Falling Away

~x~

Author's Note: To Greed03114; PATIENCE. That'll come in due time, my friend!
To everyone else: Enjoy the chapter~
Oh, and I've decided that this story won't be as long as originally planned (which was about 17 chapters). Though I've definitely kept quite a lot of interest in this story, I'm going to have to cut it short…as in maybe…anywhere between 10 to 12 chapters. Don't worry, a fight with Let and Jegan, a Musica and Reina love story, and Elie learning of Etherion will be coming.
Actually, I think I might throw Jegan into this chapter…or Reina.
One of the two.
Or maybe both.
Who knows~
For the record, this chapter is a bit on the dark side. I toyed around with the ending part (aka, Elie's little bit) and I finally decided that…it's very possible that Lucia would have done something like this had he managed to get to go to the real world. =/ Sorry guys – I won't make it to graphic. (Yeah, because that'll help so much.)

Disclaimer: I own no character. Not even Plue, who is finally appearing in this chapter.

~x~

Chapter Seven: The End of the Beginning

Angrily, Haru charged forward, refusing to let this old man beat him – again. The sword that Musica's Grandfather had forged for them was cracked and very nearly broke, but Shiba had refused to ask for more until the ones they had were broke. Skillfully, the old man charged back, swinging the sword at his pupil. Haru let out a cry of anger and parried the attack, much to the Rave Master's surprise.

Seeing an opening, Haru lunged forward, rearing back his sword and bringing it down on top of the old man's blade.

Cracks appeared in the metal, and Shiba gasped as Haru increased the pressure on it, breaking the metal into pieces. Shiba, having been sent back, panted, staring at the broken hilt of his sword with a smile. "It's taken you eight months…" he muttered fondly, "but you have surpassed even my level when I was first chosen by Rave."

Haru smiled, standing straight and looking down at the sword in his hand which had developed cracks in it. "And we only have four months left to go," he said softly, looking at the ocean next to them. From the sidelines, three older people cheered, rushing forward to congratulate him.

"Dude, you finally did it!" Musica cried, punching his shoulder. Haru laughed, rubbing the spot sorely. Let nodded in his congratulations, standing stiffly off to the side. Julia, however, chose to take a different approach about it and whacked him upside the head.

Haru doubled over in shock, dropping the sword, "It took you eight months to beat an old man?!" she demanded, rolling her eyes. Haru laughed again, seeing past her pretense – she was actually quite glad he had finally surpassed his master. "Jesus, you're lucky that Lucia gave you a year and didn't just take her and run."

"Haru," Shiba interrupted, stepping forward. Automatically, Haru straightened up and headed to meet him halfway. The old man was smiling through his beard, his dark eyes twinkling in pride, "You have earned the right to hold the Holy Bring made by Resha Valentine fifty-one years ago." Without another word, he reached into his pocket and pulled something enclosed in his fist.

Haru had been waiting the past eight months for this moment – after he had Rave, he could get his answers from Lucia. He could finally at long last save the woman he loved. With shaking hands, he extended his right arm, holding his hand out to receive the stone that would change everything.

Shiba smiled again, and dropped the stone in his hand, "You are so much like Gale, Haru. While your father was fighting to protect his family, you chose to protect the woman of your heart. Do not forget yourself," he said, closing his eyes contently. Haru nodded shakily, holding his hand up to his face to see the stone.

In all actuality, it wasn't a stone at all – shaped like a very small sword, it weighed about as much as a small pebble. "Rave…" he muttered, feeling a soft tug on his pants. Looking down, he smiled at the snowman-dog and knelt next to him. The little creature extended its' paw, and dropped four other stones into his hand. "F-five?!"

"Yes, five. Plue is the Rave Bearer, and has been keeping the other four safe for me.

Haru stared between Shiba and Plue in surprise – Sieg had never actually said how many Rave stones there were, but he had always assumed there to only be one, especially as Plue had never been seen with the other four until now. The teenager nodded, bowing his head slightly.

Silence settled over the six of them for several minutes. "Haru," Julia suddenly called, breaking his concentration. Startling, he looked up to her only to see her pointing off in the distance. Immediately, Haru turned his attention to where she was both pointing and staring at just to see a large boat coming up the horizon. The last time a boat this size had come was when Let and Julia had come to island, he remembered.

Shiba watched the boat with them, seemingly unperturbed. "Haru," he commanded, "put Rave in your pocket." The teenager did as he was told, waiting for Plue to climb onto his head before standing back up and watching the ship with the rest of them. "It could be nothing…but it could also complicate some matters," the old man said softly.

As the ship got closer, Haru felt rather than saw his friends tense. Musica had a cigarette in his mouth but was not smoking it, and Julia had unconsciously moved closer to Let, who was standing next to her rather protectively. Plue, it appeared, was the only one that remained the same, as he was still shaking normally and making his little noises. Haru clenched his fist by his pocket as the ship drew nearer, a feeling of dread filling his stomach.

The ship, he realized, was larger than any other he had ever seen, with an odd insignia on its' side. To Haru, it looked like nothing short of some squiggles, but it seemed to make sense to Shiba, as he gasped and staggered backwards. Haru turned in time to watch the old man sprint into town, leaving the broken sword behind him. Thinking better of calling out, Haru instead chose to watch as a long ramp came down, hitting the sand with a thud.

To his far right, he heard Julia gasp in fear, and could feel Let's tension. This, he thought, can't be a good sign. Slowly, five people and one other thing – it had to be a demon, there was no other word for it – stepped down from the ramp; five men and one woman. The first one had hai the color of burnt oranges, and eyes the color of blood. He was wearing a large cape and had his arms crossed under it.

The second was a woman with long green hair and a snake on her left arm. Her left eye was covered by her sheen of spring green colored hair, but it appeared to be a sort of emerald shade, just like her right one. Her long red dress flapped in the red, and she walked with her hands holding the opposite elbow in front of her chest.

The third was a man with black hair and a beauty mark under his left eye. His eyes were also closed, and he was by far the prettiest of the bunch – especially as the one after him was the demon. The demon was colored blue, with two large horns jutting out of his head and several smaller ones dotted around his head. It had a shadow-looking thing on his shoulder, but it seemed harmless so Haru let his eyes wander onto the next one.

The fifth man had blond hair that fell around his face straightly, and an expression that clearly said he hadn't smiled in years. A blue 'J' symbol with a dash going through it decorated his right cheek, much like Sieg's. He was the only one carrying a weapon – a large black sword over his shoulders. His bright blue eyes flashed over to Haru's right, and though he could not bear to tear his eyes away, Haru heard Julia's soft cry of fear.

The final man to leave the boat was incredibly large – whether that be from his clothing, Haru could not tell. A helmet was placed on his head, and a long sand colored beard went down his collarbone, and he had beady eyes that swept through everyone.

Each person made Haru's skin crawl. "Hello," the girl said cheerfully, waving, "we're looking for a br – kid by the name of Lucia Raregroove. You guys know him?" Haru tensed – they couldn't be good. None of the answered, causing the girls' green eyes to narrow. "Hello? Can you tell me where the six of us can find Lucia?"

"Trust me doll," Musica vouched suddenly, smirking, "the four of us? We don't get along too well with that brat, so, no. We can't." What wasn't the first time, Haru felt exceptionally grateful to have Musica as a friend – it was definitely helpful to have someone speak up when your throat closed up.

The girl turned to him, blinking in shock. "Don't…get along?" she repeated slowly, turning back to Haru and looking at as if for the first time. Her green eyes flashed to Plue and then back to his purple eyes. "Then this must…ah. Haja?" The final man stared down at Haru with an expression that clearly said he was not interested in him. "What do you think?"

Thankful he had not just spent the past eight months learning to use a sword, but also how to tell what his enemy was thinking. This woman was obviously not in charge, but rather the oldest of the bunch – Haja. "Find Lucia. These brats aren't worth dealing with," he said in a deep, rumbling voice. Haru's eyes narrowed, tempted to attack him with Rave just to show him what he could do. The group of them nodded, and started to head off, all except for the one carrying the sword.

Haru finally let his eyes sweep over to Let and Julia, and he felt surprise fill his body; Julia, strong, bossy Julia, was cowering behind Let, shaking so bad, even from the distance he was at, Haru could see it. Even Let, who never let his emotions really show, was shaking slightly, his eyes wide in what looked like pure rage. "Let…Julia…this is where you've been hiding?" At the sound of his voice, Julia ducked her head, shutting her eyes. Let uncrossed his arms, one out to protect his fiancé, and the other one clenching into a tight fist.

"What do you want, Jegan?" he asked through clenched teeth. Musica and Haru exchanged a glance of confusion – what the hell was even going on? A pregnant silence filled the air, making it hard for Haru to concentrate on everything going on.

The man – Jegan – chuckled, shrugging. "I'm on business, Let. It has nothing to do with you, if that's what you're thinking," he muttered. His voice was cool and slick, and Haru didn't trust him one bit. Neither, it would appear, did Let or Julia, if their reaction to seeing him was anything to judge by. "However, I shall make sure that the two of us," Jegan added, turning away and following the other five, "shall meet again. Very soon."

As soon as he was gone, Julia collapsed onto her knees, panting and sweating. Automatically, Haru ran towards her, ignoring Plue's noise of surprise as he went flying off his head. "Julia…?" he muttered, kneeling next to her. Her eyes were wide, and staring ahead with really seeing anything. Let was next to her in a flash, enveloping her in his strong arms and muttering things like 'I'm here', and 'it's alright'. "Let, who was that?"

Musica appeared next to them, kneeling next the three and rubbing Julia's back in what he hoped was reassuring. Let took a deep breath, closing his eyes, "Julia and I…we are not human. Appearances notwithstanding, the two of us – and Jegan, the man with the black sword – are from Makai, the world of nonhuman races."

"Non…human?!" Haru and Musica repeated slowly, staring at them with eyes wide. Julia, one who had not cried once since Haru had known her, let out a small sob, clutching Let as though she'd die if she didn't. Let tightened his hold on her, shaking slightly himself.

"We are of the Dragonrace. We look human, but we are not humans. When we reach a certain age, we become half-dragon, half-human creatures for a minimum of one year, or however long it takes for you to perform the ceremony to repel the dragon spirit within you. For us, we arrived just after Julia had preformed her Dragon Trail, returning to this form…if she or I were to fail, we'd become Dragons."

Haru gasped, flinching away slightly in shock. All this time…and they had never told him?! They were friends, and they had kept something this huge from them?! "But…why is Julia so…distraught?" Musica asked, his hand not pausing in rubbing her back.

Let took a deep breath, shaking his head. "Because of him…we are outlaws in our own world. When he learned of the relationship between the two of us, he committed the largest crime our race could commit – he murdered one of the Green Race, and blamed us. And Julia…" he stopped, unable to speak. Then Haru understood, this Jegan had hurt Julia in the worst possible way you could ever hurt someone who trusts you. An image of Elie appeared into his head, and Haru felt the fault lines in his heart begin to crack – would Lucia stoop so low to do the same to her…?

"Elie…I t-told her…about a month a-after we got here…"

The three boys stared at her. Let opened his eyes, his mouth popped open in surprise. "You told Elie all of this…?" he repeated slowly, allowing her to push away slight, wiping her eyes as she nodded. "What did she say?" Haru had expected him to ask her why, but this seemed to be something he understood. After all, hadn't all four of them there opened up to Elie when they needed a friend?

"She s-said…that…that it d-didn't matter. It didn't m-matter because I was…" she stopped to get a hold of herself. When she opened her eyes again, she smiled slightly, "she said I was safe. Because Let, Haru, Musica, and herself would protect me. Because that's what friends do." Haru felt tears fill his eyes, believing every word. Slowly, he stood up, looking towards town to keep his friends from seeing the tears.

That, he thought, was just like Elie to say something like that, even though she had only been fourteen when they had met the two of them. She had always done so much to make sure her friends were safe, and how had they repaid her? By wasting time trying to find her.

Musica appeared next to him, a hand on his shoulder. "We should leave them be for a while," he muttered. Haru nodded, and the two left the Makai outlaws on the beach to themselves. As soon as they reached town, their eyes fell on the six people standing several feet away from Lucia, who was smiling. Musica grabbed Haru and yanked him behind a thick tree just as he started to call out, covering his mouth. "You want to listen in or not?!"

Haru's eyes widened, and he nodded silently. The two silenced themselves, straining to hear the conversations of seven people just across the road.

"Ah, you finally managed to get over here," Lucia was saying in a voice that made Haru want to go and attack him. Sensing this, Musica grabbed his cheeka and forces him to remain silent. "Reina, do you remember the exact coordinates?"

"Of course I do. Would you like me to go and see her now?" the woman snapped. Haru froze – the 'her' must be Elie. And the coordinates…he needed her to say them. Now. Musica seemed to be thinking along the same lines, as he had closed his eyes in concentration.

"How much time is there left, Lucia-sama?" Haja asked in his deep voice. Haru mentally told him – one hundred and thirty two days left. Lucia gave him the estimated time, "Is she still oblivious?"

At this, Lucia laughed. Musica grabbed Haru around the middle to keep him from standing up to attack the blond haired teen. "I asked her eight months ago whether or not she wanted me to tell her, and she said no. However, if she does not learn soon, she shall be useless to me when we leave," he replied smoothly. The others stayed silently; probably nodding, giving Haru time to calm down a little.

"Her impending future…there shall be none more beautiful," someone else said. Haru guessed that it had to be the other human man – the one with the black hair – as the demon couldn't possibly have a voice as pretty as his. Silence settled over them for a little, broken only as the seven of them retreated down the street, all talk gone.

Once they were gone, Musica released Haru, and leaned around the tree, watching the street. "Man, that Reina chick…what a babe!" he whistled, grinning. Haru stared at him for a second before he finally understood, "Holy fuck, that chick knows where Elie is!" Haru nodded seriously, looking down the street as well.

"We should find a way to get it out of her," Haru muttered, leaning against a tree. Musica nodded, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. "I wonder why Lucia needs bodyguards…think he's been spyin' on me or somethin'?" Musica shook his head, pulling the cigarette out and holding it between his two fingers for a while.

"Dude, the three of us didn't let anyone near you two while you were training."

Knowing this to be a fact, Haru nodded, closing his eyes. The two sat in silence for a while, trying to figure out a way to get Elie's location out of Reina. "Dude, do you know why Shiba left so fast when that boat got close?"

Haru shook his head. "No, I completely forgot about that. We could go find him and ask – maybe he'll finally tell me how the hell he found out about me," he said, standing up. Musica nodded, tossing his cigarette butt into the bushes and following Haru as he led the way to his house; Shiba had asked to stay there during his stay.

When they reached his bedroom, Haru stopped dead in his tracks, causing Musica to hit his back, which in turn caused them to both fall into the bedroom. "Dude, don't just put on the brakes whenever you feel like it!" the older of the two cried in annoyance, rubbing his head where it hit the floor.

"Shiba's gone," Haru breathed, pulling himself free of Musica and walking to the desk where several sheets of paper were lying. Wordlessly, he picked them and began to read, trying to ignore the feeling in his stomach.

Dear Haru,

I know this may come as a surprise to you, but I have left. You have the five Raves, and the ability to do everything you have wanted to, and protect the world when it comes down to it.

For the past months, it's been a pleasure training you. Now, however, that those six people had joined up with Lucia Raregroove, I must leave to go and find an old friend of mine that will be able to help us.

However, I understand that you have questioned about my past, and I have deflected each question. Now that I am gone, there is no reason to continue hiding my past to you…make of this what you will. A secret passed on to you is up to whether or not to remain a secret, after all.

I joined the Symphonian Army instead of my best friend because his wife was pregnant. There, I met Resha Valentine, and…fell in love. When I learned of her death, as you know, I became the Rave Master, and fought the Sinclair's for one year before the Overdrive had me on a search to collect the Rave Stones. By the time I found all five of them, I was already an old man…not suitable for a hero.

Along the search, I stumbled on a town called Acapella Island, and met a fortune teller by the name of Saga Pendragon. Saga-sama has the ability to see into the future for everyone – he is all-knowing about you just as he meets you. There, I asked for his advice on my age.

He told me to find a teenage boy with silver hair like that of a comrade I met along my travels long ago. The boy, he said, will have just lost the most precious person in the world to him, by the very embodiment of evil. His destiny is to complete your legend was what I was told. Saga Pendragon knows of you, and has asked me to give you his regards, and his best hopes that your precious person is returned.

Your father, Gale, is not what you think. He did not abandon you. Make of that what you will.

I learned of a great secret about Elie's whereabouts – you will need to be told exactly where she is. Whether it's by accident or purpose, you need to have a clear idea of where she is before she becomes visible to you. Having a vague idea will grant you hearing, but only truly knowing will reveal her to you.

Ah, before I forget; the boat. On board that ship are the three strongest warriors to the group I told you about – Demon Card. Haja the Sorcerer; Jegan of the Dragonrace; Reina the Silverclaimer; Berial the Demon Duke; Julius of Ice; and Shuda of Fire. Do not take any of them lightly, Haru, they will be steps below you, but strong enough to kill you nonetheless.

Remember the symbol on that boat – it is the symbol that Lucia Raregroove's father gave to Demon Card before his death, last year. You know what Demon Card is, so I will not explain it any further than I already have.

Remember, Haru, you are what others will call 'The Sword of the World'. Saving your friend is just a part of your duties as Rave Master.

Your mentor and friend,

Shiba

Haru read the letter aloud, staring at Musica when he finished. "Alright, that explains part of this. But, you do realize that he took The Ten Commandments, right? What the hell are you going to use as a weapon to fight Lucia now?"

"I'll ask your Grandpa to make me one," Haru replied easily, folding the letter up and placing it in his back pocket. Though he hadn't noticed, Plue had appeared at his feet while he was reading, and he picked him and stared at him. "You didn't go with Shiba?"

The creature shook its' head, holding a lollipop and slurping loudly. Musica shook his head, leaning against the doorway, "Dude, Gramps hasn't made a sword in a really long time. And we should be more concerned with where Elie is first." Haru shook his head, still looking at Plue. Musica sighed, "Fine. I'll ask. But don't get your hopes up."

That being said, the Silverclaimer left the room, leaving Haru alone with Plue, Shiba's letter, and Rave. Sitting down on at the bed, he sighed and rubbed his temples. God, he thought, I miss Elie. Wordlessly, he flopped down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling in annoyance; as if it was all the houses' fault his best friend was gone.

* * *

Musica, instead of going straight to his house to ask his Grandpa, decided to search for Reina. There were two things about her that drew him towards her – she was a Silverclaimer like himself, and she did not have the same air around her as the others she left the boat with had.

Knowing that this was dangerous – the others would probably take it as fraternizing with the enemy or something – he still searched for her. When he found her, she was standing outside Café Tsubomi, looking rather lost. Musica smirked, and headed right for her. "Need a little help?" he asked her smoothly, one hand in his pocket.

Reina considered him, her green eyes narrowed. "You were on the beach, the one that said you didn't like Lucia Raregroove," she stated simply. Musica smirked, shrugging slightly. "Can you just tell me where this street is?"

The younger of the two leaned forward to look at the street address, his eyes wide. "What do you want with Sieg Hart?" he asked, staring at her. He wasn't worried for Sieg; that guy could take care of himself, but it might have something to do with Elie.

"I don't think that's any of your business," Reina snapped, rolling her eyes, "Just tell me where it is, and I'll be on my way." At this, Musica laughed, leaning forward again. Unlike most girls, Reina didn't even flinch as he inched closer, but stayed in the exact same position she was.

"Maybe I don't know this address," he said flirtatiously. She blushed a little at his tone, but otherwise didn't react. "You know, you're really cute," he tried, smirking.

Reina sighed, rolling her green eyes, "Yeah, and you're just my type," she said, matching his tone. "Unfortunately, you're out of your league, kid." Musica laughed, leaning away again. This time, Reina giggled a little, flipping back some hair.

"How about I walk you there, gorgeous? Or maybe take you out for some lunch beforehand," Musica suggested, keeping his smirk on his face. Maybe he'd get her so drunk, she'd reveal Elie's location…but, that wasn't the only reason he was asking her out. Definitely not.

The woman sighed, shaking her head. "Still out of your league. Tell me where Sieg Hart lives," she commanded, losing all flirtatious pretenses. Musica, however, wasn't quite done in his attempts.

"Nah. Not without a date," he said, turning to leave. Reina gasped, calling for him to stop. Stopping, he turned with an eyebrow raised, waiting for her to continue. "Yes?"

Reina took a deep breath, stepping forward. Musica watched the way her hips seemed to dance as each leg moved that four steps it took to get close to him again. "Maybe I'll just have to ask someone else," she said softly. Musica's smirk turned into a frown as she wordlessly stalked away, her hips swaying with each movement. Unable to stop himself, he whistled under his breath, heading back to his Grandfather's house.

"You want Haru to have a sword? Make it yourself," the older one said stubbornly after listening to his grandson's request, crossing his arms against his chest. Musica sighed, punching the table in his annoyance – the old fart hadn't even let him explain! "Can Haru even use a sword?"

That, Musica thought, was a really dumb question. "If he wants you to make him a sword, obviously he can! Gramps, you don't get it! He needs this sword to save Elie in the next four months!" he cried. In his frustration, his arms were shaking – a side-effect from all the drugs he had taken a couple years ago. His grandfather, having been oblivious to the drug-problem ignored his shaking arms and sighed.

"I haven't made a sword since your parents died, Hamrio," he muttered, looking away. Musica scowled – this was always the old man's excuse for when he had asked about forging a sword. "Make Haru a sword yourself – it'll mean more."

The younger of the two stomped down to the basement, his eyes narrowed in his anger. His Grandfather followed quietly, watching as he started getting the materials ready. "Where is the right material worthy of a Rave Master?" Musica asked, glaring at his grandfather. The older one's eyes widened in shock, but he pointed to a large crate off to the side. "That's why," the younger one said, prying the crate loose, "he wanted you to make it."

Older Musica watched in silence as his grandson set to work, shaking slightly. "Haru met Shiba?" he asked after a while, sitting down. Musica didn't reply, still too angry that he, who had only the experience of someone who had stolen their grandfather's journal for making swords, was going to make the sword to save Elie. It should be made better, he thought.

"Just you wait, Haru…Elie," he muttered, setting the fire, "I'll make you the Sword of the World."

~**~

"Elie, darling, are you awake?" someone asked in the dark. Elie felt her eyes fluttered open, wondering why she even bothered to close or open them anymore – she couldn't see anyways. The person speaking bustled around, and the sound of water moving a bucket caught her attention – Lady Joker? "I'm the person who's been assigned to come and give you food and sponge baths, by the way."

The way she said made Elie think that she disliked Lucia about as much as Haru. "What happened to Lady Joker?" she asked, her voice filled with sleep. She had stopped screaming months ago, or so she felt – Lucia hadn't told her the time, but she could judge how much time was passing by how often Lady Joker had come.

"Lucia killed her," the woman answered bluntly, reaching and unshackling the pieces of metal around Elie's wrists. Slowly, she helped her onto the floor, being careful to not touch the wounds around her wrists. "Why haven't these healed yet? You don't still struggle, do you Elie?" She asked harshly, setting to work. As usual, Elie remained completely still, not even wanting to move anymore.

It killed her to even think this, but she had given up. She belonged, after all, to Lucia Raregroove because she had what he needed. That was it; that's all she would ever be. But, that didn't stop her from struggling. It usually happened when he was there, talking to her – the chills are what made her want to leave the cave screaming. "I guess…"

The woman sighed, pulling the fabric over Elie's head and setting to work. "Jesus, I don't know why the hell he gave you a year of solitude in this place…he should have just taken you and split," she muttered, wiping a sponge around Elie's body. The first few times Lady Joker had done this, Elie screamed, trying to keep the woman away from her no matter what – now, she just sat and resigned herself to her fate.

"What's your name?" Elie asked innocently, turning to where she could smell the woman most strongly. Is it weird that I now rely on smells and hearing to find someone, when I am clearly not blind?

The woman laughed. Automatically, the younger of the two flinched – she thought that behind the laugh, she had heard an all-too familiar sound of static entering the room. "Not allowed to say. I met your friends today, Elie. The one with black hair…is he always so flirty?" the woman asked, patting her dry.

"You met Musica?" she repeated slowly, and without waiting for an answer, felt her whole face light up. "He's so nice…you wouldn't think it, because he joined a gang, but he's one of the best guys in the world."

Elie was slightly aware that she was sleep deprived, and should just fall asleep already. But, how could she when she was constantly waiting for the sound of static, or his cruel laughter to echo in her ears?

How could she sleep when even the dark reality was better than her dreams?

The nightmares had come rather recently – just about twenty Lady Joker visits ago. They always started the same with different endings – she would watch as Haru and Lucia went head to head, and always, without fail, Haru could be the winner. Just as he made his way over to her, to finally hold her in his arms once more, Lucia would spring up and stab Haru right in the middle of his chest – his heart. What happened next would vary; sometimes she'd watch as Let, Julia, and Musica died as well. Others just one of them, and most of the time, Lucia just took her and left.

Those were always the worst dreams. "Well, do you want me to feed you, or hand you the fork and watch you?" the woman was asking now, slipping a new shirt over her head. There were only three things that Elie was grateful to Lucia for – he sent someone up every day, around what he claimed was 18:00 (6:00pm) for a sponge bath, he fed her, and he had never made a personal house call.

"I can manage by myself," Elie muttered stubbornly, holding her hand out for the fork. The woman gave it to her, and scooted back. Elie felt around with her other hand, finding the tray and plate after a little bit of time and digging in.

As she was eating, a new sound appeared, causing the woman to stand up and Elie to cease eating. "You may leave," a cool voice said, smoother than silk. Elie dropped the fork – there had been no static, yet…that voice was unmistakable. The woman hurried out without another word, leaving Elie and Lucia alone. "Ah, my beautiful Elie, it is so nice to finally see you in person."

"Get away," Elie stammered, pushing herself back, hitting the wall after just a few inches, "L-leave me alone!" Fear unlike any other was coursing through her body – he had never revealed himself in person until now and quite frankly…Elie wasn't sure just what that meant. Was she wrong about the dates? Had it been one year?

Lucia laughed, stepped forward. Elie closed her eyes and tried to control the amount of shivers that went down her spine. "Your friend thinks he has found the solution to beating me. He has not, since I am unbeatable," he whispered, stopping. From the floor, Elie could feel his warmth, though she tried to ignore it; if she could feel him, he was close. Far too close.

Wordlessly, he reached down and grabbed her wrist, right where the skin was still raw and red and liable to bleed. A soft moan escaped from her lips as she was hoisted up, but Elie made no movement to fight him off – there was nothing she could have done anyways. Her back hit the wall, and soon, his chest pressed against hers. "Wha-what do you want now?"

Lucia pressed his lips to her ear, and for the first time in a very long, Elie knew he was smiling. She didn't have to guess, she didn't have to imagine Haru; she could feel his smile against her neck. "You," he muttered, his breath making trails of ice go through her ear and part of her skull. "I want your power."

"N-no…no, please…" Elie begged, feeling what was about to happen. He had kissed her once – who knew what else he was capable of? He laughed against her ear softly, pressing his lips against her cheek again. Hot tears flowed from her eyes once more, and she tried to scream against his mouth before remembering – there was no one to hear her.

~x~

Author's Note: OK, so I may not have actually MADE it happen, but you guys know what I mean right? I'm really sorry if this upsets anyone, but trust me…this will play into the plot in the future chapters. …You know, I actually feel really bad for what I've done to Julia and Elie…T~T