Hey, remember when I said the next chapter shouldn't take too long... over a month ago? -_- Yeah, sorry about that. Real life has been keeping me busy, mostly because I recently turned 22. Yayz. xD Anyway, this chapter continues the conversation between Gala and Songi. Both are somewhat whiny in it, but I hope I managed to make them enough like they are in the game to keep it convincing. ^^

As always, thanks for the reviews, Hikari No Aijou, Barako and Merel. :)

Chapter 5

There was a rapid intake of breath from Songi, followed by a noticeable tenseness of his body beside Gala's. The brunet felt his cheeks flush slightly and tried to keep all emotion out of his voice when he next spoke.

"I mean, I'm never going to forgive you for this, any of it, but you were... you were my best friend." Like a brother to me. "I don't want to cut you out of my life. And Maya and Master Zopu... I'm sure they don't want to, either."

Songi took several deep, unsteady breaths before answering, speaking into his hands.

"I can never see them again. I feel sick enough already."

Gala didn't answer this. He thought - hoped - that Songi would change his mind at some point and want to see Maya and Master Zopu. Not just for his own benefit, but for theirs as well. The two were practically like parents to them, and Maya at least wanted to see Songi again.

"You defeated Juggernaut?" Songi asked after about half a minute of silence, head still in his hands.

Gala felt a slight twinge of irritation go through him, though nothing compared to how he'd felt when Songi had taken so long to ask about everyone in the monastery. Honestly, had the guy always been this slow at getting the details to vital things, or was it an after-effect of the Sim Ra-Seru he'd been wearing for so long?

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" Gala said in mild annoyance. "And the world hasn't been destroyed. What does that tell you?"

He'd been hoping Songi would give some kind of smile or even a weak laugh to this, but instead he let out a long, wavering sigh. He took his hands from his face, lifted his head and stared straight out in front of him, his eyes oddly blank.

"How... How many people died when I... when I let those... those things into the monastery?"

Gala had to bite his lip to stop himself from snapping: "'Died?' You mean how many people you killed?"

But he knew Songi was blank, both in tone and in expression, as some kind of defense mechanism: Denial. Disbelief. Unable to face the fact that he'd attacked and killed his own people. So he did his best to keep the sharpness out of his voice.

"Seven."

He felt the way Songi shuddered, even as his face and eyes remained empty. It seemed to come from deep inside him, from his very core, making his whole body vibrate for several seconds afterwards. Gala didn't know what he could say. What could you say to someone in this situation? Words wouldn't be a comfort now. Nothing would.

"What about the people of Rim Elm?" Songi asked, still in that same, blank voice. This time, Gala was relieved to be able to give him a less grim answer.

"No one died there. We were able to destroy Juggernaut in time and save everyone." The specifics of how that had happened, how their Ra-Seru had given their lives for that to happen, weren't important to relay right then.

Songi closed his eyes, and an unmistakable look of relief showed on his tear-stained, clammy face before melting away and being replaced by emptiness again.

Gala hesitated, unsure if he should add what he wanted to say next in case it sent his companion into another rant. After a moment though, he decided to risk it.

"Maya was really worried about you. I think she'd like to see you again, when things have calmed down a bit."

Songi shook his head, opening his eyes.

"I can't."

"She never blamed you," Gala said. He was unsure if he was speaking for Maya's sake or Songi's. "She said it was because of the Ra-Seru, that you were always such a gentle and obedient kid." He did not add that he himself didn't fully agree with this.

Songi's hands dropped limply to his sides, and he looked down again. He didn't reply, and Gala didn't know what else he could say on the subject, at least right then. It was going to be a long road to restore the friendship they'd had, if it could be restored at all, and it made Gala exhausted just thinking about it.

Besides which, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to be friends with Songi again. He didn't want him to die, and he didn't want to be away from him, at least until he was sure he wouldn't try anything again, and as he'd said, he didn't want to cut him out of his life. But did he want to be his friend again? Could he be his friend again after all this?

"We... We should go back to Zalan's house," Gala said after a brief pause. He was growing increasingly aware of how warm Songi's body was against his side, and it made him feel very uneasy. He wasn't in the mood for sensations like warmth right then, not when he was feeling so cold and confused inside.

When Songi didn't respond, Gala added, more firmly: "Songi, we'll catch a cold if we stay in this place when it gets dark. Besides, you need to rest. You've lost a lot of blood."

Songi looked up slowly and gave a weak, defeated sort of nod.

"Okay."

Without preamble, he crawled forward and out through the arch's opening before awkwardly standing. Gala followed immediately, afraid even now that Songi might try to make a run for it.

But the second he was out in the open, Gala was struck by how much colder the day had become. Songi too, looked like he was noticing it, especially since he wasn't wearing anything besides the bandages above his waist. Goosebumps were rising on his bare shoulders, and he was trembling noticeably.

Gala managed to get to him just before Songi's knees gave out and he stumbled violently. Gala grabbed him roughly around the shoulder again and managed to steady him, but even so Songi didn't look like he could remain standing for much longer. He must've been even weaker than he'd first thought; even through the goose-flesh, Gala could still feel hot sweat running down the older man's arm.

With much difficulty, Gala managed to get Songi back to Zalan's house. Unfortunately, the increasingly cold weather seemed to have driven everyone from the nearby streets, so there was no one around to help Gala take Songi's increasingly dead weight.

By the time they got back to Zalan's, Gala was about ready to collapse himself. He was strong, sure, but he hadn't been built to support so much of Songi's 183 pounds - probably even more since they'd both left the monastery; Gala had been certain that the two of them had grown at least an inch taller each since they'd last been measured.

Zalan opened the door barely two seconds after Gala's powerful fist began pounding on it. His eyes were full of questions, but he didn't voice any as he, like before, moved in to assist Gala with Songi. Together, the two were able to get him back into the small guest room he'd been staying in.

Gala tried to be relatively gentle as they helped Songi lower himself onto the ankle-high bed, since he knew sudden movements were very bad for deep and still-healing wounds, but his energy had all but left him now, and poor Zalan was left to do most of the work. By the time Songi was lying safely in the bed again, a thick sheet covering the majority of his body, all three men were breathing hard.

"I-I'm sorry," Gala said as soon as he had enough breath to speak. Really, it should've been Songi who was apologizing, but that probably wasn't going to be happening any time soon.

"N-Not at all," Zalan wheezed back, clutching his side and trying to smile. "I-I've been s-so... so out of shape lately."

Too bad Songi couldn't be the same way, Gala thought grimly. If the two of them hadn't spent more than half their lives under the strict, muscle-building training techniques of Biron and basically lived on porridge, rare meat, and boiled vegetables - with the occasional honey cake or fruit here and there - Songi probably would've been a lot lighter.

"Thank you," Gala said after a short pause. "Thank you for everything, Zalan. I promise I won't burden you with this" - with him - "for much longer."

Zalan shook his head adamantly.

"Master Gala, you saved this whole town from the Mist. You reunited me with my son. You freed all of the Sebucus Islands from the Mist. You could never, never be a burden to me."

Gala flushed and shuffled his feet a little in embarrassment. Sure, what the jeweller had said was more or less true, but Gala had never been too comfortable with having praise heaped on him - the exact opposite of Songi, in fact.

Zalan looked slightly embarrassed too, probably from expressing his feelings so openly. He straightened up and offered the brunet a wide smile, which Gala attempted to somewhat return.

"Well, I'll leave you in peace," he said humbly. He glanced briefly at Songi, who had his eyes closed, his breathing only just starting to ease up.

"If you don't mind me asking, Master Gala, what is your friend's name?"

Ah, so he does assume we're friends, after all, Gala thought bitterly, but he tried not to let himself show any outward annoyance.

"Songi."

Zalan evidently didn't pick up on any of the malice in Gala's voice and merely nodded.

"Well, if Master Songi needs anything, just come and tell me, and I'll do everything I can."

Gala flinched and, before he could stop himself, snapped:

"Don't call him that."

He had been uncomfortable enough with Zalan addressing him with such an extravagant prefix, even though he was used to it from being the Master Teacher at the Biron Monastery for over two years, but Songi? No. No one was going to call Songi such a thing, especially not Zalan.

Gala took a quiet, calming breath that he hoped wouldn't be noticed and forced himself to speak more politely.

"Don't call him 'Master.' Please. Just... Just 'Songi.' And you don't have to keep addressing me that way, either."

Zalan, looking somewhere between uncomfortable and apologetic, shrugged in what was probably hoped was a nonchalant way.

"O-Of course, Master Ga- G-Gala. Then, if you'll excuse me..."

The jeweller hurried out of the room, closing the door behind him and no doubt wondering what on earth had gotten into his honored guest all of a sudden.

Gala stared at the tattered-looking oak of the door, praying silently to Biron that Songi would fall asleep again without speaking a word to him.

His prayers weren't answered.

"All my life, I've been waiting for someone to call me 'Master.' Of course, you just had to ruin it for me, didn't you?"

The words were intended as a joke and were. Gala knew that. Maybe he should've been happy that Songi was showing at least some sign of his old self, but he wasn't. The anger had returned again, and though Gala hated the way it consumed him and made him want to pummel everything that lived or moved within a hundred-mile radius, he didn't try to suppress it.

"You don't deserve to have your name mentioned by that great man, let alone have have it modified with something that suggests you're his superior," Gala said coldly, still not looking at Songi. He couldn't see the red-head's reaction to these words, of course, but he hoped it was something like hurt and misery - craved it to be that.

And to think, only a few minutes ago, he'd been comforting him, speaking gently to him and assuring him that he didn't hate him. But somehow, that seemed like an eternity ago now. All Gala could think of right then was the panic that had filled him upon finding Songi gone when he'd awoken, and that memory was enraging him, even without taking everything else Songi had done lately into account.

"Oh, and if you ever run off like that again," Gala added as an afterthought, glaring at the closed door as though he wanted to tear it apart, "I will do things to you that will make what happened to you in the Seru-kai look like a picnic, Songi."

If he hadn't been so angry, Gala might've actually been scared to realize that he completely meant what he'd just said. Instead, he turned slowly around to face his companion, looking at him in the exact same way he'd just been looking at the door.

Songi had his eyes open now, staring at him, but his expression was closer to annoyed than terrified, devastated, pained or any of the other things Gala would've liked to see on his face then.

"From now on, you're not leaving my sight," Gala said. "Not until I can trust you not to act like a complete psychopath once you're left alone."

"I wouldn't," Songi said, sounding almost indignant. Gala had a sudden urge to laugh in disgust, but he managed to resist it.

"Forgive me for not believing that," he said, before returning to his threats - no, promises. "And don't think you can hide from me, either. If you run, I'll find you, I assure you."

Songi's blue eyes hardened, and he actually looked angry.

"I won't run. Calm down."

A short, awkward pause.

"Can I go back to sleep now, 'Master' Gala? I'm tired."

Gala's fists clenched, and he found himself having to seriously struggle not to get up and beat the arrogant bastard to within an inch of his life. Outside of just managing to stop himself from snapping that he wouldn't be so tired if he hadn't run off, Gala was dimly aware that this was the first time Songi had used his name for quite some time.

Regardless, Gala didn't even bother to answer him. Instead, he lay down stiffly on the floor, his back against the bed so that he was facing away from Songi, and kept silent. He wasn't overly uncomfortable, as he'd definitely slept in a lot worse places throughout his journey with Vahn, Noa and their Ra-Seru.

Their Ra-Seru...

Gala's heart clenched painfully at the thought of Ozma - Ozma, who was now gone forever, just like all Seru and Ra-Seru. Before leaving the monastery for the first time, Gala would've been ecstatic to see the end of the age of Seru, but now he wasn't so sure. It'd take a lot of getting used to. The Soren and people of Sol would suffer the most, having relied on Seru literally for hundreds of years, even after the Mist had invaded the land.

Ozma had been his friend, despite everything. Though he hadn't become as dear to him as Vahn and Noa, Gala had still cared for him, just as he knew the Ra-Seru had cared for him.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of heavy, regular breathing from just above him, and Gala realized instantly that Songi was asleep. He'd shared a room with the guy for almost a decade at the monastery, so he was easily able to recognize his sleeping sounds.

One good thing Gala could say for Songi, even then, was that he rarely snored. He was surprisingly quiet when he slept, a sharp contrast to how he was when he was awake. Gala, apparently, snored a lot when he slept, as countless waking nudges in the ribs and annoyed hisses of, "Shut up," from Songi in their youths had told him.

As he began to drift off to sleep himself, Gala thought about Songi. That was all he seemed to be doing lately. It'd been the whole reason he'd started travelling with Vahn and Noa in the first place, after all.

He thought about how Songi, cruel as he was, had occasionally helped them in their quest, from telling them of Zeto's whereabouts and to be careful of him, to keeping his word and deactivating the barrier he'd set up around a Genesis Tree upon being defeated at Mr. Letona.

Gala wondered dimly if Songi had only helped them in order to have them finish off Cort and ultimately gain control of the Seru-kai, but he soon found himself not knowing what to believe. Songi's desire to conquer the sacred world had seemed awfully sudden and over-the-top, even for him. Jedo, the Ra-Seru Cort had modified, had probably had a lot to do with Songi's actions, as he'd desperately told Gala back under that arch.

"In Songi you will find a nightmare awaiting. Remember - Songi is your shadow, your alter ego."

The part of the prophecy that the Hari of the Future had told them in Underground Octam burned clearly in Gala's mind. He wasn't quite sure about the last part, and he knew without a trace of doubt that Songi would've been livid if he'd ever found out he'd been referred to as Gala's shadow.

But Gala had to admit, as he slowly nodded off, that the first part of Hari's prediction had been spot-on. Songi was indeed a nightmare awakening, and Gala had a nagging feeling that his troubles with him weren't over just yet.

Whew! That WAS fun to write. I cannot get enough of these two right now. XD I hope the chapter was okay. ^^ The next chapter shouldn't take a month, but I don't want to make any promises in case I end up breaking them like last time. :(

As a matter of interest, the info on Songi's weight (83 in kilos, for those who prefer the metric system) was taken from the V-jump guide. :3 Also, I've heard that the Japanese Wikipedia mentions the people of Biron being vegetarians, but I have no idea if that's in the V-jump guide or not. My Japanese is quite crappy, and I haven't checked yet. Since Songi's favorite food is mentioned to be rare steak, I'm not sure what to believe. Also-also, I don't think Zalan prefixes the Ra-Seru heroes' names with 'Master' in the game, at least not in the English version, but it was a liberty I felt like taking for some reason. :D