Return

Disclaimer – I own Rayne, Lizzie, Trip, Blaze, Cynfor, and Leader. Xenolord owns Maria, Natalya, and Serras. Flame and I own Felix. Everyone else I don't own.


Weak light shone onto Rendd, the light barely enough to guide a person's way. It was light so pale, that one could barely see their hand in front of their face.

However, for one town, that light was all they needed.

The sun was barely over the horizon, but almost the entire own (sans children) were already in the streets. The light was their saviour; for when the first hints of sunshine came over the horizon, the monsters ran, disappearing back into the quickly receding shadows.

"Sir!" One man yelled to another. Hard leather and a farming sickle were his armour and weapon, and both were covered in scratches, proof that they (and who they were protecting) had lived to see another day.

"Sir, all the creatures have retreated!"

"Good." The man who he had called sir replied. He was older than the farmer, and a little better equipped (a proper fighting axe and a steel plate) but not by much. "What are the casualties?"

"None, sir!" The young farmer-turned-soldier said cheerfully, taking off his makeshift helmet. "No one was gravely injured. We only lost some cattle this time."

"Good." His superior repeated. His face was slightly worn, but it now held a weary smile. His grin evaporated though, and set into a severe line.

"We were prepared, and our alerting system worked," He said darkly, "Next time, however, we might not be so lucky."

"Sir!" The young man said, shocked. "Don't say things like that, sir! You've got to be hopeful, for everyone who can't!"

The man didn't say anything, but simply nodded.

"Have Talon and his wife returned yet?" He asked suddenly. The young man sighed.

"I'm afraid not, sir." He responded, his shoulders slumped as he said so.

"They should have reached Battleon by now." The older man murmured.

"Sir..." The farmer responded uneasily. "You don't suppose-"

"Don't finish that sentence!" The other snapped. The farmer stepped back in surprise.

"I'm sorry." The older man apologized, after seeing what he had done. "But please, don't say that. Talon and Firiana... well, we need them. They're out last chance for help, if they reach Battleon. We can't hold off these fiends forever. The Guardians are our last hope."

"I understand, sir." The farmer nodded. "Still, it will be a while until they arrive. Mister Anasi and his wife left last week. If they've only reached Battleon by now, they won't be back until the next week."

"I know." His commander whispered. "But we have to hold out."

"SIR!"

Another man ran up to the both of them, panting. By his makeshift armour and weapons, one could tell he was a smith of some sort, for his weapons and protection were a large, heavy looking leather smock, and a big hammer.

"What is it?" Their leader asked him, both he and the farmer turning toward the smith.

"From the east!" He cried, not even stopping to catch his breath.

Both the leader and the farmer ran to the east side of the village as fast as they could, leaving the panting smith to catch up. As they reached the East, they saw that everyone was there. The men of the militia stood at the ready, weapons at hand as the women hung back.

The women were usually kept out of harm's way, but they had all wandered out (some with children) when they heard of something coming. Was it a new kind of beast that could withstand the sun's rays and lay waste to their battered village? Or was it the beasts' leader, come to end the suffering through peace or panic?

The leader, however, realized it was neither, as he held his axe in front of him and squinted into the light of the rising sun. Eyes widening, he held up a glove-clad hand, signalling for all to put down their weapons. The militia, though confused, put their arms down, ready to grab at them at a moment's notice.

Stepping forward, the leader waited until they were close enough to be seen. He sighed in relief, and walked to the ones who were approaching the village.

"Thank the Creator!" He breathed, clasping Talon's hand in a firm greeting. "You both have survived."

"I'm sorry if we have caused you any worry." Firiana apologized, but the leader just shook his head.

"No apologies. Both of you put your lives in danger to go to Battleon in our time of need."

He glanced behind them, and the look in his eyes could only be described as despair. "Though0 it seems your efforts were in vain."

"Vain?" Firiana looked surprised. "No, no sir; we managed to recruit the aid of the famed Guardians."

"Truly?" He asked them, his look of hope returning with her words. "Well... where is he?"

Talon, who had been unusually quiet, spoke up suddenly.

"He?" he laughed, his chuckle sounding oddly hollow.

The leader was confused until he saw another figure quickly approaching. It came closer and closer, until soon, it became the prone figure of a man, wearing the trademark Guardian armour and a trailing cloak.

"Good sir!" Their leader called, rushing up to the man. As they stood, facing each other, it could be seen that the Guardian was only an inch taller than their leader.

"Good sir, thank you." The leader said, clasping the man's wrist and forearm in a warriors greeting. "Thank you for coming to help us in our need, all by yourself."

The Guardian chuckled slightly, and once again, the leader was mystified.

"Good sir?" He asked cautiously, hoping that this was not a trick of some sort.

"Oh sir, I'm sorry." He said, his laughter quieting immediately. He pulled off the hood of his cloak revealing (with a comical, nearly silent swoon by a few of the young ladies) a handsome young man, blonde locks peeking out from underneath a red bandanna, a genuine smile on his face that reached into his eyes.

"I just had to laugh, sir." He grinned. "I'm not alone; in fact, I'm not even in charge of our force."

"Force?" The leader blinked.

Suddenly, several figured appeared on the horizon, the sun now hanging in the middle of the sky.

They went to the gaping leader, five people, each wearing a cloak, their standard Guardian armour glinting in the new sunlight with every step.

"This is the 'force', sir." The man said. "Seven of us have volunteered to help aid your plea. I promise, sir, that we will not only protect your village, but we will also find out who is responsible for these attacks in the first place."

The leader was so relieved, that he nearly wept tears of joy.

"Thank you sir." A smile was on his tired face.

"Please," The blonde man responded, "I'm the one to be calling you sir."

"Actually..." The man paused. "I suppose your should learn our names then. My name is Blaze Montgomery." Blaze smiled yet again.

Another person lowered their hood, revealing another face. "Serras Nerra."

This time, it was the young men's (and someone women, albeit discreetly) turn to blush and stare as many more faces were revealed, each of those being the face of a beautiful lady knight.

After receiving quite a shock from seeing the esteemed Maria Despair's face under a hood, the leader came to each of them, and, just like he had with Blaze, gave them each a warrior handshake.

"Thank you, all of you." He whispered. "It's a great relief, knowing that seven of Lore's finest-"

"Wait!" The young farmer exclaimed suddenly, catching the attention of everyone (including Talon who, for some reason, couldn't look at them)

"What is it?" The leader asked, turning to him, looking stern but not annoyed at his interjection.

"Well, sir," The farmer explained, "Sir Blaze said that seven came to help us. But, including him, I only count six."

"Now that I think about it, he's right." The leader clapped the farmer on the back, making him lurch forward unexpectedly, but grin at the same time.

"Sir Blaze, who is the last member?"

"As, let me see..." Blaze trailed off, and turned around to face the group standing behind him. After a moment, he nodded to himself, and turned to the leader.

"The one who is missing would happen to be our commander." He told him.

"Your commander?" He repeated, "Where would he be?"

As if to answer his question, one last person appeared. They, like the others, wore a cloak and armour. Yet theirs was different; instead of the browns and greens of the other's cloaks, they wore one that was pure white.

They walked briskly up to the leader. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting." They apologized smoothly, shocking the leader once again, as he heard, plainly from their voice, that it was not a man, but a woman.

"There was some business I had to take care of before I arrived." She told him. "I assure you, you won't have to wait for me again without a good reason. I also assure you, that we will eliminate the threat that is jeopardizing Lyndbaum's security."

"I... thank you." Was all the leader could say, as he was stunned by the brisk and straightforward business-like manner. "Please, take your time to rest, for the day is still young. We will have prepared something for you to eat; in fact, perhaps a feast, to celebrate the coming of you Guardians. Come to my house, and you can rest there."

"Thank you, Chief." The white-cloaked woman answered.

The Chief was surprised; he had not told any one of them that Chief was what everyone referred to him as. Only residents of Lyndbaum knew to call him that, if not Leader or Sir. Chief disregarded it though; for most likely, Firiana or Talon had told them.

The commander led the entire group past the silent crowds, in the direction of the Chief's house, the largest one in town. All eyes were on them, but they didn't mind, for all they could think of (excluding their commander) was bed rest.

"Oh!" The chief exclaimed. The commander paused, turning around.

"Yes?"

"I'm afraid we didn't catch your name." Chief said pleasantly. "Would you tell us, commander? I think the people of Lyndbaum would want to know the name of the person who will lead our town to safety."

There was a ripple of laughter among the village people, and smiles settled on their faces. The commander, however, remained still, her back turned to the villagers.

Her teammates looked on her with sympathy, silently telling her that this was not necessary. However, the commander shook her head. She reached her hand up, and pulled back her hood. Her glossy black hair shone in the light of the sun, now high in the sky. Ever so slowly, she turned around.

The smiles that rested on the people's faces (particularly the ones who were now in their twenties) slid off, almost in slow motion, and were replaced with looks of chock, their mouths wide.

The commander gazed upon the stunned crowd, her unique eyes, a mix of chocolate brown and amethyst, emotionless.

"My name," She murmured, "Is Rayne Anasi."


Later on that day, after they had all rested, they exited the rooms that the Chief had given them. Though it was only noon, they were all wearing their armour; no one could be too careful.

Plus, the Leader had asked them to.

As they reached the exit of the home (much larger than most of the ones in the area) however, they were surprised to see that almost the entire village had gathered. Though the grounds and the house were enormous, they were both packed, for the village was quite a large one.

Still, the leader managed to accommodate all of them. Tables were brought and lined up together, and for those who couldn't fit at the four long tables, there were smaller, regular sized one set up around the entrance of the grounds.

Seeing them, the Chief walked up to them, out of his own armour and in normal clothes.

"Good day." He greeted, shaking each of their hands enthusiastically. "Please, sit and eat."

With that, he led them up to another table, at the head of them all. That was where they would sit, with the village leader himself: the centre of attention.

Seating them as they pleased, the noon-time feast began immediately. Food hadn't been too much of a problem; some people came with their own food to contribute to the food that those working under the Leader had already prepared/

Everyone was very hungry and so everybody began to feast heartily, except for one person.

Except for Rayne.

Though Rayne was a bit peckish as well, she barely touched the food on her plate. Instead, she looked once again upon the people of Lyndbaum.

Rayne had never liked being the person that everyone focused no. Leading people on missions was different, for she knew that they were all in life-or-death situations, and it was their lives in her hands. She could handle that; but for anything else, it was quite difficult.

Even now, she was feeling uneasy. To see everyone's eyes straying from their meals, pretending to be watching the Leader (who sat on her left) even though they were really looking at Rayne herself. Still, she couldn't blame them.

Most of them remembered her as a child; a quiet child who they had all mercilessly teased, and actually physically harmed once or twice. A child whose own parents and shunned her before adulthood, before she even reached the age of eleven. Now, to see her as an adult must have been quite a contrast.

To see her leave a stuttering, scared little girl, and come back as a cool, calculating grown woman, and a Guardian of Lore to boot. It put a small, bitter smile on Rayne's face.

'Would they have hurt me,' She thought, 'If they knew what I was to become?'

"Rayne?"

Rayne broke out of her reverie at the sound. She turned to her right side where Lizzie was sitting.

"Are you okay?" She asked, clearly worries. Rayne nodded, giving Lizzie a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine, Liz." She replied.

Lizzie was not convinced. "You've barely eaten a quarter of your plate." She mumbled, looking down at Rayne's food. Rayne followed her lead, and they both stared down at the mostly full plate.

"Don't worry about me." She assured. "I'm fine. I'm just... not very hungry."

"Right," She snorted. "And I'm a man."

"Rayne..." Her voice softened. "Is it because of...?"

Lizzie didn't finish her sentence, but she didn't need to. The tiny nod she gave towards the townsfolk spoke volumes.

Rayne hesitated, thinking about what to say. She could lie, and blame it on a queasy stomach.

After catching sight of Lizzie's eyes, Rayne knew that she couldn't lie to her.

"Yeah." She mumbled, averting her eyes, moving them from Lizzie's fact to her lap.

However, Rayne saw a pale hand slowly make its way into her gaze, placing itself gently upon Rayne's own folded hands.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lizzie asked her quietly.

Her reason for discomfort was a sensitive topic and currently, being in the place where it all stemmed from, it was even more uncomfortable for Rayne. Yet she knew that Lizzie had a right to know; she knew that Lizzie would never do anything to hurt her.

"Later." She told her. "I promise we'll talk... but later, okay?"

"Okay." Lizzie whispered back, causing Rayne to look up to see the sweet smile that she knew would be there.

In that moment, Rayne fell in love with her all over again, like she did every time they were together. There was nothing more that she wanted to do but kiss her or pull her into an affectionate hug. Yet she refrained, for Rayne knew that there were watching eyes. So instead, she settled for something less, but not less meaningful. Discreetly, she turned Lizzie's hand over so it was palm up, and gave it a squeeze, keeping their fingers linked.

Lizzie inwardly blushed at the gesture. It was usually she who was the one to start gestures like this, not Rayne (not that Rayne was unwilling to do so; it was just that she was much more shy than Lizzie was). Still, she could not complain, and neither could the woman she was holding hands with underneath the table.


The meal soon ended (Rayne actually taking a few more bites, with nobody noticing she was eating with only one hand somehow) and the dishes were stacked and whisked away by Chief's servants and those who had brought food.

Immediately, the Guardians asked about battle plans, but surprisingly, the Leader refused.

"Noon has but passed," He said a smile on his still weary face. "Please, in a few hours we will discuss our plans of action. Right now, you should relax- we want you well rested for the upcoming battle. Perhaps you should look around, to familiarize yourself with the people and the places."

There was nothing they could all do but agree. So, taking his advice, they headed into ton, the Despair sisters and Serras choosing to remain behind. Splitting up into however they liked, the remaining people (Rayne, Lizzie, Trip, and Blaze) agreed to meet back at the Leader's house in three hours, each going their separate ways.


Blaze walked down the roads of Lyndbaum, every now and then pausing to see what the villagers were doing.

It was nothing like Battleon or the Rendd capital. There were always people coming in and out of the city and the town that he could both call homes. Battleon was the start of new beginnings for young adventurers, and the place to return to for veterans. Rendd was the centre of commerce of Rendd, where the king resided, where people would go for new homes, new jobs, or to be new Knights.

While the village wasn't as lively as the two places, it was possibly even nicer. The people were friendly, each greeting him as he passed by (then again, even in Battleon everyone greeted him) it was quieter, that was for sure.

Suddenly, Blaze (his hearing sharpened after years of combat) heard something. He didn't change his pace; he kept moving at the same speed. To the untrained eye, he remained the same. Yet to a warrior, it was obvious. He was now tense, standing a little straighter than before. His senses were heightened, and adrenaline began to pump in his veins. These changed were due to one fact:

Someone was following him.

Using his peripherals, Blaze managed to make sure. Without a doubt, someone was stalking him, though he couldn't tell who. Blaze still kept his pace, though his relaxed gait was now tightened.

He walked farther into town, and his follower kept up. When he had reached the more rural areas (nearer to the farms) Blaze suddenly broke into a run. Not looking back, he focused on increasing his speed.

Taking a left, Blaze could hear the footfalls of his follower. They were still close; they had to be for their steps to be of such a loud volume.

Skidding to an almost halt, Blaze doubled back a foot, hopping a low wooden fence, immediately diving for cover in a haystack. Keeping his breathing light, Blaze waited until he was sure that whoever it was was gone. He kept almost completely still, just as he was trained to do.

That is, until he heard a soft chuckle.

Looking through a small gap in the hay, Blaze saw a familiar man (though his face was obscured) staring at him.

"It's okay," The man said. "They're gone now."

Blaze could hear the teasing smile in his voice.

A gloved hand reached into the haystack. Blaze grabbed the offered hand, and within seconds, he was out.

"Thanks." Blaze tanked him, eyes closed as he brushed the hay that had come out of the stack with him off of his clothes.

When Blaze opened his eye, he saw the man grinning at him.

He was almost the same height as Blaze, only an inch shorter. His eyes were a light brown, and that was really all Blaze could say about him, for at the moment, he was covered from head to toe in farming gear, a hat even keeping the blonde from seeing what hair colour he had.

"So," Blaze said casually after digesting what facts he could see about this unknown man. "Thanks for letting me hide in your haystack."

The man laughed. "No problem." He grinned at Blaze, his eyes twinkling. 'Everyone gets sick attention sometimes; even with the kind you were receiving."

"Huh?" The blonde looked bemused.

The man laughed again and pointed in a direction. Looking where the man indicated, Blaze was stunned to see a gaggle of girls. They were far away enough so they were unable to see Blaze anymore, but close enough that both he and the man could hear one of them ask,

"Where did that Guardian go off to?"

It suddenly dawned in his mind exactly who his 'stalker' was, and the man roared with laughter as Blaze's face flushed mildly, his eyes widening.

"Well, that explains why they sounded so close." Blaze mumbled, and the man laughed for the fourth time.

'He laughs a lot.' Blaze thought to himself. The man's laughter wasn't overdone or annoying, but a hearty, rich sounds, coming from deep within his belly. 'Laughter is the sign of a good soul.'

When the man's laughter faded to a faint smile, Blaze held out his hand,

"Hi," Blaze said, his faint smile growing wider. "I'm Blaze."

"Cynfor." The man met Blaze's hand, giving him a firm handshake. It was strong, but not overly forceful, and Blaze was assured in the second that he would get along very well with Cynfor.

The Guardian let his eyes wander down to the man's gloved hands. The leather was thick, yet well used. There were thin lines, where the leather creased, where his hands must have folded and closed. Looking at the back on the glove, Blaze saw the tiniest smudge of dirt. Actually, (Blaze's eyes taking in an even faster scan of his clothes than before) his entire outfit had the somewhat worn, slightly dusty look.

"Hey..." Realization dawned slowly on blaze. "I've seen you before. You were that man; the farmer that was standing next to Chief."

"Guilty as charged." Cynfor smiled.

Blaze grinned at him. "I didn't recognize you." He smirked, "Without the bucket helmet."

"Shut up." Cynfor rolled his eyes.

"Ah well," He shrugged, his smile fading a bit. "We do what we can. It's a small community- big enough to be called a town, but small enough to be called a village at the same time. Our smith can only do so much so we've got to make do for our weapons and armour, whether it me a meat cleaver, or-"

He chuckled as he pulled off his hat and twirled it for a moment on his finger, giving Blaze a flash of his blue hair. "-A straw hat."

Blaze laughed at this, causing Cynfor to laugh as well.

"So, sir straw-hat, would you mind giving me the grand tour of Lyndbaum and your farm?"

"I'd be honoured to." The farmer bowed comically, before leading Blaze around.

It was nice to have another male friend, considering most of his comrades were women. Not that he had a problem with their gender, but still.

'I could get used to him.' The Guardian thought, watching his hew friend fondly.


Trip moseyed along in the town streets. Looking around, she had to admit it was a nice, quiet, calm place. Due to the fact she was so relaxed, she had only tripped once.

Suddenly, her view of the people and shops became blurred, and she found herself staring at the hard packed dirt of the ground.

Scratch that.

She had only tripped twice.

Picking herself up off the ground and dusting off her clothes and armour, Trip took a quick look around. She was pleasantly surprised to see that some people were laughing; not maliciously, with cruel smiles and crueller looks, but good-naturedly, as if telling her 'Don't worry, it happens to the best of us.'

Some were even pretending not to have noticed, though there were hints of kind smiles on their mouths.

Laughing herself, Trip continued on her walk, a bounce in her step, her spirits already high, raised even further by the good humour of the residents.

Yet she couldn't help but stop when she came to the village centre. In the middle was a fountain that was not gaudy, or particularly flashy, but held a simple, rustic elegance to it. The fountain was not what made her stop; rather, it was the two sitting by the fountain, beckoning her to come to them. She knew who it was already- there was no mistaking that bright orange hair of one, nor the cat ears on the others.

"Felix!" Trip exclaimed, as she came up to the said girl and Lizzie. "I didn't expect to see YOU here!"

"There's no way I'm going to miss out!" The cat demon grinned, her black and white tail swaying. "It's been way too long since the last time I was here."

"On that matter..." Trip sat next to them. "I was just thinking about something."

"What is it?" Felix asked, bouncing in her spot, excited for whatever Trip was going to ask her. She usually wasn't asked much; her answers usually weren't reliable. Not because she lied, though. No, her opinions were usually too ludicrous to even be considered proper answers.

"Why hasn't Rayne ever mentioned this place to us?" Trip wondered.

"I was thinking about that myself!" Lizzie piped in. "I mean, take a look!"

She swept her arm out, gesturing to the town in front of them with a single broad sweep of her arm.

"It's so nice here: the people are friendly, the places are quiet, and it's got such a nice, quaint feel to it."

"It's so relaxing." Trip added in. "Yet she hasn't breathed a word of it to anyone."

"Not even to me." Lizzie shook her head, wondering this herself. "Not once in all the time that I've known her."

"Do you know why, Felix?" The brunette asked, turning to her friend.

Expecting the usual, hyper and enthusiastic reply from the girl, both Trip and Lizzie were shocked to see Felix grow quiet, her face dead serious.

"That's something I can't tell you." She told them solemnly. "It's not my place to. If you want to know why, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to get it from Rayne herself."

The two women exchanged glances. The fact that Felix; hyper, immature, oblivious, can't-sit-still-nor-behave Felix was telling them this in such a grave manner meant that it was something serious.

"Where is Rayne anyways?" Trip questioned, trying to get her mind off of the puzzle that Felix had unknowingly created.

"She told me she had to go do something." Lizzie shrugged. "She said she'd be back by the dinner meal, and told me not to worry about her and instead go and explore the town."

Trip raised an eyebrow at this, but brushed it off. Rayne hardly ever kept secrets from her and Lizzie, but Trip trusted her. If Rayne needed to keep this to herself for now, then Trip wouldn't pry.

"SAY!"

Felix sprang up to her feet, cat ears twitching.

"Would you like to see the playground where Rayne and I first met?"

"Sure!" Lizzie grinned, Trip along with her. The three headed off to the playground, their minds off of Rayne.

For now, at least.


Rayne walked along the well-worn path, her mind preoccupied as her body carried her automatically along the way that was still so very familiar, even after the ten years she had been gone.

When she had been observing the attendants of the lunch feast, she had seen that everyone was there. Everyone, except for the person she had wanted to see the most. Everyone except for the one person she looked forward to seeing again.

She had left Lizzie to see the town alone. She had just said she needed to do something, and she would be back by the evening meal. Although she could see the question begging to be asked in the redhead's eyes, Lizzie had never asked what she was planning, and it warmed Rayne's heart to be reassured once again that Lizzie rusted her. Besides, Lizzie would know soon enough.

Rayne grew excited as she saw the familiar tree with the low hanging braches. Picking up her pace, she broke into a jog as she pushed the branched back. Soon, Rayne had passed the old bend in the road, and came into view of a familiar house but a moment later.

Breathing hard (more out of nerves than exhaustion) Rayne took in the sight of the cottage. It was older now, the colours a little more faded, but the house was still immaculately clean and kept, and Rayne walked up to the door.

Staring at the fading green paint, Rayne rose a hand to the door. Slowly, she knocked on it, once,

Twice,

Three times.

Time ticked by, and it seemed that every second lasted a year. However, the door opened, inch by inch, and soon, Rayne was looking at a familiar face.

His hair was streaked with the beginnings of gray, and his face was a little more lined and worn with age, but there was no mistaking those eyes; the same eyes that had looked down upon her with the fatherly love that her own biological father never had.

A smile slowly spread across his face, and he threw open the door, stretching his arms wide. Rayne stepped into them, smiling herself, as she hugged him.

"I'm back, Oren." She whispered. "I'm back."


Well I'm sorry I took so long. I got a bad writers block for this.

But now, I can say with confidence,

HOMECOMING IS BACK