Disclaimer: i do not own LoM... etc etc etc

Fonts in italic are for character's thought

This was actually part of chp. 8 but I separated for various reason.

Weeks passed since Elazul and Pearl bid their farewell, Angelique had been back to her usual self, she helped Larc in his quest of searching Mana power. Now, it was one of usual events that she experienced, Larc was seen in the front steps. Angelique was content to know that he will find her in a long while. Since she was in the orchard and harvesting Trent's lush produces that covered almost the entire orchard. "He will not find me in good mood, I'm sure."

Her whistle was heard around the orchard, "I wonder what Kain is doing right now. Last I saw him, he's in the study. Today is Jinn day isn't it… then he should be by the coral by now. Howy, the red chocobo, need his exercise today, he is getting fat nowadays, then Aileen, the succubus, need her food today, but she is picky about her food, females are harder to raise, she is worried about her diet. Luckily, Kain knew all the things about her, he had been raising her since she was born. Then there was Knightry, the dark stalker, and Skye, the sky dragon, they both are really affectionate to us."

A sudden crack broke her reverie, when she turned around she found that Kain was bringing Skye here. "Hey, how you doing? I see Larc haven't got you yet."

"Yep! Why do you bring Skye here? He's still a pup you know."

At her voice, Skye rose from Kain's clutch, and looked around, he let out a low squeak and returned to nuzzle to Kain again. "Well, when I got to coral, everybody was happy as usual but Skye was looking kinda down so I checked him up and he just nuzzled into me, and sleep. Maybe something is bothering him, when I ask the other they shake their head. Maybe he's just sleepy."

Kain's look was pretty solemn but then Larc rugged breaths break all of their reverie. "There you are, where were you? I was looking for you all this time. I even searched through the coral, workshops, and around your home. Don't you dare to waste my time, this conquest is important."

At his confession, Kain gave me a knowing look, and started to head back, "Well, at least that explain why Skye is restless. Larc, I trust you will protect her and bring her home in one piece."

Larc gave him a soft gruff and Kain just left Angelique there with Larc alone. Angelique just continued her chores of picking the produce when she had picked the last fruit. She headed back to home and gave Larc a small smile. "I'll just gear up for a while, okay Larc?"

Larc nodded and trailed along behind her, he stopped in front of the house to wait for Angelique. As she geared up, Angelique had a weird feeling clutching inside her chest, "Is something wrong, Ange?"

She turned around and faced Kain, "I don't know, I just feel insecure, do you think that something might be wrong?"

Kain furrowed his forehead and he just left after signaling her to wait a sec. When he showed up, he gave her a vial and a holy charm. "Drink this, it will protect you from the undead, that's all I can think about now, since you can kill anything except the undead. Stick this charm, to your bow so it can repel dark conjuration. Lastly, bring Aileen along, she might be of help to resist the dark thought."

Angelique got up and hugged Kain, she really was thankful that Kain was there for her. "Thank you brother, I seriously don't know what I do without you."

Kain just hugged her back and gave her a little pat at the back, "Just try to keep out of harm way and be back home safe and sound, okay?"

"Okay, I'll be back soon so wait up for me. Well, I think, I'm going to say goodbye to Bud and Lisa first before I go with Larc. See you, Kain!" Angelique grinned and head off to the door. While Kain just waved to her and gave her a small smile. Kain headed off to the workshop and opened to the door the instrument workshops, "Kids, how's your experiment going on?"

"Well, we made some instrument with the coin that you gave us but only the silver. We don't think we want to use the gold coins yet since the one we produce with silver doesn't really powerful so we think we will still trying to use the silver first until we can make a decent one then we will start trying to use the gold." Bud and Lisa explained alternately to Kain.

Kain was amused with their explanation, it seemed that the kids have progressed after all, he gave them a smirk and ruffled their hair, "I see, well just keep trying then since I got lots of stock of those silver coins and I do agree about your decisions on the gold one since it's hard to get those. Anyway, if you find the instrument you make is not to your liking. You can just gather them in one place then we will sell it to Jennifer when we go to Domina, okay? And I think I'm gonna go to Gato for a while, you two okay with that?"

"Awww… you going too…? Then what about us? What will we eat for dinner and breakfast tomorrow since Ange also gone from the house. You forbid us from the kitchen so what are we gonna do?" Bud said while fixing his hair.

Kain just gave them a hearty laughs, "Don't you worry about that. I already prepared some food to keep you alive for two days. Take care, okay. And try to stay out of trouble for me."

"Sure, will do!" A unison was heard from behind as Kain closed the door and picked up Howy at the coral. When Kain had mounted Howy, he gave it a small pat and galloped to the grottoes. The wind was strong in this day since Jinns were very active today, so Kain had to steady his ride when he almost reached the grottoes. He dismounted Howy and asked the nun to keep watch over his chocobo. He, then walked to the temple and asked the nun outside of the room for a meeting with Matilda. When he opened the door of dream weaving room, he found Matilda lying await there, "Hello, Matilda. What had happened to make your face crowned with worry?"

"Kain, will you help me?" A soft reply was heard. At this, Kain closed the distance between them and knelt so that she could see him across her bed. "What is it?"

"Daena, she went to look for a way to return me back. I'm afraid that she will do rash things… Kain, will you look for her?" Matilda slowly and softly explained to Kain of her worry. "I would but where? Fa'Diel is large and vast, searching her will only be in vain if I do not know a clue of her whereabouts. Can you perhaps might know where she would be going off to, Matilda?"

Kain was worried now, both Daena and Matilda now had become his good friends. But he seriously didn't know where to start. Matilda soft cough woke him from his daydream, "She might be looking for Irwin. You might ask the faeries about it, or places where there are faeries. Ask the wisdoms, they might know."

"Very well then, I shall be off now. Pray me luck, Matilda." Kain turned back and started to head out and he heard Matilda, "Godspeed to you."

With this clue, Kain had narrowed down the places that he might look for Daena to two places. The Jungle or Lake Kilma, both had faeries in it and they also had wisdoms there. He mounted Howy and set out to the Jungle since there are lots of faerie activities there lately. "Perhaps Rosiotti might know, I pray you'll be there, Daena."

When he had reached the Jungle, Kain asked the flowerling to teleport him to Rosiotti's part of Jungle. When he went in, he had learned that Daena indeed did come here to ask him about faeries but she went off again to Lake Kilma when he had learned that Tote might knew more. He traveled back to Lake Kilma and looked for Tote. When he had found Tote, he asked about Daena's whereabouts and Tote answered that she had just asked him the same question and left off again. On his way back from the cliff, Kain saw Daena. "Daena! I was looking for you." Startled. Daena turned back to see Kain, "Kain, what is it?"

"Matilda was worried about you so she asked me to look for you. What were you doing here?"

"I… I was trying to find out what Irwin's true intention is. So I'm sorry but I can't go back with you." After this, she ran off like a zephyr, Kain was enthralled by her reaction. He cursed and then he ran to try to catch up Daena. After a long while, he heard voices, a gruff voice and a female voice. When he had a clear look, it was Daena and a male demi-human who looked like a demon. "Could this be, the Irwin that Matilda had told me? He indeed looked strong and probably it wouldn't be wise to jump off now."

Deciding that he would not interrupt Daena and Irwin's meeting, he observed instead, he found that Irwin intended to bring back Matilda to her true form. They bickered for a while then Irwin was teleported by the faeries. Seeing this Kain started to make his move to stop Daena but she had already run off. When he had found her again it was already too late, he saw her charging into the circle of faeries and gone with them. When he had wanted turned back, there was a loud growl and he saw, a prism colored wolf. "Ain't that nice, a welcome adjourned. Try as I might, I cannot return home unscathed. This is Ange's portion of work."

The hound charged to Kain as he moved to his battle stance. He evaded, and struck back. It bared its fang and charged back. Swiping its claws now and deadlocked Kain into the ground. "This is not good. I call upon the wind and the wood, hear me now, and scatter my scent with thy power. Blow the smell of wood and trap his nose with thy sweet smell of death. As I will it, let it be done."

A gust of wind blew as soon as Kain finished the chant and the hound moved its head up and went to another way and stayed in another spot confused by the many smell that had been brought. Kain heaved his body up and prepared to attack, "I have to finish him in a single blow or perhaps hurt him vitally with one and finish him with another or it will be the death of me."

As he conjured, light began to engulf surrounding him, "As merciful heaven above, it will not look kindly upon frowned things. Damnation and condemnation shall be brought back to its conjurer. If light is all merciful and kind, it will not be so on your fate, it will pierce and rain upon you as the God deemed so. In this hour, and time, I beseech the power of light and the mercy of God to help thy servant in need and sent back this foul being to its rightful place. Heaven's Judgment."

Spears of light came down from the sky and struck down the hound and the light spears had embedded itself in the hound's body. Lights engulfed from them and it exploded into a pure white light. "Did it do it?" Kain huffed, his shoulder slouched down and hunched his back, his breath was irregular, trickles of sweat was slicking down from his forehead.

A moment passed and what met him was a claw swiped his torso, Kain bit back a scream and saw the hound was barely living, "Just one more spell, and it should be done. Let Earth be your grave." He took out his flute and played a sharp melody, and Gnome appeared, "Earth Shaker." As he played the earth beneath the hound tremor and cracked up, pierced its body as earth blades thrust up the ground. Its feral howl was heard throughout the lake and silence continued with its death, Kain put back his flute and ask Gnome if he could bury the hound. Gnome nodded and opened the earth and the hound fell in and it closed up again. Seeing this, Kain smiled and thanked Gnome. Soon he collapsed on the ground.

Angelique felt relief washed over her, she did not know why but she worried about her brother's safety for a while, since an hour ago, she had felt something was bothering her, but she knew that it was not here. She figured that it might be Kain, she silently prayed for his safety as she glided the Bone Fortress, she was now trapped in this godforsaken place because of Aileen's curiosity, "So much for being a resistor, now I have to search for her first." Hordes of monster were ready for Angelique as she beat them one by one, then at last she found Aileen, floating there uselessly, "Aileen, come. We should finish this as soon as possible. I want to get out from this dreadful place."

At her voice, Aileen jumped in relief, and smother Angelique with hugs, they went to the elevator and gone to third floor. When the door opened, they met a strange person, "Larc's kin maybe she look like a dragoon" she thought. Then this girl began to speak, "I am sorry but you have fallen into Drakonis' evil plan, therefore I have to kill you. I bear no grudge at all but it is the only way to save Larc."

"Evil plan? What…?! Well, tell me now if you could what is his evil plan?" Angelique inquired with her bow ready. She sensed that this girl would attack her soon regardless of the stall in time.

This girl, she raised her head and point her daggers forward, "That I could not tell you. Prepare to die!"

As she finished her sentences, she leaped forward and attacked only to be met by Aileen's barrier. She cursed, and dodged Angelique shot, the fight went on at the girl's disadvantage since Aileen was using her power very effectively in this fortress where Shade had lingered the most. With Aileen as a distraction, Angelique could notch up and strike the girl with her Main Gun. After being hit by her attack, the girl fled, and Angelique took the key that's been left on the floor. She ventured the rest of the fortress and she found Larc, then they fought Deathbringer and sealed Jajara's fate as they did to Akravator. When they have fight Jajara, and defeated him, Larc go to the Mana Room, and take the Mana away. Then they headed back to the entrance of the fortress, "Thank you."

Larc's gruff voice stopped Angelique. She turned back and smiled, "No problem! Well, I guess I'll be heading back then. See you, Larc…"

"Ahh… Let me take you back then, I have promised your brother to bring you back safely." His reply was quite unexpected to Angelique, it startled her for a few seconds and she shook her head.

"No, it's quite alright. I can manage on my own and you don't have to escort me back."

She wanted to be alone because she wanted to think about what Larc's sis had said. About Drakonis' evil plan and why can't she tell her about it. "No, I insist. You must let me take you back…"

That conversation went on about denial and accepting until Larc said that he wanted to talk about something to her. Hearing this and seeing Larc's expression was enough to bend Angelique's will to deny Larc's request. They talk all the way, about Larc's past and why did he wanted to do this mission. "Well, thank you, Larc. For seeing me to home safely. There is only one more left right? After that your wish will be fulfilled right?"

"It was quite alright... Yes, there is only one more and yes, my wish will finally come true. Farewell then."

He left and Angelique went inside the house to see Bud and Lisa jumping to her with happiness with tears in their faces. "What happened…? Why did you two cry…?"

"We were just happy… we thought that if Kain and you didn't come back, what will happen to us? We don't wanna to be alone again. We were worried since Kain hadn't come back as he promised too. He promised to come back two days ago but he didn't. You also are late by a day so we were really afraid something might happen to you two. We don't wanna to lose the two of you."

Hearing this, Angelique was shocked. "What? Kain hadn't come back?"

The twin shook their heads and hugged Angelique again. They looked so tired and worried. "Ok… now you two get some sleep and…" Angelique had a thought for searching for Kain but Bud and Lisa were in a very bad state. It might not be wise to leave them alone again so soon. So she decided to stay with the kids and waited for Kain.

"Kain, please be alright." That night Angelique was crying, she was worried, worried for her brother's safety.

Tee hee... thx for reading!