The Agnimitra

[Kira1]

Ddraig wasn't used to anyone but Dark replying to him in such, so it surprised him more than it made him afraid. But, he wasn't going to dwell on it since Rain was not any rank here, as such the two were more like equals. He stood up from where he was crouched, crossing his arms, and watched silently as Rain finished healing Mark.

Of course, Rain healed every wound she could, which was something that didn't surprise him. Mark looked much better now as well. The color had returned to his face and he didn't look like he was about to die anymore. Now that Mark was out of danger, Ddraig's mind went straight to business; finding out what Mark had been doing.

"Mark, we need to talk," he said in a calm voice, looking down at him with a serious expression, since he was very serious about this.

 

((it's official, his emotions have been locked up again. DX lol))

[Walker]

Puppy was pacing around his cell. Being stuck in here was making him want to scream again, which wouldn't be a good thing. The stress of everything was getting to him again. He was pretty sure he would have already been on the floor screaming again by this point if the feelings absorbed into these gloves weren't there to make him calmer. It was an easy enough thing to keep himself open to the emotions of the things that he came in contact with, but he knew the problem was closing himself up. He had managed once but he still needed more practice.

 

As his mind meandered, he had sat against the wall of the cell, holding his aching head between his hands. It was throbbing with the intensity of his own emotions, and that of Stick's too. It was still frustrating him trying to distinguish his own memories from Stick's. It was like he was a complete stranger in his own head, but he knew he had been heading down this path anyway. Ever since he had discovered his new power, it seemed his head was filled more and more often with people other then himself.

 

He knotted his fingers into his hair as his head continued to pound. How was he supposed to resolve this problem? He would have to someday, and better sooner then later. He couldn't live his life having no space in his own head to call his own, especially since he was an Agnimtra. In the best of cases, he had thousands of years ahead of him. He wouldn't be able to live with thousands of years of this, unless someone decided to put him in a straightjacket for eternity that was. He hoped no one was cruel enough to do that to him.

 

He was sick of it. He wanted to lose himself just like he had when he had first touched the sword in the hallway of the temple, or when he had touched Stick’s dagger, or when he had done a multitude of things. It was just so much easier to lose himself then struggle to keep it. He knew doing this was almost akin to giving up. Opening himself up again in such a way would probably only make things worse when he stopped touching the object, but what mattered to him now was a brief escape. With a sigh, he opened himself completely to the gloves on his hand and gasped as he became partly another person. He grinned stupidly as his mind cleared quickly, but it wasn't really him smiling at that moment. Golden had retreated to the very back of his mind. He had recreated a whole new personality by opening himself to these gloves.

 

Briefly he noted that he was hearing things too... not voices, but emotions. He blinked and remembered that Lilia was an empath. Just like he had used Rain's and Stick's powers, he was using Lilia's now. The amount of emotions in the building was like the pounding of the ocean in the back of his mind. Unavoidable but ignorable, but he decided against ignoring it. He wanted to explore these powers. They were interesting. Slowly, he reached out to find what others were feeling and gasped in shock as his mind was immediately drawn to a nearby area where the emotion was overpowering. Something was happening, there was no doubt.

 

It was a mix of fear, concern, anxiety, helplessness, fear, horror, and among it all, a brief twinge of hope. The amount nearly crushed him, but surprisingly, he found he liked it. If he concentrated completely on these others emotions he completely forgot his own. He settled down and tried to piece together the situation from where he was. The emotions were to confusing to really paint a detailed portrait, but it was Lilia’s other power that started to pull it together. She was also able to sense what other’s powers were. One of the people was a healer and if he plugged that into the equation, it made sense that someone had been injured. It would certainly explain all of the feelings above. He focused even more intensely on the healer and found her to be a source of calm. Unlike the others in the room, she wasn’t panicking, but working with complete determination and concentration. It was so easy to just pretend he was this healer instead of facing the fact that his mind had become a harbor for every other emotion of others topped with his own

 

It was so easy to lose himself in her emotions it was scary. He could almost be her. As he tuned into her more deeply, he became much more aware of every brief flicker of changing emotion. He almost believed that the healer wasn’t as much in tune with what she was feeling as he himself was. As he continued to listen though, there was an indistinct funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was vaguely familiar about this healer… but what? He drew away from her as he contemplated the mystery. He found himself coming back bit by bit, trying to solve the mystery. As he became aware of himself though, he became aware of a very disturbing fact. Yelping to himself, he immediately tore of the gloves and threw them across the room. As soon as he lost contact with them, all his old worries and memories came crashing back in a tidal wave, but it was all miniscule considering how his heart was pounding like a locomotive and he was covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

 

Slightly awed and confused, he sat on the ground, shivering like a leaf. It was like the life had been drained out of him. Then he remembered how he had felt when he had felt after touching Stick’s dagger. Whenever he pushed his powers, he drained his own energy at incredible levels and speeds. He bit his lip as he realized that if he hadn’t drawn away from the healer, he might have well killed himself. He had been absorbed so much, he hadn’t noticed the drain it was having on his body. He could have passed on without so much as realizing it. He was playing with fire. Even this realization wasn’t enough to stop him from looking longingly at the gloves again though. The problem was, even that he knew that it might kill him, he wanted to do it again. He wanted to drown himself in another’s personality. It was such an addicting experience, it was hard to ignore.

 

Trying to pull his mind away from the temptation before he attempted it again in his weakened state, he again started puzzling over the healer’s familiarity. Now that he had regained his own wits, it only took a moment to put it together. He knew this mind because he had touched it before, when he was experimenting with Rain’s bracelet, which meant…

 

Rain! Rain! Is that you?! he sent out in a frantic plea. His surprise had washed away all his attempts at controlling the roiling emotions and memories in his head.

 

Rain, please, make it stop. Please, please, please. It’s too much. Too much. It all happened so quickly and now I can’t… I touched it and it was… So much. I can’t get it out. The problem is, I want to do it more… but that would… Make it stop, please!

 

By this point, he was so frantic that he was lying on the ground, curled up in a ball, and crying his eyes out. He wasn’t even sure what he was sending Rain anymore. He was just bombarding her with garbled messages to get even just a fraction of them out of his own head. He was pretty sure he was crowding Rain’s mind with his frantic messages and pleas.

 

His vision had returned to near perfection by this time. Rain was leaning over him, a hand on his cheek. As the last of his injuries were healed under her practiced hands, he continued to just stare into her eyes. Just as he had pleaded with her, she was now pleading with him to not give up. Even though he knew it was too late for her to turn back the clock and let him bleed to death, he didn’t stop pleading with his eyes immediately. It was like he hoped that if he wished hard enough it would end anyways despite of the fact that it was too late, but soon even this desperate pleading receded. All last vestiges of what had just occurred were wiped away, including any emotions attached with it. What became forefront in his mind again was his need to talk with Ddairg and what had happened with his wife and brother.

 

His eyes shifted into a whole new gear. They were just as empty as they had been pleading with Rain to let him pass, but they were now burning with the same intensity of sorrow and rage that they had held before he was lying in a pool of his own blood. He hoped that Rain would immediately realize her mistake in fixing him up when this was all that he had left. His sorrow and anger defined him now. The rest was as empty and dead as the corpses of his loved ones. Essentially, he had given up long before he had pleaded with Rain to let him die. Rain’s pleas to not give up were as useless as Gadget’s word.

 

Suddenly Ddairg’s words assaulted his hearing again. Reluctantly, he tore his piercing gaze from Rain and looked at him. He looked as calm and in control as always. Mark took a moment to find his mouth again and to formulate a reply. At the current moment, he felt like throwing all lots of sarcastic remarks in his direction of which included such classics as ‘No duh genius,’ and ‘Thank you Captain Obvious,’ but he knew that wasn’t such a hot idea. He knew from experience not to snap at the higher ups, even though technically speaking Ddairg wasn’t his higher up anymore. Despite his need to talk though, he was exhausted, and now that he looked down at himself, wearing clothes soaked in his own blood. Before there was any real discussion, he wanted to sleep for the next week straight and put on something a little less red. He’d never liked the color red all that much anyway.

 

“That we do, but if you don’t mind first…” he said in a husky, quiet voice, while gesturing at himself. Ddairg would get the point easily enough.

 

There might have been more then that as a motive for his want to put off the conversation. Ddairg was bound to ask questions about how he ended up bleeding all over the cell floor. Heck, he was bound to ask how he got in this cell in the first place. He needed some time to formulate good excuses. If he had to do it on the spot before he got his story straight, Ddairg was sure to smell the lies a mile away.

Edited January 24, 2010 by Dashidragon

[Key2Universe]

Rain stared into Mark's eyes, losing herself in the complete hope and plea for death. She just started back, trying to push some of her will to live on him. But, as she watched, pain and sorrow and anger clouded his gaze in one huge wave. Rain's eyes widened and she drew back from him as if she had been burned. It looked so much like the day before, when Stick had..Rain closed her eyes and tried to clear her head of one of the most sickening moments she had ever experienced. As she sat there with hand pressing against her head, her breath came in huge scoops.

 

Suddenly, messages began bombarding her mind. They were a garble of short phrases, but all of it was scared and confused, and sad.

 

Golden? What are you doing here? Did you get here with Mark? Rain sent back, but she didn't wait for a response before she leaped to her feet and turned to Ddraig.

 

"Do you know where a dragon named Golden is being held? Young thing, probably really confused. It's impeccable that I see him." Rain said, walking towards Ddraig. Rain's instincts were going crazy, she desperately needed to help the young healer so full of life and joy. Just hearing his messages was enough to tell her the situation was desperate.

[Kira1]

((Aw, poor Golden.

I feel, like, inadequate when I post my measly posts and then you two go BAM, five long paragraphs...))

 

Ddraig figured as much when Mark replied as he did. He guessed he was rushing things, but he always just wanted to get things done and over with. Though, if he really wanted to, he could make Mark answer all his questions right here and now since Mark was technically a prisoner right now. He didn't care for the current situation though. Everything seemed as if it might fall to pieces at any moment unless he kept things together or Dark pulled off a miracle. Which was unlikely since the only miracles that Dark did were ones that caused death and destruction. Not much of a miracle.

 

He was going to say more to Mark, but then Rain suddenly asked about a dragon named Golden who supposedly was here. She had stood up, walked towards him, and he could see the desperate look in her eyes to know about this certain Agnimitra. He then remembered the golden dragon from before that had caused so much trouble in their fight to capture Stick. They had taken all but one prisoner, so the Agnimitra must have been somewhere.

 

"I'm not too sure where he is exactly, but the jailer should know," Ddraig responded to her. "Just tell him that I said you could see whoever this is and he'll let you. If not, tell me."

 

Most of the time though, if someone came saying that they had permission from Ddraig to do something, they were allowed to do it. And no one dared to say they had permission from the red dragon unless they really did. Only a fool would lie like that because of the consequences that were sure to follow. Ddraig had eyes and ears everywhere, and he learned of everything that was happening in the base. There were times when things passed him by, but he always found out sooner or later.

Edited January 24, 2010 by Kira1

[Walker]

((Haha, now I reveal the real reason why Golden has been acting a little cuckoo in the head))

 

Rain's message slipped into his already overcrowded mind. He dug his fingers into his scalp as he tried to quiet the noise in his head. Golden? What are you doing here? Did you get here with Mark?

 

He stopped sending Rain the frantic messages as he tried to formulate some sort of viable response. It was all very frustrating and confusing with the pounding that was going on in his head. He wasn't even sure he was capable of doing it, but he struggled despite that. He had no luck at all. There was just too much going on to concentrate on any one thing. The tears continued to flow freely as he lay curled up on the floor. He knew he had to think, but thinking seemed so difficult at the moment. It would be easier to just rip his brains out. It felt like he was burning under all the strain.

 

Burning? For some reason, that word made him pause. He mulled it over in his head for a while. Why in the world did he feel like he was burning? Now that his thoughts had taken this course, he noticed that despite the fact that he had stopped using his powers his heart still hadn't even slowed a fraction of a beat. He was still sweating bullets, and he was pretty sure the shaking was getting worse. It all made sense in a brief flash of seconds. All the pain from his pounding head, the crazed mood swings, and now how his body was reacting. It all made perfect sense when he pieced it together. He was sick. How couldn't he have seen it earlier? It probably had something to do with the half-crazed fever thing.

 

This probably also had something to do with the half-crazed fever thing. A small smile spread across his face and he sighed with relief. It was enough help to just know he wasn't going crazy. As soon as the fever was under control hopefully he would return to his less moody self. He could already envision his crowded mind being blissfully quiet and in control. If Rain was really around it would only be a matter of time.

 

Now that he knew what was wrong, he tried to figure out how. Agnimtra had kick-arse immune systems, especially healers. He tried to piece together how in the world he had managed to get to this point at all. If he had gotten any sort of virus, he should have been able to squash it with his own powers long before it got this bad, out of the range of his own healing abilities. It took a moment, but he was also able to piece this together too. After he had passed out from overexertion on the battlefield, his usually stellar immune system probably wasn't at tip-top shape. He had contracted it then. After he had been brought here, the drugs that they had given him prevented him from healing the virus in its early stages, or before he'd even realized he had it. He had been so busy counteracting the drugs in his system with his powers, he hadn't even noticed it. By the time the drugs wore off, he was just far enough gone in his craze not to notice the signs his body was exhibiting until he was on the floor burning up with a fever, and by that point, he couldn't heal it on his own.

 

He smiled blissfully again. Now the world seemed to be making sense again. At least he could explain what was happening to himself, and it was fixable. He had worried earlier that he was unfixable, that he would be doomed to be like this forever, but all it would take was one single moment with Rain and it would all just slip away like smoke through his fingers.

 

Was it getting hotter in here? He felt like he was being boiled alive in a furnace. Desperately seeking anyway to make the heat go away, he slipped off his sweatshirt. It helped a little, but even with only a t-shirt on, it still felt sweltering. He slipped off the t-shirt just for good measure and sighed at the slight relief that small action brought. What felt even better was the cool floor against his skin. It was almost like a miracle. He studied himself for a moment and blinked in surprise. His hand flew to his chest, right to the spot over his frantically beating heart. He marveled at the ugly pink scar tissue for a moment. He remembered how he had absorbed Stick's injury and then healed himself. He ran his fingers over the scar and realized this was his first true battle scar. The moment was sort of surreal, until he thought of when Rain first saw it.

 

It was a pretty ugly scar, hard to ignore, and obviously new too. It hadn't faded like most scars do with time. She would ask questions and he knew that he couldn't lie to her no matter how hard he tried. If she started asking questions, he would spill it all. He would spill how he had absorbed the injury. He would spill how he had killed Falcon. He would spill how Falcon had tried to kill her father. He blinked as he realized he was the only person in the world who knew this other then Stick. Was it important for him to keep this information to himself? He wasn't even sure if Stick knew that he knew this. It was best to try and hide it for now. Downheartedly, he reached over and slipped his t-shirt back on. Tears spilled freely from his eyes as the heat became just a bit more unbearable, but he would do what he had to.

 

Once again, a fresh burst of sorrow racked his already shivering frame. Abundant tears fell from his eyes and ran down his cheeks, leaving glittering trails on his face.

 

((EDIT: For reasons of le gasp, I add this))

 

There wasn’t much left to do after Dark left him in the cell. He stared at the walls with a blank emptiness and wished it all away. Blood soaked the floor from his arm, but he really wasn’t paying the injury any attention. It was beside the point at this time. The whole world seemed to center on the complete emptiness in his chest. He had been far from lying when he told Dark he was lifeless. That was how he felt at least. He had never felt so empty before this point. His last reason for living had been taken away, the need for vengeance on his brother. He hadn’t even come close to that. He couldn’t hurt his brother, nor, at this moment, did he believe he would ever try again.

 

It was only a minute after Dark left that the cell opened again. He remembered how Dark had ordered him to be drugged again. He sighed. It didn’t matter much either way. He rolled over to see who it was and paused when he saw the trespasser was Willow. Well at least he was going to get drugged by someone he liked.

 

“You look terrible,” Willow said in that whispery quiet way he had.

 

“Thank you very much,” Stick grumbled sarcastically, but he was squinting, trying to see behind Willow. He could have sworn another person had followed him in.

 

Willow saw Stick’s attempt to see around him and smiled sadly. Stepping aside, he revealed an extremely young child, probably around 3 years old. This was so completely unexpected that a flicker of life and curiosity danced behind his eyes. It was a good thing that Dark wasn’t around to see it, or he would have realized that Stick might not be as lifeless as he thought.

 

“Why bring the kid along? Who is she?” Stick murmured.

 

Willow didn’t respond automatically. He was looking comfortingly at the little girl, who was shivering and staring at Stick in wide-eyed wonder. Stick couldn’t really blame the kid. He looked like a train wreck at the moment. He wouldn’t be surprised if this was her first time seeing a person bleeding all over the floor, but considering where she was growing up, it wouldn’t be her last. Willow walked over and scooped up the little girl in his arms. He whispered comforting phrases in her ear until she visibly relaxed, but she didn’t stop staring at Stick.

 

“I thought you might want to meet her, all things considered.” Willow replied, setting the young girl back down on the floor.

 

Willow made his way over to Stick’s side. The little girl remained standing near the doorway, looking at them both.

 

“All things considered? I don’t even begin to know what to consider at this moment.” Stick growled.

 

Willow sighed and shook his head. There was a desperate, pleading look in his eye. Leaning over, he crouched over Stick and touched the injury on his arm. Stick blinked as he felt a familiar funny feeling in his arm. He slid back and growled at Willow. “Tell me what the hell is going on. You waltz in here with a little girl and then start healing me out of nowhere? Something is up.”

 

Willow looked up at him, his eyes dancing with a passion that seriously disturbed Stick. “What is going on? I’m sticking my neck out for you! I’m offering you a way out! I’m trusting you with her life! This is as hard for me as it is for you, but it is the only chance either of you has for getting out of this place.”

 

Stick paused and stared. None of his questions had been answered, but Willow’s passion was enough to convince any man to take the time to shut up and listen. He waited for Willow to go on, but instead the man returned to healing his injuries. Stick sighed, but let him go on. He had a good feeling he wasn’t getting any answers until this was done. As he had believed, as soon as his last bruise and burn was healed, Willow sat down and gestured to the little girl. The girl giggled happily and ran over. She promptly plopped herself into Willow’s lap and then continued to stare at Stick.

 

Her stare disconcerted Stick. It was familiar, too familiar. He knew what it reminded him of, but it was too terrible to even think about. It must only be a coincidence. As if he could hear his thoughts, Willow sighed and said, “She’s her daughter.”

 

Stick stood up like a bullet. It was like had been shot in the chest, the shock on his face was so complete it seemed as if his face would stay frozen like that forever, “It can’t be. It just can’t be.”

 

“Can’t be, but it is. What did you think? That she wouldn’t ever move on? That would be hypocritical. You did and so did she. All the excuse the world needs to make a baby is one boy and one girl, and it happened. She had another child without you. Live with it. Hope had another baby.” Willow growled.

 

Stick jumped at the anger in his voice. He was confused for a moment before he blinked and understood. “You think I’m mad at her for having a baby with another man? How could I be? I thought every piece of her was buried six feet under, but now…”

 

Before Willow could reply, Stick had snatched the young girl from his lap and cradled her in his arms. He knew he had no claim to her. He wasn’t hers, and yet he already loved her like his own child. It was as if the universe had finally decided to listen to his plea and give him a do over. He couldn’t be there for his own child, but this child, this small part of her, he could still fix this. The little girl squirmed in his arms and giggled as he looked down at her. Stick felt his battered heart shatter into a thousand different pieces, but in a good way. It reminded him of how he had fell head-over-heels for Hope. He examined the beautiful creature in his arms and found himself smiling despite all that had happened today. It was funny how he could be so empty one moment and so full the next. It wasn’t as if the little girl could replace everyone he had lost, but now he had something new to love, something he was bound and determined to keep safe and happy unlike the rest of his family.

 

“She’s beautiful.” He murmured to no one in particular.

 

Willow relaxed when he saw Stick’s reaction to the young girl, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “I hoped you would react this way. At least I know I can trust you now with her well being. No time to waste then. You can change your appearance right? Hopefully the drugs have worn off enough that you can make yourself look like me. Once you get out of the cell, take her and go out to the courtyard. There will be a woman waiting for you there to help you get out.”

 

Stick sucked in a breath. He finally got it. Willow wanted him to take the girl away from here. He could understand why they needed to get the girl away. Dark’s castle was far from the best place to grow up. Just look what it had done to Falcon. She was dead because of it. The question was why Willow was willing to go to such measures. He was almost signing his death certificate by helping him get away in this way. If he left the cell looking like Willow, he would have to stay behind because the same person coming out of the cell twice would definitely send alarm bells ringing. Eventually, someone would uncover the ruse and find Willow in the cell. He’d probably end up dead within minutes after being tortured and questioned.

 

“Who’s the father?” Stick asked suddenly. For some reason, he had a good feeling many of the answers were connected with that question.

 

Suddenly the little girl giggled again and poked him in the chest. Stick couldn’t help looking down at her and smiling. This attempt at attention was just too cute to ignore. “Weellow said you my new da-da,” she cooed.

Edited January 24, 2010 by Dashidragon

[leodoug]

Leo sadly but thanked her non the less. Leo gazed into the sky and began telling her of all the adventures he had had. The time he had run into a kraken, or the time he had accidentally ate a snake. Explaining all of these things to Arasi made him feel better, more uplifted. "Well, enough about me", Leo said slyly, "Tell me about you.",

[Kira1]

Arasi listened as Leo told her all the things he had done. It also seemed to make him feel better to share all this with her, something that didn't have anything to do with the war. He then asked about her.

"Well, I've been able to travel more. I've been to some of the most amazing places ever, like Japan and China and even Canada. My skills in combat have also improved. I bet I could kick your butt," she joked, teasing him as she lightly punched his shoulder. "And I've learned tons of other things. I don't even know where to begin."

She looked up at the sky as she thought of more things to tell him. Though, she wanted to refrain from mentioning the fact that everywhere she went, it was part of Dark's army. Mostly scouting missions, not much fighting, but there were some where they did encounter a fight. Those were not fun times. Well, she just wouldn't tell Leo about those and instead tell about all the happy things.

[Key2Universe]

Rain's eyes and thoughts became more calm when Puppy's stream of incoherent garbles ended. She nodded to Ddraig.

 

"Thank you." She said, her voice normal and calm. Rain stepped through the door into into hall, and saw the jailer was a few feet away form the door. He seemed to have noticed the fact that there was commotion near this cell. Rain hurried to him, but manages to not look rushed as she did it.

 

"Excuse me, Ddraig sent me to you to find out where a dragon named Golden's cell is. He's very young, probably very hurt." Rain said, locking her bright green eyes on the man's chocolate brown ones. He took a moment to look her up and down. He could believe that something that looked like she did could have the head's approval.

 

"I'll take you." He said, quietly. The jailer was known for his ability to be quiet. People could be screaming at the top of their lungs and he wouldn't even blink. He headed on his way towards the cell with Rain close at his heels. When they got there, he looked at her. "I think you should know that he has been put in the mental facility. He's unstable, and you don't have a guard. I can stay with you, if you wish." The man said. If anyone else would have seen this display of concern, they would have been beyond surprised. For some reason, the jailer just knew that this woman should be protected. Rain shook her head to his request.

 

"No, I can handle it." She said, waiting for him to open the door. He nodded to her, unlocked it, then pushed it open so that she could enter. Rain rushed inside to where Puppy was.

 

"Are you alright? What's going on?" She asked, her voice less controlled then it usually was.

Edited January 27, 2010 by Key2Universe

[Walker]

Stick really sure whether he wanted to cringe away from the little girl’s last statement or to cry from joy. There were too different sides warring within him. He dearly wanted to be able to call this little girl his own, but he knew she belonged to another man. His arms tightened around her possessively as he tried to work out the conundrum. There was no doubt he would do what he had to for her, but he wasn’t sure he could ever consider himself her father. He hadn’t earned that title, through biological means or by others. The little girl seemed to sense his confusion and gave him a quizzical look. The funny thing was it also looked critical. That emotion looked almost humorous on the face of a little girl, and disturbingly out of place too.

 

“Da-da,” she said firmly, as if those two words sealed the deal. Stick could see from the adamant look on her childish face that there would be no more discussion on the matter.

 

He sighed and smiled in defeat. There was no fighting her. She would give her what she wanted for now, but the way she was already so willful and persuasive at three years old frightened him. The environment she was growing up in was already changing her into a hardened individual. He was just happy he had caught it before it was irreversible. She was still at the age where she could be melded and changed. He would just have to do his hardest to make sure she grew up in a suitable way. “All right. Whatever you say.”

 

The little girl gave him a dazzling smile that made his heart melt. There was also a touch of smugness and victory to it, like she was reveling in her ability to make people do as she pleased. That caused a flicker of nervousness in his stomach. He would have to be extra careful with this child. He was seeing the warning signs early. She had the type of personality of someone who could grow up to join Dark’s army, but she also had the personality of someone who could fight for what she loved and wanted with extreme ferocity. His goal would have to be to make her love and want the right things. The trick would be funneling her willfulness and passion into the proper molds to allow her to live the right kind of life.

 

Willow was watching the whole scene quietly, the ghost of a smile threatening to manifest itself on his lips, but he suddenly looked up at Stick with nervous eyes. “We don’t have time for this. If we take too long one of the guards is bound to poke his head in to see what the hell is taking so long. You need to hurry,” he stated urgently.

 

Stick stiffened and glared at the man suspiciously. This sudden need to hurry seemed like a cover up for his former question. Willow wasn’t going to trick him so easily. If he was going to such lengths to hide the identity of the father from him, it had to be important. If was just some random man from Dark’s army, then the name would have left his lips without a second thought. Who in the world could it be that it was so vitally important to keep the information to himself?

 

“Who is it? I’m not budging until you tell me. The way you’re dancing around it, it makes it seem as if the father would be my brother, or Jesus, or something as equally unlikely and horrifying.”

 

Willow froze for just a fraction of a second. Stick noticed the slight tightening of the man’s jaw muscles. The tension was suddenly blaringly obvious. Was it something he had said? He rewound his last statement in his head and tried to find the source of the man’s discomfort. His own jaw tightened considerably as only one thought came to mind.

 

“I’m perfectly sure we are not talking about another miraculous conception here, so does that make…?”

 

Willow crossed his arms and shook his head, but it wasn’t in an attempt to prove his suspicions wrong. It was more a sign of resignation. After a moment, he looked up at Stick with nervous eyes again, trying to gauge his response. First, it was utter disbelief. Secondly, he felt horror. Thirdly, rage. He could feel it building inside of him like the hulk on steroids. He had thought he wouldn’t care who the father was, but now it seemed it was. If only it hadn’t been this one man, if only it had been Jesus. Willow looked saddened when he saw Stick shaking with rage. He hung his head again and sighed.

 

“This was the way I was hoping you wouldn’t react. Now you can see why I tried to keep it from you. I wasn’t lying one bit when I said she had moved on with her life. You may not like it, but this child wasn’t forced on her. It was entirely consensual by both parties, and nature took care of the rest,” he muttered to the floor.

 

Stick wasn’t sure how he was supposed to react to this news either. Was that supposed to make him feel better? Instead, it made him feel worse. Not for her, but for himself. His accidental abandonment had led her to this. This was his fault, but still, was the product of all this such a bad thing? As he looked down at the girl again, finally understanding that she had been fathered by his brother, he wondered if this should make her any less appealing to him, and yet he didn’t find himself pushing her back into Willow’s arms. On the contrary, he felt himself warming up to her even more. Now he felt he had a genuine reason to feel a claim to this little girl. They were blood relations. It also seemed like poetic justice since Dark had stolen his daughter from him that he should do the same to him. An eye for an eye, and all that religious stuff. Of course, there is also the saying that an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind, but he was already half blind anyways so he didn’t put much thought into that.

 

“Tell me more about… that,” he said, forcing the words through his gritted teeth. He may like the little girl, but that certainly didn’t mean he was happy about this new revelation. Just because he liked the outcome didn’t mean he liked the steps that led up to it.

 

Willow sighed and pressed his fingers to his forehead, as if trying to suppress a headache. “I can’t say I know much more than that. I knew Hope very well, but I didn’t have a firsthand look into all her emotions and relationships. If you want to know, ask your brother. All your fiancé told me was that Dark was the father and she hadn’t been forced. Believe me. I tried to needle more out of her, but she wouldn’t say a word.”

 

There were all sorts of questions barreling around in Stick’s head. He picked one at random and shot it off. “How did you know her?”

 

“I was the attending healer at Falcon’s birth, and also at Gale’s. I first met her there, but I could tell she was a broken woman. You know how healers are. When I sensed her internal distress, I was drawn like a moth to the flame. I became her friend and her confidante, and saw it helped her talk to me. I was one of her few trusted friends here. After she tried to run away, she even left Gale as my charge, considering her father is quite the busy man. Enough of this though! I was serious when I said there wasn’t time,” Willow replied.

 

“Her name is Gale?” Stick said, a slight smile of understanding on his lips.

 

Instead of Willow replying to this, Gale squirmed in his arms and poked his chest. Looking down, he waited for what the little girl had to say. “My name is Gale. What yours?” she asked with a smile.

 

His heart melted like it always did when she smiled. “Stick. Gale is a very pretty name,” he turned back to Willow again and spoke, “And sweetest in the gale is heard’ if I’m not mistaken, correct? It would be just like Hope to nickname her daughter after a line from her favorite poem.”

 

Willow gave a slow nod to affirm his suspicions about the origins of her name, but he noticed that Willow’s gaze was pleading. His eyes darted from the door, to him, to the little girl in his arms. Sighing, Stick got the idea. There was no more time for discussion. It was time to get this show on the road. A whole lot of his questions had been left unanswered, but they may have to stay that way. There wasn’t any time.

 

“Gale. Can you go to Willow for a moment? I need to do some things and I need my hands free,” he explained gently to the young child.

 

Gale’s eyes became wide and she bit her lip. Possessively, she reached up her arms and wrapped them around Stick’s neck. She tightened her arms in an attempt to anchor herself to him. “I don’t wanna,” she pouted.

 

“Please?” Stick prodded gently again.

 

Gale’s sad look suddenly turned fierce. Her gentle hold around his neck soon tightened until his eyes were wide and he was gasping. The kid sure was strong. It felt like she was crushing his windpipe. Hot angry tears flooded out of her eyes, and half choked sobs erupted from her mouth. “NO! I wanna stay here!” she whined.

 

He had to admit it. The kid had a talent for throwing tantrums. Willow looked on the scene with a bemused smile. “She likes things her way. Takes after both her parents in that department. We better be glad that these cell walls are soundproof or else the whole of Dark’s army would be descending on us right now as we speak,” Willow said with amusement.

 

Of course he would be amused. He wasn’t the one getting strangled by a toddler. “I can tell that she takes after them,” Stick wheezed out.

 

Willow laughed and trotted over. To Stick’s gratitude, he rescued him from Gale’s death hug. He reached over and pried the little girl’s fingers off of his neck. Stick let out a sigh of relief, but Gale’s angry cries only got louder. Still smiling with amusement, Willow held out his arms as an obvious invitation. Without a second thought, Stick transferred the screaming girl into Willow’s arms. As soon as she was there, Gale immediately calmed down. She smiled and giggled, snuggling against Willow’s chest. She fit there like a puzzle piece. Seeing this made Stick surprisingly jealous. He wanted to be the person who could calm Gale down merely by having her in his arms, but as he remembered earlier, he had not earned that right yet, just as he hadn’t earned the title ‘Da-da’. Willow whispered a few things in her ear that made her giggle and then turned back to Stick.

 

“Do you know the way to the courtyard?” he asked.

 

When Rain rushed into the room, he couldn’t believe his eyes. She looked… different. He must be hallucinating. That was as good an explanation as any, considering that he couldn’t imagine Rain would be in the dungeons of Dark’s base dressed like that. He must have imagined it all, even touching Rain’s mind earlier. It must be some elaborate scheme of his fevered mind to relieve the stress on his mind and body. He stopped his abrupt fit of crying and smiled. It was certainly working. As long as he was seeing things, he might as well get comfort from the fact. He sat up from where he was sitting on the floor and gave Rain a dazzling smile that could have made even the most depressed person happy.

 

“Rain! You came!” he screamed with absolute delight, a small giggle escaping from his lips. He was still having trouble believing this was really Rain, so he couldn’t help acting a little goofy. As long as this fake Rain was here, he might as well go up and touch her. He had no idea what a hallucination felt like. It must be interesting. He jumped to his feet despite the fact that he was still shivering like a leaf and he had absolutely no energy. Considering everything, he should have stayed on the ground moaning, but crazed people are hardly predictable. He stood for a moment, shaking so violently if he hadn’t known better he would have thought he was convulsing. He swayed from side to side for a moment before sighing and sitting back down on the ground.

 

Tears gathered in his eyes again “I’m sorry. I can’t stand now. I think I’m running a little fever.”

 

For some reason, this made him feel unbearably guilty. It wasn’t fair to hallucination-Rain that he couldn’t go up and greet her properly. If only he would stop shivering for a moment, or if only the burning heat would leave his limbs, or if his mind wasn’t pounding so much, or if… The tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes and he started balling again. It was nigh impossible to keep control of himself. Why couldn’t he stop acting like this? His emotions shifted again as he became furious with himself. It wasn’t any good to act like his. He had to get control of himself. The fever was no excuse and neither was the pounding jumbled mess in his mind. His jaw tightened as he continued to berate himself in his mind. His already frantically beating heart kicked up into a whole new dimension as it responded to his fury.

 

Suddenly he forgot about everything as his heart started to beat like a hummingbird. That couldn’t be good at all, his healer instincts were screaming. They were also screaming to calm himself down before he burdened his heart further, but that only made him frightened. He knew that wasn’t a good thing. Being scared would only add stress, but like everything else at the moment, he couldn’t control it. Instead he looked up at Rain in panic, pleading for any sort of help at all. His hand reached up and twisted itself into the fabric of his t-shirt, as if he was trying to tear out his failing heart.

 

Mark’s jaw tightened at the mention of Puppy. A near death experience hadn’t quelled his want to tear the kid to pieces. He wondered briefly after this thought what had changed about him so completely that he was looking forward to murdering a kid. If he had his way, he would have dashed out of the cell at that moment and taken care of Golden right now and here. It certainly would be great if things were that simple and easy, but the world didn’t work like that. It would be suspicious if he jumped up after being healed from a near terminal injury and then tried to murder a child. Actually, it wouldn’t be suspicious. It would be just plain crazy. He sighed as he watched Rain walk out of the room. If only it was so easy for him to get alone in a room with that kid and it would be over.

 

He watched with angry eyes as Rain left the room and he was left lying in his own puddle of blood on the floor. That wouldn’t do anymore. He let out a weary sigh and forced himself to sit up. He looked at Ddairg and gave him an empty half-hearted smile.”I guess I should thank you. If you hadn’t come barreling in here with Rain, I would be dead now.” The words were insincere and flat.

 

“Thanks for agreeing to talk to me too, and for giving me the opportunity to get… freshened up first.” Unlike his previous statement, these words were weighted with truth and sincerity.

 

He took another deep breath and prepared to rise to his feet. He was still weak from all that had happened, but he sure wasn’t going to ask for someone to carry him either. In the physical definition of the word, he was perfectly healthy, except for being so dead beat tired, but that was easily fixed. It did take a good portion of his energy, but he managed to make it to his feet. He was pretty sure he could last till he got to a bed, as long as it wasn’t too far away. He gave Ddairg a meaningful look. He had no delusions that he could waltz out of this cell on his own. Even though he knew the place like the back of his hand, Ddairg would assign him a guard to take him to a place where he could get cleaned up and rested. If the man was feeling so inclined, he might even lead him himself, but Mark doubted it. Now that the danger was past, Ddairg was bound to move on to more urgent and worrying matters he had to deal with and come waltzing back whenever he felt like it.

[Key2Universe]

Rain looked frantically around the room, then up and down Puppy, but she couldn't see any gaping injuries. He did seem somewhat bruised up, but not so badly that he would be freaking out. When Rain's eyes locked with his, he seemed to smile joyfully. It made Rain smile back at him. He started rising, but seemed to have some trouble and fall again. Rain reached out to him, her smile falling in an instant. Then, she heard his apology and shook her head. He hardly needed to apologize, though she was confused as to why he didn't heal himself. In those moments while she was wondering, he seemed to be crying, then get angry. When their gazes locked again, he looked at her with complete and total panic.

 

Rain rushed to him, throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace. She wanted to comfort him while he was so panicked and feverish. Rain closed her eyes and focused her abilities. She could see the infection throughout his overworked body. She let a soothing feeling spread through his body as she worked to get the problem out. It took a few moments for her to get the infection out and build his body back to it's normal standard. While She worked, she let soft cooing noises out, trying to comfort Golden. When she was finished, she pulled back and looked at him smiling warmly.

 

"Is that better?" She asked quietly. He should be feeling much more coherent now, without that really terrible infection in his system. He seemed so much more like a child with the infection, and Rain had the biggest soft spot for children.

[leodoug]

Leo smiled as Arasi told him all about her adventures, and laughed as she joked about beating him in a fight. Hopefully it would not come to that. Leo felt something wiggle from inside his bag and looked inside to see the egg beginning to hatch. Gently lifting it from the bag, Leo explained to Arasi how he had come about getting it, and how it would soon hatch. Leo looked with awe and joy upon the egg, wondering what it would turn out to be.

[Kira1]

((I made two new characters! *flails*

They're profiles are up. one for rebels, one for dark. ^^ and i making a third one, but my brain is tired from those two and i wanna post, so i'm completing the third one yet.))

 

Arasi listened as Leo explained to her what the egg was and was fascinated by it. She watched intently since it seemed the egg would hatch at any time. This also just seemed like a time to sit quietly together as they waited, able to share a joyous moment like this together.

 

Koi had just returned to the base in Australia and already it seemed like something had happened since she left. She grabbed the nearest Agnimitra by his arm and turned him around to face her. At first it seemed he would protest angrily, but when he saw her face, he paled and no words came from his mouth. She stared blankly at him as she asked her question.

"What's happened?" She asked, short and abrupt as usual.

"Dd-draig has captured Stick," the Agnimitra stuttered out, quick to answer out of fear.

"Stick? So Dark finally has his brother in his clutches. I wonder what he'll do now," Koi said, more to herself than to the Agnimitra she asked. She let him go and walked off without another word. First she wanted to change her clothes, and then she would go after Ddraig.

 

Midnight flew around in lazy circles above the mansion, clearing her mind to better think the situation. Though when another dragon appeared in the sky with her, she almost growled and attacked him.

 

Inazuma was quite surprised to see he had startled Midnight when he joined her in the skies.

Whoa! It's just me, hun! he said to her, backing off a bit.

Oh, Inazuma, don't sneak up on me like that, she replied with a huff.

Sneak up on you? I did no such thing. You were just lost in thought, he replied.

It doesn't matter, what do you want? she snapped.

You don't have to snap...

Sorry, you're right. What do you need?

I've just returned and saw you flying around up here, so I thought I would see how you were doing.

I'm fine, thanks.

That's good to hear. So, let's head inside, shall we?

Sure.

Midnight dipped down and lazily spiraled downward to land with Inazuma following after her. They landed and switched back to their humans forms to head inside.

Inazuma whistled when he saw Midnight in her human form in a appreciating way.

"You still look as hot as ever," he said to her, checking her out some more.

"And you are still an idiot," she replied, glaring over at him, before turning away and headed indoors.

Inazuma just chuckled and followed Midnight inside.

Edited January 27, 2010 by Kira1

[Walker]

Golden couldn’t believe it when he felt hallucination-Rain’s arm around him. She felt real. He never realized hallucinations could be so convincing. No wonder people thought they were real when they saw them. He had always thought people who saw them were crazy, but now that he was in their shoes, he had a hard time understanding how he couldn’t believe that Rain was here. The pressure of her arms around him felt too close to reality for him to pretend that she didn’t exist. He bit his lip also as he felt a familiar sensation throughout his body. There was no way his mind could replicate the feeling of being healed. That only left one solution. Rain was real.

 

As he realized this, his body naturally relaxed. His clawed hand dropped to the ground, disentangling itself from the fabric of his shirt. He let out an audible sigh of relief as the heat faded and his heart slowed. Eventually the shivering stopped too. He allowed his mind to empty as he listened to Rain’s soft coos. It was so easy to imagine himself as a young child in his mother’s arms at the moment. The strange sensation of being healed continued for a few more moments, but eventually faded with the last of the pounding in his head. That was all. The fever was gone and yet, as he paused, he was disappointed to realize his head was still hopelessly overcrowded. It wasn’t as bad as before. At least he could distinguish his own feelings and memories from that of Stick’s and others, but he had hoped it had all been a product of the infection in his system. This still meant that if he didn’t get control of his powers he would end up in the same situation as he had just been in a few moments ago, but then there would be no fever to blame it on. He would be irretrievably lost.

 

At least he could manage to function at this level. That was something to be thankful for. He no longer had the urge to scream, cry, or laugh for no reason. As long as he was careful about what he touched, he could make this last a little longer, but he would have to hurry and learn how to live with this soon, or there would be no hope for him. He sighed as Rain pulled away and asked him if that was better. He gave her a sad look and drew up his knees. He rested his chin on them and gave her a reluctant smile, “I suppose it’s better.”

 

There was some truth to that. He was better than he had been, but he was still pretty low. The urge to cry unashamedly caused him to squint his eyes to prevent the tears from spilling over. None of this changed the fact that he had killed Falcon. None of this changed what had happened. He was still guilty. He was still sad. He looked down at his hands and sighed. His thoughts turned to the desperate measures he had had to resort to heal Stick earlier. He was still useless. If he could heal like Rain could then at least he would have some worth, but he tired himself out so easily over one mortal wound. Healing didn’t come to him as easily as it seemed to come to Rain. He wouldn’t admit it probably had something to do with his age and lack of experience. He thought it was something wrong with him. He was tempted to grope at these and fall into a depression, but that just didn’t suit his personality. He felt the overwhelming need to make things better. How could he fix this though? He racked his head for a solution and smiled slightly at something he had forgotten about in all the craziness lately.

 

“Hey Rain. You asked me a question once. My answer is yes. I want to learn from you. I’d be honored if you took me as your apprentice. I wouldn’t have even been ill if I’d been paying the proper attention. I’m not sure how to do this healing thing properly. I want to learn so things like this don’t happen again.” He whispered quietly.

 

He hoped that somehow, if he could learn how to heal, he could also redeem himself. A sudden fear flickered in his stomach that Rain would retract her previous offer. He wasn’t sure what he would do then. He tried to hide his unreasonable fears though. Now that he was in control of himself, it didn’t do to let himself be read like an open book, but he knew that Rain had a way of ferreting these things out. He dropped his gaze to the floor in an attempt to muffle what he was feeling. If she even got wind of the terrible guilt he was feeling, she would start lobbing questions at him and he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from spilling his secrets.

[Key2Universe]

Rain watched with a look of dissatisfaction at his reaction. He still looked lost and dazed, and his reply was only half there. Rain studied him, he looked about ready to burst out crying. Rain resisted the urge to reach out to him. It seemed like he needed a moment. And it did only take a moment before he spoke. His words were soft, but Rain could tell that he meant them. When their eyes met, his look was full of guilt. Probably at asking for my help, She reasoned. He seemed like the kind of person that felt guilty for asking anything of others.

 

Rain smiled and hugged Golden to her again. She felt like he needed to be soothed and nurtured, and her maternal instincts were going crazy. It was a wonder a woman like her had never had any children. She seemed perfectly suited for parenthood. But, the timing of her life had always been off. As Rain held her arms tight around Puppy, she internally sighed.

 

She could say whatever she wanted to Adam or anyone else, but she wanted to be able to be selfish once in a while. It seemed out of character, but Rain's time with Dark proved her need to rebel. She had grown into so many other parts of herself, but the urge to escape still haunted her. Her hugged Puppy tighter, realizing that she had never answered his request.

 

"I'm very glad, you have a lot of potential. And things like what? What are you doing here anyway, sweetie?" Rain asked, pulling back and looking at Puppy with concerned eyes. She brushed some of his hair out of his face as she waited for his response. Before, Rain had been too concerned with his and Mark's wounds to question their presence. It was beyond a coincidence, and there was obviously something more to this whole story.

Edited January 29, 2010 by Key2Universe

[Walker]

((EDIT: Hehe Whoops... accidental repostage of old post))

Puppy groaned inwardly. It was already beginning. He hadn’t managed to keep his large mouth shut and Rain was now asking questions. He bit his lip until he could the coppery metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. He tried to take comfort in Rain’s arms wrapped around him, but it only made him feel guiltier. Rain shouldn’t be comforting him. He was a murderer. If anything, she should be walking out the door right now and making sure he got locked in this cell forever. It certainly would make things easier to understand, but instead he was being treated as if he were some innocent child. It confused him to the point where he felt his head pounding again. How was he supposed to reply to Rain without revealing the terrible things he had done? The answer was simple. There was no way. He wasn’t the kind of person to keep secrets, and he certainly wasn’t possible of telling a believable lie to cover up the truth. His body started to shake silently with sobs, but no tears leaked from his eyes. It was too much to know that he had killed someone and now that someone as good as Rain was trying to fix things.

 

With a little more force the necessary, he pried Rain’s hands off his trembling frame. It felt good to be hugged and comforted, and that was the whole reason he made sure to break the embrace. He was one of the last people on earth who deserved either hugs or comfort. As soon as he had disentangled himself from Rain, he stood up and nearly ran to the other side of the cell. He sat down cautiously and drew up his knees again. This small action of separating himself from Rain was enough to make him feel less guilty and undeserving, but it was still building up inside him like a bomb waiting to explode. Finally the tears started falling and the floodgates opened like a storm again.

 

“I killed her Rain. I killed her. I didn’t stop to think what I was doing. I just did it. I tried to bring her back, but she was already dead by the time I laid hands on her, and then there was him. He was dying too and I couldn’t fix him either. I tried desperately, but I couldn’t. I thought it was a lost cause for a moment, but then I finally found a way…” he sobbed out amidst his tears. His had had instinctively reached up to the place over the scar. His hand lingered there silently for a moment before he wrapped it around his knees.

 

“It hurt like hell, but I did it. I did it and just barely managed to fix him, but just barely. I wouldn’t have been able to fix him at all if the stranger hadn’t shown up. He would be dead now just like her, and all because I couldn’t handle it on my own, because I’m a failure. Then Dark’s army came in all the midst of this and then… it happened” There was no real way to explain what had happened when he touched Stick’s dagger. Even as he started digging through the fragments of Stick’s memories at that moment and remembered how the dagger was rumored to contain the bearer’s soul, he couldn’t put it into words, “Then everything went black, and I ended up here. I was pretty weak at that point and didn’t even notice I had contracted an infection until moments before you walked in here… Why are you here in the first place?”

 

He hadn’t stopped to question why Rain was here dressed like that. It hadn’t seemed very important in the midst of everything else that had happened, but now he realized it could mean something very important indeed. He had no idea what the explanation could be, but he was dreadfully curious. His curiosity didn’t make him forget that he was the guilty party here though. He had just admitted as such to Rain. He wouldn’t be surprised if he blew off his question in favor of his previous confession. He had left tons of holes in his hurry to explain. She was bound to clamp down on the fact that he had just admitted to killing someone. What would she say? Would she storm out of here in a fury, too horrified to stand in the presence of a killer? He knew that Rain herself had probably often enough killed another Agnimtra in the midst of battle, but this somehow felt different to him. It wasn’t as if Rain had killed someone she knew personally who was trying to kill a man that desperately loved the murderess trying to kill him. By killing Falcon, he had hurt Stick just as much as he had saved him. Actually, he had a good idea that Stick would rather have died in his daughter’s place.

 

He paused and blinked at the transformation. It had taken all but a few minutes to swap clothes and for him to change appearance. Now he had taken on the near perfect guise. He looked almost exactly like Willow. Gale seemed hopelessly confused by this point. She was looking from him to Willow with a look of complete consternation. He couldn’t really blame the kid. They looked like exact duplicates, except for the different pairs of the clothes and the dried blood on his skin. That was an inconvenience, considering it was bound to attract attention, but there was nothing to be done. There was no running water here to wash it off with. He also had to be careful about speaking. He couldn’t change his voice and he knew there was no way he could duplicate the soft whispery way Willow had of speaking. This was possibly his only chance to escape though. He would have to work with what he had.

 

He held out his arms and Willow sighed. Transferring Gale into his arms, he smiled down at the little girl as she snuggled into his arms, “Weellow?”

 

Stick laughed and shook his head, “I’m afraid not Gale.”

 

Gale gasped and gave him a dazzling smiling, “You look like Weellow but you talk like Da-da. Does that make you like… Santa Claus?”

 

His smile of amusement grew. He wasn’t sure how the kid had gotten the idea that he was Santa Claus, but it was certainly amusing, “I’m afraid I’m not Santa Claus. I’m just plain old Stick.”

 

Gale sighed as if that was a disappointment. She snuggled closer into his chest and wrapped her fingers into his shirt. There was a look of complete concentration on her face as she tried to puzzle out who he was. It made him laugh when he saw the frustration building in her as she couldn’t piece it together. He was afraid that she was going to throw another fit again, but suddenly her face brightened, “I know. You’re Jesus!”

 

Stick’s face twisted into a look of total and complete hysteria. Gale couldn’t have said anything that was as far from the truth as that, but it was uproariously funny to say in the least.

 

“Yep. He’s Jesus. Now you two need to get going.” said Willow from his vantage point across from Stick.

 

Stick paused and looked back up at Willow, worry written across his face. Why was this man so determined to help him get away? It made absolutely no sense. If he couldn’t figure it out, his head was going to explode, but he knew that Willow wasn’t going to answer his questions. The only thing he could do was thank him the best he could.

 

“Here you were leading me to think that it was Dark the whole time and it really was a miraculous conception. Thanks.” The last word was said tenderly, genuinely.

 

Willow smiled and paused, “No problem. I didn’t tell the kid to call Jesus Da-da for nothing. Now it’s really time to go though. You have no more time.”

Edited January 30, 2010 by Dashidragon

[Key2Universe]

Rain's green eyes widened and she blinked in surprise when Puppy pulled away. She sat back, giving him the space that he seemed to need. She couldn't tell what was going on, but it was clear that it was much more than what she had assumed. She watched the younger Agnimitra in silence for minutes. That, it seemed like an impossible amount of information burst out of him. He spoke and spoke and spoke until he got distracted by her appearance. Rain rose to her feet, her pants seeming to groan with the motion. Her face was blank as she attempted to pick something to start at.

 

"It seems silly, but I'm different because I've come here, so I needed to change my appearance. I've avoided this place for a very long time, but I should have come years ago. Until I've done this, it doesn't matter how many people I save." She said quietly, her face still emotionless. She looked at Golden for a second. Her instincts were screaming out to run to him and hold him again, but he hadn't liked that the first time. Instead, Rain just walked closer to him and sat next to him in a similar position. She then smiled comfortingly at him.

 

"So, that was a lot, and the main thing I understand is that you took a life, saved one, blacked out, and woke up here. As healers, it's harder for us than anyone, but taking a life for any reason is horrible. It's also amazing that you were able to bring someone back from the brink of death. Not many Agnimitra can do that, even healers, and certainly no healers without training. I am positive that everything you've done was justified, even if it doesn't feel that way. The only thing that ever helped me deal with taking a life was that it made me hate death. Death is unforgiving, and I do every single thing in my power to keep it from that. That is what helps me get through death, my added repulsion to it. The only way I can justify it at all would be to take something from it." Rain slipped her arm around Puppy's shoulders to comfort him further. "But, would you mind telling me more about it? That was all very vague and rushed and I don't completely understand." Rain said, studying Puppy carefully for his reaction.

[Kira1]

"It's nothing," Ddraig replied, watching as Mark struggled to his feet. He didn't say anything, since he understood why Mark would try to stand, even considering his current condition. And Ddraig wasn't going to hurt Mark's pride by telling him to let someone help him stand. Ddraig himself had often stood when he should have been sitting, ignoring whatever pain there was. Even if he was beaten and bloody, Ddraig would have still stood with as much pride as he could muster. It seemed Mark was doing just that, planning to last long enough until they reached a better place to talk.

 

Perhaps they should move to Ddraig's apartment to talk. It would also be much more private that way. Mark would also want to freshen up because of all the events that had happened.

 

"Let's go to my apartment and talk," Ddraig said, turning to the door, walking slowly in that direction as he waited for Mark. He hoped Mark would be able to make there. It wasn't that far, but it might just be too far for Mark at the moment.

 

Once at his apartment, they could talk this over and Ddraig could find out exactly what happened.

[monkeyboy225]

Brick stood up from his place on the stool next to his workbench and put his weapon down on the table. He looked over at Jade and sighed. "Well you can make yourself comfortable here, but as for me I've been away to long and this just doesn't feel natural to me so I am going out to just enjoy being back in this wonderful country." He tucked a few daggers under his belt and in other places under his cloak and left his room and left the door unlocked for Jade. He headed for a place he know where he could just settle down and let the sun wash over him. When he had arrived he changed into his dragon form and tucked his wings into his body as he slightly sunk into the ground so that only his upper body showed, just over nine feet tall. He rustled the frills on the side of his head in content as he settled down and closed his eyes just enjoying his time at home. Edited January 30, 2010 by monkeyboy225

[Kira1]

Yin wandered around the stronghold, frightening any young Agnimitra that happened to cross her path. She would always giggle when they ran away in fright from her. It was always good to know she could still strike fear into their hearts. It was just one of her many talents that she didn't want to give up. Though, she wanted to play with someone who she had not seen in awhile, but most that passed her were either too boring or ran away too quickly.

 

She then spotted Brick heading down the hallways, heading somewhere. With a sly smile, she began to follow him silently so he wouldn't know she was there. Eventually, Brick stopped and changed into his dragon form, burrowing down into the ground a bit and then soaked up the rays from the sun. Yin smiled at the sight of what seemed like a flower, sitting in the ground, soaking up sun rays.

 

The thought of creating the illusion that he was a flower came to mind, but that was too cheesy and Brick would never fall for that. He would most likely know it was her and ignore the illusion. She had another idea though.

 

Staring at him, she concentrated on her illusion, which was to make him think he was stuck in the ground, and couldn't get out. That had to be a bit frightening to an earth dragon such as himself. To lose his powers over the earth somehow. It might not last long, since Brick might gain his wits about him quickly, but it would be fun to watch him struggle for awhile.

 

She stood there, hidden from sight, and waited for Brick's reaction.

[monkeyboy225]

Brick had slowly been moving his claws in the ground as he enjoyed being back in Australia and suddenly he felt his claws not being able to move even though there wasn't a reason why they couldn't. He tried moving his tail which was also underground and he couldn't feel his tail move even if he just tried and twich it.

 

Brick's frills flared up as he realized he couldn't couldn't move throught the ground anymore and spread out his wings. He flapped his wings hard as he slowly lifted out of the ground bringing the dirt along with him, but as he was flapping his wings he flicked out his slim tongue and caught a scent that was hanging on the air. "Yin I know your there." He realized this was one of her illusions and released the illusion himself as he realized it wasn't real.

 

He settled back into the ground and swung his long neck around to face Yin. "Why do you have to ruin a pleasant moment like this reunion with one of your illusions."

Edited January 30, 2010 by monkeyboy225

[Kira1]

Yin quietly giggled to herself as she watched Brick struggle to free himself, and smirked a bit when he said that he knew she was there.

 

"Because it's too much fun," she replied, stepping out from where she was hiding. "I've been meaning to make a fun illusion on someone all day. This opportunity was just to good to pass up."

 

She smiled an innocent smile at Brick, which made her seem all the more creepy. She walked over to stand by Brick's side and placed her hands on her hips.

 

"And I did have you going there for a moment," she teased.

Edited January 30, 2010 by Kira1

[monkeyboy225]

Brick's frills settled down again and he sighed as he flicked his tongue out again. He gave a shutter as he saw Yin smile and turned back into a human, he pulled himself clear of the ground and stood in front of her. "Yea I guess I can't argue that you had me going for a moment, but you can't mask you scent from my senses."

 

He placed a hand on one of his short daggers he had hanging from his hip, encase Yin tried anything and sighed again. "Guess this is what I get for being a few decades younger then you." He was still trying to relax and soak up as much sun as he could.

Edited January 30, 2010 by monkeyboy225

[Kira1]

Yin chuckled a bit when he admitted she had him going for a moment. It was always good to hear that her illusions could work so well. It was more fun when the one hit by the illusion had no idea it was an illusion, because then it lasted longer and she could bring out all sorts of dark and terrible things.

 

"Yep, you were born just a little bit too late," she teased, noticing how he placed a hand on his dagger. If he was the same age her, he might have stood a chance against her in combat, but she had more skill because of her age. Plus, even though he knew her illusions weren't real, she could bring up some dark secrets of his to rattle his mind and leave him harmless.

 

Boy, what she wouldn't give to mess with an already tormented mind. That was the best. The ones who were lost in life and had all these regrets and worries. Oh, those were the best. It took hardly anything to push them over the edge, making them panic and freak, yelling for it to stop or even yelling for death. But she would never let them die, or even commit suicide. No, it was much more fun to watch them suffer as they screamed and struggled.

 

((oh gosh, she's crazy! Poor Puppy. He'll probably be her favorite victim. TT^TT))

[Walker]

((Oh gosh Kira... As if Golden doesn't have enough problems as it is))

It seemed that Ddairg was feeling so inclined to lead Mark himself. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. If Ddairg was interested enough to pay him any particular attention then that meant he was bound to keep him alive longer, but on the other hand, he would demand answers sooner and would be more cautious about ferreting out the truth. He would have to put on one hell of a good act to be able to lie to him effectively. He would have to fool Ddairg’s well-tuned BS meter, quite the chore.

 

At least he wasn’t being carried out of here like some invalid. Ddairg seemed to be watching the way he struggled to his feet very closely. The man understood the concept of pride and didn’t question his choice to stagger on his own two feet instead of accepting help. He could still hold some semblance of pride in this situation. Pride, like his rage, was one of the few things he had left.

 

"Let's go to my apartment and talk," Ddairg said before turning around and walking out the door. Mark followed slowly and cautiously, perhaps at a slower pace then he would have liked, but still respectable. Sometimes, when he hoped Ddairg wasn’t looking, he would pause and lean against the wall for a blink of an eye, catching his breath and getting whatever rest he could. It felt like climbing a mountain when he very well knew it was nothing more then a casual stroll for most people. He almost came to the point of sitting down and asking for a brief respite… almost.

 

Puppy burrowed his head in his knees as he listened to Rain. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but he was getting an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He let out a sigh and hugged his knees tighter while he warred within himself. There was quite the difference between what he wanted to say and what he should say. As much as he wanted to spill everything at her feet, he knew that many of the things he kept locked within himself were not his own secrets.

 

His instincts told him that telling many of these things to Rain in Stick’s stead would only hurt the already shattered man. If he wanted to share what had happened between him and his daughter with Rain, then that was Stick’s choice, not his. Not to mention, if he told Rain he had killed Stick’s daughter and word of that reached Stick… He shivered for a moment. He couldn’t do that. Just like Rain felt the need to comfort and heal others, Puppy had latched himself onto Stick and attempted to comfort and heal him. He wouldn’t go out of his way to hurt him.

 

His stomach lurched as he realized that meant he would have to keep this secret locked up inside forever. It would kill him. It would eat away at him like a maggot on a rotting corpse, but even if it destroyed him, it would help the man he felt an indescribable link to, only garnered by the new insights he had received while touching Stick’s dagger and absorbing some of his memories. He became determined to do what he needed to. He looked up at Rain with a fierce determination that wasn’t his own. He looked more like the old Stick then Puppy in that moment.

 

“After I what Stick did to himself back at the temple, I decided to follow him and make sure he didn’t get into trouble. I tailed him all the way here where he stopped to rest for a brief period. He was ambushed by a scout from Dark’s army and I was forced to kill her so that he wouldn’t die, but he became seriously injured in the process. You know me Rain. I’ve never killed anyone. I was horrified to find out I had killed Dark’s scout. I tried to save her… but was unsuccessful. I turned my attentions to Stick, and I would have failed at that too if I hadn’t…” Puppy cleared his throat. He wasn’t so sure it was a hot idea to tell Rain how he had absorbed Stick’s injuries. That would probably get him in trouble for doing something so dangerous and possibly life threatening.

 

“If I hadn’t had help from the stranger that came. He helped me heal Stick, who soon woke up, but we were soon ambushed by a large portion of Dark’s warriors. I passed out during the fighting and ended up here.”

 

His face suddenly shifted back to his normal haunted, innocent expression. He knew that that hadn’t been him fabricating that beautiful lie. It had been that portion of Stick he had accidentally absorbed. Just how long would it be till there wasn’t a shred of himself left? He tried to hide his worry under the same mask he had had just a moment ago, but switching his whole personality on a whim didn’t seem to work.

[Key2Universe]

Rain's beautiful face turned from warm and loving to flat and emotionless as soon as Puppy said one word. Stick. She forced her reaction down to listen through Puppy's story. After he finished, Rain stood and put her back to Puppy, missing his expressions. She took a few deep breaths, trying to remain calm. Her mind couldn't make sense of what she had heard. Just hearing his name made her stomach flip and her emotions go flat. She forced herself to breath. After minutes of deafening silence, Rain turned back to Golden.

 

"Puppy, he's here? I don't know if you even know how horrible that is. He has to get out, we have to find a way to get him out. You can come with me out of this room, no one will touch us. But we have to find him now." Rain said. She leaned down over and put her hands on his shoulders.

 

"I'm sure you're not in the best of shape right now, but please just come with me. You can't be here either, nothing good happens in this place." Rain said. Her eyes were locked onto his, trying to communicate the urgency he needed to feel. Rain wasn't sure how Dark would react to seeing his brother again, but she was positive that it would be horrible.

Edited February 1, 2010 by Key2Universe