Chapter Twenty-Eight

Written: March 31st, 2008

Typed: May 8, 2008

The swordsman of Halo warily looked around, though he immediately knew where he was…The forest outside the Shinwako mansion...Except, this was a very long time ago as the trees looked far younger than what he had seen.

Sage got to his feet and dusted off his clothes. He was not sure how he had landed in a heap, but not willing to dwell on it at this point in time. His violet eyes scanned the area around him, looking for something, or anything.

He needed guidance, and his lips were pressed into a thin line, "Why bring me here Korin?" He knew he was sleeping, and yet he knew that this dream was real.

The armor resonated firmly in the back of Sage's mind, and was quick to answer 'It is time, Seiji-sama.'

The Ronin of Halo had no need to ask what it was time for…He was already aware. The young man started walking knowing where he needed to go.

Sage had seen it in his dreams, what had to have been a million times…Where they had left Universe behind…But…

"I wouldn't go that way if I were you," a voice softly murmured jerking him from his thoughts.

The swordsman sharply turned his head, his eyes widening in surprise. The youth that stare back at him, was him…But, yet there was a difference.

Seiji's calm eyes regarded the blond with a little mirth, "I've been waiting on you, Date Sage."

The surprise and shock faded from the bearer of Halo's face, and he regarded his younger self carefully, "Have you?"

"Mm," the teenager stopped leaning against the tree and started to walk away from where Sage had been heading. "You already know what's there. Do you really want to see it, again?"

"No," he answered as he followed. "Too bad Ryo couldn't have offered us a little forewarning."

"Ah, he remembered first?" Seiji queried and at the nod, he shook his head, "Why am I not surprised? He normally prompts this." The faintest of smiles was on his lips, but Sage did not see it more attune to what he was passing by.

Following his twin to the palace, the Halo Ronin remained silent…Until they got there.

"How is that possible?" Sage asked sounding rather baffled.

Seiji frowned and tilted his head to glance back at him, "What's wrong?"

"Where we reside currently is on the exact same grounds," the swordsman explained the confusion clear in his face.

"Ah," Seiji grinned, "It'll make sense to you soon enough."

"Will it?" Apparently Sage wasn't fully convinced.

"I know how you feel, I've been here before," the younger told him. "But, there's nothing for you to worry about. The time for you to remember your past is now."

"What of you?"

Seiji chuckled in amusement, "I am you, and I will continue to exist in that respect. What I know, will simply become a part of your knowledge. You and I are different, but your life, your current personality, will remain. You might pick up an old quirk or two, but that's it."

"Old quirk?" Sage raised a golden eyebrow at hearing this, and waited for an elaboration.

"I'm rather defensive of Universe."

"Pah," the swordsman of Halo waved his younger self off, "Already there."

"Good," Seiji said closing his eyes and letting out a relieved sigh. "I was always fearful that everything we put her through would get to her, and no one would be there to look out for her."

"Don't worry about that, Kento and I pretty much have it covered."

"Shuu?" Seiji chuckled and shook his head, remarking, "The more we change, the more we stay the same." However the amusement faded from his face, as he turned back to the matter at hand, "Are you prepared?"

"As ready as I will ever be," Sage admitted with a nod.

"Good luck to you."

"Thanks," the Ronin of Halo grinned, before closing his eyes and calling the armor to him. He had needed no further instruction, already aware of what he had to do.


"Ugh," the Warrior of Strength moaned out rubbing at his sore backside. "Why'd I have to land on my butt?"

"Would you have preferred landing on your head?" a voice queried in amusement.

"Wouldn't have hurt as much," Kento retorted without thinking, before his eyes nearly popped out of his skull when he saw who had spoken. "I-wha…You? Me…Uh…Wah?" The Ronin of Hardrock stopped trying to talk, and then said, "Dude this is so messed up."

Shuu sniggered, "You're telling this to me?" The teenager shook his head, and offered a hand to him, "C'mon you know why you're here. Let's get a move on."

"Pushy much?" Kento queried of his younger self with a half-raised eyebrow.

"Impatient," Shuu cheerfully corrected. "Been waiting on you for a long time. Can you blame me?"

"Guess not," Kento admitted, casting a sideways glance to the forest they were passing by, and a certain path…"That trail, is that the one where we-?"

"Ya," Shuu's tone of voice was now gruff, "More times than we'll ever be able to fully grasp too." He shook his head, anger reflected in his eyes, "Burns me up, every time I think about it."

Kento watched as the teenager clenched his fist and then smashed it into a tree, causing it to fall, he dryly remarked, "I can tell."

"Heh," Shuu rubbed at the back of his neck, now slightly embarrassed.

"So," the Ronin of Hardrock wrinkled his nose, "What exactly is the purpose behind meeting you?"

To this the teenager gave a wry grin, "If Touma were here he'd give some overtly logical and exceedingly boring explanation. But having gone through this myself? Well, think of it as an ending to my part in a story, and the continuation of yours."

"Plus," he added as an afterthought, "The Council went through an awful lot of trouble to separate us from our memories. In response to what they did, we lingered behind. We had to be here in order for you to get them back."

"We? Meaning the others are currently going through the same thing?" Kento blinked.

Shuu gave a nod, "It's a rule of thumb, one of us tends to remember everything first and the rest quickly follow after. But, when everyone else remembers it all happens at the same time, to keep anyone from accidentally triggering a memory."

"Does more harm than good," the Warrior of Strength finished, and then sniggered, "Wonder how Rowen is taking this?"

Shuu rolled his eyes, "Knowing Touma? The two of 'em are probably arguing over the impossibility of the whole thing."

"Sounds about right," Kento chuckled out, before coming to the realization that it was time. But he felt the need to say something first, so he did, "Don't worry about mei mei. We're all looking out for her this time around."

The teen seemed relieved to here this, and gave a nod in thanks, before saying, "Nice meeting you."

"Likewise," the Ronin of Hardrock said with a grin, and then called forth his armor fully aware that he needed it in order to 'finish' this.


Rowen reverently shook his head, "Nu-uh, not possible."

"I know it," the young Touma agreed. "It implies higher order workings, a lot higher."

"Exactly," Strata's bearer said.

Needless to say, after fifteen minutes of discussing the impracticality of the occurrence, what its existence meant, and what other things could potentially be out there…Rowen paused.

"If this keeps up, I'm gonna be the only one without my memories, huh?"

"Mhm," the teenager nodded his blue head, having convinced Rowen in walking as they debated. "Pretty much."

"Heh," the archer sighed as he rubbed at the back of his head. "Still can't believe what I've been seeing. That it all, more or less, started here."

"Odd, ne?" Touma sighed. "That's what I thought, too. Especially with the rip to Akemliek's dimension-"

"Being so close by," Rowen finished for him, and then asked, "Universe created the gateway didn't she? After being told she didn't have a choice in the matter?"

A nod was what the archer gained in response, and the teenager did not bother to query how Strata knew, "She's been trying to close it ever since then. But, she can't."

"I see," the archer murmured, now looking at his younger self carefully. "Guess I've put it off long enough, right?"

Touma chuckled at this but that was the only form of response he gave. Just as Rowen opened his mouth to say something, he did, "Ah…I've never been quite good at this."

The Ronin of Strata raised an eyebrow, but waited for the teenager to say what was currently on his mind.

"Take care of each other," he said in a calm tone. "Even on your bad days. And…Talk often. A lot of what happened with us could have been avoided if we had simply stopped for five minutes and talked it out."

"I gotcha," the archer understood all too well what was being hinted at. It was knowledge he would keep in mind for the future, it would certainly be needed. He took pause for a moment, and then summoned his armor.


The Ronin of Torrent could only blink.

"It certainly took you long enough, now didn't it?" Shin asked with a scoff.

Cye blinked further.

"Well, don't just sit there all day! Let's get a move on mate," the teenager ushered.

Cye just blinked some more.

"Oi! Come on, up off your arse," Shin ordered as he unceremoniously yanked Cye to his feet.

"W-wait a minute," Cye protested as he flailed at being pulled up and then shoved forward.

"Ya can't sit there all day mate," Shin told him with a cheerful smirk. "You could, but then you'd be the only bloke without your memories back."

Cye was just trying to recover from the fact this 'twin' of his was completely opposite him in personality.

"C'mon now!" Shin objected, catching the thought. "I am not that bad." He was beaming at this point, "In fact, I used to be worse."

After hearing that, Cye's eyes got as wide as saucers leaving Shin in complete hysterics.

"I am going to need a drink after this," the Torrent Ronin moaned out.

Shin chuckled, "Ah, no worries. We are the same person, my personality was just a little…Er a lot…Ya know? Never mind. There are some habits I have, that you'll probably pick back up on. But, you'll still be-"

"Me?" the Torrent Ronin finished, though he still sounded slightly apprehensive. Not that anyone could blame him for being so.

"Mhm," the teenager gave a nod, the playfulness now gone to replaced by a grimness that took Cye aback. "It needs to be done. You can't keep going without your memories…Our memories. The longer it waits, the harder it'll be to accept them."

"I understand."

"Favor?" Shin let out a sigh, "Look after them…Even when they tell you not to." Here he offered his elder self a wry smile, "I learned the hard way what happens when you don't."

"You don't have to worry mate," Cye was the one smirking now. "I've become a professional in the mother hen department."

Shin chortled at this and shook his head, before calming himself down and giving a nod. He knew he didn't have to explain to Cye what needed to happen now…At this point none of the warriors needed to be told what to do, they already knew.

Cye drew in a sharp breath and focused on the link with his armor, within seconds it had heard his plea and responded.