A/N: It's kind of a short chapter. Hi everyone. Still there?

Until Death Do Us Part

Delusive Longan

Since we needed to get to the Mars Lighthouse before Felix and the others, Alex suggested traveling by sea, on a boat. That was, as far as we could get until the waters froze. It was a bad experience. Although Alex tried to get a decent vessel (I wonder what ever happened to my old boat?), the other two Proxian Fire Adepts weren't really used to the rocking waves.

Thank goodness for ginger.

Plus, it was funny when Agatio got sick. He couldn't really turn any greener…

The sight of the Mars Lighthouse comforted me. After all, it's my element and it means we're really close to Prox.

Alex was rather eager to light the lighthouse and be done with it, but Karst wanted some battle action. Agatio, as usual, didn't care.

Karst's wishes came true when Felix and co. appeared just a few hours later. Finally! I was getting bored.

"Saturos," Alex whispered, "I think we should stay out of this. It's their fight, after all."

"What are you talking about? You saw how they got whipped last time."

He looked at me. "This time they have the Elemental Dragon potions. They can beat them with their eyes closed and their hands tied behind their backs. Promise. They'll be fine!"

"If you say so… I guess it's a matter of pride."

"In the mean time, we'll do more pleasurable activities. How does that sound?" He smirks and waggles his eyebrows suggesting just what activities he alludes to.

"I thought you promised to help them out."

"… I'll make it up to them. Alright?" And with that, I am resigned to be content.

We sneak into a room a few floors down and are nearly done undressing when I realize that the sounds have stopped and the roof no longer shakes with Psyenergy blasts.

"What's the matter?" asks Alex as I stop reciprocating the kiss.

I tell him what's on my mind and he thinks about it for a moment. "We need to leave. I hate to stop in the middle of things, but I promise we'll continue later."

"What do you think happened?" I ask.

He doesn't answer me. Soon we're dressed again and Alex leads me to a rune that's used for a Teleport Lazuli. He grabs the gem, steps on the rune, and grabs my arm to come with him.

That's right; we're running away. I'm not sure about what's happened and why exactly we have to flee, but I'll follow Alex anywhere. To the ends of the earth if necessary.

Aww. That's cute.

Alex and I find ourselves in Garoh. There's nothing unusual about the place at all. In fact, it's so normal I'm beginning to think they're hiding some huge secret.

I must be imagining things.

We find an abandoned shack on the outskirts of the village and move in. It's not the cleanest place I've seen, but it's reasonable. We keep to ourselves for a few days then Alex takes off, attending to some affairs.

I am left all alone and have nothing better to do than clean the house. The windows are smashed but I can't go into town and purchase new ones. I wonder if we'll even stay long enough for the repair to be necessary.

I can easily take care of household things. I grew up as the only male in a household of women, adopted by one of the five sisters in the family, a fairly young widow who had lost her children to disease. In fact, my mother had suffered from the disease herself and was not the pretty girl of her youth. Not that Proxians are ever that pretty.

When the children of the village made fun of me for being what I was, a rather effeminate boy and child of a lady who sold all the mirrors in the house… well, I got into fights constantly. And I used to lose them all the time.

I eventually got fed up…

A knock on the door interrupts my thoughts. A very loud knock, like a thud, which I'm surprised doesn't shake the entire house and send the door flying off its hinges.

Agatio.

In a very sorry state.

"What the hell happened to you?!" I ask, halfway surprised at my angry tone. I should be helping him, not reprimanding him. He falls over and I lead him on to the bed.

"Well, I didn't get these injuries from falling down the stairs." Normally I would have hit him for a comment like that but I decided he didn't need more bruises. I just glared.

"Where's that two-timing jerk Alex?" He looks around. "Nice place you got here."

"Uh-huh…" I don't know what to say. I can't be angry, and shoot! Why don't I ever have medicine and healing supplies around? You'd think someone as accident-prone as I am would definitely have stuff like that around.

Well, ok, I live with a healer. That usually covers it.

"Why is he a two-timing jerk?" I ask.

"You just refuse to believe anything bad about him, don't you? Do you know where he's been? I assume that's what he's doing now."

"What are you talking about? And no, I have no idea where he is." There are too many unanswered questions.

"He's helping both sides. He's a traitor to us and he's a traitor to them. Plus, he promised to help us fight Felix, but did he?" I felt my skin burn up in an unpleasant way.

"Those potions didn't help either. Notice that I'm in this body. We still lost… and…" He paused and looked at his hands.

"Karst is dead."

A/N: You probably expected that. Anyway, there's more to come!