AN: Hope you enjoy reading~!

Chapter 21:

Samuel watched with increasing concern as Killia quickly ate through a second bowl of curry. He had been acting especially strange and guarded since the discovery of another magical spear, on the Netherworld of Flowerful.

"Killia, what are you-?"

"Samuel, you need to stay here," Killia interrupted as he finished his bowl and reached for a third.

Samuel's frown deepened. "Because of my arm? Or because of something else?"

"Yeah."

That was not an answer.

"Killia." Samuel bit back the urge to release an exasperated sigh. "There's obviously something bothering you. You know this Netherworld?"

"It's…I used to live there," he finally revealed. "With Lieze and Goldion. And Void."

Samuel's expression smoothed out into surprise before a wave of concern washed over him. "Then I need to go, too."

Killia abruptly stood up and whirled around to look at him directly in the eyes. "No, no. This must be a trap of some kind. Void targeted this place on purpose. I can't risk you being there."

It was endearing, Killia's blatant concern for him. His protectiveness, too. Certainly, made his heart flutter in his chest.

But he raised a few good points, though. Flowerful was Void's former home. Him targeting the Netherworld was not a mistake. It was him willing to erase the past. And it was a big ol' middle finger to Killia, to boot.

Still…

"But what about Killidia?"

"I had a restful night's sleep because of you. I had plenty to eat. If this is a trap, and if Christo's theory is correct about Killidia being fond of you, even 'he' will admit that you being here, safe and away from Void, is the right thing."

He sounded well and truly prepared for battle. But Flowerful was sure to bring up a lot of memories for him. Painful memories. And Samuel knew a thing or two about that.

"…I don't like this."

Killia reached out and gently took him by the arms, leaning forward slightly to look him in the eyes. "You're injured. If this is a trap, if Void is somehow involved, I won't risk you being anywhere near him again. You got away from him once; there might not be a second time."

Samuel immediately opened his mouth to protest, yet his brain refused to cooperate, offering nothing. He wanted to object. To reassure Killia is someway. To give him something. But nothing sprung to mind. No word of comfort. Nothing.

Killia gave him a half smile. "See, not even you can fault that line of thinking."

"Give me a second, I'm trying," Samuel murmured stubbornly.

Killia gave his shoulders a gentle and reassuring squeeze. He then dropped his hands from his shoulders, leaving them feeling inexplicably cold as he turned and headed toward the main bridge. Of course, Samuel followed close behind, basically at his heel.

He still wanted to protest, but in all honesty, everything that Killia said made perfect sense, and if roles were reverse, Samuel would as determine and insistent as Killia was. But roles were not reverse, and he wanted to be stubborn.

Reaching the top step of the main bridge, Samuel noted that the others had already gathered.

But he did a doubletake and bristled. Wait, Seraphina? Seraphina was going, too?!

Ugh. He did not know what was worse; Seraphina having Killia basically to herself where she could badger him without Samuel being there to run interference. Or being stuck in the Pocket Netherworld with her.

"Samuel's not joining us?" Zeroken was the one to ask.

"No," Killia answered. "His injuries are too taxing on him to endure any battles against the Lost. He'll have to sit this one out."

Hng…if that wasn't an incentive to ensure he took better care of himself, nothing was.

"It'll be ok," sweet Usalia immediately reassured. "We'll be back before you know it, plip."

"Relax, would ya, S-Man? I'll be able to handle Killidia should he return," Red Magnus stated in his usual confidence, never mind the fact that Killidia threw him about with ease the last time they met.

Even Zeroken wrinkled his nose at Red Magnus' comment, likely wanting to make some kind of comment, but ultimately deciding against it. "We'll keep an eye on Bro."

Samuel nodded his head, grateful for their consideration. "I'll be counting on you. Make sure you all come back in one piece, ok?"

With that, the four of them headed through the dimensional gate. Surprisingly, Christo and Seraphina lingered back. Well, it wasn't surprising that Christo did as he appeared that he wished to speak with him about something. But it was surprising that Seraphina did.

"I don't like the idea of separating the two of you, especially with Killia the way he is," Christo said, making no attempt to hide his unease. "But your injuries do make you unfit for the battlefield at present."

He didn't have to put it like that.

"Ring me," Samuel said. "Ring me the second you think Killidia may make a return, alright?"

Christo nodded. "I will. If nothing else, your voice may be able to calm him."

That was the best he could do for them at current, because, truly, his fractured arm was a liability on the battlefield and he could not risk turning it into a full break, forcing him off the field for an extended stay.

As Christo walked through the portal, Samuel turned to Seraphina and arched a questioning eyebrow.

"My, Samuel, is that a pout?"

Samuel's eyebrow twitched. He should have figured that she lingered behind just to gloat. "O-of course not!"

"I think it is," she continued. "A little bit jealous that Sir Killia and I will be alone on such a pretty netherworld? Oh-hohohoho~"

Alone? Hardly.

That was right; there were four others with them. She wasn't going to get the alone time she so desperately wanted and dreamt of.

"I don't know what you're on about," Samuel returned. "What is there to be jealous of? He's making me stay behind because he's worried about me, that's all. Which is more than can be said about you since you're going."

Ugh, he should try to at least bridge the gap between them or something, shouldn't he? Even though she was the most infuriating demon he had ever met. And he had met Void.

Ok, bad joke.

He could only hope he wasn't about to make things harder for Killia.

"But…there's something else bothering Killia, though. This Netherworld is familiar to him. I just hope he's not going to try to do things on his own again."

Seraphina frowned and planted her hands on her hips. "He better not."

"You better keep a close eye on him, just in case," Samuel advised.

"I plan to," Seraphina said simply before she walked through the portal.

Samuel couldn't help but utter a sigh as the portal closed. He truly, honestly hoped he didn't make things more difficult for Killia. Then again, Seraphina usually did her own thing, anyway. And she did seem obsessed with Killia, if the gossip of her having a huge floor to ceiling photo of him in her quarters was true.

At a loss as to what to do, he wandered over to the geographical terminal monitors once more and dropped down into the chair. Maps and charts flickered across the screens, searching for both magical spears and Snap Draingons.

He turned to a Prinny. "Do have any reports or notes of possible Snap Draingon sightings?"

The Prinny pointed toward a separate console. "We've logged individual accounts and gossip into this database. But we're not sure what is legitimate sighting and what are just normal looking plants, dood."

That was fair. Only a handful of them had actually seen what a Snap Draingon looked like with their own eyes. It was hard to get a positive identification from second-hand accounts. How many twisted and unusual plants existed out in the Netherverse? Hundreds, if not thousands.

"I'll look through them," Samuel said as he pushed his chair toward the terminal. "I know the descriptions of Snap Draingons better than anyone."

And it would give him something to do to waste time until Killia and the others returned.

He tried to scroll through the reports, but his sling kept getting in the way.

With an annoyed huff, Samuel slipped his sling off and tossed it aside. He'd pick it up later, but for now it could lie on the floor in shame. It was bugging the hell out of him. The bandages around his right arm were sturdy enough, anyway.

Many of the reports he could delete outright. Others were questionable, but suspicious. And then there were those that left no doubt in his mind. Those that held all the hallmarks of a Snap Draingon.

And there was an alarming amount of the latter.

Each Snap Draingon equated to one death.

"I see," he murmured as he scrolled through the notes. "So…there are numerous possible sightings of Snap Draingons."

"Can they be stopped, dood?" a Prinny asked him.

"They can, by stopping anyone from ingesting a Seedling," he explained. "The Snap Draingons themselves can be destroyed, but we need to be vigilant. They can steal the skills and attributes of their victims. And their voices. We can't be fooled."

He really needed to get out there. Out in the field and deal with them himself. He had the knowledge, the expertise to deal with them. He had done so his entire life, after all.

Samuel was startled from his thoughts by the shrill sound of his phone ringing. He immediately leaned forward in his seat and retrieved his phone from his back pocket.

As he pressed the answer button and before he could even utter a greeting, an almost frantic voice came through; "Samuel!"

"Wh-what?" Samuel spluttered as he sat up straighter in his chair. "What's wrong?"

"Usalia," Christo's voice, far calmer suddenly chided, "don't yell into the phone; you'll startle him."

"Oh, sorry," Usalia said, a lot calmer as well.

Samuel breathed a sigh of relief and sank back down into his chair. He could have done without that little fright. Still, they had called him, so there was something wrong.

"Samuel, we know you're still healing. But Killia is acting so unlike himself, plip."

"Can you talk to Bro?" Zeroken suddenly interjected, giving Samuel the distinct impression that the two youngest members of the group were huddled around Christo's phone. "You're the only one that bro opens up to. And Seraphina sis is kinda making things worse."

"Shh!" Usalia hushed. "Don't say that out loud, plip."

Just as she said that, several gunshots were heard in the background, followed by the distinct sound of a body dropping to the ground with a thud. And then, the sound of someone giving a loud sigh of pure exasperation.

Samuel didn't need to be there to know what had happened exactly.

"And Red Magnus is down again," Christo murmured somewhere in the background. "I really am getting tired of healing him."

Samuel sighed. If only Seraphina would be more honest with him. And herself. Maybe he shouldn't have asked her to keep a close eye on him. He should have known she would get her guns involved. Honestly.

Speaking of being honest, he was happy that he was actually called in.

"He's closing himself off again, I suppose," Samuel stated more than asked. "Alright. I'll speak with him. But don't expect miracles. He has secrets and hurts of his own, as you know. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Hurry, plip!" Usalia pleaded.

Samuel pulled the phone away from his ear and made the motion to end the call when he heard voice still coming through from the other end.

"There, you've made your call; now give me back my phone."

"Let's see who Christo's contacts are."

"Ok."

"H-hey!"

Samuel chuckled to himself as he pressed end call. He pocketed the phone and took to his feet. As he did so, he realised that he had several sets of eyes on him from the Prinnies around him, likely drawn to him due to the nature of his phone call.

"Can a couple of you guys duck into the kitchen and gather up any leftovers and place them into disposal containers for me?" Samuel asked.

And two of the Prinnies promptly saluted him. "Aye aye, dood!" they said without a hint of reluctance or annoyance as they hurried away.

Samuel retrieved his phone and headed over to their dimensional gate guardian Prinny. "Prinny, can you use this phone to get the exact coordinates of the last phone call?"

"Right away, dood." Prinny took the phone and immediately set about using it with the control dimensional control panel. "Triangulating, dood. Location; Flowerful, stage four, dood. All set to go, dood."

"You guys are amazing," Samuel said, in true earnest as the prinnies he sent to the kitchen promptly returned. "Remind me to make you all some sardine curry when my arm heals, ok? You all deserve it."

Retrieving the food and after promising the prinnies that he would return shortly, Samuel stepped through the portal.

As he walked through the dimensional portal and into a world of lush greenery, meadows of wildflowers, and swirling winds, he was practically set upon by Usalia and Zeroken. Christo stayed back and promptly informed him that Killia had not been acting himself, and that the Lost seemed to be purposely agitating Killidia.

With the Lost in this area already taken care of, Samuel promised Usalia and Zeroken that he would take care of things, and headed in the direction Christo indicated. As he walked along a careful cultivated path, he took note of how peaceful the Netherworld of Flowerful appeared to be.

Void had once lived in such a place? It was hard to believe.

Rounding a slight bend, Samuel finally laid his eyes on the very one he had been looking for. Killia stood atop of a small hill that overlooked a valley. Within the valley was a lone house with a small windmill. The house in ruins and the windmill broken, the two lost and forgotten.

"Killia."

Killia's head snapped up and he whirled around to face him, his eyes wide, almost frantic. "Samuel? What are you doing here?" he practically demanded.

Undaunted, Samuel smiled as he walked over to him. "The others are worried about you. They care about you as much as you care about them."

Killia did not respond to that, simply choosing to look toward the ground, downcast and ashamed.

"I also brought food."

Samuel placed the food onto the ground between them and Killia slowly turned his gaze toward it. "…Thanks."

They both sat down on the ground, Samuel helping to pull the food from the bag. With the food laid out, he sat back and allowed Killia to eat in peace, allowing him to gaze out at their surroundings.

It was nice to sit outside for once; the soft grass, the fresh air and the gentle breeze was calming. With just him and Killia as each other's company. It could…it could even be considered, um, romantic. If they weren't on a Netherworld that was suffering from a magical spear, plagued with numerous gangs of Lost Soldiers.

And if Killia wasn't troubled by his thoughts and memories.

"Are you feeling better?" Samuel asked.

"I am," Killia admitted.

That was a relief.

"Ah, that's good." Samuel pulled a leg to his chest and draped his arms around it. "I won't sit here and make demands. That's not what I do. But I will ask you just one thing; let me stay."

But Killia shook his head. "Sorry."

Samuel bit back a sigh. "Why?"

"Bloodis is here." Killia's words were resolute, yet bitter. "I can feel him. With him here…I'll definitely lose control."

If it was Bloodis, and not Void, then Killidia would definitely want a piece of him. All the more reason for Samuel to stay.

"So? Killidia won't hurt me and I won't let him hurt anyone else," Samuel insisted. "Look, I know I can't use an axe or a bow, but I can use my healing skills and I can use elemental magic. So, if anything should happen, I can help Christo heal everyone."

Killia fell silent. "…Who called you?"

"Usalia, Zeroken, and Christo." Samuel smiled. "Usalia stole Christo's phone, apparently."

Killia gave a small smile of his own. "I see."

Samuel leaned toward him. "Was that a chuckle?"

"A small one," Killia admitted before he sighed and gave a slow shake of his head. "I worried everyone again."

"And you know why they were worried?"

"I have an idea."

"Good." Samuel placed a hand on Killia's shoulder. "Now, finish your food and then we'll go back, or the others will begin to really worry. I'm also worried about how long they'll be able to keep Seraphina preoccupied."

An amused half smile returned to Killia's lips. "Now that is something to truly be worried about."

Samuel chuckled and pulled back his hand. He rested his elbow on his knee and gazed out over the valley, down to the lone house and the sad looking windmill. Despite the ruins of the once homely little cottage, the fields and meadows were tranquil.

"This netherworld is quite beautiful and peaceful."

Killia finished his food and set the empty plate aside. He climbed to his feet and then held his head out to Samuel. "Come. Before we return, I want to show you something."

Samuel slipped his hand in his without hesitation, tilting his head to the side in curiosity as Killia helped him to his feet. He kept a hold of his hand, and Samuel made absolutely no attempt to take his hand back as Killia led him down the hill and into the valley.

And over toward the derelict cottage.

"This place?" A thought soon occurred to him and Samuel looked over at Killia expectantly. "Is this where you used to live?"

Killia nodded. "Yeah."

That was why he was gazing at the valley with such a pensive expression.

The door was partly open, so Samuel approached it and carefully made his way inside. He was interested to learn more of the place that Killia had called home for a time. Yet, the interior of the cottage was as ruined as the outside. Perhaps more so. Furniture laid broken and shattered, the walls covered in large rips and tears. As though someone had purposely torn the place apart.

In a fit of rage and self-pity, probably.

"I assumed it was homely once," Samuel mused as Killia joined him in the room that was no doubt the kitchen. "It must have been quite the shock for you."

Killia nodded. "Coming from bloodthirsty Cryo to here? Yeah, it was quite the culture shock. And…I didn't quite appreciate it back then."

It was clear he regretted it now.

Samuel turned toward Killia, wanting nothing more to comfort him in some way. Yet, he became distracted when his foot collided with something. He glanced down in curiosity and did a doubletake when he realised that next to his foot appeared to be a photo frame.

He knelt down and picked it up, turning it around, idly brushing aside the debris. Upon the photo stood three figures. One he recognised immediately; his spiky white-hair and dark piercing eyes gave him away immediately. But the other two were unfamiliar.

"Is this them?" he asked as he stood up and showed Killia the photo. "This Lieze?"

Killia stepped closer to look at the photo and nodded his head. "That's her."

Samuel glanced at the brightly smile young woman that stood in the centre of the photo. She appeared as cheerful and bubbly as Killia had described her to be. She looked so happy, standing between (what he assumed to be) her father and her brother.

"She's beautiful." He pointed to the rather fearsome looking man that stood to the other side of her. "And this must be Goldion. You know, Void looks out of place in his own family. Is Void Dark really his name?"

"Hm?"

"It's just that, from everything you and Zeroken told me about him, I can't imagine Goldion naming his son something like Void Dark." He may as well just call him Evil or something. "I guess it doesn't matter, not in the present."

Killia considered his observation for a moment. "I'm afraid I don't know anything about Void. He despised me upon first meeting, and I didn't attempt to get to know him in return."

"Understandable. No point in getting to know someone who makes no attempt in getting to know you in return."

Samuel turned the photo frame around and popped out the photo. He tossed the empty frame aside, turned the photo back around to look at the small family once more. He then gripped the edge of the photo, and with a single ripped, removed Void from the photo, letting him drop to the floor.

After everything he had done…

"It was Void, wasn't it?" Samuel asked softly. "Void was the one that took Lieze?"

"…Yeah."

Samuel presented the photo to Killia. "I had figured that Void was responsible for Lieze's death. It would explain your hatred for him."

Killia gave him a small, half smile. "You are psychic after all."

"Hah, maybe."

Killia looked down at the photo, his smile fading. "But it was my fault, you know?"

"What was?"

"Lieze's death." Killia lifted his head, his gaze taking on a faraway gaze. "After I ran away from Goldion, from here, he sent Lieze after me. I had figured it was to keep tabs on me, but…well, we somehow, despite my best efforts, became a family of sorts. But Void came searching for her. Void and I have always hated one another. Naturally, we began to fight. He had the upper hand. Lieze, she…threw herself in front of me. Taking an attack instead. It…she didn't stand a chance."

That was why he reacted so negatively the first time Seraphina tried to throw herself in front of him.

Samuel placed his hand atop of Killia's. "Killia, that wasn't you fault."

Killia shook his head. "Wasn't it?"

"Of course, it wasn't," Samuel insisted. "You didn't force Void to attack you, to despise you. And you certainly didn't force Lieze to make the decision that she did. If you had known, you would never have allowed her to make such a decision."

"If I was stronger-"

"And if Void wasn't such an abusive and violent bastard, he wouldn't have attacked you, and Lieze wouldn't have needed to make the decision she did." Samuel removed his hand from Killia's to place both of his hands upon Killia's shoulders. "Even if you did everything right, even if you gave Void everything he wanted, it wouldn't have been enough. He would still hate you. His violence knows no bounds, and this war is proof of that."

"Still…"

Samuel shook his shoulders slightly in the desperate hope of getting through to him. "You did nothing wrong, Killia. A lot of things could have happened. A lot of things could have not happened. You can't control the actions of others. You may have made mistakes, in the past. But you are doing what you can to rectify them."

He removed his hands once more, only to curl his left hand into a loose fist, and pressed it against Killia's chest. "That says a lot about you and the heart that you carry."

Killia stared at him, silently for a moment, his honey golden eyes watching him carefully. Slowly, he lifted his hand and gently grabbed his wrist. "…You're right."

Samuel uttered a sigh of relief and smiled. Good. He was able to get through to him.

"We should head back to the others before they worry about us," Samuel said. "We can talk more once we return to the Pocket Netherworld."

"Yeah." Killia handed the photo back to him, but kept a firm but gentle grip on his wrist. "Samuel, I'd still prefer you not to be here."

Samuel had figured as much. "I know, I know. I'll head back to the Pocket Netherworld now. I'm a liability on the battlefield like this, anyway. And I don't want to worry you."

But…

Samuel unconsciously uncurled his fingers and pressed his palm against Killia's chest. "But only if you promise me something."

"Hm?"

"That you'll return." He moved a step closer. "To me. That you'll do whatever it takes to return in one piece. Someone has to stop me from going out on my own, after all. You'll do that, won't you?"

Killia nodded his head. Readily. Willingly. "I promise."

Samuel smiled. "Good. I'll go back quietly now."