Tony: Apologies for this being late! I seriously hadn' intended for this to happen, but... Oh well. I don't own TotA, but OC's are mine or a friend's. (Geez, when was the last time I did a disclaimer for this story?) Enjoy!

Chapter III

You and Me

"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own?" Soren asked as he walked with Sirris. She smiled.

"Yup. He may be an asshole, but at least he's trying to be a dad," she replied. Soren rolled his eyes.

"You know that wasn't what I meant," he grumbled. Sirris sighed and crossed her arms.

"Yeah. It's best if only you guys know," she said. Soren nodded.

"Alright. Just, take care, okay? When you didn't show up a couple months ago, I got worried. I'll bet Chloe, Snow, Aerys, and all those monsters of hers got worried too," he told her. She laughed nervously.

"Yeah, I'm probably going to be buried under monster bodies when I reach Chesedonia," she said. Soren laughed with her as she started off at a jog.

"Don't die!" he called after her teasingly. Sirris just laughed and took off running full speed. Her destination was St. Binah. She hadn't planned on going originally, but Soren had told her that Shuro and Inte wanted to talk to her, and if those two wanted to talk to someone, going to them was the best idea, since they'd send someone after you if you didn't.

It had been late afternoon when she left Engeve, and she ended up stopping in a familiar clearing as the sun set. She looked around, wondering why it seemed so familiar. Then, as she was about to give up, a memory came into her mind.

"Reaper's Toll!" the little girl cried, killing one of the soldiers. Another one attacked her and she dispatched of him in a similar way. She could tell that the others were impressed that her martial arts skills seemed to be extremely sharp.

She ran over to where Luke was fighting the last of the soldiers. The Oracle Knight swung his sword, and Luke's went flying.

"Luke, snap out of it!" Guy yelled as the soldier readied his sword for an attack. Tear cried out Luke's name as she started running towards him, but the girl beat her to it.

"Reaper's Toll!" she cried, not only killing the soldier but likely saving the redhead's life. "And that's that," she added, brushing her hands off.

"I must say, your martial arts are impressive for one so young," Jade commented as he walked over. The girl turned and examined him with startlingly violet eyes.

"Thanks," she finally replied. "I'm Aerys."

"I'm Luke," Luke said quietly. "Um… Thanks." 'Aerys' looked at him in confusion.

"What are you thanking me for? Oh, that Oracle Knight?" she asked. Luke nodded. She shrugged. "Ah, well.

Sirris smiled a bit at the memory. That had been a long time ago, more than half a year. Luke had changed so much since then. He'd been so afraid of killing, only to become an assassin.

"He made that choice on his own," she muttered a bit as the smile faded. She slipped her things into a bush and started walking around, picking up sticks for a fire.

When she made it back to her makeshift camp, she found that she was no longer alone. A man with black hair was happily laid out on his back as he tossed a ball up into the air, catching it as it came down before repeating the process.

Sirris raised an eyebrow. "Hello, Bastion. Shouldn't you be in Grand Chokmah?" she asked. He looked over and smirked. Well, it was probably supposed to be a smile, but…

"I've got a Mark in St. Binah this month. By the way, there's a folder with your name on it in my bag," he replied off-handedly as she built up the fire and lit it. She nodded and stretched.

"Whatever. I'm headed to St. Binah too, so I'll just grab it in the morning. I have seated myself, and I shall remain here until such time as I feel like getting up again. And right now, I have a feeling that won't be until morning," she said before flopping on her side and putting her bag under her head.

She heard Bastion's chuckle as she fell asleep.

"We'll be at Shurrey Hill in about an hour," Ginji announced. Asch crossed his arms.

"Drop me off in St. Binah first. I want to make sure it's even still accessible before we go," he stated. Ginji nodded.

"Alright. That's just a few minutes away now," he replied. Rue yawned, managing to draw a chuckle from York, who sat behind her and to Asch's right.

"What's the matter, Rue? Bored?" he asked. Rue turned around and grinned at him.

"Nope. I was flying last night," she answered. Asch sent a worried look in Ginji's general direction, and Rue laughed. "Relax, I obviously didn't crash us. And besides, it would've been hours more to get to Shurrey Hill if I hadn't taken over last night."

"She's actually not that bad of a pilot, so long as we don't hit too rough of wind turbulence," Ginji added. "Though I swear, after that first time, she's had nothing but damn good luck avoiding them."

Rue got a playful grin on her face. "Maybe I'm just magical like that," she joked. Asch sighed and ended up chuckling. It was certainly different than listening to Noir. If you'd asked him then, he would have sworn that Noir's mind was on one of three things at all times. Money, men, and him and Sirris over-working them.

York wasn't as bad. He preferred to flee rather than fight, but he did know how to handle a sword and had even given Asch a few tips. Urushi, likewise, was easily distracted by fontech (on most days). Ginji didn't normally join in on their conversations, but Rue…

Once again, Asch was thankful that she was there. She could distract any one of them (himself included, much to his chagrin) for any amount of time, simply by starting up a conversation that had nothing to do with what they had been talking about before. They had stopped in Chesedonia, and she had suitably distracted Noir, who had been getting on Asch's last nerve, by fussing over her clothing and complaining about the sand. Alright, maybe not the least annoying way to do it, but at least it had gotten Noir out of his hair.

A slight jolt informed Asch that they had arrived, and he was mildly surprised to see Rue getting up as well. But, when she headed into a cabin as he made his way out of the Albiore, he smiled.

Then came the interesting part.

"Ah, Luke! Or… Wait, which one are you?" Elder McGovern asked as he walked over. Asch smiled.

"Asch. Actually, I was wondering if you knew what state Shurrey Hill was in," he said. The elderly man nodded.

"I see. Shurrey Hill should be fine. No one's checked, but there's not much there that could cause a problem getting in, see?" he replied. Asch nodded.

"Thanks," he said as he turned to leave.

"Asch, wait!" Elder McGovern called after him. Asch stopped for a moment and looked back. "Someone named Anashuro Calran wants to see you. Here, a boy gave me this. It's supposed to be from him," he explained, handing Asch an envelope. Asch nodded.

"Okay. Thanks again," he replied, walking away. His opened the envelope and glanced inside, raising an eyebrow at the two words written on the only piece of paper in it.

Soil Tree

Asch sighed and headed for the center of town. It wasn't as if he had to get to the Sephiroth immediately, although he did have to hurry.

The name Elder McGovern had said was unfamiliar as well. Anashuro? Calran? Neither rang any bells. Though, as he approached the Soil Tree, the answer suddenly snapped into his head.

Because, of course, someone was waiting for him up on the platform. Blue hair darkened to black tips, and almost-venomous green eyes caught Asch's as he climbed up to join him.

"Hey, Asch."

"Hey, Shuro," Asch replied. Shuro uncrossed his arms to hand the redhead a folder. "And this is…?"

"Something Inte dug up. I thought you'd like to look at it, seeing as how part of it supposedly pertains to you, and yet, you didn't lose your vision after having your replica data extracted like this claims you did," he replied. Asch frowned and skimmed through it.

"I'll have to look through this later, when I've got a bit more time," he decided. Shuro nodded.

"I figured you'd want to. Go ahead and take that folder, I've got copies at home," he replied. Asch nodded.

"Alright, thanks," he said, heading back toward the Albiore. He was about halfway there when he ran into the duo.

"Ah… Hello," he started awkwardly. Sirris frowned.

"I thought you were in Baticul. Luke went to visit you a few days ago," she replied. Asch scratched the back of his head.

"Why is it you're the only one that can tell us apart when my hair's like this?" he wondered, absentmindedly playing with the braid that Rue had put in place for him not long after leaving Baticul. Sirris smiled.

"You two act totally different around me. Same with Tear. It's pretty easy to figure out who's who when one of the two of us are in the vicinity," she told him. "What are you doing here, anyway?" she asked.

Asch held up the folder Shuro had given him. "I had to get this, and check up on something. Why?" he replied. Sirris shrugged, then grabbed her companion's arm as he tried to sneak off.

"Just wondering," she said in response. "By the way, you remember Bastion, right?" she added, pulling the black-haired man into the conversation. He rolled his eyes, and Asch chuckled.

"Yeah, I remember. Nice to see you out of Grand Chokmah," he said. Bastion sighed and shrugged.

"Eh, gotta pull my own weight sometime. Which reminds me…" he trailed off. Sirris rolled her eyes.

"Oh for Yulia's sake! I'll get it later! I'm going after the Keterburg ones first. I only stopped here because Shuro's after me," she told him before walking off. Bastion shook his head.

"That girl…" he muttered. Asch chuckled, but really, no other words were needed. They both understood perfectly. "Well, I suppose I'll see you later. I have work to do," Bastion said, walking away with a wave. Asch did the same, heading back to the Albiore. Noir was waiting for him outside St. Binah, though.

"Ginji had to move," she told him. "But we'll be able to go again as soon as we're on board."

Asch nodded and followed her. Once inside the Albiore, though, they parted ways. It wouldn't take more than half an hour to make the run around the mountains to Shurrey Hill, but he wanted to read whatever it was Shuro had given him in peace.

He locked the door to the cabin he had claimed as his and sat down, opening the folder quietly. It was separated into sections about people, so he skipped through them until he found himself. There were four pictures. At first glance, he thought he could identify everyone he saw. A second glance revealed a lot more however.

The first picture was one that made sense. It was him, in his mansion, with his mother. The child him was hiding behind her skirts. It made Asch smile.

The second picture was one he remembered doing, but not having been taken. He and Van were sparring in Oracle Knights Headquarters. Except…

Asch leaned in, and drew back out as he realized what he saw was the truth. The picture him wasn't actually looking at Van, he was looking… well, past him. That, and his eyes were silver rather than green. Asch looked over at the first picture again, but his eyes were green in that one.

In the third picture, it looked as if he was trying to reassure Luke of something. The other redhead looked scared out of his wits, and he looked… confused. Once again, he didn't seem to actually be looking at Luke, but rather, in his direction. Asch could recognize Tear's selenia garden in the background, so he assumed that it was right after Akzeriuth.

The final picture had confused him. On first glance, he had thought it was him talking to Jade, though he could only see the back of the figure's head. Except, it was obvious that this person was smaller than him in the picture, and Jade was taller than he was. Also, Jade didn't wear purple and blue dresses. Whoever he was talking to was definitely female.

She was holding a sketchbook in one hand, and Asch could see most of the picture, probably because she was showing it to the silver-eyed him. His counterpart in the picture looked exasperated.

It was the picture on the sketchbook that had Asch's attention now, though. It was obviously him. Not his silver-eyed doppelganger, but him. Well, it could have been Luke, but since Sirris was in the picture as well, he doubted it. Just, why was she laying on a bed like that? And why was the background colored purple?

The answer came to him as Rue knocked on the door, telling him that they were at Shurrey Hill.

"Miasma," he muttered, putting the folder away and getting up. Rue was smiling on the other side of the door. He sighed as he and Rue headed down the hallway and stepped off the Albiore.

"So, why are we here again?" the black-haired girl asked. Asch crossed his arms, bringing his mind back to the problem at the present time.

"Lorelei's been trapped in the core by Van. He sent me and Luke the two pieces of the Key of Lorelei, but Luke didn't get the damn Jewel, and if the God-Generals get their hands on it…" he trailed off. Rue nodded.

"I'll just say 'doom' and end it at that," she replied. Asch smiled slightly.

"And this is why I prefer you over the Dark Wings," he said. Rue giggled.

"Okay, okay. Enough Noir-bashing. Come on. We've got a passage ring to check, right?" she prompted, heading for the Sephiroth. Asch rolled his eyes and followed her into Shurrey Hill. He wasn't sure what to make of Rue at times like these. Sometimes, she could just be so…

Asch was having difficulty finishing that sentence.

Luke frowned. "Asch was asking about the Sephiroth?" he asked. Elder McGovern nodded.

"Mm-hmm. He was supposed to pick something up from a… um… Calran, but he left almost as soon as he came," he replied. Luke crossed his arms.

"The name 'Calran' mean something to you?" Guy asked. Luke shot a look over his shoulder.

"Anashuro and Kesinte Calran. The brothers I sent you guys to when St. Binah was falling?" he grumbled. Then he sighed. "You guys head back to the Albiore, I'm going to talk to Shuro, see if he'll tell me anything more. I'll be along shortly," he told them before walking off. He ran into someone he didn't exactly expect before he found Shuro, though.

"Oh, hi Luke! If you're looking for Asch, he's headed for Shurrey Hill."

"Yeah, we're kinda on his trail. What are you doing here?" he asked as Sirris wove her way through the small crowd. She shrugged.

"Shuro wanted to talk, and it's been my experience that if he's looking for you, you go, or you get dragged to him the hard way," she replied. "Oh, and if you can find Bastion, he's got your Marks for this month," she added. Luke sighed.

"I'll get them the next chance I get," he told her. Sirris nodded.

"That's fine. You've got the whole month, and you usually take them all out in a couple of weeks, so I don't think Raven will mind," she said. "Now, if you'll excuse me. Inte wants to talk to me too."

Luke sighed as she walked off, and was unsurprised when Shuro walked out of an alleyway nearby. "You found out," the blue and black-haired teen stated. Luke's expression was all he needed for an answer. "Here." He held out a folder, and Luke frowned, taking it cautiously. "There are two parts to that. One pertains to you, or at least, it's supposed to. The other is…" he trailed off. Luke nodded.

"Thanks, Shuro," he said, turning and walking away. Shuro shrugged and headed home himself.

Luke had just slipped the folder into his bag when he ran into yet another familiar face. "Oh. Hello, Bastion," he greeted the black-haired man. Bastion chuckled.

"Someone's mind is somewhere else," he stated. Then he handed Luke a folder. "Here, you know what to do with it," he added before walking off. Luke sighed and put the folder in with the one he had just gotten from Shuro.

The walk back to the Albiore was a short one, and almost as soon as he was onboard, Noelle took off, heading for Shurrey Hill. Luke wasn't sure of much at that time, but he did know one thing. He needed to talk to Asch.

Once they landed, he, Tear, Anise, and Guy headed into Shurrey Hill. Luke had a bad feeling in his stomach. What it was, he wasn't sure of, but it was there. It only intensified when he caught sight of the two Oracle Knights that were collapsed on the ground. Nearby, Rue lay spread-eagled. Luke ran over and checked her pulse, even as Tear and Guy did the same for the two Oracle Knights.

"Dead," Guy said gravely. Tear nodded.

"This one too," she replied. Anise bit her lip and looked over at Luke in fear.

"Rue?" Tear prompted him. Luke lowered his head and swallowed hard. A moment later, he shook his head.

Anise breathed in slowly and carefully, but it came out as a sob regardless. Guy punched the ground. "Arashi's not going to be happy," he stated.

"He won't have to know."

The four of them turned as the woman walked in. Her heels clacked on the floor, but she wore a hood that disguised her identity. "Why don't you four go help Asch? He'll need it any minute now," she suggested. "Don't worry about Rue. She'll be fine when you come back through, if a little shaken."

Luke frowned and then sighed. "Come on. I've got a really bad feeling about this now," he said, taking off toward the passage ring. Anise was on his heels, followed by Tear. Guy hesitated, however.

"Why do you sound familiar?" he wondered. The woman raised her finger to her lips in a 'shush' motion before lowering her hood. His eyes widened at her appearance. "You… You're the…"

The woman nodded and waved him on, and Guy smiled before running after his friends. He heard her chuckling behind him, but it didn't worry him in the least.

What mattered was that Rue would live.

Are you absolutely sure of that?

"No, I'm not anymore, thank you. Now shut up and leave me alone!"

Aww… I was enjoying our little conversation.

"I wasn't, and I'm still not."

Someone's feeling grouchy today.

"You're going to get me caught, dammit!"

You realize you're the only person that can hear me, right?

"I hate you, Tony."

Thank you, my dear, I really appreciate being told that by you and my little sister at the exact same time.

"Don't call me that. Coming from you, it's just… disturbing."

I agree. Then again, I swing the other way.

"…I didn't need to know that."

Are you sure?

"Positive. Now shut up and let me work."

Would you like me to get Rue out of the way?

"…Please?"

And… Done. Rue just started thinking about something that's been bothering her for a while and she will have a nice little epiphany shortly before running off, claiming to need fresh air… I hope… These guys don't always do what I want them to. Especially since it seems I'm not totally in control anymore.

"Tony, that's starting to concern me."

My dear, you're not the only one.

"Tony…"

Sorry, force of habit. Ask Winx if you ever get the chance to talk to her.

"I'll pass, thanks. Your insanity is bad enough."

I'd feel offended if I didn't agree.

"At any rate, it seems your plan worked. Whatever you put Rue to thinking about certainly got her out of there."

Oh good. Whatever's been interfering didn't… well, interfere.

"Do me a huge favor? Shut up."

Ugh. Fine.

Legretta heaved a sigh of relief. Ever since that chance encounter with Leomitch, she had had to deal with Tony in her head sporadically, and at least once a day. It got old very quickly, especially when your patience was already worn thin by a certain Grand Maestro who hadn't even been around for longer than a day.

Legretta watched as Asch approached the passage ring, and once his back was turned, jumped down and tried to grab the Sword of Lorelei. The redhead jumped back as she trained her guns on him.

"Hand over the Key of Lorelei, Asch."

Tony: Now, obviously the fourth section took place about halfway through the third, but I couldn't put it in place without breaking that section up, so I just stuck it onto the end. However... Anyone else find the conversation with Legretta as amusing as I did when I was writing it? And yes, my little sister really did say 'I hate you' about the time that I wrote Legretta saying that (because I told her for the fifth time that week to walk to her friend's house due to the fact that I had to save gas). Anyway, we have another character... semi-introduced... And Guy seems to know her? Interesting... Unfortunately, while her connection to Guy is an interesting story, she's not going to be showing up again for many a chapter after she leaves next update. So, now that I'm done ranting...

Leon: About time.

Tony: So, to Leomitch- Eh, it'll be a bit yet, but don't worry, you'll be done before the Eldrant battle. (Because I've got something half-planned and you're probably going to fall over yourself laughing when you finally read it.) Also, you shouldn't have to worry about pairings. Hmm, Mystic Arte, huh? I'll see if I can drop that into one of the scenes...

Leon: Please drop a review. Now, if you'll excuse us...

Tony: Eek... Yeah, I really have to get to work, don't I?