AN: Prepare yourself for a sudden time warp

.:VWV:.

"I'm telling you were heading the wrong way. We must venture west, not east." Anko stated as she leaned back in her chair.

Already a month had passed in their travel and yet they'd accomplished nothing. However they did learn a few things about each other along the way. Such as how Tala hated to be wrong and Anko dispised being bossed around. So you could say they made a horrible pair, but dealt with it just the same.

It had been a while since Tala had heard of The Bowls of Blood from his early ventures. A folk-tale as the druken man had explained to him. But Tala could never find it in his heart to think of it as only such. He believed that it was real and that he would find it. He needed to remember. At any cost. So far, it was his only lead. Their only lead. They travelled about learning different facts about it. So far they'd learned that The Bowls of Blood were a triangle of large, deep dishes, filled with the blood of Cerburus, the gatekeeper of Hell. Each bowl held the brain of each head, contained in the individual minds was the power to see the past, present and future.

Another interesting fact was that the cave - in which held this mystical power source - was in another time dimension. Thus, it would never be in the same place twice. And if trying to find the one region where the entrance lied wasn't hard enough, the journey was treturous. Anyone who had even attempted to catch it died before they could make it even close. However, there were rumors that some had indeed stumbled upon it. The people were killed instantly from the sudden rush of power and if by chance they did survive, they were driven into insanity and killed themselves.

But they had to try. Tala had nothing to live for now. He knew though, that at some point in his past, there were somethings he would have fought for. Given the chance... he just really wanted his memories back.

Anko felt almost the same way. However, her intentions weren't just for herself. She needed to find out her past for Jason. Her son. Her only real family. But the one thing she wanted to know the most, if she were to know nothing else, she wanted to know his father. She wanted to know just if he was someone who loved her. She wanted to know if he would be happy knowing she and Jason were still alive. Even if she was never to meet him. It was hard not having family to raise you so she knew what it felt like to not have a father around; to have anyone around. She wanted nothing more then a chance to ask who the father was. And The Bowls of Blood were just what she needed. She didn't care if she died during the travel or if in the end she was driven insane. At least she'd know she tried. Call it determination or stupidity, she didn't care. She had to know. For both of them.

"And I'm telling you that all we can do right now is gather facts." Tala didn't even bother to glance at her, he was too obsorbed in his thoughts.

Anko let the chair down with a loud clack and reached her hands across the table that seperated them. She rolled her back into a half-moon and streghed her legs out long under the table. Her eyes were shut tightly and a groan of fustration and bordom left her lips.

"Your fidgeting is disrupting my thinking." Tala waved at her.

"Then your not thinking hard enough. Besides, you look super stressed out. Maybe you should rest a bit. Take a walk, do some shopping, eat some food." Anko stated, resting her chin on her crossed arms.

Tala rolled his eyes in annoyance. "There's no time!"

"Of course there is! It's not like The Bowls are going anywhere!"

Tala shot her a look of mockery. Anko rolled her eyes in turn. "Okay, so maybe they will but if you put too much strengh into thinking, you'll end up dieing from a stroke of some sort. Trust me on this one!"

"You've done nothing to give me reason to do such." Tala responded, running his fingers through his hair.

Anko smiled at him. "And I don't recall giving you a reason not to. Honest! Give your brain a rest and go for a walk. Honestly Tala, you look dead pale from lake of sleep and food. Its not healthy."

Glare.

"Alright, so you probably knew that one already! Fine then, if you don't want to take a break, then I will. I'm going around town. And maybe, just maybe, I might actually have fun. Even though I do have to say, your way is much more fun."

Riding on last nerve...

Anko pushed herself away from the table and stood up tall. Her hair was tied back today with only a single strand on either side of her face, so when she turned away, it cracked like a whip.

"Don't get lost." Tala warned.

Anko snorted. "This place holds a population of a little over 500. I think I can handle myself. Enjoy your stressful night, Mr. Volkav." With that, she was long gone.

Tala sighed the moment she left. He had been wondering when she would go. He really couldn't think while she was there. She was much too distracting.

Her additude was so ...

"Familier." Tala froze at the thought.

That wasn't the word he had been thinking and yet that one slipped past his voice box. And ... it hurt. That horrible feeling of regret, guilt and lose.

"I really need some sleep."

.:VWV:.

Anko ran through the street, twirling around everytime she met a corner and smiling at everyone who passed. The air here was so clean and crisp. She loved it. The small town feeling never got old.

She finally came to a slower pace when she came across a lighted backalley. Deep inside it, at the very end stood a young man. Her keen eyes picked up his red locks and back brown fringe. His emerald eyes were glowing and his lips were moving. Anko couldn't hear his words, but she knew he must be talking to someone. A cornered wall blocked out the view of the person.

She didn't understand why she thought that for an interesting sight. She just stared for a few more moments.

Suddenly the boy looked cautious and turned towards her. His eyes flew open so wide, Anko feared they would pop out. He was as frozen as she was. Just as she saw his mouth open, her feet moved without her permission and before she knew what was happening, she had been wisked around the next block.

.:VWV:.

"Raul? What is it?" Alex cocked her head to the side and peeked around the wall. No one. She blinked and looked up at him.

His voice was so tightly caught in his throat, that he had to cough to render it loose. "I just thought- that is there was- oh nevermind, it's of no importance to you."

Her raised brow caused Raul to smile. "I'm sorry I cut you off before. You were asking me a question before I was distracted."

"Your not going to tell me, are you?" Alex crossed her arms.

That smile. Alex was still in wonder if it was mockery or agreement. Knowing Raul, it was most likely both. "I was asking why we have come to Yutla Port. You've been dragging me around with you and you haven't once told me why."

"You requested to join me." Raul grinned, laughter on his voice, "But before you grow short, we have come to pick up another member of this party. You don't expect us to travel without the proper guide, do you? I knew you'd understand!"

Alex sent him a deep scowl. He'd been like this from the start. Always answering before she could tell him how she really felt.

"Shall we enter then?" Raul pointed towards the wall.

Alex glanced. "Don't you need a door to enter a room."

"Only for the less advantaged. I'm positive you could walk right through that door."

"There is no door! It's a brick wall! I'd only earn myself a bloody nose." Alex shot at him.

Raul smiled at her. "Correct again. My, you are a smart one."

He extended his clenched hand toward the wall and closed his eyes. Not more then a moment later, what looked like crimson fog began to seep out of his skin. It twirlled around his forarms and scrapped against his palms. It crawled much like a snake across his limb. Finally all the fog had settled around his wrist in a giant ring. His eyes shot open and Alex noted the dramatic change in color. The fog must have driven the cool green away because now his eyes held an eerey blue. His fingers blew apart in a flash of blue light and out of his palm came thick sapphire flames. The red ring of fog absorbed back into his skin, illuminating his hand purple as it transmuted into blue flames. They licked at the wall and began tracing invisible patterns along it. Finally the strings of fire met at a point and exploded into purple light. Alex jumped back out of shock as millions of red sparks came floating down. As they fell, they began to burn a perfect square through the beaten ground. And when the final spark fell, you could see a winding staircase leading down into darkness.

Raul drew back his hand, the blue color slowly fading from his eyes.

"See?" He panted with a smile, "No door. Just stairs."

"What the hell was that!" Alex cried, hands to her head.

"Come. We shouldn't keep our guide waiting." Raul leaped down into the darkness and an echo of metal ran through the alley.

"Are you not coming?" His voice called up. "No need to fear, you won't get hurt."

"I'm not afraid!" Alex stated.

"Then why do you hesitate?"

Alex let out a load cry of fustration as she leaped down. The moment her head passed land level, the ground snapped toghter once more, as if nothing had ever happened.

.:VWV:.

"This is a lot harder then I thought." Miguel gasped as he rotated his shoulder.

Travis himself had a few beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks. They were moving through training very quickly and had lessened their sword techniques to make room for some other training. Since the camp had been dived into two groups, one entire half of camp continued with their sword training. Everyday the same thing. The second half however -Kai's half- had been divided again in half. One was to learn archery and the other to train with spears, axes and the like. Problem was, that since they had but two instructors, one group was always left to train themselves. That was usually the archers, which is where our hero is now.

"Maybe it would be easier if we changed hands. Left hand to steady the bow and right for the arrow." Travis suggested, feeling his strengh drawing to a close end.

Miguel passed him a ghostly glance, his eyes fogged over with exhaustion. "Perhaps we just need a closer target."

Mathilda had been watching these two from quite a far distance. She didn't want to take the chance of one of their arrows going astray and plunging through her chest. No, she wasn't one for painful mistakes. She sat upon the tent that they all shared toghter and watched the entire camp. Bryan looked quite fustrated with his sword trainers. He had the largest group and Mathilda thought it to be the most horrible. That disgusting boy Brooklyn and his thugs were always finding new ways to make Bryan lose his temper.

"That poor man." Mathilda said aloud and shock her head.

Kai looked to be doing alright. His group was smaller but this was nessasary since he was dealing with slightly more deadly weapons. The boys looked very energetic and Kai was completly calm. Now when you passed an eye over the archers, you couldn't help but feel pity upon them. They were utterly drained and were absolutly horrible. Not to mention her two best friends, yes two, were so tierd and hungry that they looked ready to collapse. But Mathilda knew better then to tell them to take a break. They were both stubborn and determined. What she hated the most though, was that no one there was capable of training them. No one there that was...

.:VWV:.

AN: Hey people! I was going to put this up yesterday as a Christmas present from me to you, but I didn't get a chance so think of it as a belated gift! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you!

R&R THANX!