can fight like the dickens."

"But-"

"No buts. I'm doing this to keep things as they should be. You would die, I would die, Ariana, garnet, Kadan, Rohan, and Hiiro, as well as Florina… but Florina must go with you."

Ariana spoke. "Don't worry, Lyn. He knows what he's talking about." Her hand was on her chest, and her elbow wagged strangely. I guessed it was her wanting her boobs back, and willing to leave to get them. Then again, I had been wrong before. "Come on, we'll leave now. Kent will show you the path, Lyn." And with that, I turned to the north, throwing down layer of cloth after layer of cloth, the green and brown robes falling to the ground as I walked, discarding the last vestiges of Mark.


Lyn sighed as Kent stood next to her as they looked down at the inn. The sun had set on the second day, and Florina looked so sad. Sain too, was inconsolable, though he was much more vocal about it. They had tied his mouth to his head, but still, he sobbed loudly.

"Come on. We go down, and stay at the inn. Cheer up Sain, maybe you'll find a girl with some Luisy bush?"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He had broken free of the mouth restraint with that, and Kent grabbed a hold of him, and slapped him across the face. "Shut up, Boy! You haven't stopped wailing for two days, and its grating on my nerves!"

"HEY!" Florina landed her Pegasus next to Kent and punched him forcefully in the arm. "You leave Sain alone, you big Meany! He's sad that his friends left!" She was both happy and sad herself. Her Competition for Sain's attentions was gone, and she had also lost Hiiro… But she still remembered him fondly. Maybe she would see him again. Maybe not. She could have Sain, and with a nice bed, that was going to be the BEST night of her life. "Come on, Sain; let's go down to the Inn." The downtrodden man nodded coldly, and left the stunned Kent and Lyn on the hill as Dorcas and Wil slowly took the Caravan route down. Serra and Erk, with Erk carrying all of the Hyperactive Cleric's things, slowly walked along behind it, Erk nodding slowly as he ignored Serra's Blue eyed rambling.

"Kent?"

"Yes, Mi'lady?"

"Kiss me."

This stopped Kent dead in his tracks. He knew nothing of Lorca ways, and didn't know the sheer significance of that statement. "Mi'Lady?"

She turned her back on him. "If you can't do that, then we have no business outside of-" His hand wrapped about her arm, and she spun into his body, their lips tightly bound together, her eyes showing surprise, even as he placed his gloved hand on the back of her neck, and placed his other on the small of her back. He bent her backwards slightly as he dipped her into the kiss, their open mouths freeing their tongues to play with the intruders they suddenly found unbidden in their territory, the new shape that was clearly not food disturbingly pleasant. For a full three minutes, they moved naught but their heads.

Kent stood her up and broke the kiss, gasping for air. Lyn's hair had come slightly undone and she panted, a single blue strand hanging in front of her eye. "Good GOD what was that?"

"A Caelin Kiss, what else, Mi'lady?" Kent's eyes had a shimmer in them that played at pure pleasure. "That's how a Knight kisses a lady, if you didn't know."

"Then let me show you how a Lorca kisses the bravest warriors." She slammed against the tree, and planted her lips on his as she unbuckled the side of his armor. Kent fought her off for a mere moment, and said "Vassal to his Lord!" almost desperately, trying to find a way out of the sticky predicament. Lyn would have none of it. "Not a Princess yet!" And with that, he gave in to her, and his breast plate went flying to the side, with a pair of weapons clattering to the ground.

Lyn sighed peacefully as the moon began to set, Kent still panting harshly on his side as he rolled onto his back, groaning lowly. "I think you have… broken me, Lyndis…"

"I better not have, there are still many hours before first light, and I don't plan on sleeping tonight."

"Goddess help me, if this is half the torture Sain went through, I don't see how he still has his mind…"

She caressed him, and he winced painfully. "Aye! AYE! Sore! Bloody SORE!"

"Oh Calm down, Kent… it's only your chest I'm rubbing…"

"Your teeth do more damage than you think, AYE! NNH! Damnit woman, keep your hands off my nipples!"

"You didn't hear me complaining about your teeth, and you bit far harder."

"AYE! Not that either! Bloody HELP OW! DAMNIT!" Her head disappeared beneath the cover and he bit his bottom lip, the colors exploding in his mind mixed with the color of pain, in a perfectly pleasurably painfully playful symphony and he grunted. "Easy! EASY! I'm still tender…" he groaned in pleasure as she softened her touch and he moaned. "Pair of clamps, I swear… AYE! Damnit, calm down, it's not goi-go-GOOD GODDESS AYE!"


Wil Laid in the tree, his spy glass fogging up as the girl in the window winked at him calmly. "Daddy is gonna ha…. What the!?" He paled calmly as he fell from the tree, and got whacked by a rather stout branch on the way down, the girl walking towards him. "nnoooo…" he groaned as his world went black.


Florina slammed Sain into the wall, his nude form still refusing to take action. "Damnit all to hell, Sain, what is WRONG with you?"

"I don't know!" He frantically tried to rectify the issue, but to little avail. He sighed. "I… Just don't know!" Florina sighed, and sat on the bed, before taking up the glass of wine. An involuntary jerk poured the liquid onto her chest, much to her distaste, and she growled lowly. Sain's eyes locked directly onto the wet flesh, and he groaned. "I think that fixed it…"

"And what a fix indeed!" Florina said with a raised brow. "That's all it takes?"

"Apparently, that's the only thing it takes."

"I'll keep that in mind…" she said as she slowly picked up the bottle of wine with a devious grin. "Care for a drink?"

"You have no idea."


I sighed. "Why do I feel like I've done a terrible misdeed?"

Hiiro shrugged, Rohan too. Kadan spoke up. "Well, you did annihilate over four hundred people in one spell."

"Oh not that. That's child's play, compared to the evil I FEEL I have unleashed…"

Hiiro laughed. "It's not like Sain and Florina were into each other…"

I looked at him dumbly. "Oh, and I are Stupid." I laughed. "Duh. Before you came along, Florina was all up in Sain's face wanting some."

Ariana giggled, wrapped tightly in a few of my old cloaks. My pure white noble's shirt shimmered in the pale green dawn light of the mountain forest. The few patches of snow on the ground made her shy away harshly. "Yeah, I remembered that… She played the part of the damsel in distress quite well."

I smiled, and walked up beside her and Garnet. Garnet's words had developed beyond 'No' and 'bastard'. He could now say 'you.' "So, the snow bothering you Garnet?"

"No, You bastard." He was very well articulated. But I felt odd here. 'I smell something strange. Your own stench, but as a dog… so to speak.'

Ariana nodded. "I can almost see it. It's so strange to see like this." To her, the world was bright, and powerful. "I'm sorry about what happened to you Kai."

I shrugged. "It was Mark's Gift."

Hiiro growled. "What the hell are you talking about now?"

"I'm no longer Telepathic. That's why I left. That dream… It stripped that gift from me. The last thing that made me a Strategist is gone. First, I lost my foreknowledge of the world. My own folly changed the fates of everyone here. Just how, not even I know. You… You probably should have died. Kadan and Rohan too. I'm not even native to this world, so I don't know all the laws." I shrugged. It was so strange to be out here, all alone, without anything to tell me what to expect. Then, the unexpected happened.

A Black Lynx leapt in front of me, hissing as though it was quite angered by my presence. Garnet and Ariana took a step back quietly, each getting ready. I could see Ariana's slowly forming claws touching her fingers, ready to cut them open to burn the cat to ashes. But I simply laughed. "Felix! HA! You send an envoy to me? Then I pray for mercy on your soul." My Katar were in my hand before I even realized that I was ready to kill the beast. Garnet was hissing lowly, ready to spew a bit of his fire, not enough to hurt himself, but enough to hurt the cat. "Calm yourselves. This cat can't be burned by fire." I grinned, looking at its red eyes. "It's a fell type of cat…" I grinned, and Held my Katar out calmly, crossing them in front of my face, grinning with a merciless fervor. I would cleave this cat into ribbons. My back leg came out farther, and my left leg came to the front, and I took a good firm stance, ready to fight with my punching daggers.

With the speed of a lightning bolt, the Katar fell from my hands, dripping pools of acid. I glanced at them in shock. Those were made by Elimine herself for me. Now THAT was a blow to the ego. "You BASTARD!" The Lynx suddenly shied away from a shadow behind me. I snarled, but then, I realized something. I wasn't snarling alone. Garnet, Hiiro, Ariana, Kadan, and Rohan were all quiet. A White wolf, as large as I was, stepped beside me. His shoulders came to my hip, and his blue eyes were drawn back in a narrow glare. I snarled at the lynx myself, and raised my hands into a fighting position. The lynx leapt at me, once more, but then something happened that I did not expect. "Felan, Strike!" The Lynx suddenly did a flip to the side; her throat ripped wide, jugular veins hanging out of the jagged hole in its throat. But it was still coming at me. My hand shot out, like a cannon, slamming into the side of the lynx's head in a massive right hook. My elbow bent harshly as soon as the punch connected, but I had punched through. The Cat would be in some serious pain, that much I knew. But my elbow kept coming, and I felt it slam into the cat's ribs as it spun, the sickening crack of its ribs sounding loud and sharp in the quiet forest.

The brief little fight was over as soon as it had begun. I smiled, and looked at the wolf, who now stood above the Lynx's body, eating his fill, even as the lynx weekly pawed out at the Wolf. A Ruptured heart and punctured lung, from the bubbling blood flowing from its throat. The brief spurts proved the heart. The cat's face was half caved in. "Looks like a Laguz…" I said briefly. The wolf glanced at me with what seemed to be smirking eyes. "Oh don't bloody tell me." I said to him. He merely closed his eyes and kept eating. "Good… not a Laguz." I reached down, and looked at the cat's vaguely fluttering eyes. "Felix… My dog came back. Thank you for the gift, my friend. I promise, what he failed to finish the first time, Felan will accomplish the second time." The cat roared in my face and I pushed my thumbs into its eyes with distaste.


Felix Screamed in pain as he reared back from the impact against his eyes through the Lynx Skull. "DAMN YOU KAI!" Felix roared his displeasure as Nergal cowered in front of the now fully visible Manakete. The Beast had wings much like a dragons, but the rotted meat visible within the decayed flesh of his body did not stink, rather it pulsed with life. Unlife, presumably. "DAMNIT ALL TO HELL!"

Nergal stared in awe at the raging Manakete as he lifted his wordless son into the air. The fully formed Morphakete merely stared in awe at his father, and smiled as he felt his ribs disintegrate under the grip. "Bastard! You are the one who advised this course of action, Kavis! YOU are to blame for your failure! YOU knew of the wolf, Kavis! YOU ARE TO BLAME!" Felix reached up, and dug his rotted fingers into the skull of his son quietly. The Morphakete merely grinned at his father, content in his punishment. "And for this, you will feel pain." Felix smiled, the look of content at his father's touch dissolved as suddenly, the morph felt new quintessence. New things plagued his mind. Pain.

The Morphakete had no voice, and he could not scream, but the air flowing from his mouth was ten times more horrible than a mere scream of pain. Nergal winced in utter agony as he saw the Morphakete writhe on his father's hand. The first true physical sensation the boy had was pain. And he would always remember. Such a terrible pain, claws touching his brain, the plague brought by the Manakete's claws racked the boy's body as his ribs were squeezed harder by his father. The hissing air slowly evolved, the hiss becoming a deformed screech of pain. "KSHIIIII!!!!" the ear-splitting wail that came was enough to cause Felix to throw the limp rag-doll of a body against the wall, the snap of a now broken wing loudly announcing the boy's uselessness. But the screech faded, and the boy stood, his smile now a meek frown. Displeasure, but fear. An immense amount of fear. "I will not tolerate your insubordination, child. Failure to obey me is failure to Akasha! Do you think this a game, my son? Do you think yourself able to fend off my claws?! I made you, and I WILL UNMAKE YOU!"

The boy cowered even further at the threat of unmaking, remembering a morph who had been created as an experimental warrior. It was violent, and unruly, but uncannily sharp. It could even utilize spells. Kavis had thought it a God like his Father. His Father gave him all, and could strip all away from him as well. His sister sighed as she lay on the bed quietly, next to his father. Nergal coughed.

"Yes, Nergal?"

"The breeder?"

"Kala, come forth."

A woman, perhaps five foot tall, stepped forward. "Ah, such Avarice and lust within her. She is blind to all but the one who first touches her. It was a feat amongst feats to not touch her."

"Good. Then she is blank?"

"There are a few things I gave her, as a control mechanism. Laugh at her, and she is shamed. Praise her by name, and she is proud. Slap her, and she is still, and meek. Pleasure her, and she is yours for life. Would you like our bed?"

"No, thank you. What were you doing with the Skull?"

"It is none of your concern."

"You were in pain. MY Trusted advisor should not be in pain."

"You need not worry, Nergal. Take your wench and go." Felix smiled. "Unless you would like to join us…" The Manakete lifted the covers invitingly as he cackled at Nergal's look of pure unadulterated disgust. He grabbed hold of Kala, and turned, walking away from the room with anger in his eyes. Kavis too, left, his new found voice unable to speak, but the need to scream form the reminiscent feeling of pain was horrible. He also knew something now. Something other than pleasure and anger. Pain. And his father controlled it. Truly, his father was his God, and he would not be a merciful god. He would stay away from that feeling. He would please his god from afar.


I stood. Felan licked his chops in front of me, his most recent meal of a thawed steak was obviously pleasing, but still not enough for me to convince him that he and I were to be kin, of a sort. The scarred wolf was obviously the dog I had once owned. Part husky, part wolf, but all merciless killing machine, save for the fact that he wasn't truly out to rip my face off. It bothered me. Something so familiar and I could not touch him without being bitten. Harshly. How was I to earn his trust?

"Felan, how am I supposed to get to know you when I cannot even pet you?"

Garnet smirked. 'He's waiting on the command, you buffoon. He's learned to hunt, but he knows you, and what you speak, but not what you need.'

I sighed. "Felan, come."

The wolf stood, and whimpered quietly, his tail between his legs. I wondered what was going on. And then I remembered.


I was sitting on the bank of the lake, fishing pole in my hand, cigarette hanging from my mouth, enjoying my day off. I had to preach tomorrow, for Sunday morning service, but that was all right. I had the service planned out. On Friday of course. To me, Saturday had always been the Sabbath, and I NEVER worked on Saturday. It was my way. I smiled, and felt the tug on the line. I jerked back on the pole, and turned the reel harshly. Such a powerful foe on this day! I Growled as I turned the reel, the sound of the straining line threatening a break, so I let the fish have his head for a moment before jerking back again, pulling the fish from the water. The Pike Leapt into the air, water flashing behind him as I used my hand to flip the rod again, jerking the pike's head towards me. The pike was suffering from a bad case of avarice. And I could tell. The Shinny spinner on my line caused the line to go completely slack, and I watched it on the surface of the water as it turned back towards me. And so I reeled as hard as I could, fighting that pike for all I was worth.

The day dragged on, but everything was calm, and peaceful, and the night was coming on quick and cold. It always did this far up in the hills. I awoke from my mid day nap to hear a whimpering sound. "Eh?" I looked about. Such a quiet little patch of woods, but then I saw it. A White puppy, in a trap. His paw was caught in the rope of a fox trap, and his black furred foe, a large Lynx, had a bear trap through its throat. "Amazing." I said quietly, as I walked towards the trap. I myself kept my eyes out for them. The Lynx was dead. Very dead, I could tell. The Bear trap merely held the cat aloft, its head in mid leap, and its body going stiff. I didn't know how or when it happened, but it did. The pup was whimpering quietly. I noticed a mush of black and crème fur in its mouth. It had gone after a lynx's Kit, and won out by sheer luck.

I took my hunting knife, and cut the rope away from the pup, obviously an orphan. The scars on his side showed that he had survived an all out attack from a bigger dog. Or maybe the lynx's Kits. It didn't matter, because the pup was whimpering harshly as I examined his leg. Broken. Badly, if I could say anything. I picked him up slowly and winced as he kiyi'd harshly. I took him as quickly as I could to my camp-site; While Felix peeked out of the tent. "Whasgoin'on?"

"Hey, Felix. Found this wounded wolf pup, and I think I'll keep him. It's obvious he hasn't seen a damn bit of kindness all his life." Felix grunted. "Throw'im in the lake, Kai. You've got no need to have a damned dog. Too damned Kind."

"We have to pack up anyway. I'll go ahead and set his leg." And I set to work on it, the pup so scared of me it wasn't funny.

A Year after that, I had finally brought the wolf back with me. Felix was sitting on the lake shore as I play fought with my wolf-pup, smiling at him. "That dog's going to bite your arm off, and I'm gonna have to put him down, Kai."

"Oh shut up Felix. You and I both know he's too damned nice. Or did you forget how much he likes to lick your beard?"

"I swear, you're turning that damned dog into a pussy, you dip."

"And what about that dog who was going to mate your prized Sheppard?"

"I don't owe that little half breed dilly squat!"

"Sure, just a pedigreed Australian Sheppard."

He merely grunted. "Still cost me five hundred dollars."

"I told you not to pay them a dime."

He grunted. "Sometimes, I doubt you're even a Christian, Kai."

"You're the Agnostic one."

"Point and counter point. You're the one who acts agnostic."

"I just never had any use for outdated ethics."

"I wonder about you, I really do."

"How many times have –I- bailed you out of trouble?"

"Too damned many. You're too good a friend man."

"Tell it to Satan when I see you in hell." I smiled. I sat down on the beach, my wolf running around like a little kid.

Night fell, and I hollered into the woods. "Felan, Come!" But all I heard was whimpering. I saw him sneak out of the woods, his tail between his legs and a grim face showing plainly. He thought he was in trouble, but I didn't laugh at him. I sighed, and said much more softly, "Felan, come." His tail perked up and he ran at me full speed, tackling me onto the ground, licking my face quietly. "Good boy!" I petted him quietly as he growled to me in his own way.


The flash back faded almost as soon as it began, and I sighed. "Felan, come here please." His tail didn't shoot up, but it did give a bit of a wave. He took a step towards me and a step back. "Felan, come." It was soft and calm and he took two steps towards me. His instinct pulled him away, but something pulled him towards me. "Felan, come." Calmer still, and he jumped towards me, then stopped, and slowly trotted towards me, his head level with my face. I slowly reached my hand out, and placed it under his muzzle. He didn't flinch or shy, but he did watch me warily.

Slowly, but surely, he understood. I meant him no harm. And then he ran into the woods, quietly. The days passed, and each day, he followed us closer, and I would feed him, and he would follow us. The days came and went, everyone wrapped within their own worlds. But I was focused on my pet. He was soon merely ten feet away from the rest of us each day. And every day, I fed him, saying to him "Felan, come." And he would come. And After a while, he began to sleep near me. But the ultimate test still was to come. My hand had never petted him. But one day, he was sitting beside me, on the bank of a creek. I reached over, and placed my hand on his head, and stroked backwards. He didn't move. I stroked him again, and he growled, but remained still. I continued petting him. That had been a good day.


Lyn sighed as the last of the Elder mages fell. No great injuries, no massive casualties. All because of Nil's music. The flowing strength that surged into those nearby had been a call to arms for the army, and they had plowed through the enemies with precision. But still, this luscious Lucious man was quite the breath taker. In many MANY ways. He was adept at healing minor injuries, and he was lithe, his flowing blond hair streaming out behind him as he flipped into the inner-most guard of the Shamans. His hands burned with an unearthly light as he struck them down with one or two blows to the mid section, and flipped away again, dashing to the next enemy. Those he could not close in on fast enough met a rather untimely end as lances of light impaled them with a few motions of his hands. But still, something worried Nils. Matthew had gone missing, and Sain and Florina were at odds, once more. She ALWAYS looked down on him, and he on her. Then it broke out again.

"I will do no such thing, Florina!"

"And why not? Too high and mighty? Too professional, too knightly?"

"No, because it is a disgusting prospect."

She growled, and turned once more, Lyn following closely, as Kent did his part to ease the burning tempers. "What's wrong Florina?"

"It's Sain, He-"

"Wants me to eat no more meat!? Can you believe it? A Man cannot live without his meat. I can do without the beans, but damnit all, I WILL HAVE MY-"

"Meat, it's all he ever thinks about, and bless him, I try to make him see that his body will work better if he doesn't eat it so damned much, and thank god he laid of the beans, but still, why does he insist on eating his meat so damned-"

"Rare for a woman to not eat meat, but still, she should try some. She is totally adverse to the idea! Why not just give it an itty bitty taste-"

"Like shit, it does, and I will not eat it, even if DORCAS cooks it!"

"She won't even eat the meat Dorcas cooks!"

Lyn and Kent sighed. "This is not a good day." they said simultaneously, from different rooms in the Inn.


I sighed as we came to a halt. Ariana had demanded it. It was getting to cold for her. She and I stepped out of the camp, Garnet and Felan having a Silent conversation, as they usually did. Sometimes, I swear, I could hear my dog think. She sighed, and pulled up her sleeve. Dragon scales coated her fore-arm, and rose to her elbow, where they faded into naught but mild discolored patterns on her flesh. "Why?"

"Because you and he are so close."

"You did this! I can't even walk into town without people staring at the girl in the cloak."

"Does your back hurt?"

"Hells yes and these things aren't helping." She jerked her thumb at her back, pointing at her obviously growing wings. Garnet himself was much unchanged, though he was becoming much more compact, although stronger. Ariana was experiencing the worst of the changes. She was so strangely beautiful however. She was becoming a woman so quickly it was frightening. The time table had been stepped up by something. Maybe it was her, or maybe it was Garnet, but still, they were growing so damned quickly. We had no time to waste. I gave her another cloak with a sigh. "Wear this one as well. We don't have time to waste on you being cold."

With that, I turned back to the group, and nodded to the north with a grunt. "We don't bloody have the time to waste on this. Let's go. We sleep in Bulgar tonight, and then north to the arctic sea. We will wait on the next dream there."

"But why are we following these portents?" It was Rohan who spoke. He was very calm and collected. So utterly emotionless as well. "Are we certain that the dream was not a veil of untruth cast over our eyes by ill meaning forces? How are we to be certain that Lyn has not perished?"

I thought on that calmly as Ariana remounted Garnet. "I believe…" I said as I began to walk, my left hand tracing various runes, in an absent minded fashion, "That something calls me, and I do not trust my ability to survive alone on these plains, nor in these towns." I sighed, and touched the rune, a vague burst of light solidifying in my hand, the lesser spell of light coalescing into an orb in my hand. As close to a flashlight I could get in this world. "Besides. If this was truly the wrong path, Elimine would tell me."

"You have too much faith in the Gods, Kai." It was Kadan who spoke that, but Hiiro finished it off. "Did you forget all that she has put you through?" and with that, I sighed in a defeated manner. "Yes, and No, to each in turn. While I believe in Elimine's power, I haven't forgotten what she has put me through, and I doubtless believe she'll try and slaughter me before too long, on some crazed whim."

"IF she's a woman, the answer is that she's plotting your demise now." A woman stood in our path, very obviously Ilian. She had on the robes of a peasant, but I could tell that was merely for the warmth it offered. She wouldn't have passed for a true peasant. "Otherwise, she'd have already killed you, stranger…" She smiled, crossed arms concealing her body. "I've been tracking you for a while now. You have two options."

"Your money or your life?"

"No… Your money or your wife there…" She pointed at Ariana. I burst out laughing as Garnet began to growl vaguely. Felan looked at me with an odd expression. "My WIFE!?" Ariana herself slipped off of garnet, laughing hard, even in the snow. "Wife? Wife!? HA! As if!"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "And this is supposed to mean what to me? Wife or no, it's either twenty thousand gold or her." And she looked at me… or at least where I had been. Felan and I both had used the commotion Ariana had caused to our advantage. "Felan, Heel." I said to him, and he stood firm beside me, silently snarling at the woman from behind her. And with a speed I had not expected, she dashed forward, planting a foot on Garnets head, and running upwards on a nearby tree. Her Robe slowly drifted to the ground as she threw the knife right at my eye.

I held two fingers up, and let the blade slide between them, moving my head to the right as I slowed the blade to a point I could catch it. "Alright, Kunoichi, EAT THIS!" And I spun the Kunai around my finger, then let it fly, the point headed right for her chest. "Felan, fetch!" I said, the wolf eagerly bounding after the flying shaft of metal.

The Kunoichi was surprised to say the least as she landed on the ground to find a wolf holding a kunai in his mouth, holding it level with her chest. "Felan, drop." And with that, the kunai fell, and he growled at her, his fangs less than six inches away. She could hardly see the wolf against the snow covered ground he stood on. All she could see were two blue orbs and she could hear the faint growl of his throat.

I stared at the scene, even as Felan closed his mouth and sniffed. Somehow, it struck a chord… I tried to remember…


Sakura… Cherry Blossoms, I thought it meant. The lilting word seemed to flow off the tongue with the grace of a cherry blossom on the wind to me. But the blossoms were not what distracted me from Felix's incessant howling about getting some dirty games. Felan stood firm beside me, but watched my eyes, wondering clearly where I stared. The half-breed wolf was very interested in things I did, and utterly ignored Felix. So much the better for him, it seemed. "Amazing…"

The woman, obviously a martial-artist, stood tall in the small cherry orchard in the middle of the park. She moved with a grace that was fitting for a ballet dancer, merely gliding smoothly from tree to tree, her old fashioned bamboo and paper umbrella held firmly on her shoulder, catching cherry blossoms quietly as she watched the small pink blizzard caused by the light breeze. The brief wind had sent her raven colored hair flowing. That had been what caught my eyes.

"Earth to Kai, This is Felix calling. Hot chick groping me over here!" I glanced at him, to find him, once again, lying. She wasn't hot. She was just attractive. "Shut up." I said firmly, taking him back a bit.

The woman slowly turned towards me, and my cheeks turned the color of blood as I watched. Her eyes were big and expressive, almost childishly naïve seeming, but sultry and seductive. She was shorter than I, by almost five inches, and She was… to put it simply, beautiful beyond all compare. Yes, she looked young, but I was young as well. And with that, I did something I had never done in my life. Ever. I walked right towards her.

She smiled. "Hello, stranger…" she had an accent, but she was clearly excellent at speaking English.

"The Sakura blossoms today are beautiful, but there is something that pales the comparison."

"Ah, yes… the Sakura is but a decoy. The miracle that is the springtime's arrival." I smirked at her. "Sakura Sakura…" I smiled. "Why does it feel so strange to say that next to you…?"

"Perhaps, because it is my name. Sakura Sakura, at your service."

"Kai Ardor, at your service, as well, Sakura."

"Perhaps you and your pet would walk with me?"

I glanced at Felan, who was content to stand beside me at all times. Felix had run off after the lady who had been flirting with him. That he didn't know a damn word she was saying didn't mean a thing. Our translator enjoyed teasing him with Japanese words, usually ones meaning diddly squat. He just liked to hear her voice. Sakura's in comprassion had been rough, grating, but still managed to have the tone I so favored. An almost seductive sound. "Felan, come." I said calmly, and he growled his compliance. And with that, we walked through the cherry orchard, watching the sun descend, and more breezes than we could count twirl the blossoms around us. I had worn a Kimono that day, opting to enjoy the festival as purely as I could. I dressed classically, and so had she.

The day had come to a close with little else to talk of, but my time with her had been the best I had ever had. "Sakura, might I ask you for coffee, some time?"

Personally, I didn't so much like coffee, as tolerated it. She was apparently, of the same attitude, as she said, "Hai…" with a bit of a depressed seeming look.

"Or perhaps, a glass of sake and some sushi?" That got her attention quite nicely. But the wrong kind.

"So, you play at being samurai, eh, American?"

"I've never played at it a day in my life."

"So you follow bushido?"

"Within the confines of modern life."

"And so you back pedal after saying something that an Eta would do, do you?"

I stared at her calmly. She had knowledge rivaling my own, and probably better. "I make no excuses for what I said. I had thought you were modern, simply dressing classically." She snorted, and turned. "Finding a man who respects a lady is nice, but finding one who could know me at a glance was too much to hope for."

"That is beyond any man, Sakura."

"I did not think it beyond you until now." And with that, she left, leaving Felan whimpering. He had allowed her to pet him, which was a feat in and of it's self.

Days later, I had prepared to leave Japan, but I had given in to Felix's demands. The house of ill repute loomed in on me, making me feel so damned… out of place. Sakura had not left my mind. She had plagued my dreams, but not sexually. We had walked through the Sakura once more, and always, it ended with her fading, just out of my grasp. I sighed as I looked at the women. The Man in charge smiled. "Tea house have many lady, yes? Many you buy?"

Most of the women were indeed beautiful… but not what I sought. "Do you have anyone more… Japanese?" American tourists didn't want Japanese women, they wanted Japanese girls. The classic anime figure, the sailor-suited school-girl. Personally, I saw the merit, but I was also disgusted by it.

"Ah know what chu wan, Sakura!" The name made me stop short. "Come, Sakura!" And with that, Sakura herself stepped out of the back of the line. "Her, but with a glass of Sake and some sushi." The reply was instant, and caused her to raise her brow.

"You hear him, American want the sake! Bring cold sake!" I turned on the squat man, and grabbed him up.

"Temae ketsubou sore atsui!!!"

"Hai! Hai! Atsui, atsui!"

With that, I let him down, and Felix smirked as the translator gave him the translation. "At least he didn't say pirittokuru…" She giggled.

The room we had was more or less, made to shag yourself stupid in. In fact, the damn vase was crazy glued to the stand (and had been repaired the same way.)

Sakura and I ate in silence, but, the night didn't end the same way it had before. We had a certain respect, I thought. It was fifty American dollars for the night, and the boss man was estatic that I tipped both him and her. We didn't leave that night. Nor for the next ten. The nights drug on and on, I and Sakura talking, on things as odd and far reaching as reaching Nirvana, the proper motions to stroke off or finger a woman (Which she enlightening me on without even showing skin, for which, I was both grateful and hurt.) even the reasons fruit tastes different from fruit to fruit, and so drastically too. But the true surprise came on the eleventh day.

We had run short on cash, most of it my fault, though Felix had a veritable ARSENAL of naughty games for himself to play. The translator had left two days ago, hired out on a better paying mark. (She was a con artist, for her English was so utterly horrible, even I saw through it. She was nothing more than a whore who spoke two languages, and Felix didn't give a damn. He just enjoyed the attention. "KAI!" I quickly turned. Sakura herself stood at the gate. "Felix, here…" I shoved my briefcase to him, and jumped over the turnstiles, bringing a few angry security guards with me, in pursuit as I stopped in front of her. "Sakura..."

"Supashi-bo, Kai." She smiled, a tear running down her cheek. "I… I think I love you." I stopped short, even as the security guards surrounded me, shouting in Japanese. I glared at them quietly, and motioned for Felix, who sighed quietly. "What is it now, Kai?"

"We're changing our reservations."

"Damnit, Kai… Fine fine, I'll go take care of the tickets… sheesh." He raised his hands up and growled quietly.

Sakura, when she first stepped into my house, had collapsed in awe. Yes, I was rich, yes, I lived in a mansion, but no, it was not ostentatious… it was Japanese. Pure and simple. The outside was a gothic architecture, but inside, it was paper screens and rice floors. She turned back on me with an inquisitive look, and Felan trotted up to her, his nose inches from hers…. And he licked her face. That was something that would never leave my mind, ever.


Looking this Kunoichi in the face, while Felan stared into her eyes, their noses inches apart, I could plainly see the resemblance. "Sakura…" I said quietly, looking at the scene unfold. She glared at me calmly. "Who ARE you?"

"Heh… Just a shadow of the past. Of a different place and time, almost." With that, I turned my back on her with a smile. "Thanks for the memories, Sakura Sakura, but I need to move along now… Too much to do."

But she didn't give up. She charged me around my dog, and I knelt down, shooting my back leg out behind me, hammering her shin, and causing her to trip, doing a front flip over me. She landed on her back with a harsh thud. "Okay, now it's your money or your life. No reason in hell I should just settle for one slave to sell to the brothels when I can have two… You would fetch a high price in Ilia, boy!" she did a twisting hand spring, and landed in front of me with a snarl, a Wakizashi appearing from no where to slice at my throat. I grabbed her wrist harshly as she tried to cut me, and twisted a straining sound and gritting teeth letting me know I had the proper effect as she dropped her sword. I threw her arm on my shoulder and grabbed up her other hand, trapping the shuriken's in her palm. I spun her around, and began to hum, doing a waltz with her.

She clamped her elbow around the back of my neck, and tried to throw me to the ground, but I spun with her, pulling her around with her own momentum, ending up with my left leg between hers, and her hair on the ground, our faces inches apart, and my hand holding her up. "Ah, a dancer, I see, impressive!" I locked my fingers and came up, pushing her away, causing the shuriken to fall from between her hands, and before she could pull the kunai from her belt, I had her trapped in my embrace. "Graceful as well… and naughty." She tried to grab my cods but succeeded in grabbing something less flexible, or as pain inducing. Her cheeks turned a rose colored red, and I grinned. "Still trying to fight against me?"

"You play dirty, you know…" she twitched her hand to the side and I inhaled sharply. DAMNED that hurt. "So do you…" I said without missing a beat, whipping my arm over her head and lifting my knee, catching her in the lower back as she tried to escape my grip, sending her into the air. My kick was chambering perfectly as she tried to release my hand, but only succeeded in twisting her wrist about as she turned to face me. I loosed my foot and let go of her hand, but instead of kicking straight, I kicked her down to the ground, watching the dirt erupt around us quietly. I smiled as she stood back up, angry, but with both her hands damaged. "Stop fighting so I can set your wrist. It would be a shame to let you die because you can't feed yourself with broken wrists."

"You haven't broken me yet, Oni!!!" For the first time in years, I was really and truly pissed.

I raised my hand and I would have swung, but I held back. It was one thing to fight a woman who was coming at me with a blade… but… When she clearly used only her words, when she couldn't move her damned swords, when she was helpless, or even if she had just depended on me… I couldn't do it. Instead, I let my voice deliver the beating I had almost given her physically.

"ONI?!" I snarled at her, jerking her up into a standing position. "You think I'm some demon? I've not lain a hand in anger upon your body, and you see fit to call me a demon, Wench? I have mind to sell YOU to a Brothel for the mere insinuation! I should beat you into the dirt for shaming my name like this, you Ilian saseko!"

"Saseko?! You call me a whore when you yourself so obviously renounce your woman?"

That is what ended it. "ENOUGH!!!!" The powerful shout by, of all people, Garnet, sent me reeling backwards, onto my but. The dragon snarled with pure malice as he lowered his head to face Sakura's. 'This woman, as you call her is MINE. And if you continue to disobey my commander, I SHALL REND YOU HEAD FROM CHEST AND DEVOUR YOUR BEATING HEART!' She grabbed her head in pain as he shouted DIRECTLY into her skull. The mish-mash of spoken words in the telepathic speech did nothing for the pain she felt either. He pressed his paw onto her chest and snarled, drops of white accelerant dripping down onto the black suit she wore. His hot breath caused it to sizzle and pop on her chest, making her wince even further as he put a bit more pressure down. 'Do you want me to turn you in a red mist? A red floating mist that was once your body? Do you so seek to meet Elimine, wench?'

I stood up. "Enough, Garnet. I'll handle this from here."

Garnet stared at me. "No." he stared directly at me, and I felt his thoughts, quiet and full of loathing. 'I will only take commands that you give PROPERLY.'

'Fine then.' I thought to myself, barely registering the fact that Garnet smirked. 'Maybe I should just let you kill her, and give up the whole damned quest… what am I thinking, I can't let this happen to her!'

'Then I won't kill her, Commander.'

I blinked. "whathuh?"

'You're still telepathic, you just forgot how.'

Once more, I blinked even harder. "Say again?" My left eyebrow was somewhere on top of my head, so confused was I.

Felan sighed, and sat beside me, drawing my attention. 'You never lost the gift.'

I left my skin somewhere down on the ground when I jumped clean out of it. "Hamijababuwhaddafookadookanshizz!"

Felan sighed, and bit my leg, roughly. "OW!" I looked down at him. 'What was that for!?' I wondered. He just looked at me. 'For not listening to me earlier.'

I scratched my head, but not before tripping up Sakura, who had been trying to walk away from us, just to escape the pain and humiliation of the ass kicking she had just received. "You're not going anywhere, Cherry blossom decoy." I looked back down at Felan. 'You're jerking my chain right; I am NOT hearing my wolf talk to me… am I?'

The wolf rolled his eyes. 'Yes, you are, dunce, and if you don't start listening, I'm gone. You would not BELIEVE the amount of attention I got in dog heaven. You best flipping get it straight, master, because I've still got what it takes to take you down.' He huffed at me, and sat on his haunches distastefully.

"Damnit. Just… DAMNIT!" I sighed, and grabbed Sakura's robe and held it out to her. "Just… Just put the damn thing on, and let's go. This is way to freaking much for me to comprehend."


Kadan and Rohan eyed the rest of the group as we walked. It was obvious to them, we were all insane. And that Ariana girl… something was weird about her. As if a Telepathic DRAGON wasn't bloody strange enough. The snow was beginning to fall harshly. We arrived at Bulgar quickly; the quiet snow flakes covered the town completely. Thankfully, the Inn was damned near empty.

I stepped up to the counter as Hiiro and Ariana secured the mounts in the stable, though they refused to let Felan sleep there. Ah well. He got to sleep with me, I supposed. "We need four or five rooms, let me think… Yeah, five."

The drool sounding bar wench sighed. "How many to each room?"

Well, let's see… One for Sakura and I, one for Ariana, one for Hiiro, one for Kadan, and one for Rohan. Garnet, would, of course, sleep in the same room as Ariana, and Felan would sleep with Sakura and I. "Four rooms have one, though one of those you might say two, and the other has two and a dog."

"It's going to be a bad blizzard out there. You'll be staying till it thaws?"

I nodded. "Yeah. We will." With that, I took the bound and gagged Sakura up the stairs, grabbing my Key. The others did the same, Ariana shaking off snow hurriedly next to the fire. "I hate snow…"

I sighed, and sat down on the bed as I untied Sakura. "Don't do anything stupid, alright? Kunoichi you may be, but Felan know how to disable a woman quite efficiently." She merely grunted as I let her loose, and laid her down on the bed before untying her ankles and hands. I left her hands set in the minor contraption we had set for her. I Held my hands onto her own, and sighed. I Willed my skin to split, and the blood to soak her wrist, focusing on what I wanted to happen. I wanted her wrists to heal. For her to become well once more.

The spilling blood unnerved her, but she stayed perfectly still. She wanted to run, to get the hell away, but the… BOY she was looking at made her feel at home and at peace, despite the fact she still wanted to kill him. What was it about him? The pure… Purity of him! She had seen him fight, heard him speak, and seen him move… He was in no way 'pure'. But somehow, the feeling didn't fade. He was … pure of heart, but by and far, filthy minded, and blood soaked. He was a killer, but he was also a savior. "Why?"

"Hmm?" I looked at her. I had to hold my tongue to keep from saying something that would have made this truly akward. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you… so… strange, child?"

I smirked. "I haven't been called a child in… hmm… forty years, or so… But, you could say that I'm strange because I'm… unorthodox. The normal confines of ordered religion don't seem to appeal to me. I've never taken pride in order… Chaos always appealed to me, in a way… I was… not exactly proud of my past." I smirked again, and moved my hands away from the now healed wrists. I sighed, wrapping some cloth around my hands quietly. "Chaos… over order… but a code of ethics that keeps me human. That keeps me benign. Felix never developed that. He was always violent and unpredictable." I stood next to the window, and stared at the drifting snow. "But then again… We were always strange."


The psychiatrist sighed. "Absolutely Amazing…" He turned to the two parents. "Kai, in the room on the left, Mimics his twin's movements almost perfectly. But he is… completely without aggression. While Felix throws his toys, Kai moves with astonishing grace, to place them in nearly the same area Felix's toys land." The psychiatrist sighed once more. "They're… Completely opposite, yet entirely similar. Felix is dark and cruel; he's a veritable poster child for the myth that all children are cruel. Kai however, is… peaceful. He's serene, intuitive, and most of all, logical. I can't tell you why they've never spoken, but… I can tell you both that they are both brilliant beyond compare." He sighed. "Kai has the mind of a tactician. He's a bit chaotic, but I'm willing to attest that to Kai being Kai. Felix, however, is aggressive, completely and totally. While Kai has the mindset of a lone wolf, Felix is a killer, pure and simple."

They both moved out of the room somberly. The Multi-million dollar couple weren't disappointed, just unnerved. Their seven year old children had never uttered a word. No physical or mental defects.

I grunted as I fell to the ground, before pushing myself up, spitting out the dirt. Felix pulled himself up off the ground as well, much more bloodied than I. He coughed a bit, red spit hitting the ground. He smirked. "Kai…" He said. I looked over at him. "Felix…" We stood up in unison, the five kids smirking at us. "Hey look, the silent freaks speak! If we beat em a little more, think we can make em scream?"

Felix growled as he readied for the next blow. I stayed still, staring at them. I had watched carefully. Two of them were already hurting, only the leader of their little gang stood tall. He was the Lynch-pin. He held them together. He was the force that made them strong. I didn't know why, but I didn't watch him as closely as I did the kid on the left. He had been the one to ground Felix three times already. 'Felix… stay low; watch out for his elbow…' I thought absently. Amazingly, Felix dropped lower to the ground. The leader and his right hand man charged me. I took two steps back, contemplating fleeing… But I wasn't going to leave my brother like this. They were bigger, older, and stronger… but they didn't have what I had. A brain.

Felix ducked down underneath the boy's right hook, and came up inside his elbow, smashing his head into his jaw, sending the boy back into his two friends. Pure instinct the only training Felix had, but it served him well as he chambered a right handed punch, and delivered a hard straight jab to the middle boy's chest, knocking him off his feet, and sending him onto a branch.

"Stop running brat!" I smirked, and stood stock still, watching the first guy come at me quickly. I ducked down, and planted my feet, letting his stomach plow into my shoulder. He went flipping over my back, and I dove for the guy in front of me, taking him just above the knees, bowling him over, into the roots of the near-by tree. The first guy got up, and I rolled forward, grabbed on to a long stick. Sure, it wasn't a good weapon, but it would have to do. As I came up, I spun with it, catching him across the side of the face, sending him sprawling as his world went black. The other boy rushed me, punching me square in the nose, making it flow profusely, even as I double stepped back, snarling as I swung it at his knee. The branch broke harshly, but he went down. Felix jumped from beside me, hammering his fist into the final pursuer's face harshly.

"Let's get out of here guys!" The five boys scrambled to their feet and ran like hell, trying to escape from the punishment they had just received. Felix smirked. "Yeah, that's right, you better run!" He snorted. "Scum. Think they own the world, just because they're strong… I'll never be like that. I'll have real power, and I'll use it right."

I smiled at him. "Yeah, we'll be heroes. We'll stop people like that from picking on people. We'll make sure they don't mess with anyone again." I groaned as I touched my nose. "Ow…"

"You're bleeding pretty bad bro… come on, we'll get you patched up."


I watched as the snowflakes melted on the window. "We… We're mortal enemies… But… we used to be close. Twins." I sighed. I looked back at Sakura, who sat watching me closely. "Shall I take the floor?"

She snorted. "You're too young to do anything. I'm not worried." She grinned. "I know you're about fifteen."

"It… doesn't matter how old I look. Trust me on that one, Cherry blossom."

She rolled her eyes. "Stop calling me that." I sighed, and took off my shirt. "Should I call you Decoy then?"

"Sakura will be fine."

I nodded. "Fine then, Sakura Sakura." I smiled at her, and lay down under the covers in the bed. She was staring at me harshly. "How do you know my name?"

"There are things in this world you don't understand, Cherry Blossom Decoy. And I intend to make you fall for me."

"I'm MUCH too old for you, kid."

"Kai Ardor will be fine, Sakura."

"You think you're all that, huh?"

I sat up, and she noticed me, for sure. I turned to face her. "I know I am."

"Prove it then, Kid. Show me you're a man." I smirked. She took off her top quietly, baring herself to my view. My eyes didn't move from hers. "Put your shirt back on, Sakura. I'm not going to sleep with you."

"I've got a Kunai and I'm a woman."

I frowned… damn was she a woman. "Fine, you want proof?" I pulled her down onto the bed, and smirked, lowering my lips to hers, hovering just an inch above her. "Then I'll prove it to you the best way I know how." I slipped my hand underneath her leggings and she gasped, and I leaned in fully, locking my lips to hers, my tongue just barely dancing along hers. I pulled from the kiss slowly, taking her bottom lip in my own, and sucking on it just a bit before going to her ear.

She inhaled sharply as my fingers tweaked something, and I nibbled on her ear lobe a bit, grinning ear to ear. She was already roaring to go, just about it. My hand found her breast, and I tweaked her a bit, causing her to grunt with surprise. "This is going to be the best night of your life." She said coyly.

"You'll have a hard time topping my honeymoon." I grinned, and pulled my hand free, pushing her back down onto the bed. I smirked, and snuck down a bit, locking my teeth onto her trousers quietly, with a smile. "What're you doing?" She said with a bit of a laugh, and then I whipped my head back and to the side, lifting her up off the bed, and pulling her pants clean off. "This." I let them go and dove back down, watching her jerk a bit from how sudden it was.

She grabbed a hold of my hair, hissing through her teeth, and she pulled me closer. I moved my hand under my chest, and she yipped a bit, one hand going to my back and dragging long nails along it. I shuddered as I continued, eliciting a purr from her. "Elimine…"

I smirked as I came up, wiping away what remained, and finished kicking my pants off hurriedly. I was now, once more, a young stud, and by damn, I was going to make sure she felt every damn thing she could tonight, and I was NOT going to leave her wanting.

Ariana sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror, Garnet sitting calmly by the bed. She heard a squeaking sound from next door, and then a giggle… "Defiantly NOT an Ilian boy, are you?"

"You have no idea, Sakura." She paled. "KAI!"

I groaned, punching the wall rather firmly. "BUSY ARIANA!"

"I CAN HEAR YOU!" Ariana sighed as she covered her ears. The squeaky floor boards made matters worse. Garnet was peeking out the window wistfully… She grabbed a hold of one of his budding horns and snarled. 'AYE! Watch it Ariana, that thing is tender!' She growled. "Something else will be tender if you don't watch it, perv."

"ELIMINE!" Sakura growled it out as she locked her hands onto the head board. She had already gone off once. "Bloody hell, what're you doing to me?"

"Exactly what you asked for." I grabbed her knee and lifted it up, straddling her other leg. "And be careful what you wish for. I'm just getting warmed up, Sakura."

"Oh mer-mercy me!" The phrase sent my mind for a loop. Way too close to the Sakura I once knew.

Hiiro groaned. "Damnit, Kai, shut the hell up, and finish it already! I want to sleep tonight!!!" He pulled the pillow over his face with a huff. "I swear, if he doesn't hurry up, I'm going to cut him to ribbons." He glanced over at his Steel blade, and then sighed. "In the morning…" And growled, pulling the pillows tighter.

Ariana sighed. Three hours, and he STILL hadn't stopped. And the squeaking was worse now. "Christ, why don't they oil the nails or something?"

'I like it.' The pervy dragon had a grin on his face from ear to ear, but yelped upon taking a pillow full in the face. "Oh shut up, you idiot dragon." She sighed, running the scaled hand over his scalp lightly. He purred contentedly. 'Then again this is all it takes for me to have a good time.' And he propped his head into her lap, before suddenly jerking back and snuffing harshly.

Ariana raised her eyebrow. "What's going on?"

'I… I might not want to sleep with my head in your lap tonight.' She could tell he was blushing. "What's wrong, Garnet?"

'Well uhm… to erm… put it… uhm… lightly? You're in… heat…'

She raised her eyebrow. Then she blushed. "WHAT?! KAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!"

I growled, sighing loudly. "TEN MORE… MINUTES DAMNIT!"

Garnet continued to shuffle his feet. I stepped into the room (My complete clothing ensemble consisted of a bed sheet.) and growled. "What the hell is going on in here?"

Ariana snarled at him. "You're over there screwing around, and I'm finding out that apparently, I'm in heat?"

I sighed. "You're about to have your period, you numbskull. You're just releasing a different set of pheromones, now that you're half dragon, dim wit. It's natural, safe, and more importantly, a good control mechanism. So long as you don't go screwing around, I don't have a problem with it."

Ariana snarled at me, holding up her claws hand with a very nasty looking smirk. Her mini-wings flapped a bit and her stub-tail shuddered in fury. "You're telling me who I can and can't sleep with now, mister whore?"

"Oh please. It's not like you could handle Garnet anyway. Besides, I didn't disclude anything called 'foreplay' so enjoy. Might as well, hell, seems to feel like everyone ELSE in the world is indulging, why the hell shouldn't you?"


The night wound down from there, I and Sakura talking for nearly four hours before we finally completely passed out, but not before I made her understand that she was a woman one last time, to nearly explosive results.

Three hours into my nap… "HOLY MOTHER OF DRAGONS!!!!!" I jerked up out of bed, dashing to Ariana's room. That was not something I needed to see, DAMNIT ALL! I quickly slammed the door, and panted. "Okay… For future note, KNOCK FIRST." I walked back into my room, with a seven degree blush and a nine thousand degree temperature.

"BAD!" WHAM! A frying pan to the head sent Garnet reeling. "DRAGON!!!!" She then Cold-cocked him in the side of the head with it, effectively stopping the night's events completely.


Kadan shuddered in his room. "Rohan?"

"Yeah?" came the reply from the other side of the wall.

"I'm scared…"

"Me too…"

"SHUT THE HELL UP, GOD DAMNIT, I'M TRYING TO GET SOME MOTHER FUCKING SLEEP!" Kadan nearly pissed himself as Hiiro's steel blade crashed through his door. He heard growling, that faded after a few seconds.


A/N: Well well well… I think that was a passable alternative to a combat chapter, don't you? Mainly a Character Development chapter for Kai, and a new OC, Sakura, a Kunoichi with a penchant for Kunais and Wakizashis. If you can't tell, I'm not really confining myself to the class systems inherent within the FE 7 game. This is, after all, a Redux.