First request for my new fic coming soon will be awarded to the first person who can guess why the story title is Destiny's Heart xD

I updated WITHIN two weeks, so no telling me that updates are slow this summer xD I will not stand for it!

Anyways, enjoy :D

Chapter 37

It was in moments like this that Claire Wilson wanted nothing more than a simple break. She had more than her fair share of action for the night, and suspense, as she, Lloyd, and Zander wandered around stairwells, dark hallways, and loud machinery in order to make it to their destination. She looked at the bland walls, trying not to think about her current situation. They were so plain and simple, she was sure she could walk right through them and do just that.

On the one hand, she did trust her brother, if only a little, to make sure she was safe. The girl had been picking up on lies for years... he seemed fairly certain that his Master truly wanted a peaceful way out too.

On the other... she had been put in a pair of vengestone cuffs, and several large people surrounded her to make sure she didn't try to get away. Excuse her for being unnerved that this setting was not entirely in her favor. The Silver Ninja didn't particularly like the fact that she was appearing to be captured, and taken against her will, like a fish unable to get off of the fishing line. She wanted to face her opponent strong, fierce. She wanted to intimidate him for a turn.

Unfortunately, Zander had insisted that this was safer. Meaning Mallock wouldn't be angry that she was just allowed to wander free. So much for her grand entrance.

Claire tilted her head to the left, eyeing Lloyd. The Green Ninja didn't seem to notice that he too was confined. Instead his eyes were already fixed on her. She knew for a fact that they had been fixed on her this whole time. And when he caught her gaze, everything seemed to light up for him. Forget the dark, scary, noisy factory and the big gruff guys all around him with guns. Her eyes looked like the world to him.

Lloyd gave her a lopsided smile, which looked way too goofy for this moment. She didn't mind. She contained her laughs by expressing a smile of her own. The joy he brought her even when she knew she was screwed was a consolation of sorts. Things would be okay if he was there.

It was far beyond her knowledge, however, that things were much more complicated than she thought possible. Her "companion" was no longer bothering her in the back of her mind. Perhaps it was just because She had given up, or had other matters back there to attend to. Whatever the case, the screaming she had heard earlier from Aura had stopped.

That was good news for Claire. For Aura, it was only a reason to panic.

The entity was frantically searching through the futures, trying to see which path they were currently on. Claire couldn't hear Her. She had done something. That wasn't good. Not good, not good at all. Claire was becoming more skilled in her powers than She had originally thought. Just tonight she had tested her knowledge, using it to her own advantage.

Aura had never been so scared. Right now, things were not going to plan. Claire, without Her guidance, could mess everything up. The girl was foolish, amateur, reckless. If she angered the Master, Lloyd would die, Zander would die, Claire would die. The prophecy wouldn't even happen. Mallock would win. She needed to get back up there. But Claire's mind was stronger than before. She couldn't get past.

It was a frustrating battle. A loss unknown to everyone.

Aura clenched Her fist, trying again. There was a wall in place, keeping Aura and Her island separated from the rest of Claire's mind. If She could break past it, S

he was free to take control.

She needed to warn Claire. To not accept the offer. To fight when they tried to take the memories. To know that her brother was more dangerous than she knew.

And suddenly, it came. A savior to Aura.

Headaches were nothing new to Claire. Oh they hurt, but the girl had gotten used to them. Even those in the middle of the night. What she failed to see was the purpose. The coming sickness was the only sign that Aura was winning. Claire's body and mind would cripple... and then Aura would take complete control. The Awakening as She called it. And then Her body would become stronger than ever. It would be the peak of Claire's invincibility.

The headaches were only the start of something bigger.

As soon as She was free to roam, Aura got to work...

Claire felt uneasy as another headache hit. It was that time of the night, it seemed. And it struck at the worst moment possible.

To add to her discomfort, the man from behind her suddenly harshly jammed the barrel of his gun into her spine. She hissed, staggering forward a pace faster.

"I see yous two make'n eye contact." Maurice sneered. His mouth moved close to her ear, to the point where he was nearly touching it, in order to whisper, while his right hand snuck behind her, his rough skin grazing her cheek as he grabbed a strand of her ginger hair. "Too late for them goodbyes, though. Even if th' Master don' want anythin t'do with ya," The metal rim of the gun settled closer to her back as Maurice got even closer, "He promised me an' my crew our share of fun with ya..."

Claire fixed her eyes in front of her, trying desperately to rid her mind of that picture. Zander wouldn't let that happen. He couldn't. He said she'd make it back home. And he said the orders were that Claire could remain unharmed.

"What do you know?" She snarled, painfully aware of the gun being pushed into her back. Claire wanted nothing more than to show this guy some real pain. "I'm making a deal with your boss. I did not come here to be used by low-level street thugs..."

"Feisty girl, are ya? Not evr'yday a man finds a pretty girl like you..."

But what if Zander's being kept in the dark? The master could tell him one thing to appease his concerns... but send out completely different orders than what he promised.

The realization that maybe Zander didn't really know how much danger she was being brought into made her mind and heart scream. She wanted to get out of here. She needed to be somewhere else. Anywhere but here...

Maurice's breath trailed along her neck in her moment of crisis. But she kept quiet. The gun being pushed into her back seemed more deadly than before. She knew what it meant. Holler, and she dies.

Just stare at the wall. Stare at the wall. Stare at the wall...

At this point, Claire was starting to lose all hope that she'd ever get back home. Curling up in her bed to sleep seemed like a fantasy at this point. Waking up to a morning sun sounded nearly impossible. And having a normal day with her family...
It was probably long gone.

This night had been going on for what felt like an eternity. It was about to get even longer.

Someone to her left violently stirred, with an indignant grunt. Claire turned to see Lloyd, watching their interaction with a burning rage settled clear in his green eyes. The boy jerked, seeming to want to get by her side, but he didn't take into account the other men, holding him back, and threatening to shoot if he tried to get away.

"Get your hands off her!" The boy cried, kicking anywhere he could. And he fought harder, upon seeing that Maurice pulled Claire away from the Green Ninja's efforts, confining her figure against his and positioning the rim of his gun right on her temple.

"Try anythin pipsqueak an' the girlie gets it..." He spat.

Lloyd suddenly stopped... eyeing both Claire and the gun, horror slowly overtaking his features.

Claire knew he wasn't thinking right. That he could do something stupid at any moment. But that didn't stop her from pleading as hard as she could with her eyes.

She didn't want him to get hurt. And she certainly didn't want to die to a bullet in her head.

Lloyd still had some common sense right?

"See?" Maurice chuckled, hardly removing the gun from her head "That wasn't so-"

Taking everyone completely by surprise, the gun suddenly fell from Maurice's grip. His hand was now pinned to a wall, with a dagger holding it there. Claire stared at it, terrified as it had come out of nowhere, and in awe at how perfectly calculated the aim had been.

Everyone's attention was now on Zander, who had several more knives equipped if he needed them. Like before, his hood was now covering his expression, leaving only his blue eyes visible. And, oh, they looked angry.

"I hope you were planning to attack with my permission." He said, looking coldly at the men around him. Claire found herself afraid of the authority before her. Zander had never looked so... menacing. Murderous.

This is the assassin in him... this is what he's been for so long. The one without a shred of remorse or emotion. This is the one who would kill me...

The girl tore her eyes away, unable to see him so violently making his point clear.

"C-Course not... I was only justs-"

"Let her go."

Maurice did as he was told, releasing Claire from her hold almost immediately. She stumbled forward, studying every face around her. But, she settled on the eyes of her brother... now restored to the ones she knew.

He gestured for her to come towards him, and Claire obliged, keeping her head hung low while she did it. The attention now circling around her was nerve wrecking. As she approached, Zander held a hand to her shoulder, gently pushing her in front of him as they continued to walk forward.

It was silent for a bit, with nothing but Lloyd's struggling echoing around them.

"Something's troubling you." Her brother mumbled after a while, just loud enough for her to hear. Claire shifted a bit, still keeping her eyes glued to the floor.

"Just... doesn't seem right. Something's off."

"Of course it is. I never said to trust Mallock. This could very well be a trap..." Claire let her shoulders sink at this news. Zander's confirmation only lessened her hope in this mission. "But you're a clever girl. Mallock acts on impulse, Claire. It makes him dangerous. Yet, it's a weakness. He doesn't think things through... you can negotiate with him."

Acts on impulse? Can't think things through?...

"Lloyd should be doing this," The girl muttered, without a single bit of hesitation. "He's the leader… He can think things through. I'm just… reckless."

The boy snorted, looking over his shoulder at the Green Ninja. "A terrible leader. Have you ever seen him succeed? He's rash and ambitious like any kid. Can't believe Wu thought he could handle that job. Another week and he would've doomed everyone."

Claire could tell by the sound of his voice that Zander truly believed this. She almost wanted to believe it too. A week ago she would've. She might've even believed that she could have done better.

But then she saw Lloyd. All the sacrifices he made. All the mistakes she had made. During the time that Claire had been in charge, she missed Lloyd more than ever. She would give anything if only he could come back.

Yet, the last thing she wanted to do was openly argue with her brother about such a topic. Claire had already found out that Zander had gone behind her back to do this. And she had already seen how he could act when placed in charge. At this point, she didn't want to know what he really thought about her ex.

Instead, she did what she could do best. She changed the subject.

"What is it that you're looking for?"

It was clear that the question was no surprise to him. Claire could almost feel the amusement sliding off of his movements.

His grip on her shoulder tightened as he inched closer.

"We already have half of it. All we need is the information on the second part. Then, we'll begin our search."

The girl didn't like the fact that he was using we. As if his partnership with the enemy was completely his choice. Like he belonged with them.

Claire wanted Zander to come home. The last thing she could bear to see was him staying behind.

"But what is it?" She continued. "And why would you need me to help you? Why make this deal in the first place?"

Claire doubted that this Mallock character really wanted her help. He would surely kill her the first chance he got. This was no deal of peace. It couldn't be.

"It's… hard to explain. Have a little faith, Claire. Both you and Lloyd will be fine."

"But-"

Zander stopped, with her along with him.

Without turning around, he raised a hand, making a twirling gesture with his hand. Claire watched as everyone around Lloyd suddenly pushed him towards where they were. And past them. Lloyd and his entourage were now ahead of her and her brother, disappearing behind a... door.

Her heart sank. They were here.

"Lloyd's going first?" She asked, staring at the spot where she last saw him. The Silver Ninja was now uneasy as he was now farther away from him.

"I thought it was proper. This is your mission. You should at least look presentable."

And before she could question it… The cuffs around her hands fell to the ground with a metallic clank.

She stared at him in disbelief.

"But… you'll get in trouble…"

"You can't let Mallock have all the control here. Just don't do anything… uh…"

Stupid? Regrettable?

She stared at her hands, totally unsure if she even had any control of them anymore. The feeling of the dark magic still lingered, making them twitch every now and then. Like they were desperate for that power again.

"I understand." She agreed, looking into his eyes again.

He looked almost… sorry.

"You're going to be fine." Zander reassured her. "I'll be right there. Just do what you always do."

Claire had no clue what he was talking about. She had never done anything like this. She was about to meet the man who had tried to kill her multiple times, the man who would eventually kill her, and make a deal with him.

But Lloyd…

What would Lloyd do?

Do what Lloyd would do… she realized, almost smiling. Maybe she could make it through the night if she could do things like him.

"Right."

"So…?"

"Yeah." The girl confirmed, nodding her head in confirmation and squaring her shoulders.

I can do this. I'm going to do this. And by tomorrow me and my friends will be safe at home.

She walked forward, placing her hands on the surface of the door…

And pushed it open.

Claire was surprised to see light in this room. It was dim, coming from candles all around the area. She realized they must have been placed when the power outage took hold. The presence was kind of comforting. She instantly relaxed a bit more.

But that was before there was yelling.

"How was I supposed to KNOW she was an IMPOSTER?!" A shrill voice screamed. Claire immediately recognized Elvira in a fit of distress as she pointed accusingly at another figure.

Seliel. She's okay…

"I told you to find the SILVER NINJA! But you are too clueless to tell the difference between some random girl from your sister!"

"I had shot her down! THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN HER! SHE GOT AWAY!"

"YOU WHAT?!"

"She was getting away! What was I SUPPOSED to do?!"

"She got away anyways you imbecile!"

"On the contrary," Someone else spoke up behind her. Instantly, at Zander's words, everyone in the room turned to face them. And she knew without a doubt that a majority of them were eyeing her. She gulped, before standing taller. "I found her."

"WHAT?!" Elvria shrieked, loud enough to shake the planet. "But- But- HOW?! YOU LEFT ME TO FIND HER BY MYSELF!"

"Silence, girl," Someone said.

Claire's heart stopped as someone new stepped forward. The one person in the room who seemed to hold all of the control. The one who held a staff with a purple gem tangled into the structure at the top.

He wore robes of blood red and a cloak of deep black, creating a contrast of eerie colors when mixed with the gray of his messy beard. And when she looked at his bloodshot eyes, she could see why everyone was so scared of him. One eye was almost normal. A brown color, almost black. But the other… it was an orb of pale blue and grey.

She looked away.

"The Silver Ninja," He spoke, in awe of the girl in front of her. And to her surprise, he bowed, tilting his staff to the side in order to do so. "We meet at last."

Claire, already uncomfortable with the way he was greeting her, cleared her throat.

"Mallock. Can't say it's a pleasure."

He chuckled darkly, standing upright again. "So you know who I am?"

Claire glanced at Zander, who stood next to her.

"I've heard a few things."

"Well, I guess introductions aren't in order." He pouted "I was looking forward to making quite the impression."

"I'm pretty sure sending my brother to kill me was the only impression I needed."

Those words seemed to be upsetting to him.

"Yes, well, I'm sure you understand my reasoning. I have a goal, you see. And I'm willing to reach it by any means necessary."

Claire frowned. "Of course."

"But we're not here as enemies," the wizard continued with a grin. "We're here as allies! Together we'll find a way around that prophecy, yes? You get what you want… and I get what I want with no complications."

Claire didn't say anything. She stared at him with an unamused glint in her eyes.

"Ah, I see. You're still not informed. How rude of my students to bring you here without explanation."

"I thought it best that you present the idea to her," Zander spoke up, almost… shyly.

He's scared of Mallock…

An assassin of all people.

Claire tried to forget about the weakness in her brother's voice in that moment. It was haunting. And definitely drained the confidence she was trying to build up.

"I'm interested in hearing your offer," Claire confirmed, stepping forward into the circle of people.

Elvira's gaze trailed her as she did so, burning with rage. But, Seliel and Lloyd's eyes greeted her with friendly and encouraging smiles. Though Lloyd's seemed more… longing. Claire silently hoped he would stay silent during all of this.

"Very well." Mallock smiled, pointing to Zander. "Show her."

Zander nodded his head, reaching into a small satin pouch to pull something out. He opened his palm to reveal what she recognized as a crystal.

"W-What is it?" She asked, eyeing the strange piece. It was shaped like half of a heart and was dull in a blue color. Not anything too remarkable. Quite small. Too small to do anything of importance.

"This is one half of one of Ninjago's greatest relics," Her brother explained. "In some ancient scrolls, it's referred to as the Heart of Destiny."

Heart of Destiny.

Heat of Destiny.

Heart of Destiny.

It sounded… familiar.

"What does it do?" She asked, reaching out to touch it curiously. Claire felt a strange connection to this object, like she'd seen it before.

Zander pulled his hand away before she could touch it, however.

"That's, um…" He cleared his throat, "Confidential."

Claire turned to Mallock in disbelief. "You can't even tell me what it does? And you want me to trust you?!"

"But of course we know what it does!" He argued, glaring at Zander in annoyance. "Some individuals don't believe the true limits of its power should be shared with… well… young impulsive girls such as yourself."

"But-"

However, Mallcok interrupted her again. Claire had to growl to let out her anger in a way that wouldn't draw too much attention.

"We're not asking for you to use it, for goodness sakes! What an enormous blessing! To be relieved of worry… Isn't that what you want?"

Oh, why did her morals have to be twisted like this?

"First, I am perfectly capable of handling myself in the presence of adult knowledge. Second, if this thing really is all powerful, I'd like to know what it does so I can trust you to use it properly! For all I know this thing is Ninjago's downfall!"

Claire pointed to Zander accusingly.

"THIRD! Who's side are you ON?"

Her brother eyed her nervously as her anger was now focused on him.

"Yours of course," He muttered, tucking the crystal away. "Claire, if you would just-"

"I thought you said she would be open to the offer." Mallock griped.

"Well, I-"

"You what?!" Claire yelled, now taking steps toward him. She jammed a finger right into his chest, making him flinch a bit. "You told him I was open to this?!"

"Claire please-" He begged, desperately.

"How dare you make that decision on MY behalf! I didn't even want to be here!" She turned to face the enemy, fuming from head to toe. "If it were up to me RIGHT NOW you would be DEAD! You took my FAMILY, you tried to KILL ME, you burnt my entire village to ASHES and now you want ME to suck it up and obey your every command like one of your PETS that you call ASASSINS and trust you with a strange relic that could possibly do ANYTHING?! How DUMB do you think I AM?!

FIRST SPINJITZU MASTER! This isn't what Lloyd would do!... THIS IS NOT WHAT HE WOULD DO! WHAT AM I DOING?!

But it was already to late for her to go back. Claire, having lost her temper, in a rather unprofessional fashion, was already walking towards Mallock, despite the guns being raised.

"WHO do you think I AM?!" She shouted, flicking her fingers in hopes to spark her silver energy. No such luck.

Why do my powers never work!

She resorted to plan B, using her trick from the hallway before. Her anger only made it easier for that other power to surface. If she could control that then it was all she needed.

"Claire." Zander hissed through gritted teeth. "Get a grip. You're gonna get us killed."

"Oh you're one to talk." She retorted with equal frustration. At those words, he stepped away, looking wounded.

"What? No! I would have never- "

"For the love of SPINJITZU, I don't even KNOW with you anymore!" The girl roared, reaching the peak of the idiotic things yet to come. "Oh you love me! Oh you're sorry! But let's go behind Claire's back and make her look like a fool because she's so innocent and doesn't know what's really going on here!"

"Claire-"

"Don't play that game with me, Zander! I know fully well what's going on here and none of what you say will convince me that anything you have told me is remotely true! Don't waste your breath trying to defend yourself! And certainly don't waste your time in trying to come home!"

And just like that… she said it.

Zander stared in shock at his little sister, trying his best to ignore the other one in the background, laughing hysterically. He seemed to be in a state of panic as her words hit him.

And Claire… it took a while for those words to settle in. The Silver Ninja felt a little guilty about it. That maybe she should talk things over before she completely decided that he wasn't welcome…

But then she thought about Lloyd. Lloyd was right. He had seen this all along.

And Lloyd, for the good of his family, would never allow Zander to come back.

She was prepared to do the same.

Her brown irises locked onto his clear blue ones, confirming her statement confidently. And she didn't look back on it.

"Well…" Mallock started, with a chortle of amusement. "I've certainly come to a conclusion."

"As have I," Claire claimed, turning her attention away from Zander's pitiful expression. "Find your crystal without my help. Just let me, my friends, and the other elementals go."

Mallock played with the idea.

"And… what if I say no?"

The girl smirked, raising her handful of silver-black energy.

"Then we fight. And then maybe you can see that underestimating me was probably the worst mistake of your life."

"Be a hero why don't you." The wizard laughed, clutching his staff in both hands. "It's not a good look for you. You're weak."

Claire set her jaw, unwilling to give in to something that she thought obvious.

"Relax girl, I have no use for the Elementals now. I have what I need."

"And what is that?" she asked.

"And what of your… brother?" He continued, waving the staff towards Zander.

His eyes pleaded with her for reconsideration, and she could tell that he genuinely despised it here. She saw the apology.

But Claire could only think of someone else.

"He's with you. No longer welcome with us."

Mallock frowned at the news.

"You're… sure…"

"Positive."

Mallock sighed, sitting down while resting his head in his hand. "I did so hope it didn't have to come to this…"

"What?" She questioned, though it was obvious that he wasn't addressing her. She looked to her brother.1

"I'm sorry. I thought she'd be… better… than this." Zander confessed, lowering his head in shame.

Claire scoffed.

"Yes, well, we can talk punishments later. For now, just…" He waved a hand, tiredly. "Oversee the memories. This was a waste of time."

Claire didn't like the sound of that. And she definitely didn't like the arms now holding her in place.

"Let me go!" She hollered, pulling her body away only to be pulled back in. "ZANDER!" she then cried, trying to reach her brother who just stood and watched. "YOU SAID! YOU SAID I WOULDN'T-"

The girl's wailing was cut short by a pinch in her neck. She turned in horror to see the man holding her pulling a needle away from her skin.

All of a sudden, she started to sway.

"You said…" She shook her head as her vison became blurry. "You… said…"

"NO!" Someone else cried, struggling.

Away in the distance, she saw Lloyd, running over to her, apparently having gotten free. However, her sister got in the way, using her magic to hold him in place.

"CLAIRE!"

"Does he ever shut up!" Elvira snapped.

"W-What about the memories?" Zander asked, quite fearfully. He stood beside Claire's crumpling form, wincing with each word she said.

Claire reached for him, hoping maybe he would help her.

"She can't remember any of this, of course. And of your betrayal. We need you with the Ninja, feeding us the info you collect. You need their trust again. They'll have to think you were on this mission with them… helping. As I understand, you can remove, add, or alter the memories, correct?"

"Yes," He admitted, guiltily.

"Perfect. Go ahead and do that for all the Elementals, then. Make every story exactly the same. No one can know what really took place here. In their minds… make it a…" He smiled wickedly, "Victory."

Claire, by now, couldn't understand a word. The muffled voices only blended into the blur of her senses. It was too late for her. She could no longer see the fates of Seliel and Lloyd. Couldn't see Zander approaching, ready to change the sequences in her head entirely. And she was far from able to hear the voice in her head- Aura- screaming for her to fight back.

Claire was now on her knees, falling into slumber as a result of the liquid injected into her bloodstream, with her head being supported by Zander's shaking grip.

The last thing she saw was only his eyes. But even then, perhaps that's what she didn't see. By the time her eyelids gained dominance, she couldn't remember a true thing.

Claire awoke with a headache, only strengthened by the light of a nearby window and the smell of something… burning.

Her first initial thought: Fire.

Despite the throbbing, the girl toppled over the side of her bed, scrambling to sit upright as the alarming scent of smoke burned her eyes. She coughed, choking on air before realizing… someone was laughing.

"What could you expect?" Nya giggled, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "Kai's cooking breakfast! Something was going to burn!"

The girl just burst into more laughter.

Claire, however, seemed to still be recovering from the previous night's events.

"We're… home?"

Nya waved it off. "You and your sister got into a nasty fight last night. Knocked unconscious right beside her. But hey! We won! Everyone's back where they should be…"

That's right. Claire remembered.

They had gotten into the factory perfectly, timing a flawless attack in just the right places. Everyone had become spread out, allowing their small numbers to take them down with hardly any effort. The only challenge faced was finding their friends, which required Zander's assistance in creating a doorway. Then, going out, things had really taken a turn. They had a brief battle, with Claire facing off against her sister. In the end… Nya was right. They were victorious.

"You did that, Claire." Nya smiled brightly, helping Claire off the floor. "That was your plan. You rescued everyone."

Claire smiled too.

"I still can't believe it… kinda almost doesn't feel real, you know?"

The raven haired girl chuckled, pushing Claire in the direction of their bathroom.

"When you've fought a lot of battles, you kinda get used to victory. Now, come on, let's go! Cole's gonna take all the food that turned out edible!"

The ginger was pushed into the small room, watching the door close behind her after a change of clothes had been shoved into her arms. She then risked a look down at her gi, which was sadly torn in several places and mud stained. Certainly not something she'd be able to wear again. She would have to ask Wu for a new one to wear soon enough.

For now… Claire would celebrate. The night had been long. But it was worth it.

They still had work to do. Elvira, who now resided in their caged area, after being captured, still needed to be questioned. Then there was Lloyd, who couldn't stay the way he was forever. And, to add to that, something just felt… wrong. Aura was strangely quiet all of a sudden. And something seemed unsettling whenever she tried to remember the previous night.

She could have waved it off. She would have.

But when she looked in the mirror, Claire swore she was missing something bigger.

Her chocolate brown eyes, were no longer whole. Instead, along the outer rim of her irises… was an echo of silver.

Hey, 6000 words in 2 weeks? I'll take it!

Hello everyone and good morning/evening :D I bring you another chapter! Rushed? You bet! But who cares about editing and quality xD I just wanted this done and over with. I've had my fair share of writing action (or whatever the heck you wanna call the previous chapters xD) and will now return to romance! And FLUFF! (That's right xD We get some fluff next time! I've been itching to write it for so long now, you have no idea)

Speaking of that stuff… I have a certain kickoff for a new fic… and there is lots of fluff ^.^
Yeah, I decided that the backstage-side- we'll-come-up-with-a-name-later-fic is the way to go ;D So keep an eye out for that! I will address this many many many times, until you all get the hang of this new collection, that you can request pretty much ANYTHING! Alternate endings, longer scenes, or any ideas you have in general… I'll be happy to write them ^.^ They just have to be canon with my story. If you want romance, it doesn't even have to be LloydXClaire xD Jaya, Coliel, and Skylor are also canon in this fic ;D So request what you want with them. And, of course, at 200 reviews, I'll post a Q&A to appease any burning questions you have xD
I'm really really excited to get this thing up and running, so, any support you can give would certainly be appreciated :D

Okay, let's get down to business. My thanks goes to Littlecelly for fav/following :D And thanks to those who reviewed: EnergyBlastNinjaWriter, LloydLuvr, legocameragirl, and sunny! You guys make me happy ^.^

EB: Claire is my all time favorite to write, so I get ya xD Hope your summer's off to a great start!

LloydLuvr: Well now everyone wants to murder Zander! Poor guy xD Just a good fella making some very very regrettable decisions… His role in the story? HMMMMMM… we'll see soon enough ;D There was something mentioned about an upcoming character change for both him and Lloyd. Their distaste for each other might have something to do with that, my friend!
As for Claire and Lloyd, there will be fluff and romance and stuff, but they're not exactly "okay" until book two xD At least, the END of book two. And sorry to say that there won't be a happy ending :( The end of this fic won't be nearly as satisfying as you romance lovers would like, but FEAR NOT, book two will wrap it all up :D I think it was two chapters ago that Aura had revealed a few things that could happen. Feel free to guess which you think are true xD

legocameragirl: Thanks! I'm more than excited for the backstage fic ;D That'll come in its own time. For now, I hope you enjoy this little update ^.^ I really appreciate every review you leave

sunny: Yes, I saw the trailer and I loved every BIT of it! xD Thanks! Hope this isn't too late for your liking. I think I did pretty good with updates this time ^.^ let me know!

Anywho, that's all for now! Peace out!

~Rain