(-Sobbing quietly into a Gamecube controller-) That's it! (-sniffle-) If another Baten Kaitos game ever, by some miracle, sees the light of day, I'm not going to play it unless there's a TISSUE BOX WITHIN ARMS REACH!

Man, I have no life.

Anyway, sorry about the delay in posting this chapter. I had a major case of writer's block. But the chapter is up now, and for the most part the writer's block is gone. Hopefully this chapter will be a little more interesting than the last one. (And hopefully I've gotten all of the grammer errors/typos this time.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Baten Kaitos. But Baten Kaitos owns me.

Chapter III: Encounters And Travels

It was dawn, and the soft morning sun had just risen over the thin horizon. Xelha woke up to find that she was the only one still in bed. She rolled onto her side to look in the direction of the balcony and sure enough Kalas was standing over there staring out at the Ocean. This had happened many times over the past two weeks, and Xelha was beginning to worry about Kalas. He hadn't been getting a lot of sleep recently, and Xelha suspected that, whatever it was that was troubling him, was getting worse.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked. Kalas looked over at her for a minute before looking back out at the city.

"No," he admitted finally without looking at Xelha.

"More nightmares?"

"…Yeah,"

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"No."

Xelha got out of bed and walked up to him. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder, hoping the contact might make him feel better. "I just want to help you," she said sadly, "I don't like seeing you suffer this much."

"It's not that bad," said Kalas reassuringly, turning to face Xelha, a gentle smile on his face, "It's just a little insomnia. It'll go away soon. Don't worry about it, okay?"

Xelha looked down at her feet, then back up at Kalas, realizing that she wasn't going to win the battle today. "Okay, I won't worry about it," she lied, "Just get better soon."

"It's not like I'm sick!" said Kalas jokingly, "I'll be just fine! You'll see! It'll be as if none of this ever happened."

Kalas, being an exceptionally good liar, actually sounded like he didn't think this was a big deal. He was having constant nightmares, and then there was the appearance of his little brother the previous night. Had it been a ghost? No, Fee looked solid enough, besides, if Fee's Magnus was inside Kalas how could Fee exist outside Kalas? He couldn't think of a good explanation that stood under all the arguments he could throw against it. Maybe he was just seeing things and didn't want to admit it to himself. As if the nightmares weren't bad enough.

Truth was he was really beginning to worry about the nightmares. They felt too real to Kalas. They had the quality of vivid memories rather than dreams. Kalas decided that he felt that way just because it was a dream, damn it, and he should just leave it alone. Admittedly this method would only work if the dreams left him alone.

"Hey, time to wake up sleepy!" called Allyr, poking the sleeping form of her brother in the side. He grunted and rolled onto his back, covering his head with the bedsheets. Takei had been so tired the previous night he had just fallen asleep still fully clothed. But Allyr wasn't going to let something like her brother's sleeping habits stop her.

"Five more minutes Mom…" Takei moaned.

Allyr frowned, "I'm not Mom, and the animal lady's clucker has already crowed. That means it's time to GET UP!"

"Meh…?" Takei opened his eyes to see his big sister leaning forward to stare down at him.

"Wake up already!" said Allyr, a little annoyed, "We're leaving for Alfard in ten minutes!"

"Oh…" Takei sat up, "I'd been hoping it had all been a dream…"

Allyr sighed, "Everything will turn out okay," she said reassuringly, "So chin up, please?"

Takei nodded, but didn't look up at his sister, "Okay," he mumbled.

"Vivi's already awake," said Allyr calmly, "Come on, I've still got to introduce you to the rest of the crew. And don't give me that look, you'll like them, and I'm sure they'll like you. So don't worry!"

"All right," Takei got out of bed and stood up, "So, how are we going to get to this Alfard place?" he asked.

"You won't believe this, but we're going by dragon."

"Huh?"

Allyr winked, "C'mon," she said cheerfully, "We've got the rest of the day ahead of us! And seeing as you're already dressed and there's no point in packing anything you have on you, let's go!"

Feeling slightly dazed, Takei obediently followed Allyr out of the room, and onto the Great Staircase, which lead up and down the whole palace like a backbone. Already standing on the Staircase and deep in conversation were Kalas and Vivian, with Tala standing at their feet looking a little bored. Then the little girl noticed Takei and Vivian. Her response was to run over to Takei, hug him tightly and chirp, "Hello uncle Takei!"

This caught the attention of the two adults, "You're finally up!" said Vivian, exasperatedly, "I thought a hurricane wouldn't be able to wake you!"

"Well, I'm awake," said Takei, "And um… Tala, can you let go of me?" he added, looking down at the little girl, who was still hugging him tightly, "And while I'm here, who are you?" Takei asked, pointing at Kalas.

"I'm Kalas, remember me? Allyr's Guardian?" he said, "And Tala," he added in a gentle tone of voice, "You do have to let go of him now."

"Okay Daddy," said Tala, letting Takei go.

"Wait, you're Kalas?" said Takei, a confused look on his face, "I always imagined you as kind of… short."

Kalas raised an eyebrow, "Short?"

"I… I didn't mean like you were a midget! Just somehow I didn't picture you as being as tall as you are."

"You do realize I'm average, right?"

"Do you guys have to argue about height?" asked Vivian, "I thought we had to head off to this Alfard place soon."

"She's got a point. You two can argue later." Said Allyr, poking Takei in the back.

"Um… Allyr?"

Allyr turned at the voice and saw Rowan standing just a few feet away, a look on his face suggesting that he was no longer sure he should be there. "You guys go," said Allyr to the others, "I'll be right with you."

Recognizing this as a dismissal, Takei and the others left Rowan and Allyr alone on the staircase. She turned to Rowan, "Everything all right?"

"Um… yeah," he muttered, sounding a little embarrassed. He had wanted to say something to her and now that he was hear his courage deserted him like a frightened dog.

Then Allyr thought of something. "Hey, Rowan, you know Kalas, Xelha, and I are going to Alfard, right?" asked Allyr. Rowan nodded. "Well, my little brother and an old friend just recently popped up. And um…" Allyr paused, trying to think of a good way to word their problem, "They're not native, in any way, shape or form, so I'll need some help. Just, keeping an eye on them and stuff. So, can you come with us?"

"Sure!" said Rowan without hesitation.

"Thanks, you're a big help," said Allyr, though she had not thought that he would say no. Truth was, Rowan was like a big puppy: he wasn't the smartest person in the whole world, but somehow disliking him would be cruel. He really tried to do his best in the Knights, but Allyr could tell that the life just wasn't for him. Hell, she had adapted better and that wasn't saying much. As she looked at him now, with the armor and uniform that was at least two sizes too big for him, he looked rather small. Maybe that was why she liked the poor guy so much.

Neither said anything for a little while. "Um… maybe we should head out now," mumbled Rowan, feeling a little self-conscious and embarrassed. Had he accepted Allyr's request too fast?

"You're right, we shouldn't hold everyone else up," said Allyr, apparently oblivious to Rowan's embarrassment, "Let's go."

As it turns out, the White Dragon had to be saddled before the group could leave for Alfard. Xelha was already at work, tugging and adjusting the various straps on the saddle. All the others could do for the moment was hurry up and wait.

"You sure you don't need any help?" asked Kalas.

"I'm sure," said Xelha, tugging on a miscellaneous strap, "I'm the only one who knows how to saddle her. It'll just take a minute."

Kalas shrugged, admitting defeat. He wandered a little farther down the pier, feeling rather bored. He disliked just standing around while other people did things, but Xelha had insisted that he wait while she got the White Dragon ready. Kalas couldn't stand waiting.

"Psssst!"

Kalas didn't turn around.

"Psssst! Hey, Raven! Can you hear me?"

Kalas turned around to find the source of the calling voice: an old man waving to him from the entrance to an ally. Kalas looked back at Xelha and the others at the White Dragon. They didn't need him right now, and getting the Dragon saddled up would take a minute. His curiosity getting the better of him, Kalas walked up to the old man, who suddenly looked a little nervous.

"You're the Dust Eater, right?" asked Kalas, "I remember you."

The Dust Eater gave a wheezy laugh, "I didn't think you would!" he admitted, though he sounded relieved, "You certainly look better than when I last saw you!"

Kalas snorted, "I was a disembodied spirit floating around in Nekton. It couldn't get any worse than that."

"But I did tell your wife where you were Raven!" said the Dust Eater cheerily, "It wasn't all bad."

"Don't call me Raven," growled Kalas. That was how he remembered the Dust Eater. He would never call Kalas anything other than 'Raven'. It became really annoying really fast.

"I'm digressing here," said the Dust Eater, suddenly becoming as serious as death, "There's something I need to tell you!"

There followed a minute of absolute silence. "Well…?" prompted Kalas impatiently when the message didn't come.

"I'm… trying to find the best way to put it…" muttered the Dust Eater, fidgeting nervously with his walking stick.

Kalas rolled his eyes, "Xelha and the others are going to start wondering where I am if I don't go back eventually," he hissed, "So can you hurry it up, Dusty?"

"Don't go to Alfard!" blurted the Dust Eater, "Because if you do, bad things will happen!"

"…Like…?" prompted Kalas.

The Dust Eater frowned, "What do you mean, 'like'?" he asked, sounding just a little irritated.

"What 'bad things' are supposed to happen if I go to Alfard?" asked Kalas, his skepticism clear, "You don't really think I'll just stay here just because you say that 'bad things' are going to happen?"

The Dust Eater scowled, but there was a fearful desperation in his eyes that betrayed his worry, "Listen, Dog Bird, I can't explain everything to you now-"

Kalas wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but neither was he the dullest. For example, he was capable of recognizing situations such as this. "What did you just call me?" interrupted Kalas.

The Dust Eater stopped ranting immediately. "What?"

"I said what did you just call me?"

"What did I just call you?"

"YES! That's my question, damn it!"

"Um… what did I just call you?"

"You called me 'Dog Bird'!" snapped Kalas, his temper getting the better of him, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

The Dust Eater blinked at Kalas, taken aback by this demand. He considered snapping 'if you knew what I had said then why ask?' at the young man, but then realized exactly what it was he let slip. Then the Dust Eater's face gained a thoughtful expression and he leaned heavily on his walking stick, as if all the weight of his years suddenly began to press down on him, "Did I now…?" he said, more to the cold air than to Kalas. The Dust Eater scratched his hairy chin absentmindedly, "Oh dear…" he muttered, "I seem to be getting my whens mixed up now…"

"…What?" said Kalas, confused by this statement, "What the hell does that mean, 'getting your whens mixed up'?"

"Goodbye!"

Kalas blinked, the Dust Eater's sudden departure taking him by surprise. He looked around, only to see that the old man was nowhere in sight. He moves fast for an old guy, thought Kalas, feeling slightly bewildered.

"Hey Kalas! You coming?" yelled Allyr from the White Dragon's back, "We're ready to leave! You're holding us up!"

"Yeah, I'm coming! Keep your shirt on." He replied, walking back over to the Dragon.

From his hiding place behind an ice barrel, the Dust Eater watched Kalas get onto the Dragon's back. The Dragon beat her wings, and then with a great leap she became airborne and turned to fly in the direction of Alfard. The Dust Eater sighed and came out from behind the barrel. He walked up to the ice pier and watched the Dragon fly farther and farther away. He leaned on his walking stick and shook his head as if in disappointment.

"There used to be a time when kids listened to their elders," he muttered, keeping his blue eyes trained on the Dragon, "Still, can't let the poor fools get into too much trouble, now can I?"

And with that, he leaped nimbly into the freezing Ocean waters below the pier.

The flight to Alfard was short and mostly uneventful. Xelha sat nearest to the Dragons head, so she could give clear instructions to the Dragon as to where their destination was. Kalas sat behind her, with little Tala behind him, her small arms wrapped around his waist. Tala had only left Wazn a few times before in her short life, so she gazed at the world far below the Dragon with wide amazed eyes, taking in everything. Takei and Vivian were doing similar, as they sat between Allyr and Rowan, who were trying to explain this world's geography. Luckily, Takei and Vivian absorbed the facts easily, as labeling certain areas as 'Sadal Suud', or 'Anuenue' and so forth was easier to understand than a land made of ice.

"Do you see the gold glow over there?" asked Allyr, pointing in the direction of Alfard, "That's Mintaka, the capital of Alfard. That's where we're going to land."

Takei leaned to his left to get a better view of the distant city, "It doesn't look that bad," he thought aloud.

"Then I think you'll like it," said Allyr, hoping that Takei was beginning to cope with this world.

Takei opened his mouth to say something when the White Dragon suddenly banked to the left, catching him unawares. As soon as the Dragon's course straightened again, he whimpered.

"It's not all that bad Takei," said Vivian, reaching over to pat him on the back, "Once you get your feet back on the ground, you'll be just fine!"

"She's right you know!" said Rowan, raising his voice a little so Takei could hear him, "I'm sure that as soon as you get into Mintaka you'll cheer right up!"

Fenris looked down at the land far below and did not comment. He had been away so long, and he had been a Spirit so long he had a hard time occasionally remembering what life was like before then. So the Sky, the Earth, and the Ocean have finally rejoined after so many years, he thought, I wonder if they still remember me, or if I've just become far too distant a memory for anyone to remember… Fenris looked down at Vivian, then back down at the land far below, Maybe it would be best if I have been forgotten. Yes, it would be best if no one here remembered my name or my sins.

"Hey, Takei," said Allyr, turning around to face her brother, "You might want to hang on to something tight for this next part."

"Why?" asked Takei, though he obeyed Allyr, firmly gripping the leather saddle underneath him.

"Because we're about to land, which means the White Dragon is going to go into a shallow dive," explained Allyr, "Leaning forward a little helps too."

Takei's grasp went from just 'firm' to 'death grip' as the White Dragon slowly went into the aforementioned shallow dive. The descent was gradual, but in no time at all the Dragon was gently coming to a stop a few feet over the port. As soon as the Dragon found a part of the old airship port that wasn't flooded with Ocean water, and was large enough to accomodate her bulk, she landed. As soon as the Dragon's talons touched the ground, Takei's death grip on the saddle relaxed a little. "Never… ever… again," he groaned, his hands shaking.

"What are you whining about?" asked Kalas, easily sliding off the Dragon's back and turning around to help Tala off, "That wasn't even fast."

"I never liked flying, not even back home," Takei moaned.

"Oh, stop complaining," said Allyr, sliding off the Dragon's back with practiced ease, "Give me your hand and I'll help you off."

"Who's that?" asked Vivian, pointing to someone walking up to the small band. He was wearing a black and white military uniform, but with additional adornments, including a gold circlet in his long crimson hair, to signify his great rank. He seemed to be happy about the group's arrival.

"That's Lyude, Emperor of Alfard," explained Allyr to Takei and Vivian as she and Rowan helped them to get off of the Dragon's back, "And don't look so nervous! He's a nice guy."

"He looks so young," commented Vivian, "Is he really the Emperor?"

"Yes," said Allyr, "C'mon, let's go."

She, Vivian, Takei, and Rowan caught up with Kalas, Xelha, and Lyude who were already greeting each other.

"It's good to see you again Lyude," said Xelha, smiling at the young emperor.

Lyude returned the smile, "Thank you, it is good to see you all again too," he said politely, "And it is good to see you all in good health."

"Hi uncle Lyude!" said Tala, with her usual enthusiasm.

"It's good to see you too," he said, ruffling her blue hair playfully, "You've gotten taller since I last saw you!" Tala giggled, looking pleased with the comment.

"So who's the lucky lady?" asked Kalas, grinning.

"She's an noble from a wealthy Imperial family," said Lyude, "Do you want to meet her?"

"Is someone talking about me?"

Lyude turned to see a black-haired woman in her mid-twenties walking up to him. Her long black dress reached down to her feet, and hugged her body. She smiled warmly at Lyude, exposing perfect white teeth, "Are these the friends you have told me so much about, darling?" she asked, speaking with an unusual accent that none present could identify.

Lyude relaxed visibly, as if this woman's arrival took all his stress away. "Yes, these are my friends." He said, smiling at the newcomer, "Kalas, Xelha, and Allyr, meet Lupa." He said, as he put his hand on the newcomer's shoulder, "Lupa, meet Kalas, Xelha and Allyr."

"Hi," said Kalas, not entirely sure if he liked Lupa yet.

"It's good to meet you," said Xelha graciously.

Lupa nodded at the two in acknowledgement. Allyr didn't say anything to Lupa, because she was busy trying to calm her brother down. "Takei, what's the matter?" she asked, her voice firm, but she kept it down so the others could not hear her. Takei was shaking slightly, his eyes fixed on Lupa with a sort of fascinated horror.

"It's the dark lady!" he said, "She's the one that dragged Vivian and me out of our world!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Allyr.

"Is something wrong?" asked Lyude, looking over at Allyr and her brother with concern on his face.

Takei opened his mouth to say 'yes' when Allyr not-so-subtly stepped on his foot, "Nothing's wrong Lyude, but thanks for asking," said Allyr, with a forced grin on her face.

It feels good to be evil.

I promise that the next chapter will be more interesting, since now I have all my pawns - I mean characters - where I want them to be. Which means I'll update sooner. (But since it's been months, anytime is pretty much sooner.)

Please review.