After a very long "rest period" I am writing again! Fuhuhu, the phoenix rises from the ashes! (Not really...)

If you haven't read Lose Thy Self or A Moment of Weakness, you're bound to get confuzzlated. You hath been warned!

Disclaimer: No, I don't own TOS. I just own a knack for whining that it'd be nice to. Whine, whine whine, cough wheeze choke, my poor finger on my left hand's been busted by a football, blah blah, yes indeed.

I swear the only thing we do on this quest is walk.

And, since it's the only thing we do, that's what we're doing.

I didn't walk up near the front like I usually did, but lingered around near the back this time. I needed to think.

The boy in red was with me, but that didn't help much. Seeing him reminded me of how meaningless I was, which wasn't very reassuring.

I halted, sensing foreign presence.

"Colette?"

I brought out my chakrams for battle. The presence was coming closer.

As I had predicted, a pack of Night Raids leaped out of the shadows, biting and snarling. Anyone prepared did their best to fight off the beasts.

I found myself standing in front of one of them, in a battle-ready pose but not doing anything. Why I had no idea. Perhaps the notion entered my mind these monsters might just be random animals defending their territory and we had done the bad decision to tread upon it. For whatever reason, I wasn't doing a thing, and neither was the wolf.

Well, yes, we were doing something, something among the lines of an awkward staring contest.

A magical lightning bolt flashed and struck the poor thing, which leaped up a few feet and yelped. It flung itself in my direction, too afraid to think straight and running away from the small fire that had lit on its tail.

As a reflexive action, a Pow Hammer materialized in my hand, protecting me. The jaws of the Night Raid closed themselves on it, making the most absurd squeaky noise. The wolf, clearly confused, ran off with the Pow Hammer still in its mouth.

"That would be all of them," the half-elf boy said, rolling up his chakram and putting it away.

"Everyone alright?" the other half-elf asked.

There was a murmur of agreement and much putting away of weapons.

The next thing I knew I was tottering, and then the ground rushed up to meet me rapidly.

"Professor? Is she..."

Raine knelt to examine the fallen girl.

"Of course not! She just fell asleep, that's all."

Lloyd sighed with relief. "That's good to know."

He cradled her protectively, and she smiled a bit in her sleep.

"She seems to be recovering well," Raine observed. "She's regaining the senses she'd lost."

Lloyd ran a hand through her hair absentmindedly.

"Sleep well, Colette..."

I opened my eyes groggily, aware I was dreaming. The atmosphere was different and I was in a place I'd never seen before.

"Awake?" a voice next to me asked.

I looked at the speaker, who was sitting next to a clear lake, gazing into the water. She...looked a lot like me.

"Colette?" I ventured, happily surprised by the fact I could talk.

"That would be me," she piped brightly, smiling at me.

A well practiced smile, I noticed. One that could get its owner away with murder.

"Siddown," Colette patted the earth next to her.

I obeyed hesitantly, almost afraid to be in the presence.

"What's wrong?" she inquired, noticing my nervousness.

I stared down into the water, noting how her eyes were so much brighter than mine. They shined with life, with purpose. My eyes were dull and dreary. I grabbed a rock from the bank and plopped it in the water, disrupting my reflection.

"Clueless being residing in this body until its true owner returns..." I sighed, remembering the nasty voice from day I ate the cookie. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even exist."

Our voices weren't even the same. Hers had emotion and smiled like she did. Mine was flat, boring to listen to.

Colette nodded in understanding.

"Meh," I said, moving on. "So where is this place?"

I looked around lazily, taking in the details. We seemed to be in a giant domed room, light coming from places I couldn't identify. A source of shade was supplied by a giant tree next to the lake/pond/body of water.

"I don't really know," the girl next to me answered. "I came here one day, and I haven't found out how to get out since."

"Huh," I managed, gawping at the water. "Must be really boring."

Colette shrugged. "It's given me a lot of time to think."

I looked around again, trying to see if anything looked familiar. "About what?"

"Stuff," she said firmly, and left it at that.

Shame, for some reason I wanted to keep talking.

"How is everyone?" she asked distantly.

"Okay, I guess," I responded. "No one died or anything."

"Good, it'd be bad if anyone did," she nodded, resting her head on her knees.

"Red boy got food poisoning," I added over the side to see her reaction.

"Lloyd?" she gasped, becoming more alert.

"Just kidding."

She was silent for a moment.

"You care about him a lot, don't you?" I smirked.

"Maaaybe," she said in a childly mischievous tone, flopping over on her side, purring madly.

"You're nuts," I sighed, addressing what looked uncannily like a melted puddle of happy girl.

"What about you?" she asked, tipping her head slightly.

"Me? Him? No! Of course not!" I nearly spat while shaking my head violently, wondering where that question came from. "I'm just a soul living in your body to keep it alive."

She blinked in confusion. I searched for something to compare it to. "Think...housesitting, but with souls."

"Aha," Colette nodded. "Funny...I thought you were just a part of me."

It was my turn to be confused as I stared at her with a blank look.

"Just a very small bit. As if a really tiny part of me stayed behind to watch out for my body, or something."

"I'm not anything like you," I said bluntly, looking away.

"Do you like dogs?"

"Well...they're okay. Their tails are cute."

"See? At least we have something in common."

I stared down into the water again. Our eyes, voice, personality were so different; they were like ones from entirely different people. I couldn't be related to her in any way.

But...if I'm a random soul waiting for the true owner of this body to return, then why am I still here? I mean, I'm talking to the true owner right now, right?

My thoughts were interrupted by a slight prickle crawling from my toes. When I looked, my feet simply weren't there. I screamed a few octaves higher than I'd give myself credit for.

"You must be waking up," Colette observed.

I looked at her in what I hoped was a "how-the-flip-do-you-know-that" kind of look.

She simply smiled and waved goodbye. "See ya."

"Prof? Is she awake?"

"I think, but she won't admit it yet."

I snuggled into the covers, feeling secure in them. They must have brought me to an inn while I was asleep.

"Colette, wake up!" The red boy, Lloyd, shook me.

I buried myself deeper in the sheets, unwilling to admit defeat.

"If she doesn't want to get up, you'll just have to let her lie."

"But she's been there for...I dunno, a really long time! A bit too long, I think..."

I shuffled to look out from my hiding spot.

"Hey there, Colette. You getting out anytime soon?"

I wanted to say something, but nothing came out of my mouth. I could only talk in the dream world then.

Suddenly getting an idea, I reached out for his hand. He held it out to me, waiting. I scribbled a few words into it, hoping I was going slow enough for him to understand. When I was finished, I let go of his hand, which dropped to his side listlessly.

I couldn't see his face from the position I was in, but I didn't really want to anyway. I was afraid of what I'd see...

"So...you aren't Colette?"