Don't kill me. I KNOW it's January. I KNOW. This time it's a good excuse. Explanation at the bottom.

"You cannot escape your destiny."

"I know. But what is my destiny?"

"I cannot tell you that. That's something you have to find for yourself."

"Damn. C'mon, just a hint?"

"... You're a persistent one, that's for certain. I will say this: the path you are on is the right one. You have made friends on this journey who will stand by you and aid you. Stay with them."

"You mean Tenebrae and Archimedes?"

"Not only them. The Persian, the Meowth, the little Eevee... they are all your friends. You have touched them and thus they are a part of your legend as well. They have a role to play, same as you do."

"I don't understand..."

"You will. The things you do have to be done. Old dams must be broken and the water allowed to spill forth."

"... I have to break a dam?"

"It's a metaphor. Just follow your heart and you won't go wrong. I shall be beside you."

"Hey, wait! Don't go! Wait - "

Kasu woke up.

Sunlight streamed through the dirty window and caught in Duskpaw's extensive hoard, refracting into a tiny aurora in the opposite wall. Duskpaw himself was asleep atop said hoard, snoring lightly and snuffling a little in his dream state. Kasu blinked the sleep out of her eyes and yawned. The sun was setting; she was surprised no one else was up and moving. Archimedes had said they would leave as soon as possible earlier.

Earlier... well, it was no surprise no one was up. It had been an eventful morning.

Almost as soon as the three older 'mons had entered the Meowths' hideout, Tenebrae had pounced on Kasu. He had alternated between hugs and scolding, obviously relieved. He wasn't the only one. Archimedes and Firefang fussed as well, all shocked to hear of her adventures and amazed to see her perfectly all right. It was an emotional moment, and a very awkward one for all four members involved.

Then Archimedes made a crack about how Tenebrae was getting soft, and everything was back to normal. Kasu smiled at the memory of the Sableye's expression.

Firefang had explained a lot of things to her; after she'd lost Kasu, the Persian had almost immediately gone to the Meowth hideout and left the message to be on the lookout. Less than thirty minutes after that, she'd been in the forest again, taking a scolding from Tenebrae for losing her (until Archimedes reminded him that he'd lost her a couple times too, which made him shut up pretty quickly). An hour after she'd originally lost Kasu, the whole trio was in the town, searching frantically. Even paranoid Tenebrae. To Kasu's amazement, the Sableye had been getting along a little better with Firefang (so Archimedes told her) and had searched several human residences himself. Tenebrae and the others, for their part, were shocked by her tale of what she'd done in those same two days. Archimedes in particular was curious about Zhara and the human Melissa, while Tenebrae was definitely sure he'd seen the same Charmeleon she'd met, though he ruefully admitted he hadn't tried talking to him.

"It would have been a good lead, better than anything we'd got so far," he'd said. "Someone hit me for being so stupid."

Firefang had. As always, that had sparked an argument.

Duskpaw, for his part, had done nothing but sit and stare. When Firefang had complemented his generosity in leading Kasu to the hideout, disregarding the coin-gathering incident entirely. Kasu had been deeply amused by his stammering and blushing. The pretty Meowth he'd mentioned several times had been looking on, she learned later from him. Duskpaw was deathly afraid she'd been put off by his stammering. Kasu assured him that it had been cute, not stupid-sounding, but that only made him more twitchy and nervous.

Now Kasu lay curled up on the old hotel room floor, the sun shining off silver fur that had never been so clean and bright before. Worry for her newfound Meowth friend overrode the inevitable soul-searching about herself. Kasu rolled over and stared at the sleeping frame.

He wasn't sleeping anymore.

"Evening, Kasu," he yawned.

"Oh! Evening, Dusk. Sorry. I was thinking." Kasu sat up. Looking at her Meowth friend, it was obvious the same worries that flowed in her brain were in his as well. "Bad night?"

"Kinda. Unsettled dreams." Duskpaw got up and stretched in classic cat style, the hopped down off the pile of coins to sit next to her. "Kept dreaming about voices - that pretty Meowth telling me I'm no good, my mum telling me I'm not doing what I should with my life, some weird voice telling me I'm on the wrong path, whatever that means. I mean," and now he turned to Kasu with an earnest look on his face, "Meowths are supposed to live like this - amassing hoards, guarding against Murkrow, living so long... and hopefully finding a mate. That's what I've been doing... if it's not the right path, what is?"

"I don't know," Kasu answered truthfully. "Then again, I'm not a good example of a 'normal' Eevee anyway. And it's not just my fur color. Good, normal Eevees live in their packs and stay with them. They don't go off gallivanting on strange adventures with stranger 'mons." She sighed. "Destiny's a bitch."

"Destiny?" Duskpaw cocked an ear toward her. "That's big talk."

"It's something I've heard a lot lately, in my dreams." The room was darkening by the moment; the sun was going to its bed and leaving them in shadow. One last gleam off the coins and it was gone. Kasu's eyes remained fixed upon that point for a very long time. "Destiny," she continued as Duskpaw remained silent. "We don't always get to choose our destiny, and I don't know that it would even be a choice at all, were we to get one. I had three choices... and I couldn't choose any of them."

"Are we talking about evolution?"

"Maybe. No. I don't know. How I wish I knew what I was doing!" With that exclamation, all the fire seemed to go out of her body, and she sank halfway to the floor. "Ayah... I'm sorry, Dusk. I didn't mean to go all pity-fiesta on you."

"'S all right. Everyone needs to get it out sometimes." Duskpaw gave a fanged grin. "It's not your fault your life's a mess."

"But it is," Kasu mused. To Duskpaw's surprise, there was no self-pity in the tone. "I chose to leave. I had help doing so, but it was my choice. Question is, would I have done it without the help?"

"If you hadn't, and you stayed home, would you regret it?"

"Probably..."

"Then you made a good choice, I think." Duskpaw cocked his head. "You don't regret meeting Firefang and Tenebrae and Archimedes, and making friends with them... with me and with the Eevee Zhara... do you?"

"... No. You're right," Kasu said suddenly. "You're right. I'd never have met all of you if I'd stayed home... and I'd have missed out on so much. No, you're right. If I don't regret my choice..." she heaved a great sigh, one of relief this time, "then it was a good thing."

"There, that's more like it." Duskpaw smiled again.

"Thanks, Dusk." Kasu got up and gave his cheek a quick lick, to his surprise and embarrassment. "I really needed to get that straightened out."

"If you ask me, I say once you get everything sorted out in your head, you'll be okay," Duskpaw opinioned.

"So... you're not okay," Kasu said, her voice pointed.

Duskpaw started.

"That girl Meowth," the Eevee went on relentlessly. "She's never shown any overt liking for you, right?"

"Right..." Duskpaw had definitely deflated.

"So why chase her?" Kasu was watching him with flat eyes. "If she's shallow enough to want only the Meowths that have amassed a good-sized hoard, she can't be worth much personality-wise. Bet old Firefang never would have gone for the one with the biggest hoard."

"No, Ah wouldn't've," came the voice from outside the door. "One 'o ya two open this damn thing!"

Duskpaw, nonplussed, got up and jumped for the knob, twisting it easily. Firefang strolled in calmly, giving the young Meowth as he slid down the door to the floor a pointed look.

"Lil' cub's got a good point, kit," she said in her low voice. "No decent Meowth worth more than two seconds' conversation would give a flyin' flip about yer hoard. No Meowth with brains 's gonna wait forever for a Meowth to get a big hoard if she likes 'im."

Duskpaw sat rooted, his eyes wide. Kasu felt sorry for him. She'd been a little hard, yes, but she'd never meant to shatter his pride like that. Firefang, with her usual efficient bluntness, just had. Yet it seemed to be working. Despite the harshness of the speech and the subject, there was no agonized disbelief in his eyes.

He's thought about this before and come to the same conclusion. This is just additional confirmation. The more she thought about it, the sorrier she felt for him. He'd known, known his venture was hopeless, yet he'd been unable to just give up. It was apparent in his eyes, in his body language, in his expression. And Firefang appeared to know it too.

"Well, hell, kid, that's no good," came Tenebrae's opinion from his place by the door. He was leaning against the doorframe, his almost-invisible eyebrows indicating his sympathetic expression to Kasu. Behind him, Archimedes wore a similar expression, but one with a more calculating thought behind it.

"Yes, indeed," the Noctowl murmured. "Woman trouble..." He exchanged a look with Tenebrae that even human males would have recognized. Firefang gave them a sharp look that they ignored. Archimedes continued, "There's nothing left for you here, if that's the case."

"What're you saying?" Duskpaw asked. Kasu knew already.

"Come with us," Archimedes invited. "See the world. Be a member of the new and improved Doom Patrol!"

"Doom Patrol? I saw that on a comic book in the trash once..." Duskpaw mused. Archimedes frowned and Firefang laughed heartily.

"Great minds think alike," she hastened to assure him. "Coincidental, Ah'm sure."

"Hmph." Archimedes was only slightly mollified.

"Like the featherhead was saying," Tenebrae said into the sudden silence, "we can always use new members. We can put up with a punk Persian and an evil little Eevee, why not a maniac Meowth too?"

"Maniac?"

"It was spur-of-the-moment, forgive me." Tenebrae's toothy grin said otherwise. Duskpaw glanced over at Kasu and saw her grinning. She nodded to him, her eyes sparkling, and he made his decision.

"Sure! Always wanted to travel."

"Great!" Tenebrae pushed himself upright and stuck out one clawed hand. "So now we are five!"

"Great. You'd better not come up with any dumb mottos this time," Archimedes said, nevertheless placing his wing over the hand.

"Ah agree with Archy." Firefang placed a paw on Archimedes's wing.

"Cool! I've never been part of anything like this before!" Duskpaw reared up on his hind legs and placed his paw on Firefang's.

"If I'm right, you'll never meet another team like it," Kasu put in, her paw landing on Duskpaw's. "We are five."

"Soon to be six, if we hurry up," Archimedes said, removing his wing from the muddle and breaking it. We've got a lot of ground to cover. Firefang, do you have those directions?"

"Sure do, Cap'n," Firefang grinned. "Ready ta go when ya'll are."

"Awesome. Okay, Doom Patrol," Tenebrae said authoritavely, "move out!

Nightfall over the town, and the lights came on one-by-one. Zhara perched on the wall outside her home, watching the activity around her. No lost Eevees coming down the alleys tonight, she mused. A pity; Melissa had greatly enjoyed the company of Kasu, as had Zhara herself. She sighed deeply, hoping against hope that her fellow silver Eevee had found her friends and was back on that strange quest of hers. Her coming had been a great thing for Melissa at least. The small girl wasn't a normal human; Zhara didn't understand it at all, but there were always those humans called "doctors" around, and poor Melissa wasn't allowed to go to regular school with the other small children of the neighborhood. There were other things, but Zhara felt honest enough with herself to admit she wasn't quite savvy enough to understand everything the humans did and what exactly constituted "normal" with them. She put her head down on her paws, for once not feeling inclined to join the city's activity and wander as she normally did.

Something was in the air, a feeling of expectancy. Zhara's fur stood on end with it, and had ever since Kasu had left at the fountain. The silver Eevee shifted, not able to get comfortable and too weary and lethargic to just get off the wall and go join her human for a nice long sleep. She watched the lights of cars driving by for a long time before finally dropping off to sleep.

"There - she's asleep."

"Finally." The lean shapes in the shadows finally moved. Blue-and-yellow, they were 'mons of a sort not often seen in the city, much less here. The second one moved forward decisively, while the first hung back.

"You sure this one's the right one?"

"How many blasted silver Eevees d'you think are in this area? It's a rare gene. 'Sides, Aheba said to get a silver Eevee. He didn't specify further than that. How's he gonna know the difference?"

"Well, he's a mystic," the first said, cowering slightly in the face of his partner's annoyance. "Maybe he can tell the difference...?"

"Bull. Never met a mystic yet who wasn't a phony. Including Emeria." The second 'mon turned. "Now, c'mon. We'd better grab her now if we wanna get back to the mountain before Aheba makes his move."

"All right, all right, but if he finds out I'm blaming you." The first fell in line reluctantly.

"Fine."

Author's Note:

The reason for the long hiatus is simple: new generation. New Eons. I saw those and went "ho shi-". But after a long bit of thought, this is the decision:

Leafia and Glacia will NOT feature at all in the story. This is set in an indeterminate region, but it's not Shinou, and there is no Moss Rock or Ice Rock or whatever-they're-called. Thus, the new Eons are unobtainable and probably wouldn't be known to any of the characters here (except maybe La'Shanke, but she's crazy so yeah). Other new Pokémon may make cameos, but don't hold your breath. This story will continue as it always has.

Before the inevitable questions from the new readers: this is not a PMD fic. Check the "Pubish" date, this is way older than PMD - even older, because there was an early version of this fic years ago before I went back to rework and try finishing it.

I never intended for Duskpaw nor Zhara to become permanent characters in the fic, but after my long soul-searching, they have gained new importance, so if you didn't like them, sorry. They're in for good now. :3

Sorry for the long note. I'll try to get a new chapter up sooner this time, but we all know how well those promises work out. :3

-NOF