A/N: Was gonna post this at 5 reviews, but I thought "What the hell, I might as well post this now since I won't be around during – oh screw that crap."
Anyways, enjoy the next chapter that this idiot laptop's useless spell-checker renders rubbish!
Laptop: *slap*
A/N: What was that for! Oh, and I realized Ickart I actually Ickhart. Sorry 'bout that. *resumes street brawl with incompetent laptop*
All of Erev was asleep. The island was completely silent. Not even the native monsters were around – they were all in deep slumber. Meanwhile, in Mihail's quarters…
The Commander of Light tossed and turned in his bed, unable to fall asleep. There were too many things on his mind – the Valentine's Day festival, of course.
Sighing, Mihail picked up the latest copy of his favourite manga, "Marauders", in a futile attempt to tire his restless brain out. Yet, as his eyes rapidly flew over the images in the book, the thoughts refused to leave his brain.
Oz, or Irina?
If he had a choice, he would definitely pick Irina, as the Commander of Wind was much more likeable than the foul-tempered Oz. Not to mention he was much prettier too – Mihail had always had a thing for archers. When he was a kid, he had a crush on Athena Pierce…
This train of thoughts was interrupted by the sound of knocking on the door. Mihail grunted in frustration and tossed the book he was reading onto the floor, next to the pile of armour he had taken off and his sword. The Commander of Light fell onto his bed, burying his face in his pillows as he tried to ignore the knocks on the door, which were getting more and more impatient by the second.
"Fine, Mihail. Don't blame me!"
There was a cracking sound, and the door fell open, revealing Hawkeye – still clad in his pajamas.
Mihail groaned. "Hawkeye, if you're looking for someone to annoy, go look for Ickhart," he muttered wearily. "I got things to worry about."
Hawkeye grinned. "No fun bothering that insomniac!" he replied, leaning against the broken doorframe. Mihail sighed. "That's the second door you've ruined this month, man." Mihail removed the pillows from his face. "What do you want?"
The Commander of Lightning's grin grew even wider, if that was even possible. "You said you had a problem, didn'tcha?" asked Hawkeye, smiling gleefully. "Need my help?"
Well, if I had a problem, the last person I'd turn to for advice would be you, sparky. Mihail shrugged. "Just leave me alone," was all the Commander of Light said before he collapsed back onto his bed.
"Aw, c'mon, blondie!" Hawkeye actually leapt on Mihail. "Tell me! Tell me tell me tell – "
"All right, all right, now shut the hell up before I slash you in half." This instantly silenced the hyperactive Hawkeye, making his twiddle his thumbs in anticipation.
Slinking out from under Hawkeye, Mihail explained. "It's the ball, Sparky. Both Irina and Oz asked me to go with them to the ball tomorrow."
He could have sworn that Hawkeye flinched at the mention of Oz. "G-Go on," Hawkeye stammered, trying to regain his composure. "That's easy, right? Just go with either one of them. You're gonna rock the house with your awesome dancing – "
"That's where the problem resides, man. If I go with Irina, Oz'll fry my butt. But if I go with Oz…" He let that sentence hang.
Hawkeye's eyes twinkled. "Oooh, you like Irina, don't you?" he cheered, doing a little dance in his mind. "Which means you don't like Oz!"
Mihail wondered briefly why Hawkeye cared, before continuing. "It's rare that we get a day off, so I want to spend the day with someone special. But…" The Commander of Light stared blankly out of his bedroom window. "This is my dilemma, you see?"
The Commander of Lightning thought hard for about half a second (which, in Hawkeye terms, is a pretty long time) before responding "Just go with Irina. I'll handle Oz." He winked at Mihail.
Mihail wasn't so sure, though. "Truly?" he asked warily, unsure of whether or not to trust Hawkeye. "Are you sure?" Hawkeye merely nodded in reply, already forming a plan in his head.
"Believe me, we'll be having a lot of fun tomorrow." Hawkeye winked at Mihail again, before exiting his room, running off into the night.
Mihail pumped his fist into the air. Unexpectedly, Hawkeye had volunteered to solve his problem! He longed to call up Irina and tell her, but decided not to, as it was past midnight already. He decided to ask her to dance at the ball tomorrow, and leave the rest to Hawkeye.
Which left him with one last problem…
"Oy, Hawkeye! Come back! What about my door?"
The next day…
Mihail, Hawkeye, Irina and Oz gathered at the flying ship dock, each of them donning formal attire that Cygnus had instructed them to wear. Most of the residents of Erev, along with the Empress and Nineheart, had already left, and now, the four participating commanders were about to board the last ship. As they boarded the ship that would take them to Victoria Island, Oz asked Hawkeye a question. "Hey, where's Ickhart?" she cried. "Isn't he coming?"
"I'm here," murmured a voice from behind them. They whirled around in surprise, and spotted Ickhart perched lazily on an oak tree. "And I'm not coming."
"Why?" Hawkeye had already expected this, but still he wanted to know exactly why the Commander of Darkness wasn't coming.
Ickhart frowned from behind his mask. "I have my own reasons for not particularly liking Valentine's Day. I'm staying behind," was all he revealed to them.
Hawkeye shrugged. "Let's ignore that boy and enjoy ourselves," he stated with a hint of annoyance in his voice, before boarding the train. The rest of the commanders followed, glancing back at Ickhart occasionally. Mihail signaled to Kiriru, and the strange humanoid creature nodded in reply, and the ship began to move. First it drifted slowly through the wind, but it slowly picked up speed. Before long, the ship was soaring through the clouds, cutting through them like a hot knife through butter. Irina gazed over the side of the ship happily – the clouds were so close, she could touch them.
"Not a good idea to reach out, lest you fall into the depths of the ocean we're flying over," advised Kiriru. Irina stepped back and raised her palm, preparing to summon the winds to bring the clouds to her. "Oh, and no skills allowed too!"
Irina hesitated, then lowered her hand in embarrassment. Hawkeye snickered.
After about five minutes, they arrived at Victoria Island. Oz reached into her pocket to pay the fee – 1,000 mesos when Kiriru stopped her. "Today is Valentine's Day – I won't accept payment," smiled Kiriru. The Commander of Flames thanked him, and with a silent word, the four exited the Ship Station of Ellinia.
Oz smiled wryly as the others were taken aback by the lush greenery of the ancient forest. There was magic in the air – no one could deny it. "Let's go before the fairies get angry," she suggested. Without another word, they followed Oz as she leapt nimbly across the branches. Irina had some trouble with her long dress, but Mihail helped her by carrying her on his back. Oz's eyes flared up in irritation, but she held in her powers. She could easily burn down this forest with a single thought, but she didn't want the fairies to hate the humans any more than they did now.
A fairy flew towards them at high speed. She was as big as a 5-year old, and she had an enormous flower in her hand. "Dost thou wish to enter Amoria?" she asked, sparkling pixie dust floating around her as she hovered in the air.
"Yes," replied Oz, Without further ado, the fairy swung her flower in a wide arc, and the four commanders vanished, the only proof of them ever being there a trail of sapphire, ruby, and emerald stardust that was promptly absorbed by the magical tree.
Deep in Francis the Puppeteer's lair…
"Are you done yet?" asked Hyrien irritably. He had been sitting down since he had woke up in the exact same position as Francis drew intricate necromantic symbols all over his arms and legs with purple ink. According to the strange man that called himself Francis, he would need this to increase his strength and stand a chance against the enemy.
Francis frowned under the shadow of his hood. "Almost done, knight…" The puppeteer finished the necromantic drawings. "There, you're all set. Now, for the finishing touches…" He marked the base of his neck with a strange mark – the insignia of the Black Wings.
Hyrien stood up, brushing his brown shoulder-length hair out of his eyes. As he fitted his armour on, Francis told him about his objective.
Head to the center of the island. A deity called the Divine Bird lays asleep there. It is this deity that sustains the magic that keeps the Empress in control over the world. Slay the deity, and restore peace to the world.
Francis opened a portal to Erev, the 'private island' of the tyrannical Empress.
"When will you send me back home to the past?" asked Hyrien as he stepped into the portal. He had outfitted himself in his armour – they hid the symbols quite nicely.
"After your purpose is fulfilled," promised the puppeteer with a crafty grin.
But deep down, Hyrien suspected he was lying.
A/N: Whee, done! As always, review – I'll update it once I get enough reviews. *grin*
Laptop: *whack*
Easter egg: Pokemon, yet again.
Inform me of any errors in grammar/spelling - this computer has both a lousy spelling/grammar-checker and a weird S key.