Author's Notes: I'm sorry and I don't really have an excuse. This chapter is too long overdue and it's really pretty pathetic that it took me this long. Somewhere this year, I just lost interest in not only this fic, but most of my writing in general. I didn't want to work on it, so I didn't. Call it writer's block if you will. I'm just glad I was finally able to finish this chapter and I'm going to work hard to make sure this doesn't happen again. (Complete with a New Year's resolution that I'm actually going to try and keep.) I really hope everyone enjoys the chapter. It was actually supposed to be up a week ago, but then-- wouldn't you know it-- my battery broke. XP And now that we have another computer besides my laptop, no one was in a real rush to replace it. Argh. Forgive me?

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem.

---

Something Wicked

Chapter 14

By Amethyst Bubble

---

The subway car screeched to a stop at yet another platform, the suddenness of it all nearly sending Rath stumbling into Wil. The brunette gave him an apologetic grin, shifting as best he could in the crowded car. "Sorry," he hissed. "I forgot how crowded it can get during rush hour. We've still got a little while to go before our stop... should've tried to get the express. It would've been faster, but then that might've been more crowded..." he continued to ramble on but over the past few days Rath had learned how to tune his talkative student out.

Rath attempted to look around, but could only make out a mass of limbs coming from all directions. He turned his attention back on Wil, who was turning out to be a much more pleasant thing to focus on. He also seemed to still be talking. With a small smile, Rath shook his head slightly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Wil caught the motion and broke off mid-sentence. "...What?" he asked, blinking.

"Nothing." Rath shrugged, or rather, tried to. The latest wave of people that had piled in made it increasingly difficult to move. The doors slid open and another stream of people attempted to shove their way in. One jostled Wil sharply, and the brunette cursed under his breath, stumbling. On instinct, Rath shot an arm out, settling his hand against the door, creating a shield of sorts. He got a glare from a man chatting away on a cell phone, but it didn't daunt him in the least.

"Thanks," Wil grinned up at him as soon as he'd regained his balance.

Rath said nothing, suddenly finding the ceiling most interesting. Metal, it was, and dirty. Fascinating. After a moment, he couldn't stand it any longer and turned his attention back to Wil, who was scanning the advertisements scattered around the subway car with interest.

Eventually, the number of people getting off at the stops grew larger then the number getting on and Rath all but forced Wil to take an empty seat.

"You're not used to the subway!" Wil protested, "You could fall or be trampled by people or..."

Rath decided this was yet another opportunity where tuning out Wil would be a good thing and simply shepherded the younger male towards the empty seat. Finally, Wil sat down and stayed there, looking somewhat put-out at having lost the argument. This lasted all of two minutes before he struck up yet another one-sided conversation.

"The next stop is ours," Wil put in quickly a few minutes later, standing abruptly. Rath let out a murmur of acknowledgement.

Outside, it was turning out to be a nice day. The sun as shining down and the temperature was more then just warm. Downtown New York seemed more relaxed than the crowded hustle and bustle of the Port Authority and its surroundings had. Here the buildings weren't all gleaming skyscrapers and the streets weren't set on a grid. A variety of small stores and restaurants dotted the landscape and there were even trees here or there.

Seemingly at home in these surroundings, Wil quickly took the lead, winding his way through curving streets. "It's only a few blocks," he announced casually, turning around and walking backwards in order to make eye contact with Rath. Rath was about to tell him to watch out, that he was going to bump into people, but the pedestrians didn't seem to mind the young man's behavior, expertly weaving around him. Wil caught his worried expression and winked, laughing.

Rath suppressed a sigh, a smile tugging at his lips. Tearing his gaze away from Wil's, he looked over a medium-sized brownstone practically covered in ivy. This part of the City was homier, more relaxed and less sterile-seeming. Rath could easily see staying here for a while. The plant life that still seemed to dot the place soothed the restless energy of his magic, something he was thankful for. Earth elements didn't do well in places where they couldn't make contact with plant life.

He supposed that was why Wil liked it so much here. It had enough greenery to put an earth element's soul at rest, but with the energy that wind elements demanded. It nearly a perfect setting for Wil's dual element. Less factories and skyscrapers in this area as well, making the air just a little bit fresher, another bonus for the side of Wil that belonged to the wind.

Taking another look around, he was slightly surprised at the magical aura that so many of the pedestrians were giving off. Not all of them were particularly powerful, but they were there all the same. It was like some sort of haven for the magically gifted. Casting a look at the various stores-- they had once again entered an area dominated by shops and not brownstones-- he was surprised to see a few apothecaries boasting a fair selection of herbs and oils, among other things. Interesting, he thought to himself. He'd have to tell the healers later, just in case.

"Rath?" Wil waved a hand in front of his face. Blinking down at the younger boy, Rath snapped himself out of his thoughts. "See anything interesting?" Wil asked with a mischievous grin. Rath shrugged in reply and Wil's eyes danced. "It's a good neighborhood, not too crowded but not empty. Plus, there's always something to see, which is a plus if you're like me and can't sit still for a minute!... Except you're probably good at sitting still, aren't you, Rath?"

---

"So, Sherlock, what do we do now?"

"I don't know," Matthew replied honestly, for once, tilting his head back as far as it would go. He stared at the sun just so he could avoid looking at the dark eyes attempting to glare holes into his neck (he was damned lucky Guy was far too short too make eye contact). "I can't believe we're still being followed. I thought we lost them down in the subway."

"Apparently not," Guy scoffed, ignoring the overwhelming urge to scan the crowd behind him. It would make them look suspicious. At least, more suspicious then they probably already looked. "It can't be the same one as before."

"Two hunters in one day?" Matthew frowned, "Dammit, the city might as well be crawling with the bastards."

Guy narrowed his eyes. "There're two possibilities here. One, New York is, in fact, crawling with hunters. Two, they have a good communication system. The first one that saw us might've sent our descriptions to all the others patrolling today, via some sort of mass-message."

"Hunters hate technology almost as much as witchcraft," Matthew snorted. "Still, I wouldn't put it past them. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Speaking of which, stop stalling and come up with a plan."

Matthew silently cursed. "Well, obviously we have to get off the street..."

"That'd probably be smart. It'd be way too easy to kill us and make it look like a mugging." Again, the urge to glance around and make sure no one was aiming a gun at his head was almost irresistible. Guy clenched his fists, bit his lip and told himself to bear it.

Matthew nodded, "We need to be somewhere reasonably crowded, someplace where a murder would definitely get attention. The hunters don't want that, and they won't risk it just because they want two more witches off the face of the planet."

"Well, it sounds like a good idea," Guy consented, "but where, exactly, are we going to find a place like that?"

Scanning the area quickly, Matthew caught sight of a large building in the distance. It took a minute for him to remember exactly what it was (he hadn't been to the city for quite some time, after all), but when he did, he broke into a grin. "Say, how's a trip to a certain museum sound...?"

---

By the time Rath and Wil arrived on the scene, everyone was hot, tired and grouchy. Except, of course, for Mrs. Waters, who was blessed with air conditioning and remarkable stamina. The elderly woman was still accusing them of trying to pull one over her, even though any sane prankster would've left for home ages ago.

"Oh, thank God," Serra moaned upon seeing them approach. "Please, talk some sense into... into..." she gestured in a weak, dramatic fashion at Mrs. Waters, who was leaning so far out her window she was dangerously close to toppling out of it. "That," Serra finally said, flicking at her hair (which was escaping her usually neat pigtails at an alarming rate) in an annoyed fashion.

"Yes," Legault agreed, an arm lazily slung around Heath's shoulders. "Please do talk some sense into that."

The owner of the apartment building was about to (loudly) protest to being referred to as "that" when she realized just who, exactly, the damned pranksters on her front lawn were speaking to. "I don't believe it," she muttered, fumbling around for her glasses. Upon putting them on, she squinted at the ever approaching figure and let out a cry, "Why, if it isn't you, boy! Where've you been!"

Wil opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated for a moment. "Just around," he finally said with a wide and hopefully disarming smile.

She gave him 'the look' for a moment, her gaze shifting between him and the tall green haired man besides him, before sighing and deciding, with a shrug, that she honestly did not want to know. With that boy, it was bound to be trouble. "So," she changed the subject and pointed, rather unceremoniously, to the group still gathered on the lawn, "Do you know them?"

"Yep," he answered simply as he came to a stop in front of the stairs, craning his head back to look her in the eye.

She paused, seemingly lost at the straight-forward reply. "...Are they trustworthy?" she finally asked, eyeing the strange little group again.

"As anyone can be," Wil replied with a mock-salute.

She paused again, and then eyed the group over, counting them. "Well, I suppose... Hmph," she rolled her eyes and started again, "You can rent out all the apartments I have open," she shouted down at them, "I'll even give you a discount. If ya try, you should all be able to fit!" She narrowed her eyes and in her best dragon-lady tone, added, "But no funny stuff, you hear?"

"Funny stuff?" Erk muttered, raising an eyebrow.

Wil scratched the nape of his neck, laughing lightly, "It's sort of her rule."

"Sort of! Sort of! Did I hear you right, boy? What were you, dropped on your head while you were off wherever you were! It's not "sort of" the rule, it's THE rule and-"

"Okay, okay," Wil cut in, chuckling. "It's THE rule, guys." He winked, and shook his head. Rath sighed and wondered if it was always going to be this noisy. Suddenly, facing witch hunters sounded like a walk in the park. A very nice walk in the park, with frolicking squirrels and birds who chirped Mozart...

"THE rule," the elderly woman repeated with a firm nod.

---

"Is the building alright, Priscilla?" Raven asked in a grunt as he set their bags down in the room he'd be sharing with his sister and Lucius. "We could always move if it's too crowded..."

Priscilla shook her head, sitting down on the bed, the only furniture in the rather dusty room. "It's fine, brother. The only lingering spirits are harmless ones, none that pose a potential threat. I won't have any problems staying here, but thank you for asking." she smiled slowly, the melancholy look in her eyes remaining. Lucius patted her on the shoulder, sending a kind look her way.

Raven looked away, towards the open door. Serra was dashing up and down the steps, ordering Erk and Canas around as the two men carried her multiple bags up to her room. She paused by their door to wave at Lucius, who returned the sentiment, and then she was on her way.

"Looks like Serra made herself at home," Lucius commented with a rye smile. Erk, currently carrying one end of a large suitcase, overheard the comment and sent a half-hearted glare at the blond. Canas, trying to both balance the suitcase and offer Erk some comfort at the same time, waved as best he could as they disappeared up the stairs. Serra followed them, shouting orders as she went.

Raven shook his head, grateful that he hadn't been recruited as one of Serra's slaves. He'd once been chosen to help carry an armoire up to her room and he never wanted to repeat that experience again. Lucius, as if sensing his thoughts, sent him an apologetic smile.

Priscilla, in the mean time, had adopted a glazed expression and had fixed her eyes on the wall in a blank stare. Raven sighed, laying a hand on his sister's shoulder. Creating a weak magical connection via the touch, he followed her gaze and saw a vague, hazy shape floating in the corner.

"A ghost?" Lucius questioned once Raven let go of Priscilla. "Or some sort of other spirit...?"

"Ghost, I think," Raven answered tersely, running a hand through his hair. He glanced at Priscilla. "Don't know how long she'll insist on speaking to this one."

"Right," Lucius stood, pushing his hair over his shoulder. "Why don't you stay with her? I'll go look around, see who else has arrived." Raven nodded absently, sitting down next to Priscilla.

"Come back soon-- you know how she gets when she finally snaps out of it," Raven mumbled.

The blond nodded, closing the apartment door on his way out. He quickly walked down the stairs and arrived in on the ground floor, where quite a few people still remained, discussing various matters. Some, like Rath, just glowered at the wall.

"Something wrong, Rath?" Lucius asked, brushing a lock of hair behind his ear.

"Don't mind him," Wil shook his head, appearing at the foot of the stairs. "He's just grouchy because Guy isn't here yet," he whispered to Lucius with a helpless shrug of his shoulders. Lucius gave an understanding nod.

"He went with Matthew, didn't he?" When Rath stiffened, Lucius just shook his head in an amused manner and continued, "I wouldn't worry, then. Matthew knows his way around the city pretty well. Though..." he glanced at his watch, "it is pretty late. Maybe they took a detour...?"

Wil shrugged, "It's possible. The city's big, after all. They might've decided to go do something before settling in, blow off some steam and all. What do you think, Rath?"

Rath took a moment to reply, keeping his frown in place the whole time. "...I think that if anything happens to Guy, Matthew--"

"Is dead. You've told me," Wil grinned. "Don't worry so much. I'm sure they'll be back soon!"

---

"Rath is going to k-kill me. No, wait, he's going to kill you."

Matthew sighed, leaning back in his seat. The small theatre was dark and somewhat crowded, a short film on the evolution of dinosaurs playing on repeat. "It's not like I planned this..."

Guy shrugged, looking around the room. He still felt like he was being watched, but it was hard to pinpoint a hunter in a crowd. "He'll kill you anyway." He tapped his fingers against the wooden bench nervously, biting his lip. It was too dark in here. It would be too easy for a witch hunter to strike, he told himself, fidgeting. Too easy for a hunter to slip away unnoticed.

Matthew's hand settled on his shoulder. "Don't worry. We're going to be fine." he whispered with a charming smile.

"Jerk," Guy hissed back, but he couldn't help but smile a little. He tried to turn his attention to the screen, but the fact that Matthew's hand still remained on his shoulder made it just a little hard to concentrate.

"Aw, but you love me anyway, right?" Matthew joked, raising his hand to ruffle Guy's hair. Extremely thankful that the dark theatre was no doubt hiding the fact that he was as red as an embarrassed tomato, Guy ducked his head down and stared at the screen through his bangs. Matthew snickered at him, shaking his head from side to side in amusement.

Someone in the back shushed them loudly, causing Matthew to snicker more. Guy was sure he was going to pass out any moment now because of all the blood rushing to his head. "Young people these days," an annoyed voice, probably the same one that had shushed, echoed.

"Oh, leave them alone." Another voice said from somewhere off to the right.

Another elderly-sounding voice quickly piped up, "Ah, to be young again. Remember when we were lovebirds, Harold?"

Guy squeaked. Matthew doubled over in laughter. To the left, a baby cried. Grabbing onto Guy's wrist, Matthew held a finger to his lips. The next thing Guy knew, Matthew and he had plummeted through the floor and landed smoothly on the ground of a luckily empty exhibit. Guy took a deep breath and waited for his head to stop spinning while he regained whatever sense of balance he'd had before. When he had, he reached over and hit Matthew.

"Warn me before you phase us out of places! And you shouldn't d-do that anyway! Y-you have to conserve your magic!"

"Sorry, sorry," Matthew apologized while managing not to sound apologetic in the least. "You don't feel like we're being watched anymore, though, right?"

Guy took a moment and realized that the feeling of eyes on his back had all but disappeared. "...Yeah," he mumbled, crossing his arms. "But I don't like that we're alone here. We should be getting back."

"Then let's start heading out," Matthew suggested, starting towards the exit. Guy quickly caught up to him, trying to keep in-step with the other's long strides. Within moments, Matthew had located the exit and led them outside. He whistled lowly upon noticing the setting sun. "Right, okay then. Rath really is going to kill me."

"S-slowly and painfully," Guy commented, eyeing the sunset himself. Even though they had been stalked by witch hunters and forced to hide out in a museum through most of the day, he couldn't help but feel happy that he had gotten to spend time with Matthew. Which, in turn, made him feel just a little guilty. Biting his lip, he followed Matthew down to the subway station in a subdued fashion. He only paused his sulking occasionally to remind Matthew exactly which train to take.

"Careful," Matthew tugged on Guy's braid as they descended the stairs. They had arrived just in time to see a magenta-haired girl take a rather nasty tumble down the last few steps. Though she didn't seem to be seriously injured, she was teary-eyed and her blue-haired companion was trying to help her up and stop her from bursting into tears at the same time. ("Aw, Neimi, you said you wouldn't cry anymore!") Two other men, one with tousled hair and a worried expression and the other with long red locks and a coin that he tossed in a rather bored manner, attempted to help. ("Joshua, put that down." "But Artur...!") Or rather, one of them attempted to help and the other was coerced into it.

"We actually have to buy metrocards this time..." Matthew grumbled as Guy fed the machine money. "It was so much easier to just jump over the turnstile..."

"B-be quiet. That's illegal."

"Kind of fun, though."

Guy shook his head as he accepted the flimsy card from the machine. "Matthew... just, please behave. Please."

"That's a difficult request to grant, but for you're sake, I'll try." Guy breathed a sigh of relief right before Matthew added, "Of course, if I did get us arrested, I could just phase us out of there... Ow. Must you kick me?"

"S-serves you right," Guy muttered.

They boarded their train quickly and Matthew made sure to check the map to make sure that they weren't headed in completely the wrong direction again. After assuring Guy that they would probably be able to find the building before it got too late, Matthew took a seat and leaned back, closing his eyes. Though the events of the day before seemed like they had happened years ago, they were still vivid in his mind. He suppressed a shudder. All he really wanted to do was shut himself up in a room and simply alternate between grieving and sleeping for a few days. But... he opened one eye and glanced at Guy, his own dark eyes fixed blankly on the opposite window. He sighed and cracked a small smile. He couldn't sulk, not now. Not when other people needed him. Reaching over, he couldn't resist ruffling Guy's hair again. He earned himself a glare and a slap on the wrist, but it was well worth it.

---

"Meet her at ten tomorrow... just how crazy does she think I am?" Heath muttered to himself, glancing around the empty room. Sighing, he sat back on the bed and frowned at the ceiling. He couldn't believe he was actually considering going. It would just be to see what she wanted, after all. The address she gave him was a coffee shop, so it wasn't like it wouldn't be a public area. It would be somewhat safe... probably.

She had already tracked him down once. How hard would it be for her to do it again? But if he complied with her request... he leaned back, closing his eyes. This was far too much. He wasn't going to go back there, but... he was considering meeting with Vaida. As utterly moronic as it sounded, he really was considering it.

"Why so serious?"

Opening his eyes, Heath shrugged. "It's nothing."

Legault leaned languidly on the doorframe, a skeptical look on his face. "If you say so."

"I do," Heath smiled, sitting up and pulling one knee up to his chest. "Where were you, anyway?" he raised an eyebrow. Legault crossed the room in a few long strides, taking a seat next to Heath.

He shrugged, "Around. Nino needed me to run out and get a few things for her and it took a bit longer then expected." Wrapping his arms around Heath, he lay back, taking the other with him. "Miss me?"

"Legault..." Heath growled, glaring up at him. Legault stared back down, an amused smile on his face. After a moment, he closed his eyes, yawning.

"Damn, I'm tired..." he sighed, tightening his grip on Heath. Managing to put enough distance between himself and Legault, Heath elbowed the other man in the ribcage.

"Well, I'm not."

Legault closed the distance between them again, nuzzling Heath's hair, "That's because you slept on the bus. I didn't. Now be good and let me rest. Please." he added the last part in something between a hiss and a whisper, running a hand up and down Heath's upper arm. Heath scowled, but said nothing. Turning his head, he gazed at Legault. The other man did appear to be dozing; his eyes were closed and his chest was rising and falling evenly. His hand had stilled but still remained on Heath's arm.

Sighing, Heath brought his own hand up to touch Legault's lightly. What am I going to do with you? he thought to himself, raising the other hand to brush some of Legault's hair away from his face. His fingers lingered a moment over the long scars that crossed over his eye and Heath wondered again just how he'd gotten them. Deciding that he actually probably didn't want to know after all, Heath removed his hand from the tall man's face. Taking a second look at him, he saw the faint smile on Legault's lips and groaned. "Cut it out. I know you're not asleep."

"Mm," Legault muttered, tugging Heath yet closer. "No, I wasn't, but the attention you were lavishing on me was very enjoyable anyway..."

Flushing, Heath reached over and tugged lightly on a lock of Legault's long hair. "Shut up and go to bed already."

"Sleep with me, will you?"

Heath paused a moment before muttering, "Nino's right. Everything you say is dirty."

"You know perfectly well what I meant," Legault suppressed another yawn. "But, if you like, there's always tomorrow for--" Heath reached over, grabbed a pillow, and brought it down on Legault's head. "You're quite violent, aren't you?" was his muffled response. Unwrapping one arm from around Heath, he removed the pillow from his face and set it under his head.

"Only when the situation calls for it," Heath replied airily with a small smirk.

Legault opened one eye and stared at him for a long moment, before smiling. "You are spending far too much time with me."

"Probably," Heath said, relaxing against Legault. "Go to sleep, okay? I'll stay."

Nodding, the other man closed the opened eye and ran a hand up and down Heath's back for a good couple of minutes before he stilled. Heath did nothing but watch him for a while after that, thinking about nothing in particular. All the while, he was painfully aware of the note still in his pocket. Combine that with the warmth of the man next to him and it made for one heck of a headache.

Heath closed his own eyes, laying a hand across his forehead. He was an idiot for even considering meeting with Vaida. He was an even bigger idiot for deciding to go through and be done with it.

---

"Didn't you use to live in New York, Nino?" Florina asked quietly as Lyn attempted to help Matthew and Guy sneak upstairs. The two had arrived mere moments ago and luckily for them, Wil had all but kidnapped Rath in order to further experiment with his chalk circles.

"Um, I think so," Nino responded. "Uncle Legault says we used to, but I don't remember it very well." She shuffled the deck of cards in her hands expertly, watching them fly from one palm to the other. When she caught Florina staring, she grinned and explained, "I know lots of card tricks. Uncle Legault taught me this one." Placing the cards down on the ground, she dealt Florina and herself five each.

"Wow," Florina mumbled quietly, gathering up her own cards.

"Uh-huh!" Nino nodded, her grin taking on a certain pride. "But... I didn't learn them all from him. I used to have two brothers... well, they probably weren't actually my brothers, just like Legault isn't actually my uncle by blood and all. But it always felt like they were my older brothers and they might've been my step-brothers-- Uncle Legault won't say anything about them. To me, though, they were my brothers, no doubt about it." She took a breath, before adding, "Sorry, that probably sounded really confusing!"

"I-I understand," Florina spoke up. "Fiora and Farina are my sisters, related by blood... they're my family. But then there's everyone here, and..." she trailed off, blushing. "You're all my family, too."

"Aww," Nino giggled. "You're sweet, Florina! Got any threes?"

"Go fish."

"I feel the same way, though," Nino continued as she picked up a card. "Before we came here, it was just me and Uncle Legault. It got pretty lonely sometimes... but ever since we got here, life's been really exciting!"

"Or terrifying," Florina whispered, twisting a lock of hair around her finger. Nino giggled. "I-I'm not kidding! What about that one time when Serra lost control and..." she trailed off, blushing.

"Well, okay, that was pretty scary," Nino admitted, grinning from ear to ear. "And the attacks were scary, too... but there's more then enough fun times to balance out the scales, don't you think?"

Florina paused to consider, then nodded slightly, "I guess so..." the cards in her hands forgotten, she smiled thoughtfully. "Nino, what do you think is going to happen?"

"...Well, I can kind of see your cards, so that probably gives me the upper hand..."

"Not with the game!" Florina giggled, but held her cards closer to her all the same. "But... you know, with... well, all of us. Here. In the city. Do you think Pent and Louise will be okay back at the house...?"

"Sure," Nino said instantly, without even pausing to think about it. "They're strong. They know more than the rest of us. They'll be fine. I can still see your cards-- you did have a three!"

Florina shook her head with a grin and laid her cards on the ground, neatly spreading them in a circle. "How can you be so sure...?" she asked, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

"Because I have to be," Nino replied, gathering up Florina's cards and shuffling them into the deck. Her own hand soon followed. Obviously, there game wasn't going anywhere. She continued to shuffle the cards back and forth. "I know that things are going to work out fine and I know that soon we'll all be able to go home and it won't be like that other time with the police and the neighbors all thinking that the house was..." she paused, blushing. "Well, you know."

Florina nodded meekly, suddenly intensely interested in the floor. That was an incident she longed to forget.

"But anyway," Nino pulled herself up and smiled brightly. "You just have to believe things are going to work out! Keep a positive outlook and things'll be looking up in no time!" Finally content with the deck of cards, she slid it back into the pocket of her jeans.

"...That... sounds kind of hard," Florina murmured, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Well, uh, try to think positive without thinking about it, then," Nino suggested with a shrug and a helpless sort of expression.

"Nino," Matthew hissed from the doorway, glancing around to make sure Rath wasn't anywhere nearby. Neither he nor Guy had been caught yet and Matthew would have liked to keep it that way. "Legault wanted me to tell you to go to bed already. We've got a long day of pretending not to be completely lost tomorrow."

"Why didn't he come tell me himself?" Nino asked with a small frown as she stood up and waved good night to Florina.

Matthew scratched the back of his neck and slowly said, "Let's just say he's very comfortable right now."

Florina turned beet red and Nino tried very hard not to sigh. "I really don't want a deeper explanation right now, do I?" she asked as she tramped out of Florina's room and headed towards the stairs.

"It's not as dirty as you might think, but... no, you probably don't." Matthew ruffled her hair before jogging up the stairs himself, "G'night, kid!"

Sticking her tongue out at his back, Nino headed towards her own room, conveniently located next to her uncle's.

---

"This is amazing," Rath murmured, clasping Wil on the shoulder. Wil's most complex chalk circle yet took up a large portion of the bare wooden floor. Mrs. Waters had been kind of enough to let him have his old room back and, what with the slight shortage of rooms, it had been decided that Wil would be sharing with Rath. Neither teacher nor student seemed to object.

Wil grinned over his shoulder at Rath, before turning back to admire his work. It was an intricate design that incorporated three different circles with a something that Rath called a Celtic knot in the center. Wil had no idea what that meant, but it looked cool all the same. The usual assortment of letters trailed around the largest of the circles, various symbols wove their way through the second and the numbers zero through nine went around the third. Yes and No were written on either side of the large work. Wil held his pendulum poised over the circle.

"Divination at this stage in your training," Rath continued, eyes traveling every line drawn on the floor. "...You learned this on your own?"

"I kind of made it up as I went along," Wil said with a nervous laugh and a shrug of his shoulders. "And, uh, care to define "divination"? I mean, that's like, divining stuff, right? But I'm not exactly sure what that means, either."

"Divination," Rath cut in quickly, "is the art of fortune telling, in simple terms." He paused, before continuing, "Wind elements are usually best at it, followed by water and light. It is... possible for all the elements to learn some form of divination, but these days it is an art reserved... more or less... for wind elements."

"Uh, didn't quite catch all that, but cool all the same." Wil grinned, "So, ask me a question!"

A moment of silence ensued and Wil turned to look at Rath again. Seeing the other's raised eyebrow, he sighed with a crooked grin. "You've just seen the circle. Not what it can do."

"...What should I ask, then?" Rath murmured.

"Err, start with something easy, like a yes or no question." Wil suggested, idly twisting the pendulum's chain back and forth.

A thoughtful sort of quiet settled over the room for a minute or two before Rath finally placed a question, "Will tomorrow be fortunate?"

"Will tomorrow be fortunate?" Wil repeated, focusing on the pendulum clenched in his fist. After a moment, he flicked his wrist and the pendulum began to swing in lazy patterns a few inches above the floor. Humming under his breath, Wil's gaze followed the path of the pendulum as it slowly began to wind down. In a matter of seconds, it had come to a near complete stop, hovering above...

"No." Rath read aloud.

Wil blinked, "Well... uh, that's straightforward? It's not usually that blunt. Should we be worried?" he asked, placing the pendulum down besides the circle. He shifted to face Rath, studying his teacher's expression. He didn't look worried or anything, so Wil supposed that was a good thing. Probably.

"Divination is rarely straightforward... nor is it always one hundred percent correct. There are almost always loopholes." He took a breath and ran a hand through his green bangs, "I wouldn't worry."

Wil's hesitant expression melted into a slow smile, "'Kay." Watching as Rath got up and began to pace around the room, he shook his head and picked up the pendulum again. "You want me to see if Guy's okay?"

Rath came to a standstill and turned to face his student. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you're pacing. And glaring. Again." Wil answered quickly, "Like you have been all day. I figured that it might put your mind at ease. Or... make you pace and glare even more. Either way, it's worth a try, isn't it?" Picking up the chalk, he touched up the circle a little before grabbing his pendulum. "So?"

"...Fine." Rath gave in. What harm could it do?

"Okay!" Wil grinned before phrasing his question and letting the pendulum once again swing around the elaborate design. It swung lazily from one end of the second circle to the other before finally coming to a stop over the doodle of a cloud. "Okay, so, clouds... clouds are in the sky. The sky is blue. So that means that Guy's... blue? Oh, blue, like sad or melancholy. Or it could mean under the weather... maybe it's..."

Conveniently, there was a knock at the door and Wil paused mid-rant to get up and answer it. "Or apparently," he continued, moving aside to reveal their visitor. "It means he's in the building. Hi, Guy!"

"Hi, Wil," Guy returned with a guilty smile.

"Guy," Rath intoned quietly, looking the younger man up and down. "You appear to be in one piece."

"I-I am," he replied, flushing and looking away.

Wil rolled his eyes and gave Guy a gentle shove, pushing him into the room. "And I'll be leaving so you two can work out some family issues," he said with a wave before quickly exiting. He made sure to shut the door behind him.

Not five minutes later, Guy threw open the door and stomped out, slamming it violently behind him.

"I take it it didn't go so well," Wil spoke up. For the past few minutes, he had been leaning against the hallway wall, staring off into space. The sound of a slamming door had brought him out of his game of finding patterns in the old wallpaper.

"Rath is a stubborn man who either communicates in long bouts of silence or in sounds too high for a human to hear," Guy said with a look that could've burned a hole through the wall.

Wil snickered, "Geez, let's hope it's the first one. Good night, Guy."

"Night, Wil," Guy said with a small smile.

Returning to his room, Wil eyed Rath with amusement. "You're not great at this family argument thing, are you?" he asked, grabbing a rag off the floor and wiping away the chalk circle. He had decided after he'd drawn the first one that he would have to erase them pretty much as soon as he was done with them. Leaving them there felt... wrong. It bothered him.

Rath didn't reply, so Wil continued, "I've never had any cousins, or siblings, either. But my friend, Dan, had a little sister who used to hang out with us. Err, I can't really remember her name, but I remember she used to get pretty mad with the two of us. It was always funny, watching Dan trying to calm her down, because he was so awful at it. You and Guy remind me of that, kind of. Except without the constant throwing of random stuff." The circle completely erased, Wil sat back on his heels and smiled.

There was a pause before Rath muttered, "You haven't seen one of our more serious arguments, then." Wil blinked, then laughed and Rath's lips twitched into something resembling a smile.

"Tomorrow," he changed the subject, locking his green eyes with warm brown ones. "You should show your chalk circles to Ninian. She knows far more about the art of divination than I do."

"Right," Wil agreed.

---

"Matthew?" Guy whispered, opening the door as quietly as he could and slipping into the dark room. "Are you asleep?" he bit his lip, blinking a few times in the darkness. His friend and new roommate was nowhere to be found.

"I'm awake," a voice from behind him uttered and Guy jumped when someone pulled on his braid.

"I really hate you and your night vision," the small teen grumbled, grabbing his hair back and clutching it possessively. Matthew snickered, weaving his way around Guy and sitting down on the bed. Holding out his palm, he formed a small ball of raw magic, which glowed eerily in the dark.

"Where've you been?" he asked as Guy shifted nervously from one foot to the other; he had just realized that there was a bed shortage in the room they'd be sharing.

"I went to apologize to Rath," Guy answered, cautiously sitting down next to Matthew when the other man gestured for him to do so. "It... went reasonably well, considering everything. He still wants your head on a platter, though I suppose that's nothing new."

"Nope," Matthew grinned and the dancing silver light cast shadows over his face and shoulders. "Fish swim, birds fly, you squeak when I play with your hair--" Matthew reached out and Guy scooted towards the end of the bed, sticking his tongue out. "And Rath just doesn't like me."

"And you," Guy added on, "don't care one bit, do you?"

Matthew's grin grew larger, "There are more important things to care about then whether someone likes you or not." He sat back and stared as the spot just beyond Guy's shoulder. Experimentally, Guy reached out and touched Matthew's wrist, channeling his own power into the magic sphere, which began to glow a little brighter.

"Matthew," he began quietly, licking his lips and staring at the sheets under them. "I'm sorry."

Matthew cast a quizzical glance at him, raising both eyebrows. "About what?" he feigned surprise. Guy frowned.

"About--!" he spluttered, his bangs falling into his eyes. "About her! What else could I p-possibly mean, you jerk? Don't you... don't you miss her?"

For a second, anger flashed across Matthew's eyes and Guy nearly shrank back. He'd seen Matthew loose it the night before with that hunter; it wasn't something he particularly wanted to witness again. Then a finger was pressed against his lips and Matthew's eyes, calm and collected, were staring into his.

"Guy, what's done is done. Your apologies aren't going to change anything, especially when there's nothing for you to apologize for. So... just be quiet, okay." It wasn't a request. Guy fell silent, adding yet more of his own magic to the ball Matthew held instead. Matthew smiled, not grinned, and raised his free hand to tug off Guy's headband. He brushed the younger boy's bangs away from his eyes before pulling back.

"You take the bed. I'm fine with the floor." he said, attempting to stand up. Guy's hand clenched around his wrist, halting him. Expecting a protest, Matthew continued, "No, seriously, it looks feathery soft, like the detergent commercials. And if you protest, I'll make you take the bed. Don't think I won't."

"I wasn't going to," Guy cut in with a snort. "I-I'm not that generous. I'm going to take advantage of your offer, oaf."

"You're so sweet."

"Sh-shut up." Guy's grip tightened on his arm. "I just... didn't want to go to sleep quite yet. Stay here for a little while." Matthew hesitated a second, before collapsing back down.

"First, you just let me take the floor. Then, you call me back over to the bed. Little tease."

"You're making me reconsider my offer, Matthew..."

---

Chapter 14-End

---

Wow. Okay. Actually finished the chapter. I swore to myself that I'd do it and I actually did. I'd be proud of myself, but then I remember that chapter 13 was posted in, oh, I don't know, JULY, so that sort of sucks the pride out of this accomplishment. (So, so sorry.)

And I believe Koriku had a comment as to the layout of the bus stop (aka, the Port Authority) mentioned in the last chapter, the one Legault, Heath and Nino get off at. The thing is, it's the last stop for most of the New Jersey Transit buses and it's a large building, enclosed. Most of the time, once you get off of the bus, you have to either up or down a flight of stairs to get into the actual building, so that's why the stairs were there. Hope that clears things up and thanks for your review!

Reviews are appreciated and please feel free to poke me with a pointy twig if you feel it's necessary. Though that doesn't inspire near as much as ego-inflating praise. (It does sort of hurt in a ticklish way, though, so if that was what you were going for...) But, wow, 170 reviews. I am shocked beyond words! You guys are incredible! (You'll be even more incredible if you turn down the poking-with-the-pointy-twig offer, by the way.)