Guardian

by yasha012

I used to want to save existence... I saw it as this beautiful place, capable of fostering life in all of its many forms. A place with the potential to nurture so much Light. But the closer I got to it... the more I fought for it… the better I could see the Darkness waiting within… the evil we would all rather forget. (Part 4 of the Hero series; sequel to "Eternal Shadow Falls".)

145. Companions

Disclaimer: I hereby disclaim all rights to all characters (save for those of my own creation) in these interactions… especially for the one who has so much to learn.

~保護者~

"Companions"

~保護者~

"You will tell me what this is."

Jet blinked, pen pausing a few millimeters above his paper. He glanced at his lightsource. He could feel the Void's presence beside it, could see the way the flame flickered uneasily in response. "A candle."

"Not that," the darkly ethereal voice hissed. "The light upon it."

"Fire," Jet supplied. "It produces light, heat, and smoke. Don't touch it like a dumbass. It may not hurt you, but you'll put it out. I need the light."

He felt the Void shift to the candle's other side, examining the small flame closely. "This fire possesses little strength, yet I sense potential for much more. Explain."

Giving up on writing for now, Jet set his pen down and turned in his seat to face the object in question. With a crook of his finger, he used his aura to lift the candle and moved it across the room toward the remnants of a bookshelf that the Void had earlier destroyed. He lifted one particularly large chunk of wood and angled the flame toward it. Soon, the fire was eating away at the corner of the plank. It took no real time for the flames to further expand, engulfing the debris fully. "That is why," he murmured. "Fire consumes what it touches, burning them away into nothing when given enough time. Plants, woods, flesh, certain liquids and chemicals… the list goes on. All are susceptible."

After watching Jet banish the flames and carelessly discard both candle and scorched wood onto the pile of other wreckage from their various spats, the Void spoke again. "I sense great agony from your past. Burning is a pain you know well, it would seem. Your enemies would do well to experience such suffering. It is the very weakest punishment that they deserve."

This was dismissed without hesitation. "Even pretending I wanted to do such a thing, I have no fire powers, nor do I want them." Jet stood and closed the book he'd been writing in, leaving his pen inside. The book was then left on the desk to be returned to later.

"Then you will bring that flame back."

This was unexpectedly… commanding. The Void preferred to suggest ordinarily, to attempt to sway decisions instead of making them alone. It was this stark shift that surprised Jet into almost, almost complying without considering the consequences. However, he was quick to stop himself and lower his arm. "Not until you tell me why."

"Do as I say and I will show you. You say you do not wish to possess fire. So be it. I will turn it into something new. Something infinitely more desirable."

Jet scowled. This explained so little. Yet still his arm raised, fingers loosely pointed at the wood. It burned anew. The Void's presence engulfed the fire as his arm lowered. By the time his arm had fully returned to his side, the Void had moved away again. Flames as purple and mystical in appearance as the Void's own energy now licked at the wood and the floor, rapidly eating away at even the magical stone. Jet looked on in silence, unable to make himself feel anything about it at all. "Tell me what you did," he said after a moment. It was his turn to issue a command and be listened to.

"Everything I said I would. This is fire, and yet it is not. It is a part of me now, a part of what I can do. Thus, it is a part of you and your abilities as well." The Void slid behind him, going from his left side to hover at his right. "It can no longer harm you. However, anyone or anything you choose to turn it against will suffer. That is its new purpose."

…"Purpose"... Almost, Jet scoffed. In the end, he didn't bother with it. There was no point. "It would seem you are discovering your abilities still, yourself," he murmured, "yet you expect me to wield them."

"Indeed. Because that is part of your purpose." The Void engulfed the fire again briefly, wiping it away before it could fully eat through the floor.

"To what end?" Jet asked it, though he was uncertain if he even cared right now.

"To what end?" the Void echoed, moving back toward him. This time, it lingered in front of him, almost physical enough to be seen. "Whatever end you desire. Whatever it is, be certain of one thing. You will bring about an end. Perhaps not an end to all things, but an end to many. Enemies and allies alike will fall. You know it as well as I."

"You speak about it as though it is a good thing."

"Do not try to fool me. You have never believed that every death was undeserved, that every act of destruction was unjust. They are just as necessary as birth and creation."

"What you are talking about has nothing to do with balance. You seek to wipe away everything you possibly can. Everything. Not only what needs to go."

"Can you tell me, truly, that you have not considered the same thing in times past? That it would be better this way?"

"I haven't."

"Then you are a fool. The only fool, however, who is capable of learning the truth." The Void lashed out with suddenness and speed, slamming Jet backward into his desk. The wood shattered and splintered around him as his back collided with the wall, sending cracks spider webbing outward from the point of impact. "The sooner you open your mind fully to me, the sooner you will gain the understanding you have been demanding from me."

Negativity spiked in Jet hard. It was anger. He knew it immediately. It broke through the dullness he'd been experiencing for the past several hours, spurring him into action. Purple flashed in his eyes. Without having intended to, he loosed a small explosion of the Void's own power back at it from the palm of his hand, forcing it to dodge away. "Do not throw me again," he threatened lowly. "I will erase you piece by bloody piece if I have to."

Somehow, he could just feel the predatory grin that was aimed at him. It was the first time he had detected any kind of emotion (or at least emotional expression) from the entity, and it stopped him short. "You still require further convincing… but it would seem that you have listened more than I previously believed." Before Jet could reply, it continued. "All destruction is creation. All creation is destruction. Life is born from the ashes of death. The ruins of life bring about death. These forces are interconnected. What I am, what I seek to do, is natural. There is no evil to it, no good. The line between these two forces is so… very thin. You know this better than most. You have spent your whole life carefully toeing that line."

"Your point," Jet interrupted. He kicked some shards of wood away and grabbed his book, then stood and brushed himself off.

"Blessed are the ignorant," the Void declared quietly, "for they know not the darkness of the future. Yet knowledge withheld is often power gained. You know what is coming. They do not. All people and things are doomed to suffer and die. You possess the power to simply erase the suffering of those you love. Yet you choose not to. You feel for them." It surged forth until it was whispering in Jet's ear, forcing him to truly stay still and listen. "There is no force so ruthless as compassion. You believe that by allowing them to continue their lives, you are doing good by them. Instead, you are merely delaying their inevitable fates. They will die. They will suffer while doing so. Killing is an act of love and mercy when you wish it to be. Is their wellbeing not what you want to ensure?"

"Murder is not mercy."

"Tell me again, then. What is your answer, when the question is extinction? Nareish threatens to bring an end to nearly all things and people. Your allies are among them. They will die by her hand if you do not act. They will die in the throes of agony and suffering, unable to free themselves, until their last breaths are taken. There are many who seek to cheat death. Only a pitiful number, however, are in any way capable of evading its dark embrace. These people, formidable though they are, will not be among them."

Jet scowled out of the corner of his eye at the Void's faint, shadowy shape. "Nearly all of them will one day die, regardless."

"And that is the very heart of the matter. Nothing, save for you, I, and those like us has ever existed that will not die. The issue becomes whether or not you are willing to take their deaths into your own hands, to alleviate their suffering, or whether or you intend to merely sit back and watch as it happens." The Void moved once more, finally giving Jet space again and allowing him to step away from the ruins of his writing space. "I am haunted by the Ending," it told him. "The final breaths that this existence might yet take."

Frowning again, more to himself this time, Jet acknowledged, "I know it." He felt it as well, could sense it just as intrinsically as the Void itself. It was likely due to their forced but no-less deepening connection, and as such he couldn't shake it. "I am fully aware."

The Void did yet another new thing and intoned a low, almost thoughtful hum. "You and I are among the few who do. The rest… know nothing. They rest in quiet fields afar… for this is no ending yet, but the dawn of it. They fail to see the approach of the Twilight that will end it all."

For a time, the pair fell silent. Jet's eyes roved over the comparatively minor destruction that had been wrought within his study. In truth, he saw little of it. His focus was almost entirely on his thoughts. It was a short time before he finally said, "You asked me what my answer was… yet you propose no concrete suggestion of your own. You frame it all as searching for what I wish to do, and subsequently will do."

"Truth is where you seek it. Sometimes it comes even when you are not searching. More often, it hides deeper and deeper until you finally get around to properly digging for it." The Void moved a touch closer, then much more so. With a forceful shove, it pinned him against the wall and held him there, refusing to allow him to move any part of his body other than his head. In spite of his silent struggles and quiet fury, it continued speaking. "Pain… demands to be felt. Suffering cannot be ignored once it is inflicted. Both are often inevitable, but neither are 'good'. Death is just as inevitable. However, it is feared more. And yet, it does far more good. Death is an end, yes, but not just to life. It ends pain. It ends suffering. It ends the ceaseless struggle to remain living and allows for rest… eternally."

"Infinity awaits us all," it continued. "To die is to have existed, however. They will fear it regardless, but answer me this. Do you think anyone will care once they no longer live? And what about those who deserve your wrath? Do you believe their tiny emotions will matter once they no longer exist?"

Now for the second time that day, Jet's eyes turned purple. This time, the color lingered as he summoned forth newfound strength and hurled the Void off of him. "I don't care," he snapped, watching with some measure of satisfaction as the entity created cracks in the wall similar to the once Jet had made earlier. "It doesn't matter, and I don't care."

Dark satisfaction of its own entered the Void's tone. "Doing nothing will leave you with nothing. Inaction can be just as sure a killer as anything else. If their feelings do not matter to you, then why continue to hesitate? You possess a power unique to you and I. They cannot stop us once we begin. Waiting serves you no purpose and only draws out their pain. When your allies fall, they will suffer no more. Is that not for the best?"

Purple bled away back into blue. Jet rubbed his hands over his face. "Shut up," he bit out after a moment. "Not another word, or I'll tear you apart. I'm sick of listening to your shit."

A gentle knock sounded at the door. Sein's voice came from the other side. "Hey, Jet. You doing okay?"

Jet spun around on his heel to face the door. Surprise cut straight through his anger and the power he'd been displaying earlier ebbed further away. When the hell did he…?

When no response came, Sein waited a moment before knocking again. "Jet? You in here?" he then spoke mostly to himself, adding quietly, "Maybe I'm at the wrong room…"

A resounding crack! of wood against the wall startled Jet into spinning around and snapping at his unseen companion, "I swear to god, if you break one more thing-!"

Sein let out a soft sigh and leaned against the wall outside. "Look, if stuff's going on and you want me to stay out here… I will. I just really wanna talk to my son again. I care about you."

Jet glowered at the Void in silence for a long moment before finally replying. "It intends to stab you the moment you open that door."

"Then I'll stand right here. Not gonna let some energy stop me from talking to my kid," Sein said matter-of-factly. "So, it's giving you trouble again?"

"It never stopped," Jet informed him irritably, looking over the fresh damage to the room. Yet another shelf covered in books had been thrown and broken apart.

Sein sighed openly. "I wish it'd fuck off," he muttered. "I mean, god. Why does it need to bother people?"

"It can't go anywhere else," Jet responded, sitting against the other side of the same wall Sein was at. "Not currently, at any rate. It bound itself to me, so it's stuck here."

"Still," Sein murmured. "Other than that, I assume you talked to Steam and all about what's coming up. Do you think you'll be doing well enough to help, or is it making that unsafe?"

"Extremely unsafe," Jet replied. "It has been… exceedingly violent all day."

"How are you feeling?" Sein suddenly dared to ask.

Even as he lifted the back of his hand to his forehead, Jet denied the truth. "I'm fine."

"Jet," Sein chided gently. "I'm not gonna get all over you for it, but I really want you to tell me if something's wrong. I'd understand if you were more snappy… but your tone has me worried about you. What's up?"

There was a long silence. Then Jet suddenly said, "It's gone. You can come in now." For a moment, at least.

Sein stood and slowly opened the door before walking closer and sitting beside Jet. "You gonna tell me what's up?" he asked lightly. After a couple seconds, he shrugged gently. "It's fine. I can tell, bud. Anything on your mind at the moment?"

Jet answered with his own shrug. "No."

"Stress fever?" Sein questioned softly.

This earned a sigh and, eventually, and admission. "Most likely. They aren't uncommon."

"Mind if I try to check?" Sein asked. "It's cool if you want me to stay back a bit. I don't wanna invade your space."

"It's fine," Jet answered, stifling another sigh. As nervous as he was by the idea, he also knew there was trust. He did his best to focus on that more than anything else.

Sein was deliberately slow as he set the back of his hand against Jet's forehead. He frowned at how hot Jet felt and pulled his hand away. "Yeah… I think you've got one, bud. Anything I can do to help you relax a little?" Jet only shrugged in reply. Sein frowned further, then decided to try and strike up a different conversation. "What's your favorite kind of art?"

The younger hawk glanced at him. Rather than asking why as he was tempted to, he eventually just looked away and mumbled, "Music."

"Oh? You got a favorite instrument?" Sein asked curiously.

"Kaicha's flute," Jet admitted. "The white one. He gave it to me."

Sein suddenly gave a huge smile and produced the flute that Kath had given him oh so long ago. "This flute?"

Jet eyed the instrument closely. ...From different timelines. I should have guessed. "Yes, that one," he confirmed. Then something else occurred to him. He has the one from this timeline… and I have the one from his timeline. How…?

"I'm extremely fond of it myself," Sein admitted gently. "Having it helped me a lot through some tough times. I'm glad you got it as well, however it came to you." Jet nodded a little, unsure how else to reply. Sein turned his attention to Jet again and twirled the flute in his hand. "When was the last time you used it?"

Giving that some thought, Jet eventually had to admit, "I don't know."

"Well, since we seem to have a short bit of time, would you like to use yours? Or I could play mine, or we could both play… whatever works," Sein offered. "Figured it might be kinda relaxing, ya know?"

After giving this idea some consideration, Jet shook his head. "...Later. Not now. The Void is threatening to take action if we disturb it in such a manner."

"Well, maybe the next time we get to sit down together, we can, Void be damned," Sein said with a gentle smile. "Like I said, not gonna let anything get between me and you."

Jet nodded a little. He was silent for a short time before speaking. "...You overheard earlier, didn't you?" he asked. "The argument." The only question is how.

Sein nodded as well, letting out a soft sigh. "I heard. I didn't want to bring it up and upset you further. Just wanted to sit here and be your dad for a minute." Jet murmured some vague reply that was a mix of understanding and agreement. "Did you wanna talk about it?" Sein asked carefully.

"How much did you overhear?" Jet asked instead of answering the question.

"All of it," Sein admitted gently.

A soft sigh escaped. Lovely.

"You're doing okay," Sein said gently.

"Pray tell," Jet muttered, not bothering to hide his lack of agreement.

"Not many would even get this far," Sein murmured. "You've been through all this shit and things still see fit to put you through more." Jet only huffed under his breath and looked away. Sein smiled a little. "I'm super proud of you, and I can't wait for the day where we can all be a family without having to fight a massive war like this."

Looking away, Jet frowned. "There's nothing to be proud of."

"I have everything to be proud of you for," Sein said gently. Jet continued to frown, but this time remained silent in his disagreement. Sein didn't relent, but he remained as soft about it as ever. "One day when you're able to feel like… yourself… I'll tell you all over again. No kid of mine would ever go without knowing how proud they've made me."

Not having any other half-decent reply, Jet settled on a basic, "Fine," instead.

"So… about what the Void talked to you about. Do you actually believe any of that?" Sein dared to ask gently.

For a moment, Jet gritted his teeth. He soon forced his jaw to unclench and muttered, "I don't know." It isn't as though I can get any of it out of my head, regardless.

Sein frowned a little. "Well… I'm not gonna try and say there's a definite right or wrong, but that's all opinions. Yeah, death is a natural part of life and vice versa, but there's no such thing as meaningless life. Everyone has some sort of purpose… and that includes people you care about."

Jet was almost wary to respond, just in case the Void lashed out again, but instead noticed that he could feel its focus pulling elsewhere. It was watching something, something far away, with far more disdain than he'd so far felt from it. The hell is your problem? he silently demanded.

"It is far too happy," it groused cryptically.

Sein blinked a few times. "What's… going on?"

Jet glanced at him, more surprised inside than he let on. The fact that his father had heard was… strangely disconcerting. But he didn't have a chance to reply before the Void hissed, "Nothing that concerns you."

"There's a lot that concerns me. You might actually be surprised," Sein cut in. "What's happening?"

As Jet had worried it would, the Void attacked. It didn't go so far as erasure, thankfully, but it did blast them both through the wall in its anger. Jet immediately and without thinking retaliated with a swift attack of his own, much as he'd threatened he would if the Void broke anything else. "Bastard," he cursed under his breath, standing up. The heat from his fever made him waver a bit, but he hid it well enough that Sein didn't notice.

Sein's eye twitched in response. If he was hurt in any way, he didn't let on as he began to stand up. "Jet, do you know what's happening?" he asked far more gently.

Forced to admit the truth, since Sein could hear anyway, Jet shook his head. "I won't unless it says something. It can read my mind, but that does not go both ways."

"Gotcha," Sein answered gently. "Is this the cue for me to head out of here before it tries to attack again?"

Jet looked suspiciously in the direction of the Void for a long moment. "No," he eventually said. "It is intent on ignoring you for the time being. But I would suggest not talking to it further."

Sein nodded to this, glancing at the hole in the wall. "This has grown common?"

"You witnessed it for yourself, early on," Jet pointed out, dusting himself off with a hand. "It never ceased doing this for long. It only ever took breaks here and there."

"Eesh," Sein murmured. "Sorry to hear that."

"Destruction is natural," the Void unexpectedly commented. "He will become accustomed to it soon enough. He does not need your pity."

"So is creation," Sein commented in return, looking to Jet with a smile. "You can't have one without the other, obviously." Jet returned the look blankly, his irritable emotions having plummeted into nothing upon seeing Sein's smile.

"Which is precisely the problem," the Void all but growled. "There exists now nothing but creation. It has no force keeping it in line."

Sein raised an eyebrow, but he kept his attention on Jet. "I'm here for you, okay?"

Jet looked away and nodded a little. He felt himself start to waver on his feet again, and immediately knew it was a problem. I need to lay down… sleep this off if possible.

It didn't take much effort this time for Sein to notice, but maybe that was because he was taking so much care to watch over his son. It helped that Jet wasn't hiding it this time. "You should try to relax a little, maybe rest some," he said gently.

I'm exhausted. The thought came and went unbidden. He'd drained a lot of his own energy by fighting with the Void as aggressively as he had been since first coming here and separating himself from everyone else. Which… meant he couldn't put back together his bedroom. It had also been torn apart. He really wished it hadn't been, though. Now that all the arguing and whatnot was over with for the moment, it was much harder to ignore how cold he was. Still, he sat against the stone wall regardless. "There's nowhere to rest," he argued quietly, suppressing a shiver.

"Maybe I can help with that?" Sein offered.

"How?" Jet mumbled. The Void will just keep destroying things.

"I mean, I could probably repair some of it? Or maybe just get you a new bed altogether or something," Sein said. "Whatever I can do to help out."

"They will wind up broken again," Jet sighed.

Sein frowned a little. "Damn…"

Jet was quiet for a moment before saying, "It seems… intensely focused on other things. Fixing things temporarily may work this one time."

It didn't take long at all for Sein to bolt off, searching for what he believed to be Jet's room. Sure enough, the place was absolutely thrashed. The bed alone had been broken apart by an impact with the wall and then torn to shreds by massive claws. Sein sighed openly and leaned against a wall, holding out his hands and slowly doing his absolute best to return the bed to its previous state. The rest of the damage could probably be cleaned up, but he didn't feel like potentially incurring the wrath of the Void by fixing everything.

By then, Jet had managed to work up the energy to stand again and join him in the room. He also had half a mind to repair other things, but decided as well not to bother. Sein passed him a smile and waved his hands around, collecting a lot of the clutter and setting it to the side so it wasn't… cluttering the place. "Is this okay for now?"

"Yeah… thanks." Jet idly kicked a bit of wood out of the doorway and crossed the room to sit on the bed.

Sein followed him and sat down beside him. "Try and rest some, bud. Aside from wanting your help, you're my kid. I want you to feel okay, alright?" Jet nodded a little. He kicked off his boots in preparation to lay down. Sein watched him before speaking up again. "Is it okay if I hug you?" he asked gently. After just a few seconds of hesitation, Jet gave a single slow nod.

Slowly and carefully, Sein leaned over and gave Jet a gentle hug. "I hope to see you again soon, kiddo. I love you so much."

Another moment of hesitation passed. Eventually, Jet worked up the nerve to sort of halfway return the hug with one arm. In that moment, he made the only promise he could. "Soon."

"Hope so. I'll see you when the time comes," Sein murmured gently. He didn't pull away though, letting Jet stay just in case it helped. In fact, Jet lingered a few moments longer, allowing himself to feel some measure of comfort from this exchange before finally letting go. Sein respectfully pulled away from the hug and smiled. "I'm gonna get going. Try to get some rest."

Having no fight left in him for the time being, Jet didn't bother with an argument. Laying down had been his idea, anyway. So he did as asked and got into bed. He closed his eyes, but didn't let himself drift off just yet. A memory tugged at him from earlier in the day, when he and the Void had been actively combating one another, and he frowned. "Dad?"

Sein hadn't even stood up yet, obviously waiting to make sure Jet would lay down and all. His heart stopped for a moment and he felt himself tear up at being called 'dad', but he didn't mention it. "Yeah, Jet?"

"I saw… something," Jet hedged. "A potential event during the fight." He hesitated, if only because his warning was so lacking in details. Details he had no way to obtain. So he said the only thing he really could. "Keep an eye on Kaicha."

"Alright, I'll do my best," Sein promised. "Is that all?" A small nod answered him. The older man nodded in return and stood up. "Sleep well, kiddo. I'll see you soon." He turned to walk out, going slow just in case Jet had something else to say. When nothing else came, Sein teleported away. Love you, Jet.

~保護者~

It had been some time since Toru had properly sat down with his younger sister, and right now he was playing an ancient shinobi board game with her. He'd won the last five games, but Myriu was ever so slowly getting better and better. Right now he would've ventured to guess it was an even game.

"Take your turn already," Toru told her. "You already take several minutes to do a single thing."

"Shut up, I'm thinking," Myriu answered.

"I'm not gonna shut up. We've been sitting here for several hours because of you."

Myriu made her move and raised an eyebrow. "Then check the board."

Toru frowned at this, shifting his attention to the board instead of whatever else he'd focused on. Ah, she thinks I'm cornered. He watched as she made her move, then instantly took his own and moved his gaze back to something else. Neither admitted it outright, but they were enjoying each other's company, and they felt happy having one another around. As Myriu went to take her next move, she suddenly jerked and tossed one of the pieces somewhere random, frowning deeply. Toru raised an eyebrow in confusion. That was one of her own pieces… "You alright?"

"I've already said leave me alone, for god's sake," Myriu bit out, not bothering to look at her brother. "Back off."

Toru frowned deeply at this. "Myriu, what the hell is going on?"

The girl grumbled under her breath and huffed. "Something's bothering me," she muttered. "Getting on my nerves."

"...What?" Toru had to ask, blinking a few times. "What the fuck?"

"What? Don't tell me you don't see this crap, too," Myriu huffed, crossing her arms. She suddenly jerked as if pushing something off her. "Surely you do."

"I haven't the slightest idea of what you're talking about," Toru said. "Is something going on that I can't see?"

"Obviously," Myriu scoffed, getting out of her chair and walking over to him. "They've been really irritating lately."

Toru blinked several times. If she was crazy, I'd like to think I would know that already. "What is it?"

"Mom," Myriu muttered in irritation. "And a bunch of other people." She didn't even flinch when Toru unsheathed his blade in response to his first word before huffing. "Not gonna work. I've tried… a lot."

Despite her words, Toru didn't dare put his blade away. "Mom's dead, Myriu."

"Don't you think I know that?" she responded bitterly. "She's been whining and moaning nonstop. It's really annoying to deal with, especially when I wanna take a nap."

"I can… I have no idea what's going on or what the hell you're seeing, but if she's here then you will not be," Toru said firmly. "Fuck that and fuck her."

"She said 'fuck you'. Also, she'll just follow me. During that time I couldn't move, they wouldn't stay away," Myriu said quietly. "They went all the way to that one world where all the Babylonians were."

Not two seconds later, Satsuno suddenly walked into the room. Without even so much as glancing at the pair of them, his eyes unfailingly landed on the same spot Myriu had been looking at. He frowned to himself just a bit. Where in the hell did you come from? he wondered to himself. He hadn't noticed this one before…

Toru frowned deeply at all of this. "What the fuck is going on here?" he demanded. "Do you know?"

Ignoring him for the moment, Satsuno looked at Myriu with a mixture of subtle confusion and concern. "You see it?" he asked her.

"Of course," Myriu answered. "Apparently my brother doesn't."

"Next to no one does. By all accounts, you should not, either." Satsuno returned his attention to Toru. "I do know what is going on," he agreed reluctantly. But he didn't divulge further information just yet as Seiko entered the room.

Seiko glanced to Satsuno quietly once she had taken a look at Myriu. "She can see them?" she asked gently.

Returning her glance, Satsuno softly told her, "Be rid of it, if you can. It is… unkind." He didn't bother pointing out that it was bothering the only child in the room. That much was apparent. Then he added, "She sees it, yes."

"I see," Seiko murmured, raising up a hand and flicking her wrist, instantly banishing the spirit without the slightest hesitation.

To say that Myriu seemed pleased was an understatement. "Thank god. She was the worst of them, recently."

Though he had no actual experience with kids, Satsuno had no problem addressing her in a way that wasn't overly stern or the like. "Recently? There have been others?"

"I usually just ignore them," Myriu answered. "Though sometimes they get really irritated and start shouting. Sometime… in the past few weeks, they started touching me. I often get woken up from sleep because of this."

She is aware of them with all of the relevant basic senses… This is unprecedented. Pressing further, Satsuno asked, "Can you sense them even when you cannot see, hear, or touch them?"

Myriu blinked a few times. "When they're just around? Yeah. A few have lingered outside of doorways for no good reason before," she muttered. "Creepy."

He had to agree with that last part. But not out loud. "How long has this been going on?" Satsuno continued. He intended for this to be his last question… for now.

"Too long," Myriu answered in irritation.

When Satsuno fell silent, choosing to glance around the room for a moment at the other spirits, Seiko walked forward and knelt in front of Myriu. "What is your name?"

"Myriu."

Seiko nodded slowly. "Myriu, you have the ability to see and interact with spirits. It is not known for anyone outside of a specific family line to be able to, yet you do."

"Well then," Myriu said with a shrug. "That's odd."

A small chuckle escaped Seiko. "Yes, it is, and I am quite glad that we were here. Had we not, this power could have grown into quite the trouble for you."

"Seems like it," Myriu answered with another shrug. "They're really annoying."

Seiko stood up straight and looked over to Satsuno. "What should we do?"

That drew his attention away from the dead and back to the living for a moment. "...It is difficult to say," he finally answered. "Without knowing the full extent of what she can and cannot do, it is hard to determine if she even needs guidance at this stage."

"Guidance for what?" Toru demanded. "My sister is seeing ghosts? What the hell would she need guidance for?"

Although unhappy with having to say so, Satsuno didn't hesitate to explain. "Some with this ability sense spirits and nothing else. However, there are a scant few others that can be touched by them, like she can. In even rarer cases, people can be attacked by them, or even possessed by them. If she shows any signs of experiencing such things, she will need to learn how to protect herself."

Toru frowned deeply and finally sheathed his blade. "If they can attack or possess her, what the hell is she supposed to be able to do?"

"If the spirits are ever able to attack her, that will also mean she will have the capability to attack them back," Satsuno responded evenly. "They cannot harm just anyone."

"And you are gonna teach her if that comes up?" Toru questioned harshly. "You know how to protect yourself?"

Satsuno's eyes narrowed very subtly. "The family Seiko mentioned is my family. This is as normal to us as breathing. Yes, I know how to teach someone to defend themselves in such a manner."

Though this whole situation set his nerves on edge, he bit back any further harsh questioning and instead crossed his arms. "And you guys aren't fucking with me?"

"I have no reason to lie," Seiko answered, her own arms crossed. "I have much better things to be doing with my time."

Toru seemed to relax a great deal at hearing this, but Myriu spoke up before he could. "How can I get them to not touch me? It's weird."

After a few seconds, Satsuno responded, "The easiest way for you, for now, will be telling them firmly that they are unwelcome. This will bar all but exceptionally strong spirits from coming near you, provided they know you mean your words."

Myriu crossed her arms as well, huffing. "So the really annoying ones likely won't go away."

"If an especially 'annoying' one will not leave you be, say so," he told her calmly. "Seiko's magic can and will force the issue."

"Even if I am asleep or injured, just say the word and I will rid you of them permanently," Seiko agreed.

"I wanna nap," Myriu suddenly muttered, climbing up the back up the couch and letting herself drop unceremoniously onto the cushions.

Toru watched his sister do this before quietly approaching Seiko and Satsuno. "Look, I obviously can't do shit here with all this spirit stuff. Since you aren't fucking with me, I'm going to politely ask that you guys make sure this doesn't somehow get her killed, or I will-"

"Quiet," Seiko interrupted. "I will protect her, regardless of whether you wish for me to or not."

"She is not in any present danger," Satsuno added quietly. "Most of the individuals here are nosy and curious, but nothing more. Still, we will monitor things."

Toru seemed satisfied before adding something far more quietly. "Thank you for removing our mother… I don't know the extent of how she treated Myriu, but there is a reason she is dead. I… appreciate it." Looking at him with another small frown, Satsuno slowly nodded in reply.

"Considering what I heard from your conversation with her… I would venture to believe you," Seiko admitted gently. "As I said, I will protect her should anything arise. Lest I be damned for allowing someone as young as her to be injured or killed."

"Good," Toru said. The man pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fuck… I spent all this time trying to protect her and now there's shit I can't even see fucking with her. Not to mention it's been like this for some untold amount of time."

Seiko took a calculated risk and set a hand on his shoulder for a moment, mostly just to get his attention. "Your tenacity is undoubtedly appreciated. I can see that you care for her as if she were one of your own. I will not let your efforts be wasted by a malicious spirit."

Toru lightly pushed her hand off, sighing. "Alright. I'm gonna go outside or something." Seiko and Satsuno didn't attempt to stop him as he walked past them and teleported somewhere else. The chameleon leaned up against a tree and put his face in his hands. Fucking hell… She was at least away from that bitch in the past before I killed her. Since I did that, she would've never been able to escape our mother. He knew that, in the end, he couldn't have really known, but it still made him feel awful for putting Myriu through that. He never would have wished that upon her. I guess I really need to keep a careful eye on her now… if that whole possession thing is possible. Fuck, please be safe, Myriu. I don't think I could handle losing you.

Meanwhile, back at the house, Seiko quietly led Satsuno back to the guest bedroom they had been borrowing and closed the door. "Satsuno, this is serious. How has a child outside of Zenith's family line come into possession of such powers?"

"I have no idea." Satsuno paused for a moment, thinking. "There is a way," he eventually said. "I will… make inquiries. Spirits from our time, if I can summon them, may have answers. It is possible one from this era does as well."

Seiko gently held one of his hands. "Please do. I could not bear to know someone of her age is being bothered or accosted by spirits without the means to properly protect herself from them. It has already gone on long enough."

He nodded slowly. "Many spirits are just as confused and curious about this as we are. That is why they are here in the first place. None of them seem to have taken up residence prior to her arrival here." With a slight sigh, he admitted, "This gathering will inevitably begin to draw in spirits with worse intentions."

"I know, and that is what worries me," Seiko answered gently. "There is little reason to believe a possession of her body is possible, correct?"

"No. She is not receptive to such an effort. At least not at this age. It is impossible to know if this will remain so as she grows older." Satsuno paused again, then added, "Even assuming she was, they will not bother while I am in the same vicinity as her. You know this."

Seiko nodded. "My concern lies in the chances of us not being around. It is obvious that one of our foes likes to make people suffer. Should she remove us from the area or take Myriu somewhere else, we may not be able to get to her quickly."

"I already said it is not a concern," Satsuno reminded her. "I would not lie about such a thing. The worst that I can sense any spirit being able to do to her at this time is touch her. That is all."

"I know-" Seiko's ear twitched when she heard a faint curse coming from the living room and she sighed gently. "Either she is temperamental, they are bothering her, or a combination of both."

Satsuno glanced in that direction, but was unconcerned. "They are doing nothing to her," he responded simply.

"So she simply is irritated, then," Seiko said, obviously a touch relieved. He only nodded. "Aside from that, her brother seems highly protective of her, on top of the mentions of neglect. What are your thoughts?"

"None," Satsuno said, looking back against a wall with loosely crossed arms. "He is uninterested in any outside involvement that is not strictly necessary. There is no reason to speculate, as such."

"My reason for asking is because I believe that he had something to do with their mother's death," Seiko murmured. "Not that it matters greatly, if she was as horrible as we are led to believe."

"From the way she was speaking," Satsuno suddenly revealed, "there is little to guess about. He had a hand in her demise, and it was justified. There is nothing else to say about it."

Seiko huffed lightly. "As you may remember, I cannot hear them. I was unaware aside from what he said to us."

"I know that," was the answering huff.

She nodded in response before walking over to the bed and sitting at the edge, gently motioning for him to sit with her. "You should attempt to relax somewhat. It will do you no good to stress endlessly."

This earned her a look. "I have no desire to lay down."

"Then come sit with me," Seiko huffed, crossing her own arms. "This is not a request." Although he looked ready to argue, Satsuno didn't bother in the end. He walked over and sat down as well, albeit unhappily. She gently wrapped an arm around him after a moment, leaning onto his shoulder and relaxing, whether he chose to or not. "Satsuno, I love you."

This earned a sigh, but he still responded without hesitating. "I love you as well." In spite of his words, he remained tense and on edge.

The woman pushed her head against his neck, wrapping her other arm around him. "You can hug me as well, you know." Stifling another sigh, Satsuno (willingly) did as she insisted and wrapped his arms around her in return. Seiko had no issue with nuzzling into him with a gentle smile. "Thank you. All it took was a queenly decree."

That earned her a full, undignified eye-roll. "You are ridiculous," he quietly accused.

"You are the one who chose to stay with me, despite it all," she accused in return. "I believe that is on you."

"It is the other way around," he argued easily. "I can think of no one else who would have stayed, given all the things you have seen."

"They are fools," Seiko answered. "Pitiful fools, I might add." Satsuno huffed softly at her, but he didn't argue the point. Seiko huffed back at him. "Will you attempt to relax with me now, dear?"

"I cannot," Satsuno answered. "I cannot risk being unaware in any capacity while more and more spirits continue to arrive."

"Then allow us to sit up against the pillows, at least," Seiko murmured. "At the very least." His head shook again, offering nothing but silent refusal. When he refused again, she let out a sigh and picked Satsuno up, carrying him further onto the bed and setting him back down and laying up against him. "Fine."

Having been caught by surprise, it took a second for Satsuno to respond to her actions. By the time he did, she had already finished what she was doing. "Seiko, I do not want to rest in any capacity."

"It is best for us to. Remember how recently we were revived? We need to have the energy should something arise where we are needed," Seiko murmured.

Becoming a touch frustrated by the situation, Satsuno sat up further and started to move away toward the end of the bed. "The moment I let my guard down even slightly, it will be taken advantage of. That is what they do. It will not have changed just because the era has."

Seiko frowned gently and moved closer to him. "Alright, I understand. I will rest for now. Wake me if you have need of me, alright?"

He was quiet for a long moment before sighing once more. "It has not felt cold. It may be alright for… a while." That may have been true, but it still did not put him at ease enough to relax. Certainly not enough to sleep. Though it at least meant he likely wouldn't have to disturb her.

"It is your choice if you rest, with that information. Otherwise, I will hope to gain proper rest without a spirit interrupting," Seiko said gently. As he had earlier, he answered her only with a nod. She laid down and he idly covered her with the blankets before moving to sit on the floor against the wall. As she drifted off to sleep, he shifted into a meditative stance and let his mind to shift focus from the living... to the dead.

~保護者~

Seeing Armaris now held far less anxiety than before, Ylden had come to notice. The two got along far better now, and it was surely thanks in large part to the talk they'd had. He had Marthal to thank for a long of this, surely, but there was a lot that Ylden had to apologize for to him.

He'd sorely made the mistake of allowing himself to end up with Osaina in the past, which forever ruined a large portion of his life. Her presence had made him feel… neutral again. In a vain attempt to protect Marthal from himself and Osaina, he'd abandoned the orange cat. That was… the wrong decision. Why would he think that was okay? Hindsight was always clear, he supposed.

So here he was, trying to steel his nerves so he could at least apologize to Marthal. His eyes watered and he rubbed at them, gritting his teeth. Fuck… I need to calm down a little bit. Ylden was suddenly caught off guard by a chameleon appearing in front of him, having just been that unfocused. I should have noticed her approach… Wait, what the hell is a chameleon doing out here? "May I help you?"

"What is your business?" Tyria asked quickly. "You are rapidly approaching someone that has recently been corrupted, and it is taking its toll on him."

"Marthal?" the cat asked quickly. He moved forward, and when Tyria attempted to step in his way, he shifted past her. She was visibly confused for a moment, but she moved after him.

"I must urge you that this is a poor decision, unless you know him," she pressed.

Ylden didn't answer. Instead, he teleported most of the distance between himself and Marthal and approached as calmly as he could. "Marthal?" he called.

Have to calm down… Marthal stood bent over with his hands on his knees a short distance away, breathing harshly. His staff was gripped tightly in his right hand. In spite of the ancient, magical protections on it, the wood was scorched and blackened all over. His control was slipping. He knew it was. Ordinarily his efforts to regain control through physical action would have worked, but this time it just hadn't. His tail lashed furiously behind him. Fucking hell… I hate this.

"Marthal," Ylden called once more. "What's going on? Are you okay?" he asked calmly, staying put where he was.

The other cat's nose twitched and he abruptly straightened, back to Ylden. He reached a hand up and carefully put in one hearing aid before turning to face Ylden fully. His pupils had narrowed into thin slits, but he managed to keep his tone level when he quietly demanded, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk, and to apologize," Ylden admitted. "I also wanted to thank you for your help with my daughter."

Drawing in a deep breath, Marthal sifted through the emotions in Ylden's scent. Slowly, his pupils rounded out again, just slightly. He looked away. "There's nothing to apologize for. Or to thank me for."

Ylden shook his head. "There is. I abandoned you, all because of my own mistakes. I thought it would help, but it was never the right answer," he responded.

"You did what you had to do," Marthal said eventually, almost sighing. "I get that."

The black cat sighed. "I let myself be swayed by a demon. She… I didn't know how to escape. If I had just… left, I never would have 'needed' to leave you on your own." Admitting this all made him flinch, and his stomach tightened. I've been a horrible father…

Marthal's tail lashed once more, then a second time. "Look…" Blue eyes shifted to look at Ylden again. "I don't hate you for what you did. I told you, I get it. Shit rarely ever goes to plan, and people get hurt because of it. That isn't your fault."

"I still wanted to apologize for that much," Ylden murmured. "I never got the right chance to at least explain myself, so that you would understand. I wanted to go back, but by then I felt it was too far to turn around." He felt a hand on his back and stiffened, realizing that Tyria was still there, and only then did he realize just how far he had descended into his own emotions. Ylden rubbed at his eyes and nose, holding back the tears he hadn't noticed to try and calm down for himself. "I felt like this needed to be done, whether you forgave me for it or not. You deserved the truth of the matter, if nothing else."

"Why not tell me then?" Marthal suddenly asked, turning his head away to glare at nothing in particular. "If it was a demon you were dealing with, I would have understood. You could have said something. Anything. But just waking up one night and finding you gone…" He trailed off. His grip unintentionally tightened on the charcoal that was now his staff, and it snapped. The two pieces fell to the ground, earning a soft angry hiss in response.

Ylden was quiet for a long moment, staring at the ground. "I was worried she would hurt you. Try to kill you or worse. I was so deep-seated into my neutrality that I couldn't even protect my own daughter from her when she was born," he answered. "I couldn't stand up to her."

Those eyes looked Ylden over with renewed understanding. It forced its way through Marthal's anger, at least for the moment. Abuse… or something akin to it. Unsurprising. He suppressed a huff and looked away, then bent over to retrieve what was left of his weapon. "That's a standard response. You aren't the first person I've seen it in."

"She did a lot," he admitted quietly. "I just wanted to keep it from happening to you as well."

"You succeeded in that much," was the cool, even reply. "I was never harmed in the same manner by anyone."

"I'm glad to hear that much," Ylden replied, lifting his gaze. Maybe… this is a good time to change subjects. "You've grown a lot stronger. Still pursuing martial arts and medicine?"

Marthal nodded a little. "Always." He looked over his staff, but soon discarded the pieces and brushed his hands together in an effort to clean them off. Ruined. Great.

Ylden nodded as well. "That's incredible to hear. You were always skilled."

"It probably never would have progressed beyond that, had you not gotten me all those books. My turn to say thanks, I guess." Marthal stood and wiped his hands off on the legs of his pants.

"It was the least I could do," Ylden said. "You showed incredible interest and I wanted to ensure you could pursue those things."

"Only after you dragged me by my tail out of the woods," Marthal answered. "You wouldn't buy me anything until I set foot in that town."

Ylden let out a soft sigh. "If you wanted to make use of medicinal knowledge, you would need to be around people." An idle glance at Marthal revealed something. "You still refuse to wear shoes, I notice."

"I wear them sometimes," Marthal huffed. "But that doesn't change the fact that they were never comfortable."

The black cat shrugged. "Perhaps. Back to your staff… you don't have another, do you?"

An irritated sigh answered him. "Not anymore. My home and other weapons are long gone by now."

"We can remedy that later," Ylden answered. "I refuse to leave you without weapons, regardless of your ability to defend yourself."

"I can defend myself with or without a weapon," Marthal murmured. "That was part of my training after you left. Weapons come and go. I needed to know how to handle things when I was unarmed."

"Demon talons are quite sharp," Ylden murmured in return. "At least allow me the chance to give you a new staff, one that you cannot burn your way through."

That brought a fresh question to mind. "...How did this one burn, anyway?" Marthal asked cautiously. "You covered it in wards to prevent that."

"I never intended for that weapon to be your permanent one," Ylden answered quietly. "I had reason to believe you would grow stronger, and once you surpassed the wards for one reason or another, I would be forced to make something more suitable… something more sustainable under fire." Marthal looked at him in silence, waiting for further explanation. By now, his eyes had begun gradually returning back to normal. "That… would also mark the time for more specific training," Ylden admitted. "It was my way of gauging your growth."

So why the hell is this the first time I've damaged it? Marthal's tail once again began to lash. Dammit… I lagged somewhere. Clearly. He held those thoughts back and instead just said a small, noncommittal, "Ah."

Ylden's ear flicked a little. He'd sensed something there, now that he was paying attention, but he wasn't sure what it was. "Marthal… do you have a second fire power?"

Hearing this question, Marthal frowned at him. "No. Why would I?"

"Potentially from your yokai heritage," Ylden pointed out. He waved a finger and pulled one of the broken pieces of the wooden staff into his hand, examining it. "That's most likely how you burned through my wards."

That got Marthal thinking. The more he thought back, the more he realized his mental timeline didn't make sense. He remembered, somewhat, using fire as a young kid. Hence the magic staff. But he only remembered being gifted DragonFire later on, when he'd been nearing his teens. Or maybe already in them. Ah, hell… Fuck it. Guess I didn't get as many memories back as I'd thought, after all…

Ylden waited a moment to see if he'd say anything before continuing. "If you've tapped into your heritage… now is the time for you to get a new weapon. None of your old ones would stand a chance, provided they remained."

"They were wood. Nothing special about them. They would have degraded by now." Marthal ran a hand over his face in silent frustration before asking, "What kind of weapon are we talking?"

"By now, I believe you have the ability to choose, based on your knowledge," Ylden answered.

Marthal frowned again. "I've never used anything but a staff. It was the only thing I was ever taught." No one trusted me with anything more lethal than that. No one wanted to gift proper weapons to a creature that might one day go savage and kill them.

"I can get you a staff, assuredly, but is that what you wish to have?" Ylden questioned. "Perhaps branching out could be good."

"Fuck, I don't know." Marthal paced away to the nearest tree and sat down heavily against the trunk. "I have no idea."

Ylden nodded gently. "What I'll do then, is get you a suitable staff, and give you time to think on if you want to branch out."

"Yeah. Sure." Marthal was quiet for a long moment before quietly asking, "Why bother? I can find things on my own to use."

"I still care," Ylden answered quietly. "A lot. I'm not good at showing it, and I did a shit job of proving it in the past, but I'm going to start now."

The orange cat nodded slowly. Another moment of silence passed. "...You watched over Armaris. Right?" Marthal looked up at Ylden again. He felt stupid for asking, but forced himself to forge ahead regardless. "Did you ever watch over me?"

"I did," Ylden admitted. "Not as much as I should have or wanted, but I was always watching over you both as best I could."

Taking this all in, Marthal looked away once more. Eventually he asked a new question. "Did you ever see the girls? Nat and Mei. ...They would have liked you."

Ylden nodded slowly. "I saw them." He rubbed the back of his head. "Honestly, I am often surprised when children like me. I met Espio's children and the older of the two seemed okay with my presence."

Even them, huh… "Rugrats are surprisingly intuitive. They trust people who are worth trusting, most of the time." Marthal stood back up. "I trusted you, too. Trust isn't… something I ever had much faith in. Still don't. But I'm willing to try again. Alright?"

The black cat slowly nodded in response. "I will do my best to not betray it again," he murmured.

"I won't pretend I'm not uneasy about it, but… I believe you. Scents don't lie, and all that." Marthal put his hands in his pockets, determinedly looking anywhere but at Ylden now.

Ylden nodded slowly. "I understand. It can move one step at a time." Marthal returned his nod just slightly. Tyria suddenly leaned up to Ylden and whispered something into his ear before walking over to Marthal. Ylden ultimately nodded slowly again and spoke up. "I appreciate it. I'm… glad to have another chance, even if I don't think I deserve it."

"Pretty sure you do. Wouldn't be standing here with you if you didn't." Marthal sighed to himself. "And don't beat the shit out of yourself like that anymore, alright? Pretty sure that's your enemies' job."

Ylden frowned at that, but he supposed Marthal had a point. "I'll try."

"You'd better." Marthal glanced at Tyria briefly, just sort of idly curious about what she was doing, before returning his attention to Ylden. "How long will it take to make that staff? Chances are I'm going to need it much sooner than I'd like."

"It shouldn't be more than a day. I'd like to have a friend I know custom-make it… but I truthfully think his hands might be full," Ylden murmured.

Might need it sooner than that. "There's a problem, then." Marthal hesitated. Then he let out another sigh and said, "Look… I have no idea what you heard or didn't hear, but a demon got to me not that long ago. She's not exactly let go of the idea of dragging me back, either. I can feel it. Weird side-effect, I guess."

Ylden's eyes flashed a brilliant blue for a moment. "I see. I will have you one within the next few hours. I have some duties to handle, but I can give you one from my own collection should Li be busy."

Marthal regarded Ylden's eyes for a long moment with a hint of something akin to suspicion, but didn't address it. Instead, he focused on the matter at hand. "You'd better make damn sure you get it back if shit goes south. Unarmed, I'll be somewhat less of a danger to people."

The black cat crossed his arms. "I will do my best to handle it, should the need arise."

"One more thing. If things go down that road, keep me away from anyone in a weakened state." Once again, Marthal's tail lashed. "Zareil is gonna want to kill anyone she possibly can, even if she can't do it with her own hand."

"That's how Zareil is," Ylden agreed. "And we've been holding her god here on Mobius. She's pissed."

"That's an understatement," Marthal snorted. "If you could sense it, you'd understand. Trust me, she's way beyond pissed by now."

Ylden tapped his foot on the ground. "Ultimately… the goal now is to survive her onslaught alongside whatever else comes. If we make it through, then we'll be able to stop some of this shit."

Eyebrows drawing back downward, Marthal muttered, "Everything is coming Ylden. And we're not as prepared as we'd like to believe." He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. "Nice to think things won't totally go to hell, though. It'd be nice to have my friend back to being himself."

"I understand," Ylden murmured. "I want him back, too. We were once close as well."

"He never mentioned you. ...Suppose he never would have had reason to think he needed to, though." Marthal shifted his weight subtly from one leg to the other as he thought. "Well, if shit does go to hell, so long as he's back to normal… That's the important thing. Just in case, though, be sure to tell him I said 'hey' if I can't. Alright?"

"I'll do my best to make sure that doesn't come around, as well," Ylden answered.

When silence threatened to settle, Marthal said, "You said you have stuff to do. You don't have to keep lingering here on my account. I'm fine on my own until she gets here."

Ylden visibly hesitated. He had wished to spend some more time talking to Marthal… but maybe it was for the best that he head off. The man nodded and opened a portal. "I'll be back sometime soon with news on the staff. With luck, it'll be soon."

"Yeah. See you then." Marthal turned his gaze upward and reclined on one of the branches, intending to take it somewhat easy while he still could. Ylden vanished through the portal and it closed behind him.

"Marthal, did you remember those herbs I was looking for?" Tyria asked gently.

"Yeah, what about them?" he asked her, peering down to where she was standing.

Tyria performed one of the many shinobi techniques she'd learned and started a fire. "I plan to cook. I require some form of sustenance, and I believe it would do you well. Those herbs are instrumental to what I am making."

"I can't subsist on plants, you know." Even as he said this, Marthal dropped down beside her and handed over the herbs. They had been in one of his pockets.

The chameleon produced a bag and opened it, allowing the scent to escape. It was a fish, still preserved despite how long it must have been since she could have caught it. "I am prepared."

Now confused, Marthal crossed his legs and sat down. "I admit to not knowing much about your people, but I thought you guys didn't eat meat or something," he said.

"We do not eat it in great quantities like many of the outside races," Tyria murmured. "It has been months since I have eaten fish. In the meantime, I have subsisted on plants and the like."

With a flick of his fingers, Marthal strengthened her fire just a touch. "For a fish as chunky as that one, you'll have to use a hotter fire. Just saying." He looked over said fish before asking, "Did you need anything else? Since you apparently don't eat much meat."

"Whatever you believe would be best. I am used to not eating much for extended periods of time," Tyria revealed gently. "I am quite fond of berries."

"At least tell me what kind," Marthal huffed. "I can't sniff them out for you if I don't know what to sniff for."

Tyria reached into one of her bags and produced two different berries, flicking them to him with ease. "Those are my favorites."

Marthal caught them in a hand and gave them a careful sniff. He recognized their smells long before he recognized how they looked. "Yeah, okay. These are all over the place around here. Be right back." He dropped the two he'd been given and disappeared into the foliage.

Tyria returned the berries to their rightful place and expanded the fire. He is very resourceful and intelligent. My curiosity grows.

Moments later, Marthal returned with a couple handfuls of her requested berries and passed them over. Then he reclaimed his earlier seat, idly monitoring the fire as he did so. "...Why did you come back, anyway?" he soon asked. "Thought you'd gone home after following me the last time."

"Curiosity," Tyria answered. "Regarding you, your skills, and so on." She tilted her head for a moment. "Admittedly, there is something else I cannot fully understand."

"What's there to still be curious about? You've seen just about everything there is to see about me." The rest of her statement caught up to him then and he added, "And what do you mean by 'something else'?"

"If I understood, I would say so," Tyria answered. "It is unfamiliar. Unusual. Far from unpleasant, however."

Marthal huffed. "Helpful." After a moment of silence, he verbally prodded her. "At least explain the first bit, then."

"Which part?"

"...I can't decide if you're being deliberately obstinate or not."

"I am simply trying to understand," Tyria answered.

Another huff. "I was asking you to explain what you're still so curious about. Like I said, you've basically seen all there is to see."

"I have not truly seen you fight, nor do I know the extent of how strong your nose is, among other things."

"There's nothing spectacular about me fighting. I'm not that strong." Marthal paused, thinking, before adding, "And it's not like I have any way to show you my sense of smell most of the time. You're pretty out of luck there."

"Strength is not everything," Tyria answered. "Skill plays a large hand. One can be very powerful and yet pathetic due to lack of skill." Though she was right and he knew it, her words only earned another huff. Tyria raised an eyebrow at him, but ultimately continued. "It is increasingly obvious that you are skilled. Someone such as that cat would not have spoken praise without reason."

"The possibility of bias ever cross your mind?" Marthal asked her.

"It is possible, but he moved in a way that I have seen very few able to do, considering how he got past me," she murmured. He waited to see if she was getting to some larger point here. Ultimately, she left it be. The chameleon slipped a pebble of sorts free of her pack and flicked it at Marthal. He caught it in a hand without even glancing over, his nose having already told him the small rock was on its way. "Proved my point for me," Tyria said.

"What point, that I can catch things?" Marthal tossed the pebble into the fire for the hell of it. "Nothing out of the ordinary there, you know."

Tyria reached into the fire and somehow returned the pebble into her bag without burning her hand. In truth, it was little more than another shinobi trick, a very temporary and small bit of fireproofing that would only last a few seconds. "You are incredibly skilled to have caught that. It would have left a dent in your skull otherwise… if you were an average mortal."

"'Average mortal'," Marthal echoed, eyeing her hand dubiously. "I may not be strong or anything, but even then I don't think the word 'average' fits. There's a reason I don't belong in civilization."

"That is why I amended my words. You are not average," Tyria said, turning her attention to him. "Well above the line of average."

Marthal braced an elbow on his knee and put his cheek in his head, causing him to sort of look at her sideways. "Besides some oddity to observe once in a while, what the hell do you think you see in me? Because I can almost guarantee it's wrong."

Tyria raised an eyebrow at him. "Marthal, I do not need to explain it." She tilted her head, then spoke again. "You burned through magic."

"On accident," Marthal grumbled. "It was ancient as hell, anyway. That probably played a big part."

She shook her head. "No." He gave her a quizzical look. "Magic of that sort does not weaken over time unless something is done to intentionally weaken it."

Another huff served as his response to that. "Look, even if that's true, there's still nothing special about it. You heard him. He expected me to bust through that when I was a kid. Do you have any idea how long ago that was?"

"He was training you," Tyria reminded. "He expected to be there, continuing to train you. Whatever flames you tapped into, he was likely going to help you access them."

"Hell, I don't know… Maybe." Marthal turned his head to gaze into the fire with a frown. "I don't even remember most of the time I spent with him anymore. ...Among other things. I'm not really in a position to guess what he might have been doing back then."

"I firmly believe that he was going to teach you this while you were a child," Tyria murmured. "The fact that you have done so now means no more or less than it would have had you learned to do it while younger."

Why bother putting forth so much effort for a feral brat from the woods? Why bother doing anything for me at all? Those questions had no answers, so Marthal didn't give voice to them. "It means," he said instead, "that I've barely progressed since the time I was small. That isn't something to be proud of."

"Then make something of it," Tyria said.

"Easy for you to say." With this muttered response, Marthal debated the merits of just leaving to be by himself again. He wound up staying, however, if only because he was hungrier than he would've liked to admit. "...I only broke through when I was pissed," he eventually said. "You shouldn't have stayed so close while I was like that."

Tyria nodded. "I am aware."

"So why the hell did you stick around?"

"I wanted to," Tyria admitted. "I did not wish to leave you on your own."

"Pretty sure it would have been better that way," Marthal retorted quietly. "Yokai aren't meant to be around people. We're seen as threats for a reason. Your people would probably know that better than most."

Tyria turned her attention away from the food. "We do know."

"If you know, then I'd recommend you stop taking risks out of curiosity," Marthal told her. "I've never fully snapped before, and if it happens I have no idea what'll happen to anyone nearby. I'd rather not find out, either."

"It wasn't curiosity," Tyria corrected easily.

"Then the hell was it?" he asked her pointedly.

"Concern," Tyria said. "The last time I saw someone snap, they killed their mother."

Marthal hadn't heard about an incident like that, but he decided not to pry. Instead, he mumbled, "Look… that's appreciated and all, but your energy is better spent on better people. Whatever happens to me is going to happen regardless, and I'd prefer other people not get caught in the crossfire."

"With all due respect, I will be fine," Tyria countered suddenly.

"No respect is due," he said first. Then he added, "And no one will be, no. Not if Zareil has anything to say about it."

Tyria frowned. "Fuck Zareil," she bit out coarsely.

"Eh… probably not the best idea," Marthal sighed, trying weakly to lighten the mood.

"I would be disappointed if you had attempted. Aside from her body, she is nothing special. She waves her power around like a fool," Tyria answered easily. "Strong, however."

He shook his head slowly. "There's something to her. I don't know what it is, only that there's something. There has to be, for Kaden to care about her like he does. He doesn't fall for ordinary people. Trust me on that one."

Tyria clicked her tongue in vague irritation that fled in moments. "Regardless, she is currently a problem. She will likely come back with a vengeance."

"No 'likely' about it. She will. End of story." Marthal idly plucked a few berries out of her pile and tossed them into the fire to roast. "And for some reason she's pretty damn determined to make me help her. Not a clue in hell what the fuck's gotten her so interested, though."

"Hm," Tyria shrugged. "I doubt she will be so inclined to tell us."

"Probably not. Just… stay away from me if she succeeds, alright?" Marthal glanced over at her. "We don't know each other well or anything, but I still don't want to fight you. You'd probably win, granted, but even still."

"I will do what is necessary," Tyria responded. "Whether that means facing her, you, or something else." She tilted her head briefly, thinking on the matter. "It is what I do."

Not what I asked. Marthal stifled a sigh. "Let's just… cook the fish, I guess. No telling when she's going to show her face again."

Tyria shrugged lightly. "I suppose that is fair. Do you have a preference for the part of the fish?"

"Not really. You learn not to be picky when your diet is limited and you're in the wilderness." Marthal shrugged. "I'll just take whatever bits you don't want."

"Then we will share," Tyria answered. "And perhaps after we can train. If I cannot convince you that you are doing well with your skills and power, we may as well prove it."

"There isn't a damn thing to prove," Marthal argued, moving the fish into the flames to roast. His tail gave another lash, this one equal parts frustrated and uncertain. But there was no true anger this time.

Tyria shrugged. "Obviously there is. You cannot see where you have skill and strength." Marthal fell silent this time, having no further words left with which to argue her point. She didn't let up, turning to properly face him now. "Without this sight of yourself, you are going to weaken yourself and give way to worse habits. I cannot stand for that, so I will step in where possible."

Marthal let out yet another huff. "'Worse habits'?"

"What is your opinion of yourself?" she asked pointedly. He only gave her a look, not answering the question. She sighed. "Please answer my question. It is important for my point."

"...I don't have an answer," he eventually said.

"You likely do not view yourself in a good light," Tyria answered for him. "You will likely continue looking down on yourself if you allow this mindset to go on."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Marthal answered, a touch cross again all of a sudden. "I've only said the damn truth up until now."

She let out a silent sigh and stood, moving closer to him and kneeling when she was near him. "I did not say you lied. I have made no accusations. Do you understand why I am saying what I have?"

"No, I don't. It isn't 'looking down' on yourself if it's just the facts, Tyria."

"What facts?" Tyria questioned. "What facts are you speaking of?"

The fact that he was being asked to say it all again annoyed him further, but he wound up complying anyway. "I'm not anything special, I'm not strong, or skilled, or in any way interesting, and there's no reason for people to be around me. Those are the facts."

"Are you calling me a liar?" She suddenly asked, eyebrows raised. "I firmly believe you are all of these things."

"Believing something doesn't make you a liar," Marthal muttered. It just makes you wrong.

"Marthal," she said firmly. "There is more to you than you are willing to see. Get the log out of your eyes."

"No, there isn't." The fire flickered dangerously for a moment before settling back down. He mentally cursed his emotions and made an effort to stamp them back out. "There isn't," he said again, more calmly this time. "And your energy is better spent on someone who actually fits your description."

"I found that person and I will spend it on you," she said suddenly. "You are attempting to push me away. Do you believe I will leave you like he did?"

"Everyone leaves," he found himself somewhat snapping back at her. And it was true. People always left. Most times, they just turned their backs and walked away. Sometimes they died. Sometimes they were, apparently, corrupted. Most of the time, they just didn't bother trying to get close to him to begin with. The end result always remained the same. He wound up alone. "In some form or another, that's what happens. There's no reason to pretend it'll be any different now."

"Then make me leave," Tyria murmured. "I will go nowhere."

In a flash, Marthal had retreated away from the fire into the growing darkness of the evening woods, hoping the shadows would help him better conceal his expression. "You should," he eventually said. "I don't want you or anyone else to stay."

"I am not leaving you. Even if you run from me, I will follow. I will stay by you." She sighed gently, her face finally betraying her concern. "I had hoped that would be evident by my following you when you were corrupted."

Marthal put an arm on an upraised knee and hid his face in it. "I don't want you to stay," he repeated, but there was far less strength in his words this time. Leave me alone. I don't understand why you won't just go away.

"Do you truly want me to leave?" Tyria gently challenged. "Do you truly believe that is what would make you feel best?"

"Everyone leaves. That's how it's supposed to be."

Tyria shook her head and threw some sort of needle through the fish, suspending it in the air from a tree before reaching out her hand and walking toward him. "I won't allow that." Marthal didn't respond that time, sitting in silence where he'd retreated moments before. She didn't stray from her path, walking a bit closer until she was at the edges of the shadows. "Come eat, Marthal. I will prove to you that I am not leaving."

He drew in a few shaky breaths and shook his head like she had done just before. He really didn't have any appetite now. "M'not hungry."

"Then come sit with me," Tyria answered. "I will save the food for you. You have certainly seen that I can preserve food for quite some time. A time will come when you are hungry, and I will be here to provide." Though he wanted to refuse, Marthal really had no strength to keep arguing with her. He eventually moved back to the fire, but this time he sat as apart from her as he could, looking into the flames and not at her for any reason. Tyria retrieved the fish and cut it up cleanly, producing some sort of film-like substance and wrapping the larger portion of the food to store it before beginning to eat. "Let me know if you grow hungry at any point. If I am asleep, simply grab the bag that I am setting aside."

I don't want to eat. Marthal looked away further, still having no words left and thus continuing to be silent.

Tyria glanced to him and blinked once before tossing the bag some distance away, far closer to him than it would have been normally. "If you need anything… I will happily attain it for you. I am here."

You're only here for now. "I can handle myself," he mumbled. "I don't need help."

"You do not have to accept it. I merely offered," Tyria said gently. "I offer, and you accept if you are willing."

Marthal looked off in the direction of the shadows again, debating the merits of just returning there as he said, "You're wasting your time."

"So what?" Tyria looked at him. "You are still sitting here with me. I am sitting here with you. I do not see my time being wasted."

You're wrong. Saying that a second time seemed pointless, honestly. As such, he stayed silent once more.

Tyria stood up and walked over to him, producing a slim version of a tonfa. "If you decide it best to be alone, I will set this out for you as well. It is not much, but it may do better than your claws alone. It will be with the fish. I hope to wake up and see you here, however." With that, she walked around him and set the weapon on the ground before scaling the tree and choosing her space to sleep. Once she had done so, she decided to relax and attempt to get some rest. "I hope to see you when I awake," she repeated gently. For more reasons than I dare try to understand.

~保護者~

"Laralei has returned?" Tarin asked with a gentle show of excitement.

Arkiri smiled to her. "Yes, but I believe she is resting currently. I would not wish to interrupt that, especially since her presence brought Kath a level of relief." The man moved a piece on the board of the game he was playing with his wife. "He deserves as much, as does she."

Tarin nodded slowly and took her turn. "I agree. Undoubtedly he has been under an incredible amount of stress. He has discovered that he is a deity, among other things."

The Babylonian was briefly given pause, thinking on that matter. So much of existence that I understand, yet something about this is… confusing, and I cannot muster the information to say why. "Of time, nonetheless. It suits him well."

"You seem confused," Tarin pointed out lightly. "Is something the matter?"

Rather than draw attention to the thoughts at hand, he waved it off and changed the subject. "I was not given much time to interact with our apparent… grandson, but you were. What is he like?"

"Brash, in good and bad ways." Tarin chuckled, turning her gaze away from the game they were playing. "He is a strong and kind-hearted soul, yet I noticed much hesitation when he interacted with me. When I asked about his mother… our daughter, he did not seem to want to speak on the matter. I am not sure why specifically, but his hesitation tells me that she has either died or they were not… on good terms."

Arkiri frowned at this, tapping a finger silently against the board. "I would hope that neither had come to pass. He seems like such an incredible young man. Surely you noticed his anxiety."

Tarin muttered something under her breath. "The poor fool. It was plain to see that he pushes himself too far. I pointed it out and he waved me off. Anything further might have worsened the issue."

"I see…" Arkiri finally made his move before looking away. "Aside from that, I believe that something may be occurring soon. My interactions with Sein have been cut short more than once by him needing to leave suddenly to handle one thing or another. If they are preparing for a fight-"

The hedgehog already understood where he was going with this. "Of course I wish to be there. Steam will be there, fighting, and I wish to always be fighting alongside my family if I am able."

"As always," Arkiri commented with a pleased smile. "I expected nothing less."

Tarin shrugged and shifted one of her own pieces. "You lose."

Arkiri blinked a few times at the suddenness and examined the board thoroughly. Surely enough, she had beaten him. He huffed a little and shook his head. "Best five of seven."

"You're on."

~保護者~

Oh no! The creature tumbled on the ground, forced to throw its legs out in an attempt to stand back up on all fours. Flying isn't really my strong suit… neither is walking. It looked at the home it had just landed in front of with a gaze full of curiosity, walking up and pecking it's beak-like mouth against the door. "Uh, is Wave here?" It called out.

At first, no one answered. Then a boy cautiously called back, "Who wants to know?"

It thought for a moment. By all means it technically had no name. "Well, er… I don't have a name… really… Uh, I guess I can just be called Aether?"

The boy poked his head out of the nearby window. "Um… okay. Well, sis isn't here."

"Wait, what?" The large creature leaned down to the window. "Where can I find her? I need to talk to her soon. It's really important." It… well, it was very panicked by this revelation, it's feet anxiously padding at the ground. "Oh no, if I don't find her soon it'll be so bad."

"Take it easy, I'll try to find her." The boy wormed his way out of the window to the ground below. "How'd you even get to this realm, anyway?"

It blinked several times. "You can't just kinda appear where you wanna be?" The creature leaned its head down to look at him with curious eyes.

"Do I look like an Immortal to you?" he asked quizzically. "Anyway, Wave's definitely not in this realm. She's probably back in the same one Jet is."

Immortal? Oh! Aether flapped its wings and shot into the sky, calling out its gratitude before vanishing completely and shifting into the aforementioned realm. "I have no idea where I am," it said to itself before honing in on the person it was searching for, shooting through space at incredible speeds.

Naturally, its flight was detected quickly. Wave appeared before the creature and fixed it with an odd look, head tilted and arms loosely crossed. "Dare I ask what you are and why you're travelling through here at break-neck speeds?"

"Oh my gosh it's you!" It laughed happily, practically dancing around before speaking again. "Hiya, Wave. I'm… well… I'm Aether of uh… the Aether. Super original of me, I know, but I had to think on the fly."

Blue eyes stared for a long moment. "You're the Aether?" Wave eventually asked, incredulous. "I assumed you'd be more… mystical. Or something. Like the Void is, but less angry."

"Oh, the Void is like… really grumpy… but I can be more mystical if you like. I kinda just chose this form cause it's nifty." The Aether opened its wings and a magic-like yellow energy flowed freely around it, surrounding it in a surreal glow. "Like that?"

Wave blinked. "That's not what I meant… You don't have to change yourself for other people. I was just saying that you weren't what I imagined. That isn't inherently a bad thing."

The Aether blinked as well. "Oh. Makes sense." The changes made swiftly vanished and it relaxed a little. "So, you… knew I was coming? Was it because of that one hedgehog?"

"You mean Steam? Yeah, he mentioned it. Guessing that means your awareness of your bonds with people can cross over timelines, huh?" Wave's head canted further. "That would sort of make sense."

It seemed to shrug. "I dunno. I just know some things, I guess. Anyway, you know why I'm here?"

"Not entirely. Really no idea how any of this works." Wave shrugged as well and straightened her head. "Guess for now I'm here to listen to whatever you have to say."

The creature nodded and took a seat… despite them floating in space "Well, I'm here because I think you're suitable. I wanted to bond with you and share my power."

Wave eyed the action with no small degree of confusion, but forced herself to focus on other things. "If I may ask… what about me is in any way suitable?"

"Well, that's already one thing," it said with what seemed to be a smile. "You don't seem to think you're anything more than you are. You're not exaggerating your abilities." The Aether glanced over in the direction of Mobius. "Got a lotta friends?"

"You, s'ppose so. I'm not super close with all of them, but we're still friends." Wave looked up at her newfound companion. "What about you? Have you been out and about long enough to make a friend yet?"

"I met a little boy that seemed to be like you, but I couldn't stay long. I had to find you," it revealed softly. "I did meet Rusen for a few seconds… I think. He spoke to me a little and I hurried off."

"That little boy was probably my brother," Wave revealed. She didn't say anything about the Rusen bit, mostly because she really didn't know who that was.

It gasped. "Really? Aw, he seemed so sweet. I gotta meet him again soon."

"Yeah, sure. If my dad's okay with it." Wave grew silent after that, waiting for the Aether to say or do whatever it was going to.

"On top of the other stuff, you're also really good at handling stuff that's like me." It held out one of its feet and created a small ball of the same yellow energy from earlier, pushing it to her. "This is… well… me. The Aether. It's kinda like magic in some ways… whatever that means. Kinda hard to explain things when you've been awake approximately… maybe ten minutes? Who knows?"

So it was, essentially, just born? Shaking that thought aside, Wave stopped the rolling of the ball with a careful hand. "It does feel like magic," she soon agreed. "Like you said, they seem similar."

It nodded to her a little. "I do have some questions to ask, mostly just making sure that we're completely compatible and all. It'll also help me learn a little more about you."

Wave crossed her legs to sit hovering in the air, as she often did when meditating. "Sure," she invited. "Go for it."

"First off… what do your friends mean to you?" The Aether asked.

"Everything," Wave answered without hesitation. "They're why I fight, the ones I'll die for, the ones I trust with my life and everything else. They're everything to me."

The Aether nodded slowly. "Alright, more serious now. What's your favorite color?"

Though perplexed by this line of questioning, Wave answered again. "Probably magenta."

"Hm," the creature seemed a touch bothered by this answer, but didn't say the reason why. "Moving on, what do you want to do in life? Do you have any sort of end goal? Some big desire you'd wanna fulfill?"

"Right now… I don't really know." Wave thought for a moment before continuing. "I know that, someday, I want to build a life with someone very special to me. A happier, more peaceful life. But for now all I want is to help make sure he and everyone else makes it through this war so that futures like that can be possible."

"Gotcha," the Aether took a brief mental note of that before asking another question. "What's your favorite food?"

Wave sighed thoughtfully. "I'm not sure. Soups in general, I guess."

"I'll have to try this… 'soups'," the Aether replied thoughtfully.

Wave chuckled. "You sure will, sometime."

"Another thing, what's one thing you'd always wanna preserve besides the people you care about?" the Aether asked.

This earned a more genuine laugh. "I have no idea. Maybe art as a whole."

"Oh? What's art?" The creature tilted its head.

"That would take a long time to explain," Wave said apologetically.

It seemed a touch saddened by this, but ultimately moved on. "I… I think I really like the idea of bonding with you, but I won't do so unless you want me to. That wouldn't be nice of me."

The Babylonian took in a breath. "I think I'm okay with it. I understand your concerns, but I don't think they're warranted this time."

The Aether leaned forward and nudged her shoulder with its face. "I can't bring myself to put responsibility on you unless you're really okay with it. You can think on it, if you want."

Another soft laugh escaped her. "I'm sure."

"You're super sure? Like, really, really sure?" Aether asked. "I dunno if there's takesies-backsies once we're bonded."

"I'm sure, I'm sure," Wave assured with a grin. "I promise. I wouldn't lie about this."

"Alright, as long as you're sure." The creature blinked a few times. "Rusen didn't tell me how to do this."

"...You don't know how?" Wave asked.

"Well, kinda? I don't know," it admitted. "Maybe I should just go ask him…"

Wave canted her head in thought. "If you want to do that, I can wait here for you. I've got nowhere else to be just yet."

The Aether seemed to stand before making some sort of loud squawking noise and floundering, surprised by something. "I get it now!"

Blue eyes blinked. They blinked again. Then Wave asked, "You do?" She leaned forward a bit out of curiosity, bracing her arms on her knees. "How did you figure it out?"

"I didn't," it revealed suddenly. "Okay so come over here for a second."

"Uh… sure. Okay." Wave hovered over to the Aether. "Now what?"

The Aether bopped her head with its beak and seemed to smile. "Done!"

...That… was anticlimactic. Rather than saying that, Wave said instead, "That was easy."

"It'd be weird if it was hard, wouldn't it?" Aether asked.

"Fair enough," Wave agreed.

"So I can't, like, go to meet the Void and all right now. Something about it being angry and not liking my presence, so mind if I hang out with you?" the Aether asked.

"Sure, that's fine," Wave agreed. "Depending on where we go, you might have to make yourself smaller though, if you can. Like, for example, if I go into a building."

It blinked several times before nodding rapidly. "Gotcha." The large creature suddenly shrunk down and floated onto her shoulder. "Tally-ho!"

Unable to help it, Wave burst out laughing and teleported away with the Aether in tow.

~保護者~

16,555 words this time. Many thanks to Blazing Winds for all of his help and support, as always. The big fight is up next. Hope you all are prepared! Posted (at about 11:30 a.m.) 05-18-21.