"Chibs?" illusions came up and gave her a pat on the back. BlackRose turned to look at her causing a slight reaction from illusions. "Not preoccupied today?" BlackRose shook her head. Illusions smiled and BlackRose gave a mental sigh of relief. "Lack asked me and brighteyes if we could go hunting for Dead and Bloody Branches. Want to come along?"
BlackRose froze not knowing how to respond. Shit what do I say?
"Chibi and I had a prior agreement this morning," Lack said stepping into the hallway. BlackRose kept still not giving away her surprise. Lack came up and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Illusions eyes narrowed at Lack. "We'll get going then." She turned and disappeared down the hall.
Lack turned to face BlackRose. "I can't keep bailing you out. They're bound to notice if they haven't already."
"I can't help it," BlackRose replied knowing that he was meaning Chibi's death sentence and her disguise. Choosing her words carefully, she added "I just don't feel right at the moment."
Lack gave her a small smile and took her arm. "Then how about I set things right…" he added in a whisper. "I'll need you to turn back to yourself if you're willing. I can't… With you looking like Chibi that is…"
BlackRose searched his face for any signs that he was joking. Finding none, she said "Alright."
~~~
"Lack and Chibi are acting weird," illusions said suddenly to brighteyes and Syaoran. "They're definitely hiding something."
Syaoran disappeared into a bush and gave a quiet sigh before adding "Maybe they've started to have feelings for each other." Lack's going to murder me for saying that. Hearing nothing, he peeked out at the two girls. "You two are quiet."
"That makes sense though," brighteyes said to him. Her eyes sparkling with interest at the new topic. "They're always sparring together."
Syaoran's body went cold. Lack's going to really murder me. BlackRose too. "Í said maybe. There could be something else that has them acting weird…"
"Like what?" illusions asked looking at him. "You know something. You look really pale."
"I'm always pale!" Syaoran cried and darted deeper into the bushes. "Find branches or Lack will have all our hides."
Brighteyes leaned over to illusions and whispered "Syao's acting strange as well."
~~~
BlackRose sat on the end of Lack's bed and recast Disguise to return to looking like Chibi. "You really like enjoying yourself don't you," Lack gave a small shiver then smiled. "Why can't you with Chibi? I'm sure if you asked her she would."
"Because it really does feel like she's my sister," Lack replied pulling on his shirt. "Its like I'm doing it with family."
"Then why me?" BlackRose asked quietly. "I'm more closer to being family to the both of you than you are to each other."
"Because I don't get that feeling with you," Lack replied walking to the door and opening it to look around. "Besides…" He looked back with a smile. "It's not everyday you can get into bed with a Hidden God."
BlackRose threw his pillow at him only to hit the back of the door. "Not funny." Getting up, she placed her ear on the door listening for any sound. What am I doing?
"Lack's all happy again for some reason," brighteyes said to illusions with a sneaky smile. "I wonder…" They whispered to each other causing BlackRose's face to go red. "That's go to be it! Syaoran was right!"
BlackRose waited for them to move away before she left Lack's room. He's going to murder the guild at this rate. It would have been easier to tell them Chibi's situation and work from there. Spotting him walking into the Foyer, she hissed in his ear. "You know what they're saying about you and Chibi now?" Lack shook his head and leaned against the wall as if waiting for someone. BlackRose whispered quickly what she had heard from brighteyes and illusions. Lack gave a visible shiver and closed his eyes.
"I'll deal with it somehow," he said softly. "That aside, you… As in Chibi… Have to go to the Alchemist Society soon. Just like I have to go and make my own appearance at the Monk Society to try and keep the peace there."
~~~
Chibi jumped from rock to rock to a small village in the middle of nowhere. "Follow me," she called to Tadakono and Phenomenon. "I'll lead you the short way. I don't want to be attacked by Lord of Death or any other monster in Niflheim." They walked into the small village lined with pumpkins on every side.
"It's been a while," An ethereal Assassin Cross walked towards her, his Fight Club tattoo a dark spot on his neck against his pale translucent skin. "No one has visited me in a long time."
"I need to enter Yggdrasil… athan." Chibi said softly. She smiled and rested against a nearby tree. "You can probably tell why."
"Your life thread is incredibly short," athan said looking at her up and down. "Not because of an experiment either. Hel has cut it. I can see how much time you have left," Seeing Chibi's expression, he added. "I can't tell you. It's part of Kashy's binding on me." He looked up to the sky. "You're in luck. I just received permission from Forseti to let you into Yggdrasil." He looked at Tadakono and Phenomenon. "But only you. Your bodyguards need to stay here."
"But in Yggdrasil there's…" Chibi trailed off noticing athan look back up to the sky. "What is it?"
"Forseti wants to make sure that it is fated for you to return your life thread this way," athan said listening to Forseti's voice. "He says that if it's not to be then the fated way will appear..."
Chibi shivered at the way athan trailed off. A tear trickled from athan's eye. "So if it's fated for me to be killed by Nidhogg…" She looked at athan who nodded in answer to her question. "When I return, do I return here?" Again athan nodded. "Then I'll go."
Athan walked down the stairs leading to a very ancient doorway that was twisted and gnarled like it was created from a tree root. He opened it and bowed. Chibi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She felt something clip onto her left ear and someone replace her left glove for a coarser, heavier glove.
"My Marine Sphere earring," Tadakono whispered in her ear. "It will allow you to use Magnum Break." He placed a hand gently on her head. "Make sure you come back."
"Something I use to use as an Acolyte before I learnt how to Heal," Phenomenon whispered in her other ear. "A Vitata glove," His hands held her left one. "Make sure you return it to me."
Chibi opened her eyes and stepped towards athan. She felt, if she said anything, that she would cry and not be able to continue on with her determination to restore her life thread. Athan raised his hands and clipped another earring to her right ear. Chibi looked at him curiously.
"You made this for me in return for the favor you asked," athan said softly. "Do you remember?" Chibi nodded with a smile. "You keep it. I can't use it anymore in this state."
"But," Chibi replied with tears trickling down her face. "This is yours. Made with your Doppelganger Card." Athan shook his head and took her arm, directing her into the door. "I don't need it back. But I want you to come back." He said and closed the door leaving Chibi at the entrance to Yggdrasil.
~~~
Lack sat in front of the guild in the Dining Room. His finger tapping at the table in a steady rhythm that mimicked his heart beat. His ears picked up all the voices and conversations in the room. BlackRose sat next to Lack looking at him. They decided to tell them the truth. Touching his tattoo, he gave a silent command to the room to remove and seal out all non-fight club members. He paused and placed an added command to leave BlackRose where she was. The doors around the Dining Room slammed shut making everyone jump in fright.
"If I can have all of you seated," Lack said, his voice carrying without him projecting it over normal tones. "And quiet, I have something to tell you all." The guild fell silent and drew their attention to Lack. He stood and looked around the room. "As you all know that myself and Chibi were frozen in the Ice Cavern. The ones who froze us there were Hel and Contra." Contra's name caused everyone to break out in whispers. "Silence please." He moved his left hand and took BlackRose's hand.
BlackRose stood and closed her eyes and gave a small nod to everyone before opening them again. "Since then, Hel has been after…" She paused and looked at Lack who nodded. "Been after the knowledge Chibi possesses." Whispers broke out again. BlackRose turned back to her true self and looked at them. "Hel tried to attain information from Chibi to create a force stronger than doppelgangers that Loki made. Chibi refused and Hel cut her life thread short to force her to reveal the information out of desperation." Shocked silence greeted her words. "Chibi has gone to Yggdrasil with Tadakono and Phenomenon to search for a way to restore her life thread." She changed back to looking like Chibi and softly added. "I am here to keep the flow going. Originally, we had decided to hide it as you all are hold loyalty to each other that knowing this would hurt some of you."
"But because of the absurd gossip you are all spreading," Lack said slightly angry. "We decided to give you the truth and see how that sits with your annoying gossipy theories." He sat back down heavily in his chair. BlackRose sat down a bit more delicately and looked at him. "I don't want to hear about how Chibi and I are together. Chibi is my sister and it'll always stay that way." He touched his insignia glove lightly before leaning back in his chair.
~~~
It's warm. Chibi walked along the thick roots of Yggdrasil with Flyte floating at her side. I wonder why. She tugged on the glove sharply. Feeling it go to normal temperature again, she sighed. I guess it's alright. If anything had happened to Lack it would of gone cold and disappeared completely.
"Who dares to enter the sacred realm of Yggdrasil?" A voice called from a distance. Chibi froze and looked in the direction the voice had come from. "It is forbidden for those who have been here once to come again."
"Let me pass Nidhogg," Chibi called out towards the giant dragon in the distance. "I have been given permission by Forseti to be here."
"Come closer so I can see you," he called back. Chibi walked towards him until she was just outside of flame range. "You won't come closer?"
"I have been captured by Loki and fooled by Hel once," Chibi replied keeping her eyes on the dragon. "I won't been made a fool of by another of Loki's family again." She gave a small bow. "Even if it is you Nidhogg, I fear I can't come any closer."
"Being cautious…" Nidhogg laid down and rested with his wings curled around either side of his body. "While you may have Forseti's permission. I know that if you are alone that it's also a test." He flapped his wings. "Sit, rest, and then we'll fight. I'm the barrier between here and the heart of Yggdrasil."
~~~
Lack felt a sharp tug within. She got angry at me from that distance? He sat in the Training Room, his eyes dark and looking inwards. I'll be stronger when you get back. Falling into his Spiritual Power, he sat down in the centre of the circle and began his meditation.
Syaoran watched him from the doorway for a while before leaving for Velvet Touch of Enishi. I need to ask Mike… He's was with Chibi the last time so he'd know. His memories of when Tadakono, Phenomenon and himself were trapped in Yggdrasil left him feeling uneasy.
"Off to see Mike?" Minna asked quietly. She stepped into the foyer with brighteyes and illusions to meet him at the door. Syaoran nodded with his hand resting on his sword. "Mind if we come as well?"
"I don't mind," Syaoran replied looking back towards where he came from. "I haven't told Lack though. So it'll be absence without leave from Lack."
"It should be alright," brighteyes said with a smile. "We all know that after Chibi it's you, Tadakono and Phenomenon that run the guild. Therefore, Lack would be more lenient with you than he would be with me."
"Better yet," BlackRose stepped into the Foyer. "I'll let him know you have gone out. I don't want to know where in case it's something he'd protest against." Noticing Syaoran's expression, she added "Don't tell Mike that Chibi is in Yggdrasil. Lack wants to keep the information within the guild." She blinked then smiled. "Actually I don't think you'll be able to say it now. Lack just used his Guild Master abilities to seal the information. No one in this guild can say anything about it now."
"So that's what he was doing," Syaoran said with a small nod. "I want to know that the inside of Yggdrasil is like. Asking you would be different because you're a Hidden God. You're restricted to saying anything. Where as Mike isn't." Syaoran gave BlackRose a nod and waved his hand in a sweeping motion to the girls. "We'll be going now."
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