Oh my gosh, it's been forever since I've worked on this. I'm not very confident about this story, or the next three following it. However, the story after that will be epic...and I'm pretty sure forever long too.

Despite the fact that I'm not sure if anyone is interested in this story at all, I will finish it, and the ones following it. So, let's get back into the story.

Jade walked angrily away from the village. Who did Deseray think she was? Telling Jade it was better off if she wasn't around. Deep down inside, Jade secretly agreed with Deseray's suggestion...which somehow made it even worse.

Jade took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. Her anger was exactly why it was better she wasn't around Deseray's brother. Frustratingly enough, when Jade tried to calm herself down, she became even angrier. It's like it was physically impossible to not be furious.

"Don't try to bottle it all up, let it out. Trust me, it's best that way." Someone said. Jade jumped, startled. She had thought that she was entirely alone, and she couldn't imagine who would be out in the jungles by themselves...well, besides her.

"Who said that?" Jade demanded cautiously, "Come out."

"Alright, I'm comin'." the voice said. A boy who seemed just a year or two younger than Jade came out from the bushes with his hands up. Jade blinked at the sight of him. He definitely wasn't african, though Jade couldn't place what he was. What stood out most about him though was his hair, which was entirely blue and reddish purple.

"Uh, hi." Jade said awkwardly. "Who are you?"

"You can just call me Ira, Jade." He said.

"Okay, how do you know my name?" Jade asked suspiciously.

"I know a lot of things." Ira said. "But looking past that, would you mind if I joined you on your little stroll?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Jade said. The two walked in silence for a minute before Jade's curiosity got the best of her.

"Why's your hair blue and purple?" She asked.

"Because it's cool." Ira responded. "My brother has similar hair as me."

"He does?" Jade asked, "Seems like an interesting color choice to me."

"Me and my brother are interesting guys." Ira said. He then looked up to the trees wistfully. "I wish he were here."

"Where is he?" Jade asked.

"I had to leave him behind." Ira said, "I have business to attend to, and he's not fit for traveling at the moment."

"Business? What kind of business could someone like you possibly have all the way out here?" Jade asked.

"Well, not business exactly, more like personal matters that I have to deal with." Ira said, his face suddenly becoming dark.

"What kind of personal matters?" Jade asked.

"Revenge." He answered darkly, "Against your foolish companions."

"Revenge? What did they do to you?" Jade asked.

"Oh, not all of your companions, at least, not as much as one." Ira reassured her, "Mostly my grudge is against Lust, Pride, and the others."

"But why? And you know who Lust and Pride are?"

"Of course I know who they are, I know even better than you do. It's their fault that my brother is suffering the way he is, and they're too dense to even realize what they're doing." Ira yelled. The pure fury in his voice startled Jade a bit. "I will get even with them, and it would be in your best interest to stay out of my way. My grudge isn't against you in the least bit. In fact, I would much rather you didn't get caught in this whole thing."

"Why do you care about me?" Jade asked. Ira's anger made her uneasy, but she somehow couldn't bring herself to hold it against him.

"I just do." Ira said irritably. By this time the two had reached an empty clearing in the jungle, which surprised Jade. It didn't look natural.

"What happened here?" Jade asked.

Ira bent down and picked up a lone bright blue flower that had been hidden beneath the dirt and debris. "This was where a batch of wildflowers grew. They're simple weeds, but still beautiful and useful. I imagine Pride ordered every single flower to be brought to him, simply because he could. He can be quite conceited like that."

Ira fiddled with the flower and a necklace chain he had in his pocket. A minute later he held up the necklace, with the blue flower in the middle, like a pendent.

"Would you wear this, please, Jade?" Ira asked with a charming smile. Jade could see mischievousness in his eyes, though she had no idea what he was planning.

She eyed him cautiously. "Why?"

"As a favor, to me." Ira said, "I assure you, it's harmless." Without waiting for an answer Ira put the flower necklace around Jade's neck. Jade was surprised that she could barely feel it. Something was going on here, but she couldn't find any harm in just wearing the stupid thing.

"If I get so much as a rash from this thing, I'm taking it off." Jade said.

"Agreed." Ira said happily. "Come, it's getting late. We should get you back to your friends soon." Jade agreed and the two headed back to the village. Upon arriving there though Jade turned and saw that Ira had mysteriously disappeared, though she had seen him just moments before.

That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Really, I just gotta get writing this. Let me share a secret though, reviews encourage my writing. So please, review, it'll only take a minute of your time, it'll make my day, and we'll get further along with the story sooner.