1 year Anniversary for this story. Thank You everyone who has reviewed, favorited, alerted, or read this story and thank you for a great year!

AN: Once again sorry this is so late. Job hunting. Plus got several new games. Ni No Kuni. Awesome game! Devil Survivor 1 & 2 also very fun games. Among a few others. Anyway here's the next chapter. Am working on the next one right now. Hopefully it will be up soon. I know this chapter is short but the next one will be longer and should have some action. Anyway please tell me what you think ;)

Review Thanks!

ben4kevin: Thank you! There should be more Noel and Hope in the world.

Lazy Gaga: Thanks! I have a lot planned for this story.

rebirth-flame: Noel worrying over Hope is cute. Glad you like the POV switches. Sorry for the long waits sometimes. I promise that I will finish this story it just might take me a while.

xXAngelWithDragonWingsXx: Thank you ;) You made me worried at first there.

JesskaEspy: Guess he is OOC but he is 5 years older plus now he is in love with Hope! Thanks for reading even with my version of Noel.

Chapter 23: Discussions

"So what do you think?" Dajh asked as he sat on the couch next to Bastian. He was slightly worried that the boy was so pale but didn't comment on it. The only person that Bastian let worry over him without putting up a fuss was his brother.

"I don't like Noel," Zar grumbled as he banged around in the kitchen.

"You just don't like him because he didn't remember our names," Bastian said with a frown.

"It's more to it than that," Zar countered as he began to mix spoonfuls of sugar into an already sweet drink. The amount of sugar made Dajh shudder. For some reason when Bastian used his 'gifts' one of the only things that seemed to perk him up was extremely sweet things.

"Such as?" Dajh asked curiously. All three of them were sensitive to time but the twins even more so.

"There's something off about Noel," Bastian said as he nervously looked down at his hands. "Can't you feel it?"

"A little bit but I don't think it's a reason not to like him," Dajh told them. He could feel something different about Noel so he was sure that the twins definitely could.

"Think about it though," Zar said as he handed Bastian his drink before joining them on the couch. "How much do we really know about the guy? Mom's the only one that really knew him."

"You're right but…" Bastian as took a big sip of his drink, "besides all of that I don't think he's a bad guy. Anyone that cares that much about someone else can't be."

"They really do care for each other," Dajh agreed with a sigh envious.

"You're not jealous, are you?" Zar asked a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Of course not," Dajh said as he shook his head; at least not in the way that Zar meant. "It's just weird. I mean he was older than me and now he just seems so…young. Too young to be so sad." It upset him to see his friend looked so surprised to find out he was missed. It made his guilt grow for leaving him all of those years ago.

"You worry too much," Bastian chastised.

"Bastian's right," Zar said.

Dajh shrugged. He had, in his opinion, already let down several people in his life. Hope he had already let down once. He wasn't about to do it again. Dajh frowned. In some ways the boys were very old and in others they were very young. He didn't think they understood what they were truly going to face.

It was dusk when Noel and a very quiet Hope left their bedroom to join the others. He had asked Hope right before they left their room what he had seen in his vision but his boyfriend still refused to talk about it. Noel then knew whatever he had seen must have been pretty bad.

"Hi," Bastian said giving them a bright smile. "Are you feeling better Hope?"

"Yes, thank you," Hope said. Noel didn't believe him for a moment. He happened to look at Dajh and he could tell that the other man didn't believe it either.

"Good because we have a lot of things to discuss," Zar said with a cheeky grin.

Noel wanted to protest as he didn't like how quiet and pale Hope still was but his boyfriend was already nodding in agreement. Noel gave in with a sigh as he led Hope over to the couch and pulled the smaller man down next to him. The other three sat down in the vacated chairs.

"Your and your brother's magic is different, isn't it?" Hope asked as he looked at Bastian. The boy looked uncomfortable but nodded.

"They are the children of two ex-l'cie, one twice over, who could time travel," Dajh said. "I take it that your magic is also different." Hope nodded.

"My magic has always been different I just never realized it," Hope said quietly. "Did you see what I saw?" he asked as he looked over at Bastian who, Noel noticed, still looked uncomfortable.

"No but that thing," Bastian said with a shudder. "It was trying to and I heard what it said to you."

"What do you mean it was trying to see what Hope saw?" Noel asked as he looked from Hope to Bastian back to Hope again. "Hope," he pressed when he didn't get an answer. Hope looked torn before he let out a long exhausted sigh.

"The Shadow…it….it can hijack my visions," Hope said quietly.

"What!" Noel shouted his heart clenching in fear. Just the idea of that thing going after Hope again and once again not being able to help made him feel sick. He hated that he couldn't protect the person that meant the most to him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because there was nothing you could have done about it and you already worry so much…" Hope said his voice trailing off.

"Idiot," Noel chastised and then kissed Hope on his forehead. "You still should have told me."

"I was able to fight it this time at least for a bit and Bastian was able to block the Shadow entirely," Hope explained.

"Well if your magic helps Hope it will come in very handy," Noel said as he gave the boy a smile. The boy in turn blushed scarlet in embarrassment and mumbled something that sounded like a thank you. Dajh then cleared his throat drawing attention to himself.

"Just what is it that Hope sees?" Dajh asked.

"Usually things that we need to do or things that might happen," Hope answered.

"And what did you see this time?" Noel asked again.

Hope looked stricken but began to say what he saw. By the end of it Hope was shaking and was near tears. And even with how upset Hope was Noel could tell that his boyfriend was still holding something back.

"Here," Zar said as he handed over a steaming mug. Noel glanced at it and saw a syrupy liquid. "Bastian always feels better when he drinks something sweet."

"Thank you," Hope said as he gave the boy a polite smile as he took it. Noel swore that the boy blushed before going back to his seat.

"So Alyssa is at the center of it. If we defeat her it will end," Dajh said looking contemplative.

"It is more complicated than that," Noel said as he then began to explain everything they had gone through with Alyssa so far; Hope adding in what he knew about her as well. By the end of his explanation all three of their guests looked grim.

"How do we fight something like that?" Bastian asked.

"We just do. If we don't even try then it really be the end of everything as we know it," Hope told them his voice sounding ominous.