The Chasers: The Key to Memories Past

[Rikugurl]

When Roxel gazed upon the last drawing, his eyes widened at the image. He had obviously drawn this when he was asleep... though he had no idea what morning it could of been. One the morning after a night of love he was sure from his pelvic bone was without boxers. Jax didn't seem to mind as he was sprawled out as well, cutely across his stomach and chest as he... slept soundly.

His eyes watered more, his lip quivering when he read the bottom part. "Ten.....Ten-chan.....?" The book closed, was pressed close to his chest as one arm gripped it desperately, the other gripping his hair as he started to sob.


Fuu was silent as she listened to her old friend. She was silent, just soaking up the words like how she knew best. It was...very odd how everything came together. Almost seeming impossible and based fairly on fate. Fuu was never big on the idea of fate, her hard outer shell still very much alive from her military days. However...even she had known throughout the years that pieces like this just didn't fit perfectly like this all the time.

If Riku and Sora had not picked Twilight Town...she would of never met her wife. Olette and Seifer would of never had to work together and somehow fall for each other.... not have two children...Even the Thym were right about fate. Sammy did meet a woman known as a princess...her mother never stating it had to be a real one. Then there was Namine and Sanyi. They would of never...felt the way they did if things did not happen on Dragoon.

Seifer was right.
They were already tied...somehow.

Her red eye shifted, looking up into the blue. "If that's the truth than what worries me is....when?"


Gunnar rose an eyebrow as Kadaj came back with an answer but before he could snap that he should know this by now, Kadaj already spoke. Again, he could of argued that of course he was confusing, he was a human! But as Kadaj spoke, he listened, seeing the tie slightly and sighed, looking back up at the ceiling. "The Darkness, huh?" Kind of like Riku and the King. The problem was....could Roxel really wait for two or more years for Tensai to come back?


Sammy blinked when Lucina asked the question. To find them... It reminded him of the time when he was first accepted in becoming a Chaser. The few tests Ven had run on him. One was a painful one of pricking his finger with a needle and drawing blood. He let it drip onto a nicely cut piece of glass before putting it in some shoot on the computer. Something about....NDA....or....DNA....or something. Anyway, he said it would look through as far as the ship could reach for a match.... so they might know where he was from. However, the search didn't seem to work.

That was when Terra started his cursing and said he could stay.

Now with all the worlds restored....would the test work?

[Reno]

Ears perked up at the despairing wails, the head of the small fox-lion raising slowly. He whimpered softly before getting up and jumping from the crate, his paws near silent as he crossed the room. He jumped onto the bed and lay down beside the tall teen, rubbing his head gently against the other's side. Tensai had told him to watch over hm, and that was what he was going to do.


The other man in the small room hesitated, then he sighed and shook his head. Unfortunately... it could be a long wait. It could be a few days, like Roxas had waited for Axel when he returned to Reno ...or it could be much worse as Sora and Ven had to wait nearly twenty years... "I don't know. But if we don't give up hope we're bound to find him eventually."


"It is merely a thought." Kadaj said simply, crossing his arms looking up at the metal ceiling. "That or there is a possibility they faded within themselves though since neither are keybladers any longer, it is a very unlikely outcome."

They laid there for some longer moments still, silence falling as they mulled in their own thoughts, the silverette's eyes thoughtful. "Statistics wise those connected by Paopu are usually reconnected in a month and 13 days. Without Ven's coma data, about 5.24 days. Yet the circumstances being what they are, it could be much longer, or never." He shut his eyes. "Now here is a question: How much time are we willing to invest?"


A soft smile explored the blonde woman's face before fingers played along the keys. The keyblade searcher was erased from the screen as new data was brought up, a picture of Sammy appearing along with some basic information about him like weight, height, age, eye and hair color. Then there was his number and Chaser positions among other things.

A drop down menu appeared next to blood type, stating search options they could use with the information. She clicked it and a new screen appearing for the DNA search but her hands hovering over the start button, not yet clicking it. This could be a double-edged sword as finding either could be exhilarating and confusing but finding neither confirmed...

She glanced back. "Only if you want to."

[Rikugurl]

Roxel continued to sob... his misery seeming to have an endless pit in which he could not escape. Without Tensai... he had nothing left. He stopped however when he felt something nuzzle him. His eyes opened, though tired and puffy... he slowly looked to his side, seeing Moxley. His whimpering was sad...which didn't make the thin teen feel any better. What made him feel worse though...was that he felt worse losing his lover...than his parents.

"I'm a horrible person....Moxley..." He choked before setting the book down carefully and out of harms way before pulling the lion fox closer, hugging him as his fingers ran through soft fur.


Eventually... She was not one to give up hope so easily. It wasn't good for one's pride. In the military...they were told never to give up. Both her and Seifer...lived based on this. Tensai was her son... but the Chasers were on their breaking point. Their future was unknown...unorganized. Were the keyblades really gone and if so...now what? Find a place to settle?
Could she even...after all these years?

She sighed before shaking her head, looking back out at the stars. "It would feel better...if we at least had some sort of clue..."


Gunnar looked at Kadaj as he gave the statistics. Should he program his alarm clock now? He shook his head from the thought and sighed. "Aqua, Fujin and Roxel will look for him forever. Maybe they'll even make a new meaning for 'Chasing' now that the keyblades are gone." There was a bit to it but he sighed. Even he somethings was shocked about the things that came out of his mouth. When did he turn into such an asshole? Maybe it really was genetics.

He was kind of glad that he didn't get the 'celebration' disease...

"I guess we'll all keep looking...until we find him..."


Samael watched his fiance closely as she popped all the information in, seeing a database on himself that he hadn't seen in years. He frowned as she started to pull some things down, his DNA profile popping up and the button for Search. The pointer hovered over it and then...she stopped.

Purple eyes widened when he looked down at her, hearing her ask the question. Maybe he was scared...or maybe something else but it seemed that Lucina was more excited about finding her parents than he was. He would like to see his mother again... and hopefully their marriage wouldn't make her sad... She was never able to have that option.

He bit his lip and thought for a moment before nodding. "Go ahead."
She turned and pressed the button, the computer instantly going to work as they heard some noise outside of the scanner moving.
They waited there for fifteen minutes until the search was over and the screen flashed.

Number of Persons Found:
1

[Reno]

The fox whimpered at the other's words and started to lick his cheek of the tears, his ears falling against his head. What did he mean? Tensai cared about this fleshy, non-furred human more then him half the time! He would not if he was not good.


In the Weapons room there was silence, the two ex-military members lost in thought. The blonde man chuckled beside her suddenly, making Fuu look at him incredulously. "Why did none of us think of this before? When we had no idea what to do for Terra's soul where did we go to figure it out?"


The keyblade room was silent for a long time before a body shifted a hand running through brunette locks. "I suppose we will." He had adapted to the idea of leaving no one behind - even after death, like they had for Terra. His perceptions had certainly changed since he joined this group. He wasn't precisely upset about this - he too, had he been lost, would hope to be found by those he had fought beside.

That was how trust was built. It was something that, while not precisely new to him, was hard for him to gain and keep. Yet held had built trust with everyone on this ship - even when he acted out abhorrently - and had never truly lost it.

His eyes were a bit unfocused, somewhat lost in thought but his index finger was moving, almost teasingly across Gunnar's skin. It made circles into a shallow cheek before running down the jaw line and along his neck, feeling the fluttery pulse beneath his fingers.


Lucina leaned back in the chair, quietly waiting for the computer to stop looking. With all the new stars it turned out to be a more complicated and long process then she thought. Tensai's searches never took this long nor did Xion's. She wondered why...

Faster than a thousand virus scans, the computer whirred softly in the dark room as it searched and searched, running over each individual world with just a glance of power before moving to the next and next and next and-

There was a beep and the answer came to then a quarter of an hour later. Lucina's eyes went wide as she reached up, her fingers curling around the hand on her shoulder with care, feeling how the tendons had tightened with stress and shock. She reached out slowly and clicked on the highlighted number. Data of the world started to show.

[Rikugurl]

Fuu's eye lit up before her head shifted, hearing Seifer laugh. What was so funny, she would like to know. With a frown, she was going to scoff but that was when he told her why he was laughing. Where did we go to figure it out? Her eye shifted as she thought, trying to remember the week of chaos and how it all started. That's when it came to her too.

'Ven's' phoenix.

Wouldit really help them again though? Was it like...three wishes? And what about the world? Was it destroyed because of Roxel...? Was it different because of the worlds coming together?
"Do you really think it can help us?"


Gunnar's eyes lidded when he felt the other's fingers in his hair and smiled. He let out a content sigh before scooting closer, enjoying the inner warmth of his lover. His sister was excited about her wedding...though it seemed like they hadn't even started for ideas yet. As for himself... he kind of...was excited about all the possibilities he and Kadaj had. Where would they stay? What would they do?

As long as they were together....he could care less.
"I love you..." He whispered as he kissed the silverette's jaw. What would he do if he was in Roxel's shoes... if Kadaj went missing.
He...didn't even want to think about it.


When the search result came on the computer, his fingers gripped onto Lucina's shoulders unknowingly...until he felt her hands on his, clutching them lovingly to ease him.
One?
One of his relatives...were alive?
Who was it...? He frowned, wondering if the computer was wrong because it didn't check dimensions either...

When Lucina pressed another button, the computer seemed to visualize the world, making both their eyes widen.

It was a world that was nothing but desert.
Miles and miles of sand, wind and hot sun. There seemed to be some villages here and there around the few bodies of water. However, there was a large place that seemed like a palace, rising high over the sands.
This was not the world...Sammy recognized...and neither did Lucina from the memories.

Samael's father....lived here....and he was alive.

Some more information popped up, giving the coordinates. What made them gasp was how far the world was. The computer made an educated guess that it was in or around Connection 129.

[Reno]

Broad shoulders shrugged, blue eyes thoughtful. "I'm not sure to be honest but it seemed to know a lot. It knew how to find Terra and he was dead, I would think finding Tensai would be easy." He thought silently about that encounter that seemed so long ago now, remembering how the blue phoenix seemed to know all the answers before they even knew the questions they wished to ask. Had it really been only two weeks or so? So much had happened since they helped Terra out...

"Anyways, it doesn't hurt to try." Seifer said, leaning back in the chair, putting his feet on the console and crossing the ankles.


All the little things continued to fascinate him. How did he never notice what a difference being able to touch made? In fighting it hindered him little, his magical energy making up for his lack of physical performance. Had he been living on his world eating would be no trouble at all as he would not need to. Bathing would really be the only obstacle.

But in the bedroom it made a world of difference. It was not only simply an annoyance but truly frustrating to not be able to caress locks of hair for encouragement, to pinch hard nipples or rub smooth skin to increase his lover's desire, or to grip onto bedsheets as his body arched in ecstasy.

'I love you...'

And then love... such a tiny word. Four letters, hardly worthy of notice when facing far grander words in the dictionary like the 27-letter Honorificabilitudinitatibus. Yet, when spoken it seemed to hold much more power over his mind than intelligence could ever occupy.

The man smiled in content tilting his head where soft lips were doting kiss along his chin, their lips meeting and tongues dancing slowly. Moments like these were rare, both of them often overcome with cardinal pleasure to worry of seeming adoring or affectionate. Most of them took place after sex, during the afterglow. He could count very few times he felt so at ease to just... enjoy the others presence. If love came with this added effect, then it really was not such a terrible thing at all.

He smiled against wet lips, murmuring an answer he knew he would say a thousand times more in his life, "Me too."

No, love was really wonderful.


Poor Freyr is in for quite a trip, Lucina thought as she stared at the connection origin. They had never been so far before. Of course, they always had never been so far - when Roxas went to find Axel, when they went to find Demyx, when they landed in Ivalice. Their goals were always so out of reach...

but she knew they were also always attainable. They'd be pushing the ships limits yet it was a trip worth making. Beside, they had little else they could do at this point - the keyblades were gone, all threats seemed neutralized, and until Tensai decided to show himself, they would be unable to find him.

She set her expression and smiled up at Sammy. "Connection 129 it is then!"

[Rikugurl]

The woman frowned, crossing her arms as he spoke. It was true...it seemed to know everything they needed to before they even asked. If it wasn't near connections that they called home, Fuu would of second guessed about going. She didn't want to make a huge trip for nothing. For all they knew, this being was no longer there...only being powered by the majick of---

"Wait." She spoke, making Seifer look over as she frowned. "How are we suppose to...summon it?" Even Seifer remembered that Sammy had revealed the keyhole...and then the keyblades unlocked what seemed to be something that would summon the being. But....somehow Ven had seen this being without---
"It's connected to death....right?" Ventus was half dead... and the only person they knew---

"Great." They both echoed, neither of their tones sounding happy.
Roxel would be the only one who could talk to this thing.

Fuu gave a sigh before nodding, standing and walking to the exit. "He didn't mess up in the trials...so hopefully he'll be fine with this." She said before walking down the stairs but her balance was thrown a bit as the ship went off course. She grabbed onto the rail and frowned, hearing Seifer complain that SOMEONE just moved his ship.

For a moment, they were in hope, wondering if it was Tensai who was drawing the ship towards him. She raced down the stairs and into the pilot lounge, seeing Lucina and Sammy at the controls. "What's going on!? Are we being pulled!?" She cried as she looked at the coordinates. Wherever they were going, it seemed rather far...
Sammy looked up before signing.
'Lucina found a relative of mine so we are heading there.'

A red eye widened before her arms crossed, Seifer coming by her side. "Lucina...who gave you the O.K to choose our next destination?" She got a snippy reply but she only shook her head. "We're going back to Connection 4. Finding Tensai is our FIRST priority!"

[Reno]

He could feel a headache coming on as the realization hit them. Roxel would be the their key to this new mission. Ugh, Tensai was doomed. "Great..." Maybe since it was his own god damned boyfriend he would magically become an asset.

He hoped angels couldn't read minds or he had a feeling Roxas and Axel were going to haunt him in his sleep. Continuously.

Just as he was having this thought, the ship shook. "What the fuck?! WHO THE HELL IS MESSING WITH MY SHIP?!" See, fucking karma! Roxas sent Terra and Ven down to piss him off! He followed after his old friend, grumbling under his breath hotly.

It was to his surprise that it was his own daughter.

And they got their answer as to why through Sammy. A relative? In connection... one-hundred and twenty fucking NINE?! There was no way in hell they were going to connection one hundred and twenty FUCKING NINE!!!

Certainly not from Aqua. She though angrily. Lucina looked back and rolled her eyes, snapping back. "Excuse me, but my job description is A. Pilot and B. Leader. I don't NEED jurisdiction."

Green eyes turned dark as Fujin started to get prissy with her in that a way that reminded her how much she LOVED having her own ship! None of the 'I'm older than you so automatically you are wrong' business. Oh yeah and not being treated like a child. That was nice.

Damn Kuku for destroying her precious ship!

Why were they going to connection 4 anyways? They'd already been through there! Tensai was definitely not there!

"Lucina," Her father said, his tone strict. "Change the course right now."

She ground her teeth, jaw tightening because she knew if she spoke, she would definitely say something she'd regret. She had learned better though - her dad had always told her when she was angry, to just walk away. So rather than doing as told she got out of the chair and walked out of the room. It wasn't as if her dad couldn't do it.

[Rikugurl]

Sammy could feel the rage running through him, a feeling that he hardly ever felt himself. He knew it wasn't him...but it brought is leisurely tone down and his own blood started to boil before he convinced himself to stay calm or things could turn for the worse. He was about to take her hand and rub it, make her calm down but that was when she was up off the chair and out the room.

The glowing eyes dimmed as the two elders looked at him before he hurried on his way after his storming fiance. Hopefully when they got their own privacy and place, she wouldn't lose her temper as much.
"Lucina? Lucina, wait!" He called as he got into a jug, following the speed walking woman before coming to her side. His arms wrapped around her and halted her, hearing her sigh. "It's alright... calm down." He could see the frustration in her eyes before he ran a soft finger over her cheek. "They're right....finding Tensai is more important right now. We'll have our time to go."

Fuu frowned as she watched the two leave before looking at Seifer. They shared a glance before the man took his seat and the ship started to change again. "I wonder what has gotten into them..."

[Reno]

A soft angry sigh passed through the woman's lips before she relaxed some against the other, her hand curling around his. "I know Tensai is important Sam'... but so are you! I mean you've got FAMILY out there that's...!" She shook her head and looked up. "Don't you want to see him?"


Back in the lounge Seifer just grumbled irritably as he fell into HIS chair and changed the course, the ship shaking again. "Who the fuck knows, I never understood women. You ladies are always fucking menstruating over something."

[Rikugurl]

Sammy frowned as he listened to Lucina, hearing her words...and her question. He looked down, silent for a few minutes before sighing. "I....I really don't know, Lucina. I.....I'm scared." The blonde woman seemed to raise her eyebrow, a bit shocked. It was very rare for Sammy to be scared. "I mean... I didn't even realize I had a dad until the memories... and what happens if.... if he doesn't understand me? He doesn't understand sign language? I don't want him to feel sad that he can't even communicate with his own child that he thought he lost so many years ago..."

His purple eyes slowly looked up at her, sad and unsure. "And my mother... what has happened to her? And would he know?" The man swallowed, rubbing his own arm. "It is important to me...and I would like him to see our wedding if he wishes... but Roxel needed Tensai...and his pain is more great than any emotion I can feel right now besides my love for you. We must find Tensai first. My father has been waiting for years to see me once again...he could wait a bit longer."


SMACK



The whirling of the auto pilot ship was a sound that both Lucina and Gunnar lived with all their life. It was a calming noise that would put them to sleep or calm them when angry or sad.
Unless your Gunnar.
The course had been set and there wasn't much to do until they reached their end location. So day four was much like day three. Hate, sadness, tired beings walking around the ship as if they didn't know the people they were living with like a hole in the wall.

The day came and went, the night coming slower for some before day five reached them. They were Connection 4 and finally... Aqua pulled out of her shell to announced why they were here.

[Reno]

The strong, gun-wielding woman stared up at her fiance for a few silent moments before she reached up and hugged him tightly. "Alright..." She said softly, feeling the mixed emotions that filled the other. "If you're sure..." She looked up at him and smiled softly. "Don't worry so much okay? He understood your mom and could never speak with her, I do not think he will find it hard to speak with you. And if he does, we can just teach him."

She leaned up and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek to soothe him.


"OOOOW!!!"


The table, usually a comfort for them as it was usually full of life and laughter or planning and considerations, seemed much longer then ever before. Almost all of them were eating in silence and anyone who dared talk could not above a whisper. This tension that had leaked into the ship had been there for days.

No one could really blame them. Now that the action was gone, there was no really time to rush around the universe - it was time to grieve. They had lost so many these past few weeks. One of their members, the sunniest and most optimistic next to Namine and Olette, was displaced. Things were changing dramatically, relationships shifting and growing without really being ready to.

And of course... now that the keyblades were gone... they had no purpose. Life was about to take a new twist that few of them were actually prepared for. None of them had a formal education - where would they go?!

It was really a lot to think about.

"Alright fuckers."

Sometimes it was good to interrupt the mind.

Heads turned to look towards Aqua who was stabbing a sausage cruelly, not seeming interested in eating it, but rather just wanted to spear something. "I'm sure you all noticed our new course. We're headed for Macalania again." Unlike what she expected, no one made comment, only continued to look at her silently for an answer. They had definitely changed.

"We are going to ask the phoenix for help once more. Actually, Roxel is." Gunnar spoke up instantly.

Okay they hadn't changed that much.

Aqua glared him down, stopping him in mid-sentence with an expression that said 'Watch what you say asshole'. Yelling out that Roxel was going to doom them all when he was looking for his OWN lover would not be good on his self-esteem right now. Jeez, didn't Seifer teach his kids any fucking tact?

She sighed and looked towards Roxel who they managed to get to eat again today - another bowl of cereal, most of the flakes soggy and uneaten. But he was listening. "Since you're connected to the dead now Roxel, you shouldn't have any trouble talking to it. Ven told me when he was first approached by the phoenix, it could sense the bond he had with Terra. It'll sense your too - all you need to do is ask if it can feel where Tensai is or if it knows how we can get to him."

[Rikugurl]

Golden eyes looked down at the soggy flakes as his body wrapped around the thin shoulders of the teen star. He even noticed that he was starting to get a bit too large to be wrapping around his neck but it was so warm!
He whimpered as he licked his chops, remembering how good it tasted last night and it wasn't like Roxel was really eating them!

The fire head continued to sink the flakes until they were so soggy that they could hardly stay together. The people around him didn't make him feel much better either. Namine was silent like no one had ever seen before, her large ideas and theories not coming into play anymore. Then there was Olette who was silent as well, poking her own food and pouting when Seifer told her to knock it off and eat.

It was Aqua who made everyone look up, even Fuu who had hardly heard a word from her lover in the days after the keyblade went missing.
Macalania?
That was what Ven had called the small world where so many things had changed his and Terra's life. It was apparently the world that finally cleansed is heart of the Darkness and where he confessed his love to the land brute. It was also where they held their 'Blood Bond'. The rest of them had called it THEIR world but giving it a name seemed better.

It was also the only world they knew that seemed to be in the middle of life...and death.

"WHAT!? ROXEL!? You've got to be fucking...." He got the glare and growled... but he sighed when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Roxel however bit his lip. It was scary...thinking that he was connected to the dead. He hadn't even SEEN this phoenix before. "B-but what if I talk to the wrong one!? And then I make him mad...and he tries to kill me! It seems too scary..."
Gunnar let out another sigh, rubbing his temple. Great. They were doomed again.
Namine looked at Roxel and smiled, patting him on the back. "Don't worry. There is only one pheonix and its big and blue and looks like it's made from water. It doesn't have a face or anything but it seems pretty nice."

[Reno]

Aqua rose an eyebrow slightly and shook her head, amazed Roxel could still act like himself. She supposed that was not a bad thing... "Don't worry Roxel, You can do it." She encouraged lightly. "It won't hurt anyone who is there for a sincere reason."

The boy still seemed a bit uneasy even after they finished breakfast and the console at the ship beeped shortly after, informing them of their destination.

Because they no longer had keybladers - and could not land on the small world - they had to use the old transporter watches that Ven had made for small worlds just in case they ever ran into this problem. Olette was the one to give hers to Roxel, kindly showing him what each button did and how to work it. The watches usually weren't authorized to someone younger considering what happened to Gunnar...

Besides, Roxas had never been too thrilled with his son ever using it, mainly because he was worried he'd break it like Axel always broke their damn communicators. They were really too alike sometimes.

"Should we really let him go down there alone?" Seifer murmured quietly to Aqua.
The blue-haired woman rolled her eyes. No wonder Terra had been so pissed at them half the time - they really had problems trusting their own. "He'll be fine."

[Rikugurl]

Sammy looked out the window as Olette showed Roxel how to work the watches. The same watch that got Gunnar into all that mess when he was a child. His head tilted as he looked down, seeing that this world was actually much larger than it had ever been. It was still too small to land on though and Gunnar confirmed that even if they wanted to, the world was nothing but forest and there wasn't an opening large enough for them to land.

Roxel nodded as the woman finally pulled away and smiled. "Don't worry, Roxel. You'll do fine. Just remember... you're doing this for Ten-chan!"
Blue and green eyes lowered to look at the watch before sighing. "Yea, that's right. For Ten-chan." He spoke softly before feeling a nudge on his leg, making him look down to see the little cub. He smiled softly before leaning over, rubbing the back of the cub's ear. "Don't worry...I'll be back..." Jax whimpered still but he could only watch as Roxel stood back up and looked around at his teammates.

"Good luck!" Namine smiled softly as Fuu gave him a supportive nod. Roxel sighed before looking down at the watch and pressed some buttons before he just...vanish.


Down below, his eyes opened to see something that didn't seem right. It was... nothing but white. No trees, no moon, no blue rocks. It looked like the inside of that hole that was in the Room of Echoes or a blank sheet of Tensai's sketching pad. He looked around, hearing the soft hymn of some sort but the language was unknown to him.

"Excuse me?"
................
"Excuse me?"

"HUH!?" Roxel turned around quickly as he heard a voice and the world snapped right in front of his eyes. The white glowing trees, the blue rocks and the balls of light flying up to the sky. "W-whoa..."
"Excuse me?"
Roxel's eyes widened when he heard the voice again and looked back around, seeing the most bizarre thing he had seen in awhile. It was some sort of....owl. As tall as a human with a strange native looking head piece. He was holding a harp in his one wing as he looked into the teen's eyes. "May I ask who you might be?"

"Oh....uh...." For a moment, the fire head seemed to forget what his name was. "R-Roxel!"
"Roxel? And Roxel, how did you find this place?"
Wow, too many questions!
"A-actually, my old leader found this place... awhile ago and...I don't know how. But I'm here to talk to...the um....phoenix or...whatever its name is."
"Phoenix? There is no such thing here. This is a sacred, hidden world and if you are not of the right blood than---"
"I don't CARE if I don't have whatever blood! There is a phoenix in some lake around here and it is the last hope I have to find my lover!"

The bird seemed to be a bit pushed back as his feathers fluttered. "There is a lake but no---"
"YES THERE IS! ONLY DEAD PEOPLE CAN TALK TO IT!"
"..............Are you deceased?"
Roxel was silent before sighing. "Yes. Well....kind of. The only thing keeping me 'alive' is my lover who we lost. I need to find him..." He looked down, water starting to form in his eyes. "I have to find him."
"Ah, then why didn't you say that in the first place." The owl seemed to chirp before stringing a cord of his harp, and something amazing happened.

A light path formed over the trees. It didn't seem solid at all but the bird seemed to point to it with his wing. "Follow that trail. It will lead you to the lake."
"T-hanks..." Roxel's eyebrow rose but he didn't ask any more questions as he rushed to the sparkling light. He hesitantly stepped on it but it was as solid as the ground under his other foot. Knowing that, he wasted no more time and rushed across the arch and down to another part of the forest. One that was familiar to him. He followed a hidden path and down a rocky hill before his eyes widened.

There was the lake, the tree in the middle that he had never seen before and the galaxy above it. The balls of light were brighter and plenty here as he started to walk towards the water. Something seemed familiar about these balls of light...
When he got to the shore, he looked around and frowned. "Hello?" Silence.
"HELLO!?" He called but still there was nothing...but he did notice that the gem in the tree started to shine brighter. Maybe that was where he was suppose to go.

He started to go into the lake, much like Ven, not noticing the battle wounds being healed. And much like Ven, when the water got up to his chest--- "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
Roxel grabbed his chest, the pain so unbearable before he couldn't take it...and fell into the waters.

He fell....and fell....and fell....deep into a bottomless darkness.
The chanting he had heard reached his ears again but instead of seeing only white....he could only see black.
He fell for what seemed to be forever until his feet finally touched something solid and he stood. Green and blue eyes looked around, seeing nothing but the darkness that surrounded him.
This was stranger than his Awakening...

"Roxel Xipil."

Roxel's eyes widened before he turned around, seeing a large blue...glowing phoenix in front of him.

"?eman ym wonk uoy od woH"
Roxel gasped, grabbing his throat. Why was he talking backwards!?

"I know everything about you..."

Roxel bit his lip. Everything....?
Jeez, I hope he doesn't tell anyone about what he knows....
".gnissim sah enog iasneT. ?tnew eh erehw wonk uoy oD"

The bird flapped its wings before lowering its head.

"That I do know. He is the place where he once was. A world far away in the same 'Connection' as that of another lost relative. He is alone...and waiting. Sad. He has not his lover nor his book of art but memories and thought keep him company."
There was silence before Roxel frowned. "...gnihtyna em llet t'nseod taht.....tahT"

The bird flapped again before picking his head up.
"I enjoy making those to come to me think. It would be a bore to tell them all the answers. Now go. Do not waste anytime. Close your eyes and find the one you have lost."
"!!TIAW" Roxel called, forgetting not to blink for when he did...he was back on the show, dripping wet. He looked back at the tree and sighed, thinking of what the bird had told him.

This hadn't helped at all. He hoped that the others would know....better than he did.


"...and thought keep him company.'" Roxel explained as he pulled a towel around his hair, seeing the Chasers go into thought.