Chapter X: What the?!!!!
" 'What the' is right."
***
Dive into the mind...
"What the..."
" 'What the' is right." Robert Marron looked to the sand for help. He was so close, but now...
...so far...
Every time he came up with a plan for getting her back it failed. So now the only thing left to do was complete his original orders and, well, kill one of the two standing behind him. Too bad, though. He couldn't. He just couldn't now...
Kokoro wouldn't want him to. Besides, it just wasn't the right thing to do! It would increase the Kaiser's chances of destroying Zoids Eve. That couldn't happen, or they'd all die. All of the Zoids, Zoidians, and organoids. Probably Shadows, too. He didn't know if it included Kokoro, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that...
"Hey, you okay?"
Robert turned around to look at Bit Cloud. "No.... no, I'm not. But I never was in the first place, so..."
"What do you mean?" asked Bit's companion, obviously Leena Toros. She looked kind of sad after witnessing what had happened.
"I don't understand her and I never have..."
"Who?!!"
"Kokoro! I never completely understood her until now!" shouted Robert angrily. He didn't even know these people and they...? Wait. He didn't know them and he tried to kill them and they still cared about him, at least a little bit. So why was he...? "Lately I've been thinking..." he mumbled. "What'll happen to her? Kokoro doesn't know who or even what she is. It's almost as if I know more about her than she does..."
"I've been in that position before," laughed Bit. "It's a strange feeling... I can relate."
"That kid said she wasn't human... but she can't be Zoidian or organoid either, so what is she?" Robert asked himself.
***
Dive into the heart...
"Harry, promise me you'll still be here when I come back," murmured Nanase, continuing to fire at the Zabats.
"What?" asked Harry.
"Promise!"
"Okay, but where are you going?!" he shouted, concerned.
"You'll see." The Dibison stopped altogether, taking more hits.
"Nanase, what are you-" started Harry. He watched as a light flew out of the Dibison straight through some of the Zabats. "...Nanase?" he said quietly as the light flew into the Whale King, which shook from the impact. "Is that you, is that your true form or what?" He laughed nervously. "If you come back, I'll be here. So you better come back. Please."
***
Dive into the core of Zi itself... Zoids... Eve...
Faye could feel the Whale King shake as her Zoid slowly walked up to the Whale King's entrance, its mouth. Her Salamander (like a big Pteras Striker) faltered for a moment and then ran forward to take off. Just as she was about to reach the opening, the huge transport Zoid lifted off of the ground shakily.
The Whale King tottered as it rose. It was too much for most organoids to handle- obviously Nanase was having a problem. "Come on, Nanase, get out of there!" shouted Harry.
The Whale King began to fall back down to the sand beneath. From such a great height, it leaned, the mouth much more downward than its tail.
Faye screamed as her Salamander slid out of the Whale King and tumbled to the ground. It crashed loudly soon after, kicking up sand everywhere.
From his Zoid, Harry couldn't see anything. The last thing he had seen was the Pteras-like Zoid falling, and then dust was everywhere, blocking his view. He could turn his Black Horn around and blindly run to safety, but he'd be breaking his promise.
He'd still be here when she came back... And she WOULD come back. "Come on, Nanase, I'm still here!" As the dust began to clear, Harry could see that the Whale King was still falling. It was getting closer to the ground, so closer... "Please.... I'm still here..."
Inside the Whale King, Nanase sighed. What was happening now? She needed to get that Whale King out of there, disable it so they couldn't fight. But now it was falling and she couldn't stop it, but why? She had it pretty well under control until the pilots had started contradicting her commands with the controls, but even now, when they had stopped out of fear, she couldn't get it back under control...
She started to panic.
*Dan and Nanase Cloud laughed as they walked through the forest surrounded the Wind Colony. They kissed quickly. They had all they wanted now; a great home, a wonderful kid, and each other. It was all they had ever wanted and all they needed.
"Well, tomorrow's our Bit's seventh birthday," commented Nanase as they made their way to the pond Bit liked to play at. He was at school, though, so they hadn't brought him. "He still wants those Zoid models, doesn't he?" she laughed.
Her husband nodded. "Yeah... kids these days. Ah well, he'll probably do really well at Zoid Academy since he's so interested."
"Mmhmm." They walked along the pond, side by side. "Actually... I don't think there are any that he doesn't have," chuckled Nanase.
"I guess having two of some would let him use the parts to build his own?" suggested Dan. Nanase laughed again. "He got his optimism from you."
"And his handsomeness from you," answered Dan. They laughed together and Nanase rested her head on his shoulder as they walked. "I've been thinking... do you want to have another kid? I think it would be a good experience for Bit, teach him some responsibility."
Dan shrugged. "I guess we could. It would be nice to have another kid. Could you imagine the look on Bit's face if we did, and it was a girl?"
Nanase laughed. "He'd be horrified! A little sister isn't something he'd want, but a little brother, yes. Though I wouldn't mind having a girl."
"Especially if she's sweet like you."
"What would we name her, or him, if we decided to have another child?" asked Nanase quietly. The forest was so quite and peaceful in the spring, the perfect place to talk.
"Oh, I don't know... I think it should be a spur-of-the-moment name."
"Like Bit's?"
"Hehe, I guess so. It's more fun that way."
"Mm... that would be interesting to do again." Nanase stopped and looked at Dan sadly. "Do you think the other kids at school make fun of his name?" she asked sincerely.
"Don't worry about it, Nanase," smiled Dan. "You should hear some of the names of Bit's friends. I really doubt it. He'd be more fit to make fun of THEIRS."
She laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We should be getting home, Bit's school dismisses soon."
"His teacher-" asked Dan, "-you were saying something about her earlier?"
"Oh, Mrs. Kokoro Altiel had three kids, you know? Well... she passed away. They say her husband, Scott, was with the Backdraft, and something about her two older boys..."
"Does Bit know?"
"During school, Dan. Mrs. Altiel died during SCHOOL."
"The heck?!!"
"Dan!"
"Sorry, but it must've been really traumatizing. I can't believe it..."
"Her youngest son was in that class. THAT would have been even more traumatizing. Can you imagine?" Nanase sighed. "I'm sure someone, probably us, would've readily took him in for a while, but he disappeared... that's how traumatizing it must have been."
"Poor kid. Well, there's nothing we can do about it now," said Dan, sighing. "We can just hope that Bit never runs away and that we'll always be there for him. Right?"
Nanase nodded. "Okay, we better get going before Bit gets home." The two made their way out of the forest. They weren't far from the pond when Dan heard a groan.
"Rrrr...."
"What was that?" asked Nanase.
"I'm not sure, but I think it sounded like an organoid..." he muttered. "Do you think it could be Zeke? He hasn't been seen since Auron died (peacefully and happily and naturally), and that was a while ago."
Nanase shrugged. "Maybe, so let's go see."
They jogged in the direction of the quite growls, growing louder Soon they entered a clearing. "I didn't know this was here," said Nanase quietly. The stepped forward, only to have the way blocked by a very angry sounding organoid.
"Rrr!" growled the silver organoid loudly.
"What are you protecting..." Dan asked himself. The organoid looked at him strangely. Yes... this was a descendant of Van Flyheight and Fiona. "Zeke?" asked Dan. "Is that-"
"Dan, look," said Nanase. Another organoid, this one golden, stood nearby. It cocked its head at her. Neanase stepped out from behind her husband and reached out at it. The organoid nervously took a step backwards. She turned back around to see that Zeke was gone. "Oh, Dan, what's going on here?"
"Nanase, you might want to come over here..." muttered Dan. "Come look at this...I think we're gonna have a little sister for Bit after all."
"Huh?" Nanase walked over to her husband. "What the?!!" she asked. "Oh my... is she... dead?!!"
The golden organoid ran over and looked down with the couple. They were staring at a girl who looked about a year younger than Bit, with curly, completely white hair and very pale skin. "I hope not," answered Dan, "But it sure looks like it." The girl was laying motionless on the grass, except for the wind ruffling her hair. The organoid cocked its head. Who was this, exactly? It was connected to her in some way, but... how?
There was only one way to find out for sure. As Dan and Nanase turned around to look behind them to see where Zeke went, the organoid glowed and fused with her lifeless body.
"Ooh..." muttered the girl. She crawled onto her hands and knees and tried to stand up. "Where...?"
"Whoa!" shouted Dan. "Shee, her hair changed colors."
Nanase was too shocked to say anything. The girls eyes were a bright green, and her hair was no longer white- it was now blonde, like Bit's. She was still incredibly pale.
"Hey, are you okay?" asked Dan, bending down to pick her up.
"Who...?"
"Shush, it'll be alright," said Nanase quickly. "What's your name?"
"Kitai [ :) couldn't think of anythin' better]," she said. "I mean, Rukki- I just don't know anymore ..."
"How about Kylie?" suggested Dan, mixing the two together.
"A spur-of-the-moment name," murmured Nanase. "We'd better get home. It's getting a little late, Bit'll be worried. We should... take her to the doctor tomorrow morning..."
"Bit...? My brother, right?" asked Kylie weakly.
"Huh?" asked Nanase. "What...?"
"Okay, that's enough, just... try to get some rest." Nanase looked at Dan with a questioning look as he said this. They walked silently back to the Wind Colony...*
Harry watched in surprise as the Whale King stopped falling only a few meters from the ground. He smiled as it slowly landed correctly, then disabled. A light flew out and landed next to the Dark Horn. "Nanase!" cried Harry. He opened the cockpit and jumped out. "What happened, are you okay?"
Nanase looked at him strangely. "You're still here!"
"Of course I am," laughed Harry. "I promised."
Nanase nodded and started to walk over to her Dibison. She smiled as Harry called after her,
"Hey wait, you're arrested, remember?"
She laughed. "Am I? Well, I'm leaving now. If you want to come you can." She turned around and grinned. "I have to ask someone a few questions."
"I was supposed to be back at headquarters hours ago..." murmured Harry to himself. "Okay, I'm coming," he added quickly.
Nanase smiled. Good.
"Nanase!"
"Wha-" Nanase looked over to the wreck of the Salamander, and there was Faye, running over. "Faye? What are you doing here? You're STILL with the Backdraft?"
"Not for long."
"Welcome to the club."
They laughed as Harry watched, perplexed. So Nanase HAD been part of the Backdraft, but now she wasn't. Good. He still had to arrest her, of course, but that gave him an excuse to find out more about her.
"Did you find out your real name?" asked Faye quietly. Nanase laughed. "Kitai. I mean, Rukki. Well, for a while I thought it was Kylie... but I'm not sure anymore."
"Okay... Kylie it is, then," suggested Faye. "So do you really still have a family?!!"
"Yeah... I have a brother, Bit Cloud... or so I thought."
"I wish I had one... but I don't. None of us do, except you."
"But you have each other?"
"No, everyone else got out of the Backdraft after you left two years ago... which makes me wonder, why did you?"
"Because I learned that others DO care about me... Such as my brother, someone who saved my life without even knowing who I am, and..."
"Kylie?" asked Harry. "You told me your name was Nanase."
"It was! I thought it was!" shouted Kylie. "When I was with the Backdraft..."
"But you're not anymore, right?"
"Yes, no, I don't know, okay?!!" yelled Kylie. "Why is it any of your business?!!"
"Because I saved you from that black Genosaurer, and I've been trying to find out who this 'Kylie' is for two whole years now."
"Kylie?" asked Faye. "Are you okay?"
Kylie plopped down onto the ground weakly. "Just tell me... where's my brother? Where's Bit? What's going on?!!"
***
"Do I know you?" asked Bit as Robert walked back to his Zoid, determined as ever to save his friend.
"How should I know?" asked Robert. "I knew a lot of people, but... did you live in the Wind Colony?"
"Yeah."
"So did I. You're Bit Cloud, right? We went to the same school for a while, I guess. Lessee.... You're an only child, right?"
"No, I have a sister."
"Not from what I remember... How old is she?"
"A year younger than me."
"Then I must not know you, because-"
"Wait," said Bit. "You're Robert Altiel, right?"
"Yeah," said Robert. Altiel?!! He couldn't stand the Altiels! They were all idiots, mainly focused on keeping the Backdraft under their control! And yet, strangely, he and Cid were both in that darn family. "But usually I go by the last name of Marron..."
"Hey, that was the maiden name of my old teacher!" shouted Bit. "Cool! Oh, wait... I forgot..."
"Yes, you did," muttered Robert. "So did I. I wanted to. Which is why I never made the connection... Kokoro was my mother's name, and she died... but Kokoro's way too young to be her, so..."
"What's going on?" asked Leena quietly. "If your Kokoro has the same name as your mother, then..."
"Dang it!" shouted Robert angrily. "I tried to forget everything about my true self when Kaiser found me, and in succeeding I completely forgot that Dr. Scott was my dad!!! I'm such an idiot... All these years...."
"Sheesh, talk about a small world and a short memory," muttered Leena, sweat-dropping.
"Yeah," said Bit. "Hey Leena, didn't Doc mention that his group of friends wasn't just Oscar and Dr. Layon?"
"Yeah..."
"You know what they say, everyone is related to everyone else by six people or less."
That explains a lot.
***
Con... fusing.... arghth! You understand what I meant when I said this gets a whole lot more confusing. It was kind of planned this way, Robert's family, I mean... Sheesh. Videogames seem to influence my writing a lot, especially Squaresoft ones, which really leave impressions on me. Robert an' Kokoro are like Sion and Dominique from PS2's "The Boutncer;" Eira was, of course, basically care-free and pink Seraphita from "Xenogears..." Another character soon to be introduced, who's not really a main character (yet) is kinda like Mint from Threads of Fate... and you might say that Kylie is a little bit like "Marle" (better known as Princess someone or other) from Chrono Trigger, because in the beginning you didn't know she was really Kylie.
Oh, about the Kylie/Nanase/Kitai/Rukki thing... Rukki was the organoid's name and Kitai was the girl's. It confuses me, too. Don't worry... I'll try to clear up my confusing concepts at the end. Oh, BTW, the real Kitai, I feel pretty stupid... Earlier, I think in Shadows of the Past, I accidentally called you Audi. : ) Oopsies! I was under the impression that it was your name, not your way of saying goodbye! But then I took the time to read your biography. Sorry! Anywho, Audi really is a name, though. I saw it in a baby name book at my cousin's house before.
This story- not just this one, but I mean, like, my whole little world and ALL the characters, whom I've become a little attached to- has expanded to four main stories in all and lots of history things that I've started.
You notice that the boredom of not having the internet/cable gave me a whole lot of time to think. Enough ranting before I scare away any potential reviewers : ) I'm just sooo happy that I have the internet again!!!!!
" 'What the' is right."
***
Dive into the mind...
"What the..."
" 'What the' is right." Robert Marron looked to the sand for help. He was so close, but now...
...so far...
Every time he came up with a plan for getting her back it failed. So now the only thing left to do was complete his original orders and, well, kill one of the two standing behind him. Too bad, though. He couldn't. He just couldn't now...
Kokoro wouldn't want him to. Besides, it just wasn't the right thing to do! It would increase the Kaiser's chances of destroying Zoids Eve. That couldn't happen, or they'd all die. All of the Zoids, Zoidians, and organoids. Probably Shadows, too. He didn't know if it included Kokoro, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that...
"Hey, you okay?"
Robert turned around to look at Bit Cloud. "No.... no, I'm not. But I never was in the first place, so..."
"What do you mean?" asked Bit's companion, obviously Leena Toros. She looked kind of sad after witnessing what had happened.
"I don't understand her and I never have..."
"Who?!!"
"Kokoro! I never completely understood her until now!" shouted Robert angrily. He didn't even know these people and they...? Wait. He didn't know them and he tried to kill them and they still cared about him, at least a little bit. So why was he...? "Lately I've been thinking..." he mumbled. "What'll happen to her? Kokoro doesn't know who or even what she is. It's almost as if I know more about her than she does..."
"I've been in that position before," laughed Bit. "It's a strange feeling... I can relate."
"That kid said she wasn't human... but she can't be Zoidian or organoid either, so what is she?" Robert asked himself.
***
Dive into the heart...
"Harry, promise me you'll still be here when I come back," murmured Nanase, continuing to fire at the Zabats.
"What?" asked Harry.
"Promise!"
"Okay, but where are you going?!" he shouted, concerned.
"You'll see." The Dibison stopped altogether, taking more hits.
"Nanase, what are you-" started Harry. He watched as a light flew out of the Dibison straight through some of the Zabats. "...Nanase?" he said quietly as the light flew into the Whale King, which shook from the impact. "Is that you, is that your true form or what?" He laughed nervously. "If you come back, I'll be here. So you better come back. Please."
***
Dive into the core of Zi itself... Zoids... Eve...
Faye could feel the Whale King shake as her Zoid slowly walked up to the Whale King's entrance, its mouth. Her Salamander (like a big Pteras Striker) faltered for a moment and then ran forward to take off. Just as she was about to reach the opening, the huge transport Zoid lifted off of the ground shakily.
The Whale King tottered as it rose. It was too much for most organoids to handle- obviously Nanase was having a problem. "Come on, Nanase, get out of there!" shouted Harry.
The Whale King began to fall back down to the sand beneath. From such a great height, it leaned, the mouth much more downward than its tail.
Faye screamed as her Salamander slid out of the Whale King and tumbled to the ground. It crashed loudly soon after, kicking up sand everywhere.
From his Zoid, Harry couldn't see anything. The last thing he had seen was the Pteras-like Zoid falling, and then dust was everywhere, blocking his view. He could turn his Black Horn around and blindly run to safety, but he'd be breaking his promise.
He'd still be here when she came back... And she WOULD come back. "Come on, Nanase, I'm still here!" As the dust began to clear, Harry could see that the Whale King was still falling. It was getting closer to the ground, so closer... "Please.... I'm still here..."
Inside the Whale King, Nanase sighed. What was happening now? She needed to get that Whale King out of there, disable it so they couldn't fight. But now it was falling and she couldn't stop it, but why? She had it pretty well under control until the pilots had started contradicting her commands with the controls, but even now, when they had stopped out of fear, she couldn't get it back under control...
She started to panic.
*Dan and Nanase Cloud laughed as they walked through the forest surrounded the Wind Colony. They kissed quickly. They had all they wanted now; a great home, a wonderful kid, and each other. It was all they had ever wanted and all they needed.
"Well, tomorrow's our Bit's seventh birthday," commented Nanase as they made their way to the pond Bit liked to play at. He was at school, though, so they hadn't brought him. "He still wants those Zoid models, doesn't he?" she laughed.
Her husband nodded. "Yeah... kids these days. Ah well, he'll probably do really well at Zoid Academy since he's so interested."
"Mmhmm." They walked along the pond, side by side. "Actually... I don't think there are any that he doesn't have," chuckled Nanase.
"I guess having two of some would let him use the parts to build his own?" suggested Dan. Nanase laughed again. "He got his optimism from you."
"And his handsomeness from you," answered Dan. They laughed together and Nanase rested her head on his shoulder as they walked. "I've been thinking... do you want to have another kid? I think it would be a good experience for Bit, teach him some responsibility."
Dan shrugged. "I guess we could. It would be nice to have another kid. Could you imagine the look on Bit's face if we did, and it was a girl?"
Nanase laughed. "He'd be horrified! A little sister isn't something he'd want, but a little brother, yes. Though I wouldn't mind having a girl."
"Especially if she's sweet like you."
"What would we name her, or him, if we decided to have another child?" asked Nanase quietly. The forest was so quite and peaceful in the spring, the perfect place to talk.
"Oh, I don't know... I think it should be a spur-of-the-moment name."
"Like Bit's?"
"Hehe, I guess so. It's more fun that way."
"Mm... that would be interesting to do again." Nanase stopped and looked at Dan sadly. "Do you think the other kids at school make fun of his name?" she asked sincerely.
"Don't worry about it, Nanase," smiled Dan. "You should hear some of the names of Bit's friends. I really doubt it. He'd be more fit to make fun of THEIRS."
She laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We should be getting home, Bit's school dismisses soon."
"His teacher-" asked Dan, "-you were saying something about her earlier?"
"Oh, Mrs. Kokoro Altiel had three kids, you know? Well... she passed away. They say her husband, Scott, was with the Backdraft, and something about her two older boys..."
"Does Bit know?"
"During school, Dan. Mrs. Altiel died during SCHOOL."
"The heck?!!"
"Dan!"
"Sorry, but it must've been really traumatizing. I can't believe it..."
"Her youngest son was in that class. THAT would have been even more traumatizing. Can you imagine?" Nanase sighed. "I'm sure someone, probably us, would've readily took him in for a while, but he disappeared... that's how traumatizing it must have been."
"Poor kid. Well, there's nothing we can do about it now," said Dan, sighing. "We can just hope that Bit never runs away and that we'll always be there for him. Right?"
Nanase nodded. "Okay, we better get going before Bit gets home." The two made their way out of the forest. They weren't far from the pond when Dan heard a groan.
"Rrrr...."
"What was that?" asked Nanase.
"I'm not sure, but I think it sounded like an organoid..." he muttered. "Do you think it could be Zeke? He hasn't been seen since Auron died (peacefully and happily and naturally), and that was a while ago."
Nanase shrugged. "Maybe, so let's go see."
They jogged in the direction of the quite growls, growing louder Soon they entered a clearing. "I didn't know this was here," said Nanase quietly. The stepped forward, only to have the way blocked by a very angry sounding organoid.
"Rrr!" growled the silver organoid loudly.
"What are you protecting..." Dan asked himself. The organoid looked at him strangely. Yes... this was a descendant of Van Flyheight and Fiona. "Zeke?" asked Dan. "Is that-"
"Dan, look," said Nanase. Another organoid, this one golden, stood nearby. It cocked its head at her. Neanase stepped out from behind her husband and reached out at it. The organoid nervously took a step backwards. She turned back around to see that Zeke was gone. "Oh, Dan, what's going on here?"
"Nanase, you might want to come over here..." muttered Dan. "Come look at this...I think we're gonna have a little sister for Bit after all."
"Huh?" Nanase walked over to her husband. "What the?!!" she asked. "Oh my... is she... dead?!!"
The golden organoid ran over and looked down with the couple. They were staring at a girl who looked about a year younger than Bit, with curly, completely white hair and very pale skin. "I hope not," answered Dan, "But it sure looks like it." The girl was laying motionless on the grass, except for the wind ruffling her hair. The organoid cocked its head. Who was this, exactly? It was connected to her in some way, but... how?
There was only one way to find out for sure. As Dan and Nanase turned around to look behind them to see where Zeke went, the organoid glowed and fused with her lifeless body.
"Ooh..." muttered the girl. She crawled onto her hands and knees and tried to stand up. "Where...?"
"Whoa!" shouted Dan. "Shee, her hair changed colors."
Nanase was too shocked to say anything. The girls eyes were a bright green, and her hair was no longer white- it was now blonde, like Bit's. She was still incredibly pale.
"Hey, are you okay?" asked Dan, bending down to pick her up.
"Who...?"
"Shush, it'll be alright," said Nanase quickly. "What's your name?"
"Kitai [ :) couldn't think of anythin' better]," she said. "I mean, Rukki- I just don't know anymore ..."
"How about Kylie?" suggested Dan, mixing the two together.
"A spur-of-the-moment name," murmured Nanase. "We'd better get home. It's getting a little late, Bit'll be worried. We should... take her to the doctor tomorrow morning..."
"Bit...? My brother, right?" asked Kylie weakly.
"Huh?" asked Nanase. "What...?"
"Okay, that's enough, just... try to get some rest." Nanase looked at Dan with a questioning look as he said this. They walked silently back to the Wind Colony...*
Harry watched in surprise as the Whale King stopped falling only a few meters from the ground. He smiled as it slowly landed correctly, then disabled. A light flew out and landed next to the Dark Horn. "Nanase!" cried Harry. He opened the cockpit and jumped out. "What happened, are you okay?"
Nanase looked at him strangely. "You're still here!"
"Of course I am," laughed Harry. "I promised."
Nanase nodded and started to walk over to her Dibison. She smiled as Harry called after her,
"Hey wait, you're arrested, remember?"
She laughed. "Am I? Well, I'm leaving now. If you want to come you can." She turned around and grinned. "I have to ask someone a few questions."
"I was supposed to be back at headquarters hours ago..." murmured Harry to himself. "Okay, I'm coming," he added quickly.
Nanase smiled. Good.
"Nanase!"
"Wha-" Nanase looked over to the wreck of the Salamander, and there was Faye, running over. "Faye? What are you doing here? You're STILL with the Backdraft?"
"Not for long."
"Welcome to the club."
They laughed as Harry watched, perplexed. So Nanase HAD been part of the Backdraft, but now she wasn't. Good. He still had to arrest her, of course, but that gave him an excuse to find out more about her.
"Did you find out your real name?" asked Faye quietly. Nanase laughed. "Kitai. I mean, Rukki. Well, for a while I thought it was Kylie... but I'm not sure anymore."
"Okay... Kylie it is, then," suggested Faye. "So do you really still have a family?!!"
"Yeah... I have a brother, Bit Cloud... or so I thought."
"I wish I had one... but I don't. None of us do, except you."
"But you have each other?"
"No, everyone else got out of the Backdraft after you left two years ago... which makes me wonder, why did you?"
"Because I learned that others DO care about me... Such as my brother, someone who saved my life without even knowing who I am, and..."
"Kylie?" asked Harry. "You told me your name was Nanase."
"It was! I thought it was!" shouted Kylie. "When I was with the Backdraft..."
"But you're not anymore, right?"
"Yes, no, I don't know, okay?!!" yelled Kylie. "Why is it any of your business?!!"
"Because I saved you from that black Genosaurer, and I've been trying to find out who this 'Kylie' is for two whole years now."
"Kylie?" asked Faye. "Are you okay?"
Kylie plopped down onto the ground weakly. "Just tell me... where's my brother? Where's Bit? What's going on?!!"
***
"Do I know you?" asked Bit as Robert walked back to his Zoid, determined as ever to save his friend.
"How should I know?" asked Robert. "I knew a lot of people, but... did you live in the Wind Colony?"
"Yeah."
"So did I. You're Bit Cloud, right? We went to the same school for a while, I guess. Lessee.... You're an only child, right?"
"No, I have a sister."
"Not from what I remember... How old is she?"
"A year younger than me."
"Then I must not know you, because-"
"Wait," said Bit. "You're Robert Altiel, right?"
"Yeah," said Robert. Altiel?!! He couldn't stand the Altiels! They were all idiots, mainly focused on keeping the Backdraft under their control! And yet, strangely, he and Cid were both in that darn family. "But usually I go by the last name of Marron..."
"Hey, that was the maiden name of my old teacher!" shouted Bit. "Cool! Oh, wait... I forgot..."
"Yes, you did," muttered Robert. "So did I. I wanted to. Which is why I never made the connection... Kokoro was my mother's name, and she died... but Kokoro's way too young to be her, so..."
"What's going on?" asked Leena quietly. "If your Kokoro has the same name as your mother, then..."
"Dang it!" shouted Robert angrily. "I tried to forget everything about my true self when Kaiser found me, and in succeeding I completely forgot that Dr. Scott was my dad!!! I'm such an idiot... All these years...."
"Sheesh, talk about a small world and a short memory," muttered Leena, sweat-dropping.
"Yeah," said Bit. "Hey Leena, didn't Doc mention that his group of friends wasn't just Oscar and Dr. Layon?"
"Yeah..."
"You know what they say, everyone is related to everyone else by six people or less."
That explains a lot.
***
Con... fusing.... arghth! You understand what I meant when I said this gets a whole lot more confusing. It was kind of planned this way, Robert's family, I mean... Sheesh. Videogames seem to influence my writing a lot, especially Squaresoft ones, which really leave impressions on me. Robert an' Kokoro are like Sion and Dominique from PS2's "The Boutncer;" Eira was, of course, basically care-free and pink Seraphita from "Xenogears..." Another character soon to be introduced, who's not really a main character (yet) is kinda like Mint from Threads of Fate... and you might say that Kylie is a little bit like "Marle" (better known as Princess someone or other) from Chrono Trigger, because in the beginning you didn't know she was really Kylie.
Oh, about the Kylie/Nanase/Kitai/Rukki thing... Rukki was the organoid's name and Kitai was the girl's. It confuses me, too. Don't worry... I'll try to clear up my confusing concepts at the end. Oh, BTW, the real Kitai, I feel pretty stupid... Earlier, I think in Shadows of the Past, I accidentally called you Audi. : ) Oopsies! I was under the impression that it was your name, not your way of saying goodbye! But then I took the time to read your biography. Sorry! Anywho, Audi really is a name, though. I saw it in a baby name book at my cousin's house before.
This story- not just this one, but I mean, like, my whole little world and ALL the characters, whom I've become a little attached to- has expanded to four main stories in all and lots of history things that I've started.
You notice that the boredom of not having the internet/cable gave me a whole lot of time to think. Enough ranting before I scare away any potential reviewers : ) I'm just sooo happy that I have the internet again!!!!!
