Vyctori here again. Silly me forgot the disclaimer in the first chapter. Menardi, will you do it?

Menardi: *looks irked* No.

Vyctori: *losing patience* Menardi, do it. You're my muse. Muses are supposed to do disclaimers. If you don't, no chocolate for you.

Menardi: Fine. Prince Suzaku and Vyctori are not the incredibly rich people who one day thought up the ideas for Golden Sun or Yu-Gi-Oh. Sometimes, I wish Vyctori were one of those two people, so she could buy me some more stuff, but sadly, she ain't.

Vyctori: Yeah, if I was half that rich, I'd obtain the rights to Golden Sun, switch things around so none of the Proxians die and make a game from their point of view for Empress Dotdotdot, Shadow, and I. Anyway, the review counter lists two reviews, but since one of them got eaten, I'll respond the only one left from my faithful reader (and reviewer...hint, hint) Yoshimi!

Yoshimi Takahashi: I'm sure Prince Suzaku will be thanking you. I, too, enjoyed the switch from being deadly serious to Karst and Agatio's bantering. And I agree. That fight scene was better than I could write, too. And here's the update!

*****

On another note, ff.net seems to be really slow today. And it's looking kinda...weird. Anyway, here's the next chapter, written by yours truly.

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"R-Ryou?" Karst stuttered, unable to believe her eyes. How did I not recognize him before? she wondered, mentally cursing herself for her blindness. "What in the name of Mars are you doing here?"

Ryou sniffed, swiping at his eyes. He didn't reply, instead brushing off some dirt that had smeared itself on his tunic shoulder from their battle.

"Ryou..." Karst's small supply of patience was rapidly diminishing. "Tell me or this scythe's going somewhere unpleasant." She gestured threateningly with her weapon.

Her friend couldn't help but laugh. After so long, she hadn't changed a bit. "If you must know…I couldn't stand the suspense waiting back home and so I decided to come in search of you and Agatio." He saddened. "I heard that Menardi and Saturos are gone."

Karst's face set itself until it was harder than steel. "Yes. I had word from Felix--my dear sister and Saturos fell in battle against a warrior named Isaac."

"I'm sorry," he offered gently.

Karst, who had been staring off into the forest, shook her head abruptly. "Don't be. It's Isaac who's going to be apologizing for what he did...just before my blade parts his head from his body."

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" Ryou asked her.

"Why not? Why should I not avenge the death of my sibling, the person whom I loved the most in this Fate-forsaken world?" Karst snapped angrily, turning on him. "Why should I not destroy the one who so carelessly took her life and that of Saturos? Answer me!"

He held up his hands. "No, that's not what I'm saying! I just think that the illumination of the two lighthouses should be your primary concern. There's time enough to hunt down this Isaac person, but the rift grows larger each and every day. I've been watching and measuring--we only have a year at the most left to us!"

Karst's thoughts were briefly drawn away from the subject of Saturos and Menardi's death. "Ryou, are you sure? When I left, they were saying we would live for at least twice that amount of time. The fissure must have grown enormously since I last viewed it!"

Ryou nodded. "I'm as sure as I can be. That's another reason why I'm here--to warn you and Agatio to hurry. If--"

"Karst!" Agatio's deep voice boomed. "Where are you? How long can it take to gather up a few twigs, for the love of Prox?"

Karst grimaced. "Be patient, you big lummox!" she screeched back.

Even from a distance, Karst could hear his snort. "Like you?"

Karst sighed. "Come on, Ryou. You might as well come back to camp with me. Help me find some firewood…?"

Ryou couldn't help laughing. "Sure!"

They picked up as much dry wood as they could carry, occasionally breaking off a few branches from a few dead trees scattered here and there. They carefully chose pieces of all sizes. The smaller bits of wood would be used as kindling. Once the fire caught, the one who was tending the flames would toss on larger pieces, and a log now and again.

As soon as they were done searching, Karst and Ryou returned to the temporary site, side by side. Agatio gaped when he saw her with Ryou and even the unflappable Alex seemed rather surprised.

"Let me guess," Alex questioned dryly. "You were chopping down a tree and this sprang out?"

Karst stuck out her small pink tongue. "Alex, don't be a moron. This is Ryou Hattori. I, uh, met up with him while I was hunting for some 'twigs,' as Agatio put it."

"Ah. That would explain the unusual noises we heard earlier," Alex deduced.

Ryou raised a snow-white eyebrow. "Unusual noises?"

The blue-haired Mercury Adept shrugged. "Shrieks, metal against metal, gasps, and so on."

"So if you knew we were fighting, why didn't you come to help?" Karst seemed irked.

"Cause you'd bite our heads off if we hinted that you weren't up to the challenge!" Agatio rapidly declared. "Come on, Karst. We're not stupid."

"Want to bet?" Karst gave him a look. "This is the person who thought until he was fourteen years old that the sky was blue because Iris the Sun Goddess painted it every morning."

Agatio blushed purple, his pale blue skin and red blood combining to form the unusual shade. "That was ages ago, Karst."

Karst simply smirked and dropped off her load of wood, brushing flecks of bark off her muscular upper arms. "Anyway, Ryou here came with an important message from Prox. Ryou?"

Ryou looked up from where he had been arranging the wood so it would catch properly when Karst or Agatio set it ablaze. "Yes, that's right."

He related his news to the group. When he was finished, Agatio frowned.

"This isn't good," he began.

"What, really?" Karst inquired sarcastically.

Agatio ignored her. "I suppose we had better start traveling faster and longer, in that case. Karst, do you agree?" He turned to the leader of their group expectantly.

"Agatio, you never cease to amaze me. For once, a good idea came from your tiny mind," Karst teased him. "The world really is about to end."

"Aw, shut up," Agatio mumbled as the rest of the group laughed. "Let's eat."

They consumed a portion of the supplies from their packs, carefully rationing what was left so that they would have enough food to last them until the next town where they could purchase more. When they offered Ryou something, he declined, saying he had plenty to eat of his own and didn't want to take away from what they had. After spending an evening chatting and ribbing each other, they each laid out a blanket upon which to sleep and settled in for the night.

Karst, about to drop off into slumber, remembered something. She rolled off her blanket and moved softly over to where Ryou was gazing at the clear, star-speckled sky.

"Ryou...?" she inquired.

"Yes, Karst?" he murmured, feeling at peace as he admired the sparkling lights above them.

"Why were you crying earlier?"

"Oh." Ryou attempted to shrug while lying down, something rather difficult to achieve. "Well...I know you're going to think me silly, but..."

"What?" Karst folded her arms.

Seeing that she was once again growing irritable, he quickly finished, "I felt bad for hurting you, that's all. You are my best friend, and you have been ever since I can remember. It just was...unpleasant...to be the one damaging you, making you bleed..."

"Um...right." Karst wore a wry look. How like her friend to be so caring. She supposed it wasn't the nicest thing in the world to do, injuring a friend, but at least she hadn't sliced off his arm or something. When she and Agatio practiced, she often would laugh at him if he were too slow in avoiding her scythe, telling him he'd have to do better. People would taunt him, she'd say sardonically, for being so weak as to be beaten by a girl. After all, it wasn't like she didn't cast Healing Aura on them after every session.

"Well, I'm glad it wasn't anything serious," she concluded. "G'night, Ryou."

"Pleasant dreams," he wished her.

Karst returned to her makeshift bed and curled up under the covers, leaving Ryou to his nighttime ponderings. Soon, she felt the heaviness of sleep seep into her limbs. She was exhausted from the fight with Ryou and was very glad that Alex had first watch. She exhaled deeply and was out in seconds.

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Vyctori: And that's it for this chapter. Next up is Prince Suzaku!

Menardi: All I'm going to say is, Karst had better be treated well in this fic, cause if not... *gestures unmistakably with scythe*

Vyctori: *sweatdrop*

Menardi: Same goes if you don't review. You have been warned...