I've got nothing clever to say, or excuses. I was just being lame. I was gone and now I'm back. Sorry I've kept you in FanFiction Limbo. This one is for you ElleMelMarta

Misery comes in many forms; some great, some small. The loss of family, country, or even the small stone home that once was filled with laughter and memories. It could be one momentous burdensome day when you see all that is familiar and comfortable burned away; or breaking a bone. Whatever the reason it is always the same sickly toppling feeling, like you are falling; not knowing when you will hit the ground, just that it will hurt.

In Yakuzo's case he didn't feel like he was falling, the mountain was falling. There were no abstract or undefined feelings in his stomach like heavy churning stones. There were actual rocks, and physical solid boulders rushing down the mountain in a hurried stampede.

With thunderous insistence the cliff above shed layer after layer of rubble and debris, roaring to life and crashing out of tune with the wail of sleet and wind. A wall of mud and rocks churning as they were hurtling over one another. It took with it the cart just ahead, swallowing animals and soldiers, as the deluge of Earth plummeted below the mountain. Screams of panic began to travel through the ranks as a screen of boulders swept over them.

Yakuzo jumped over a rolling tree, landing with jerk, on his outstretched claws. It churned through the slurry of mud, spinning, and disorienting him. The pace of the shifting ground was steady, but relentless. He jumped from rock, to passing stone, to crooked and broken roots barely breaching the surface waves soil.

"Ikyna!"

He could scarcely hear his own voice over the rumble and growl of the landslide. The horrifying crack of falling trees and crumbling land groaned loudly, drowning out his calls and the frenzied panic of armored bodies rolled under waves of mud.

Moving was the only thing keeping him afloat in this deadly sea of curling sludge and bodies. The glimmer of chain mail and shields flickered against deep brown as others found stable mounds to perch themselves on safely.

Frantically Yakuzo searched through the undulating mire. All he needed was to see that familiar flash of blue hair. Could he even hope that she was okay in the turmoil? He had to figure how long had it been since the mudslide started? A few minutes? Seconds? How far away was she before the first crackle of the disaster? All these thoughts ran through his mind, barely sticking as he struggled to stay above ground. It was a flurry of shouting and rain as he raked his eyes over every inch he could see, agilely jumping to newly passing objects lodged in the mouth of the sliding mountain.

Ikyna was nowhere in the rubble. He hopped onto a branch, barely managing to balance as his paw dipped briefly into the wet grime. "Please goddess, let this end soon." he begged.

His mind was split for a second. He thought of Ikyna but another Beorc came to mind as the stream of mud dipped again. Cash had been a little ahead of the wounded. Yakuzo's heart sank; what about the cart that he saw washing over the edge into the river? Was Cash in that? Ikyna would be devastated if something happened to that child.

Jumping laterally away from the drop, Yakuzo shook the thought out of his head. He had to focus on one person at a time. He'd find Ikyna, and once she was safe, they could find the boy together.

One final wail lurched from the center of the mountain as the collapsing ground eased to a halt sending a billowing cloud of dust over Yakuzo with a sharp hiss. He coughed and spat the inky clay taste from his mouth and shook the dirt from his ears.

The icy rain settled the hazy debris quickly but did not improve the overall visibility. Yakuzo could not tell how much of the area had been affected, but it was further than 20 feet ahead of him. Tentatively he placed his paw on the slanted mound of mud, testing its stability. With a wet gurgle it squelched between the pads of his feet.

That wouldn't be the best way to travel. His thought was only confirmed as he watched the Beorc struggle as they waded through the earthy sludge, fumbling to grab any anchored rock or tree. A ripple of concern traveled through the broken caravan.

"Ikyna!" He shouted again, ignoring his throat's irritating dryness. As many times as he had to call her name he would.

"Ik..." Before he could finish her name the flicker of deep blue peaked through the umber blanket of the crumpled cliff. Ikyna was flat on her stomach hanging just over the edge. Yakuzo felt a deep sickening dread and found that his feet were moving him before his mind knew what was happening. It was like wrestling against the currents of the sea to wade through mud as it reached his chest. But Yakuzo wasn't concerned about the patches of tangled fur or the groaning of his joints as they worked against the heavy pull of the deep soil.

Was Ikyna moving? Was she hurt? Was she- he refused to entertain the thought, only letting his voice break as he shouted her name. She sprung to life, her head jerking toward the Laguz bounding her direction.

With a frantic wave of one hand, she hushed him loudly, returning her gaze to something below her. He was panting by the time he broke his momentum, the rain and mud forming tightly against his belly. "What, what are you doing?"

The worry in his voice weaved in between his heavy breathing, "Ikyna, get away from the ledge."

She was spread out, pressed into the soggy ground, reaching a dirty and cut hand beneath her. Yakuzo briefly scanned her body; it was filthy and wet, but so was everything else around them. Aside from a few scratches and some new tears to her clothes, she had come out of the mudslide mostly unscathed.

That didn't explain why she was leaning over a cliff. "Ikyna, what are you doing?" he asked again, taking a ginger step towards her.

"Stay back, it is unsteadied over here. I don't think this ledge will hold out much longer." Her speech was broken from exertion as she inched closer to the overhang.

"Everything is unstable you idiot." he berated, "so get away from the edge before you fall."

Yakuzo was shifting to a Beorc as he reached out his fingers towards his friend. How she managed to make him worry so much and then frustrate him was a talent all on its own. He grabbed the protruding root of a tree and anchored himself, "Take my hand and we'll go look for the others. I haven't seen Cash since the landslide."

"That's because he's right here."

"Right where?"

Ikyna glanced briefly at Yakuzo before directing her eyes over the ridge. The ghastly look on her face told him something was wrong.

"Is he..."

"He's alive." she interrupted, still shimming her body further away from the Laguz. "I think he might be in shock."

A distinctly ominous rumble shook the ground beneath the mercenaries. They shared a knowing fearful look. Either a second wave was coming, or the precarious ledge was about to crumble.

Yakuzo's heart began to race, "If you are going to save him, do it quick. We need to get away from here. "

Ikyna nodded in agreement and pointed to her partially submerged legs. "Hold onto me, I just need to reach a little further down."

There was a dreadful creaking underneath, and the Gallian could sense the small shifts. Pockets were forming around the two of them as the Earth drained over the sill of rock.

Half shifting again, Yakuzo did his best to use his claws to steady himself as he stretched his back. His nails hooked into the heel of Ikyna's boots as he groaned against the unforgiving pull of the mud. It gurgled and burped, bubbles of air popping as a sign that more of the protrusion was giving way to their weight. "Hurry Ikyna."

He didn't need to tell her. Ikyna knew the situation was going to be tight. She was aware that her body had slowly been tilting further over the edge. Even knowing this, she couldn't turn her back on Cash.

During the landslide she saw him churned in the mudflow carried closer to the cliff from the safety of a boulder she barely managed to climb. His small form had slipped down the side of the ledge just as the crumbling mountains rampant slide came to a halt.

Desperately she waded through the thick soup of rubble, boots and knees completely covered, until she could peer below her. To her relief Cash had fallen onto a thin overhang. Lying on his back his eye stared straight at her, flitting only slightly when she called his name.

The ground beneath her murmured and sank in protest at her movement. Ikyna slowly laid in the mud, spreading her body out and distributing her weight. It was shortly after that Yakuzo found her. Now she had her chest hanging over the ridge of a mountain and Yakuzo's teeth were digging through her boots. She ignored the pain; it was nothing compared to the ghastly look on Cash's face.

Even through the mud smeared from chin to temple, his skin looked thin and pale. She couldn't tell if he was too injured to move but she dangled her hand above him, her fingers waved invitingly. "Cash, can you move?"

He still seemed shaken from the fall but had enough coherency to offer her a small nod. "Good, good." she declared excited, shimming further.

Yakuzo offered a muffled complaint through his clinched teeth, "If you crawl any further, you're going to fall out your boots."

She ignored him and focused on Cash who slowly stood, making the small overhang wobble and lurch. Time wasn't their ally. With more urgency she shook her open palm, "You can reach me, hurry, before the edge collapses." her voice shook as she stretched her chest, the exertion constricting her lungs.

Cash still had a blank expression, but he eased his hand toward her. "Come on a little more." Ikyna encouraged, trying to talk over the sound of the shifting Earth as sweat beaded over her brow. Strangely she'd been freezing just a moment ago, but all the cold was gone as she tensely tried to coax Cash closer.

She could almost touch his fingers, they were just palms length away, but suddenly Cash stopped. Ikyna could not understand why the young boy froze. But when she looked from his gradually retreating hand, she looked at his face and swallowed a lump in her throat in horror.

What she saw terrified and broke her heart. The whole time Cash's face had been voided of emotion. He was like an empty slate, simply going through the motions of living. He'd been this way since his sister had died. Ikyna knew that empty feel of loss. She had tried to cope with the death of her father by not feeling anything at all. Ike and Mist had rightly shown her this was the wrong idea.

Yet the look on the child below her was far worse than what she had experienced. As Cash slowly retracted his hand and the ground at his feet began to crumble, he was no longer expressionless, but he didn't look afraid either.

Ikyna was shocked to see a small smile spreading. He'd gone from apathy to awash with relief. The archer finally realized that he wasn't going to take her hand. Cash was ready to fall and take all his guilt and loss over the edge and into the river with him.

It made her want to cry. What a cruel world they lived in where a child couldn't find even a sliver of reason to keep living. But hadn't it taken so much from him? His home, safety, and even his family. Ikyna could not imagine being in a world as empty as that.

Yet that wasn't true, Ike had shown her, even in mourning, you can find something good to hold onto. Big or small, you must grasp it. And at this moment, all Ikyna needed Cash to do was to grasp her hand. If he did, she would find him that reason.

As much as she wanted to scream, she swallowed the fear and desperation she felt. While she spoke, her throat rattled, thick with emotion. "You can't give up Cash." Was she crying? She couldn't tell. "I know it's hard and it hurts, Goddess it hurts so much."

The sound of cracking grew louder and Yakuzo's grip was slowly slipping as he tried to dig his claws deeper through the deep mud. He couldn't see what was happening, but he felt Ikyna slipping further over the edge. All he could hear was the threatening crunch of the cliff and her desperate pleading.

"But it won't hurt forever." Ikyna didn't know if she believed her own words. She was still hurting. There were plenty of days that she ached just remembering her father. Even though months had passed, it didn't seem like the pain would ever be completely gone.

She closed her eyes, trying to steady her voice, "Actually, it might always hurt." she admitted quietly as Cash looked at her warily. It was unclear if he was listening or still waiting from the ground to crumble. "But," she continued, forcing herself to sound surer than she felt, "You don't have to hurt alone. Share the pain with others and share their happiness as well."

Now she knew she was crying. Her eyes burned, making it hard to see Cash and her tongue darted over her lips that tasted of salt and rain water. But all she could think of was the broken little boy. Was he still smiling, was he sad, was he even listening? As the edge slowly dipped lower, she knew her time was almost gone.

Swallowing once more she offered him all she could, "I can't promise you won't get hurt again, but I promise you won't be alone. I won't ever leave you alone, Cash." She used his name to punctuate the sentence as she blinked rapidly to clear her vision.

Her eyes cleared just as his widened in surprise. With a menacing crackle the overhang finally collapsed. Cash's body started to drop and Ikyna lunged for him, peeling out of her boots as Yakuzo had expected.

"Ikyna!" He pounced on her legs, fighting against the pull of her weight. Struggling with the steady recession of soil he was nearly tugged over the cliff as well. He was fighting with every ounce of strength he could muster, unsure if he would give out first. Just as he felt the updraft of the fall, the mud slip slowed and stopped again, leaving Yakuzo gasping for air and looking over the ledge to seeing Ikyna dangling in the air. Her arm was fully outstretched and clasped tightly in her hand was Cash's small wrist.

She looked up at Yakuzo, startled by her own rash actions, and offered a breathless apology. The feline would have scolded her, but he was panting just as hard as she was. "I hate to be demanding," Ikyna struggled through uneven breaths, "But could you lift us up?"

Yakuzo growled slightly before shifting to use his Beorc hands to grasp Ikyna by the waist and hoist her and Cash to safety. They slid through the mud, but Yakuzo managed to drag them to stable ground.

The Gallian collapsed in the wet dirt, heaving an exhausted sigh. He was doing his best to catch his breath as Ikyna gradually pulled Cash into her chest. She shuddered, relieved that she had not let him slip through her hand. His body limply pressed against her, and she pulled him back to study his face.

Understandably dirty; his smeared face was the only amount of coloring he had. His eyes were lusterless and where Ikyna thought she might find a hint of gratitude Cash offered indifference. "You should have let me fall." he murmured.

Ikyna didn't believe what she heard. Such hopeless and hurtful words didn't belong in the mouth of anyone, let alone a child. Before she could chide him, a foreign hand grabbed Cash by the collar and hoisted him out of Ikyna's grasp.

Cash barely registered the aggression, choosing not to meet Yakuzo's uncharacteristically feral gaze. "What did you say?" Yakuzo seethed.

Ikyna could see the growl in his voice traveling from his heaving back, as all his muscles tightly clenched together in a barely restrained fury. But the young boy wasn't responding to the Galian's anger. He met the agitated growl with a defiant scowl suddenly clawing at Yakuzo's hands on his shirt.

"You should have let me fall!" He repeated even more forcefully, "I didn't need you to save me!"

His eyes glistened with tears he fought to hold in as he gasped in pain and grief. "I don't want anyone to save me...anymore." He ended his struggle with barely a whisper; defeated, knowing that Yakuzo's grip was too strong to break.

Ikyna almost wanted to cry. She'd known sorrow like this boy. The sad relentless agony of loss where you can do nothing but blame yourself in hopes that this different kind of pain will give you even a glimmer of comfort. Words failed her as she tried to choke out any form of consolation, but the swell of her voice was broken by a sharp crack.

The archer looked up with eyes that mirrored Cash's stunned expression. Yakuzo was motionless with his hand still hovering in the air next to a bright red stain on the child's cheek. The slap flushed Cash's face, bringing the sanguine coloring racing to the surface as it traced the shape of Yakuzo's palm. "Do you have any clue what you're saying about the person who saved your life?"

A weak protest began to form in Ikyna's throat, but she was too shocked to speak. But even if she wanted to, all Yakuzo's body language said there was no room for arguments. His ears were flat against his head, tail stiff and straight, and his shoulders shook as he tried to swallow his bubble rage. "And I'm not talking about Ikyna." he clarified, "Your sister died to give you a chance, can you really look me in the eye, and say we shouldn't have saved you?"

Cash struggled to speak, recovering slightly from the sting of the strike, "That's why..."

"That's why what? That's why it's okay for you too just die? Is life so cheap that it's something you can just throw away without thinking? Do you think Pila saved you so you could abandon it over some misplaced guilt?"

Now Yakuzo sounded like he was in pain and Ikyna could only look from Gallian to child, feeling paralyzed by the tense atmosphere. A flicker of shame shimmered in Cash's eyes at the mention of Pila, but Yakuzo persisted.

"You know how many kids have died during this war?"

Cash flushed at the bluntness of the question. Yakuzo pressed further, "Too many. They die alone, and scared, and no one will even know. No one will mourn or bury them."

A poignant pause passed between cat and child. PIla's burial still stung in their hearts. A small coffin buried in dirt, and a tiny child who would never be seen again flashed in Ikyna's memory. Cash dared to glance at Yakuzo before averting his gaze from the piercing golden irises that gave him no respite with their relentless searching. His lip quivering he offered a whimpered protest, "I'm..."

"But you're not like those children." Yakuzo's breathing steadied and his tone softened. The brief anger was replaced with something akin to pity and sympathy. "Someone really loved you, and you owe it to them to value yourself more."

Yakuzo raised his head and let the misty shower hit his face, hoping to further calm him. He could have handled his anger better; the slap wasn't necessary. Yet, Yakuzo couldn't find it in himself to forgive such careless words. Sighing deeply, he continued, "Pila isn't coming back, Cash, so don't throw your life away and make her sacrifice a waste." He spoke slowly and deliberately, each word sinking in like raindrops into the soil.

There was a hesitation from both, the standstill filled only with the gentle hiss of heavy rain dwindling down to a slow drizzle. Cash parted his lips, uncertain of what he even wanted to say, but he closed them, settling for a brief nod.

Yakuzo, satisfied, adjusted himself to grip Cash's waist before hosting him over his shoulders. The boy gasped and grabbed for the tufts of red fur that sprouted from Yakuzo's neck as he returned to his Gallian form. "Sit tight." he ordered, though all harshness had dissipated from his voice.

He waded through the mud toward Ikyna. She was eyeing him, gauging his temper. It had abated and was replaced with a more tender feeling as he gingerly walked with Cash on his back. It was reminiscent of a scene she had seen played out with Tormod and Maurim.

His golden eyes were level with her face as she remained sitting. "Don't you think that was a bit much?"

Yakuzo mimicked a motion like a shrug. Looking over his shoulder he gestured to his rider, "Anyone not afraid to die can handle that much." He snorted softly leaving no room for argument. Cash's small hands gripped the tuft on Yakuzo's neck remorsefully.

"I just had to get the point across, after all, one reckless bonehead is enough."

Ikyna almost laughed at Yakuzo's pointed stare. She couldn't deny she was reckless, hanging over a cliff proved that, but bonehead was just the typical Yakuzo flavor. A word of protest started to form but turned into a simple flub of her lips. All the adrenaline from the mudslide, rescuing Cash, and almost dying was quickly fleeing her body, leaving only soreness and fatigue.

She sagged into the mud, not bothering to worry about the chafing it caused. At least they were safe for the moment. There was just enough time to catch her breath before she needed to look for the rest of her family.

"Ikyna," Yakuzo said close to her ear. She hummed back in a brief response, not ready to move, "Your head is bleeding."

Absently she brought her hand to her forehead, flinching at the sudden sharp pain. Bringing down her fingers, their muddy tips shone with sanguine. "I hadn't even noticed." Her response was slow and drowsy. A scratch was the least of her problems. "I will have a healer look at it..." she was going to say 'soon,' but she stopped mid-sentence as the light tickle of something wet flicked over her injury.

Soft purring fluttered into her ear as Yakuzo addressed her wound with the steady darting of his tongue. The unexpected cold of his snout brushing against her skin made her jump. Yakuzo paused, tilting his face to peer at her. She regarded him quizzically as he moved closer to brush his head against hers, a pleasant and content hum rolled in his throat.

"Yakuzo?" she questioned.

The purring abruptly stopped, and he drew his snout away from her looking just as confused as she felt. "What are you doing?"

Ikyna watched the question creasing his forehead. He seemed to have acted without thinking. "I was cleaning your wound." his speech was halted, as if he wasn't sure if he'd spoken the truth. "It's a Gallian thing." he quickly added.

"Oh." Ikyna nodded her head, looking away a little awkwardly as she ran her fingers over her small cut. It still felt cool from the touch of his mouth, and she felt her face warm as she thought of the strangely tender way, he had just tended to her.

It was a strange feeling tightening in her chest, but she'd have to dwell on it later. The quiet thoughts of Laguz and Beorc were broken by the heavy beating of wings. Ikyna raised her eyes as her name was called.

A large silhouette descended, slowly becoming the silver figure of Aeyori. Her scales were darkened from the rain dirt as she hovered above the two mercenaries and child. Ike was standing on the dragon's shoulder, stabilizing himself with one of her spikes. Relief washed over his face as his sister waved back to him.

"Ike! You're okay? Have you seen Mist?" She shouted over the sound of wind kicked up from Aeyori's flapping.

The commander nodded, "Mist and I were walking with the rear guard. The brunt of the damage was toward the center of the ranks. She's fine and working with Soren and some Begnion healers to help wounded." With an appeasing smile he added, "Your white Prince is safe as well. He and the other hawks are securing wounded and communication with the soldiers at the front.

Ikyna was pleased, though she stifled the grin threatening to spread with a heavy breath through her nose.

But with the last Greil child accounted for, and even Reyson being safe, that still left plenty of men and friends potentially missing.

"So, what's the plan now commander?" They couldn't stay on this unstable path forever. Another mudslide could happen and there was still the threat of the pursuing Daein forces.

"We need to move the remaining soldiers past this barrier as soon as possible. If we linger much longer a quarter of our forces will be trapped between a landslide and an enemy army."

Ikyna scratched her head at the frustrating situation. Her face scrunched into a scowl as she pulled her fingers through her wet braid. "There's no way you can get the men across this." Yakuzo chimed in, echoing Ikyna's thoughts.

He motioned to the stretch of wreckage littered with broken trees, toppled carts, and various other obstacles. "I can barely navigate this sludge, and I can probably spend most of the travel jumping from rocks to damaged trees."

Plucking his paw out of the deep mud to emphasize his point he continued, "Are you expecting the rest of your men to wade through this? Horses, carts, and all?"

The point was valid. Just organizing the scattered and injured soldiers was going to take a considerable amount of time. Time was a commodity they had little to spare. They could abandon the supplies and focus on moving the men ahead, but that would expose them to problems later. Ike couldn't tally how much was lost during the mudslide so there was no way to tell how badly their stocks had been depleted. Though, the bulk of their armory was stored ahead of the mudslide, a few lost wagons could be a reasonable loss.

"Ike." Aeyori turned her head slightly, "Perhaps I could be of help."

Stumped for ideas the commander nodded, "I'm open to any suggestions."

"I could help carry some of the carts. You should know how strong Goldoan bodies are."

Ike put a hand to his chin in thought. Aeyori was right. When their boat was lodged on the rocks it was the dragon's strength that pushed their vessel back to safe waters. It had taken a few dragons, but a rolling cart was nothing compared to an entire ship. Even with just Aeyori, flying a wooden wagon would be simple.

He snapped his fingers in inspiration. "Aeyori, take us back to the rear guard, you've given me an idea."

He motioned to his sister, "Hop on." The dragon reached out her open claw as Ikyna carefully slipped through the curved talons. She looked back to Yakuzo who was making a face. "Come on, are you afraid of heights or something?"

Yakuzo scoffed, "If cats were meant to fly, we'd have wings. I've said this before."

Rolling her eyes, she made a broad motion to Aeyori, "Thus the dragon."

The Gallian hissed sharply before making a seemingly effortless jump to a stone above the mud level. Flicking his tail curtly he smirked, "I'll manage. Lead the way commander." Glancing over his shoulder to Cash, "Hold on tight." he admonished.

Cash nodded, clutching the fur tighter in his hands as he leaned into the crook of the feline's neck. With the child secure, he nodded to Aeyori who opened her wings wide before adjusting her body in the air. With a heaving drum of her flight, she sored ahead of Yakuzo. He chased after her, catching the wind from her immense body as it sliced through the air next to him.

From stump, to boulder, to shattered log, he agilely leapt after the mercenaries until they reached the end of the mudslide. His paws scraped against the comparatively dry and stable ground, happily digging into the level Earth beneath them. Looking behind he guessed they'd travelled only a minute away, it made him wonder how far the obstruction stretched in the other direction. How far did the Beorc soldiers have to cross before they could find relative safety?

Aeyori placed the siblings on the ground before landing heavily next to them. It was chaos as soldiers rushed from injured to healers. Collecting scraps of armor or food. The Begnion captains were giving minimal commands, but the sense of urgency hung heavy over the men. It was an unspoken understanding that the longer they spent gathering troops supplies, the sooner they'd be engaging in a battle none of them were rested enough to fight.

Soren spotted the twins soon after they landed. He navigated his way through traffic of mercenaries and soldiers. When his eyes landed on Ikyna there was a noticeable flicker of solace, in a way that only Soren could look relieved. Just as quickly, though, it was gone, turning his red gaze to Ike he began, "I'm afraid to report commander, with the progress we are making, I don't think we'll be able to move from our position before Daein arrives. The injured keep arriving but we don't have an efficient or practical way to get them to the rest of our company."

Ike was prepared for this difficult scenario and offered up his plan, "Tell the captains to gather all their fliers, Wyvern knights, Pegasus knights, all of them." He pointed towards the carts that nearby, "Place the injured the in carts. If we secure it with some ropes, we can have them carried over the mudslide. It might be a shaky ride, but its more than they could do on their own."

"That seems hardly practical. What about the remaining men." Soren replied.

"Have them take what they can but worry about crossing on their own. The bulk of our supplies were near the front anyway and most likely unharmed. We should focus on preserving lives. There is no point equipping my men just to trap them between a sea of mud and enemy fighters.

Soren looked unmoved by the idea, "Even with all the flying mounts we have, we cannot guarantee the remaining soldiers will be able to cross in time. If Daein catches them, your men are as good as dead." he brought a hand to his chin, pondering silently for a moment, "Though I suppose an obstacle for us is an obstacle for them. They would also be slowed down by the landslide."

Closing his eyes he tried to formulate a concrete solution. "Perhaps," he began carefully, "with a little more time..."

"I can get you time." Ike interrupted confidently.

The mage opened his eyes, they focused with suspicion, "How much time?"

"How much do you need?"

"How much can you get me?"

Ike looked at his sister, gauging her response. She shrugged ruefully, silently agreeing to whatever plan her twin was concocting. Soren looked briefly concerned, there was a familiar light in their eyes. He'd seen that shared glint too many times between the twins and it was always a headache for him. "Fine, fine." he hastily interjected, "If you can give me an hour, I will have the men deep enough on the other side that Daein won't be a problem."

The commander gave the small mage a hearty slap on the shoulder, "Deal." With a flip of his cape, he turned on his heels. Aeyori leaned her neck down as Ike approached. "Work with Soren to get as many people as possible out of here. I'm counting on both of you." She glanced at the mage, already busy ordering men around, and gave an even nod.

Ikyna jogged over to Aeyori, "I don't know what crazy idea my brother has planned." she motioned to Yakuzo and Cash, " but can you look after this little one for me."

Cash's head shot up, panic clearly on his face. His lips quivered in protest as his breathing began to increase. Yakuzo noticed the shift as he felt the boy's body tremble. "Hey," he grumbled lightly, "Ikyna made you a promise, didn't she?"

There was a pause as Cash thought. "If she says she won't leave you, then you can trust her. That girl isn't one to break a promise. When there was still silence Yakuzo murmured shyly, "We'll both come back for you."

Another moment of hesitation passed, but Cash eventually released Yakuzo. He slid off the red fur, wobbling slightly when his feet hit the ground. With scarcely concealed uncertainty he glanced once more at the Gallian.

Yakuzo pressed his nose to the boy's hand and pushed him gently forward with his snout. Cash stumbled briefly but walked toward the Dragon at the cat's patient urging. Aeyori slowly lowered her neck allowing the child to carefully pull himself up onto her back.

"Take care of him." Ikyna said softly seeing his almost tearful face watch her nervously. She offered him a reassuring smile and a wave, for all it was worth to him now.

"I'll go find Janaff and Ulki first." the Goldoan declared, readying her wings to take flight.

Ike firmly called her name. The gray dragon tilted her head, a low inquiring growl breached her mouth. Ike kept his gaze fixed on her as he raised one hand. She elegantly dropped her head and nestled her ridged face against Ike's palm. He brought his second hand up to hold her chin and his forehead to the rim of her nose, closing his eyes briefly. Their breathing slowly became aligned as he whispered something only she could hear. Her ruby eyes narrowed happily as she playful nudged of the tip of her nose against his cheek. Her horn that could be deemed dangerous, brushed softly against the commander's face before she stepped back to take flight and look for the two birds from Phoenicus.

Ike regarded the retreating dragon passively, but a smolder of longing lingered in his eyes. Ikyna whistled softly and drew her brother's attention. He looked back at his twin as she smirked in amusement and a little embarrassment. It felt like she'd seen something intimate and private, "I feel like I'm to thank for that." She pointed from her brother to the shrinking figure of the Goldoan.

Her brother offered a barely indulgent smile, "Save the comments for later."

Ikyna winked playfully at Yakuzo as he walked toward the siblings, "Fair enough, what's the plan?" she said as she stretched her shoulders trying to warm her body for the difficult task before them.

Ike was looking beyond his busy soldiers knowing that even though he couldn't them, the crunch of metal boots of enemy soldiers was coming closer. "Soren is going to hate this plan." He admitted.

She smiled knowingly, "Our bookworm knew better than to give you more than an hour. So what are we going to do?"

With an appreciative glance toward his sister and scarlet Laguz he readied his mind, "We're going to get some oil sacks, and some friends."