Re: Echo of Nothingness (EON III) Continuation

[IskiosAdmin]

“We’re going to strike the head warlord tomorrow? Who is it?” Natsumi inquired hesitantly, her gaze immediately falling to the carpet beneath her. Was it wise to take off again so soon after her last battle? She was absolutely drained. Then again, staying wasn’t exactly an option. Her mother was pregnant, so she’d be the only viable healer available for the journey. Though truthfully speaking, even if her mother were able to go, she wouldn’t feel any less responsible in attending. There were certain degrees of heavy injuries that her mother would never be able to heal, leaving that duty to her alone. If someone were to die while she sat at Leios’ home she’d never forgive herself.
Looking completely and utterly shocked by Leios suddenly remark, Umi slowly pull her gaze up to meet his. Her arms wrapped around her waist tightly as she took the observations in. He was right, then again he usually was. Though wasn’t what had puzzled her. Taking in a deep breath before hesitantly opening her mouth to speak, the young woman found herself cut off by none other than Rohan.
Now his behavior was by far the most baffling.
Her mouth hung agape as her brother shoved Leios aside, and then wrapped his arm around her. Looking up at the mountainous boy (in comparison) as he lead her over to the couches, the young woman’s expression twisted inside something almost sour. Honestly she was starting to feel a little sick. Turning her gaze to Leios as he commented about his early fight with Rohan, Natsumi’s expression hardened as Rohan’s hand pressed against her forehead. She was long accustomed to the two’s rivalry, but on this occasion she found herself actually concerned for her brother’s wellbeing. “How hard did you hit him in the head?” She demanded before turning back to face Rohan, and promptly placing a hand to his temple. After closing her eyes for a few minutes, and scanning for any form of injuries, Umi found herself even more confused than before. He was... Fine? No major injuries to report anyways...
Finally snapping with realization, Natsumi grinned brightly. That was it. Rohan hadn’t hit his head, she must’ve passed out! After all she’d carried everyone back to Kagutsuchi on her own, and the battle had really worn her out... That would explain all the oddities going on around her. Rohan was actually worried about her, Leios had hugged her, Zach was making far less jokes than usual, and Yuu seemed just a tad less annoying than usual. It was all a hallucination.
“...I’m fine, thanks Ro.” Forcing out softly as she jumped into his arms, tears began to slowly slide down her cheeks. It felt really nice, to feel loved by her brother. Even if she still doubted it was real. Sitting up to gently kiss his forehead, Umi pulled back and stretched out before letting out a sigh of relief at Leios’ reassurance. Her family was okay. They had protected them.
“Thank you.” She whispered softly, scratching the back of her head as she followed everyone into the kitchen. Realizing that two people were sleeping on the floor there as she entered. Why hadn’t they slept on the couches in the living room? Or on the carpet in there? Glancing over to the empty bedding beside them, Umi realized that Rohan had been sleeping there as well. That must’ve meant that they’d all wanted to be together. Though who was the girl? Brushing the thought aside with a shrug as Leios mentioned eating a snack, the girl slowly shook her head. She didn’t feel like she could eat after everything that had happened that day.
The events were still hard to swallow.
Fighting for her live, having her arm caught in an explosion, being shot in the shoulder, exposing her true senshitsu... It would take a lot to top such a day. There was only one previous day in her life that she dreaded more.
Tapping softly on the counter whilst she waited for her team to eat, Natsumi noticed a stray black marker laying atop the marble. Causally reaching over to grab it, the maiden tucked a her long crimson hair behind her ear with on had while twirling the marker between her fingers in the other. It was almost like the batons she’d spun in high school as a cheerleader. Though she’d only graduated 2 years prior, it felt like a lifetime ago. Back then her peers had been her biggest concern, and now a group of self righteous villains were attempting to destroy her and everyone she loved.
Adult problems really were much harder than teenage ones.
One point she’d give to her high school counselor. Though she still disagree with all of his other assumptions and advice.
However the danger was almost over, and then things could go back to normal. Once they woke up they’d head out to face the last warlord. And then...
She’d be alone again.
Setting the marker down as she turned to leave the kitchen, Natsumi found herself slowly walking over to the two warlords passed out on the couch. They had attacked her without reason, hurt those she cared about, and accused her parents of failing humanity... Clenching her fists as she knelt beside them, she then reached out and began to heal up all of their injuries.
...They were also the reason Liss had taken her on a trip, she’d met Zach and Yuu, Zach had come back to rescue her, Leios had hugged her, and Rohan had showed concern for her.
Deep down, she was grateful to them.
As twisted and bizarre as the thought was the warlords were the reason that, for a time, she hadn’t been alone.
It had been years since that had been her reality.

Zach slipped off his boots in the threshold, wincing as the salt that had dried on his clothes rattled free and fell to the tidy floor. He really was a mess and surely Aunt Danyell wouldn't reprimand him for such a thing. His uncle would have. Zofia herself had a nasty habit of tracking sand everywhere she went too. Zach smiled, remembering how the siblings bickered about the state of their familial home. Adjusting the passenger on his back he made his way deeper into the home.

"Aye ma'am." He says and Alex was deposited on the couch as delicately as Zach could muster. Looking around the room Zach was hit with waves of relief as he saw Umi and Rohan reconnect. He reminded himself despite his blood ties and his budding friendship with Umi he was still quite the stranger. So he let them have their moment, focusing on the snippet of conversation between Leios and Yuu.

"Weird right? But I guess it makes sense," Regarding the new nickname Yuu had given him, "I lived underground, like a seed." Getting way more deep than he had too, "Now I'm above the surface and I'm all-" He cupped his palms behind his ears, fingers outstretched to imitate petals and puffed out his cheeks, his face glowing with a faint light. "Boom. Sunflower."

"It was my pleasure." He gave his cousin a smile, a pride inside him. Nothing quite built him up like knowing he'd helped protect the people in his life. "They've got a lot of explaining to do when they get up..." He sighed. "And thanks for holding down the fort Leios. You're good at what you do."

"I can't turn that down!" He exclaimed at the offer of food. He'd fought a hard battle on barely a cup of coffee. He held up a tentative hand, "I will be back momentarily, do not wait for me to discuss strategy, you can fill me in on the fly." And he disappeared into the kitchen to look for something delicious.

"I'm not sure if I personally hit him in the head, but he hurt it pretty badly in the last fight... or at birth. Probably both." Leios said, shrugging as he walked towards the kitchen. Only a few minutes after the group arrived the house was quiet again but at least it was a little less lonely now. Leios let out a loud chuckle when Zach visually described his nickname. Patting his cousin on the back he said, "Never change Zach, it's nice having at least one person in the family with a sense of humor." Leios smiled in reply to Zach's comments about the two warlords as well as him holding down the fort back at home. "Thanks, I appreciate the words. I do wish however that I had the chance to watch your fight. I've never seen you go all out. We did spar a few times with you and your brother on the rare occasions our families have hanged out but that's not quite the same, is it."

Carefully stepping over the sleeping Iggy and Sahara he sat on a stool in the corner of the kitchen, to keep quiet company with the famished group. He nodded silently in understanding when Natsumi decided not to eat. He watched them as Yuu and Zach chowed down and Umi played with a marker for a bit before putting it back down. He was truly glad that everyone was back, well almost everyone. Leios dreaded the moment when Zach would learn the fate of his mother. The only ones who were left were Kios and his own mother, but he was positive they were together and fine.

Leios wasn't surprised in the least when Umi began to heal the two warlords, that was just the kind of person she was. But then Leios looked at Alex's face, then at the marker lying on the kitchen counter, then back at Alex's face and a wonderful thought entered his mind. He swiftly grabbed the marker and walked over to Umi and the Warlords. Standing silently above Alex for a few moments a very mischievous grin, reminiscent of Kios' signature grin, grew on his face. Leios went to work and began by drawing a large mustache on the Dark Warlord's face.

[DannyGirl~Moderator]

Glancing back over her shoulder at the sound of someone approaching, Natsumi grimaced ever so slightly upon discovering it was Leios. She swiftly turned back around, dropping her hands as she finished her work. Here it comes... The young woman was positive he’d take this opportunity to confront her, after years of her dodging him. Taking in a deep breath and slowly counting down as he knelt beside her, Umi felt her tension slowly fade away as the marker in his hand made contact with Alex’s upper lip. That wasn’t what she’d been expecting in the slightest, however once she’d overcome her shock she burst into a quiet series of laughter.
Spontaneous was certainly one way to describe Leios.
Placing a hand to her chin in thought as she returned her tension to Cassidy, Natsumi contemplated how to get her own revenge. As fun as it would be to draw on her previous opponents face, the poor girl was already tied up and out numbered. So she decided to do something that was equally fun, but a great deal kinder. Briefly parting from the three, the young woman quietly crept up the stairs and slipped into Liss’ bedroom. Much to her delight discovering that her friend was safely tuck into bed, sound asleep. Letting out a soft sigh of relief before silently continuing on, she grabbed Lissandra’s makeup bag before making her way back down the stairs.
After all, waking Liss up this late required warrant.
She’d catch up with her in the morning, after a hot shower and a good nights rest.
Plopping down besides Leios once more, the teen opened up the bag before setting to work. There was no point in holding back, so she went all out. Grinning softly as she did her base layers, Natsumi eagerly jumped into highlighting and contouring. By the time she finished Cassidy would look like a model.
In the morning at least she’d be having a good day looks wise. Even if she was tied up outnumbered.
It also gave her a chance to test out some new techniques, so at the end of the day it was really a win-win.
“She has really nice chin bones, and eyebrows. I’ll focus on them...” She thought out loud in something of a mumble while pulling out a few more blending brushes. This was going to look great.

[IskiosAdmin]

Glancing back over her shoulder at the sound of someone approaching, Natsumi grimaced ever so slightly upon discovering it was Leios. She swiftly turned back around, dropping her hands as she finished her work. Here it comes... The young woman was positive he’d take this opportunity to confront her, after years of her dodging him. Taking in a deep breath and slowly counting down as he knelt beside her, Umi felt her tension slowly fade away as the marker in his hand made contact with Alex’s upper lip. That wasn’t what she’d been expecting in the slightest, however once she’d overcome her shock she burst into a quiet series of laughter.
Spontaneous was certainly one way to describe Leios.
Placing a hand to her chin in thought as she returned her tension to Cassidy, Natsumi contemplated how to get her own revenge. As fun as it would be to draw on her previous opponents face, the poor girl was already tied up and out numbered. So she decided to do something that was equally fun, but a great deal kinder. Briefly parting from the three, the young woman quietly crept up the stairs and slipped into Liss’ bedroom. Much to her delight discovering that her friend was safely tuck into bed, sound asleep. Letting out a soft sigh of relief before silently continuing on, she grabbed Lissandra’s makeup bag before making her way back down the stairs.
After all, waking Liss up this late required warrant.
She’d catch up with her in the morning, after a hot shower and a good nights rest.
Plopping down besides Leios once more, the teen opened up the bag before setting to work. There was no point in holding back, so she went all out. Grinning softly as she did her base layers, Natsumi eagerly jumped into highlighting and contouring. By the time she finished Cassidy would look like a model.
In the morning at least she’d be having a good day looks wise. Even if she was tied up outnumbered.
It also gave her a chance to test out some new techniques, so at the end of the day it was really a win-win.
“She has really nice chin bones, and eyebrows. I’ll focus on them...” She thought out loud in something of a mumble while pulling out a few more blending brushes. This was going to look great.

Leios wondered what had caused Umi to start laughing all of a sudden. Maybe she hadn't expected Leios to play such a childish prank on the person who shot him, her, his cousin, and an energetic stranger. He glanced back at the beginning of his masterpiece and concluded that no, it must be because Alex's face looked hilarious right now. Either reason was fine to him actually, there were some things he'd been wanting to talk to Umi about for a long time now but he couldn't work up the courage. He was afraid that if he did he'd lose even these rare fleeting moments of interaction with her, so he decided to enjoy the moment instead.

Deep in his thoughts he hadn't noticed that Natsumi had walked upstairs but he saw her now coming back downstairs with Liss' makeup bag. At least he assumed it was since he hadn't been in Liss' bedroom very much in the past several years. It looked like Natsumi decided to treat the girl Warlord a little better. Leios had no personal qualms with the white-haired girl and in fact had never met her before so he didn't care but he was a little interested in what exactly Natsumi would do. Pushing those thoughts aside as he reminded himself of the important task at hand, he began scribbling all over the Dark Warlord's face, making what he would later call perfection.

[DannyGirl~Moderator]

After finishing her contouring and highlighting Cassidy’s cheek bones, Natsumi moved onto her eyes. She kept all her makeup choices light, and tried to find the eyeshadow palettes with the most shimmer to them. Though that was difficult with Liss’ makeup, as she wasn’t the sparkly type. There was enough darker tones to do numerous variations of a smoky eye look, but she didn’t think that’d suit someone like Cassidy.
Despite trying to kill her previously, the young woman looked quite innocent. On top of that, she was a light senshitsu user. Umi wanted to empathize that. Finally finishing with some lipgloss, the redhead zipped the bag back up before setting it to the side. Honestly she was quite pleased with herself. The warlord cleaned up rather nicely. Stretching as she stood up, she once again made her way back up the stairs and into Liss’ room. Returning the pack to the counter in her bathroom, Natsumi shut the door quietly before taking a quick shower to wash her hair. She didn’t want to take long enough to risk waking up Liss, though she desperately needed to get rinsed off. Salt and sand from the ocean had managed to slip into her clothing in places they had no business being. How they managed to get there, she had no idea. It was one of the greatest mysteries of life.
Letting out a soft sigh of relief as she finished, Natsumi borrowed some pajamas from Liss before taking a few moments to collect herself. She could just climb into bed, and rest. That was what she needed, physical. However a deeper desire kept bubbling up the closer she drew to the bed. Things were peaceful right now, and she didn’t know when she’d have that opportunity again. Should she talk to him? Apologize?... No, she wasn’t sorry.
She wasn’t ready yet.
Shaking her head as she made up her mind, the young woman silently crept out of the room before shutting the door behind herself. This time, coming back downstairs seemed to be a much more daunting task, though she managed. Briefly peaking into the kitchen where her teammates were eating, Natsumi smiled ever so slightly. “Remember to save some food for my little sisters you two.” She teased before moving towards them to give Zach a hug, and to ruffle Yuu’s hair once more. “Good night guys, Leios room is upstairs on the left. I’m sure he won’t mind if you bunk with him.” With that, she gave them a short wave before slowly approaching Leios in the darkened living room once more. Hesitantly kneeling beside him once more, she thought on what to say before noticing all the new details to Alex’s face via marker.
The sheer ridiculousness of his actions set her at ease once more. She laughed quietly to herself for a few moments before slowly laying her head onto his lap while stretching as she yawn. Her hand seemed to disguise her cheeks perfectly as it cover them, and for a moment she remained silent.
“Let’s just pretend a bit longer.” She whispered softly, in a tone that was nearly begging. He would know what she meant. At very least that she was sure of.
With that her eyelids grew heavy, and she found herself dozing off. It was almost like they were kids again, and she had gotten sleep while they worked in the shop.
The distant memory made her smile, as she finally gave into the deep slumber calling her.

[IskiosAdmin]

After finishing her contouring and highlighting Cassidy’s cheek bones, Natsumi moved onto her eyes. She kept all her makeup choices light, and tried to find the eyeshadow palettes with the most shimmer to them. Though that was difficult with Liss’ makeup, as she wasn’t the sparkly type. There was enough darker tones to do numerous variations of a smoky eye look, but she didn’t think that’d suit someone like Cassidy.
Despite trying to kill her previously, the young woman looked quite innocent. On top of that, she was a light senshitsu user. Umi wanted to empathize that. Finally finishing with some lipgloss, the redhead zipped the bag back up before setting it to the side. Honestly she was quite pleased with herself. The warlord cleaned up rather nicely. Stretching as she stood up, she once again made her way back up the stairs and into Liss’ room. Returning the pack to the counter in her bathroom, Natsumi shut the door quietly before taking a quick shower to wash her hair. She didn’t want to take long enough to risk waking up Liss, though she desperately needed to get rinsed off. Salt and sand from the ocean had managed to slip into her clothing in places they had no business being. How they managed to get there, she had no idea. It was one of the greatest mysteries of life.
Letting out a soft sigh of relief as she finished, Natsumi borrowed some pajamas from Liss before taking a few moments to collect herself. She could just climb into bed, and rest. That was what she needed, physical. However a deeper desire kept bubbling up the closer she drew to the bed. Things were peaceful right now, and she didn’t know when she’d have that opportunity again. Should she talk to him? Apologize?... No, she wasn’t sorry.
She wasn’t ready yet.
Shaking her head as she made up her mind, the young woman silently crept out of the room before shutting the door behind herself. This time, coming back downstairs seemed to be a much more daunting task, though she managed. Briefly peaking into the kitchen where her teammates were eating, Natsumi smiled ever so slightly. “Remember to save some food for my little sisters you two.” She teased before moving towards them to give Zach a hug, and to ruffle Yuu’s hair once more. “Good night guys, Leios room is upstairs on the left. I’m sure he won’t mind if you bunk with him.” With that, she gave them a short wave before slowly approaching Leios in the darkened living room once more. Hesitantly kneeling beside him once more, she thought on what to say before noticing all the new details to Alex’s face via marker.
The sheer ridiculousness of his actions set her at ease once more. She laughed quietly to herself for a few moments before slowly laying her head onto his lap while stretching as she yawn. Her hand seemed to disguise her cheeks perfectly as it cover them, and for a moment she remained silent.
“Let’s just pretend a bit longer.” She whispered softly, in a tone that was nearly begging. He would know what she meant. At very least that she was sure of.
With that her eyelids grew heavy, and she found herself dozing off. It was almost like they were kids again, and she had gotten sleep while they worked in the shop.
The distant memory made her smile, as she finally gave into the deep slumber calling her.

Leios' masterpiece was nearly done and Alex would surely rue the day he cowardly shot him and his friends in the back. He noticed Natsumi get up again after finishing her work on the Light Warlord, which looking over he thought she did a good job. "Yeah you guys can sleep in my room," he called out when Natsumi suggested it to Zach and Yuu. When she came back however he expected her to start asking questions by the way she kneeled beside him. But he was shocked when instead she laid her head on his lap and stretched out. Her hand was covering her cheeks but he had a sneaking feeling she was blushing, in fact Leios was too. He was reminded again of that incident a long time ago from her words and his shock wore off a bit. He weighed his options: he could bring her a blanket, ask Zach to take her up to Liss' room, carry her to Liss' room himself, or wake her up after awhile. All these thoughts swirled around in his head but he was exhausted too and his eyelids soon started to droop. He replied quietly after she had dozed off, "Sure. Just a little longer I guess..." With that he fell asleep where he was with Natsumi slumbering on his lap.

[NaroModerator]

Rohan ignored the comments his rival made on him, he was focused on his sister. Didn’t have time for something irrelevant “I’m glad you’re safe.” Rohan said then backed off back into the wall.

Finally noticing the knocked out warlords they’re brought, he easily recognized one of them. The white hair girl, Cassidy. His expression darkened and clenched his fist. She left him, Sahara and Iggy to die in the desert. Then looking back at his sisters attire. She hurt Natsumi... he took in a few deep breathes as he back ed away fit her into the kitchen. Next to Zofia’s child and the cliche comic book looking guy. Letting go the Cassidy thing for now he stood silently next to Zach, he didn’t know how or where to begin... so he’ll just be honest with him and just let him know “Zach? Right? That’s not important, listen carefully... your mother, Zofia. She fought the Earth Warlord back at Nil... your...” he couldn’t say it but he had to, he took another deep breath as he opened his mouth “your mother died by the hands of the earth warlord Judah. By the time i got there it was too late, as for the warlord... i took care of him myself.” He knew it was something very important but he didn’t want to think about it, if only he would’ve gotten there a few seconds earlier.... maybe even 10 seconds earlier she could be alive right now. Rohan stood still and glanced away, ready to take a hit if Zach wanted to punch something or someone.

[Derekjay2000]

Yuu put down Cassidy, next to Alex, taking what was left of his coat off and using it to tie the two together. It took a lazer to actually damage it, so it should hold up well. 'That was my favorite coat though...' Yuu thought with a pout. Watching everyone interact with one another was a bit awkward, seeing how he was the odd one out of the group. One guy instantly took To Natsumi, he looked a bit like an ass, seeing how he referred to Leios so rudely. Yuu swore he saw him in a newspaper somewhere, he was pretty sure it was something bad, but seeing how much Natsumi seemed to care, he figured it was a topic for another time.

Watching Zach and Leios talk, Yuu smiled brightly at Zach's trick "Amazing! Since you like it so much, I'll keep calling you sun flower" Yuu said, putting a hand on his shoulder "I'm pretty sure I meant it as a insult. But, ehhhhh...the whole underground seed thing sounds better!" Turning to Leios, the offer to help himself to food being the next best idea he's heard since they started walking. Yuu's grin grew wider as he pulled him into a bear hug, "You're my favorite of the Siopelos siblings, I don't even care if I haven't meet Lissandra yet~!" Yuu instantly made his way to the kitchen.

Mumbling as he ate, and Umi ruffling his hair again. Moving out into the living room, Yuu stared long and hard at the captives. The girl was extremely more beautiful now, and the boy had a various mess drawn all over his face. Glancing to Leios, Yuu had to double take as he noticed Umi sleeping on his lap. "So, are you two...." Yuu mentioned, pointing at Leios and Umi. "Uhhhh, never mind. I can sleep in your room right, do you have anything I could wear? My clothes are kind of wrecked" He glanced over towards the others, Naro and Zach seemed to have a tense air around them "I'm just gonna go sleep now...nice meeting you Leios"

[DannyGirl~Moderator]

Each of Kios’ counter arguments felt like a knife to the chest for Danyell. They had had their fair share of fights throughout their marriage, but in truth none of them were all that serious. For the most part they’d had it really good. Kios had a stable job doing what he loved, their house was plenty big fir their family, they didn’t have any debt, and they truly loved each other. For the past twenty years they had built the peaceful quiet life that she’d always dreamed of them having, but it was slowly beginning to slip away from her. The beautiful children he’d promised her were real now, not just a wish. They could have the family they both deserved. Things didn’t have to change. However he didn’t seem to understand any of what she was saying. “What is so wrong with being normal?!” She finally snapped before turning away from him, and taking in a deep breath.
He was right. Liss and Leios had definitely always sought out their own battles. Neither truly taking to the normal lives she’d desperately attempted to give them. She didn’t want them to be ‘heroes’, to follow in the footsteps of either of their parents. All she wanted was for their lives to be easy, and for them to be happy. Wasn’t that what every mother wanted?
There was nothing she treasured more than her children, and Kios above all else.
She just wanted him to finally prove that she was the most important thing to him.
That their family came before knowledge, power, the thrill of the next adventure, and as selfish as it sounded the rest of the world.
After calming down enough to joke around with Zach one last time, Danyell collected herself before heading back towards the heavy door. “I’m going back home to make sure our children are safe, with or without you. The world will always need you Iskios, I’m well aware of that by now. However our family will always need you more. I will always need you more.” She whispered back over her shoulder before heading out, hoping that her children were safe and sound. It anyone had to face the warlords she wanted it to be the heroes the group was anger with, not her children.

[Sammich]

After finishing her contouring and highlighting Cassidy’s cheek bones, Natsumi moved onto her eyes. She kept all her makeup choices light, and tried to find the eyeshadow palettes with the most shimmer to them. Though that was difficult with Liss’ makeup, as she wasn’t the sparkly type. There was enough darker tones to do numerous variations of a smoky eye look, but she didn’t think that’d suit someone like Cassidy.
Despite trying to kill her previously, the young woman looked quite innocent. On top of that, she was a light senshitsu user. Umi wanted to empathize that. Finally finishing with some lipgloss, the redhead zipped the bag back up before setting it to the side. Honestly she was quite pleased with herself. The warlord cleaned up rather nicely. Stretching as she stood up, she once again made her way back up the stairs and into Liss’ room. Returning the pack to the counter in her bathroom, Natsumi shut the door quietly before taking a quick shower to wash her hair. She didn’t want to take long enough to risk waking up Liss, though she desperately needed to get rinsed off. Salt and sand from the ocean had managed to slip into her clothing in places they had no business being. How they managed to get there, she had no idea. It was one of the greatest mysteries of life.
Letting out a soft sigh of relief as she finished, Natsumi borrowed some pajamas from Liss before taking a few moments to collect herself. She could just climb into bed, and rest. That was what she needed, physical. However a deeper desire kept bubbling up the closer she drew to the bed. Things were peaceful right now, and she didn’t know when she’d have that opportunity again. Should she talk to him? Apologize?... No, she wasn’t sorry.
She wasn’t ready yet.
Shaking her head as she made up her mind, the young woman silently crept out of the room before shutting the door behind herself. This time, coming back downstairs seemed to be a much more daunting task, though she managed. Briefly peaking into the kitchen where her teammates were eating, Natsumi smiled ever so slightly. “Remember to save some food for my little sisters you two.” She teased before moving towards them to give Zach a hug, and to ruffle Yuu’s hair once more. “Good night guys, Leios room is upstairs on the left. I’m sure he won’t mind if you bunk with him.” With that, she gave them a short wave before slowly approaching Leios in the darkened living room once more. Hesitantly kneeling beside him once more, she thought on what to say before noticing all the new details to Alex’s face via marker.
The sheer ridiculousness of his actions set her at ease once more. She laughed quietly to herself for a few moments before slowly laying her head onto his lap while stretching as she yawn. Her hand seemed to disguise her cheeks perfectly as it cover them, and for a moment she remained silent.
“Let’s just pretend a bit longer.” She whispered softly, in a tone that was nearly begging. He would know what she meant. At very least that she was sure of.
With that her eyelids grew heavy, and she found herself dozing off. It was almost like they were kids again, and she had gotten sleep while they worked in the shop.
The distant memory made her smile, as she finally gave into the deep slumber calling her.

Leios' masterpiece was nearly done and Alex would surely rue the day he cowardly shot him and his friends in the back. He noticed Natsumi get up again after finishing her work on the Light Warlord, which looking over he thought she did a good job. "Yeah you guys can sleep in my room," he called out when Natsumi suggested it to Zach and Yuu. When she came back however he expected her to start asking questions by the way she kneeled beside him. But he was shocked when instead she laid her head on his lap and stretched out. Her hand was covering her cheeks but he had a sneaking feeling she was blushing, in fact Leios was too. He was reminded again of that incident a long time ago from her words and his shock wore off a bit. He weighed his options: he could bring her a blanket, ask Zach to take her up to Liss' room, carry her to Liss' room himself, or wake her up after awhile. All these thoughts swirled around in his head but he was exhausted too and his eyelids soon started to droop. He replied quietly after she had dozed off, "Sure. Just a little longer I guess..." With that he fell asleep where he was with Natsumi slumbering on his lap.

Rohan ignored the comments his rival made on him, he was focused on his sister. Didn’t have time for something irrelevant “I’m glad you’re safe.” Rohan said then backed off back into the wall.

Finally noticing the knocked out warlords they’re brought, he easily recognized one of them. The white hair girl, Cassidy. His expression darkened and clenched his fist. She left him, Sahara and Iggy to die in the desert. Then looking back at his sisters attire. She hurt Natsumi... he took in a few deep breathes as he back ed away fit her into the kitchen. Next to Zofia’s child and the cliche comic book looking guy. Letting go the Cassidy thing for now he stood silently next to Zach, he didn’t know how or where to begin... so he’ll just be honest with him and just let him know “Zach? Right? That’s not important, listen carefully... your mother, Zofia. She fought the Earth Warlord back at Nil... your...” he couldn’t say it but he had to, he took another deep breath as he opened his mouth “your mother died by the hands of the earth warlord Judah. By the time i got there it was too late, as for the warlord... i took care of him myself.” He knew it was something very important but he didn’t want to think about it, if only he would’ve gotten there a few seconds earlier.... maybe even 10 seconds earlier she could be alive right now.  Rohan stood still and glanced away, ready to take a hit if Zach wanted to punch something or someone.

Yuu put down Cassidy, next to Alex, taking what was left of his coat off and using it to tie the two together. It took a lazer to actually damage it, so it should hold up well. 'That was my favorite coat though...' Yuu thought with a pout. Watching everyone interact with one another was a bit awkward, seeing how he was the odd one out of the group. One guy instantly took To Natsumi, he looked a bit like an ass, seeing how he referred to Leios so rudely. Yuu swore he saw him in a newspaper somewhere, he was pretty sure it was something bad, but seeing how much Natsumi seemed to care, he figured it was a topic for another time.

Watching Zach and Leios talk, Yuu smiled brightly at Zach's trick "Amazing! Since you like it so much, I'll keep calling you sun flower" Yuu said, putting a hand on his shoulder "I'm pretty sure I meant it as a insult. But, ehhhhh...the whole underground seed thing sounds better!" Turning to Leios, the offer to help himself to food being the next best idea he's heard since they started walking. Yuu's grin grew wider as he pulled him into a bear hug, "You're my favorite of the Siopelos siblings, I don't even care if I haven't meet Lissandra yet~!" Yuu instantly made his way to the kitchen.

Mumbling as he ate, and Umi ruffling his hair again. Moving out into the living room, Yuu stared long and hard at the captives. The girl was extremely more beautiful now, and the boy had a various mess drawn all over his face. Glancing to Leios, Yuu had to double take as he noticed Umi sleeping on his lap. "So, are you two...." Yuu mentioned, pointing at Leios and Umi. "Uhhhh, never mind. I can sleep in your room right, do you have anything I could wear? My clothes are kind of wrecked" He glanced over towards the others, Naro and Zach seemed to have a tense air around them "I'm just gonna go sleep now...nice meeting you Leios"

Zach washed down the remainder of his meal with a glass of water. Sweet, fresh water. No salt whatsoever. Positively heavenly.

As he'd eaten his food he'd shed his outer layers of clothing. His jacket was encrusted with dried seawater, he was left in his undershirt that left his arms exposed and his trousers. His stomach full he found drowsiness creeping to him despite how much he wanted a shower. Nevertheless he accepted Umi's hug when she approached him.

"Good night Umi." He said blearily. The nickname he had given her in haste had almost been forgotten completely. "Thank you." He said sincerely, "Now get some rest."

He watch her walk off, eventually settling down beside Leios. As she rested on his cousins lap Zach blinked in surprise. His brow furrowed and he calculated variables in his head. Analyzing the time he'd spent with Umi. Maybe there were a few factors he hadn't considered. No, he thinks to himself, Isn't she just really friendly who knows what that means?. So he continues on silently, more unsure than he was all week.

"Awesome, thanks Leios!" He'd slept on that floor before, it was a decent floor. Too bad it was on the second floor. Nothing beat being close to the earth.

He turns to make his way there but jumps when he almost runs into Rohan, who crept up behind him. Zach feels small at first, surely the other man has something to say about Zach time spent with his sister, he was the overprotective type. But Zach quickly read the look on Rohan's face. His eyebrows knit together.

"Rohan..." He whispered in confusion. The redheaded man seemed to be trying to say something, struggling to speak his mind didn't seem like something Rohan did. Zach's heart rose to his throat. He anticipated the worst.

But it was so much worse.

"What."

That was all he could manage. His throat dry, it was barely a whisper. Zachariah the Second's brows furrowed into a hard knot.

"What?" He repeated, finding his voice but it was still barely above a hiss. "Rohan," Zach breathed the name, "How do you-" he began but faltered, his confusion overwhelming him, "She couldn't have-" He began again. He fought the surge of emotion, blinking away tears in his eyes, his fists clenched until his knuckles were deathly pale.

"She can't be dead."

I would know.

"She can't be dead." He almost said with a laugh. "How could one of the warlords defeat her??" His voice was still quiet, even in his desperation he remained mindful of those sleeping in the room. "I defeated one of them." He pointed an incriminating finger at Alex on the couch. "I'm barely half of what she was at my age-" His train of thought was warbled by his own insecurities. Zofia had been unshakable presence in his life, with his father in and out as he pleased. One of the worst parts of living in Ryujin had been seeing her less. Zach hadn't seen her in over two months.

And now she was gone.

His teeth grit. "She just can't." Zach heaved. It all came back to him. Her missing fingers. The sand trailed in the house and in the bed when he's slept beside her as a child. The frequent visits with Cherry. When she returned missing an eye when he was ten.

She had been dying before he was born.

"No no no no no..." He muttered, fighting back his own thoughts. "She still out there I'm sure of it! She's probably just laying low, they were hunting Heroes-" Zach looked to Rohan with a vivacity, "I have to go-" He pulled his discarded jacket from the floor, "I have to go- find my uncle- or my father- or Soloman." Muttering frantically under his breath. "One of them will know where she is!" Maybe the first Zachariah. But for all he knew his father and brother were also dead. He heaved his travel bag off the floor and made his way to the door.

[DannyGirl~Moderator]

For the first time in quite a long time, Natsumi felt free from her pain and sorrows. Though she knew deep down nothing had actually been fixed, agreeing to pretend for a little bit longer allowed her to relax. Everything would be fine for just a bit.
That’s what she’d believed.
What her deep slumber had whispered to her through her dreams.
Such beautiful dreams.
Where she was happy.
Everyone was.
Things finally made sense again, just like when she was little.
That was the problem with dreams and illusions, they lured you into such pleasant fantasies. Yet none of them held any weight in reality. Once you awoke you discovered nightmares that couldn’t be shaken, because there was no way to wake up.
“...Sugar?” Groaning softly as she heard some form of commotion, the young woman slowly peaked up from the safety of her vibrant hair. She slowly glanced over her shoulder, blushing slightly as she discovered Leios had fallen asleep as well, before swiftly pushing the thought aside. Now really isn’t the best time.
Finally popping up as Zach raced over to the door, Natsumi jumped to her feet before chasing after him. No one needed healing senshitsu to tell he was in serious pain, but why? “What happened?” Though gentle her tone carried enough weight to demand his attention.
“Hey, hey, it’s alright. Take a deep breath.” She whispered after carefully scanning him over. He was in shock. “Look at me. Breathe.”
Taking another step forward as she carefully placed a hand to his cheek, Umi tried her best not to startle him. His response in that moment seemed to be flight, rather than fight. She really didn’t need him taking off in the middle of the night. “Yuu, Rohan what’s going on?” Briefly turning her head as she finally acknowledged them, she then loosely wrapped him in a hug.
“Zach.” Forcing out softly, the young woman then took in a deep breath herself. Names carried weight. Attachment. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that yet, but it was what he needed right now. And he had been there for her. “I need you come back, and sit down. We can work through whatever is happening.”

[IskiosAdmin]

Each of Kios’ counter arguments felt like a knife to the chest for Danyell. They had had their fair share of fights throughout their marriage, but in truth none of them were all that serious. For the most part they’d had it really good. Kios had a stable job doing what he loved, their house was plenty big fir their family, they didn’t have any debt, and they truly loved each other. For the past twenty years they had built the peaceful quiet life that she’d always dreamed of them having, but it was slowly beginning to slip away from her. The beautiful children he’d promised her were real now, not just a wish. They could have the family they both deserved. Things didn’t have to change. However he didn’t seem to understand any of what she was saying. “What is so wrong with being normal?!” She finally snapped before turning away from him, and taking in a deep breath.
He was right. Liss and Leios had definitely always sought out their own battles. Neither truly taking to the normal lives she’d desperately attempted to give them. She didn’t want them to be ‘heroes’, to follow in the footsteps of either of their parents. All she wanted was for their lives to be easy, and for them to be happy. Wasn’t that what every mother wanted?
There was nothing she treasured more than her children, and Kios above all else.
She just wanted him to finally prove that she was the most important thing to him.
That their family came before knowledge, power, the thrill of the next adventure, and as selfish as it sounded the rest of the world.
After calming down enough to joke around with Zach one last time, Danyell collected herself before heading back towards the heavy door. “I’m going back home to make sure our children are safe, with or without you. The world will always need you Iskios, I’m well aware of that by now. However our family will always need you more. I will always need you more.” She whispered back over her shoulder before heading out, hoping that her children were safe and sound. It anyone had to face the warlords she wanted it to be the heroes the group was anger with, not her children.

Kios set down the book he had in his hand, letting out a deep breath as he listened to Danyell's words. He stared up at the ceiling taking in the intricate details etched into the stone that'd he seen so many times before since he first fell into the library through a sinkhole above as a child. Yet again he was amazed that it had preserved so well. The dryness underground and even his own efforts after he discovered the library certainly helped. It reminded him that his passion for the pursuit of knowledge would be preserved as well, so maybe it was okay to leave it alone for awhile. He hadn't thought that'd be possible for him back when he first left the library in search of even greater treasures of the mind but then he met Danyell on the way. He hadn't known it at first but she'd become an even greater pursuit for him. That year he spent sealed away in the darkness of the Universe he'd kept his resolve by thinking about her, about what he wanted to come back to. And now they had made a family together, with his or rather their two greatest creations. She was right, he was being selfish. Human life was indeed fragile, that was something he'd discovered many times thanks to his own two hands. His children had survived their fights once, it wasn't worth the risk of letting fight these Warlords again. Those were also his thoughts when he left the library to go back out into the world all those years ago. He wanted to let his children discover things for themselves, like he had, but their situations were different and so could their adventures be. His selfish passion and desires weren't going anywhere, but his family was and he didn't want to be left behind.

"Alright, you're right. I'm sorry that I let our kids be so reckless." He walked over and grabbed Danyell's hand, guiding her to a series of runes permanently etched into the stone floor. "If we're going to go back it'll be a lot quicker to use shadow travel." Tapping his foot on the floor the path of shadows was almost instantly connected with its counterpart of runes back at his lab. "Let's go." Kios stepped into the shadowy portal, pulling his wife with him.

[IskiosAdmin]

Zach washed down the remainder of his meal with a glass of water. Sweet, fresh water. No salt whatsoever. Positively heavenly.

As he'd eaten his food he'd shed his outer layers of clothing. His jacket was encrusted with dried seawater, he was left in his undershirt that left his arms exposed and his trousers. His stomach full he found drowsiness creeping to him despite how much he wanted a shower. Nevertheless he accepted Umi's hug when she approached him.

"Good night Umi." He said blearily. The nickname he had given her in haste had almost been forgotten completely. "Thank you." He said sincerely, "Now get some rest."

He watch her walk off, eventually settling down beside Leios. As she rested on his cousins lap Zach blinked in surprise. His brow furrowed and he calculated variables in his head. Analyzing the time he'd spent with Umi. Maybe there were a few factors he hadn't considered. No, he thinks to himself, Isn't she just really friendly who knows what that means?. So he continues on silently, more unsure than he was all week.

"Awesome, thanks Leios!" He'd slept on that floor before, it was a decent floor. Too bad it was on the second floor. Nothing beat being close to the earth.

He turns to make his way there but jumps when he almost runs into Rohan, who crept up behind him. Zach feels small at first, surely the other man has something to say about Zach time spent with his sister, he was the overprotective type. But Zach quickly read the look on Rohan's face. His eyebrows knit together.

"Rohan..." He whispered in confusion. The redheaded man seemed to be trying to say something, struggling to speak his mind didn't seem like something Rohan did. Zach's heart rose to his throat. He anticipated the worst.

But it was so much worse.

"What."

That was all he could manage. His throat dry, it was barely a whisper. Zachariah the Second's brows furrowed into a hard knot.

"What?" He repeated, finding his voice but it was still barely above a hiss. "Rohan," Zach breathed the name, "How do you-" he began but faltered, his confusion overwhelming him, "She couldn't have-" He began again. He fought the surge of emotion, blinking away tears in his eyes, his fists clenched until his knuckles were deathly pale.

"She can't be dead."

I would know.

"She can't be dead." He almost said with a laugh. "How could one of the warlords defeat her??" His voice was still quiet, even in his desperation he remained mindful of those sleeping in the room. "I defeated one of them." He pointed an incriminating finger at Alex on the couch. "I'm barely half of what she was at my age-" His train of thought was warbled by his own insecurities. Zofia had been unshakable presence in his life, with his father in and out as he pleased. One of the worst parts of living in Ryujin had been seeing her less. Zach hadn't seen her in over two months.

And now she was gone.

His teeth grit. "She just can't." Zach heaved. It all came back to him. Her missing fingers. The sand trailed in the house and in the bed when he's slept beside her as a child. The frequent visits with Cherry. When she returned missing an eye when he was ten.

She had been dying before he was born.

"No no no no no..." He muttered,  fighting back his own thoughts. "She still out there I'm sure of it! She's probably just laying low, they were hunting Heroes-" Zach looked to Rohan with a vivacity, "I have to go-" He pulled his discarded jacket from the floor, "I have to go- find my uncle- or my father- or Soloman." Muttering frantically under his breath. "One of them will know where she is!" Maybe the first Zachariah. But for all he knew his father and brother were also dead. He heaved his travel bag off the floor and made his way to the door.

For the first time in quite a long time, Natsumi felt free from her pain and sorrows. Though she knew deep down nothing had actually been fixed, agreeing to pretend for a little bit longer allowed her to relax. Everything would be fine for just a bit.
That’s what she’d believed.
What her deep slumber had whispered to her through her dreams.
Such beautiful dreams.
Where she was happy.
Everyone was.
Things finally made sense again, just like when she was little.
That was the problem with dreams and illusions, they lured you into such pleasant fantasies. Yet none of them held any weight in reality. Once you awoke you discovered nightmares that couldn’t be shaken, because there was no way to wake up.
“...Sugar?” Groaning softly as she heard some form of commotion, the young woman slowly peaked up from the safety of her vibrant hair. She slowly glanced over her shoulder, blushing slightly as she discovered Leios had fallen asleep as well, before swiftly pushing the thought aside. Now really isn’t the best time.
Finally popping up as Zach raced over to the door, Natsumi jumped to her feet before chasing after him. No one needed healing senshitsu to tell he was in serious pain, but why? “What happened?” Though gentle her tone carried enough weight to demand his attention.
“Hey, hey, it’s alright. Take a deep breath.” She whispered after carefully scanning him over. He was in shock. “Look at me. Breathe.”
Taking another step forward as she carefully placed a hand to his cheek, Umi tried her best not to startle him. His response in that moment seemed to be flight, rather than fight. She really didn’t need him taking off in the middle of the night. “Yuu, Rohan what’s going on?” Briefly turning her head as she finally acknowledged them, she then loosely wrapped him in a hug.
“Zach.” Forcing out softly, the young woman then took in a deep breath herself. Names carried weight. Attachment. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that yet, but it was what he needed right now. And he had been there for her. “I need you come back, and sit down. We can work through whatever is happening.”

Leios slept peacefully despite not being in his bed, dreaming of nothing but a blank darkness. He normally slept restlessly much like his father apparently did when he was younger. It seemed he was happy to pretend a little longer, but the definition of a little came calling unfortunately. He woke up to see Zach running towards the door in a hurry and Natsumi run after him. What was going on, Leios wondered. Zach was clearly shaken up and Rohan was there with an almost sad look on his face. It didn't take much longer after that to connect the dots. Leios had hoped Rohan would wait till Zach got a decent night's rest but there was no time to worry about that anymore.

He jumped up onto his feet and walked towards Zach and Natsumi. It seemed Natsumi had still been asleep when Rohan let Zach know. "Zofia is dead, that's what's going on." He walked in between the door and his cousin, "Zach, you shouldn't deal with this on your own. You're right about that the Warlord shouldn't have been able to beat her, my Dad believed it was her curse too." Sighing as some memories of Zofia jumped into his thoughts, he wondered what Zofia would say if she could see her son right now. He could easily visualize her stern face scolding Zach for freaking out. Leios had wanted to console Zach but it didn't seem like that would be appropriate right now. He was sad too but he took a deep breath and mustered up his courage. "ZACH. You have to be strong like Zofia was. I don't believe for a second that she didn't know what was happening to her, but she pushed forward anyway. You and I both know she'd be scolding you if she could and telling you to get over it. So you better honor her and keep yourself together." Leios finished, out of breath. That short speech had taken a lot of energy for some reason, but it was also his way of honoring Zofia. He was sure she wouldn't want to see her son in this state and neither did he.

[DannyGirl~Moderator]

Eyes widening in shock as Leios broke the news to her, Natsumi let out a quiet gasp. “Oh my Jove...” Muttering softly under her breath as she took a moment to process what was happening, she slowly pulled away from Zach? If the issue was that great, what good would a hug do? How was she supposed to comfort him? Or anyone for that matter?
She thought back to earlier in the evening, and how she’d felt when confronted with the possibility of loosing her own family. The utter terror that had washed over her when seeing the craters outside the house. What she might’ve been like had things been less fortunate, and she’d lost someone in her own family.
“I so sorry.” It was a lame attempt to fix a very real pain, and she knew that. However it was all she could force out of the knot in her throat.
Leios on the other hand had a very different tactic in mind.
Gasping softly as he sternly chastised Zach, the young woman’s gaze hardened ever so slightly. “Leios. He’s in shock.” She pointed out blankly as he started, before allowing him to continue. While she desperately wanted him to be kinder, and more understanding, she knew that wasn’t him.
According to everything she’d been told it wasn’t Zofia either, so maybe Leios was right. Was that what Zach needed? Honestly she hadn’t known his mother too extremely well. Still the loss brought tears to her emerald eyes, her gaze glistening with sympathy for her friend.
“...Let’s all sleep in the living room tonight, there’s enough room on the floor for all four of us.” She eventually suggested, wile slowly glancing the group. Rohan would probably sleep with his team, but even if he didn’t they could fit a fifth person. “I’ll make us a bed... You can rely on us tonight Zach. We’re your team.” Finishing before covering the floor in blankets, Umi tossed some pillows down for them before pulling out a few more blankets for a top layer.
Stepping back as she finished quickly, she the gestured down to it hopefully. They all needed sleep, and support in their own ways. It was her hope that they could soothe each other’s burdens, rather than dwelling on them alone. Even if it didn’t help at all, at least Zach wouldn’t run off on his own in the middle of the night. Hopefully.

[Sammich]

For the first time in quite a long time, Natsumi felt free from her pain and sorrows. Though she knew deep down nothing had actually been fixed, agreeing to pretend for a little bit longer allowed her to relax. Everything would be fine for just a bit.
That’s what she’d believed.
What her deep slumber had whispered to her through her dreams.
Such beautiful dreams.
Where she was happy.
Everyone was.
Things finally made sense again, just like when she was little.
That was the problem with dreams and illusions, they lured you into such pleasant fantasies. Yet none of them held any weight in reality. Once you awoke you discovered nightmares that couldn’t be shaken, because there was no way to wake up.
“...Sugar?” Groaning softly as she heard some form of commotion, the young woman slowly peaked up from the safety of her vibrant hair. She slowly glanced over her shoulder, blushing slightly as she discovered Leios had fallen asleep as well, before swiftly pushing the thought aside. Now really isn’t the best time.
Finally popping up as Zach raced over to the door, Natsumi jumped to her feet before chasing after him. No one needed healing senshitsu to tell he was in serious pain, but why? “What happened?” Though gentle her tone carried enough weight to demand his attention.
“Hey, hey, it’s alright. Take a deep breath.” She whispered after carefully scanning him over. He was in shock. “Look at me. Breathe.”
Taking another step forward as she carefully placed a hand to his cheek, Umi tried her best not to startle him. His response in that moment seemed to be flight, rather than fight. She really didn’t need him taking off in the middle of the night. “Yuu, Rohan what’s going on?” Briefly turning her head as she finally acknowledged them, she then loosely wrapped him in a hug.
“Zach.” Forcing out softly, the young woman then took in a deep breath herself. Names carried weight. Attachment. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that yet, but it was what he needed right now. And he had been there for her. “I need you come back, and sit down. We can work through whatever is happening.”

Leios slept peacefully despite not being in his bed, dreaming of nothing but a blank darkness. He normally slept restlessly much like his father apparently did when he was younger. It seemed he was happy to pretend a little longer, but the definition of a little came calling unfortunately. He woke up to see Zach running towards the door in a hurry and Natsumi run after him. What was going on, Leios wondered. Zach was clearly shaken up and Rohan was there with an almost sad look on his face. It didn't take much longer after that to connect the dots. Leios had hoped Rohan would wait till Zach got a decent night's rest but there was no time to worry about that anymore.

He jumped up onto his feet and walked towards Zach and Natsumi. It seemed Natsumi had still been asleep when Rohan let Zach know. "Zofia is dead, that's what's going on." He walked in between the door and his cousin, "Zach, you shouldn't deal with this on your own. You're right about that the Warlord shouldn't have been able to beat her, my Dad believed it was her curse too." Sighing as some memories of Zofia jumped into his thoughts, he wondered what Zofia would say if she could see her son right now. He could easily visualize her stern face scolding Zach for freaking out. Leios had wanted to console Zach but it didn't seem like that would be appropriate right now. He was sad too but he took a deep breath and mustered up his courage. "ZACH. You have to be strong like Zofia was. I don't believe for a second that she didn't know what was happening to her, but she pushed forward anyway. You and I both know she'd be scolding you if she could and telling you to get over it. So you better honor her and keep yourself together." Leios finished, out of breath. That short speech had taken a lot of energy for some reason, but it was also his way of honoring Zofia. He was sure she wouldn't want to see her son in this state and neither did he.

Eyes widening in shock as Leios broke the news to her, Natsumi let out a quiet gasp. “Oh my Jove...” Muttering softly under her breath as she took a moment to process what was happening, she slowly pulled away from Zach? If the issue was that great, what good would a hug do? How was she supposed to comfort him? Or anyone for that matter?
She thought back to earlier in the evening, and how she’d felt when confronted with the possibility of loosing her own family. The utter terror that had washed over her when seeing the craters outside the house. What she might’ve been like had things been less fortunate, and she’d lost someone in her own family.
“I so sorry.” It was a lame attempt to fix a very real pain, and she knew that. However it was all she could force out of the knot in her throat.
Leios on the other hand had a very different tactic in mind.
Gasping softly as he sternly chastised Zach, the young woman’s gaze hardened ever so slightly. “Leios. He’s in shock.” She pointed out blankly as he started, before allowing him to continue. While she desperately wanted him to be kinder, and more understanding, she knew that wasn’t him.
According to everything she’d been told it wasn’t Zofia either, so maybe Leios was right. Was that what Zach needed? Honestly she hadn’t known his mother too extremely well. Still the loss brought tears to her emerald eyes, her gaze glistening with sympathy for her friend.
“...Let’s all sleep in the living room tonight, there’s enough room on the floor for all four of us.” She eventually suggested, wile slowly glancing the group. Rohan would probably sleep with his team, but even if he didn’t they could fit a fifth person. “I’ll make us a bed... You can rely on us tonight Zach. We’re your team.” Finishing before covering the floor in blankets, Umi tossed some pillows down for them before pulling out a few more blankets for a top layer.
Stepping back as she finished quickly, she the gestured down to it hopefully. They all needed sleep, and support in their own ways. It was her hope that they could soothe each other’s burdens, rather than dwelling on them alone. Even if it didn’t help at all, at least Zach wouldn’t run off on his own in the middle of the night. Hopefully.

The rest of the conversation was lost to him, the rage muddled confusion setting in him made him deaf. There only seemed to be the racing beat of his own heart in his ears. The more they spoke the realer the situation became, reaffirming Rohan's words. Zach may have almost convinced himself the whole day was an exhaustion hallucination. Worst possible situation: Girl you like's brother(who probably hates you) tells you your mom is dead after you got shot and fell off a cliff into the ocean. Sounded like an anxiety nightmare. He could have laughed.

Zach needed a moment to sort out his thoughts. To sort reality from whatever fantasy he'd conjured for himself.

His hand was on the doorknob as he heard Umi's voice, low and sleepy. It stopped him, he looked back.

"Oh- Umi- I'm sorry I- I woke you." He managed, his own voice heavy with emotion though he tried his best to suppress it. As she placed her hand on his cheek he involuntarily flinched away, his knuckles white on the doorknob. "Umi- please. Go back to sleep." He whispered urgently.

Leios kept going on, Zach rage only spiked. He glared at his cousin across the room. "Honor her by pretending nothing happened." He breathed, the statement almost upturning into a laugh. "Wow," He was exasperated, "Well if we're gonna pretend we know each others mothers, let me take a swing." He hissed, an unusual, but not unfamiliar well of spite rising in his chest. "Because I'm sure that's what Aunt Danyell would want. Just mosey about you're day. Like. Nothing. Happened." His voice became racked with emotion. cracking on the final word.

"Keep myself together?? Speak for yourself Leios." Only now did his voice climb in volume. "You have the privilege of knowing your sibling. You're father leaves but he always comes back. And your mom. She doesn't have an old raisin slowly draining her from the inside. She's alive." He chokes, his voice lowering again. "You have no right to tell me how to act."

His shoulders sag, he would regret his words later maybe. But for now the emotions only raged, giving him a pulsing headache behind his eyes.

Umi still tried to make light. She consoled him with the softness of her voice and the pillows they'd use. But of all the comforts he wished he had, was the inn room floor he'd woken up on this morning, blissful in his ignorance. Zach shakes his head slightly.

"I can't stay here Natsumi." His brows knit together again, "I need to find my uncle."

Assuming he hasn't abandoned you too.

Shut up.

[Derekjay2000]

The rest of the conversation was lost to him, the rage muddled confusion setting in him made him deaf. There only seemed to be the racing beat of his own heart in his ears. The more they spoke the realer the situation became, reaffirming Rohan's words. Zach may have almost convinced himself the whole day was an exhaustion hallucination. Worst possible situation: Girl you like's brother(who probably hates you) tells you your mom is dead after you got shot and fell off a cliff into the ocean. Sounded like an anxiety nightmare. He could have laughed.

Zach needed a moment to sort out his thoughts. To sort reality from whatever fantasy he'd conjured for himself.

His hand was on the doorknob as he heard Umi's voice, low and sleepy. It stopped him, he looked back.

"Oh- Umi- I'm sorry I- I woke you." He managed, his own voice heavy with emotion though he tried his best to suppress it. As she placed her hand on his cheek he involuntarily flinched away, his knuckles white on the doorknob. "Umi- please. Go back to sleep." He whispered urgently.

Leios kept going on, Zach rage only spiked. He glared at his cousin across the room. "Honor her by pretending nothing happened." He breathed, the statement almost upturning into a laugh. "Wow," He was exasperated, "Well if we're gonna pretend we know each others mothers, let me take a swing." He hissed, an unusual, but not unfamiliar well of spite rising in his chest. "Because I'm sure that's what Aunt Danyell would want. Just mosey about you're day. Like. Nothing. Happened." His voice became racked with emotion. cracking on the final word.

"Keep myself together?? Speak for yourself Leios." Only now did his voice climb in volume. "You have the privilege of knowing your sibling. You're father leaves but he always comes back. And your mom. She doesn't have an old raisin slowly draining her from the inside. She's alive." He chokes, his voice lowering again. "You have no right to tell me how to act."

His shoulders sag, he would regret his words later maybe. But for now the emotions only raged, giving him a pulsing headache behind his eyes.

Umi still tried to make light. She consoled him with the softness of her voice and the pillows they'd use. But of all the comforts he wished he had, was the inn room floor he'd woken up on this morning, blissful in his ignorance. Zach shakes his head slightly.

"I can't stay here Natsumi." His brows knit together again, "I need to find my uncle."

Assuming he hasn't abandoned you too.

Shut up.

"Mrs. Zofia is..." Yuu eyes widened in shock, "But that's...no way..." Ever since his childhood, Yuu had heard many tales of the heroes. Always were they brilliant warriors who fought bravely against even gods, these titans in his life were one of his many inspirations. There was no way that one of the heroes of the old could ever have been defeated, right?

Watching in silence, the truth daunting on him as Leios and Natsumi both tried to console Zach. Zach was Zofia's child. Yuu brought a shaky hand up to cover his face. That's right...Zofia had children, and a family. That seemingly insurmountable, heroic, figure in his life was someone far more important in another's life. And the pain was ALL theirs. Hearing Umi and Leios speak set a very unwelcomed pit in his stomach. Watching Zach lash out made it even worse. The blistering pain, spiraling confusion, how could it be real? Panic, sickness, and more. These were all the emotions Zach could be going through and more.

...Yuu knew the same sensations far too well...

Flashback:

Taking his trembling hand away, Yuu approached Zach slowly. He grabbed ahold of the other mans wrist tightly, "Zach..." his voice shook a bit, "I can't let you leave...It's NOT what you need right now." Yuu's pulled Zach's hand away from the doorknob, "Your hurting, bleeding in a way they can't understand, you're confused, and angry...you don't want this to be real, I know" He placed his other hand on Zach's shoulder, "But running right now won't help you..."

Flashback 2:

"You're listening to these two talk about something they don't possible understand, and have the nerve to tell you how you should feel?" Yuu looked up at Zach, his gaze having been low to the floor, tears streaming down his cheeks "They don't know, But..I know better than anyone...what it means to lose your family"

Flashback 3:

"I don't have any siblings. My mother died when I was a kid. And my father, the last and only person I knew was murdered" He gritted his teeth, a bit of rage boring through him. He cast his gaze down again, "...You don't know me, or I you. But, I do know what you're feeling right now. And I've lived through it." Yuu released his grip go as he dropped his hands to his side, "But, there is one thing different about us" He glanced at Natsumi and Leios, "When I lost my parents...I had no one, not a single person cared or worried about me. You do..." Yuu began to wipe his tears away, glancing back up at him "I know you probably want to be alone, or run off...but trust me, I had no friends to help me" He smiled a bit, "Still don't have any friends to be honest, ha..." he glanced between Zach and the others "I know what it feels like to be alone. And it only makes the pain that much worse..."

"You have people who care and worry about you, Zach. Right in front of you, don't push them away. Even if their advice is crap"

[IskiosAdmin]

Eyes widening in shock as Leios broke the news to her, Natsumi let out a quiet gasp. “Oh my Jove...” Muttering softly under her breath as she took a moment to process what was happening, she slowly pulled away from Zach? If the issue was that great, what good would a hug do? How was she supposed to comfort him? Or anyone for that matter?
She thought back to earlier in the evening, and how she’d felt when confronted with the possibility of loosing her own family. The utter terror that had washed over her when seeing the craters outside the house. What she might’ve been like had things been less fortunate, and she’d lost someone in her own family.
“I so sorry.” It was a lame attempt to fix a very real pain, and she knew that. However it was all she could force out of the knot in her throat.
Leios on the other hand had a very different tactic in mind.
Gasping softly as he sternly chastised Zach, the young woman’s gaze hardened ever so slightly. “Leios. He’s in shock.” She pointed out blankly as he started, before allowing him to continue. While she desperately wanted him to be kinder, and more understanding, she knew that wasn’t him.
According to everything she’d been told it wasn’t Zofia either, so maybe Leios was right. Was that what Zach needed? Honestly she hadn’t known his mother too extremely well. Still the loss brought tears to her emerald eyes, her gaze glistening with sympathy for her friend.
“...Let’s all sleep in the living room tonight, there’s enough room on the floor for all four of us.” She eventually suggested, wile slowly glancing the group. Rohan would probably sleep with his team, but even if he didn’t they could fit a fifth person. “I’ll make us a bed... You can rely on us tonight Zach. We’re your team.” Finishing before covering the floor in blankets, Umi tossed some pillows down for them before pulling out a few more blankets for a top layer.
Stepping back as she finished quickly, she the gestured down to it hopefully. They all needed sleep, and support in their own ways. It was her hope that they could soothe each other’s burdens, rather than dwelling on them alone. Even if it didn’t help at all, at least Zach wouldn’t run off on his own in the middle of the night. Hopefully.

The rest of the conversation was lost to him, the rage muddled confusion setting in him made him deaf. There only seemed to be the racing beat of his own heart in his ears. The more they spoke the realer the situation became, reaffirming Rohan's words. Zach may have almost convinced himself the whole day was an exhaustion hallucination. Worst possible situation: Girl you like's brother(who probably hates you) tells you your mom is dead after you got shot and fell off a cliff into the ocean. Sounded like an anxiety nightmare. He could have laughed.

Zach needed a moment to sort out his thoughts. To sort reality from whatever fantasy he'd conjured for himself.

His hand was on the doorknob as he heard Umi's voice, low and sleepy. It stopped him, he looked back.

"Oh- Umi- I'm sorry I- I woke you." He managed, his own voice heavy with emotion though he tried his best to suppress it. As she placed her hand on his cheek he involuntarily flinched away, his knuckles white on the doorknob. "Umi- please. Go back to sleep." He whispered urgently.

Leios kept going on, Zach rage only spiked. He glared at his cousin across the room. "Honor her by pretending nothing happened." He breathed, the statement almost upturning into a laugh. "Wow," He was exasperated, "Well if we're gonna pretend we know each others mothers, let me take a swing." He hissed, an unusual, but not unfamiliar well of spite rising in his chest. "Because I'm sure that's what Aunt Danyell would want. Just mosey about you're day. Like. Nothing. Happened." His voice became racked with emotion. cracking on the final word.

"Keep myself together?? Speak for yourself Leios." Only now did his voice climb in volume. "You have the privilege of knowing your sibling. You're father leaves but he always comes back. And your mom. She doesn't have an old raisin slowly draining her from the inside. She's alive." He chokes, his voice lowering again. "You have no right to tell me how to act."

His shoulders sag, he would regret his words later maybe. But for now the emotions only raged, giving him a pulsing headache behind his eyes.

Umi still tried to make light. She consoled him with the softness of her voice and the pillows they'd use. But of all the comforts he wished he had, was the inn room floor he'd woken up on this morning, blissful in his ignorance. Zach shakes his head slightly.

"I can't stay here Natsumi." His brows knit together again, "I need to find my uncle."

Assuming he hasn't abandoned you too.

Shut up.

"Mrs. Zofia is..." Yuu eyes widened in shock, "But that's...no way..." Ever since his childhood, Yuu had heard many tales of the heroes. Always were they brilliant warriors who fought bravely against even gods, these titans in his life were one of his many inspirations. There was no way that one of the heroes of the old could ever have been defeated, right?

Watching in silence, the truth daunting on him as Leios and Natsumi both tried to console Zach. Zach was Zofia's child. Yuu brought a shaky hand up to cover his face. That's right...Zofia had children, and a family. That seemingly insurmountable, heroic, figure in his life was someone far more important in another's life. And the pain was ALL theirs. Hearing Umi and Leios speak set a very unwelcomed pit in his stomach. Watching Zach lash out made it even worse. The blistering pain, spiraling confusion, how could it be real? Panic, sickness, and more. These were all the emotions Zach could be going through and more.

...Yuu knew the same sensations far too well...

Flashback:

Taking his trembling hand away, Yuu approached Zach slowly. He grabbed ahold of the other mans wrist tightly, "Zach..." his voice shook a bit, "I can't let you leave...It's NOT what you need right now." Yuu's pulled Zach's hand away from the doorknob, "Your hurting, bleeding in a way they can't understand, you're confused, and angry...you don't want this to be real, I know" He placed his other hand on Zach's shoulder, "But running right now won't help you..."

Flashback 2:

"You're listening to these two talk about something they don't possible understand, and have the nerve to tell you how you should feel?" Yuu looked up at Zach, his gaze having been low to the floor, tears streaming down his cheeks "They don't know, But..I know better than anyone...what it means to lose your family"

Flashback 3:

"I don't have any siblings. My mother died when I was a kid. And my father, the last and only person I knew was murdered" He gritted his teeth, a bit of rage boring through him. He cast his gaze down again, "...You don't know me, or I you. But, I do know what you're feeling right now. And I've lived through it." Yuu released his grip go as he dropped his hands to his side, "But, there is one thing different about us" He glanced at Natsumi and Leios, "When I lost my parents...I had no one, not a single person cared or worried about me. You do..." Yuu began to wipe his tears away, glancing back up at him "I know you probably want to be alone, or run off...but trust me, I had no friends to help me" He smiled a bit, "Still don't have any friends to be honest, ha..." he glanced between Zach and the others "I know what it feels like to be alone. And it only makes the pain that much worse..."

"You have people who care and worry about you, Zach. Right in front of you, don't push them away. Even if their advice is crap"

Leios was never very good at consoling or dealing with others, that much was apparent with how long it took to even attempt to improve the relationship with his sister after she drifted away from him. And the same with Natsumi. And the same with Rohan. He never attempted to to connect with anyone beyond that either. It was the same case every time he tried as he'd discovered again with Takumi and Kamila. He was a real loner until recently, much like he knew Zach was. But Zach was right, at least he had his parents and now his sister as well. Leios felt his gut lurch and the world felt like it started to spin. How had he managed to mess up this badly? Not to mention it was with the one person he had a decent relationship with, emphasis on had. He was left horrified. He could feel the walls closing in around him, his own choices leading to this isolation. But most of all he had hurt his own cousin and that angered him even more. Leios wouldn't have a problem with this solitude if it hadn't been the result of others suffering because of him. That was just unforgivable, but it seemed like preventing that was the one thing he couldn't figure out. It just kept happening. These thoughts swirled around placing a heavy burden on his mind, 'How come this keeps happening? Why can't I seem to understand my friends? I can't even understand Zach's pain, so how do I expect to fix this? It's not possible... is it? I think it's over. It's because I'm selfish, isn't it. I wanted to spare myself the distress of seeing Zach in the same state as Zach I. I didn't feel this terribly when I found out Zofia died, so why do I think I'm allowed to feel this way for something that was entirely my fault? I'm just really am the worst. I think I know now why I can't seem to keep a good relationship for very long... it's because I only care about myself. I don't deserve to walk side by side with people like Zach or Natsumi, I've earned this loneliness by my actions. And here I still am lamenting my own failures instead of trying to help Zach. Disgusting.'

Leios' fists clenched and his eyes closed, barely preventing tears from forming. He felt absolutely horrible. He wanted to understand Zach's pain but he wasn't in any position to anymore. He was left stunned and locked in his thoughts, fully aware of what was happening and being said around him but no longer able to respond.

However as he heard Yuu's words to Zach, Leios was slowly brought out of his self-induced stupor. His thoughts became productive again, 'That's right. Yuu is right. I can't not be there for him especially because I hurt him. My failure is all the more reason I need to force myself to help, in anyway I can. If I want to change it can't be later, the only way is to do it now. Why have I not realized that when I fail like this, it immediately becomes my responsibility to fix it? I won't, I refuse, to run away from it like every other time.'

Leios finally spoke up again, his voice hoarse. "...Your uncle should be back in Nil now. I'm sorry." He quieted down at the end, but as he suddenly burst out with more words tears began streaming down his face, "Let me come with you, Zach! Let me make this up to you! I can use shadow travel to get us there as soon possible! Yuu is right, you don't have to... no, you shouldn't do this alone... please."

'Huh...' he thought. Leios put his hand to his face and it came back wet, '...tears? Why am I crying?' How many years had it been since he had cried? Not since before he entered pre-school by his estimations. Leios felt humiliated and it was by none other than himself. To be in this state in front of Natsumi, his cousin, a stranger, and especially Rohan... he hated it. But that was all the more reason he couldn't back down now. He deserved to go through at least this much if he wanted forgiveness. He was determined to help his cousin in whatever way he could and for once he didn't care about anything else.

[DannyGirl~Moderator]

The atmosphere in the room was so heavy and somber that after Zach’s sudden break, Natsumi couldn’t force out any sort of reply. So she stood in silence. Even if his anger was aimed at her, she could handle the hostility to his tone. Something she knew Leios was equally bad at handling due to their past.
Confrontation was the one thing she just couldn’t handle, slowly breaking her down to tears as the situation continued to escalate. Once Yuu jumped in to harshly shoot down their attempts at comforting Zach, the young woman found herself grateful yet bruised. His attempts to soothe Zach had hurt everyone else in the room. Was there truly no way to understand his pain?
“...I know what it’s like to have a brother who takes off, and wants absolutely nothing to do with you. I know what it’s like to feel... Rejected, and left completely and utterly alone... I know what it’s like to pretend everything’s fine, when absolutely nothing is...” She forced out softly after seeing Leios break down into tears as well, knowing someone had to speak in their defense. “I don’t know what is like to lose your family, in that way I’m fortunate. However I know what is like to be alone and scared. We might not be able to relate to the loss as a whole, but everyone in life has gone through enough losses to relate to other’s losses in some way.”
Turning away from them as she finished, Natsumi wrapped her arms around herself as Leios began to apologize. That was her own weakness, in the instances she did open up to other’s she’d immediately shut down. Allowing them to think they knew her without really having the chance to.
Because more than anything else, she knew how it felt to hate yourself with every fiber of your being.
Something she didn’t want other’s to have the opportunity to do. As long as she kept sections of herself hidden away, other’s wouldn’t truly be able to hate her. At least not all of her.
Turning back around quickly as Leios offered to take Zach himself, Natsumi’s breath grew heavier. They were both leaving? In the middle of the night? With the final warlord still out there looking for them? How could they do that to her? How could they leave her behind... Again. Shaking her head quickly as she drew in a deep breath, Natsumi refocused her mind. This had nothing to do with that. Besides, it was hard to find fault with someone who was crying.
“...I want to come too.” She whispered before wrapping her arms around each of them in a tight hug. “Don’t make me sit here and wonder if you two are hurt... I wouldn’t be able to bare it.” Slowly pulling, Natsumi never met either of their gazes before turning to Yuu. Here went nothing. “I know we just met, and you’ve already helped us out a lot... But if we aren’t back in time to help fight the final warlord... Please watch out for Lissandra. She’ll hate it if you go about it too outright, but she means a lot to me.” Pausing for a moment before taking a step forward, Natsumi gave him a tight hug as well. Pulling away as she glanced out the front window, she noticed two familiar figures at the door. Mr. Kios and Mrs. Danyell.
“We should go, now.” Quickly sprinting over to take both of their hands, Umi slowly glanced up to Zach. “But only if you’ll allow us to come along.”
With Leios’ parents, and her own father, there to help in the final battle, Natsumi felt much better about leaving the others. With the heroes there, her peers wouldn’t need her. The parents would keep them safe.
***
Blinking in shock as Kios suddenly reached out to grab her, Danyell glanced over her shoulder with tears lacing her gaze. He... Was? Hearing someone as intelligent and stubborn as Kios go as far as to apologize for his actions always took her by surprise. Though that wasn’t to say that she didn’t truly appreciate it. Because she did. Blinking the excess wetness in her warm brown eyes away as he gently pulled her over to his runes, the middle aged woman found herself still taking the days events in as he moved them to his lab in something of a blur.
However once they materialized, she found herself feeling a great deal more refreshed and collected. There was a subtle kind of reassurance in his decision to come back with, confirming for her what was truly the most important aspect of his life to him. His family. “I waited up for you all night you know... After the attack at Cherry’s party I was really worried.” Squeezing his hand gently as she shook the thought aside, Danyell slowly lead the way back to their home. “Write two letters next time, maybe three. Just to be safe.” Finally relaxing as she teased him softly, she slowly glanced around the surrounding area in something of concern. The impacts in the ground made it very apparent that a fight had taken place there not too long ago. Picking up her pace to a jog, and then to a sprint, Danyell released her husband hand before launching herself up their pouch. To her delight she could see the silhouettes of Leios, Zach, Natsumi, Rohan, and someone else who seemed familiar through the side window. What were they all doing up? The rest of the house was quiet though... Meaning that everything was probably fine. Whatever had happened her family was alright. Turning back to Kios once more, she move out of view of the window and let out a sigh of relief.
“Looks like everything’s fine... I’m sorry for yelling at you.” The last part was much quieter than the first, but she truly meant both. She hated chewing him out like that now that they were married. Honestly she’d just needed to know where his true priorities laid. “I’m glad you came back home.” Reaching up to cup his cheek, Danyell guided him down for a brief kiss before pulling away to open the door.

[Sammich]

"Mrs. Zofia is..." Yuu eyes widened in shock, "But that's...no way..." Ever since his childhood, Yuu had heard many tales of the heroes. Always were they brilliant warriors who fought bravely against even gods, these titans in his life were one of his many inspirations. There was no way that one of the heroes of the old could ever have been defeated, right?

Watching in silence, the truth daunting on him as Leios and Natsumi both tried to console Zach. Zach was Zofia's child. Yuu brought a shaky hand up to cover his face. That's right...Zofia had children, and a family. That seemingly insurmountable, heroic, figure in his life was someone far more important in another's life. And the pain was ALL theirs. Hearing Umi and Leios speak set a very unwelcomed pit in his stomach. Watching Zach lash out made it even worse. The blistering pain, spiraling confusion, how could it be real? Panic, sickness, and more. These were all the emotions Zach could be going through and more.

...Yuu knew the same sensations far too well...

Flashback:

Taking his trembling hand away, Yuu approached Zach slowly. He grabbed ahold of the other mans wrist tightly, "Zach..." his voice shook a bit, "I can't let you leave...It's NOT what you need right now." Yuu's pulled Zach's hand away from the doorknob, "Your hurting, bleeding in a way they can't understand, you're confused, and angry...you don't want this to be real, I know" He placed his other hand on Zach's shoulder, "But running right now won't help you..."

Flashback 2:

"You're listening to these two talk about something they don't possible understand, and have the nerve to tell you how you should feel?" Yuu looked up at Zach, his gaze having been low to the floor, tears streaming down his cheeks "They don't know, But..I know better than anyone...what it means to lose your family"

Flashback 3:

"I don't have any siblings. My mother died when I was a kid. And my father, the last and only person I knew was murdered" He gritted his teeth, a bit of rage boring through him. He cast his gaze down again, "...You don't know me, or I you. But, I do know what you're feeling right now. And I've lived through it." Yuu released his grip go as he dropped his hands to his side, "But, there is one thing different about us" He glanced at Natsumi and Leios, "When I lost my parents...I had no one, not a single person cared or worried about me. You do..." Yuu began to wipe his tears away, glancing back up at him "I know you probably want to be alone, or run off...but trust me, I had no friends to help me" He smiled a bit, "Still don't have any friends to be honest, ha..." he glanced between Zach and the others "I know what it feels like to be alone. And it only makes the pain that much worse..."

"You have people who care and worry about you, Zach. Right in front of you, don't push them away. Even if their advice is crap"

Leios was never very good at consoling or dealing with others, that much was apparent with how long it took to even attempt to improve the relationship with his sister after she drifted away from him. And the same with Natsumi. And the same with Rohan. He never attempted to to connect with anyone beyond that either. It was the same case every time he tried as he'd discovered again with Takumi and Kamila. He was a real loner until recently, much like he knew Zach was. But Zach was right, at least he had his parents and now his sister as well. Leios felt his gut lurch and the world felt like it started to spin. How had he managed to mess up this badly? Not to mention it was with the one person he had a decent relationship with, emphasis on had. He was left horrified. He could feel the walls closing in around him, his own choices leading to this isolation. But most of all he had hurt his own cousin and that angered him even more. Leios wouldn't have a problem with this solitude if it hadn't been the result of others suffering because of him. That was just unforgivable, but it seemed like preventing that was the one thing he couldn't figure out. It just kept happening. These thoughts swirled around placing a heavy burden on his mind, 'How come this keeps happening? Why can't I seem to understand my friends? I can't even understand Zach's pain, so how do I expect to fix this? It's not possible... is it? I think it's over. It's because I'm selfish, isn't it. I wanted to spare myself the distress of seeing Zach in the same state as Zach I. I didn't feel this terribly when I found out Zofia died, so why do I think I'm allowed to feel this way for something that was entirely my fault? I'm just really am the worst. I think I know now why I can't seem to keep a good relationship for very long... it's because I only care about myself. I don't deserve to walk side by side with people like Zach or Natsumi, I've earned this loneliness by my actions. And here I still am lamenting my own failures instead of trying to help Zach. Disgusting.'

Leios' fists clenched and his eyes closed, barely preventing tears from forming. He felt absolutely horrible. He wanted to understand Zach's pain but he wasn't in any position to anymore. He was left stunned and locked in his thoughts, fully aware of what was happening and being said around him but no longer able to respond.

However as he heard Yuu's words to Zach, Leios was slowly brought out of his self-induced stupor. His thoughts became productive again, 'That's right. Yuu is right. I can't not be there for him especially because I hurt him. My failure is all the more reason I need to force myself to help, in anyway I can. If I want to change it can't be later, the only way is to do it now. Why have I not realized that when I fail like this, it immediately becomes my responsibility to fix it? I won't, I refuse, to run away from it like every other time.'

Leios finally spoke up again, his voice hoarse. "...Your uncle should be back in Nil now. I'm sorry." He quieted down at the end, but as he suddenly burst out with more words tears began streaming down his face, "Let me come with you, Zach! Let me make this up to you! I can use shadow travel to get us there as soon possible! Yuu is right, you don't have to... no, you shouldn't do this alone... please."

'Huh...' he thought. Leios put his hand to his face and it came back wet, '...tears? Why am I crying?' How many years had it been since he had cried? Not since before he entered pre-school by his estimations. Leios felt humiliated and it was by none other than himself. To be in this state in front of Natsumi, his cousin, a stranger, and especially Rohan... he hated it. But that was all the more reason he couldn't back down now. He deserved to go through at least this much if he wanted forgiveness. He was determined to help his cousin in whatever way he could and for once he didn't care about anything else.

The atmosphere in the room was so heavy and somber that after Zach’s sudden break, Natsumi couldn’t force out any sort of reply. So she stood in silence. Even if his anger was aimed at her, she could handle the hostility to his tone. Something she knew Leios was equally bad at handling due to their past.
Confrontation was the one thing she just couldn’t handle, slowly breaking her down to tears as the situation continued to escalate. Once Yuu jumped in to harshly shoot down their attempts at comforting Zach, the young woman found herself grateful yet bruised. His attempts to soothe Zach had hurt everyone else in the room. Was there truly no way to understand his pain?
“...I know what it’s like to have a brother who takes off, and wants absolutely nothing to do with you. I know what it’s like to feel... Rejected, and left completely and utterly alone... I know what it’s like to pretend everything’s fine, when absolutely nothing is...” She forced out softly after seeing Leios break down into tears as well, knowing someone had to speak in their defense. “I don’t know what is like to lose your family, in that way I’m fortunate. However I know what is like to be alone and scared. We might not be able to relate to the loss as a whole, but everyone in life has gone through enough losses to relate to other’s losses in some way.”
Turning away from them as she finished, Natsumi wrapped her arms around herself as Leios began to apologize. That was her own weakness, in the instances she did open up to other’s she’d immediately shut down. Allowing them to think they knew her without really having the chance to.
Because more than anything else, she knew how it felt to hate yourself with every fiber of your being.
Something she didn’t want other’s to have the opportunity to do. As long as she kept sections of herself hidden away, other’s wouldn’t truly be able to hate her. At least not all of her.
Turning back around quickly as Leios offered to take Zach himself, Natsumi’s breath grew heavier. They were both leaving? In the middle of the night? With the final warlord still out there looking for them? How could they do that to her? How could they leave her behind... Again. Shaking her head quickly as she drew in a deep breath, Natsumi refocused her mind. This had nothing to do with that. Besides, it was hard to find fault with someone who was crying.
“...I want to come too.” She whispered before wrapping her arms around each of them in a tight hug. “Don’t make me sit here and wonder if you two are hurt... I wouldn’t be able to bare it.” Slowly pulling, Natsumi never met either of their gazes before turning to Yuu. Here went nothing. “I know we just met, and you’ve already helped us out a lot... But if we aren’t back in time to help fight the final warlord... Please watch out for Lissandra. She’ll hate it if you go about it too outright, but she means a lot to me.” Pausing for a moment before taking a step forward, Natsumi gave him a tight hug as well. Pulling away as she glanced out the front window, she noticed two familiar figures at the door. Mr. Kios and Mrs. Danyell.
“We should go, now.” Quickly sprinting over to take both of their hands, Umi slowly glanced up to Zach. “But only if you’ll allow us to come along.”
With Leios’ parents, and her own father, there to help in the final battle, Natsumi felt much better about leaving the others. With the heroes there, her peers wouldn’t need her. The parents would keep them safe.
***
Blinking in shock as Kios suddenly reached out to grab her, Danyell glanced over her shoulder with tears lacing her gaze. He... Was? Hearing someone as intelligent and stubborn as Kios go as far as to apologize for his actions always took her by surprise. Though that wasn’t to say that she didn’t truly appreciate it. Because she did. Blinking the excess wetness in her warm brown eyes away as he gently pulled her over to his runes, the middle aged woman found herself still taking the days events in as he moved them to his lab in something of a blur.
However once they materialized, she found herself feeling a great deal more refreshed and collected. There was a subtle kind of reassurance in his decision to come back with, confirming for her what was truly the most important aspect of his life to him. His family. “I waited up for you all night you know... After the attack at Cherry’s party I was really worried.” Squeezing his hand gently as she shook the thought aside, Danyell slowly lead the way back to their home. “Write two letters next time, maybe three. Just to be safe.” Finally relaxing as she teased him softly, she slowly glanced around the surrounding area in something of concern. The impacts in the ground made it very apparent that a fight had taken place there not too long ago. Picking up her pace to a jog, and then to a sprint, Danyell released her husband hand before launching herself up their pouch. To her delight she could see the silhouettes of Leios, Zach, Natsumi, Rohan, and someone else who seemed familiar through the side window. What were they all doing up? The rest of the house was quiet though... Meaning that everything was probably fine. Whatever had happened her family was alright. Turning back to Kios once more, she move out of view of the window and let out a sigh of relief.
“Looks like everything’s fine... I’m sorry for yelling at you.” The last part was much quieter than the first, but she truly meant both. She hated chewing him out like that now that they were married. Honestly she’d just needed to know where his true priorities laid. “I’m glad you came back home.” Reaching up to cup his cheek, Danyell guided him down for a brief kiss before pulling away to open the door.

They all spoke one at a time but the noise in the room was cacophonous to Zach. He wanted silence. He wanted only his thoughts inside his head. His frustration only compiled, his knuckles white on the doorknob.

When Yuu approached him Zach almost shied away, just as he had with Natsumi. But the raw emotion is Yuu's voice, in his eyes and posture, kept Zach anchored. Word by word Yuu poured his heart onto the floor infront of them, with little more prompting than sympathy. Tears shone in Zach's eyes as he listened, sympathy and understanding suddenly ebbing at his anger. He looked at Yuu. This is who he was now, this was the nightmare they both lived. With his words Yuu quelled Zach rage until he had nothing left but his sorrow.
And without the rage, Zach could recognize they were right.

"Oh Yuu... Yuu I'm so sorry-" The emotion choked in his voice. He could barely manage full words, what he did was barely audible. He didn't get the chance to say what he wanted to say to Yuu as Leios offered up his assistance.

Seeing his cousin in tears caused the dam in Zach's own eyes to breech. He'd kept them at bay with his anger, now he just regretted his words and hoped the damage was not unmendable.

"Leios- Thank you I- please don't cry-" He blubbered, "It's okay buddy don't-" He wiped his own eyes, "I'm sorry..." He muttered. Zach almost moved to embrace him but Natsumi stood between them and as Leios words faded hers began.
He bit his lip as fresh tears came to him, she was also weeping, quietly.

"Natsumi-" She was so used to being able to ease people's pain, surely this was frustrating circumstances for her. His rage had mostly been aimed at Leios, but from her words he'd obviously hurt Natsumi in the process. "Hey- hey- it's okay." His tears had ebbed a bit, but his voice was still soft adn laden with emotion. "And you won't." He said in attempts to console. THough the comment about Rohan stuck with him, their relationship seemed more complicated the Natsumi had ever let on. That seemed to be a common theme with her. But now wasn't the time to dig into anyone else. But he saved it for later, hopefully he would get the chance.

So he had a choice. Bring them or go it alone. He bit his lip in thought, envisioning his uncle, what he would say. He couldn't envision it. Anything could be waiting for him back in Ryujin. Natsumi gave some more words of encouragement and slipped her hands into his and Leios'. He did not withdraw this time, instead meeting it with a comforting grip.

"Let's go to Ryujin." He looks up to the two of them and then over at Yuu. "You coming?" He offered the blond man a hand.

[DannyGirl~Moderator]

Zach’s fairly swift recovery really shocked Natsumi. Despite her feeling that Yuu decision to criticize her and Leios so harshly was unnecessary, she was willing to admit that they’d been the only true pieces of comfort Zach had received. On top of that, it was hard to stay mad with someone who just poured out their life story. It was common knowledge that beneath every trial held some form of hidden pains or burdens, however knowing that and feeling it were two very different things. No wonder Yuu seemed to have a strange infatuation with their parents, and an unshakable hero complex. Those were the two things he needed most in his life.
Knowing all this made her feel slightly guilty about how she’d been treating him, however she knew that it’d take a while for that to change. Whether or not you had a rough hand dealt to you in life, Natsumi was a closed book. She wouldn’t flirt and lead him on out of respect for helping them, but she wasn’t going to blindly become his best friend either.
In her experience that lead to problems.
Shaking her head as Zach attempted to comfort her, the young woman immediately brushed off the effort. This wasn’t about her. Even if it had been, she knew deep down she wasn’t ready to open up. To anyone.
For now it was Zach’s turn to grieve.
And she’d be there for him until he managed to get back up on his feet.
Hesitantly smiling up at him as he accepted her hand, Umi chuckled softly as he extended a hand to Yuu. Guess that settled it then.
“Welcome to team Liss blondie, guess that leaves Rohan to watch after our leader. At this point it’s more of a Liss fan club.” She teased with a shrug before hesitantly glancing over to her brother, knowing that she’d just thrown him under the bus a few minutes prior. “Don’t kill each other. I’m counting on you, baby brother!” Forcing a giggle as she winked, Natsumi then swiftly turned to Leios. She knew Rohan wouldn’t sit quietly and let her leave, and he definitely knew that, so that left one option. Leave before he could reach them across the room. “That’s your cue.”

[IskiosAdmin]

The atmosphere in the room was so heavy and somber that after Zach’s sudden break, Natsumi couldn’t force out any sort of reply. So she stood in silence. Even if his anger was aimed at her, she could handle the hostility to his tone. Something she knew Leios was equally bad at handling due to their past.
Confrontation was the one thing she just couldn’t handle, slowly breaking her down to tears as the situation continued to escalate. Once Yuu jumped in to harshly shoot down their attempts at comforting Zach, the young woman found herself grateful yet bruised. His attempts to soothe Zach had hurt everyone else in the room. Was there truly no way to understand his pain?
“...I know what it’s like to have a brother who takes off, and wants absolutely nothing to do with you. I know what it’s like to feel... Rejected, and left completely and utterly alone... I know what it’s like to pretend everything’s fine, when absolutely nothing is...” She forced out softly after seeing Leios break down into tears as well, knowing someone had to speak in their defense. “I don’t know what is like to lose your family, in that way I’m fortunate. However I know what is like to be alone and scared. We might not be able to relate to the loss as a whole, but everyone in life has gone through enough losses to relate to other’s losses in some way.”
Turning away from them as she finished, Natsumi wrapped her arms around herself as Leios began to apologize. That was her own weakness, in the instances she did open up to other’s she’d immediately shut down. Allowing them to think they knew her without really having the chance to.
Because more than anything else, she knew how it felt to hate yourself with every fiber of your being.
Something she didn’t want other’s to have the opportunity to do. As long as she kept sections of herself hidden away, other’s wouldn’t truly be able to hate her. At least not all of her.
Turning back around quickly as Leios offered to take Zach himself, Natsumi’s breath grew heavier. They were both leaving? In the middle of the night? With the final warlord still out there looking for them? How could they do that to her? How could they leave her behind... Again. Shaking her head quickly as she drew in a deep breath, Natsumi refocused her mind. This had nothing to do with that. Besides, it was hard to find fault with someone who was crying.
“...I want to come too.” She whispered before wrapping her arms around each of them in a tight hug. “Don’t make me sit here and wonder if you two are hurt... I wouldn’t be able to bare it.” Slowly pulling, Natsumi never met either of their gazes before turning to Yuu. Here went nothing. “I know we just met, and you’ve already helped us out a lot... But if we aren’t back in time to help fight the final warlord... Please watch out for Lissandra. She’ll hate it if you go about it too outright, but she means a lot to me.” Pausing for a moment before taking a step forward, Natsumi gave him a tight hug as well. Pulling away as she glanced out the front window, she noticed two familiar figures at the door. Mr. Kios and Mrs. Danyell.
“We should go, now.” Quickly sprinting over to take both of their hands, Umi slowly glanced up to Zach. “But only if you’ll allow us to come along.”
With Leios’ parents, and her own father, there to help in the final battle, Natsumi felt much better about leaving the others. With the heroes there, her peers wouldn’t need her. The parents would keep them safe.
***
Blinking in shock as Kios suddenly reached out to grab her, Danyell glanced over her shoulder with tears lacing her gaze. He... Was? Hearing someone as intelligent and stubborn as Kios go as far as to apologize for his actions always took her by surprise. Though that wasn’t to say that she didn’t truly appreciate it. Because she did. Blinking the excess wetness in her warm brown eyes away as he gently pulled her over to his runes, the middle aged woman found herself still taking the days events in as he moved them to his lab in something of a blur.
However once they materialized, she found herself feeling a great deal more refreshed and collected. There was a subtle kind of reassurance in his decision to come back with, confirming for her what was truly the most important aspect of his life to him. His family. “I waited up for you all night you know... After the attack at Cherry’s party I was really worried.” Squeezing his hand gently as she shook the thought aside, Danyell slowly lead the way back to their home. “Write two letters next time, maybe three. Just to be safe.” Finally relaxing as she teased him softly, she slowly glanced around the surrounding area in something of concern. The impacts in the ground made it very apparent that a fight had taken place there not too long ago. Picking up her pace to a jog, and then to a sprint, Danyell released her husband hand before launching herself up their pouch. To her delight she could see the silhouettes of Leios, Zach, Natsumi, Rohan, and someone else who seemed familiar through the side window. What were they all doing up? The rest of the house was quiet though... Meaning that everything was probably fine. Whatever had happened her family was alright. Turning back to Kios once more, she move out of view of the window and let out a sigh of relief.
“Looks like everything’s fine... I’m sorry for yelling at you.” The last part was much quieter than the first, but she truly meant both. She hated chewing him out like that now that they were married. Honestly she’d just needed to know where his true priorities laid. “I’m glad you came back home.” Reaching up to cup his cheek, Danyell guided him down for a brief kiss before pulling away to open the door.

They all spoke one at a time but the noise in the room was cacophonous to Zach. He wanted silence. He wanted only his thoughts inside his head. His frustration only compiled, his knuckles white on the doorknob.

When Yuu approached him Zach almost shied away, just as he had with Natsumi. But the raw emotion is Yuu's voice, in his eyes and posture, kept Zach anchored. Word by word Yuu poured his heart onto the floor infront of them, with little more prompting than sympathy. Tears shone in Zach's eyes as he listened, sympathy and understanding suddenly ebbing at his anger. He looked at Yuu. This is who he was now, this was the nightmare they both lived. With his words Yuu quelled Zach rage until he had nothing left but his sorrow.
And without the rage, Zach could recognize they were right.

"Oh Yuu... Yuu I'm so sorry-" The emotion choked in his voice. He could barely manage full words, what he did was barely audible. He didn't get the chance to say what he wanted to say to Yuu as Leios offered up his assistance.

Seeing his cousin in tears caused the dam in Zach's own eyes to breech. He'd kept them at bay with his anger, now he just regretted his words and hoped the damage was not unmendable.

"Leios- Thank you I- please don't cry-" He blubbered, "It's okay buddy don't-" He wiped his own eyes, "I'm sorry..." He muttered. Zach almost moved to embrace him but Natsumi stood between them and as Leios words faded hers began.
He bit his lip as fresh tears came to him, she was also weeping, quietly.

"Natsumi-" She was so used to being able to ease people's pain, surely this was frustrating circumstances for her. His rage had mostly been aimed at Leios, but from her words he'd obviously hurt Natsumi in the process. "Hey- hey- it's okay." His tears had ebbed a bit, but his voice was still soft adn laden with emotion. "And you won't." He said in attempts to console. THough the comment about Rohan stuck with him, their relationship seemed more complicated the Natsumi had ever let on. That seemed to be a common theme with her. But now wasn't the time to dig into anyone else. But he saved it for later, hopefully he would get the chance.

So he had a choice. Bring them or go it alone. He bit his lip in thought, envisioning his uncle, what he would say. He couldn't envision it. Anything could be waiting for him back in Ryujin. Natsumi gave some more words of encouragement and slipped her hands into his and Leios'. He did not withdraw this time, instead meeting it with a comforting grip.

"Let's go to Ryujin." He looks up to the two of them and then over at Yuu. "You coming?" He offered the blond man a hand.

Zach’s fairly swift recovery really shocked Natsumi. Despite her feeling that Yuu decision to criticize her and Leios so harshly was unnecessary, she was willing to admit that they’d been the only true pieces of comfort Zach had received. On top of that, it was hard to stay mad with someone who just poured out their life story. It was common knowledge that beneath every trial held some form of hidden pains or burdens, however knowing that and feeling it were two very different things. No wonder Yuu seemed to have a strange infatuation with their parents, and an unshakable hero complex. Those were the two things he needed most in his life.
Knowing all this made her feel slightly guilty about how she’d been treating him, however she knew that it’d take a while for that to change. Whether or not you had a rough hand dealt to you in life, Natsumi was a closed book. She wouldn’t flirt and lead him on out of respect for helping them, but she wasn’t going to blindly become his best friend either.
In her experience that lead to problems.
Shaking her head as Zach attempted to comfort her, the young woman immediately brushed off the effort. This wasn’t about her. Even if it had been, she knew deep down she wasn’t ready to open up. To anyone.
For now it was Zach’s turn to grieve.
And she’d be there for him until he managed to get back up on his feet.
Hesitantly smiling up at him as he accepted her hand, Umi chuckled softly as he extended a hand to Yuu. Guess that settled it then.
“Welcome to team Liss blondie, guess that leaves Rohan to watch after our leader. At this point it’s more of a Liss fan club.” She teased with a shrug before hesitantly glancing over to her brother, knowing that she’d just thrown him under the bus a few minutes prior. “Don’t kill each other. I’m counting on you, baby brother!” Forcing a giggle as she winked, Natsumi then swiftly turned to Leios. She knew Rohan wouldn’t sit quietly and let her leave, and he definitely knew that, so that left one option. Leave before he could reach them across the room. “That’s your cue.”

[Leios]
When all had been said and done, Leios was glad that it ended up the way it did. He didn't like the fact that they'd potentially be missing out on the final fight, but he didn't have too much to worry about. The Heroes themselves had decided to go and he had a feeling that meant his own parents would show up too.

Leios raised his eyebrows at Natsumi's comment to Yuu and a small, mischievous grin appeared, "Wait this is Team Liss? Just for the record I'm still just Team Leios, gotta make sure you guys know that." Leios had already been gathering his energy when Natsumi turned to him expectantly, "Right, my cue. It's now or never. Peace out, Rohan." He glanced at his rival before darkness shot out and engulfed the four that had been holding hands. They sunk into the ground as a shadow that slipped under the door but stopped suddenly on the porch. The four rose out of the darkness because standing there were none other than Leios' parents. "Oh uh hi Mom, Dad. What brings you guys home so late at night?" He said awkwardly. He still planned on taking the others to Ryujin but this might complicate things a bit.

[Kios]
"I don't mind, I did deserve it." He said as she kissed him.
"Is it just me or does it seem like the kids are getting ready to go somewhere at this time of the night?"
Kios' question was answered as soon as Leios attempted to leave using his darkness on the others before stopping and deciding to greet his parents. "We were just coming home to check up you and your sister, Leios. Natsumi, Zach, it's been awhile since I've seen you two. And is this one of your friends? Well I'm very glad to see that you're all safe and sound but where are you kids going at this time of night?"

[Leios]
Leios sighed and waited a moment before responding to his father, "Rohan told Zach about Zofia so we're going with him to Ryujin to find his uncle. Please let us go, we'll be safe!"

[Kios]
"Now, Ryujin isn't the safest place right now with all of the political strife... but I suppose it would be safer than where the Warlords are. I'm fine with it, how about you Danyell? Zachariah the First could use some company now." He walked up to the young Zach and hugged him, something very rare coming from Kios. "I know how hard it is for you to have lost Zofia. It's a pain that will never fully go away, but that just means she'll always be in your memories. I'm positive she'd be happy to know that. I'd known her for long enough that I can really see just how much you've grown to be like her. Carry that piece of her you hold inside you around proudly because she a great person and an even greater friend." He gently ruffled up his nephew's hair before letting go.

[NaroModerator]

Rohan had enough drama for the day, so he moved out the way and leaned against the wall in the back of the room. Just watching from a distance, it seemed like everyone was just giving their life story. He was about to leave when he heard Natsumi talk about him, which made him stay put just for a few more minutes. Seeing his rival cry would’ve been amazing if his mood wasn’t ruined by natsumi a few seconds ago. Rohan just glared from a distance as they got ready to go, stying quiet while they had a plan to leave without him getting in their way “don’t worry about me, i could careless about any of your dying. Isn’t that right Natsumi? How do i put it? I want nothing to do with you” he passed by them not even acknowledging Kios or danyell. Then pulling out s beat up cigarette from his pocket and sitting on the porch “i got better things to do than taking care of some brat...” he said quietly. Lighting up the top of the cigarette with a snap of his fingers, then blowing out the smoke.

[DannyGirl~Moderator]

(Natsumi)
One moment the colors around her had slowly faded into a rich senseless black nothingness, and the next Natsumi found herself rematerialized onto the front porch just outside the front door. Why had Leios stopped? It had taken her a few moments to adjust to standing on solid ground, however soon enough she had her head back on her shoulders. Then she glanced up to find Leios’ parents in front of them. Well that explained it. Truthfully their presence was probably the greatest comfort she’d been given that day. It meant that everything would be okay. The heroes were reforming.
Even if she left with the others, Lissandra and the other teens would be safe.

(Danyell)
Blinking in surprise as Leios and three others suddenly appeared before her, Danyell’s delicate features twisted into a look of confusion. She let Kios do the talking, before her lips tightened into a narrow line as Leios explained. They already knew? The death hadn’t even been confirmed yet, no one should’ve mentioned it to Zach. How could someone defeated by Rohan have killed Zofia? It just didn’t add up. She didn’t buy it. As her husband turned to consult her, the woman’s tense posture relaxed slightly.
One of the best things about Kios was that he was quick to learn from his mistakes.
She’d give him that.
However she herself didn’t know how to feel. He was right, Zach could use the companionship of his uncle and vice versa. But was that a fair trade off to challenge fate? Kios was right again, the country was in bad shape.
As she thought it over her husband moved to comfort her nephew, and Rohan suddenly appeared. For some reason looking far more jaded than usual. Raising an eyebrow at his sudden harshness towards his sister, Danyell’s expression hardened as he suddenly pulled out a cigarette. Though as she stepped forward to say something, Natsumi put a hand out to her before doing something completely unexpected.

(Natsumi)
As she halted Danyell with one hand, Umi rose the other and sliced through her brother cigarette with mud in one fell swoop. Never being so quick to use her senshitsu in her entire life. Natsumi normally kept her feelings concealed rather well, and at first had even genuinely felt sorry for her words against her brother. Whether they were true or not. However that had changed the moment she’d discovered this.
“Mrs. Danyell I swear before today I have never cursed, I don’t consider it to be classy or show high intelligence. However it’s highly likely that record is ending today so can you cover your ears for a moment.” Though her tone was sweet it was obviously forced, and filled with an underlying venom. Rohan had had this coming for a long, long time.
Marching over to him before glaring down at him, Natsumi bent over before slapping him hard enough to leave a hand print across his cheek. “Oh you do, do you? Well that’s just absolutely rich isn’t it. Unfortunately I’ve been taking care of some brat my whole life!” She snapped after pulling away, beginning to tear up as she shook her head. “Who has been covering for who to mom, to the police, Rohan? I’m not retarded, for Jove’s sake! I know you’ve burnt every house and hustled every person they’ve talked to me about! I though I was protecting you, that if I gave you space you’d overcome it, but apparently I did you a disservice! I mean, if you’re going to use our money to walk all over everyone around you and act like a total ***hole, at least don’t expect them to pay you for their ‘safety’. Safety from who, you? Are you so unstable you can’t control yourself from physically fighting someone, because even I can manage that much!”
Finally taking in a moment to breathe, the tears finally bet to pool down her cheeks. “If you care about me then act like it Rohan! Because you do take off without a word, and ignore me entirely as long as I’m not dating around the gang! Poor you. Your sister has kissed your friends that you’ve picked out in rebellion! Newsflash Rohan, if I shouldn’t be dating them then you shouldn’t be around them. But it’s the only way you and dad give me the time of day! Being a boy doesn’t give you the right to act like a classless thug! So you’re a Yosenju, you’re Daddy is rich and will pay for you to escape your problems. That’s not normal! Our family has issues, but this-!” Gesturing down to the cigarette in anger, Natsumi tightly clenched her fist as her shoulders shook in sobs. “T-This is the o-one i-issue we f-f***ing overcame! D-Dad worked so hard t-to c-cold turkey, it’s not easy R-Rohan!”
“How dare you.”
“How f-f***ing dare you.”

[NaroModerator]

Rohan stares at the cigarette on the mud as his sister poured it her feelings. Only glancing a few times through out the whole thing. He took a deep breath before finally standing up, making the red head girl look incredibly small compared to him. Even though the slap from a few seconds ago stung a bit, he paid no attention to it “So you finally decided speak huh? Is there anything else you have to say to me before you run off to who knows where with your boyfriends? Who is it this week? Zach? The other kid?” Stepping on the cigarette to put It out. “Do you really think i want to do those things? I have no choice... all those things they say about you.” Pulling out another cigarette from one of his pockets, Rohan places it on top of her head “but you know let’s focus on a f@cking cigarette instead of the maniacs trying to hurt us. I’m don’t talking to you.” Flicking her forehead as he went back inside to check on his team.

[DannyGirl~Moderator]

Natsumi finally began to hesitate slightly he slowly stood to tower over her, forcing her gaze to travel up to his. However in a matter of moments she’d renewed her resolve, while sending him a harsh glare. She wasn’t gotten o let him do this, turn all the the argument back onto her. Years of illegal activity and harshness didn’t come close to equaling her dating habits. While both were wrong, only one got you thrown into prison. Honestly their father should’ve put his foot down a long time ago, or even their mother. When she thought back on it, Umi couldn’t remain single time any of her siblings had truly been told no. To anything.
She didn’t know if Rohan could even handle being denied at this point.
It just hadn’t been in his vocabulary growing up.
Simply shaking her head at his attempt to pick the boyfriend fight, the young woman’s voice remained firm. “I know my faults, own up to your own Rohan.” She retorted sharply, taking a step forward as he placed a spare cigarette onto her head. This wasn’t just about the cigarettes, though her position on them just never going to change, they had just been the trigger.
Over the years she’d collected plenty of things to confront him over, she just wasn’t one to go looking for argument.
Though now that she had started she wasn’t going to let him push her back into silence.
“You think I don’t know every twisted and perverted thing they say about me? That’s not just the gang Rohan, that’s nearly every man I’ve ever met! It’s my reality. Not something that can be solved with physically violence!” Tsking in annoyance as he suddenly began to walk away, Natsumi slowly grit her teeth before shaking her head and doing the same. “What else is new? That’s what you always do.”
“I’m done being the only one who tries to have any sort of relationship, you can tell yourself all the reasons why I’m in the wrong for as long as you want. I won’t be the one chasing you around anymore.”
With that she wiped her tears before glancing up to Danyell, who looked extremely uncomfortable.
“Can we go now?” She whispered softly, as her gaze slowly fell to the ground.
***

Finally pulling herself back from her shock, Danyell cleared her throat as Natsumi slows approached her. After a few moments of thinking it over she gave her a hug, before turning to give her son one, and finally ended with Zach. Who she held onto for much longer before kissing his forehead. “Right to Zachariah and back, you understand Leios? No warlord fights or pit stops.” She whispered as she finally pulled away, before giving a slightly bewildered smile to Yuu.
“It seems you ran into my children after all... I’m glad to see you’re safe Yuu.” Giving him a quick hug as well, Danyell finally grabbed her husbands hand before heading inside.
“Now leave before I change my mind.”

[IskiosAdmin]

Rohan had enough drama for the day, so he moved out the way and leaned against the wall in the back of the room. Just watching from a distance, it seemed like everyone was just giving their life story. He was about to leave when he heard Natsumi talk about him, which made him stay put just for a few more minutes. Seeing his rival cry would’ve been amazing if his mood wasn’t ruined by natsumi a few seconds ago. Rohan just glared from a distance as they got ready to go, stying quiet while they had a plan to leave without him getting in their way “don’t worry about me, i could careless about any of your dying. Isn’t that right Natsumi? How do i put it? I want nothing to do with you” he passed by them not even acknowledging Kios or danyell. Then pulling out s beat up cigarette from his pocket and sitting on the porch “i got better things to do than taking care of some brat...” he said quietly. Lighting up the top of the cigarette with a snap of his fingers, then blowing out the smoke.

(Natsumi)
One moment the colors around her had slowly faded into a rich senseless black nothingness, and the next Natsumi found herself rematerialized onto the front porch just outside the front door. Why had Leios stopped? It had taken her a few moments to adjust to standing on solid ground, however soon enough she had her head back on her shoulders. Then she glanced up to find Leios’ parents in front of them. Well that explained it. Truthfully their presence was probably the greatest comfort she’d been given that day. It meant that everything would be okay. The heroes were reforming.
Even if she left with the others, Lissandra and the other teens would be safe.

(Danyell)
Blinking in surprise as Leios and three others suddenly appeared before her, Danyell’s delicate features twisted into a look of confusion. She let Kios do the talking, before her lips tightened into a narrow line as Leios explained. They already knew? The death hadn’t even been confirmed yet, no one should’ve mentioned it to Zach. How could someone defeated by Rohan have killed Zofia? It just didn’t add up. She didn’t buy it. As her husband turned to consult her, the woman’s tense posture relaxed slightly.
One of the best things about Kios was that he was quick to learn from his mistakes.
She’d give him that.
However she herself didn’t know how to feel. He was right, Zach could use the companionship of his uncle and vice versa. But was that a fair trade off to challenge fate? Kios was right again, the country was in bad shape.
As she thought it over her husband moved to comfort her nephew, and Rohan suddenly appeared. For some reason looking far more jaded than usual. Raising an eyebrow at his sudden harshness towards his sister, Danyell’s expression hardened as he suddenly pulled out a cigarette. Though as she stepped forward to say something, Natsumi put a hand out to her before doing something completely unexpected.

(Natsumi)
As she halted Danyell with one hand, Umi rose the other and sliced through her brother cigarette with mud in one fell swoop. Never being so quick to use her senshitsu in her entire life. Natsumi normally kept her feelings concealed rather well, and at first had even genuinely felt sorry for her words against her brother. Whether they were true or not. However that had changed the moment she’d discovered this.
“Mrs. Danyell I swear before today I have never cursed, I don’t consider it to be classy or show high intelligence. However it’s highly likely that record is ending today so can you cover your ears for a moment.” Though her tone was sweet it was obviously forced, and filled with an underlying venom. Rohan had had this coming for a long, long time.
Marching over to him before glaring down at him, Natsumi bent over before slapping him hard enough to leave a hand print across his cheek. “Oh you do, do you? Well that’s just absolutely rich isn’t it. Unfortunately I’ve been taking care of some brat my whole life!” She snapped after pulling away, beginning to tear up as she shook her head. “Who has been covering for who to mom, to the police, Rohan? I’m not retarded, for Jove’s sake! I know you’ve burnt every house and hustled every person they’ve talked to me about! I though I was protecting you, that if I gave you space you’d overcome it, but apparently I did you a disservice! I mean, if you’re going to use our money to walk all over everyone around you and act like a total ***hole, at least don’t expect them to pay you for their ‘safety’. Safety from who, you? Are you so unstable you can’t control yourself from physically fighting someone, because even I can manage that much!”
Finally taking in a moment to breathe, the tears finally bet to pool down her cheeks. “If you care about me then act like it Rohan! Because you do take off without a word, and ignore me entirely as long as I’m not dating around the gang! Poor you. Your sister has kissed your friends that you’ve picked out in rebellion! Newsflash Rohan, if I shouldn’t be dating them then you shouldn’t be around them. But it’s the only way you and dad give me the time of day! Being a boy doesn’t give you the right to act like a classless thug! So you’re a Yosenju, you’re Daddy is rich and will pay for you to escape your problems. That’s not normal! Our family has issues, but this-!” Gesturing down to the cigarette in anger, Natsumi tightly clenched her fist as her shoulders shook in sobs. “T-This is the o-one i-issue we f-f***ing overcame! D-Dad worked so hard t-to c-cold turkey, it’s not easy R-Rohan!”
“How dare you.”
“How f-f***ing dare you.”

Rohan stares at the cigarette on the mud as his sister poured it her feelings. Only glancing a few times through out the whole thing. He took a deep breath before finally standing up, making the red head girl look incredibly small compared to him. Even though the slap from a few seconds ago stung a bit, he paid no attention to it “So you finally decided speak huh?  Is there anything else you have to say to me before you run off to who knows where with your boyfriends? Who is it this week? Zach? The other kid?” Stepping on the cigarette to put It out. “Do you really think i want to do those things? I have no choice... all those things they say about you.” Pulling out another cigarette from one of his pockets, Rohan places it on top of her head “but you know let’s focus on a f@cking cigarette instead of the maniacs trying to hurt us. I’m don’t talking to you.” Flicking her forehead as he went back inside to check on his team.

Natsumi finally began to hesitate slightly he slowly stood to tower over her, forcing her gaze to travel up to his. However in a matter of moments she’d renewed her resolve, while sending him a harsh glare. She wasn’t gotten o let him do this, turn all the the argument back onto her. Years of illegal activity and harshness didn’t come close to equaling her dating habits. While both were wrong, only one got you thrown into prison. Honestly their father should’ve put his foot down a long time ago, or even their mother. When she thought back on it, Umi couldn’t remain single time any of her siblings had truly been told no. To anything.
She didn’t know if Rohan could even handle being denied at this point.
It just hadn’t been in his vocabulary growing up.
Simply shaking her head at his attempt to pick the boyfriend fight, the young woman’s voice remained firm. “I know my faults, own up to your own Rohan.” She retorted sharply, taking a step forward as he placed a spare cigarette onto her head. This wasn’t just about the cigarettes, though her position on them just never going to change, they had just been the trigger.
Over the years she’d collected plenty of things to confront him over, she just wasn’t one to go looking for argument.
Though now that she had started she wasn’t going to let him push her back into silence.
“You think I don’t know every twisted and perverted thing they say about me? That’s not just the gang Rohan, that’s nearly every man I’ve ever met! It’s my reality. Not something that can be solved with physically violence!” Tsking in annoyance as he suddenly began to walk away, Natsumi slowly grit her teeth before shaking her head and doing the same. “What else is new? That’s what you always do.”
“I’m done being the only one who tries to have any sort of relationship, you can tell yourself all the reasons why I’m in the wrong for as long as you want. I won’t be the one chasing you around anymore.”
With that she wiped her tears before glancing up to Danyell, who looked extremely uncomfortable.
“Can we go now?” She whispered softly, as her gaze slowly fell to the ground.
***

Finally pulling herself back from her shock, Danyell cleared her throat as Natsumi slows approached her. After a few moments of thinking it over she gave her a hug, before turning to give her son one, and finally ended with Zach. Who she held onto for much longer before kissing his forehead. “Right to Zachariah and back, you understand Leios? No warlord fights or pit stops.” She whispered as she finally pulled away, before giving a slightly bewildered smile to Yuu.
“It seems you ran into my children after all... I’m glad to see you’re safe Yuu.” Giving him a quick hug as well, Danyell finally grabbed her husbands hand before heading inside.
“Now leave before I change my mind.”

[Leios]
Leios stayed silent while Natsumi and Rohan argued back and forth. It wasn't his place to interject, nor did he want to deal with Rohan's usual whining at this time of night in this situation. It'd be best to let Natsumi let out everything she'd kept pent up. He had learned his lesson only a few moments ago with Zach that sometimes it was best to take a small step back, not too far back but enough to give some space.

Even still, watching Natsumi pour out her feelings like that wasn't easy to watch. Leios knew that Rohan had his own problems and wouldn't concede very easily, especially not in front of him or the others but that didn't mean Rohan pissed him off any less. Yet again though, he restrained himself for Natsumi's sake. The sooner their fight was over the sooner they could leave. Once the siblings had time to think things over, and time for Rohan to mature in the meantime, then they could revisit the conversation.

For now, they had to help the Zachs. As Natsumi and Rohan's argument wound down and Rohan walked off, Leios gathered his energy again in preparation of travel. A few wisps of darkness emerged from his hand first though and swiped the cigarette off of Natsumi's head, before he smothered the object out of existence.

He accepted the hug from his mom, and accepted the terms of her contract. "I'll make sure we get there and back safely. Thanks for letting us go. See ya!" Then after patting his dad on that back he walked back to the group. Once his parents went inside he said a few quick words to the group, "It's about time, let's get going." With that he grabbed the hands of his companions again and they all sunk into darkness before shooting off into the night.

[Kios]
Letting his wife pull him into the house Kios turned to Danyell, "Why did Leios pat me on the back? I'd think he could say goodbye in a different way. But anyways, Rohan still has the same temper he's always had. I wonder when that boy will finally mature, he's shown a little promise lately but not enough." Kios realized that the boy he hadn't met before ended up staying behind. "Oh that's right Danyell, did you say you knew him?" Extending a hand to Yuu, Kios greeted him with a smile, "Nice to meet you, Yuu. Glad to see the younger generation is meeting some new friends." A sudden realization hit him and he quickly changed gears, "Lissandra is probably home! Let's go check up on her. Yuu, we'll talk more tomorrow. You look exhausted so you should get some rest. Leios' bed seems to be open now so you can use it if you want to." Kios was about to head for the stairs before another thought halted him, "Oh but she's probably sleeping, otherwise she'd have been arguing with Rohan as well. That's okay though, I'm rather good at not waking people up." He walked upstairs and into Lissandra's room to find her sleeping. Kios patted her on the head, glad his daughter was safe and sound, before leaving to go to Danyell and his bedroom.

[Leios]
Less than an hour later an inconspicuous puddle of darkness stopped in the middle of the Nilian Desert. From it rose three figures. Leios walked forward across the sands for a bit before turning to face Natsumi and Zach. "We're here! Uh, this is the place, right Zach?"

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