Falling Away

~x~

Author's Note: Gangsta; That's what I was thinking. If he ever DID manage to take her to the Real World, then there's no way she'd ever be willing. Hence the…
Anyways, on to the eighth chapter~
Lots and lots and lots of inter-mingling going on. Oh, and some new pairings are gonna be popping up – Celia/Haru (ugh, I hate myself for even writing this…), Cattleya/Shuda, Musica/Reina, and maybe even a little Julius/Belnika if I feel up to throwing her in the mix (she's not my favorite character, so…)
EVERYTHING in this chapter is from Haru's point of view. So, he's basically going to be creepin' on everyone in the story…except for Elie's little bit at the end.

Disclaimer: I still do NOT own any character. Though, if you read my messages between Schyra, you might think a little differently…8D

~x~

Chapter Eight: Confrontations, All The Way 'Round

"Hey, Haru, can you answer the door?" Cattleya called from the kitchen. Haru didn't reply; he was too busy lying down from his daily training to even consider answering the door. Cattleya sighed loud enough for him to hear and banged down what she was washing.

From his bedroom, he listened as Cattleya politely answered the door, and heard some man introduce himself as 'Shuda'. Instantly, Haru was off his bed with his ear pressed against the door as he listened – Shuda was one of the six that was with Lucia. "There's some unfortunate news I must share with you and your brother, Haru. Is he home?"

Haru didn't need to be in the same room as her to see the expression she was making – Cattleya had rolled her eyes, glaring at the door that led to his bedroom. "He is, but he's being too lazy. You can just tell me, and I'll pass along the message," she replied. The teenager felt his eyes narrow – that was the same tone she had used when she first met Branch…

"Ah, I see. Well, the news is pertaining your father, Gale Glory," Shuda said. From his room, Haru felt the air in the house go ice cold. Gale Glory…the bastard that had skipped out on their family when Haru was just a baby – almost eighteen years ago – was not a name Haru especially enjoyed hearing.

Muffled, Cattleya offered Shuda a seat at the couch, which he agreed to. "Right, about mine and Haru's father. You said that this was…unfortunate news?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly. Haru wanted to go down there and comfort her, but chose to instead continue listening where he was.

"I'm sorry, Cattleya, but…Gale is dead."

The words crashed like weights against Haru's body, and he flung himself from the door. Dead…his father was dead. Haru had never before wanted the man in his life more than he did right now.

Without realizing what he was doing, he ran from the house, Plue at his heels. "H-Haru?" Cattleya called as he ran past. Ignoring her for the second time in the last five minutes, he ran as fast as he could away from his house, his phone in hand and dialing three people.

"Guys? Meet me at the beach. Now," he said shortly, hanging up. When he reached the deserted beach, he stopped dead and stared at the waves. Those same waves had been here, over ten years ago. When Elie was by his side, and his Dad was alive – gone, but alive. Haru slowly walked closer to the waves, kicking off his shoes and socks and going in knee deep, pants still hanging from his ankles.

From behind him, he heard them approach, but waited until they got closer to talk. "I want…" he paused, trying to find the right words for this, "to get Lucia. I'm done with just sitting around – I have Rave, I can take him."

"What the hell do you need us for then?" Julia asked irritably. Haru turned to look at her impassively, watching as she placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "Jesus, why the hell haven't you attacked him yet anyways?"

Haru took his time considering. "I didn't want him to hurt Elie anymore because I went and beat the shit out of him. And I need you guys to help with his body guards. Jegan, Reina, Haja, Julius, Shuda, and Berial. I can't take him on without them being out of the way."

Musica snorted, shaking his head. "There's only four of us, and six of them – seven, counting Lucia. By the time we get to him, we'll be dead too," he pointed out.
"I'll take Jegan. Sieg Hart can help us – he can take Haja. Musica can take on Reina, since he's seemed to take a liking to her, and Julia can take on Julius. You can take on Shuda, and together we'll take down Berial."
All eyes turned to Let, who was standing several feet from the coast in his signature pose. Julia was the first to recover, nodding her head carefully, "Or we can ambush Lucia. Berial is a demon from the same world Let and I are from – and he's not anything to take lightly," she explained slowly. Musica shook his head, stepping back.

"I don't fight women for one thing, and I have to finish Haru's sword before he takes anyone on," he said flatly, turning to leave. Before he got a chance, Haru ran forward, tackling him as the waves crashed around them.

"I don't need a sword! He has her, Musica, and I can get her! Why should I wait longer than I need to?!" he demanded, grabbing his shirt and hitting him into the sand. Everyone stared at him in confusion, and it dawned on Haru – had he always been like this? Cold, distant, harsh…unfriendly. He slowly got up, offering him a hand up, "I'm…I'm sorry Musica. I don't what came over me."

The silverclaimer took his hand slowly, hoisting himself up. "Don't worry, kid; we know how ya' feel. Let me finish your sword, and then we go get em'," he explained, smirking. Haru wanted nothing more than to refuse, but something in his smirk told him the wait would be well worth it.

"Fine. But I want to know why he needs bodyguards," he said, glancing at Let and Julia. Everyone seemed tense – except for Musica, who was almost never tense. The four stood in a circle, an awkward silence settling over them for the first time since they had become friends.

Jesus, look what's happened to us. When Elie gets back…things will get better. Everything will go back to the way it was, and we'll all get back to our lives…

Haru wasn't aware that he had spoken out loud until the final word left his mouth, and everyone's eyes turned to stare at him. "Haru," Julia said softly, shaking her head, "do you really think that? You're the Rave Master! After Elie is saved, you're going to need her help to recombine the Rave stones so you destroy the Sinclairs!"

At that, everyone turned to stare at her, though she did not waver. She's been to see Sieg Hart, Haru realized. "I agree with Julia, dude. Saving Elie is just the tip of it – the Sinclairs are still out there, and it's your duty to go and get em'," Musica added, shrugging. Haru stared between his three friends, trying to understand.

"I have to…save the world?"

This had only ever been about saving his world, not the world. Getting Rave…he had never meant to become the Rave Master! He just needed their power to go and save the person he loved…

"You won't be alone. Once Elie has been freed, all five of us – six, including Plue – will leave together," Let said gently, watching Haru curiously. The teenager had doubled over, gasping for air that didn't seem to be coming in fast enough.

Musica laughed, clapping him on the back, "You've never even thought about that, huh?" he asked, smirking. Haru shook his head, a smile dawning over his face slowly. "Good thing we mentioned it then!" Before he could stop himself, Haru started laughing. He laughed harder than he had ever laughed before, and soon, everyone started joining him.

The four laughed for what seemed to be hours, sitting on the beach as warm water crashed over them. Haru even went so far as to lay down, letting the waves soak him completely. "You know," Julia said suddenly once they had sobered up, "maybe I've just been talking to Sieg too much, but you guys ever feel like we were all brought to Elie?"

As the boys considered it, Haru grinned again. "Of course we were. Just look at how she's affected us," he pointed out, closing his eyes as water crashed over his face. The salt tasted bitter in his mouth, but he made no effort to wipe his mouth.

"You two really need to quit hanging out with Sieg," Musica said, shaking water off his hand. Let nodded in agreement, but Julia and Haru exchanged a grin. "Anyways, I need to get back to work. Catch ya' later!" Musica called, standing up and waving.

Once he was out of earshot, Haru smirked, "He's going to go find Reina, I bet," he muttered under his breath. Julia snorted into her hand, and the two of them agreed.

"Actually, there are some matters I must attend to myself," Let said, standing. Julia and Haru stared at him in mixed confusion. Without another word, he left, leaving the two staring after him. Haru turned to Julia, his question written all over his face.

Julia shook her head, "I have no clue. Wanna follow him?" she asked eagerly, smirking. Haru nodded, standing up and offering her a hand up. "You go after Let, and I'll go find that lying cheat Musica," she said, and the two hurried off.

Haru soon found Let, and stayed far enough behind him that he wouldn't hear him or see him were he to turn around. The dragon paused, staring across the street, and when Haru followed his gaze, saw a man with straight blond hair, prowling the streets. "Jegan…" Haru muttered, and though he did not hear him, Let whispered the same thing. Again, Let said his name, this time loud enough for him and several other people to hear.

Jegan turned, and said something that Haru could not hear. It happened in a blink of an eye, but before Haru could even gasp, Let had jumped – yes, jumped – across the street, tackling Jegan. The sidewalk cracked where they hit the ground, which caused several screams from people walking by. "What the…?!" Haru muttered, running forward to get a closer look.

By the time he reached them, Let had punched Jegan so much, his nose and eyebrow was bleeding. The dragon had blood dripping from his knuckles, whether that was from Jegan or his own body, Haru couldn't tell. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this, Jegan!" Let was screaming, relentlessly attacking him.

Jegan cried out in both pain and anger, flipping the situation faster than Haru could understand it. In seconds, it was his friend on the ground, being punched and attacked into oblivion. Let, his strong, calm friend was red in the face that had absolutely nothing to do with bleeding. Just as he was about to step in, Let shook his head just a bit, eyes flashing to him for a second before turning back to Jegan.

The fight lasted for several seconds, and Haru, standing in the crowd shaking terribly, was positive that Let was going to lose. Jegan seemed to think so as well, as he started to light up on the punches. "You've lost," he said, getting to stand up.

Just as Haru was once more heading in to attack Jegan, he heard a very soft gasp. This was not missed by Let, but it did appear as though Jegan did not hear it. Haru turned around in time to see Julia, Musica, and Reina headed forward, and therefore missed what happened next – Let had jumped from the ground, tackling Jegan, pinning him to the ground. "I will…destroy you!"

The police finally started to head over, but Musica and Haru stopped them, "They need to have this fight, or there'll be a bunch more," they told him, grinning. In vain, the officers tried to get past, but neither Haru or Musica would let them, telling them that this fight was overdue as it was.

"Jegan," Let said suddenly, and Haru turned to see him standing victoriously over the other man, "if you dare to come near my Julia, I shall kill you." Haru grinned, turning to congratulate him. Before he could take even one step, handcuffs clapped around his wrists, and from the surprised cry next to him, Musica was in the same boat.

Julia suddenly ran past them, standing right in front of Let, shaking slightly. "Don't you ever do that again," she whispered, touching his wounds gently. Haru watched as the two did something that had his jaw nearly on the floor – Let grabbed her hand and pulled her in for a kiss.

Tears welled in Haru's eyes, and his thoughts immediately jumped to Elie. Let would have never had to do that had Jegan never come to island, and the only reason that Jegan had come to the island was help Lucia…who had Elie. The police headed in to cuff Let, pushing Julia out of the way forcefully. She stepped back, glancing at Reina and then Haru, a message written in her eyes.

"Later," she mouthed, watching as Let, Musica, and Haru were led away by the police, and Jegan was examined by some paramedics who appeared on the scene. "Want me to go get Cattleya, and Gramps?"

Musica and Haru laughing, nodding, "Thanks!" they called, grinning at her as they were led away.

~**~

Needless to say, neither the older Musica nor Cattleya was amused when they rushed down to the tiny police department unknowing of just why they were in jail. Haru was confined to the house, and Musica was allowed to do nothing unless it involved forging Haru's sword. So, Haru spent his time staring out the window and watching the town from a distance, talking to Plue.

"And you know? They were right! Saving Elie is just the surface! You and Shiba spent the last, what, fifty years traveling the world, protecting it? Well, the biggest threat ever has finally shown up, so it's gonna be all up to me – and you – to protect it!" he said, spreading his arms wide. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Haru was smiling and laughing as he spoke.

Maybe it was because of his sudden burst of laughing at the beach two weeks ago, but he was constantly smiling. Maybe it just because Musica had texted him and told him that he was very nearly done with his sword – that he had one final form to make.

Plue nodded, sucking on a lollipop contentedly. Haru laughed again, placing a hand on his head, "Good thing I have at least one companion to talk to!" he said, leaning against the window and shutting his eyes.

It was a sunny cave, light streaming in through all angles. At the far end of the cave was a young girl, her round eyes were sunken into her head, and they were colored completely black, no exceptions. Her chocolate brown hair was lank, hanging around her face in uneven strands. She had bruises covering nearly every inch of her body, and a rim of red colored her wrists and ankles, which were shackles were tightly bound.

The girl was panting, tears streaming down from those black orbs. Where there weren't dark bruises, her skin was pale. "Please…" she called out suddenly, her voice cracked, "please…let me go…"

A static filled laugh filled the entire cave, and the girl gasped, flinching away and back against the wall, shaking horribly. "How many times," the voice said smoothly, "must I tell you? You belong to me, my love."

The girl shook her head, biting down on her bottom lip to seemingly preventing herself from screaming; tears falling from her cheeks. "I don't!" she screamed, the terror in her voice reverberating around the cave. This time, the voice sighed.

"Must I come down there again and remind you…personally?"

This time, the girl did not hold back – a terrified scream erupted from her mouth, leaving her gasping for air. The voice continued to laugh, shutting off and interrupting the laughter. "N-no! Please!" the girl screamed, shaking her head still.

Several seconds passed, but the girl did not calm down. Seconds turned into minutes, but the girl remained as hysteric as ever.

"Hello, my love."

Again, a scream echoed around the cave, as a tall, muscular man in all black stepped forward. The girl, having heard his footsteps, was shaking her head, screaming and trying to get away from him. "I'll do anything! Just…please! N-not this!"

The person reached her, stroking her cheek softly. "I must drill it into your very soul – you. Belong. To. Me." A final scream erupted from her mouth, followed closely by laughter as the man leaned in.

With a start, Haru jumped up, gasping as though he had been holding his breath. Tears were falling down his cheeks, and he grabbed the fabric over his heart, trying to get it to calm down. Without a word to Plue, who was sitting on the floor and watching him worriedly, and passing Cattleya as he ran outside, he headed into town with tears streaming down his face in his disturbed state.

"Reina, you have to tell me!" Musica was saying when Haru reached town. Automatically, Haru dove behind a tree, breathing through his nose to silence his heavy pants. "I'm nearly done with Haru's sword, so we're going to need her damn location!"

Reina sighed, "I can't tell you until I'm positive that he won't kill me, Musica. I can't tell you until the sword is completely finished and Haru can use it properly," she said tiredly. A loud thud against the tree Haru was hiding behind told him that he had punched the tree in his anger. "Calm down! Do you want to be able to finish the sword or not?!"

"Of course I do! But, we don't have the time to allow Haru to get used to all of the forms of the sword!" Musica pointed out. Haru nodded silently in agreement – he was going to get the sword, and go to the cave. But, he needed Reina to tell him her exactly whereabouts for the spell to be broken.

Reina must have realized this too, because her tone suddenly became icy, "Is that the only reason you started to talk to me, Musica? Because if it is, I think I might just walk away…"

The click of heels on pavement told Haru that she had started to walk away, but a thud from Musica's boots stopped her. "Is that what you think?" he whispered. The two stood in silence for a little while, and it dawned on Haru that this wasn't something he'd want to overhear.

"You've yet to make me think otherwise," Reina said softly. Without having to see him, Haru felt Musica's smirk.

"Man, you're one weird lady. But, I guess that's why you're so attractive," he said. Haru closed his eyes as he heard Musica lean in, and the noises that went along with kissing. For a few seconds, it continued, with Haru closing his eyes and trying not to picture Elie and Lucia, or his crazy nightmare-daydream.

The two talked for a little while before Reina started to head off, her heels clicking against the pavement with each step. Musica whistled, leaning against the tree, watching as she strolled away. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity, Haru appeared from behind the tree, grinning up at Musica, "She really is a babe!" The silverclaimer jumped, staring at Haru in a mix of confusion and anger.

"What the hell…?!" he cried, a cigarette dropping from his teeth. Haru laughed, pulling free of the bush entirely. "Dude, how long were you sitting there listening to us?!" The teenager shrugged, wiping his cheeks in case any stray tears remained. Musica noticed this, his eyes widening, "Somethin' happen?"

For one of the first times since he had known Musica, Haru considered not telling him about what he had seen. It was disturbing, but he knew it had to be true. Staring into his friends' brown eyes, he suddenly started talking, not stopping once. Musica stayed silent, his eyes widening when he finished. Haru had tears forming in the corners of his eyes, but he refused to blink and let them fall.

Musica clapped him on the shoulder, bowing his head. "Haru," he said shakily, "when I finish this sword, we will save her. And if we don't get rid of Lucia right then and there, then we'll go and find him." Haru nodded, wiping his eyes free of any tears.

Before he could talk, he saw, in full view for the first time in almost nine months, Lucia Raregroove was walking across the street. Haru was moving towards him without realizing what was happened. Musica was calling his name, but he ignored it. The bastard that had his best friend hanging from a wall was strolling around casually, a smirk on his face.

"Lucia…" he breathed, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around. His fist and reared up, punching him across the face. Lucia went sliding backwards, rubbing his jaw and glaring at the silver haired teenager. Haru stared at his hands, trying to determine what the weird smell was – it was sweet, and filled with the obvious signs of fear, though it wasn't something that you'd normally find on a man…

Then he understood. His eyes turned coldly to the blond, shaking with rage. "Haru Glory…" Lucia said slowly, lunging forward and punching him in the stomach. Haru gnashed his teeth, and he continued to fight him, punching, kneeing, and kicking him as much as he could while receiving the same treatment.

"Where the hell is she?!" Haru screamed, grabbing his head and ramming him into the ground. Lucia coughed out some blood, sliding his legs under Haru and tripping him. "You took her!" Lucia scoffed, standing up and kicking Haru in the side so he rolled over.

Despite his situation, Haru glared up at him, panting heavily. "Even if I did, why the hell would I bother to tell you?" Lucia asked, stamping on his stomach. Haru gasped, blood spurting from his mouth. The blond glared at him one last time before turning and leaving, heading back the same way he came. Haru, too busy clutching his stomach to watch him, closed his eyes.

Musica was by his side in an instant, as was several others that had seen the end of the fight. Amongst these people were Julius, Reina, and Sieg, the latter who rushed forward and knelt down next to Musica. "What happened?"

"He…he…" Haru tried to get out, coughing up blood. Sieg grabbed his shoulders and held him down, calling to someone to get the doctor. The teenager slumped down, breathing heavily. Tears were cascading down his cheeks, but he made no movement to wipe them away. "I'm sorry…"

The blue haired foster father stared down at him in confusion. "For…what? Haru, you haven't done anything!" he said, shaking his head.

Haru gasped for air, finding it near impossible to breath. "That's…just it! E-eight months…and n-nothing," he gasped, sniffling. Sieg tensed, shaking his head. Before he could say anything else, the doctors, Musica, Julia, Let, and Cattleya all appeared beside him.

"Oh, God, Haru!" Cattleya screamed, clutching his injured arm. He took some pride in knowing that eight months ago, if he had just got the crap beat out of him, he would have flinched when Cattleya did that, but now…nothing. "What…what happened?!"

Musica explained what happened, his eyes never leaving Haru's. Haru allowed himself to be pried from his sister's grasp and onto a stretcher, something the doctors had just recently invested in. "Haru Glory? We've had quite a few cases with you lately," the man said tiredly, "I really hope this doesn't continue, kid."

The teenager didn't even have the energy to tell him he hoped it wouldn't either. His eyes were drooping shut, and he allowed himself to slip into sleep once more.

~**~

"Elie."

Defiantly, Elie didn't open her eyes or respond at all. She knew it was risky – he certainly didn't sound happy – but she was trying to fight him. Before she knew it, a hand and whacked across her face, causing her eyes to open. Her whole face stung, but she ignored it; something must have really pissed him off, if that attack was anything to judge by.

"When I call your name, you answer. Understand?!" he asked, grabbing her shirt and pulling her as close as she could go. "Understand?!"

Elie nodded numbly, shaking again. "I understand," she muttered, sighing in relief as he released her to pace around the small area where she was. Curiosity was raging in her body, demanding that she ask him what was wrong. Fear got the better of her and she kept quiet.

"You're lucky that you're exactly what I need, Elie, otherwise this game would have ended already," he suddenly said, grabbing her shirt again. "If you hadn't been taken away from me all those years ago, I would not have to deal with your useless friends!"

The girl narrowed her eyes angrily. "Don't you talk bad about Haru, Let, Julia, or Musica!" she cried, realizing too late her mistake.

Lately, her defiant side had begun showing, and she had been refusing to talk to him – which certainly had its consequences. Most of the time, she was as she had been for the past ten months – quiet, fearful, and defeated – but lately, Reina would say something that encouraged her to stay strong. Unfortunately, Lucia did not agree too well with this new emotion, and had taken it upon himself to stamp it out of her.

Another set of knuckles swept across her face, this time drawing some blood. "You know nothing. It's their luck that you have not killed them yet!"

"M-me?" Elie repeated slowly, her whole body freezing. Without having to see, Elie felt Lucia's face slowly stretch into a smile, and he stepped closer, stroking the cheek he had not hit. Automatically, Elie flinched away from his touch, but this did not stop him.

He laughed, a noise that would forever haunt her, leaning in. "It is time for you to understand just what you possess…and it will most likely decimate any of these newfound thoughts of yours. Have you ever heard about Etherion?" Elie shook her head slowly, her heart racing. These were the answers she had been longing for her entire life – just why did everyone she came into contact with die?

"It is a great power, Elie. It has the potential to destroy the entire world – this entire dimension! – and it was once used by a woman named…Resha Valentine. Resha used her power to create five stones called the Holy Bring, renamed the Rave Stones after her death. Resha could control Etherion like Sieg Hart can control his thunder.

"Unlike her, you cannot control it." Elie gasped, her head spinning. "Yes, Elie, you possess Etherion, and I'm going to use that power to complete what none of my ancestors were able to do."

Elie shook her head, refusing to believe his words, though they rung with truth. "You're lying!" she screamed, closing her eyes tightly. Lucia laughed, grabbing her cheeks and pulling her closer.

"Do not deny what you know is true, my love. The best part has yet to come, though! Etherion is sealed inside of you, sealed by the magic given by a very strong Mage who realized the truth behind your parents' death. However, no seal is ever perfect, and yours has frayed…more than once. Never enough for the true potential, however, or even a fraction of that potential, but always enough to silently kill those around you when it happened.

"Whether it be from a heart attack, progressing cancer, a trip down the stairs, a gunman randomly attacking…it always happened, did it not? All except for Sieg…Sieg Hart and his damned ability to control magic. He patched up the seal before it could lash out and attack Haru Glory, or any other of yours useless friends."

Tears were falling from Elie's eyes faster than she could breathe. "N-no…no!" she kept saying, shaking her head slowly. Lucia laughed, stepping forward and stroking her cheek again. "Get off of me!"

"I'm going to give you one chance to repent for that," he said icily, "who do you belong to, my love?"

Elie tried to choke out a defiant answer, tried to fight back. But this time, she couldn't manage it. "Y-you are…" she muttered, hanging limp in her shackles.

It was her fault. Because of her very existence, all those people had died…her parents, and all the people from then to Sieg. She had almost killed Haru Glory, her very best friend. Lucia was right…she deserved to be chained to a wall. Haru, she begged silently, don't come. Don't find me, please. I can't lose you…not because of my own power…

"Correct, you are mine. No one else has a right to even look at you; just I. Now, will you continue to resist me, my love?" Lucia asked, stepping forward and pressing her back against the wall. Elie choked out another sob, unable to form the words. "I know how hard this must be for you, but…it will all pay off in the end. Answer the question, Elie."

The teenager shook her head, lank hair swishing around her. "N-no…" she whispered, trying to fight off the pain as Lucia laughed against her ear, beginning what had become his daily ritual.

~**~

Another month passed, and Haru was finally up and training again. The sword Musica had made for him, a sword which he named Raveld, was beyond perfect. So far, with only five weeks left, he had gained six forms, and was training harder each day to get to those last four.

Reina had started to join him more and more, leaving Musica's side only when Lucia needed or her, or when she went to Elie. Let and Julia were closer than ever, only ever leaving each other's side when necessary. Even Cattleya, independent, strong Cattleya had grown close to a member of the opposite sex – Shuda of the Flames. Haru did not approve, not one bit, but it seemed that of the six people Lucia had summoned, only two were loyal – Julius had left the island recently, according to Reina.

"Man," Julia called as she watched him train, "you've gotten a lot better with a sword now that you actually have your own." Without missing a beat – Haru was practicing against a spear that Musica and Reina had forged together – he nodded, eyes narrowed in concentration.

Musica, seeing an opening, stepped forward and stabbed at Haru's side, grazing his shirt. He gasped, and felt the long edge of the spear whip him off his feet, pinning him on the ground. Musica smirked, holding the point of his spear an inch away from his neck. "Quit going easy on me, kid," he snapped, pulling away the spear and offering him a hand up.

"Dude," Haru said as he grabbed his hand, "I've been training nonstop for the past month! I think I have a right to be a little sluggish." Let scoffed, stepping forward, shaking his head.
"You need to obtain the last four forms of Raveld before Reina tells you were Elie is – train harder."

Haru scowled at him, grabbing his sword and taking a stance. "Bring it, dragon," he muttered, and the two lunged forward. Julia called out a cheer for Let, and Cattleya called out one for Haru.

The two continued fighting, and this time, Haru refused to let him win. He had to prove to everyone that he could train like this and still take down Lucia when the time came. A feeling that was both familiar and unfamiliar suddenly surged through him, and he quickly avoided Let, and jumped in the air, "Gravity Core!" Haru screamed, hitting Let with the newly formed sword. The dragon sunk into the sand, and Haru held the sword shakily, laughing.

From the sidelines, Musica roared with laughter. "Man, I was just waiting for that to happen!" he called, slapping his knee as he laughed. Even Julia was laughing, holding her stomach. Reina chuckled a little before laughing fully as well. In fact, the only one that seemed not amused by this was Let, as he climbed out of the hole holding his head and glaring at Haru.

"Stalemate," he muttered, walking back over to Julia. The group laughed harder at this; Haru fell to the sand, holding his stomach as he laughed. Eventually, Let chuckled a little. Cattleya and Shuda waved a goodbye, saying they had a date and left, leaving the laughing crowd behind them.

Just as Haru was about to get up, a new sound caught his attention and he turned to the entrance of the beach to watch Celia approach him. "Hiya, Haru-chan," she said cheerfully, waving. Haru waved back, wiping tears from his eyes from laughing. From the corner of his eyes, he watched as Musica grabbed Reina's hand and led her away, and as Julia did the same to Let. Damn.

"Hey, Celia," he said, stabbing his sword into the sand. Haru tried not to let his eyes wander below her collarbone – being a rather warm day, she was wearing shorts that barely covered her, and a tube top that was anything but modest.

She smiled, clasping her hands behind her back. It was common knowledge on the island that Haru was training with a sword to go and save Elie – but his training methods had been kept secret. "Today is such a nice day, and I know how hard you've been working, so," she said, grinning happily, "would you like to spend the rest of it with me?"

Haru felt his heart drop. It seemed like a lifetime ago that Elie had asked him if he would ever date Celia, and he told her that she was crazy. He had never, not once, shown any interest in Celia that way. Besides, he still loved Elie, even after all this time. "Er, thanks for the offer Celia, but I don't really have time to stop practicing. I only have a few more weeks, you know," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I know that, but can't you take off just a little bit of time? I didn't see you at school, and I was really looking forward to spending more time with you," she whined, crossing her arms against her chest. Haru was dimly aware of his hormones demanding that he take her offer, but he resisted.

He just couldn't do that to Elie, not after everything that had happened. "I really can't. Maybe another time," he said, turning in time to watch as Reina came rushing over. Haru left a dejected looking Celia behind, grabbing Raveld and meeting her halfway. "What's wrong?"

The woman looked more distressed than he had ever seen her. "Haru," she gasped, grabbing onto his arm to steady herself, "Elie's location. You need to know. Now," she gasped, glancing behind her. Haru gasped, and leaned in close to get the location, though he was pretty sure he knew what she'd say. "The main mountain, in the highest cave. Please, Haru," she begged, pulling away, "Save her. She doesn't deserve any of this. God, no."

Haru nodded, putting Raveld in its' sheath and setting off. "For you, for me, and for the whole world…I'll save her. I will finally save Elie!" he cried, breaking into a run. As he reached the entrance to the beach – having passed a very distressed Celia and ignoring her completely – he stoped dead. "G-guys?"

Let nodded, and Haru continued. "Let's go," he said, and Musica, Julia, Let, and Shuda followed him.

Elie…I'm coming!

~x~

Author's Note: Bahaha, another cliffhanger! I am SOOOO SORRY that this took so damn long! I was sort of on a mental block, BUT I GOT IT. Anyways, I'm thinking of only having about…three more chapters. (:
Thanks to everyone who's read all the chapters so far~~
Next chappie will be up by next Saturday. (:
So, does anyone here watch LOST? Ahhhh, best TV show in the history of TV shows. Just saying~