Chidsengan:Hi, everyone! I missed you all so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so-
Ryuga:She's sorry. The reason she hasn't written in a while was because her account was susended because she had written one of her fanfics in a semi-transcript format... her Naruto one...
Chidsengan:And they deleted it! *cries hysterically* :(
Ryuga:And as a penalty, she couldn't write this fanfic because of the supension...
Chidsengan:But I'm back!
Ryuga:Poor everyone who reads this...
Chidsengan:Please, please, PLEASE Forgive me if you can find it in your wonderful hearts to do so! I beg of you... please Forgive me! *keeps crying hysterically*
Ryuga:Anyway, she doesn't own the characters even still...
Chidsengan:And I still love you all! As always, special thanks to:
FutureCharacterDesigner4Pixa r
dreamlily
DragonFang2011
Allycat
Darknessrules
RoxasOtaku
Bes9200
The-Silver-Butterfly1500
SkylarkOfTheMoon
MoonBlazer
The Thunderstruck Tiger
Fangtooth
Tiger
Guest (Starless Skyline)
I love you all so much!
Ryuga:Too bad she wasn't able to mature over that stretch of time she was supended... *sigh*
Chidsengan: Anyway, I'd just like to say also that my whole family, especially my Mommy, helped me with this chappie... and I hope you enjoy it and make sure to give my family the credit before me! ^_^
Ryuga:And...?
Chidsengan: And also, everyone should go ahead and read DragonFang2011's fanfic 'Gaelleon's War' if you want to read a worhtwhile middle-ages Beyblade fanfic... not this one... because...
Ryuga:IT'S... PATHETIC! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!
Chidsengan:Exactly...
New Words:
I Seirína Thálasses- The Siren Seas
I Ichó Efiáltis Spiliés- The Nightmare Echoes Caves
Skoptikí ta Vráchia- The Mocking Cliffs
Pagetónes Ametáklito- Finality Glaciers
The seventeen allies stood seriously, shivering ever so slightly as they gathered outside of the small white thatched cottage.
Dawn the next morning, had solemnly spoken . Dense as pea soup, it was thicker and cloudier than any dawn our heroes had ever seen or would ever again.
Shoulder to shoulder they stood together, diverse and united - they stood to bid farewell to Mei-Mei and her brothers and embark on thier fateful journey to Íroes.
Yes, Overcast skies greeted them, the sun barely peeking throug the well-defined dingy gray clouds - creating the faint mystic colors of their daybreak - a hardly visible "day break" at that.
Beneath the dismal mist that darkened everything , Zeo smiled smugly as he glanced at the sky.
"Well THIS looks promising..." he muttered, refolding his arms over his chest.
Everyone had to smile or chuckle at Zeo's bleak observation.
Zeo the pessimist had spoken - and although the others didn't know him all that well, they all felt a united sigh, at the dry yet humorous tone of the serious newcomer.
At heart, though, each of them were just as wary as Zeo really was.
They felt cautious about the impending journey and the less than promising weather, which fit all their hidden moods .
It was no secret to Zeo that they all felt as equally hopeless as the overcast skies and the haunting chill in the air that pierced their bones.
To be quite frank, things looked completely hopeless.
First of all , even if they DID make it to Íroes, Kyoya enlisted with The Zoun Army, and they all became set for life... what was their gameplan from there forth ?
The great unknown played upon their emotions and all but captured thier courage.
Even if The Zoun Army kept their promise to provide for the families of those who enlisted in their fight, there were still too many unanswered questions - dangling there - fostering doubt.
First, there was the question of what happened to them all if they didn't make it to Íroes at all.
After all They had almost starved to death in the first couple weeks of their journey .
and nobody knew how many other obstacles awaited them on the road to the land of heroes.
Another query was that, what if, even if they DID make it to Íroes, what would happen if The Thanátos Army was to win the war rather than The Zoun ?
Surely THEY wouldn't keep the promise that The Zoun Army was offering that the families of those that enlisted with The Zoun Army would be provided for-provided for for life.
Which led to another issue... the fourteen of them that were making the journey to íroes together weren't really a family.
What if The Zoun Army found out that they really weren't all a literal family.
Would they still honor their bargain...?
Or would they refuse to honor their offer because the fourteen of them weren't technically related...Would the group's journey to Íroes would all be for naught ?
Every question led to another specific concern -The same One -an ultimate- one that beckoned the thirteen to
the depths of their soul , one that none would dare utter aloud.
What about Kyoya - ?-their untamed leader.
If The Zoun Army kept their end of the bargain, yes, the rest of them would be provided for and probably be sitting nice and pretty at a luxurious home munching on delicacies...
But while they did that, Kyoy would be out there on the battlefield day after day... night after night... risking his life just so they would be able to live easily.
And what if Kyoya DID die on the battlefield... how could the rest of them possibly live with themselves ?
How would they cope THEN ?
The Zoun Army's funds would support them... but none of them knew anything about cooking or cleaning or how to take care of themselves...
At least not like Kyoya did.
In fact, all fourteen of them combined couldn't measure up to the skill he had when it came to caretaking.
Forget about that, even... caretaking skills and everything else aside...
How would they cope with the GUILT they would have to contend with of Kyoya died... all because he had joined the war... something he had done only because it had been in the rest of their best interests.
Even though Kyoya may not have been their favorite person in the world... and, truthfully, with the exceptions of Benkei, Gingka, Tsubasa, Kenta, and Yu, none of them really even considered him a friend... they all, even Madoka, had to admit that they owed a lot to the kid.
For Tsubasa, Gingka, Masamune, Kenta, and Yu, Kyoya had been the person who had given them everything he possibly could. It was he who had given them the only sense of family any of them had ever had since they'd been orphaned, and, even though he was gruff and not really the gentlest of people, each of them knew that Kyoya really was what Chao Xin had pegged him as underneath it all... a softie. Under the stubbornness, the non-sophistication, the tough-guy facade... those who knew him best knew that he would give the shirt off his back if one needed it. In spite of his flaws, Kyoya was also a good guy. He was always the first to lend a shoulder to cry on and the last to leave when one needed comfort. On more than one occasion he had coaxed Kenta to sleep again after a nightmare and encouraged Yu to never give up on his dreams. He always got Masamune out of scrapes, smuggled stolen treats for Gingka, and was the only person who could console Tsubasa when he felt guilty about a heist. More often than not he had gone hungry giving his food to all of them and would spend nights without sleeping while on the lookout for danger in the Zitianos Forest.
To them he was already their hero.
As for as Julian and his group was concerned, they knew less about Kyoya than his 'friends' did... but they had already heard some pretty amazing things from the other crew. From Gingka, they had heard that Kyoya had been the one to insist on searching for survivors after what had happened in Peproméno... and the one who had saved them.
To Benkei, that alone had made Kyoya an instant hero and he was from that moment forever enlisted in his services... but that hadn't been all they had found out about him that had them seeing their unofficial leader in a much different light than they had.
From Kenta, it was the tale of he had come to save him the night Peproméno had been attacked. From Tsubasa, it had been how he'd freed all the orphans that had been captured (Zeo was living proof of that). From Yu and Masamune, it was the time that Kyoya had led them safely through the wreckage of Peproméno.
To Julian and his group (yes, even Madoka), Kyoya served as an inspiration.
Even Zeo had to admit that the 'scar-faced weirdo' had begun to grate on his nerves less and impress him more.
The fact that they still fought was no indication of how they had come to see eachother. Zeo was actually pretty fond of the guy and had been ever since he had risked his neck to find the exit on .
And that was why, to Zeo, Kyoya was one of only two people in his life that he had ever trusted entirely.
In short, there was just no way that any of them could imagine their lives without Kyoya anymore.
In short, the trip to Íroes was too risky on all levels to actually have any hope in... but shockingly, the person who seemed the most calm about the whole thing was Kyoya... who was probably the person who was heading towards his death more than any of them!
Their tension coupled with Kyoya's obvious stubbornness that everything would resolve itself made for an uncomfortable silence that led to Mei-Mei, Chao Xin, and Chi-Yun's voices being the only ones that could be heard as they explained the way to get to Íroes while the others tried their best to focus on what the three sibling were saying.
"It is not the easiest journey..."Chi-Yun said worriedly, looking at his new friends with a saddened expression on his face."Trials lurk around every corner..."
"Most of the areas you have to travel through to get there are extremely dangerous..."Mei-Mei added quietly.
The rest of them that were heading out glanced at Kyoya in concern, searching for any trace of fear or worry in the boy's face... only to find that none could be found.
"We'll be fine..."he said emotionlessly."I plan on making it to Íroes with everyone... not just some of us. I don't have plans on dying, or letting anyone else die, anytime soon."
Chao Xin snickered a tad.
"Would you look who's playing mommy to all the little kiddies again..."he said mockingly, prompting a growl from Kyoya."Gee... you're, like, such a sap. But I've got to say though... to be so calm like you are knowing you're traveling to places that even the strongest of heroes more or less always try to avoid... either you're a world-class freak who's confident that nothing bad's going to happen or a scaredy-cat who's too spooked to speak..."
Kyoya didn't say a word as Chao Xin spoke, but the last words the cocky boy spoke caused him to flinch a bit.
"You don't know the half of it, buddy..."he thought to himself.
Even though Kyoya's nonchalant facade held no flaws on the exterior, within, it was cracking big-time under the pressure and every second that passed his uncertainty grew.
"Chao Xin!"Mei-Mei scolded her brother."Behave yourself! They've got enough problems without havin to deal with your teasing!"
"Hey... I'm just saying..."Chao Xin shrugged, crossing his arms behind his head before winking at Sophie and Madoka."Put it this way... the road to Íroes is no place for a lady... especially such beautiful ones as yourselves..."
Madoka's cheeks flushed and Sophie turned away in embarrassment at Chao Xin's blatant flirting and Wales clenched his fists defensively... ready to bop him on the head...
When Chi-Yun began talking before Wales could get into it with Chao Xin.
"In order to get to Íroes..."Chi-Yun began, handing Kyoya a map."You must simply follow these directions..."
Kyoya took the map from Chi-Yun and glanced at it for a second... at all the words written on it...
Then, stuttering slightly, he lowered his head and handed it hastily to Julian.
"Umm... here..."he said."You can be in charge of the map..."
Julian went to protest, but upon noticing the slight blush on the other boy's cheeks, he conceded with a sigh.
He had a pretty good idea of why he'd suddenly been placed in charge of 'map duty'.
"We have written the quickest route to arrive in Íroes..."Chi-Yun explained."But even still, all the dangers of the longer routes are still present... even though this trail is shorter..."
"There are four places especially dangerous, however..."Mei-Mei interjected."They're not only feared for the danger that is found in them... but for the mysticism behind the terrors, as well..."
Everyone blinked a tad.
"Mysticism ?"Gingka queried.
"What sort of 'mysticism' ?"Kenta gulped fearfully.
"It doesn't matter what kind of mysticism it is, because I'm not scared of anything!"Masamune declared confidently, jerking his thumb towards his chest."I'll protect you all! Because I'm the number one hero in the world, me, Masamune! And I'm not scared of fairies and leprechauns!"
"You talk too much!"Chi-Yun scolded Masamune."The mysticism in these places is nothing to be laughed at!"
Masamune's over-confidence wavered just the slightest.
"What ?"he queried.
Mei-Mei glanced at the ground and sighed.
"I'm afraid my brother is right..."she said quietly."This has nothing to do with fairies and leprechauns. The mystical things of these places... are terrifying... horrors that you can't possibly imagine..."
Everyone flinched in fear, even Kyoya... but Chao Xin scoffed a tad at his younger siblings seriousness.
"Woah... aren't you two downers ?"he said nonchalantly."Anymore of this scarefest and my head might explode..."
Chi-Yun's face grew red in fury.
"Chao Xin!"he shouted."You have no respect for the supernatural! It will be your demise one day!"
"Ummm... sorry to break it to you, little bro... but I, like, totally have respect for the supernatural..."-he pointed to himself-"I'm SUPER... AND NATURAL... and I respect MYSELF. So there you go. Happy now ?"
Chi-Yun's left eye twitched angrily.
"No! I'm not!"he snapped.
Chao Xin shrugged and looped his arm over Julian's shoulders with a smug smirk.
"Don't listen to my siblings... they're just trying to scare you all..."he said."Really, the road to Íroes isn't SO bad. For instance... take that first 'dangerous place of mysticism'... I Seirína Thálasses..."-he pointed to it on the map-"It's filled with a bunch of pretty girls just waiting for you guys to waltz right in to their neck of the woods..."
"Pretty girls ?!"Benkei asked hopefully.
"More like femme fatales..."Mei-Mei cut in."I Seirína Thálasses is haunted by thousands of spirits... ghosts of good-for-nothing, evil ladies. Each of them are said to be women who were buried at sea... seeking vengeance on all who travel through their waters in payback for their lost lives..."
"WHAT ?!"Benkei, Kenta, and Yu screamed, terrified.
Chao Xin shuddered.
"Yikes... spooky..."he said, shaking his head."Those sound like the the kind of women I typically avoid..."
"YOU WERE THE ONE WHO TOLD US IT WASN'T AS BAD AS IT SOUNDED!"Madoka screamed at Chao Xin, lunging at him as Klaus restrained her.
"Cut him a little slack, Madoka..."he said levelly."He was right. It's not as bad as it sounded... it's worse..."
Wales puffed out his chest and smirked, trying to act tough.
"Well, I won't get suckered into those ghost ladies' evil ploys..."he said bravely."And besides, once we get through I Seirína Thálasses, the worst is over... right ?"
"Wrong!"Chi-Yun disagreed."After you make it through I Seirína Thálasses... IF you make it through... you must then pass through I Ichó Efiáltis Spiliés..."
"I who-what-when-where-how ?"Wales queried flatly.
"They caves known and feared for their ability to bring your worst nightmares to life..."Chi-Yun answered.
"T-to life ?"Madoka stammered, clinging onto Julian's arm fearfully.
Wales' eyes widened.
"R-really ?"he gulped.
Mei-Mei nodded grimly.
"And the worst thing about these caves is that there's no escaping the caves unless you're able to defeat your own nightmares... without any assistance from anyone else. If not, you'll be trapped in the caves forever... reliving your worst nightmare until the day that you die..."
Everyone except Kyoya shuddered in terror, but their unofficial leader clenched his fists just the slightest and took a shaky breath... proof that he was probably just as scared as the rest of them.
"After that are Skoptikí ta Vráchia,"Chao Xin continued."The cliffs that serve two very different purposes depending on the type of person you are..."
"If you're one that's fooled easily, you're trapped in a world of illusions and wonders where you're treated like royalty..."Mei-Mei stated.
"That doesn't sound too bad..."Gingka mused.
"And if you're not the first type of person..."Chi-Yun began."Then you cannot be fooled... and your treatment is just the opposite. You're worn down little by little until..."
Masamune raised his arm quickly.
"I'll take option number one!"he said quickly.
"You don't understand..."Mei-Mei quivered."Unless you're strong enough to find a way through the cliffs..."
"It doesn't matter which type of person you are..."Chi-Yun interjected sternly."The cliffs' power is that they weaken your willpower either way... no matter which type of person you are. If you cannot find your way out of the cliffs quickly, you will eventually lose your will to eat, your will to drink, your will to fight... your will to live. And if that happens, you'll..."
Chi-Yun stopped and he and Mei-Mei stopped to shivered at the thought of their new friends dying... before Mei-Mei pulled herself together and continued.
"And then comes the Pagetónes Ametáklito..."she said, sounding braver than she felt.
Gingka's eyes brightened at it's name.
"Finality ?"he asked, translating it to English."Does that mean it might be our last stop before reaching Íroes ?!"
"It COULD be..."Chao Xin said."If by 'finality' you mean 'you may all die'... Yeah...then, yeah..."
Gingka's mouth dropped open in fear.
"Say-who-in-the-where-in-the-what-now ?"he muttered, shocked.
"E-yep... you heard right..."Chao Xin said."It's like ... only it's a frozen, barren wasteland void of any food AND
. In the unlikely event that you DO make it out of there alive, you only have one more town to get to before you reach Íroes... but that's only if you survive. And the odds of that happening are, well... really... like... close to zero..."
Everyone flinched at that one and Benkei hugged Kyoya tightly in terror.
"I DON'T WANT TO STARVE AGAI-HEH-HEN!"he cried as the unofficial leader of the group struggled to break free of Benkei's oversized grasp.
Kyoya pried Benkei off him and looked seriously at Mei-Mei and her brothers.
"Sorry, man, but that's the reality..."Chao Xin said plainly."And if you don't starve, you die of thirst. And if you don't die of thirst, then you freeze.
Get it !?
Or you could just do all THREE... but that would be a REAL bummer, you know ?..."
"Grrr... no one's going to starve...!"Kyoya said plainly, although he wasn't real sure if that was accurate."No one's going to die of thirst or freeze to death, either! Not on my watch"
"Thanks for the warnings, anyway, but whatever happens, we'll be fine..."he stated.
"WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"Masamune cried, tearing at his own jet black hair, and dropping to his knees.
Kyoya gave a short growl under his breath at Masamune's behavior.
"ridiculous ! - we'll be FINE - -"then added
Solemnly ... "I think we will."
Mei-Mei, Chi-Yun, and even Chao Xin looked at the group sympathetically.
"Be safe, then..."Chi-Yun wished them all.
"Yeah... just... stay alive..."Chao Xin murmured quietly, lowering his head so no one would see the tears brimming in his eyes.
Mei-Mei sighed and nodded at everyone, then glanced at Kyoya in particular.
"I know I can't change your mind now that it's made up to make this journey..."she said softly."But... are you SURE you're okay ? I mean... the journey's a long and hard one... and you're... well... you're still not recovered yet from your prior injuries... nor from almost starving to death... hardly at all... I mean... you're still in NO SHAPE TO TRAVEL AT ALL and..."
Kyoya sniffed stubbornly and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Do I look shaky to you ?"he asked defensively.
Mei-Mei stammered to answer, but Chi-Yun replied for his sister.
"Mei-Mei is just worried about you because she likes you... a lot..."he said simply, stating a simple fact.
Mei-Mei's face flushed in embarrassment but Madoka's did from something else.
"YOU WHAT ?!"she screamed."YOU LIKE KYOYA ?! HOW DARE YOU LIKE-?!"-she stopped her tirade at once when she realized everyone's eyes were upon her in a perplexed manner-"I mean... how dare you like someone as uncultured and unsophisticated as Kyoya ? Any girl who DID would be out of their mind... eh heh heh heh..."
Everybody continued to stare at Madoka - while she kept laughing nervously and twirling her hair repeatedly in a preoccupied manner.
Finally, Kyoya rolled his eyes and was the first to get back on track, shrugging slightly.
"Don't worry, Mei-Mei..."he said coolly."I'll be fine."
Clearly, he was indifferent to any feelings for him.
The color on Mei-Mei's cheeks only deepened in it's hue as she nodded slightly at Kyoya before Julian cut in.
"Thank you for all you've done for us..."he said appreciatively, bowing to the girl and her brothers."I promise you that your kindness won't go unnoticed. I vow to pay you all back as soon as I can..."
Mei-Mei shrunk back sheepishly and Chi-Yun took over for his sister once more.
"We're honored to have been able to help you... we're very sorry it couldn't have been more..."he responded politely."Please... make it to Íroes..."
"And remember, you can always, like, count on us if you ever need anything again or something like that!"Chao Xin gave them a 'thumbs-up', his cheeks moist from tears."I hate to say it, but you guys have kind of grown on us!"
"Thank you all for your kindness... we appreciate it very much..."Sophie seconded her cousin's words.
"We'll make it to Íroes..."Kyoya promised."AND get your brother, Dashan, back. Just leave it to me."
Seeing Mei-Mei and Chi-Yun's eyes grow sparkly at his words, however, Kyoya realized just how sappy he had sounded and tried to backpedal...
"I... um... well... I... what i meant was..."
It was too late.
Mei-Mei and Chi-Yun's arms were around his neck in an instant as they cried gratefully into his shoulders.
"Thank you!"Mei-Mei cried.
"We'll never forget you!"Chi-Yun snuffled.
Kyoya stiffened slightly at the displays of affection, then scoffed a tad as he turned away from the duo.
"Yeah, well... whatever..."he grumbled, then placed a hand on Chao Xin's shoulder.
The two teens' eyes met for a moment and in one look they spoke volumes to one another.
"Take care of your family, pretty boy..."Kyoya said.
"You, too..."Chao Xin smiled mischievously."You softie..."
Kyoya turned away from Chao Xin and lowered his head.
"See ya'..."he said gruffly, eyes downcast, biting down on his lower lip.
"Everyone..."he said silently."Thank you..."
Then, to his group, he called: "Come on! You want us to make it to Íroes or not ? Because we can't do that unless we get moving!"
Everyone nodded breathlessly and bowed their appreciation to the three siblings before they said good-bye and scrambled to keep pace with Kyoya, who kept his gaze fixed on the ground as they headed into the nearby forest.
"I'm going to miss them all..."Mei-Mei said sadly.
"I know we will meet them again one day..."Chi-Yun comforted his sister.
Chao Xin was quiet as he stared after the fading figures of the group.
He wouldn't say it aloud... but he secretly agreed with Mei-Mei... and hoped Chi-Yun was right...
* Y * Y * Y *
Hours later...
As Kyoya and his group traveled through the forest, the trek to Íroes was a topic that all of them tried to avoid focusing on.
They walked along the path of the forest and chatted with one another as if they didn't have a care in the world... distracting themselves from the shaky journey before them in any way they could...
Yu and Kenta boosted everyone's optimism with idyllic chatter of all the fun they would all have when they arrived in Íroes.
Ginka and Masamune chatted about what kinds of 'great' foods they would eat when they got there.
Benkei backed up the ideas with enthusiastic exclamations and Teru teased Wales about all the hairdressers he could visit in Íroes... which Sophie couldn't help but chuckle at as her brother dulled and teased Teru right back.
Madoka begged Julian to tell them all tales of his 'heroics' and he agreed to a couple of times... which left everyone's eyes wide with wonder.
Zeo played 'I spy' (though mostly all he could spy were trees... rocks... and... more trees)... and even Klaus would say his peace every now and then... mostly speaking about Mei-Mei, Chi-Yun, and Chao-Xin... all three of whom he had taken quite a liking to in the time they had spent with them.
One person, however, was noticably quiet... and that was Kyoya.
As the hours wore on and the blue afternoon sky turned pink with the approaching dusk, Kyoya remained absolutely silent as the hours wore on... staring down at the floor of the forest while everyone walked along.
Really, it shouldn't have been so surprising... and that wasn't to say that Kyoya wasn't ALWAYS quiet... he was...
There was something about this silence, however, that was different from Kyoya's typical quiet... and the difference was what was lurking behind this silence.
There was something terrible behind this silence... something that worried them all... something that made the rest of them wary to even speak to Kyoya.
If they knew what was really at work in his mind and why he was being so quiet, though, they would have been wary to even be AROUND Kyoya.
From the wounds he had received that night Peproméno was attacked hurting more than ever to the painful gnawing in his stomach from hunger becoming almost excruciating, he wasn't physically up for anything.
Emotionally he wasn't doing so well, either.
Plaguing doubts and worries... despair and weakness... guilt and cowardice... all those emotions were taking such a toll on Kyoya that he was having a hard time thinking straight...
Emotionally and physically, he was more of a liability to the group at the time more than a leader...
If he gave them even the slightest hint of how much he was suffering, however... no matter how tiny... they would all pander to him... and if they pandered to him, they would probably never make it to Íroes...
Fear.
That's all that seemed to be at the heart of everything anymore, Kyoya had deduced.
His fear was the same type of fear that everyone else was trying to skirt around... but his was much worse...
The fear clouding his mind was filled with oppressive doubts and tormenting thoughts that made it hard to concentrate on anything else... all of it made worse by the weakened physical state he was in.
As he and the rest of the group headed through the forest, he silently berated himself for letting himself fall victim to such a common enemy...
Fear.
Terrible, crushing fears...
Theoretically speaking, after all that he had been through already in his life, he should have already been a master at adeptly handling the very cliche adversary...
Fear had always been a constant companion of his... it had always been there to plague his thoughts and follow on the heels of everything he did his...
There was just something different about the fears that had been haunting him recently from the ones that he had been contending with his whole life, though...
Most of the fears that had followed him in the past had been selfish ones...
But most of the recent fears that he had to face bow stemmed from the thought and the fear that if he failed his companions in any way, shape, or form that they wouldn't make it to their goal... never be able to live better lives... or worse... they would die...
There was also something else, though, that was much stranger than the fear of death... something harder to comprehend... a fear that many would have laughed at Kyoya for having if he Confessed it...
It was the fear of living...
As crazy as it might have sounded, there was just something about living that had always seemed more terrifying than death to Kyoya.
There was something that could be said for dying that made it at least seem pretty cut and dry...
No matter what happened, once someone died, it was all over.
What was done was done and the person who died was finally able to be free from all the pain... all the suffering... from all the fear and dread that went along with life...
As dismal and grim as it may have seemed, dying had always made SENSE to Kyoya... for him, it had never been a hard concept to grasp.
In his mind, dying equaled a release from the shackles of human dissent...
To him, death equated freedom...
But living... living... that was different.
Living had always been what seemed like the REAL terror to Kyoya... not death...
When it came to life, dread followed on the heels of everything unpleasant about it... all the uncertainty... the sorrow... the loneliness... the guilt...
Whatever else there was distressing about life, there was sure to to be fear... that was something Kyoya had become adamant about as he had struggled to survive.
Another thing that he had become sure about was that, in life, the simplest things became complicated and the complicated things even more so until everything was just one, confusing blur.
With every year a new set of challenges were made to be faced and depending on how you handled them you either became stronger or weaker... and that's was ultimately all there was to it.
The longer you lived, the longer you struggled...
Living led to problems... just like friendship led to betrayal... just like love led to hate...
Good things always seemed to lead to bad things... and yet, none of it mattered at all...
Because, in the end, everyone shared the same fate without a care or thought to how much or how little one had.
A fate which was death.
The Afterlife was a different story.
What Kyoya hated most about the whole mortality business was that there was no understanding mortality and how it worked... and with uncertainty came one of the biggest fears... the fear of the future.
And that was why, while he and his group traveled along the forest path, he couldn't bring himself to say anything as he clenched both his teeth and fists in silent worry... knowing all-too-well that every step they all took could very well be their last...
He was so focused on his thoughts that he barely heard Yu's voice as the young boy kept his companions distracted in any way he could... which at that moment, that was making up nicknames for his newest friends.
"I think I'm going to call you... Klaw-Klaw..."he mused as he looked at Klaus thoughtfully.
Then, he turned to Teru with the same expression on his face and pointed at him.
"And you can be... Blondie..."-he pointed at Benkei-"And you can be Ben-Ben..."-to Madoka-"I'll call you Mado-do..."
"What ?!"Madoka cried shrilly."You'd better not!"
Yu ignored her and glanced at Sophie for a second.
"Hmmm... now what's a good nickname for you ?"he mused."Hmmmmm... I wonder... oh, I know! Fi-F! There's a good nickname!"
"Fi-fi ?"the duchess asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Yep!... and your brother can be..."-Yu eyed Wales carefully, rubbing his chin in thought before snapping his fingers in conclusion-"Sir Hairdo!"
Wales eyes widened as everyone else chuckled slightly before the young duke shouted at the younger boy.
"SIR HAIRDO ?!"Wales yelled at Yu."WHY THE HECK-?! WHY SIR HAIRDO ?! WHY IS EVERYONE ALWAYS PICKING ON MY HAIR ?!"
"Because you obviously spend WAY too much time styling it..."Yu answered with a mischievous little laugh.
"WHY YOU LITTLE-!"
"Hey! Take it easy, Sir Hairdo! I haven't picked out a nickname for Prince Julian yet, you know! And all your shouting'll mess up my concentration!"
Wales muttered furiously under his breath while Julian glanced at Yu and waited patiently until the boy thought of a nickname for him.
When he did, Yu clapped his hands excitedly and jumped into the air happily.
"I've got it! I've got it! I've got it!"he exclaimed merrily."I'm going to call you... Ju-Ju!"
"Ju-Ju ?"Madoka shrieked."Are you insane ?! Prince Julian's royalty! You can't treat royalty with such disrespect!"
"I can if I want to. Besides, it's just a nickname..."
"Just a nickname ?! You little brat! Have some respect!"
"If you knew who I was then you wouldn't be talking like that..."
"Who YOU are ?! You're just a little kid trying to act all cool!"
"Don't judge a book by it's cover, Mado-do..."
"Don't call me that!"
"Hey, take it easy on him, Madoka..."Gingka said, trying to break the two up as he pulled Yu away from a practically steaming Madoka."Yu's just a kid. He didn't mean any harm! He just likes having fun. Don't worry! I'm sure he'll have more disrespect for royalty in the future... won't you, pal ?"
Most everyone, including Yu and Madoka (but excluding Kyoya), anime sweatdropped at Gingka's blatant confusion of words as Sophie corrected him flatly.
"Umm... I think what Madoka would like him to have a little more of is RESPECT for royalty... not DISRESPECT..."she stated.
Gingka's eyes widened at his mistake and he 'ohed' a bit before he rubbed the back of his neck a bit.
"Yeah! I knew that!"he laughed slightly, trying to chuckle over his blunder.
Most everyone couldn't help but laugh a tad save for Kyoya... and Tsubasa, who had been quiet the last hour or so just glancing at Kyoya out of the corner of his eyes in concern...
Kyoya had felt Tsubasa's eyes burrowing into his back, which had prompted a few a scowls from the unofficial leader... but at that moment, it was just a little too much.
"What ?"he snapped finally, glaring at Tsubasa over his shoulder."Do you have something you want to say ? Because, if you do, then just say it already instead of staring at me!"
Tsubasa shrunk back and shook his head hastily but Zeo cut in and scoffed at the question.
"Yeesh... look at Mr. Big-stuff thinking everything's about him..."Zeo muttered with a proud sniff."Get real, buddy. I'm sure Tsubasa doesn't have anything to say to you! If anything, he's relishing any opportunity to NOT talk to you if he can help it... just like I am!"
"Then do it and be quiet..."Kyoya snarled at him, turning on his heel and stalking off from the rest of the group.
Zeo growled under his breath and glared after the scar-faced boy.
"Weirdo..."he mumbled.
Tsubasa jumped a tad and raced after his friend worriedly.
"K-Kyoya... w-wait!"he stammered, chasing his friend.
Kyoya stopped in his tracks and glanced back at the other boy as he ran to him.
"What is it now ?"Kyoya asked gruffly.
"I was just wondering... if everything's alright..."he said timidly."I mean... you've been really quiet... and... I just wanted to know if-"
"I'm fine."Kyoya answered him tersely before Tsubasa could finish."Aside from trying to keep all of you nitwits safe, nothing's the matter with me."
Tsubasa glanced down at the floor of the forest and rubbed his right arm with his left hand nervously.
"Well... I... just... thought... that..."
"Though WHAT, Tsubasa ?"Kyoya interrupted the other teen."That I needed your help ? That if something WAS bothering me that you'd give me a pat on the back and offer a few encouraging words and everything would be better ? Is that it ?"
Tsubasa stuttered as he tried to think of an answer, but his words just turned to fragments of them.
"I... I... y-ye... I mea... n-no..."
"Which one is it ?"
"Yes..."Tsubasa replied finally, looking down as his lower lip quivered slightly.
Kyoya gave a small 'hmph' at Tsubasa's answer and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Just like I thought..."he said gruffly."You're still too soft for your own good..."
"Wh-what ?"
"You're worrying about me when your life's in just as much danger... you're too gentle..."
"Huh ? K-Kyoya... what do you-?"
"Man up, kid."Kyoya ordered Tsubasa."This isn't just some small-time fight for survival like it was back in Peproméno. These are the big leagues. You can't just solve everything with a smile and a few nice words. That child-like mentality of yours might have been thought of as cute back in Peproméno, but it'll only get you killed out here. Wether you like it or not, this is life or death... and unless you learn how to toughen up, you're going to die."
Kyoya ceased talking for a few moments as Tsubasa trembled in fear; breathing heavily and nervously as he stared at his friend with wide, terrified eyes.
"Kyoya... I... I know that you... me... I know that I have to be stronger... that I have to learn how to be a fighter to survive all this... I know that... and yet..."-Tsubasa wrapped his arms around his body tightly-"I... just... I just can't!"
Kyoya gasped slightly, frowned, then softened as Tsubasa began sobbing breathlessly... desperately trying to fight back his inevitable tears.
"I-I don't think I can do this..."Tsubasa stuttered in between cries."I know you want me to do this... but... I can't!"
Kyoya bit his lower lip and his eyes clouded for a second with sympathy.
Guilt twisted in his heart as he realized that he had been too hard on the silver-haired teenager...
Tsubasa may have been kind to everyone, but he had always admired Kyoya but the funny thing was that, out of all of them that were traveling to Íroes, he was the one who saw Kyoya most as a human being.
He didn't expect big things from the scar-faced teen... he knew he wasn't a super-hero... he knew he had his own problems... his own secrets... his own painful past... his own regrets... his own fears...
And Tsubasa had been there for Kyoya... not just then... but always... always serving as a shoulder to cry on... though Kyoya skipped the crying part.
At the moment, however, Kyoya was as nervous a wreck as Tsubasa himself and was just trying to keep himself together...
If anyone didn't deserve to take on Kyoya's emotions... it was Tsubasa.
"I'm... I'm not strong enough... not like the rest of you..."Tsubasa cried, his voice quivering."I'm... I'm too weak... I'm just a liability... you don't need me..."
Kyoya placed his hand on Tsubasa's shoulder comfortingly and sighed.
"You know..."he began quietly."You doubt yourself way too much..."
Tsubasa raised his head shakily and gulped his tears back.
"Wha-?"he faltered.
Kyoya stared Tsubasa down.
"You're stronger than you think, you know..."he stated.
Tsubasa shook his head hard and stammered as he replied.
"N-no... I'm not..."he cried."N-nothing about me's s-s-strong..."
"That's what you think...?"
Tsubasa nodded and Kyoua scoffed a tad.
"I guess you didn't hear about what happened that night in Peproméno... did you ?"Kyoya continued."The reason we're all alive..."
Tsubasa raised his head a bit and glanced at Kyoya, his eyes red from crying, to see the other boy smirking slightly.
"Can I let you in on a little secret...?"he began.
Before Tsubasa could give his answer, Kyoya continued.
"That night... when Peproméno was under attack... the person who fought off The Thanátos and saved us... who saved Gingka, Masamune, Yu, Kenta... and me... it was YOU, Tsubasa..."
Tsubasa's eyes widened in surprise.
"Me ?"he queried.
Then, his eyes narrowed in realization after pondering what Kyoya had said for a moment.
"Me...?"he repeated."Or the OTHER me...?"
Kyoya opened his mouth to say something in defense, but looked away a bit guiltily.
The memory of Dark Tsubasa fighting the soldiers that night... of how ruthless he had been... how he had just seemed to be fighting the guards for the fun of it... was something that Kyoya would never forget.
There was no way that the regular Tsubasa would have done that... and yet...
When the bomb had exploded in the middle of Peproméno... the purple energy that had spread over all of them... it had been the energy that Dark Tsubasa had emitted... and that energy had protected both Tsubasa AND his friends...
There was no way that Dark Tsubasa would have done that... used his energy to protect anyone but himself...
Someone had to have been controlling it aside from the Dark Tsubasa... and Kyoya had a hunch that he knew who that 'someone' was...
"It was... the other side of you..."Kyoya answered Tsubasa, who flinched uncomfortably.
"Then there's no use in telling me I'm strong..."he said bitterly."The person that saved you all was the OTHER me..."
"Tsubasa..."Kyoya started."The OTHER you is still a part of you, no matter how much you deny it. And that night... you were somewhere there when it saved us..."
"So you're saying what exactly ? That I should thank it or something like that ?"Tsubasa laughed sadly."I don't think so..."
"All I know is that night... we would have all died... but in one moment, the two sides of you combined and rescued us..."Kyoya said plainly."The other side of you... it's dark... but it also holds more power than you could ever imagine, probably. And coupled with your regular self... if you learned how to control that power... to use it for good... you'd be stronger than all of us... combined..."
"And how am I supposed to do that ?"Tsubasa snuffled, grimacing at the mere thought of Dark Tsubasa and his regular self coming together for even a moment.
Kyoya sighed, then smiled sincerely at the silver-haired boy.
"If anyone can figure it out, I'm sure you can."he said.
Tsubasa was silent in shock as their conversation ended and the rest of their group caught up to them at last.
"What kind of leader are you ?!"Madoka snarled at Kyoya when they reached them."You left the rest of us in the dust! What if we got lost or something like that ?!"
Kyoya turned his attention from Tsubasa to Madoka and scowled at her.
"You wouldn't have gotten lost..."he said flatly, rolling his eyes."Between the twelve of you, I'm sure you guys would have found SOME way to Íroes..."
"Who says ?!"Madoka growled.
"I do..."
"Stop acting so smug! We wouldn't have survived if we got lost and you know it!"
"So what you're saying is that you wouldn't have been able to survive without my superior leadership skills ?"
Madoka froze for a second... then sniffed haughtily.
"You're a real creep, you know that, right ?"she muttered bitterly, turning her head away from Kyoya with another, small sniff.
"I try."Kyoya answered shortly, crossing his arms behind his head and smirking.
Madoka snarled a tad and was about to snap back at Kyoya when Masamune pointed to the sky hastily to distract the two from arguing.
"Wow... it's dusk already ?"he asked, prompting everyone to glance at him."Doesn't that mean we should be sitting down to eat and rest or something like that ?"
Silence followed his query and all eyes fell on Kyoya, who bit his lower lip in thought at Masamune's suggestion.
Resting would mean the group would get less traveling in... but resting also meant that their group would move more quickly being well-rested, and all...
"Fine..."Kyoya nodded at Masamune."We'll eat and rest here for tonight. As soon as dawn breaks, though, we head out again. Any questions ?"
Most everyone shook their heads 'no', but Madoka grumbled.
"I want to know who put you in charge..."she muttered.
"Good... we're all in agreement..."Kyoya said calmly."Eat up and then get to sleep. I'll keep watch..."
"Not alone you won't..."Tsubasa interjected.
Kyoya glanced at the other teen questioningly.
"What ?"
Tsubasa smiled shyly and glanced down timidly.
"If I'm going to try and be stronger... I should really start pulling my weight... right, Kyoya ?"he asked.
Kyoya 'hmphed', but he knew what Tsubasa was trying to get at.
"Do what you want..."he said."But tomorrow, we get a move on bright and early..."
* Y * Y * Y *
Dinner that night had consisted of very little... a bit of bread and some fruit from what Mei-Mei and her brothers had given them before they left, but no one complained...
Except Benkei, who Kyoya had to give his portion of food to before he even had a chance to taste it in order appease the kitchen-boy.
Even then, as Kyoya and Tsubasa kept watch over them all as they slept, Benkei was talking in his sleep about 'gourmet'... and Gingka seconded the sentiment by talking in his sleep about 'delicacies'.
Tsubasa's mouth water involuntarily as he listened to Gingka and Benkei while Kyoya just sat against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest... forcing himself not to let himself be distracted by hunger or give onto exhaustion by sheer willpower alone.
Turning his attention from his sleeping friends for a moment, Tsubasa glanced at the stars and smiled slightly as he looked at the constellations.
"They're beautiful..."he said quietly.
"What ?"Kyoya queried, then got on track."Oh... the stars... yeah... they're nice..."
"I always look at the stars before I go to bed..."Tsubasa said."It doesn't matter where I am... I just... love looking at the constellations..."
"Why ?"Kyoya asked curiously.
Tsubasa's smile faded and he looked down sadly; picking at blade of grass with his fingers as he replied.
"My parents and I... used to look at the stars together... every night... "he whispered."Because I was so young when they died, I don't have much memory of them... but that one is one that I always remember. Looking at the stars... reminds me of them, I guess..."
Kyoya nodded slightly as the two boys became quiet.
Then, Tsubasa broke the silence.
"Kyoya..."he began.
"Hmm ?"
"Do you miss them...?"
"Miss who ?"
"Your parents..."Tsubasa said."I mean... I know that you... when you were a baby... they... but... don't you ever wish that... well... I don't know... but... don't you wish... that you knew something about them...? That you knew who they were...? Who you're related to ?"
Kyoya was silent... looking down at his hands as the breeze rustled through the trees. and Tsubasa winced.
"I'm sorry..."he said."I shouldn't have-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Kyoya shushed him and the two looked around them.
"Did you hear that ?"Kyoya queried.
"Hear what ?"Tsubasa asked fearfully.
"That crackling sound..."Kyoya answered, getting to his feet."Listen..."
The two stopped to hear the sinister sound about them .It was growing louder...
A flurry of large, white ashes enveloped their camp; the thick smell of smoke filled the heated air as as if all at once. A forest fire was coming right toward them, descending from the rift !
As the pungent smell of burning seeped all around them, Tsubasa choked and glanced in the direction of the loudly crackling sound... to see an eerie, blazing red-orange glow making it's way menacingly towards them all.
"Kyoya...!"he coughed, turning to his friend with wild panic in his eyes.
Kyoya bit his lower lip as he note the terror in the silver-haired teen's eyes.
Kyoya had the sinking feeling that it was going to be all up to him to get them all out safely without any help... again...
To his surprise, however, Tsubasa tossed Kyoya his burlap sack and nodded at him hastily.
"Cover your face with this..."he ordered, only a small quiver in his voice."Follow my lead!"
Kyoya held tightly to the burlap and blinked in astonishment.
"To cover your FACE, Kyoya " he spat.
Was Tsubasa... REALLY taking control of the situation...?
Apparently so, he mused.
"This way!"Tsubasa shouted, interrupting Kyukya's shock and pointing in the opposite direction of the growing inferno.
Before Tsubasa could make a run for it, though, Kyoya stopped him short.
"Tsubasa!"he called."Aren't you forgetting a certain... SOMETHINGS ?"
Tsubasa blinked vacantly for a moment and Kyoy.
"What about the others ?"he asked Tsubasa.
Tsubasa was still perplexed.
"Who ?"he queried.
Kyoya growled and pointed at the still-sleeping forms of the rest of their group.
"Wake up the others, Tsubasa! NOW!"he said in exasperation as Tsubasa jumped to attention and nodded hurriedly.
Tsubasa was on his knees in an instant, shaking everyone awake.
Then He began tearing apart more canvas with a rapidity of a frenzied ferret.
"HURRY- FIIIRE " he kept shouting , all the while.
Everyone else groggily awakened and rubbed the sleep from their eyes... more than a little confused at what was happening.
"What's... what's going on ?"Masamune asked tiredly, blinking bleating a few times.
Sophie coughed.
"And what's that smell ?"she mumbled groggily.
Tsubasa hesitated, but Kyoya replied:
"There's a fire in the forest and it's headed this way..."he explained hastily, as everyone's eyes widened in shock.
"Fired ?"Wales moaned wearily."How can you fire us ? We haven't even started, yet!"
"No, knucklehead... not FIRED... what Kyoya meant was there's a forest FIRE..."Madoka said plainly, rubbing her eyes.
Wales accepted Madoka's statement with a short shrug.
"Ah... a FOREST FIRE... I get it..."he chuckled wearily.
After realizing what he had said, however, his head shot up in fear.
"A FOREST FIRE ?!"he shrieked."Are you trying to tell me that the forest' on fire ?!"
"That's kind of the point..."Kyoya said flatly.
Wales was on his feet in an instant while everyone else made haste, as well.
"Well what are we waiting for ?!"the group yelled as if in unison.
"You're the ones standing around here talking!"Kyoya snapped.
"We're ALL standing around here talking!"Tsubasa said."Come on, let's go!"
No one argued.
They chased after Tsubasa in terror... half-running, half-stumbling as the ravenous flames bit what only seemed like inches behind their backs...
The branches of trees grabbed at them hauntingly and clutched their clothes as they made their way in panic through the forest and Julian jumped to defend them... cutting back the branches with the blade of Black Excalibur.
Just as the smoke began to seep into their lungs and sting their eyes so horribly that they could barely see straight, Tsubasa wheezed slightly and pointed ahead.
"There!"he coughed."There's the exit!"
"THAT'S the exit ?!"Masamune shrieked.
Yes, it was the exit... an exit where trees curled over one another closely to the ground to for a bit of a tunnel...
But there was something very wrong about the exit, indeed...
"It's too narrow for us all to get out at once!"Madoka cried.
The exit was hardly big enough for two people to fit through at a time and on either side of it were thick fields of thorned plants that would be impossible to cross through...
There was no way they'd be able to make it through the exit all at once... and judging from the fire that was coming threateningly close to them...
"There's not enough time for us to all get out..."Julian said in quiet despair.
Everyone else lowered their heads sadly... knowing Julian was right...
To get through the exit, they'd have to crawl on their hands and knees... and doing so would be time-consuming... and not easy...
There just didn't seem to be any way to escape the ravaging fire behind them!
Benkei, however, wasn't so easily defeated and picked up Yu and Kenta in his arms hurriedly, ready to charge through the the exit like an angry bull.
"We have to try!"he said bravely, his grip on the two boys tightening as he charged forward."Everyone, grab a partner and let's go! B-B-B-BULL!"
The burly kitchen boy got on his knees pushed his way through the trees on his elbows while while Yu and Kenta screamed loudly.
Once they had managed to squeeze their way out, Benkei turned back to the forest and called to the others.
"Alright, everyone... we're through! Now let's go!"
The others looked at one another worriedly, then back at the fire that was nearly upon them, then nodded in agreement.
"Come on..."Klaus finally spoke.
Masamune pulled the bodyguard by the arm.
"No problem! Let's scram!"he said hastily.
To his surprise, however, Klaus didn't move a muscle.
"COME ON, BUDDY! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SAID WE HAVE TO GO! WHAT'S TAKING YOU SO LONG ?!"Masamune cried.
Klaus didn't answer and locked eyes with Julian.
"Your highness... you should be the one to get to safety first..."he said.
"SAY WHAT ?!"Masamune screamed.
Klaus ignored him.
"We'll be fine."he assured Julian.
"NO WE WON'T!"Masamune shouted.
Julian glanced at Masamune and shook his head.
"No..."he refused Klaus."Get the others to safety first. I'm not leaving until they're safe..."
"But, your highness..."Teru said worriedly."In that case... you may not-"
Klaus cut Teru off.
"If you're staying than so am I, your highness..."Klaus said stoically.
Masamune rolled his eyes.
"I'm not!"he exclaimed, grabbing Teru's arm hastily."I'll take YOU with me, instead!"
Masamune pulled Teru down the trail behind him and just as they made it through the exit, the flames of the fire took a huge leap closer to the rest of them.
Devouring trees in it's path, the fire crept closer and closer and Julian pushed Zeo towards the exit.
"Everyone, keep moving!"he demanded.
Before Zeo could make a move, however, Wales pushed Sophie into the other boy's arms frantically.
"You almost missed your ride, Sophie!"Wales said as Sophie turned to her brother worriedly.
"Wales!"she called.
Wales looked at Zeo sternly, biting his lower lip.
"You..."he began seriously."Make sure my sister gets out safely... Don't let her get hurt..."
"Wales! No! You have to come, too!"Sophie shouted, her eyes brimming with tears.
She tried to struggle out of Zeo's grasp, but the boy only held her tighter.
"You have my word..."he nodded to Wales, pushing Sophie through the long and horribly narrow exit as she cried out for her brother.
Zeo followed her and Wales' eyes filled with tears... but he quickly shook his head to get himself back on track.
"The rest of you... go..."he quivered."If we can't all make it out of here... then leave me behind... that should buy us some-"
"I'm not leaving you behind!"Julian interrupted his cousin."Klaus... get my cousin out of here... right now... before the fire gets any closer!"
Klaus and Wales both blinked in astonishment and Klaus went to protest, but Julian didn't let him.
"That's an order!"Julian snapped, pushing the two of them towards the exit."Don't make me say it again!"
Klaus growled slightly, bit finally obliged... and dragged Wales away from his cousin as the fire steadily came closer.
As it did, thick, black smoke encircled the rest of them and Tsubasa, being the only one of them who didn't have a cloth to cover his mouth with, began to choke furiously.
Seeing Tsubasa being effected by the fire jolted Madoka's fears into overdrive and she grabbed onto Kyoya's tunic collar frantically, shaking him hard.
"Now what do we do ?!"she screamed."There's probably only enough time for three or four of us to get through! One of us is going to get left behind, and I can assure you, it won't be me... so-!"
"Then GO!"Kyoya snarled, shoving Madoka, Gingka, Tsubasa, and Julian forward.
Madoka turned to Kyoya in shock.
"What ?!"she screeched.
Kyoya glared at her and bit back to terrified scream that was burning in his chest, trying to maintain his composure.
"I... I'll find another way out!"he said, forcing himself to try and stay calm."Just get out of here!"
"But-"
"GO ALREADY!"Kyoya cut Gingka off."I'll be fine! Just... hurry!"
"No! Kyoya... we're not going anywhere without you!"Gingka said stubbornly."You're our leader!"
"Gingka..."Kyoya said quietly, lowering his head.
The redhead stopped talking and Kyoya locked eyes with him, determination flashing and mixing with with the red glare of the fire reflecting in them.
"Be brave."Kyoya ordered him.
Gingka flinched at his friend's words, but something in his leader's voice told him not to argue... and if he did...
Gingka bit his lower lip fearfully, but he finally nodded and dragged Madoka through the exit, calling back to Julian once they had made their way through.
Julian raced forward towards it, but, before helooked could crawl through, also, he looked over his shoulder at Kyoya.
"You'd better meet us later..."Julian said.
Kyoya gulped a tad.
"Y-yeah..."he quivered slightly.
With that, Julian made his was through the thickets... but Tsubasa stayed behind... still choking at the smoke and charred smell that wafted through the air.
"Tsubasa... go with them!"Kyoya yelled at him.
"No!"Tsubasa coughed so hard that his body trembled."We're a team! Even if I get burnt to a crisp... I'm not leaving here... without you!"
"Are you crazy ?!"Kyoya snarled at the silver-haired teen, grabbing him by his shoulders and staring him down."If you don't go with them... you might die!"
Tsubasa coughed even harder and his eyes welled with tears... partially from the smoke stinging them... partially because of the emotion tearing at his chest.
"I'm not leaving!"he said."If we go... we're going together!"
Kyoya growled, seeing there was no altering Tsubasa's decision, and he held the other boy tightly in his grasp.
"If you get flambéd... don't blame me..."Kyoya mumbled, just the slightest hint of humor in his voice as Tsubasa chuckled shakily in between chokes.
The flames jumped across the forest and surrounded Kyoya... but just as it entered where they were, Julian's voice cut through the sounds of the burning forest.
"KYOYA! TSUBASA! COME ON!"he called.
Kyoya jumped at Julian's words and in an instant, he was pulling Tsubasa towards the exit.
"Hurry up..."he ordered the other boy."If we don't get out soon, this fire's going to-"-he ceased talking when he felt Tsubasa stop behind him-"Tsuabsa ?"
He turned to see Tsubasa frozen in his tracks, coughing so terribly that he was hardly getting chanced to breathe.
"Tsubasa!"Kyoya cried frantically.
Tsubasa kept choking and his knees wobbled weakly before he collapsed to the ground.
Terror grabbed Kyoya's heart and he stumbled over to the boy and knelt next to him... Tsubasa slumping against the scar-faced teen's chest as soon as he did, still coughing.
"The... smoke..."Tsubasa wheezed, his eyelids struggling to stay open and keep consciousness.
Thinking fast, Kyoya took the cloth he was coverin his own mouth with and put it over Tsubasa's.
Immediately, Kyoya was hit with the deadly scents of the burning forest and it went to the back of his throat with a fury.
Tsubasa's coughing died down, though, and that was all that mattered to Kyoya at that moment.
He picked up the limp form of Tsubasa in his arms and struggled towards the exit; ashes and smoke stinging his eyes to the point that he could barely see straight as he stumbled blearily towards the exit...
He could feel the consciousness fading from him as he appraoched the exit... but right at the last moment... he tripped over the root of an unforgiving tree and fell flat on his face... dropping Tsubasa in the process... at the exact same moment the flames around them began to sear exactly into everything around them!
Kyoya weakly raised his head and tried to pull himself closer to Tsubasa... but his vision was so hazy he could hardly see him!
It was at that moment that something strange happened...
A figure, clothed completely in a black cloak, leapt down from somewhere and landed right next to Kyoya and placed a hand on his shoulder ressuringly.
"Don't worry..."he said, something familiar about his voice... but what ?..."I'm here to help..."
As the mysterious figure went to pick up Tsubasa, Kyoya tiredly managed to raise his head and looked at him.
"Who... who are you...?"he asked.
The claoked figure glanced over his shoulder a tad.
"The person who's going to save your lives..."he said."...Kyoya..."
Kyoya jumped in realization.
As soon as the person had spoken his name... he KNEW who it was...
"Y-you..."he said weakly as he watched the figure carry Tsubasa to the exit.
Before Kyoya could do anything else, however, flames swirled around him and blocked his vision... sending ashes and smoke flying into his eyes and stinging them... and darkness crept into the corners of his eyes as unconsciousness overtook him.
Then, his world went black.
* Y * Y * Y *
Running... frantic...
Kyoya ran through the fiery forest as it burnt around him... the flames ready to devour him at any moment... nipping angrily at him in unsatisfied fury.
Pain lanced every cell of his being and his vision grew hazy...
His heart beat faster... and faster... and faster still until it felt as if it would jump clear out of his chest...
Then, from out of nowhere, a dark figure swooped over him with only his golden eyes visible beneath the shadows that enshrouded him.
As the cloaked person stood above him, he began to chuckle sinisterly while the flames around them formed into other figures... figures of the group that was travelling with Kyoya.
There was one other, however... this one a boy with short orange and black hair and jade green eyes with two, orange criminal marking beneath either eye.
Kyoya went to scream out their names, but his voice wouldn't work.
He tried to move but his body wouldn't cooperate.
As Kyoya watched on helplessly, the claoked figure raised a sword... no... not just any sword... Black Excalibur... the figure raised Black Excalibur above the boy with the criminal markings and lowered it.
The boy disspeared with a cry of pain and a splash of crimson as Kyoya stiffened in horror.
That wasn't where it ended, though...
The figure raised Black Excalibur again, this time over Kyoya's companions as they turned to their unofficial leader... all of them mouthing the same word...
"Why ?"
Kyoya struggled to answer, but couldn't... just as the blade of Black Excalibur began to lower...
...
"AHHH!"Kyoya screamed frantically, sitting up with a panicked start.
The moment he did, he regretted it as the pain intensified and he dug his fingernails into his palms to avoid screaming again.
He was drenched in sweat and panting so heavily he choked a bit as he tried to breathe evenly as his heartbeat slowed down in the slightest.
"It was just a dream..."he told himself."Just a dream. Pull yourself together, Kyoya... stop being such a wimp!"
Still trembling in fear, Kyoya forced himself to think calmly and asses his situation.
Despite the perspiration stinging his eyes, Kyoya glanced around him to see that he was in the back of a wagon... a wagon filled with garments and pottery, among other things.
In a cot to the right of him, Tsubasa lay peacefully; still wheezing a bit, but seeming alright nonetheless.
But Kyoya couldn't celebrate that his friend was alright... he had something else on his mind... something fearsome...
Kyoya growled beneath his breath and forced himself out of the cot he himself was laying on and got shakily to his feet and clumsily staggered to the door of the wagon.
Once he reached it, he flung open the door and was greeted by the glaring, early morning sun.
Kyoya lost his balance as the brightness burned into his already-burning eyes and tripped over the step of the wagon that led down to the ground... falling flat on the sandy ground.
A chorus of worried yells reached his ears and in another moment he felt himself being helped up by the hands of his companions, some of which were congratulating him and others who were crying in joy that he was (i.e. Benkei).
As Kyoya regained his bearings, he saw that he and his group were in the center of an open valley.
His friends were all knelt beside him and asking him questions and such, bombarding him in such rapid succession it made his head spin slightly.
"Kyoya! Are you hurt ?!"Gingka queried.
"How are you feeling ?!"Julian inquired.
"Did you get burnt ?"Wales questioned.
"That was brave of you to stay behind until we were all out of danger..."Sophie said.
"KYOYA, BUDDY! YOU'RE ALIVE!"Benkei laughed in joy.
"I knew you wouldn't let us down!"Kenta exclaimed.
"Next time, try not to make us all so worried, okay ?"Masamune added.
"Yay! Kyoyo's okay! Oh, goody, goody, goody!"Yu cheered.
"Way to cheat death, ya' scar-faced weirdo..."Zeo chuckled.
"HOW DARE YOU MAKE US ALL WORRY LIKE THAT ?!"Madoka shouted furiously.
"Everyone... give him some space..."Klaus sighed.
Kyoya listened to them slightly, but only one thing REALLY caught his attention...
And that was the claoked figure sitting on a crate a few feet away.
"Good morning."it said with a small snicker."Have a good sleep ?"
Kyoya was on his feet in ana instant and pointed at the figure furiously.
"You!"he snarled."What are YOU doing here ?"
The figure shrugged.
"Just passing through..."he replied coyly.
Kyoya was on the figure in an instant and grabbed him by his cloak collar.
"Don't give me that!"he growled, enraged."WHY ARE YOU HERE ?!"
"Hey, Kyoya, take it easy!"Masamune said, trying to pry their unofficial leader of the mystery man.
"Yeah! What's wrong with you ?! This GENTLEMAN just saved yours and Tsubasa's lives!"Madoka scolded him."You should be THANKING him... not trying to STRANGLE him!"
Kyoya's blue eyes narrowed on the mysterious person, flashing in unbridled fury.
"This guy's no gentleman..."he roared."And he doesn't deserve any 'thank yous', either..."
Everyone cocked their heads a tad in bewilderment.
What was going on with Kyoya ?
"In fact, all he barely deserves to be strangled..."Kyoya said fearsomely."Isn't that right... you traitor ?"
Everybody blinked in atonishment.
"What the-?"Benkei asked.
To add to their surprise, however, the cloaked figure only chuckled in a bit of a devious manner.
"Oh, dear... I see that even after I saved your life... you're STILL bitter towards me..."he snickered."BROTHER..."
In a fluid motion, the figure removed his cape to reveal his true form beneath it... and when he did, Gingka gasped in surprise.
"It... it... can't be!"he breathed in surprise.
Everyone else but Kyoya just stared at the formerly cloaked figure in confusion... searching their minds for any memories of the mystery man.
"Ummm... are we supposed to know him ?"Yu asked, pulling on Gingka's breeches slightly.
But Gingka hardly heard Yu.
His attention was fixed only and entirely on one person... and that was the person standing right in front of him... the mystery person... who was really someone he hadn't seen in years... someone none of the others, save for Kyoya, DID know...
"Ryuga ?"Gingka sputtered, his eyes practically bugging from his skull at the sight of his old friend."I can't believe it's really you! I mean... we haven't seen you since-"-the reahead stopped his sentence short at the furious glare that was aimed at him by Kyoya-"Ummm... since we said we didn't want to see you again..."
Ryuga ignored Gingka completely and glanced at Kyoya a bit, a smirk on his face.
"So... I hear you and your buddies are traveling..."he said."To the heroes' land. What are you planning on doing once you arrive THERE ? Pickpocketing the washerwoman ? Robbing from the street rats ? Begging from the peasants ?"
"None of your business..."Kyoya returned snarkily, brushing past Ryuga with a growl.
Ryuga swung himself off the crate he was sitting on and trailed Kyoya, folding his arms over his chest.
"You know as well as I do that Iroes has nothing to offer you."Ryuga stated plainly."It's an impoverished place. Most of the citizens there are worse off than you... well, alright, maybe not THAT bad off... but not far from it. There's nothing waiting for you there. What do you plan to accomplish ?"
"I said it's none of your business..."Kyoya repeated gruffly.
"Come on, Kyoya. Don't play that game with me. I know you better than that. I know that you wouldn't do something just for the sake of doing it without a motive. That's not you. You never make a move without thinking it over. You never risk something unless you can get something worthwhile in return. You never put the lives of others on the line without making sure that the gamble you're taking can improve them. So tell me... what are you after ?"
There was a brief moment of silence before Kyoya answered slowly.
"None of... your business."he said one last time."All that matters is that I'm doing it without YOU..."
Ryuga chuckled a tad at his answer and Kyoya scowled at him furiously.
"What's so funny ?"he asked him.
Ryuga snickered and shrugged a bit... then smirked at Kyoya cockily.
"How many times do I have to keep telling you...?"he began."Don't try to play the hero. It's not your forte. It's not who you are. You're a mercenary... a street kid... a boy who'll forever spend his life picking pockets and longing to eat what rats feast on to survive. You're not a hero. You never were."
Kyoya flinched slightly as his friends looked back and forth between him and Ryuga, not quite sure what was going on or why the emotions between the two boys made their skins crawl... all they knew that whatever was going on... it wasn't anything brotherly.
"I'm not the same little kid you used to know..."Kyoya said, standing his ground."I don't answer to you anymore. What you tell me means nothing..."
"Yes, of course..."Ryuga sneered."Just like how it was with your best friend once, remember ?"
"You WERE my best friend, Ryuga. You were my only friend..."
"Oh, no... but I wasn't. I wasn't your only friend... I was actually one of two that were your best friends. Or have you forgotten about your other friend already ?"
Silence... from both Kyoya and his group.
"Wait... that's it. Maybe you haven't forgotten..."Ryuga started smugly."Maybe you wish you could forget. Because, after all... who really wants to remember a friend that's died ? Especially when you were the one who was responsible for his death ?"
Chidsengan:Well... there it was...
Ryuga:Yeah, baby! I'm back! *turns to Chidsengan* But it's not fair that most of THIS chapter was about 'Ky-dum-dum' and 'Ts-ubaby' and not about ME...
Chidsengan:But you can't stand my fanfic...
Ryuga:Exactly so. But I like ME...
Chidsengan:Umm... okay. Don't worry, you're in it more from now on!
Ryuga:I'm in your terribly-written fanfic more often from here on out, huh ?
Chidsengan:Yep!
Ryuga:I don't know if I should cheer because I'm getting publicity... or cry because I'm going to be pathetically portrayed by an awful author...
Chidsengan:It's true! *sob* I'm-
Ryuga:Shut up, kid! Anyway, this chappie translates out to 'New Brothers, Old Brothers'... and Chidsengan wanted me to tell you all that until Winter Break, she's going to be updating this shabbily-written fanfic every weekend so not to interfere with anyone's busy school schedules...
Chidsengan:And that, once again, I'm so sorry that it took so long for me to update again (due to being supended)! Please, I beg of you that, if you can all spare kindness that I don't deserve... please, please, PLEASE Forgive me!
Ryuga:Apology not accepted.
Chidsengan:Also, I'd like to answer a question from someone I hope will be my friend (though if not, I understand completely... I'm unworthy!) RoxasOtaku:
This been on mind, but would there be some "Doki Doki" between a certain green hair guy and a princess like girl
Chidsengan:The answer is yes! Although I generally don't tend to get TOO romantic because I'm not so great at writing it...
Ryuga:You're not great at writing ANYTHING!
Chidsengan:And, furthermore, I'd also like to just make a shout-out to The Thunderstruck Tiger (I also hope you'll be my buddy. But, again, I'm unworthy of your friendship... of anyone's!). Your fanfic, I read it... and it's EPIC! You have all the makings of a superb writer one day! Never give up, because, like so many of those that I love on fanfiction, I see such amazing promise in your writing! It's MY fanfic that doesn't even begin to compare to YOURS! I look forward to reading more! ^_^
Ryuga:Then again, her opinions mean nothing, so...
Chidsengan:Everyone, please help yourself to a virtual apology banquet from me for not updating sooner and allowing myself to be susended...
Ryuga:Idiot...
Chidsengan:... filled with every kind of virtual food you can dream of! *turns to Ryuga* Did that help me get my apology across a little better ?
Ryuga:*munching on a virtual slice of cheesecake* I still don't like you.
Chidsengan:*cries hysterically*
Ryuga:Ah, it's good to be back! She's such a good-for-nothing dork... *sips virtual slushy, then stiffens* AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! NOT ANOTHER BRAIN FREEZE! *bites lower lip*
Author's Note: My Mommy helped me write this chappie, so, again, instead of praising ME, please make sure to give all your credit to HER. She taught me everything I know and infinitely more. I love her, and, no, I'm not afraid to admit it! Virtual huggies for my Mommy! (and real ones, too!)