A/N: Before I go on to the actual author's note, I would just like to give a shout to one of my reviewers, MyMoonMaiden. I read Carry Me Away, and decided to name Aura's mother after Dahlia; I hope you don't mind!

Besides that, has been my favorite chapter to write so far, hands down. The more and more I write this, the more and more I'm falling in love with the characters again. Plus, it's really fun to write about Aura; her and I are complete opposites, and writing about a child so fierce and brave is really, really fun! And Ken is just so damn cute, it's hard not to smile. Anyway, I hope you like this one!

The Past Unforgotten

•THREE•

Say It with Your Chest

•

He knew by the way his father was silently, steadily driving that he was excited. The man rarely was, but had been more than willing to drive the half an hour out of their small town to reach Aura's farmhouse. His mother, Sarah, had been chattering in her lively tone of voice for the entire car ride, her hands tightly holding onto the cobbler-filled dish on her lap. Ken sat in the back, his eyes anxiously scanning over the countryside as all traces of civilization were lost. She had said that their house was surrounded by a forest, and the idea of a bear popping out and eating them while they were trying to have dinner seemed all to realistic to the young boy at the time.

In his own hands, he held a present, too; a tall, vibrant orchid- he knew that those were her and her mother's favorite, so he had insisted on bringing one as a gift. Besides, he had heard her mother, Dahlia, had flowers planted in the front and backyard of the house, so he knew that the plant wouldn't have that hard of a time finding a home.

Within the blink of an eye, he saw the looming white farmhouse come into view. His stomach contracted nervously as he saw a woman sitting cross-legged in rocking chair on the porch- he knew that must have been her mother, despite the curly brown hair that was gently getting picked up by the subtle winds. His father pulled into the dirt driveway that led to the house, and he saw her mother instantly look up at the intruding vehicle. As they got closer to the porch, he saw that she was smiling- an identical smile to her daughter's, and she even had the one matching dimple on her right cheek. The woman gently place her book down beside her before walking down the steps of the porch, just as his father halted the car and opened the driver's door.

Ken was a little more than surprised when he first met Dahlia; her and Aura looked exactly alike, despite the reddish brown, curly mane that her mother kept loose and free flowing. Even more shocking, especially in such a small town like this, was the fact she had beautifully ornate tattoos decorating both of her long, slender arms. His father, Charles, had several tattoos of his own, so it wasn't anything that bothered the newly turned seven year old. No, it wasn't that at all- her mother was such a delicate, bird-boned lady; that wasn't something that usually went along with tattoos, he had thought.

"Hello, ma'am; It's nice to finally meet you." Said his father, shaking her hand rather roughly as he introduced himself. She merely smiled and nodded before just as roughly returning the gesture, much to his father's visible surprise.

"It's lovely to finally meet all three of you." She said, in an airy, English accented voice. He remembered something Aura had said to him on the last day of school yesterday, before she had boarded her bus home; she had mentioned her mother was from England, and her parents had met while her father was stationed in London. Dahlia kindly talked with his mother as he stood there in his father's shadow, the bulky man completely masking his son as he stood behind him.

"You must be Ken." He hadn't noticed the woman bypass his father until she had crouched down before him so she was at eye-level, her blue, almond shaped eyes glistening in the sunlight. Her smile was so sincere and unwavering, just like Aura's. She reached her slender fingers out and wrapped them around the potted plant before setting it down at her side, her smile growing even wider as she smelled the pink flower. She held out her right hand for him to shake, causing a light pink blush to spread over his cheeks. He complied, enjoying the sound of her laughter as he shook her hand as vigorously as he could.

"Hey- why don't you go find Aura for me? She's in the backyard, I believe." He nodded swiftly before trotting towards the white, picketed gate that separated the front of the house from the back. Peeking over the freshly painted structure, he realized she hadn't been lying when she said there were flowers everywhere- hell, it wouldn't have been that much of an exaggeration if she were to say it looked like the Secret Garden, it was so lush with plant life. He unlatched the fence with clumsy hands and stepped past the threshold, the crisp summer air refreshing against his bare arms.

Kentin smiled. He remembered where she was clearly- she sat in the innermost center of the yard, her lavender sundress spanned out nearly a foot and a half around her. From where he stood, he couldn't tell what exactly the girl was doing until she tilted her head over her shoulder, looking at Kentin under the shadow of her floppy sunhat. In her hands was a small, baby rabbit, that hopped out of her grasp at the sound of Ken's feet brushing over the tall grass.

"Hey, Ken." Aura said, scowling at the small rabbit as it hopped into the forest in front of her. "It wasn't like I was going to eat you, y'know!" She called after the small creature, pouting as she remained seated on the ground.

"I… I brought a present for you and your mom." Her head snapped up in surprise, a smile spreading over her cheeks before she stood.

"…Is it a flower?" He gulped, his stomach turning into knots as his palms became even sweatier than they already were. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted. "I hope it is, because there's this spot near the porch that doesn't have anything planted in it. It's a disgrace." He felt himself smile, despite the nervous perspiration that was forming on his brow bone. It wasn't even all that hot out; it almost felt like spring, the air was so cool and calming. Like usual, she didn't seem to take notice to his excitable behavior, and took a few steps closer to him until they were mere inches apart.

Kentin would never readily admit this to her, but this was one of the frequent occasions where she almost made him faint.

"Hey, you wanna play a game? I usually play with my mom, but since you're here, we can play Military together." She said, her eyes alight with joyous excitement. "Last week, The Unicorns of Ponyvile waged war on us," In a split second, her features grew grim, the smile leaving her childish exterior. "…We fought without mercy," She leaned into the boy to where their noses were nearly touching, his face heating up to an imaginably high temperature. "There were no survivors." Sometimes, Aura nearly made him pee his pants.

"Um… s-sure! How do you play?" He asked, fallowing her to a small clearing near the edge of the fence. She whirled around on her bare feet, the lengthy sundress flowing in rhythm with her movements. In the small place that was scattered with toys, he saw a blackened, decapitated corpse of what used to be a pony doll. He was beginning to wonder where she got her insanity from, but really didn't want to ask.

"Well, I'm General, you're my army, and we come in and annihilate everything. Absolutely no one left alive." She said, gently tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, her features the picture of innocence.

"Well… my dad used to be a General. Can I play General?" Her small lips parted a fraction as her brows nearly receded into her hairline. Putting a fist on either one of her hips, she gave him the face. The "Are-You-Fucking-Shitting-Me" face.

"Ken, you can't be General! You aren't assertive enough." He remembered dropping his head in defeat, a frown engraving itself onto his mouth. Ok, yeah, it was kinda true, but the truth does hurt, y'know. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his eyes to meet hers, and was surprised to see her look… guilty. Aura could run over someone's baby with her tricycle on purpose and still not be guilty.

"Ken-"

"How do I be assertive, then?" With his hands in tight knots at his side, he kept steady eye contact with the slightly taller blonde. Even now, as he pondered over his childhood, Kentin still had no idea where that spurt of bravery came from. Admittedly, he was probably five seconds away from going numbers one and two in his cargo shorts, but, I digress.

The lone, deeply set dimple appeared on her cheek as she smiled. With her hands behind her back, her posture at a perfect angle, she walked towards him with unyieldingly deliberate steps. His feet nearly buckled out from under him when she got directly into his personal space, the grin replaced by a firm line. However, the amusement never left her eyes.

"Attention!" She said, in a voice so clear, loud and precise it didn't sound like it should belong to her. Without question, Ken got into his designated position, his back held so gaunt and stiff it was almost painful. Without letting another second pass, she turned on her heels and began examining his posture, the way his hands were positioned, and making sure his heels were pressed together firmly, the tips of his feet exactly thirty degrees apart.

Once she had walked back around to face him, the smile still hadn't returned. Ken felt a bead of sweat drip down his chin and onto his shirt, his clenched fists so damp with anxiety he thought he was close to passing out. "Now, say it with your chest!" She barked, both of her shoulders pointed firmly, demanding respect.

His stance faltered, his feet taking one, involuntary step back. "W-what do you mean?" For a second, the rough disposition faded, a contemplative finger resting on her chin.

"Well," She said, "You have to stick your chest out like this," Once again, she held her hands behind her back, her posture a rigid, perfect line. "And… be assertive. Like what I just did. Y'know, let them know you're in charge with a single sentence. Making people pee their pants at the mention of your name. Make your enemies so scared, they dig their graves themselves, just so they don't have to suffer a death at your hands." Ken was positive that that totally was not what assertive meant, but he got the picture. Gulping the knot of fear that had solidified in his throat, he stood up straight again.

"So… I can yell at you without you getting mad at me?" He asked, his voice timid and small. She smiled that reassuring smile of hers, her eyes bright and secure.

"It's not yelling when you're a General."

With a deep, shaky breath, Ken did as he was told; pointing his chest outwards, he held his shoulders high and prideful, despite the desperate need to slump and shy away clenching at his heart. Letting out a long, drawn out breath, he locked eyes with Aura, her blue orbs excited and expectant.

"Hey, kids- dinners ready!" The two of them jumped slightly at the sound of Dahlia's voice, the woman standing at the entrance to the back door. Ken's shoulders slouched in defeat, his steps soundless as he began walking to the door. He practically jumped out of his skin when he felt Aura's small, warm hand enclose over his elbow, her skin smooth to the touch.

"It's ok, Ken. You can be the General from now on. How about… General Cookie Monster?" His face immediately brightened at the sound of her chipper, sweet voice. She looked at him with kind, soft eyes, her words nothing but sincere. Like he did at every kindness she granted him, his cheeks became alive with warmth.

"I like it." Even of the nickname was anything but manly; it still filled his gut with butterflies. "You can be…Lieutenant General Butterfly…of Death."

She grinned without another word, taking his hand in her own as she lead him to the kitchen. As their parents talked and laughed, he was more than flattered to see his orchid proudly displayed in the center of the dining room table.

A/N: lol. I think this one was super cute, and I can't wait to get the next one edited so I can post it. Next chapter, we get to meet Agatha (you know, the fairy lady that gives you random shit throughout the game), and she takes Ken and Aura to the park in Sweet Amoris to play! I'm not going to give too much away, but, it does involve some of the plot from an episode; you just have to guess which one! I hope you have a lovely week, and I shall see you all later!... Or, I won't exactly see you, but you get what I'm sayin, I'm sure.