Lightning-Dono: No reviews, eh? Oh, well. I'm writing this for the fun of it. :) But I love reviews. ((nudge nudge)) Realize that the characters are extremely dramatic in this chapter. Drama makes for good interest. xD

-----

Annulus stood, digging her feet into the ground, feeling a bit queasy at the violence of it all. Blood lay strewn across the bare rocks on the beach, tainting the water that rushed up on shore.

"He's..." She fell to her knees.

"Gone," Volatile completed, scavenging around for his sword. At last, he parted a bit of sand to find The Wise One lying beneath it, bloodied and still. Volatile jerked his sword out roughly and smiled grimly. "That's that, isn't it? Let's go look for a boat."

"Ahem," Annulus started. "It's been years since anyone has ever inhabited this land. I doubt any boats would still be around."

"Don't bet on it – I saw a burnt log when I first woke up. It must mean someone's been around." Volatile squinted in the direction of where they had come.

"Get this, Volatile. If you burned a log, three years later it'll still be burnt. If you felt its warmth that might prove something."

The male sighed depressingly. "You enjoy shooting people down, don't you? The best we can go for is looking for a boat, anyhow. We can't put that idea off completely." He nudged Annulus to get off the ground before starting onto the western coast of the beach. "There should be a pier somewhere around here..." He continued to walk.

Annulus popped back up onto her feet, glancing idly at the blood-covered ground behind her, shuddered, and jogged up to Volatile. "I think I see something."

"No, really?" Volatile replied sarcastically, catching sight of a large sail painted with the rebel color. "Is that a ship from up north? It'd be an offense to sail it, then."

Annulus tossed her hair into place and snorted rudely. "As if anyone down here is still alive to discipline us. Besides, if we sail it up north it'll be all the more convincing."

"They'll probably be able to tell that we're southerners by our natural scars and pointy noses, anyway." He trudged towards the ship, studying the rusty chain that connected the ship to the anchor.

The girl felt like smacking her newfound partner. "Stop being so pessimistic, won't you? This is the closest we'll get to transportation while we're in this place."

"Fine then! Just leave me alone for a bit." Muttering to himself, he walked up the board that stretched up to the deck and headed into the main part of the ship by rattling the doorknob. Actually, it started with extreme actions worthy of an anger management class. Volatile hissed at the door and kicked it with all the strength he could muster. Copious amounts of the door fell apart, such as the rotting wood, but the young male wasn't satisfied. He continued to take frequent jabs at the door until finally he tried the knob again.

Annulus then boarded, using Psynergy to lift the board up. "Look at this! Hardly intact." She indicated the door.

"Yeah, yeah, and you could do any better," Volatile replied, willing to vent his spleen upon anyone who dared to contradict him.

Annulus fell silent, tossing a map into Volatile's arms.

"What's this for?" He asked incredulously.

"You're navigator," she responded, moving forward towards the front of the ship to man the wheel. In an instant, Volatile was by her side shoving the map back into her arms.

"Wait, I want to steer!"

"You would probably steer us right off Gaia Falls. You'd make a much better navigator; much more observant of what's around you, yes? You'll make good use of yourself with a map, which will make you a highly competent navigator."

Volatile exploded right then and there. "There is no fucking way I'm going to look at a map and gouge my eyes out trying to read that tiny text! If you enjoy that kind of crap, I don't care! Ever since we met you're always the one who has to be right! I'm better off sitting around on a glacier floating aimlessly around the ocean! Atleast I'll get somewhere!"

Annulus turned with a violent look in her eyes. "Don't you dare say that to me! If you've got a problem with it, just leave! This ship is a beauty and if you won't sail on it, I will! Atleast I'll float in looking good."

Volatile laughed derisively. "If only I could be as happy as you are about this stinking ship. I'm only here because you're tagging along and making my life hell!"

"If that's the way you want to put it." Annulus pulled a hidden dagger from inside a secret pocket in her sleeve. "We can just end it now, won't we?" She tackled Volatile, who violently reached for his sword a moment too late. Placing the dagger above his throat, she breathed heavily into his face. The huge movement it had taken exhausted her.

"Go ahead then. Slit my throat. Too bad it'll only make a huge mess on your precious ship," Volatile seethed, reducing his eyes to slits.

This seemed to place fear into Annulus's heart. She withdrew the dagger and relieved herself with it by throwing it overboard. "I should've done it while I had the chance," she told him. "But this ship means a lot to me. It's one of the last remaining artifacts that gives proof that the southerners had been advanced enough to use boats."

Volatile, still a little shaken by that sudden event, got up, brushing himself off. "Am I still the navigator?" His voice still contained the curtness, but he didn't care. Annulus was completely unpredictable and he needed every bit of defense he could get.

Without replying, Annulus raised the anchor and the ship moved out to sea.