Chapter 27

Luke softly closed the door to the garden behind him, and leaned back against it. He was doing the right thing, wasn't he? It wasn't fair of him to ask Tear to get involved anymore, especially after his stupidity had almost gotten her killed, along with everyone else. Not to mention what he had probably put her through emotionally. Dammit! Luke pounded his fist against the door. If it was the right thing to do, why did he feel so awful?

Luke took a deep breath to calm himself down and made his way across the room. Regretting it now wouldn't serve any purpose, and he intended to make good on what he had said to Tear. He wasn't going to let anything happen to St. Binah, and accomplishing that depended on him working as fast as possible and catching up with Asch and everyone else.

Luke suddenly realized that he hadn't asked Asch what they were going to do next. Not that he had any concerns about being able to locate them. Even now with Asch sleeping; he could pick out the general direction in which his sibling could be found. The sensation wasn't entirely new to him, but at the same time, it sort of was. It amazed him just how much stronger their connection had become in the month since Choral Castle, and even in just the past couple days. That knowledge made him feel a lot better. Even though they were further apart, he still had Asch's support. Knowing that, facing the world became a little bit easier.

"Master!" Mieu hopped across the room as Luke approached.

"Hey Mieu," Luke replied, allowing the cheagle to take a spot on his shoulder. "You ready to go?"

"Go? Where are we going?" Mieu inquired as Luke gathered his sword and the few supplies that Asch had left for him. Yulia Road came up somewhere near Daath, if Luke recalled what Asch had said correctly. So the meagre supplies Asch had been able to spare should be more than enough to get him there, but he'd have to pick up some more if he planned to continue beyond that.

"We're going to go visit Teodoro." Luke answered as he took one last look around the room. The absence of his coat made him feel like something was missing so he checked extra carefully, but didn't find anything amiss. "Then," Luke continued as he began to make his way down the stairs, "We're going to go meet up with Asch and the others."

"But what about Tear? Isn't she coming?" Mieu's question caused Luke to stop in the middle of the steps.

"No." He replied as he gently set his hand down on the railing.

"How come?"

"Because she doesn't have any reason to come with us anymore… besides, this is her home, and she's been away for awhile. I'm sure she has lots of friends and people to catch up with." Luke continued down the stairs.

"Okay, mieuuu." The young cheagle's ears sagged.

"Don't worry; we'll still be meeting up with the others." Luke offered.

Luke opened the door and stepped out of Tear's house, hesitating as he closed it behind him. No, he wouldn't turn back. In spite of everything he would have to face, everything he would have to go through, he wouldn't put her through it. Not for the sake of his own selfishness. This really was goodbye.

"But Master, how do you know where they are?" Mieu asked, breaking Luke away from his thoughts as he closed the door. Luke smiled.

"That's a secret."

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Seeing Yulia City through his own eyes was amazing. He vaguely remembered his first impressions of the city, and realized just how skewed they had been by his unsound state of mind. Now it seemed so much more alive and alight with the Dawn Age technology from which it was built. Luke followed a path that should have been completely foreign to him as he made his way to the conference center.

It wasn't until he had arrived at the doors that Luke realized he had walked the entire way from memory, or rather from Asch's memory, while his mind contemplated other matters. But Luke shook off the rather dreary thoughts that had been occupying his attention, he had work to do.

The conference room was exactly as it had been when he had been here before, though Teodoro sat in a different seat, he was once again alone, this time reading from a book. He looked up when he heard the young noble enter.

"Hello." Luke stated as he made his way towards the mayor. Teodoro eyed him strangely for a moment.

"Ah, you must be the twin brother." He finally said.

"That's right, my name is Luke."

"It's good to see that you are well."

"Thank you." Luke hesitated a moment. "I'm sorry for what happened in Akzeriuth." He blurted out with a deep bow.

"Come, come now young man there is no need to be so upset. You did just as the Score foretold."

"Was Akzeriuth's destruction really in the Score?"

"It was. While it pained me to see the city fall, we dare not deviate from the Score, else we lose the prosperity that was promised to us." Teodoro replied.

"Does the Score speak of any other lands falling?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"I'm worried." Luke stated, "With Akzeriuth's Sephiroth gone, aren't the surrounding lands like St. Binah in danger as well?"

"There is no cause for such concerns. The Score doesn't foretell the fall of any more lands. St. Binah is still supported by the power of the other eight Sephiroth, so do not worry, the remaining Outer Lands are safe."

Luke thought on what Teodoro had said for a moment. From the sounds of things, maybe the God-Generals really did have something else in mind for St. Binah. Though that in itself was cause enough for concern, at the very least it didn't look like it was going to fall. But then just what was Master Van's purpose behind Akzeriuth's destruction?

'You hear that, Asch?' Luke prodded his sibling, but once again got no response. That was odd. Enough time had passed that he should be up by now. Luke shrugged it off, maybe Asch had taken the opportunity to get some extra rest. After all, he had been supporting Luke's own consciousness for the past few days, and though he certainly didn't say anything, it had probably worn him out. But Luke still couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right.

"Are you sure that the other passage rings will be safe?" Luke inquired.

"The passage rings are very heavily guarded by the Order, as well as by a protection put in place by Yulia herself." Teodoro replied.

"The Yulian seals?"

"That's correct… You're quite knowledgeable, not many people are privy to such knowledge." Teodoro eyed Luke suspiciously.

"It's something that Ion told me once." Luke lied. "But how are you so sure that they won't be broken? I mean the Albertesque seal has already fallen, right?"

"Don't worry so," Teodoro placed a comforting hand on Luke's shoulder. "The knowledge of how to open the Yulian seals was lost long ago. Irregardless of that, the Score does not foretell the fall of any more of the Outer Lands."

Luke let out a worried sigh. "May I use the Yulia Road? I'm sorry, but I just won't feel comfortable until I've checked it myself."

"Certainly," Teodoro replied, "go see with your own eyes that your fears are groundless."

"Thank you very much," Luke stated.

"The Yulia Road comes up in the Aramis Springs near Daath. But the springs themselves are quite treacherous, be careful along the way." Teodoro said to Luke who was making his way out.

Luke waved back. "Thanks, I will."

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Luke didn't quite know what to expect when he stepped onto the large glyph, but whatever he was expecting, the Yulia Road turned out to be completely different. He had only closed his eyes for a second as he stepped onto the glowing circle, but when he opened them again, he found himself standing in a small spring under the shade of a large tree. Luke was so surprised he fell over into the water, sending Mieu, who had been sitting on his shoulder, tumbling into a nearby bush.

"Sorry Mieu," Luke apologized as he sat up. "Hey… I'm not wet."

"Wow!" the young cheagle poked his head out of the bush. Luke stood up and stepped out of the spring; he was completely dry. Luke knelt down and ran his hand suspiciously through the water, but found it to be an otherwise normal spring. He stood up again and shook his hand dry.

"How does Yulia come up with this stuff?" He wondered aloud, as he went and helped Mieu out of the bush, and allowed the cheagle to take a spot on his head.

"It's amazing isn't it? Yulia must have been really smart!"

"She couldn't have been that bright, otherwise she could have just saved herself the trouble and had it come up on dry land." Luke commented. "But Yulia's intelligence aside, which way do you suppose we're headed?" It only took Luke a second to locate the direction Daath was in, assuming that's where Asch still was, but unfortunately that direction led him straight into a rock wall, so they would have to find another way.

"That way!" Mieu pointed towards the entrance to a cavern. It was as good a direction as any, so Luke started off that way. Once they were out of the springs they could finally head for Daath, and that couldn't come fast enough. Despite his fear of facing the others, Asch's continued state of unresponsiveness was starting to worry him. The sun was already overhead; he should have been up hours ago, and Luke doubted it was just the after effects of the strain they had put on their connection recently. The sooner they got to Daath, the better.

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Aramis springs proved to be a veritable maze of connecting caverns that wound through the mountains. Just as Teodoro had warned, the path was treacherous and there were several places Luke had to pay careful attention to his footing. The sheer number of springs and streams kept the rocks wet, making them slippery, a problem only compounded by the moss that grew in abundance in the dim caverns.

Luke passed the time by talking with Mieu and he was surprised by how interesting of a conversation he could have with the young cheagle. Though Mieu shared some rather unique views on the various topics they had covered, it was interesting to see how the little creature saw the world and its problems.

"Are you cold, Master?" Mieu inquired when Luke let out an involuntary shudder.

"A little," Luke said with a soft chuckle. It wasn't so bad out in the sun, but it was pretty cool in the caves where the water quickly swept away the heat that managed to penetrate this deep.

"Asch got rid of your old coat." Mieu provided.

"That's okay, I can just imagine the shape it was in." Luke chuckled to himself, "I can pick up another one the next time we're in Baticul."

"But-" Mieu's sentence was cut off by the rumble that came from the cheagle's belly. Luke laughed.

"You hungry?"

"Just a little," Mieu admitted. Luke vaguely wondered when the last time the little creature had eaten was. The grasses it was so fond of didn't exactly grow in abundance in the Qliphoth. "Maybe Guy will make that really yummy supper for us when we find him!" Mieu added. Luke grew quiet.

"You'll have to ask him when we see him." Luke replied softly.

That's right… Guy wasn't going to be there when they met up with everyone. Luke and Mieu continued in silence. The fight between Guy and Asch had been intense, and Luke still couldn't get over how strongly they hated each other. It left him to wonder how many of these fights had gone on behind his back over the years. But then when he was around, they never showed any signs of it at all. Just how much resentment had they buried away for his sake? Still…Luke wondered where his best friend might have gone. Somewhere I'm wanted.

He wouldn't have gone to Master Van would he? But then that was always a possibility wasn't it? Even though Asch would never say it, he certainly thought it, and suspected Guy all the more because of it. He had been Master Van's ally in helping kidnap Asch, who was to say they weren't still working together now? Luke didn't like that thought; he didn't want to think that Guy would want to have anything to do with whatever Master Van was planning, but even as he searched through his own memories, he realized just how often he had come across Guy and Master Van talking before his lessons. But Guy wasn't like that… was he?

Somewhere I'm wanted.

"Master watch out!"

The rock under Luke's foot gave way and in spite of Luke's last minute attempt to maintain his balance, he found himself falling towards the pool of water below.

"Easy there." Luke opened his eyes at the sound of the familiar voice.

"Guy!" Luke exclaimed in surprise as the blonde helped him climb back up onto the path.

"Hey there Luke. You should watch where you're stepping, these paths are pretty nasty."

"What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't find anywhere else I belonged." Guy mumbled to himself.

"What was that?"

"Nothing important." Guy shook his head, "So, how are you feeling?"

"Much better thanks. But what are you doing all the way out here? I mean, how did you even know to come here?"

"Ouch. I come all the way out here to get you and that's the thanks I get?"

"I'm sorry. I just thought…" Guy gave him a pointed look, "No never mind. Thanks Guy."

"I'm sorry I didn't wait for you in Yulia City, I….no you know what, that's not important." Guy cut off his own thought leaving Luke curious as to what he had been about to say. He had a sneaking suspicion that it had to do with Asch. "So where are you headed?" Guy tried instead.

"Well I was going to start by finding a way out of here." Luke commented, unsure if he was ready to divulge the details of his plans just yet. He knew Asch had told him not to distrust Guy but…

"Would you mind if I joined you?" Guy asked with a chuckle.

"Of course we wouldn't mind!" Mieu piped up.

"Yeah," Luke added, "you came all the way out here for me after all."

"Sounds good to me. We're about halfway in or so, so there's still a bit of a trek before we get out." Guy commented, "You want to stop for a break before we keep going?"

"No, we should get out of here as soon as we can." Guy eyed Luke, surprised at his motivation, but decided not to inquire as to the cause.

"Alright then, let's head off."

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"Say, Luke?" Guy spoke up after having travelled in silence for awhile.

"Yeah, what is it Guy?"

"I'm sorry for all that stuff I said back on the Tartarus."

"Oh… that. It's okay, I kind of deserved it." Luke replied.

"No, it's not okay," Guy protested. "Yeah, what you did was terrible, I won't deny that, but I still shouldn't have been so harsh with you. I mean, you're only seven years old. It's inevitable that you're going to make some mistakes along the way… but… I forgot that… I'm sorry." Guy finished with a deep bow.

"No, really Guy, it's okay." Luke smiled. He really was the same Guy. In spite of everything Luke had learnt about him recently, the darker sides of him that Luke had never seen before, he was still the kind-hearted person that had become his best friend, and Luke would have faith in him, if no one else would. "But there is something you could do for me." Luke added after a moment's thought.

"Anything." Guy replied, his seriousness causing Luke to laugh out loud.

"Could you fill me in on what everyone's been up to while I was out?"

Guy spent the next leg of their journey describing to Luke everything that had happened since Yulia City. While Luke already knew what had happened, having Guy tell him gave him something to fall back on in case he accidentally slipped and said something he otherwise shouldn't have known. Now all he needed to do was steal some time alone with Asch and he would have everything he'd learnt over the past couple days covered. Wait... Asch…Luke suddenly noticed how Guy had conveniently left out the parts where he and Asch had gotten into fights. Actually… come to think of it, he had yet to mention Asch at all.We, Jade, Natalia, Anise, Ion …but never Asch. Why was that?

"Hey Guy?" Luke interrupted once Guy had finished describing their encounter with Spinoza.

"What is it, Luke?"

"What's Asch been doing?"

"...He was with us." Guy answered after a moment of awkward silence. What was up? The way Guy said it… you'd think Guy was scarred he would be offended or something. Wait… that's what this was about! Guy didn't realize that he and Asch were on perfectly good terms with each other; after all, he thought that the last thing that had happened between them was their little…scuffle. No wonder he was walking on eggshells as far as Asch was concerned.

"Look…" Guy broke the tense silence, "I honestly don't know what the hell Asch thought he was doing but-"

Luke cut him off by shaking his head. "No it's okay Guy. I think I know why he did what he did, and it's alright."

"It's a good thing you do, because no one else can make heads or tails of him," Guy said with a sigh. "I'll never understand the two of you."

Luke just grinned, "So what did you guys do after you talked to Spinoza?" This was the part Luke really wanted to hear.

"There's actually not much else to tell. After that I left, so I don't know what they ended up doing." Guy replied.

"Why did you leave?"

"I was worried about you." Guy provided.

"You're lying." Luke shot back, looking Guy straight in the eye. Normally he wouldn't push the issue, but he wanted to hear Guy's side of the story. He knew Asch's side, and he understood why Asch's distrust was so harsh, but if he had noticed anything from that encounter, it was that Guy's hatred went almost as deep. Why?

"Why would you say that?" Guy laughed nervously.

"Because you won't look at me when you say it." Luke replied, but stopped prodding, instead continuing down the path. It seemed like there were still things Guy didn't trust him with either.

Guy followed, but the two of them continued in silence. It wasn't much longer before they finally reached the exit. It took them both a moment for their eyes to adjust to the sudden burst of sunlight, but when they did, they noticed a very familiar blue figure approaching them.

"Jade?" Guy walked up to the Colonel. Luke on the other hand froze to the spot, his heart sinking as he noticed that Jade was alone.

'Asch? Asch! Asch if you can hear me, answer me!' But still, Luke got no response. Now he knew something was wrong.

"My my," Jade pushed his glasses back up his nose, "I must say, when Asch told me to come here, you were the last people I was expecting to find."

"Jade! Where are Asch and the others?" Luke asked.

"Oh? And how do you know that I was with them?" Jade eyed Luke suspiciously.

"You were together when you left Belkend, if you aren't with them now, you should still know where they are or where they were headed." Guy provided.

"Our young heir has been taken prisoner along with his princess and the Fon Master in Daath. I came in search of reinforcements, but I must say, this isn't what I was expecting." He added with a glance in Luke's direction.

"They took Asch, Natalia and Ion prisoner? Are they still trying to start a war?" Luke fought against his growing anger. No wonder he couldn't get in touch with Asch, he was probably unconscious in a cell somewhere.

"Now he's perceptive." Jade shot. Luke walked up to the Malkuth Colonel and looked straight into his piercing red eyes.

"I know you probably don't want to have anything to do with me, and rightfully so." Luke stated. "You have no reason to trust me or to want to help me, so this may be presumptuous of me, but I'm going to ask for your help in rescuing my brother. We can't do it alone. If you want, after this, I'll leave and never bother you again." Luke finished.

Jade's own discriminating gaze never left the younger sibling but Luke didn't shy away. Interesting that. "I'll help," Jade finally said with a shrug. "A war would be terribly inconvenient."

Luke smiled at Jade's words. Now they could go save Asch and Ion; and Natalia too of course. Luke gave Jade a grateful look. Was that a glimmer in his eyes? But Jade looked away too quickly for him to be sure. Luke let out an involuntary shudder. Nothing good could possibly come from a glimmer in Jade's eyes, and Luke couldn't help but wonder what the devious Colonel had in mind for him.

"Okay then, let's head for Daath!" Luke said as he started down the road.

"Hey Luke!" Guy called after him.

"What is it?" Luke stopped and turned around.

"Do you even know where Daath is?"

Crap, Luke had jumped the gun without even thinking. The faint sensation he got from Asch aside, he recognized the area from when they had passed through before, in the distance he could even see the valley where the bandits had attacked them. "It's this way right?" Luke pointed down the road in the direction he was heading.

"Yeah that's right, but how did you know?"

"Well I just figured you guys would stop me if I was heading the wrong way." Luke shrugged.

"Your dependence on others to correct you is exactly why you make mistakes." Jade pointed out. Luke shrunk back, he knew exactly what Jade meant by mistakes.

"I'm sorry." Luke said quietly, "You're right."

"No point in dwelling on the past now," Jade began down the road, "we've a future to worry about after all."

"Jade's right," Guy added. "We just have to do everything we can for now."

Just do whatever you can do, even if it's just a little.

"Yeah," Luke replied, "let's go."