Chapter Three

Raphael looked up when he heard the door open. Supposing that it was Alister returning home, he stood and walked to the balcony overlooking the living room. Indeed, the redhead was coming in, drenched from the rain and with his normally flipped hair hanging straight down, though he did not appear to mind. He shut the door behind him and ran a hand through his wet bangs before looking up at Raphael with a hint of urgency.

"We have a problem," he announced.

Raphael growled. "Yeah, I know," he said, coming downstairs. "Valon's 'mother' called. She doesn't fit my idea of a concerned parent. She was obnoxious and decidedly unconcerned." He crossed his arms when he reached the bottom. "She also said that she and her husband are coming right out."

A look of annoyance passed over Alister's face at this news. "This is also a problem," he said, reaching into the folds of his trenchcoat and producing a small box. Raphael could not help noticing that the entire container had a certain green glow about it. He frowned darkly, watching as Alister lifted the lid and revealed the contents—at least a dozen innocent-looking Orichalcos stones.

"Where did you get those!" he demanded, running forward and lifting one out of the box. It responded by blasting him harshly. Raphael cried out, flying backward to sit down hard on the floor, the stone dropping to the carpet beside him. He growled, rubbing his hand and glaring down at it.

Alister bent down next to him. "They fell out of the sky at the children's group home," he reported. He had retrieved the others from Miss Ayamoto by telling her that he thought he knew who the owner was and that he would take the stones off her hands. She had been quite willing to give them up, much to Alister's relief. It would have been a disaster if she had become corrupted by the stones' powers.

"Well," Raphael grumped, gingerly reaching for the object again to set it back in the box, "you're right. This is another problem." The gem allowed him to pick it up this time and he dropped it carefully back into the carton. Alister then replaced the lid.

"Did you see the news article I printed out?" the lanky man asked now, reaching out a hand to help Raphael up. His friend accepted the assistance and then leaned against the bottom of the banister leading upstairs.

"I didn't," the blonde answered, upon which he retrieved and gawked at it. It seemed to him as though everything was coming at them at once, with no chance to even stop and think about one problem before several more were thrown into the mix as well. He slumped into the computer chair, setting the article back down on the desk.

"Where's Valon?" Alister asked now, noticing that the brunette was not around to inform him that he was dripping water all over the floor. Usually Valon was there to greet him when he came home, supplying some odd remark or another to which Alister generally responded with sarcasm. It seemed a bit lonely to not see him, and in light of the earlier events, Alister might have been inclined to think that Valon's parents had simply taken him away—only he knew that could not have happened because for one thing, Raphael and Valon would not have allowed it, and for another, if it had happened, Alister would have found Raphael in a much more distraught condition. So he assumed that Valon was simply elsewhere in the house, as Raphael then confirmed.

"Last I knew, he was upstairs asleep," the blonde announced in an occupied tone.

Alister nodded vaguely as he went upstairs to change his clothes, taking the box with him. He was not certain what should be done with the Orichalcos stones, but he had decided that they would be better off with them than at the group home. The thought of so many of the rocks being around children made him nervous and edgy. There was no telling what could have happened if he had not wound up there to take the stones away. He set the box on the nightstand in his room before taking his drenched clothes off and getting into something dry. After drying at his hair with a towel, he laid back down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling as he pondered.

Strange . . . how once we believed these stones were going to bring about the world's salvation. He sighed, rolling onto his side as he looked blankly at the box on the nightstand. What did Miruko think of me, allowing my hatred to take control? I said it was all for him . . . because I wanted revenge for his death . . . but I was lying to myself. . . . I couldn't admit that I was the one I blamed the most. It hurt too much to admit it. It was so much easier to blame KaibaCorp. But it was more my fault than anyone else's. I can't even completely blame Dartz. If I'd only taken better care of my brother, then maybe . . . maybe he wouldn't have died.

A tired-sounded yawn brought him out of his thoughts to look up at a sleepy Valon in the doorway. "What?" Alister asked flatly, knowing that the brunette did not usually wander over to his room. He noticed instantly that the boy seemed to show no trace of his earlier outburst. He looked calm and cheerful, as he usually was.

Valon grinned, placing his hands behind his head. "Well, Raph says my parents are comin' over," he said casually, sounding for all the world as though he did not care. "I guess if that happens, I'll probably wind up havin' to go with them and all . . . if they can prove I'm underage, y'know? And if that happened, I probably wouldn't be comin' back. So . . . I was just wondering if you'd care." He leaned nonchalantly against the wall, but Alister was no longer completely fooled by his mask. He knew how upset Valon had been earlier. All of that pain and anger would not simply fade away. Valon was still upset. But he wanted reassurance that his surrogate family cared about him and that they would not allow his parents to take him away, if it came to that. He had put on his mask of cheerfulness because he did not want the others to know how absolutely frightened—how terrified—he was at the thought of having to leave and to go back to people who didn't care about him.

The redhead sat up, raising an eyebrow at the younger man. "What makes you ask?" he spoke finally.

Valon plopped on the end of the bed and stretched out, looking at the ceiling. "I dunno," he replied. "I guess . . . I figured you wouldn't miss our rows all that much. Not that I wanna have 'em. But usually when we're in the same room, it always ends like that." He laughed, then sobered. "It's kinda funny, though . . . thinking of how much I'd be leavin' behind—you, Raph . . . heck, even the cat. . . ." He had been pondering over it for hours. Even when he had fallen asleep, he had dreamt of it. He did not really consider himself a "minor," and certainly he did not think of himself as a child, and it made him feel both angry and insecure that something so simple as his actual age could cause him to be torn away from the only family he cared about. That just seemed unfair, and wrong.

Heck . . . I've probably seen more stuff in a few years than what most people see throughout their whole lives. I'm not an anklebiter anymore, but even when I was one, no one really cared about me. I've always been alone. Is that my lot in life? Can't I ever decide anything for myself? Can't I decide, just once, where I wanna live and who I wanna be with? What right do my parents, or whoever they are, have to come and take that away from me? Tell me that. What right do they have! And what right would anyone have to give them that right! He did not trust or like police officers much, nor did he care for social workers. He hated what those kinds of people had done to him in the past—taking away his rights, sending him off to family after family who did not care, and locking him in solitary for trying to defend himself. Heh . . . life's pretty cruel, isn't it.

He looked up at Alister, who was looking down at him. "So . . . yeah," he said with a shrug, "just wonderin'. . . ." He gave a lopsided grin.

Alister continued to study him in silence before replying. "If you think we'd simply allow them to take you without even trying to fight, then you're foolish," he said flatly.

Valon rolled onto his side. "Yeah, Raph kinda said the same thing," he answered, "but that's not the question, Alister. What if it did happen? Would you care? Would you miss me at all?" His mischievous grin was gone now. His blue eyes were filled with desperation. He knew Alister cared about him, but he wanted to hear it said, in whatever way Alister would admit it. Valon was not a secure person, no matter how much he laughed and smiled. Throughout his life he mostly had always had nothing. He had lived on the streets, stealing just to stay alive. . . . His foster families had beaten him. . . . The nun he had loved as a mother had been killed. . . . He had been thrown into an adult prison for beating up the gang, despite the fact that he was so young. No one had come to his defense. Everyone but Mother Mary had always thought of him as just another street brat, a wretched child with no honor and no scruples, and someone who would do anything to get what he wanted. Maybe to a certain extent, it was true. But he knew that he did have honor and he did have scruples, and he hated always being treated as nothing. Raphael and Alister were the first people since Mary to accept and not condemn him, to allow him to be what he was and not to try changing him (though they tried to offer guidance when they deemed it necessary). He knew they loved him as a brother, though neither had actually said so vocally. And he cared about them in return. But sometimes . . . sometimes he just wanted to hear it said.

Alister watched him, seeing the many emotions flickering through the Australian's blue eyes. He could tell what Valon was hoping for. And, though he preferred to show that he cared by actions instead of words, he decided it would not hurt to use words just for once. "Yes," he admitted then, "I would, actually. I would miss you." He watched Valon, seeing the boy relax in relief and grin happily.

"Well," the brunette chirped, "that's good, 'cause you're gonna be stuck with me for a long while yet! I'm not gonna let them win without a good fight." He cuffed Alister lightly on the arm as he sat up straight.

Alister allowed himself a small smile. "No, I can't imagine that you would." Valon was such a strange, confusing person—cheerful one moment, insecure the next. He was streetwise about most everything, but he still possessed a certain childlike quality that made itself manifest at certain times. He was only two years younger than Alister—or three, rather, if the information concerning his age in the lawyer's letter was true—but he seemed worlds apart from the aloof and serious war orphan.

Now Valon glanced over at the nightstand. "So . . . what's with the glowing box?" he asked.

Alister grunted. "I had to bring some Orichalcos stones home," he answered before giving his brief explanation.

Valon's eyes widened at the conclusion. "So . . . how long do they havta stay here with us?" he demanded, not pleased about the prospect at all. Of course he understood why Alister had brought the rocks back, but that did not mean he especially appreciated it.

Alister sighed. "I don't know," he said quietly.

That was the last time he and Valon shared a completely civil conversation before the trouble intensified.

He was wandering down a long, endless hall. He did not know why he was, only that he was, and that he could hear Alister and Valon screaming at each other somewhere nearby. He groaned inwardly at the sound of their arguing. Couldn't they ever get along? And what was that annoying scraping sound? Liu wasn't sharpening her claws on the wall, was she?

He turned the corner. The scraping sound was only getting louder. In fact, it sounded as though it was right there in the room with him. . . .

Raphael started awake, sitting straight up in bed. His blue eyes, wide open in confusion, slowly narrowed as he tried to bring himself out of the sleepy daze he was still in. The scraping sound was real. With a dark frown he turned to look at his window, only to find a figure dressed in black leaping in. Around his neck was, to Raphael's horror, a glowing Orichalcos stone.

"Who are you!" the blonde demanded coldly, leaping out of bed. Liu, who had been curled upon the covers, now awoke and blinked curiously at the stranger. Too friendly for her own good, the Ragdoll cat started to move forward to rub against the intruder. Raphael reached to grab her, but he wasn't quick enough.

The strange man in black did not seem to mind the furry body moving between his legs. Instead he bent down and picked the cat up, petting her gently. "I don't mean you any harm," he said to Raphael then, "but you have something that belongs to us. I'm just here to retrieve it." He held Liu out and Raphael swiftly took her away, regarding the burglar with suspicion. He did not recognize the person, but it was dark and naturally he might not be able to tell much even if he had ever met the other man before. If he had, it had probably only been a passing acquaintance in Doom.

Raphael growled now. "Who's 'us'?" he wanted to know.

The intruder, who seemed to perhaps be Alister's age, shrugged. "The majesty that is Doom Reborn," he replied. "Dartz had a glorious vision that I and my comrades are now destined to carry out. Earlier today your friend collected several sacred stones of the Orichalcos. That's all I've come for." He tried to head for the door. "I don't want to hurt any of you."

Raphael set Liu down on the bed and grabbed him harshly. "Don't you know what you're doing!" he snapped, unable to control the roughness of his voice. "Dartz's vision was the delusion of a man who was slowly being driven insane by the stone he wore! You're not gonna be saving the world from anything. All you're gonna do is cause a monster to be revived that will cause a massive apocalypse! Everything on earth will be wiped out. There won't be any 'purification.' Dartz was a hypocrite. He saw the darkness in others, but he couldn't recognize it in himself." His voice lowered. "None of us could recognize either his darkness or our own. We were all hypocrites." It hurt to admit it at first, but he knew it was true. All of them—he, Alister, Valon, and Dartz—possessed a dark side. It was a necessary counterbalance to the goodness they also possessed. No living person on earth is exempt from that balance of good and evil. Raphael wished so dearly that he had not bought into Dartz's lies about the Orichalcos recognizing those who were "pure of heart" and those who were "purely evil." It was such nonsense, he knew now, but for the disillusioned teenager he had once been, it had been the solution to all the world's problems.

Now the younger man slapped Raphael's hand away. "You've fallen to the darkness!" he declared. "You and your friends all have! That's why you left Doom. That's why you allowed Dartz to be defeated!" He looked at the blonde, and even in the shadows his flashing eyes and the Seal of Orichalcos that was materializing on his forehead were plain to see. "All of you used to be pure of heart, but you allowed corruption to seep in." He clenched a fist, sounding righteously indignant.

Raphael looked at him. He felt only a deep sorrow and pity. This man was just as he and the others had once been—still delusional and under Dartz's and the Orichalcos's powerful spell. Raphael felt a strong longing to help this misguided soul overcome the darkness, as the Pharaoh had once done for him. "I'm sorry you feel that way," he said at last, "and I'm sorry that you're allowing yourself to be tricked by your own darkness. That's what's happening here, and if you don't realize it soon, it'll be your downfall, just as it was for my friends and me." He clenched his own fist, remembering that horrible scene when Dartz had revealed the truth to him about their families' misfortunes. Full of feelings of anger and hatred and betrayal, Raphael had tried to duel Dartz with the Orichalcos—but since he had overcame its power, it had overwhelmed him then, taking his soul.

"Be silent!" the stranger screamed now, thrusting the door open. "I swear it, someday you will regret numbering yourselves among the evil ones of the world . . . when you used to be pure." His voice caught in his throat as he ran out into the hall, searching for the room where the stones might be. Instead he found Valon and Alister both staring at him. They had been awakened by all of the commotion and had come out of their respective rooms to investigate. Now the burglar found himself boxed in on three sides as Raphael also caught up to him. But that was not about to stop him. He lunged forward at the nearest person, who was Alister, and knocked him off balance. His Orichalcos stone was glowing, sensing the presence of others near. If he followed it, it would lead him to where the others were! Quickly he dashed into a room.

He looked about, swiftly taking in everything, but he was uninterested in everything but the box that was casting a soft green light. Immediately he snatched it up, running the encounter with Raphael over in his mind at the same time. I idolized you. . . . You were Dartz's strongest warrior, but you fell! How could you have let that happen? He narrowed his eyes, shoving the box into his pocket. He would have time to berate his fallen idol later.

Then he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. "Goin' somewhere?" He recognized Valon's youthful, accented voice. Swiftly he elbowed the boy in the ribs and then judo-flipped him over onto the floor, where the brunette knocked a lamp down and became entangled with it in the process. The Doom Reborn warrior watched him disdainfully before sprinting to the window with expert agility and speed. He would just leap out, breaking the glass, and be on his way. There was no reason why he needed to leave via the same way he had entered.

But Alister and Raphael came at him then, from opposite sides. "Sorry," Alister grunted, "but somehow I don't find it a good idea for you to get hold of any more stones than you already have." He tried to grab the other man, who was almost his match in physique, and somehow managed to pull him back from the window. The stones spilled out onto the floor, bouncing in every direction.

"I've got one!" Valon cried, finally freeing himself from the lamp, and snatched up two that were close by him. Raphael managed to retrieve several as well, though his attention was quickly diverted as Alister and the stranger fell to the floor, locked in a violent struggle.

First Alister would manage to get the upper hand, pinning his opponent to the floor. Then the intruder would deliver a harsh blow to his stomach and get him in a chokehold. Alister gripped at the arm around his neck, trying to loosen it, and finally managed to hit a pressure point. The stranger cried out, his arm going numb. Then he lunged again, slamming Alister harshly against the wall. Alister grunted in pain, managing to then do the same thing to his assailant, shoving him face first into the plaster and wood.

A soft cracking sound was heard as the burglar's stone started to break in half from the pressure of the fighting and from the sheer amount of energy that was channeling through the warrior's body as he grew all the more incensed. He whirled back around, driving the other half into Alister's wrist and obviously trying to slice his vein with the jagged edge. Alister gasped in pain, managing to grab the other man's wrist with his uninjured hand, wrenching it around and forcing him to give up his attempt. Obviously the Orichalcos was getting a strong hold over this one.

Alister felt a sudden wave of dizziness pass over him, but he ignored it as he struggled to continue fighting anyway. Then it came on him again, more fiercely than before, and he stopped to look down shakily at his wrist, which was bleeding profusely. Noticing a part of the stone still stuck in the wound, the redhead gingerly reached to pull it out. That was when he was abruptly kicked and shoved backward by his attacker, who then ran forward with lightning speed, grabbing Valon up in a chokehold and drawing a concealed knife to hold in front of the Australian's face. Alister lay dazed for a moment, but then heard the man's voice and looked up shakily.

"Drop all the stones you're holding," the intruder ordered both Valon and Raphael. "Drop them or he dies." But his hand was shaking, as was his voice. He had never killed before. This was obvious to all three of the bikers. He did not want to do it either, as the good part of his soul was still trying to break free. Valon took the opportunity to do his own elbowing, managing to then get away because his opponent's guard was down. He gave the man a punch that was just fierce enough to cause him to fall to the floor, then leaned down and wrestled the knife away from him. It was not hard, as he had not been clutching the weapon very tightly. Valon retracted the blade as he stood up, holding the device firmly in his hand.

"I think I'll just be holdin' onto this for now," he said smoothly. "And I don't think I'll give up the stones, either." He looked over to Raphael, who was helping Alister up, then back to the man on the floor. "You're kinda outnumbered, mate, so I wouldn't recommend doin' anything stupid." He was flat-out annoyed by this latest interruption. First there had been the news of approaching problems with his parents, and now this? It was all so much. Valon was much too irritated to truly see the man for what he was, as Raphael did. Valon could only see that a strange person had broken in and was attempting to kill them all, and he was understandably incensed.

Raphael was furious as well, even though at the same time he was horrified as he watched the young man's behavior. Were we really like that? he thought to himself in alarm. Did the Orichalcos actually cause us to behave so outrageously? He steadied Alister as his friend tried to get his balance. The redhead seemed dazed and dizzy, though Raphael assumed it was from the blood loss. Another wave of fury serged through him. That man had just tried to kill both of Raphael's dearest friends! He might pity him for what the Orichalcos had done to him, but this couldn't be allowed. First and foremost Alister and Valon were what was important to Raphael.

The Doom Reborn warrior struggled to get up. "But you won't even use the stones!" he cried now, sounding upset and alarmed by that fact. "You don't want them, so why are you refusing to let us have them!" He looked to Raphael. "Unless . . . unless some part of you does want to use them!" he declared, and felt certain that he had found his answer. Surely Raphael was not completely lost! Some portion of his being must still long for the ideals he had once possessed!

Raphael's eyes narrowed darkly. "You're wrong," he growled. Now that he knew the truth about the Orichalcos and what it was, he would never allow it to control him again. He despised it and its stones. "I will never want to use the evil power of the Orichalcos again."

"That's right!" Valon added. "We just don't want you fellas to use them."

This remark angered the man and fueled the Orichalcos's power within him all the more. "Really?" he screamed. "You're preventing us from going about on our purification mission!" It was all too apparent that he was very passionate about this, though Raphael couldn't know of the added fact that this man had idolized him during Doom and felt betrayed now that Raphael had left the organization. They had actually never met, except once, but he had always been observing Raphael from the shadows and wishing that he was Dartz's most trusted lackey.

His eyes flamed a deep red now, disturbing the trio that was at his mercy. At any time he was capable of using the Orichalcos's power to do something terrible—though none of them wanted to find out what. The room had started to vibrate from the sheer amount of dark energy he held. "I should have just killed the boy. I should just kill all of you! You're all traitors to Dartz and to Doom!" he screamed. "You're all evil and your souls aren't even worthy of feeding to the great Leviathan!"

Raphael could tell that they were losing whatever goodness still resided in the man's spirit. "Look at yourself!" he yelled back. "Look at what the Orichalcos is doing to you! It's releasing the dark part of your soul. You're not pure of heart. You're not spared from the darkness, no matter what Dartz has told you!" He felt desperate. This man was on the brink of insanity due to the Orichalcos's wicked magic. He was certain that all four of them would die if something was not immediately done, but he had no idea what that something could be. He racked his mind frantically for ideas.

"Your hatred and your passion are being twisted by the Seal," Alister spoke up darkly, his gray eyes narrowed. He recognized this all too well. This man was perhaps not so unlike himself. He was holding a cloth over his bleeding wrist, but the dizziness persisted. Alister almost felt as though he was about to pass out.

"It's a lie!" was the almost frantic reply. "You hate the Seal and everything it stands for, so you're the ones twisting things! I hate all of you for your betrayal! I hate you for deserting Master Dartz!" Another furious blast of energy was sent forth, fierce enough that it caused all three of the bikers to be thrown off their feet, slamming hard into the nearest wall.

Then, abruptly, all was silent.

Raphael was the first to begin regaining consciousness. He groaned softly, rubbing at his aching forehead as he tried to take in the scene around him. It seemed that the Orichalcos's presence was gone, as well as the man who had been wielding it. Everything seemed calm and peaceful once again. But what of the others? Feeling a certain panic, the blonde looked around for his friends and then found them slumped against the wall next to him. Both seemed to be reviving, much to the man's relief.

"Are you both alright?" he asked, coming to kneel in front of them.

Valon opened his eyes weakly, looking up at his friend. "Yeah, I think," he moaned. "But crikey, I never realized the Orichalcos could pack such a punch." He grinned lopsidedly, then looked over to Alister, who was stirring now as well. "You okay there, chum?"

Alister grunted, raising his left hand to rub at his head. "Fine," he answered shortly. For some reason, his right arm currently felt too heavy to lift. He looked down blearily at it, noticing again the slice across his wrist. He blinked at it, wondering how it had gotten there, and then vaguely remembered being cut by their attacker's pendant after it had broken in half during their fight. He grunted vaguely, not thinking much of it in his semi-conscious state, though it did seem to be hurting extraordinarily for something that wasn't life-threatening. "I'm fine," he said again, noticing how his friends were regarding him worriedly.

Raphael shook his head. "You'd better be," he growled, glancing around the room. "It looks like our visitor made off with the

stones." He clenched a fist. At least, though, he hadn't had to attack the children's group home to get them. That was probably another reason why Alister had brought the box home with him. But the last thing Doom Reborn needed was more stones.

Valon struggled to stand up, shaking the cobwebs from his mind, and then reached out a hand to help Alister. When the redhead stared at his hand blankly, Valon grew slightly frustrated. "Come on!" he cried. "Are you sure you're okay!"

Alister grunted, his mind clearing enough that he could grab onto Valon's hand with his own, uninjured one. "Yes," he said firmly as he rose. The dizziness had passed now. Surely it was not anything to be worried about.