Disclaimer: See previous chap.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I feel all warm and tingly inside now. I'll trynot to let you down.I should warn younow that this particular chapter was hard to write because I was tryingnot to copy what happened in the last one, but it was kind of hard.Just so you know, this chap ain't thatgood, but the next chapters will be,I hope. Anyway, here it is:

The five travelers all watched with awe and surprise as the grove began to split, trees moving to different sides. They weren't sure what to make of it. As they looked on, fascinated, a small portal of white and light blue appeared in the center of the grove. They stepped towards it, entranced.

Before they could reach it, however, a large ball of energy emerged and floated in front of the portal, blocking their way. The energy then transformed into the figure of a woman. This woman had long, pale blonde hair that flew in the breeze, and soft green eyes. Her skin was practically white, and her long, flowing dress was green. She looked down at them warily.

"Who be you?" she demanded.

"We are the Elemental Guardians," Hiroki answered boldly.

The woman's eyes widened and she looked them over carefully. They felt as if she was looking into their very souls.

"So you are," she finally responded. "But, who be those with you?"

"Those are our Spirit Animals and this is Miyo," Kari replied, starting to feel more comfortable around this being.

The woman's eyes narrowed again. "I am Harmony, protector of Pomarius, and only Elementals may enter. Your…Miyo is not allowed."

"She'd better be allowed," Kari quipped. "Because if she isn't, then we won't go in either. And if we don't go in, we won't increase our power, and Hiata will be destroyed."

Harmony growled her annoyance. "I cannot allow it."

"We're not asking," Hiroki growled right back. "As Guardians, we're telling. Miyo will be allowed into Pomarius, do you understand?."

Kari blinked, but tried not to show her surprise. She hadn't even thought about using their status as leverage. While it wasn't quite fair for Harmony, it certainly had an effect.

Harmony bristled. "I have been around for thousands of years, no child is going to tell me what to do."

"We're more than children," Kari stated, voice dangerously low. "It'd be in your best interest not to forget that. Now, let us by."

Grumbling, but realizing that resistance was futile, Harmony did indeed move aside. Stepping past her, Kari, Hiroki, and Miyo, followed by Fury and Whisper, headed for the portal. When they were close enough, they reached out. As soon as they touched it, they got the sensation of being caught in a small vortex, spinning 'round and 'round. They closed their eyes to keep from getting too dizzy.

When they reopened them, they found themselves in a lush garden-type area with all kinds of exotic plants and trees, as well as streams and rocky paths. Along the side of one of these paths was a grove of apple trees. Next to that, oranges; then bananas, cherries, and even pineapple. On the other side of that path were low lying foods like many kinds of berries, as well as several other foods that they didn't recognize.

Beyond the food plants, the garden opened into a wide open grove. It was beautiful, just as they knew Pomarius had to be. Still trying to take everything in, they started to walk down what seemed to be the main path. Suddenly, the path forked off in two directions. Kari felt drawn to the right while Hiroki felt the need to go left. With a silent mutual agreement, they went their separate ways.

"Hey, wait for me!" Miyo called out, running after Kari.

Kari smiled and took the younger girl's hand as they continued down the path. Suddenly, a very strong breeze came whistling around the curve up ahead and wound around the two. Kari instinctively tightened her grip on Miyo as the girl scooted closer. Suddenly, the wind stopped swirling around them and simply began to push them down the path.

Staggering slightly, they walked ahead. It wasn't as if it was forcing them to go somewhere that they weren't already planning on going. As they rounded the curve, they saw a quaint building that was built into a large oak tree. It appeared to be two stories tall. Before they could observe it further, the wind gave their backs a rather insistent push.

Giving the not-quite-visible wind gust a glare, Kari walked towards the large oak door, Miyo following. Right before they reached the door, the wind gust came from behind them and pushed it open, disappearing inside. Kari debated whether or not to go in the open door, but decided that it wouldn't hurt anything.

Pushing it open a little further, she peeked inside. The inside looked just as quaint as the outside. There was a table with chairs to one side, a large rug in the middle, and a hearth on the opposite side surrounded by large comfortable chairs. A wooden staircase was nearly hidden behind the table and chairs.

As the two walked in, Whisper having disappeared to go explore, they got the distinct feeling that they were being watched. But that was impossible, nobody was here. Closing the door to avoid letting in a draft, Kari started to walk towards the staircase. When she reached it, she hesitated. Miyo sprinted ahead of her and started up the stairs before Kari could stop her.

Figuring that she had no choice in whether or not she went upstairs, she started up the winding stairs. When she reached the top, she found herself in another livingroom-type place. There was a large rug in the center of the room, on top of which there were a few large, cushioned chairs and a nice table. Some books were in a bookcase to the side. However, Miyo was nowhere to be found. Kari was about to call out for her whe nshe heard a soft giggling noise. It sounded just like Miyo.

She noticed an open door leading to another room that she had overlooked before. Walking to it, she looked in. She saw Miyo sitting in the lap of a woman. This woman had light brown hair and eyes, cream-colored skin, and small clear wings that resembled a butterfly's on her back. She was wearing a white dress that was form fitting at the top, but flowed loosely at the bottom, and cloth slippers. She looked up at Kari with a slight smile.

"Daughter," she greeted.

'Daughter! What is she talking about? My mother in this world is dead, why is she calling me daughter?'

"I see that you are confused, daughter of my soul," the woman said. "My name is EvenBreeze, I am your biological mother."

"T-That's not possible," Kari replied, automatically speaking the strange language that she didn't know she knew. "EvenBreeze is dead, Karina told me so."

EvenBreeze shrugged, uninterested. "That old woman knows not of what she speaks and you'd do well to watch your back around her. While it is true that I died, you did as well, so I'm sure you can relate. You see, I was given the choice of whether or not I wanted to pass through the Gate of Death. I decided to stay on Hiata, and was given a demon-dead form. In other words, I age and have a physical body, but I am not alive. Actually, this is the path that all four of us Guardians chose. Are things a little clearer now?"

Kari nodded. "So, BlackWolf and WhiteLioness will be waiting for TK and Katya at Vorago as well?"

"Yes, though they will be the only ones, I imagine."

"What do you mean?" Kari asked, confused.

EvenBreeze paused for a second, as if chosing which words to use. "Well, though you haven't seen them yet, many Nymphs and Tree Fairies live here, and some other Elementals as well. This is because Pomarius is flourishing. Vorago, however, is not. You see, both Pomarius and Vorago feed off the Elementals and Mages respectively. While the number of Elementals is high, the number of Mages has been steadily decreasing. Those that are alive are not at Vorago, rather, they are scattered about, not able to give their power to Vorago. But, I have faith that your TK and Katya will greatly help restore it."

"I see," Kari mumbled. Suddenly, a thought came to her. "Mother, why was it that Harmony was so against Miyo coming into Pomarius?"

EvenBreeze shifted the girl on her lap. "Miyo is not an Elemental. Harmony, along with many others here, still goes by the old tradition that only Elementals should be allowed, except for under extreme circumstances. You'll have to forgive Harmony, she was only doing what she thought she should have done."

"I understand, I suppose. Now, can you tell me what we were sent here to do? Karina said that it was to unlock our full power, but I'm not sure I understand."

EvenBreeze smiled slightly before disappearing. Miyo fell the short distance to the bed with a shriek of surprise. Kari felt a strong wind rush past her, going to the opposite side of the room. Turning, she saw EvenBreeze reappear.

"H-how did you…you were just…" she trailed off, not able to form a coherent sentence due to her shock.

EvenBreeze chuckled a bit. "Don't worry my daughter, you will learn that trick and several others soon. Now, however, let's start with the basics." As she said this, she pulled a large leather bound book from a hidden cabinet. "It's time for weapons training. I hope you're ready for a workout."

Kari groaned inwardly. "Great, just great."

On the other side of Pomarius, Hiroki had been pushed up to the door of a tree-house also, only it wasn't wind that urged him, it was flame. Stepping inside of the house, he found that the bottom level appeared empty. The internal appearance of the house was almost exactly the same as EvenBreeze's house.

When he closed the door and walked further inside, Hiroki found that there was a fire crackling in the hearth. Walking over, he placed his hand in the flame, soaking up its energy. It was very revitalizing.

Suddenly, he heard a creak from behind him. Spinning around, he saw no one, but noticed a small stairway. Moving cautiously, he walked up the stairs slowly, not sure what to expect when he reached the next level.

At first, he saw no one. He walked up into the cozy room with the chairs and table in it and took a better look around. There were a few books scattered about, along with some knick-knacks that meant nothing to him. He saw that there was also another fire place crackling with heat. He settled himself in front of it, sitting as close as he could without actually sitting in the hearth. He was soaking up its heat energy again when a voice from behind startled him.

"I am glad you finally found your way home, my son."

Hiroki spun around and found himself looking up at a very tall man. This man had fire red hair and matching eyes. He was wearing cream-colored pants and a bright red tunic. He had a brown belt on with a dagger and places for holding other weapons and pouches. He was looking down at the boy fondly.

Hiroki scooted back slightly, flinching a bit when he touched the flame without meaning to.

"Wh-who are you?" he asked, not sure how he knew this language.

The man smiled and offered Hiroki a hand. "I am ScorchingFlame, your biological father."

Hiroki's eyes widened. This just wasn't possible, was it? Karina had said that his biological father was dead. ScorchingFlame frowned slightly, still offering his hand.

"I suppose you are shocked?"

Hiroki nodded, swallowing dryly. "You could say that." He slowly took the man's hand.

ScorchingFlame's smile returned and he pulled his genetic double upright out of the fireplace.

"To make a long story short, I am dead as you were told, but I remain among the living. I age, and am capable of touch, but I do not live. I do not need to eat, sleep, or even breathe. Understand?"

Hiroki shrugged. "Not really, but I'll go with it. So tell me, if you've been 'alive' this whole time, why didn't you come help us?"

"I did. Once. I helped you die, don't you remember? Without my help, you would have suffered for hours."

"Why did you let me suffer at all? Why let me die?" he asked with some underlying anger in his voice.

"Because you needed to die in order to retrieve your Life Force Crystal. Without it, you wouldn't stand a chance against Isan and Shaukaka. As for letting you suffer, you needed to. All four of you needed to suffer."

"Nobody needs to suffer like we did!" Hiroki snapped.

ScorchingFlame held up his hand in a gesture of peace. "Let me finish. We did not like to let you suffer, but if you hadn't, you wouldn't be as strong as you are now. You wouldn't be able to handle pain as well, and you wouldn't have the ability to block out your emotions during battle. You see, while suffering may have been horrible at the time, it has helped you more than you know." He paused, waiting for Hiroki's reaction.

Hiroki sighed. While he hated it, he understood the logic. He just couldn't believe that being put through torture and death was another part of his destiny.

Seeing that Hiroki had calmed down somewhat, ScorchingFlame decided to make his move quickly. Standing, he placed a hand on Hiroki's shoulder.

"Come, let's talk and get to know each other a bit, hmm?"

Hiroki nodded, that sounded like a good idea. Allowing ScorchingFlame to lead, he walked back down to the first living room and made himself comfortable by the revitalizing fire. For some reason, he had a feeling that he was going to need all the energy he could handle in the days to come.

"Now, keep both eyes open as you picture your target. Aim carefully, pull back slightly, and release."

Doing as she was told, Kari let yet another arrow fly. This one only missed the mark by half an inch or so.

"Very good," EvenBreeze praised. "You have progressed well over the past two weeks."

Kari blushed slightly at the praise, but inwardly agreed. When she had arrived here, she had known scarcely anything about how to handle real weapons, Shaukaka had taught her with fake ones. Now, however, she could handle a bow and arrow very well, and could hold her own in a knife fight. Besides that, her Elemental skills were improving more and more as she gained some control over her Life Force Crystal.

She could now harness even greater amonts of energy, and could see and hear through Whisper. EvenBreeze had called it Sacred Sight, a very useful skill. She had also tuned her ability to tell a creatures weakness. All in all, it had been a very progressive two weeks.

But, it had also been exhausting. They were up doing physical training before dawn every day, and didn't finish with weapons and magic training until late at night. The routine was brutal on their bodies as well as their minds and spirits. However, on the flip side, it was strengthening them in many ways. They could withstand much more now, a fact that would obviously prove useful in the near future.

Emptying her mind of thought, Kari knocked and shot another arrow, this one landing right on target. She smiled inwardly, not wanting to show pride on the outside.

Next to her, EvenBreeze smiled as well. Her daughter was progressing much more rapidly than she had anticipated. Of course, that was by no means a bad thing. She reached out and placed a hand on Kari's shoulder as the girl prepared to shoot another arrow.

"That is enough for today. Why don't you clean up and meet me in the Gathering Circle? I shall have ScorchingFlame and Hiroki meet us there as well."

Kari nodded. "I will be there shortly."

"Very good. Go on now, the sooner we meet, the sooner we all can talk."

Kari nodded again, this time somewhat puzzled. What could EvenBreeze want to talk about? They had already talked of who EvenBreeze had been before, a simple village Elemental. So it couldn't be about their pasts. Maybe it was something equally important.

Shrugging, Kari put the bow and arrows away and headed for the woman's washing room. It was no use wondering when she could just clean up and find out.

On the other side of Poamrius in another training arena, Hiroki was panting for breath as he sparred with his father. They had been sparring for nearly an hour now, and the boy was exhausted. The weapons they were using didn't help boost his energy at all.

The weapons were twin battle axes, each weighing about 20 pounds. While it didn't seem like much at first, the weight soon became apparent as you swung them around, blocking blows and dealing some of your own. It didn't take long for your arms to feel like they were going to fall off.

However, Hiroki had been progressing rapidly and his endurance was much higher now. The present time was a great example. When he had first started training, he wasn't able to last more than five minutes in a spar. Now, he had matched ScorchingFlame blow for blow for almost an hour. A major improvement for just two weeks.

He smiled cheekily as he blocked yet another blow from his genetically equivalent elder. ScorchingFlame smirked back, an action that confused Hiroki. The next thing he knew, he was on his back, looking at the business end of one of his father's axes. Gulping, he raised his hands in surrender.

Chuckling, ScorchingFlame withdrew his weapon and offered the boy a hand.

"Never get cocky in battle," he advised. "It could cost you your life."

"So I see," he replied, actually heeding someone's advice for once. "What shall we do now father? Another spar?"

"No," ScorchingFlame replied, shaking his head. "We are done training for today. Get cleaned up and meet me in the Gathering Circle as soon as possible. Understand?"

"Gathering Circle, got it," Hiroki replied as he put his weapons away and headed for the men's washroom. He decided that there was no point in trying to figure out what was going to be discussed, it was better to just go and see with no preconceptions.

After a quick shower and change of clothes, he headed down one of the rocky paths towards the place dubbed the Gathering Circle. In reality, it was another small clearing in a grove of trees. There was a natural well in the center, and it was surrounded by flat, smooth rocks that provided perfect seats. It was lit by golden oil lamps place in the trees by the Tree Fairies.

When he arrived, he saw that the other four people were already there. He nodded in greeting before going to sit by Hikari, who was holding Miyo in her lap. They both smiled at him before turning their attention to the two adults. The adults looked at each other before speaking.

"Well, we've wanted to have this talk with you for a while, but we decided that we needed to wait until we felt you were ready. Now, you are," EvenBreeze began.

"Ready for what?" Kari asked, confused.

"Ready to learn the truth about Pomarius and your true forms," ScorchingFlame answered. "It will be easiest to start at the beginning, with the creation of Pomarius." He paused, waiting to see if the children would object.

Kari and Hiroki nodded, silently urging him to continue.

"Pomarius was created at the same time as Vorago, over two thousand years ago, but the two are polar opposites. While both draw on the power of the descendents of their creators, Vorago was created by the Dark Magic, while Pomarius was created by the Light."

"Wait," Hiroki interrupted. "Light is a Mage's trait. Katya's the Light Mage."

"This is a different. When I say Light Magic, I am referring to magic that is whole and good, and synchronized with the world. Dark Magic is created, not necessarily drawn from the world. Therefore, it is often uncomplete or corrupt."

"Are you saying that all Mages are corrupt while all Elementals are good and pure?" Kari asked, some half-hidden hostility in her voice. After all, her best friend and new friend were both Mages.

"No, no, of course not," EvenBreeze replied, trying to make peace with the girl's temper. "Some Mages are good, and some Elementals are evil. It just happens to be that more Mages are evil and more Elementals are good. It is the nature of their craft. However, it could also be because they let other dark magics interefere with their culture," she said, slight disapproval in her voice.

Hiroki frowned. "Something tells me that you don't think very highly of Mages."

EvenBreeze sighed and glanced at ScorchingFlame before continuing. "We think that they have made many mistakes," she said, choosing her words carefully. "But, we do have friends that are Mages, such as the other two Guardians. You see, just because we see things differently and don't often agree on their methods, that doesn't mean that we dislike them."

"But there is no need to talk of such things that don't concern us presently," ScorchingFlame added quickly, trying to divert the children's attention from a topic that they seemed to be taking offence to. "We have more important things to talk about."

"Like what?" Kari asked, hostility gone for the moment.

"Well, you will learn more of your destinies later, so now, we will talk of another magical gift you possess that we will bring out in you."

Kari and Hiroki looked at them blankly, not sure what to think. The two adults smiled slightly and raised their hands. Almost instantly, two Nymphs appeared, each bearing a sphere wrapped in a cloth. Kari frowned as the Nymphs delivered the packages and bowed their heads, retreating. She didn't like how the Nymphs and Fairies were used as servants here, but no one else, including said Fairies and Nymphs, seemed to mind.

She mentally shook her head to clear her mind of such thoughts and focused on the two spheres. EvenBreeze approached her with one while ScorchingFlame approached Hiroki with the other. Kneeling down, EvenBreeze looked into Kari's eyes. ScorchingFlame mimicked her movements with Hiroki.

"What we're about to give you is not a gift to be taken lightly," she told them seriously. "It can only be handled and mastered by the most skilled Elementals. We have watched your progress and we believe you are ready. Do you believe you are ready for such responsibility?"

Not sure what to say, the two simply nodded. After all, any gifts that would help them in their quest were most welcome.

"Alright," ScorchingFlame continued, still serious. "Now, we should warn you that this will be slightly painful, but you must see it through to the end if it is to work, understand?"

"We are ready," Hiroki assured his father in uncharacteristic somberness.

Nodding, the two elders unwrapped the spheres to reveal two gloring orbs. The one EvenBreeze was holding was light blue, while the one that ScorchingFlame was holding was red-orange. EvenBreeze handed the blue orb to Kari.

"Listen carefully," she said, "First, I want you to close your eyes and focus on the orb. Descend into it as you would descend into your Life Force Crystal."

Silently, Kari obeyed her instructions. Closing her eyes, she focused on the aura of energy that she felt coming from the small orb in her hands. She could feel the barrier around it, trying to block entrance. Taking a few seconds to carefully create a whole in the barrier, she mentally slipped through.

She found herself surrounded by the blue light in a seemingly endless plane. Suddenly, a figure came into view. This figure had light blue hair streaked with brown, pale skin, and transluscent wings that were paired up like an insect's might be, but they were much more majestic looking than any insect. The figure had a very pale, form-fitting blue top with a low neck, and a skirt that seemed to hug her body until her knees where it split in the front and billowed out slightly. She was wearing soft blue slippers and had a silver ankle bracelet on her right leg. Her eyes were closed and her head was down.

"What do you see?" EvenBreeze asked softly.

Kari could distantly feel the woman's hands on her shoulders. She quickly related the scene to her.

"That is your true form. Go to her," EvenBreeze urged.

After a second of hesitation, Kari obeyed. She walked closer cautiously, not sure what to expect from the unmoving figure. When she got within a foot or two of the girl, she stopped, pondering what she should do next. However, in the end, it wasn't she who decided.

Slowly, the girl opened her crimson colored eyes. Raising her head slightly, the girl looked into Kari's eyes. Kari shivered, it felt like the girl was looking into her soul. The girl held out her hands to Kari. Kari automatically took them.

Smiling slightly, the girl closed her eyes and tightened her hold on Kari's hand. Kari tried to figure out what she was doing. Then, she felt a small amount of energy flow from the girl to her. It began to steadily increase until it was like a small river of energy. Kari closed her eyes and absorbed the energy eagerly, it felt so good, she didn't know why EvenBreeze had said it would be painful. She soon found out.

Then energy flow she was receiving from the girl suddenly spiked, sending a dangerous amount of energy through her. She cried out a little and bit he rlip to stop herself from yelling anymore. She didn't want the girl to know that she was hurting her.

The girl didn't seem to notice her cry; if she did, she didn't show it. She simply closed her eyes a bit more and tightened her hold on Kari even more. A blue aura appeared around her and moved to surround Kari as well. As the aura around the girl grew weaker, the aura around Kari grew stronger.

Kari still had her eyes squeezed shut, trying to block out the pain, and she could only vaguely sense the aura. She bit her lip so hard that she drew blood as the energy peaked again. She waited for it to subside, as it had before, but it didn't. It continued to peak, one peak right after another. She sank to her knees as the pain became too great.

The girl still didn't relinquish her hold, though her form was fading fast. She sank to her knees too as her energy faded rapidly. She gave Kari's hands one last reassuring squeeze as she disappeared completely and the landscape faded to gray. She was about to fall unconscious when she felt hands shaking her shoulders insistently.

"Wake up, wake up," she heard EvenBreeze call.

Inwardly sighing, she did as she was bid. Forcing her eyes open, she blinked a few times before focusing on EvenBreeze's face above her. EvenBreeze helped her sit up. She hadn't even been aware that she was lying down.

"You were successful," EvenBreeze said, smiling down at her. "Just as I knew you would be."

Successful? Kari blinked, still a little out of it. The last thing she remembered was being left alone by that girl. The girl…what had happened to her?

Slowly, she staggered to her feet, using her wings to help balance herself. Wait…her wings…her wings! She gave a little yelp as she saw that she did, indeed, have wings. The same wings that the girl had had. As she looked down at herself, she realized that she was wearing the same clothes as the girl as well.

"Wh-what's going on?" she asked EvenBreeze shakily.

EvenBreeze cupped her cheek reassuringly. "You have transformed into your true form daughter of my soul. Now you will have so much more power and control. It is probably one of the best things that could have happened to you on your journey."

"O-okay. So, is this change…permanent?" she asked, somewhat dreading the answer. If it was permanent, she could never go back home.

She inwardly sighed with relief as EvenBreeze shook her head. "No, your Life Force Crystal can change you between your two forms. Just as it can do the same for Hiroki."

At the mention of Hiroki, Kari turned around and looked for the boy. Her eyes widened as she saw him. His red hair now had streaks of fire orange and his skin was very tanned. He was wearing dust brown slacks and a red/orange tunic. He had on brown leather boots and a brown belt. He looked about as confused as Kari felt. He saw her a few seconds later and she noticed an 'approving' look come over his face. She sighed and shook her head; boys.

"So…what do you two think?" ScorchingFlame asked from beside Hiroki.

The two hesitated, then shrugged. "Whatever will help us win this war," Hiroki answered.

Nodding, EvenBreeze and ScorchingFlame motioned for them to sit down again. They did so tenatively, still getting used to their new forms. They looked up as a Nymph came, bearing two cups. They took them and nodded their thanks. Raising the cup to his lips, Hiroki took a hesitant drink, not sure what to expect. What he found was a flavorful liquid like nothing he had ever tasted before. It was very sweet.

"What is this?" he asked after drinking nearly half.

"A special wine," ScorchingFlame answered. "It is made especially for Elementals, hardly anyone else can handle it. It helps restore your energy, can't you feel it?"

Kari nodded as she drank. She could indeed feel the energy within her growing. All the pain of the exchange had been long forgotten. When she had finished, she gave the empty cup back to the Nymph. Hiroki mimicked her actions.

He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "So, now that we have our true forms and all, what do we do?"

ScorchingFlame smiled somewhat deviously. "We train."

Both children groaned and Miyo giggled slightly from her place on one of the rocks.

'Shoulda seen that one comin',' Kari thought, dreading the days to come. 'But, like Hiroki said, whatever helps us win this war.'

"Not tired already, are you?" ScorchingFlame taunted.

Hiroki, who was gasping for air, smirked cheekily. "Not a chance, but you look a little pooped, old man."

"Who you calling old?" he asked, playing along as he lunged towards Hiroki again, axes raised on the offensive.

Hiroki expertly blocked and leapt out of harm's way and into the sky. He had learned that he didn't need wings to fly, neither did Kari, they were just part of her form. All they really needed to do was 'ride their energy' as EvenBreeze put it. Basically, they could use their energy to levitate themselves. It was very cool in Hiroki's opinion.

He inwardly smiled as he continued his spar with ScorchingFlame. In the few days since he had received his true form, the two had trained together almost constantly and had become fairly close. He had even told his father of his 'crush' on Hikari, though a love-sick puppy might have been a more accurate description of how he actually felt. ScorchingFlame had advised him to tell Hikari how he felt, be he wasn't sure that he could just yet.

He was jerked out of his thoughts as ScorchingFlame attacked mercilessly, though he was really only trying to help his son develop more of an instinctive defense.

"Concentrate on using your senses as well as your mind to block," he said as he swung his axe down again. "You need to be able to defend yourself in battle even if your mind gets distracted."

Hiroki nodded to show that he understood. He didn't bother trying to clear his mind the next time his father attacked, the idea was to be able to fight without complete focus. He grimaced as he raised his axe in defense a millisecond too late causing the handles of the opposing weapons to hit, sending a bone-jarring jolt through him.

"Not bad, for your first time. But you need to get better. Again," ScorchingFlame said as he raised his axes again.

Hiroki nodded, signalling that he was ready. Drawing back in the sky a bit to give himself more momentum, ScorchingFlame dove for Hiroki. This time, the boy was ready, he told himself. Hiroki waited patiently for his attacker to get close enough for him to block. Suddenly, a voice came into his head.

""Hiroki, there are people coming this way from the east, I don't think they're friendly,"" Fury warned, managing to keep his tone calm.

Hiroki blinked, who could it be. Suddenly, he remembered he was still sparring with ScorchingFlame. Not even having time to turn around, he instinctively raised his axe, grunting at the jolt that the impact sent through him due to his poor form.

"Hiroki, what's wrong with you?" ScorchingFlame asked, voice tinted with concern. The boy had never done this badly in a spar before.

Ignoring ScorchingFlame, Hiroki flew higher quickly, trying to get above the protective canopy of Pomarius. Darting between tree brances and disregarding his father's calls to get back down there, it took him less than a minute to break through the barrier. He quickly turned to the east. At first he saw nothing, then he saw a small black mass on the horizon. He couldn't make out anything specific.

""Fury, let me see what you saw,"" he half-requested, half-ordered.

He could feel Fury's nod of consent and he quickly summoned the Sacred Sight that he had learned to use not too long ago under his father's guidance. His eyes morphed so that they resembled Fury's red/orange one's with his natural color of blue/green on the outskirts.

He frowned as he saw a large group of what looked to be about 150 Elementals, Spirit Animals, and Shadowlore. However, the Shadowlore looked relatively weak. He only wished that Takeru was here to verify that and to tell the power of the Elementals. One pair of Elemental and Spirit Animal caught his attention. It was a man in a cloak with a large serpent behind him. The serpent had jagged scars on its neck. He realized with a start that this was the same pair that had appeared with the Kioshen back so long ago. The scars on the snake had come from Fury's talons.

"He's back," he heard Kari state quietly.

He turned his head to see her just a few yards away. Her eyes had morphed as well, resembling Whisper's. Then, some rustling came from below and EvenBreeze and ScorchingFlame appeared, with somewhat worried looks on their faces.

"What's the matter?" EvenBreeze asked, referring to their odd behavior.

"Pomarius is to be attacked," Kari replied shortly.

Both of the elder's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" ScorchingFlame asked, demanding an explanation.

Hiroki answered this one. "A large army of Elementals, Spirit Animals, and weaker Shadowlore are heading this way. We've fought with the leader before, but it was a very close battle. Now it appears that he has formed a resistance to go against us."

"What shall we do?" EvenBreeze asked quietly, knowing that she could not help. When she and the other Guardians had become demon-dead, they had given up most of their power. They would probably get in the way if they were to fight.

As if able to tell what her mother was thinking, Kari quickly formulated a plan. "The two of us, along with Whisper and Fury, will draw the fight away from Pomarius. You two should get Miyo and all of the other residents here down below ground, in the tunnels. It will be the safest place. We will come when the fight is over."

ScorchingFlame and EvenBreeze nodded guiltily. They were sending two children with large birds out to fight an army while they hid below ground like cowards. ScorchingFlame looked up as Hiroki placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't feel guilty. Your time has passed, and now it is our turn," he said, smiling slightly. "I believe that we can do this. We have to, if we have any hope of defeating Isan and Shaukaka."

"Yeah," Kari joined in, "So, don't worry about us. We were chosen by destiny to save Hiata, so we must trust that destiny wants us to win this battle. Besides, we are powerful enough to win, even if the scales weren't tipped in our favor. But, go now. You must get everyone to safety. We can handle this."

Nodding again, the two elders disappeared beneath the canopy. Glancing at each other with mutual agreement, the two new Guardians flew high above the safety of the canopy towards the east, where they would meet the army.

It took them only minutes to get there, Whisper and Fury milliseconds behind. The floated a few yards above the ground, looking down mistrustingly as the leader stopped and looked up at them through the hood of his cloak.

"So, we meet again young Guardians," he bellowed. "I can assure you that you will not escape this time."

"We were surprised that you showed up so quickly," Hiroki said, trying to through the man off-guard. "Usually Shaukaka waits a few months before trying to get us back. Does she really want to suffer another embarrassing defeat so soon?"

The four in the sky were all surprised when the man let out a sharp laugh. "Do you truly believe that we would work for a weakling like Shaukaka? If you do, than you are more a fool than I thought."

"If you don't work for Shaukaka, then who do you work for and what do they want?" Kari demanded.

"Now that would be telling, wouldn't it?" the man asked, obviously enjoying the Guardian's discomfort. "Besides, what good would it do to tell you the answers to those questions when you'll no longer be among the living in a few short seconds anyway? Now, prepare to die. Attack!" he cried, sending a roar through his army.

Kari and Hiroki watched apprehensively as the archers raised their arrows and the winged Spirit Animals took flight. This was going to be one hell of a fight, outnumbered seventy-five to one, and they only prayed that they would win. For everyone's sake, they had to win.

A/N: well, I hope that didn't suck as much as I think it did. Like the last chap, it was really just kind of a filler. The next will have a lot more action and adventure.Anyway, I'm leaving for vacation on Friday, but I will try my best to have the next chapter up before I leave. Reviews might get me more motivated(hint, hint, wink, wink), and I will try to get the chapter after that up soon after I get back.