I guess the standard disclaimers apply here. I don't own Baten Kaitos. Okay! Stop cheering in joy! God, you didn't have to sound that happy…

Expanded Summary: The Guardian Spirit Seiryah returns to her own world. However, when Kalas and Melodia erased her memories in Moonguile forest, they never really returned. Stripped of almost all knowledge of her home world, she struggles to survive and find her missing sister while some of the most powerful forces in her homeland try to destroy her as if she had never existed and her friends and remaining family squabble with one another for her time and allegiance. Meanwhile, back in the world of Baten Kaitos, something unseen and malevolent seems to be behind the rash of bad luck that has befallen the reconstruction attempts and a few botched assassinations directed at the leaders of the six countries. After a close call nearly kills someone dear to him, Kalas decides to take matters into his own hands and investigate on his own.

Rated Teen for creepiness. Might go up later on. Now, join me for the first installment of…

Bits and Pieces

Prologue: Rise and Shine

She awoke to light. Sterile, white light that reminded her of Alfard, of the hallways of the imperial fortress. But whereas the fortress had been a marvel of gold and grandeur, this room was plain, hideously ugly. It would have been ugly by any standards, she was sure, but especially in comparison with that. It was a truly repulsive shade of gray-green, with all sorts of machines that she couldn't discern the function of, a single, truly tiny window that looked out into blackness (night, just her luck. Of course it was night. That was the way her luck always ran…) beige tiled floors, ceiling that appeared to be made out of the oddest sort of wood she had ever seen. At least, she thought it was wood. Although why anyone would make a ceiling out of entirely wood was beyond her.

What she disliked most about the room was the… sterility. It did not have a lived-in feel, it felt like a prison, or a laboratory. As a spirit, she had gained a sensitivity to her surroundings beyond that of normal humans, and she could pick up the emotions that had passed through a place, if they were strong enough. However, this room had such a sanitized feel to it, that she almost missed the remnants of…

Pain. Death and pain.

"Time to leave now. Past time," she whispered, then winced. Her voice felt like it hadn't been used in years. Which is just about right. I guess I really did make it home. Is this what home really feels like?

I knew I should have stayed.

Okay, she wanted out of this room. Well, the first step was to sit up. She did so, with a surprising amount of difficulty. That's what I get for being out of body for at least three years… I wonder what I look like…

She looked down at herself; there was no mirror, so looking at her body would have to do. Her gaze fell on her slender, pale arm, and was drawn immediately to what appeared to be a tube of some sort sticking out of it. She barely suppressed a scream, and ripped it out. That action caused her to start bleeding, of course. She cast around for something to use for bandages, and found only her bed sheets. After four tries, she managed to rip a strip off the piece of cloth, and started binding up her injury, as she had seen Kalas do with the fringes of his cape multiple times when the party's healing Magnus had gone bad. With another sickening jolt, she realized that there were wires attached to her skin, including her scalp and chest. More carefully than she had torn off the tube, she started removing the wires. She sighed in relief when there was no sensation of a needle being ripped out of her skin as she took off the first wire. As she continued, she noticed that the various machines in the room started displaying straight green lines instead of wavy ones, and they trading their steady beeping pulses for a single, continuous metallic whine. With a curse, she suddenly realized that it was an alarm system of some sort, and started ripping off the rest of the wires more quickly. It didn't matter if they scarred her somehow, she did not need to be pretty to live. She needed to leave before they knew she was awake.

She staggered out of the bed, hitting the floor before her legs could register the fact that they were now required to bear weight. A single sob escaped her as she was struck by the futility of it all, and a tear rolled down each of her cheeks.

"I will not give up so easily!" she muttered, scrubbing the tears from her cheeks and raking her hair out of her face. She paused for a moment, and looked at her hair. It was probably down to her mid-back, and… red. It was very, very red. She grabbed her hair, a fistful of it, and stared for several moments. It was bright, bright red and very wavy, almost curly. Never had she pictured herself with… curly hair. Or hair almost the exact same shade as Lyude's. With an angry shake, (this was no time to daydream!) she forced herself upright… and the room spun while black and neon green spots danced in front of her eyes. She was forced to waste more time simply standing there, clutching the table next to the bed for support until the dizziness left. Ignoring her injured arm, the stinging sensations from where she had ripped off the wires, and the burning in her muscles, she staggered to the door and out of the room.

The hallway was no better than the room she had woken up in, save for one thing. The walls were white. Anything was better than that dreadful shade of green.

"Visiting hours are well past, Mr. Kasaten! Please, come back with me downstairs!"

Malpercio's remains! Someone's coming! She thought. Panicking, she ducked around a corner in what she hoped was the opposite direction of the arguing voices and ran smack into someone. The impact sent her to the floor, and she managed to land in a somewhat dignified sprawl. She pulled herself up and tried to bolt, but the person, the man she had run into grabbed her injured arm. She cried out in pain, and he let her go. Surprised, she looked up, and met a pair of green eyes that were widening in shock.

"Seiryah?" A smile slowly spread across the man's rather attractive face. "Is it really you, Seiryah? You're finally awake?"

"W-who are you?" she stammered, taking a hesitant step backward.

Confusion spread across the man's face. With that expression, and the man's almond-shaped eyes, he really did remind her of Kalas… stop wishing for what you can't have! She hissed at herself. She was never going to see any of them ever again… "What kind of question is that?" he barked, sounding confused and hurt.

Her hands came up into a guard position. Sure, she couldn't fight, but maybe she could bluff… "It's a perfectly logical question, since I've never seen you before in my life! Now, who are you, and what is this place?"

"We're in the hospital, Seiryah… wait. Who am I? Seiryah… don't you remember anything?"

"I…" the lie stuck in her throat as comprehension dawned on her. "You… you knew me, didn't you." Her arms dropped to her sides, but she didn't drop her gaze.

"Yes… you could say that…" His beautiful green eyes clouded, and he dropped his head, his feathery black hair partially obscuring his face. "So, you've forgotten everything…"

He looked so hurt, so lost, that her heart ached for him. Tentatively, she reached out an arm and gently placed it on his shoulder. She thought this was how people comforted each other, she had seen her friends do it often enough. But she had no idea who this man was and…

He jumped at her touch and she shied away. Clearly, that had been the wrong response in this situation. She wished that she knew what her relationship had been to this stranger who reminded her of Kalas, it would make it easier to deal with him.

"I… do remember a few things. But none of them are about you. I… I am sorry."

He sighed. "It's not your fault. I should have been there, should have done something… ah, maybe it's better we start this over from the beginning. I'm Arvel Shida."

"Seiryah," she replied, shaking his hand. Now this was something that she knew how to do from her time in Kalas's world. "So… do I call you Arvel or Shida?"

"Arvel, please," he said quickly.

"Do I have a second name too?"

"Yes. Veranen. Your name is Seiryah Veranen."

She opened her mouth to ask another question, when she was forestalled by a bellow of rage.

"Where is Seiryah!" shouted a clearly masculine voice. "Where did you people take her?"

"Mihkal," Arvel groaned, burying his face in a hand. "Come on, Seiryah, we have to calm him down before he causes a panic and wakes half the hospital."

"Okay, fine. You can tell me what a 'hospital' is on the way," Seiryah agreed reluctantly. As long as he wasn't going to try and strap her to that beeping machine again, she was willing to trust this Arvel Shida… for the moment.

The next chapter is probably going to focus on Seiryah as well. Don't worry, I'll get to Kalas and company... eventually...