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Chapter 6: Skanfor

---

The grass was swaying in the breeze. The birds were singing. The sky was...purple. A deep, rich shade of plum, and that wasn't the only thing odd about the place. They seemed to have landed toward the bottom of a massive, conical valley, trees and rocks visible jutting out at various heights up the slopes. "Wow!" Daisuke exclaimed, looking up as far as he could. "Every time I think it can't surprise me, it does!"

"Hey, look!" Emi said, pointing to a spot not too far below them. "It's a little pond! Let's go swimming!"

"But Emi, I haven't been swimming before," Daisuke protested as the swordswoman pulled him along. "I'm gonna drown."

"I haven't been swimming before either," Fia said, following after the pair. "How do you do it, is it fun?"

"It's very fun. Just come with me, I'll show you!"

Brigitta wrenched herself free of Nikado, taking several steps away from him and Keisuke. The boy continued to avoid her eyes. "You go keep an eye on them, Keisuke," Nikado said gently, giving him a soft push. "I'll watch after Brigitta, okay?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you," the girl stated, taking another step back.

"She doesn't have to," Keisuke replied softly. "She can stay here if she likes, or go wherever she wants. All I wanted was to save her."

"You're so selfish!" she spat at him. "Thinking about just want you wanted!"

"Shh, calm down," Nikado soothed, giving Keisuke a nod. The boy glanced back toward Brigitta again before heading down the slope to the pond. "There. Now I get to cuddle a Brigitta all for myself," Nikado told her cheerfully, grabbing her in another hug.

"No, let me go!" she protested. "I don't want to talk to you!"

"It's okay, I understand," Nikado told her, petting her hair. "It's hard to lose a family member, especially like that."

"He murdered her! He lied to me, he said he wanted to save her, but that was a lie! He killed her!" the girl yelled, trying to free herself from the older man's arms. "I don't want anything to do with you or anyone! Let me go!"

"I know it's hard, but he didn't do it to hurt you, Brigitta," Nikado told her, pausing as something lit up on his arm. "I thought so," he murmured to himself, taking a seat on the grass and pulling her into his lap. "Brigitta, Tornelika is gone. It's been destroyed."

"You're a liar. I don't believe you."

"It's the truth, although I have no way to prove it to you," he told her honestly. "Keisuke really did want to save your grandmother. This way, she can get the healing she needs. If he'd left her there, she would have been destroyed with that world."

"I don't believe you!"

"Brigitta," he said gently. "Do you understand that your grandmother was sick?"

"She wasn't! She was fine around me. We lived just fine together."

"But she stopped being fine, didn't she?"

"It's all his fault!" she blurted out, beginning to cry. "Grandmother was right, he just came to take me away from her. If he hadn't shown up we'd still be together and she'd be fine!"

"It's possible that that's true," Nikado told her quietly. "Most likely, we came to that world to save you. It's not a coincidence. But the problem began long before he came, didn't it? She was normal for a long time before it started. She used to be able to go outside without you, didn't she?"

Brigitta didn't respond. "Don't think badly of Keisuke, Brigitta. Selfish is the last sort of word I'd use to describe him. He always puts others in front of himself, no matter how much it hurts him," Nikado said, looking down at the group by the pool. Clothes had been discarded by the side of the pool and Emi, Fia and Daisuke were now splashing around happily, Keisuke seated at the edge of the pool, watching. "He really did want to save your grandmother, even if it put his life at risk. And when he couldn't...he saved her in the only way he could, even though he knew it would make you hate him. He didn't want your grandmother to suffer any more than she had, and he didn't want you to suffer any more, either. Keisuke understands what it is like to lose a parent."

She didn't say anything else, only clung to him as she began to cry, mumbling apologies around her sobs. "There, it's okay now," Nikado soothed. "You're safe now. You're in a good place, in good health and among friends. Everything will be okay now."

"What's going to happen to me?" she mumbled. "I don't have anywhere to go. I left the only place I know."

"You can stay with us," Nikado told her, stroking her hair. "For as long as you want. Things will be dangerous sometimes, but all of them are good kids. Say, it looks like they're having fun, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," she agreed, watching as they splashed around.

"Why don't you join them?" Nikado suggested, giving her a gentle push. "Try it, it looks like fun."

"Well...if you say so," she said uncertainly, stumbling her way back down the side of the slope, stopping near the edge of the pool. "Um...."

"Hey!" Daisuke greeted her with a wave and a smile. "You're Brigitta, right? Come in and have fun with us!"

"But I don't know how to swim," she said slowly. "I've never done it before."

"That's okay, neither have we," Daisuke told her, pointing at Fia. "Emi's gonna give us lessons!"

"Well...I guess I could try," she mumbled, looking over at Keisuke. The boy was seated in the water, relaxing, his injured arm bandaged up. As he noticed her looking, he quickly turned away, avoiding her eyes.

Daisuke looked from one to the other, then hauled himself out of the pool, walking over to Brigitta. "Here, let me give you a hand. Whoops!" he shouted as he gave Brigitta a neat shove, sending her tumbling into the pool with a shriek.

Keisuke sat up in alarm as she fell in front of him with a colossal splash, grabbing for the girl. "Brigitta, are you all right?!" he asked in alarm, pulling her toward the shore.

"It's c-cold!" she stammered out, clinging to him.

"It's not that cold," Fia scoffed. "Don't be a wimp."

Keisuke gave both her and his brother a look. "It is if you happen to be pushed in while fully clothed. Here, let's, uh...." Realizing what he was about to suggest, he floundered.

Emi took over for him. "Let us remove that wet shirt and pants and let them dry," the older woman suggested, taking Brigitta to the side. "Then you can come play or just relax. The sand over here is good for scrubbing your skin."

Nikado chuckled to himself. Ah, the ever simple solutions of youth, he thought in amusement as he looked to Daisuke. Taking a seat on a rock, he let his feet rest in the water, leaning back and looking up at the sky.

"So what do you think we're going to do in this world, 'kado?" Daisuke asked.

"Don't know. But whatever it is can wait," Nikado replied. "The world isn't going to end if we take a moment to get clean and relax."

"Don't you want to come in, 'kado?"

"I'm fine here," he reassured. "I just want to take a nap."

"Ah! Maybe you don't know how to swim!"

He lazily kicked a little water at the boy. "I can outswim you any day of the week, now let me nap."

"Lazybones," Daisuke grumbled before he resumed his water war with Fia.

Nikado let out a sigh, looking up at the sky. I remember when it was me in the water and someone was looking down at me from the bank. Have I gotten so old that I can't have fun with them? No, he answered himself, it's not that. It's that I can't, right now. This isn't the time to forge a closer bond with them. I'll have to leave them soon.

"Ah, look up at the sky!" Fia exclaimed suddenly, pointing up. "Are those planes?"

"Are they monsters?" Daisuke questioned, squinting up at them.

"Maybe they are birds," Emi said. "Very large birds."

"No," Nikado murmured, putting a hand to his eyes. "I think they're dragons."

"Dragon? What's a dragon?" Fia wanted to know.

"They're large scaley creatures with big wings. They're not that uncommon among worlds, actually."

"Well, this world is pretty weird," Daisuke mused. "Look at the edges of the mountain! I can see snow, but it's not cold down here."

"It must be very cold up there," Nikado said. "It certainly is a unique place. If one lived here and couldn't fly, maybe they would think their entire world consisted of this valley."

"Well, it certainly is massive," Keisuke said, leaning back as Brigitta came to sit next to him. "One could explore here their entire life and still not see everything."

"That's probably true. Well, let me nap for a bit and then I'll make you a fire to warm yourselves by and we can have a nice, big meal. I think we could all use one after that recent experience."

"Yeah! I'm starving!" Fia piped up. "I couldn't eat at all in that last world, I thought I was going to throw up every time. I'm glad it's over. You must be pretty glad to be away from there too, Brigitta."

"Y-yeah, I guess so," she mumbled quietly, looking down into the water. Keisuke slowly reached over to put a hand on her shoulder, and she didn't move away.

Nikado sighed to himself, not wanting to get up. "Okay, let's see if we can't start a fire and get those clothes and bodies dry. If we're lucky, the magic bag might even have some towels. Aha!" He pulled one out, tossing it to Emi, who accepted, pulling herself out of the pool. "Here's a few more, you kids have them when you're ready."

Brigitta's eyes got wide as she scrambled out of the pool, picking up a towel. "How did you do that? Is that really a magic bag?"

"...come to think of it, how DID you do that, anyway," Fia wondered. Keisuke and Daisuke exchanged glances, realizing they had never questioned the magic bag.

"Well, yes and no. It's not really 'magic', otherwise it would stop working when Fia got close. A hole in space might be a better description, but even that's misleading. There are a lot of things that aren't magic or technology in the universe. The existance of the space between worlds, for one. Why does it it exist? Why is there a space between worlds that connects them all together? Come to think of it, why are there other worlds at all?"

"You've lost me," Daisuke stated, looking at Nikado.

"Ah, well, to put it simply, it's not magic and it's not technology. It's something else."

"What else is there?" Keisuke wanted to know.

Nikado considered for a moment. "Results. The result of something coming into contact with a person. The result of a person doing an action to something. Things exist, but unless they come into contact with a person...they have no meaning."

"I think I still don't understand."

"Don't worry about it. It's not the sort of thing that means you're dumb if you don't understand and smart if you do." Nikado set to work building a fire. "The bag is just to make my job easier. That way we can focus on the things we need to do instead of having to worry about food and bedding and other things."

"Are they uncommon?" Emi asked him. "I've only seen a few like that, of the people that came to my father's shop."

"I have no idea, to be honest. They could be quite common, but they only seem to end up with the people that really need them to do their jobs more efficiently. So." He shrugged.

"You haven't been to this world before either, have you, 'kado?" Daisuke asked, pulling out the tie in his hair and shaking some of the water out of it.

"No, never. First time for everything!"

Fia looked over at Daisuke, regarding his hair for a moment, then reached over, stealing the hair tie from his fingers. "Hey! Give that back!" he yelled, giving chase as she ran away, giggling.

"Don't go too far," Nikado warned as he produced some food from the bag. "We don't know what's out there, and it seems like it's getting a bit darker."

"Okay~"

"Come on, have something to eat," Keisuke encouraged Brigitta, sitting her down the fire and handing her a piece of fruit. "Try it, it's sweet."

She hesitantly took a bite, brightening. "It is! What is it, where does it come from?"

"It's an apple, and it comes from a tree. Lots of worlds have them. Does your world have them, Keisuke?" Nikado directed at him.

"Ah, well... I'm not sure, actually. I've never seen one, but there might have been. Mother said the monsters wrecked a lot of the trees."

She nodded, then made a face, spitting something out. "That's not so sweet."

"That's a seed, Brigitta," Nikado laughed. "You don't eat that part."

"A seed, huh," she mused, looking at it. Pulling apart the core, she unearthed a dozen more seeds, laying them out in front of her. "I'm going to keep these and plant them in Keisuke's world. Is that okay?"

"Sure. Here, let me see if I can find something...Ah." He emerged with a small drawstring bag on a long loop of twine. "Stick them in that and you can put it around your neck."

"You really can find anything in that bag," Emi observed, her towel around her long hair as she sat down by the fire, helping herself to some bread.

"Well, if I find it, it means the fates approve," Nikado laughed, putting a pot on the fire. "Let's let that heat for a bit, it shouldn't take long to warm up. Come down and dry off before you catch a cold, you two."

Fia finally relinquished the hair tie, flopping down by the fire. "You know, you could leave it down more. If you wanted," she said with a shrug, munching on a piece of cheese.

He looked at her blankly. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason."

---

Keisuke found himself awake early, or so he thought. Then he realized that although it was still dark, he could hear someone shuffling around, and the fire was still going warmly. "Were you up all night taking care of that?" he mumbled, rubbing at his face as he looked at Nikado.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" the man asked, sipping at a cup of what smelled like coffee.

"No, I just woke up. Is it still night?" Keisuke wondered, looking around.

"Seems to be. However, it seems we get an unusually long night here," Nikado mused, looking up at the dark sky. "The sun should have risen by now."

"Nothing's wrong, you don't think, is there?"

"I doubt it. Most evil forces don't have the power to affect the rise and set of the sun. Want some breakfast?"

"Just something to drink for now," Keisuke mused, looking over at the rest of the group, his eye stopping on Brigitta. The girl was curled up, looking surprisingly angelic as she slept. "She must have been very tired."

"Can you blame her? The girl narrowly missed the destruction of her entire world and everything she knew." Nikado looked over at Keisuke. "That was a good thing you did. Is your arm still bothering you?"

"No, I can move it fine. And no, it wasn't, but it had to be done."

"Then that's what makes you a good person," Nikado said over the top of his cup. "You never hesitate to do the hard thing."

"Is that such a good thing? I took a life, Nikado. Shouldn't I have hesitated?"

"You protected a life in doing so. I don't think you needed to," the older man said. "It's not that hesitating would make you a better person. If it's morality you're worried about, the fact that you still regret it so deeply should be enough."

He let out a sigh. "Will we have to kill the person releasing the monsters, too, if there is one?"

"Possibly. But it may not fall to your hand," Nikado told him. "There are five of you here. It could end up in anyone's hands."

"Then I'd want it in mine. I wouldn't want anyone else to have to bear that burden."

"Emi's already taken a life, herself," Nikado reminded him. "Do you think she sees it as a burden?"

"She's an adult, and besides, I don't think she remembers the incident, anyway. But what if it's someone like her grandmother? What if it's someone that hasn't done anything wrong?"

"That won't happen," Nikado reassured him. "The person that is poisoning your world is very aware of what they're doing. They're doing it on purpose, for whatever reason. This is not the same situation. A grave ill cannot fall a world without a deliberate malicious attempt."

"I guess that makes me feel a little better," Keisuke murmured, looking down into his cup. "I don't want to ever face that sort of situation again."

"And here you were worried about losing your moral compass," Nikado chuckled. "You'll be fine. You have a strong will...." He paused. "Yeah. As long as you don't lose sight of what's important to you and what you want to do, you'll never have to worry. Your brother, though...."

"What about my brother?"

"He has a good heart, but his straightforwardness can be a detriment sometimes. That sort of purity and justice can be corrupted by the power he's got. There's a reason that bloodline was almost hunted to extinction. Well, one reason, anyway. The blood of a bloodmagic user is a valuable commodity because of its strong magical potency."

"You know a lot about that bloodline."

"Well, I am one myself, if you noticed. I've used my powers the wrong way before. It's a chilling to look back on, because even to this day I don't regret some of the ways I used it, even if I recognize how vile they were."

Keisuke watched him for a long moment. "Nikado, who are you? There's so much I don't know or understand about you. Why are you here, where are you from?"

"That's a tender subject," he sighed. "I'm sorry that I can't tell you now. If we meet again, after you've saved your world...then I'll be able to tell you everything."

"So there's a reason you can't tell me? Or is it a reason you won't?"

"The latter, I think. I'm sorry."

Keisuke let out a long sigh, thinking over the response. "Okay. I guess I'll accept that. Nikado, answer me something else."

"If I can. What would that be?"

"Why us? Why were we chosen?"

"Part of it is your status as twins, I'm sure," he said after a moment. "It's probably no coincidence that you were born as such. A twins' power is required to repair the fractured barrier of your world, and not just any twins. Identical twins have a stronger power than fraternal twins. Part of it may be who you were born to. From what you've told me, your mother has a very strong spirit. It's to be expected that her children would inherit some of that. And the two of you have very strong wills of your own. Fate wouldn't pick someone who was doomed to fail, unless that failure had a meaning, and in this case, it doesn't. I think of all the people in your world, you have everything that gives you the greatest chance of success."

"What about Emi, and Fia, and Brigitta? Did fate pick them as well?"

"Possibly. Probably. I don't know the full extent of what's going on on your world, but someone does, and whatever it is, I'm sure the three of them have a place in it. Particularly Brigitta," he added. "She's a pure soul. Her kind are important in the rescue of darkening worlds."

"I'm a little frightened," Keisuke said. "Not of failing, and not even of this unknown enemy we might be going against. I'm just afraid of the dark."

"That's not so unusual. I'm sure if I thought about the darkness, it'd probably give me nightmares if it isn't now. The evil of man is a frightening thing, only offset by the good of man."

"Nikado...after this is over...I know you can't come with us, but could you come to visit our world sometime? Daisuke...is going to miss you terribly. He looks up to you."

"I know. It makes me happy to hear that, but at the same time, he can't rely on me too much. I'm not the person he should rely on. Some people become strong on their own, some become strong with others. Your brother is the latter, but it's not me he can become strong with, because what will become of his strength when we part ways?"

"I know that. That's why I know you can't come with us. I just want you to visit after it's over. When there's no longer a need for him to be strong on his own."

"I would like to," Nikado told him honestly. "It'll be up to ourselves and how the world works."

Keisuke looked over as Daisuke sat up, rubbing at his face. "Is it morning yet," the boy mumbled, stretching.

"Yes and no. Want something to drink?" his twin offered.

He nodded. You were talking about me.

A bit. We were talking about a lot of things. I'm a bit worried over you.

I know. I can tell. I don't want you to worry about me too much, though. I don't want to do anything that'll make you worry. If I have to be strong on my own, I can.

So you heard that part, too.

I don't know what to think, brother. I don't want him to leave. It hurts to think of it. I wish...I wish he could be our dad. If I had to think about what a dad would be like, I think I'd come up with him. But I know he can't stay. He has his own family. His little girl or boy must miss him terribly. I wouldn't want them to be denied their real dad just because of my selfishness. It's not right.

Nikado chuckled as he handed Daisuke a cup. "You two are talking among yourselves, I see."

"You can tell, 'kado?"

"Oh, yes. You always get that faraway look in your eyes when you're doing it."

"You know a lot about twins, too," Keisuke commented. "Did you know some twins from somewhere?"

He chuckled over his cup at that. "Yes, you could say that."

"What do you mean by that?"

Within a moment, the man's posture had shifted to something more tense as he set down the cup, gesturing with a finger for the pair to be silent. And then Keisuke could hear it--a crunching, shuffling sound through the woods, almost like someone marching. What is it, do you suppose? Daisuke's voice spoke in his head.

I don't know. I doubt Nikado does either, he hasn't been to this world before. Slowly a hand slid to his dagger.

Getting up, Nikado quickly doused the fire, crouching as he listened. Daisuke now had his own sword on his weapon, creeping toward Emi to wake her up. Before he could get there, something whizzed through the air, followed by several others that stabbed themselves into the woman before yanking away.

"Emi!" Stealth forgotten, Daisuke rushed to her side as she jerked awake painfully, fumbling for her sword. "Emi, hold on!"

"Shit!" Nikado bit at his thumb, throwing several darts of blood in the direction the weapons had come. "Keisuke, get a light!"

"Screw that, I'll make one!" he said, grabbing a twig from the fire. Running his hands over it, he bound the silvery threads to the stick, giving it a glow before he launched it in the direction the attack had come.

"Fia, Brigitta, wake up! We're under attack!" Daisuke shouted at the pair, pressing his hands over Emi's wounds.

"Huh, what? What?" Brigitta sat up in alarm as Fia sprang up, knife clutched in her hand.

Nikado had a split second to hear the whistling through the air. Ducking, he narrowly managed to avoid several more of the objects, grabbing one as it passed and yanking it forward. There was a cry as the person on the end of the rope stumbled forward. It was a boy barely older than Daisuke or Keisuke, wearing little other than a loincloth, eyes wide and frightened as Nikado grabbed him.

"Stop your attack!" he shouted, holding the boy against him. "We mean you no harm!"

There was a pause, and then another whistling, this time from all around them. The boy let out a shriek as he was impaled by the spears, but many more of them found their mark in Nikado, the older man falling forward.

"'kado!" Daisuke stared in horror as Keisuke leapt forward, catching the older man. "'kado!!"

"I'm...okay," the guide managed, coughing up some blood. "Just...give me...time..."

Keisuke lowered him to the ground, painfully aware he was leaving his back open to attack. More rustling happened at the edges of the clearing, several more of the warriors pointing their weapons at the group. "Back away from the adult," one of them ordered, "and we'll let you live."

"Why are you doing this?" Keisuke asked, desperately trying to stop the bleeding.

"It's our code. You will now come with us," the girl speaking continued. "Otherwise we will kill you too."

Brother, what should we do?

I don't know. I... "Nikado!" The man's grip in his own had relaxed, his eyes closing as he stopped breathing. "Oh, god, Nikado. Don't die!" Even as he said it, he knew it was too late. None of them were healers, and the ones that had done this hardly seemed inclined to help. "Nikado...."

"Oh no, Nikado," Fia said, putting her hands to her mouth. "You bastards, how could you?!"

Keisuke and Daisuke exchanged a glance, and it spoke more than the feelings that each could feel through the link. "You bastards killed him," the boy exclaimed hotly, drawing his sword. "I'll never go with you!" And then he drove the sword into his stomach, falling on it next to Emi.

"Daisuke!" Fia shrieked. "Oh god, no!"

Keisuke shut his eyes for a moment. "Fia, Brigitta, let's go with them. We don't have a choice."

"But they...Nikado, and Daisuke," Fia managed, beginning to cry. "No, this can't happen."

"Please just come with me," he told them quietly. "Let's go now." He pulled the other girl to her feet, looking to Brigitta. "Come on."

Looking frightened and stunned, she nodded, getting up and following Keisuke as the warriors clustered around them, weapons still drawn. "This way," the girl instructed, walking off into the darkness, the spears prodding them forward.

"Keisuke, what's going to happen to us?" Brigitta asked in a whisper.

"Don't worry," he told her, putting his arm around both of them. "Things will be okay."

"No they won't," Fia cried. "Daisuke and Nikado and probably Emi, too."

"Just stay strong with me for a little while, Fia. We'll think of something," Keisuke reassured, not looking back as they left the camp.

Daisuke waited until the last footsteps had retreated, looking up. "Suckers," he muttered to himself as he stayed low, creeping over to Nikado. The man was laying there unmoving, not drawing breath. "Nikado," Daisuke murmured to himself, tears dropping from his eyes onto the man's skin. "I'm so sorry. Your kid...I'm so sorry for them, Nikado."

Rubbing at his eyes, he knew he had no time to mourn. With a heavy heart, he turned away, going back to look at Emi. She was still drawing breath, but shakily, and her wounds hadn't stopped bleeding. Finding the magic bag in the darkness, he reached in, hoping for some medicine or bandages or something. He managed to emerge with a handful of both, setting them on the ground before pulling out another few handfuls before he went back to Emi, drawing up everything his mother and aunt had taught him about treating wounds, what he had seen Nikado do for his brother. Pulling off her shirt as best he could, he took a look at the wounds. Did they need to be stitched up? Don't panic, Daisuke, he ordered himself. You can handle this.

"See? I told you I smelled something funny," a voice said from behind him.

Daisuke let out a little snarl, whirling with his sword drawn. "Don't you bastards get a step closer to her, or I'll kill you."

"Waugh!" He saw two figures scamper away, bright eyes peering from the edge of the clearing. "Don't do that, it's scary."

"Who are you? Are you with the ones that did this?" He pointed to the boy that had been Nikado's brief hostage. Somehow, he suspected they weren't the same. These two seemed to be alone, and they didn't act like the ones from before. There was no reason to lure him into a trap; they could easily kill him alone.

"This one smells funny too," the second said, pawing at the boy, who groaned.

Daisuke suppressed a bit of surprise that the enemy boy was still alive. "He's been injured and he's dying. Same as my friend here."

"Dai-ying?" The two figures looked at each other. "Is it like a bad scrape?"

"...yeah. It's like a bad scrape." Now he felt confused. What exactly were these two? Their moves didn't seem quite human, and they almost acted like children.

"Shareen can help!" one said, tugging at the boy. "She helps with scrapes."

"Yeah, she can help!" the second agreed.

"Hey, don't do that, it's a bad scrape," Daisuke said, even as he wondered why he was worrying about the injured enemy. "Carry him gently. Like this." To demonstrate, he picked up Emi in his arms, struggling with her weight a bit.

The two looked at each other, then hefted up the boy between them, then staggering comedically in the way they had seen Daisuke do. He sighed, but now was not the time. "Okay. Where's this Shareen person?"

---

Keisuke stayed close to Brigitta and Fia as they were led into the enemy camp. The obvious thing that stood out was that it was entirely filled with children ranging from eight to perhaps twice as old, all with serious expressions. "You can use this hut," the girl from before instructed. "We won't hurt you and we won't lock you up as long as you don't try to warn the enemy."

"What enemy? YOU'RE the--" Keisuke gave Fia's arm a warning squeeze, and she fell quiet.

"We'll bring you some food," the girl told them before shutting the door to the hut, leaving them in darkness.

"Keisuke, I'm scared," Brigitta said quietly. "What's going to happen to us?"

He let out a soft sigh as the child warriors left, giving the pair a smile that he hoped could be seen with the light coming through the cracks in the walls. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be okay."

"It's not okay! Why did Daisuke do that, why did they have to go and hurt Emi and Nikado like that," Fia got out, rubbing at her face.

"Daisuke is fine," Keisuke told her. "He faked it so they'd leave him there. He stayed behind to take care of Emi and Nikado."

"He...he's okay?" Fia asked slowly.

"He's perfectly fine. Don't worry, we'll figure out what's going on here and get away. We just need to be patient," Keisuke told them, smiling again. Somehow, he didn't feel scared at all, despite the situation. Giving Brigitta and Fia support was taking his attention instead. Daisuke, how are they?

I found a couple of weird kids that came over. Not the guys that took you, I don't think they're human but I can't see them properly. I'm taking Emi to see their healer. Nikado...I'm sorry, Keisuke.

He shut his eyes for a long moment. "What is it?" Brigitta asked quietly, taking his hand.

"Emi's still alive," he told them. "But Nikado...he...."

"Oh no," Fia whispered. "So he really is...."

"What's going to happen to us?" Brigitta asked Keisuke.

"Nothing's going to happen to us. We'll have to deal with this situation ourselves instead of relying on Nikado. Once we're out of this...we can think about getting back and giving him a proper burial."

"How are we supposed to get back to your home?" Fia wanted to know. "Nikado was the one that brought us here. We can't leave without his help."

"The people he worked for won't leave us out here," Keisuke reassured. "It would make our coming a colossal waste of time if we can't get back to even try and save our world. We need to think about our own survival and escape right now. As we've seen, they don't hesitate to kill, even their own, so we have to be careful."

Get this, Daisuke told him, sounding a little angry. Their own that they stabbed is still alive. The kids are dragging him off to see the healer as well. Talk about our rotten luck.

It could be valuable, Daisuke. You might be able to find out things from him that we can't here, once he's recovered enough to talk. Take advantage of it. Don't think about Nikado. I know it's hard, but it's what we have to do.

I know.

Keisuke sighed to himself, letting the conversation with his brother end so they could both focus on their respective situations. "That was horrible of him," Fia was saying, "even if it was a good idea. I thought he was dead."

"I know, but it couldn't be helped. Let's not talk about it further, though," Keisuke told her. "They might be trying to listen to us."

"What do you think we should do, Keisuke?" Brigitta asked, clinging to his arm. "I don't like it here, I wish I could go home."

"It'll be okay," he reassured her, touching a hand to her head. "Let's not be too hasty. Daisuke and Emi won't be able to go anywhere for a while, so for now let's see what we can find out about these people. There must be some reason why they attacked us, even if it's not a very good one. Don't cause any problems for them, and definitely do not try to escape right now."

As he finished speaking, the door opened again, letting in some light from a distant bonfire. The girl from before was standing in the doorway, holding a crude wooden tray. "Food. I said I'd bring some," she stated, setting it on the ground in front of them before stepping back.

"We don't want it," Fia snapped at the girl. "Go away."

"Let's eat," Keisuke told Fia, picking the tray up and offering her a bite. "We need to keep up our strength."

"Make her go away, Keisuke," Fia told him, scowling at the girl.

Keisuke looked up at the girl, who looked back evenly. It was her eyes that made her frightening, he thought. They lacked any emotion whatsoever. "Why did you bring us here?" he asked the girl directly. "You're in charge, aren't you? Why did you kill our friends and bring us to your home?"

"Because we saved you from those adults," she told him coolly. "You can thank us by helping free the rest of our people."

"What are you talking about?" Fia snapped. "You didn't save us from anything! You killed our friends!"

"You do not understand the true nature of adults," the girl said, a bit of ice creeping into her tone.

Keisuke raised a hand, gesturing for Fia to stop. "What do you mean by that?"

"Sooner or later, he would have killed you."

"I think that's an awfully rash assumption to make. You didn't know him," he countered quietly, meeting her eyes.

"I know enough of the world of adults."

"That's all well and good," he said, folding his arms, "but won't *you* become an adult eventually? You look older than me. How long til we're supposed to kill you to save ourselves?"

"Two years."

He blinked. He hadn't been expecting her to take the question seriously. "In two years I will be put to death for the sake of my tribe. We will not become the foul creatures that the adults have become. We would prefer to die with our souls unstained. Is that all of your questions?"

Keisuke glanced over at Fia, who was still glaring at the older girl. "That's all for the moment."

"Then I shall depart." She shut the door again, leaving them in the minimal light again.

Fia finally took a piece of the food, making a face as she tasted it. "This is awful."

"Brigitta," Keisuke said thoughtfully, "did you notice anything weird about her?"

"Weird? How so?"

"Weird like...when your grandmother would get weird."

She lowered the piece of food that she had been about to eat. "No. She seemed perfectly normal to me. Why do you ask?"

"That's what I thought, too. I want to know exactly why she has it in for all adults and why she's convinced they all need to die, even herself." He sighed, taking a piece of the food for himself. "Let's just eat and rest for now. I'll let you two know when Daisuke has some news for us."

---

It was finally starting to get light, the top of the ridge turning a lighter purple as the sun approached. Daisuke was beginning to feel worried for Emi, wondering if the older woman would be able to hold out long enough to get to wherever they were going.

"That's it up ahead," one of the younger kids told him, pointing. Ahead in the dim light, he could make out the shape of a cottage set in the side of the mountain, surrounded by greenery. There seemed to be a garden in the back, extending behind and further up the ridge, overflowing with plants. Somehow, he felt cheered as the two boys bounded to the door, politely knocking before barging in, dragging the injured boy with them. "Shareen! We found something! Come take a look!"

"Dusty," a woman's voice sighed from inside, "when one knocks, they should wait for an answer before--What is that and why is it bleeding on my floor."

"Excuse me, ma'am," Daisuke said politely from the doorway. "My name's Daisuke, I was told you could help me? My friend is badly injured."

"I can see that." A woman with long black hair rose from her seat at a table, grimacing at the mess the injured boy was making. "Why is this boy here?"

"We found him!" one of the boys said proudly. Now that he could see properly in the lit interior of the cottage, Daisuke could see that his initial guess was correct: the boys weren't human. Or at least, not completely; while they were bipedal and generally human in shape, they were covered in patches of scales on their skin, and their hands were clawed, and something about their eyes seemed odd, as well. Oh, and they had tails. "We found them all and brought them to you. He says they have bad scrapes!" He pointed to his knee in demonstration.

She sighed, rubbing at her arms as she paced a bit. "Well, they're here, I'd better deal with this now. Did anyone follow you here? Don't tell anyone about this place, you understand," she told Daisuke in clipped tones. "Bring them both to the back. And don't you dare step on any of my plants."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, being sure to watch his step as he carried Emi to the room she indicated. The two boys followed with their own victim. The room had a dirt floor, and although there were shelves with plants around the walls, there didn't seem to be any furniture. "Where should I...."

"On the floor." The two lizard-like boys had already set down their burden in the center of the room, and she followed suit. Walking over to the plants, she murmured something, appearing to be talking to them as she pointed at the pair.

"Wah!" Daisuke took a step back as vines sprung from the ground, wrapping around both of the injured people.

"There," the woman stated, dusting off her hands. "They should be fine in a few hours."

Daisuke stared at the vines, finally daring to touch one of them. "That is so cool!"

"Yes, well--"

The second of the boys, determining that the 'scrapes' were finally taken care of, decided the moment was right to greet Shareen properly. With the floor. "SHAREEN," he shouted gleefully, jumping on top of her and knocking her over. "I missed you! We went really far this time."

She sighed, giving him a halfhearted push. "Up, Canvas." He obligingly got off her, the woman giving him a pat on the head as she stood again. "Now, come with me," she directed at Daisuke.

"Yes, ma'am. Would you like me to do something? I could--" Daisuke began.

"I would like you," she interrupted smoothly, "to have some tea. Please."

The forceful way she added the last word gave him little room to argue. Following her back into the main room, he took off his sword politely, setting it against the wall among some plants, being careful not to damage any of them. Handing him a teacup, she sat down with her own, taking a sip.

"Thank you very much, Shareen ma'am," he told her seriously, taking the cup and trying the drink. Somehow, it reminded him of home and the rare tea his mother made, though this wasn't as bitter and was a fair bit stronger. "I'm really grateful to you and your...um, boys."

"You're welcome," she said, although it was accompanied with a sigh. "Though Dusty and Canvas aren't 'mine'. They come and go as they please. More coming than going," she added as the one he had identified as Dusty curled around Shareen's chair, looking up at her contentedly.

"They sure seem to like you," Daisuke said with a smile, "though I've never seen kids like them before."

"That would be because they aren't kids. They're dragons. Young ones, to be sure, but dragons all the same."

"Dragons?" he echoed. "You mean like those big things we saw flying in the sky?"

"You know of any other kind?" she asked him with a blink.

"I don't know any other ki--" Canvas decided it was time for Daisuke to experience his love, and leapt on him, knocking the chair back. The tea spilled all over his arm, but thankfully he managed to keep the teacup in his hand and in one piece. "Um. Hi."

"Hi," Canvas greeted with a big grin. "I'm Canvas."

"That's an, um, unusual name, isn't it?"

"They pick names for themselves," Shareen said with a shrug. "I don't know where they get them. You did say you weren't followed here, right?"

"I very much doubt it, ma'am," he told her, picking up a napkin and wiping up the spilled tea after Canvas released him. "If they'd known I was alive, they'd have probably just killed me instead of letting me get all the way out here."

She looked at him, but didn't seem quite convinced. "Do you know who those kids are?" he asked her. "They just attacked us out of nowhere, for no reason."

"Only vaguely. I try to stay out of such things," she told him, refilling his cup. "The kids of that tribe are having some sort of conflict with the adults."

"A conflict of the violent kind, huh," Daisuke sighed. "Do you know why?"

"No. As I said, I try to stay out of such things. Putting your nose in where it doesn't belong will get you killed," she told him.

"Unfortunately, we didn't get a choice to not be involved. They attacked me and now they've captured my brother and his friends," Daisuke sighed. "We didn't do anything to them."

"You should have run away," Shareen told him helpfully.

"We can run!" Dusty added from the floor, now attempting to curl around Shareen herself. "We're very good at running!"

His lips twitched into a smile. "I wish we could have. It all happened so fast."

"I guess your friends are out of luck if they've been caught," Shareen said around her teacup. "I'm sorry."

"Why do you say that?" Daisuke asked with a frown.

"Because they're so...violent. And dangerous. I certainly wouldn't want to be in their shoes right now," she told him.

"Don't worry," he said brightly. "My brother is among them, and he'll take care of the girls until we figure out what to do."

"You're very confident," Shareen said with a shake of her head. "And reckless."

"Yeah, I hear that a lot," he said with a grin. "'kado once said--"

She looked up at him as he suddenly cut himself off, staring down into the cup forlornly, but didn't say anything further. "Um, is it all right if I stay in there with them? I don't see what other use I could be right now, and if that boy wakes up, he might try something."

"Please do. If he becomes unruly, please take him outside without causing a big mess," Shareen instructed. "Then blindfold him and let Dusty and Canvas lead him around for a while." She looked over at the two young dragons. "You brought me a lot of trouble, you know." Both beamed up at her, wagging their tails in a manner not unlike that of dogs.

"I will, Shareen. Thank you."

---

Morning had come, and Keisuke hadn't even realized he'd fallen asleep. His first thought was that the food had been drugged, but after a moment he just chalked it up to weariness after the fight. Brigitta and Fia were curled up on either side of him, snuggled against him, and he noticed after a moment that his arms were around both of them, as if he was protecting them from nightmares. Daisuke? he called out, and after a moment he could sense his brother, the younger twin asleep. Poor Daisuke. He must have been worn out, too. I'll talk to him later.

Reluctant to move while Brigitta and Fia were resting, Keisuke looked up at the roof of the thatched hut, considering his options. This world reminded him of Aenurdil a bit, with the level of magic and technology he'd seen so far. That gave him pause for thought, remembering what had happened on Aenurdil. Was that why the children were killing all adults indiscriminately? Was there someone or something turning the adults into monsters like that man on Aenurdil had done?

His thoughts drifted back to home and the situation there. Who or what had caused the monsters to start appearing in their world? What had cracked the barrier and started letting them through? Would they be able to repair it? He had no doubt that they had the power to do it, but practice was the question--they'd never formed a barrier larger than a hundred feet in diameter, and even that was intense and draining. How much longer did their world have? Would someone come and get them in time?

Keisuke sighed as his thoughts drifted back to Nikado. The man had really been a good teacher, Keisuke thought, in both skill and magic, as well as spirit. He hadn't deserved what had happened to him. Was it fate's way of finally delivering what he was supposed to have done fifteen years ago? Was all his work for nothing? Surely not. If the people in the Nexus had the power to defy fate, perhaps they could defy death as well. It was a slim hope, he knew, but all the same he latched onto it, trying to deny that Nikado wouldn't be allowed some small bit of happiness.

Next to him, Fia stirred, snuggling against him. "You're not Papa," she mumbled after a moment, backing away and sitting up.

"Sorry," he mumbled, absently petting Brigitta's hair. "Do you feel better now?"

"No. I'm sad and I'm scared and I'm pissed off. But it's the best I'm going to get for now." She stretched a bit, grimacing as she saw a fresh tray. "Ugh, they brought more. Do we have to eat it?"

For some reason there was a warning bell going off in his head, that something was amiss. "Let's just leave it for now. Put it in my pouch, we'll keep it there. I wish we had the magic bag," he sighed.

The door opened abruptly, the girl looking down at them. "Well, are you going to sit around all day?"

"Do we have someplace to go?" Keisuke countered.

"You are free to move around our camp if you wish. Do not enter any place you are told not to enter, and do not attempt to leave. Those are the rules."

Next to him, Brigitta moved with a whimper, and he gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "What's your name?"

"Why?"

"I just want to know. Is that wrong?" he asked, a bit of irritation in his voice.

She considered, then shrugged. "I am called Amrita. I am the warrior leader of this tribe."

"What's a warrior leader? Do you lead this tribe?"

"I do not. That is up to our council. I take our people into battle against the adults."

"So then," he said, sitting up and looking at her. "Were you the one that told them to fire on your own person just to kill Nikado?"

"He was taken prisoner; he became a weakness. We cannot allow weakness or mercy in the battle against the adults. That is all. Do you have another question?"

He frowned at that. No weakness or mercy in battle? Somehow, his head felt a little fuzzy at hearing those words. "That's it. We'll look around after Brigitta wakes up."

"Very well." She turned away, leaving the door open.

"Keisuke," Brigitta's voice said quietly from beside him. "I don't like her. She scares me."

"Ah, you're awake?" He patted her shoulder. "But she doesn't feel weird, right?"

"No, she doesn't. I just don't like her. Are we going to look around this place?" Brigitta asked. "I'm not sure I want to do that."

"Come on, be brave, Brigitta," Fia told her encouragingly. "We have to look around so we'll know the best way to get out of here. Besides, you don't want to be cramped up in this tiny, dark hut, do you?"

"No...I guess not."

"Good," Keisuke told her with a smile, standing up and offering her a hand up. "Let's stick together and figure a way out of this, okay?"

She nodded, giving him a small smile. Fia was the first to venture out the door, looking around suspiciously. Keisuke followed, peering around. The sun was now fully out, lighting the clearing they were in. A number of the tiny huts littered the place in a haphazard pattern, and many of the kids in loincloths and rags could be seen walking around, their bare skin painted with what Keisuke guessed were some sort of war markings. Most of them seemed preoccupied with tasks around the small village, such as gathering water or firewood for the large pit in the center of the village, and others were training or having mock duels together with the throwing spears they had used the night before. Now that they were in daylight, Keisuke could make out their short shape more easily, seeing that they had a rope attached at the end that they used to haul their weapons back with.

Fia looked over at a pair of kids practicing, eyeing their weapons with some interest. "Hey, can I see that?" she called over to one of the kids.

"No!" Brigitta protested. "Don't get near them, they're bad."

"I just wanna look at their pointy weapon," Fia protested. "It's just a weapon. It's not bad in itself."

"No! They'll hurt you too! They're bad, Fia!"

"Stop trying to tell me what to do," the other girl snapped. "You're not the boss of me."

"You're going to get us killed!"

"Both of you stop, please," Keisuke said, pushing himself between the two girls. Several of the kids had stopped what they were doing, staring at them. "We don't need to draw attention to ourselves right now. Let's just walk around the perimeter and take stock of our surroundings. If we have to make a break for it, we need to know the best ways to get out."

Fia scowled, crossing her arms, but didn't protest as Keisuke led her forward, taking Brigitta by the hand. While the area they were in was clear for several feet around the perimeter of the camp, beyond there were increasingly thickening trees. Keisuke wasn't sure he liked their chances; they had already proven themselves at night among the trees. During the day, then? He needed to sit back and observe when was the least active, when it was the most likely they wouldn't be noticed right away.

Fia suddenly stopped, grabbing onto Keisuke's arm. "*She's* coming over," she hissed, giving his arm a shake.

Keisuke looked up, frowning as he spotted Amrita nearby. She didn't seem to be joining them so much as that they had been walking in her direction, the girl focused completely on her training with the spear in her hands. She was good, Keisuke had to admit, her movements swift and accurate. "You're Amrita, right?" the boy directed to her.

"That is correct. What of it?" She continued her routine, giving no other signal that she had heard him at all, other than her words.

"Why are you killing the adults?" he asked her bluntly.

"They are trying to kill us. We have a right to live, do we not?"

"Why are they trying to kill you?"

"There is no logical reason, if that is what you are asking. We have not provoked them. At one time, we lived with them. Then they betrayed us." All of this was spoken in neat, clipped tones, as if she was reading from a textbook. "They will not rest until we are dead. So we will not rest until they are dead."

"There are other people beyond the small village that you know," Keisuke told her. "People that weren't involved in this. You didn't need to kill our friends or take us prisoner."

"It is not a risk I will take," she said, glancing over at him between movements. "You are involved simply by intruding into our territory. Regardless of what you say your intentions are, you cannot say that you would act precisely the same if you had not known of our existance."

Keisuke scowled at her, caught between frustration at her attitude and pity. "Let's go back," Fia insisted, giving his arm a tug. "I don't want to be around *her* anymore."

If Amrita noticed the comment, she didn't seem to care. Keisuke let out a sigh before leading the girls back toward the hut, hoping he would be able to contact his brother.

---

"But what IS it?" he could hear a voice speaking before he was fully awake. "Hey, I don't think you should eat that."

"I just want to see how it tastes," a girl's voice complained, and then there was something hot and wet around his fingers, putting pressure on them. Forcing his eyes open, Daisuke looked up and saw a dragon child chewing on his hand.

"Hey, don't do that," he groaned, still a little too groggy to be fully alarmed.

"Told you so," insisted the dragon boy sitting next to her. "I bet it didn't even taste good."

"I 'unno," she said with a shrug, licking her partially scaled fingers. "Kind of salty."

Daisuke sat up, wiping his fingers on his pants absently as he took stock of the situation. He must have fallen asleep while waiting for Emi to heal, for he was still on the dirt floor, feeling a little stiff. The vines that had been wrapped around Emi and the enemy boy were now gone down into the dirt again, the two bodies on the dirt next to him. Absently putting a hand to his side to make sure his sword was there, he scooted over to Emi, pulling up her shirt to check her injuries.

She chose that inopportune moment to wake up. With a shriek, she gave him a hefty shove, knocking him backwards as she kicked herself away from him, both arms around her stomach. "Don't you dare.... Oh. Lord Daisuke," she recognized, looking a little embarrassed. "What were you...what were you doing?"

"Your injuries," he pointed to her stomach, "they seem okay now. You remember getting hurt, Emi?"

"I...Not really," she said with a frown.

"A bunch of creeps snuck up on us in the night and they stabbed you," he told her, pointing at the unconscious boy. "They've got my brother and the girls held prisoner, so we'll have to go and save them."

Emi frowned, then turned as the boy next to her began to stir. "Be careful," Daisuke said, drawing his sword as he approached the other boy.

"Hey! Don't you dare do that here!" Shareen shouted from the doorway, eyeing the sword nervously. "I will not have you playing around with swords in my home!"

"It's just in case he tries to attack someone," Daisuke protested.

"I don't care! I will not have that sort of violence in my home!"

"It is all right, Lord Daisuke," Emi reassured. "He is unarmed. I am confident that I will be able to handle him."

"None of that sort of violence, either!" Shareen said in an agitated tone, pointing at Emi. "I'll throw you back to the vines, so help me."

"Oh? Well, if you can do that, then we have nothing to worry about," Emi said cheerfully. "I shall leave him in your capable hands, then."

"Ah, well..." The woman took a step back, fiddling with a teacup nervously. "Maybe he likes tea?"

Daisuke looked at her, ringed by the two dragon children, and sighed. "Maybe if she offers to subdue him as nonviolently as possible if he does get worked up?"

"...only if it's very, VERY nonviolently," Shareen conceded at last.

Daisuke nodded agreement, putting his sword away as he moved to stand over the boy. "Hey, you. Wake up."

He twitched at the voice, eyes opening slowly, focusing on Daisuke. "You're not Amrita," he mumbled.

"No, I'm not. Just stay calm and listen to me," Daisuke instructed. "You attacked our group and killed one of our friends. I want to know why."

He looked over, and spotted Emi. Eyes narrowing in sudden rage, he sprang to his feet, aiming to put his hands around her throat. "Die, adult!"

Shareen let out a shriek at the sudden movement, dropping her teacup into the dirt. Before the boy could even make it to Emi, there were four dragon children sitting on top of him. "Bad," Dusty scolded, poking the boy in the forehead. "You don't make Shareen unhappy."

Daisuke let out a sigh. "I told you to stay calm and listen. Now will you answer my question?"

"I have nothing to say in front of an adult," he spat out.

"You tried to kill me for no reason," Emi told him. "I think you do have something to say to me."

He hissed in rage, and Daisuke sighed. "Miss Shareen, Emi, can you leave this guy to me? I'll make sure he doesn't hurt anyone."

Shareen eyed the boy nervously before moving toward the door. Emi picked up her teacup, gently leading her out. "Now then," Daisuke said, crossing his arms as he looked at the boy. "What's your name? It seems awkward to call you 'you' all the time."

He glared from under the dragon kids. "Okay, guys, let him up," Daisuke told the dragons. "You can dogpile on him again if he tries something."

"I don't like him," Hydrant insisted. "He's a jerk."

"I can handle jerks," Daisuke reassured with a smile, then paused as the boy let out a yell, trying to squirm.

"They're gonna eat me!" he yelped in panic.

Blob looked up from behind the other three, the boy's foot in her mouth. "This part doesn't taste so good," she said with a grimace, dropping the appendage.

"They won't eat you if you talk to me," Daisuke told him. "Now, your name?"

"...Chandrakant," he said at last. "Please get them away from me."

Daisuke nodded to Dusty, and the four dragons slowly got off him, sitting back with tails stirring the dirt expectantly. "Okay, Chandrakant," Daisuke said pleasantly. "So you wanna tell me what's going on with you?"

"W-what do you mean?" Chandrakant was eyeing the dragon kids nervously.

"I mean with the adults and all. Why do you hate them so much? Why do you wanna kill them?"

"Because they tried to kill me first," he stated, folding his arms. "I kill them so they don't kill me."

Daisuke watched the younger boy seriously. "Nikado was a good friend of ours. He was helping us save our world. He wouldn't have hurt you, never."

"Shows what you know," the boy huffed. "All adults are evil. I don't regret killing any of them."

"That's so stupid," Daisuke told him bluntly. "You kill him, and then what? I'm supposed to kill you? And then whoever you have that's close to you is supposed to kill me, and then my friends kill your friends...Don't you get it? Killing people gets you nowhere."

"I didn't ask for a lecture," Chandrakant said stiffly. "So what, am I supposed to just roll over and die?"

"No, of course not. But killing people doesn't solve anything either. There has to be a reason why the adults are doing this."

"You're right. It's very stupid," Shareen said from the doorway, just out of sight. "Killing just leads to more messes. It's not worth it."

Chandrakant hissed at the woman, then promptly shrunk down as the dragon kids rose up on their hind legs. "Shareen, do you know anything about this?"

"The kids," she gestured at the dragons, "tell me they don't go up there anymore because there's something evil in that valley where the adults live."

"That's right. There's something evil there, all right," Chandrakant agreed. "We all were fine until the adults just decided to start killing people. We used to live there. It was our home. But then they started with the infants. Then the kids. Then the older kids."

"It's not the people," Dusty spoke up. "We avoid those. There's something killing the food up there. We can't go eat up there anymore because there's nothing."

"You were stealing our food?!"

"Not when there's nothing there!" Dusty insisted. "It used to be all green and stuff. There was always enough to go around. Now there's not. It smells bad."

Daisuke frowned, then paused as he felt his brother's presence brush up against his mind. "Okay, Chandrakant. I need to know where this camp of yours is. They've got my brother there."

"I'm not telling you anythi--" Blob made a move for his arm, and he yelped, jerking back.

"I'm not going to hurt you, or them," Daisuke told him. "It made me very angry that you took the life of my friend for no reason. But killing you wouldn't bring him back. We're not like you. We're not going to hurt anyone. I just want to get my brother and my friends back."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't. You don't know me and you aren't anything like me," Daisuke told him, finally feeling his patience giving way. "So you're just going to have to take me at my word, or I'll let Blob have her way with you."

She perked up at that. "I can nom him?"

"Fine, I'll tell you," Chandrakant spat. "I'll tell you already. But don't think you're going to get away with this. My big sister will take care of you."

"You're not just going to leave him here, are you?" Shareen asked with a frown as Daisuke got up.

"I don't have a choice, I don't trust him. Tie him up," Daisuke said with a shrug.

Shareen looked nervously at Chandrakant as Daisuke joined Emi. The boy was still sitting there, looking rather nervous as all the dragon kids peered intently at him. "...Would you like some tea?" she offered weakly.

---

There was a break in the evening, not too long before twilight. Knowing that his brother was on the way, Keisuke decided to take a chance. Appearing to wander aimlessly around, Keisuke had taken a roundabout way to the trees he hoped was unsuspicious until it was too late, Fia and Brigitta trailing after him. Making sure no one was watching, Keisuke gave Fia a little push, pulling Brigitta by the hand, and the three were in the woods, swiftly making their way up the mountain.

They had discussed it prior to their leaving, while they were holed up in the hut: stay low, make as little noise as possible. As soon as they got a distance away, they would join up with Daisuke and Emi and find a place to lay low from there. A bit of sweat trickled down his neck as he reviewed all of this in his mind. It was dangerous, he knew, and they could be followed at any minute. And if they were caught, they'd probably be killed. Don't think about that. Think about getting to Daisuke and Emi. That's our goal right now.

A stirring above them made him stop, and he saw Brigitta and Fia had stopped as well, their backs tense with sudden fear. Amrita was standing on the hillside above them, looking down with cool, merciless eyes. "You were told not to leave," she said, flicking out her spear. "Return now."

Keisuke didn't respond right away, gauging their chances. Was she alone? With his brother as backup, Keisuke felt that they had to take the risk. "Please let us pass," he told her quietly. "We're not going to tell anyone where you are. We just want to go home. We have our world to take care of."

Fia stumbled suddenly, falling forward, Brigitta clutching at her stomach. His eyes widened, and then he stumbled as well, dropping to one knee. "The food...So you did poison us," he groaned, putting a hand to his face.

"It was for your own protection, as well as ours," Amrita told him. "The effect will lessen when you return. Now go back."

He stumbled forward, reaching for her. Amrita stayed where she was, looking down at him with an impassive gaze. "You can't do this...Please, I'm asking you. Just let us go."

"Go back. There is no other option."

"No. I guess there isn't," he agreed, and in a sudden movement his hands were on her spear, shoving it down. Brigitta and Fia leapt at her, grabbing at her arms. Wrenching the spear away, he pinned the older girl to the ground with the girls' help.

There was a brief flicker of surprise in her eyes as she looked up at him. "So you knew."

"It's not like you were inobvious about it," he grunted.

"How did you get around it? I saw you eat the food."

"It's in my blood," he told her simply as he considered his next move. Knocking her out would probably be the easiest way to take care of her without killing her. As he debated the safest way to do that, noises from above caught his attention.

"Keisuke?" Fia let out a yelp as she ducked a thrown spear. "They're coming from above!" More shot into the trees, landing around them; Keisuke realized the throwers were still some distance away.

"Those are adults!" Amrita told them in a clipped tone. "We have to leave now or they'll kill us."

Keisuke looked at her for a moment, meeting her eyes, and then got up, handing her the spear he had taken earlier. "Keisuke?" Brigitta questioned softly.

"We'll meet with my brother further down," he told them, taking Brigitta's hand. "Let's go."

Once allowed up, Amrita ignored them completely, making her way down the slope with haste. Keisuke followed as best he could, the two girls sliding down next to him. "Sir Keisuke!" Emi's voice called to him as she appeared through the trees on their left, Daisuke on her back. "We are here, what are we to do next?"

"Daisuke!" Fia said in alarm as she saw a dark stain on his shirt. "You're bleeding!"

"It's not deep, it'll be fine," Keisuke told her.

Below the clearing opened up before them, and Amrita had already roused the kids to action, shouting orders. Keisuke glanced back, seeing taller figures in the trees. Emi pulled Daisuke behind a nearby hut, the two girls joining her as spears thudded into it. Keisuke was last, weapon drawn. "Keisuke, what do we do?" Brigitta squeaked in terror, clinging to Fia's arm.

Keisuke looked over at his twin. "We need to buy ourselves some time, we need a barrier. Can you do it?"

"I'm fine," he grunted, dropping down from Emi's back. "Let's do it. How big are we going?"

"Enough to cover the clearing should be fine. Let's go by the bonfire," he told his twin. "Emi, guard the girls!"

She nodded, sword drawn as she gestured for the two younger girls to stay back. Pulling his brother to the bonfire, Keisuke clasped his twin's hands, the two projecting their power out quickly.

"Hey, what are you--" one of the village kids protested.

"Saving your sorry butts, so be quiet," both twins spoke at the same time, the amber-colored sphere moving out and stopping at the edge of the clearing. Several of the kids were gaping as the spears bounced harmlessly off the barrier.

Even Amrita looked a bit surprised. "...That is an unusual power."

"Yeah, we know." Keisuke looked an arm under his younger brother, helping support the injured boy. "Now, where are your leaders?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"We're going to make a deal with you," Daisuke told her. "There's something unnatural that's making the adults act like this. We're going to get rid of it and save you, although you don't really deserve it. In return, you're going to let us go. And you're going to apologize for killing Nikado. Oh, and I should tell you: we put that barrier up, we can take it down at any time. Got it?"

She met his eyes without fear. "I will inform them of your intentions. We shall see if they wish to talk." She turned on her heel, walking away from them.

I really don't like her, Daisuke noted to his brother.

Like and dislike don't come into it. It's the situation we have to deal with.

Yeah, but...I wish we didn't have to save them. Is that wrong?

I'm sure there are bad people in our world too, Daisuke. It's not about who we want to save. It's about doing it because it needs to be done.

That's the way you see it, I can't see it that way. I just want to save our world for Mama and Aunt 'lira and everyone back home. Daisuke thought about it as Emi approached with a bandage for his shoulder. Well, I like Shareen and her kids. I'd do it for her.

Keisuke smiled slightly, then turned as Amrita approached with another girl her age. "You told her our offer?" Daisuke asked.

"Can you really do such a thing?" the other girl asked flatly.

"We're protecting this space now, aren't we?" Keisuke told her. "All we need to do is extend the barrier outward to drive the evil out of this place. We have that power."

"And what you want in exchange is to leave? If that is all, then we will agree to that," the leader said with a nod.

"That's not all," Daisuke told her. "She's going to apologize for killing Nikado."

"I see no reason for that," Amrita stated, folding her arms.

"Of course you don't," Keisuke sighed to himself. "That's why all of you are so messed up."

"Amrita," the leader said to her quietly. "Do it for the sake of the village."

She was silent for a long moment, the expression on her face suggesting that ritual suicide might have been a viable alternative. "I apologize for attacking without provocation from your perspective, but I will not apologize for doing as I was commanded to protect the village."

"That's not good enough," Daisuke told her firmly. "Say you're sorry for killing people."

"If I was sorry for killing them, I would not have done it in the first place."

"Yeah, well, you probably shouldn't have, but that's neither here nor there," Daisuke said with a slight shrug. "Say you're sorry for killing them."

"I will not."

"Then I don't see why people that are so cheap with life deserve to live themselves," Daisuke stated, folding his arms.

An alarmed murmur went up around the gathered children. Amrita stared down at Daisuke, eyes still cool and indifferent. "The world is not such a place that all will survive and no one will ever be killed. Cruel things will happen. Sometimes cruel things must be done in return to ensure survival. If you do not understand why this is a necessity, then that is your failing. I did what was required to survive."

"You just don't get it! God, you're so stupid," the younger boy snapped at her. "I've never met such a stupid kid. Don't you realize you can't do it this way? The problem with this village is you and that attitude of yours!"

"And just what gives you the right to criticize my actions? If I am so incorrect and you are so correct, why did you wait to arrive until after all of this had already begun?" she snapped at him, showing emotion for the first time. "Do you have some idiotic desire to play at being a hero? We were doing what we could, and we were doing well at it, and then you just come out of nowhere and think you can fix everything, and suddenly everyone's attitude will change, like it was some spell that made them act this way in the first place. If we had kept to your way of thinking and never laid a hand on our enemies, we would have all perished. The world does not reorder itself just because you want it to, boy. I will give you gratitude for your help, but I will not change my position."

"Yeah, the world sucks sometimes," Daisuke agreed, "and sometimes you do have to kill people. I'm probably going to have to do it when I get back to the place I need to be. That's not the point. You act like killing people is just okay if it's justified. Even if you have to do it, it's NOT okay. You need to feel sorrow for what happened and make amends, if you can. Even if they're your enemies, they still have people that will miss them, same way you would be sad if one of the people here died. That's the real danger here, the real evil. We just came from a world that was destroyed because of that same attitude. How are you going to return to being happy when the fighting stops? If you don't feel anything when you kill, you'll just keep doing it afterwards, because it won't matter to you if you do it. I'm not asking you to apologize for protecting yourselves, or asking you to try to make it up to us. Nothing can bring him back. I just want you to recognize that you've caused suffering and regret that it had to happen, that you actually feel something because of the holes you have caused in so many lives."

"I will not--" Amrita began, but the girl next to her raised a hand, gesturing for her to be silent before she looked to Daisuke.

"I will agree with your point," she told him softly. "We understand the loss that has been caused because of our wish to survive. We regret that it was a thing that had to be done. Does this satisfy your request?"

"Not quite. I want to hear her say it." Daisuke looked back at Amrita. "She's the one that needs to understand the most."

The entire village was now watching her expectantly. Amrita tightened her hand around her spear until her grip was white. "I...recognize that killing has consequences. It is regrettable that such actions were necessary. Are you happy now, boy?"

He looked over at his older twin. "Well, it's a start, I guess. At least she listened."

"So shall we get started, then?"

"'kay." Daisuke turned to his brother, then looked over and gave Amrita a cheeky grin. "I was gonna do it anyway. I just wanted you to understand first."

Another murmur went up from the villagers as the second barrier whipped out, this time moving past the village. Their eyes were shut, but they could sense the barrier moving outward, flying up the slopes, and on the outside of it was some darkness, seething as it tried to get back down into the valley. Get out! both commanded at once, sending the barrier even farther up the slopes. Leave this place in peace! Go back to the place you came from and disappear! The barrier continued upwards at an increasing pace, finally breaking over the tops of the mountains, circling around them as it formed a protective barrier over the entire deep valley. The village kids were all looking up in awe as Daisuke and Keisuke released each other's hands.

"Wow, that's high," Fia observed, craning her neck back. "Feels like you're covering the whole world!"

"Whatever that thing was, it won't be able to get in here for a long, long time," Keisuke agreed. "Shall we pull down the other barrier?"

"'kay!"

The barrier around the village rippled, then disappeared, the adults around the camp looking confused for a moment. "Hey, it's all right now," Daisuke called o them, waving. "We got rid of the evil thing. Your home's gonna be okay now!"

There was a brief pause before several spears launched inward, a few kids crying out as they were struck. "Hey! Didn't you hear me!? I said it's all right now, you don't have to fight anymore!" Daisuke yelled.

Brigitta let out a shriek as a spear struck her in the leg, sending the girl tumbling to the ground. Keisuke crouched over her, pulling it out and pressing a hand down on it. "What the hell, people?!"

"Keisuke, it hurts," the girl began to cry, clinging to his arm.

"They won't listen to reason," Amrita said, throwing back a spear. "Now do you understand? People do not change so easily."

"If they won't listen to reason, then there has to be something they'll listen to," Daisuke told her as he drew his sword. "Hey, why'd it get dark all of a sudden?"

The charge by the adults was suddenly sent scattering as the sun was blocked by a large pair of wings, several more circling higher. The adults fled back into the trees, only to be driven back as more of the massive, scaly beasts landed around the perimeter of the camp. "Are those...dragons?" Daisuke questioned.

"Cease your attack at once!" a voice called from the lowest dragon. "Throw down your weapons and you won't be hurt! Of course, if you like being dinner...."

Weapons were dropped in a hurry.

The central dragon landed in the center of the clearing, kicking at the bonfire ashes with a foot. A man jumped off its back, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Now, that's much better. What say we talk about a little truce?" Nikado commented.

"Nikado!" Daisuke cried out, running over to him and throwing his arms around the older man before Keisuke could stop him. "Nikado, you're okay, you're here," the boy sobbed out, clinging to the man tightly.

He smiled, ruffling the boy's hair affectionately. "Sorry I made you worry. I would have met up with you right away, but I had some things to take care of. You did a good job."

"Are you...really Nikado?" Keisuke questioned with a frown, not sure he wanted to hope that it might be real.

"What kind of question is that, how many of me do you think there are?" he sniffed. "I told you I'd be okay, didn't I? I just needed some time."

"But you died! I saw you," Keisuke protested.

"I know, Keisuke. Not going to deny that one. Let's just say I won't really be going anywhere while I'm still employed," he said with a shrug.

"I think he is telling the truth, Sir Keisuke," Emi told him quietly. "I have reason to believe that this outcome is possible. Here, let me see your leg," she told Brigitta. "I'll bandage it up for you."

Brigitta looked up at Keisuke, then gave him a little push. "You should go say hi," she told him.

"But...." He looked down at her, then at Emi, then nodded, getting to his feet. Running as fast as he could, he propelled himself into Nikado, clinging tightly as he pressed his face against the older man's chest.

"There's my boys," Nikado soothed, hugging both twins to himself. "Things are okay now. I'm very proud of you. You did very well."

"Don't scare us like that again," Daisuke got out. "Jerk."

"I'm sorry," he laughed, giving both of them a squeeze. "I hope I never have to again. Now, how about we get these adults and kids to sit down and talk, hm? We don't have a lot of time to beat some sense into these silly people."

"You're going to make them mad," Keisuke scolded.

"Why don't we have a lot of time?" Daisuke questioned. "Are we leaving soon?"

"Yes, we are. So let's do what we can."

---

The next place they were brought to was indoors, a perfectly white room that Keisuke thought he might have seen before. "Where is this?" Fia wanted to know as she looked around. "It's pretty boring."

"This is the space between worlds, isn't it?" Keisuke directed to Nikado.

"You're correct." There was something in the man's voice that was almost subdued.

"Why are we back here?"

"Because you'll be taking the door to your next destination," he instructed, opening the door in front of them.

Daisuke gasped in surprise as he saw the brown landscape visible on the other side of the door. "That's our home! We're going home?"

"Yes. You are."

"This is great!" Daisuke said. "We're finally going to save our world! I'll show you around, Fia. You too, Nikado, you can come meet my mom and my aunt, and... Nikado, why are you looking like that?" the boy questioned, his expression slowly falling.

"I can't go with you, Daisuke," the older man told him. "This is where we have to part ways for a while."

"Oh...I mean.... I wanted to show you," Daisuke murmured. "You really can't come with us?"

"No...I'm afraid not, Daisuke. I'm sorry." Nikado looked to the side. "My job ends here."

"But...I don't want you to go," the boy protested, grabbing onto Nikado's hand. "Just for a little while. Come see my home, meet my family. It won't take long, I promise. Please?"

"I can't. I'm really sorry, Daisuke," he murmured, pulling the boy into his arms and hugging him. "It's time for you to do the things that you need to do. You have to be strong on your own now. For me."

"But I'll miss you."

Keisuke let out a sigh through his nose. It can't be helped, he told himself. We're from different worlds, we have different purposes in life. He can't come with us. We have to save our own world for ourselves. But even telling himself that couldn't stop the dull ache he felt, both from his brother and from his own heart. Slowly walking over to the pair, he put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "We have to go, Daisuke."

To his surprise, Nikado pulled Keisuke into the hug. "I'm going to miss both of you terribly," he told them, squeezing them tightly. "I wish we could have had more time, but there isn't any left. You two can do it. I believe in you."

"But will we ever see you again?" Daisuke choked out.

"Daisuke...I want you two to win. Save your world," he told them, crouching down so he could look them in the eyes. "If you can do that...we will definitely meet again. I promise."

Daisuke nodded, rubbing at his face, and Nikado finally let the pair go, standing back up and going over to the girls. He gave Brigitta a hug first. "You stay with them, Brigitta. They'll take care of you." Then he turned to Fia, who was rubbing at her face. "Aw, Fia, don't be like that," he scolded gently, hugging her as well and giving her hair a little tug. "You promised your dad, remember? You'll like it there." Hugging both girls to himself, he looked up at Emi.

She smiled slightly, giving him a brief salute. "I am very happy to have traveled with you, Sir Nikado."

"I'm glad you came," he told her sincerely. "Stay with them, Emi. I'm sure you'll find the place you need to be. Now, all of you should get going," he instructed. "Just hold hands and go through that door. You'll know what to do after that."

Keisuke put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Let's go," he said softly. "We have something we need to do."

He nodded, grabbing for Fia's hand. The group locked hands, and then Keisuke led the way, the five disappearing with a ripple into the world on the other side of the door. Nikado pushed it shut slowly, leaning against the door as he tried not to think of anything in particular.

"So they're gone now?" Mist asked as she entered the room from some unseen point. "There's still time. They'll make it."

Nikado closed his eyes, staying where he was. "What's my next job, Mist?"

"There isn't one," she replied, "although you probably knew that. It's time for you to go. Follow me."

He took her hand, and the room shifted subtly, almost as if it had rearranged itself, but Nikado knew it was just a separate room, given how they all blended together. "Although...." Mist began slowly.

"Although?"

"Nikado, stay here," she offered, extending a hand. "There's still plenty of things for you to do here. You could live forever instead of risking your very soul on something that might not be successful. You could end up worse than dead, if you go through with this."

His lips twitched slightly. "Is that some kind of concern you're showing for me, Mist? Thanks, but you already know the answer."

"Well, I had to try," she said with a shrug. "It's not every day that someone like you shows up in this place. You did a lot of good while you were here. Let's hope it was enough to defy fate itself."

** write ** draw ** emo ** procrastinate ** design **