You know the drill. Bloody Roar doesn't belong to me. Xion doesn't, Chronos doesn't. But Leareth does, and I'm quite happy about that. So you can't have him either.

Oh yeah… and I finally updated. Woot for me. Hope my writing style hasn't changed too much, and if it has, I hope it's better and not worse. This was typed from 11:00 to 1:00 in the morning, completely impulsive decision.

And without further adieu… enjoy!

Weeks... or was it months later.. Chronos couldn't tell. He found himself in another room, another bright white light shining down on him with all the modesty the Gods might show him. The Phoenix shook his head slowly, crying out when that simple movement filled his whole body with pain. He stilled again, tears flowing down his face. Then, realizing he was crying, he steeled his face into emotionlessness. He had to get out… no matter what the cost was to himself.

But, where would he go? Chronos sighed, wincing, and then slowly began to stand. It was a process filled with agony, but he smiled when he finally was able to remain standing. He forced his legs to move, finding he was still able to walk even though the process was quite difficult at first since he had obviously not moved in a while. His arms and his legs burned, his head was pounding. In the back of his mind, he wondered what drug it was they had been injecting into him this time. This wasn't just blood loss.

He shivered and reached up, intending to pull his jacket closer, only to realize he didn't have his jacket at all. In fact, all he had on was a pair of thin white hospital pants. He growled frustratedly and began to look for it. Just when he was about to give up, he found his clothes. Displaying a surprising lack of modesty—perhaps it was because of his surroundings?—he took off the pants right there, changing into the other clothes. Then, he took flight.

The flight from the laboratory went smoothly until he was about halfway out of the city. A slender humanoid moved in front of him, blocking his path. By the smell of the creature, it was zoanthrope, and on closer inspection, Chronos figured out it was a Raven. He winced. There was only one raven he knew of…

"Leareth….? How did they get you?"

He moved out of the shadows and into the circle of light made by the streetlamp. His long black hair provided a sort of curtain, hiding his hawk-like face from view, but nothing could hide those cold amber orbs. Amber wasn't even a harsh enough word to describe them... they were like glowing sulfurous coals. The clothes he was wearing consisted of a black long-sleeved shirt, made from a semi-sheer fabric, and pants of the same design. The shirt's sleeves draped out in a triangular shape, while the pants had a slight flare to them. Black vinyl boots finished off the outfit.

"I got tired of the same thing every day. So I joined willingly. I didn't know they were using us as mere experiments… and now I can't get out. But, I don't really want to. They say they can make me strong. I could have power… Maybe one day I could take over the kingdom. I would be able to make it better…"

"Leareth, listen to what you are saying. They are telling you lies… Listen to your heart. Do you really think that what you have heard could happen? You would have to be stronger than not only the king but all his guards. It would take a whole army... and no one wants to be a part of a suicide mission, even if their death would help to reform the kingdom."

Leareth smiled, the expression looking quite foreign on his face. Chronos cringed. The Raven only smiled when something very bad was going to happen.

"Who said anything about anyone being willing?"

Chronos made a soft sound of surprise, taking a step back.

"I don't suggest you run that way… the scientists have already sent people out to look for you. Whoever knew you were so loved?"

The Phoenix sighed and looked up to him.

"What do you want me to do, Leareth?"

"Find me zoanthropes… Strong zoanthropes. You know where to find me… and you know what I am looking for. I know you can help me, Chronos. And, I know you will. You understand my cause better than anyone else does."

He sighed, then nodded to show he accepted his terms. Leareth chuckled, a harsh sound.

"Good… Very good… I made a hole you could escape through. If you go along this street and follow it straight out of the city, you can escape, no problem. Send anyone you find to the laboratory. I'll find them there. And if I don't, they'll find me."

Chronos closed his eyes and shook his head, then began to sprint down the street. Every time he heard sirens, he cringed and tried to force himself to keep from panicking and doing something that would get him caught. Eventually he realized, however, that Leareth had indeed cleared out the surrounding area. That made him wonder… just how strong had the Raven become in those four or five years they had been separated?

Once he had gotten a safe distance away from the city, he slumped down onto the ground. Soft pants came from his lips, transforming into white wisps of condensed air. It was cold, which meant that he hadn't been in the lab as long as he thought he had. If it was still winter, it couldn't have been more than a week or two. Chronos smiled and curled up on the ground, tapping into his zoanthropic powers to make the ground and the air around him warmer. Then, he slept. Not the fitful sleep, plagued with nightmares, from the drugs… but a peaceful, restful slumber that continued until just before sunrise.

Xion shivered, wrapping the blanket tighter around his lithe frame. It was damn cold outside, and had been for over a week. He cursed whatever he could find that had even the smallest relationship with the weather, then got up and moved out of his bed and into the living room, where he not only had a heater going but also a roaring fireplace. He stared at the fire for a few long moments, shaking his head to clear the minty green from his mind afterwards and finally curled up, back facing the fireplace.

With every healed injury in his body aching from the cold, he decided it would be too hard to go to sleep. So he sat up and glanced around, looking for something to do. His eyes settled on the fire once again. He didn't fight it this time, instead letting it draw him in, letting its heat soothe his chilled flesh, welcoming the smell of the flame, hearing the roars. Soft green eyes stared into his own frozen blue; Xion could feel, even taste the panic rising from the owner of those eyes. It swirled around him, chaos everywhere reigned. He cried out and black hands seized him, throwing him into a cold black abyss. It was his bedroom… he had been dreaming.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and lay back down in the sheets. It didn't matter.. whatever this dream was about, it didn't matter. He had tried to look for Chronos about a week after he left, but was never able to find him. It was as if he had disappeared. Then, Xion had remembered.

"Why are you just staring, Phoenix? Finish your sentence."

"I... I'm leaving now. If you somehow grow a heart, don't go looking for me. You'll never find me and you won't have to be around a weak little Phoenix anymore."

He gave up after remembering that, thinking that Chronos would come back. But he never had… and now that he had been gone for so long, Xion was actually starting to miss him. He growled and picked up a log, throwing it into the fire hard enough to scatter embers everywhere. Then he slumped back down to the ground and let sleep claim him. Chronos would show up tomorrow…