Disclaimer: I don't own half of the things in this. I only own plot, and like one character...pity me.

WELL I'M BACK DID YOU MISS ME~ AFTER THE WAIT, I SHOULD RETURN TO PSEUDO-REGULAR-UPDATES (WELL AFTER DEM A-LEVELS CAUSE DEY ARE 2 IMPORTANT XD). But after the whole hacking thing, I've got my bearings and I'm going to throw plot, drama, character development, history AND death. Hope you enjoy~

Welp, here it is, hope you enjoy :D

"Zimi! Get back here, like, right now, or so help me I'll…"

Carbuncle couldn't finish, a scythe firmly planted into his stomach. He was skewered; the stygian blade impaled his stomach, a familiar, stark fear-fear-fear oozing from behind him. Styles, the crazy demon fear-fear-fear man (or demon or saint or sinner, whatever he identified as), must have sneaked up on him whilst he was looking for Zimi.

Carbuncle was frozen, eyes wide in ample disbelief, unable to think clearly through the haze of pain.

Barely discernible from the agony was an almost bored 'hmph', before the pain caught up to his mind.

And it hurt. It hurt-hurt-hurt-hurt-hurt.

The blade was removed with a sickening schlunk, his twitching body falling to the floor now that his support was gone.

He would do anything, anything, to get rid of this pain, this overwhelming pain. He would give away his surprisingly large store of gems, murder millions, hell he would even confess his undying love to people like Cobra or Angel to get the pain to stop.

Carbuncle wasn't a super hero.

He wasn't anyone who had the mental fortitude to withstand the fires of Hell itself. He was just a simple, boring (how he loathed the truth) teenager who had a freakish amount of issues, and the emotional depth of a tea-spoon.

Face-down on the ground, he wondered if this was how he would die. This wasn't how he wanted to go down, stabbed in the gut, and in the middle of nowhere. Carbuncle wanted to go down in a way that was, he didn't know, flashy or something. Like at the end of a great adventure, in a battle that was rife with boom and pow and…

Okay, now he was being stupid. Is this what almost-dead people do? Ramble? He was better than some cliche.

Grunting in a manner he found far too undignified for him (but, let's be honest, bleeding on the floor is an unusual circumstance, so he'll let himself off this time), Carbuncle tried to move his arms.

Keyword being tried.

The agent felt like crying. They were unresponsive, unmovable, leaving him face-down on the cold hard ground without any way to move himself. Unless, of course, he was lucky enough to be found.

Which was, let's just say, entirely unlikely. But there was still that small chance, so he wasn't out just yet.

One would really expect to feel angry, or depressed, or scared that they were in a potentially life threatening position. But he didn't feel anything in particular. He just felt numb, and cold, and slightly-but-not-really-angry, but that was it. No overwhelming rage, or overpowering fear, only a sort of numb acceptance that he didn't know if he should be angry or sad about it. Though in saying that, how exactly would his body be found?

Would it be by an elderly (tired yet energetic in a way that was far below his years) man who had nothing more to do with his time but walk this path, caught up in nostalgia – memories of what was or what wasn't? The agent could see it now (no not it, him his mind said, as politically correct as always – he simply ignored it) average height, salt-and-pepper hair, walking down this pathway like he'd done so many time before.

The man would blink when he saw his body, and think 'blimey, what is that mess' before shrugging and walking past him. He'd think that he was some drug-addict or gang-member (maybe even a part of the Crimson Nail – he nearly laughed aloud at the irony) that was left for dead or something. He wouldn't even be set off by the blood, as that would just have evaporated (or was it condensation – no it was definitely evaporation) into the air.

"N-Nii-san?"

Opening his closed eyes, he came face-to-face with a far-too-concerned Zimi. She seemed to be in shock - he had to take a picture of that, this was the first time in their admittedly short acquaintance-friendship that he had seen her so scared before – and was staring at him like she had seen a ghost. Or, if he was being funny, a near-dead ghost. Smiling- although it came out more like a grimace than anything- at the child, he tried to say something, anything.

But nothing.

A big

fat

nothing.

"U-umm, don't speak – I know what to do." She was fretting, repeating the phrase like a mantra, as she kneeled towards him. "I-I just have to…" Zimi trailed off, uncertain, staring at the downed boy with an expression that was indiscernible, "have to…" Taking a deep breathe, she was focussing, still staring at him. Carbuncle felt off put, unnerved by the stare. It didn't take a genius to know that he was dying, and he at least wanted to die in a way that best fit him.

"Don't bother." He croaked out. He could feel it coming, and no amount of help will, well, help him now. He just hoped it wouldn't be a sad death – they were always the worst. "Nothing, you do now c-can change that." Hiccupping slightly, there was little more for him to say. There was no need for any 'goodbyes', or 'farewells', or anything of the sort.

It was sad, but he was ready to die.

And at least he gets to say 'I told you so' to Celeste – he had signed his death warrant anymore. Him and Siegrain. No promotion was worth this.

"Don't speak,"

Carbuncle had to commend her for keeping her voice straight.

"Conserve your energy, or-or something…" The time-old cliché seemed ridiculous now, and both Carbuncle and Zimi knew that. All they could do was sit there and wait for that moment, and they both knew it.

"Cobrancle isn't a thing." He tried to lighten the mood, receiving a teary smile and a sniff in response. Seeing someone else about to cry was making him tear up to.

"It so totes is. Don't lie, I so know what I saw," She was sniffing now, and he could feel his own throat closing up now. "You-you are so in a r-relationship," Her voice cracked at the end, trying to laugh but failing. "Don't deny it."

"Guess like I can't…" It was getting dark now, and he could barely keep his eyes open. He just wanted to sleep. Sleep the day-night away, and maybe he'll wake up feeling better?

Yes, sleep seemed like a good idea.

Zimi didn't know what to do.

She couldn't stop the tears, unable to place the blame anywhere but on herself. She felt like screaming, crying and raging and breaking, but that wouldn't change anything. That wouldn't stop the blood leaking, the pain on his face, or the fact that he was…he was…dead. It wouldn't change anything, so she would do what he would do, were he alive now. She will stand up, and she will find whoever did this.

And when she did, she will make him or her feel what she was feeling now.

It was strange to her, this feeling, and she didn't like it. It was also strange why she was getting so wound up over someone she didn't really know. They had only met recently, and they haven't really talked together about much of anything. But maybe that was why it was so sad, all of the 'what could have beens', and how they will never come to be.

Blinking the tears away, refusing to show them until she found what happened, she made a promise to herself. She'll only cry when she sees him again, and until then they'll be locked away, the key thrown into some deep abyss that only she knows about. Wiping her red eyes, she stood, and gripped the agent's limp body. Zimi would have to drag his body away, keep it hidden from anyone, and make sure it was safe.

It was the least that she could do for her nii-san.

Zimi made sure that the boy was propped up against a ruin, before she let herself cry. This would be the last time she cried, away from anyone, until she completed her own mission. She would miss him - that was a certainty. All the adventures they could have had, all the people they could have met, all the times that they could have been happy. Even the times that he shipped those Yaoi ships that made him sigh in exasperation.

The Copy Mage would miss those times, those halcyon days, and would fight to return to them.

She really didn't care about the blood that was covering her, letting a familiar sensation fill her.

Hugging him one last time, she let her magic run free, the tempest trying it's best to mimic the diamond softness that diamond the other mage's magic, and felt it replace the previously mimicked Jayne's. The burning star was replaced by the crystalline familiarity, and the young girl knew. She knew that, in honour of the dead, he would master this magic even if it wasn't her own.

In honour of the brother that she never had the chance to know.

"Aquamarine Armour," The foreign-familiar feeling of a magic that wasn't quite hers surrounded her, leaving behind a trail of dark-blue. It may seem to be brittle, but she sure it would do the job – it had never failed Carbuncle before, so it wouldn't fail her. Resolute in her decision, she took small, baby steps away from the body, fists clenched.

Actually…I really should.

"Aquamarine Shell," The magic circle glinted into existence, showering cobalt dust onto Carbuncle's resting place, building and building an elaborate crystal shell over it. She needed to keep it safe for when the team sorts out the funeral.

"I'm sorry…"

Who said that?

Tense, she looked around. There was nobody around, no-one in the shadows of the buildings, no-one on the path-way and there was certainly no-one above them. Ready to just play it off as an overactive imagination, she was about to relax but was unable to. It was just a bit too strange for her to just imagine someone saying 'sorry', and it was this uncertainty that saved her life.

Otherwise, she may not have been able to evade the ray of stardust that struck where she was just standing.

Landing squarely on her feet, thanks partly to the new spell she was donning, Zimi was staring into the face of someone she was sure she's heard about.

Zimi was sure that she heard about this woman from Eevee, after their last talk with each-other on the Lacrima. The description she gave fit the bill, even if it was a vague bill - the message simply said 'like me, but taller' - and as the azure-headed girl stood her ground, she remembered who this woman was. Slightly taller than Eevee herself, the girl could be none other than Jessica, the woman who Eevee and Arrow met on their misadventure.

They should be here soon. I want them here soon… Feeling her eyes tearing up, she stared into honey-coloured eyes.

Eyes that held unimaginable sorrow.

Why she was so sad was beyond her. But she couldn't help but not care, looking at her as the woman that just attacked her.

"Please don't make this harder than it has to be…" The brunette said, for she sure as hell didn't put any emotion into it. To Zimi, it felt that the other woman was numb, empty.

"Why don't you just leave. That way I don't have to maul you." Irate, she found the suggestion ridiculous. She had found her resolve, and she sure as Carbuncle won't give it up here.

If he wouldn't, then she most certainly wouldn't.

"That I won't try and convince you then. I knew it was a fool's folly anyway, after what he did." Gesturing to the cobalt shell behind the child, she sighed tiredly, before a small smile broke out across her face. "Then show me. Show me the power born from your friends, your nakama." The stardust built up once more, a pale luminescence glittering into existence, coating her hands in deceptive wrath.

"I'll show you all right." And Zimi meant it.

She fired.

Zimi flipped, her natural dexterity shining through, dodging the wave. It flew past where she once was, cleanly missing her, sending up a cloud of dust as it hit the ground. Landing squarely, she had to duck down low to avoid the next blow.

Jessica was relentless, and she needed to find an opening. Fast. The waves were approaching fast, and it took all of her enhanced agility just to avoid them.

If only I can get up close and personal. Zimi had no long range attacks to fight back with. On deletion of Jayne's magic, her own completely forgot how to use it, so she was left with only her own, and Carbuncle's knowledge of range attacks.

Leaving her at a disadvantage, as he didn't know any.

The fusillade of colours continued, the colours of the stars raining down on her as she tried to get away. Small craters spawned where the comets crashed, leaving the already run-down road spattered with pot-holes.

The old man would have it hard… The dam nearly broke, her vision turning cloudy from the tears building up. Fragments of memories of the original owner of the magic bleeding through into her own mind. The copied magic carries an imprint of whomever it came from, and their state when she copied it.

He must have been going delusional, before he died.

Old man, huh? Rueful, the Copy-turned-Crystal mage was left in an almost detached state. It triggered something in her that made her think of her own parents. Would they punish her, or leave her be?

Not that it mattered in the long run, the next time she will see them will be in a while.

"Are you ready to continue now?" The woman's soft smile irked her, forcing her to turn her back on thoughts for a little while longer. Rubbing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and focused.

"...Yes," Ruby circle in hand, she found something, and let it take free reign, "One last chance to leave." The aquamarine shards melted away, before being replaced by sanguine red armour.

Decked out in ruby, her eyes hardened into diamond. Jumping towards Jessica, the rays of light bounced of the gems, repelled into the ground by their defensive properties. The look of shock on her face made Zimi want to smirk, but she suppressed it.

Up close, she was able to land a solid punch on her, knocking the other female back. Watching the body sail through the air, she could only hope that the blow would end it.

She was wrong.

Jessica pirouetted through the air, landing deftly on her feet. The light cloaking her hand faded away, the kaleidoscope fading as she gingerly touched where she was hit. Zimi could see the shock painted on her face, though she was shocked when instead of the predicted anger, the same soft smile broke out.

"W-Why are you smiling!?" Outraged, she resisted the urge to stamp on the ground, trying to set away from that part of her personality. "Take this seriously." She needed her to take this seriously.

She didn't get a response.

Pretty light~

She had to cover her eyes. The burst of bright light could of scorched her retinas, making her unable to see. Waiting until she could feel the light go down, she peered through the cracks of her fingers.

She was gone.

Where did she go? It was as if she had faded away, left her be. The faux-mage scanned the area, still trying to see if she was around. The scarred ground gave no hints, the verdant buildings left untouched. It was as if she was truly gone, and it was slightly unnerving to her.

Yes, sleep seemed like a good idea…

The familiar-but-not voice faded, dying out, as if going to sleep itself. She could feel her magic solidify, wiping out the imprint once and for all. The bleariness, that thrice damned blurriness returned, accompanied by theweakness.

Collapsing to her knees, she could only hug herself, a pitiful wreck on the floor. This time she couldn't hold the floodgates, the pain leaking out despite her attempts to stop it. The dusty ground gave little solace, little puffs of dust melting away where she landed, irritating her.

"Why-why-why?" The broken whispers were the only sound, 'Blue' seeing grey-green.

'Why' was always the question.

Her life was always dictated by 'why'. Why did she have to have to be the child of famous mages? Why did she have to live in their shadow? Why did she have to leave to be free?

Why did Carbuncle have to die?

So lost in her sorrow, she didn't notice the light footfalls, or the cries of 'Zimi'.

All she could hear was the soft mutters of oblivion, and Carbuncle's final words.

"Zimi?"

When did she get here? The warmth knocked her out of her thoughts, exhausting her. The tears still fell, of course they fell, but she just didn't care anymore. She was tired. Shattered. Broken. Nobody could change that - not her parents, not her friends and certainly not Eevee. The comforting vibrato came from Eevee, the young woman rubbing her back in an attempt to comfort her. Zimi burrowed into the comfort, relishing it.

"What's wrong," If possible, this just made Zimi cry more, "What's happened?"

They were both on the ground, mere step away from the crystal coffin. Shrugging the teen off, the grieving mage just gingerly stepped towards the makeshift seal, staring into it's unfathomable depths with an empty stare.

The sterile-blue held flecks of rusty-red, holding the slumbering body in its tight confines. Eevee gasped, hand held over her hand in shock. Out of anything that the elder teen could have expected, Zimi could see that this was not it.

"Is that…?" It was a token attempt to avoid the truth. The oh-so-painful truth.

"It is." Her voice hoarse, she said the one thing that she was trying to deny.

"That's Carbuncle…" Her voice stuttered, coming to a halt.

"Oh…"

"Yea."

The conversation died, falling silent.

It was just them. Zimi. Eevee. Carbuncle.

Alone in that odd sense, the sense where you don't truly know, or understand what is happening. The numbness had set in, an anaesthetic against her tempestuous emotions.

And for the first time, she didn't know what to do.

"...We should move him." Eevee said. Her voice was dull, tired. But they had a job to do, and she too will see it through to the end. "I-I'm going to call Arrow and the others. They should know."

"Yes they should, l-let's go find them." Turning, Zimi made to leave, but stopped. She couldn't leave him behind, almost afraid that if she leaved he would disappear, shatter like the element he lived in.

"You can stay, if you want." The small smile on the earth-y girl's face was a small comfort, but a comfort all the same. "Will you be fine on your own?"

"I'll be ok."

Zimi could tell that she wanted to say more, but she dropped it. Trading empty smiles, the Earth-mage melted into the ground, a muffled goodbye fading into the wind as she descended.

Once more leaving her by herself.

Seeking comfort, the youth shambled along to the cocoon. It was rough, abrasive, sharp - but it would do. Tired in more ways than one, she succumbed to the fatigue.

So sleepy…

Yes, sleep seemed like a good idea

Blink, and all shall fade. For that is the nature of illusions…

Alteo was always enigmatic, Arrow found. He was a pioneer, a leader in the illusory arts, and true to his craft he was a secret. A walking, talking secret. He hated that about him, the fact that he was so mysterious, yet he found it ironic that it was mysteries that he surrounded himself with.

A fragile mystery. A duplicitous mystery. A protean mystery.

Mysteries were everywhere, and he hated it. For mysteries equal an absence of knowledge and knowledge is power. And power, to Arrow, was a narcotic. He needed power, for power is what is needed to protect the innocent.

From his vantage point, he scoured the ruins. Up high, he could see all. The corona, the lances of light sparkling in all directions, piercing the heavens above. The duplicitous one was with the lost one, and together they were fighting against an elemental. The bolts of electricity were fragmented, uneven, they're time lines corrupted - they were shooting in every which direction.

I need to get in there…

He may not actively seek others, prizing his own solitude, but he needed to get in there and find them. They were quite obviously outmatched, even if they were seemingly holding their own against their opponent.

Two against one may seem to be favourable odds, but not when they were so outclassed.

The three may seem to be equal, but how long could that last?

Half of him was curious to see how long they would last, how long it would be until they would crumble. Half of him really wanted to sit on the side-lines and wait for the smoke to blow over. It was really too bad that the other half of him didn't want to sit back and watch.

"I see that you've finally got here." Blunt, and very matter of fact, he was somewhat surprised that the displaced mystery knew he was coming. The dirty blonde was panting heavily, but her hazy blue eyes were bright with knowledge. It was almost as if Blaine had known all along that he would be coming.

It was unnerving.

"...Focus not on me, but on the enemy." Cold, he was almost shocked at the sound of his own voice. The frigid tone had little effect on the woman, who just sighed, bored, before acquiescing.

"As you wish." Blaine returned to the battle, and not a moment too soon. The gauntleted woman had to slow down Jayne, who was thrown into a wall, though it had little-to-no effect as she was still knocked unconscious.

He made a mental note of where she was, before pulling his focus to the main threat, magic threading into an illusion.

"Could you not make it harder than this has to be?" This was not something he would expect his adversary to say, the tall lightning elemental sounding desperate.

It stunned him to the point where he dropped the illusion he was weaving.

"...Pardon?" Drinking in what he looked like, he couldn't help but feel as if he had seen this person before.

He was tall, gargantuan, and had a figure that resembled a bodybuilder - though he lacked the personality of one - with spiky, russet hair that held hints of blonde, bleached by the element he possesses. Clothed in black and gold, he really couldn't shake the feeling that there was something familiar about him. Standing out against the black was a sharp spike of red, a spike of red that held some importance about it.

Spotting where he was looking, the youth pulled the sleeves of his vest down, covering the tattoo from the world.

"Nikita." All three turned, staring at the newcomer.

"You…" He should have known that it would be her. Jessica was standing above them all, face blank.

"Nikita, we need to go." Glare on her face, she looked dangerous. The man (or Nikita as she called him) only nodded, as he jumped to join her.

"Wait!" Blaine called, but it was too late. The duo only nodded to each other as a sharp light blanketed the area, burning his eyes.

Biting out a curse, he furiously rubbed at his eyes, the light leaving coloured blotches over his vision. Forcing his eyes open, he tried to find them, only to find that they've gone.

"Arrow, Blaine!" Hearing Eevee's voice, he grunted to show that he heard, before relaxing. The threat had passed for now, and there was no need for him to be tense. Facing the girl, who was rising out the ground in front of them, he could see the young woman had been crying.

"What's wrong?" Blaine spoke before him, spotting the tear-tracks with similar ease.

"I-I think I should tell when we find Jayne," he made to point to where she was, only for his vision to be bare, "Where's Jayne?"

The spot where Jayne was left was bare, the debris untouched, as if she was never there to begin with.

It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

"We need to find her." The lonely mystery said, wispy voice hard. It was as if she had locked away her uncertainty, and he fully concurred.

They needed to find her.

My head…

Jayne awoke to darkness.

W...where am I?

Her head felt like dead-weight, heavy. The pain was dull, but still there, pounding and screaming and wailing. It was like the whole world was swallowed in darkness, and for one small moment Jayne thought that she might be dead.

Make light~

"N-no..." Jayne's face drained of all colour, memories of her past creeping from her subconscious.

Poor little boo-boo wants to see her mama and papa, right?

Just do what Bob said to do. Taking deep breathes, she tried to calm down. They- they were just memories… they couldn't hurt her.

You want to help Uncle Thanatos, right?

"Uncle Thanatos can go die in a fire." Jayne whispered, clutching her shirt until her knucked turned white.

The sickening familiar feeling crawled up her spine, her nerves tingling and urging her- begging her to be let out. Jayne felt like she was about to explode, but she couldn't. She just couldn't.

Couldn't-couldn't-couldn't.

"Thanatos?"

For the first time, Jayne noticed she wasn't alone here.

"Where are we here, why are we, what are we here for- who are you?" Firing off question after question after question, Jayne couldn't hide her elation.

She wasn't alone.

She wasn't alone.

Jayne felt the ominous pressure slinking away from her, ebbing away to reluctantly make room for a bigger emotion.

Hope.

"Well, I don't know where we are, or why exactly we are here, but I can tell you my name." The other girl's voice was hoarse, as if she hadn't used it in a long time, but she sounded happy.

And happy was good.

"My name is Alice, pleased to meet you."

Chapter Fin~

Well, here is the true Finale of the Ruby Arc, and now I throw drama at you. Hey, look on the bright side, we have character history revealed slightly, and more OCs introduced in a logical manner~

But there is a lot of work left to do, as there is quite a few that I need to work through. But, it's a start, and by chappie 23 all OCs will be introduced, unless I get more. Which is a possibility.

Secondly, I feel like my plot twists are getting too obvious. Like seriously. Next time we see where Jayne is, who Alice is, what the trio are up too, the rest of the members reeling from the after effects, and Oracion Seis. A lot will be going down, methinks :D.

Random thing, but remember that guy Jayne met a while ago? he might make an appearance.

I'll have to come back to you on the OC table, need to re-do it cause I lost the old one. But, it was my birthday today so I am shattered xD, so I'm off to bed~

Edit: IT'S BACK

OC Table:

Ocs introduced:

The Lazy Bitch's: Zimi

QueenKazza's: Jayne

Hikari-Angel143's: Eevee

motordog's: Blaine

Arcobaleno-Lover's: 'Arrow'

Cute-Kawaii-Girl's: Hale

Hollow-Kyuubi's: Iname Kagero

Apostle of Regeneration's: ? - (Spoilers~ That will be talked about in Sapphire :D~)

LyricsgirlR5's: Jessica

Saiyan-Styles: Styles (Name not yet revealed~)

LyricsgirlR5's: Nikita

Cute-Kawaii-Girl's: Alice

Ocs Mentioned:

Arcobaleno-lover's: Rydia

Next Chapter should involve 3 brand new OCs. And they are all brand new, as I just realised that there has been some from a while back that I have yet to introduce, and they are some of the first. Plus agent-shenanigans, and that's all I'm saying~

Well, as always, thank you guys for reviewing and showing continued despite my failure at keeping this story safe.

Plus, any questions, just drop me a PM, or post it in a review, and I'll do my best to respond to it promptly. But it may be a bit iffy, because of Time-zones and all.

Regards, HalcyonNight~