Wondershot

Crossfire looked up in mock amusement at the guard opening his cell door at that moment. Since it would have appeared that his reaction was a little too quick, five other guards immediately pulled out their arms and trained them on Crossfire's heart and face. Crossfire lifted his hands slowly. "Sorry guys, I'll try to be a bit slower from now on." He said, barely restraining his smile of sarcasm. The guards weren't amused, as they circled around him inside his cell. One man quickly strapped handcuffs onto his arms, and he smiled serenely as he looked around at them. "So, where to?" The reply to his answer came in the form of a sharp jab into his neck, he winced, then turned around to look at a guard wearing a pair of white medical gloves, cleaning off a tiny syringe that had just been removed from Crossfire's neck. "Oh, that's just wrong, man..." Crossfire managed in a voice lower than usual, as he began to slowly lose balance and collapse to his knees, unable to feel himself hit the floor... [i]...contrary...to the matter... ...who you are...you are not... ...come with me...I'll show you saturn.... ...planets don't quite...align... ...you should try...not to be so...courageous... ...you should try...not to be....so...courageous...[/i] "Bolt, step on it!" The tires of the vehicle roared into action as the last data hunter got in, and the four wheels screeched maddeningly as they left behind a large dust cloud, no thanks to the tons of extra weapons cached in and around the car. Crossfire sat down in the middle of the back seat and whistled. "Wow! That was one of the damndest heists I've ever gone through." Bolt turned around in his seat, and Wind pressed a finger to his lips. Bolt's eyes returned to the road, while Wind leaned in close. "So...you think we ought to tell him one of these days?" "Why bother, he's only gonna forget." Crossfire replied shortly, nudging Wind away to whisper something in Chain's ear, who nodded accordingly. Wind leaned in farther. "Yeah, but it's like the guy has no purpose in life, maybe if we finally tell him, he might grow to be one of us more easily..." Wind trailed off at the look of skepticism on Crossfire's face. Crossfire turned around. "You know, I really think that you're right in all this, but he's not ready. We have to make sure that he absolutely trusts us before we try anything, k?" Wind looked over at Crossfire's earnest face, before Crossfire leaned up. "Hey, Bolt! press the little button on the dash, there! We got something for ya!" Bolt, obediently, pressed the small triangle-shaped button on the dash, and a powerful eruption raged through the entire car, pulsing inside everyone's chests and eardrums, as a droning voice sang: [i]...travelled far...for this lover... ...who she was...she was not... ...but honestly...it don't matter... ...aliens ain't...farmers... ...you should try...not to be...so courageous... ...you should try...not to be...so...courageous...[/i] "Like it?" Crossfire yelled over the din of the music, while Bolt winced behind the steering wheel. Wind had his hands over his ears, while Chain seemed unperturbed. "Now, you won't be so bored waiting for us all the time!" Bolt nodded. "How do you turn it off?" Crossfire's eyes widened as he looked at Wind next to him. "oops, forgot..." He said before laughing silently in the back seat, when suddenly a jolt, like a bee sting, but worse, cut him in the front. Crossfire felt the world dissolve as another jolt brought him crashing back through the window of reality... The General stepped back slightly as Crossfire vomited onto the floor, as a slight nerve reflex. The General put down the long stun gun while Crossfire became more aware of his surroundings. Looking up, Crossfire caught a glimpse of the General, and began to stand, but felt that his hands had been chained to the ground in front of the chair in which he was sitting. Smiling weakly, he sat back down, and the General walked up to him. "Such a gift, that a data hunter, who'se life is devoted to serving the agents of Lucifer, has now turned over such a beatiful present to us..." Crossfire guessed what the General was talking about, and spat onto the floor to clear the sour-tasting acid from his mouth. "It wasn't a present, it was a favour." Crossfire managed weakly, the General spun around. "A favour? To what would we owe such a...favour?" "The life of my best friend." Crossfire replied, and the General smiled with realization. "Ah, the other reform, the one with no memory...yes...such that one such as yourself would have the emotion to care about another of your own..." "It's not because he's a data hunter, he's with you now, and I'm not taking that away, but he's still my friend, and I help my friends any way I can...even if I have to give him back his memory." "Ah, his cross to bear, yes? The total lack of reccollection of his past life..." "Reincarnation, you might call it...but that's not why I'm here, is it?" The General spun around, stun gun again in hand. "You have openly devoted yourself to the Devil, and taken his beings into your care knowingly, and for that, God shall never forgive you..." The General gave Crossfire a quick stab with the stun gun, and he winced slightly as the current caused his arm to twich madly in pain. The General got up. "However, you must still tell me about your weapons, how to use them, so that we may drive the Devil out of our land..." Crossfire interrupted. "I never really thought of the leader of the military to be doing his job on the motivation of turning this into a [i]jihad[/i]..." Crossfire recieved a jolt to the throat for that one, and vomited once again, spitting to clean the acid from his now burning mouth. The General took a step back. "The Devil does not belong in my presence, so if you will not tell me how to use those weapons then I will have no choice but to send you to hell myself, and use you as a testament to your friends as their turn with me comes!" "Go ahead, if I'm dead, or for that matter, barely alive, then they won't say a word until I give them the go ahead myself. Even then, it'll take months for you to squeeze out the information through Wind or Chain, and then where will your precious army be?" Another jolt came, and Crossfire found himself losing conciousness. The General spat in his face. "And does the precious life of your friend mean anything to you now?" The General glared, and Crossfire smiled defiantly at him. "Despite the fact that this may sound stupid, I would have to admit that if Bolt were to die by some action of yours, then I would have found my time here worthless. You don't recognize the power of data hunters, do you? If you did, you probably wouldn't be the only one in this room, either..." The General stared at Crossfire, who continued. "In any case, Bolt deserves to live more than myself, Wind, or Chain, but if he had his memory, and knew what he was to face through dying for any one of us, or the fate of the Digimon and data hunters, than I am absolutely certain that he would be happy for it..." Crossfire finished as the General dealt another stun gun shot, and Crossfire fell limp in the chair. The General roared into the communications system, where the conversation was being monitored. "Bring in the next one, I have to time for the ramblings of this one!" Two uniformed guards arrived, and, undoing the chains, dragged Crossfire's body out of the area. Next, Wind arrived, already awake, as the two guards sat him down forecefully and chained him to the floor, and then leaft as swiftly as they arrived, slamming the door behind them. wind smiled serenely as the General apporached, stun gun in hand...

OOC: This is worth another go, don't you all think? Kaeli stared with some interest at the miles of free-roaming plains around her. If it wasn't so green outside, she would have immediately assumed that she had gotten herself lost in the deserts of her homeland. A cool breeze rushed by har as she sat down to relax for a moment before continuing the hunt. She had decided to join this crew of adventurers, and it was also very fun, being able to meet people and get to know them...Aster and Gale seemed to be a bit too serious for hewr, but she found herself thinking about Biggs every so often. He seemed quite nice, and also very clever, having created the machina Wedge, who she found herself trying to get a bit more used to. Nevertheless, she ythought as she lay back to stare at the sky, why had she decided to come along? Was she really that lonely without Rin there for her? Or was she repaying them for helping her? Was she trying to do what Rin told her, establishing a bond with her customers? No, it seemed a lot simpler than that...they were her friends now, so she just wanted to go on a journey with them. She wasn't really expecting anything big out of it...just that she had made some new friends, and it gave her a nice feeling which she wanted to keep close to her. She felt herself dozing off, but then Rin's sharp voice penetrated her thoughts, and she snapped back upright...except that it wasn't Rin's voice...it was...mechanical. Kaeli looked to here right just in time to see a large green choco, Willow, dashe forward and jump over her head, not too far behind was the mechanical Wedge, shouting something loudly and chasing after the chocobo, before tripping and landing on Kaeli, that is. Kaeli gasped, winded, as Biggs ran up and helped Wedge get off her. "Oh! Are you all right?" Biggs asked, somewhat overly concerned, as Kaeli caught her breath, inhaling deeply. "I'm fine..." She seemed to exhale rather than reply, and took another deep breath before getting to her feet, wobbly. Biggs helped her keep her balance, and she looked, albeit with some disgust, as the chocobo, now all riled up, began running in circles. "You'll never catch a chocobo like that!" She said, perhaps a bit too loudly, as Biggs recoiled slightly... "Well, it worked before." Wedge announced, snickering slightly. Kaeli looked up, and picked the Gysahl Green off the ground. "Here." She said, handing it to Wedge. "How far do you think you can throw this?" Wedge replied by wrenching the green out of her hand, and hurling it an amazing distance with it's mechanical arm. The green landed near Willow, who proceeded to munch on it with delight, facing away from Kaeli, Biggs and Wedge. The three looked at each other for a moment before racing as quickly as they could to get to the chocobo before it finished. They all jumped, and Kaeli got it by the neck, Biggs caught a leg, and Wegde sat on top. The chocobo, not so spooked as it was excited, proceeded to start runninng in circles again, kicking up huge clouds of dust. Kaeli screamed, not having a very good grip on the choco, and Biggs coughed and choked, Wedge, reaching up with one hand, raised it up as though preparing to punch it, but then, reached down calmly and proceeded to scratch the back of its head. Willow stopped almost instantly, and began to relax, as Wedge continued to stroke it lightly.Kaeli got up, pulling feathers out of her hear and clothes, and Biggs was so covered with dust that he was barely recognizable. The two of them looked at each other, before giving each other huge grins. "We scored another Chocobo!" Kaeli cheered, giving Biggs a high-five. Biggs tried to clear the dirt from his clothes, and grinned up. "I think we've done some good hunting for today, shall we take it back?" Biggs asked, sticking out an arm, which Kaeli accepted. "Let's!" She replied, using her other hand to take the chocobo by the back of the head, as the three headed back towards the ranch...

Down in the garage area, multiple guards were encircled around the large black vehicle, all of them wearing thick armour and heavy shielding, as though expecting a powerful bomb to be inside. One guard, the leader of the bomb squad, quickly let loose a dog to make sure there was something inside. The dog pawed at the door for a moment, but otherwise, showed no signs of bomb detection. The crew backed up slightly as one man moved in towards the door and opened it slowly. No explosion yet, but he did catch a hint of metal stuck in the door of the trunk. He threw it open wide and the entire crew stepped back in awe as they saw what was inside... "Weapons?" "High powered devices, yes. Some of them are brand-new, nothing is in the military database, no serial or model numbers, nothing." Azufe stared at bolt through the hospital wing glass. He thought, how in the world had those data hunters gotten a hold on so many high-powered weapons? He turned back to the doctor. "Well, there are weapons inside, so what?" "Well...the ballistics squad has no idea how to fire them." Azufe's mind flashed back to that phone call. [i]If you want me to help...[/i] "What do you mean by that?" "Ask ballistics, they didn't tell me anything." "Bolt?" Bolt looked up from the operations room table, and smiled slightly. "Hey, is there anything we have to do?" "Yeah, since you don't remember, you want me to show you around the building?" "Sure...sounds great." Azufe stepped out of the room, and Bolt followed, throwing on his jacket. The two stepped out of the operation room and Azufe motioned around. "There are maps on the walls wherever you go, so you porobably won't get lost, but this is the hospital wing." He pointed down one corridor to his left. "That way is the Operations Room." He pointed to the right. "Over there is the weapons lab and ballistics." He pointed straight ahead. "That way is the garage area and training room." Bolt pointed down the other corridor. "What's that way, then?" Azufe looked down that way, it was the prison facility. Thinking quickly, he decided that it would be best not to tell Bolt about it just yet. "It's under construction, I'm not sure what's going on there. We aren't allowed to go that way." He replied smoothly, as thought he would care where Crossfire was at the time. "Anyway, right now I have to go to ballistics, so...would you like to follow?" "Sure thing." The ballistics lab, large, and full of the sound of grinding metal, as well as the occasional controlled explosion. The whole room smelled of sulphur and smouldering metal, and Bolt seemed oddly amused, despite the fact that he jumped a little everytime something nearby exploded from a weapons test. There was a security risk of using new weapons outside, so all testing was performed indoors. "I'll be back in a second, wait here." Azufe told Bolt as he headed into a ballistics room, and Bolt looked around at the men carrying weapons around him. "What's this about guns that won't fire?" Azufe asked the man from the lab, and he replied. "The guns appear to be fitted with some sophisticated safety, and some of them aren't even completely assembled yet, so we aren't sure just how to use them yet." Azufe understood, Crossfire had built them, hence the phone call, and why they would need his help. With a surprise, a phone on the lab wall began to ring, and Azufe looked at it before picking it up, he suspected he knew what it was about. "Check his jacket." Chain's voice announced over the line, and promptly hung up. Azufe did the same, and looked at Bolt outside, hands in his jacket pockets... "Hey," Bolt said casually as Azufe strode purposefully up to him. A cross the giant lab, there was a massive rumbling as a car exploded and was launced high into the air. Azufe examined Bolt's jacket closely. "Uh...I think that's my jacket." Azufe said casually as he looked at the old jacket, and Bolt slipped it off. "Oh, sorry about that, here." Bolt said kindly, handing Azufe the jacket, Azufe stared at it for a moment, before looking back at Bolt. "I think you left yours in the med wing, you remember where that is, right?" Bolt nodded and turned around back in the other direction. Azufe, holding his jacket, couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Bolt, not remembering his friends, but then decided that it was just as well, as being a data hunter would have killed him for sure. Azufe rifled through the pockets of the jacket, and came up with a sheet of yellowing paper, and unfolded it to reveal a sketchy-looking diagram for a gun, with several arrows pointed at components with signs in a foreign language. He turned over the paper, and, on the other side, there were instructions written in English. [center]Heavy Model Rifle XTS-NEMESIS Instruction Manual The gun, as well as all others, contains an interior mechanism that will activate the safety if the gun is not used for over an hour. The safety causes the trigger of the gun to retract into the mechanism, and therefore, the gun becomes impossible to fire. To deactivate the automatic safety: 1: On the left side of the gun, butt-to-barrel perspective, open up the diaphragm by pressing the safety button. 2: Pull the pin gently from the inside of the diaphragm to allow the trigger to be released from the mechanism. The pin should retract into place, and the diaphragm should close by itself. Munitions for the NEMESIS model rifle are unregistered, and therefore, more rounds can only be acquired from me. Killing is only for cowards. Always remember that. Your friend-CF[/center] "How do you like that..." Azufe said aloud, and returned into the ballistics room. Within moments, the technician had found the NEMESIS rifle, and handed it to Azufe, who found the diaphragm control as the note said, and reached in to pull out the pin. Sure enough, the trigger popped out, and Azufe took a look at it. It was indeed a heavy rifle, but very finely balanced, and he felt as though he could fire with one hand if need be. He looked, as there appeared to be a magazine inserted already. He looked at the tech, who pointed down the hall to a target on the far wall. "Go ahead." He said. Azufe, tenatatively, picked up the rifle with two hands and began to squeeze the trigger, when a small laser ligth told him that he was slightly off-center. Adjusting his aim, he pulled the trigger. The gun gave off a tremendous report, but Azufe felt very little recoil, and he looked at the target to see a tennis ball-sized hole in the target, and some damage had also been done to the wall. The ballistics man whistled as the target returned, and Azufe examined the gun, when the magazine ejected itself. "This is very high technology, where would the data hunters find something like this?" Azufe said, looking at the empty mag lying on the floor. The ballistics man peeled the target away and threw it in a trash bin. "You tell me, but the problem is, none of the other guns seem to have safeties like that, they are all designed differently, and it could take months just to learn how to use them all, let alone find ways to make ammunition to replenish them." The ballistics man sighed, as though the whole thing seemed like some far-off dream. Azufe, on the other hand, felt sick to his stomach. He knew the only way to be able to learn how to work these guns, as well as get munitions, would be to ask Crossfire. He imagined the stupid smile that must have materialized on Crossfire's face when he realized that he could lead Azufe to a gold mine, and then refuse him any entry. He looked at the ballistics man. "Well, I'm going to have to think this one over. You look these over in the meantime, try and see if you can get them to work." The ballistics man nodded, and Azufe left the area, the sound of explosions behind him. He looked at the jacket in his hand, and returned to the med wing to return it to Bolt...

Bolt blinked once, now that his eyes were adjusting to the dimmer light in the room, and replied: "Yes, that sounds fine." Azufe nodded ihs approval, and turned to walk out the door. "I'll just tell our officer, Branit, that you're all right. Please wait here until the doctor or I get back." Bolt nodded and Azufe walked out the doorway. Bolt looked down at his hands, and nearly jumped in surprise when his large braid swung over the side of his shoulder, he laughed nervously. [i]I never knew I had hair like this. Heh, cool.[/i] He thought self-conciously. He stared around the room he was in, colored darkly, but all around him, large computer devices prited out readouts around him, and he then realized that his body appeared to be wired to many of these odd machines. Afraid to do anything, he remained in his sitting position, and played absently with his eyepatch, unsure exactly why he was wearing it. He seemed to be able to see fine out of both eyes, but that patch was just there. He smiled. [i]Boy, what fashion sense I have.[/i] He thought, laughing under his breath. He was examining the room around him, and waited for Azufe patiently. Waiting until he could get his whole memory back... Crossfire looked belligerently at the guard pacing back and forth in front of his cell, and found nothing better to do than trace his steps, counting them until he was pretty sure he was going crazy. [i]1...2...3...4...5...6...[/i] The guard stopped and the feet turned around and pointed towards the cell. Crossfire looked up and smiled, and the guard whacked his stick hard against the bars. Crossfire didn't flinch. The guard, this time, truly aimed for Crossfire's face, and only then did he bother to duck back inside. The guard kept walking, and Crossfire shrugged. [i]So much for that plan...[/i] He sat back down again, wondering just how Bolt was doing at this moment. He stared and thought hard about his experience in the car, talking to Azufe, wondering if he really had given Bolt the job... [i]The car![/i] Crossfire thought quickly. [i]Of course, that's something I can do...[/i] He leaned out his cell again, and called out to the guard. "Hey screw! I want my phone call!" Azufe paced back and forth outside Branit's office, the doctor was still inside, and Azufe, at certain points, could make out a piece of the argument between the two, that is to say, Branit kept raising his voice all the time. Azufe stopped when he thought he heard the phone ringing inside the office, and the argument stopped. Branit picked up the phone, and Azufe couldn't tell what they were saying. The door opened and Azufe jumped back in surprise, and Branit, from the back of the room, looked at him, holding up the phone. "It's for you..." He said, sounding just as confused. Azufe picked up the phone. "He..." Before he could begin, an all-too-familliar voice piped up through the line. "Look in the trunk, if you want any help, then come and see me." Azufe stared at the reciever in disbelief, and a click was heard over the line as Crossfire hung up. Azufe did the same, and Branit looked at him. "What was that?" Branit demanded. Azufe shrugged. "One of the data hunters used their phone call on me, he said something about the trunk...and asking if I wanted help..." "Damn data hunters, can't believe a word they say..." Branit began, but then looked up at Azufe. "Speaking of which...I think it'll be safe to let the other one work with you...for now, but if he seems to be catching on, I want him thrown in a cell to rot next to his friends, you hear?" "Yes, sir!" Azufe replied, turning around to leave. On his way, he looked at a guard. "Take a look at the car we brought in, and search the trunk." The guard nodded, and Azufe returned to the medical area. [i]Heh, how about that, working with the ex-data hunter.[/i] Azufe thought, almost surprised at himself. It then occured dto him to go and tell Jaht about this, and walked off to the medical bay, almost seeming pleased with himself...

OOC: One more effort at reincarnation... Kaze stumbled clumsily along the dying grass towards the main city gate, as his head began pounding incessantly as though his brain were trying desperately to break from the prison of his skull. He staggered a few steps to the rright and collapsed to his knees, as a bread of sweat dropped from his forehead to the dead grass below, he felt his eyes begin to water, and blinked as he saw a drop of red blood, this time, expel from his eyes. Almost afraid to close his eyes, he stumbled to his feet and began again towards the looming gate, covered with fog. He stumbed a few steps farther before the pain became so extremee that he could not continue. He fell to the ground and tried to keep his eyes forced open, afraid of more visions. Slowly, he tried to crawl towards the city entrance, but a sharp, spasmic pain shot through his entire arm, and he tried desperately not to scream, as though something were keeping his from entering the gates. Out of options, he screwed his eyes shut, and his whole body tightened up, as though expecting another vision. THe threads of reality seemed to unwind around Kaze, as the pain became so overpowering that he tought his body would collapse into a bloody mess right outside the gate... [i]I'm waiting.[/i] Kaze opened his eyes at these words, and immediately felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from his body. His eyes stung, and his breaths were still quick and laboured, but his head was no longer throbbing, and the pain of being crushed under stone that wracked his muscles and joints not a moment ago seemed to dissipate. He got to his feet, as though expecting the pain to return, but, nothing. His body felt unusually light after being weighed down by such force, and he took lighter steps than usual in entering the city gate, tenatatively, as though expecting the pain to return. He felt his face was wet, and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. A large bloodstain adhered to his right glove, and he looked into a tiny puddle of muddy water, and saw an eerie green light shining inside his eyes. He looked at it curiously. "Does this always happen when I have these...experiences?" Kaze said aloud, as though expecting some wayward soul to hear him speak. A small bell jingling caught his attention, and he whirled to look deeper into the ruined city, where the sound seemed to be coming from. "No..." Kaze drew one of his ethereal weapons, but rather than pale green and misty, the pistol came out appearing crimson red, and looking more as though it were composed of flame. "You give that back...It's mine...It belongs to me...Give it back...." Kazze muttered madly as he began to chase after the sound of the small bell in the distance. He began to fire shots in all directions, as though spirits everewhere were closing in on him, but he was trying to find the pesron with the bell. "GIVE IT BACK! IT'S MINE! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TAKE IT FROM ME!" Kaze yelled att the top of his voice, and screamed as he fired more shots, trying to hit the source of the sound. The bell kept ringing, and Kaze roared and raced down the city streets, screaming: "IT'S MINE! IT'S MINE!..." Kan looked up at the wreckage of the ship as the sun continued to fall. Soon, it would be very dark, and they would not be able to get to the city at night, lest they be more vulnerable to the curse. Kan looked towards the city, enveloped by fog, as he thought he saw a red light emenating from it all of a sudden. A voice reached his ears. "[i]KAN! Non avon ecovra ora! Non avon ecovra ora![/i]" The crew member yelled, as three others arrived from a little ways away. one of them was walking alongside Elda, who seemed only to be limping a little. Ensis, on the other hand, was a bit more shaken, as blood dripped slowly from his side, which he was holding with a grimace, as two other men helped him stand. Kan rushed over to them. "Whoa! Are you all right, then? Is anything seriously injured?" Elda looked over at Ensis. "He...he helped me get out alive, a piece of metal is still stuck inside him...please help!" Elda siad slowly, as though it pained her to talk. Kan's brow furrowed, as he looked up at the two men supporting Ensis. "[i]Ora den ente itala, ente den hopite, ken ed hopite den ante![/i]" The two men nodded and carried Ensis off towards the ship. Kan looked at Elda. "He's going to the doctor, he should be all right. How about you? Is your leg broken?" "No, it's fine, just a little scratch." Elda said as she let herself fall to the ground, and sat down. Kan sat down next to her, as they both looked towards the great ruined city. "...Just what do you think of our little friend?" Kan asked suddenly, and Elda looked at him, unsure what he was talking about. Kan looked at her. "How did you find him?" Elda looked at the ground, unable to speak. She didn't want to remember it, but Kan's words bubbled up the memories inside her, as she pictured the dark Kaze, emerging from the lake. [i]I...[/i] "I...we...found him, in the lake near Fenwyr. He was...he..." Elda couldn't bring herself to continue, as she remembered the horrible sight of Kaze, bleeding profusely into the water and onto the beach, staggereing, eyes...so dead. Kan looked at he, and she looked up. "He was...bleeding...and saying something." [i]Am...[/i] "What was he saying?" Elda looked down again, almost as though trying to supress the memory, and Kan looked up. "Yeah, I know what you mean, our friend...He is a bit...dark...isn't he..." Kan looked up just in time to see another red light flash up from the ruined city. He wondered what was happening, when Elda looked up at him. "I don't understand it, he said that he thought I said he was a monster. He...he doesn't understand kindness when he sees it!" Elda said, voice rising slightly. "Yeah..." Kan replied. "I wonder what could have made him be like that..." [i]Beyond...[/i] "Well, he must have lived an awfully hard life if something like this happens to him." Kan continued. Elda looked at him in curiosity. "How so?" "Well, imagine. He's a little kid, not much older that 12 or 13, persay. so, from what I can tell, He's lived in Ma'Uriith his whole life, even after the curse hit, and now, he wanders around, no home. I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any parents, and from what I can tell, despite what he wants, he can't seem to die." Elda looked down. "How sad..." "More than sad, milady. His life must have been pure torture from birth." Kan continued, looking up at the ruined city. "From what I can tell, anyone who'se had experiences like he's had, would surely be driven mad." [i]Death...[/i] Kan winced as a bright red light shone from the city gate, then ducked as the light streaked past his face and exploded in a fireball just past his head. Elda screamed in shock, and Kan looked back in the direction of the city, fairly certain he could hear someone yelling. "What in the [i]aethera...[/i]" Kaze stumbled and fell to his knees as the sound of the bell rung in his ears. He covered his ears as though they were exploding with sound, and the buildings all around him were littered with holes from spirit bullets. He collapsed and covered his ears, face in the ground. "No...you can't take it...it's mine...it's mine..." He whispered madly as tears began to fall from his face. He felt the sound begin to recede, and he got up slowly, dusting his clothes off. His eyes shone with that familliar light once more, and he looked around at the buildings, riddled with holes. His gun changed from red to green again, and he allowed it to vaporize into the air as he began walking off, muttering to himself again. "If you dare show yourself...I'll kill you..."

Crossfire stared, almost in disbelief, at Azufe and Terriermon as the two kept their eyes on the road. He burst out laughing, and told Azufe: "Well, all right, I knew there was something cool about you!" Azufe was in no mood to hear it, and kept his eyes on the road while Crossfire calmed down. Wind's voice came from the back. "Don't worry about a thing, amigo, Bolt'll be a real good soldier." Azufe glanced at the rear-view a third time, before replying. "Don't make me change my mind." A few moments later, the car pulled into the base area, and a man at the front examined the car suspicoudly before seeing Azufe's head in the driver's side. "I'm here to deliver some escaped data hunters." Azufe said calmly, while Crossfire smiled at the guard from the back seat. The guard pointed down a smaller road to the prison facility, and the car turned and began heading in that direction, Crossfire looking oddly eager for them to arrive... "I believe that this one could be of some use." Azufe reported, almost nervously, as he pointed back towards Bolt, who was still being supported by two guards. Branit looked at the unconcious driver in disbelief. "What the hell are you talking about? He's a data hunter! Their getaway driver! Don't you remember?" "On our way back, one of them, Crossfire, told me that this one, Bolt, he said, has short-term amnesia. He said that Bolt will not remember being a data hunter when he regains conciousness." "And you believed him? What kind of idiot are you?" Branit raged, Azufe continued. "If he is telling the truth, Bolt would possess no threat to us, and could be trained as a professional soldier. All we have to do is get him checked out when he wakes up, and if he is in fact an amnesiac, then he could be useful to us!" Branit looked at Azufe with what looked like contempt, and then caved. "All right, have medical unit check him out. If he really doesn't remember anything, I'll consider it." Azufe nodded shortly and sent the two soldiers off with Bolt, as Azufe headed off towards the prison complex... "Name?" "Crossfire." The man behind the glass barricade looked at him contemptuously. "Real name." Crossfire paused for a moment, then replied. "Jae Rin Kang." Crossfire said proudly, he had almost forgotten his native Korean name. He took a quick fingerprint sample, and walked off, while Wind stepped up to the ocunter next. Crossfire looked over as he walked through the door, and saw Azufe standing there. Crossfire gave him a short nod as he headed off, and Azufe didn't reply. He took a look at Wind. "Name?" "Ricardo Avares." Wind replied shortly, with a definite accent. Azufe stared at him, and he smiled shortly in return. Not a cocky attitude like Crossfire, but more of real gratitude. Azufe walked off without a second look, and Crossfire, already in the next room, thought to himself: [i]Not too many prisons can hold me for long, pal.[/i] "What is your name?" Bolt was already in a second room, and a bright white light was shining in his face. He didn't seem to mind very much, as he was only having difficulty with the question. Who was he, anyway? What was his name again? He looked back at the light, and felt the answer almost on the tip of his tongue, but then the voice asked another question. "What is your occupation?" Bolt stared dimly at the light in front of him. He couldn't remember, he really couldn't. Azufe was looking at the room through a window across the hall, and wondered how tihngs were going inside. "Who brought you here?" Bolt looked around, as though he was thinking the answer might be in the room. The white light was now starting to hurt his eyes, and he looked up helplessly at it. He didn't know. "Who are your friends?" Bolt could almost feel this answer gushing up inside him, but then his heart dropped. He didn't know that, either. He could almost see a face, clearly, through this bright light, could nearly picture a figure, but coudln't remember any details. Did this mean he had no friends? Who were they talking about? Bolt heard footsteps heading out the door, and the white light didn't cease... "Well, he definetely shows signs of amnesia, couldn't answer a single question we threw at him." "Did he even reply?" Azufe told the doctor seriously, the doctor shook his head. "He didn't have to, we wired him up to the graph and his brain patterns check out differently than anyone else's, he couldn't think of a single answer." "But you're not sure." "Well, in a case like this, even a small reminder of something that may have happened pre-trauma may trigger a reaction, so we have to be careful not to let him get even the smallest clue of what he used to be before this." "Does this mean he can't see me?" "He can, just don't repeat anything you told him before, and his friends cannot have any contact with him under any circumstances. To be safe, make sure he isn't aware they're here." "I understand, I'll deliver the report to Branit." "You've had a tough day, I'll do it." The doctor said before walking off with the dossier. Azufe looked at Bolt on the operation room table, still wired up to all the machines and graphs to read his brain patterns. His new ally, the ex-data hunter.

"So, just why did you decide to go on this trip?" Kaeli asked, circling Aster while the two walked off in search of chocobos. Aster looked at this inappropriately cheerful girl, and replied. "Why would you ask something like that?" "Well, I don't know you very well...and I like to get to know people...and I want to know a bit about you, since we're friends now." Aster stopped and stared at her. "I'm Aster, from Rosaria. I was on a missoin to capture the heir to the Mertonian throne, when I was forced to escape with Gale. Is that enough?" Kaeli looked at him for a minute, before replying cheerily: "No." Aster was a bit taken aback at this, and stared at her. "Well, what else is there to say?" "Why don't you tell me something you like about this trip? Why you like travelling with the rest of the group?" "Because if I didn't, Rosarian hit men might track me down for siding with Gale." "Well, there must be something you enjoy about travelling." Aster didn't reply, he had just about enough of this, when Kaeli cut herself off. "Ooh! There's one!" She squealed, and the enormous black chocobo, [b]Ebony[/b], stared up at them. Kaeli put a finger up to her lips, and, with Aster, took a few cautious steps forward... *Engaged in battle with Ebony!* Kaeli: Lvl: 3 HP: 180 MP: 50 Commands: Attack, Spare Change, Dice, Mix, Item Aster: Lvl: 6 HP: 350 MP: 15 Commands: Attack, Jump, Dragon Soul, War Cry "I think I've got it!" Kaeli whispered confidentially to Aster, as she reached into her large cloak, pulling out something that looked like a massive, snow-white radish; a Gysahl Green. Grabbing it by it's leaves, she spun around once to gain some momentum, and threw the Green a little too hard, as it hit Ebony in the back of the head. Enraged, the chocobo took a run at Kaeli, and she screamed as she was blown back a few feet in a huge dust cloud. Aster picked up his lance, when Kaeli's voice reached him. "Don't hurt it!" Aster rolled his eyes, and opted instead to Jump to distract the chocobo away from Kaeli. It didn't work too well, as the chocobo turned around and returned to it's initial target. Kaeli had already gotten up, and was fumbling around inside her cloak, looking for something. She looked up at the oncoming chocobo, and pulled out a pink silk bag, sealed with a string of silver stars and moons. As the chocobo closed in, the opened the bag and threw it's contents, a strange, shimmering pink powder, right in it's face. It blew past the powdery cloud, and then stopped dead in front of Kaeli. A moment later, it closed it's eyes, and it's knees bucked, as it fell to the ground, asleep. Aster landed back on the ground a moment later, and looked in astonishment at the asleep chocobo. *End Battle! 100 exp gained* *Kaeli is now level 4! HP: 210 MP: 65* "A bit of Sleep Powder, see?" Kaeli said, obviously pleased with herself as she looked at the unconscious chocobo. "Well, how are we going to get it back now?" Aster said, Kaeli smiled at him. "You're going to carry it." She said, in a matter-of-factly tone. Aster was taken aback. "What? Why should I carry it?" "Because I did all the work, and that Sleep Powder costs 300 gil, would you rather pay for that?" "But...but you threw it!" "You still did nothing at all to help, so the responsibility of getting it back, rests squarely with you." Aster stared at this young girl, who smiled in return. "Don't worry, if I find one, I'll take it back myself, ok? And if you find one..." She pulled another huge Gysahl Green out of her cloak. "Use this to make it friendlier, but don't hit it with it." She added, almost as an afterthought. Aster started to walk away, and she added: "If you use it, though, It's 100 gil!"

The relentless rain pounded heavily on the roof of the car as Azufe rounded the corner. He glanced at the rear-view mirror to check make sure everyone was still out cold, when Crossfire sat up from the back seat and looked at him. "Hey." Crossfire said calmly, as though he were just another passenger and was not, at this moment, tied up and being held hostage and about to go to prison for the rest of his life. He was just regular old Crossfire, talking calmly to this strange man driving his best friend's car. Azufe was almost slightly unnerved by Crossfire's calmness, and took a quick look at him before turning his eyes back to the road. He did not reply, Crossfire continued. "So, you take us up to base, maybe interrogate us for a little bit, then fix up a neat little trial where we are guaranteed to rot in a little cell for the rest of our lives, the end. Right?" Azufe still did not reply, but Terriermon took a look back at Crossfire, who grinned in return. Terriermon turned his attention back to the road ahead. Crossfire chuckled. "Bolt, here, he has short-term memory loss." Azufe looked in the rear-view mirror at Bolt, sitting, still unconcious, next to Crossfire. "Yep, it's true. When he wakes up, he's not gonna remember where he is, and who any of us are. He's just gonna be thrown in jail with no idea why...kinda sad, huh." Azufe still didn't reply, he felt that Crossfire was just trying to beg for some kind of deal, or maybe pull something to try and break the bond between him and Terriermon. He ignored Crossfire. "So...I was hoping I could make a deal with ya." Azufe looked back in the rear-view. He had been right, but it seemed so...unlike Crossfire, at least from what he had heard, to just come out and say something like that. "Yeah, I said, when Bolt wakes up, he's gonna have no idea what's happening. If you let us join the army, we can tell Bolt here that he's been in the army all his life, and so he won't be hurt by anything. That's all." Azufe stared back at Crossfire. [i]What kind of deal is that?[/i] He almost proclaimed aloud, but refused to speak, as he was sure that Crossfire was just trying to bait him somehow. "Well, what do you get out of it? You get the world's best ex-data hunters on your side, and I give you my word that we won't try anything." Azufe rolled his eyes slightly. "If you refuse...well...Chain, Wind and I will just have to commit suicide in prison. Then poor old Bolt stays to rot even though he can't remember why. Wouldn't that suck." Azufe stared at Crossifre and Bolt again. Were they serious? They would kill themselves just to prove a point like that? Is that what data hunting really is about? "Yeah, I am serious. Chain'll just break both our necks, then find some way to stab or hang himself or something. Or maybe crush his head, I dunno." Crossfire continued calmly. Azufe now realized why he was acting so cool in such a situation, he had just lost all will to live. He was now just a broken man, unable to complete his job, and now about to lose his friend. He would do anything to prevent that. If the others were to commit suicide, then Bolt, if what he said was true, would no longer be a threat to them, since he would not remember being a data hunter, and the only three who would remind him would be dead. Ergo, it would be no problem at all to convince him to join the military over spending his life in prison. "You'd do that...just for him?" Terriermon said finally, breaking the silence between the two. Crossfire cracked a small smile. "Yeah, he's like my kid brother, and Wind and Chain both listen to me, and would help me do anything for him. He's not exactly the strongest of us, but we look out for him, just as we know, if it were one of us in his position, he would do the same for us." Crossfire said with admiration. He looked at the unconcious Bolt, who'se head rolled with the movement of the truck, hair hanging limply downwards, looking more pale than usual. Crossfire looked back up. "I guess I'll give you some time to think about it. When we get there, and Bolt wakes up. I guarantee he won't remember a thing." Azufe still refused to reply. Crossfire just hung his head again, as though pretending he was unconcious again. Terriermon looked balefully at him, and then back at Azufe, who just continued to stare at the road. Terriermon looked back at Crossfire, who'se head hung limply at his shoulders, much like Bolt next to him. Azufe looked back at the rear-view mirror, wondering if this was what this crazy Crossfire was really all about...

Hah, here is my piece of [strike]crap[/strike] artwork, which I actually think didn't turn out too badly. (Was made creating a piece of an old banner of mine, downscaled to 88x31.) Hope you like. [img]http://www.imageshack.us/img1/6315/HikiganeButton1.jpg[/img] Oh, and if anyone can read and understand the kanji, despite bad drawing and/or incorrect appearance, good for you. EDIT: More buttons! I decided to slip into my school ties for these, available in 100x35 and 88x31 for your convenience. Enjoy! [img]http://www.imageshack.us/img1/2357/DramaButton89.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.imageshack.us/img1/3640/DramaButton101.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.imageshack.us/img1/7227/HouseButton89.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.imageshack.us/img1/1777/HouseButton101.jpg[/img]

Bolt stared in awe at the newly-evolved Digimon standing down the street, only thinking it looked vaguely familliar. He paused to consider a moment his future, and what would happen if he were to fire a shot. He lifted the rifle up into the air...before letting it drop to the ground with a heavy thud. Azufe looked at him, and walked a bit closer. "I knew you'd see things my way." Bolt stared at him, there was a rumble of thunder in the sky as rain began to fall. "Don't flatter yourself, I'm doing this because they're my friends, they're not tools like him." He emphasized the last point with a nod in Gargomon's direction. Azufe stared at him, the rain became heavier and heavier, Azufe's vision was getting a little foggy because of it. "You shut up..." "I can't believe you, doing this to my friends and using innocent beings to get what you want..." "Gargomon! Shut him up!" Gargomon took a step forward, but Bolt was yelling now. "Crossfire told me about people like you! Eating and using each other to survive! You think of everyone as being your tools..." Bolt's last statement was cut short as Gargomon's heavy arm came down onto his head, knocking him cold. Azufe stared at Gargomon, who de-evolved a moment later. "...Good work..." He looked back at the wrecked hover, and took a moment to disarm and tie up the data hunters, before taking Bolt and Jaht towards Bolt's car first. Just then, however, Crossfire was starting to wake up... Azufe and Terriermon quickly dumped Bolt's body in the trunk, while Jaht was in the front seat. Azufe looked down. "I guess I wan't expecting to hold so many bodies, huh..." Terriermon refused to look at him, Azufe thought of Bolt's words...was there any truth to them? Was that just a desperate attempt to distract them while pulling out a hidden weapon? Azufe walked back in the direction of the other three, but noticed, through the thick fog, something was very wrong. Somebody was laughing. Azufe rushed up to the scene where the data hunters were, and saw, indeed, that Crossfire was still there, immobile, but laughing as though something was utterly hilarious about his capture. Azufe looked down at him. "What's so funny, thief?" "Oh, nothing, just the idea we were captured by a government a**hole like you." Azufe smiled. Crossfire had no means of escape, and he would have plenty of time to hurt him later, so Azufe would hear him out. "What makes you say that? I say you were pretty sloppy there, and it was just me and Terriermon against you four. We didn't even have guns." "Oh, yeah, well I say you'd be doing me a favor if you shot me right here and now with Bolt's gun. I hardly think any government and his lowly tool should have the glory of capturing the infamous data hunters, you should have the glory of killing us all. It's that much more appropriate, that army ***** should be able to kill rather than just take prisoner, since it's what you do best." "Well, the army ***** now has you in custody. If you're lucky, you might be able to work for us someday instead of rotting away in confinment for the rest of your life, so, anything else you like to say before I haul your a** to prison?" "Not to you, but to him." Crossfire said, pointing his head in Terriremon's direction. He continued. "I feel so sorry for you, man. You should have taken your chances in a ***** world like this on your own, or died, rather than face up to the fact that you're being used." "He's my partner. Thanks to me, he doesn't have to scavenge to survive, unlike dirt like you." "Oh? Well, enjoy this 'freedom' of yours if you can, and say hi to the one we freed the other day, if your 'friend' here doesn't kill him..." Azufe brought his boot down hard, and Crossfire was unconcious once more. Asufe picked up his body, and began moving back towards the car. Terriermon paused for a moment, before following suit, Bolt and Crossfire's words still ringing in his head...

Bolt took a look out the alleyway of the massive building. The waiting inside the car had finally driven him over the edge and he had decided to take a quick look outside to see what was going on. Despite the total lack of understanding, Bolt took it upon himself to look out for his crew. He knelt down for a moment before sitting on the concrete at the side of the building. He rested his head in his hands and took a look around to make sure no one was looking. He gazed up at the sky, wondering when this was ever going to end. He hoped to find a life of his own somewhere else, but for all reasons, he decided to take his friends with him. [i]Yeah, that would be nice.[/i] Bolt thought about what was happening now, why this world he was living in seemed so...dark...all the time. He barely remembered this planet of theirs having a sun, but for the time being, everything seemed to be covered in cloud all the time. He wanted to see the sun someday, wanted to understand what it would be like if life were different. [i]Crossfire is wrong, there has to be something more... So, just what am I going to do? We'll run away, yeah, we'll just leave and find somewhere else to go, where we can see the sun someday, and maybe even live differently. I reallly want to be able to do that. I really do.[/i] Bolt's head swung to the side as he heard a small noise in the alleyway. He jumped to his feet and released NEMESIS rifle from his back holster. Cocking the massive weapon, he looked down to the end of the alleyway, but saw nothing. Only...something seemed wrong with the street across the alleyway...as though... Bolt took one look at the large vehicle parked on the other end of the road and bolted back for his car, remembering Crossfire's warning. [i]If someone parks too close, move the car.[/i] Bolt launched himself into the driver's side of the car, completely missing the trigger on the side of the door, and gunned the engine, shifting the car into reverse. The large black vehicle groaned slightly as it pulled out of the parking lot, and Bolt scanned the area for somewhere else to go where the crew could still see him... Azufe stiffened slightly at the sound of the car in the parking lot across the alleyway. He craned his neck slighty out the side but ducked back in out of fear of being noticed. Jaht looked out the side too. "What the hell? He's moving the car!" Jaht whispered hastily to Azufe in the front, who looked out the door as well. Indeed, the massive black Pacifica roared right past the stunned duo, but neither oculd seem to identify the driver. "What's going on? Terriermon was supposed to plant the bomb!" Azufe began, but Jaht interrupted, mouth agape. "He did...the trigger device is still on the door." Azufe looked out at the Pacifica roared around the corner, trigger mechanism intact. "Huh?" Wind looked out from the top of the office tower where the three were stationed, just in time to see Bolt scream around the corner. "Hey! Bolt's moved the car! We must be..." Crossfire pushed Wind aside while he was in mid-sentence, and looked out the window at the night-black vehicle. Bolt looking more stressed than usual. "We're being shadowed, where would the car..." Crossfire stopped himself as he looked out the window at the opposite side of the hall, and saw the massive hover vehicle stationed around the corner. "B*tches..." He cursed as he pulled out his assault rifle, and Chain pulled out the chain gun... Azufe and Jaht ducked as the massive impact bullets screamed madly past and around the large hovercraft, while the assault from the office building continued. Jaht yelled as a bullet pierced the side and nicked his arm, and Azufe was lucky that little of the equipment was damaged. "Go! We have to catch them before they leave!" Jaht yelled, grimacing with pain as the sting from the bullet bit into his arm. "What about Terriermon? We can't..." "GO!" Azufe tried to start up the hover, but the madly flying bullets had severely damaged the engine, as that was what Chain and Crossfire were aiming for. "It's been damaged! We can't move!" "Damnit, get to the driver!" Bolt looked out the window of the Pacifica to see his friends take a hasty leap from the fire escape to make their exit. Bolt gunned the car engine again and made a hasty U turn, ready to pick up his friends. He stopped suddenly when a large figure, holding his arm as though in pain, jumped out in front of the car. Bolt slammed on the brakes as the man pulled out a small pistol, and Bolt ducked to avoid the heavy lead bullets piercing through his windshield. Only then, did he notice the NEMESIS was still in the back seat... "What are you doing?!" Azufe called out to Jaht, who was about to depart. "Take care of the others! I've got the driver!" Azufe pulled out the small camera device and opened the side door slightly, ducking behind the wrecked hover as the trio spilled out into the street around the corner, where he couldn't see them. Azufe grimaced as he looked up to see how Jaht was doing, and turned his head to see the other three coming staight at him... Jaht yelled as an erratic uranium bullet screamed past his head, and Bolt jumped out of the car and landed on top of him. In a single motion, Bolt, with surprising reflexes, brought the butt of the rifle down onto Jaht's head, knocking him unconcious, when a bright flash erupted down the street... Crossfire, Wind, and Chain screamed in agony as the brilliant flash destroyed their eyes, and Azufe pulled out the twin rod weapons to keep them suppressed. Quickly, he rushed behind the three of them and subdued Wind and Chain with a crack to the skull. Crossfire, on the other hand, was to be kept as a concious hostage. Azufe yelled down the street. "Jaht! You got him?....Jaht?..." No reply. Crossfire struggled and Asufe held his arms in a tight hold, and looked down the street to see who was coming. His confident smile dissolved into a look of disgust and disbelief as Bolt dragged an unconcious Jaht behind him, rifle trained forward, and stopped only a few metres away. Both men stared at each other, hostages at their sides, smouldering hatred...

"So, yeah, it's what we do best, man." Crossfire seemed at an odd loss for words on this particular misson, as Bolt tried to focus on the road ahead of him. Wind and Chain seemed even more upset than usual as they sat in the back row. All the cannons and equipment were already in the trunk, where Wind could jut reach over and pick them up. Otherwise, Crossfire was busy tinkering with one of them in the front. Bolt spoke again. "Yeah, but, why do we do it? What do we get out of it?" Crossfire put down the six-shooter he was tinkering with and looked over at Bolt. "You know how we eat?" Bolt looked like he was about to answer, but continued to stare at the road in front of him. He wasn't too sure. "You know why this car always has gas? Why we have these weapons? Why we have ammunition whenever we need it?" Bolt shook his head, he, come to think of it, had no idea how they had managed to keep all those htings. "We do...because...we do our job, we give up the data to whoever wants it, and they give us these things in return. Nothing else matters. We may be dangerous and maybe what we do is hurting innocent people, or even those cute little monsters, for that matter, but it's not like we can just sit back and die like this when we have an alternative. No matter who you are or how little you believe in the human psyche or anything like that, it's always there, man. Human beings won't just lie down and die when they know there is even the smallest chance, no matter how far off or evil or stupid it is, to keep living. Even if they have to kill hundreds of people, or eat their best friend or parent or little kid, provided of course, they haven't done the same to him, or even steal data or digimon and threaten good working men with guns and powerful explosives. Sure, no one really wants to live like that, but is it like they have a choice? I've seen it all, man, I've seen people eating people and digimon and those digimon fight back by eating the people and the other digimon. How is that any way to live? They'll just keep growing and eating each other until the last one standing is finally full and dies because he ran out of things to eat, or goes to some other f**ked up universe to eat even more. We are lucky to be able to live like this, to fight for our survival and have people like each other to depend on. We have the power to kill..." By now, Crossfire had the full and undivided attention of all the people in the car, even Bolt, who was supposed to be driving, and swereved to avoid the curb. Crossfire stopped in mid-sentence, and then took a breath to continue. "Well...we do this because we have to, we do this because we want to live, not because we want to hurt anyone." Bolt ignored him as he pulled over to the curb, in front of the massive office tower that was their next target. "K, guys, we have work to do, so get out the cannons and get ready. Bolt, you take the car and park it on the other side of the building. If someone gets too close to us, then move the car." "Then how will you know where I moved the car?" Crossfire didn't reply, he just put on a look of total concentration as he stepped out in front of the office, and Bolt obliged by driving the car around the curb behind the building. As Crossfire walked into the bulding, a last thought crossed his mind. [i]We don't want to die, but if we do, then I guess we are really lucky after all.[/i] Bolt looked out the rear-view mirror and took a look at the massive office tower looming over the block. He thought of what Crossfire had said earlier, about survival and all that. He never thought of it that way, about how people would have to struggle like that, since he seemed to live just fine the way he was. He never knew the world could be like that, so cruel. He looked down at his tiny tape... [i]Crossfire told me something very strange today, he said that people sometimes have to kill or eat each other to survive. Seems awfully strange, and that we were really lucky to have someone watching over us to see what was going on. We have each other now, I know, but sometimes I cant help but wonde, just what are we doing in this world? Are we hurting people? Do we really have to kill to survive like this?[/i] Bolt put down the mic as he thought he caught a glimpse of a vehincle behind him on the street, but it passed in an instant, and Bolt wan't too sure. He had had enough. Possessed by some sort of demon, he got out of the car, NEMESIS rifle attached to his back, and took a step forward, eyes on the massive tower in front of him...

[i]So...yeah. Just where it all begins doesn't really make sense to me anymore, since I can never seem to remember exactly what's important in my life. It's just escaped me since I started this whole crazy ordeal. Sure, there are some cool points to it, too, but there really is nothing I feel that I can do to try and get my life back...[/i] The large car swerved dangerously around the corner, throwing Crossfire back into the car from the back window, and throwing him against the far door, where he struggled to try and get himself on his feet and away from Wind. Chain leaned out the side door and pulled out the small machine gun, whereupon he began firing wildly at the car in pursuit. He was missing quite a few hits, though, and Crossfire leaned back towards the trunk, and came out with a strange gun that looked like a massive drill bit. "Try this one!" He yelled at Chain, throwing the weapon into the front seat. Chain pulled his head back and picked up the large gun, it appeared to have three barrels and the ammo clip was attached to the back. It was a chain gun. Chain pulled back on the trigger slightly, and the three barrels began to whirr and spin quickly. Chain got up and looked out the sunroof, and held the gun up at eye level. There was not so much recoil as it was an uncontrollable vibration, and the constant whirr of rapid fire bullets flying in all directions didn't seem so rythmic as it was more of a flat, incessant roar. The chain gun emmited a bright white flame which began to hurt Chain's eyes, but it had done it's job. The pursuing car was now riddled with bullet holes, and stopped comletely, either because the bullets damaged the engine, or all of it's occupants were dead. Chain was not very sure, but he hastily ducked back down and closed the sunroof as the car screamed around the corner and out of sight. [i]Now I feel like I'm starting to understand what I've been doing this past while, like small flashes of memory about all the battles I've thought, but I can't remember any details. Only the fact that my three best friends were always there with me, and walked beside me...[/i] "Hey, man, what're ya doing?" Crossfire asked, as a startled Bolt whirled around, mic in hand. Crossfire cocked his head to the side slightly, and began chewing his lower lip. "It's a little something...I'm keeping just for myself, nothing really important." Bolt answered hastily, and turned back. Crossfire whistled, and the whole group's attention was now on Bolt. "Well, maybe you ought to share with your friends, you know, there should be no secrets between the four of us." "That's ok, I just want to do this myself." Bolt began, but Crossfire leant in his direction and draped an arm across his shoulder, looking at Bolt over the top of his sunglasses. "Hey, man, I'm serious, we all ought to keep a diary like that. It's a totally cool idea." Crossfire pushed his sunglasses back up his nose and whirled around, looking at the crew. "Well, what do you all think? We keep a little something in honour of our good friend here?" Wind nodded slightly, Chain just grunted his approval. "Ok! So, now that you have had your turn, it's mine." Crossfire snatched the mic out of a bewildered Bolt's hands, and Bolt looked helplessly at Wind as Crossfire ducked into an alley... [i]Oh, damn, is this thing on? ...Ok, my namne is Crossfire...well, that's not my real name, just what the crew gave me, you know. Just cuz I don't want to confuse Bolt over here, I thought I could leave it at that... ...Ok, a bit about myself, I'm from Korea, nothing big to say there, but I haven't seen the damn country since I was about...12. I like hanging out with the boys, busting open the data banks, and snatching all the glory. I also build the hardware for the boys in my spare time, even helped good old Bolt fix up the car everytime we messed it up. As for things I hate, well...I hate being the shortest guy here, and people not respecting what I do. I'm a data hunter, which is world away from being any damn thief. I don't believe in that, you know? Anyway, I really like hanging out with this crew, even if they are a bit weird sometimes. Sure, we have our momonet, but we're like one big, happy, dysfunctional family, you know? It's a hard feeling, but I like the way things turned out sometimes...[/i] "Hey! You've had enough time! Now it's my turn!" "All right, all right..." Crossfire stepped slowly out of the alley, and tossed the tiny device over his shoulder to Wind. Bolt looked annoyed, but Wind just shrugged helplessly and ducked back around the corner... [i]Um, hi...my name's Wind, in case Bolt happens to forget. Except I do have another name...just, no one's used it in a real long time, so I guess Bolt really wouldn't care about something like that. Eu sou portuges, e eu ja cohnece um pouco da lingua...Heh, sorry about that, but I've always wanted to see Portugal, cause I grew up there. It's a beautiful place, where the sun shines and people are so nice... ...Huh, well, I really like hanging around with Bolt and the group...well...I just really like what we do. We stick together through any situations and get stronger as a team, and we like what we do...I think. I've always wanted to be in a team like we are now, it's such a great feeling, to be able to have such experiences with friends like them....[/i] "Hey! Quit hogging the mic! It's Chain's turn!" Corrsfire's voice echoed into the alley. Wind stepped out from the shadow, face tinted slightly red, and gave the mic up to Chain, who looked at it for a moment before taking his turn in the alleyway. [i]I am Chain, but that is only the name that these people gave me. I won't use my real name because it would just be pointless to try and explain it to Bolt and the others. Chain is just something I have gotten used to. I am from Canada, specifically, a First Nations tribe in what used to be Nunavut Territory. It was a beautiful land, from what I can remember, but in my village, we were stricken with poverty and my family agreed that it would be best for me to go find a job with the others when I was very young. Me ambition is to one day, return to the land I came from, and learn what's happened to it. Finding my path in life through trial and hardship with these three.[/i] Crossfire opened his mouth to speak, but stopped just as Chain stepped out of the alleyway, looking almost taller than usual, and soundlessly handed the mic back to Bolt. Crossfire clapped a hand on Bolt's shoulder, startling him slightly. "Well, man, now you won't ever forget us, right?" Bolt looked down at the mic, and looked up a the group began to head back towards the car. A smile, the first smile in a very long time, found Bolt as he looked back down at the mic. [i]Thanks, guys, I'm really lucky to have you here with me.[/i]

Kaeli shuddered slightly as a particularily cool wind blew past her. She drew her cloak tighter around her, and took a quick look around to see where she was. This proved to be a mistake, however, as she was not exactly aware just how far she had walked blindly forward. To her horror, she could no longer see where she had come from in the first place, she was lost. "Ah!" She cried out as another cool wind rushed up to meet her, she looked around at the spot where she was, uncertain where to start walking next. She took a deep breath, and marched on, trying to find some sort of landmark to tell exactly where she was. On her way, she looked slightly to her right and saw something incredible: A beautiful lake, lined with crystalline plants and the surface shimmering cooly and unbroken, like a massive mirror. Kaeli stared at this magnificent scene before taking a step forward. [i]I guess this landmark is good enough.[/i] She thought smugly before moving over towards it. The ground was vary cold, given, but Kaeli didn't seem to mind all that much, as she examined a large plant with diamond-like petals sticking out. She picked off a petal absently, then stared in perplexity as it disintegrated into dust and blew off into the air. "No point in trying to sell that, then." She said with disappointment as she stared into the lake, looking at a perfect reflection. She brushed her hand over the water, and it didn't move, not even with the wind, as though frozen solid. She reached a hand in and dipped it into the water. Almost resentfully, the lake's surface broke open and began to ripple, and Kaeli yelled and pulled her hand out quickly, feeling as though she had been burned. The lake water was frigid, and Kaeli looked at her hand, swollen and red from frostbite. She looked in confusion at the lake, as she had never felt anything so cold before in her life. If the water was that cold, then why was it not freezing? Kaeli didn't have much time to ponder this point, as the ripple from her hand passed over the center of the lake, and the surface began to shine and ripple even further. Kaeli backed off slightly, wondering what had just happened. The rippling became more violent, and Kaeli got up, now thinking that something was definetely wrong here. She stared as this mysterious human figure rose up from the lake water, with an ice-blue body and a penetrating stare. The water began to churn more uncontrollably, and Kaeli pulled the small Vajra out of her pocket, wondering what was going to happen next. [i]Entering battle with Shiva! Kaeli: Lvl 3, HP: 180, MP: 50 Commands: Attack Spare Change Dice Mix[/i] Kaeli looked up at the mysterious blue creature as she rose up from the lake water, and looked at the Vajra in har hand before turning it on. Blue electricity crackled from the two small prongs ad the end of the sword-like device, and she looked especially focused as the human figure looked at her. It rose one hand high in the air, and Kaeli heard a small wooshing noise behind her. She turned around, and felt the powerful sting of a blast of wintry air from behind her, dealing her 20 HP of damage. She looked back, wonderhing how she could fight against something so far away from her location. In a flash of insight, she reached into the pocket of her cloak, and pulled out two tiny bright white cubes. Focusing deeply, she imagined winning a lot of money with these lucky dice of hers, and, magically, they began to grow to very large proportions, so big that she had to carry one under each arm. Closing her eyes tightly, she threw the two dice as hard as she could into the air,and they landed with a heavy thud; right on the surface of the water! Kaeli stared for a moment before looking at the numbers on the surface: one die showed four points, the other two. Kaeli looked up as the points of the dice magically rose up and flattened out to become airborne cutters. Whizzing through the air, they struck the creature's face, but dealt amost no damage. Kaeli groaned as Shiva lifted her arm up again, and Kaeli whirled around, ready to avoid the freeze spell from behind. It didn't come. Kaeli looked around to see what was going on, but missed the massive bubble of frigid lake water now poised directly over her head. Shiva dropped her arm, and Kaeli screamed as the heavy water poured over her, severely freezing her skin and dealing 50 damage total. Kaeli looked around for some kind of solution, as she could not get close enough for melee combat, and Dice was too risky to try again. She was too late in making her next move, however, as Shiva casted another spell, this time covering Kaeli's entire body with ice, so she could not move at all. Shiva reached a hand out, and, with two fingers, made a smart snap which echoed through the air. Kaeli screamed as the ice shattered, and cried out in pain as the frigid treatment had done it's job, she was completely paralyzed, and now had only 10 HP left. "This can't...be happening..." Kaeli thought as she looked up to see the mysterious Shiva move slowly towards her, ready to strike the killing blow... "Please...somebody...help me..."

[i]So, yeah, just where do I start again?[/i] Footsteps echoed through the long marble hallway, as three men dressed in heavy black cloaks walked quickly down the hall. One man in front, holding his arms crossed oddly out in front of him, as though he were in a strait jacket, and the other two walking on either side of him. The one in the center had neatly cut red hair and sported a pair of dark glasses, hanging lightly on the edge of his nose. The man on is right wore the same cloak, only had a pale face and straight blond hair. The third man had a dark brown ponytail at shoulder length, and he was also the tallest of the three. All three men wore the same expression as well, intense. [i]Ok, my name is Bolt...Bolt...yeah, I got that down...and my three best friends in the whole world are...[/i] An image flashed through Bolt's mind of the red haired man with sunglasses. [i]...Crossfire...[/i] A second image passed through his mind, this time of the blond haired man. [i]...Wind...[/i] A third image, of the tall man with the ponytail. [i]...Chain... ...Cool, I got them all right, I think...So, anyway, what do we do for a living...we are data hunters... I'm not sure just what that is, but I can tell it's important, because I drive for my team, or so they tell me.[/i] The three men stepped out of the elevator, apparently all business as they walked towards the security station at the end of the hall. The security guard there looked bored as ever, holding out a small detector as the three men walked by. He held out the detector to Crossfire's chest, and it gave off a small, high-pitched squeal. "Please remove all metal objects you are carrying..." The man started, but stopped as he heard a strange jingling and looked down to see a pair of tiny rings at Crossfire's feet. Crossfire threw his cloak wide... [i]So, just today, I hope to be able to remember a bit about myself, so, I decided to try and keep this diary for that reason. Hopefully, I won't forget as much the next time I listen to what I say into this little machine, but maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to remember what my purpose is someday... ...I hope...[/i] The men inside the office building all jumped at the massive sound of the grenade explosion down the hall. The only thing is, after the initial shock, none of them seemed too surprised at what came next. Crossfire, Wind, and Chain, all storming into the room, heavily armed. A security guard seated at the end table began to get up, but Wind was on him in an instant, and gave him a powerful shock with a stun gun in his hand. The guard collapsed heavily, and all eyes in the room turned to Crossfire as he held one pistol high in the air. "Down on the ground." The room obliged, as every occupant immediatly dropped what they were doing, paperwork, deskwork, coffee break, and put their hands over their heads and lay down on the floor. Crossfire looked around, none of them seemed armed. "Everybody feeling okay? Need a glass of water or something before we get started? Anybody feeling sick?" No one in the room responded. "Okay, let's get down to business." Chain walked up to a man cowering under his desk, and picked him up with one hand. Crossfire looked at him. "How you doing today, Buddy? Any new data for us?" Crossfire looked with a belligerent smile up at this man being held a foot off the floor by the enormous Chain. He gasped for breath. "Put 'im down, Chain." Chain obliged, and soundlessly lowered the man to the ground. The man choked slightly and treid to lean on Crossfire, who obliged by pushing him back into the wall and pressing the pistol to his throat. "Well? Any new work today?" "...No, not much." Buddy replied, still slightly out of breath. Crossfire shook his head. "It doesn't work that way, Buddy. You are supposed to find the best data, so we can pick it up everytime we come to collect. If there's no data, then what do we collect? What does the 'repo man' do, when his client has nothing? Eh?" Crossfire leaned in close. "Accidents happen, Buddy." Crossifre turned his head slightly to the side, making himself audible. "Hey, Chain, what's an accident look like again?" Chain pulled a large machine gun out of of his cloak and began flasihng it around the room, everybody put their heads to the floor, but Buddy began to squirm. "We got a live one." Chain stopped at this statement and looked at Crossfire, who, in this case, seemed really surprised. "Well how about that? You really are something, Buddy. Hey," He looked around the room. "Everybody give Buddy here a hand, you people work so hard and well, you know that, and you're the ones that make it happen! Give yourselves all a hand!" Reluctantly, people in the room began to clap, until the room was filled with scattered applause. Crossfire put his hand up. "Ok, that's enough." Everyone stopped in unison. Crossfire turned back to Buddy. "So, where is it?" The tiny creature stared curiously at the massive human towering over it at the moment. The human seemed to be inspecting it very closely, as though fascinated. The digimon stared up at a second human in the room, this one very tall and stern looking, but the third seemed nicer, he crouched down and began rummaging through it's pockets. A large smile on it's face. "So, just when did you find it?" Crossfire asked Buddy curiously, his weapons were holstered now, and people in the office were getting up to look at what the data hunters were going to do next. "Um, about two days ago." Buddy said, his sense of nervousness had not waned in the least, as the enormous Chain was still standing next to him. Crossfire looked down at the digimon. "Well, it sure seems to be...Hey, Wind, what're ya doing?" Wind had crouched down next to the small digimon, and was now feeding it a piece of a sandwich in his hand. "Well, It looked kinda hungry, so I thought it might like a little something." Wind replied, almost shyly. Crossfire smiled. "Ok, that ought to do it." He looked back at Buddy. "So, what have you been feeding it?" "Um...well..." Crossfire guessed what was coming next, and slammed Buddy hard into the wall again, the gun was out, and pressed against his throat. "You meaning to tell me it hasn't eaten for two days?" Buddy began stammering again, Crossfire pressed the gun down harder, while Chain was reaching into his pocket for his piece of the sandwich. "Maybe I oughta shave your head and pull out your teeth and let it eat [i]you[/i]." Crossfire continued, Buddy whimpered, when suddenly all eyes turned to the door, as the alarm began to ring. "Oh, you see? That's what I get for being nice." Crossfire said indignantly, and looked at the guard at the far side of the room, next to the alarm. He looked at Chain, who pulled out his large machine gun. Wind scooped up the digimon, and the three made a hasty exit, Chain kicking the guard in the face on their way out... Bolt, meanwhile, was waiting in the car when what sounded like an explosion rocked the building above him. He saw his three best freinds leap out of the fourth floor window, and they all landed next to the car, making a hasty leap into the large trunk. "Step on it!" Crossfire yelled, as Bolt slammed on the accelerator, the tires screeched, and the group left behind a huge dust cloud while they made their exit...

I've been observing the Battle Arena lately, and noticed the latest disturbing trend as of late: excessively long character descriptions/bios. Naturally, I can see how this gets to be a problem, one guy puts up an incredibly long bio, other guy complains about how long it is, and the whole thread goes to hell until Harlequin locks it down. The only thing is, Harlequin says that the excessively long poster is at fault, but shouldn't it be the guy who steps in and interrupts the flow of things by complaining? What is the problem with the long post, anyway? The angle I'm coming from this is: the Battle/Adventure Arenas are all about [i]writing[/i]. You get two guys together who feel like writing a good story about a fight together, and that's what they do, they [i]write[/i]. When someone comes in and tells them that they have to cut down on the amount of writing they do, well, some really good writers are gonna feel pretty demoralized or annoyed, right? So, just where is the long bio-writer at fault? Is the post spam? Not really, because it is a piece of writing which ties in with what this person is trying to do, have a spar, which, again, involves writing. If Harlequin is annoyed with an excessively long post, then he can just count it against the person when he judges the spar in the end. If someone complains about the long post, then, theoretically, that would be considered the spam post, am I wrong? If the person sparring doesn't want to read the massive post, then he should, for the most part, just be able to skip over it without worry, as the bio should not have any great impact on the spar itself, anyway, it's just a piece of writing. Sure, it could bloom into a problem when a particularly big-headed new member decides to post long to look intimidating, and flame those who say they should not post so huge. Wouldn't one just deal with the problem of flaming, and leave the fact that the person is a long writer out of it? Naturally, one would be punished for being a bully on the boards, but why make the long writing a problem too? Well, this is just a concern that's been bugging me that I felt like addressing. I have nothing against Harlequin or him doing his job in the Battle Arena, I just thought that as long as this is a problem, I could express my views on it here without getting in anyone's way.

Kaze looked on with some slight interest as Kan and the odd demon circled each other a few times, trying to size each other up, or so Kaze thought. Kan wrapped his massive chain around his wrists a few times, then unwrapped them again, almost as though it were a nervous habit. The demon dog then took a quick lunge forwsards, and Kan obliged by spinning around quickly once, and whipping the heavy weight into the dog's face. It yelped and growled, and Kan took a step back and whipped the chain the rest of the way around, this time, causing the sharp tip end to strike the demon in the side of the head. Kaze watched as blood, or what looked like it, began to flow out... [i]A field full of fire, as the rain pounds relentlessly from the sky, and the flames show no sign of abating. A lone figure stands in the middle of the firey circle, a man holding what seems to be a large pipe with a handle. He turns to face the adversary...but there appears to be a bright red mark on the back of his right hand... A ruined building...bodies litter the floors and tables all over, fine wines and alcohol are mixed with blood and vomit on the floor as the whole mess seeps down into the sewers. A lone figure stands in the doorway, a peculiar green symbol on his left arm... A misty and clouded city street, where the buildings and streets seem totally lifeless, and the fog is so all-consuming that one cannot even see the sky. A solitary figure approaches from the mist, passing by in a massive cloak, with a mysterious blue emblem embroidered on the back of it's cloak... A bright and seemingly endless desert, where the heat scorches all to nothing, and the powerful winds threaten travelers with huge sandstorms. A strange, lonely figure sits in the middle of this inferno, a large white mark etched onto the front of his jacket...[/i] Kaze awoke from the dream just in time to see Kan run past, and the large demon dog in pursuit, relentless. Kaze jumped to his feet in a surprisingly agile response, and, almost like an automatic reflex, or more like his body was being guided, he whipped out his twin weapons and fired round after round with inhuman accuraccy right into the dog's head, wiping it out instantly. Bright green flames erupted from the body, and the all too familliar sensation of the mist left behind by a parting spirit attracted Kaze to the body. Whipping out his hand, he felt the mysterious heat of a new soul's power flowing into his body... "Kaze!" Kan's voice snapped Kaze back to attention, and he spun around, weapons pointed at Kan's head. The ship's crew began muttering in their native tongue, and Kan lifted a hand, silencing them all. He walked up to Kaze, who'se weapons were still aimed at his forehead. "Mate...It's alright now, it's gone, you can put those down now..." Kan said soothingly, putting an arm on Kaze's shoulder. Kaze twiched slightly, and then allowed the spiritual weapons to disintegrate. He folded his arms. "It's never over...never over until their mortal souls go to Hell..." Kaze began, and Kan looked over at the crew. "We should try and figure out what's happening to you, mate. The closer we get to Ma'Uriith, the more the...[i]aethera[/i] seems to be getting to you." "Then we're wasting time, let's go." Kaze said descisively, heading in the direction of the ruined town in the distance. Kan saw no point in protest, and took a look at his crew. "[i]Nodanke den ora, ante den ecovra[/i]. Find the others." Kan spoke quickly, and the crew nodded. Kan looked back in the direction of the rapidly departing Kaze, who seemed more and more inhumanely obsessed then ever...

Well, Sage, I must admit I am very impressed. Damned if I can draw like that, I must say. Seeing as how some of the others are doing it, I won't bother you with requests for artwork...right this minute, but I might consider asking later on if you're up to it. Interestingly enough, I did recognize Gale's Gilventure as being from FFX. Lionheart, Ambitious...I think it went under names like that, t'was one of my favourites. Nice touch.

"What do you mean, the entrance is closed?" Kaeli stared forlornly at the closed drawbridge into Mertonia's main city, Miraclion. She was currently engaged in a small argument with the guards at the bridge checkpoint, who were refusing her entry. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but entry is forbidden." "Why, though?" "I cannot disclose that information now..." "Say! Would you like to buy this?" Kaeli almost completely forgot her troubles when she eyed the sacks of goods still attached to her chocobo. She immediately rushed over and pulled off a large brown jug, and flashed it in the guard's surprised face. "This is the best quality armor-polish in the tri-continental area! Fresh from Archabad, this one comes to..." "Uh, ma'am..." The guard began, but Kaeli interrupted both herself and the guard as she rushed back to her chocobo, this time returning with a bright green vial. "This one is a high quality medicine from Rosaria! May be small, but can heal any magical ailments right on the spot! Yours for only..." "Ma'am..." The guard began again, but Kaeli ran back to her chocobo in search of more wares. "How about..." "YOUNG LADY! We are not interested in anything you have to sell! Please leave!" Kaeli stopped and flinched slightly before the guard's outburst. She frowned and turned around, slipping herself back over her chocobo's back, giving the guard one of her best merchant looks before leaving: "You're going to regret not buying from me", and the guard replied with an equally unimpressed expression: "I could care less, now get lost." "Hmm...an ornamental urn from Astenia...guaranteed to magically keep anything you store inside it fresh forever...only 1000 gil...A necklace made from wood and minerals from the Monsoon continent, rare and very beautiful, only 500 gil..." Kaeli looked with some interest at the wares she was currently carrying, still attached to her cloak, as she lay down on the dewy morning grass just outside of the woods. She smiled as she was able to remember exactly what all her wares were, where they came from, and exactly how much they were priced at. She laughed slightly as she pulled a large bracelet off her arm, and stared at it for a long itme, it was a large silver and gold bracelet, and very elaborately made. On the one end, there was a large golden dragon head, very fiery-looking, with spines on the back of it's head, and the other side was a dragon as well, but this one was silver and much calmer-looking, almost beautiful. Kaeli smiled and tried to remember what it was, but for some reason, she had no recollection of ever having it before in the store. She frowned and stared at it longer, she definetely couldn't remember it. She looked at it some more, but then noticed a tiny slip of paper sticking out of the gold dragon's mouth. Kaeli pulled it out from between the dragon's jaws, careful not to let it rip, and unrolled it... [i]Dear Kaeli, I certainly hope you are doing well, and that you will not find this note too sone after you have departed on your journey, but even if you have, then you may as well read it, as it would be a waste to let this rest heavily on your mind during your trip. I just wanted to let you in on one of the more important secrets of being a trader that I never really though to tell you, as you were doing so well already. That is, that everytime you sell something, it is to make someone happy. That is your job, Kaeli, to make people happy with what they buy. I know you were a great merchant in Port Junction, and that people loved you, but when you finally step out of a shop and go out into the world, people don't love you anymore. They see you as something you're not, they don't recognize you as the beautiful girl I know, or the lovely merchant the people here knew, but as a parasite trying to steal their money and sell them useless junk. That will happen, Kaeli, it's what happened to me when I tried moving into town, but I only did it with your help. Don't let what may happen bother you, Kaeli. There will always be people who will not like you for what you do, but you should thank them, Kaeli, for they know you, and recongize you as a merchant. Wether they like you or not, the spirit of a true merchant is one you sould wear proudly on your sleeve, and love the people who love you for it, as well as those who hate you for it. When a good merchant sells something to a good customer, a special link is created between them, and although it is not something as deep as friendship or love, it is something else, a fine bond that always remains between the two, a knowledge that these two people made each other happy. If you can do this, Kaeli, then that special bond between you and your customers will live on and grow, and you will never be unhappy again. I hope this did well for you, and even if I don't see you again anytime soon, I know that you will do great things, and that you should never be unhappy with who you are or what you do. Keep that beautiful smile on your face that I know of, it's the smile of the beautiful young Kaeli, not the merchant, just Kaeli. -Rin[/i] Kaeli had tears in her eyes before she could finish, and a small drop fell to the page and blotted some of the ink on the paper, surprisingly, more writing appeared as she did so... [i]P.S. Despite what I said, I would like you to keep the bracelet. It is from my homeland of Astenia, and I won't tell you what it is worth, becuase it's value to me is just too great to put a price on. Please think of it the same way as I would.[/i] Kaeli smiled as she recognized the usual magic ink that Rin sometimes used when he wanted to send important messages, that only revealed istelf under the right circumstances. Rin must have been a little embarrased saying something like that, so he wrote it in the magic ink. Kaeli thought, still smiling as tears streamed down her face. Her reminiscience was interrupted, however, as she heard a little rustling from inside the woods. She got up and slipped the bracelet back around her arm. She took a small step into the woods, as though she were about to wade into deep water, and began to take a look around...

- So...It's been...How many years since then? I can't really say. Time has a way of creeping up on us older people sometimes. Hell, I can't really say that with a straight face, after all, I'm only...you know something...I foget that too. - Can't really complain, though, I should be grateful these people came and found me when they did, even though I work for them now. Not the worst job in the world, either..."Data Hunting", they called it, I think. Basically all they have to ask me to do is drive them from place to place while they get all the action, or so they say. I never really understood exactly what I was doing, to be honest, but it's all good, they teach me some good things, and at least I'm not dead. - It could be better, I suppose, I used to hear stories about a beautiful place they happened to call "America", or something like that. I can't remember even the simplest details about it, though, since I couldn't even tell you where I am now even if my life depended on it. Haha, I guess I'm getting too into these small details, so maybe I should remind myself a little about what I'm doing here. - Testing, testing... - My name is...Bolt...or so they tell me...that would be...Crossfire...and they are...Wind and Chain...great, I remembered them all...I think... - So, that's about all I know for now, this data hunting deal doesn't seem too bad, but from what my friends tell me it can be a very tricky job, although I can't really say I've done anything exciting with these people. So why do I do it?... - Why do I do it?...I don't know, but there is something I never could understand, just what is this that I do? I'm alive, I try and live each day the way I can, but somehow I just keep on forgetting what exactly I am doing here, why my life turns out like this... - I guess...destiny just doesn't matter to me as much as I thought... Name: Evan "Bolt" Mercer Age: 28 Gender: Male Equipment: Heavy Rifle Model XTS-NEMESIS Serial No.: None listed Magazine: 40 rounds Rounds: 2.3cm Round Elements: Depleted Uranium Weight: 21 kg Dimensions (cm): 73, 32, 4 Vehicle: Restored '04 Chrysler Pacifica Color: Jet-black Licence Plate No.: None Current Mileage: 83,294 km No. of times damaged: 321 No. of times completely wrecked: 12 No. of occupant fatalities: 0 Violations caused by vehicle: Stolen, Speeding, Parking, Assault by vehicle, Manslaughter by vehicle, Attempted murder by vehicle, Property destruction by vehicle, No licence or registration. Vehicle insurance: 0$ Vehicle warranty status: Null and Void Appearance: [url=http://www.perryandtsua.com/Xenogears/Bart_Fatima.JPG]Here[/url] Digimon Partner: Currently none. Bio: Evan, or Bolt, as his name is now, was involved in a near-fatal accident in his late teen years, when he had to drive in escape of the law for being accused of sheltering Digimon. Despite the fact that this was not true, this did not stop the local authorities from chasing after the underaged Evan right off a bridge on the highway, where his car fell over forty feet and crashed into a rock ledge at the bottom. The police, certain of his death, immediately left to request the crime scene investigation authorities head for the area immediately. Imagine their surprise when they returned to the scene of the wreck and Evan's body had vanished right out from under their noses... Cut to the Pacific ocean, on a mysterious unregistered oil tanker where Evan is just now waking up from a coma, and the first person he meets is a man in a white robe whom he can not recognize at all. The man leaves, and returns later with a powerful sedative that puts Evan to sleep for the duration of the trip. In the other room, several other kids have been locked up similarily, and Evan is thrown in with them in his sleep... Now, Japan, in the current time. Bolt, as he is called now, was trained by an older man to be a "data hunter", a pesron who infiltrates the highest levels of the government or elite factions in order to extract useful information on the creatures known as Digimon. Bolt is uncertain of his mission, but follows orders as explained. Paired up with his friends, Crossfire, Wind, and Chain, they are known throughout what is left of the country as one of the most extreme data hunting teams out there, and Bolt is their famous getaway driver. Extra: In case you haven't guessed from my earlier "diary", Evan's accident as a child resulted in severe damage to his short-term memory. Every day, Bolt goes on risky missions and does the best driving to get his team out of danger, but the next day, he can't remember what he did, what his job is, or even his own name and the names of his friends. Bolt is hopeful, though, and now keeps this little diary as a reminder, in hopes that some day he can finally remember something about himself...

Kaeli, more absorbed in thought than usual, looked down the brightly lit corridor of sunlight creeping up from the horizon, giving light to the streets of town below. Sitting on the roof of her shop, she shivered slightly as the cool morning wind stung her face, and wrapped herself more tightly in her cloak. Kaeli could see some of the fishermen heading out to make their early catches of the day, and some of the other merchants getting up extra early so that they could set up in good booths in the town center. Kaeli smiled as she looked out towards the sleepy town, ready to explode with life at any moment. The roofs, all in different colours of tile, and the beautifully paved streets, etching pictures into the earth, and the occasional plant or statue to give that sense of beauty to the nearly lifeless streets. Absorbed in these thoughts, Kaeli jumped and nearly fell of the roof when she saw Rin-sensei sit down next to her. "Ah! Master!" She cried out in surprise, "You scared me!" "I'm sorry, child, I have a bad habit of doing that sometimes." Rin replied, smiling, but looking unusually tired. Kaeli moved over slightly and let Rin sit down next to her. "Kaeli, do you come up here often?" Rin asked, sounding oddly reminiscient. "...Yes...The city does look really nice like this, before the work day starts." Kaeli replied sheepishly, slightly shy from all these questions. "Well, I think that if you were to open your own store somewhere, you could someday create a marketplace as beautiful as this." Rin answered dreamily, Kaeli looked at him. "Do you really want me to leave that bad?" "That is up to you, child, but I just see so much youth and energy in you that it seems a shame for you to stay here and grow old in a place like this where nothing new happens." Rin said, almost sadly, Kaeli looked at the ground. "I suppose you're right...the job has been getting a little old lately." She replied, ashamed. Rin smiled at her. "There's nothing to be worried about, child. You are like me, you have the soul of an adventurer, the blood of a nomad, you have no cause to stay here and life such a tiring life." Rin replied earnestly, looking at his protege. "If you have a dream, then you should chase it. I dreamed of coming here to find a job, and look, I have a beautiful shop, lots of rare goods, and a beautiful young lady who helps me." Kaeli smiled and blushed. "Don't let who you are dictate what you want, child. If you ever want to go somewhere, you should go, and I'll do everything I can to support you." Rin replied, and Kaeli stood up. A new life seeming to run through her. "Ok!" She answered, eyes sparking, she was shaking, but she seemed sure of herself. "I'll go find somewhere else to work! I'll see a beautiful world where every day I can watch the sunrise from a new place! I..." "Wonderful, child!" Rin interrupted. "I have just the gift for you, then!" Rin, without warning, dashed off the roof and ran back inside the shop. A moment later, he came out, producing a small key. "Come quickly! I have something for you!" Rin called out, dashing off. Kaeli scrambled off the low roof, and began a mad chase after her master, as he led her through the winding streets of town, seeming unusually young again. Kaeli, being a speedy young girl, managed to follow, but only just, as her master eventually led her to an older building outside of town... "Oh..." Kaeli gasped as her master opened the door of the building, revealing it's tall, birdlike occupant. "It's beautiful." Kaeli enthused as she petted the chocobo's beak, and it cooed affectionately. Rin smiled. "A parting gift, so that you may find a road to your destiny with greater ease." Rin answered, almost poetically. Kaeli swung one leg over the chocobo's back, and mounted it effortlessly, it didn't move. "Thank you, master!" "You have no cause to call me master, chi...and I have no cause to call you child, either!" Rin replied with a small laugh. Kaeli laughed too, but Rin's face moved back to seious. "Make me proud, Kaeli." Kaeli smiled at her former master, and the chocobo took a few steps out of the stable, and the sunlight shone in their faces. "Goodbye, master..." Kaeli said, tears sunning down her face. Rin frowned. "Do not say it with such finality! There is no reason to be sad today..." Rin began, but Kaeli smiled. "I'm not sad, I'm very happy you would do this for me." Rin stopped, and then smiled lightly. "Of course, how could I forget..." He began, but then cut himself off. "Kaeli, the path of life has many different branches, none is the right way, none is the wrong way, but you can only choose one at a time, and wherever it leads you, you must find the opportunity to be strong and happy." Rin recited solemnly. Kaeli looked ahead at the road, as she now had the choice to head down this path to Mertonia, or to turn around and walk through the city in search of another road. Kaeli looked ahead, and stared at the road. Without a second look, the chocobo raced down the road to Mertonia, leaving Rin to recede back into town. Kaeli looked down at her chocobo, and noticed for the first time, that it seemed to be carrying a large load. She looked over and saw a few bags, some containing money, others containing trade goods. Kaeli smiled and looked back in the direction of town, Rin being just a tiny dot now. She turned back and raced in the direction of the new land, ready to find her destiny...

Rao, although somewhat scared, immediately cleared his throat and replied, as cockily as ever. "Gee, so sorry to dissappoint, but running away happens to be what I do best." Senrai's voice crackled through the line. "Then you had better start now." "You wouldn't hurt a civillian, would you?" Senrai roared at him. "Don't tempt me!" Rao backed off, looking a bit disappointed. "Well, I guess I tried...so long." Rao looked up in the sky as he walked away, but noticed a curious sight up in the air, strange dot-shaped clouds hovering in the sky. "Huh?" A moment later, Rao's telecom started beeping incessantly... "There appear to be multiple Ban missiles heading down towards the surface from space." Sata's voice traled through the com. "I reccommend immediate evacuation." "Missiles? How are they doing that? Normal missiles can't last re-entry!" Rao blurted out before realizing, with some horror, that the other com was still on. "What did you say?" Trace's voice cracled urgently. "You've gotta get out of there! There are Ban missiles heading.." "The Ban appear to be using special pods to house the missiles as they enter the atmosphere, Nothing less than a counter-cannon with a range of over eight kilometers will be able to stop them." Sata droned on. Rao turned back to the other com. "Do you have an AA cannon?" "No! What is going on?!" Trace roared, more angrily. "Leave, I said! There are Ban missiles heading this way, I'm serious!" "This is all your fault! You and that..." "The Ban pirates appear to be using a mechanism on the surface to calculate the range at which the missiles can fire." Sata interrupted. "If we can destroy or jam the signal of this device, the missiles will become unstable and detonate before they reach the surface. "You heard her! Help me look for the device!" "Don't tell me what to..." Rao didn't bother letting him finish, he turned back to Sata. "Help me find it, Sata." "It appears to be well guarded, and it cannot be jammed by the Malus Gemellis' signal at this range." Sata replied. "Your only chance is to move in and demolish it." "Where?" "From the spaceship, north-west-north for a few kilometers, just outside the highway. The missiles will reach automatic control range in approximately twenty minutes, so time is of the essence." Without waiting for another word, Rao rushed off in the direction of the highway, when Trace's voice crackled through the line. "Wait!" Rao didn't stop, but replied. "Yeah?" "Why are you doing this?" Rao slowed down a little, and turned back in the direction of the ship. " 'A friend in need'...Right?" He turned off the com and raced back in the direction of the highway, not waiting for an answer...

"Ok, here...just a minute...Here you go! That'll be..." The center of Port Junction, one of the most bustling trade metropoles in the entire wold of Crescence, the town seems to be unusually active today, as people run around in the center of town, stopping only for whatever is at a good price. "Hm, I think I have one of those...Ah! That'll be..." Today, a certain young lady seems to be attracting an unusual amount of attention, as the crowd starts to build in the center square. People stare in amazement at this girl, carrying all her wares at once, and charming her customers with a flair unlike any other merchant. "Here you go! This one comes straight from the Monsoon Continent! So, that comes to...Ah!" A familliar jingling of bells causes Kaeli's head to snap to attention, as she sees a small, hooded figure dart through the crowd, carrying a large urn with a small string of bells attached to them. "Oh! Sorry! I have to get through..." Kaeli watched as the small figure cut effortlessly through the crowd, and Kaeli, out of options, took a large jump upwards and grabbed onto an awning hanging off a building. Climbing up, she watched as the pickpocket tried to shove his way through the crowd, bells still jingling. Kaeli ran across the roof of a low-hanging building and dove into the crowd, landing on top of the would-be thief. *Engaged in battle with Pickpocket* Party: Kaeli - Level: 3 HP: 180 MP: 50 Commands: Attack - Skill - Item The thief, realizing he is cornered, pulls out a small knife and lunges at Kaeli, whi reaches into her pocket, and meets the knife with the tiny Vajra. A blue bolt jumps from the device and courses down the pickpocket's arm, stunning him slightly. Kaeli, satisfied, holds out the Vajra device and sends a shocking wave at him, sending him flying into the air and landing with a hard thud, knocking him out. *End Battle. 30 EXP gained, 80 Gil gained, Recieved Urn.* "Go home!" Kaeli yelled triumphantly, as the unsuccessful thief ran off with even less than when he started. The crowd ceeherd their approval, and Kaeli smiled and returned to the square, selling her wares... The door of Rin's shop burst open, and Rin, sitting down at the short table, looked up and saw a very joyous looking Kaeli, spinning her way inside, clothes free of all her wares. "Rin-sensei! I was able to sell everything! Look how much money we got!" Kaeli reached down and pulled up her claok slightly, and avalanche of money immediately slipped out of the split moneybag, covering one end of the table. Rin looked up at his protege, who blushed in embarrasement. "It's almost 3000 gil, now we can pay off the shop." Rin looked up and smiled, picking up a single Gil coin off the table. "That is wonderful news!" He looked at his student earnestly. "I knew you could do it." "Don't mention it." Kaeli replied sheepishly. Rin smiled and looked down at the money. "You know, you have become even stronger than me...Must be your charm." Kaeli laughed, but Rin looked serious. "Did you ever consider getting a shop of your own?" Kaeli looked up at her master, eyes wide with horror. "Are you saying you want me to..." Rin laughed, shaking his head. "No, child, I don't want you to leave, I'm just saying that I think you could do well. I'm getting old, and you are so young and full of life, you could do it." Kaeli smiled. "But I like it here, and I like working for you." "You really aren't working for me anymore, child, you are working for yourself. It is wrong of me to take this money that you worked so hard for, you take it." "Master! No! You need this to pay off the shop." "Take it, Kaeli, you could do so much more with it than I ever could." Rin-sensei smiled, but Kaeli still loked hesitant. Thinking carefully, she scoopd up a few handfuls of coins, then left the rest. "You take it, you can pay off the shop, master." Rin stared at the cash that still remained, then looked at his student. "Very well, but you take care of yourself, child, that money could do great things for you." Kaeli eyed the pouch with the gil inside tenaciously. She tied the money securely around her waist. "I won't let you down!" She replied as she raced out the door, ready for her next round of trade. Rin smiled as he sat back down, looking at the mass of gil in front of him. He thought to himself. "That girl will be a brilliant store owner, someday." OOC [color=red]EDIT[/color]: Ok, no Al Bhed. The blue text has been replaced.

OK, currently I am working a CD album cover for Laeth E'Thae (an RPG) and I could certainly use some help and suggestions for working on it. The front cover is the yellowish map with "Laeth E'Thae" written on the front, and the back cover is the other one with the chains. The front cover I'm really not too happy with, and I could use some suggestions or opinions on both covers.

I say that I would if I could. Why? Not so much about cost, but more about availability. I am a Canadian anime fan, and, for some reason, anime DVDs at any store seem to be a great rarity in my area, and to order off the net is more pain than it's worth, seeing as how some U.S. companies refuse to accept credit cards from Canada, and other Canadian stores probably don't have it anyway. 1. Despite my above rant, I do believe that, to a point, downloading anime is wrong. Why? Some fortunate people are able to purchase this anime legally. My friend goes to the States for holidays on occasion, and usually comes back with a DVD set. I don't see money as being a valid excuse to download. I believe availability, however, is a little more plausible, but certainly no reason to steal large amounts of anime, or anytihng else, for that matter, from the retailers or artists. 2. Probably, but again, there are few, if any, stores that sell anime in my area that I'm interested in, and so downloading seems like a much easier alternative. 3. I would not know how to answer this question, as I am not well-versed enough in the anime-related news to add to such a statement. Again, this relates to my earlier point, as avaliability here is probably the biggest issue I face when considering wether or not to download. According to my current sistuation, however, I would have to say no, as there appears to be no current rise in popularity in the anime franchise here to be attributed to fansubs. If anything, the franchise seems to be disappearing.