If you could only see, the beast you've made of me

I held it in but now it seems you've set it running free

-Howl, Florence + The Machine

"Black Turtle!" roared Rak, running forward to greet Baam.

He and Hwaryun had just arrived to their lodgings after a rather uneventful voyage home – Baam rendezvoused with her at the airport, they retraced their previous flight paths, made the trek through the woods and along the underground river and back again, with only a few words exchanged between Lady Skud and themselves. She informed him his task was complete, sent them back to their own time, then bid them leave her and be on their way.

"You appear unharmed. Are you unharmed, Black Turtle?"

"I'm alright, Rak. It's good to see you."

"So, you kept your word, Hwaryun. I am pleasantly surprised." stated Khun as he rose from the table, nodding to Baam.

"We returned just when I told you we would, and Viole is unharmed. I will let him tell you what happened, though I am sure you will have questions for me afterwards, Khun. None of them are dire, and I will answer them in the morning. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Though Khun would not be pleased when he found out that was only a half-truth, Baam felt a rush of gratitude for her, not only for her guidance, on a journey that she too had not wanted to embark on, but her discretion: she assumed he would tell his friends some of what happened and told him it was fine to do so, yet she would reveal nothing more, as she considered this his business, not hers.

They watched her retire to her room, then Raak came forward to embrace him. Up till now, Baam had felt rather numb, but the solidity of Rak's arms and the roughness of his skin broke through and Baam leaned heavily into him, causing Rak and Khun concern.

"What happened, Black Turtle?" Rak looked up at him.

"How about we get something to eat?" he replied, not quite ready to talk.

"Sounds good, Baam. Welcome back." answered Khun, a rare gentleness in evidence.

The three of them had a peaceful, mostly quiet dinner together, then took a stroll through the area they were staying in. While it helped to stretch his legs, Baam was shocked how disoriented he was. He kept expecting Lero-Ro to be around the next bend, and the enormous passage of time he had undergone was slowly starting to sink in.

He had not wanted to discuss this in public, but as soon as they returned to their lodgings, he beckoned Khun and Rak to follow him into his bedroom, whereupon Rak could no longer contain his curiosity.

"Alright, Black Turtle. What happened to you? You seem different." Rak asked, as he quickly made himself comfortable on the edge of the bed, followed by Khun, who sat a conspicuously large distance away from him. Baam smiled at their silent battles with each other, as he pulled up a chair to face them, then asked,"How so?"

"I don't know, but you seem more like a hunter and less like my prey. This disturbs me."

"I went back in time." Khun and Rak's eyes widened.

"How long were you really gone, Baam?" Khun asked.

"A few weeks."

"You were!? That sneaky Red Turtle! She said there would be no fighting either. Was there any fighting?"

"No, actually."

"Humph! Should have known. Red Turtle is tricky sometimes. So, what were you doing, Black Turtle?"

Baam began his strange tale, told them of meeting Lady Skud, her ominous message about his and his companions safety and the necessity of the time travel, how Hwaryun led them to the 29th Floor, the dinner with Princess Yuri and Lero-Ro, Yuri's departure, his talks with Lero-Ro, his and Hwaryun's confusion as to what he was supposed to be doing there, but there he paused.

He heard Khun's voice echo back to him, asking him to tell them all about it when he returned, and his own voice cheerfully agreeing, but did he really want to tell them this next piece? Should he be discrete, as Hwaryun was? He had thought about this often on the return voyage here.

Baam looked to them, now, raptly awaiting the rest of the story, and Baam almost started to chuckle. It was so obvious when they were here in front of him: Khun and Rak knew him too well, they would know he was hiding something, and he didn't have the personality to keep this from them. So, he took a deep breath and continued…

"I don't really know how to say this, except that I fell in love. We had a short time together, then Lady Skud contacted Hwaryun, ordering us to return. And here I am."

...Only to be met with stunned silence, unnerving, both considering the deeply personal nature of what he had just revealed, and the temperament of his companions, each not known for bouts of speechlessness.

"Umm, guys? Could you… say something?"

Khun immediately leaned over and steepled his fingers. "You talk, Crocodile, I'm thinking. Wait, is that a problem for you, Baam being with a male?"

"I don't care what Black Turtle does with his banana! You on the other hand… well, we've already discussed this." Raak then addressed Baam smugly, "I was right. You have been hunting."

Now it was Baam's turn to be stunned silent, and when it became clear Rak was content to say no more, Khun piped in, "Really, Crocodile? That's all you've got to say?"

"What more is there to say?"

"Oh, I don't know, how about, 'FUG has a woman who sends people around in time?'"

"He already said that. Why do I need to repeat it? I don't understand you turtles."

Khun sighed. "Of course you could care less about all the implications and mechanics of time travel. But, the other thing is, Baam, are you going to pursue this?"

"Of course he is! He's hunting! This is what I was trying to explain to you, Blue Turtle. You don't give up the hunt!"

"And this is what I was trying to explain to you, Rak: sometimes it's not that simple."

"You just complicate everything. Black Turtle, what are you plans, so Blue Turtle can see that he was wrong."

"I don't know."

"What?!" exclaimed Rak, truly surprised, juxtaposed with Khun's look of satisfaction. "I guess I need to give you the talk then too, Black Turtle. You are on the hunt now, you do not give up the hunt!"

"I… promised him we would see each other again. I'm going to tell him it was me, but Rak, hundreds of years have gone by."

"So?"

"I know it's hard for you, but use your imagination here." answered Khun. "Mr. Ro knows Baam as Baam, the Irregular, the FUG Slayer Candidate, et cetera, et cetera – not as Bijou with whom he had a brief affair when he was a D-Class Regular."

"I still do not see any problem here. All Black Turtle needs to do is explain who he is. We believed it, Dotted Turtle will believe it too."

"What if I don't feel the same, or he doesn't feel the same about me? For all I know, he could be seeing someone else." said Baam.

"Then you displace that person! You are on the hunt! How many times do I have to say this? Weren't you turtles taught this?"

"Setting that aside for now, Mr. Ro's a Ranker; Baam's a Regular. We'd be breaking Tower rules to contact him. Not that we haven't done that before..." Khun trailed off.

"That's right! Besides, it will not take Black Turtle long to become a Ranker, and Dotted Turtle's already waited, waiting some more isn't going to hurt anything. Go ahead, Black Turtle, why are you still unsure? Give me more arguments, and I will cut them down!"

"It changes things." replied Baam, dazedly. Khun's careful analysis he expected, Rak's support he had not.

"Are you worried what people would think? Or, are you worried it could be dangerous? That someone might try to go after Mr. Ro?" asked Khun.

"They could go after you too, Blue Turtle, and you stay, because you and Black Turtle are friends. I stay because you turtles need a leader. Besides, Dotted Turtle has risked himself to help us before.

"And why would you worry what anyone thinks? You're so powerful, if anyone gave you trouble, you could just kill them. If my female accepted my offering of a giant rainbow clamshell and others still challenged us, of course I would kill them. Any one of my people would do the same. As should you, Black Turtle!"

Baam tried not to smile too overtly at the disturbed look on Khun's face as he replied, "Thank you, Rak. Your support means a lot to me."

"I know you would do the same for me." answered Rak contentedly. "What about you, Blue Turtle? Are you convinced?"

"Though I can't say I'm as bold as Rak here – I honestly have no idea how Mr. Ro will react, or what the consequences will be – for what it's worth, I'll support you."

"See! All set!" said Rak triumphantly.

"Let's call it a night," declared Khun as he stood, "You look like you could use a rest, Baam. I know you've got a lot to think about."

"No he doesn't. We just figured the whole thing out!" cried Rak, rising from the bed nonetheless.

"Like I said," muttered Khun as he gripped Rak's shoulders and began steering him out of the room, calling over his shoulder to Baam, "I know you've got a lot to think about. We'll talk tomorrow."

They exchanged goodnights, Baam readied himself for bed, then laid down. Khun was correct, he was tired; unfortunately, it was not a restful tired, and he slept fitfully.

The next morning he made his way to the kitchen, and greeted Khun and Hwaryun who were seated at the dining table.

"Morning, Baam. Rak's out training at the moment. There's some breakfast here if you want it." called Khun, cheerfully. Too cheerfully...

"You've been talking about me, haven't you?" asked Baam, amused, as he sat down and helped himself to some fruit.

"Actually, Khun's been asking my opinion of this journey of ours, and he won't take 'no,' for an answer." replied Hwaryun.

"Guilty as charged." Khun replied, without a shred of remorse. "I had no idea you valued Baam's privacy so much. So, now that's he's here, will you answer my questions?"

"What were you wondering about?" asked Baam.

"I hate time travel – does it cause some weird ripple if Mr. Ro knows it was you, Baam, and not Bijou? And you're really telling me the only reason Mr. Ro helped us is because he thought Baam resembled his former lover, but unbeknownst to him and us, Baam was his lover? I know you wanted to tell him it was you, but I want to know her opinion as a guide."

"The Tower isn't going to collapse if Lero-Ro finds out Viole is Bijou, Khun; much stranger things have happened. Besides, it is as you said: Viole has already chosen, so I say, 'Follow the path and see where it leads.' And that is all I will say about it." concluded Hwaryun, nodding to Baam with her usual calm, then leaving the table.

Baam understood. While he appreciated Khun's concern, and he too was concerned about the personal ramifications, the only real question he had now was when, not if, to tell Lero-Ro, and he could tell by the resigned look on Khun's face that he knew it too.

"I should have known." Khun sighed. "You're too nice of a guy to keep him in the dark. I don't know how you want to go about this, but I've got Mr. Ro's contact information, from the Workshop, and I'll help out as best I can..."

Eventually, Baam finalized the message. He hadn't wanted to reveal too much, nor did he want to give the impression that this was an emergency. He opted short and simple: "I am sorry to trouble you, but would you please contact me at your earliest convenience? There is something I need to share with you in person."

The last he knew, Lero-Ro was working as an intern for The Wing Tree, along with Quant. He wasn't sure exactly what that entailed, though he assumed it was grunt work: Lero-Ro had told them he'd been assigned to keep an eye on 'Viole Jue Grace' after his run in with Urek Mazino, and Baam was sure to a Ranker, watching over a Regular was not glamorous.

His heart jumped when he got a reply within hours:

"Quant and I will be will be traveling near your current location within a few months and can meet up with you then. Do you need to see me sooner?"

Baam responded that no, that would be fine, and they agreed to finalize the details closer to that time, though a jolt of fear passed through him as he set his pocket aside. He was doing this. He was really doing this.

He informed Hwaryun privately, who only gave him an unreadable smile. Then Khun and Rak, but to his dismay and their notice, he was slightly put off as he relayed the news of Quant's appearance as well.

"I know I advocated killing anyone who opposed you, but I think Dotted Turtle would be upset if you killed Crazy Turtle's older brother. They seem close. So maybe don't be in a rush to kill him."

"Am I that obvious?" asked Baam.

"You're hunting!" said Rak again, as if this explained everything. In some ways, Baam was beginning to think, it did.

"I don't think he's actually a rival, Baam. If everyone's joking you're a couple, you probably aren't one." added Khun.

"What?! I was talking about them being friends! A rival is a different story. You may have to kill him after all, Black Turtle."

"Who jokes they're a couple?" asked Baam, more seriously than he intended.

"My annoying older brother, for one."

"And who would believe anything that turtle says? He's more irritating than you, Blue Turtle."

"Isn't it nice to agree on something, Rak?" said Khun wistfully.

"It's your fault we don't agree more often."

As Baam listened to another of his friends petty arguments he observed within himself an emotion he did not feel very often. An emotion that, despite his friends' assurances, and despite his own belief that there truly was no competition here, simmered on. An emotion that he had been on the receiving end of many times, that had contributed to countless acts of destruction, and with that sobering knowledge, an emotion he hoped would not fester:

Jealousy.

Author's Note: Please don't follow Rak's advice and kill your romantic rivals, not matter how tempted you may be.

Also, just in case anyone was confused: Crazy Turtle refers to Quaetro Blitz. He and Quant are from the same family, and the use of 'brother' refers to that, not that they have the same parents.