Chapter 24

Malon

Malon felt strange. She had just woken up, and instantly noticed that there were no more pains in her stomach. Malon shrugged this off, thinking that her baby had calmed down, or something. As she stood, she noticed that she no longer felt dizzy, which had been occuring occasionally recently. Again, she shrugged this off, thinking it to be a one-time occurence. She dressed herself, and walked down the stairs to the others, who were gathered in the living room. She felt oddly energetic.

"Morning, everyone!" She said cheerily.

"Malon." Link greeted her happily. "You look well today."

"Yeah, I know. I feel really good, for some reason." She smiled, and walked toward Link. Link walked toward her, arms ready to hug her. Moments away, Link stopped walking, and stared at Malon. "Something wrong?" She asked. Link didn't reply. Malon looked to the others, but they, too, were staring at her. Or rather, at her stomach. "What is it?"

"Malon..." Link said slowly. "I... don't know much about pregnancy, so perhaps you can help me out."

"Yes?"

"What... does it mean when... your stomach stops bulging?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"I mean, when your stomach goes flat."

"It... means the baby's not there any more. Why are you-?" She paused, and looked down. She could see straight down to her feet, rather than her stomach being in the way. She gasped, and stared at Link. "Wh-what happened? Where's my-?" She looked down again, as if to confirm that her stomach was indeed flat. "Link!" She cried. "My... o-our baby! It's gone! Where is it? What happened?" Grief gripped her. Fear swallowed her. Panic flared within her. Her baby. Gone.

"Hey, hey, shh shh..." Link gathered her in his arms. "Calm down, Malon."

"B-b-but... baby..." She whimpered.

"We'll find out, somehow." He looked to the others. "How do we get in touch with Lakitu?" He asked. Somewhere through her grief, Malon registered that Link was willing to speak to Lakitu, which he hadn't done since fighting Mario, to help her. A small glimmer of happiness appeared in her mind.

"Um... Lakitu said that if something was wrong, he'd know and come here." Sonic said, shrugging sadly. "None of us can talk to him."

"He should know about something this big." Rouge said, staring sadly at Malon. "He's a smart- oh, he's here." Everyone looked to the door, to see a seething Lakitu, and a concerned Adia.

"Lakitu, you've gotta-" Link began.

"Let me see." Lakitu growled, making everyone but Link and Malon take a large step back. "Maiden, face me." Still sobbing and whimpering, Malon turned around. Lakitu floated over to her, and stared at her stomach. He placed a hand upon it, and stroked it gently. He scowled, making everyone shudder. "Dammit." He hissed.

"Wh-what is it?" Malon managed to squeak. "What h...happened to my b-baby?" Lakitu looked up at her, still wearing the scowl, making her whimper and bury her face in Link's chest.

"I'm not entirely sure." Lakitu sighed roughly. "This is wrong... very wrong. This shouldn't... it might not be that, though. Maybe..." His face returned to normal, and he drifted into thought.

"Master..." Adia's sweet voice sighed. "Malon needs..." She sighed again. "Forget it. Malon, can I take a look?" Malon nodded, and faced Adia. Adia crouched in front of Malon, and rubbed her stomach. "Hm... oh, wow. This is wrong. Maybe she... no, can't be. Perhaps..." She frowned in thought. "Master, have another feel." She said to Lakitu. Lakitu snapped out of his reverie, and floated over.

"What am I looking at?" He asked, putting a hand on Malons' stomach. Adia moved his hand around for a moment.

"...there. Feel that?"

"I do." Lakitu frowned again. "It's definitely not because of..."

"No. It was there, but now it isn't. If it was that, then it'd be like it was never there."

"That's right. Then... no, it hasn't..."

"Definitely not." Adia shook her head violently. "It was too strong."

"Then, there's only what one option."

"Only one thing that could've happened." Adia sighed, and stood up. Lakitu floated to eye-level.

"What is it?" Link asked, putting an arm around Malons' shoulders.

"Uhm..." Lakitu scratched his head. "I need to... go see about something, first. This is only a theory, you see. I need to be sure."

"You just said it was the only thing. Now, what is it?"

"Uhh... Adia, tell him." He teleported away.

"Master!" Adia gasped. "Jeez... Link, listen... this isn't easy for me to say, so I'm just gonna put it bluntly, okay?" Link nodded. "F... the baby's been stolen."

"stolen?" Malon whispered. "no..."

"Yeah, by magic. Someone's taken your baby." Adia shrugged. "I don't know who or how, but that's what it probably is."

"So, what did Lakitu need to check?" Link asked.

"He went to find out who stole it. And hopefully get her back. I'm so sorry, Malon. If I'd known that-"

"It's okay." Link interrupted, before Adia could start blaming herself. "You didn't know, so you couldn't have helped."

"But I should have known!" Adia snapped. "You're my brother, remember? I'm supposed to look out for you, and help you, and-" Link silenced her with a gentle tap on the cheek.

"You have other things to worry about. Besides, I'm your big brother. I'm the one supposed to be looking out for you." He sighed. "I think you should go and help Lakitu. Malon needs... time."

"Right. I'm still sorry, Link." She teleported away.

"Sit down, Malon." Link said softly, guiding the weeping Malon to the sofa. He sat next to her, holding her against him. "It's gonna be okay. Adia and Lakitu will find our baby, and bring it back."

Eo

Eo, the Quezacotl, bellowed in triumph. It nuzzled its' stomach, where a small, unborn creature was shaking, twisting, turning and kicking. This creature would become a brilliant warrior for Eo's new world. Obeying his every command, this creature would quash all uprisings. Eo smiled to himself. The daughter of Link and Malon would soon be under his command. How perfect that would be. The very flesh and blood of his enemy, now his ally. Eo chuckled. How perfect. The human child wriggled and writhed, as if trying to break free of its' prison.

You are not going anywhere, slave. Eo hissed in his mind, sending the thought to the child. He doubted it would understand, but it pleased him greatly to taunt the baby.

You will be punished. A female response sounded, making Eo gasp. The Timeless Hero, the Hero of Dimensions, will not let this stand.

Your pathetic father doesn't know it is I who has you. And even so, should he attack me, he risks losing you.

Lies. My father is not pathetic, and it is only a matter of time before he knows you are responsible. He will not risk me. He will find a way to defeat you, and save me. You will be punished.

Silence! Eo snapped, severing the mental connection. Arrogant elf-baby. I look forward to using her when she is ready. A malevolent grin spread across the Quezacotls' face. This promptly disappeared following a sharp pain in its' stomach. A shame she is needed, else I would kill her. It growled.

Nerra

"There it is." Nerra sighed, relief washing over her. After traipsing through a huge jungle, she and Ganondorf had finally reached the small shrine where the final Chaos Emerald, the grey emerald, was waiting. As she was flying, and could see the shrine several metres ahead, she flew down to Ganondorf. "That way." She told him, pointing toward the shrine.

"Finally." He groaned. "I hate jungles. I'm glad there aren't any in Hyrule."

"The Lost Woods is worse than this."

"No annoying biting bugs in there, though." Ganondorf quickened his pace. "I only hope that there's a decent challenge here." Nerra set her feet on the ground, and jogged to keep up with him.

"The Chaos Emeralds are smart, Ganny. They'll know it's you coming, and they'll make something tougher." She assured the Dark Lord. Ganondorf simply nodded, quickening his pace again. Nerra now had to half-run to keep up. "Ganny, slow down." She asked him. Ganondorf ignored her, thundering forward. "Ganny!"

"I'm not slowing down." He told her. "I can't wait to finally face something decent. You were an excellent opponent, Nerra, but those were only spars. I want a real match." Nerra picked up her pace, caught up, and looked at Ganondorf's face. His eyes were glimmering malevolently. Nerra recognised this. Ganondorf's eyes always glimmered before he fought. She sighed, and took to the air.

"Have fun." She said. "I'll keep an eye out above." She flapped her night-black wings, and flew above the jungle, scanning the ground. Ganondorf reached the shrine quicker than she had expected, and walked slowly to the emerald. As expected, a crystal creature appeared in front of him. It was grey, in the form of a bear-like creature, but with a thinner, more lithe figure. Ganondorf flexed and stretched his arms, then stood ready for the fight. The creature roared its' resonating howl, then charged. Ganondorf expertly flipped over it, evading the swinging paw with ease. The creature turned quickly, quicker than expected, and slashed him again. Ganondorf blocked the paw, and punched the crystal bear in the chest, knocking it through the air. The bear was back in front of him in less than two blinks, kicking him into the stairs of the shrine. Ganondorf rolled backward, only just escaping a downward punch. He lashed his leg outward, narrowly missing the bears' knee. The bear brought that leg forward, swinging it at Ganondorf. He leapt sideways, stabbing a punch at the bears' face. The bear span on the spot, making Ganondorf's fist graze its cheek. As it span to face him again, it grabbed his arm, span some more, and hurled him over its shoulder.

He wanted a challenge. Nerra mused, as the bear grabbed Ganondorfs' ankles, picked him up, then slammed him into the ground. Nerra winced. Ganondorf was lifted into the air again, but then sat himself up and smashed his fist into the bears' face. It growled and dropped him, staggering back. Ganondorf landed on his feet, and shoulder-charged the bear in the stomach, knocking it to the ground. Before it had the chance to get back up again, Ganondorf plunged his hand into its' chest, and pulled out its core. He smashed it. With a snort, Ganondorf shook the shards from his hands, and walked toward the emerald. Nerra sighed. That was over too quickly. She had wanted to see Ganondorf get serious. A few moments after she thought that, she realised that she might be able to see it after all. The crystal bear rose to its feet again, and silently walked toward Ganondorf. It raised a paw, ready to strike. Nerra rocketed to the ground, ready to warn him. If the bear attacked Ganondorf from behind, he might not get up again. Several feet before the ground, another crystal creature materialised, and shot toward her. This one was a harpy. Luckily, the appearance of this creature alerted Ganondorf, and as he turned to look at it, he turned just enough to spot the bear out the corner of his eye. However, he didn't manage to avoid the paw, which impacted his face heavily, and sent him sprawling across the ground. Nerra couldn't watch any more, as the crystal harpy shot at her, clawing at her with its talons. Nerra narrowly avoided it, but it circled around with amazing speed and agility, and shot at her again. Nerra evaded again, kicked at it as it flew past. Her foot glanced off the harpys' shoulder, barely affecting it. Again the harpy flew at her, and Nerra panicked for a moment. The harpy held its' talons in front of itself, screeching in attack. Nerra realised something at this moment. She focussed her energy, putting as much as she thought necessary into her hands, and her wings. Her wings grew in size, and her hands glowed a pulsing black. Nerra held her hands forward, and caught the harpys' talons, stopping it in mid-air. She flapped her huge wings furiously, trying to push the harpy back. The harpy screeched in response, flapping its own wings harder. Nerra scowled, then threw the harpy to one side. Then, she remembered that she had magic. She charged and cast a bolt of energy at the flailing harpy. It then turned out that the harpy had magic, too, as it sent a beam to intercept her energy bolt. The two collided and exploded in a cloud of smoke. Nerra took this moment to charge forward, flaring the energy in her hands again, drawing her right hand back into a fist. The harpy seemed to have the same idea, and as soon as the smoke cleared, she found herself staring at a very large talon. Then she found herself staring at nothing. She took a moment to sort herself. There was a throbbing pain in and below her left eye. She opened her right eye, the undamaged eye, as her left was crushed, with a large hole in it. Nerra kept it firmly closed. She looked around for the harpy, but couldn't see it anywhere. Suddenly, a ripping sound filled her ears. It was very close to her ears, too. Then her back flared in agony. Turning around, Nerra saw the harpy above her, screeching delightedly, clutching her wings in its' talons. It was then that Nerra realised she was falling.

"No..." She whimpered. "Not my... Noooo!!! NOOOO!!!" The ground was a long way down, and Nerra wondered if she would survive the fall. Though, that didn't matter. The left side of her face hurt, she was blind in her left eye, and that filthy excuse for a bird had ripped her wings off! Nerra fought past the pain, powering up an energy ball in her hands. She clapped her hands together, sending a tremendously large bolt at the crystal harpy. It shrieked in pain, then exploded into dust. Nerra's wings floated slowly toward the ground, while Nerra herself plummeted. She barely registered a thump and a blast of pain down her neck and spine, then everything went black.

Shadow

"I think I've figured it out." Tails said to Shadow as he walked into the living room. Three years had changed the fox a great deal. His fur was now rough, with a small patch missing on his shoulder. He only had one tail, and his face was a sea of scars and burn marks. His entire right arm was mechanical, and he had a mechanical left hand.

"Figured what out?" Shadow asked. He had been sat on the sofa with Amy, asking her what he had said to win her over.

"How to send you back, of course." The fox replied impatiently.

"Oh, right!" Shadow said, nodding. "How?"

"I tweaked my teleporter machine, using some of the data I got from Daisy last year. It should work fine. Want to try it?"

"Of course!" Shadow gasped, leaping over the back of the sofa.

"Shadow." Amy said, jogging over to him. "Don't forget. I know you'll be happy when you get back. If this works, I'll be the first person you see. Hug me, spin me around, and say how happy you are to see me. That's how I remember it. Then, spend alot of time with me. Be there for me, a shoulder to cry on. It only took a few days."

"I know, Amy. Thank you." Shadow hugged the pink hedgehog, who gripped him tightly.

"I'll miss you. Don't betray us this time. Stay with me."

"I will, I promise." Shadow kissed her lightly on the cheek, then walked over to Tails. "Let's go." The two walked to the basement.

-

"I don't think I'll be able to take you back to when you disappeared. You might be a day or so out, either direction. No more than a week." Tails was telling Shadow, as the black hedgehog stepped into the capsule.

"As long as I'm in my own time, I'll be happy. Thank you for this, Tails."

"No problem."

"And you have my word that I won't betray you this time. Thinking about it, betraying you all will mean me having to be away from Amy. I don't want that."

"Good. Here's hoping for a better future." Tails closed the capsule doors, and walked over to a control panel. "Here's hoping this works." He muttered, flipping a few switches, and inputting some data. "Smooth sailing, Shadow." He called, then pushed a large button. The capsule fizzled and sparkled for a moment, then smoke hissed out of it. The door opened, and Shadow was gone. "Hope it worked."

"So do I." Amy's voice said from the door. "I believe in you, Tails. And your machines." The two started to walk up the stairs. When they reached the top, they saw Shadow standing by the front door. Several things raced through the pairs' minds, then they walked over to the hedgehog.

--

Shadow looked around. The place didn't look any different to before. He had hoped that he would end up in Tails' basement, but he was out on the street. He walked toward Sonics' house, hoping with all his might that he had made it.

-

Opening the door, Shadow looked inside. The house seemed normal. At that moment, Amy appeared from the basement, with Tails just behind her. Shadow paused for a moment. He examined the fox stood behind Amy. His fur was intact, his face was unscarred, and he had both tails.

"Shadow...?" Amy asked cautiously. "Wh... where have you been? Sonic said you went missing right after you guys found the emerald. What happened? You've been gone for two days!"

"Amy... is Nerra or Link here?" Shadow asked.

"Huh? Links' upstairs with Malon. Something happened to her. Nerra and Ganondorf have gone to get the last emerald."

"So..." Shadow gasped, and smiled widely. "I made it!" He dashed over to Amy, and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I made it! I'm back!" He span her around, laughing happily. "I'm so happy to see you!" He stopped spinning, and held Amy back at arms' length, smiling at her.

"Sh-shadow, what's with you?" Amy frowned in confusion. "I've never seen you so..."

"Excited?" Tails offered.

"Yeah! What happened to you?"

"I..." Shadow hugged her again. "It's a long story."

"So, let's hear it." Amy said, pulling free of the embrace. She took one of Shadows' hands, and walked him to the living room. She sat him on the sofa. "C'mon, spill it." Shadow grinned, and began to tell her about his journey to the future. He decided not to mention him and Amy being a couple. Halfway through the story, Sonic walked into the house. He walked into the living room, then froze. He froze for only a moment, then-

"Shadow! Buddy, where've you been?!" He asked, throwing his arms around Shadow. "Dude, we were so worried about you! What happened?"

"... just stuff." Shadow replied.

"Like what? C'mon, man." He released Shadow.

"I got sent to the future. That's all I wanna say."

"Oh... well, okay. I don't think we should know what's gonna happen. Could mess loads of stuff up. I'm gonna cook us up a huge dinner tonight, to celebrate." Sonic practically skipped into the kitchen.

"Amy." Shadow said to her. "What happened while I was gone?"

"Um... a few things." She replied. "Robotniks' helping us out now. Um... Nerra and Ganondorf are getting the final emerald."

"What about Malon? You said something happened to her."

"Err... she, er... uhm... l-lost her baby." Amy mumbled.

"She... what? Lost it? How?"

"Adia and Lakitu say it was stolen. We still don't know who did it."

"It's kind of obvious, isn't it?" Shadow snorted. "Eo did it."

"We all think it was him, but there's no proof. Besides, Adia and Lakitu thought something else might have happened."

"Well, I'll have to talk to them about it. But right now, I'm quite happy being back here with you."

"M-me? Why me?"

"Not just you. Everyone."

"Hey... you didn't finished telling me about the future."

"Well, it's like Sonic said. You shouldn't know about it."

"Too late for that. You were just telling me about when Adia showed up."

"Fine." Shadow sighed. "She appeared in front of us, and you told her to go away, calling her a traitor."

"Adia betrays us?"

"I don't know. Everything was so strange in the future. Nothing made much sense, and everyone was different."

"Anyway, carry on."

--

Later that day, the front door slammed open. Shadow, Amy, Tails and Sonic went to see who was there. They were shocked by what they saw. Ganondorf stood there, carrying a limp, blood-soaked, wingless Nerra in his arms. He looked thoroughly upset and beaten.

"What... happened?" Sonic asked, walking forward. "Ganondorf, what happened?"

"The emerald sent tougher guards than we expected. A giant crystal bear almost killed me. And a crystal harpy attacked Nerra, cut off her wings... sh-she's not breathing."

"Shadow, Tails, get her to the lab. Try and heal her." Sonic snapped.

"Got it." Tails said as he walked to the basement door. Shadow gently took Nerra from Ganondorf, and followed Tails into the basement.

"C'mon, Ganon. Come and sit down." Sonic said soothingly. "Nerra's gonna be fine. Tails and Eggman will fix her up good as new. I don't think a measly emerald is gonna kill her."

"Speaking of which." Ganondorf sighed, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out the grey emerald. "Take it away from me, before I destroy the damn thing."

"Right." Sonic snatched it from him. "Don't worry about it. Even if Tails can't do anything, Lakitu can."

"I hope so. I truly hope so."

"Amy, can you-?" Sonic turned to face her, but she was gone. "Amy? Where'd that girl go?"

-

"I'm out of my depth, here." Shadow said to Tails and Robotnik. "I don't know what any of these machines do." Nerra was lying on a metal table. "Sorry, guys."

"It's fine." Robotnik assured him. "Just leave it to us. Tails, bring me the arbarator." Tails nodded, dashing to a cupboard. Shadow took two steps backwards, wishing he could more to help, then turned to leave. He walked straight into Amy.

"Oh, sorry." He gasped, grabbing her shoulders before she fell over. "You okay?"

"Yeah, thanks. What about Nerra?" She nodded to the wingless girl.

"I don't know. I don't think we'll know anything for a while. Excuse me, please." He brushed past her, and walked up the stairs. Amy looked at Nerra for a moment, then turned and went after Shadow. As she reached the top of the stairs, she glimpsed Shadow walking out of the front door. She quickly followed him.

"Shadow." She said as she walked outside. He was leaning against the wall. "Are you okay?" She closed the door and walked over to him.

"No, not really."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"It won't help. It's just... I was so happy to be back, and now... this. I really like Nerra, and I wish I could do more to help her. I've no doubt that she'll be fine, but I just want to be able to do something for her." He sighed.

"Ohh, Shadow." Amy groaned. "Don't beat yourself up over it. I like Nerra, too, but I can't do anything, either."

"...I'm sorry. I guess I was being a little selfish, thinking-"

"No, it's okay."

"Nerra didn't have her wings. Ganondorf said the harpy-creature cut them off. Think I should go get them?"

"Yeah. If that'll make you feel better. Want me to come with you?"

"I'd appreciate that. Can you keep up?"

"I've gotten faster lately. I could always swipe an emerald to give me a speed boost." She grinned.

"No, don't do that. I'll go slow for you."

"You don't even know where they went. I'll show you, so you follow me."

"Alright, lead the way." Shadow gave a small smile. Amy smiled back, then ran toward the jungle where Nerra and Ganondorf had found the grey emerald. Shadow followed.

-

It didn't take long for the pair to find Nerra's wings. One was laying on top of the remains of the crystal bear, then other was on the ground several feet away. Shadow picked them up, and turned to leave.

"Hey, Shadow?" Amy asked, making him turn back.

"Yes?"

"You didn't tell me everything about the future, did you?"

"Um... of course I did."

"Hmm. You paused. You're lying."

"I'm not. I... was just trying to remember if I'd forgotten."

"I still think you're lying."

"Well..."

"Was I... with anyone? Y'know? Did I have a boyfriend?" She blushed a little. "And tell me the truth."

"You... weren't with anyone, no." Shadow replied evasively. "But you were in love with him. And he with you." He added, looking away.

"... who was it?" She asked quietly. Shadow didn't answer. "Shadow, who was it?"

"I... don't think I should tell you. I've told you too much about the future. You shouldn't know any more."

"I need to know, Shadow. It's only three years from now. Was it Sonic?"

"Nn... no." Shadow said with difficulty.

"It wasn't...? Then, who? Who else..." She gasped. "Is that why you were suddenly so friendly? Why you hugged me, and said you were happy to see me? Was it... me and you?" Shadow remained silent. "Shadow, tell me!" She grabbed his arms. Tell me! Tell me, Shadow!"

"I can't. I really don't think I should."

"It was, wasn't it?" Amy stepped back. "Shadow, I need to know." She blushed a little more. "Were we in love?"

"Yes, okay? We were. I betrayed us all, joined Eo, in exchange for him promising not to hurt you. He kept that promise. I put up with everyone hating me to keep you safe. Happy now?"

"Very." Amy breathed. "You wouldn't believe how much I missed you these past two days. At first I thought it was just concern as a friend, but on the second day... I realised it was something more. I went on another date with Sonic, to be sure. I didn't enjoy it. I didn't enjoy his company. I found myself thinking about you the whole time."

"Amy..." Shadow began, then stopped. He realised that Amy had sounded oddly relieved when he'd told her that she wasn't in love with Sonic in the future.

"I missed you so much, Shadow. When you just showed up like that, and hugged me... it made me happy. I was confused at first, because you never seemed interested in me before. What happened between future me and you?"

"Uhm... the future me told me all about it. For some reason, I suddenly felt exactly like he said he did."

"So... are you in love with me?" Amy asked, her eyes widening a little, her blush deepening. Shadow stared directly at her, blushing a little.

"Yes."

"Oh..." Amy sighed. "Th... thank god!" She dashed forward and threw her arms around him. "I hoped... that when you made it back... I could be yours. I love you, too, Shadow." She looked up at him. "Will you... be my boyfriend?" Shadow stared at her a moment.

This isn't what future Amy said. She said it would take a few days. He looked into Amy's eyes. Such pretty eyes. How could he refuse? Whatever. Whether it happens now, or in a few months.

"Shadow?" Amy asked, looking worried.

Just say yes. Shadow told himself. Say yes. Don't miss the chance.

"Yes, Amy. Yes." He smiled. "I will." Amy gasped happily, a huge smile spreading across her face.

"Thank you, Shadow!" She cried, hugging him tight. "Thank you..." She hugged him a moment longer, then looked up at him again. "Can I... have a kiss?"

"Of course." Shadow told her, leaning closer.

Adia

"What do you make of it?" Lakitu asked Adia, in her room. He had just shown her the vision that Majora had shown him.

"Looks... bad." Adia said with a sigh. "But, it's better than the last one."

"Definitely. No-one seems to be with him willingly." He closed his eyes a moment. "Shadow and Amy just got together."

"Huh?" Adia closed her own eyes, casting her consciousness to where Shadow and Amy were on Mobius. "Wow, they did. Didn't see that one coming."

"Should we go and try to do something about Nerra?"

"I dunno. You're the one who makes these decisions. Think Tails and Robotnik can handle it?"

"No idea. Their machines are good, but... maybe. Yeah, let's go and see them."

"You go, Master. I've got something to take care of."

"Oh... okay." Lakitu seemed disappointed. "I'll be back in a few hours, then." He disappeared. Adia sighed, and slumped onto her bed.

"No way would I work with Eo, no matter what. Even if I'm being a double agent. I wonder... what's going to happen?" As she asked that, Fionie walked inside.

"Are you okay, Miss Adia?" She asked. "You seem a little down."

"Oh, I'm just thinking." Adia assured the girl.

"You saw my future, didn't you? Where I come from."

"Yeah... I did."

"Don't worry. You're going to fix it. I believe in you." Fionie walked over to, and sat, on her little bed. "Sir Lakitu will fix everything, and so will you. Don't worry about a thing."

"I hope you're right, Fionie." Adia sighed. "I've yet to see a happily-ever-after future. The sand keeps showing me the most likely outcomes, and they all seem pretty bleak, one way or another."

"Why not talk to it again? Maybe things have changed."

"Hmm... I think I will. Pass me the bowl." She held a hand out. Fionie hopped off her bed, pattered to a table, lifted the bowl of sand from it, then took it to Adia. "Thank you. And please wear shoes. I keep worrying you'll catch a chill."

"I'll be fine." Fionie said, sitting next to Adia. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on you. In case you get trapped."

"Thanks." Adia scooped some sand out of the bowl, then poured it back in. She repeated this, as usual, then scooped out a large chunk of sand in both hands. She let it trickle between her fingers, recording this moment, this journey from her hands back to the rest of itself. Her eyes glazed over white, matching her skin, and Adia's mind was thrust into the future.

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

Sorry, guys. This story's getting tough, and I'm having a hard time with it. I seem to be struggling with fight scenes now, and I'm worried that I put too much talking in. The other things I'm struggling with is who I should focus on next, and what exactly they should do. Don't worry, I'm not about to abandon the story. I'm at the point where I need to start thinking about the ending, which will be tough for me. I have a weird thing where if I plan the ending, and know what's going to happen, I stop writing. But I'm not going to do that here.

My main concern is the future visions. It's hard work, figuring out what to put where, and when, and avoid plot-holes. If you've noticed a plot-hole, please tell me, and I'll try to rectify it.

I think I asked this before, but I'll ask again. If there's a character not in the story, and you want to see them again, let me know, and I'll see what I can do.

Anyway, thank you yet again for the support. Don't be afraid to say bad stuff about my story. I need to hear all opinions on it, no matter how harsh. How else can I improve?

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