Chapter 12

By:Zosocrowe

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

I have merely borrowed a couple characters to create

a silly fan story. I have no money either

3/19/05

(This chapter is a bit longer than most)

Nel and Albel stood on a narrow, craggy ridge, arguing over the map they held between them.

"Another two days is nothing," Albel was saying, his eyes slivers of agitation.

"Another two days and Fayt could be dead," Nel snapped in annoyance as she tried to wrench the map from her companion's hand.

"Bah! At the rate we've been going, he's probably already dead!"

Nel threw her hands up in the air, letting go of the parchment so fast Albel had to take a step back or get hit in the face. "Weren't you the one who was in such a hurry to get this over with? I swear, you change your mind more often than a baker bakes bread."

The lean warrior gave the angry woman a blasé look. "In Airyglyph, that's not very often," he replied matter of factly.

Incensed at his sarcasm, Nel kicked a pile of gravel at him, sending a spray of rocks clanking off the metal guards of his boots. He looked down, with a brow arched, still holding the map in his hand.

All morning, non stop, they'd done nothing but bicker between one another. How to properly carry a wounded man. What path to take. What kind of birds above them. When they should eat. What they should eat. Who was dirtier. It was an unending loop of absurd snipes and petty lashes, not even fit for a school yard.

Plum was two days behind them, but the lingering antipathy had left everyone apprehensive and anxious. Albel wasn't sleeping well, or rather, worse than usual. He didn't seem to be having nightmares, but when night fell, he became increasingly restless and nervous. Coincidently, his insomnia was contagious, and Nel found herself lying in the dark, jumping at shadows and noises that didn't exist. Between the two of them, the time they spent actually sleeping couldn't be more than an hour or two.

The tension was nerve wracking.

Rusia fared better than the two soldiers. She was accustomed to living with fear and unease, so when it came time to rest, sleep came easily to her. The constant quarreling seemed to bother her more. When a fight began to brew, she would busy herself with the semi-conscious Leylan, her face always full of tired, worried lines.

Albel shook the dirt from his shoes. "If you're going to throw a tantrum, I'm going to find something to eat," he said, stalking past Nel and shoving the map into her hands. "Let me know when you want to play grown-up."

"Oh, you're one to talk," Nel snapped. "All you've done is complain since we left Plum. What is your problem?"

Albel spun about, his long tails of hair arcing around him. "My problem?" he crooned. "Where do you wish me to start? Perhaps we should begin with that," he said, gesturing out over the view point below them.

Nel followed his outstretched arm with mild interest. She didn't need to look to know what had his loin cloth in a bunch this time. Beyond the mountain range they stood on, a sea of gold spanned as far as the eye could possibly see. There wasn't a speck of color that wasn't gold. Not a single hint of shrub or rock. Only waves upon waves of dunes in an ocean of sand. "It's a desert," Nel replied. "I told you this part of the journey was going to be arid."

"Arid!" Albel exclaimed, his cheeks gaining color. "Woman, this makes the Mosel Dunes look like a damn oasis!"

Nel shrugged. Okay, so she hadn't expected it to be exactly this dry, but there was no need to admit it. "Well, what do you want me to do about it? I'm fresh out of pixie dust."

Affronted, Albel's eyes narrowed. "Pixie dust? How…cute."

Nel smirked.

"If you and your extra baggage want to trudge through that death trap on the rations we have, go right ahead. I don't intend to die so needlessly."

Nel arched a brow at him, "Is that so?"

Albel glared. "Yes. That is so. Have you even bothered to look at what we have left?" he asked, quickly changing direction of the subject.

"Of course I have. I'm not a total idiot, you know. We have enough to make it through Rebyc and into Mota." Nel crossed her arms in defiance, daring him to question her further.

"I doubt that. Not with those two tagging along." He shot a look at Rusia, who ducked behind one of the lum.

"What? You think leaving them in Plum was a good idea?" Albel just stared at her and Nel shook her head. Stupid question. "Listen. I told Rusia we would take her to Mota. I owe her son at least that much. Surely even you can understand that."

"Why Mota? Why not Tup'ni? If we dump them there, we can resupply and be on our way. It's obviously the most efficient plan."

In some respects, he was correct. It would be easier to leave Rusia and Leylan in Tup'ni, but Nel had her principles. Tup'ni was the only village left on this side of the mountain range. It sat high in the peaks, surrounded by rugged terrain and steep cliffs. The trek there was dangerous and tedious, which explained why the town was saved from the rampages of Plum. The trip would take them at least two days, though technically the village wasn't far from where they were now.

"It's only a matter of time before someone investigates Plum. They'll figure out what happened and what do you think will happen to Rusia and Leylan then? They're the only survivors and the people in these parts aren't exactly the most civilized. It would be better to set them up in Mota, which is a bigger city, where no one will care who they are or where they came from."

Albel snorted, his face set in disapproval. "We still need supplies. Two people might be able to cross that wasteland, but not four…unless, of course, it was your plan all along to drink the blood and eat the flesh of our lum."

Disgusted, Nel wrinkled her nose. That certainly hadn't been her intention. Actually, she'd forgotten about their equine companions. Her oversight must have shown on her face because Albel sneered triumphantly.

"I'm hungry," he stated suddenly, giving Nel his back and denying her chance to speak. "I'll fetch something and you will cook it, wench," he said, looking to Rusia. Wide-eyed, the older woman gave him a shaky nod. With a final glance over his shoulder at the fuming Nel, he smiled to himself and disappeared up the trail.

When he was out of hearing, Rusia turned back to Nel, wringing her hands together. "Master Albel is certainly…ah…energetic today," she said in a quiet voice.

"He's a dirty wretch," Nel grumbled, ignoring Rusia's gaping stare. She reached inside her clothes, producing her daggers.

Rusia gasped and reached out, grabbing hold of Nel's wrists. "Lady Nel, you mustn't!" she exclaimed, her voice holding a hint of panic.

Nel gave her an incredulous look. "Mustn't what?"

Jerking on Nel's sleeve, the woman gestured to the weapons. "I know Master Albel is a bit…gruff, but he means well!"

Brows perched high, Nel stared at the woman. "Relax, Rusia. I'm just going to look for food too."

Rusia drew her hands away slowly, an embarrassed flush gracing her face. "Oh. I thought you were going to slay him."

A wicked smile spread across Nel's face. She almost laughed, but didn't want to seem rude. Flipping one of the daggers into the air, she said, "Of course not! If I was going to kill him, I'd choke him until his face turned blue. A knife is far too impersonal for the likes of him."

Opening her mouth like a fish and frowning, Rusia replied, "It seems you've thought about this often."

Nel started up the trail. "You have no idea."

Sunlight streamed through the canopy of the sparse forest, dappling the ground with a various mosaic of light and dark. The trees were spindly, yet tall, and there was a mix of both coniferous and deciduous species living in a mingled harmony. The familiar scent of pine was mixed with the odor of decaying, musty leaves as Albel padded over the soft forest floor.

Over his shoulder he slung three unfortunate squirrels and a skinny rabbit. All together, there wasn't enough meat on the animals to feed one person, let alone four. He had a sneaking suspicion that the hare was worm ridden and the meat would be rancid anyway.

Rodents seemed to be doing well high upon the peaks of the mountains. He'd seen no sign of larger animals, herbaceous or carnivorous. Forage was adequate enough to support only the smallest mammals, insects, and bird life. Most likely, the larger creatures moved on to other areas where food was more plentiful. His hopes of striking down a stag or wild pig were long dashed.

If Albel's resolve to detour to Tup'ni wasn't strong before, he was more certain than ever that there was no way they'd make it through the desert of Rebyc without re-supplying. The forest was forgiving and would always yield some sort of sustenance, but the sea of sand wouldn't be so generous.

The Aquarian was a fool if she thought otherwise.

He was half tempted to let her hide cook in that sand trap. It would serve her right for being so haughty. He'd never met a woman more incorrigible. She was always throwing her opinions around. Always questioning his logic. Always sticking her nose into his business. Nel's nagging was enough to drive any man to suicide.

Her only redeemable feature was the pleasure he got out of pissing her off. It was so easy. Oh, she pretended to be cool and impenetrable, but her temper was actually worse than his own. Once he'd figured out which buttons to push, all it took was a little nudge here and a push there, and her pretty little face would turn the color of over ripe Grana fruit.

How funny.

Picking at Nel until she cracked like a block of ice in the middle of the Mosel Dunes was almost as good as opening a shiny wrapped package on his birthday. Her frustration and irritation was the prize inside the box. Seeing her worked up almost made him…happy.

Kasia never amused him much. Actually, not at all. She'd hated confrontation, even the sporting kind, and was always willing to defer to his opinion. Like she was some sort of puppet. A doll. Albel couldn't remember a time when he'd talked with her, instead of at her. Better conversations could have been held with a post.

Communication between them had been moot. Anything his wife had to say wouldn't have interested him much anyway. They'd been miles apart, far too different people to have anything to share with each other. To her, he'd been nothing more than a symbol of her status and a shield to hide behind. For him…well, she'd been an obligation.

Still, he never disliked his wife, so to speak. If asked, he would have to say he felt indifferent to her in most respects, though once she was gone, he noticed her absence considerably.

Why?

Perhaps because she added a consistency to his life that he'd never had before. He could always count on her to be at their home when he returned from where ever he'd gone off to. Kasia never changed. He'd known her since they were young brats playing at Woltar's mansion, and though she grew into a young woman, her heart and mind stayed the same. He knew what to expect from her. What her reactions would be. She would never surprise him or betray him like so many other people in his life had done.

He didn't trust Nel the way he had Kasia. In a battle, he held faith in her and even respected her skills as a spy. Outside of warfare, he wasn't sure what to make of her. The Aquarian was so animated and alive, he found her almost intimidating. The vitality in her eyes was intense, something he wasn't used to seeing or dealing with in a woman. It made him nervous and suspicious, as did all things he didn't understand.

He tried to think of her as a man, but that was difficult. To get around her femininity he would have to be blind. There was nothing manly about her, and that annoyed him, because it made his pretending impossible. Women, especially beautiful women, weren't suppose to be killers or soldiers. He couldn't seem to move past that point, so looking at her as warrior was difficult too.

So he settled on imagining her as something androgynous. Neither man or woman. It helped to curb his confusion and stamp out the sexism that he was so accustomed to.

Most of the time…

Albel paused in the middle of the forest and ran his hand through his ragged bangs. He winced when his fingers hit a nasty snarl of tangled hair and something worse. Days had passed since he'd last bathed and there was still blood and grime matted in his long mane.

Being dirty made him cranky.

He scowled, working though the snarl until with was semi-free.

He needed a bath.

He needed something to eat.

He needed a good, solid sleep.

He stared at his hand a moment, rubbing the grit between his fingers. None of that was going to happen any time soon.

Running into Avarice had been a big surprise. Albel thought he'd never meet the demon of Greed again in this life time. Technically, he'd never properly met him, but he remembered the creatures voice well enough.

How could he forget?

A flare of anger shook him. Avarice would run to his master. He was certain of it.

And Romero would be curious.

There was a good chance the Master Demon would come to take a look for himself.

Perhaps coming on the Aquarian's quest would prove more productive than he originally thought. For once, things could work in his favor.

But Nel would be in danger.

That brought a quick frown to his face, quenching his brewing excitement.

The possibility of encountering Romero was never far from his mind. The demon was capable of popping up almost anywhere he pleased. All he needed was a whim. Now that the chances of meeting was a near certainty, Albel felt uneasy. The Aquarian woman would be nothing more than cannon fodder in one of their battles, and for some reason, that bothered him. Nel wasn't one to run, and even worse, if she thought he was in trouble, she would come to "help" him. She had no idea how diabolically lethal Romero and his minions could be. Plum was just a side show compared to their other twisted games.

If she became involved, she would die.

The idea of more innocent blood shed because of his personal affairs troubled him.

There was nothing he could do to prevent he inevitable. Romero would come for him. He wasn't deluded enough to think that Nel would have no involvement in his private war now. All he could do was count on her resilience and intellect as a warrior for the time being. When the time came, he would think of some way to keep her out of the fray.

"Don't think too much." Wasn't that what the Aquarian had said to him. He hated to admit it, but she was right. Worrying wouldn't solve any of his problems. All it did was make him even more tired and cranky.

He came into a large clearing. Beyond the trees stood a wall of granite, slick with moisture. Deep fissures, like some artisan had taken a chisel and carved massive columns along the grain of the stone, loomed high above his head. Water seeped from the cracks like the rock was some sort of sieve. There was one waterfall, a mere spicket of clear liquid cascading into a crystalline pool below. The ground nearby was bare, except the occasional barberry and spindling sapling.

Craning his head back, Albel watched the water fall from the top of a high ledge. A natural spring? He'd never seen one such as this before. The water appeared to come out of the mountain side like magic.

He set his game down and walked to the edge of the pool, staring into the clear water. The bottom was visible, as if he could reach out and touch it. It wasn't deep. Maybe four or five feet at the most. There was no sign of life, not even algae or plants.

Dropping to his knee, he cautiously ran his fingers across the glassy top.

It was cold.

Really cold.

He lifted his hand and sniffed the water that dripped from his digits. No scent of sulfur or minerals. No hint of poison.

He looked back up the face of he columnar jointing, a curious frown placed on his face.

Nel slipped through the pale shadows along a narrow embankment. Her breathing was labored, face damp with sweat. Sticks and leaves stuck out at various angles in her bright hair and there was a smudge of dirt across her chin. She paused to catch her breath, looking behind her anxiously.

Damn. Who'd have expected to run into a band of Bogles so far up the mountain? She'd stupidly stumbled into their camp, though who was more surprised was still up for argument. A hasty retreated hadn't shaken their anger at the sudden intrusion, and now she found herself being chased by at least fourteen animalistic humanoids.

Usually the creatures weren't so tenacious, but apparently they'd noticed the scarceness of game as well. Too bad Bogles weren't beneath eating humans, if the circumstances were desperate enough.

She wasn't overly worried. Bogles were never much of a problem, though the number of them was cause for a bit of concern. Thankfully, the monsters were slow and dim-witted, so she hadn't had to engage them as of yet. Eventually, they'd tire of the chase once they discovered that catching her was going to be too big of a task.

Or she hoped…

Nel could hear them behind her, trudging through the underbrush like heavy footed lizards. Occasionally a loud bark would break the natural silence of the forest as they communicated in their odd, guttural language. Stealth wasn't their forte, but it kept her aware of where they were.

She needed a quick way to discourage them.

Glancing about, taking quick survey of her surroundings, Nel spied a tall ridge above her head. It was too far to jump, but the rock was just weathered enough to allow her small hands to have some gripping action. Scaling the side would be tricky, but she was light enough that it shouldn't be much of a problem.

Tucking her daggers beneath her clothes, she pulled on one of her leather gloves and reached up for the first protruding stone. Once her feet had a decent footing, she pulled herself up, bearing down on her finger tips.

At the top of her climb, she grit her teeth and hauled herself over the ledge. Her arms were trembling and every muscle in her upper body seared with a burning pain. Somehow, she managed to pull herself away from the edge as the first Bogle appeared in the clearing below.

Lying silent, Nel peered over the edge, watching as the creature turned his nose into the wind. He looked over his shoulder and made a quick bark, and several replies came quickly from somewhere in the trees. Nel wished she knew what they were saying, but she didn't need to speak their language to understand them this time.. Bogles had great sense of smell and hearing. The big one below probably figured out where she'd got to already, but was having a difficult time deciding on how to haul his big body up the mountain. She had to find a way to throw them off and fast.

Scooting back along the ground, she reached the wall of rock and stood, just out of sight. The rest of the cliff was sheer and there was no place for her to climb, but luck would have it that there was a small opening just off to her left. A cave of sorts. She didn't like the idea of boxing herself in, but it was far to small for the Bogles to come in all at once. If they came after her one at a time, she could easily pick them off with her daggers and runology.

Getting down on her belly, Nel pushed her way into the cave. Surprisingly enough, the inside was monstrously cavernous, as if the entire top of the mountain was hollow. The dim light from the outside made deep shadows along the walls, which glinted with veins of some sort of strange ore. The air was heavy, musty, but oddly humid. There were no stalactite or stalagmite formations that she could see. They cave appeared to be dry, or dead, though the damp air made her think that somewhere inside there was a water source.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her glowstone. The cavern was suddenly a striking contrast of light and dark. She was surrounded by stone and that strange, gleaming ore. There was no moss or lichen to be seen, though she was certain the scent of stale water was mingled with the musty odor of the cave. The ground was pebbly and undisturbed. No animals or people had been inside recently.

Stepping deeper, the shadows shifted and she noticed a wide path that led downwards into a gaping maw of darkness. She frowned, wondering how such a worn, obvious trail had made its way inside the mountain. An old mining shaft perhaps? No, that didn't seem right. There were no tracks and the peculiar ore was so abundant, excavation was unlikely.

The sound of falling rocks and loud snarls made her jump. The Bogles were trying to make their way up the cliff. With no where else to go, Nel drew her long dagger and started down the pathway.

The trail was like a spiraling staircase. Around and around it went, her footsteps echoing off the lonely walls. The ore seemed to grow richer the deeper she went, glittering in jagged lines like miniature rainbows. She'd never seen anything like it before. Whatever it was, it wasn't any sort of mineral or stone she was familiar with. The humidity grew even more oppressive and somewhere up ahead she could hear the sound of water running, as if from a faucet.

The path widened and flattened out as she ducked though a low arch way. Nel found herself inside another cavern, not quite as open, but still impressive. As she stepped to the center, her mouth opened in awe.

The room was almost solid crystal and with the light of the glow stone, reflected every color of the spectrum in an array of geometric patterns. Prisms as wide as she was tall jutted out from the walls like massive spear heads. Druzy and pyramidal specimens, starting from the size of her fist to as large as her head, protruded from the dusty floor. Most of the cavern was structured by twinned minerals, creating a rough, yet beautiful texture along the wide veins throughout the walls.

Like carved ice in the center of the room was a fountain comprised of three prisms and two basins. The thing was huge, almost five times Nel's height and at least twice her width. Water poured from openings she couldn't see and disappeared into a steep canal. On the far wall next to another archway was a piece of smoothed granite. Inside the perfect rectangle were carefully carved runes.

Nel walked along the narrow dike that ran next to the flowing water. She gazed up at the runes and frowned. Touching them, she frowned. They looked similar to the ones she wore on her body, but she couldn't read them.

What was this place? A ruin or shrine?

She couldn't begin to guess. She sensed no magic in the air, but the water seemed to come from nowhere, just like the Sacred Orb back in Kaddan. What had Maria called it? An OPA? Well, the likely hood of two such things on Elicoor was impossible, if she understood what the blue haired woman said correctly. They were supposedly rare.

She looked back over her should to the fountain. Something had obviously created it, but who or what? And the runes too. During some point in history, someone had hollowed out the mountain and created this…this place. But for what purpose?

The echoing sound of falling rocks made Nel spin about. Bless the Bogles and their clumsiness. She was a bit shocked they'd followed her so far. Probably urged on by the scent of water. She ran her hand over the runes once more and then turned to duck under the next archway, not noticing when the strange writing began to gleam faintly.

Albel was reclining against the bank of the pool, his arms outstretched on either side, his head tilted back and eyes closed. Under a shrub close by, his clothes were neatly folded, the Crimson Scourge tucked carefully away in its sheath.

The water was chilly, biting even, but once used to it, it wasn't so bad. He was so filthy he wouldn't had cared if the pond had been stagnant and full of toads. Anything to wash the blood, grit, and sweat from his body.

He was enjoying the soothing quiet of the forest, the sound of running water lulling him into a half doze when a rock fell on his head.

He jumped to the center of the pool, yelping in pain. Holding his skull, he scowled upward at the overhanging cliff. Several more rocks rained down missing him by inches. "What the hell?" he growled, wading through the chest deep water and closer to his sword.

A shrill yell made his head snap back around. His eyes widened as the entire overhang gave way and he only had moments to cover his head with both arms.

Nel's flailing body crashed into Albel, knocking them both under the surface of the pool. She came up sputtering, blinded by the water and stunned by the cold. She had no idea what broke her fall, but she couldn't be more thankful that she wasn't splattered all over the rocks.

Apparently the ridge couldn't bear the weight of herself and four adult Bogles. When they ran out of the cave, the entire cliff gave way, sliding down the steep face of the mountain. She'd been on the very edge and managed to leap out of the way while the Bogles were caught up in the small landslide.

Bogles! She looked back up to where she'd ran out of the cave and noticed several of he animals peering down at her. She reached for her dagger, wondering if they'd be tenacious enough to come down after her. She'd had about enough of them…

A hand grabbed her from behind, slamming her face into the cold mud. Instantly frightened, she strained against her captor's grip, trying to look behind her to see what held her down. The body above her was bigger and heavier, the weight immobilizing her completely.

"Move and I slit your throat," came an angry snarl.

Nel's eyes opened wide. "Albel?"

The grip on her neck lessened enough so she could look back. Albel was trying to blink the grit from his eyes, his face full of confusion.

"Zelpher?"

Relieved, Nel pushed herself up and he let her go. Those Bogle had chased for almost the entire day until they managed to corner her near the exit. She'd had a horrible afternoon. Her game was gone, her clothes were dirty, and muscles she didn't even know she had ached like the devil. "Yeah, it's me," she replied sourly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Albel snapped, rubbing an eye with the heel of his hand.

"Me? What do you think you're doing, trying to kill me like that? Don't you even look to see who you're attacking?"

Albel scowled through watering eyes. "I'd look…if I could see, you idiot. I wasn't quite expecting the mountain to fall on my head…"

Nel stared at him for a moment. "Oh…"

"Oh? Is that all you can say? What were you doing up there?" He reached down and splashed some water into his face, trying to sooth his reddened eyes.

Nel pointed at the cliff but the Bogles were gone. Apparently they'd gotten one look at Albel and disliked the odds. Maybe they were smarter than they looked. "I had Bogles chasing me all day," she explained irritably. "I ended up in some weird cave and they…" Her eyes followed his hands scooping up the clear water and her mouth snapped shut, face growing red.

He was naked. Completely and totally bare as the day he was born. She was so close she could see the pale line of hair that ran from his navel and beneath the surface of the waist deep water. Water that was…pure as crystal. Hell, she could even see his…toes…if she looked hard enough. "Oh my god," she whispered, wrenching away her eyes to stare at his irritated face.

Albel wiped his face with his forearm, peering over it with narrowed eyes. "What?" he grumbled, growing increasingly annoyed with the ruby haired woman. When she gaped at him, he frowned. Gods, she was so red even her ears were the color of a blacksmiths fire. Where all Aquarians as strange as she was?

Nel looked away suddenly, her face tightening into a hard mask that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Albel…I think you should get dressed."

He looked down at himself, growing quiet. Oh. He'd totally forgotten during all the excitement. His mouth screwed into a strange, uncomfortable line. He finally found his arrogance and turned, but the pinkening of his cheeks gave away his embarrassment. "Like you haven't seen a man before," he replied, his voice holding a bit of uncertainty.

Nel glanced at his back, about to tell him to mind his own business but the twin scars on his shoulder blades made her stop. They were large, the length of her palm and gleamed with a waxy shine against his natural skin. Most warriors had marks of battle upon their bodies, but these were strange as their placement mirrored one another almost exactly. The one on the right was a bit closer to his spine and a tad lower, but the difference wasn't easily noticeable. Not when someone knew what they were looking at.

Something had pierced him instead of slashed him.

And whatever made those scars wasn't random. The wounds were calculated and precise.

Now that she thought about it, there were two more marks just below his collar bone. She'd noticed them when they were arguing in the pool, but was too distracted to pay much attention. They weren't as wide nor as long, but Nel was willing to bet that the ones on the front belonged with the ones on the back.

She turned back around when he waded out of the water. There was a brief rustling of fabric as he pulled on his pants and boots. Her embarrassment faded within her curiosity. She found herself wondering if he had similar scars upon his body and was tempted to peek as he dressed.

What had happened to him? Who was fast enough and strong enough to catch the lightening quick Albel Nox and run him through not once, but twice?

She was afraid she already knew the answer.

Romero…

She jumped when Albel's tattered cloak smacked her in the face. She fumbled with the heavy cloth, trying to keep it from getting soaked. He stood on the shore in just his suede pants and mesh undershirt, an awkward scowl on his face.

"You might want to cover up too," he stated as she climbed out of the pool.

"Huh?" Nel asked, gasping when his eyes drifted to her chest for a second. She whirled away, clutching the cloak to her breasts, her face heating up.

Behind her, Albel chuckled lightly. "Water's cold, isn't it?"

Nel cast him a nasty look as she pinned the fabric around her shoulders. "Oh? Is that your excuse then?" she jabbed back. She smirked when his wry smiled faded.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

Quick update! Yay! Another transitional chapter…sorry 'bout that, but as a few of you said, it must be done. I realized I didn't thank you guys last time! I felt bad…So double thank you this time around. As always, your comments and input are most appreciated! Oh, go check out the translations I did on a SO3 story called "Creation GO!" It's hilarious (I thought so anyway)! You'll see the link in my bio.