Author's note: To a reviewer who caught my eye:

Yamie Yukyuu: Hi there! Never seen you around before! Thanks so much for your nice words about TYOD.. and I think you should post your Xenogears/Gundam Wing fic! It would be nice to see some new stuff in this section rather than the barrage of Xenosaga fics that are on here.. ::Shudders::

But seriously, post your fic! Don't fear flamers.. they are mere annoyances.. like flies. You get to laugh at them because half of the time they don't read what you write, or they take themselves and fanfiction waaaaay too seriously.

I'll be waiting to read some of your fanfics, so get them up! Xenogears/Gundam Wing really intrigues me!

Fics coming up that maybe you might possibly think about reading:

My Saint Seiya fic, Seven Sins..

And my Prètear fic, Reflets Sombres..

Anyway, on with the chapter!

Chapter 26:: No Other Choice

"..Cimerion?" Billy blinked, leaning forward. "Karina, what are you doing up? How did you get here??" He asked, taking her hands. She ripped away, gripping her hands to her shoulders, her body quaking.

"Th..the.. the screams.. the screams!!" She cried out, gripping her head and falling to her knees. Citan approached her silently, bending to his knees and placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Karina.. What is it, child?" He asked comfortingly. She looked at him for a moment, her lower lip trembling. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she shook her head, pushing Citan away.

"I..I.. I saw.. I saw them.." Karina whispered, gritting her teeth and letting out a groan.

"Saw who?" Brad asked as he rushed to his sister. The rest of the group crowded around her, all except for Erich, who stood next to the window and watched the spectacle silently. He turned to look out the window in the direction of Cimerion as a soft wind blew his hair back.

"..They are going to return to Cimerion.. they want to kill everyone.. all they want is death.. death!!" Karina said shrilly, standing on her shaky legs. Elly placed a hand on her back gently.

"Karina.. you need your rest.. Cimerion is fine.. Bart called in some Aveh soldiers and workers to assist everything.. remember?" Elly said comfortingly, smiling. Karina shot a dark glare at Elly, causing Elly to recoil quickly.

"..How did you get out of bed, Karina?" Billy asked cautiously, not wishing to attain the same reaction as Elly receive. Karina shuddered, turning her gaze to Billy.

"..Why wouldn't I be able to.. get out of bed?" Karina asked, gripping her shoulders more tightly. Citan looked at Jessie, then at Sigurd.

"I believe it is time to return to bed, young one." Citan added in. Karina shook her head, backing up against the wall.

"Why don't you believe me!?" Karina snapped, reaching up to grab her head again. "I saw them! I saw them going to hurt my friends!! I know they are in trouble!" She growled.

"..It was just a dream, Karina.. Probably heightened by the medication I had you under.. You'll be fine, just take a nights rest.. You'll feel better in the morning." Citan replied, smiling coolly. "Just calm down."

"No!! I know what I saw!" Karina screamed, her eyes flashing.

"Shut up and go to sleep, girl." Erich suddenly added in darkly. The group turned to face him as he slowly approached Karina. "It was a dream. A mere figment of your imagination. Now calm your stupid fears and do as the doctor says." He muttered.

"Erich.." Karina murmured, fixating her eyes on him. She narrowed her eyes, looking slightly to the side.

"How did she manage to make it all the way from the Yggdrasil with her wounds?" Sierra asked, looking at Citan, who said nothing, but shook his head. Karina drew in a short breath, shutting her eyes.

"..I..I.. I am sorry." She said quickly, clenching her fists. Citan walked closer, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"There is nothing to be sorry for, Karina." Citan said, lowering his voice so only Karina could hear him. "Come with me.. I'll take you to your room." He said in a gentle voice as he led her out of the room.

A long moment of silence followed their exit, until Bart finally broke the silence for the dazed and confused group.

"..That was.. different." Bart commented, raising one eyebrow and letting out a short breath afterwards.

"Different doesn't describe it." Fei replied

"What do you mean, Fei?" Billy asked quietly, not turning to face Fei. The older dark haired man blinked at his friend's flat tone. Billy gave a sigh, shaking his head slowly as he turned about. "..It's late.. I'm going to go to bed." He said suddenly, hurrying out of the room. As he did so, Erich kicked off of his perch, stepping lightly after Billy.

Billy walked through the darkened house; only pausing to open bedroom doors of the orphan's to check in on them, making sure they were tucked away to sleep. He knew Erich was following him silently, but he chose to say nothing, as he was not in the mood to hear any of Erich's venomous comments regarding Billy himself or any of the others. The young man could feel the dark, spiteful eyes bearing into the back of his head, waiting to be answered.

He finally gave up his attempt at ignoring the silent inquisition, and as he entered the kitchen he turned around, facing Erich head-on. "What?" Billy asked stiffly.

Erich stopped a few feet from the other young man, his look of boredom unchanging as he hopped lithely onto the countertop, sitting himself down there as he continued to gaze at Billy. Another few moments passed with silence.

"..WHAT?" Billy repeated himself, holding out his arms to try and communicate the annoyance that this was giving him. Erich did not answer, only stared. The ex-priest gave a low growl of annoyance, turning to leave the kitchen. As he did, the soft voice spoke up.

"Why do you seem so uncomfortable?" Erich asked slowly. "Is it because you saw something in the eyes of the angel that you did not enjoy seeing?" He said. This comment made the hairs on the back of Billy's neck stand up. Just the thought of the haunting gaze of the creature from earlier that day sent chills up his spine.

Billy shook his head, shoving Erich's comment aside. But for some reason, he could not will himself to continue walking out of the kitchen. He knew Erich would say something else, and it was most likely something he did not want to hear, but apparently was destined to.

"..Or is it something you do not see in Karina's eyes?" Erich asked, barely above a whisper.

Billy felt a burning in his throat begin as he turned around once again. His stomach churned uncomfortably and his chest felt cold. "..I don't.. understand what you mean." Billy replied flatly.

"Don't you, though?" Erich said coldly.

"I'm tired of you and those stupid clones answering everything with questions! What do you have to gain by circling around the truth? Why don't you just come out and SAY what you mean, Erich?!" Billy snapped, a little surprised with himself at his outburst, since just moments before he felt drained of all energy.

Erich blinked, taken aback by Billy's harsh tone. He would have expected it from many people, but from someone as seemingly docile and passive as Billy let himself off to be, this response seemed uncharacteristic.

Another long pause followed.

Finally, Erich lowered his head and shut his eyes, saying in a low voice, "I have been told that the eyes reflect the deepest truths and feelings of a person.. their soul.. their personality.. their past.. and even their future.. if you only look deep enough. The color of the eyes will even shed light on some of the complexities of the innermost parts of the psyche.. For example.. blue, the color of your eyes, and Elly's eyes.. reflects in pure and just people, those who search for the will of god and believe in the goodness of others, and justice above all else.. and there is brown.. given to people of strength and strong will.. leaders.. oddly enough, the color of Fei and Citan's eyes."

"What is your point?"

"Perhaps the soul is reflected in the eyes, Billy. Imagine that.. if that were so.. what do you see.. or what is it you do not see.. in her eyes?"

Erich whispered, hopping off of the countertop. "Think about it." He added lightly as he walked past Billy, disappearing into the dark hallway.

Billy mulled over those words for only a moment, shoving them into the back of his mind. For some reason however, they continued to come up and nag at him all that night, bemusing him each time he began to sink into a lull of comfort.

Maria stood on the back porch, sighing as the wind blew past her lightly, bringing with it a faint scent of autumn. It was hard to believe that so much had happened in such a short period of time. She had met Karina early summer, and now fall had just begun. She felt her stomach churn as she recalled Erich's story.

She didn't want to fight anymore. She had done her share of fighting nearly a year and a half ago and long before then as well. It was not natural for a young girl, teetering on fifteen to have had so much experience in the involvement of fighting. She thought it was all over when Fei had defeated Deus in Xenogears, the gears were dormant, the ether was gone. She could be just a normal girl.

But when the gears seemed to wake from their state of sleep nearly seven months prior, and ether began to stir in her companion's blood again, she felt thrown back into the old cycle. Granted, there had not been much fighting, but it was not something that she wanted to experience again.

So why did she agree to help Karina and the others? It was not like she was very close to the older girl. In fact, Karina barely ever spoke to her at all. No.. it wasn't Karina she wanted to help. Could it be Billy? He had always been kind to her, he helped her whenever he could, and at times he even felt like an older brother. Now that Billy was convinced that he was in love with this her, did she feel compelled to repay him for all of his help by in turn helping the person he loved?

No.. it wasn't that, either.

It was something else that was drawing her to ride Siebzhen once more, something that tugged at her, nagging at her ever so slightly. It was the quiet glances, the soft voice, the dark eyes that reflected nothing but unspoken anger and torment that drug her in.

It was Erich.

How could it be Erich that caused her to give up her freedom and rejoin with her father's creation to do what she had secretly hated doing all along? She had a small inkling as to what it was. She wanted to see what it was that made him so.. angry. He was, indeed, a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Or, maybe he was just a jerk, she thought to herself. After all, she had heard from several girls that it is the bad boys that attract young teenage girls first.

She knew virtually nothing about him. She had never talked to him personally. All in all, she was sure that if she had combined the hours Erich had spent on the Yggdrasil or in the presence of the group, it would add up to be less than a day. He would come and go, leaving behind unfinished tidbits, leading them on to what was to happen next.

A light tapping of feet startled her out of her musing, and as she turned about quickly to see whom it was approaching her from behind. It was Erich. It almost startled her that it was Erich, since she had been thinking about him at that moment. He walked past her silently, looking as if he was heading out of the yard.

"Hey.. where are you going?!" Maria demanded. "You said you were staying here tonight, and that you were going to explain your plan in the morning! You can't just run off like that!"

Erich paused, turning his head to the side. "I sleep in Shinigami. I'm not leaving." He replied in a rather annoyed tone.

Maria blinked, relaxing herself a little bit. "You don't have to sleep in your gear. We have enough room here, you know." She noted. Erich shrugged a little, continuing to leave. Maria felt a lump grow in her throat as she made a split second decision to call out to him again, "Wait a second." She said, surprised at how he could hear her when she had spoken so quietly.

Erich turned around completely, his pale cloak billowing past him in the wind. "What?" He asked.

Maria froze, unsure as to why she stopped him. "Could I.. ask you something?" She said uncertainly.

"..it depends on what the question is." Erich said lightly, shutting his eyes partway. She was surprised that he responded at all.

"How do you.. know all of this? I mean.. you seem so young.." Maria asked tentatively. There was such a long moment of silence that Maria was sure he was not going to respond, that he would just sigh and turn away.

"Knowledge is not restricted to age, you know." Erich said slowly. "And it is something you need not concern yourself with. This is my business. All you need to do is take care of yourself."

Maria felt a slight flame of anger rise in her, annoyed at how he dismissed her in such a manner. "What does that mean? I agreed to help you out on this, you could at least answer a simple question!" She snapped.

"Why is it that you and your friends feel so inclined to know every little detail? Am I speaking in riddles?" Erich muttered.

"Well, we're helping you, and again, it's just normal to KNOW what you're getting into before you get into it!" Maria replied.

"You know all it is you need to know at this point. Telling you the whole story would ruin it. Besides, you don't have to help, as I told you earlier. Whatever reason you have for helping is yours and yours alone. I am not binding you to it." Erich said flatly.

Maria fell back a little, thinking of what to say next. "Ruin the story? What does that mean? This isn't just some fairytale being read to children, you know."

"Trust me.. by the time this is over.. you'll wish it was only a fairytale.." Erich said, in almost a sad tone, turning to leave. He waited for a moment, in case Maria had anything else to say. She said nothing more and he simply continued to walk out of the fenced in yard, into the darkness.

The moon was in the sky, full and bright that rather chilly night. Most everyone could not sleep well, unnerved by what Erich had told them, but other than that, the night passed by quietly and quickly, practically like any other night.

"You WHAT?" A voice snarled from behind the clone of Fei. He shuddered, shutting his eyes halfway.

"We couldn't do anything about it. Oganimi woke earlier than we had planned. What did you expect us to do?" He responded, hissing under his breath. "We could have had a hundred Dralgolns with us; it would not have made any sort of difference."

A heavy slap fell across his face, causing him to fall back a little. "Stupid!" Rang a woman's voice, "You HAD the girl, why didn't you retreat with what you had?!"

"That is what we asked him." The Bart clone mumbled. Fei shot a glare back at him, his eyes full of anger.

"There was no way to escape with her.. Oganimi trapped us." Fei said slowly, taking in a deep breath to calm himself.

"It is true. His control of time kept us from leaving with her." Billy piped up from where he sat, which was in the corner away from the others. "I don't suppose you could fight the will of that particular spirit, could you? No one can hold the power of Oganimi.."

A new male voice rang, this one low and deep, "Which is why Sensheyen is the one we want. Next time we try and take the girl, we must ensure that no other spirit is there with her."

"Agreed. Then we must lure her out to where she will be alone.. and Oganimi cannot save her." The woman's voice lowered.

"We have no danger of Megsuun interrupting us.. that spirit is far from consciousness. Also, do not forget.. Sensheyen will be even weaker.. since he does not have Leinreik with him." Another male voice added.

"Leinreik?" Billy asked, perking up. "I have never heard of him.. Aren't there only three?"

"..There are technically only three. I will explain to you who Leinreik is soon enough. He will be coming into play any moment now." The male voice added.

A light tapping sounded, and a woman stepped out into the light. She had long white hair and deep blue eyes. She wore a tight black sleeveless top, white and black gloves that went up almost her entire arm's length, and a short skirt that went about halfway down her thighs. Black boots began nearly where her skirt ended and ended in a tall heel. She lifted her hand, a light crackle of energy appearing in her hand. "But first of all.. Let's see if Karina will come to Elly, shall we?" She asked quietly, smiling.

The sun rose in a brilliant myriad of oranges, reds and purples, and a light sea breeze blew the next morning. It was a bit more chilly that day, but as soon as breakfast was over, the children were out in the front yard running and playing on the teeter-totter, one girl climbed the ladder that led to the top of the windmill, resting herself down and looking out toward the sea.

"Hey, Sig, check out the rooster mutant trying to herd those chickens." Sierra grinned, pointing out the window. Citan still had her resting from her wound the day before, which led to much boredom on her part.

"..He's not a rooster mutant, Era." Sigurd sighed. "Why aren't you drinking your water like Citan told you to?" He asked. "That poison takes a while to get over and not doing as the doctor tells you, it will prolong your recovery."

"..Who certified Citan as a doctor, anyway? I feel fine, Sigsipoo." Sierra said lightly, twirling her foot. As she did, Ziggy entered the room, holding an ice pack on his head.

"Mon.. I'm really feelin' sore today.. I had this bruise on my back today that looked kinda like someone was sittin' on me or somethin.." Ziggy sighed, adjusting the ice pack.

"That's because you're Rico's new loveseat, Ziggy." Sierra said bluntly. "Maybe you should.. like.. NOT annoy him.."

"..Eh.. well.. I guess that I could ease up on my attempts at befriendin' the big green guy." Ziggy shrugged, sitting down on the couch next to Sierra. He moved to lay his head down on her chest, sighing, "Now, be a nice lady and let me rest my poor head on your pretty chest, chica.."

"Ugh.." Sierra rolled her eyes, smacking Ziggy in the side of the head with her palm, apparently rather hard, because he was once again, knocked out.

"..He's going to have serious brain problems if this keeps up." Sigurd noted, stifling a little chuckle.

"Serves him right, that freaky little man." Sierra muttered, kicking Ziggy on the side so he slipped off the couch. Sigurd smiled a little, looking back at the door as Citan walked into the room.

"Good morning, Sierra. Feeling better?" Citan asked, kneeling next to the couch and beginning to remove the bandage from Sierra's leg.

"Yeah, I feel fine, other than the fact that you're feeling me up, Citan." Sierra muttered. Citan blushed a little, adjusting his glasses.

"Goodness, Sierra. I am just checking your wound." He said gently, removing the bandage. The wound was a large gash with a noticeable deep pierce in the center, which Citan had stitched up the night before. "Well.. it looks as if the antitoxin worked the way it was supposed to.. I don't see any evidence of it still being present in the blood." He said slowly, reaching down and pulling out a new pack of gauze he had brought with him.

"So can I get off this damn couch and go torment the rooster mutant now?" Sierra asked, rolling her eyes. Sigurd smiled, walking past the couch.

"He's not a mutant." He repeated, walking out of the room. Sigurd continued down the hall until he ran into Bart, who was resting against the wall. "What are you doing, young master?" He asked.

Bart looked up, giving a small shrug. "Nothing much, Sig. Heading back to the Yggdrasil?" He asked, unfolding his arms and continuing to walk down the hall with Sigurd.

"Yes.. I have to check on something. Brad and a few of the mechanics noticed that one of the main coolant valves was reacting strangely the other day. They were going to work on it, and I was going to go over and check on it." He said, brushing a strand of silver hair away from his line of vision. Bart made a sound of acknowledgement, pausing for a moment.

"Have you seen Erich yet today?" The blond man asked. Sigurd looked back, shaking his head.

"I am afraid not. Wasn't he supposed to come back and talk to us sometime this morning?" Sigurd asked.

"Yeah.." Bart said slowly, looking down at the ground. Rico walked past, a throng of children following him screeching for him to play with them. As he did, he paused to look at Bart.

"Where is that.. small person?" Rico asked, shuddering at the last part.

"..Small person?" Bart blinked, raising one eyebrow.

"You mean Ziggy?" Sigurd asked, smiling. "Sierra knocked him out.. I think he's laying on the floor in the living room." He added.

Rico gave a sigh of relief. "Thank god. I'm getting sick of that little-" He began, but was cut off by Ziggy flying out of the living room door.

"Rico-mon! Good to see ya!" Ziggy yelled, glomming on to Rico in a tight embrace. Rico made a notable shudder. "I haven't seen you all mornin', mon! Where you been hidin?" He laughed, slapping Rico on the back.

"…I haven't been hiding anywhere, Ziggy." Rico replied, rolling his eyes.

"Really, mon? Well, I wanted to ask you if you forgot about my offer I made the other day! You know, bein' my brother, like, officially?"

"Well, I.." Rico muttered.

"Comon', mon! It'll be great!" Ziggy grinned.

"Uh.. Ziggy.." Bart began.

"We can go hang out at bars and stuff!" Ziggy continued.

"Ziggy.." Bart sighed.

"Pick up chicks, and stay out late.." He continued on.

"He's gonna get hit again, isn't he, Sigurd?" Bart sighed.

"That'll be twice in ten minutes." Sigurd whispered, putting a hand on his forehead.

"Geeze.. he's lucky he has his short term memory still." Bart muttered. Sigurd and Bart both sighed as Rico ad Ziggy walked into the living room. There was a long pause between their exit, and Bart held up his hand. He started folding his fingers down by seconds, counting five, four, three, two, one, and on one, Bart pointed his finger up as a loud thud sounded.

"Ziggy.." Sigurd began.

"Yep. He got knocked out." Bart replied, grinning. He threw his arm over Sigurd's shoulder as the older man chuckled. "Well, Sig, what say we go check out how my ship is doing, shall we?" He asked, dragging Sigurd out of the house.

Fei sat on the porch with Billy and Elly, leaning back and looking upward towards the sky. "It's a nice day, isn't it?" He asked, smiling.

"It always seems to be very fair here in Aquvy. Maybe I'll move here someday." Elly replied, sitting up and setting her hand on Fei's knee. Billy sat on an overturned bucket that used to be a water pail. He leaned forward, rolling an apple he had been eating in his palm.

"The winters are harsh here." Billy said quietly, not seeming to focus much on what anyone was really talking about. He reached down and scratched a small bit of mud that had dried on the front of his boot into the grass, and the curled his arms over his knees.

Elly smiled at Billy, and then stood up and stepped off of the porch. "Is something wrong, Billy?" She asked as Fei looked at Billy as well. Billy shook his head, reaching up and grabbing onto the wooden handrail to pull himself up with.

"I think.. I'm going to go clear the beasts out.. Bobby told me he has seen a lot of Ripper's near the house lately.." He said, entering the house for a moment. When he came back out, he was carrying his gun belt and latching it around his waist. He wasn't wearing his cloak today, so all of his guns were quite visible.

"Oh.." Elly began, turning to look at Billy, "Let Fei and I go with you.. Just in case, you know? Those beasts out there can be really tough sometimes."

Fei nodded, "Yeah.. you never know when you're going to run into a Shellbelle.. you might have to Aquasol it to death." He laughed, hopping up. Elly glared at Fei playfully. She walked past Billy, up the steps and into the house.

"Just let me grab my rod.. we'll help you out and everything will go a lot quicker. Hey, I could even pack a lunch and we could make a day of it." She said, nodding at Billy and Fei for approval. Fei smiled, giving her a thumbs up.

"Sounds great to me." Fei replied. Billy shrugged, walking down the steps.

"Yeah, I guess that would be good." Billy added on, moving back to sit on the overturned water pail. Elly paused at the door, looking down at Billy.

"You know," Elly began as Fei ran past her into the house, "while I'm fixing lunch you could go say hi to Karina or something. I talked to her earlier this morning, and she seems like she's feeling a lot better."

Billy looked up at the sky for a brief moment, mulling over the idea. He stood up, looking back at Elly. "Maybe I will." He said, walking up the porch steps and into the house. Elly smiled at Fei, who was leaning against the wall.

"Would you like to help me make lunch, Fei?" Elly asked, raising an eyebrow. Fei nodded, grinning. She sighed, opening the kitchen door and walking in, "Well, okay then.. but you're not allowed to touch anything.. we don't want a repeat incident of the last time I let you near the toaster." She said quietly.

Billy opened the guest bedroom door, peering into the room. The window was wide open, the curtains blowing lightly in the breeze. Karina was sitting up in bed, her head tilted towards the window. She looked nothing like someone who had several bruised and cracked ribs and most certainly no one with injuries to her back. The only visible injuries were several small cuts on her face, a couple dark bruises on her forehead and arms, and a gash on the back of her neck, which was covered by a large piece of gauze.

She turned to look at Billy, a faint smile appearing on her lips. "Morning." She said quietly. Billy noticed that her hair was tied up in a bun. He had never seen her hair like that. He liked it up that way.

"..Good morning, Karina. How did you sleep?" Billy asked, stepping over next to the bed. She shrugged, looking up at him.

"I didn't sleep much." She replied. "You?"

Billy smiled, sitting down on the unoccupied portion of the bed. "I slept fine.. were you uncomfortable? Was it too hot, or..?"

"..I didn't want to sleep." She said bluntly. Billy paused, giving a slight nod.

"Well.. I.. suppose sometimes you.. might not want to.. err.. sleep.. sometimes." Billy said uneasily, looking out of the window. "I.. um.. am going to go clear out some of the beasts out on the range in a little while.. so.. I won't be here most of the day.." He noted, folding his hands in his lap.

"Alright.." Karina nodded.

"So.. um.. if you need anything.. well.. I'm sure Citan will be helping you all the time.. he has a very good bedside manner.." He continued, looking at the floor as he spoke.

"..Do you believe me, Billy?" She asked.

"What?"

"Do you believe me..?" She repeated, facing him. He looked up to meet her gaze, focusing on her eyes first.

Perhaps the soul is reflected in the eyes, Billy. Imagine that.. if that were so.. what do you see.. or what is it you do not see.. in her eyes?

He never thought about the strange underlying feeling he had when he looked into her eyes. All he ever focused on was how mush he enjoyed looking in them. But now, he began to notice what it was Erich had said. There was something strange, something foreign, something.. intangible.

"..Billy?" Karina asked, jolting him out of his thoughts. He looked at her, expecting her to say something. She stared at him for a moment, sighing, "..Nevermind.." she said.

"Oh.. oh.. no.. I mean.. Karina.. um.." Billy murmured, stumbling over his words. "Of course I believe you.. it's just.. err.."

"Just what?" She asked, her tone slightly edgy.

"..It's just.. well.. I know a lot has happened to you.. and.. I know that stress can cause certain things to.." Billy began, lingering on his last few words.

"You think I'm crazy." Karina said sharply.

"No.. no of course not.." He replied, sitting back. "I just think that stress can make us think and do crazy things, you know?" As he said this, Karina nodded in agreement, looking back out of the window.

"It's just.. the dream was so real, you know? It's like.. not something that felt like an ordinary every-day dream." She said quietly as she ran her fingers along the quilt that covered the bed.

"I understand what you mean.. but I'm sure everything will be okay.. you'll see." Billy said soothingly as he reached out to brush a pale hair from her vision. Her skin felt unnaturally cold as his hand brushed against it, almost making him withdraw immediately.

Karina smiled a little bit more widely as Billy stood up to leave the room. She looked up at the door as he neared it. "Shoot one for me." She said, making a gun with her fingers, and then shooting it off with her thumb.

He gave a small laugh in response, nodding and holding up a thumb. "Will do.." he replied. As he left, her voice alerted him once again.

"Billy?" She called out.

"Yes?"

She stared at him for a moment, mulling over her words before saying, "Those nights.. when you got hurt.. when Cimerion was attacked and Zeke died.. and the Dralgoln.. there were dreams on each of those nights.. so.. is it right to ignore this one?"

Billy felt his skin grow a little cold. "..P..Please rest now, Karina.." He said gently, turning away and leaving the room.

The children had been right. There were several beasts wandering the plains, more than there had been the last time Billy had cleared out the area. There was plenty of bounty gold to be had from it; since most of the time that was how Billy made his living now.

Elly drug her rod along a patch of dirt, brining it up and tapping it in her palm. She reached a hand up over her face, wiping a few beads of sweat from her forehead. "It's gotten pretty hot this afternoon." She commented, twirling the rod in her hands.

The two young men next to her nodded in agreement. Fei twisted his hand in his open palm, rubbing his sore knuckles as he curled and uncurled his fingers. He then looked at Billy, who was busily wiping the blood of a Ripper off of the barrel of his shotgun. "Hey, Billy? Do you have any idea why there are so many beasts now?" He asked.

Billy shook his head, "Mating season is far from over, so I don't think it's because of new births.. but then again, sometimes beasts will travel from other small islands to this one because of food sources.. that and the lake is one of the only freshwater sources in this area." He said slowly as he reached up and placed his shotgun in the sling on his back. "That's the only thing I can think of."

The group continued along the path until they reached a small patch of wildflowers. Elly stopped, gripping at a small pack she held on her back. "Why don't we stop and have some lunch?" She said, pulling the pack off of her shoulder. Fei rocked back on his heels, smiling.

"Great idea.. I'm starving.." He said lightly, sitting down on the bed of wildflowers and folding his legs. Billy looked out into the distance for a moment, watching for any signs of beasts nearby, and then sat down, folding one leg up to his chest and stretching the other out. Elly sat down on the side of her thigh, folding her legs behind her as she set the pack down in the middle of the circle.

"So, I guess we'll loop around the plain until we get to the lake, then move back along the sea shore until we get home.." Billy said, lifting his hand to point in the directions they were heading as he spoke.

Fei smiled at Billy as he reached for a sandwich Elly was holding out for him, "Nice day's work we got ahead of us, huh?" He commented as he pulled the plastic from around the sandwich. Billy nodded, lowering his head to look over one of his Godson pistols.

"We should go check around the lake.. see what happened to the parts left of the.. err.. thing.. from yesterday." Elly suggested, lifting her hand to shield the sun from her eyes as she looked at Fei and Billy.

"Actually," Fei began, taking a rather large bite out of the side of the sandwich, "Bart and I took the liberty to dispose of the remains earlier this morning." He finished, setting the sandwich down on the bit of plastic that it had been wrapped in.

"What did you do with it?" Billy asked, looking up from his work for a moment. Elly reached out and handed Billy a sandwich as he looked back down. "Thank you, Elly."

"We burned it.. at least the parts Doc said we could burn. The remains of the fangs and stuff like that had venom in them and he took them so he could analyze the venom.. he didn't want us burying or burning anything toxic, after all." Fei said, winking at Elly. "We took the safe parts up into the mountainous area and burned them. So, they should be safe from any of the kids.. you know.. stumbling on them."

The youngest of the three began to unwrap his sandwich, pausing as he brought it to his lips, "Well, thank you for getting rid of it.." He said, finishing his bite.

Fei reached down, picking a flower and bringing it up to Elly's view, "It matches your eyes." He said, smiling.

"You're corny, Fei." She smiled, taking the flower from his hand. "Thank you." Elly said, reaching out and gingerly tapping his face. She turned her head to face Billy, her eyes lighting up, "Maybe you could take some flowers to Karina. They might make her feel better. I mean, they won't have the healing effects of diamonds.. but work with what you have!" She grinned, winking.

"Diamonds?" Fei blinked. "Since when did you-"

"Maybe I will.." Billy said, shrugging his shoulders. He reached into his back pocket, removing a small hunter's knife, and then brought the knife to the edge of the barrel of his pistol. He began scraping at a hardened bit of sap that was pooled there. "I hate Planters.. they always get this stuff on my guns and it's hard to clean off.."

"Hey, Karina." Maria said as she walked into the bedroom, carrying a small tray. "It's lunch time." She commented, holding the tray up for Karina to see.

"..Great." Karina shrugged, not looking up from the book she was reading. Maria walked over to the bedside table, setting the tray down next to the lamp.

"It's my special pasta salad.. I got the recipe from a chef in Shevat and modified it." The younger girl said proudly.

Karina looked up, gazing at the plate, "It looks really good. Thank you." She said in a rather lackadaisical tone. Maria frowned, clenching her hands together.

"Are you not feeling well?" Maria asked.

This brought a sigh from Karina's lips, "Well, I have a few broken ribs and I'm pretty sore. If that's what you mean by not feeling well, then.." She began trailing off as Maria's smile turned to a frown. "I mean.. I'm sorry Maria.. no I'm not feeling very well.. thank you for asking." Karina finished.

"Do you want me to go get you some painkillers?" She said, pointing with her thumb out the door. Karina shook her head, setting the book down.

"No.. but.." She began, looking out the window.

"Yes?"

A faint smiled appeared on the older girl's lips. "Would you stay and talk to me, Maria? We've never really gotten well acquainted."

"Uh.." Maria looked up at the ceiling, a feeling of unease coming over her, "Sure.. I guess so.." She said uncertainly. The pale haired girl sat down in a chair beside the bed, resting back and folding her hands in her lap.

Karina took the tray from the table, moving as if she was in no pain at all, and placed it on her lap. She lifted to fork from the tray, stabbing a piece of pasta in the bowl and bringing it to her lips. "So.." She began, looking up at Maria.

"So, indeed.." Maria nodded, biting her lower lip.

"This pasta salad is very good.. maybe you could teach me how to make it sometime?" She said, taking another forkful of the salad. Maria shrugged, nodding her head slowly.

"I suppose I could if you wanted to learn. It's not that difficult." Maria replied, smiling as she began to feel a little more at ease.

"Well," Karina began, setting the fork down as she reached for the glass of water on the bedside table, "I'm.. not the best chef in the world.. I mean.. I probably would have died by now if it hadn't been for restaurants."

"You've made breakfast before, you're good at that." Maria said, surprised that Karina was not a good chef. She had just assumed that the older girl would be into that sort of thing.

"Breakfast.. yeah, I cook things from boxes with instructions on the back.. trust me, I hate cooking.. don't ever think that I could whip up anything from scratch.." Karina said lightly, sipping a bit from her water glass. Maria chuckled lightly, and afterwards a long pause of silence followed. Just as Maria had expected.

Maria looked out of the window, twiddling her thumbs as she mulled over asking Karina a question. "Hey.. Karina?" She began, looking up uneasily. Karina looked up, as if to tell Maria to continue what she was going to say.

"What was it that you.. err.. Dreamed about.. last night?" She asked, ending the question in a very hushed tone, expecting Karina to become angry with her for asking. Karina looked at her for a moment, sighing as she pushed the tray away from her lap.

"Well.." She began, moving her fingers along the blanket. "It was.. just.. very vivid images of.. things.." Karina said slowly.

"..Like?"

"You see.. it wasn't a clear, flowing dream, it was just snapshots, you know? Like.. snapshots of things to come." She continued, moving her hand in a circular motion. "And it's not like this was the first time.. so that's why I was so.. freaked out."

"Oh, I see.." Maria whispered. "Well.. maybe after Erich comes back to talk to us, I'll go down to Cimerion in Siebzhen to check it out." She said, smiling.

Karina sat up, her eyes brightening. "Really? You'd do that?" She asked.

"Yeah.." Maria replied.

A large smile appeared on Karina's face. "That would mean so much to me.." Karina said softly. "Thanks.."

Maria stood from her chair, turning to leave the room, "I'll be back in a little while to get those dishes, okay?" She said, smiling. Karina nodded, reaching for her book.

Sunset began to come earlier and earlier as fall began, causing the sky to melt into shades of red and deep purple. Fei and the others had not yet returned from their trip to clear out the grasslands of the beasts, but that was not unusual, since that was usually a daylong excursion.

A door slammed, alerting Citan, who was in the living room at the time. He stood up; setting his book down on the chair he had been sitting in. "Ah.. hello, Erich. A little late, are we?" Citan asked as Erich walked into the house slowly, looking at Citan with an annoyed expression.

"I was busy." He replied, pushing his cloak back as he sat down in a chair. "Where is everyone else?" The young man asked impatiently.

"Fei, Elly and Billy are not here presently. They are out in the grassland area clearing out the beasts.. We can inform them of you message when they return." Citan explained as Sigurd entered the house with Bart.

"Hey, I guess we got back at a good time, eh, Sig?" Bart said, looking sideways at Erich.

"Sigsipoo!" Sierra called out, reaching out her arms from the couch where she still sat. Sigurd smiled, nodding his head as he rested against the wall.

Erich rolled his eyes, looking out the window as if waiting for something to happen. "I am going to go ahead and tell you the information I have. I don't want to wait for everyone else to mosey in here and waste my time with stupid questions."

Citan shrugged, crossing his arms as he stepped over to the couch to take a seat next to Sierra. "Very well.. tell us what it is we need to know.."

Erich sighed, looking down as he began to explain the procedure they needed to follow next.

Karishnia.. neiru

"Wake.."

The voice rang in Karina's head, jolting her out of her calm sleep. She looked from side to side for the source of the voice. It was familiar. Where had she heard it before.

..Karishnia.. meyrl ou Sensheyen..

"Vessel of Sensheyen.."

She pushed off the covers, feeling the cold air brush against her legs. She felt no pain in her body. She lifted her hands, looking them over. The cuts and bruises were still there, but no pain. She stood, not understanding why, feeling her legs wobble a little underneath her weight. "What do you want?" Karina said in a hushed voice. She felt her chest begin to burn, causing her to reach up and grasp at it. To her surprise, her chest was not hot at all, but she felt a piece of hot, slick metal against her palm.

She lifted the piece of metal from her chest, looking it over. It was the key necklace she had found in her father's gun cellar. It suddenly grew cold, but took on an eerie white light.

Ori crucifix ou Leinreik..

"The cross of Leinreik.."

Karina gazed into the cross' light, bringing it closer to her face. She felt a strange warmth, the same that had filled her that day she had seen the unknown mirror, fill her body. "..Who.. what is Leinreik?" She asked, moving her eyes up to gaze into the darkness.

Ta kem Leinreik..

"I am Leinreik.."

She fell back onto the bed, clutching the sheets tightly in her fingers. "What do you want?" She repeated. "Tell me NOW.." She said slowly, gritting her teeth. "Are you the one sending me these dreams?" Karina said in a low voice.

A new voice filled her head, this one making goose bumps rise on her skin. She couldn't say it was new.. no.. it was a voice she knew well. It was the voice in her dreams.

Ka lin tza… ai kriine na ta kelln ou.. ka lin tza..

"Go there now.. you know what I speak of.. go there now.."

Karina bit her lip, looking back at the cross, which had faded to a deep shade of violet. "You mean.. Cimerion.."

Ta nou ness ten wyrn na ai quon tos..

"I will help you gain what you want most.."

"..How do you know what I want most?" She asked, lowering her eyes. The voice faded from her head, leaving behind only one message:

Tenya dormon ryu ansh.. ka lin tza.. ta nou ness ten..

"Your dream was real.. go there now.. I will help you.."

As the voice faded, Karina felt herself rise to her feet, and before she could really realize what she was doing, she was outside of the house by way of the window and running into the darkness, not really knowing where she was going or why.

"Hyaaahh!" Fei yelled, brining his foot down in a strong roundhouse kick. The Planter fell to the ground, twitching as it lost its energy. It suddenly went limp, its small tentacles falling to the ground. Fei grinned, straightening his back. "Now that's how you do it!" He announced, walking over to Billy and Elly who were wiping off their weapons from the sudden ambush by a pack of Planters just a few moments prior.

"Well.." Billy began, taking a deep breath and placing his pistol into his holster. "That should be it.."

"Geeze.. imagine how much in bounty we'll get.." Elly huffed, bending over and placing her hands on her knees. Fei suddenly gave a cry, starling Elly and Billy.

"Oww!" Fei howled, grabbing his foot. "Dammit, what the hell?" He cursed looking at the sole of his foot for what had caused the jab in the bottom of his foot. Imbedded in the sole, barely visible, was a rather good sized bounty fang.

"What is it, Fei?" Elly asked, straightening and pulling her hair back behind her shoulders. Fei wagged his hand for her not to worry, reaching down and pulling the fang out of his shoe.

"Ah.. it's a bounty fang. I guess it came out of that last beast." He chuckled, tossing it into the air and catching it in his hands. "Hey.. it looks like it has a little face on it.. look!" He said, observing the fang very closely. "Look, Elly!" He said, running over and holding the fang out.

"Uh.. no thanks, Fei." Elly whispered, pushing the fang away. "You could get a good bit of money for that thing, Fei. Drop it off next time we see a merchant." She suggested.

"Are you kidding?" Fei said, raising an eyebrow. "I've never seen a fang like this! And the way I came across it just shows that we were meant to be together." He grinned.

"..What?" Elly blinked, paling.

"I'm going to name her.. Fangy.." Fei said, stroking the fang and placing it in his pocket.

"Her?" Elly whispered, raising an eyebrow.

"Fangy?" Billy blinked, running a hand through his silvery hair. "..You can't be serious, Fei." He muttered as Fei tapped his pocket, and then placed his hands on his hips. Billy sighed, looking at Elly who had her hand on his cheek, a look of disdain on her face. The young man walked up the side of the beach, looking out into the grassy area not too far away. On a small cliff covered in grass was another patch of yellow and blue wildflowers, lightly blowing in the wind.

He walked up to the small patch of grass, looking down at the flowers. "I think I'm going to get some flowers.." He said, looking down at the beach where Fei and Elly stood. Elly nodded, smiling.

"Sure thing, Billy. We'll wait here for you." Fei shouted, bending over to pick up a shell.

Billy bent over, looking over the flowers for the ones in the best condition. He took out his small hunter's knife, clipping a small bundle of each different type of flower out of the ground by cutting the stem near the ground. He also saw a small bundle of pink wildflowers, and decided to pick them for his sister, since pink was Primera's favorite color. After he finished his collection, he stood and returned to where Fei and Elly were standing. As he walked down the hill, he heard a sound far in the distance that drew his attention. It was a familiar sound, but he couldn't quite place it, and after it passed, he simply pushed it to the back of his mind, forgetting it.

Fei turned around as Billy approached them, waving once and saying, "Ready to head home?" He asked. Billy nodded, looking out into the fading light.

"Then let's be getting back." Elly announced, turning and beginning to walk up the hill, "I'm ready to take a nice, long shower." She said as she climbed the sandy hill and back onto the grass.

"Me too." Fei said, lifting his eyebrows and smiling as he followed her. Elly looked back, raising one eyebrow to Fei.

"Not with me." She said, shrugging her shoulders. Fei made a low whimpering sound, lowering his head. Billy shuffled after them , holding the bundles of flowers in his right hand and gripping his pistol holster with his left.

"Taneria..? Where is that?" Bart asked, looking at Sigurd. "Sig? Does the name ring a bell?" He asked.

Sigurd bit his lip for a moment, looking at Citan, then Jessie, who had entered just moments before. "Taneria is one of the many names for the continent north of here.. But there's nothing there except.."

"A big patch of dead grass from where Deus landed his big old heavy ass a year and a half ago." Bart muttered, brushing a lock on blond hair behind his ear. "All that's there after that is a big ring of mountains, an old, empty Ethos port and a small town in the mountains."

"Yes.. the Ethos did a lot of mining up there over the past twenty years or so." Citan nodded, waving his index finger as he commented.

Erich shifted in his seat, crossing his legs, "Well, that is where you will be heading. There is a temple in the mountains where you will find one of the three vessels.." He said, reaching into his cloak. He pulled out an antique map, holding it up to Citan, "Here you go. This will lead you to the temple. Leave from St. Augustine.. the small village in the center of the mountain ring."

Citan nodded in understanding, taking the map from Erich's hand. "And what of you, Erich?" He asked.

"I.." Erich began, looking down at his hands. "I can't go with you. You'll see me again when you reach the third temple."

"But what about the second?" Asked Maria, who was knitting her eyebrows in annoyance.

"..There are people at the first that will lead you to the second. Trust me. They'll recognize Karina and help you. They are bound to it." Erich replied.

Maria settled back, a little reassured that they would be looked after since Erich would not be there to lead them to the next location. As she rested back, Primera entered the room, holding up a small black communicator.

"Primera.." Sigurd said lightly, taking the communicator. "This was on my bedside table.. why did you take it?" He asked, looking at the child. She pointed at it as a message began to come over the intercom. Sigurd lifted the communicator to his ear. "Sigurd here.. what's your message?" He said as a mechanic began to relay his message.

"Ah, there it is, home sweet home." Fei said, patting his pocket. "Get comfy, Fangy." He cooed, making Elly sigh and place her head in her hands again. Billy smiled at the two, shaking the flowers lightly in his hand.

"I hope we didn't miss much." Elly said, removing her hands from her face. "Erich was supposed to come by. Maybe he's still here." She noted. Fei shrugged, lifting his arms, and folding them behind his head.

"Only one way to find out." Fei replied, approaching the front door and taking a hold on the door knob. He pulled the door open, only to reveal a scene of chaos.

"It's WHAT?" Sigurd yelled into a communicator. "How could it.. who took it.. what? That makes no sense!" He said , clenching a fist. He looked back at Maria, who stood up. "Maria.. check the bedroom, please." He said, then going back to arguing with the person on the other side of the communicator.

"..What happened?" Fei asked, walking over to Bart. Bart shook his head, a look of concern beginning to appear on his face.

"I have no clue.." He said, shaking his head. As Billy entered the house, Maria ran out of the hallway.

"Karina's gone!" She shouted, coming to a halt when she saw Billy standing in the doorway. Erich stood up quickly.

"Damn it.." Erich hissed. "What has she done..?" He whispered.

Sigurd muttered a curse word, lifting the communicator to his ear again. "We'll be there immediately." He said quickly, shutting the communicator and placing it in his pocket. Bart walked over to his half-brother's side, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Sig, what happened??" He asked, placing his hands on his hips. Sigurd sighed, looking down and biting his lip.

"..Renmazuo's gone.. and so is Karina." Sigurd said, sighing. "Damn it!" He snapped, slamming his fist against the wall.

"Boy, your wife jacked your gear." Jessie said, poking Billy's arm.

Billy's eyes widened, his fingers losing grip on the flowers. "..Karina.." He whispered, blinking. "But.. how.. how could she take Renmazuo? I'm the only person who can operate it. The Anima alignment is only compatible with the Animus.." Billy said uncertainly. He felt his skin grown cold. Billy spun around on his heels, kicking off of the porch in a dead sprint in the direction of the Yggdrasil.

"Billy! Wait!" Sigurd called out, the rest of the group following him. Erich remained on the porch, his eyes darkening with anger.

"..Why did you do this.. you idiot.." Erich hissed, turning and walking out of the yard in the opposite direction of where the group ran.

Billy ran up the open gear dock, screeching to a halt when he saw Brad standing next to Renmazuo's docking area. "Brad?! What happened?" He gasped, trying to catch his breath. Brad scowled, looking up at the clamps that held the gears.

"I don't know. I was helping some of the mechanics carry gear parts in for repairs, and a few of the mechanics and I went into the supply store to get some extra EX AR10 plates, and while we were in the back, we heard one outside start yelling, and when we got back out he said someone had gotten in Renmazuo and taken it.." Brad said, shaking his head. "The head gear mechanic told me that only someone with the designated password for that particular lock could get through, and only the pilot knows that password."

"We think Karina took Renmazuo.. she's not in the house, and.." Citan began.

"And she was so shaken up about Cimerion last night.." Bart continued.

"Oh, shit.." Fei finished.

Sigurd began walking up the steps, looking back at Bart, "I'll launch the Yggdrasil immediately.. we should be able to catch her.."

As he said this, a loud sound came from outside of the gear dock. Sigurd turned and ran down the steps, looking out of the dock opening. Erich's gear was landed next to the Yggdrasil, its dark wings spread out as if it was ready to take off.

Nevermind that. I'll find her. Three of you come with me. His voice came over the intercom, ringing in their ears.

"I'll go!" Elly cried, running past Fei to the docked Vierge. She climbed into the cockpit and began the system startup.

"Erich.." Billy called, looking up, "Take me with you!" He yelled. There was a short moment where Erich did not respond, but after that passed, Shinigami lowered its arm, outstretching to Billy.

..Billy. Climb into Shinigami's hand and hold on tight.. understand? Erich said quietly.

"What about me?!" Brad shouted.

I'm not carrying both of you. Just stay here and wait. Erich snapped in an annoyed tone. The fingers of the gear curled around Billy, and then it shifted back into a standing position. Who else is coming? He asked.

"..I'll go.." Emeralda spoke up, letting go of Fei's hand and rushing to Crescens. The two gears lifted off of the ground and hovered lightly out of the gear dock, stopping next to Shinigami.

"You four be very careful!" Citan shouted. "There is no telling what has drawn Karina to return to Cimerion, so you all must be on your best guard!"

"We will follow you as soon as we can get the Yggdrasil powered up and lifted off!" Sigurd added, rushing out of the gear dock. Bart held up a thumbs up, following Sigurd out of the dock.

"Get to kicking some ass, Elly!" Fei shouted, a grin appearing on his lips.

Hopefully there will be no fighting. She said as the three gears lifted off of the ground, shooting off rapidly into the sky.

Renmazuo touched down onto the ground lightly, bending on its left knee. The cockpit opened, and Karina stepped out gingerly, looking back into the cockpit. "..There was something I didn't know I could do." She said lightly, lifting her arm and rubbing the bandage there lightly.

She then climbed down from the gear, beginning to feel the pain from her injuries. Citan had come to examine her earlier that evening, and was marveled at how her internal wounds seemed to be all but gone.

Karina scanner her surroundings, trying to determine where she had actually landed in the large pile of rubble. She looked over at a partially broken sign, which read 'Cimerion, South East District, City'. This was where the most damage had been done.

Stepping over a large pile of rubble, she determined she was where the park used to be, noticing the broken fountain, the pool of water browned by ash. The grass was scorched, most of it had broken and dissipated into the wind, leaving only the hard packed earth.

"..Why am I here, anyway..?" She asked to herself.

A woman's voice sounded behind her, startling her, "Because your spirit called you here!" She said. Karina spun around, seeing a woman sitting on a slab of broken concrete. She wore black and white, and had long white hair and dark blue eyes.

"..Another clone.. I see.." Karina whispered, turning her body completely. "I'm getting sick of you all." She groaned. "I suppose you're Elly, are you?" Karina said in a rather bitter spit.

"In the flesh." She said daintily, tossing her hair with a hand. "I'm not alone, either."

"Are you now." Karina muttered.

A smile played on the Elly clone's lips. Behind her, two other figures approached. One was quite clearly a clone of Rico. He wore a dark green sleeveless jacket with a black t-shirt underneath, and his pants were slick black leather. He wore heavy black boots as well. The other was a clone of Emeralda. She had her hair tied back in a short ponytail, wore a long black cloak that encircled her body with a greenish glow. She wore a dark purple turtle neck tight top, sans a right sleeve. The left sleeve ran entirely down her arm. A chain belt surrounded her waist, ending in black shorts. A long black robe ran from her belt back behind her legs. She wore ankle high boots, each with a hook on the toe.

"..How did you clone Emeralda?" Karina asked, her eyes flashing.

Elly gave a high laugh, tossing her head back. "When Krelian and Stone had Emeralda a year and a half ago, they made sure to steal enough samples from her, and did several mappings of her. They began forming an Emeralda clone before we were even considered being created." She explained. "So you see.. she can perform at the exact same output at the real Emeralda.. but she doesn't think of all you petty humans.. which does make a strong difference."

"Oh.. really." Karina cocked her head to the side. "I don't care what sort of pain it takes me.." She began, taking out the small silver rod from her belt, "But I'm not going to let you near this city anymore." She spat, pressing the center button. The two rods expelled from the center rod, and the trident like beam ends formed at each end.

Elly arched her back, sighing, "You've only had bounty hunting experience with that, child. You're as harmless as a fly to us. Do you really think you can play with the big boys?" She said, lowering her voice.

"I'm willing to try." Karina replied. She lifted the man-catcher up onto her shoulder and spread her legs, as if she was ready to leap at any moment.

"Oh.." Elly sighed, shutting her eyes. "I suppose this means we'll have to take you by force. Pity." She whispered.

"Why is it a pity?" Karina said slowly.

"Because." Elly replied, standing to her feet, "We were supposed to bring you back unharmed!" She shouted as the Emeralda clone leapt from her perch and dashed at Karina, her arm becoming a scythe. She swung her scythe-arm at Karina, just barely missing her.

"Ah!" Karina gasped, falling back. Her reflexes were slower due to the soreness of her body, so she had to try to watch Emeralda carefully. A grunt of annoyance came from the Emeralda clone, as she moved down, doing a cartwheel and attempting to hook Karina on the neck with her blade toed boot. Karina pulled back, falling onto the palms of her hands, just barely avoiding a lethal blow. As she tried to get up, she felt a heavy boot land on her chest, pinning her down.

She looked up, seeing the Emeralda clone standing above her. She bent over, reaching to grab Karina by the head with her hand. She licked her lips lightly, smiling, "Let me hear you scream, pretty girl." She hissed, removing her foot and dragging her up by the hair.

Karina moaned in pain, opening her eyes a little to see her foe. She bit her lip and mustered up strength in her legs. She finally managed to get enough energy, and swung her left foot into between the clone's legs, and using her right foot, she kicked her in the side of her chest, breaking the clone's grip and causing her to fold over.

The two young women landed on the ground, Karina springing to her feet with a newfound energy. She was still a split second too slow, as she realized when she felt Emeralda's hammer hand slam into her back.

Once again, Karina was on the ground, this time with her face in the dirt. She spat a bit of mud out of her mouth, and luckily got the timing just right, hearing a blade's high pitched singing approaching. She rolled over onto her back just as the blade arm jabbed into the ground where her head had been. Karina folded her stomach, whisking her leg up in a powerful kick across the clone's face.

The clone stumbled back, groaning in anger and saying something about having dirt in her eyes. She held her hands over her face, moaning in pain. Karina was about to seize her chance, when she felt a large presence behind her. She spun around only to see the clone of Rico standing behind her. He reached out with his large hand, grasping onto Karina's shoulder. She wriggled around, trying to break free of his grasp, but to no avail. He pulled her arm behind her back and twisted her around to face the Elly clone. Karina felt him take hold of her hair and he pulled her head back, keeping her head up so she could not look away.

Elly landed on the ground, nearing Karina slowly. She removed her glove from her left hand, and with her bare fingers, she reached out and ran her cold skin along Karina's scratched face. "It's so strange.. how many people want such a mongrel.." She said, a look of disgust on her face "That's all you are.. not fully human.. but what else are you.. neither of your bloodlines would accept you for what you are.. so you go through life with this pretty.. ivory.. mask." She whispered, moving her finger in a triangular position along Karina's cheek on the last three words.

"Shut up.." Karina said quietly, looking at her head-on. "You don't even belong in this world.. you're just carbon copies.. nothing but test tube sideshow freaks.." She spat.

Elly's eyes flashed, and she began to bring her hand up to slap Karina, "I've had enough of you." She said, tilting her hand slightly, a small amount of electricity moving up her hand. "So I'm going to cut your little voice box out.. no one said you had to be able to talk.." She said quietly.

Karina shut her eyes, waiting for the pain to come. There was a sudden loud sound, coming from behind her, something that sounded like.. fire?

"Agh!" Cried out the clone of Elly as Karina snapped her eyes open. She saw the Elly clone furiously beating her arm, trying to put out a flame that had ignited on her glove. When she finally did, she gripped her wounded arm, looking up.

Karina heard another familiar voice behind her, and never imagined how happy she would be to hear it.

"Drop.. her.. NOW.." Came Elly's voice. The clone of Rico spun around, bringing Karina with him.

"You think I'm going to listen to YOU?" He asked, tugging on Karina's hair. Karina fixed her eyes on Elly, who was standing behind the Emeralda clone, who had finally gotten back her composure, only to be taken by the real Emeralda's blade arm and Billy, with his gun. Erich stood far behind the three, patiently waiting with his scythe hanging in his fingers.

"I would listen if I were you. You don't want to see what we learn in Solarian BT." Elly said pleasantly, stepping closer.

"Wait.." The clone of Elly snapped, squinting her eyes, "How did you.. avoid the mirror wave?" She said quietly. Elly lifted a hand, pointing back at Erich, who smiled lightly.

"An ether barrier made by Shinigami blocks out your mirror wave." Erich said quietly, shaking his finger.

"So let her go!" Billy said, lifting his pistol and aiming it.

The Elly clone frowned, stepping back. "Rico.." She said quietly. "Do as they said.."

Rico looked up, snarling in disapproval, "But we have to bring her back!" He objected. The clone's face grew livid, and she lifted her hand.

"Don't disobey ME! If you do, you'll regret it sooner than you'd think!" She yelled, her voice shrill. A small crackle of energy appeared in her hand. The Rico clone made a grunt of annoyance, loosening his grip on Karina. He threw her forward, causing her to land face first on the ground.

Karina pushed herself up, looking back at the two clones. As she got to her feet, Billy pushed the Emeralda clone away, telling her to leave. The two young women walked past each other, Emeralda approaching Rico, and he immediately wrapped an arm around her, Karina standing next to Elly.

The three clones turned to leave, but as they did, the Elly clone spun around suddenly, letting out a cry as a large blade of ice appeared at the palm of her hand, shooting away from her and directly at the five companions across the way.

"Ah!" Elly cried out, holding out her hands to make a flame barrier. She was too late.

The ice blade shot past Billy, Emeralda and Elly, hitting Karina directly where it was aimed to hit. The blade punctured through her skin and into stomach. She fell back, screaming out in pain.

"Karina!!" Billy screamed, turning to run to her side. Erich stood far behind Karina, his eyes widening.

"No.." Erich began his skin paling.

"Billy.." Karina winced, her hand grasping the ice blade that was deeply imbedded in her torso.

"No.. no.. it can't.." Erich shook his head, beginning to lift his scythe.

"Karina!" Elly cried out, looking back to where the Elly clone had been. The three were gone. Emeralda rushed past Elly, falling to her knees next to Karina, whose head was resting against Billy's chest.

"..Shh.. please.. save your strength.." Billy whispered, grasping Karina's left hand. Karina's right hand was still clamped onto the ice blade.

"..get away from her.." Erich whispered.

Karina made a pained gasp, her skin growing very hot against Billy's skin. He looked down, and to his amazement, the ice began to melt in her hand, slowly trickling away, and as it did, her wound closed as well.

Billy gasped in amazement, clenching her hand even more tightly. As the wound finished sealing, Karina seemed to go limp in his arms, which almost made his growing hope plummet to despair once again.

"I.. I don't.." Elly mumbled, grasping her hands together. Billy reached up, and just before he touched Karina's face, she took a sudden, deep breath, as if she had just been revived from almost drowning.

".K..Karina?" Billy whispered as Karina opened her eyes, looking up. Karina's eyes seemed somewhat deeper now, the silver flecks looks much more prominent than before. "Are you.. alright?" He whispered as she looked at him, and then began looking from side to side.

Erich still stood far away from the group, grasping his hand tightly. "Damn it.. this is not good.." He said quietly to himself.

"..I.. I'm fine." Karina said finally, her voice quiet. Billy gave a relieved sigh, wrapping his arms around Karina.

He rested his forehead on her should, tugging her closer, "..Don't ever do that again.." He said quietly. Karina simply rested her cheek on his shoulder.

"I.. won't." She said in a very hushed voice. Elly and Emeralda looked at each other, both baffled by what they had just seen.

"Let's.. take you home." Erich said finally, approaching them slowly. Billy looked up at Erich, taking Karina's hands to help her to her feet. He led her down to where Renmazuo was landed, and looked up, seeing the Yggdrasil approaching in the sky.

Erich paused as Elly, Emeralda, Billy and Karina walked down the hill towards the approaching Yggdrasil. He looked into the east, where the sky was almost dark, squinting as another cold wind blew through his cloak.

"..is this how it is supposed to be?" He asked quietly, looking back at Karina, "..it is.. too soon.." He said, clenching his fists.

"Why did we run from them? We could have taken her anyway!" Rico yelled, slamming his fist against a slab of broken concrete.

"Yes.. and the others will not be pleased with that last stunt you pulled." Emeralda hissed from her perch in a blackened tree. Elly sighed, waving her hand dismissively.

"We did exactly what it was we were sent to do." Elly said, smiling. This brought a questioning gaze from the other two.

"We.. were not supposed to take her.. we were supposed to KILL her?" Emeralda asked in an unbelieving tone. Elly rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Please.. you think that could kill her? No.. I didn't try to kill her.. our mission was neither to seize her nor to kill her.. not this time." She said, flicking her wrist.

"Then what was it?" Rico asked.

"Ah.. our mission was to wake her inner spirit.. which is what that fatal wound did.." Elly said, a smile playing on her lips, "We want Sensheyen to wake the next time we meet Miss Karina.. because when Sensheyen wakes, he will not help the humans like Oganimi did.."

"..What will Sensheyen do?" Emeralda asked, lowering her eyes.

Elly looked back to the setting sun, placing a hand on her cheek. "Without Leinreik.. Sensheyen will simply.. kill them."