Recalling The Spirit Chapter # 33

Oh my gosh. Chapter 33. I have been working on this story (and it's prequel) for over a year now. As you might have been able to tell, this story will be winding down to a close very soon. It will most likely end up with 36-37 chapters. I would like to thank everyone so much for helping me through this story with their reviews, both constructive criticism and compliments. Thank you so, so much.

(Comment added December 15th, 2004) Gah! I just read this story and I find it quite discouraging. Hopefully I'm being too hard on myself. Jeez, right now my writing seems awful. Oh well. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. Gah!)

(Comment Added January 1st, 2005) Oh my gosh! This chapter is taking me FOREVER to write! I feel better about my story now! I'M SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE!!!!! Happy New Year, everyone!!!!)

(January 6tth 2005: Oh my gosh! I have found a new favourite singer!!! Must get back to writing! Don't worry, I'll finish this chapter… someday.)

(January 7th 2005: This chapter is coming out EXTREMELY fluffy. Um, I'll try to make up for it somehow. Sorry burningfate. I know how much you hate fluffy chapters)

It's odd, thinking how much I must have changed during the year and four months that I have put into this story. I've reread my entire story, and you can see my writing style changing drastically. Also, my author's notes. The first chapter I ever wrote, I believe I was hyper on sushi. I've changed a lot. Hopefully for the better.

I'm listening to Techno music on the Computer radio right now. I think it's muddling my brain. DJ SKRIBBLE'S FAULT FOR MY MIND MELTDOWN!!!

Hahaha! Just watched Christmas Vacation! It's HILARIOUS!!!! OMG love the cat explosion.

I'd like to reply to some more reviews.

Sakura Blossom-Cilla-85:P: I just LOVED your review! I laughed SO hard when I got it! Yes, he has a twin! Thanks for the great review! I loved your reaction!

BlueDevil592: Ferio was my favourite character to write. I liked Morgaine too, though I'm having some problems with her. Thanks for the review!

Taiy-Chan: (To both of your reviews) LOL! Guess what! I was in the sushi place and I was looking at a menu for takeout, and 'Tai' is a kind of fish! A red snapper, I think. Te he. I didn't actually put Pauline twice. I put my favourite characters list afterwards and Pauline was third along with Linda and Caitlyn. Hehehe your reviews were funny…and long…Aww, motor oil! Hehe. Whoa guess what…my anime obsession is lessoning drastically…scary!!! Bet a certain Inu obessed person stole it…

Jessica: I LOVED writing Ferio as a character. He's actually from a show called Magic Knight Rayearth, but I altered him a bit. Quite a lot, actually. He's kind of like the MKR Ferio, but at the same time, completely different. Ferio and Morgaine? Hmm…You'll just have to see, won't you? Don't worry, I'm going in depth with the elementals in this chapter. Thanks for your review!

Aharah Musici: I KNOW. I fee like that last chapter was a nightmare! It's very difficult to introduce eight characters at one (well, I only really introduced six of the eight because Jake and Lantis got wiped out really early…). Either that, or I just can't introduce masses of people all at once. I'm going to go a little more in-depth with the Elementals in this chapter, so you get to find out more about then. Gah, I hated the last chapter. Ah, well. Let's see if I can do better this time! Thank you very much for being honest and critical with your views on my story! I find it really helpful.

Orion Kohaishu: Actually, I based most of the OC Elementals on people I know. They're probably quite different from their counterparts, but that's all right. As I think I've said in almost every other review reply, I loved writing Ferio! I wanted to make him really cool, since he is the elemental of shadow. Thanks for your review!

M.S.K: Goosebumps? From what? The twin thing? Te he. I hope that came as a big surprise to everybody. Liked your review!

angelprincess22: I try to update as much as possible. I've also been working on a Rayearth story, called Different, which took up a little bit of my time. Thanks for reviewing!

Oaria Koniack: Taiy (if you don't know), is a name that my friend made up, combining three names together. It doesn't really mean anything. Thanks for your review!

Burningfate: I like Caitlyn, Pauline and Morgaine. And Ferio. Did you read my new MKR story yet? I LIKES chocolate chippies. Ya, Caitlyn kind of came out…oddly?…in this chapter. Sorry. She's adopted. I had to make it work somehow. SORRY!!!! IT'S FICTION REMEMBER!!! Mmm chocolate chippies are my FRIENDS!!!

Onaip: I'm going to be 'writing on' for a while. Thanks for reviewing again!

Mi Mi Penguin: Let's hear your far-fetched idea. I want to know if it's right! Thanks so much for reviewing!

Katsy Kat: It has branched off to the point of almost being normal fiction. To tell the truth, this is practice for me. I'm hoping to publish a story soon. I've already pretty much got the plot and everything. That's why most of my fanfiction is coming out pretty junky right now because I'm trying out writing styles and trying to establish what is my own. I really loved your review, and I found it oddly inspiring. Thanks!

KG the oven mit fanatic: Hey K-girl! I go by Josie now. Cuz I figured my original make up name was stupid.

Annmarie Aspasia: Thank you very much!

Kanoe: Sorry! It sometimes takes me FOREVER to write a chapter!

(Comment added: Techno music finished. The Way by Divine Inspiration came on and gave me inspiration for fluff, ironically enough. Just as I was typing a fluff scene. Yay FLUFF. Oh, wait, there's the Techno again. Oh well, I like this song. Heaven by DJ Sammy and Yanou)

Who We Are

"Hey Morgaine."

The auburn haired girl looked up. "Oh, Violet. What did you want?" She grinned as her friend approached her. They had VERY different personalities, and many people wondered how on EARTH they managed to get along. "Who are you mad at now?"

"The prissy girls. I hate them."

"They're pretty nice to me." Morgaine replied, looking back down at her artwork and starting a new design.

"To your face, maybe. You're such a goodie-good."

"I am not!" Something else clicked in the girl's mind. "What do you mean, 'to my face?"

"They say really mean things about you behind your back."

Morgaine didn't look up, though she stopped drawing. Who do I trust? She thought. Violet might be lying, or she might be telling the truth! I just don't know anymore!!!

"Why don't you tell me what they said?" She questioned.

"Because I don't like saying mean things!"

"Tell me. I want to know! Besides, you say mean things to me all the time!!!"

"You're such a dictionary, Morgaine. Reading Shakespeare all the time."

"So what? I like Shakespeare. Tell me what they said!"

"No!"

"You're lying."

"No I'm not!!!"

Sometimes, I'm too trusting, that's my problem. And other times, when I should be, I'm not, thought Morgaine glumly, looking at her artwork again. Outside, the wind suddenly blew stronger, reacting to her emotions.

"You know what, Pauline?" Questioned Caitlyn, as her, Morgaine, and Pauline were walking home from school on a bitter November day, rain drizzling down on their hoods. "It rained on both your birthday, and on the day of your birthday party!"

Pauline grinned evilly. "I know." She replied happily.

Morgaine smiled. "I like the wind." She said spontaneously. "WIND!!!" The slight breeze that had been blowing the rain into their faces suddenly increased, and all three girls screamed as they got soaked, and ran as quickly as possible towards Pauline's home.

"MORGAINE!?! What'd you do that for!?!?!?"

"Sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"Caitlyn, please make us warm!"

"I can't, that old guy with the big nose is watching us!"

"Way to go Morgaine!"

"Eew! He's PICKING it!!!"

"I'm sorry! But it's partially your fault! You started the rain!"

"Shut up!"

All three suddenly stopped running, riveted to the spot. Each shared the same vision. Two young teenage boys…Elementals…were fighting to the death. Fire and Ice, the Gifts of the elements, used to harm, not to protect. As blood splattered, Morgaine squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears, Caitlyn yelped, and Pauline shuddered. They could feel the Fire Elemental's pain, his worry over the one he was protecting. Closer examination revealed her: a rather pretty Oriental girl collapsed on the ground, her eyes closed, blood seeping from cuts in her hands. There were ice shards everywhere on the floor, glittering dangerously, and light reflecting on their razor sharp edges. There was a yell from the Fire Elemental, some sort of warning, and the girls' vision clouded with smoke.

Caitlyn was the first to speak. "I think we should go see Linda."

The three girls stood on Linda's doorstep and rang the doorbell, shivering as they stood under the roof, wringing out their dripping clothes and hair. The Vietnamese teenager answered the door after the fifth ring. She looked worried. "Did you guys feel that?" she asked. Caitlyn, Pauline, and Morgaine nodded.

"What do you think it was?"

Morgaine, the Elemental of the wind spoke up. Her soggy bangs were flopped over her left eye "I think there's unbalance between…our kind."

"Two elementals fighting." Pauline added.

"So…when does it begin?" That was Caitlyn.

Morgaine shrugged. "Sometime. Anytime. We just have to wait."

There was a moment of silence. Then Akira exploded.

"She's my WHAT?!?!"

Caitlyn looked bewildered. "Linda, Pauline…do I really look like him?"

The pair nodded dumbly.

"Holy crap."

Akira looked wild. "Tamiko!!!!" He said, trying to keep his voice calm but failing miserably. "The joke's over okay?!?! Ha, ha, ha. You really had me fooled for a minute." He stated bluntly.

Tamiko shook her head slightly. "Akira, I'm not lying. You two look a lot alike."

"Fine!!! We look alike!!! But we aren't flesh and blood TWINS!!!! I don't have any siblings!!!!"

"How do you know that?!?" Tamiko questioned him. That shut Akira up. His mouth opened and closed a few times soundlessly, reminding her vaguely of a fish (albeit one that's rather red in the face.)

He finally managed "I…I don't…but…that's…"

Tamiko interrupted him as gently as she could. "You don't remember much about your mother, right?"

"Yeah…but…"

"Caitlyn, do you remember anything about your father?"

The female Elemental of Fire shook her head, her eyes wide. "No. Not my real father. My mother never mentioned him. She was married a second time, to some guy in England. She sent me away to an orphanage in Canada a little while afterwards. All I can remember is her crying, and saying it had to happen. It was like…fate, or something. She went on about how she had to let me go or else…something terrible would happen later on. But at the last moment she clung to me, and went on and on about how she could make it work. My step-father had to remind her about…something. Whatever the consequences were. I can't remember much. It was long ago. I was…eight at the time, I think. Maybe seven. Anyway, he apparently was killed in a car accident a couple years after, and my mother returned…here. To the spirit world. It's kind of funny…I can't even remember her face…not even her face…" The girl looked like she was suddenly about to cry, but she held it back with a force of will. Tamiko suddenly felt terribly for the girl, and believed her completely.

Akira swore, and teetered slightly, a slightly crazy look in his eye. "YOU'RE LYING!!! I CAN TELL!!! WHY DON'T I REMEMBER YOU THEN, HUH!?!?!?!?! I HAVE MEMORIES OF MY CHILDHOOD AND YOU"RE NOT IN THEM!!!"

Caitlyn jumped slightly, frightened.

"Akira, calm down! You're so temperamental!!! Unless you want to draw Kyu down on us!!!" Tamiko yelled, losing her patience with her companion.

"I WILL NOT BE QUIET!!!!!! WHAT IF SHE'S LYING!!!!! WHAT IF SHE'S KYU IN DISGUISE, LIKE TSUBA!!!!! WHAT IF…mughm mmmingh mourmun…"

"Sorry about that." Tamiko apologized sincerely to the group of Elemental girls watching them closely. Her hand was clamped firmly over the Irish teenager's mouth. "He gets like this sometimes. Are you going to behave like a good little boy and not yell?" She questioned Akira, who was turning a kind of beetroot purple. He growled, and then, finally, grudgingly nodded. Tamiko took off her hand.

"I'M NOT GOING TO FALL FOR…muhhun MMGRUGN…!"

Tamiko rolled her eyes and sighed, her hand once again on his mouth. "Mathus told us to trust elements, remember? I thought it was crazy at the time, but now it makes sense. Not the elements. The Elementals. These girls are on our side."

Akira visibly calmed. Tamiko gingerly took her hand away. He didn't yell out, instead staring somewhere into the distance, completely out of it.

"An ea? Tuigim. Tá tú glan as do mheabhair. Sin é." He muttered to himself. He seemed in some sort of daze, rocking back and forth gently, seeimng as though he might collapse at any point in time.

It took Tamiko a few moments to translate some of this in her head. Then she leaned over and looked concernedly at his blank face. Sighing, she pulled back her hand and…

SMACK!

He still didn't come out of his state of shock. "Hit him harder." Pauline suggested from the sidelines.

SMACK!!!!!!!!!!!

There was a moment of complete silence. Then… "…Ouch…"

"Are you okay?" Tamiko asked him, resting a hand on her shoulder. Akira shook his head, bewildered. "I think…I think I…I need…need to…to sit…down. Sit." He replied a little shakily, clinging onto her for support. She led him over to a convenient log and sat him down on it, steadying him, making sure he didn't fall over. His knees seemed weak. At this moment, he seemed so frail to her. So small, helpless and vulnerable. She was used to him always teasing her, always being there to support her. She felt as if she had to comfort him, that she had to be there for him. He was always there for her: when she went half-crazy over her powers, when Taneesh died…now it was her turn.

He looked up at her from his seat, seeming to come out of his reverie for a moment and flashed a quick smile full of gratitude and warmth. "Thank you, mo croi." He whispered, squeezing her hand. Tamiko flushed slightly, despite herself. She squeezed back, and then went to go start a small campfire, leaving Akira to retreat back into his stunned state behind her. She realized it was the middle of the day, but it was autumn, and she was freezing.

He's amazing. Tamiko realized. Maybe that's why I like him so much.

"Maybe I should sit down too." Caitlyn, the other Elemental of Fire stated, to no one in particular. She walked near to where Tamiko was gathering firewood, and promptly sat down on the spot, staring across the distance at Akira, unconsciously fidgeting with her orange pants and red top. Morgaine, Pauline, and Linda exchanged glances, seemed to arrive at a decision, and joined their friend.

I hope Akira's all right. He's so stunned he can't even tease me. I'd be pretty unnerved if some person approached me and I learned they were my twin. Tamiko thought to herself. She looked up at Akira, who still looked as though this news was trying to register in his brain. Poor Akira. He's gone through so much in his life…

Finally happy with the amount of firewood in the makeshift pit, she knelt, took two reasonably thick sticks, and began rubbing them together, desperately trying to get enough friction to get a fire going. She continued at this for a good three minutes, slowly getting frustrated that something was not happening, when a hand on her shoulder startled her. She jolted, dropping the sticks, and turned her head to see who it was. She was shocked when she realized she was looking into Akira's warm, comforting, emerald eyes, slightly covered by a lock of wayward dark auburn hair. He was kneeling beside her, his open palm resting on her shoulder. "Here, let me." He said softly. Pointing at the fire pit with his free hand, not lifting the other one from her shoulder, a small flame came into being at his fingertip, and leapt towards the dry wood. It caught, and in a few seconds the whole thing was burning merrily. Tamiko smiled, slightly flustered. "Thanks." She whispered. A small smile caressed his lips as he got up and returned to his seat. A couple seconds later, she got up and sat beside him. Everyone present stared into the fire, each thinking his or her separate thoughts.

I wonder what everyone is thinking about, wondered Tamiko, not lifting her eyes from the fire. That Elemental of Fire girl must be pretty shocked, though she doesn't show it as much as Akira. I would be scared out of my wits if it was me. I mean, having a twin?!?

Jeez, this sounds like some terrible sitcom that women in their late forties watch. The ones that are on during school hours, where the acting is dreadful, and the script seems like it was written only seconds before by some mediocre director who decides what the show needs is a good shock to keep people interested.

"So…we're twins." That comment was from Caitlyn, after some time had elapsed. She grinned suddenly. "That's cool!"

Linda groaned, Morgaine put her hand over her eyes, and Pauline punched her in the shoulder. "Nice, Caitlyn! Make us worried about you!!! Jeez!!!"

The female elemental shrugged. "It was scary at first, but…it's AWESOME! I've got a TWIN!!!" She turned to Linda. "Isn't that COOL?!?!?"

Linda burst out laughing. "Sorry! I can't help it!" she explained, when she could catch a breath in between bouts of hilariousness. "Why are you laughing?" Pauline questioned her friend, trying to stifle her own giggles. Linda only laughed harder. "I…don't…know!!!!!" She exploded, tears streaming down her face. That started Morgaine off.

The tension in the air dissipated as the four female elementals laughed and chatted amongst themselves, paying no attention to anyone else. Across the fire, Akira inhaled deeply.

"Are you okay?" Tamiko asked him, worry for him showing in her face. He blinked a couple of times and then turned to look at her. "Yeah, I think so." He said honestly, smiling wearily. "It just was a shock. Thank you, by the way."

"Huh?" Tamiko replied intelligently.

"For helping me. The way I was feeling, I probably would've collapsed if you weren't there to support me."

"It's really no big deal…"

Akira's sharp eyes caught and held her gaze. "Yes it is. To, me it is. Thank you."

She smiled up at him. "Hey, I owed you anyway. You're always there when I most need you."

He looked so serious… "Don't forget, you are my anamchara." That look in his eyes...she averted her own from his gaze.

Tamiko looked confused, not knowing the word. "Your what?"

Akira grinned. "And you definitely needed help with that fire. It was kind of sad, watching you. How can you not be able to start a fire?"

Tamiko was taken surprise by the sudden change in atmosphere. Her head shot up. "Shut up!" she managed.

"Aren't you supposed to be…like…fully independent and used to the wilderness? How can you be independent and not be able to light a fire?"

"Shut up!!!" She exclaimed, pushing him playfully. Unfortunately for the both of them, the log was rather round, and there was nothing rooting it to the ground. The log rolled, dumping the pair unceremoniously on the forest floor.

There was a moment of complete silence. Then…

"BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!! OH MY GOSH! I CAN NOT BELIEVE YOU JUST DID THAT!!!" Linda exclaimed, bent double and clutching her stomach in a fit of laughter.

Tamiko sat up to the roaring laughter of the Elemental girls, Akira following suit, pointing an accusing finger at the Oriental girl.

"You are such a klutz, Tamiko!"

"I am not!"

"Are so!"

"Am not!"

Tamiko raised her hand to cuff the Irish teen around the head, but he caught her wrist. "Are so," he teased, flicking her nose with his finger. "Nice hair."

Tamiko lifted her free hand to the tangled rat's nest that was her hair. Branches, twigs and leaves were woven into it. "Shut up."

Akira stood, pulling her up. "You really need to expand your vocabulary."

"Shut up. I don't need to use many words to deal with you!!! You wouldn't understand half of the words I said if I used a six year olds vocabulary!!!"

"You're losing your touch. What kind of an insult was that?"

Tamiko opened her mouth to retort, and couldn't think of anything. She made a face at Akira, then thought of something. She walked over to the female elementals, and sat down between Linda and Caitlyn. "Hey. I'm Tamiko Rivere. I'm a good friend of Akira." She grinned at them. "You girls do realize that we outnumber him five to one, right?"

"Yes…" Linda said, not understanding.

"Well!" Tamiko said cheerfully. "I think that his look is a little outdated, don't you?"

Morgaine looked at her warily from beside Pauline. "Why?"

"It is in my personal opinion that what he needs…is a good makeover!"

The elemental girls all put in their input on the idea at once:

"I LIKE it!!!"

"I've got pink lipstick!!!"

"Of course you do, Linda! You ALWAYS do!!! Who has hair bands?!?!"

"I've got some spares!!!"

"Eyeshadow? Anybody?!?!?! Caitlyn?"

"ARE YOU STUPID?!?!? I DON'T WEAR MAKEUP!!!"

"Right! Sorry!!! Anybody else?!?!?!"

"ME! Is silver okay!?!?! I've got mascara too!"

"LINDA! What don't you have!?!?!"

"Umm…nail polish actually. And concealer."

"His skin's perfect anyway. There's no use for it!!!"

"Hehehe. This is going to be FUN!!!"

"I don't carry around nail polish. But I've got a purple marker! We can do his nails with THAT!!!"

Akira backed away slowly. "No…you wouldn't do that would you…no…please…I'm sorry….Tamiko…sorry…no…no….osheeeosheeosheee…"

The girls advanced upon him, evil grins on their faces.

Birds took flight as the shout reverberated around the forest.

"GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Tamiko put up her hands. "Aw, Akira! Don't look at me like that! Your punishment is that you don't get to wash off the eye make-up until tomorrow morning, and that's FINAL."

Caitlyn giggled. "Boy, for a brother of mine, silver eye shadow is really you."

Akira focused the energy of his glare at his twin, the mascara making him look ridicules. "Caitlyn. You're from Canada, eh?"

The jibe made a slight whooshing sound as it went over Caitlyn's head.

She grinned. "YEP!!!" Pauline and Morgaine exchanged glances behind her, rolling their eyes, the latter sighing and gently patting Caitlyn's shoulder. "You'll be all right, Caiti."

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

Akira stood up. "Well, it's getting late." He commented, looking up at the crescent moon. We'd better be going to bed."

"You just don't want to endure any more torture-" Linda began, but Tamiko interrupted her. "Caitlyn, would you mind coming over here for a minute?"

Caitlyn was about to question why, but looking at the sudden seriousness on Tamiko's features silenced her. She walked over. Tamiko rose from her seat. Akira stopped rubbing at the make-up smeared on his eyelids and watched, a touch of worry crossing his features. Tamiko looked into the female Elemental of Fire's eyes. "Do you mind if I try to see into your past?"

"WHAT?!?!? You can do that?!?" The teen exclaimed, tucking her brown hair behind her ear, eyes wide.

Akira took a step forward to intervene, and then stopped himself. I can't protect her all the time. She has to be able to make her own choices. She's smart…

with a talent at being very stupid at times..

Tamiko smiled thinly at Akira's twin. "Yes." She said with more confidence then she felt. I've never seen into the past of a specific person before. All I've ever done is flashes of general past, from not that long from the present. This might be too much for me.

"Sure! Go ahead!" Caitlyn agreed readily. "What do I do?"

"Nothing." Tamiko focused, looking straight into the teenage girl's eyes.

To everyone else it seemed as though Tamiko had suddenly grown…majestic. She seemed to increase in stature, and her face seemed to resonate power. Coloured motes filled the air around her, and her eyes seemed to glimmer, accenting the slightly dragonish look they contained already. She had gone from the tattered, somewhat worn Tamiko Rivere to Tamiko no ryuu, Daughter of the Dragon of Japan.

Akira tried to hide the worry from his face. Every time she made this transformation, he always found himself praying that she would be able to return to her normal self again, that this form would not take her over, and make her something she was not. He was also in awe, though he tried to hide that. Even with her tangled hair, she was beautiful. Just let her be all right.

Tamiko spoke, with a deeper, richer voice. Layered under it was the roar of a dragon. "Caitlyn, Elemental of Fire. Are you ready?"

Caitlyn nodded dumbly, hoping that her wobbly legs wouldn't give up on her and make her fall, squeezing her eyes shut. Tamiko touched her forehead with two fingers, and closed her eyes also.

The pair seemed frozen in time to all those observing. Morgaine reached out to touch her friend's shoulder, but Akira barked out. "Stop!"

The Elemental of Wind froze, her eyes wide and looked at him.

"It's not safe to touch them. Something horrible might happen! She's never done anything like this before! I don't know the consequences!" God, Tamiko, don't be stupid. Come back!

Morgaine snatched her hand back. "Will they be all right?" She questioned in a hushed voice.

Akira didn't answer.

Tamiko felt like she had been tossed into a deep dark part of a murky ocean during a storm. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't call out, and she couldn't see anything. She was drowning, submerged in dark, cold water.

She tried to quell the uncontrollable fear that rose inside her like a roaring beast, threatening to consume her, and forced herself to think. It was difficult. The chill of the water was numbing her limbs, causing her to move sluggishly, and her lungs desperately needed air. She turned her head this way and that, trying to figure out which way was up, but there was no clue, not hint of sunlight, only the dim half light that was everywhere, in every direction.

This is some sort of test, isn't it. Thought Tamiko, trembling. The last time I was this scared was when I fell into the lake when I first met Akira…and he was there to save me then. Gods, Akira…I need you now more then ever…and I have to do this all alone.

She haphazardly picked a direction, and began swimming. She wasn't very good…she had forced herself to take lessons, and had progressed quite well too…but it was a lot easier when you could see the bottom and there were people to help you if anything happened and the water was shallow. Then it wasn't so gods cursed FRIGHTENING.

YES! She had spotted flickering light, about nine feet above her. But her lungs were about to burst…

Unable to control herself, she opened her mouth to exhale the air that had been building up in her lungs, and sucked in water.

I'm going to die!…oh God…I'm scared…

Working against the dizziness and darkness overcoming her, Tamiko used one last burst of energy to get her towards the light…

Her head broke the surface. She took a deep gasp of air…

and suddenly she just wasn't there anymore. She was…somewhere.

She was standing on a snowy sidewalk in front of a huge clock tower. Red double Decker buses drove past her one the road. But…Tamiko looked down and nearly screamed. She had no material body. She was there only as an observer, in spirit.

OKAY, that's JUST a little CREEPY!!! Tamiko thought to herself, shivering. I have no BODY!!!

There were hundreds of people bustling around the square, so the two people standing, gazing at the clock tower stood out. A young woman and her daughter, both dressed in warm, parka like coats. The young girl was recognizably Caitlyn, at roughly about the age of six, with one long brown braid trailing down her back. She looked like a marshmallow, in a white puffy coat with a matching set of white gloves and a hat, and white boots. Combined with the short height, she looked like something you could roast on an open fire on the end of a rather large stick. The little girl clung to her mother's hand, looking a little frightened, but impatient also.

Her mother was completely different. Tamiko tried to get a glimpse of her features, and found that they were blurry, non-characteristic. Maybe I can't see her that well because that's all that Caitlyn remembers of her on the surface of her memory. Maybe if I dive a bit deeper… Tamiko thought, and tried to focus more on the woman's face. Sudden nausea came upon her and she stopped abruptly. Okay…that might take a bit more power then I'm prepared to give…

The young woman's clothes and hair were clear though. She wore a black coat with a fur trimmed hood. Her boots were black heels, and her gloves, scarf and hat were soft blue. Her hair was a soft brown blond colour, down to her shoulders. Her fuzzed out eyes seemed to be red, with dark circles underneath: it looked as though she had been crying. Her face seemed oriental, which made her light hair colour seem a bit odd.

And…there was a bruise on her left cheekbone.

Omigod…this is Akira's mother…the same one he was looking for in the spirit world when I first met him! The poor woman. It looks like her husband hit her also. Was she crying because she had to leave Akira behind? The mother began to speak, and Tamiko listened in.

"Well, Caiti-chan, looks like we're finally in England. Are you a bit scared?"

"A bit. Mommy, why did we leave Ireland? Why did we leave Daddy?"

The woman froze for a moment, then smiled wanly at her daughter. "I'll tell you when you're older sweetheart." Her thin smile wobbled a little, and she looked as though she would burst into tears again, but the façade held.

"So…do you want to see our new home?"

The little girl nodded enthusiastically.

So this is when they first moved to England from Ireland. But why doesn't Caitlyn remember Akira? Maybe I should move a little bit closer to the present…but how the HECK do I do that?

Tamiko felt a jolt, and suddenly the setting around her altered, changing into a warm, indoors scene

A kitchen, by the looks of it. The woman sat sobbing at the table with a man a couple of years older then her comforting her. He had raven black hair, and his eyes were a shiny blue, set above a sharp, razor nose and full lips. His skin was pale, and when he spoke, his voice had an English accent.

"I know, I know." He soothed. "But it has to be done." He touched the woman's brown blond hair. He swallowed hard, and when he next spoke, his voice quavered. "Don't think this doesn't affect me. Please. For the little while I've known her, Caitlyn has become like a daughter to me. And…I can't bear to see you like this."

Akira's mother looked up, raising her hand to rest it on the man's. To Tamiko, her face seemed like it was fuzzed out. All she could make out was the redness around undistinguishable eyes, and the pain etched on the poor woman's features. Her voice came as a whispered croak, the voice of a bewildered, sorrow filled soul. The voice of a woman who has given up. "I've already left one behind, now I must do it again? I know it is necessary; to keep the balance in the future, but…here and now, everything is all right. Why is the world so willing to rip away everything I hold dear?" She burst into heartfelt sobs that seemed to tear her very soul apart. The man stood, walked over to her, and hugged her. She buried her face in his shoulder, crying, while he hushed her. Finally she lifted her head, and said, her lip trembling, "At least I'll still have you, Dragon of Britain."

The man gave her a sad smile, and let her go. When she looked at him, confused, he simply stroked her hair. "Cry for her. Don't begrudge yourself compassion. Just understand what you're going to do tomorrow is right."

Tamiko heard a little intake of breath, which neither adult reacted to. Turning her insubstantial body to face the door, she saw six-year-old Caitlyn in baby blue Pooh Bear pyjamas peeking through the half open door, unnoticed by her mother or her mother's fiancé. She was hugging a fluffy dark brown teddy bear close to her, and she looked like she was about to cry. Her lips mouthed a single word, before she dashed off to her room

. The little girl's face had been so filled with pain, terror, anger, and sadness. The one unvoiced word seemed to contain the very essence of an abandoned child's cry to an adult, begging them just to turn around, to tell them it was all a lie, a joke. To have them scoop them in their arms and hush them, tell them that everything was all right, that they would never be left alone. The pleading in the girl's features was obvious when Tamiko was the only person who would ever see what Caitlyn had said.

Mamma

There was another flash, and suddenly there was no one in the kitchen, and a commotion going on outside the small house. Tamiko willed herself to where the noise was coming from. She felt a little weary, both physically and mentally, but tried to push that into the back of her mind. It happened when she saw what was happening under the noon sun.

Mother and daughter were gripped in a tight hug, neither looking like they would let go, while the man stood a little to the side. A limo was waiting on the side of the road by the driveway of the cottage-like building. The impatient driver honked.

Akira and Caitlyn's mother stood, choked up with tears. Once again, Tamiko could not see her face. "I guess you'd better catch your plane." She tried to make her voice sound nonchalant.

Caitlyn buried her face in her mother's skirt, and began to cry. "I love you, Mamma. I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too, sweetheart!!!" Her mother cried, hugging her daughter one last time. "I promise, when you grow up, I'll see you again."

Tamiko realized that this was the last time Caitlyn ever saw her mother. The last time I get a chance to see Akira's mother's face, but if I use too much energy trying to delve deeper into Caitlyn's memories I might never be able to get back. I might be trapped here…or even worse, I might just disappear…

She remembered how sad, torn and heartbroken Akira looked when he spoke of his mother, and to those memories she added a new, fresher, memory.

"It's kind of funny…I can't even remember her face…not even her face…"

Caitlyn's look of complete and utter devastation as she realized she could not remember what her mother looked like. Her face, collapsing in on itself.

Akira, looking for his mother in the spirit world…his confidence in finding her…the bruises on his arms…his abusive father…

I want to help him. I want to show him what his mother looks like.

Coming back to reality, Tamiko noticed Caitlyn walking away. I have to hurry!!! She focused on the woman's face. Come on…

The woman's face became a little sharper, but Tamiko could still not make out many features. She was also beginning to feel dizzy and nauseous. She forced herself to see clearly, to break the spell of forgetting. Akira's mother's features grew clearer, but were still unrecognisable, but not as terribly so as before.

Tamiko winced as a pounding headache ripped through her mind, scattering her concentration: all that kept her in the past. I have to hold it together…one more go…!

Ignoring nausea, dizziness, headache, breathing difficulties, and the feeling that her heart was slowing down, Tamiko shoved everything she had at the misty barrier blocking the woman's face from her. She caught a clear glimpse of the woman's face for just a moment before surprise and shock swept over her like a tidal wave, breaking down the walls that she had built up against her feelings of weakness. All of the sudden she couldn't breathe, it seemed like there was no blood flowing through her veins, and like she was going to regurgitate everything she had ever eaten. The last coherent thought she had was, although not the choicest of words: Oh, sh-

Her headache returned with a painful throb that made her ears roar, and then all went dark.

Those watching had seen a small frown of concentration cross Tamiko's lips. Then, slowly, the lights that surrounded her seemed to fade, the nonexistent wind that blew her hair died down, her majesty faded. All that remained were small patterns of scales fluttering across her skin. There would be little groups of them spread all over the oriental girl's body. They would stay in the position they were in for a moment, then change.

"It's like a heartbeat." Morgaine whispered to Akira, observing both Tamiko and the Irish boy with a studious, calculating face, seeming to find something interesting bout the both of them. She was more voicing her own thoughts then speaking to the boy beside her.

The gleam of the scales suddenly faded drastically and the pulses of them became slower. Tamiko's brow furrowed, and her calm breathing became a little more forced.

"Those scales…they must connect to her somehow. They seem to slow down as she…I don't know…uses her energy more? Maybe it does connect to her heartbeat! Why would her heartbeat be slowing down? What is she doing to herself?" Morgaine continued quietly.

With sudden rage, Akira turned around and gripped her shoulders. "Shut up!!! Just shut up!!!" he hissed venomously. The look Morgaine gave one of his hands as she glanced at it was disdainful, but she looked up at him not unkindly. She lowered her voice so none of the other elementals would hear (not there was much chance of that. Everyone was absorbed in watching Caitlyn and Tamiko).

"You like her more then you let on, don't you? Way more then you show around us. Even more then you show her."

Akira searched the Wind Elemental's dark brown eyes for any sign of a hint about what she was thinking. The girl was as unreadable as a brick wall when she wanted to be. "What? How…"

She smiled, and emotion flickered back into her eyes again. "I may be overpolite, serious, and 'too old for my age' with a bit of a nasty temper streak, but that doesn't hold me back from being observant."

She quickly and efficiently snapped both arms out to hit against Akira's, and he found that she had broken out of his grip. Giving him a nod, she walked over and sat beside Linda and Pauline, and began observing everything again, looking as though she was taking in everything that was going on and storing it someplace in her head.

Akira too, turned his attention back towards Tamiko. Her breathing was harsh now, but she still seemed to radiate a sense of…power. Though the scales only flickered sluggishly over her skin now, she still seemed in control of the situation.

Then they stopped.

Caitlyn's head shot back and her eyes snapped open. She panted, breathing deeply as if just submerging from a long swim underwater.

Tamiko's face contorted, and the last of her power seemed to fade away. Her eyes shot open, and they were still the eyes of the dragon, emerald green instead of chocolate brown and glowing slightly with a strange light, echoing the wisdom of the dragons. Then the light was swallowed up and shock flickered over the girl's features. She looked over at Akira, with a small smile. Then wincing, she clutched at her heart, and went red in the face as she tried to breathe with malfunctioning lungs. Then she collapsed.

Akira had seen it coming a fraction of a second before it happened, and he dove forward to catch her in his arms. "Tamiko! Tamiko!!!" He didn't bother hiding the urgency or worry in his voice. "Tamiko, you dolt, answer me!"

Caitlyn's legs gave way, and she collapsed, breathing raggedly, her eyes still bugged out. "Omigod! Caitlyn!" cried Linda and she, Pauline and Morgaine rushed over to check up on their friend. Pauline shook the Female Fire Elemental's shoulder. "Hey. HEY! Are you okay? I'm talking to you! Caitlyn!!!"

The girl was staring somewhere into the distance, unseeing, oblivious to her surrounding. "I…I saw her." The words came like a croak.

Morgaine looked at her friend's condition and then over to where Tamiko and Akira were. "You two stay with Caitlyn. I'll be right back."

She walked over to where the oriental girl lay, and knelt beside her. Gently picking up one pale white wrist, she put two fingers against it, and held her other hand a couple inches away from Tamiko's mouth. The Elemental of Wind looked up to meet the eyes of the distraught Akira. "Her pulse is irregular. And for a moment, it looked like she couldn't breathe, though she's fine now. She's really pale too."

"So what do you think happened?" demanded Akira, looking worriedly at Tamiko's face, which had turned a pallid white.

Morgaine shrugged. "Why are you asking me? I'm not a doctor! I'm only sixteen! The little medical knowledge I have is from babysitting courses, and long ago swimming lessons. And biology class, but I don't really think that's going to come into play, unless we're going to digitally dissect her." She looked down at the unconscious Tamiko again, biting her lip, thinking. "I'll go get some water. I've got a cup somewhere in my bag." She said pointing at the lake that surrounded the land of the spirit bathhouse. She stood, brushed some dirt of her pants and stretched. "Stay with her and make sure she continues breathing." She noticed the helpless expression on his face, the mingled worry, sorrow, and urgency shining in his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I can't do more." She whispered, bowing her head before she walked over to her pack. There were several small bags, one for each female elemental, which they had stored under a log before they had met Tamiko and Akira, along with their weapons. Rummaging, she pulled out a small transparent plastic cup, and left the clearing, heading for the shimmering lake, the bright sun shining down on it at noon.

Akira bent over Tamiko, smoothing hair from her brow. She's so pale…

"Tamiko…answer me! Come on, you have to get through this! Please, Tamiko…please…"

Morgaine climbed over a fallen tree, and jumped lightly on the other side, the sticks and leaves under her feet making a slight crunching sound. Humming lightly to herself, she continued on her way, pushing her way past branches that blocked her path, frowning as some of the words of the song that ran through her head eluded her. Spotting the glittering clear blue lake through the trees, she ran towards it, ceasing her humming.

Emerging from the clearing, she gasped. It was beautiful. There were steps leading down to the water, and Morgaine looked at them in puzzlement. But…wasn't that where we came from Canada? But it was all field!

"Well, what have we here?"

Shocked, Morgaine turned. Jake, the Elemental of Electricity and Lantis, the Elemental of Dream were standing behind her, the former grinning at her with open malice, and the latter looking serene and bored with his arms crossed across his chest.

Crap! swore Morgaine, chiding herself on not bringing her weapon. "I only want a glass of water. Can't you leave me alone?"

Jake laughed. Raising one hand in a casual way, he focused for a moment, and sparks began playing on his open palm, gathering energy. Sighing, he said regretfully. "It's really too bad about us being on opposite sides you know? We could've been friends."

Morgaine shrugged, watching both Lantis and Jake warily. She too held up a hand, index and middle finger raised, and started moving them in circles. Wind began to whirl in the circle that she was making, faster and faster. She made a slight jerking movement upwards with her hand, flattened her palm, and she had a miniature tornado whirling upright on the inside of her hand.

"Yeah, it really is a pity." She replied conversationally, though she was tense, ready to spring into action. "So I suppose you don't want to take our side in this fight?"

He laughed. "Sorry, no go. You want to join us?"

"Not in particular, no. Sorry"

"So what are you to your group? The temperamental one? The brain?"

Morgaine half smiled. "A bit of both, I guess."

Without warning, Jake shot a bolt of electricity at her. She dodged nimbly, and shot a windblast at him, which he called up a wall of lightning to block.

He shrugged at her.

"It's a pity I'm going to have to kill you."

Her threw another bolt, one that Morgaine couldn't dodge. Shutting her eyes tightly, she focused as best as she could, and made a complicated movement with her hands.

"You can FLY?!?!?" Jake exclaimed.

Morgaine smirked at him from her fifty feet in the air, the breeze playing with her hair. "Darn right. I'm the only one of our kind who can fly." She agreed, all amiability gone from her voice. Her life was in danger. Now was no time to be playing around. If she was cocky, she would die. At least in the air, she was safe for the moment.

Lantis unfolded his arms and shook his head. "Jake, stop playing with her." He pointed at the airborne Elemental of Wind. A misty, wraithlike cloud gathered at his fingertip, and with a whispered word, he let it go. The dream grew larger as it approached its target. Morgaine shot upwards, but the dream followed her, encasing the girl in its misty essence. Her scream was cut off abruptly as the thing sealed around her.

Jake turned to his fellow Elemental. "What did you do to her?"

No expression crossed the serious man's face. He was a serene twenty year old, a no-nonsense type of person who had next to no friends due to his quiet, expressionless ways. It seemed like the real him was encased in a shell.

"I put her in her worst nightmare."

Jake winced. "That's terrible."

Lantis shrugged and walked off, Jake following him, after looking up at Morgaine one last time and wincing.

In her mind, Morgaine screamed silently, on and on…

Tamiko jolted in Akira's arms. He looked at her face, surprised at the sudden move. "Tamiko? Tamiko, are you all right?"

Her eyes slowly opened. "A…kira…?" Her voice came out as a rasp. He smiled back in reply, trying not to cry. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse "Buchais le Dia. I thought I'd lost you." He looked at her more closely, brushing her ebony hair out of her face. "Your eyes…they've changed. They're green now." The green of the dragon, not her brown eyes.

She blinked slowly. "Am I dead?" she asked softly, gazing up at him blearily. "No. No, you're not." Something inside Akira snapped. She looked so frail…unable to even sit up, and she was such a pallid white…

"What happened?" he questioned her quietly.

Like her appearance, her voice was weak. "For a moment…I couldn't breathe. And my heart stopped. I was feeling dizzy and nauseous because my blood wasn't flowing to my brain, I think. And then there was this pounding headache, and everything went black."

"Tamiko, why did it happen?"

Her eyes widened. "I saw…well, Caitlyn's memory were faint concerning her…your mother. Every event was there, but I couldn't see her face…so," here she became a little hesitant, looking anywhere but his eyes. "I kind off…dug deeper into Caitlyn's memories, and it used up more of my power then I realized, and my body started to malfunction. But, Akira, I saw what your mother looks like!" She raised one pale hand to brush his check. "I saw her face…I can tell what she looked like…since you can't remember much about her…"

Something inside him snapped. "You dolt! You stupid idiot! Don't you understand? If you had passed out one second later you would have DIED. You risked your life for that?!?!"

When she spoke, her voice was defiant. "Why not? You risk your life for me all the time."

"That's not the same!"

"Yes it is! That's been an unsealed wound to you for some time: not knowing what your mother looks like, Not knowing your real family, having no one to go to when you need help. I'm just helping you heal…" She paused, took a deep breath, and added quietly: "Besides, don't you think I've gone through enough punishment without your lecturing me?"

He ran his fingers through his hair, making it stick up wildly. "God, Tamiko. I don't even know how we manage to get along! You're right. It's just…when you were reading her past…I couldn't do anything. You were all by yourself…and…" He trailed off.

"And?" She whispered.

"And, you can really be stupid sometimes. I had no idea what the heck you would end up doing to yourself." Akira finished.

Tamiko glared at him, and stuck out her tongue. "I'm gonna kill you for that…" She warned, struggling to sit up. He put a firm hand on her shoulder, forcing her back down. "See, I told you. You're an idiot. Glan as a mheabhair."

Tamiko frowned. "What did you say I was?"

"Crazy. And you are. Now get some rest."

Morgaine looked around her, cursing. I am such an idiot. Now what's going to happen to me? I've never been caught in one of Lantis's dreams before, Linda has twice…and we couldn't stop her blubbering for a week. Okay, calm down, Morgaine. Keep a cool head. Freaking out will get you nowhere. Just wait for something to happen.

Taiy walked out of the darkness that surrounded the Elemental of Wind, but it wasn't Taiy as he was in the real present. The manevolence was gone from his gaze, and he seemed happy and carefree, as he did before the betrayal.Back when he was her friend He grinned at her, and opened his mouth to speak, but there was a cracking noise in the blackness.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, whirling around. For a moment a sillouette could be seen against the darkness. It held up a gun, pulled the trigger, then dissappeared right after the shot rang out. Taiy collapsed, blood pooling from his head. Morgaine screamed. It was obvious he was dead. Another scream echoed in the darkness, and Pauline ran in, followed by Linda and Caitlyn. "Oh my God! Morgaine, what have you DONE!?!? He's DEAD. You killed him! MURDERER! MURDERER!!!" She ran up to Morgaine and began to hit her with her fists, tears streaming down the black haired girl's face.

Morgaine blocked the strikes, protesting. "I didn't kill him, I swear! It wasn't me!!! There was this man with a gun!"

Linda shook her head, tears streaking down her face as well. "Morgaine, how could you? He was your FRIEND."

"I swear it wasn't me…!"

Caitlyn, too was crying as she spoke. "You liar. You murderer. You have murdered one of us. You are dead to us now. We will forget your very existance."

Sobbing, the three girls left. Morgaine yelled after them. "No! Wait! He might come back for me! No, please! You have to stay and help me!!! Please!"

They disappeared. Morgaine whirled her head around, trying to look everywhere at once. "Oh no…no no no."

The figure rematerialized, and slowly lifted up his gun.

Morgaine tried to use her Elemental powers, but they wouldn't come. She was defenceless. She was defenceless and she was going to die.

Her worst nightmare.

No! There's no one to help me! I'm going to die alone and friendless. Oh God, no, please no! Morgaine's normally calm mind went crazy. No, no, no I don't want to die I don't want to die somebody save me please help me I'm going to die!

She cried out for her friends, but they wouldn't come. They had turned their back on her.

The man pulled the trigger. Morgaine screamed, squeezing her eyes shut and bringing up her arms to cover her face, expecting an explosion of pain.

There was none.

Morgaine tentitively opened her eyes. Another man stood in front of her, blocking her. One of his arms was dripping blood. He had taken the bullet himself, saving her. He seemed more…real then anything else in this nightmare.

The sillouette with the gun dissappeared.

The man who had saved her turned. "Are you all right?" He questioned.

"I…I'm fine…but…" Morgaine stuttered, still scared stiff over almost being shot. She pulled herself together, and looked into the man's golden eyes, covered slightly by a shock of green hair, most of which was pulled back into a ponytail. Her eyes widened. "Ferio?" She asked incredusly. "You ARE Ferio right? The Elemental of Shadow? The one who saved me from being crushed by a rock? Are you sure you're not part of my dream? A figment of my imagination?"

He laughed. "Nope. I'm real.How did you get caught in one of Lantis's nightmares, anyway?"

Morgaine shivered, and opened her mouth to tell him everything, and closed it again, thinking better of it. I still don't really know who this guy is, or if he can be trusted. She shrugged. "It's no big deal. How did you get in here?"

"I'm the Elemental of Shadow." He replied simply, calling up a dark wraithlike tendril of pure black in his palm. "Among other things, it gives me access to Lantis's Nightmares. I'm the only other Elemental who can enter them, other then Lantis himself." He noticed Morgaine shuddering slightly, though she tried to hide it, and her eyes darting from place to place. "Let's get out of here."he suggested kindly. He offered his hand, and Morgaine, raising her eyebrows slightly, took it. The darkness faded.

Morgaine smiled, looking around at the shore and the lake. "That's a lot better. Thank you very much." She added, turning to Ferio. She noticed the scar on one cheek. It looked old, so she forebore to comment on it. She realized that he bore a newer wound. His arm was bleeding heavily now, where he had been shot. Morgaine winced. "Oh…your arm."

Ferio shrugged. "It's nothing." Morgaine searched his face for a moment. There was no flicker of emotion in his eyes, no twitch of his features to show what he was feeling.Deciding quickly, she questioned him: "Do you mind if I rip your sleeve?"

Ferio looked confused, but shook his head. Morgaine tore the long sleeved shirt up to the elbow, took the material, and tied it aroud his arm quickly and efficiently to make a makeshift bandage. As she worked, she said "I'm very sorry for what happened to you." She stepped back, finished.

"What are you sorry for?" He asked.

"For you being hurt. If I had been more aware, then I wouldn't have been caught in one of Lantis's nightmares in the first place, and if I had been more calm, then I would have realized it was just a dream, and nothing would have hurt me. Or you. You wouldn't have had to rescue me again."

She scanned the shore, found what she was looking for a couple feet away, and walked over to it. Picking up the cup, she dipped it into the lake.

Ferio spoke. "It had nothing to do with you, really. I…um…just saw a person trapped in a nightmare and figured they needed help. I really had no idea it was you. It was my choice. It had nothing to do with you personally. It's not your fault I'm hurt." He wondered if she would catch the lie. It was true enough that he would save anybody he found caught in a Nightmare, he often did in fact, but he did know it was her. For some reason, when she was being shot at, I jumped in front of her to protect her. I didn't rationalize like I normally do when I'm saving people from nightmares: I didn't attack the attacker or pull her out of the way of the shot. I didn't think.

"I'm still very sorry." She replied, turning around to face him. "May I ask something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Morgaine narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Whose side are you on exactly? The Elemental of Fire, or the Elemental of Ice?"

Ferio grinned. "I guess you could call me neutral."

"Are you planning on choosing a side?"

The green haired teen shrugged, fiddling with the golden hoop in his left ear. "I don't know. Hey, what's with the formality? Are you always this polite?"

Morgaine's tone when she spoke next was a little chilly. "Often. With people I don't know. Or trust."

"Ouch, it bites! Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Nothing wrong with being polite."

"And I'm sorry for being rude."

"You don't have to apologize!"

Morgaine sighed. "Look, I have to go take this to someone. She's ill." She said, brandishing the glass filled with water.

"I'll come with you." Ferio replied.

"It's a long way back." Morgaine warned, unsure whether she wanted his company.

"So?"

"Fine." Morgaine started up the shore towards the line of trees, Ferio beside her. "Did you walk all the way down here?" he asked.

Morgaine nodded. "Yes…how else would I get down here?"

"Can't you fly?"

"Oh! That's what you meant. Considering most people in this area right now either bear grudges against Elementals, want them dead, or don't like humans in general, and that's NOT including Taiy and his group, I'd rather not draw attention to myself. I'm not saying I can't protect myself, I am perfectly capable. I just don't go looking for trouble when it can be avoided. I'm more cautious then the rest of my friends."

They walked in silence for a moment. Then Morgaine spoke. "Why haven't you picked a side for the Elementals yet?"

Ferio shrugged. "I don't really know what's going on. All I know is two guys fought and there's some unbalance going on now."

"Have you been pressured to join a side?" Morgaine continued, serious faced.

Ferio was silent a moment before answering. "Yeah, I have. By Taiy's group. But it's no big deal, you know?"

"Did they hurt you?" she continued, her calm, level gaze set on him.

"What's with all the questions?!?!?"

"Sorry. I won't do it again, I promise. You're the kind of person who doesn't like to volenteer information, aren't you?" Morgaine suddenly burst out laughing. "Oops! That was a question! Sorry!"

Ferio chuckled along with her. Morgaine tucked her dark auburn hair behind her ear, and pushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"You've got really dark brown eyes." Ferio observed.

Morgaine sighed. "I know. They're so plain. It's not that I mind them, I really like my eyes. It's just that they're kind of boring. All my friends say so."

"They're not boring. They're nice. They suit you really well."

Morgaine raised an eyebrow. "Thanks…I think."

They walked for another moment in silence.

"So…" Ferio asked. "What are your hobbies?"

"Well, I read, I love to write stories, I play music, and I do martial arts. Lately the martial arts have come in handy, but I think I miss writing more then anything else. I just haven't had the time to write with the Elemental battle going on, and I've run out of ideas. When I write…it's like I can get away from everything that's happening. I can get away from my life…" She shut herself up. How can he make me talk so openly?!? "I said too much. Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Sorry…" Morgaine started automatically, and then added "…for saying sorry?" She laughed again.

Ferio watched her out of the corner of his eye as they spoke. Her personality was hard to determine. One minute she was serene, the next she was happy-go-lucky…

"You are one very complicated individual." He said out loud.

"Is that a good thing?" She asked. Remember…I don't really know this guy. I can't trust him.

"It depends." He said evasivally.

"On what?"

"On whether you want people to know who you are when they first meet you or not. Whether you have secrets you want to hide."

Morgaine mulled that over in her mind for a little while. Finally she said: "Do you think it's a good thing?"

Ferio frowned, considering "Most people try to be complicated, try to make themselves more interesting, and it's annoying, because they're pretending. They aren't being themselves. But with you…you're not pretending. You're not trying to be somebody you aren't. You're a million different things mixed together, you have a huge range of words that could describe you. You're still being yourself. You're an interesting person, Morgaine. In your case, yes, I think it's a very good thing that you're complicated." He smiled. "It's a nice change talking to you in comparison to other people."

They walked in silence, and Morgaine found herself blushing slightly, but the green haired teen walking next to her didn't seem to notice.

"I'm completely different then my friends." She stated bluntly.

"Nothing wrong with being different." He grinned, pointing at his hair. "How many guys do you know that are natural emeralds?"

"That's natural?!?" exclaimed Morgaine incredusly.

"Yep. Born with green hair, golden eyes and all."

The Elemental of Wind raised an eyebrow. "How?"

Ferio could've kicked himself. Open mouth, insert foot. He should've known that if he told her he was born this way that she would raise questions. And his background was personal. Very personal. He had never talked about it to anyone he didn't trust completely.

Meaning he had never told anyone in his life.

"So, how much farther?" He said, trying to change the subject. Morgaine noted this, but realized that his past was one topic that might be best left alone.

"Not too far. I warned you it was a long way, but you didn't want to listen to me."

They walked in silence for a few minutes.

"Um…thank you for saving me back there. And from that rock attack that Taiy threw at me." She muttered, not looking at him. She seemed embarrased.

"I told you, it was no big-"

"It was to me. I just…um…wanted to…um…thank you. I'd be dead if it wasn't for you." Morgaine cursed at herself. Why can't I talk?!?!

He grinned. "As I said, it's no problem. If it makes you feel better, you can owe me."

She smiled back at him. "Okay." And, just for a moment, her guard dropped down, and Ferio saw the real Morgaine, the one that she never showed to anyone.

"Doeby! There you are! What took you?!?" They had reached the clearing, and Linda ran up to them, breaking the spell. Morgaine's guard shot back up.

"Linda, I told you to stop calling me 'doeby'!" Morgaine reminded her friend.

"Okay, Doeby. But seriously, why were you so long?"

"I was ambushed by Jake and Lantis. I'll tell you about it later. Where's Tamiko?"

Linda pointed, and Morgaine walked over to the Oriental girl sleeping on the ground, Akira sitting beside her.

"How is she?" She asked the Irish boy.

"She woke up. She's fine, just a little tired."

Morgaine handed him the water. "Give her that when she wakes up." She thumped herself suddenly on the head. "I am such an idiot!"

Akira looked quizzically at her. "Why?"

"Pauline is the Elemental of Water. I could have just gotten her to fill it up! Oh, for goodness sakes."

"Good job, Morgaine." Said Pauline, rolling her eyes on the other side of the camp.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking straight."

"Stop apologizing!" said Ferio, Linda, Pauline and Caitlyn at the same time. They all exchanged glances and Linda burst out laughing. Pauline looked quizzically at Ferio. "What are you doing here?"

Morgaine spoke up. "I was ambushed by Jake and Lantis. Lantis put me in one of his Nightmares." She kept her voice, calm, level and matter of fact, and only Ferio, who was listening for it, caught the slight tremor in her voice. "Ferio showed up and saved me from it."

Linda, Pauline and Caitlyn winced. They crowded around the Elemental of Wind, concerned.

"Oh my gosh!"

"Are you all right?"

"You poor thing!"

"That's terrible!"

"Do you want to rest?"

"You must be frightened!"

"I'm fine." That was Morgaine. Liar, thought Ferio, crossing his arms and leaning against a nearby tree. You're hiding it well, but I know you're frightened.

"But that doesn't explain why he's HERE." Pauline pointed out.

Morgaine stayed silent. I don't know why he's here. Why did he come back with me? There was no reason to. Unless…maybe he was trying to protect me? That's silly, I don't need protection. I can fight for myself. But…if he was, I mean…why am I going red?!?

"Just in case Lantis or Jake showed up again." Ferio said from his spot by the tree. Morgaine looked over sharply at him. He returned her gaze levelly. "They've been attacking me lately, and I wanted to get fight them on my own terms for once."

Oh. So that's why. For some reason she couldn't figure out, Morgaine felt grief stricken. Why do I care? It's not like it matters anyway.She struggled to keep her face impassive, but she felt like crying. What's wrong with me? Why do I care if he wasn't along to protect me?

Ferio felt slightly bad also, to his surprise. Morgaine, along with everyone else, had bought his lie. Why do I feel so terrible? I've lied before…hundreds of times. Why do I feel bad now? He looked at Morgaine's face, where her emotions were not quite hidden to the observant eye, and cringed slightly.

"Oh well, as long as Doeby's okay!" cried Linda.

"Doeby?" Ferio asked, trying to make the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach go away.

"It's Morgaine's nickname!" exclaimed Linda, pleased with herself.

"What does it mean?"

Linda's eyebrows furrowed. "I can't remember."

Pauline smacked her forehead. Caitlyn, however, was eager to tell the story. "Well, one day when we were eating lunch, Morgaine was reminding us about one of the many times that she had been speaking and Linda had misheard her. She patted Linda's shoulder, and said "Don't worry, I'm okay." And Linda turned around, once again mishearing and said "Doeby's okay? You're Doeby!!!" and from then on Linda's nickname for Morgaine was Doeby."

"Oh yeah!" Linda smiled happily. "I remember now!" She thought a moment. "You can't tell stories."

Morgaine sat down on the ground, leaning her back against the tree. She was more tired and frightened then she cared to admit to anyone, and it was more difficult to hide her emotions then it normally was, due to the crushing sadness that seemed to run through her veins. She felt like curling up and crying, but didn't. What…what's wrong with me?

Caitlyn suddenly turned a little white. "I think maybe I strained myself a bit. I'm going to sit down." Her knees collapsed again. Linda and Pauline rushed to her aid, telling her off because she had overexerted herself.

Ferio walked over to Morgaine. "Are you all right?" he asked softly.

"I'm fine. I don't see why everyone is so concerned." Morgaine replied icily.

"Are you mad at me?" He tried to catch her gaze, but she wouldn't look at him.

"I see no reason why I would be, do you?" The Elemental of Wind spat out.

"Morgaine…"

"Forget it. Just forget it."

Tamiko opened her eyes and yawned. "Akira, what time is it?" She asked. Her eyes were bleary, and all she could see was hazy colours, but she knew that he would be there. He always was there when he needed her.

"The sun's about to set." He replied as she rubbed her eyes, and everything came into focus. "Can you sit up?"

Tamiko pushed herself up on her elbows. He handed her a glass of water. She looked into it, and saw her reflection. She screamed and almost dropped the glass.

"My eyes…they're green…" she whispered. They weren't her eyes…they were the eyes of a stranger… "You weren't joking…" She pushed the glass of water back at Akira, obviously not thirsty. "Can you please leave me alone? I want to be by myself."

Akira hesitated, wanting to comfort her, and at the same time realizing that she needed time alone. He nodded and left, walking over to Caitlyn.

Tamiko turned her back on the camp, brought her knees up to her chest, buried her face in her arms and began to sob quietly, for the price she had paid, for the bit of her that she had lost.

Akira clenched his fists, hearing her crying softly, and resisted the urge to calm her. Instead, he joined Linda, Pauline and Caitlyn, chatting with them, trying to get to know them better.

Ferio announced "The sun's setting. I'd better get going." He began to walk to the edge of the clearing to a chorus of goodbyes from Caitlyn, Linda, Pauline and Akira and stopped suddenly. Something made him turn around.

Morgaine was watching him, all anger from her gaze gone. Sadness flickered across her near-imperceptible features. Her eyes met his and they locked gazes. He winked at her, breaking the spell. "I'll see you all later." And with that he was gone.

After a moment, Pauline burst out with her opinions. "Well, what was that all about? He is weird. Don't you think, Morgaine…? Morgaine! MORGAINE!!!"

"Huh?" Morgaine said unintelligibly, blinking. Her cheeks were a bright pink.

"Were you listening to a word I just said?"

Morgaine shook her head, and returned to her normal self. "Sorry, no. Was I supposed to be?"

"I SAID, isn't that Ferio weird?"

"I…don't know." replied Morgaine, fiddling with her Celtic necklace, refusing to meet anybody's eyes. "He was right about one thing though. It's getting late."

"So?" asked Linda.

"We should get some sleep."

The Vietnamise girl looked slightly confused. She opened her mouth to say something, but Morgaine interrupted her. "I said sleep, Linda, not sheep."

"Oh, okay."

Linda walked away to find a comfortable place on the ground. Akira came over.

"The tables have turned." He remarked casually. Morgaine looked confused, though she thought she knew what this was about.

"What? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do." Akira said with a certain amout of satisfaction.

Morgaine could feel herself starting to red, and with iron will tried to stop herself.

"No…I swear I don't."

"I could see it on your face when he left."

"What…what are you talking about?"

"You don't tell Tamiko, I won't tell him. Got it?"

Morgaine pretended to be oblivious. "Sure…okay. I have no clue what you're talking about, but…" She trailed off as Akira walked away towards Tamiko. "Crap." She muttered under her breath. She began to fidget with a Celtic ring that was around her finger, turning it left and right . Called a Clauddagh Ring, it had the Celtic knot pattern weaving it's way towards the center, where a heart with a crown on top of it was under a half circle. On the bottom of the half circle were two hands holding the heart on either side, with the point just sticking out in the space between them. It symbolized love, friendship and loyalty. The curious part that a passerby would notice was that the girl wore the ring upside down. Like many women in Ireland (even though she wasn't from Ireland, or on that point, England), Morgaine wore her ring with the wide part of the heart and the crown facing her own heart, and the open point of the heart facing outwards. This signified that her heart was open: and that she was single. If worn the right way around, this meant that the wearer was taken. At age thirteen, when she had first received the ring, she had worn it the right way around ignorantly for two weeks. Finally wordering what it stood for, she had looked it up on the internet, and had found out it's meaning. She had looked at the ring for a moment in horrified realization, pulled it off her finger, flipped it around, and stuck it back on.

She often fiddled with it when she was confused, either with a part that she was writing in a story, or with her own feelings. She barely ever got into such an emotional state that she would do this anymore, so no really knew that this was the case, but she started to, unconciously, now.

Akira lightly put his hand on Tamiko's shaking shoulder. "Hey," he said softly.

Tamiko brought her head up and rubbed her tears away with a rough hand. "Hey," she replied, her voice dull.

"Some of the girls are thinking of turning in. You should get some rest."

"Mhmm." It was a noncommittal noise, made more just to shut him up then to answer any particular statement.

"Tamiko…come on. Realizing what you just went through, you need your sleep."

"Mhmm."

"I also wanted to thank you for what you did…for trying to see my mother's face in the past."

She shrugged.

"Tamiko…"

She turned to look at him, and rage flickered in her narrowed green eyes. Her harsh words snapped out like a whip as she hissed at him.

"You act like I care about your opinions! You presume that every word you say is important to me! Go away, Akira. Go away!"

She turned away from him.

Holding back a snide comment, he walked towards the campfire in the middle of the clearing and sat down in front of it, staring at the flickering flames. He wasn't sure for how long, but light snoring coming from Linda jolted him out of his stupor. He looked around him. Morgaine was slumped against a tree, her chin resting against her chest. She was breathing slow, relaxed breaths. Caitlyn lay sprawled haphazardly on the ground. Linda was lying flat on her back and snoring. All three girls seemed completely relaxed, all the stress and tension wiped from their faces. Tamiko, on the other hand, was curled up into a ball, tense as anything. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed and her hands were curled into fists. Her long hair was loose, forming waves around her face. Akira shook his head.

A noise startled him. Turning his head so quickly that it cracked, Akira found that is was just Pauline. Sitting up, she was tying knots in what seemed to be grass.

"Are you still awake?" He asked. She rolled her eyes.

"What does it look like?"

He patted a spot on the ground next to him. She came over and sat. "Can't sleep?" He questioned her.

"Nope."

"Why not?"

All of the sudden, Pauline burst into tears. Akira's eyes widened as she continued to sob, and he looked around as though pleading for someone to help him. Woah!!! "Um…" he said out loud.

"It's because of Taiy!" She said brokenly as she continued to cry. "I can't stop thinking about the betrayal…or him! He was one of us…we were all good friends…and then he betrayed me. Kyu almost killed me because of him! Taiy USED me!!! He used me to gain Kyu's confidence…so he could lead Kyu's army against us! I cared for him…I trusted him…and he betrayed me!" She wailed, burying her face in her hands.

How did I deserve this? Akira thought wildly. "Er…"

"And we have to find this stupid guy who fought Kyu upset the balance of everything and join his side and fight against their army of Elementals…and no matter what I lose! If we win I lose Taiy! If we lose I lose all my friends and the Spirit World will be in Kyu's power! I don't know what to do…!" Her voice rose to a cresendo. "I don't know what to do!"

Akira looked around, but everyone still seemed to be asleep. He was wrong.

Tamiko silently rubbed her eyes, and wondering what the noise was, hoisted herself up on her elbows and looked around.

What is Akira doing with Pauline? Waves of jealousy washed over her. She couldn't hear what they were saying anymore, but she watched them intently, anger in her gaze.

Akira hushed the Elemental of Water. "Look…I'm the one who fought Kyu. You can join me if you want."

Pauline's mouth formed a wide O of surprise. "It…it was you in that vision! And that girl you were protecting…that was her?" She still hadn't learned Tamiko's name, but she thumbed in the Oriental girl's direction.

Are they talking about me?!?! Tamiko thought, enraged.

"B…but if I join you…Taiy will probably di…die!" She burst into tears again. Akira hesitatingly patted her shoulder to comfort her.

Tamiko's emotions went wild. Anger and sadness fought for precedence. She wanted to cry, and she wanted to scream. All those things he ever said to me, all those nicknames. All those promises…they were LIES! You never cared for me, Akira. You were just using me!!!

But she neither screamed nor cried. Her heart had turned to ice. Her face twisted malevolently, and she made a decision. Standing, making sure not to make a noise, she walked out of the clearing, her face set, black thoughts bubbling under her surface. Her green gaze was cold and cruel.

Kyu was sitting on a throne of ice he had fashioned for himself, staring out through the cave entrance at the stars. He was alone. His army of followers slept elsewhere: he could not bear them in his presence.

He was slightly surprised when somebody came into the cave, and approached him. They were only half lit in the moonlight, and it was difficult to see features.

He raised a delicate eyebrow. "How did you get in here? I've set up a spell, this place is hidden from the sight of others…"

"Unless you are looking for it." It was a woman's voice which interrupted him. It was a pretty voice, not too high or too low. There was a cruel twist to her words however, morphing her voice into something it once wasn't.

"Very well. And why did you seek to approach me?" His voice was calm, level, but he readied himself to kill her if she made a move to murder him.

She walked up to his icy throne, knelt, and bowed. Long, dark hair hung on either side of her face. She sat up. Green eyes filled with hate stared into his icy blue ones.

"I've come to join you…Kyu."

Woah! That is the longest chapter I have ever written! 13 438 words! Oh my goodness! I'm sorry it's so long, but I just couldn't find a good place to stop!!!

Well, there you go folks! I updated! Was it worth the wait?