Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.
A/N: it was pointed out to me that some people may not exactly remember what the Caelon were, so they may have been a little lost in the last chapter. Basically, the Caelon are a magical race that look like angels. They watch over the Guardians, especially the Elementals. Before the last chapter, there were only eight adults, and many children as Isan had nearly wiped them out last time. Now, they are extinct.
As Takeru came to consciousness, the first thing he noticed was Rage's comforting presence right next to him. Upon a little further investigation, he found that his other wolves were around him as well. There was also one other person around, familiar feeling, but Takeru couldn't place him.
Slowly opening his eyes, Takeru searched for the strange person. He didn't have to search for long as a tired face suddenly blocked his view.
"Father?" he croaked, throat dry, as he tried to push himself up.
He then became aware that he was in a soft feathery bed in a familiar room. He was at Kelmio's Castle Shuuko. Rage was next to the bed and his other wolves were scattered throughout the room. His attention returned to BlackWolf as the elder man held him down, preventing him from sitting.
"Rest," the elder ordered.
Blindly, Takeru shook his head and pushed BlackWolf's hands away. With some effort, he was able to get into an upright position. Looking out the window, he noticed that it was probably late afternoon.
As he continued looking out the window, the events with the Abbey and the Caelon came rushing back to him. He could see the dead faces, the blood. He remembered with a pang of guilt how he and the other Guardians had killed so many. It wasn't in their nature, they had just lost it when the Caelon had all been murdered. Did this lapse in judgement and reason mean that they were not suited to be Guardians? If they had gone berserk once, wasn't there always the possibility that it could happen again?
"Are you alright, young one?" BlackWolf asked softly.
Takeru jolted back to reality and looked over, not answering. Then, he asked a question himself.
"Where are the others?"
"Resting," BlackWolf replied vaguely. "As you should be."
"How long has it been since..." he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence as his airway constricted.
BlackWolf frowned and brushed some limp hair away from Takeru's face, showing almost an uncharacteristic amount of gentleness.
'He's probably afraid I'll snap again,' Takeru thought bitterly, while looking at his father for the answer.
"Just over a week," BlackWolf replied quietly. "You're luckier than Hiroki, though," he added lightly, trying to get away from the somber mood.
"How so?" Takeru asked, eyes narrowed. The last thing he wanted was for one of his friends to be even more seriously injured than he was.
"Oh, it's nothing too bad," BlackWolf assured. "It's just that it was his time to pay for his Life Force Crystal. Completely wiped him out, even more than the rest of you. He woke up a bit earlier, but he's fast asleep now."
"Why did it take me so long to wake up when Hiroki, who had to not only heal, but give a majority of his energy to the Portal of Death, already woke?"
"You woke," BlackWolf replied quickly. "You all did, you just don't remember. Even Hiroki won't remember having woken today. The Watcher said that your minds and souls needed to heal at least a little before your bodies could awaken completely."
"Then I don't know why I'm awake," Takeru muttered. "I don't feel healed."
"You four have been through a lot. What happened in this last battle was a great shock to you, that much is easy to tell."
"Did I say anything to you when I was awake earlier?" Takeru asked softly, almost ashamed that he couldn't remember.
BlackWolf tilted his head as he gave a small nod. "Not much, but you kept asking for Yamato. You got very quiet whenever we told you that we didn't know who it was that you wanted."
Takeru bit his lip slightly, acknowledging the unasked question. "He's my older brother. On Earth, I mean," he added quickly, seeing the elder's confused expression. "He-he always used to take care of me when I was hurt, I guess that's why I kept asking for him."
Takeru fell silent, wishing that his thoughts hadn't been drawn to his onii-san. He was having a hard enough time not becoming depressed, he didn't need any more sorrow on his mind right now. He sighed deeply internally and turned to look out the window again. He barely moved as he felt Rage nuzzle his hand comfortingly. Softly, he stroked the beast's head.
/You will be alright, Takeru./ Rage assured, trying to convince both of them.
Takeru nodded slightly. /I hope so. Tell, me, have you seen any of the others/
/We have not left your side, but Akio comes when Alitea allows. He says that the others sleep, like you./
/I think I'd like to see Katya, will you help me/
Rage's fur bristled in alarm. /You are not well enough to go anywhere./
/If you carry me, it will be no different than if I stay in this bed./ Takeru insisted.
Rage hesitated. /What of BlackWolf? He will not allow you to leave./
/I will not give him a choice in the matter/ Takeru replied bluntly. /Now, will you take me, or shall I try to walk there on my own/
/I will take you Takeru/ Rage replied sullenly, going against his better judgement.
Nodding, Takeru turned to BlackWolf. "I am going to see Katya now."
BlackWolf narrowed his eyes. "You most certainly are not."
"I am," Takeru replied persistently. "Rage has agreed to take me."
BlackWolf glared at Rage, who cowered a little under his former master's stare. Then, BlackWolf's glare switched to his stubborn ward. The two had a staring contest, each waiting for the other to back down. After a few minutes, BlackWolf sighed and looked away.
"You are the most stubborn brat I have ever met," he stated wearily.
"Do I remind you of yourself?" Takeru asked cheekily, though there was no laughter in his eyes.
Sighing again, BlackWolf pulled back the covers over Takeru and scooped the boy up, surprising the younger.
"Come here, rascal," he called to Rage.
Rage stiffened a bit at being called a rascal, but he obeyed. He stood still as Takeru was placed on his back gently.
"Let's go see Katya now. Then, you have to come back and rest, understand?"
Takeru nodded, accepting the compromise. Then, with BlackWolf keeping a protective hand on Takeru's back to keep him from falling, the three walked out into the hall. They turned to the left and walked down several yards before reaching another door. As they walked in, Takeru saw WhiteLioness and the lionesses clustered around a bed. In that bed was the slightly pale form of Katya. She appeared to be sleeping. WhiteLioness turned and stood when they walked in.
"Takeru, I am so glad to see that you are awake," she greeted graciously before her tone saddened. "I'm afraid that Katya has yet to completely wake."
"May I sit with her for a while?" Takeru asked softly, not taking his eyes from the bed.
BlackWolf and WhiteLioness exchanged quick glances before nodding.
"No more than fifteen minutes," BlackWolf said as he walked towards the door, "You are weak enough as it is without over-exerting yourself."
Takeru gave a brief nod of recognition as the two adults left the room and closed the door. He slowly slid himself off of Rage and onto the side of the bed. Rage laid down at his feet. Takeru gently took one of Katya's hands and held it.
"I suppose you're the smarter one, out of the two of us," he started quietly. "You know that it's better to just stay asleep and forget, than to wake up and remember. But, we'll all have to wake up soon, and fight against Isan and Shaukaka and Tejuku and the three others. I know that they will all be difficult battles to win, but together we can do it."
He paused before continuing. "I need you here to help me Katya. I'm supposed to be the leader, but I need you guys more than you need me. I especially need you. You're my best friend...my lover. I can't do this without you."
He fell silent and looked at the ground. Suddenly, a voice that was music to his ears was softly heard.
"And you won't have to do it without me, because I'll always be right by you."
He snapped his head up and looked in surprise at the now-awake figure on the bed. She looked back serenely.
"Katya, you're awake!" he exclaimed quietly.
"Yeah," she replied softly, trying to sit up.
Takeru quickly helped her. "How do you feel?" he asked anxiously.
"Physically, not too bad. Mentally and emotionally...that's another story."
"I know what you mean," he murmured so that only she could hear.
They sat in silence for a moment before Katya shifted to rest on Takeru's chest, hands on his shoulders lightly.
"Did you mean it?" she asked after a few more silent minutes. "Do you really need me?"
"More than anything," he whispered in her ear.
At this, Katya pushed back. "No," she protested quietly. "Not more than anything."
"What?" Takeru asked, startled.
"If you needed me more than anything, than you wouldn't need to go back to Earth," she replied with some bitterness in her voice.
Takeru sighed, and placed his hands on Katya's shoulders, making her look at him. Deciding that actions would speak louder than words, he leaned in and gave her a long kiss. Now sure that he had her complete attention, he spoke.
"Katya, you will always mean the world to me, but you know as well as I do that I don't belong on Hiata. I was born on Earth, my home is there, my family is there. They need me."
"I need you," Katya protested, voice thick. "When you're gone, I'll have no one."
"What about Akio?" Takeru reminded her gently. "He needs his Mama."
"He needs his Papa too!" was the outburst before tears trickled down her face.
"Katya..." Takeru sighed, why was life always so difficult? How could he explain to Katya, and Akio as well, that he would have to leave them soon?
Not sure what to say, he simply held Katya as she cried. He wasn't sure if this outburst was because of the trauma of the last fight, or if she had been holding it in since before that. Either way, this matter had to be resolved. After a few minutes, Katya composed herself and sat back.
"I'm sorry Keru," she apologized softly. "I know you have to go, but I'm afraid."
"Afraid of what, lover?" he asked, gently brushing tears off of her face.
"I'm afraid I'll never see you again, I'm afraid of being alone," was the hushed reply, tears building up in the corners of her eyes again.
"What does your heart tell you, Katya? Does it tell you that we'll see each other again?"
She paused, sniffling. Then, she nodded. "I hope so."
"That's all you need to do, trust me, I know a thing or two about hope."
She smiled weakly up at him before nodding again. "I trust you."
Takeru allowed himself a small smile as she yawned. "You should get some sleep, I think I've exhausted you. If you want, I can stay with you awhile," he promised, forgetting his father's fifteen minute rule.
Nodding a third time, Katya let Takeru lay her back down before he settled next to her. Each contented, and forgetting briefly about what had happened with the Caelon, they fell asleep in each other's arms.
/o-o/
Three days later, all of the Guardians and former Guardians sat together near a cozy fire. It was the first time that all of the younger Guardians had seen one another together, and it was the first time that Miyo and Akio had seen their care givers awake. Now, Akio was cuddled in Katya's lap, and Miyo was nestled in Hikari's.
It was ScorchingFlame who broke the silence of this gathering.
"What will you do now?" he asked, not wanting to bring up the topic of more fighting, but knowing that it really couldn't wait much longer.
"We're not sure," Takeru replied softly when no one else did.
"You will have to face Isan soon, and Tejuku and the other three children as well," EvenBreeze reminded gently.
"We know," Katya stated quietly. "But we don't know if we can."
The elders stayed silent, waiting to see if she or one of the others would continue. While they knew what had happened, and knew that their wards were in shock, they had never heard it from the teenagers' lips how they felt.
"What if it happens again?" Hikari continued after a brief moment. "What if we fail again?"
"You didn't fail daughter," EvenBreeze soothed. "You defeated the Abbey. The Caelon chose to help you, it was not your fault that they were killed."
"We were supposed to protect them, but instead they died protecting us!" Hiroki burst out suddenly. "How is it not our fault!"
The silence of the other teenagers signaled that they felt the same way. At that moment, Reverend Kelmio, Alitea, and a shadowed figure walked in. The group in the room looked at the cloaked figure curiously. The figure's thin hands then emerged from the sleeves of the cloak and pulled back the hood.
"Meersa!" the four teens exclaimed as one.
Meersa smiled slightly at them. "You're finally awake, took you long enough," she stated rudely.
"Same old Meersa," Katya sighed, not unhappily.
"Now that you are awake," Meersa stated, as if she hadn't heard Katya. "You need to snap out of it and start gathering your army together for the final battle between Isan and you."
"It'll be harder without Larin's forces," Hikari commented softly after a few seconds.
"Who said you didn't have Larin's forces?" Meersa asked, still in a slightly rude tone.
"But," Hiroki started in a confused tone, anger from before forgotten, "He was working with Karina and the Abbey, now that we have defeated his partners, why would he help us?"
"Because he knows nothing of the Abbey," Meersa stated as though it was common knowledge.
"And how do you know that?" Hiroki retaliated, offended by her patronizing tone.
"The Watcher told me," was the tart reply, as she gestured with her hand at Kelmio.
"Reverend Kelmio, you're the Watcher?" Hikari asked, dumbfounded.
"Did I forget to mention that?" he asked innocently.
Takeru inwardly rolled his eyes at the exchange, not too surprised that Kelmio was more than he had at first seemed.
"Well, then who is Alitea, really?" Katya asked.
"I'm his daughter," Alitea replied. "Like him, I am immortal. I assist him in his task."
"And that task would be..." Hikari waited for someone to fill in the blank.
"Collecting information and recording history," Kelmio replied. "I keep the records of Hiata's history and I know most, if not all, of what happens."
"What can you tell us about Larin?" Takeru asked suddenly.
Reverend Kelmio turned a kind eye towards him.
"As I told Meersa, he knows nothing of the Abbey. To him, Karina was a pawn, a rich Mage whose power he could use to advance himself. He had no idea that it was he that was being used. He still doesn't."
"What happened to Karina?" Katya asked. The last thing she remembered was seeing Karina passed out on the ground after they had stripped her of her power.
"She is imprisoned," Alitea replied. "In a place where she has no influence and has no way to contact anyone in the outside world. She is harmless now, especially since you removed her powers."
The Guardians nodded, feeling just a little happier because of this news. At least they had done one thing right when fighting the Abbey. But now, they had an even larger fight on their hands. One that none of them wanted to fight, one that they all were scared to fight, but one that they all knew they had to fight. Takeru was the first to accept it as he stood and turned to Kelmio, solemn look on his face.
"How far is Larin's keep from here?" he asked.
"Without a transport spell, it would be a two week's walk, or six days' ride."
"How long with a transport spell?"
"An hour or two."
Takeru nodded, thinking over this information. Then he spoke again.
"And how far to Denzo's city?"
"Just a couple days ride, if you don't rest at night."
"The Faerie village?"
"The same distance, just in another direction."
"Will the Nymphs and Druids fight with us?"
"If you can convince them that you and your cause are worthy of their support."
"How large is Isan's army?"
"He has approximately three dozen Mages, fifteen dozen humans, eight dozen Elementals, and countless Shadowlore, some strong, some weak."
Takeru fell silent before muttering out loud to himself. "Our own army consists of the four of us, our twenty-two Beasts and Animals, Denzo and Siara and their twenty spiders, Larin's few hundred soldiers, the warriors of the Faerie village, and the Nymphs and Druids if we can convince them."
"Don't forget about us," BlackWolf stated. "We may have lost our magical powers, but we can still fight hand-to-hand."
"I will help as well," Meersa stated.
Takeru nodded in recognition before falling into his authoritative role. "We shall send one wolf and one lioness to collect Denzo and Siara and bring them here. Either Whisper or Fury will alert the Faerie village that we need their promised help. We shall go see Larin ourselves and tell him that it is time for battle. Since we cannot use a transport spell to move all of his soldiers and equipment, we will use that two week span that they will need to try to convince the Nymphs and Druids to help us. Perhaps we could even find some humans who will rally to our cause. If all goes according to plan, and Isan doesn't try anything, the final battle will be two-and-a-half to three weeks from today. Does everyone understand?"
All people in the room nodded.
"What will you do with us, Papa?" Akio asked, going to the elder boy's side.
Before Takeru could reply, Kelmio answered. "You two will be on the battlefield as well, you will give us a great advantage."
"What?" Hiroki asked sharply. "You expect us to subject these children to an all out battle?"
"You will need them to win," Kelmio replied, tone still patient. "They are important weapons."
"What do you mean?" Katya asked in a warning tone, protective motherly instinct kicking in.
"Haven't you wondered why everyone is after them?"
The Guardians stayed silent, tensely waiting for him to continue, hoping to get the answer to the question that they had indeed asked themselves many times. Kelmio tilted his head before continuing.
"Well, perhaps I should start by explaining why they have always thought of you as their parents. You see, your four powers, Shadow, Light, Wind, and Fire, are the basis of Hiata. It is true that Earth and Water are important as well, but you Elementals can manipulate them by using your powers so, in essence, they are of minute relevance compared to you." he paused again before continuing.
"Since you four are Hiata, any given thing in this world is yours to command, and everything born from it is a result of your being. You are the indirect 'parents' of Hiata's population, for lack of better terminology, and you are the direct parents of Miyo and Akio. Does any of this make sense?" he asked, seeing their confused expressions. "If not, just think about it, and I'm sure the answer will come to you."
The Guardians sat silently, pondering over Kelmio's very confusing words. They just didn't make any sense whatsoever. How could they be the parents of Akio and Miyo if the two had already been born when they found them? They could understand being the indirect parents of Hiata's population, but wouldn't that make them the indirect parents of Akio and Miyo as well? There was no way that they were the direct parents of Miyo and Akio unless...suddenly, it all made sense to Hikari.
"They're the Keys," she stated quietly. "Miyo and Akio are the Keys."
The other three Guardians looked at her sharply, digesting what she had just said. It made sense, when they thought about it. Since the Keys were living incarnations of Hiata, and the Guardians were the parents of Hiata, then they would be the parents of Miyo and Akio. It was said that the Keys had great powers, but could not control them, and both Akio and Miyo had shown signs of that. They looked to Kelmio for confirmation.
He nodded. Then, he gestured for the two small Keys to come over to him. They obeyed. Kelmio picked up Akio as Alitea held Miyo. Meersa stood in the background silently.
"This child," Kelmio started, talking about Akio, "has the power of Creation. That is how the water turned to blood tonic when Takeru was hurt. He also created your Life Force Crystals. And this child," he continued, looking at Miyo, "has the power of Destruction. That is how she obliterated those Jackals and called upon all of that energy when you were in Hiroki's village. These powers usually flare up when the children become afraid, but can appear any time they are needed."
"Will they appear when we are in battle, then?" Takeru asked, walking slightly towards Akio and Kelmio.
"We can only wait and see," Kelmio replied vaguely, shifting Akio.
The boy reached out and Takeru took him into his arms. Akio was still incredibly light for a six-year-old. From Alitea's arms, Miyo reached towards him as well. Taking the small girl, he smiled slightly as they both yawned simultaneously and rested their heads on his shoulders.
/Tempest/ he called softly, feeling the wolf's presence right outside of the room.
/Yes/
/I shall need you to take Miyo and Akio to a room to sleep, and watch over them. We have a lot of work to do in the next two weeks, and I want to make sure that they are safely guarded until the final battle./
/Yes Takeru/ Tempest replied, coming into the room.
She stood still as the peaceful sleeping twins were placed on her back. Then, she silently slipped out of the room to do as Takeru had bid. When she was gone, Takeru turned to the others.
"Let's get started, we have no time to lose."
/o-o/
Later in the day, after having concocted a transport spell strong enough to transport the four Guardians, the four previous Guardians, two wolves and two lionesses, the group stood outside the gate to Larin's Keep. They had not been noticed by the guards yet; that, or they were being ignored.
Finally fed up after another ten silent minutes, Hiroki shouted towards the guard tower.
"Hey, you! Let us in already! We've been waiting patiently, and now our patience is gone, so you'd better open up!"
A lone guard appeared. "Who be you?" he called down warily.
"We're the Guardians," Hikari called back, trying not to get too fed up with this man. "Open the gate!"
The guard frowned, "I'll have to check with Prince Larin, but he has very important matters to attend to, so it may be awhile before he can see to you children and your pets."
"Last chance," Hiroki growled in reply. "Open. The. Damn. Gate."
"I told you, I have to check with Prince Larin," was the exasperated reply.
Having had enough of this, the Guardians transformed into their true forms and flew over the wall, landing next to the guard.
"We were trying to be civil, but we have no time for your games," Takeru stated quietly. "Larin will see us now. And you will open the gate for our Shadow Beasts."
"I can't do that," the guard protested, trying not to show fear.
"Then we will open it for you," Katya threatened.
The guard's eyes darted around nervously before he finally resigned. Looking over the edge of the wall into the courtyard of the keep, he called down to a pair of guards, "Open the gate!"
Confused, the guards below did as they were told. They jumped back in fright as Frenzy, Poison, Devotion, and Purity ran across the drawbridge, low rumbling coming from their throats. It was clear that they were pissed off. Behind them, the former Guardians walked in as well. Glaring one last time at the guard, the four present Guardians nimbly glided down to land beside their parents.
"You," Takeru said briskly to a guard. "Fetch Prince Larin at once. Tell him that the Guardians are waiting in the library and it would be in his best interests not to keep them waiting for long."
The guard looked like he was about to protest, but one look at the growling Poison changed his mind. Nodding jerkily, he hurried off.
Paying no mind to all of the people watching them with both interest and fear, the group of twelve stalked to the library on the second floor. They knew time was wasting away, time that they couldn't afford to lose.
It wasn't until fifteen minutes later that Larin made his appearance, chief advisor at his side. He threw open the library doors with a loud clang and glared at the Guardians.
"What is so important that you had to interrupt my Council?" he demanded angrily before looking at the former Guardians. "And who the hell are they?"
"They are Keir, Elani, Edan, and Aira," Takeru answered, pointing to BlackWolf, WhiteLioness, ScorchingFlame, and EvenBreeze respectively.
"You didn't answer my first question," Larin all but growled. "Why did I have to delay a very important Council meeting? Hopefully it wasn't just so you could introduce your friends."
"No, actually," Takeru replied, tone of voice mimicking Larin's. "We came to tell you that the final battle shall be less than three weeks from today. It will take your soldiers two weeks to march to where we are gathering our army. I trust that you still want to fight in this battle?"
"Of course my troops will fight," Larin stated, returning to his arrogant self. "After all, where would you be without them?"
"One can only wonder," Hiroki muttered, not loud enough for Larin to hear.
Takeru shot him a warning glance before returning his attention to Larin.
"These four Shadow Beasts will be your guides to the meeting place," Takeru continued. "A warning to you, should you or your soldiers try to harm them in any way whatsoever, you will face our wrath. They are not dumb animals, Larin, they are as intelligent as any person on this planet, if not more so, and you'd do well to remember that."
Larin waved off the warning with a careless flick of his wrist. "Yes, yes, be kind to the animals, I understand. Now, if you are quite finished, I have important matters to be getting to. After all, I will be King in just three short weeks."
"Then pray you are a better King than a Prince," Hikari muttered sharply. Luckily, Larin did not hear this muttering either.
Giving Larin one last warning glance, Takeru decided that it was time to leave, thankfully. Moving quickly, he walked past Larin, "accidentally" bumping into him somewhat hard. The others followed suit.
Larin glared after them. His chief advisor looked at him curiously.
"Sire, why do you put up with their impudence?"
"Because," Larin replied, "they are going to get me the crown. Once they accomplish that, then I will take action to make sure I get the respect I deserve, one way or another."
/o-o/
About four days after they returned from Larin's keep, the first members of their army began to arrive. Denzo and Siara were the first. The Guardians watched them come closer on the horizon, the two vampires riding Apocalypse and Bliss, their spiders scurrying behind. The spider army looked larger than before. They then noticed that behind each vampire, there was another figure.
/Apocalypse, who are the other people/ Takeru asked quickly.
/They are Rhianna and Kito, cousins of Denzo and Siara who wish to fight. They have spiders as well./
/What are their powers/
/I'm not sure, but Rhianna's are very similar to Siara's, and Kito's are very similar to Denzo's because they are related./
/I see. Katya and I shall be out to meet you shortly./
With that, Takeru cut the connection and called for Rage to meet him at the front gate. When he reached the gate, he noticed that Katya and Star were just arriving as well. It seemed that Katya had had a conversation with Bliss and was just as anxious as Takeru to meet these newcomers. Riding out quickly, they set their sights on the group coming towards them.
Suddenly, Takeru felt a weight behind him on Rage. Knowing not to panic, he quickly turned and found that his father had decided to hitch a ride.
"Father, what are you doing?"
"We wanted to meet these vampires too."
'We?' Takeru questioned to himself. His question was answered when he glanced over at Katya and saw that EvenBreeze had landed behind Katya. He shook his head, those two were almost as stubborn as he and Katya were.
Even with the extra weight, it only took the group of six about a minute to cover the two miles in-between them and the vampires' group. The group then moved to trot beside the vampires.
"It's good to see you two again," Katya greeted Siara and Denzo. "And it is nice to meet Rhianna and Kito."
Rhianna and Kito looked slightly surprised that she knew who they were, but it soon struck them that she had simply communicated with her lioness. While Katya, Siara, Kito, and Rhianna traded pleasantries and got to know each other a little better, Takeru and Denzo got right down to business.
"Who are those two?" Denzo asked Takeru, skipping a greeting, not that Takeru minded.
"This is my father, Keir, also known as BlackWolf. That is Katya's mother, Elani, also known as WhiteLioness."
Denzo nodded, not seeming affected that he had just been introduced to two long-dead people. There were many important things to do, there was no time to be surprised at anything.
"What are Isan's movements?" was Denzo's next question.
Takeru frowned. "He has been fairly quiet lately. The last movement from him was a couple months ago, we haven't heard from him since, but we expect him to move soon, as he will no doubt hear of us gathering an army."
Denzo nodded again. "What does your army consist of?"
Well, everyone here, the other two Guardians, their Spirit Animals, and their parents. The two Keys of Hiata, a very powerful witch named Meersa, a group of Faerie warriors and spell-casters, a few hundred soldiers from Prince Larin, and the Nymphs and Druids if they can be convinced."
"And Isan's army?"
"Three dozen Mages, fifteen dozen humans, eight dozen Elementals, and countless Shadowlore."
"In other words, when it comes to numbers, we're the underdogs, but when it comes to power, we're equally matched. ...Wait, did you say the Keys?"
Takeru nodded. "You already met one, Akio. The other is his twin Miyo."
"Wow," Denzo stated quietly. "I didn't know the little guy had it in him."
"Neither did we, but that's beside the point. What matters is that he is the Key, and he's on our side."
"Agreed. Now, what is the next task you must accomplish before you are ready to fight?"
"We must convince the Nymphs and Druids to fight alongside us."
"And how will you do that?"
Takeru sighed. "I have no idea."
/o-o/
It wasn't until two days later that a course of action was decided on. After much deliberation, it seemed that the best way to convince the peaceful Nymphs and Druids to fight would be to have the two Elementals speak to them together, with some of the Faeries present. That way, they would see that other magical Earth creatures had found the cause worthy, so perhaps their opinion could be swayed by that.
Later that day, the head of the Faerie spell-casters was sent into the woods to gather the leaders of the Nymphs and Druids. Hopefully, the leaders would agree to meet with them today. All they could do was wait anxiously for the Faerie to return. To pass the time, they spared.
Denzo and Takeru were in the middle of such a spar when Akio came running up, out of breath
"The Faerie's back!" he called excitedly. "Come quick!"
Not wasting a second, the two sheathed their weapons and darted after the boy. They ran into Hikari and Hiroki coming down the stairs quickly.
"Well?" Takeru asked them nervously.
Hikari smiled. "They have agreed to give us an audience immediately. They will decide on their course of action then and there."
Takeru sighed in relief, at least they had gotten this far. "Good luck you two," he encouraged as the Elementals began walking again, anxious to get to the meeting place. "We're counting on you."
/o-o/
About fifteen minutes later, the two Elementals and two Faeries approached the clearing where the meeting was to be held. They could already hear the murmurings amidst the hush of the forest. Walking into the clearing, they were met with dozens of Nymphs and Druids looking intently at them. Trying to keep their confidence, they approached the tow who were obviously the leaders. These two were sitting in throne like chairs, one seemingly made from water, the other from roots.
The woman in the water chair was by far the most beautiful of the Nymphs. Her pale blue skin seemed to glow in the twilight, casting eerie light around her. Her dark blue hair was partially swept up, one side held with a pale blue flower. The rest of her hair hung down her back, showing off its sheen. She was dressed in a gorgeous blue tunic which was decorated with the same kind of flower that was in her hair. She sat up straight and looked down at the children with dignified kindness.
The woman in the earth chair was also stunningly beautiful. Her honey skin seemed flawless to all around, and even seemed to glow like the skin of the Nymph Queen. Her brown hair curled down her back, slight vines with blooming flowers intertwined in the silky locks. She wore a simple brown/green tunic, but made it seem like the finest dress in any land. She too looked down at them with regal benevolence
"Elemental Guardians, we were told you wished to have an audience with us regarding this war," the Nymph Queen started in a sweet but powerful voice. "We will let you present your argument and we will then make our decision."
Beside her, the Druid Queen nodded slightly to show her agreement. Hikari took a deep breath and stepped forward, trying not to seem intimidated.
"Your Excellencies," she started, voice strong as well. "As I am sure you are aware, the evil Lord Isan has been plotting for many years to take over all of Hiata, destroying all whom he believes may present a threat later on. The previous Guardians were able to halt his progress by destroying his Chaos Stone, but in doing that, they destroyed themselves, and could not completely defeat Isan. Now, he has created another Chaos Stone and it has fallen to us, the new Guardians, to stop him once and for all." She paused and Hiroki took over.
"However, we cannot complete this task alone by any stretch of the imagination. We have already obtained several allies in this fight, the Faeries for example, but we fear it still may not be enough. If we do fail, than Hiata will fall, almost everything and everyone will be destroyed for Isan's sick pleasure, including the forests and rivers. That is why we are here now, asking...no, begging for your help in defeating this tyrant."
He fell silent and the two held their breaths, waiting for the response. The two Queens were silent for a moment. Then, the Druid Queen spoke.
"What will happen to Hiata if you succeed? Who will rule?"
"Prince Larin is next in line for Hiata's throne. We admit that he is not completely fit to be a ruler, but he will be better than Isan, and we will be able to keep a close watch over him to make sure that he does not become corrupt," Hikari answered.
More silence from the Queens followed, and the entire clearing seemed to be holding its breath. After several excruciating silent minutes, they spoke.
"After carefully weighing the options and considering the consequences of each," the Nymph Queen started, "I have come to the decision that the Nymphs will assist you."
"The Druids as well," the Druid Queen replied. "But there is a condition. When this war is over, all of the forests will belong to the Druids, and all of the waters will belong to the Nymphs. We will allow beings to inhabit them, so long as they do nothing to harm them or us. Should they attempt to do harm, we will be allowed to do with them what we wish. Agreed?"
The two Guardians were still slightly reeling from the good news, but Hiroki quickly pulled himself together and nodded. "Agreed."
The two Queens smiled. "Good," The Nymph Queen said. "Our armies will gather at the Watcher's Castle in three day's time."
Recognizing the cue to leave, the two Elementals bowed their heads in thanks once again before turning and leaving the clearing. Now that that was over, all they had to worry about was winning the actual battle.
They sighed. If only it was a easy as it sounded.
A/N: only a chapter or two left, and then it will be done;)