What you can't see

Can't hurt you

Chapter 20. Betrayal

It was dark, that was a fact. He couldn't see anything at all. He knew he was in a small room though seeing as he caught a glimpse of the room when he was thrown in here. There wasn't a window as far as he knew, and the door was tightly fitted, so there wasn't light there. The room was excruciatingly small and strangely there was a letter box in the door, which unfortunately only went one way. He was sat on a futon and jumped as the box snapped open, two blue eyes looking through. He crawled over to the light and lowered his head.

"Tala?" The eyes closed and opened sadly. Zeo looked away. "Brooklyn…how are you?" He asked. Though his question seemed weird to ask someone who now had a background of Brooklyn, they had still spent a long time together.

"I'm good, it's nice to see you again…not nice to see you in this situation, but still nice to see you," Zeo smiled slightly. "And how are you…minus the back ache?"

"How did you know I'd have a back ache?" Brooklyn laughed lightly.

"I've been in there before; hopefully you won't be in as long as I was. If you cooperate, you get out early, f you don't…well, you get the picture, right?" Zeo nodded and crawled to the futon, which he could just see with the light from the box. When the door opened, and a flash light lit the room up he was surprised. "Hey, you hungry?" Zeo nodded Brooklyn put a tray in front of them, one cheese sandwich and a glass of soda.

"Why did you come in?" Zeo asked, picking up the food and taking a bit. "Shouldn't you have stayed outside?"

"I thought you might've wanted company and a little light. I'll leave if you don't want me here." Zeo shook his head and took another bite.

"No, it's sort of nice. In a weird way seeing as you're kind of now…mean," Brooklyn looked away silently. Zeo carried on eating in the awkward silence. "So, what kind of cooperation?" Blue eyes looked up again into to calmer ones. A gentle smile was back in tacked.

"Simple. You come and activate a fossil and then we're done. That's all there is to it," Zeo didn't feel convinced, why go through all the trouble of getting him here. The guns and shots flashed through his mind. "It's complicated, you know, your power and all," Brooklyn added seeing the eyes narrow. "They did tell you, right?"

"No. I haven't been told anything…" He replied with a slight realization. "I haven't been told anything…I've just…tagged along," He jumped as a pale hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts. Zeo blushed slightly as he realized what he was doing. "But I don't doubt them; I was the one who decided to follow them in the first place."

"No need to cover up. I know you don't do anything you don't want to. I can tell you about your power if you want me to," He took the slight movement of the head as a yes. "You see, your power either releases, or locks away a different power, you're simply a key to the fossil. Half of us think that this fossil is good, but there are a few who think it's evil, to be kept away. You have the key, so you have to play the role of the judge, to decide who is right. If you make the wrong one though, you can't change it, your powers will disappear and we'll have to wait for a different key."

"There are other keys?"

"Sort of, you only get a key every once in a while, you are one of them." Zeo nodded. This was confusing, and he hated the thought of his best friend Ana being part of this huge…conspiracy, not only her, Brook as well.

"So then, what do I have to do to let this…thing?" Brooklyn winced slightly. Zeo turned a guilty shade of pink at the spitefulness that must've come out with the words.

"You go and stand in the centre of the ruins in the woods as you, or someone else, reads the spell on the tablets of ancient text. The key will then come out of you and unlock the power that's in the wall, which is painless and harmless," Zeo nodded and took a drink. This was far too much right now, especially here in the dark, with Brooklyn. "Ana…didn't tell you, or want you to get involved…because she didn't want the key to be found. Everyone else did in a way…even those on her side."

"Why would those on her side want the…key?" He heard Brooklyn lay down, finished his drink and sandwich before lying down next to him. "I mean, wouldn't the others want me to be a secret?"

"You would think so…they want to find you before we do so that they can keep you away from us; we want to find you to keep you away from them long enough to unlock the thing. They keep you longer than us. Ana had the right idea on her half though." Brooklyn propped himself up on his side so that he could see Zeo better. In some ways it also brought them closer.

"Why are you against her?"

"She knew I was on this side. That's why she wasn't ever fond of me going to your house. I never knew about you though, and as she didn't tell you I never thought it would be you. I'm against her because the power is suppose to turn the world green. Clean the seas, make the plants grow, make the world a better place." Zeo turned onto his side, intrigued.

"Why was she against you?"

"Because…she," Brooklyn took a long pause and let his head fall to the ground. "I don't know…I've never been told anything but that." Zeo turned Brooklyn's head to face him.

"Maybe…there's nothing else to tell."

Zzz

Kaede groaned as Tala passed her again. He was giving her a headache. Going back and forth, and back and forth; it wasn't good for her simple, small mind. Ozuma sighed as the Russian passed by again. Mystel was banging his head against the back of the couch. They had gone straight to the Liandi Hotel with Hiro and Kai in toe. Tala hadn't slept, barely ate, and drank. Now he found his new habit in pacing and annoying the hell out of everyone. Kai walked into the room and stepped back slightly as four stern, pleading looks were shot at him.

"Umm…hi?" He asked, bewildered. Hiro then stepped out of Miriam's room, said girl right behind him. Kai steered Tala into a chair and managed to convince him to stay seated, Hiro sat opposite him, and Miriam snuggled into Kaede. Kai had walked over to the kitchen to get some drinks, coming back with a six pack which three boys and one girl almost attacked. Miriam rolled her eyes and Hiro chuckled. Kai waited till the swarm had gone back before getting his own, offering one to Hiro, then putting it back in the fridge as it was declined.

"So, what's going to happen next?" Hiro asked. Tala almost snapped an instant reply before Kai stepped in, knowing his good friend could be irrational under stress.

"We haven't decided, though a few have volunteered to help in anyway they can. Keeping this situation under control is more important than their jobs as far as they're concerned. It might be best to let them make the first move."

Tala jumped, as expected. "Let them make the first move? We need to attack them! Who knows what they're doing to him! He could be in that room for all we know!" Kai pushed him back, as he'd managed to spring up from the expensive furniture.

"The only reason that you hated that room so much is because you're claustrophobic. Zeo will be treated like royalty no doubt. They want him on their side, remember?" Tala gave in with a small, disapproving sound. "Now, does anyone have a better idea that doesn't involve a war?" he demanded. No one answered him, so he nodded.

"I like the idea of waiting for them, though we'll need hawks." Ozuma said. Miriam nodded and decided to put her two pence worth in.

"I think we should ring as many parties as we can and tell them to keep a look out for strange activities." Kaede sat up, crushing her now empty can.

"We need constant watch over the ruins," she declared. "If we slip on keeping hawks there, we could miss our chance to stop them." Kaede looked over to Hiro, who hadn't any clue as to what was going on.

"What's a hawk?" He started. Miriam had explained what was going on to him, but that didn't mean he knew everything.

"A hawk is a member of a group, or members, who have a keen eye. They watch closely for the opposite side's activity. The whole group have to look out, but the hawks are generally the best." She couldn't help but smile at the next question.

"Who are the hawks here?" Ozuma grinned and waved.

"Me, Ozuma, and Mystel, though he's a member of a different group." Miriam stated. Hiro nodded, processing the information. With Zeo missing, and now all this to manage, he wasn't sure he was someone to cope with it all. Kaede obviously noticed her Sensei's distress, and wanted to do something to help.

"Can I get you anything Hiro Sensei? A drink perhaps?" the blue haired man looked up at her. He smiled gratefully and nodded.

"Yes, some cold water would go down very nicely thank you." Kaede stood, making Miriam stumble slightly, and made her way to the small kitchen. Miriam sat back in her place to keep it warm, and so she didn't have to sit on the floor.

"So then, we wait for them to do something?" Mystel spook up, breaking the silence. "How long do you think that'll take?" Tala stood again, walking back and forth in front of the TV.

"They could be already doing something inside that place! Yet we have no way of knowing what's going on! We need to take action, we need to gather people and get him back! What will happen if he stays there with those people! Toying with him and tricking him!" Tala exclaimed, but Kai had enough of it, he was going to shut that pathetic excuse of a man up.

"All you're thinking about is the fact that Zeo is with Brooklyn. You're afraid that he's going to fall for someone else! It'll be good if he does cause then maybe he'll be accepted rather than pushed aside in the waiting area!" Kai almost yelled. Tala glared fiercely at him. "You don't care that that…myth is about to become a reality." Tala felt like punching him in the gut. He felt a thousand things, but he knew that Kai was right. He took in a deep breath and walked passed Kaede, who had re-entered with her Sensei's drink, and to the door, grabbing his helmet and keys.

"I'm going out." He stated and shut the door with a shattering bang. Kai sat in his place and Kaede stood where she was, slightly bewildered. Miriam had a worried look plastered on her face and her eyes didn't leave the door.

"Do you think…he'll be ok on his own?" She pondered out loud. Kai laid his head back.

"If you mean about going to do something stupid, then he'll be fine. However, if you're talking about his liver conditions I wouldn't bet on it," The slate haired Russian glared at the ceiling. "I just…wish there was some way that I could help him." Kaede walked over to him and sat down, resting against his chair.

"We all do, Kai…but you can't really help someone like Tala easily in this situation. All we can do is hope he doesn't die of alcohol poisoning." She noted dryly. Kai couldn't help but smile at that though; as much as he hated to admit it, Tala's horrid habits could be quite amusing. If it weren't for some of those horrid habits…he shut his dark eyes as he thought of something's that had happened between them that he wouldn't…no, couldn't forget. Ozuma noticed this action.

"Ooh, Kai! Did you meet someone you're not telling us about?" Kai snapped his head to the sneering boy and glared, with a slight pink staining his cheeks. He growled and put his chin to his fist. "I'll take that as a yes, huh?" He ducked as a pillow headed straight for him.

"Do tell Kai! We're all interested!" Mystel said, grinning in the sunshine way he does. The phoenix twitched slightly and stood.

"I'm going to my room. Don't disturb me unless it's important and NOT about me." He stressed the last part, giving them the hint. Mystel looked at Hiro with a sly look.

"You were there, weren't you? Can you tell us what happened?" Hiro was slightly startled at the blonde's question, but answered anyway.

"Well, there was Brook, who was punished and sent into the same room as us…Kai and him had a…err…talk, I'm not sure what it was about, something about being born into it, and then they sort of hugged. Kitta gave Brook a potion so that his memory would blur though, as he was ordered." Kaede perked up at the sound of someone she hadn't met.

"Who's Kitta?" The fair haired two said in unison. Miriam sighed slightly and stood, walking in the direction of the front door, until two pale hands wrapped round her ankles. She frowned down at her partner and tried to pull her foot out, with shoe in tacked.

"Where you going?" The innocent looking girl asked, blinking sweetly.

"To find Tala, I'm just going to make sure he can get back in his own." She argued. The pale hands released, but the red eyes followed her to the door.

"You sure that's a good idea? He might be mad," But the bluenette simply ignored her and left, coat in arms. "Hey, wait a minute; that was my coat!" Kaede realized, sitting up. Mystel laughed slightly.

"Not much you can do about that. So, who's Kitta?" He said, getting back on track. Kaede sat in Kai's empty chair with a slight pout on her face for her abducted coat. Hiro grinned sheepishly.

"He's one of the servants for the boss at the place we were at. He's been looking after me and Kai," Kaede giggled girlishly and was received a pillow thrown softly in her general direction. "I don't know him that well." He added, making Kaede giggle a bit more.

"Yes Sensei!" She sang happily. Hiro stood; a crafty smirk on his face and he looked down at the last female of the room.

"Now, I don't know how long I've been gone, but some of us need to get back to training!" He deliberated. The white haired girl moaned slightly. As much as she liked her sword and her Sensei, he was harsh when it came to training. She was told he took after his Grandpa.

"But I have University work to do!" She whined, not getting anywhere as Hiro walked over to her and pulled her up.

"Should've thought of that earlier, and before you chose me as your Sensei! Now get down to that car park and let's go!" With much protest, and dragging, Ozuma and Mystel watched the two struggle across the room, amused.

Zzz

Miriam walked into the warm pub, dressed in Kaede's black winter coat. Her short skirt was only just visible as it was long, and had fake fur lining the edges. The fur was different greys and she understood what Kaede had hated about this place last time. Drunken men. Of course, you don't just get joyful drunks, you get the ones who like to brood in the darkest place they can find and rot. She sighed at the redhead, who was spinning his hand round a glass, on a glass filled table. She walked over to him and raised a thin, plucked brow. The glazed blue eyes.

"I can't see you properly, but you look like my friend…though she'd be battering me by now," Miriam sighed and sat down, grabbing the glass and finding a close tree to pour it in. "I didn't think trees liked that stuffs…you mist be a real hippy-tree-hugger persons." He slurred. Miriam took off her coat and Tala sat back. "I'm gay." He declared, obviously not recognizing her.

"So am I, now we've got that out the way, how about we get out some water." She said softly than she normally would. Tala shook his head.

"I like the stuff that I was drinking, I'd rather have that." She rolled her eyes and stood, making her way to the bar and ordering two waters. When she went back with them and placed them down in gaps between the pint glasses. Tala shook his head.

"It's Vodka." He then decided to down it and scrunched his nose.

"That's the weirdest Vodka I've ever had!" He said, a bit more sober than before. She sighed and gave him hers.

"It's a new kind, I'm suppose to be promoting it, have some more and tell me how to make it better." He nodded and downed the tap water. He still didn't look any better. She groaned and grabbed his wrist and dragged him to the female's bathroom. She blocked the plug hole and started to fill the sink with cold water.

"I'm a man." Tala slurred, bemused. She turned off the valve and pushed him to the front.

"Trust me." She said, he nodded dumbly. Grabbing a bunch of his hair, she dunked his head into the basin for a second and then yanked it back up. Tala blinked a few times and took in a deep breath. He then looked in the mirror, and then round the room till his gaze landed on the Japanese girl.

"Miriam?" She smiled slightly. "This isn't the male's bathroom, and I hope it's not the females." She grinned.

"Well, I had to do something; I can't talk to a drunken man who thinks I'm some sort of hooker selling vodka." She explained. They both turned their heads to the door as a barmaid entered the room. She blushed slightly and walked into the room.

"Umm…no men in the ladies please." She said, her voice probably a few notches higher than it normally was. Tala nodded and left first, Miriam following and apologising for them both. They made their way to the dark table in the corner, which had a bill on the freshly wiped table. Tala slumped onto his chair and looked accusingly at his friend.

"What are you doing here? To ruin my life even more?" She sighed and left some money on the black plastic plate. She gave him a similar hard look, before closing her eyes.

"Your attitude it's helping anyone," She state. He grunted and looked away. "But I'm glad that you're so worried about Zeo. He deserves to have you pester so much over him." Tala sat back, sideways on the chair with his arm round the backrest of the chair.

"Oh, so you're here to lecture me. Fun." He stated sardonically. Miriam took in a large breath. She didn't have much patients, but some things had to be done.

"I don't think drowning yourself in this stuff is going to make things any better, and Zeo might feel better if you take this more…calmly. She tried. He scoffed and nodded.

"So what, I go back and watch as he comes out of that place to do what his best friend tried to stop hand in hand with some moron who's toyed with his feelings? You heard Kai; we have to keep a special watch on the ruins." Miriam reached out of the hand that was still on the table and smiled encouragingly.

"But that doesn't mean we can't get him back. He'll come back to you, I know he will." Miriam whispered. Tala shook his head.

"He won't. I let him go; I told him he didn't have to wait anymore. We've lost Miriam. Face it; we've lost." Tala stood with his final word and threw a few coins down as a tip. She watched, disorientated, as he walked soundlessly out of the door, passing her bike, and walking away in a sombre mood that he used to before he joined the fight. Tears combined together in her eyes and she sat there a few moments. The waitress came to see if she needed anything, but she shook her head and left, ignoring the wolf whistles and suggestive comments she barely heard. The bells of the door were heard and she mounted her motorbike, slipping the large helmet over her high ponytail. She let the soothing purr of the engine wash over her as she lifted her feet off the ground and felt her long hair stream out behind her. As the strong words echoed in her head.

We've lost. Face it; we've lost

Zzz

Kitty: -grins sheepishly- I know, not quite six pages, but it was SO HARD to write, and it seemed to stop perfectly there.

Rouge: And do I see a sad ending form in that pathetic attempt at a brain?

Kitty: NO! --; maybe … ok, three ways to do this, if you want a surprise, either stop reading, or don't vote –

1 – a happy ending, everyone goes home, and the thing is locked away, yada yada yada.

2 – a HALF happy ending, in which generally, something awful happens, but the thing is locked away (ie. Character death)

3 – a sad ending. I'll map this out for you. Main character dies, and the story ends. You don't know what happens to the thing, the side characters, or anything. The book goes blank with Zeo's world.

Number two is looking VERY interesting…but sad…and I've been known to mourn over half sad endings…I know, I need to get some hobbies.

Rouge: number three. Make everything tumble down –laughs evily-

Kitty: I might write all three (Which will take forever with all my course work I have to do) and see which I like best … I'll post them all for comments though.

Rouge: stop talking and end this thing, you need to wash your hair.

Kitty: --; see what I have to cope with on holidays? Oh well, at least this one's over –glomps Rouge-

Zzz