Author's note: I actually write this about two weeks ago when I was on holiday at Dorset steam fair, But I haven't had time to write it up. (I've been getting like 4 bits of homework every night, I hate essays…)

Also, I tried to make this chapter a bit angsty… And I failed miserably, the humor just creeped in again… Oh well.

An EXTREMELY big thank you to kaiserdragon52 and Animefan2003. By the way reply to what you said, the idea was that the longer Ryu and Nina were in the world, the more they're power faded. That's why they couldn't cast spells sometimes.

Anyway, better get on with it…

Paths of the Heart:

Chapter XVIII- Jagged Reflection

"Geez," Nina muttered, "She's been out for hours…" She rapped a fist on Ershin's head, receiving a beep in annoyance. "Hello?" She called opening the lid and calling in however she only got an echo back.

They had relocated to the small forest outside the city, dragging Dawn with them. They were hazy about what to do with her. It didn't seem like a rather good idea to leave her unconscious in the middle of a forest. So they had all decided to sit down and have a barbecue and wait till she waked up.

Ursula's voice penetrated Nina's thoughts, "Nina…?" She asked staring at her strangely.

"Yeah?" Nina replied brushing a small spider off her dress.

"…Were your… wings, that big before?"

"Uh," Nina didn't know how to explain, "Well… Pung Ryong wanted to help me… I guess." She said rather lamely.

"I whought wu waid wa wagowns wewe whell win wa wother world Wiwi?" Ryu said in a indecipherable voice because a juicy pork chop was stuffed in his mouth.

"Eh?" Cray asked, his mind finally off Deis and what was down her shirt.

"I thought you said the dragons were still in the other world." Ryu repeated after a few seconds of wrestling the pork chop down his throat.

"I know," Nina said, "But somehow… His powers reached me, I guess it's cause he's the guardian of the wyndians, I don't really get it myself…" She shrugged.

The others exchanged doubtful looks, but didn't reply.

"Uh…" A muffled voice came from inside Ershin, and immediately Ryu, Nina, Ursula, Scais and of course Cray crowded round the robot.

"Dawn?" Nina asked in a sickly sweet voice.

"Whuh?" Dawn replied numbly.

"If we let you out will you behave?" Nina asked in the same horrible voice.

"Eh…?" Came back as the reply. Nina just sighed while tipping Ershin over, causing Dawn to fall out in a heap on the patchy grass.

"Maybe she bumped her head?" Cray asked scratching his own.

"Wha goin' 'non?" Dawn said slowly.

"We knocked the stuffing out of you, remember?" Cray asked rather smugly.

"Knock…? Stuffing…? Remember…?" Dawn mumbled looking blank.

"She can't remember…" Nina whispered. "What's your name?" She asked Dawn.

Dawn scrunched her nose up as if trying to remember a memory a long time ago. "Uh… D… Something beginning with D… I know! Dawn!" She cried happily, remembering her name.

"And who am I?" Nina asked.

"Melissa?" Nina shook her head.

"Catherine?"

"Rose?"

"T…Tina…?"

"Close." Nina said simply. Then she turned round to face the others, "Amnesia," She said as if giving relatives news on a patient.

Dawn sighed lying back and fiddling with the junk in her pocket. Suddenly she winced, bringing out some silver shards that had once formed to create a knife.

Dawn stared at the shards as if entranced by them, completely unaware of the crimson liquid dripping down her own hand.

"Bolt…" She whispered dreamily, her breath's ragged. Nina cringed.

"B-Bolt?" Scais asked quietly.

"Yeah, it's a person. That knife belonged to him. She was rather… Attached to him, if you know what I mean." Ryu said looking bored.

"Belonged?" Ursula asked grimly.

"Yeah, he's dead." Nina said bluntly. Ryu grunted in response.

Ryu itched his nose, "That guy was a complete nutter, acted like a giant vampire bat."

"…Nutter… Dead… Bolt…" Dawn muttered to herself shivering.

"Uh… Dawn?" Nina asked timidly.

However the rest of her words were drowned in a blood curdling scream.

"No… Can't… lies… no… no… no…"

"Uh, guys, I think we better go… She'll be fine, I think." Ursula said losing her usual nerve and slowly backing away.

"Yeah, C'mon, let's go." Ryu said ushering Nina forward.

"Uh… Well, Bye Dawn…" Nina said.

Dawn just raised a bloodied hand and gave them a lopsided smile continuing to mutter.

The gang hurriedly walked away until they could no longer hear the ramblings of Dawn's madness.

"Right." Ursula said, "You remember what Deis said guys?" Cray, Scais and the new Dawn-free Ershin nodded. "Get into a circle then everybody and hold hands. Nina made sure she was next to Ryu, giving him a small smile of confidence.

'We're going home…' He thought happily, 'All this… Will finally be over… Then maybe-' He glanced at Nina, 'we can be alone.'

They stood silently in the circle as Ursula instucted for a few minutes before Ryu decided to ask. "What exactly are we waiting for?"

"Fou-Lu, he's going take us back." Ursula replied. Her eyes closed concentrating.

Five minutes past…

Ten minutes past…

Fifteen minutes past…

"Uh… Ursula?" Nina questioned.

Ursula growled, "Oi Deis!" She shouted into the sky. "Hurry up and get us home! This place is too freaky!"

At once Deis's voice filled the clearing that the group was using, like god was calling down to them. "Oh shut up, I'm working on it. Fou-Lu's taking a shower."

"Oh…" Nina said, "You're waiting for him to finish taking his shower, right?"

"No," Deis replied, "I'm trying to get him to stop him singing, you wouldn't believe the noise here. It's dreadful, those angels can hark and sing as much as they want but they can't do it here."

Everybody blinked.

"Fou-Lu taking a shower…? That's one nasty mental image…" Cray said looking a little disturbed.

"Ah, finally… He's stopped singing… Here he comes now. I'll go get hi- Oh… My… God…"

"What's the matter Darl- I mean Deis?" Cray asked worriedly.

"Fou-Lu…My god is he sexy." Deis replied growling. Cray glared jealously.

"I hath been'st cleansing thyself, clad now in robe." Fou-Lu's voice joined Deis's.

"Eh?" Nina asked.

"He says he's only in a towel." Ryu translated boredly.

"Oh…" Nina then started bashing her head on a tree nearby, "Bad Nina, Bad Nina, Bad naughty mental images!" Ryu couldn't help but feel a small twinge of jealously as well.

"Uh… Anyway, let's get this thing over and done with, all close your eyes. Now Fou-Lu, do your stuff." Deis said.

"Verily." Fou-Lu said simply, and then he began to chant some strange foreign words.

A shining arrow of light shot towards the middle of the circle Nina, Ryu, Scais, Ershin, Cray and Ursula had made. It spread around in a pillar of blinding white light covering them. They felt themselves be lifted into the air.

And at last, they were going home.

As for Dawn?

She was picked up by some nice men in white later for a nice long natter with the very nice psychiatrist.