(All questions will go to the "Hidden Secrets")

(Plenty of triggers. No exact list. Cursing will be here.)

(There shall be two parts)

Contents:
1: Warmth within Pain.

~~~

[Warmth within Pain.]

(This is actually one of the many versions I have of this one.)

Admiral put her head down as the argument arose again. Dijon stood shakily beside her seated position, with a pale face that could rival his reaction to ghosts, as he tried to split the rather large argument. The Dexters (Ranger only group) had been boiling this lovely bloodbath up since sunrise and now it was getting on some people's nerves. At first it was a small argument chain; Dijon and Admiral's normal rivalry arguments, Scarlet against a group of Dexters trying to get the file, Crepe arguing with a lot of wounded people, Midnight arguing with Parchment, Scarlet and Lapis going at each other, etc. But we're passed that now. Admiral and Dijon had entirely shut off their argument when the big one hit, but the big argument consisted of the rest of the arguments. They were now in an Aloje Dexter meeting, and the fight had heated up to a near bloodbath. Dijon had been dancing around it, trying to get in and stop them before an actual knife got pulled while Admiral was trying to pass out to escape it all. She sadly listened to Dijon's attempt to cut it off. It got bloody afterwards.

"Guys... can we stop arguing and focus on more important things? Please?" Crepe narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend as another comment was thrown elsewhere in the meeting, gaining quite the response.

"Dijon, now's not the time to be doing that. We have better things to do."

"But can we please clean up this argument to do those things? Because I'm sure we don't need this tension..." His voice faded as Crepe scoffed.

"Just get used to it. This is practically life at this stage." Admiral physically heard the words that followed, and she was sure Dijon did too. "Pathetic wimp..."

She felt Dijon sat down beside her before a sniffle touched her ear. That was the end of the line. She very slowly stood up before going over to the argument. It hadn't calmed down at all from Dijon's strike against it, but that didn't matter. She had to help a friend. She slipped over to where Cedar was drifting off and touched his shoulder. He opened his mouth to reply to her when she shoved him into the ground, gaining a high pitched yelp from the caster. The entire room went quiet as they looked over at the scene. She took a steady breath before she finally spoke.

"Shut the fuck up. All of you." She then turned and went out, leaving them to their shock.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She later found out the meeting had been ripped to shreds by the argument and Dijon had shut the world out. She was thankfully allowed in to see the redhead, only to find out how bad the crisis really was.

Dijon had shifted his room to one corner, making a practical fortress to keep people away form him. She actually was rather impressed by his fort as she steadily approached it and sat down near it.

"Dijon?"

Something moved before he poked his out of the entrance. His face was coated with tears and his eyes were dim enough to be considered off. Concern washed over her as she touched his cheek. He pulled away before she spoke.

"Dijon... what happened?" He trembled as he pulled a pillow out of the fort so that he can put his head down and look up at her. His eyes never lit up once as he sighed. A soft voice barely escaped him.

"Where to start..." He sighed as he turned away. "First the arguments... then everyone leaving... and-" He shifted rather uncomfortably as his hand touched his stomach. "I haven't told Crepe..."

"Haven't..." Her words stopped as she eyed the hand on his stomach. She let her hand reach out and grasp the hand, making him pause. "And now you won't be able to..." Dijon let tears roll down his cheeks before he felt her move near him.

"Admiral..." She gulped before she spoke.

"You're not the only one-"

He paused as her free hand moved to her own stomach. It took him a moment before he solved her words. The past said enough. He shifted a little before gripping her hand on his stomach. She looked up as he motioned her to his side. She blinked twice before finally smiling and crawling over. He brought them back into the safety of the fort before they passed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(One year later...)

Admiral grinned as she raced into the Pueltown Docks. It had been a painful time before this, but thanks to Dijon covering for her at the Union, she could finally let the fresh air run through her hair. Her smile lit up the area around her as she let her feet hit the water and she dove in. She never felt so alive before.

She returned to the Union as Linda smiled at her. Admiral wanted to make a comment, but her energy burst said otherwise. Her eyes caught sight of Dijon as he steadily hid behind the operator, holding a small child in his arms as they waited for her. She smiled as she ran over.

"How's the sea after a year of being away?" Admiral let a bigger smile cross her face. "That says enough." She glanced at Dijon as he swayed gently beside the duo. The child was asleep while Dijon looked drained. Admiral gently touched his face to gain his attention.

"Did you sleep at all?" He let a soft smile cross his face as he nuzzled against her hand. "You should sleep... here..." She gently took the small child from his loose grip and pulled him up to his room. He barely pulled back as he let a whine loose. She giggled. "Aw... were you lonely with no one to talk to?" He let a whimper out as she smiled. "Well I'm back. But I might be out more and more to help Wendy and Sven, ok?" He seemed to latch onto her arm at her words. She let another giggle out as she pulled him into his room, where his fort was and 7 little faces poked out at them. "Come to bed..." He purred as she got the 8 kids into a hug to sleep. He joined her as the kids got comfy and the older duo fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(3 months after above...)

Crepe gulped as he pulled the group close. He had barely saved a group of kids that were with Lapis before the bluenette was captured and had taken three kids from Seafoam and Porcelain. And that wasn't counting the two he already had. He was on the verge of tears as he remember the scenes all too vividly. The 9 kids had fallen asleep as he tried to keep himself together. He wished Dijon was there. He finally wrapped the small children in a bunch of blankets before grabbing his pillow and let his tears out. His phone buzzed, pulling his from his meltdown. He trembled as he grabbed it and hastily answered it.

"C-crepe..."

"Hey..."

The tears returned as his boyfriend's voice echoed from the other side of the call. He had to have been hearing things, right? Right?

"D-dijon...?"

"Yeah it's me... are you ok...?"

He focused on the voice. It didn't sound like Dijon, but the fact that he answered and was already concerned put some relief in the brunette.

"Y-y-yeah... I'm ok... just really stressed right now..."

"What happened? If you want, I can come to you and-"

"No-"

The tears took him down as the memories flooded his mind. He thought he heard Dijon say something, but he had missed what he said while the tears continued to fall. Finally a faint noise cut through, gaining his attention.

He felt a calm aura fill the air as his ears grasped the voice that followed.

"Crepe...?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Come home... please..."

It took Crepe a moment before he answered, tears threatening to fall again. But he got it out with enough power for it to get to the phone.

"Ok..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Crepe had to rest in the castle and text Dijon because he couldn't continued. He held the kids the close as he let the tears fall from the stress. He was silently surprised that the kids hadn't added more stress to him. He didn't realize her had fallen asleep until he was shaken awake. His eyes slowly opened and met a pair of dimmed red eyes. He took about a minute before his vision cleared up further and showed more of a concerned face that was on Dijon. Crepe blinked twice before he felt Dijon pick him up. The brunette instantly cuddled to his grip as a voice hit the air. He couldn't identify it as he fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Crepe woke up to a sudden rush of warm and in some kind of grip. He could barely see his surrounding before he turned over and came face to face with a resting Dijon. He didn't move before Dijon's eyes fluttered open and met his gaze. A soft noise of happiness escaped the redhead as he cuddled up to his small boyfriend. Crepe hesitated a bit at the affection before he smiled.

"Dijon... you can let me go now-"

"No........................"

He was taken back at his words. Did Dijon miss him that much? There was a knock somewhere before a door opened and Dijon let out a hiss. Admiral's voice hit the air upon that.

"Before you start getting defensive, I have food for you guys."

A growl escaped Crepe's stomach the mention of food. He had forgotten to keep himself fed for long periods of time before got stared at for no food by either the kids or by a bystander. Dijon must've heard the growl as he spoke softly.

"Come in. Just don't try anything."

Admiral seemed to giggle as she entered what Crepe was now able to start surveying. He was sat up before a plate of food appeared in front of him. He paused before gently taking the food and staring at it. A soft giggle filled the air, getting his attention before he finally ate the food. Admiral smiled as she spoke.

"You good now?" He nodded as he finished the food.

"Better than before. Thank you." He placed the plate down and looked around. "Where..." Dijon's face went red as Admiral giggled.

"We're in Dijon's little meltdown fort. He made it back after the meeting that tore the Aloje Dexters up and it hasn't gone down since." Dijon buried his face in Crepe's shoulder as she paused. "To be fair, I was impressed by it. Don't get embarrassed." Dijon shifted a little to look at her before a faint voice escaped him.

"Says you, who restricted herself from the ocean for a whole year." She instantly shied away as Crepe paused. Between Dijon's voice sounding weird, his eyes being dim and what he said to Admiral with her reaction, something didn't feel right. He finally spoke, grabbing their attention.

"What aren't you guys telling me?" Admiral looked at him as Dijon disappeared to another part of the fort, leaving her to answer. She didn't seem to bothered as she spoke.

"You may not realize this, but we're the only two Dexters in the rangers right now." Crepe physically stopped working. "Not only that, but then there's family and what the meeting had done-"

"Wait what?" She smiled before calling over to Dijon, who made a noise at her comment.

"Dijon, come on over." It took him a minute before he poked his head out. "Bring Αρμονία over here. Please?" Dijon shied back into the other part of the fort before coming over with a small child. Crepe's eyes locked onto it as Dijon sat down with the kid in his lap. While Crepe couldn't identify the gender, they were adorable. Dijon gulped before the faint voice came back.

"Do you wanna hold her?" Crepe placed his plate on top of where Dijon had put his before he reach out, gently taking the small girl. Her yellow hair matched her eyes as she looked up at him. He paused before he looking up at Dijon.

"Wait..." Dijon nodded gently before looking away.

"I couldn't tell you before the meeting shattered the group. There's four others with her..." Crepe took a steady breath as he looked at the child.

"Crepe... I wanted to ask you this after you woke up, but who were the 9 kids with you?" Crepe trembled a little as he looked away from Admiral.

"Um... 4 of them are Lapis's. I had taken them under my wing after he was captured..." The other two stared as he trembled. "I took one from Seafoam and two from Porcelain so that they could be safe..."

He felt tears on his cheek before Αρμονία moved in his arms and gave him a small hug. A calm aura pulsed softly in the air as he calmed down. He blinked back to reality as Dijon rubbed his back. Crepe paused before looking at him.

"Easy..." Crepe looked down as Αρμονία giggled, almost glowing in his arms. He couldn't help but smile at her before he sighed.

"I'm good now..." Admiral smiled before she paused.

"What about the last two? You only listed 7 of them."

Crepe looked down as his face heated up. Sadly, Dijon had caught it and clearly figured out what the gesture was referring to as he brought Crepe into a hug and snuggled against his neck. The poor brunette felt his face get to a higher level of heat before he trembled in the bigger boy's grip. A weak sound escaped him as something twisted in his stomach. That was annoying. Then again, it had been a while since he had experienced this much affection. He felt Admiral take Αρμονία as his face further heated up.

"I'll leave you two to your... bonding time." Crepe could've swore he had a fever if Dijon didn't pull him into a tighter hug. He heard shuffling before the door opened and closed. That's when Dijon spoke.

"So they're yours?" Crepe nodded.

"I... forgot to tell you... I was so angry with the others that I didn't realize until it was too late..." Dijon snuggled against him, gaining a weak noise that turned into a soft moan. He closed his eyes and gulped. "H-hey..."

"Relax. You're tense and need a break... calm down and let me help..."

Crepe felt the redhead lay him on his back before placing a kiss on his nose and moving downward, forcing soft noises and pants from him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(3 months later)

Lapis trembled as he tried adjusting. But with where he was? He was glad he had room to move his chest to breathe. He had already tried calling out, but he must've been somewhere that was muffling him. He gulped before it hit him. Could he trigger a signal to Aria? He had done it before when he was poisoned by the Muk the one time, but could he force a signal? He tried to think of what triggered the poison signal. He paused, remembering that nothing happened until after he had cried. It was worth a shot. He didn't know what time it was, but that was the last thing on his mind as he hit the ceiling of the box he was in. Something sharp cut his thumb, gaining a choked noise and tears forming. He couldn't think straight as he was able to pull out his handkerchief and wrapped his thumb up and let the tears fall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aria was trembling in her sleep as a nightmare filled her mind and alerted her of something. She shuddered before she shot awake with a yelp, no doubt alerting someone. She would've been right about that. Almost instantly there was a knock at the shaking girl's door.

"Aria?"

She didn't answer as the door opened and a hand touched her shoulder, pulling her in reality. That's when she felt the soft bed beneath her and tears coating her face. She eyes drifted over and met Lind's while seeing Keith slip out to probably alert Joel. She never caught sight of a clock, but that wasn't on her mind.

"Where were you?"

Ah, the common nightmare question. She gulped as she looked at her hands.

"A box in the ground.... It was really small... no room... my thumb was bleeding..." She felt her left thumb twitch at the thought. Lind squeezed her shoulder as Keith slipped in with a groan.

"Joel won't wake up. Let's go."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The trio did find the box... in the deepest part of the forest. Aria kept her distance while the boys and several other rangers that had joined them got down to it and were able to communicate with the person inside.

"Hello?" A muffled noise followed. "This is the Fall City Rangers. Are you ok?" A breathy noise followed this time before words came out.

"I can't move..." Lind gulped. The voice was too filled with pain to tell who it was.

"It's ok. We'll get you out of there."

In that time, Keith had found a latch and had cracked it open, gaining a gasp for air. Keith got most of the box open before they were able to get the person out. Aria was frozen when they pulled the blue haired musician out. She ran over and hugged him as Lind looked at Lapis's hand, which had gained more cuts than just the thumb. He wrapped it up as the other rangers carefully helped him to his feet.

"Come on, Lapis. Hang in there."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the morning, they were able to alert Joel of the bluenette so he could reach out to the Union. Aria stayed with him as the boys talk to the base of operations. That's when Lapis spoke.

"I'm sorry Aria." She paused before realizing what he meant.

"You forced that nightmare..." He nodded before she sighed. "Honestly, at least it was a nightmare. I hate when it hits during the day."

"Why?"

"I black out and don't wake up for an hour." He nodded with a pause.

"Then... you're welcome?" She giggled as he frowned. "No..."

"Lapis? Shut up."

He went quiet as Joel went over to him. The base leader smiled before kneeling down to the half laying down boy.

"Are you ok, Lapis?"

"I'm dying." Aria's eyes widened before a chuckle escaped Joel.

"You're not there yet?" Aria let a sigh loose. Some joke she didn't understand.

"No... I have a few years." Joel sighed before standing up.

"Well I have bad news and good news. I don't know what's what for you, so I'll say what I believe is good first. You're allowed back on post in Ringtown as long as you promise to rejoin the Dexters."

"Sold." Lapis muttered under his breath, gaining a giggle from the other two. "Just tell me who's actually still in the group."

"Linda told me-"

"Linda told you what shit?" Aria lost it. While Joel stopped to process his words, the blonde Top Ranger took the time to breathe and Lapis let a smug smile cross his face. She finally spoke, regaining Joel.

"The shit that doesn't exist!" The duo Top Ranger went right into laughter as Joel groaned. It seemed to be his turn to not understand.

"She's the only one that was there when I called! Be nice!" The duo pulled themselves together before the base leader's voice could get any louder. There might've been a small 'sorry' but it was too quiet. He sighed before continuing. "Linda told me that it was only Admiral, Crepe and Dijon. Everyone else is unknown." Lapis hummed at that. "As for the bad news in my view, you won't be just a Top ranger down there." Lapis raised an eyebrow.

"What's that mean?"

"You'll be taking Sage's role." Lapis stopped as he sat up. "He went missing a year and a half ago. Ringtown hasn't had a proper base leader since."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lapis gulped as he eyed the Ringtown base. It had been over a year since he saw it and he was nervous. He could already predict the vase amount of paperwork and questions. He was currently calling Admiral to hopefully either get good news or... any news really. She then picked up as his meltdown was starting up.

"Hello?" He grabbed his mouth before calming down and answering.

"Admiral! Hey!"

"Lapis! Good to hear from you! How are you!" He wiped his eyes as he looked at the screen. Her blue eyes almost were the source of the phone's light as she paused. "Have you gotten the news?!" His heart dropped as he spoke in a faint voice.

"About Ringtown? Yeah..." She paused before sighing.

"That too.... but it sounds like you need good news! Hold on!"

Her face vanished as she went somewhere. He looked at the base as Larry looked around it. Was it closed? He would find out in a minute. Admiral's voice pulled him back to the call.

"Tada!"

He looked at the phone before his face lit up. She had one of the 4 little ones he had brought into the world and the world seemed to refill with life.

"Amberly!" The smaller girl squealed at the sight of her parent. Admiral giggled.

"Yep. Crepe got all 4 of them to safety. Have no fear of that." Lapis felt relief in his heart at that.

"Is... Crepe ok?"

"He is now. 3 months ago, he was so stressed about everything that was happening that Dijon was able to convince him to return." The name Dijon sorta hung in the air as Lapis spoke.

"How... is Dijon, now that you mention him...?" Admiral paused.

"Still shaky. He hasn't recovered at all from the meeting. But you should've seen him when he learned you were ok. He cried tears of joy and wouldn't let Crepe move. I had to give him Amberly because Crepe didn't like feeling trapped." Lapis let a soft laugh out as Amberly giggled. "Amberly, your dad's stressing out-"

"No!" Just the little yelp from the child put some hope into the older ranger. "No! No stess! Lea me dad lone!" Lapis let a smile cross his face as looked at the practical ray of sunshine on the screen. "Do I haf oo et tuh oters?"

"No..." He said with a scared tone. "I don't think the stress can take such an overkill." Amberly giggled as Admiral smiled.

"Well, we have to go and so do you. You will do great! We'll try to visit you when we can!" Lapis waved a little as they hung up. He put his phone in his pocket before approaching the base. He went to the door and touched the doorknob before Larry's voice cut through the air.

"Lapis..." He looked at the older male as he sighed. "They're not letting anyone in. Not even allied rangers." Lapis frowned before grabbed his shifting box and his Eqipsu appeared in its place.

"Not on my watch." He let the strings hum before a spell hit the door.

"BALLAD OF ROSE!"

The spell let petals dance over the door before it hummed. He put Eqipsu away before he touched the door. It barely needed any pressure before opening and an unrealistic noise filled the air. He had torn this door down more times than he could count. This base should know that. Though, he was glad it was him. The thoughts of Scarlet's attempts scared him. He smiled before he motioned Larry and the small crowd that had form to wait outside and he went inside. The place was really dark, in fact Lapis's eyes were the only light in the place. Which was bad because something was casted using them as a target. He ducked before he got hit in the face and was able to dim the light his eyes gave off, gaining a hiss from somewhere. Sadly, that was their mistake as he casted his only silent spell and appeared behind the group and flicked the lights on, freaking the group of rangers out.

"Capture complete." The group froze before they tried to solve what happened. One ranger finally moved, jumping into a hug with the bluenette.

"We missed you!" He recognized that tone. If he was right, he used it a lot. He frowned as he pulled away.

"Why'd you try to kill me?"

"I have no idea what you mean!" He raised an eyebrow, making her shrink into the crowd of confused rangers. He sighed as he held out a note that had come from the Union. They paused as one of the older ones took it from him with shaky hands.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(3 months later)

Porcelain let a cry loose as the entrance closed up again. Parchment held two kids close to her chest as Midnight wheezed near her. Porcelain started pacing before the weakened Dexter called out.

"C-can you stop please pacing?"

Porcelain looked back before sighing and going over to them. He brought Parchment and Midnight into a hug, giving them a little more comfort than before. They were going to be stuck for a while. He let his eyes flash green briefly before they fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Crepe jerked awake sometime in the middle of the night. The same dream. Where was it? He felt Dijon's arms keep him from escaping as he huffed in his sleep and the warm air wrapped around them. He had been so busy in the dream that he didn't realize how warm he had gotten. And Dijon wasn't helping. He got out of the redhead's grip and out of the fort, the cool air wrapped around him instantly. He sighed as he leaned against the door and paused. Did he really want to go out in the middle of the night to find a signal that was driving him nuts?

Yes.

He slowly wrote a note and placed it beside Dijon, just so that he wouldn't worry too much. He then placed a kiss on the redhead's nose before slipping out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Crepe paused as he looked around the area. He was sure it was here. He was also deep within one of Kithicor's forests, so that didn't say much. He closed his eyes before the vision returned. He had to be close, right? A few steps before something didn't feel right under his feet.

Hollow.

He pressed his hand against the ground as he let his nature senses search it. His eyes widened before he activated his aura and the earth started to follow his command. A series of noises followed as he got down to the metal door and forced it open. His eyes met Porcelain's as the wild ranger tackled him.

"Crepe!"

Parchment and Midnight joined him with softer hugs. He noticed Parchment held two children while Midnight looked attacked. In fact Parchment, despite having two kids in her grip, had to stronger hug than Midnight. Crepe pulled out of Porcelain and Parchment's hugs and picked Midnight up, gaining a weak noise from the boy. A soft voice escaped Porcelain as Crepe scanned the trio, noting their changes.

"Glad that worked." Crepe smiled as Midnight rested against him.

"Let's get you guys home."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Admiral would've yelled at him if she didn't see Midnight and Parchment didn't silence her to keep the kids asleep. Midnight had passed out from the pain while Parchment was keeping the little ones asleep. Linda took Midnight and got him to the medical bay while Admiral led the smaller female to where Dijon was. Crepe sighed before looking at Porcelain.

"So you sent the signal?"

"Between Midnight's condition and the kids, I wanted to help them out. Plus, I was getting tensed and everything."

Crepe could only chuckle before Admiral joined them, worry coating her face. Crepe froze, his first thought was Dijon. She had just went to his room. Yet, he remembered leaving his boyfriend in a peaceful sleep. What could've happened after he left? Admiral gulped at his expression as she spoke.

"Dijon didn't go with you, right?" Crepe shook his head. "Then where is he? He's not in his fort and the kids are panicking." Crepe frowned.

"He didn't leave a note?"

"Nope. He didn't leave before you?"

"I left before he was even awake." She gulped as he sighed. "Are the kids up there?"

"A lot of them are nervous. According to the one you took from Seafoam, who was the first one awake, he was gone when she was awake and he hasn't returned. He's not gone for this long." Crepe gulped before she paused. "Crepe... go." The smaller boy didn't wait as he ran up to where the kids were.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(3 months later.)

Sage let a hum loose as him and Seafoam traveled through the mountains. Don't ask how they found each other or anything between them. The scars between them was enough to keep them quiet. He eyed the operator beside him as she kept her eyes to the ground. A year and three months and he was surprised she wasn't exhausted. She perked up at a soft noise he barely caught before her wings fluttered out and she vanished up ahead. He slowly followed, not having the energy to activate his aura and follow. Not only that, but he didn't want further scars. Seafoam was quiet as he caught up to her.

"Really?" He shrugged. "Fucking hell."

He wasn't surprised when her curse escaped her. She had been spilling them since they collided 9 months ago. She huffed before turning to a huge boulder.

"It's blocking me out!"

He knew where that was going. His aura flashed on enough to shatter the boulder and remove the scraps. She gave a weak smile before running in. He let a sigh slip before he followed. He had been in this position for far too long, but he wouldn't complain. He caught up as she let out a happy sound.

"I found it!" He looked up to see her holding a perfectly clear glass vase and a smile that could be the sun formed onto her face. "We just need-"

Her happiness was short lived as her eyes went black and her face fell. His eyes flashed as his aura took over and took the vase from her before she turned to him. His hair covered his face as he lowered his head, hoping he wouldn't be a target of this. That wasn't the case as he felt something pierce through his stomach. His vision blurred as the object pulled out and hit him over the head, bringing darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sage!"

He opened his eyes to see Seafoam over him, her eyes had returned to their normal golden hazel. He blinked twice before she helped him to his feet. Nothing escaped him as he let his eyes watch her.

"Sorry-"

He didn't respond as she sighed and went out of the cave. The vase must've been in her bag as it was nowhere in sight. He felt lightheaded as the continued their walk. He eyed her before he finally spoke, fully stopping the operator.

"Where..." She halted her tracks to look at him, only to get the back of his head from his realization of his voice.

"I'm sorry?"

He felt his face heat up as he waited for her to continue, her waiting for an answer. With the silence in mind, she sighed before continuing as he followed. She glanced back at him as he looked at the ground. He hadn't said anything since they met (maybe before) and looked like he went through war 100 times over. She didn't know what was wrong, but she took his help and presence greatly. She let her eyes wander forward before she smiled and raced forward, leaving Sage behind.

Sage hummed as he followed the trail of glitter her wings gratefully provided for him. He drifted off as he caught up to her. Her wings had vanished as she raged a little.

"Wah! Fucking hell this be happening!"

He could hear the request before she spoke. She was about to pull out the puppy dog eyes when he held out a hand to her. She took it as he helped her onto his back and gracefully flew them up to the summit. She squealed as she got off and ran over to the center, leaving her bag at his side.

"This is it! We just need to-"

They were too close. She had already shut down and he knew it. The only difference now was that he saw this coming and wasn't going to allow it. This time, when she turned to him, he let a rush of wind race around her, gaining a yelp of surprise. The vase touched his hand as he appeared behind her and pulled her into a behind hug, making sure the vase was against her chest. Angry hisses and noises escaped her as she tried to pull out of his grip.

"Seafoam."

That pulled her from the rage as a soft aura filled the air. The vase suddenly held some dark mist as Seafoam let a shaky breath out and they sat down. He remained quiet as the cold winds wrapped around them. She finally spoke as warmth appeared.

"Sage..."

She then realized that Sage was keeping her warm, letting himself freeze. She adjusted enough for him to realize that she had returned to reality. He picked her up and grabbed her bag before getting her to a nearby cave. She trembled as he vanished outside, leaving his stuff by her. Her curiosity overtook her as she grabbed his bag that she didn't realize he had. What was inside surprised her. He had come prepared with plenty of supplies. She hadn't seen him before 9 months ago and hadn't told him about her plan. How was he this prepare? She closed it up before Sage returned. He got into his bag before wrapping her in a blanket that had come out of it. He then sat in the back of the cave with his bag as a cold wind raced into the cave. She trembled before pulling her phone out and calling Admiral. Would her girlfriend pick up after the argument? That would've been a yes since an answer came through. Of course, she didn't look at the caller ID.

"Admiral speaking."

"My Admiral's still alive..."

She could've swore Admiral lost herself when she heard Seafoam's voice. There was actually a bang and a long pause before the sea ranger answered.

"Seafoam! Are you ok!? You're not hurt, are you!? Who do I have to kill!? Hello?!"

Seafoam had lost it before the cold wind cut through and made her tremble. She then smiled.

"Calm down, Ady. I'm ok... I am very cold with where I am, but I was wondering if you could come bring me home..."

"Where are you? I'll save you!"

Seafoam quickly gave her location before the call went quiet, indicating that Admiral was going to race up there. She trembled before looking over at Sage. He had found a deeper spot where she could barely see him if his eyes weren't glowing. He had lost himself in staring at something. She gulped. Would he disappear when Admiral showed up? She didn't even know what's wrong.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seafoam let a happy smile cross her face as the sea ranger got to her side. While she was waiting, she was able to finishes what she needed to do to the dark mist and was actually able to talk to Sage. He didn't say much until he did answer one question. It surprised her.

"Why are you here?" He had looked over like she had finally asked something important.

"Helping. Can I not do that?" She looked over as he looked back at the ground.

She still didn't understand, but she took it as something. The two girls hugged before Admiral grinned.

"Ready?" Seafoam smiled before grabbing her bag. She was able to glance where Sage was, seeing he had vanished. She didn't even see him move. Where'd he go? She pushed the thought back as she nodded to Admiral.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The duo were greeted by Crepe almost instantly. He had Capel with him as he ran over and hugged the operator. Seafoam noticed how tired he was while Capel got onto Seafoam's back. Admiral was able to get Crepe off of the blonde as he huffed.

"I'm glad you're back......."

Seafoam gently took his hand as Admiral led them to where the others were. They had moved from Dijon's room to a separate room that was being unused. The kids were mostly asleep while the Dexters were talking about their missing teammates. Admiral let them in before Porcelain squealed. They got their hugs before updating her. She got attached to the fact that Lapis was base leader until Sage's return and she wouldn't mentally leave it alone until Lapis questioned it as it was getting on his nerves.

"Why are you curious?" She frowned as her mind brought up the entire trip with Sage. She in fact brought it up, grabbing the group's attention.

"So... he joined you 9 months ago just to leave you before you came here?" Seafoam nodded.

"What bothers me is that he never talked to me, was ready before I asked him to do something and took a lot of my sudden blackouts. Twice he surprised me and they won't leave my head. One was when we had gotten to the final needed destination and I had blacked out, he actually went against me and did what we were there for. Then, just before Admiral arrived, he finally answered one of the many questions I asked him in hopes that he would talk to me." Crepe paused.

"What was the question?"

"'Why are you here?' He answered with 'Helping.' He did have a little bit of a backlash that was with it, but it surprised me. It was also the first time he had looked me in the eye since who knows how long ago. I'm sure he spoke more, but that was the most he spoke." Lapis hummed.

"It sounds like some sort of trance or something. I'll look into it later. But for now, glad to see you, Seafoam."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(1 year later)

Dijon trembled as a small hole of light entered the box. Scarlet held onto him, almost not wanting to let go. With the current status? He understood. A small child wiggled between them as Scarlet spoke.

"I'm sorry-"

"Not your fault."

She looked up at him as he leaned his head against the wall and rested quietly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sage was quiet as he eyed the place that held the duo flames. A voice spoke softly in his mind bringing him into a small daze.

"Remember the goal, Sage. Save the duo, get them to a safe place, let them reach out, vanish once more."

He blinked out of the daze before vanishing inside, where trouble instantly started.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dijon heard the damage as Scarlet fell asleep against him. He let a shaky gasp out before hitting the ceiling of the box, waking Scarlet up.

"Someone... help....."

Dijon trembled before the ground trembled and the box opened up. Tears raced down Dijon's cheeks as a gloved hand reached down and pulled the redhead up. He felt a blanket wrap around his exposed body as he was placed down and Scarlet joined him, wrapped in a blanket as well. He looked up to try and see their savior, but he didn't find anyone. He felt it. The winds got violent before the remainder of the enemies were destroyed. That's when the duo were picked up and helped out of the place.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dijon trembled as he got the clothes that Sage had provided on. He was a little surprised that the clothes fit him despite Sage's horrible judgement of size, but he wasn't complaining. He was glad to be in clothes after what happened. He slipped out from behind the rock wall he had hid behind and went over to Scarlet, who was also dressed and holding the child that was in a blanket bundle. Sage was nowhere to be seen, which surprised him. He sat down and smiled.

"How is the little one?" He asked rather nervously. She smiled as she placed the child in his hands.

"Much better now that we're out. With everything happening, they might not have made it." He nodded as the child smiled up at him. He then paused.

"Where'd Sage go?" She shrugged.

"He must've walked out when we were changing. All I know is that I came out and the angel was asleep here."

He hummed before footsteps grabbed their attention. They looked to see Sage walking back in and holding out a phone. Dijon took his chances as he gave Scarlet the child and took the phone. He immediately called Crepe, knowing the brunette would be worried. And he was right.

"Crepe..."

"Crepe!"

"Dijon!"

Tears of joy stained Dijon's face as he smiled at Scarlet, who's own smile almost couldn't move.

"Where are you?!"

"I'm not sure, but I'm ok! I have Scarlet and Sage with me." A happy sound came from the other side while Sage stayed quiet. He wasn't sure what it was for, but Crepe did finally reply.

"Ok... we're coming to get you guys. Stay there."

"Ok!" The call went quiet before Sage took the phone back. The taller male then grabbed his stuff and disappeared to the back of the cave, surprising the duo. Dijon gulped before Scarlet called out.

"Sage dear.... If you're just going to hide and be mysterious, why are you here?"

In the first time since two and a quarter years, Dijon finally heard Sage speak. He actually had to rewind what he heard because of how different it was. His whole mind froze up when the words filled the air.

"Just doing what needs to be done."

Both flames fell silent at that. First of all, his voice had dropped a lot. Maybe Dijon was hearing things, but he did notice the lack of emotion from the older male. Distant would be the right word to use. Dijon immediately fired a question, hoping to keep him occupied until the others got there.

"Where have you been? It's been almost two years since anyone has heard from you." Sage almost didn't answer until the duo heard a calm voice reply.

"I have been helping a friend with something. It is a very long task, so I'm far from done." Scarlet held the child close as she spoke quietly.

"But why haven't you been keeping in touch?"

"Busy..."

"Sage..."

"I kept forgetting to." Dijon bit his lip as his ears, which were sharper than the other two's thanks to the darkness of the cave, grabbed onto running feet. Just a little bit longer.

"When will you return? I mean... you've been at whatever you were tasked to do for just over two years. What is taking so long for you to finish and join us?" Sage fell silent as the footsteps, which must've heard the conversation, got soft. He then answered in a soft voice.

"It hasn't been easy. My friend doesn't remember exactly what they wanted me to do. It's been a while since I've seen them. So they're trying to remember so that I can." Silence followed as Dijon looked out. His eyes caught sight of Crepe, who had somehow got to the entrance with no sounds while the others waited. Dijon pulled his focus onto Scarlet's following question.

"Who is this friend? You've never talked about them before." Sage stayed quiet before Scarlet pulled another question. "What are they like then?" Sage seemed to respond to that.

"Very kind... she doesn't like a lot of people... I actually took a lot of time to get her to talk to me..." Crepe steadily approached the green haired ranger as he drifted further into his answer. "She... was sorta the only one that understood what was happening back then when I was alone." Scarlet bit her lip at that.

"But... you've never been alone. That's something you told me back when I arrived." He got shy at that.

"W-well... that's because I answered without thinking about it..."

That's when Crepe went for the attack. He grabbed Sage's shoulder, immediately getting a blast of wind to the face before a blur of green marked his retreat. Crepe had landed on his back with a rather painful crack. He let a swear loose before he grabbed his mouth and the duo got to his side. Two others got to their side as Dijon helped Crepe to his feet, gaining another swear and a painful hiss.

"What did you do?" Dijon glanced up to see Lapis and Parchment as they went over. Crepe bit his lip as he turned to the bluenette.

"Tell your boyfriend to not do that! Ow..." He gripped his back as Parchment ran her hands gently over his spine. "I better not have broken something over a simple panic attack..." Parchment hummed before a faint heal escaped her hands and a breathy noise escaped the smaller male.

"There. That should get you to the Union." He smiled before Dijon chuckled lightly.

"I can officially say that you're not better than me at holding your tongue." Crepe went to snap at him when his mouth closed. Whatever he was going to say seemed to have a predicted downfall. He sighed before Scarlet giggled.

"Can we go? I'm hungry..." Lapis nodded as he touched her shoulder.

"Yeah... let's go. We'll solve Sage later."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dijon didn't realize that Parchment's eyes had latched onto the blanket bundle until she asked the redhead about it in his room, where he was giving the small child some formula.

"Hey Dijon...?"

He hummed as he glanced over to her. She was finishing giving the other kids their food and went over to him. His gaze refound the small child as she spoke again.

"Why didn't you say anything about this little one?"

He looked over to see she was at his side, eyeing the small child in his arms. He felt his face warm up slightly before the images of what happened raced through his head. He almost didn't answer if she didn't meet his gaze and pulled him into reality.

"I..." He sighed softly as he looked back at the child as the bottle emptied. He placed it to the side before gently swaying, rocking the child to sleep. "I had no choice. What those people did... none of it was supposed to happen... but you can't change the past." She paused as he sighed again. "I'm more worried about what the others will say about it. Sage didn't seem to say anything, but he's not really with us..."

She paused as the baby tiredly played with the redhead's fingers as he tickled the air in front of their face. She went over as he faded off from playing with the child. She could see what he meant. She gently took the child before helping him into the fort. She got him to lay down before placing the smaller child with him.

"Rest."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(7 months later)

Sage trembled as tears drowned his face as he held his bag close. His phone was shattered in front of him, but that wasn't important. His green eyes glowed as his aura sent the signal for help while his ears stayed alert. Why didn't he figure it out earlier? A soft sound alerted him of the real enemy's approach, forcing him to start moving. He didn't get far before something grabbed him. An estranged sound escaped him as he was pinned down and something moved closer to his trapped position. He kept his bag to his chest as a soft noise escaped it.

"Give it to me."

"No...." He whispered, his tone not changing at all. His eyes glanced back to see the spirit that had trapped him. "Let me go..."

"No-"

The winds were able to push her off before he raced away from her. She let out a screech before he got out of her area. The adrenaline rush dropped as he collapsed against a tree. He curled up into a ball as a tearful noise escaped the bag.

"I'm sorry..." He opened it enough to look at the small kid that was safely bundled up inside. They smiled as he gently tickled their nose. Everything suddenly got cold, forcing him to close the bag to keep the child warm. He tightened his curl around the bag, praying for help.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sadly, he had fallen asleep before the help came, but at least it came. He woke up to Joel wrapping him in a blanket while Midnight faced the ghost. He realized he had been dragged back to the cave as Joel smiled at him.

"We got you, Sage. Glad you sent the signal." Sage nodded gently before he faced the battle that was near them. Midnight hadn't moved while the ghost was being a worse tease than Sage thought Midnight could be.

"Nothing's wrong here. Just being old friends and having fun playing games."

Sage trembled as Joel pulled him into a hug. Midnight noticed he was awake before he finally made a move.

"If you were alive, that's one thing. But you don't understand what's wrong as a ghost."

"Lies."

"What? You jealous that you can't have the same fun as the living?" The twins let out a shared sound of embarrassment as Sage buried his face in Joel's side while Joel's face went straight to red. The ghost was surprised with the reaction, giving Midnight a chance to cast something.

"DESERATION OF SPIRIT!"

The pinkish light raced from his fingers and encased the ghost, throwing her into a daze that got a chuckle from Midnight as he raised his hand to just in front of his face.

"Too easy." He snapped his fingers, gaining a yelp from the ghost before she vanished. He then sighed before running over to Sage, who had got distracted by his bag. The smaller boy brought him into a hug before Joel helped him to his feet.

"Let's get you to safety."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sage cried when he saw the others. He truly hugged Lapis, Scarlet, but he didn't forget Seafoam and Dijon. The others had to force him to give them hugs, but he honestly got cheered up to their attempts and messed with them. Dijon was the one that uncovered the child after he led him to meet the others. He saw Sage keep his bag close to him before he asked about it. That's when he got nervous.

"Uh..." Dijon gently took his hand that rested on the bag to steady him before he opened the bag. Sage got quiet before Dijon made a noise.

"Why are you panicking about this?"

"W-well... I don't want the other three to yell..." Dijon got quiet  before he went to the fort.

"Can I ask you something?" Sage hummed, letting his answer be known. "Would... you get mad about this little one?"

Sage glanced over before pausing. Dijon had a child that hid behind his legs that gave Sage a small flashback. He then realized what this was.

"No... I would rather be glad they made it then anything." Dijon smiled before placing a hand on the green haired male's shoulder.

"Then if you explained to the other three, I'm sure they'll understand." Sage smiled as he pulled out the small bundle. "Now, I'll go get Crepe and we can get everyone checked. Can you keep them occupied as I go?" Sage nodded as he took the child's hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(3 months later...)

Cedar was quiet as he gently hushed the small girl that were with him. Everything was spinning as his dull eyes kept a watch on the little one as the rested. The fort-like structure was enough to put enough comfort in him as he made sure everything was right.

Tiffany watched from the door with a slightly older boy resting in her arms. She had been trying to reach out to the others to get their assistance, but since the meeting, no one would respond. She had given up three months after the bloodshed and tried to keep Cedar together on her own. But it was impossible when Cedar was so distant.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that day, when she was successful at getting Cedar to eat and feed the smaller child again for another day since a few months ago, her phone buzzed. She didn't realize it until she noticed Cedar's attention was pulled to it. She had to get Cedar to focus on the food again before glancing at it, finding a text from Garret.

Gar: Hey, is anyone coming to the show? Or..... is it a no for another month?

He didn't know how to respond. But Billy did with a surprising response.

Billyboy: I was planning on it. I just need to catch the ferry and get back up there.

Gar: Where are you trapped in?

Billyboy: Aqua Resort. The ferry is somewhere north. I have another hour before it arrives.

Gar: That's better than a no. Anyone else?

Drummerboy: Yes. I just got my stuff set up and everything. Waiting on you guys.

Gar: Ok.... We can almost have a full show this time...

Her stomach twisted a little before she heard Cedar go into his tent. She glanced back and noticed the empty bowl and bottle. She sighed before noticing another message that had the whole chat silent. She could see why.

LapisRanger: I'm on my way now. Had a lot of cleaning up and sorting things out. Can't wait to see you guys there.

How does one answer to that? Tiffany got Kam his food, calmly helping him. She then hummed to herself. She would go, not telling them, and give them a little bit of a surprise, try and see if she could beat Lapis's. She finished up with the smaller boy before going in to where Cedar was resting. He was comfy with the younger one in the fort, in which was in a tent in their campsite and looked very comfy. Tiffany smiled before whispering into his ear.

"Cedar... I'm going to take Kam and go see my siblings, ok?" Cedar gave a shallow noise, giving his answer as his eyes dulled off. Tiffany gulped. This would be the first time in a long time that Cedar would be left alone. She hoped he didn't get panicked before he got back. She slipped out and grabbed her violin and bag before leaving with Kam.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Garret was talking to the other three, who were able to be there before him, catching up when the bass guitarist got there. She smiled before she ran over, grabbing their attentions. A group hug came together before they met Kam and Garret paused.

"You didn't say you were coming!"

"How could I? Lapis had already sent his!" The dark haired sibling smiled guiltily as she sighed.

"Well... let's get this thing going..." They nodded before Tiffany whispered into Lapis's ear.

"We need to talk after."

The look said enough as Tiffany went to get set up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Afterwards, after they cleaned up and everything. Lapis went with Tiffany for part of the way home as he explained.

"That's why... I'm sorry Tiff... I was so busy with my own..." He got quiet before Tiffany's ears latched onto a set of teary sounds. Oh no.

"It's ok... but could you stop by later?" Lapis nodded as she smiled. "Thanks... Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go see if Cedar made it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tiffany gulped as he went to where the tears were coming from. Cedar was having a meltdown with the younger one in the fort, and it didn't look good. About what? The musician couldn't tell as she went over and pulled them into a hug. She got the large teddy bear sometime in the middle of calming them down, which got them to relax.

"What happened...?" Cedar's answer wasn't exactly there, but something touched the air. Thankfully, Tiffany had trained herself to take small answers and wait for them with the Covenant like this. Finally, Cedar answered, small and knowing.

"Knocking.... Calling of a name... somewhere..." He went quiet as he cuddled up to the teddy bear and gently relaxed. The smaller child kept a hold of him as Tiffany glanced at the ceiling. Someone had stopped by? Interesting...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lapis stopped by in the morning as Tiffany got breakfast going. Cedar didn't notice the bluenette's entrance before Tiffany called out to him. The older child was already with the violinist when the call went out.

"Cedar! Get Rue and come out here. Breakfast is ready."

Some shuffling came before the caster came out with the younger child. She was clutching onto Cedar's shirt as the caster paused. He almost successfully slipped away again before Tiffany grabbed the back of Cedar's shirt.

"No no no... you need to eat."

Cedar was quiet as he sat down on the couch as a plate and bottle appeared in front of him. Cedar took a minute before he did, indeed, eat up while giving Rue the bottle. Tiffany did a silent celebration before grinning at her brother and going and gently giving Kam a bowl of applesauce. Cedar and Rue finished and went to go back to the fort when Tiffany called out.

"Cedar..." The Covenant let a whine loose as he put his head against the wall. The child that hung to him seem to be in sync as it let a little whine out as well. The two Go twins restrained their laughter as Tiffany spoke. "You have a visitor."

Cedar turned to him, his dull eyes not helping with a reaction until they saw Lapis. He blinked twice, and Tiffany thought she saw some life in his eyes, before he vanished into the tent. Tiffany sighed as he glanced at Lapis, whose face said all.

"I'll be there in a minute."

"Thanks..." Lapis went after him instantly as Tiffany finished feeding Kam.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cedar had cuddled up to the large teddy bear with the small child as Lapis went in and to his side. He paused before he touched his shoulder.

"Cedar?" The Covenant opened an eye and paused at the sight. His dull eyes simply stared of into blank space before he spoke.

"Wha?" Tiffany joined them, silently motioning to her brother as Lapis responded.

"Listen... I know you're not doing well... but I came to help." Cedar didn't respond at first, trying to understand what entered his ears. Tiffany had made sure to give Lapis all the details so that he was ready. Cedar then spoke, his facial expression not changing once.

"Why...?" Lapis gulped before he spoke again.

"Because.... Tiff told me about the kids and... Dijon told me the situation... so I wanted to help..."

"No..." Lapis held back a groan before he dropped to a whisper.

"I have some little ones that I think you'd want to see."

That grabbed him. One of the dulled, purple voided eyes dissolved into his normal brown eyes before blinking twice and he spoke in a more pulled together structure.

"Really?" Lapis smiled and nodded as Tiffany watched with wonder. She sadly had to slip out when Kam cried out.

"They're in Ringtown right now... And they know you as their Uncle Cedar." His other eyes was taking its time with going back to the brown as he slowly sat up. Curiosity crossed his face as he paused. "I'm sure they'd be happy to meet you." Cedar blinked before his other eye finally went back and life filled his face.

"Can I?" Lapis nodded as he whispered into his ear.

"As long as you rejoin us." Cedar nodded eagerly as Lapis helped him up. "Ok... come on..."

They went out as Tiffany tiredly got Kam to fall asleep. Cedar gulped as he got Rue comfy and Tiffany rested on one of the folding chairs with the older child. He then went over and whispered into the violinist as she drifted off.

"Tiff... I'm going to take Rue and go with Lapis, ok?" The musician nodded tiredly as Lapis helped her get comfy and Cedar glanced at the small girl. "Ok... let's-" He paused and smiled as Tiffany fell asleep with Kam on top of her.

"Come on, Cedar."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The trio entered the calm town as Scarlet and the other three musical brothers faced off. It wasn't looking good for a three on one. Lapis sighed before he called out to them and Cedar shied behind him.

"Oh come on guys. Leave her alone. Scarlet, we need to talk." They chuckled as she sighed. Lapis led Cedar over as the trio went off somewhere. The fire user spotted the Covenant and smiled.

"Hey Cedar." He nodded as Rue rested in the hood of the hoodie he had on backwards. Her eyes landed on the small child before she went over. "And who is this?" Rue purred as Cedar spoke in a gentle voice.

"Rue... she's my youngest..." Her eyes sparkled before she looked around.

"Then where's the older one or ones...?" Lapis smiled.

"The older one is asleep with Tiffany at their place." She gave a soft 'oh' before Rue gently adjusted and tugged on Cedar's cheek. The action grabbed the caster's attention as he nuzzled against the small girl, gaining a little chuckle. Lapis smiled. "Come on. Let's go meet the other little ones and let Sage meet Rue."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sage's eyes lit up upon the sight of the caster. He embraced him in a gentle hug as Lapis went to go get the kids. Cedar smiled as they pulled away.

"It's good to see you, Sage..."

"Same here, Cedar." His ears must've heard the small noise that escaped Rue as she tried to get her father's attention, which worked. Sage paused as Cedar smiled before the caster let the base leader meet the small girl. She giggled when Sage tickled her nose before Lapis called out in a gentle tone.

"Cedar..." He turned as the five kids peeked out at him. He smiled faintly as they ran over and gave him hugs.

"Uncle Cedar!" Something stirred in him, maybe the fact that he doesn't have siblings so he'll never get Nephews or Nieces. He knelt down and returned the hugs.

"Hey, my little nephews and nieces..." Rue awoke a little to all the movement. He smiled before letting the other five see the small girl. The three rangers joined the group as the kids gently spoke to the smaller child. Rue seemed very cheery upon seeing her "relatives". While she wouldn't let go of Cedar or leave the hood, she did play with the older children by reaching out and gently playing with their fingers. Scarlet was on the phone with someone as Lapis knelt down and whispered into the caster's ear.

"How're you doing?" Cedar hummed softly as the children gently played. He looked into Lapis's blue eyes before he smiled.

"Better..." He whispered softly, managing to avoid making the kids worry. "I guess that meeting just did a lot of damage and... I was badly affected by it..." Rue giggled as one of the five gently tickled her nose.

"Rue seems to be your connection with reality."

"Yeah..." The caster's face warmed up as he watched the smaller girl. "That's the thing with us unstable Covenants. If we lose connection with the world, something needs to made so that we can be pulled back... and it has to stay close to the Covenant until they train to separate from it..."

He sighed before pausing as Scarlet whispered something into the musician's ear. While the Covenant couldn't hear her, Lapis seemed to understand as he hummed and nodded. She then moved away as Rue cuddled up to Cedar and purred, tired from the gentle playing. That's when Lapis spoke aloud.

"I think we should go visit the others."

The kids got excited as Cedar blinked. He knew that tone. That was the 'I have a plan and I'm doing it whether you like it or not' tone. Normally when Lapis used it, it was always something to do with arguing with another member of the Kithicor Origin group. Normally, being the key word there. Cedar's eyes narrowed a bit to give his warning as Lapis helped him to his feet.

"Not only will they be happy to see you, but I'm sure the other kids would be happy."

Wait... Cedar's mind couldn't pull together an answer as Lapis tugged on his sleeve and lead him to where Ferrow was waiting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cedar was surprised with what the trio had pulled together.

Ok.... so it was more Lapis and Scarlet, but still.

They went to the Union where Dijon jumped happily on the caster. Cedar was able to keep him from crushing Rue, but it was still a very welcoming hug. Admiral and Parchment went over while Porcelain and Midnight were helping Seafoam and Crepe with something. Cedar couldn't see what they were doing thanks to Admiral blocking his view. But he still discovered it when they brought over a group of kids. The five quickly got their hugs with the larger group before they went to the caster. His teammates stayed to the side as Cedar got introduced and he let Rue meet the others. He was a little sad that he didn't bring Kam, but if he did it right, Tiffany could handle that for him. One of the other kids sorta hung to him as the others spoke to him. Afterwards, he was able to talk to his teammates while Rue rested. It felt great to be back.

His favorite part of the visit was the end. The child that had hung onto him during his talk with the kids, who he had learned was one of Dijon and Crepe's named Αρμονία, went up to him with something behind her back.

"Uncle... Uncle Cedar?" He paused before he knelt down to the small child. She got a little shy before he noticed her siblings cheering her on. "I... was thinking while we talked... and I remembered something my Papa told me about you... and I thought about Rue..." She gulped before bringing a small pink bunny stuffed animal from behind her back. "This is for Rue... I'm always loosing it and it seems like the perfect size for her to cuddle with." He smiled before he took the small bunny.

"Thanks, Αρμονία. I'll make sure she gets it."

The small girl grinned before running over and hiding behind her siblings. He couldn't help but giggle as he stood up and placed the bunny beside Rue. The small girl paused before hugging it, gaining a smile from him. He remembered the first teddy bear he had gotten, small but mighty. He would certainly make sure to upgrade her after this one later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He and Lapis returned to the campsite with a pause. The musician hadn't moved and Kam looked like he was having a fit. Cedar sighed before going over and placing a hand on Tiffany's head. The poor musician was overheating while Kam had slept through most of the day because of Tiffany's illness. Lapis let a faint chuckle out before picking up the small boy, grabbing Cedar's surprise.

"I can-"

"Relax, Cedar. I've taken care of a few kids. I got this..." Kam wiggled in his grip as he went to the small, movable shed that Tiffany had off to the side. Cedar gulped before Tiffany let a soft groan out. Clearly, she now noticed that Kam had moved. Her eyes fluttered open as Cedar frowned.

"Cedar..."

"Tiff, why didn't you say you weren't feeling well?"

"I was waiting..." She rubbed her eye while the other scanned the area for something. "To see how you were doing before I did anything. I thought... if you didn't cooperate I would have to take care of you... if not... I could rest...." She then took a shallow gulp. "Do you know where any water is? I'm thirsty..." Cedar chuckled.

"And clearly still tired. I'll go look for some. Rest." He then went over to where Lapis had went as Tiffany leaned back and pretty much fell asleep.

~

(Please look at the chapter after this for more.)