“Kyo... come back soon?”

Soshika Lypha watched her brother toss his clothes into a duffel bag through tear-filled eyes.

“Sorry, Lyika, I promised someone I’d go back for them.” Kyotoshi shrugged into his dusty-hued trenchcoat. “I keep promises, however long they take.”

Breaking down, Soshika ran into her brother’s chest and threw her arms around him.

Kyotoshi looked down at the girl clinging to him, sobbing uncontrollably. “Lyika... I will be back. I won’t leave you again... please believe me.”

Sniffling, she looked up at him. “Only if you take me with you.”

The tall Hekshanian sighed. “C’mon sis, you don’t really want to go back to Hekshano, do you?”

“It’s home. It’s still home if you’re there.”

“But I said I’ll be back... we’ll be a family again, just you watch. We will.”

Picking up the bag, Soshi took a deep breath and whiped her tears on her sleeve. “Are you gonna be here for your birthday?”

Kyo smiled, hugged his sister, and took the bag from her. “It’s a date, Lyika. Keep yourself in one piece.”

“You too.” She smiled along with him.

“And if that creepy pal of yours brings up the crazy bounty hunter chick, you smack him for me?”

Soshika chuckled. “Somethin’ like that. Grey likes you, I think.”

Kyotoshi was taken aback. “If he ever says two words to me at once, they’re ‘Go away.’ He LIKES me?”

Soshi punched Kyo’s arm. “He jus’ doesn’t open up much. You sure you can’t stay?” She made a grab for the luggage.

Whipping it around, Kyo tossed the dark green bag out the door and next to an identical one. “Sorry, no such luck. But I WILL be back.”

Soshika Lypha sighed in resignation. “I love you Kyo.” She hugged him again.

Squirming away, he tripped over a shirt that had fallen out of the bag. “Love you too, but I gotta go. Now.” He scrambled to his feet and out the door, yelling over his shoulder. “I’ll see ya again before you can blink, Lyika.”

Whiping away another tear, Soshi watched her brother run to catch up with a flit guide. “Don’t do this again, Kyo. Never again.”

Soshika Lypha sat down on the edge of the small futon, running the back of a paw over the sheets her brother had folded up but decided to leave. ~Never again...~

“What’s wrong, little cat?”

Soshi looked up from her brother’s bed and smiled. “I’m just worried about him, Midreak. Kyo tends to forget his responsibilities...” the smile faded. “Can i ask you a question?”

“You just did. But you may ask another.”

Soshika snorted at the poor joke. “Do you... do you ever get lonely? I mean... you have yer girlfriend and your son but--”

The Hekshanian cut off at the dragon’s growl. “Your... uh... dragon buddies... but when you’re alone... eternity just seems like a really long time to me.”

The astral being sighed. “You have no idea... it’s not so bad to have endless existence... but you have no idea how lucky you are to have had a beginning...” the dragon folded his wings and shrugged. “At least I’ve developed my infinite patience...” Soshika grabbed her sides and squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip and attempting not to laugh.

“Right Midreak, your... patience.” She trailed off into mewing giggles. The dragon gave an indignant grunt. “Sorry...” she took a deep breath. “I love you Midreak. You won’t ever leave me.” The girl wrapped her arms around the dragon, as best she could, and buried her face in his leathery stomach.

The black dragon looked down at his ward and smiled. “Of course not, little cat. And don’t worry about Kyotoshi... he’ll be back.”

“Really? Soon? I miss him already... you don’t think he’ll get hurt at all? Do you, Midreak?”

“He’ll be fine. don’t worry your furry little head about it.”

Soshika smiled and lunged onto the bed, curling up into a ball. “Thanks Midreak... you’re the best.”

He puffed out his chest and lumbered over to the Hekshanian. “Well, i AM pretty great...”

An Alicorn snort from the doorway made the dragon trip over his tail. “Midreak, you’re always so modest.”

Behind the Guardian, an Anmarian was leaning against the door’s frame and sharpening a pair of gilded blades with a file.

“Morning, Solla.”

Looking up from her work, Flint gave a toothy grin. “Good morning to you as well, kitten. I heard that your brother intends to head back to Hekshano.”

“Yeah, Kyo just left... he’ll be back though. He had some business to attend to there.”

The two guardians, each chittering about the other’s faults, faded from sight.

“Kitten, allow me pose a question... what have the Magos informed you on, pertaining to their planet? It appears to be technologically untainted yet the Rulerists attack consistently.”

“The Magos... and the flits... they haven’t told me anything about the Rulerists... but if they are attacking we’ll have to fight back. They won’t last long as pacifists, noble as it might be...”

“Precisely my sentiments... however the nature of the attacks on this helpless jungle... perhaps there is something here that they want to purge.”

“The Magos? their magic isn’t any threat to the Rulerists... but maybe they just want the resources the Magos jungles have to offer.”

The Animarian sighed. “No kitten. can you not think of any religious evil they might be after?”

“No... but wait, don’t they think that magic is evil?”

“No.” Solla’s lip was curled in exasperation. “One, single evil. That wasn’t here before.”

Recognition glinted in Soshika’s eyes, and she growled. “You’re wrong.”

“Everywhere we’ve gone so far, that bloody demon has caused trouble. it’s no different here.”

“THE RULERISTS ARE NOT GREY’S FAULT!!” The Hekshanian’s claws were extended, and her shout had come through bared teeth.

“Calm down, Soshika, I was not blaming anything on you.” The Other slipped her wrists back into the now shining blades, but kept them at her sides.

“Get out.” The growl was more of a whisper than anything else, but coming from the mouthful of needle-sharp teeth it was more dangerous sounding than the shout had been.

Solla turned her back on the poised Lypha and slowly stepped towards the door. “You’ll learn, Hekshanian. you’re smart enough to learn, eventually. make sure it isn’t too late.”

Soshika stood for a moment, dazed, and watched Flint fade into the shadows. Then, collapsing to her knees, the girl mouthed the words to herself. ~I am a demon, and I am not fine...~ Breaking into sobs, she crawled to her brother’s former bed and curled up, crying softly to herself waiting for something... for anything to happen.