A/N: Hey guys! How ya doin'? Sorry for the late update (two months...I'm getting slow). These chapters keep getting longer and longer and they're too important to split into two parts. Not only that, I had finals to study for and half a dozen project to complete. But it's summer now, which means more frequent updates!

Bells and Memories

The dull, mechanical notes of "You Are My Sunshine" pierced through Saria's ears and invaded her dreams. Still half asleep, one arm wrapped around her pillow while the other groped blindly for the alarm clock. After successfully depressing the snooze button, she drew the gadget under the covers and viewed the position of the tiny hands. "7:15!" The alarm clock was still set to the school schedule! Frustrated, she tossed the clock over the back of the couch and buried her head back in the pillow. Alas, the sandman's runs were already over and sleep was nowhere to be found. After ten minutes of tossing and turning in a futile attempt to tire herself out, Saria finally got up and walked to the bathroom. "I really need to get some slippers..." She thought, a chill ran up her spine as her feet made contact with cold linoleum. She walked up to the sink and filled the basin, splashing the cold water on her face "Some mouth wash would be nice too. This morning breath is...what the..." A strange, blue face stared back up at her from the water's surface. She rubbed her eyes and took another at her reflection, this time in the medicine cabinet. It wasn't an illusion, her face was really blue. The events of the night before returned to her along with the final remarks on Vik's letter.

"Permanent ink, eh?" She challenged as she grabbed a face towel and soaked it under the water. She rubbed it hard against her face but to no avail. Next, she tried using some soap but it got her no further. She continued to scrub until she was sure her face would be red from bruising but when she looked back up at the mirror, a head of blue soot continued to stare back at her. "Fine! Be that way!" She shouted, throwing the towel at the medicine cabinet before storming out. The primal instinct in the back of her mind urged her to kick the first thing she saw, which happened to be the kitchen table. "Ow!" She pulled back from her inessential attack on the woodwork, gripping her big toe. Had she even a tiny bit of consciousness, it would have reminded her she was barefoot.

"Get a hold of yourself, Saria. It's only been one day and you're already on the verge of insanity. Just take a deep breath and do what you normally do." Right. Normal. Even though she's living alone now, the routine were still the same. A few things were missing, however. "Mrs. Fellcrest would usually have breakfast ready by now..." She thought, studying the empty table. She was so used to having Vik's mom cook her meals she almost expected a plate of eggs and sausage to be waiting for her when she got up. "I guess I'll have to make my own." She eyes swept across the kitchen wall until she fond what she was looking for, a tall, rectangular box with two built in doors.

---

"Stop looking so scared." Vik said in the monotone voice that's expected after explaining a countless amount of common things. "It's just a refrigerator. It's not going to bite you or blow up in your face or anything in that fashion. Here, look..." Without even a thought, he walked up to the metallic box and pulled open the bottom door. Saria immediately jumped back. "What's wrong?"

"It's freezing." She answered, drawing her arms around her chest.

"Barely. Don't you think you're overreacting? I mean, you did spend over 15 years in one of these."

"I remember no such thing!" In response, Saria receiving a dispiriting laugh from the omnivari. Her curiosity subsided long enough for her to give him a quick frown. "So...what is it used for?"

---

"We store our food in it, you dummy." Saria quoted as she pulled open the insulated door. She looked in disappointment at the contents of the fridge. Every single shelf and compartment was completely bare except for a box of baking soda and a lemon, which were kept in only for sanitary purposes. Not even the greatest chef in the world could whip up something with those ingredients. "I'm pretty sure you have to do something first." A voice in the back of her head told her. After about a minute's delay, the words finally flashed through her memory. "Buy...groceries?" That sounded right. Like her breakfast, she couldn't expect it to be all set up for her. Sighing, she closed the refrigerator door and walked back to her suitcase, shuffling through the maze of clothes until her hands closed around a wallet.

While gold was still the national form of currency, it had changed a whole lot during the past few centuries. Inflation had caused the average coin's value to drop. The amount of money it cost to buy a potato was ten times the amount it was a three hundred years ago. Seeing that people could no longer walk around with bulging coin sacks, the government implemented new coins. In a single day, the people were ordered to exchange their overflowing bags of 1 gil coins for 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, and 5000 gil coins. The collected money was then melted down to avoid further inflation.

Taking a deep breath, Saria undid the buckle and poured the contents of the wallet into her hands. A sun adorned 500 and a few 100's, which bore a symbol shaped like an upside-down horse shoe, fell into her hands. Not nearly enough to eat out but it should last her until payday if she could find a way to make some cheap breakfast. "Let's see...it's the 8th today and I get paid at the end of the month...I'll have to find a way to survive 12 days on 1400 gil." She contemplated as she pulled off her pajamas and grabbed the first shirt she could find. "I could skip dinner on a few days if I can stuff myself up during lunch so that just leaves 12 days worth of breakfast. If I get hungry at night, I'll just eat the same thing." As soon as she punctuated her thoughts, she pulled up her jeans and pocketed the money. She was just about to step into her shoes when she realized something. She was still blue in the face. Now she could care less about what complete strangers thought of her; there were plenty of weird people in the city, who would notice one more? No, she was afraid she might see someone she knew. "This shouldn't be too much of a problem. I'll just hide my identity." She thought as she ran back to her suitcase.

---

"Would you mind telling me exactly what you're doing again?"

"I getting ready to go out." Vik said plainly before ducking back in his closet.

"But why are you...trying so hard?" Saria asked as she walked up to the closet door and nervously glanced inside. "Normally, you would just throw on whatever the first thing you see."

"And that's exactly what I did today! I'm not looking for a shirt."

"Than what are you looking for?"

"A disguise." Vik said, emerging with a baseball cap. He walked over the hanging mirror on the door and tried it on, immediately shaking his head after doing so. "I'm still recognizable." He vented, tossing the cap onto his bed before turning to Saria. "Don't just stand there! The sooner we find something, the sooner we can leave. Make yourself useful and go search under my bed or something."

The girl threw on a look of pure terror, though both of them knew it was a joke. The bottom of Vik's bed was uncharted territory. Whatever goes in hardly ever comes out. "But you've been out hundreds of times without needing a disguise." She reached under the bed and fished around until her hand came in contact with something soft. After confirming that the thing wasn't alive, she closed her fingers around it and brought it out. "Would this do?"

"It's because we're going to a...nevermind. You'll know when we get there." Vik stuck out his head and caught sight of Saria waving around a ski mask. "No, I can't wear that for two reasons. One, because it's summer and wearing that would be like putting a double-boiler on my head, and two, because I'd look like I was about to rob a bank. Try again."

"Alright...how's this?" This time, she came out with a green-spotted bandanna.

"Reason number two. Next!"

Grumbling, Saria shoved her hand under the bed one more time and removed the first item she came in contact with. "What about these?"

Vik stared at the objects in her hands for a few seconds before giving an admissible nod. "Yes, those will do."

---

"Yes! Found them!" Saria exclaimed, proudly holding up a pair of sunglasses. It was perfectly normal to see someone with sunglasses during the summer and they did a good job of concealing the eyes, which were the most distinctive part of one's face. She couldn't do anything to hide the color of her face but hopefully people wouldn't stop and ask questions. "They have better things to do than that..." She thought as she slid the shades over her eyes. "Besides, this city is filled with strange people. I'm sure they're used to stuff like this by now." She stopped by the hall mirror to make sure her eyes were completely covered before grabbing her keys from the table beside it. "I'm going out now!" She called to no one in particular. She wasn't sure why she did it; it wasn't like there was anyone there to answer her. In fact, she would have been surprised if there was. It was just one of the many things she had grown used to.

---

"Ok..." Vik said, sliding the glasses onto his nose before flipping the hood on his shirt over his head. "Let's get this over with."

"This place looks familiar..." Saria commented as Vik took her by the wrist and led her into the building. She caught sight of the shop's name as they passed by the front counter. "Madame Magnifique...wait, isn't this the clothes shop we visited that day when we first met?"

"Don't even remind me." The boy replied without even sparing her a glance. He stared straight ahead, doing his best to ignore the awkward looks from the other customers. "But the answer is no; it's a completely different chain that's just owned by the same company. Look at the sign again, there's a part of the name that you missed."

By the end of Vik's sentence, they were already a couple yards away from the entrance and the characters on the sign had clumped together into three massive blobs. Saria squinted at the last section and managed to make out the a single word. "What's a bra?"

The words made Vik stop dead in his tracks. As if things weren't bad enough already, Saria's outburst just made the situation ten times worse. All around them, people were looking up from the merchandise with disturbed looks of shock. Vik nervously waved them away before forcing Saria to take a detour into the clothes racks. "You're joking, right?" He said as soon as they were deep enough in the maze of circular frames. Saria chose to respond with a blank stare. "My god...please don't make me explain this to you."

"Would you prefer it if I ask a salesclerk?"

As much as he wanted to say yes, the resulting embarrassment of asking an adult was far greater than what would happen if he just told her himself. Sighing with defeat, he motioned for Saria to come closer and quickly whispered the definition in her ear.

"They're for my what!"

"Your br..." Vik blushed a deep shade of red. "Look, let's just grab something and..."

"Does it look like I need it?" Saria exclaimed, completely oblivious to the amount of attention she was attracting.

"No but all women wear them." Vik said weakly, motioning for her to quiet down. "And we are starting work soon. You'll look strange if you're not wearing any. So would you please just find something and buy it? I want to get out of here just as much as you do." Saria was still fuming with humiliation but she was able to jerk her head into a rigid nod. "Alright, so what's your size?"

"How the hell would I know?"

---

As she stepped out onto the concrete sidewalk, the street was practically deserted, though it was hardly a surprise. Not many people got up before 10 during the summer unless they had to work. "Now let's see...where would one go to buy food...aha!" Located exactly across the street from where she was standing was a convenience store. "It certainly lives true to its name." Saria contemplated as she quickly dashed across the black pavement.

---

"Well, that was...interesting."

"Be quiet! I'm not talking to you right now!" Saria snapped from behind the curtain as she quickly pulled on her shirt.

"Oh, it couldn't have been that bad." replied a voice accompanied by sequence of small clicks. A sudden pause told her Vik had found something and was looking it over. After a few seconds, the clicks started again, meaning he decided it didn't suit her and had returned the article to the rack. "I think you're overreacting."

"How would you like it if you were being felt up by a COMPLETE STRANGER!"

Vik let out a laugh which only caused Saria's glare to intensify. "She was only taking measurements so we would know what size to get you. It's her job; it meant absolutely nothing." The series of clicks suddenly came to a halt and a moment later, a pair of feet appeared under the curtain. "Here, try this one!" The voice called before throwing something over the curtain.

The garment, a simple, gray bra, landed safely into Saria's outstretched arms. "Easy for you to say, you weren't the one standing topless in the middle of the public!" She said, looking the top over with fervent distaste. The two bras Vik had chosen for her before, laying depressingly in the corner of the stall, would have received a new companion had she found it unsuitable. Luckily for it, Saria silently accepted it and slipped it on. A full minute had passed before she realized she didn't know how to. "Um...Vik? Do you know how to put this thing on?"

A loud crash came from outside. Fearing the worst, Saria stuck her head out of the curtain and found Vik, sprawled out on the floor. "Oh my god! Vik, are you alright?"

"Of course I'm not!" Vik exclaimed, undermining his own statement by springing up onto his feet. "How could you not know how to put one on? It's a simple, everyday mechanism...like tying your shoes! It's not rocket science!"

"If you're so smart, why don't you try putting it on?"

"Because I'm not the one with-"

"Vik?" Out of ensuing chaos walked a familiar face. Though it wasn't one Vik was all too happy to see during normal situations, it was the embodiment of a savior at the moment.

Realizing the whole of the situation, Elena quickly moved the lacy corset behind her back, blushing furiously. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"There's no time to explain. Saria needs your help!" Vik blurted as he dashed behind the Viera and forced her into Saria's stall. She took one look at the condition of her startled friend and immediately stuck her head back out.

"You idiot, didn't you tell her it's supposed to go underneath her clothes?"

"I thought she could figure that much out by herself."

The Viera shot him a loathing glare."You're completely useless..."

"And that's why you're here!" Vik returned, smiling at her brightly before pushing her head back into the curtain.

As soon as she was sure they were completely blocked from view, Elena took a deep breath and turned to face her hapless friend. "I can't believe I'm doing this..." She said to herself, her face flushing and her voice dropping down to a mumble in advance of her next statement. "Alright, take off your shirt."

Saria's face suddenly turned a similar shade of scarlet. "Elena!"

"What? We're both girls here! It's nothing new to me-"

"But that doesn't make it any less...uncomfortable." Saria interjected, folding her arms over her waist in case the Viera was planning on using force (like the salesclerk had before her). Elena gave her a irritated scowl but raised her hands in defeat; a universal symbol showing that she wasn't going to make any sudden moves.

"Ok, have it your way." The Viera said, pressing herself against the wall as she moved behind Saria. "Now face the door. This way, I won't be able to see your reflection in the mirror." Saria glanced at Elena from the corner of her eye. From where she was standing, she would only be able to see her back. "So...?"

"I guess that'll be alright." The girl admitted as she undid her collar buttons and pulled her shirt over her head. "So how do I put this on?"

"Put your arms through those triangle-shaped spaces...yeah, like that." Elena said, her gaze constantly wandering towards the walls and ceiling. "Now just take the loose ends and fasten them together...no, it's you've got it backwards." It took her a few tries but Saria eventually heard a snap. "There you go! How does it feel? Is it too tight?"

"It's alright, I guess." Saria chanted as she made her way towards the door. Elena moved to cut her off but with much difficulty due to the extremely compact interior.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"To show Vik, of course. He went through all this trouble to get me th-"

"No!" Elena interjected, suddenly turning serious. "A man can never see a lady in her undergarments! It is a sacred, time-honored code that we as women shall always follow!"

"So Vik can never see me in this...ever?"

"Well, there might be a few instances where..." Elena immediately clapped her hand over her mouth, ashamed of what she was about to say. "Erm...nevermind. Hurry up and take that thing off--they're not going to let you wear it out of here." She said before walking through the curtain. Saria emerged shortly afterwards, holding the lingerie gingerly between her fingers.

"So how do you like it?" Were Vik's first words to her. Saria only shrugged but to Vik, that was an acceptable response. "Alright! Let's go get this thing paid for and get out of here. Thanks for your help, Elena."

The Viera glowered. "Don't you dare mention this to anyone!"

"Don't worry, I won't." Vik said as he motioned at the corset she was clutching behind her. "That would look great on you, by the way." Elena gave him a kick in the shins before storming off.

Saria gave Vik a questionable look as they headed towards the registers. "Is it customary to kick someone in the shin after receiving a compliment?" She asked.

"Not in our culture. I'm sure it's done somewhere in the world." Vik responded as he limped over his left leg.

"Then why'd she kick you?"

"I'll tell you some other time. I'll need at least one of my legs to get home."

---

"Your total comes to 1526 gil."

Saria's pleasant recollections were brought to a halt by a single number. "I'm sorry, what was that?" The girl uttered, suddenly aware of her surroundings. She was standing in the check-out lane of the convenient store with a bag full of one-step provisions. She knew she couldn't make anything fancy, seeing that the only thing she could do with a stove was boil water, so she only bought a few ramen packets with some milk and cereal. Other necessities, such as shampoo and toilet paper, were in the bag right next to it.

The woman behind the counter gave no reply, she just blew another bubble, popped it, and pointed at the LED screen on top of the register, which displayed the number 1-5-2-6. "Will that be cash or charge?" She asked after sucking the gum back into her mouth.

"There must be some mistake!" Saria protested. "I added up the prices on all of these items and came up with 1400 gil even."

The cashier groaned. Normally, she would be able to use the 'you're holding up the line' excuse to get out of talking with her unsatisfied customers but since the store was completely devoid of people other than herself and this girl, she had no other choice but to comply. "Look kid," She began without ceasing her chewing, "I have complete confidence in your math skills but you have to remember the sales tax."

"Sales tax? Buying items from this shop helps you, doesn't it? Why should I have to pay extra money for helping you out?"

"I don't make the rules, kid; this is the law." The Cashier mumbled through gritted teeth as she massaged the bridge of her nose. "If you want to complain about it, take it to the capital. Don't waste my time."

Saria stared daggers at the lady but humble resigned. "Fine, I'll put something back." She sighed, fishing through the bag for something she didn't need. For some reason, her words made the cashier's eyes widen.

"You ran away from home, didn't you?" She realized.

"Um...yeah. I guess you could call it that." The girl responded, pulling a carton of mouthwash out from the second bag. "It wasn't really my family to begin with and I was just causing them trouble. So I moved out."

"So you're living on your own? At your age? Oh dear, I had no idea! Look, if you're short on cash I'll wave the sales tax. We're overcharging you for these products anyways."

Without knowing it, Saria found herself frowning. Here before her was another person, a complete stranger, who was willing to bend over backwards to support her pitiful situation. "Um...no thank you." Saria renounced as she placed the mouthwash back on the shelf. "I can live without mouthwash for a few days but I can't live with the guilt you get from depending on others."

To the girl's surprise, instead of getting shocked, the cashier smiled proudly. "I know exactly what you mean." The women recounted, "I was in your shoes once. I got in a huge fight with my mom and she kicked me out of the house. I lived on the streets for a few weeks until my dad found out what happened. He took me in until I could sort out everything with my mother. Are you working?" Saria nodded. "You're lucky. When I ran away, I had no money, no job, and no friends to help me out. I had to beg for my next meal...believe me when I say there's nothing more demeaning than asking complete strangers for money." She finished as she tied up the ends of the two bags. "But you seem to be doing alright. I know you're going to last longer than me, at least. Take care of yourself, okay kid?"

"I will. Thank you." The girl answered, scooping the coins from the table into her hand before dumping them into the cashier's. She took her bags bags and was almost out the door when a voice called after her.

"If you ever need some help, I'm here every day from 5 to noon." The lady pronounced, "My name's Alison, by the way."

"I'm Saria." She replied automatically as she thought over the lady's proposal. Though it seemed rude to turn them down, she would feel even worse if she accepted it. "Thank you for your offer but I'm sure I can look after myself." She punctuated before leaning out the door. The cashier let out a sigh as she watched the girl dash across the street.

"Yeah...that was what I thought too."

---

Due to the lack of lighting the night before and her early-morning daze, she had failed to notice how messy the apartment was. Every inch of the floor and curtains were covered in cat hair, though the smell, thankfully, had been sterilized. The windows were streaked and the countertops were sticky with god knows what. 'Breakfast could wait' was the first thing that popped into her head when she caught sight of the wasteland she now called home. After all, who could eat in such a filthy environment. Dropping her groceries off on the table, she grabbed a rag and a bucket and started scouring the windows. She worked thoughtlessly, progressing through the next hour without notice. It was five minutes to nine when she finally finished, though the room wasn't exactly spotless. Hand soap was never meant to be used to clean glass and she still had no idea what to do about the cat hairs. "I've done enough..." She mumbled, saving herself a few footsteps by flipping herself over the backrest of the couch.

Weary from housekeeping, Saria decided to catch a quick power nap before heading to Bagabu Airport but just as she was beginning to get comfortable, she was disturbed by yet another impatient ring, this time it was the doorbell. At this point, Saria's sense of hospitality was overcome with fatigue and she could care less that a person actually took the time to visit her. She turned to face the backrest, doing her best to ignore the loud buzzing. After a minute, the noise finally stopped. Saria took a relaxing breath, enjoying the restored silence before it was shattered once again when the voicebox kicked in. "Nevermind. The bellhop opened the door for me." Pronounced a crackling voice. "I'm on my way up right now."

Saria suddenly bolted upright, eyes wide and fearful. "No...it can't be him. Please don't be who I think it is..." She sat there, frozen, with her vision transfixed on the door. The loudspeaker clicked off and not long afterwards, a knock came from the front door. A moment was spared to allow Saria to decide whether she wanted to answer it or not and sure enough, when the knocking started up again for the second time, she took a deep breath and slid off the couch. Hanging her head as she crossed the room, she let her hair fall in front of her face and stared straight at the ground. Her hand reached up and fumbled blindly with the lock, finally succeeding in opening it after several tries. "Well, you sure took your time." Said the first thing she saw: a pair of mustard-colored sneakers. "Now, now. There's no reason to humble yourself. I'm a forgiving person."

Saria flushed with anger. "I'm not bowing." She mumbled audibly.

"Then by all means, look up. I seem to have forgotten how you looked like overnight." Sighing, Saria slowly craned her neck upwards, starting from his feet, his pants, the plastic shopping bags in his hands, his shirt, and then finally, his smirking expression. "You opened it, didn't you?" Vik taunted, his triumphant smile growing even wider.

"No, I kept the air conditioner on all night and froze to death." The girl answered sarcastically. "What? You couldn't wait another hour so you could laugh at me in front of everybody else?"

Vik blinked. "What do you mean? I'm not going to laugh at you."

"You sure felt differently while you were writing that note. And you're obviously here for that reason."

"Oh right...the note." Vik mused, forcing back a laugh. "Let's just say that my words were appropriate only for that exact moment in time. The note's aim was to bring up your hopes and then shoot them down. That's how I do things; I thought you would have known that by now."

"Go to hell..." Saria muttered. She moved to close the door but Vik braced his arms against it, keeping it open by just a few inches. "Just what do you want?" Saria said through gritted teeth as she gave the door another shove, sliding it shut another inch.

Vik retaliated, pushing it back to its original position. "I'm here to help."

"I told you already--I don't need anyone's help." The girl responded, "This is probably another one of your tricks."

"It's not, I swear." Vik cried, switching around and pushing against it with his back. "I'm just here to wash that stuff off your fa-" Vik suddenly found himself pushing against nothing as the door was pulled open, causing him to fall onto his back.

"You better be telling the truth." Saria warned, now towering over him. "You can take a seat at the kitchen table. Unless you prefer the floor, of course..."

"No, the table would be fine." Vik responded. As he got up, a layer of cat hair peeled off onto his back, leaving a bare imprint of him on the floor. He followed Saria over to the kitchen, setting the plastic bag at the end of the dining table before taking a seat next to it.

"I guess this means I failed." Saria sighed as she pulled a chair up to face Vik. "I said I'd be able to take care of myself but here I am: one day in and begging for help."

"Actually, you're not doing that bad." The omnivari said, eyeing the apartment and the groceries as he pulled out a handkerchief and a blue plastic bottle. "You seem to have everything usual under control. If you came under normal circumstances, you would have been doing fine. Getting a face full of blue soot doesn't happen to everyone when they move out, you know. On the contrary; this is the kind of thing that shouldn't even be possible if it was not deliberately planned. So are you going to let me wash it off or not?"

Saria watched as he tipped the bottle into the cloth and pressed it against her face. The sudden change in temperature triggered natural reflexes, forcing her to take a deep breath. Almost immediately, an extremely bitter taste filled her mouth. "What is this?" She choked out between coughs.

"Aftershave." Vik replied simply, rubbing the cloth hard against her forehead. "I didn't expect you to have any here, since you're a girl and all." Tears began to well up on Saria's face as Vik started scouring her nose. "Just try and bear with the smell a little longer. I'm just about done..." Saria gave a small cough of compliance before drawing in a lasting breath. Vik quickly scrubbed behind her ears and her neck, tossing the handkerchief back into the bag as soon as he finished. "Okay, that should have taken care of most of the mess. You can just rinse the rest off."

While Saria ran over to the sink, Vik decided to take a look around. It was still a pretty dirty by normal standards but the place definitely had potential. It could even be considered upscale if she bought some decent furniture and got rid of the cracks on the ceiling. As he finished looking over the kitchen, he poked a finger inside Saria's groceries and reviewed the items. "Does the term 'empty calories' mean anything to you?" He asked as Saria pulled her head up from the metal basin, streams of blue now dripping down her face. "Don't tell me you're planning to survive on nothing but ramen."

"To tell you the truth, I'm not especially fond of that stuff to begin with." The girl answered, lifting off a layer of blue paint with a towel. Surprised at how easy it was, she quickly wiped down the rest of her face and threw the towel into the empty sink. "I only had a small amount of money so I had to buy something cheap."

Vik raised an eyebrow. "Did you spend all your money on food?"

"Yes."

"You do know you need a pot to cook this stuff in, right?"

"What's a pot?"

Vik shook his head as he walked over to the counter. "A pot is like a giant metal cup with a lid. We use it to contain our food while it's cooking over flames." He opened up up the dual cabinets and inspected the dismayed, barren shelves. "Just as I thought, you have no cooking utensils. No pots, no pans, you don't even have any bowls or plates."

Saria blinked, completely oblivious to the message being presented. "So what does that mean?"

"It means you better have something else to eat."

"I have cereal." Saria responded, picking out a cardboard box from her inventory. Vik took one look at it and frowned again.

"Saria...those are soap flakes. You use them with your laundry."

"What's laundry?"

Vik could have sworn he felt a vein pop in his forehead. "You're completely hopeless, aren't you? You really have no sense of self-reliance yet you were so keen on moving out. If it were up to me, I'd put you in a place where you'd be fed and taken care of by trained professionals, like a zoo for instance. At least there they'd be able to keep you from killing yourself."

"Killing myself! Making one little mistake hardly counts as suicide."

"That may be true but if you keep making them, you'll eventually dig yourself into a hole. Your mistakes will have consequences and we won't be around to help you."

Sighing with defeat, Saria sank onto a dining chair and rested her elbows on the table. "You're right. I'm not ready for this. Maybe I should just quit...before something really bad happens."

"I never said that." The Omnivari responded, taking a seat next to her on the table. "Just because we're not around to help doesn't mean you don't have our support. We want this for you just as much as you do. You're bound to start off on a bumpy road; so does everyone else. The only difference is your lack of experience puts you at a disadvantage. And because of that..." He reached into his shopping bag and removed two Styrofoam take-out boxes. "I brought you pancakes."

"Wait...what?" Saria pulled back in confusion as the boy laid the box in front of her.

"You know you want them..." Vik chimed as he opened his own box. The sense of independence Saria had felt earlier was shrugged off by the promise of food. At least her manners were able to subdue instincts, the latter of which told her to scarf down all of it as soon as possible. However, she wasn't up to the task of cutting the cakes into bite-sized cubes so she simply stabbed her fork through the middle and took a bite out of the extremely cold and stale flapjack.

"They're kind of dry." She commented after forcing the first bite down, "It could definitely use some syrup."

"Meh, I got used to eating them plain." Vik rejoined, pulling a small plastic cup from the bag and sliding it over to Saria. "My mom wouldn't let me go near this stuff when I was small. I tried it for the first time about a year ago and thought it was too sweet. I guess the lack of sugar products have made my taste buds extra sensitive."

"Now that you mention it...I've never seen you eat candy." Saria recollected, drenching her pancakes with caramel. "Is there some reason behind that?"

"Yeah. I'm a diabetic." By now, there was no longer any need for words to be exchanged between them. Saria just glared at him until the message was received. "Well...to put it simply..." Vik began, acting as if Saria had actually asked a question. "A diabetic is a person who has no control over the sugar levels in his body. A normal person would be able to eat as much sugar as he wants, since their body creates something called 'insulin'. Diabetics, however, have a lack of or no insulin at all. Because of this, they eat only enough sugar products to survive and take regular medication."

"What would happen if you didn't pay attention to what you were eating?"

"If I consume too much sugar, I'll get Hypoglycemia and could die." He stated bluntly, "If I don't get enough sugar, I could pass out and die as well." Saria looked down at her breakfast, taking note of the amount of syrup on it before promptly pushing it away. "Don't worry." Vik said with a laugh. "You don't have to concern yourself about this kind of stuff. It looks like you can handle sugar just as well as everyone else."

Saria gave her flapjacks a half-hearted poke before deciding she had lost her appetite. "It must be hard; going from place to place thinking the next thing you eat could kill you."

"Not really. I was diagnosed with Type 2 when I was about 8 years old. Both of my parents being doctors, they immediately made lifestyle adjustments. I had to lose 12 pounds and begin taking medication. All the sugar products in our house have pretty much been wiped out , save a few cans of soda and some jello packets. Like I said, that was years ago; I don't think much about it anymore." Vik's gaze fell onto Saria's abandoned flapjacks. "If you can't finish them today, stick them in the fridge so they'll live 'til tomorrow."

"Right." The girl uttered as she closed the lid. Scooting her chair back, she pulled open the refrigerator and threw it in. As she moved back to the table, Vik had just finished the last few bites of his share.

"It's not plugged in." The Omnivari noted. Saria quickly ducked behind the refrigerator to hide her blush, jabbing the cord into the outlet as soon as it died down.

"You think you know everything, don't you." Saria scowled as she brushed off a layer of dustbunnies.

"No. It's mostly just common knowledge."

"Whatever...so you have any more 'common knowledge' for me?"

"Yes. One last bit of advice. This is really important so listen closely." He said, leaning forward into direct eye contact. "If you're going to eat Ramen, don't drink milk with it. Trust me, you will throw up."

"Don't worry, I'll keep it in mind." Saria responded flatly, already purging her mind of the newly acquired useless information. "If you have nothing more to say, you're free to go any time you'd like. Right now would be a good time."

"Nah, I think I'll stay here until it's time to go to work." Vik said, leaning back onto the table. "It's just a few minutes more, you can put up with me until then, right?"

"There's no way I can talk you out of this?" Vik shook his head. "I guess it can't be helped then." Saria said, sighing with defeat. "You can stay for five more minutes. Go ahead an make yourself at home."

"Sweet!" Vik shouted as he dove into the chair and plopped his feet onto the table. "Oh and before I forget, here's your real goodbye present." He reached into his pocket and tossed a small, blunt object at Saria, who caught it at an arms length. "Don't worry, it's not going to explode this time."

Saria brought the object closer to her and examined it. It was barely three fingers wide and made of durable plastic. Nine buttons and an analog cross rested below a lit-up LED screen. "What is it...?"

"It's called a cell phone. It works just like a regular one except you can carry this around in your pocket and use it anywhere."

"So you can never stop bothering me..." Saria remarked with an annoyed smile. Their eyes met and laughter welled up. They spent the rest of their time in blissful silence, completely unaware of what was in store. Behind closed doors only a few blocks away, the ringing of another bell altered their destinies.

---

The chain of electric chimes caught Nicholas Acheron off guard. His whole body jerked in surprise, causing his fingers to slam down on the space bar. There were a few more beeps, this time from the computer, before the entire screen went black, flashing the words 'You Lose' in the captain's face. From his ruined Tetris game, he looked across his desk to the sound's origin where a black office phone laid hidden beneath the captain's forgotten paperwork. With a frustrated sigh, he quickly brushed the files onto the floor and pressed the loudspeaker button. "What is it?"

"You have a phone call, sir."

"Patch it through." The Captain replied impatiently as he returned to his game.

"I can't, sir...it's on that phone." With adrenaline levels already running on high, this next bit of information came as less of a shock to him. His mind functioned for a fraction of a second longer, allowing him to hit 'pause' before the fatigue sank in. His hands gripped their individual armrests tightly as Nicholas pushed himself up, shivering slightly. "Sir...sir? Are you still there?"

"Hold my calls, I won't be gone long." The captain responded, lacing his voice with simulated rage to keep it from wavering. "And lock the door. Don't let anyone into my office! Do you understand?"

"Yes! Of course, sir!" Shaking off his paralysis, Nicholas strode across the room to his bookshelf. Almost randomly, he grabbed two or three tomes and flung them to the floor, reaching his arm into the newly formed passageway. His hand brushed against a switch, pushing it completely by reflex. From across the room, a section of the wall opened up, revealing a room laden with steel plates; a safe by definition. It stretched about 4 feet in and contained a single object on a glass end table: a Victorian-style phone with a brass dial. Though there was nothing strange about it at first glance, anyone who worked for the Foundation would have found it amazing that it even worked. To ensure security, all telephone calls were rerouted to a private satellite and sent directly to their respective receivers. Wires were now a thing of the past but no one ever thought to question their captain when he requested for a private line to be set up in his office. Steadying his hand, Nicholas lifted the headset out of its cradle and held it up to his ear.

No greeting was offered so there was a brief silence before the caller finally realized the dial tone had stopped. "So, you finally picked up. I was beginning to think you would never answer." The voice was low and scratchy; Nicholas wasn't sure if that was due to the phone's poor quality or the caller's deteriorating health but he recognized it nonetheless.

"Nero...it's been a long time."

"How dare you address me like that!" His voice rose. A fit of coughing brought it back down. He waited for it to calm before continuing at a more solemn tone. "My name is Neo Zaora and I will be known by that name by everyone!"

"By everyone? No, only by those who still believe you're a god!" The Captain growled. "The day I left the church was the day I was allowed to stop calling you that."

"Ah, but you haven't left." Neo Zaora chuckled. "The fact that you've answered the phone proves that you haven't forgotten our little agreement." The captain's gaze fell onto the floor.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't call it that." He mumbled. "I like to think of it to be more like a contest and I've kept this line open because of that only."

"So the thrill of competition has kept your faith alive all these years?" He commented, audibly cracking a smile. "Your ego has always been your most reliable aspect."

"My faith is dead; as you are to me!" The captain shouted. Across the line, Zaora roared with laughter. "I'm doing this for one reason: to keep your slimy, wrinkled hands off the armor of gods!"

"And what, might I ask, do you plan on doing with it? Destroy it? I know for a fact that you're not going to. I know you too well."

For some reason, Nicholas found himself forcing down a smile. He knew it was futile, seeing that Zaora was over a hundred miles away, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was right next to him. Telephones had that kind of effect on people. "So I trust, since you're giving me this call, that you've found the crystal?"

"I have indeed!" The image of the priest's triumphant smirk floated across Nick's mind. "But a key is useless without a door. Tell me, are you keeping those scrolls safe?"

Nicholas flushed with both anger and shame. "I'm...decoding them." Zaora burst out laughing.

"You're way too predictable!" The priest breathed after weariness forced him to stop. "You haven't changed one bit since I last saw you. I can tell this is going to be fun." Nicholas's hands instinctively curled into a fist but with no one around to punch, he slammed it into the table. The surface shattered underneath it, sending the cradle tumbling onto the ground. "The race starts now." The voice continued. "Do try not to embarrass yourself."

"Good luck to you too...Neo Zaora." With that, the Captain hung up the phone, wiped the blood onto his sleeve and left the room. Afterall, he had a Tetris game waiting. And he wasn't about to lose.

A/N: Sorry for the perverted center part but it's all for the sake of entertainment. T rating's still maintained so don't get angry. Anyways, I have an announcement to make: we're finally getting into the main story! I'm sorry for spending 20 chapters to set everything up but you've gotta admit, it's a whole lot more believable than those stories that spend only 5 paragraphs. But since my story takes place in a different time with different characters, I had a boatload of information to distribute. At least you won't be confused when things really pick up. If you do, I intended to make it that way...