Well, I don't think I made the 10 day update thing, but anyway, here we are, another chapter. This one actually has a point. Weee! Yeah, it's not another filler chapter, although they all have some importance. Anyway, thank you to all my reviewers, I hope you like the story!

Chapter... 10? Or something...

Kaistern tried to get up, wavering in his steps as he neared for the door. Where had that red haired guy gone? There were so many questions whirling about in his head. Who was he? Why did he seem to know Kaistern so well? Where was he? Was that his name? Kaistern? It sounded so familiar...

The door flew open before he even reached it. Two men came in, one with brown, red-tipped hair and a bit of a wild look about him. The other had long aquamarine hair, tied into a long ponytail that ran almost to his knees. His eyes were a beautiful green- aquamarine, captivating him immediately, he was so beautiful. They stared at him a second, obviously insecure.

"Kaistern? Ah, Rath said you lost your memory... Did you?" the brown haired guy asked tentatively.

"Well, if he did he wouldn't know would he?" the other one, looking exasperated, reprimanded him.

"Who are you?"

"Well that answers our question," the brown haired one shook his head. The aquamarine haired man gazed at the albino, his expression shocked. "You're serious... you don't remember anything?"

Kaistern took a more defensive pose, not sure whether to trust them or not. Something instinctively told him to, especially the aquamarine-eyed man, but his mind logically didn't.

"No... Don't. Please sit down.. We'll explain," the smaller one said softly.

"We aren't going to hurt you," the first one added. The albino sat down cautiously.

"Who are you?"

They both sighed, "I'm Ruwalk, and this is Alfeegi. Your name... your name's Kaistern."

"That's what you've been calling me. Where-"

"You're in the dragon palace. It's your home. Except you travel a lot, cause you're the Blue Dragon Officer, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs," the Alfeegi guy said slowly. Kaistern blinked. He was an officer? A secretary? He traveled? The Dragon Palace? His head began to spin, pounding sorely. He put his head in his hands, groaning.

"Kaistern! What's wrong?" they rushed to him, then stopped a couple inches away, unsure of whether to treat him like normal or if to keep their distance.

"We – we're friends. We aren't going to hurt you. We want to help you get your memory back," Ruwalk said comfortingly, placing a hand on his shoulder. Kaistern looked up, and could only find concern, maybe even fear, in their eyes. There was nothing that he could find untrustworthy. Maybe they were telling the truth. He had no reason to doubt them, they seemed so familiar with him, so kind, and it all sounded so familiar.

"Why don't you lay down until Lykouleon comes? He's the King of the palace, he rules over Draqueen, our kingdom," Alfeegi supplied him with the information before he could ask. He shook his head, finding that that only made it hurt more.

The door opened again and another man came in. He was obviously royalty. He had the bearing and clothes of a king, the kind eyes, the posture, everything. He had blond hair and green eyes. For some reason, Kaistern was drawn towards him strangely; something he was trying to repulse pulled him towards this blond Lord. Why? He tried to fight it; feeling like it was a sort of dark impulse that drew him to the Lord. It all faded as his gaze turned back to Alfeegi. He sighed, wondering what that had been about.

"Is he alright? Was it true?" he asked, looking straight at the pale blue officer. They both nodded.

"Yes, although-"

"It may only a temporary amnesia. That youkai Fedelta said he'd fallen..." Alfeegi continued Ruwalk's sentence.

"Kaistern... do you remember anything about demons, or Nadil's army or anything like that? You were being held captive by them," The Lykouleon asked, trying to trigger anything to bring his officer's memory back, but he shook his head.

"Nadil? I was held captive by him?" He asked, feeling rather stupid. And kind of crowded with all these strangers.

"He's our enemy. He's dead, but his army's still loyal to him. We found a note by them in here saying you were being held captive by them, and when we found you, you were with one of them."

He nodded, trying hard to understand and absorb all of this.

"I think that's enough for today. We want to ease him into everything, I think he should sleep now," Alfeegi stood, pulling Ruwalk along as well. Lykouleon walked over to Kaistern, kneeling in front of him, though he shied away a bit.

"Before we leave... I thought you might want to know this, for his sake. When you first awoke there was a young man with red-hair, right?" Kaistern nodded in acknowledgement, "His name is Rath. You two were very close. You're... the only one out of all of the Dragon tribe that he trusted. And... well, he was very shaken about you memory loss. I just thought you should know that. I know this is hard to understand, and you may not be trustful of it, but..." Lykouleon sighed, "If you need anything, just call. And Rath may come in a while. He was very worried about you, even though I know that doesn't mean anything to you."

With that, Lykouleon walked out, and Kaistern felt that dark impulse calling him again, from nowhere, everywhere, to follow him. He felt that the Lord had something he needed... something he needed to do. He groaned, falling back onto his bed. Even though he didn't know these people at all, he didn't feel wary, or hostile. It made sense.

His room was full of souvenirs, he could tell because the items were all different, some obviously made in cold places, some very tropical in their looks, and the craftsmanship was different from object to object. It made sense he was a traveler. An officer? He got up and began to rummage through his desk drawers, somehow knowing exactly where he would find the proof he needed to have to know whether that was true or not. Papers, a stack of them. Various reports on missions, which he read ravenously, trying to get a bearing of what his supposed life was like. All signed 'Kaistern, Blue Dragon Officer and Secretary of Foreign Affairs'. All were sent either to 'Lord Lykouleon, King of Dusis,' or 'White Dragon Officer Alfeegi, Chief Secretary.' That all fitted together. His head ached.

But what about Nadil's army? And they'd mentioned some... Delta? Hedelta? Fedelta, yes, that was it. Alfeegi said that a demon named Fedelta had said he'd fallen. Maybe that explained the major headache, and his broken arm. It was wrapped tightly, and so didn't bother him for some reason. On closer inspection, he realized it was because he couldn't feel his arm at all. He hoped it was just anesthetic.

He got into his bed, drawing the covers around him. He was exhausted. But... he wished he could regain his memory. He wondered if he and the white officer had any sort of relationship... if not, then maybe he could... make one. Right now though, he had no wish to think about anything. His mind reeled, screaming for sleep, and he obeyed.

III

"Alright, let's see what we get," Delte drew in her breath shakily, nervous for some reason. She spread her cards out in the pattern of the major constellations of the Dusian sky. Closing her eyes, she let her fortune- telling magic, her spiritual power, flow from her fingers, guiding her hand to the cards. She flipped the first one over. An angel. Her fingers covered one of the wings, depriving the dark angel from one of its wings. She gasped, recognizing the meaning. The 'one winged angel' that she'd feared so much. The hunter of faeries like herself. She felt her magic weaken and braced herself again, willing it to flow again and to keep on with the reading. She reached to flip another card again and screamed as dark energy crackled and fizzed, burning her fingertips. She watched in horror as the black waves of electricity caught her cards on fire, and they burnt.

The charred remains smoked, and a wind came from nowhere, blowing the ashes around her and making her cough thickly as the grainy ashes stuck to her throat. She fell to her knees, shaking.

"Oh Lord... my reading... it backfired! How?" she whispered. She lapsed into silence, feeling the need to relax and calm down.

III

Golden hairs were picked up by pale hands and gathered into a twisting braid, falling across pale shoulders. Blue eyes blinked emptily and then watered as the owner was racked by thrashing coughs and sank back weakly minutes later and closed them.

Rune didn't want to fall asleep. Every time he slept he had nightmares about Tintlet. He didn't want to think about it anymore. But he did. All he did was think about Tintlet. He couldn't help but feel he'd betrayed her; he'd let her die. He opened his eyes to the same sight he'd had for the past ten days. He needed fresh air so bad, a new sight. But he couldn't even get the strength to get up for more than five minutes at a time. And though the others had tried to take him outside at least once a day, he ended up so exhausted that Dr. Arwis Laira had restricted his trips to twice a week.

He knew he was sick. Badly sick... but he didn't know if fatally sick. No one had been able to heal him, and though he'd tried, he couldn't heal himself. It seemed that he was immune to his own magic. But he was only getting worse, and he wasn't sure of anything anymore. All he could do all day was sit in bed, try to avoid sleep, and think.

The coughs were getting worse. His depressed mood was getting worse as well. He didn't know how much more his body could take. It was being pressured too much. Already it was physically weak by whatever illness he had, but now it was being burdened as well by his emotional stress. He was getting sicker and sicker... Rune coughed feebly again. He... he hated to admit it to himself, but he was scared. He was worried. Not only about himself, but about Rath and now Kaistern as well.

Everyone stopped to see him at least once a day. But the visits weren't always cheerful, they seemed to get more pessimistic every time. They weren't long either, as most of them had things to do. Rath seemed more distant lately, that and that he was spending the other half of his time with Kaistern. Thatz was the one who came by to visit him most frequently. At first it had been good, he was cheerful and made jokes, and his presence lifted the elf's spirits. But Thatz couldn't deal with bad situations in a cheerful manner forever, and being around the depressed Rune made him feel uncomfortable and unsettled. So his visits were becoming shorter.

In other words, Rune was left most of the day alone, sifting between consciousness and fitful sleep, and lonesome depressing moments when awake.

III

Rath groaned slightly in his sleep, stirring. Cesia walked over to the waking fire knight, sitting next to him on the bed and smiling lovingly at him.

"Did you have a good nap?" she asked as he opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Yeah," he mumbled and she bent down, kissing his forehead lightly and running her hands on his bare chest. He looked at her and smiled softly. She laid on him, cradling her head in the curve of his neck and shoulder. He smelled the strong scent of lilac coming from her hair and immersed his face in her sleek hair. He kissed her lightly and she got up.

"Well, are you hungry?"

"Sure," he got up, putting his shirt back on now that he was out of bed and cold again. Cesia stood, and looked at Rath squarely.

"Kaistern lost his memory. They talked to him and he's sleeping now supposedly. They explained the basics to him, who he was, who they were, who you were, where he was and how he got there. I now you'll want to see him, but I want you to eat first," she said firmly, knowing that this was a harsh crash back to reality.

"...I don't want to see him," Cesia looked up, startled, at Rath's downcast face.

"Why not? I mean, you and him are so close..." she trailed off, finally realizing it. It was because they were so close that he couldn't bear to be around him. Cesia would hate to be in the same room as Rath if he forgot her, at least until it didn't hurt as much, and it was too soon for Rath to get over it.

"Whatever, let's go eat, I wanna eat with Rune."

III

Raseleane walked quietly to Kaistern's room, hoping to give the officer some comfort. It was only logical he'd be scared and uneasy, being in a place he didn't remember. She smelled the sweet flowers she'd brought to place in the vase in his room. Now that she thought about it, she better replace the ones in Rune's room. Poor thing, she thought, he's such an outside type, he's probably dying to be outside again. Oh well, it wasn't as bad as Rath, would be itching to be outside so badly he'd whine and whine and be a complete pain. She giggled lightly despite herself. Lykouleon had wanted her to stay in her room and sleep, but she didn't feel bad now. But for some reason, she was getting sick in the mornings. Upon waking up, she'd feel like throwing up. And she felt the need to eat more and sleep more. She wasn't sure why, but put it to a cold. It was probable that she'd caught Alfeegi and Rune's cold, although she didn't remember them vomiting. Right now though, she needed a distraction, and to let Lykouleon be alone for a while. He'd come back from Kaistern's room very somber and has asked to be alone. That was why she was now heading to Kaistern's room, and then to see Rune as well.

III

"When are you going to activate the spell again?"

"Oh... soon. In fact, I think now is an opportune moment."

"Well, tell me when the things are ready to be picked up."

"It's only one thing. A book. It'll give me the key to the Dragon Tribe's inner secrets. And it'll sell for a good price to Nadil's army."

"How long are you going to toy with them?"

A cold laugh, "Until they figure it out. Already they have been stressed over their water knight's strange illness. And now with the blue officer's loss of memory..."

"That was a brilliant plan, Lord Kharl."

"I know."

"You know you're conceited?"

"Am I?"

"Yeah."

"I should fire you for that Garfakcy."

"You wouldn't last a day without me, because I'm the one that keeps you on track and does all your silly errands."

Pout, "Fine. You win."

"How did you accomplish the officer's memory loss?"

"Trauma. I told Nadil's army to do some truly horrendous things to him. It was only a matter of time, and with the right manipulation that I gave him, that he would psychologically make himself forget. It would be rather painful too to remember."

"And the knight?"

"Faerie elves are very susceptible to certain magical energies. The necklace you supplied on that illusionary girl was filled with dark energy."

"Speaking about that fake girl you made for the little knight's trap, you think you could make some more?" "In extra small size? Sur – OW!"

"Shut up. Get on with the spell."

"Oh yeah! Yes, now the real fun begins... And the best thing is, the Dragon Tribe would never dare lay a hand on their own kind."

"Plus the extra bonus that it'll be hard to stop them cause they're acting at the same time."

"When did you figure that out?"

"When you were laughing maniacally and saying all these random things yesterday. In fact, it's time for your daily maniacal laugh."

"Oh, okay. HAHAHAHAHA!"

"That was a bad laugh. No, don't pout at me, Lord Kharl, it doesn't do anything."

"Hmph."

"What happened to the spell?"

"Yes... Embruja el castillo de donde vino mi dolor. Destruye la unidad de los que pelean por él bien. Sigue mis ordenes, demonio de odio, y cumple mi plan!"

III

Tetheus stood up, wavering, and walked into his bathroom. He turned on the faucet and brought the cold water up to was his face. He put his trembling hands on the sink, supporting himself as the droplets of water ran down his pale face and fell, dotting the floor with shiny droplets.

Why was he feeling like this? He felt ill at ease and troubled. There was a dark energy in the castle, he could feel it. He started as it suddenly burst, as if being released from where it was kept and was now winding through the castle, like poison. He had to figure out where it was coming from, quickly, before it caused any consequences.

But what was youkai energy like this coming from? It wasn't from a youkai, but it was the same type of dark energy. Where had it come from? What was it doing here? One thing was for sure, it wasn't a good sign in the least.

III

Rune woke suddenly, his dark blue eyes flashing. He pushed the covers back and stood up, walking resolutely to the door and opening it. Looking carefully beyond the halls and finding no one, he smirked and walked quietly down the halls. Stalking quietly behind one of the guards in his way, he wrapped his hands harshly around the man's neck, choking him. The dark haired man sputtered and fell unconscious to the floor. The elf sneered and dragged his body into a dark room, placing a blanket over him, then continued on his way.

III

Kaistern woke upon hearing his door open and the click closed. He opened his light eyes, and sat up quickly. "Who are you?" he asked, surprised, at the black haired lady that had walked in his room, smiling warmly and holding a vase with various wildflowers in it.

"I'm Queen Raseleane. I just came by to give you some company," she said, and Kaistern felt something lurch in his head, and he winced, shutting his eyes closed.

"What's wrong?" he heard the queen say, but his mind only registered blinding pain. It suddenly stopped, as mysteriously as it'd come, and he opened his dark eyes.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," he said, then, smiling a bit, "Could you get me some water?"

"Of course," the royal lady set the vase down and busied herself, pouring a glass of water for the blue officer and then one for herself.

"Those are beautiful flowers, my lady," he inclined his head and she looked at him strangely for a second, then smiled.

"Aren't they? Let me set them up on your window," she turned around, picking up the vase and began arranging the flowers. Kaistern grinned evilly and reached his hand up the small bottle he had on a string around his neck. Unscrewing it as quietly as possible, he leaned over and dumped some of the white powder inside, then swished around the glass for it to dissolve. He put the glass back in its original spot and took his own glass and took a long sip.

"There, this'll freshen up the room," Raseleane finally turned back, and reached for her glass of water. She brought it up to take a sip when they both heard Kitchel's loud voice yelling at Thatz to stop being inappropriate in public and a loud crash. They both winced, and in the process, Raseleane's glass slipped, falling into the carpet and spilling the clear liquid all over the floor.

"See what you did Thatz?" Kitchel said, coming in when she heard the queen's exclamation.

"Me? You were the one who pushed me away!"

"Only because- never mind why. Sorry, queenie, I'll help you clean up," Kitchel muttered slightly sheepish.

"Sorry about it Kaistern, didn't mean to indirectly make a mess in your room," Thatz said good-naturedly, not noticing the scowl on the officer's face.

'Scorch them, they ruined my plan. I cannot fail again...' the blue officer closed his eyes instead, and when they opened they were a light color again.

"Ah... what happened?" he asked, rubbing his temples sorely.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drop the glass, I've been so clumsy lately..." the queen smiled apologetically and Kaistern looked down, embarrassed.

"Um, there's no need to be sorry, your majesty," he looked up, "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Thatz, I'm the one who saved your butt from that creep Fedelta, so you should thank me."

"Ahem, I'm Kitchel, and I'm his owner," the pink haired girl said, taking Thatz collar and pulling it down rather sensuously.

"Owner? What are you talking about?"

"You are a lazy bum, and need someone to guide you through everything, in return, you should do everything I tell you," she giggled, erasing the serious expression on her face and kissing the green-haired knight's cheek.

"Anyway, we're leaving, tata," she waved goodbye and dragged Thatz along with her.

"I must go too, but if you need anything, don't hesitate to call someone," Raseleane bowed slightly and exited the room, leaving a rather dazed blue officer behind.

III

"Rune, we're coming in, we've got your lunch," Cesia called and opened the door to Rune's room, Rath at her heels. They found an empty bed, and no one else in the faerie's room.

-

Yup, Rune's missing. If anyone can piece together then events that have happened, well, not that Kharl didn't give any major pointers, hehe, but if you can figure out what's happening, you get a bonus cookie for being half smart, cause I think it's kinda easy. Of course, the better the answer, the tastier the cookie! And you can have it in any flavor. I like sugar cookies and choc. chip the best. And sprinkles are good too. I am SOOO happy school is almost done! I had my Algebra final exam this Tuesday. No fun. I got a nice grade though. An A. YES! Well, back on track, has anyone read book 13? Has anyone read my other fic, Bittersweet Sword? If you like a lot of romance and angst, and Rath very sadly and emotionally (or so reviewers said) kill himself, lots of shounen-ai, not so common pairings, although very possible and thinkable, and I'm very sure I'm not the only one, and lots and lots of Rath as a little kid, but not always acting so innocent, and Kharl bringing a dead Rath back to life (well, not yet, I'm not done with all the character chapters, yes all your characters get their very own chapter, maybe even two! Depends on how far I go...), then I'm sure you'll love Bittersweet Sword. It's got all that and more. HahA, sounds like a commercial, but it doesn't hurt to advertise your own stories, does it? Oh, and anyone who speaks Spanish should have figured out what Kharl's incantation spell said. Not that it was important, just a neat little thing. Oh and yeah, I have Kaistern kinda have a crush on Alfeegi, but you'll see how that turns out. And the sad thing is that Rath likes Kaistern, and that Kaistern, before he lost his memory, kinda liked Rath as well. I don't know how I'm gonna do that, since Rath has Cesia, but I guess I could have Rath and Kaistern have like, a little forbidden love affair thing. Tell me what you think of that. Well, I hope you all have a good school week (YEAH RIGHT) and whatever, wish you all best of luck in whatever you need. CHAO!