AN: I know I already posted this chapter elsewhere, but its hard enough to keep up with everything else im working on, so I'm going to make this the sequal to Living Among Giants too.

"Get out of the way, you brats."

Sasha was the one who heard him, he looked over to the other as he entered the Armory with his sword resting against his shoulder, he then looked to the two little ones standing in the doorway, their eyes slowly filling with tears at the rough treatment, little hands having been pulled apart as the older being marched right between them, and then he looked to his friend, she was distracted with tightening the leather strings closed on her top.

"They're always in the way, like little brats are wont to be." He saw his friend grow rigid, her fingers stilling as she listened. "I don't know why the Captain lets them in here."

Sasha backs up a step when his friend's head whips around, braids flying around with the motion, eyes smoldering with the rage of a mother who knows it's her children who's being insulted. "Did you just call my kids 'brats'?"

Samael turns, sneering at her from over his shoulder. "They shouldn't be here, and you know it. They're insolent little brats, always getting in the way, always underfoot." He smirks arrogantly. "Just like their mother. You should be a messenger or a healer, like all girls are." He sneers again. "Being a warrior is a man's place."

Akeelah glares at him, slowly lowering her arms. "My kids are angels."

"Your kids are abominations."

"How dare you!"

Sasha knew there was no stopping his friend, and there was a part of him that wanted to see him get his ass handed to him by a 'female', he had insulted his niece and nephew in the worst possible way, he'd made them cry, he deserved every well placed blow he'd receive by their enraged mother. He knew there was no stopping her, not as she stalked forward quickly, the fingers of her right hand curling up tightly, as she pulled her fist back, and punched him so hard in the face that his head snapped back and he stumbled over his feet, tumbling over a rack of bow staffs.

He jogged quickly from his place next to his cupboard, kneeling down in the doorway for the twins, reaching out for their hands. "Let's go get Uncle Nis."

Lyra and Izar nodded, tears leaking from their eyes, like little stars falling from the darkened night sky, taking his hands with little fingers.

The male trainee turned to watch his friend over his shoulder, holding Samael by the collar, raining her fist down again and again. There was a sick satisfaction he felt at his struggling to get out of her enraged grasp, calling his beloved niece and nephew an abomination, it made his blood boil in his own rage.

He nodded, pulling the twins around gently, and walked them down the hall to their Captain's office. Nisroc had said he wasn't to be disturbed, but his friend was likely to beat Samael to unconsciousness, and he'd insulted the twins incredibly so. Their Captain always put their little niece and nephew first, they had him wrapped around their little fingers, which was part of the reason why he had consented on allowing them to stay in the barrack with their mom.

They stopped outside the office door, the tears having passed, the twins rubbed at their eyes and under their noses with their little hands. They let go of his hands in favor of holding each other's, sniffling pitifully in unison, rubbing at their little eyes with their little fists.

He sighed deeply and raised his own fist, knocking on the dark wooden door with his knuckles, waiting for the reply from within.

"Not right now."

"Nis." He rapped on the door again. "It's important."

There was the faint sounds of a sigh from within, behind the door between them, and the creaking of a wooden chair on wheels as someone stood up from it. The one behind the door crossed the threshold of the office, and the door was opened slowly, his guardian leaned against the doorframe. "Yes, Sasha?"

All he had to do was gesture down to the two fledglings at his side, and his guardian frowned, kneeling in front of the pair of them. The gentle Power reached out for them, caressing one of their cheeks each, rubbing his thumbs over the tracks left by tears. "What happened, little stars?"

They both shook their heads, sniffling again, and he opened his arms for them to run into. Curling an arm under each little bottom, he stood with them curled against his sides, sniffling into his shoulders. Nisroc looked to his youngest charge in question. "What happened?"

"Samael."

He felt as though it was enough said, Samael was always causing trouble, always trying to show that he was the best out of them all, always trying to pretend that he was the leader of their squadron, and always trying to get under Akeelah's skin.

Well, he'd managed it.

"Did he harm them?"

"Nothing more than their feelings."

Little Izar sniffled, looking up to his Uncle. "Uncle Nis," the Power looked down at him. "What's a abomomation?"

Nisroc frowned deeply. "Where did you hear that word, little Iz?"

"The big meanie said that's what we are."

Lyra looked up at him. "He pushed us."

He frowned, pulling them closer, and turned to look over at his youngest charge. "Take me to them."

Sasha nodded once and turned on his heel, leading him down the hall back in the direction of the Armory, they separated for them at the sight of their Captain being there. Akeelah had finished her tirade, brushing her hands on her maroon under tunic, and looked over at them at their entrance.

"Momma!" Both twins reached out for and she obliged, ignoring her enemy in favor of comforting her two babies, she stepped up to stand before the tall Captain, taking her two children from his arms. "Momma's here babies." They curled around her, she rubbed her nose against her daughter, and then did the same with her son, and they both returned the gesture, a small smile crossing their features. "Let's go play in the Garden."

"Okay momma."

"Like playin' with you momma."

Little Ly looked up at her. "Get peaches, momma?"

Nisroc smiled slightly in amusement.

Akeelah smiled at her baby girl, kissing her cheek lightly, as they stepped around the Captain. "Of course, baby, we wouldn't ever go see Joshua and play in the Garden without getting peaches."

Once they were out of earshot, he turned around once more, looking down to the bleeding and bruised trainee below him. Something harsher had come over him, his eyes portrayed the slow simmering anger he felt, and he crossed his arms tightly.

"Samael, my office." He jerked his chin towards the hall. "Now."