Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Akio sat, staring at his Papa's still body. He had run out of tears minutes ago and now just stared with dead eyes. Behind him, Katya was still sobbing.

'Why'd you have to leave us Papa?' he thought desperately. 'I need you here. Mama needs you here. Oh Papa! Come back! Please, come back! Don't abandon us!'

He found a fresh wave of tears welling up inside of him and he laid his head on TK's chest again and let the tears slip down his cheeks. He wanted so badly for his Papa to wake up. He didn't deserve to die, he was only protecting the people he cared about.

He needed to come back! He needed to come back!

As this desperate thought passed through Akio's mind over and over again, the most amazing thing happened. But, no one noticed.

Even though Akio's eyelids were clenched shut, his green eyes flashed. A spark of energy traveled from Akio to TK, winding its way through his entire body, just continually circling through his blood stream. Suddenly, it decided to stop at his heart. The organ hadn't beat for nearly half an hour, but the energy still surounded it. It pulsed there, waiting.

Suddenly, also unseen, the stone on TK's arm reacted to the flash of Akio's eyes and it flashed as well, sending its own energy circling throughout the blonde boy. When it found its way to the other energy surrounding TK's heart, an unexpected reaction occurred.

The two energies met and mixed together; what they created looked like the spiral made when TK and Tejuku's attacks met. However, this spiral wasn't threatening, and it wasn't made to destroy the Shadow Mage. It was made to give him a choice.

Seconds after they collided, the two energies solidified, creating an elongated, black, glowing crystal about the length and width of a pen cap. This crystal seemed to melt into TK's heart, where it then lay dormant, indifferently waiting for a choice to be made.

-------------------

TK looked around for the thousandth time as he walked down a long tunnel. He had woken up not long ago, his body in perfect condition. This surprised him, for the last thing he remembered was getting hit by that large energy surge that the lady on the dragon had thrown at him. He knew he had been hurt after that. But, when he woke up he was perfectly fine.

He had pushed the thought of why he wasn't hurt to the back of his mind and was now concentrating on where he was presently. It was like no place he had ever seen before. He was traveling down a large hallway that was lit by torches that magically flared up whenever he got close enough. It wasn't so much the magical lighting that was amazing though, but what it revealed.

The tunnel he was in was made entirely of dark crystal, tranluscent black in coloring. And below his feet, he could see gently flowing water, heading the same way that he was. Every once in a while there was a crystal formation, not anything that he could identify, but beautiful nonetheless. Sometimes, flashes showed behind the crystalline structures, but disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.

He stopped as a fish swam beneath his feet. He smiled and crouched down, looking at the multi-colored school that now swam beneath him. This place just continued to amaze him. Deciding that he had dallied long enough, he rose and continued down the hallway, wondering if he was ever going to come to the end.

Just as he finished that thought, he found himself in front of a large door. He stepped back, surprised.

'That wasn't here a second ago, was it?'

Shaking his head, he hesitantly reached for the doorknob, wondering if he should open it. He didn't have to make the decision though, because the door creaked open of its own accord. He jumped back, spooked.

He glanced through the door, but couldn't see anything. It was pitch black. He started to turn around, figuring that he'd just find another, less creepy, way out, when a voice stopped him.

"There is no other way out my Lord Shadow Mage. Do not be afraid, just step through the black. No harm will come to you, my Lord."

'That's what they all say,' TK thought as he slowly stepped back towards the door. 'And that 'my Lord' stuff is really starting to get annoying.'

He held out his hand hesitantly, to try to feel where he was going since he couldn't see. He blinked and drew back sharply as his hand slipped through something cold and seemed to disappear into the darkness.

"Come now my Lord Shadow Mage. Just step through and everything will be explained."

Deciding he had nothing to lose, TK took a deep breath and stepped towards the imposing darkness. He gasped as his whole body was engulfed in a cold gel-like substance. He continued forward, not exactly sure where he was going. Only a few steps later, he emerged from the blackness and found himself in a large, dimly lit chamber.

It was cool, but not uncomfortably so. It too was made of black translucent crystal as well, and had crystal statues. The statues on the right portrayed angel-like creatures; heads down, arms folded, wings spread. The statues on the left showed horned, demonish creatures with ragged half-spread wings.

These statues lined a marble pathway that led to another doorway of blackness, except this one seemed to have dark energy radiating from it. However, the dark energy felt…good to TK. Feeling drawn, he walked down the marble pathway eyes set on the doorway. He didn't notice the flashes of light all around him.

When he came to the end of the path, he reached out a hand towards the black doorway. He jumped as his wrist was grabbed by slender fingers. Spinning around, he saw a lady figure floating next to him about 2 or 3 inches off the ground.

She had on a light grey dress that split into several parts at the bottom. These parts swirled about her bare feet due to the energy she radiated. Her white hair swirled about her head too, and her white eyes shone in the dim light of the chamber. A white stone attached to a chain around her neck floated up and away from her as well.

"Do not touch that my Lord, unless you truly wish to die," she told him, with a pleasant ring to her voice.

TK's hand went limp and his arm fell by his side as she released his wrist with those words.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "Where am I?"

The woman smiled. "I am commonly known as the Angel of Death. I protect the gateway to the other side. Currently, you are in the Underworld, the passageway between life and death."

"So…I'm dead?" TK asked, somewhat uncomprehendingly.

"Almost, but not quite," was the simple reply.

'Almost, but not quite? How can you be 'almost, but not quite' dead?' He was about to ask when he finally noticed one of the balls of flashing light around him. It was radiating a very distressed energy as it floated closer to the portal. With one last bright flash and a cry of agony, it disappeared into the portal. TK stared at the portal, awed, wondering just what kind of power it possessed.

"The power of Death," the Angel answered. "It is enough to scare even the bravest warrior. This whole place is."

"What do you mean?" TK asked, turning back to her. "This place is beautiful."

"To you my Lord," she replied, floating away from the portal slowly, looking at the statues. "The Underworld is different for everyone, and hardly anybody finds it comforting or enjoyable."

"Then why do I?"

"Because you are a Guardian my Lord. More specifically, the Shadow Mage. The powers of Darkness are within your command, so they do not intimidate you. Instead, they help you. That is why you were not frightened, and why you were drawn to the Portal of Death."

"Oh," TK said in understanding. Then he remembered his first question. "What did you mean by saying that I was 'almost, but not quite', dead?"

The Angel turned away from the statues and back to him. "You did die, my Lord, but you have not passed on yet. You have been given a most remarkable choice."

"A choice?" TK echoed, following her as she walked past the demon statues towards a corner of the room.

In that corner, a cystal floated, suspended in a purple/black light. The crystal itself was fairly small, and it was glowing and black. The Angel picked up the ball of light holding the crystal and turned to him with it in hand. His breath caught in his throat. It was so beautiful, and he felt the same draw to it as he had felt when he was by the portal of Death, only more intense.

"What is it?" he breathed.

"A Life Force Crystal, my Lord," the Angel of Death replied. "Through circumstances that I cannot reveal, one was created for you. You now have the choice of whether or not you wish to use it."

"What do you mean 'use it'?" TK asked, tearing his eyes from the cystal.

"As I said, you have died, but this crystal will allow you to live again."

TK was silent for a second, thinking. "What's the catch?" he asked. He wasn't a naïve child, he knew that this must come with a price.

The Angel of Death smiled sadly down at him. "The catch is that it will not heal you. You will feel all the pain, and have all the wounds that were inflicted, and may wish that you had died and passed through. Also, part of your soul will always be bound here, you will be at the Portal of Death's bidding. Though it will not ask much, what it does ask, you must do."

TK thought again. "Tell me," he started slowly, "what will become of Hiata if I do pass on and cannot complete my part in the Legend of the Guardians?"

"We will all fall, my Lord," she replied truthfully.

TK sighed and closed his eyes for a second. When he reopened them he stared at the Angel of Death with a look of determination. "I suppose I don't have much of a choice then. After all, who am I to sentence Hiata to destruction simply because I do not want to face the pain that awaits me? I will use the crystal Angel of Death, if you show me how."

The Angel of Death smiled softly and handed him the crystal, still suspended in the light. He gasped softly, it felt so wonderful…so invigorating.

"What do I do now?" he asked breathlessly.

"Concentrate, and you will know. But…my Lord?"

"Yes?" he asked, not bothering to try to convince her to stop calling him Lord. He figured he wouldn't be successful.

"You must not tell anyone of your trip here, save for Reverend Kelmio. They must discover on their own."

TK looked up, confused. "But…why can I tell Reverend Kelmio?"

"He is more than he seems, and because of that, you may tell him. I'm afraid I cannot reveal anymore about him to you, not yet anyway."

"It's alright, I understand" TK replied, returning his gaze to the stone. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the crystal in his hand, trying to figure out exactly what he should do with it.

Instinctively, his hands pressed it against his chest, just above his heart. He closed his eyes more tightly as he began to break down his body's barrier. Then, the energy became absorbed into his body, up until the crystal. When the cystal reached his skin and began to be absorbed as well, he gasped and his eyes opened. While he had absorbed energy before, never had he absorbed a solid object. It felt…odd, to say the least.

He could feel his skin melding to allow it to pass and, while it wasn't painful, it didn't feel pleasant. He gasped as it was entirely engulfed into his body and continued to move. It moved to his heart, where it then began to meld into that as well.

TK gasped loudly. This was painful. He saw spots before his eyes and sank to his knees, clutching at his chest and breathing heavily. He felt cool, gentle hands lay him down and brush some damp hair away from his forehead.

"Have a safe journey my Lord, and I wish you good luck for your trying task ahead. I know you will prevail," he heard the Angel of Death whisper before he completely blacked out.

------------------

Katya took several deep breaths and tried to compose herself. Takeru was dead, and she needed to accept that there was nothing she could do about it. She also needed to get Akio away from the body, it couldn't be healthy for him to be here.

She sighed as she looked around. Just what was she going to do with these wolves? She couldn't leave them here, she knew that, but only one was capable of movement. Perhaps she, Akio, and Midnight could camp around here until the wolves healed.

She looked behind her at the fortress and shuddered. She wanted to get away from that place, but she didn't exactly have a choice.

She sighed again and crawled over to Akio. Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled his sobbing form off of Takeru. The boy protested just a little before conceding and curling against her, still crying. Katya swallowed and held back her tears as she looked down at the still form of her friend. She leaned down and gave him a brief kiss on his lips.

"Goodbye Takeru," she whispered before trying to force her weak legs to stand.

She had just managed to turn around and start walking back towards the fortress, when a sound stopped her. It was a sharp cough. A sharp human cough. From behind her.

She spun around and dropped to the ground hard as she tried to convince herself that she wasn't dreaming.

Takeru's chest was moving…he was breathing….he was alive!

Katya's vision blurred as tears of joy ran down her face. Akio squirmed out of her arms and ran back to Takeru. He carefully gave him a hug, his eyes watery. He shifted slightly as Midnight came to make sure it was real as well. Around them, the other wolves stirred.

Katya was the first to collect herself. While Takeru was alive now, she knew that he was still seriously hurt. She forced herself up and went over to Midnight.

"Midnight," she said, voice sounding slightly weak. "Can you carry him? He needs help."

Midnight bobbed her head in a nod and Katya nodded back. Then the girl bent down, gently moved Akio, and struggled to lift Takeru onto the kneeling Midnight's back. It took her only 2 tries, as adrenaline gave her strength. The boy groaned in pain as he was settled onto the wolf, and Katya cooed comfortingly, female maternal instinct kicking in.

The Light Mage then picked up Akio and tried to decide where to go. She didn't have to make that decision though, because Midnight took off quickly in a distinct direction.

"Midnight?!" she called, confused and slightly worried.

She started to follow as fast as she could, but looked back as her shoulder was bumped. She saw that all of the wolves had somehow managed to get up, and Rage was kneeling by her. She understood that he wanted her to climb on. She hesitated only slightly before complying.

As Rage took off after Midnight, Katya could tell that he was still greatly hurt. His legs shook a bit with exhaustion and he was taking in great heaving breaths. Looking around, Katya could see that all of the other wolves, save Midnight, were in the same condition. She bit her lip in worry as she patted Rage's neck. Just where were these wolves taking them? They seemed to have a specific destination, but she felt clueless. Her powers revealed nothing about their future destination, dense fog clouded her visions.

That cluelessness she felt didn't subside even after hours of riding. She was really worried for the wolves now, she knew that they were pushing themselves too hard, but they wouldn't stop to rest. They knew they couldn't afford to.

She sighed as Akio, now asleep, shifted in her arms. She hoped that, wherever they were going, they would get there soon. She didn't want to encounter any trouble along the way. As soon as that thought left her head, a low, threatening buzz was heard. She inwardly cursed; she just had to jinx them, didn't she?

She turned her head towards the buzzing sound and saw a pack of flying creatures that looked like an odd combination of people and insect. The bodies were human, except that the eyes were red and sectioned, and the nails of the hands curled into sharp claw-like things. Also, they all had four transparent fly wings; two on each side.

The wings were what was causing the buzzing. As they got closer, Katya could see the blood lust in their eyes. They were thinking of nothing but feeding now.

"Rage! We have to get out of here!" she called to the wolf below her.

However, even though Rage already realized that, there was really no where to go. They were in a mostly flat area with a small patch of small trees every now and then.

He ordered his pack to the nearest trees, so they could leave the children there and make a stand. When they reached the small grove, Katya slid off Rage, set the now awake Akio down, and went to Takeru's side. She gently pulled him off Midnight and set him on the ground, trying not to agravate any wounds. He still moaned a bit in pain though, and she wondered yet again exactly how badly he was hurt.

She didn't have much time to wonder though, as the bug swarm took the opportunity to attack. Claws extended in front of them, they dove headfirst towards the group.

Tightening her hold on both Akio and Takeru, Katya watched fearfully as the worn out wolves desperately dodged and tried to counterattack. It was clear from the beginning that they were losing. Not only were they out numbered, but the wolves could take no more pressure to their bodies.

After only a few minutes, all of the wolves, Midnight included, were lying on the ground, seemingly dead. Their short, raspy breaths were the only indication that they were still alive.

Katya pushed Akio behind her and stepped in front of Takeru, gulping nervously as she readied her Light energy. She stared down the leader of the bug/human swarm with a determined look though, as she knew that she could not fail.

The standoff continued for a few minutes until, as one, the swarm moved in for the kill.

Katya tried to keep her cool and blasted insect humanoid after insect humanoid away. However, her energy was waning fast, and these creatures seemed almost to have an invisible exoskeleton. Most of her blasts only phased them slightly, they didn't do any real damage.

'Oh Kami. If anyone can hear me, I need help now! If only I had a pack of Shadow Beasts as well, then I would surely be able to protect these two. Oh WhiteLioness, you must have had a pack in order to destroy the evil 12 years ago, where are they now? Why won't they help me now mother?' she asked, referring to WhiteLioness as her mother for the first time in her life.

Realizing that expecting an answer was futile, she continued to draw on her strength, the need to protect fueling her if nothing else.

She had just fired another Light blast, when the most surprising thing happened. From behind her, a small blast of dark energy came, merging with her Light and causing an explosion that immediately destroyed two of the beasts.

"Takeru!" Katya gasped, whirling around.

The boy was propped up on his right elbow, weakly holding up his hand, pain written all over his face. Akio was sitting next to him, shocked, and not sure what to do.

Forgetting about the spooked insect creatures for the moment, Katya ran over to him and dropped down, supporting his shoulders and head.

"What are you doing?!" she asked, alarmed. "You don't have any energy to spare!"

Takeru smiled weakly up at her. "I was just buying you time. Look," he said, motioning with his eyes to the east.

Curiously, she turned her head. At first she saw nothing, then several black dots that were coming closer. As they got even closer, she could tell that they were felines of some kind, very large, and there were ten of them.

'Could these be…my Shadow Beasts?' she wondered, not quite daring to hope.

She looked back down sharply as Takeru's head lolled against her. He had used up all of his extra energy and was unconscious again. She gently laid him down and returned her attention to the insect creatures that were now looking towards the felines as well.

Katya then saw that they were not just any felines, but very large lionesses. Many were as large as Takeru's wolves. As soon as they were close enough, the largest lioness, one with off-white pearl colored eyes, launched herself at the nearest creature. Sinking her teeth into its neck, she pulled it down and ripped its throat out.

Katya winced at the excessive gore and violence, and pulled Akio over to her, shielding his eyes. He didn't need to see any more death than absolutely necessary.

As she watched, each of the 10 lionesses brought down one or two of the fear frozen insect creatures before the remaining few gathered enough wits to fly up high and flee.

Once the creatures were gone, the lionesses walked over to Katya and bowed their heads.

((Are you well, Mistress?)) the nearest, and largest, one asked.

Katya jumped a little. Takeru had told her of how he communicated with his wolves, but it was still odd.

((Umm…yes, I'm fine. Who are you?))

((I am Star, and those behind me are Mercy, Patience, Dawn, Serenity, Purity, Tranquility, Bliss, Devotion, and Miracle. We are beings created from the Light, Mistress Katya, and we serve you now.))

Katya smiled at the kind lioness' words. ((I thank you for saving us. But, please, just call me Katya.))

((As you wish.))

Katya looked over the battlefield slowly before looking back towards Takeru and Akio.

((Star, my friend Takeru, the Shadow Mage, is hurt badly. His wolves seemed to know where to take him for help, but they are all hurt now. Can you help us?))

Star bobbed her head in a nod. ((Yes, we know where they were headed. We can take you there.))

((But…what about them?)) she asked, gesturing to the wolves.

Star glanced at them as well. ((Half of the pack will stay here and help them recover. They will be well once they feed on the Mosque creature carcasses left from the battle and will follow us shortly. Come now, I shall carry you and the small boy, and Mercy shall carry the Shadow Mage.))

Katya nodded and placed Akio on Star before gently placing Takeru on Mercy. She then climbed behind Akio.

((Let's go Star.))

((Yes Katya)) Star replied, heading off. Mercy, Bliss, Devotion, and Miracle followed.

Katya glanced over concerned as Takeru groaned quietly again.

((How long Star?))

((We will be there soon Katya. Do not worry, he will be alright.))

Katya sighed. ((I hope you're right Star, I really hope you're right.))

--------------

In reality, it took about 2 more hours to reach their destination. Katya looked at the large castle somewhat suspisciously.

((Where are we?))

((Castle Shuuko Katya. It is the home of Lady Alitea and Reverend Kelmio. They will help us.))

((Are you sure we can trust them?)) Katya asked, still not convinced.

((Yes. They helped the Shadow Mage before, and are known to be honorable people.))

((Well, let's go inside then))

Star bobbed her head and started towards the door. When they reached it, Katya dismounted from Star and hesitantly knocked with the large metal knocker. At first, there was nothing, then some footsteps were heard from inside. The door opened to reveal a girl her age with pink hair in a black dress.

The girl's eyes widened as she saw Takeru. She pushed the door open further and gestured them inside.

"What happened?" she asked, getting right down to business.

"He was hurt fighting Tejuku. I don't know the details, I wasn't there. He…he died, I thought, but…then he just came back to life. Please, can you help him?" she pleaded.

Alitea nodded. "Have your lioness follow me. You wait here with the others. Reverend Kelmio will be down shortly."

Katya returned the nod, heeding the no-nonsense tone. ((Mercy, follow this woman and do as she says.))

((Yes Katya.))

As she watched Mercy and Alitea leave, Katya looked around the area that she was in. It was a large courtyard with several potted plants within. There was a small pond off to one side, with a rock garden surrounding it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" asked a voice.

Katya spun around, caught off guard. Next to her, she saw a tall man with light brown hair and eyes.

The man smiled and bowed his head slightly. "Forgive me. I did not mean to startle you Lady Katya, Light Mage. I am Reverend Kelmio."

"It's nice to meet you," Katya replied, still a little surprised. "How did you know who I was?"

Kelmio waved his hand nonchalantly. "I know many things. Now come, are you hurt?"

"No, Takeru is."

"Ah, yes, I saw him on my way down. He's in quite dreadful shape isn't he? But I can assure you that he'll make a full recovery."

"Why is that?" Katya asked suddenly. "He died, I know he did. How is it that he can make a full recovery?"

Kelmio smiled secretively. "That is something you must find out on your own. No one can tell you. Not Alitea, not myself, and not Takeru. You will understand in time."

Katya nodded but frowned at the ground. She didn't like all this secrecy. She looked up sharply as Reverend Kelmio chuckled suddenly.

"What?" she inquired.

"It's just…you looked so much like your mother just then. She was ever the suspicious and impatient one as well."

"You…you knew my mother?" she asked, shocked.

"Quite well. Would you like me to tell you of her?"

"Please," she practically begged. "I know next to nothing."

"Come sit with me and we will talk," Kelmio replied, heading for a stone bench in the rock garden.

Katya followed eagerly. When they were seated, Reverend Kelmio began to speak.

"Your mother, child, was a very lovely young woman. She was born and bred of the forest, and loved everyone and everything. She tried not to let herself be changed by her duty as a Guardian, but some changes were inevitable."

"Like what?"

"She became hardened from having to fight and kill. She became very serious, no longer as playful as she once had been. But it was her brilliant green eyes that showed how much she had truly changed. They darkened and aged, showing the wisdom of an old woman in the body of a teenager. She understood her duty, knew what she had to do. And she did it without hesitation."

"Sacrificing herself, you mean?" Katya asked sadly. She sighed as Kelmio nodded. "What else can you tell me? What was her name? What did she look like? Things like that."

"Her name, child? No one remembers. Only she knows, but perhaps one day you will be able to find out. As for her appearance, I'm afraid that that is something else you must find out on your own. I can tell you some about her though. As I said, she was a very kind and gentle woman. Selfless, doing all she could to help others and thinking of her own health last. She only made one mistake in her lifetime; she fell in love."

"Love? Why is that a mistake?" Katya asked, entranced.

"If you love, you have a distinctive want and reason to live. It made her question her destiny. Question her choice to give everything for Hiata. But…it worked out in the end."

"Who did she fall in love with? Or, can't you tell me?"

"I can't child, but you will know someday I'm sure," he smiled as she yawned. "Come child. You need to rest. As does the little one over there."

Katya looked over at Akio, who was playing with the 4 lionesses. She could sense Mercy coming back down and the other 5 nearing the castle.

She picked up Akio and followed Kelmio through a corridor and up some stairs. The castle was lavishly furnished, with great tapastries, paintings, and wooden furniture.

Reverend Kelmio looked back at Katya and Akio and smiled at their apparent wonder. He stopped in front of a large door and opened it, revealing a bedroom with a large canopy bed in it.

Katya stepped in and looked around with wonder. She had never seen such a large room! Whole houses in her old Kol village were not as large as this one room. She turned to thank Reverend Kelmio, but he had already gone.

She frowned a bit, but dismissed it and headed for the bed. She saw two pairs of nightclothes laid out, one in her size and one in Akio's. She gently changed the half-asleep Akio into his nightclothes and tucked him in before going to the attached wash room and changing herself. She climbed under the covers and sighed contentedly. She'd see Takeru in the morning, but for right now, this was just fine.

----------------

Out in the hallway, Kelmio smiled slightly as he heard Katya climb into bed. He was glad that she had not pressed to see Takeru that night. He had a feeling he would have enough trouble with visitors soon enough.

He walked down the hall, intent on checking on the lionesses and wolves coming in. He paused by the window, swearing that he heard something. When nothing showed, he shrugged and continued. But then he was sure he heard light footsteps and a rustling sound.

He sighed and turned around. "You can come out now. I know you're there."

He watched as a winged figure stepped from the shadows. He was just slightly taller than the Reverend with large dark feathered wings. His features were hidden by the shadows, but Kelmio knew who it was.

"I should have known you'd find some way out of your confinement," Kelmio said exasperatedly.

"I want to see him," the figure demanded.

"I can't let you do that. There is much more that he must go through before he knows about you."

"He won't see me, but I want to see him. I saw the whole battle through a viewing portal and I want to see him for myself."

Kelmio sighed. "I know what he means to you, being the next Shadow Mage and all, but you can't interfere."

"I won't. I will do nothing but look. If he stirs even a little, I will leave immediately."

Kelmio sighed. This man was stubborn, always had been, and both knew he would win.

"Very well," Kelmio conceeded. "But you'd best keep your word about not interfering."

The man inclined his head in a thank you as Kelmio led him up the stairs and down another hallway. Kelmio opened the door and moved aside to allow the figure in.

"Do not be long," Kelmio warned. "One of his wolves may come up at any time and they must not know either."

The man nodded, eyes locked on the figure on the bed. After Kelmio shut the door, he approached the bed slowly. He looked down at the boy on the bed. The blonde looked worse for wear. He had bruises and cuts all over, and his left arm was splinted, apparently broken. His breathing was raspy and he had a large bump on his head, but no other injuries could be seen.

Hesitantly, the man reached out and brushed some of the blonde hair away. This boy looked so peaceful, innocent, and young, could he possibly be one of the saviors of Hiata? It seemed so unlikely, but the man could feel great power radiating from the little one even now. The man only hoped that the boy was up for the task.

In his sleep, TK sighed and instinctively turned his head more towards the hand that was smoothing his hair. The man smiled slightly and ran a gentle finger over the boy's cheek. He then pulled his hand away, afraid any more contact might wake the younger.

He turned his head sharply as his enhanced hearing picked up soft padded footsteps coming towards the room. He inwardly cursed. It must be one of the wolves. He would have to leave. Oh well, he sighed, he'd be able to observe the boy much more later.

"Sleep well," he said softly as he headed for the window. He opened it and glided out into the moolight, casting one last look at the room before heading back to his home.

---------------

"How could you fail me, you insolent bafoon?!" the defiant woman yelled at the kneeling boy.

"I-I'm sorry Mistress," Tejuku answered, eyes down. "I underestimated him, but I will not fail again."

"You had better not," the woman snarled, "Now get out of my sight you worthless boy!"

Tejuku nodded and headed for the door. Just as he reached it, a middle aged man walked in, scowling at the boy before roughly shoving him to the side. Tejuku held back curses and quietly left.

"I can't believe you let him live," the man said to the woman. "If any of my minions fail, they will not live to regret it."

"While that is a fun option, for us at least, the boy can still be useful to me. I believe that he will defeat the Shadow Mage, as he has more motivation now. He does not like to fail, and this particular failure was the ultimate humiliation. Now he will try even harder to succeed."

The man scoffed. "You are too trusting, you hag. He will betray you if you continue to be this lenient with him."

"That's your opinion," the woman spat back. "And do not try to tell me how I should control my minions, it's not like you know any better. If I might remind you, your minion failed as well."

"At least my minion came closer to completing the task than yours did!"

"Are you blind and dumb man? My minion injured the boy greatly, while yours barely even scratched the girl. I think it's clear who is weaker here."

"Take that back you old hag!"

"Enough!" came a gravely male voice. "Save your fighting for later. A most interesting development has occurred. Look," he said, waving his hand and creating a viewing portal.

The man and woman obeyed, and smirked as they saw.

"I believe we could make this work to our advantage, don't you agree? Send out the messenger, I think it's time an alliance was formed," the old man said, smiling maliciously. It was time to test the Guardians, and whether they passed or failed, the old man would profit.

A win-win situation. How delectable.

A/N: hope you weren't disappointed. thanks for the reviews for the last chap and creature ideas, more of bothwould be appreciated. Ciao.