Arystar sat on his bed, his fingers nimbly threading the needle through the material he was holding. "What are you doing? Sewing?" Robert flopped down in front of him.

"Doesn't anybody knock anymore? And yeah, I needed something to keep my hands busy. I'm tweaking without any videogames…"

"Could go play baseball…"

"Yeah, and when I slam the thing over a mile are you gonna go find it?" Arystar was actually fidgeting, Robert looked worried.

"Point. You okay?"

"No, I just can't keep still and I don't know why…"

"Thirsty?" Arystar jolted back before shaking his head as if that was the most absurd thing he'd ever heard. "Craving?"

"No, least I don't think so… It isn't like this when I'm craving. I feel like I'm on too much sugar. Did you slip something into my food earlier?"

"Hell no! If I did it would've been something like hot sauce, and I haven't done that since I learned you like it." Robert blinked at the little thing Arystar held up, "A bear?"

"Yeah, don't ask. Think Komui coulda given me something along with the Novocain?"

"You would've been plastered when you got out of his office if he did," Arystar nodded at his friend's logic.

"I wonder if this is just going to be the way I react to meds now… I hope not, I feel really jumpy and I can't stay still long," Arystar went back to quickly stitching the cloth bear.

"Come on, we're going out," Robert grabbed his friend's arm and drug him out of the room.

"Yeah? Where? If you haven't noticed we're on top of a mountain!"

"Just shut up and follow."

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Arystar gulped as they made their way to the canal that led to the ground outside the Order.

---

"Feel better?"

"Yeah, now I'm just buzzing on sugar," Arystar laughed to show he was joking and munched on another piece of candy they had grabbed on the way back from town.

"Hey, share," Robert tried to grab a handful when Arystar wasn't looking.

"Get your own! I'm almost out."

"You stole half of mine!" Arystar gave an innocent frown. "Don't start that… You did."

"But you had Twizzlers, I only wanted a few…"

"You ate half the bag! Hog!"

"Fine… You can have some…" Arystar pouted but held out his bag of Jolly Ranchers; Robert quickly grabbed a bunch and stuffed them in his pocket. "Didn't mean that much!"

"Deal with it," Robert happily stuffed one in his mouth and hummed happily.

"Hope you bite it…"

"Huh?" Arystar heard the familiar sound as Robert's jaw shut, he smiled and walked away. "Uh?"

"See?" Arystar laughed, "Don't try to force your jaw open, you'll probably lose a filling…"

"Ugh!"

"Arystar! Where have you been?!" The boys jumped when Krory found them.

"Uh, hey Dad. Robert drug me to town to take a break…"

Krory glared at the hiding boy, "What?!"

"He can't talk right now Dad… Jolly Rancher," Arystar smiled.

"Ugh, I remember when I did that," Krory shook his head at his laughing son. "You should have told me…"

"Cabin fever," least that was what they thought Robert was trying to say.

"… Oh, still should have told me… I would've gone with you," Krory looked around.

"Komui after you?" Arystar asked.

About that time they heard, "Oh Count!" in a sing-song voice. Krory's head dropped, "There you are! You have a mission. No one else knows the territory."

"I AM NOT GOING THERE!" Krory shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Huh? What'd I miss?" Arystar and Robert were both looking between the two older men.

"But there has been some disturbances," Komui actually flinched and fell silent at the glare Krory was giving him. He gulped at the golden eyes boring into his. "You are the only one that knows the area. Lavi and Allen are both gone on missions. Please Count?"

"No!"

"It shouldn't take more than a few days. If it's Akuma you get a snack. If it's an Innocence, bring it back. And if it's humans, let them be… There, back, maybe a nap in between. Simple as that."

Krory still stared down the man, "It's probably just a seedling that took root after I left the castle…"

"If it is, just observe and report. Please Count…"

Krory growled, "FINE, two days, no more. But I'm not sleeping within the village!"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You leave immediately; see you in two days," Komui smiled before rushing off to make arrangements.

"Looks like I'll be gone for a few days… Don't go running off to town again without telling someone, or take Allen or Lavi with you." Krory sighed.

"What's up Dad? Where are you going?"

"Back to my home village. This had better be worth it…" Krory groaned, "If I'm not back by day three, send a search party. I'll probably be staked somewhere."

Arystar was blinking when his father rushed off to get ready for the mission. "Huh?" The boys looked at each other, confused.

---

"Has his father finally left?"

"Yes sir, we should have enough time to start the synchro. If it doesn't take we'll be able to clean up the mess before he returns."

"Good, start the process…"

"Arytsar, Arystar please wake up," Arystar was being shaken.

"Huh?" His eyes finally blinked to look up at the shaker, "Gigi?"

"You have to leave; it's not safe for you here." The little ghost was floating beside him, looking nervous. "There's not much time, you have to leave now!"

"What's going on? Why do I have to leave?"

"They're trying to," she suddenly stopped to look at the door. "He's here," she looked scared and disappeared before the door could be thrown open.

"Huh?" He blinked at the blurred figure in the door before something hit him and he started getting dizzy.

Author's corner:

Hey... whould any of you guys object to it not being Krory that gets payback for Rouvelier going after Arkun? I'm not saying anything else about that, just was wondering...