Summery: Kalas has returned and Lyude is glad that the group is whole again. A little look into his thoughts.

Disclaimer: If I owned anything, I'd hardly have a need for this would I? Anyway, I do not own Baten Kaitos, nor the song Mienai Chizu (Invisible Map) from the anime Card Captor Sakura.

We have accomplished the first of our many goals. We have, with our strength combined, been able to bring Kalas back to us, back to the light. No one person can do so alone, but together, we managed to pull it off. It gives a great feeling of pride, of achievement. It is never easy to fight a friend, one whom you care for and worry for. You can never take such situations lightly. But, I think we ought to congratulate ourselves. We are whole once again.

Open the invisible map, and look for a reason to live

The true light is hidden somewhere

And when we're whole, we can always be there for each other. That's the most important thing. If we cannot depend on each other, then we cannot depend on anyone. We are all alive for some reason or other. We cannot simply give up, nor can we sit back and watch as a friend is being tortured physically, emotionally, spiritually…in any way, shape, or form. That is the whole point of a friend. Someone to be there for you, to help you when you fall down, to help you through dark times. That's why we brought Kalas back to us. That is why we didn't abandon him. It is because he is our friend.

And when you reach unknown surroundings

When you're lost and let down you can poke your way out

I remember that when I was locked up in that strange prison…I said Melodia was the warrior standing at the head of the slain army, the lone general who killed that army single-handedly. The indifferent warrior who shuns all people who wish her well. I do not take that back, for it is the truth. But, I also acknowledge that she is lonely. Still…I find that no excuse to hurt others. Unlike Kalas, she has no friends. She shuns people, and she hurts them. She has no one to help her through the dark times of life because she wants no help. It is too bad. Perhaps she too could be a friend to us if only she would not shun us.

You can find your sparkle and leave your troubles behind you

Even lost in a labyrinth, there is a way out!

Even when I was stuck in prison, I clung to the shard of hope that I had left. I didn't know what would happen of course. I can't see into the future. I just had to cling to my hope, and I could merely pray I would not be abandoned. Melodia, on the other hand, succumbed to her despair, her friendless life. She lost herself in darkness. Kalas too let grief consume him, let himself slip away…but he found his way back again. I believe their difference is that one has a stronger heart, a stronger sense of resolve. In one corner of himself, he still clung to his hope, to his prayer we wouldn't fully and truly abandon him, see him only as an enemy. He still wanted to be our friend. Melodia is just the opposite. Perhaps I was at one time too.

Open the invisible map, and look for a reason to live

You'll find the true light somewhere…

I once thought I was completely powerless, useless. Now I see that if I do my best in everything I do, I'm not powerless, never useless. I too can help save the world. Together, we can use our power to set Malpercio to sleep again. And perhaps, we'll also be able to save Melodia from her ambitions. Even the worst person must have some buried shard of light inside of them. I believe that. Its simply a matter of finding it, and brining it out. If it could be true for Kalas, true for me, and everyone else, then it is true for Melodia as well. Of course, its not always possible to bring out someone's light. Some people refuse to let you. Hopefully, when all is done, Melodia will let us be her friend. She deserves them too. She too, can change.

Someday you'll understand the reason behind these confusing days

Give me the strength I want to exchange tears for courage

Courage…what a strange word. It is a quality that all people want to say they posses. However…not all people have the ability to posses it. Everyone is unique, which means everyone has their own qualities. Some may not include courage. But, that is not the only valuable quality. Love is too. Friendship, wisdom, strength…they all are qualities people want to say they posses. Which do I have? What do I value most? It can sometimes be hard to see, and thus we lose our way. Thus, we either cling to hope, or we give into despair. All people go through a stage like that. Some go through it more than others. I want to always cling to my hope.

In this town there are fragments of dreams

Infinity is overflowing, right?

Close your eyes and run away from yesterday!

Soon we will continue on our journey. We cannot afford to cling to the past. It is over and done with. There is nothing we can do to change it. We must now face the future, take whatever it has to throw to us, accept whatever is gives us. We must not fear, for that is the recipe for failure. We must stay together, hold our heads high, keep our hearts strong. Alone, we are weak. Together, we are strong. The future may be mysterious and unseen, but that does not make it bad. Yes…together, we will survive. Everything will turn out all right.

Move away from yesterday, face tomorrow

You'll brighten your heart of your own free will, straight ahead…

I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I will face it with all my strength. What I will do, what I will say…I do not know. Yet that is no reason to fear. If I trust in myself and my friends, things will be all right. There is always hope. Face life, and you'll never lose complete sight of it. I have dreams I want to accomplish, goals I need to fulfill. My first is to restore peace to our world. Then, I can set my sights on the next step in my life. I won't forget the past, but its important to move on to the future.

Shining my heart,

And I can't stop Dream…

Shining true heart

And I just fly away…

I'm finally ready to move on. I may not be able to see very far into the future, and I may not be proud of everything that I've done in the past but…I am only human, and I cannot help but make mistakes. Now is my chance to improve myself, so I can be a good asset to our team. I'll contribute all I can to our journey, and I won't ever give up. We will get through this all in one piece. We will win, and I long for that day when we can feel victorious. Yes, it'll all be over soon. The end is coming, and I'll be ready for whatever it brings with it. There isn't any reason to fear. I'm not alone.

Open the invisible map and catch the light

You'll defiantly find the true shine

Who wouldn't yield to such cherished dreams?

Surely now if you flap your wings, your heart will come flying

But I won't lose my way

I will fly high

Never-ending dream…

I actually think the first one I did for him was better xP Like…I like this one, but I dunno…there's just something about it that bothers me xP Anyway, I'm just trying to catch up on all my updates (some things of mine really need to be updated x.x) I hope you guys enjoyed this at least. I'll probably update a lot next weekend too. I have a half day on Thursday, and a day off on Friday. So I'll take that time to do some really drastic updating I think.

Reviewer Responses

Wolf from the Hidden Flames: Yep x) I'd love to have Mizuti as a friend. LoL yeah, I know eh? She was kinda boastful in that XD Mizuti's face is so cute. Small, but cute. Suits her, I think. And yes, I found the ending to be sad. I get pretty emotional though. Maybe. I could do another set of one-shots about it once I finish with these. That's a great idea, as long as you don't mind major spoilers.

person-sama: What to say. I began to run out of idea's, so it made it difficult to finish. XDD That would be funny to hear her talk with proper grammar though. XD I wonder that too LoL x)

Luv2Game: Yeah x.x I hate sad and depressing endings. Ah well…it was a good game, so its all good x) Well…I never actually played the game (I don't have a PS2) but my friend invited me over once when he was at the very end of it just so he could beat it and show me the ending. I might have found it sadder if I'd played the entire game XD I was actually pretty sarcastic about it. It was really nice, but without playing the whole game, I didn't find it as sad xP