DarkFoxKit: Well, since we didn't have a lot of people interested in this, we'll probably end the story here for a while.

ZAFT: But at least we got as far as we did and had a couple of reviews. :3 It was fun to branch out to something new for a bit. XD I'm hoping more people will review this later so we can pick it up again some day. :3

DarkFoxKit: If anyone is reading this, please let us know what you think of the story, and if you're interested in seeing more of it. For now though, please enjoy.

Chapter 5: Lost or Found?

I thought long and hard about what Kumatora told me as I walked into the graveyard. I couldn't believe my PSI would censor someone out. There was someone out there who I couldn't see or hear. But I didn't understand how or why. According to Kumatora, it was due to a traumatic experience. But the only traumatic experience I could think of was when Mom died from the Mecha Drago, and when Claus… when he died in my arms… But they were both dead. There should be no reason for my PSI to censor anyone.

I sighed before I walked over to Mom's grave. I looked at the tombstone. Mom was buried here, all by herself. There wasn't another grave for Claus. It was something I couldn't understand.

At first I thought it was because we couldn't find Claus's body after the Dark Dragon woke up and remade the world. We didn't have his body to bury. But even so, there should've been a grave for him next to Mom. It felt disrespectful to not have a grave for him, so Dad, Boney, and I could properly mourn for him.

"Hey, Mom… I know it's been a while since I visited you," I said to the tombstone. "How's Claus? I'm not sure how much time passes for you when you're in heaven, but… I hope things are going alright. I hope Claus is happier in heaven with you, Mom. I'm… doing alright, and so are Dad and Boney. We… had a little fight with some mechanical wolves, but we made it out alright. But… we miss you… it gets lonely at home. Dad is putting up a brave face, despite what happened to Claus. He won't even mention Claus anymore though…"

I looked up at the sky, wondering if Mom and Claus were looking at me right now from heaven.

"I… don't know if you can hear me, Claus, but… I wanted to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not coming with you to fight the Drago… I'm sorry for not looking for you when you were taken away… I'm sorry for not saving you from Porky… I'm sorry for all the pain you went through… I'm sorry for not saving you… I'm sorry for being such a horrible brother… You didn't deserve this fate… If anyone deserves it, it should be me…"

I fell on my knees, feeling tears falling.

"I-I'm sorry… I-I guess I'm… s-still a crybaby…" I sniffled. "I'd give anything to see you again… to be able to play with you again like the old times… to hear your voice again, Claus… Why did you have to leave me?"

Footsteps reached my hearing, making me look up. The footsteps sounded heavy, meaning it had to be an adult coming up the hill. I looked back, and there was Dad approaching me.

"Lucas… I thought I'd find you here," Dad said softly. "I got worried when I woke up and you weren't there."

"D-Dad… sorry…" I apologized, though the tears wouldn't stop.

"Are you grieving over Hinawa again, Lucas?" Dad asked.

"N-no… I mean I miss Mom, and I always will… but…" I shook my head. "I c-can't… help it… I-I lost Claus again, Dad… I failed to protect him… I-I failed to help him… h-he died because o-of me, Dad… I-I can't stop thinking a-about it… th-that battle… and C-Claus dying… in my arms…"

Dad frowned in concern. "Lucas… Why are you saying such things? It's not healthy to focus on grieving for someone who is not lost or dead."

"He is dead, Dad! You saw him die too!" I shouted, unable to hold back my emotions. "I'm tired of you pretending like Claus isn't dead, or that he even existed! You never even say his name anymore, and you go on about your day like nothing's wrong!"

Dad bent down to me, and gave me a hug. It was rare for Dad to hug unless it was important.

"Lucas… Please, don't act like this… He… He isn't…" Dad trailed off before speaking again. "Lucas… remember his warmth… Please…"

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

Dad took a deep breath and let it out. "Lucas, listen… it's not that I don't talk about… him anymore. It's just… you… don't want to hear it."

"What?" I frowned in confusion.

"I don't know how to explain it exactly…" Dad said softly. "But I've been saying his name all the time. You… can't hear me say his name, because you don't want to hear it."

I thought back to Kumatora when she told me my PSI was censoring someone.

"Are you… talking about Claus?" I asked.

Dad nodded. "Yes." He replied. "It's hard to believe, but it is true. You don't want to hear his name, so you literally can't hear it. But… it looks like you're only able to hear his name when you say it."

"Claus? But… that can't be. How could I be censoring Claus? He's dead. He's not here anymore, and he never will be," I pointed out. "I saw him die… there was no question, he was dead in my arms, Dad. People… don't just come back when they die."

"Yes, but you'd be surprised." Dad said vaguely. "Sometimes miracles can happen, Lucas."

I didn't know what to think. I know Claus died. I know Dad saw him die too. I didn't understand what was going on. Claus couldn't be alive… This all must be one big joke or something.

"Let's… go home, Dad…" I finally said. "I'm tired."

"Okay, son… But at least think about what I said," Dad said softly.

I was laying alone in bed. Dad was hesitant on leaving me alone, but he decided to let me be. I heard him whisper 'take care of him' before walking out though. It was possible he was talking to this… imaginary Claus. It was cruel for everyone to make me believe Claus was still alive, and I just happen to be the only one who couldn't see him.

I couldn't believe that Claus was somehow alive… I felt life leaving him… he was gone, there was no question about that. I had lost him a second time. And it was my fault.

And yet… I couldn't help but think back… back when I felt a strange warmth or like something was on me even though I couldn't see anything. I remembered people would talk to me, then they would talk to someone else even though there wasn't anyone else. The Pigmasks and Isaac's reaction to me before… Fuel's reaction… and then there were the little oddities. Like when I go into a hot spring or jump into the river, I would hear a second splash out of nowhere. The splash was too big to be a rock. Then there was that time I took a walk on the beach. I would notice an extra set of footprints on the sand that shouldn't be there.

Is it true…? Have I… not been alone all those times? I questioned myself. Duster said… 'he' stuck to me like glue. It was rare I was alone. … What about now? Am I as alone as I think I am now? How do I find out?

I reached my hand out in front of me as if waiting for a sign of some kind to show me that I wasn't alone.

"... Are… you there?" I asked.

There was a gentle force on my hand, like someone was squeezing it. It felt… warm… and… familiar to me,

"I… can feel you," I said softly. "You are here."

I sat up from my bed, and kept my eyes on my hand where I felt the gentle force squeezing it. I still couldn't see anyone.

"Can you… communicate with me?" I asked.

I closed my eyes and focused on my PSI. I started using my PSI, for things like Shield, Lifeup, Healing. But I wasn't using it for practicality, I was trying to drain my PSI so I could at least hear the person next to me.

The force gave another squeeze, and I thought I heard a voice speaking to me. "Lu… …as… uca… an… u… ear… e?"

The voice was a whisper, so I couldn't make out what they sounded like. I focused more on my PSI, trying to drain it. But I had to be careful, if I drained too much of my PSI, I would just pass out again. I needed to stay conscious.

"I can… almost hear you… please keep talking to me?" I gently requested.

"... You… ear… me? Lu…as… L…cas?" The voice sounded clearer to me now. It was definitely familiar to me, and it sounded like it was right next to me.

I looked to where I heard the voice. I squinted my eyes. There had to be someone there. I began to make out a figure sitting there. They were faded and hard to see, but the more I looked at them, the clearer they started becoming.

"I can… hear you," I said. "But… I can't make out who you are… Who are you? Why are you… sitting next to me in bed? Why are you always with me?"

"Try… arder… look at… e… Not… one… ill… ere…" The voice said, almost pleading with me. The form was trying to get my attention to look at it even more.

I reached out to the figure I could see. I wanted to try to touch them. My hands felt numb when I touched the person, like it couldn't quite grasp on what I was touching. The voice was clearer, to the point I could hear their full sentences now, but I still couldn't recognize the voice.

"Can you hear me? Can you see me?" The mysterious person asked.

"I can hear you… I can hear you clearly now," I said. "But I… don't recognize the voice… it sounds distorted."

"Lucas… I've never left your side. You need to focus… remember me! I am still here! I never left you!" The voice said, still sounding somewhat distorted. "I've been here the whole time. You just don't want to accept it, and it's hurting me."

"What are you talking about? Who are you?" I questioned.

The figure let out a sigh, before they spoke in a calmer tone. "Do you remember the Pigmask Commander? The one you called 'the Masked Man'?"

I frowned, seeing how the subject with the Masked Man got brought up again. "How could I forget?"

"Do you remember who the Masked Man was?" The figure asked calmly.

Didn't I just have this conversation with Kumatora? I inwardly grumbled. I hope she's not doing this as some kind of prank.

"Of course I do. But what does this have to do with the Masked Man?" I asked, not wanting to talk more about that battle with the Masked Man.

"Do you know who he was?" The figure asked again. "You're avoiding answering the question."

I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering why the figure was so gung-ho about the question. "Yes, I know who the Masked Man was."

"Who is this Masked Man?" The figure asked.

"W-what? Why would-"

"You have to answer the question, Lucas, or this will go nowhere," The figure pointed out.

"But why?" I whimpered, not wanting to remember that fight, and what happened afterwards.

"Do you want to see who has been by your side the whole time or not? Do you want to heal, move on from that day?" The figure asked. "Do you want to keep running away forever from what hurt you, or do you want to confront it and finally acknowledge head on what's been hurting you? Because, Lucas, I know from experience that you'll never be able to run away from the pain, and it won't go away until you confront it."

"Confront… the pain?" I hesitantly asked. "But… but it hurts so much…"

"I know it hurts, but if you keep running from it, it will never cease to hurt." The figure replied. "Or at least, it will never start to hurt less."

I was shaking a little, trying not to cry.

"Now…" The figure spoke gently to me. "Who was the Masked Man? Please… I want to hear his name from your lips, Lucas."

"H-his name… was… C-... Claus," I finally said, my voice cracking.

"And… what happened to Claus?" The figure asked.

I shut my eyes. It was something I always experienced again and again in my nightmares. No matter how much time had passed, it always came back to my mind as fresh as ever. I tried not to think about it, I tried to ignore it, but it would never leave me alone.

"C-Claus… was turned into a mechanical chimera… like the poor mommy Drago was… he was… f-forced to be P-Porky's slave… a-and he…" I trembled as I spoke, finding the words hard to speak. "He was… h-hurt so… so much… It took me… my mom's spirit… and Dad to b-bring him back… a-and when he… he was back… C-Claus… fired his strongest lightning attack at me… to use the Franklin Badge t-to… to… e-end… h-his…"

I couldn't keep going… but I managed to choke out the last word. '... l-l-life…"

I was already crying, tears were pouring out my eyes as I relived that very moment of Claus dying in my arms, and how he gave me a smile, saying his last words to me… How he was sorry about how this happened, and he was going to where Mom was.

"H-he gave… his l-last words t-to me… th-then he… d-died… in my arms…" I said softly while silently crying. "I just… got him back… a-and I lost h-him again… It hurts so much… I-I couldn't save him… i-it was my fault…"

"And how was it your fault for what Claus chose to do?" The figure asked.

"It was my Franklin Badge he used to…" My throat clogged for a moment. "... end himself. A-and I was… t-too weak to stop him… n-not just from wh-when he struck h-himself with lightning, b-but… w-when he went t-to face the D-Drago that killed Mom… I sh-shouldn't have l-let him go on his own… o-or I should've t-told Dad or G-Grandpa earlier t-that he left…"

I took a moment to let out a shaky breath. "There was… so much I could've done to prevent… Claus from getting taken by the Pigmasks… or stopping him from k-killing… himself… But it doesn't matter now… Claus is gone… and I'll… n-never see him again…"

"You don't know that." The figure replied. "While it is true you can't change the past, it doesn't mean there isn't hope for a better future, Lucas. There is always a way to build a better future. And I understand why you can't see or hear me… you've been hurt by what Claus did, so much so you closed yourself off to protect yourself."

I took a moment to try to calm myself down so I could speak more coherently. I took a moment to sniffle before taking another breath. "I just… accepted that Claus died. But my pain is nothing compared to what Claus had to go through… I can't even imagine what it must've been like for him to get reconstructed like that, and have his mind wiped. I still remember those people and animals… and how blank their expressions were when they were inside those tubes, and the green liquid covered them. It… made me scared, for myself, my friends, and for Claus when Dad confirmed the Masked Man was Claus."

"Oh, Lucas… sometimes you're a little too selfless, you know?" The figure sighed. "I doubt Claus even remembered how he was reconstructed. His mind was mostly blank until Maste- erm, Porky started giving him orders."

"How do you know that?" I asked. "Did you… work with Claus when he was… the Commander?"

The figure hesitated before speaking. "You… could say that…" The figure admitted carefully. "But my point is that you shouldn't ignore your own pain just because someone else went through something worse. Because… if Claus saw you like this, he would feel guilt and pain for hurting you."

I looked down. "But Claus didn't hurt me-"

"He's hurt you far more than you're willing to admit to yourself, Lucas," The figure pointed out. "He hurt you physically, tried to kill you, mercilessly. And you only put up with it… you wanted to save him without hurting him. And after Claus… finished himself off, you've been hurting ever since. How can you say Claus hasn't hurt you?"

"... Maybe it did hurt, but… I know Claus would've done the same for me if the situation had been reversed," I said. "I… I love Claus, no matter what happened to him. And… I know he loved me too. I saw it in his eyes before he passed on."

The figure gave a gentle laugh. "It sounds like he did." The figure agreed. "That's what made what he did hurt so much, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" I admitted.

"Lucas…" The figure said as I saw him put a hand on my hand. "Do you… believe in miracles?"

"I suppose so… after all, the Dark Dragon itself was a miracle," I answered.

"Out of curiosity, do you think the Dark Dragon could have brought someone back from the dead?" The figure asked me. "In a hypothetical scenario."

"Well…" I hesitated. "I don't know. Ionia didn't specify what the Dark Dragon could do exactly, just that it had the power to create a new world. I don't know if it could also bring the dead back to life. I mean… if it could, wouldn't it have brought Mom back?"

"Mom… err… Y-your mom had been dead for 3 years, Lucas… even if the Dark Dragon could've brought her back, her body would've been too decayed to use. She'd be a zombie, and I'm sure nobody would've wanted that," The figure explained.

"Yeah… I guess there are some things the Dark Dragon couldn't do," I sighed.

"But what about Claus?" The figure brought up.

"Claus?" I blinked.

"You… never found his body, right? Seems kind of strange wouldn't you think? Especially since the Pigmasks would definitely be reporting they found their Commander's body in a ditch somewhere," The figure explained.

I thought about the possibility. The figure was quiet and still, like they were waiting for me to say something. "Do you think… Claus may have been… brought back to life?"

"Do you think so?" The figure asked. "I mean, if you never found his body, what would that point to?"

I was worried about having hope in my heart. Because I had hoped that Claus would return for 3 years, because Dad never found his body, so that meant he had to be alive, right? But look at how that turned out.

"E-even if… Claus is alive… how do I know he'd be the same Claus?" I asked. "What if he reverted back to being the Masked Man again? Or he doesn't remember me? I don't know if I could go through all of that again…"

"You won't know unless you confront the possibility." The figure replied. "You can't be afraid of the future, Lucas, no matter how much it means confronting a painful past."

Claus… Claus could still be alive… right? The Dark Dragon could've brought him back… I thought to myself. If… if Claus is alive… he's not angry that I took him away from Mom again, is he? But…

"Lucas, for once in your life, please be a little more selfish! Don't worry about what Claus thinks. You want him to be alive, don't you?" The figure spoke up, making me realize that I either said my thoughts out loud, or the figure could somehow hear what I was thinking. "Then believe that he is alive, that he wants to see you again too."

I looked at the figure as the voice started to clear up more, sounding more familiar, and the blurriness began to clear up as well. I saw… familiar looking orange hair, and yellow and blue striped shirt.

"... Would Claus… come home if I did?" I softly asked.

"Lucas… I've always been here since I came back. I've been… waiting for you to come home," The figure said.

I stared at the figure, squinting myself. I… recognized the figure. The face… looked just like mine. But it was no reflection. The blurriness finally cleared up. I could see his eyes. His one green, organic eyes. His other eye was covered by a patch. One of his arms was organic, the other was mechanical. There were wires connecting from his mechanical arm to his back.

At first, I froze. Everything suddenly felt surreal. It was like I was back in that nightmare, facing off against the Masked Man. But… the Masked Man never wore Claus's favorite shirt, or anything casual. He always had his helmet on, until his last moments. It was like the Claus I was seeing before me was Claus, but also the Masked Man without the mask, and the uniform. Except… he didn't have that stoic look on his face, or the killer's intent that I felt from the Masked Man. He was looking at me with concern and gentleness, something I had never seen on the Masked Man until he remembered who he was.

I didn't take my eyes off of Claus, in fear that the second I did, he would suddenly cease to exist, and I would be alone again.

"Claus…? Is… that you?" I cautiously asked.

Claus smiled at me. "Yes, it's me Lucas." He replied gently. "Finally, you've started to act a bit more selfishly. You always were too selfless."

"C-Claus… a-are you real?" I asked, feeling my eyes well up with tears again. "Y-you're real, right? This… this isn't a dream, is it?"

"Nope~" Claus teased me, putting a hand on my head and ruffling up my hair. "I'm as real as Boney, Dad, and everyone else here."

I didn't know how to react when I felt Claus's hand on my hair. I stared at him for another moment or two longer. I slowly reached my hands out to him, worried that he wouldn't suddenly drop dead in my arms like in my nightmare. But as soon as my hands came into contact with his arms, one was warm and organic, the other was cold and metallic, I immediately buried my head into his chest. I started bawling up a storm.

"Claus! CLAUS! YOU'RE HERE! YOU'RE ALIVE! YOU'RE HOME!" I cried out, unable to control myself, squeezing him tightly in my arms.

I felt his arms wrapping around my body too. I didn't care if his metallic arm was cold, I welcomed it all the same. This warmth… it felt familiar…It was the same warmth I had been feeling for the past 6 months. It really was Claus… all of this time. I couldn't see or hear him… he had been here, the whole time.

"I'm here, Lucas. I'm here." Claus said gently to me. "I never left you. I've been here since that fight 6 months ago."

It took me a while to calm down from all the emotions. I just couldn't believe Claus was here, and he was alive. I didn't know how long I had been crying for. I just knew that I had missed Claus.

By the time I had calmed down, I noticed the sun was starting to set. But I didn't regret a single moment.

"C-Claus…" I finally said.

"Yes, Lucas?" Claus gently asked, he had never let me go.

"H-how…?" I asked, still too emotional to speak much.

"How what?" Claus asked. "How am I here?"

I answered with a nod, still squeezing Claus in my arms, too afraid to let him go in fear he would disappear again.

"It was the Dark Dragon." Claus replied. "I was revived by it." He then looked down at his mechanical arm. "Although, it revived me with my mechanical parts… I will admit, they are handy and all, but I sometimes wish I had been revived with my regular arm and my regular eye as well."

Claus looked down at me. "But that's not to say that I'm not thankful for being here with you right now, Lucas."

"B-but… I… I was… controlling the Dark Dragon, wasn't I? When I… woke it up?" I asked. "Does that mean… you're here because I… took you away from Mom?"

"You've got it all wrong, Lucas," Claus softly said, and I felt him gently rubbing my hair. "The Dark Dragon didn't just yank me away from Mom. It did inherit your heart after all, and you know how selfless you are, to a fault even. The Dragon gave me a choice, to stay in heaven with Mom or to go back. The Dragon did warn me that it can't just make a new body for me, I'd have to go back into the one I've always had, robotic parts and all."

"... And… you chose to come back… despite leaving Mom, heaven, and being back in your… reconstructed body?" I asked.

"Of course! You really think I'd pass up the chance to be with you, my twin brother?" Claus replied. "You were missing me so much, and I knew I couldn't stay with Mom. You needed me more, so I chose to return to you because of that."

Claus's voice went quieter as he continued. "I… know I messed up… Like Dad said, I was hasty. I was hasty when I went to kill the Drago that killed Mom… and I was hasty when I used you to end my own life. I was filled with so much anger when Mom died… and I was filled with shame, guilt, and anger at myself when I realized I had been hurting you as the Commander. I didn't realize the severity of the consequences of what I had done until I saw how you were suffering after I died in your arms. And it had been haunting both of us. You couldn't sleep peacefully for the past 6 months. I always heard you crying at night, and I could see some of what you were dreaming about in my head. I tried my best to comfort you any way I could. But there was only so much I could do since you couldn't see or hear me…"

"When I first realized you couldn't see and hear me, I was heartbroken. I came back for you, and you refused to acknowledge my existence," Claus continued. "But I realized why. It was my fault. I broke you, I hurt you. And I promised myself, and to you, that I won't ever leave your side again until you got better."

"So all this time… I hadn't been alone… when people saw me, they saw us, together. When I couldn't hear their voice, they were talking to you. When I saw extra footprints in the sand, and heard another splash in the water, that was all you," I realized.

"Yeah. That was all me." Claus confirmed with a grin. "You couldn't get rid of me, even if you tried."

"And… it was you who took out that mechanical wolf?" I asked.

"Yeah." Claus replied, becoming serious now. "I didn't think you'd have that much trouble against it, and I was sleeping, but when I heard you calling for me, I just came to help you and well… when I saw that thing attacking you, I just had to do something. Nobody messes with my family. I did have to clean up the pieces, and took it back to the Pigmasks staying at Isaac's house. I wanted an explanation for the mechanical wolf, but they said they never saw anything like it. And when I got back home, I didn't see you in bed. I got really worried, I asked Dad to help me look for you, and we found you at Mom's grave."

That explains why Duster said I was alone that time. I realized. "I'm sorry, Claus. I… haven't been able to use PK Love very well these days, it's like it got weaker. And I haven't been keeping up with my training I guess."

"Your PK Love got weaker because your heart was hurting so much," Claus explained. "And you didn't think you'd have to fight anymore, so I don't blame you for not training. But the fact that this mechanical wolf exists, and the Pigmask remnants don't recognize it makes me uneasy. Even with Ma- erm, Porky gone, there will always be someone just as corrupted to take his place."

"Oh… yeah, I guess so," I realized. Maybe it would've been easier for us had I had the Dark Dragon eradicate all evil people… but that's not really me. I believe everyone deserves a second chance. Porky… sealed himself away though, I don't think even the Dark Dragon can help him.

"I was worried that you might never recover, Lucas," Claus admitted. "It scared me that I may have lost you just as you thought you lost me. I'm glad that you reached out to me even though you still thought I was gone."

"I'm glad you're here, Claus… and that you've been looking out for me," I said softly. "I don't want to lose you again… I love you, Claus."

Claus smiled. "And I love you as well, Lucas." He said as he hugged me.

"Heh… we uh… have a lot of catching up to do, don't we?" I chuckled sheepishly, enjoying the hug now that I could see Claus.

"Oh definitely, I've been waiting 6 months to hear what you've been doing while I was… away," Claus chuckled. "I told Boney to not tell me anything, cause I wanted to hear it from you."

"Heh, I have a lot to tell you. And I have to properly introduce you to Kumatora, she's a bit uneasy with you since she's only seen you as the Masked Man after all," I said. "I have a feeling you two would get along, you both have a very similar personality."

Claus grinned. "This should be interesting then. I can't wait to meet her." He then paused for a moment. "Um… at least I can't wait to meet her properly, and not as the Masked Man."

"There's so much I want to talk to you about." I smiled.

Then I heard the front door opening. Claus and I looked over to see Dad coming in. He stopped when he looked at me and Claus hugging.

"Lucas? Claus?" Dad asked. "Lucas, did you have another nightmare?"

"Heh… Dad always saw me hugging you whenever you had a nightmare," Claus chuckled.

I smiled at Dad. "Hey, Dad… guess what? Claus is here, he's home."

Claus gave a smile at Dad as well. "Hey, Dad, guess what? Lucas can see and hear me, he's home."