Author's Note: Well, I got another chapter done, just about on time!

To Chibi-NarutoKawaii, just wanted to say glad to hear you're enjoying the story! Especially since I looked at your profile and I fulfil most of your pet peeves, so it's nice to know you still find it enjoyable. Thanks for reading! I mean, my story summary is crap for starters, and my chapters are rarely over 3000 words (it's hard, for me at least!). I update once a day, which hopefully helps counter the low word count thing, but sadly you've started reading (or reviewing) just as things take a turn for the worse update wise. As explained below:

This is much more to everybody; I managed to get this chapter done today, but it's 2 o'clock and I have a low stamina. It's an hour earlier than normal at least, I usually finish at 3 o'clock, but it's reached the point where I'm officially losing sleep to finish each chapter, and I mean hours of sleep. Which means (sadly, and a special shame since Chibi just started reading too, so I'm letting down yet another reader) I'm going to cut the updates to one every two days. If I can, then I'll do one a day. But no longer will I stay up until I've done it, because I'm losing so much sleep getting this stuff done I'm feeling ill most of the time, drowsy all of the time, and generally aren't doing anything because I'm so tired. I'm really sorry everybody, I'm so appreciative of my readers so I'm really sorry to let you all down by cutting the updates like this, but I just can't keep it up. Not sure why, I used to be able to handle it, but it should be better this way. Really sorry though!

CHAPTER 30

SEPARATION

Taken From Arcadia's Diary:

My night was mostly sleepless. I have slept with the awkward feeling that something else was in our tent, and my worse fear is that it was Suse's frog. I shudder to think of that thing being around my sleeping body.

Olose has already departed for today, heading up to the plateau. I can only pray he remains safe. It is higher than words can describe, but so far up that even with my neck craned I cannot see the top from the base. If he falls crossing the gap, I can but hope his regeneration will save him. I was just warming to his new body too, there is something delightfully cute about his new appearance.

Nadia faces a greater threat, not sharing Olose's immortality. I can do nothing but sit here and wait for them to signal us on the link pearl. I have a feeling that these coming days may be the longest of my life.

Olose finished climbing the slope first, and paused, looking out over the massive gap between the current part of the plateau they were stood on, and the rest of it. He was stood on the climbable part of the plateau, surrounded by trees and confronted by the huge drop. Nadia caught up behind him and looked down, feeling slightly giddy.

"That's a long drop." She commented.

"It was a long climb." Olose sighed. The two looked down at the tent, now looking like a puny insect. They could see right out to the Destiny, still bobbing on the waters just off the coast.

"So, how do we get across safely?" Nadia asked. Olose began to strip naked. She rose an eyebrow. "Urm, Captain?"

"Werewolf." He answered with a sigh. "I'm not ripping more clothes for no reason." He burst into his werewolf form, growling for a moment. "Right." He stated, casually folding his arms (looking quite comical as a gigantic monster). "See that tree over there?" He pointed to it with his huge claw like finger. "I'll just push it over, forming a bridge."

"So we climb across that massive drop balanced on a tree?" Nadia exclaimed. "You have to be joking!"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Olose asked.
"Dunno. Not an expert on the facial expressions of wolves." Nadia gave in response. Olose mumbled something inaudible and began to push at the tree, his voice building into a more and more ferocious growl until it toppled, crashing down across the gap and forming a bridge, just as he planned. He panted for a moment before turning back into his normal form and slipping back into the trousers he had removed.

"There. That worked well." He grinned. "Now just to cross it."

"You say that like it's going to be easy." Nadia grumbled.

"It is." Olose answered.

"I hope you have a good sense of balance." She warned, shaking a little from looking at the huge drop.

"Not scared of heights are you?" Olose taunted.

"I'm not scared of anything." She replied smugly. "It's just a long drop. A very long drop. I like living, that's all."

"Yeah, well, so do I. Convenient, really, since I don't have much choice." Olose pointed out, pulling his jacket back on. "But we can hardly go back down there and tell them we didn't rescue anybody because we couldn't cross the gap." He paused, grinning slightly. "Unless you want me to tell Suse, Arcadia and the others that you were too cowardly." Nadia sighed heavily.

"I hate blackmail." She sighed. "You can at least cross first."

"Me?" Olose exclaimed. "But it's a long way down." Nadia shot him a stare that Olose felt would have killed him were he not immortal.

Arcadia walked out of the tent looking frustrated.

"What's wrrrrrong?" Suse purred.

"There is a frog jumping around in there." She answered firmly. "Of course, I would not want to jump to conclusions on who's fault that might be." She said through almost gritted teeth.

"You found Frrrrred?" Suse exclaimed, disappearing into the tent. Arcadia rolled her eyes and sat down on a rock that Olose had dragged over to make seats during the campfire the night before. She picked up a flash, and began struggling to unscrew it. It was done up tightly, and eventually Saria came over and undid it for her, leaving Arcadia to just let out an innocent laugh. Trevia was looking up to the plateau, not looking particularly pleased.

"Are you alright?" Arcadia asked. Trevia's gaze came back down, looking steely, and it sent a shiver down Arcadia's spine.

"I'm fine." She answered, the gaze disappearing and her becoming her new, more open, self. "Just a little disappointed Olose didn't take me. Who knows what adventures they're having up there right now?"

"I am perfectly happy to be left out of any adventures." Arcadia stated uncomfortably, pouring drink from the flask to a cup. Trevia rose an eyebrow.

"She's not really cut out for this kind of thing." Saria input. Arcadia folded her arms, feeling a little offended, but knowing Saria was completely correct.

"Don't you wonder what's up therrrre though?" Trevia asked. "I mean, if that monster came from that place, then anything else could do. Therrrre could be crrreatures nobody has ever seen up there."

"If they are like that monster that attacked us, they can stay up there." Arcadia stated. Saria laughed a little while Suse wondered out of the tent, frog in her hands.

"Don't you rrrrun away again." She whispered down to the face of the frog, which twitched obliviously. Its gigantic red eyes shot around, looking for a target. It wriggled out of Suse's hands and jumped away. "Oh no!" Suse whined, chasing it. Even Arcadia allowed herself a smile this time, watching her run after the little frog. That is, until it jumped up onto Arcadia's lap, at which point she sprang to her feet and backed away.

"I think it likes you." Grinned Trevia. The frog climbed up and leapt into Arcadia's drink, splashing around.

"Or the water." Saria pointed out. Arcadia sighed.

"I was going to drink that." She moaned. The frog put its little hands on the edge of the cup, and scrambled out, tipping it over and sending the water pouring everywhere.

"Shame it knocked it over." Trevia muttered.

"I was not going to drink it after that frog had been in it." Arcadia pointed out.

"Of course." Trevia sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Frrrred!" Suse cried. "Come back!" She started to chase the hopping frog, but it was Saria who scooped down and picked it up. She looked at it an d laughed.

"It is kinda cute." She told Arcadia, who simply rolled her eyes. Saria handed the frog back to Suse.

"Thanks!" She beamed, skipping away with the frog in her cupped hands and sitting down on the ground just away from the campsite.

"Don't go too farrrr!" Warned Trevia. "Wouldn't want you to get eaten or anything while we werrrren't watching." Arcadia smiled slightly.

"You seem to care for her." Arcadia pointed out.
"Ah, Captain wouldn't be pleased if she died." Trevia shrugged.

"I meant you had a reputation for being cold." Arcadia explained.

"Oh, that." Trevia laughed. "I just rrrrealised some things are morrrre imporrrtant than money."

"Like frogs?" Arcadia smirked, watching Suse attempt to communicate with her pet. It just shot out its tongue, touching her nose again, causing much giggling on Suse's part.
"Like friends." Trevia replied slightly more seriously.

"Heeeeeeeey!" Suse cried, turning around, having apparently heard them. "A frrrrog can be a frrrrriend." Trevia laughed as the frog hopped up onto Suse's shoulder, causing her to beam a smile of pure delight.

"Of course it can." Trevia laughed. Arcadia couldn't hide her own smile creeping across her face, which evolved into a full laugh as the frog scampered down the back of Suse's top, causing her to squeal in horror.

Olose clambered off of the tree and turned to Nadia, who jumped down after him.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" He laughed, now safely on the larger section of the plateau.

"There is no way in hell I'm doing that again." Nadia grumbled.

"Only way back." Olose innocently pointed out. Nadia let out an angry growl.

"Let's just get this mission over with." She snapped, clearly uncomfortable being anywhere near the large drop. She was still shaking, and Olose could literally smell her fear, which he knew she knew, and because she knew it, she was irritable. Olose paused, deciding that he had become confused over that train of thought. All he knew was she didn't like anybody knowing when she was scared, and she certainly was scared. A low dull roar echoed through the trees.

"Hm." Olose grunted. "That doesn't sound good."

"Thank you for your expert opinion." Nadia mumbled. "Well, what shall we do?"

"Stay down, and stay quiet." Olose ordered.

The ground began to shake as some massive beast took slow footsteps. Something was approaching. The two stayed crouched, and waited tensely. They saw fall into few a massive creature, with gigantic tree trunk like legs, a huge bulk of a body, a neck extending high into the sky with a tiny head attached and a mighty tail. It nibbled at leaf on one of the big trees. Nadia drew her sword, but Olose held her back.

"No." He whispered. "It's eating leaves. I think it's vegetarian."

"Oh good." Nadia answered dryly. "Let's hope it doesn't kill us."

"It shouldn't attack us." Olose explained confidently. It stomped past them and Olose grinned triumphantly to Nadia.

"THE BRIDGE!" Nadia suddenly screamed. Olose turned around in horror to see the monster reach the tree he had made the make-shift bridge out of.

He sprang into action, drawing and hurling his sword as a distraction. It struck the creature's leg, and it continued, utterly failing to notice Olose's attack.

"Oh." Olose muttered.

"Sir, you don't have a sword anymore." Nadia pointed out.

"Indeed I don't." Olose said thoughtfully. "Give me yours!"

"Hell no!" Nadia protested.

"Oh fine, I'll do this the old fashioned way!"

Olose ran at the creature at full sprint. Just before he could reach it, it swung its mighty tail and hit him with it, sending him flying. He crashed down, skidding and stopping just by the edge of the plateau and a lethal drop. Nadia spun her sword.

"I'll deal with it!" She heroically cried.

"NO!" Olose warned. She stopped. "If you fall off the edge, you'll die!" He exclaimed. "If I fall off the edge, I'll regenerate again, and I don't want to risk ending up any shorter." He said to lighten the mood.

"You could be taller." Nadia casually flung at him.

"Yeah, it's pretty much random how I regenerate." Olose admitted.

"So, what do we do about the monster then?" Nadia asked.

"Leave it." Olose stated. "We'll find another way back." It swung down its tail and toppled the tree from the gap, causing it to fall down below. "The others can't follow us now, we're alone. I'll tell them to stay put."

"Why Captain?" Nadia curiously questioned.

"Because otherwise they'll do something extremely stupid like try to cross the gap to rescue us." Olose answered. "And if they do that, then they risk falling down and dieing a horrible death, not something I want to allow." He casually pulled out the link pearl, which was shattered in his hands. "Oh. Curses." He sighed sarcastically. "Nadia, give me your link pearl."

"Mine, Captain?" Nadia asked curiously. "But I left mine at the camp. You had yours." Olose let out a low growl.

"Okay. This is okay." He sighed. "All we need to do is rely on them not doing anything stupid down there." He decided, breathing calmly. "They won't do anything stupid, will they?"

Trevia sprung to her feet as soon as she heard the tree crash down.

"Nadia and Olose arrrre up therrrrre!" She cried. "And cut off!"

"What are we going to do?" Inquired Arcadia.

"Rescue them." Grinned Trevia.