Chapter Five

I do not know how long I have been here. I do not know how much longer I will stay, or if I will ever leave. That seems to be a more likely possibility, somehow. All I know is that I am here, alone.

No, not entirely alone. He is here, sometimes with me, sometimes with his people. But he is here, making my life miserable.

I am a part of him, now, and I cannot break free. But he also is a part of me. Sometimes I can control him. Sometimes I can control myself.

But most of the time, he is in control of Us.

I know that I cannot survive without him. But if I am ripped from him, if I somehow escape, will it even hurt him as it would me? This question plagues me as I float in this never-ending captivity.

Never-ending. Forever.

I was a fool to call out to Jake. I should never have done so. It has cost my friends their lives.

No, not their lives, in a physical sense. They are not dead. But they might as well be.

The One has assimilated them into itself. His self. And, like me, they cannot escape.

I cannot communicate with them. I only know that they are here, with me, just like him. It was foolish for Jake to come. He should not have come.

Yet, somehow, deep within me, I am pleased. He cared enough to come. He still cares. Long ago (not long?) I wouldn't have expected that. I didn't think he was still capable of caring.

But now, the depth of his compassion has landed him here, with me. I cannot speak to him, cannot tell him how glad I am to see him or how angry at him I am for his coming here.

I can only think it, and hope that somehow, he understands.

And Cassie.

She is beautiful, even by Andalite standards. It is impossible to deny that. But even if she were horribly hideous, something within her draws me, like steel to a magnet. I have tried to keep the boundaries between her and I clear, but it is difficult, even now. I can hear her long silent voice calling to me across space. She needs me.

I need her.

I do not understand this. What is it that binds my mind to hers, even so far away? My unasked questions need to be answered, yet there are not.

The line between friendship and something more is not very clear, and I had to leave her for a time, afraid. Of it, of her, of being afraid. I was frightened, and that is unworthy of an Andalite warrior.

Or even of a child who has seen what I have seen.

The line continues to be blurred, but I am unsure whether she sees it as I do. Perhaps her vision is better than mine.

In any case, I need her.

I need her.

Cassie.

I do not know how long I have been here. I do not know how much longer I will stay, or if I will ever leave. That seems to be a more likely possibility, somehow. All I know is that I am here, alone. And that, even if I escape, I will be here forever.

I did not count on the one I… love?

Firing Dracon beams drown out all else.

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This chapter is shooooooooooooooooooorrrt!! :) I hope you can guess who's narrating this piece, and if you can't, it sucks to be you. LOL, just kidding, just kidding...

Reviews!! Yes, I am speaking again of those lovely little notes you paste onto my stories to either cause me great joy or annoy to heck out of me. You gotta love those things.

Oh, yeah. I love constructive critisism.

And, yeah, I'm babbling on, trying to make this short chapter look longer. An age-old trick used by thousand of fanficcers around the world.

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah... I paused, considered for a moment, and then added, MONKEYS!!!