Hey! New chapter is up! Please review, I want to know if everyone likes it. ;_; Haha, well, you don't have to. Well, this is my favorite chapter so far, I hope you enjoy it. :D

LucaBlightisPuca: Thank you! It means a lot that you like it, really. And I'm sorry about the short chapters, but I like leaving you guys in suspense for what will happen, though I suppose I could start combining chapters. :/ Hah, well, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: Does owning you in my dreams count, oh beloved Suikoden? Because I can't have you in real life. ;_; I don't own Suikoden or any of the names or places in my Fanfic. Promise. /3 They belong to Konami.

Recollections~

"Power? Am I looking for power?

Ever since the first day I saw you... I somehow knew that we would be friends...

I was never lonely because you were there.. it felt like those days would last forever...

We walked along the same paths because... we chose Life and Death together...

I believed in you... always... because we shared so much..."

I woke up, in a sort of sweat and panic as if I had awoken from a nightmare. Was I even dreaming? Ah, I don't remember anymore. I suppose it didn't really matter. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, trying to adjust my eyes to the darkness and see where I was. As I was sitting, I tried to remember how I got here, was I not just in Kuskus awaiting the boat to Coronet? I don't remember, though the place I am in now, isn't Kuskus, but it is vaguely familiar.

My eyes adjusted, slowly but surely, but once I realized where I was, a sense of fear and shock waved over me. The houses were back, the smell of fire gone from the air, even little lights appeared in the windows, it all seemed impossible.

I heard rustling behind me and before I could shoot up, before I could even think about getting ready to fight, a cold hand was slapped over my mouth, and I was dragged into the darkness. All of my screams were muffled by the shaking hand.

I saw Shiro out of my peripherals, and realized who the hand belonged to. "Kinnison!" I whispered once the body had drug me to a small corner. "What is going on…?"

His face was pale, no color was left in his body. "Look…" He pointed and whispered. "Who do you see…"

I looked in the direction his fingers were pointing, and I too felt all of the blood leave my face. "How… How is that possible?" I whispered again, my voice quivering.

Standing there, in all of his glory, a brutal man, one of whom I killed with my own hands, the very man who burned this village to the ground. Luca Blight. Saying his name was even hard for me to say, it's been a long while since that final battle I had with him. Everything was beginning to make sense, and the memories of my dream came flooding back to me.

"Young followers of destiny, we have looked into your hearts, and witnessed your 'character'." Said the woman who held all fate in her palms.

"You're the one from before! Who are you?" My old friend yelled out brashly.

"I am the inheritor of the 'gate rune', the keeper of gates between worlds. She who watches the great scales of fate. Fate quivers, the future cannot be seen. One of the '27 True Runes' has recognized you, oh followers of destiny, the path is now open to you." The woman goes by the name of Leknaat. She began this whole journey.

"Recognized us… Is that what that vision was?" He asked.

"Yes. The rune recognized you. The 'Rune of Beginning,' which lies asleep beyond here, is needed to complete your destiny. Stand before the rune and hold up your right hands, you will be granted the power to alter fate. Think, and then decide. Power will not grant you peace. The Storms of Fate cause misery for many and few will be able to calm them once they start. If you do not desire 'Power,' return now to the outside world."

"Power… rune… The power of the '27 True Runes,' what will you do, Riou?" He asked me, the greed of knowledge always present in his eyes.

"I don't need power." I replied, fully ready to leave back to everything I've always known.

"Sometimes power hurts people, and sometimes fate plays with peoples lives, even so, it's what you need right now." Leknaat started.

"Please Riou, you are strong, but me? I.. Please, try to understand." Jowy, my old friend, replied.

"Since, since we 'need' power…" I said, trying to convince myself.

"Thank you, Riou… I'll take the cave to the right, you go to the left." He then walked away.

I don't know why, the thoughts of that day filled my head as I laid unconscious. Ever since that day, I had many people look to me, I wouldn't want to go back… So why am I here now? Why are the events of my past repeating themselves? I wasn't even here when Toto burned, what is going on?

Kinnison tapped my shoulder. "My lord and friend, if we do not get out of here now, we will surely burn." He said.

"Where is Templeton?" I asked, my mind racing.

"We cannot burden ourselves with looking, we have to go now. There is a pathway to our right, past the shrine, where we can go."

"And Pilika?" I asked, remembering the little girl who lived here, long ago.

"Riou, NOW!" He whispered and began to crawl behind the houses as Luca Blights voice roared into my ears. I could not listen. I followed behind my friend and we safely made it to the path.

"We have to go back to Templeton. We have to go back for Pilika. I've beat him once-"

"Riou, I saw, with my own eyes the way you woke up. Considering where we are, and however we got here, we are not in any place to match him now."

The threads of time blasted into the past, but what all has changed? I surely don't know.

"I am not about to watch a friend die in this fire. If we truly are in the past, we will need him. The 108 Stars of Destiny. Have you not remembered Leknaats will?" I asked, even though the fire was not here, I knew it was coming.

"I was never told," He replied. "Just you, well, and Luc."

"I need to complete my destiny." I replied and looked around until I found Blight. I could hear some of his words.

"Tonight Toto, tomorrow, the world!" He screamed and all of his men graveled at his feet, worshiping him as if he was a God. But, he was no God. He didn't possess a rune, and all he used were dirty tactics. I need to find Pilika and Templeton and run away as fast as I can.

I suppose fate felt sorry for me, after all that had happened. I saw him in the faintest of lights, cowering behind a barrel not ten feet away from the Prince. If only Klaus were here, he could come up with a plan.

"Kinnison, look over there… It's Templeton." He glanced over and smiled.

"How do you suppose we get over there without being spotted?" He said, fully complying with me, he wanted to get him back as well.

"Shiro." I whispered. I had a plan. It was risky, but it could work. Shiro, even though he is an animal, he is one of the strongest warriors I have ever had the honor of fighting next to. Kinnison knew this.

"As a distraction." He said, with sadness in his words, it wasn't a question, but more of a statement. "I'm sure he'd be willing."

I nodded. "He'll distract them, I'll grab Pilika and Templeton… You stay here…"

Kinnison violently shook his head. "No. I'll grab Templeton, you grab Pilika."

"It's dangerous…"

"And even more so for you." He replied and gave me a hug.

I glanced at him. "If you are willing to put your life on the line, then I have a better idea."

Kinnison bolted out of the path. 'I hope we can do this' He thought to himself as he hid behind a building. He sent Shiro out walking, and told him to attack the nearest Highland soldier that was alone, that would be his costume.

Shiro found a young man and pounced on him breaking his neck. Killing him without a sound and dragged him back to Kinnison who put on the armor quietly.

"Go back to the path now, Shiro. I've got it from here." He walked up and stood around the group of Highlanders who nodded in his direction. Before returning their direction back to their Prince.

"Boys." Started Luca Blight. "After tonight, you will be an honor to our country, people will cheer at the sound of your name." Everyone clapped. "Do you all know your jobs?" Kinnison gave the signal to me to run and get Pilika.

I ran as fast as I could to the little house and opened the door quietly with the key that was under the mat. "Pilika!" I whispered loudly.

The family was cowered under the table. "Pilika, I've come to get you."

"Un-Uncle?" She got out from under the table and ran to me, her little arms were outstretched.

"Marx. Is there anyway we can get out of here without being caught?" He looked at me.

"Don't worry about us. Take the back door out, it will lead you next to the shrine." He replied.

Without any hesitation I ran towards the door with Pilika on my hip. "Are they gonna be okay?" She whimpered.

I didn't know what to say to her. I knew they wouldn't be, but she was my priority, not them. I was feeling remorseful.

I ran in to a limber body and realized it was the other one I was looking for. Templeton. I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to the entrance of the shrine.

"Stay quiet." I told them both and left Pilika in Templeton's care and ran out to find Shiro. I reached the path and he growled at me, as if he thought I were the enemy.

"Shiro, go get the Highlanders and save Kinnison." I ordered the dog and off he ran.

I signaled for the two to come out and we ran away from Toto, hoping everything would be okay. Hoping that Kinnison and Shiro would come out safe. We needed to find Viki. Set everything straight, but where would she be? Who knew… she wasn't one to tell me where she went on her own time.

We slowed our pace and Templeton and I began to talk.

"She said Harmonia, didn't she?" He asked, knowing what I was thinking about.

"But, I found her around this time, for the first time in the Forest Path. Do you think she would be there again?

He shrugged his shoulders and set his bag down. We were fairly far away and settled down for the night. This was the usual time for me to write in my journal, but I seemed to have lost it along the way.

A/N: AH! I'm so excited for the next chapter. So stay tuned. :D Comment, criticize, review. And most of all, keep reading. (: