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"Two come in, one goes out," sighed Aria. "I'm warning you right now that someone is probably going to wake me up, soon. I have a game tonight." She hooked some blond hair behind her ears.

She turned and fixed the boy who had just attacked the tree with a sweet smile. "But I'm ignoring the man of the hour. It's really great that you can attack trees like that. Why don't you just go off and take care of these things single handedly, and we'll wait here?"

((Posting in my web design class right now.

Happy Christmas to everyone who celebrates it. Happy (belated) Hanukkah as well if that's where you stand.))

Rowan was a patient person. He stood quietly, watching competition over who was more powerful, or something. Wincing and gasping for breath as an innocent tree was attacked, Rowan was growing slightly annoyed with the "saviors" of his world, but they would learn to get along; he had faith.

Willow wasn't nearly as understanding. She leaned close behind him and hissed in his ear, "We're getting no where at the speed of stupidity. Let me take over."

Rowan brushed his hair behind one pointed ear, "No," He replied flatly, "I'm running this just fine."

*~*

It was late. Francis sat up in his hospital bed watching the late night news. Both his parents had fallen asleep in the always uncomfortable chairs that were in hospitals, made mostly of wood, hardly any padding, and a gross mauve color.

The nurse who was supposed to be watching him (to make sure he stayed awake) was gone. This was his chance. He could go back to sleep.

Yet why couldn't he? Francis was wide awake. This had been the same way he'd gotten in the accident the first time. Something bad would happen again, he was sure.

Aidan walked into the kitchen, where he saw Justin scrubbing pots and pans vigorously. The sound that had woken him apparently came from him banging them against the sink.

"Geez bro, you could wake the dead with that racket," Aidan complained.

Justin glanced over his shoulder and frowned, then turned sullenly back to his task. "It's supposed to be your turn to wash these, you know." he said.

"So why didn't you wake me up?" Aidan asked, "I would have done them."

"Mom decided to let you sleep. She even saved you some dinner," Justin gestured to the covered plat on the table, "She gave me the dishes as punishment for my bad report card." He banged the pots even harder.

Aidan sat down and uncovered the plate, picking up knife and fork as he did so. "That explains why you're so grouchy, then," Aidan took a bite and swallowed before continuing. "You need to chill out, man. I know I tease you about school, but grades aren't everything, and mom and dad will get over being upset eventually."

Justin finished rinsing the last of the pans and started drying them. "Yeah, I know. Sorry to snap your head off, bro," he sighed, "Maybe you could help me with some of my work later?"

"No prob," Aidan agreed, "but tonight I'm still tired, so I'm gonna head back to bed after I finish eating."

Justin gave him an odd look over his shoulder, but let it go. "Okay. I can wait."

Aidan shoveled down the last of his food and washed the plate himself before heading back to his room and laying down in his bed. He was asleep again almost immediately and greatly looking forward to his dream.

*~*

Aidan opened his eyes to see the scary man who had carved up the tree threatening the winged girl. Quickly, he laid a hand on the man's shoulder. "Whoa man, calm down. What's got you so pissed off?" he asked, a little incredulous.

Doragon threw the sword into the air. Itdid a couple flips and the blade disappeared and it fell right into his pocket. "I wasn't bragging, I just wanted the people to know you aren't the only one who can fight!" Doragon yelled after T.K. He began to walk off, singing under his breath, "Pain, with out love, pain, can't get enough, pain, I like it rough cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all. Your sick, of feeling numb, your not, the only one, I'll take you by the hand and show you a world that you can understand. This life is filled with hurt, when happiness doesn't work, take me by the hand, when the lights go out you'll under stand." He was now pretty far away and he yelled up at the sky, "PAIN! WITHOUT LOVE! PAIN! CAN'T GET ENOUGH! PAIN! I LIKE IT ROUGH 'CAUSE I'D RATHER FEEL PAIN THEN NOTHING AT ALL! Anger, antagony, are better than misery, trust me, I've got a plan, when the lights go out you'll under stand. PAIN! WITHOUT LOVE! PAIN! CAN'T GET ENOUGH! PAIN! I LIKE IT ROUGH CAUSE I'D RATHER FEEL PAIN! I KNOW! I KNOW! I KNOW! I KNOW! Y'KNOW! Y'KNOW! Y'KNOW! THAT I'M HERE TO SAVE YOU!" He didn't know where he heard the song before, he felt as if he'd come up with it right there, but he knew he recognized it from somewhere.

Anderson's head turned from the point where TK had left and the point where Doragon had left in disbelief. The people here were... well they were completely eccentric, but now those two had left the clearing seemed a lot quieter. The people at school would never seem quite as crazy ever again.

And then there was another suprise as the winged girl vanished and reappeared again in the blink of an eye mid sentence, and another person had suddenly appeared out of thin air, who had also been here before. Aidan, or some name to that extent. Was that what he had done when he had woken up? He was beginning to piece it together now, it didn't seem to be like a dream, and something the girl who had recently appeared had said had sunk in. It seemed other people were dreaming this, and like any proper dream or story they need to kill some evil thing.

He turned his head to the winged girl again, feeling slightly intimidated by her and her 'get straight down to business approach.
"I'm sorry but what are we supposed to kill? Evil spirits? This is weird.. I don't even know you're name and you're telling me to kill evil spirits." He paused, "Sorry, you don't have to explain if you want, you only have five minutes after all."

Aidan watched Doragon storm off in complete and utter disbelief. If he had any doubts about this NOT being a dream before, they were completely gone now. Nothing his mind could come up with would ever be that irrational and irritable. Or sing that song...Three Days Grace was a band he tended to avoid.

He quickly turned his attention back to the others. "I agree. I'd love to find out exactly what we're supposed to be doing and how we're supposed to be doing it. I would like to find out everyone's name, though. If we're going to fight the forces of evil together, we should probably know how to get each other's attention beyond just 'hey you'" he smiled and shrugged, "but I'm not picky about the order we do them in."

"I've had enough of this." Willow snarled, standing at Rowan's shoulder. "I'm gonna get us somewhere, and you, Mr. Peaceful, can keep standing there and wasting our lives away."

Rowan didn't say anything. It was time to let someone with a fire under her take control. This plan had to get moving.

"Alright." Willow barked, stepping out in front of Rowan. "All the rest of you are in this now, whether you like it or not. You're gonna stop acting childish, you're gonna stop fighting with each other, and you're gonna start listening to me." She took on a pose of a general and stalked three steps to her left, where her feet landed, it appeared as though the weight of something thousands of times heavier than her were walking, "Or I swear, with all the power at my disposal, I will crush you like a bug." The Faye stopped, "Do you want to fight with a member of the strongest magical race in forest? No, you don't. No matter how badly you may think you can win, you can't." Willow glanced over her shoulder at Rowan, signifying that it was his turn to speak.

"Right," He nodded, "The Kidir Mountains are located right over my shoulders, that's where you're going, like Willow said, whether you like it or not." Rowan wasn't as directly threatening as his partner, but his tone did carry a certain anger and power that implied that it was wise not to mess around with Mr. Nice Guy anymore. "So go," He turned to gesture to the space behind him, as though he were welcoming them into a home. "Unless there are any complaints." He snarled and all the trees on the edge of the clearing seemed to, and really did, lean in on the group. The space suddenly felt much smaller and darker; Mr. Nice Guy was completely gone now.

*~*

Francis reached for the television remote. He'd been watching late night infomercials and almost wanted to buy the Magic Chef that he'd been hearing about for forty five minutes. He grasped the remote in his hands and pressed power. The room went black. Maybe he could get some sleep now.