Skylor's sleep was deep and easy, but that did not mean her mind was still. Her thoughts roved throught fragments of memory as she rested, trying to reunite pieces that simply wouldn't fit together. Shadows of rememberance flickered smokily in and out of clarity within her thoughts, flitting just out of reach as she neared them.

Yet there was one memory in particular on which her mind dwelt, and that was of the memories she'd seen in Kai's mind. Here the fragments did fit- shards of her own recollection clicking into place with his. What she had seen through his eyes she could recall in places from her own. These moments were few and far between, yet there were enough to make her believe him- no, to make her trust him. He was in her memories- and not just in them, but holding a very special place. Even her own remnants of memory told her that he was more than just a friend- his thoughts simply confirmed it.

Yet these warm thoughts were not all that occupied her mind. Darker thoughts lurked at the misty edges of memory, thoughts that, when they surfaced, sent a cold shiver crawling down her back and made her tense for a moment, clutching the blankets closer around her. A darkened room. A locked door. Icy fire that blazed not from without but from within.

And lastly, an awful, terrible darkness.

Memories... shattered memories... whispering to her from just out of reach. Shadows crouching at the edge of thought, beyond what her mind's eye could see.

Recollection.

Not just a word.... Even as she slept, her brow furrowed. Something... something more... something... For the faintest of instants an image flashed in her mind. A dark figure, holding her captive, pinning her... then pain... then darkness... and a glimpse of the figure's mind...

Recollection...

As soon as it had come, the thought was gone again, leaving her with only the word to puzzle over. An answer and an enigma, a mystery and a clue.

A lock and a key.

At last the sound of voices in the hallway roused her from her dreams and she raised her head, blinking. She could sense someone outside- no, more than one person- and her brows furrowed. Soundlessly she slid out of bed and crept to the doorway, listening.

"If she is resting," the first voice said, "Perhaps we'd better leave her be. She needs rest- time for her mind to repair itself." She blinked thoughtfully- this voice stirred the fragments of recollection, yet no face nor name rose to match it.

"She's been sleeping for a while now- she'll probably be up soon We could just wait..." Kai's voice, soft with worry.

Guessing that they were speaking of her, she slipped into sight and quietly cleared her throat. Kai started in surprise, but the first speaker, a tall young man with a goatee and a black strip down the middle of his otherwise white hair, simply smiled calmly, nodding to her.

"Greetings, Skylor," he said, "Did you sleep well?"

She nodded, but didn't speak, glancing him over warily. Kai seemed to sense what she was thinking, and spoke up.

"This is Neuro- one of the Elemental Masters. You know him- or you did at least. His power is Mind- he's hoping he can read your thoughts and figure out how to help you get your memory back."

She quickly raised her gaze, and for an instant a flicker of hope passed through her eyes. It quickly faded again as she suppressed it, however, hardly daring to believe there was anything they could really do.

Neuro nodded to her. "Why don't we go back into your room and sit down? I'll need to thoroughly search your mind, and that could take some time. But it's the only way I'll be able to tell how bad it is..."

"Of course." She dipped her head and slipped quickly back into the room, taking a seat on the bed. Neuro pulled a chair out of the corner and sat down in front of her.

Neuro waited for her to get comfortable before speaking. "All I'm going to do is read your memories," he explained gently. "Depending on what happened, it could be that your memories are just being blocked. If that's the case, it would be a simple matter to simply remove the block- which would let you remember everything. If not, I should at least have a better idea of what we need to do."

She nodded, clearly nervous. "Do what you have to."

He closed his eyes, concentrating, and she felt his mind brush against hers. Immediately fear gripped her, and she fought her natural reflex to resist his probing, forcing herself to calm down. Breathe... just breathe... She caught sight of Kai and focused her attention on him, trying to ignore the unnerving feeling. He met her gaze reassuringly and nodded once- it was alright, Neuro wouldn't harm her. She relaxed a little, but not completely- she still wasn't used to this. But she trusted Kai.

Neuro was gentle and calm in his searching, not making any sudden moves, and she could tell he was acutely aware of her unease and ready to pull back if she got too nervous. Again she felt the faintest flicker of rememberance- he'd been in her mind before, and she and his, she realized, but she could not place when or where. Then the memory was gone again- but she knew she'd had it.

Finally Neuro withdrew, opening his eyes, and nodded thoughtfully. She waited for a moment, but when no rush of memories returned she realized it must not have been as simple as he'd hoped.

"It... wasn't just a block, was it?" she ventured quietly.

He gave her an odd look, one that she couldn't quite read. "No," he said at last, "No... it wasn't. I... I shall have to think on this one..."

Her stomach knotted. He'd tried to mask his worry, but he hadn't hidden it completely. It was worse than they'd feared, she realized- though just how much worse it was she wasn't sure...

Neuro looked hesitantly to Kai. "Can we step into the hall for a moment?"

Kai furrowed his brow thoughtfully, but nodded. He turned to Skylor. "We'll be right back..."

"Alright..." She eyed him uneasily and bit her lip, but didn't protest.

The boys moved out the door. Immediately Kai cast a worried glance at Neuro.

"Something went wrong, didn't it? What happened?" His voice shook faintly with worry.

Neuro took a deep breath. "It's not so much that something went wrong as it is that I don't understand," he said quietly. "I wanted to talk to you first so we don't unnecessarily worry her. If there's something you know that I don't, perhaps I am merely overreacting."

"Then what is it you don't understand?" Kai queried.

Neuro placed his words carefully. "Her memories aren't blocked," he explained. "They... aren't there at all. Which makes no sense."

Kai inhaled sharply. "Gone? What do you mean gone?" His voice began to rise in pitch.

Neuro raised a hand. "Calm down," he said firmly. "I'm not saying that she won't ever be able to remember. But memories don't vanish like that by themselves. Even most cases of normal amnesia are really just blocked memories."

"Then what does this mean?" Kai asked, eyes narrowing.

"Although I'm not quite sure how it's possible," Neuro replied, "I would venture that her memories were stolen."

"Stolen? By who? How?"

"It is said that, in the time of the First Spinjitzu Master, there were those who had learned to steal memories. However, that race is said to have died out long ago. None have been seen for centuries. So I do not understand how one could be here now..."

Kai took a deep breath. "Then apparently they aren't gone. But... what are you even saying? There's someone out there walking around with Sky's memories?"

"Strange as it sounds," Neuro told him, "Actually... yes."

"But why?" Kai questioned, "Why would someone do this?"

Neuro shrugged. "It is possible that they were young and inexperienced and didn't know how to control their powers. In any case, something must not have gone as they expected."

"Why do you say that?"

He inhaled slowly. "Had it been an experienced memory thief who didn't run into any unexpected problems, Skylor shouldn't have had any memories left at all. But she does- she only has small fragments, but they are there. That makes me wonder if whoever she had a run-in with was inexperienced- assuming she met a memory thief at all. At least... that's what I'm hoping happened..." He trailed off.

Kai studied him. "But it's not what you think happened," he said. "What you really think happened is worse."

Neuro nodded uneasily. "Yes. If... if it were an inexperienced memory thief, it would make things easier, however... since none have been seen since the time of the First Spinjitzu Master, I fear we are facing someone far worse. Someone ancient- someone who recalls that time."

"But- but no one lives that long!" Kai protested.

"Your Sensei did," Neuro reminded him.

Kai looked away. "He... he was special..."

"Was he?" Neuro paused for a long moment before continuing. "There are those who were gifted with long life in those days. I do not think Wu was the only one..."

Kai rubbed his forehead wearily. "So say someone did survive that long... that would certainly have given him a lot of experience. But you say it looks like he didn't do the job right..."

"Correct," Neuro replied. "I believe there is a much more troubling explanation..."

"Go on," Kai said.

"Whoever did this to Skylor was interrupted. Something cut him off. He had to run before he finished. But he is still very powerful and on the loose. This was an intentional attack- and it's only a matter of time before he strikes again..."

Kai bit his lip. "Then we have to find him and stop him before that happens..."

"Agreed," Neuro said, and inhaled slowly. "I'll alert the others. Why don't you go talk with Skylor and tell her what we talked about. Let her know that this doesn't mean that her memories are gone for good- it is still possible for her to get them back if we can find the one who stole them- but she won't be able to remember on her own until then. That should help ease her mind."

He nodded. "Right..."

They parted ways, with Neuro heading outside while Kai went back into the girls' room. Skylor was sitting on the bed, but looked up quickly at his approach and rose.

"It's going to be alright," he promised, motioning for her to sit again. She did so, and he took a seat next to her, taking a deep breath. "Neuro... explained what happened. It... it doesn't mean we can't help you, but... it's not something he can fix right now."

"What is it, then?" Her voice was surprisingly calm, but he knew her well enough to realize that she was trying to mask the fear within.

He placed his words carefully. "Neuro said that it's not just a mental block. He... he thinks someone stole your memories."

Skylor started. "Stole them? But- how? Why?"

Kai shook his head. "I don't know- not yet. But what that means is that, until we catch them, you won't be able to remember on your own. It's not that you'll never be able to get your memories back, but... as far as I can understand, they're in someone else's mind right now... and we'll have to catch him to get them back..."

She nodded slowly, taking this in. "So... it might take a while... because we've got to find him..."

"Yes." Kai dipped his head in acknowledgement. "But we will find him. I promise." He laid his hand reassuringly on hers to comfort her, and she managed a weak smile in return.