Harry Potter Fan

Ginny lay on the forest floor, half awake. For some reason, she had barley been able to get outta bed this morning, and just now, she had fallen over because she was so tired. She didn't know why, but it probably had to do with those dreams she'd had last night.

She stared up at the cloudy sky. It would rain any minute now, but she didn't care. In fact, she hoped it would rain now, because rain was water, and water was her element, which ment it would give her a bit of energy.

"Are you alright, Gin?"
Xaver kneeled, next to Ginny's right shoulder, frowning. It wasn't too hard for him to find her, and that was what had bothered him. He knew her power, and something wasn't right when there wasn't too much of a battle for him to seek her out.

She looked at him, sideways. Her eyes stayed half-closed.
"Hi Xaver..." She said, then yawned.

"I'm okay, just really really tierd."

Xaver stared at her for a moment, then lay onto his back next to her, folding his arms behind his head. He looked at her and gave a lopsided smile.
"Why are you so sleepy? I've been kind of worried about you."

"I think it's cause of the dreams I had last night. They seemed pretty real, and took alot outta me." She said, looking back up to the sky as it started to sprinkle. She closed her eyes, but kept talking.

"Why were you worried?"

"Eh. I always worry about you."
Xaver blinked up at the rain, then looked over at her. She looked at peace. Xaver smiled slightly.
"What did you dream?"

"That I was fighting someone....I don't know who it was...but it was hard." She said, her voice growing soft as she relaxed more. She smiled to herself, slightly.

Xaver watched her smile and he was silent for a moment, before he looked back up into the rain, and then closed his eyes. He could somehow sense her relax. He had always been able to do that since he had met her. And her relaxing, always made him relax.
"What do you think the dream means? That you are going to fight someone, or that you are fighting something rhetorically speaking? Or do you think it was just a dream?"

"Who knows. It seemed so real. When he hit me, I felt the pain....it was wierd. Few visions and barley any dreams ever did that." The rain grew harder, and though the large fat drops hit their bodies, they did not fall hard.

"Maybe your powers are changing somehow." Lavy said appearing on the other side of Ginny.

"No, that isn't it." Ginny said, tensing slightly, then relaxing again.

"Well then I'm out of ideas, already." Lavy said with a shrug.

"Odd," he said quietly. "..I don't think.."
Xaver frowned deeply and tried to think about what she had said, though the steady beat of the rain drowned out his thoughts. He propped himself up on his elbows and shook his head violently, then looked over at her with a grin.
"I lost my muse."
He was soaked already, as she seemed to be too, but he didn't really care. He was more comfortable sitting in the rain with her, than he would be sitting around in the castle.

"So this dream was somehow specific, then, do you think?"

And who was that guy that had hit her?

Xaver looked over at Lavy, and nodded in greeting.

She laughed softly.
"Your muse?" She asked, opeaning her eyes and sitting up, feeling a bit better.

Lavy smiled in repose to Xaver. "It's sounds more general, really, I mean she doesn't know who he is and she doesn't know if it was just a dream."

"Eh, yeah, why not. My muse, however scary that might be."
Xaver grinned at Ginny, finding her laugh contagious. He looked to Lavy.

"Maybe," he said quietly. "But Ginny's dreams are never general, from my point of view. I don't think it should be dismissed so quickly."

"I don't know who it is, because I never saw his face, Lavy." She explained, pulling her knees up. Her wet hair hung around her face as the rain began to let up. She smiled at both of them.

"Good point. But someone as powerful as you usually knows someone even without seeing there face, so I guess the next question would be did he seem familiar at all?"

"Yes, that's one thing...he was very familier, but sorta like when you havn't seen someone for a long time, and then suddely see them and you know who they are, but you just can't place a name, you know?" She said, putting her chin on her knees.

"Oh, do I know, that's happened to me way to many times." Lavy moved her hair behind her and pulled it into a pony tail.

"Well, normally, I have a good memory. It's only happened a few times, but that's what it did. I think I was stopping myself from rmembering who it really was." She said, staring past them and into the forest.

"Well, then maybe this person you where fighting... maybe you do know him."

"And maybe you don't want to," Xaver suggested, watching Ginny closely, concerned for her, as he always was.
He blinked and mopped his face with his hands, trying to think.

Lavy looked over at the forest to. "Which suggest to me you care about in some form or another."

"Maybe, but....never mind. Now the rain is starting to bug me..." She said, putting her hand up backwards and stopping the rain.

Lavy reched behind her and ringed out her hair. "No, what where you going to say?"

"It's nothing." Ginny said, smiling and shrugging her shoulders.

"Okay, then." Alvy said with a smirk.

"could, uh some--OW--one help me over here?" there was bolt, a couple of trees over, and he was having quite some trouble. he was being shocked over and over again."my element is electricity, and its raining, and--OW-- rain and electricity dont--OW--mix real well."

(I made it stop raining about a post back...)
Ginny looked up and held her palm out to him, her hand glowing slightly. His electricity stopped working and stopped shocking him.

"I don't believe we've been introduced yet." Lavy said looking at the boy.

(omg o didnt see that! lolz)

"oh hi im bolt. and you are?" he said holding out his hand (careful, youll get shocked).

Ginny watched the two, vaugly intrested and looked at Xaver. He had been silent for a few minutes now.

Xaver smiled softly at Ginny, and shrugged, running a hand through his wet hair. The effect pulled his dark hair back, and with the water sticking it, the style became some proper look of the fifties. Xaver didn't notice it, and when he yawned, the sleek look fell back into its usual spiky mess, anyway. Xaver grinned at Ginny, then looked at the others, remaioning quiet.

"I'm Lavy. and don't worry I wouldn't get shocked." Lavy said shaking bolts hand.

She smirked as his hair went from being slick to spiky again. She grinned back at him then looked at her feet.

(gotta go to bed.)

(ok, see you later :) )

Xaver laughed softly at her grin, shook his head and hauled himself to his feet. He wasn't a foot from her, so he extended a hand, offering to help her up, nodding to the forest.
"Want to walk?"

(good night Ginny)

Lavy laid down on the grass and closed her eyes. When she opened them back up they had changed from their normal blue to a very bright green that looked just like the grass she was laying on. She then sat back up.

(now I gotta get ready for school....lolz)

Ginny smiled and took his hand, pulling herself into a staning position.
"Sure." She said, standing up now. She looked at Lavy and Bolt and smiled.

(lol. I've got a week of winter break ;D )

Xaver smiled down at her, then he looked to Lavy and Bolt.
"Are you two alright to be left alone?"
He grinned slightly.
"Or doeth the storm create much panic?"

"Oh, I think I can handle myself, so on you two." Lavy said waving them away.

"as long as she doesnt leave i'm fine. im not afraid of the dark, just being alone." bolt said. "so go on and walk" he said winking at Xaver (jp xaver)

(so I guess we're splitting up this rp for now)

"So," Lavy said turing to bolt. "Tell me about yourself."

( "tell me about yourself". lolz. nice one. )

"well, uh im not used to telling people, nobody's never really asked me. and ive never told. well, my brother controlls, sorry controlled fire, and i control electricity, which is obvious by my nickname. umm, my brother died when he was my age, 12. i was 8. other than that, ive lived a normal life, except that i have powers. what about you? tell me about your self."

"Oh, my life is long and complicated, with twits and turns and setbacks and drawbacks and fights and love, and death and life. In other words, boring and time-consuming."

(ha ha clever way of avoiding a question, don't you think? lol ;D)

(lolz ya)

"we got time" said bolt grimly

Ginny snickered and pulled Xaver's arm, to motion for them to move.
"Let's go, nutcase."

"Fine. Where do you suggest I start?"

"Of course, snot."
Xaver chuckled and tugged Ginny into a walk, agreeing to leave.

The followed the trail before Ginny turned off it, not hesitating. She knew the forest better then anyone, so she wasn't worried. She smiled at him, then grew silent.

Xaver returned the smile, leaning his head back and closing his eyes for a moment, sighing. He relaxed slightly, once they were off the trail, and he grew silent himself. He liked that about her. He didn't always have to be talking to be having a conversation with her. He was comfortable. Xaver glanced at her and smiled slightly.

(They are making me get off.....I'll get on in the morning to reply.)

Ginny didn't notice jis glance. She looked ahead, and seemed to be thinking deeply. Her hair, which was just beginning to dry, still hung around her face, a dark red that made her useually tannish complextion look pale.

(ok. lol. until then ;D )

Xaver watched her, taking the moment to really look at her, etching a picture into his memory, that he would never forget. She was facinating. And, she seemed to be thinking really hard about something.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked softly, raising an eyebrow.

(hahaha this is weird)

"whenever the long and complicated part starts." he said.

"Okay, my life was pretty normal before I turned 7, that's when my first family member died, after that it's all pretty much downhill from there, my siblings died or rather were murdered, and then my parents, that's when I got to know a family friend better. His name is Nathen. After that whole thing I came to Hogwarts and that was where good stuff started happening, if you can count killing a bunch of death eaters and people on Voldemorts side good."

(Not really, it used to be more common for RPers do do this.)

"Just trying to remember who it was....it probably dosn't matter but, it's going to bother me until I find out." She said, smiling quickly at him before looking forward again.

"oh. wow."

"Maybe the dream never showed you who it was, and the point of it was to figure that out?.." he suggested, shrugging his shoulders.
Xaver caught her eyes when she looked his way, and he stuck out his tongue at her, then grinned when she looked away.

"Yeah, bad, life, but hopefully, good ending, I haven't seen that yet."

"ya. well, you never know. you might end up, you know, like marrying neo or something, have a good life, or be murdured by voldemort." bolt said wisely

" Well I wouldn't want to marry my cousin, but Neo is defiantly a possibility." Lavy smiled.

"oh i didnt know neo was your cousin." said bolt, perplexed

"No, you have it mixed it up. Voldemort is my cousin."

(lolz this is wierd. anything else to talk about lavy?)

"no your the one mixed up. your cousin, voldemort right, could murder you. neo could marry you."

"What are you saying?" Lavy said now, completely confessed.

(ya, I got an idea or two.)

(mind using them now? i dont know any more replys for this one.)

"whatever, nevermind." bolt said.

"Tell me more about yourself." Lavy finally said after a few minutes pasted in silence.

"what do you mean? i dont have anything else to say...." bolt said slowly/

She smiled again, a bit cheerily, then nodded.
"Who knows." She said, shaking her head, but still smiling.

"Oh, you always have somthing to say, there's always that little thing you never told anyone."

"not in this case" said bolt

"Don't make me force it out of you, because I can."

"To find what, precisely?" said bolt sharply

"To find out more about you."

"oh goodnes. try and forse it out." bolt said fiercly

Ginny's eyes flashed slightly and she glanced at Xaver and smiled. She had heard the last part of Lavy's and Bolt's conversation.
~She can force it out of you, Bolt.~ Ginny sent to him softly.

(zack? lol)

"Hopefully you will soon."
Xaver smiled slightly, then glanced at her, raising an eyebrow.
-Tragedy and battle behind us?-
He hadn't been paying attention.

(I'm sorry. I was talking to my cousin at the time about her sisters boyfriend and his name is Zack)

She nodded, then shrugged. They walked a bit further before she closed her eyes tightly and reached a hand to the side of her head.

(lol. It's ok, lol, I do that a lot :P )

"Are you alright?"
Xaver slowed, watching her with concern, frowning.

"I..I don't think so..." She murrmered, now holding her head in her hands and kneeling. Her head hurt, and she didn't know why. Her thoughts started to blur and her block begain to break, slowly but steadily. As each new voice or vision hit her, she winced.

Xaver's frown deepened and he kneeled next to her, reaching out with his powers and feeling out her mental block. He arranged his thoughts and sorted out his own power, then expanded it over hers, protectively sheilding her, and supplying power in each faltering area. He worked quickly, resting a reassuring hand on her back. He saw the images.
He noted the pain in her head, but he couldn't trace it directly, without messing with her blocks. He didn't do anything that could corrupt her. He watched her steadily, concern deeply masking his expressions.

Still, the pain continued in her mind. The visions she saw wern't very good to say the least. In fact, they were sad and painful sceans. The visions slowed after a moment and one particular one sprang to the surface. A little boy and girl, their faces a bit blurred, played on a lawn. A shadow fell over them and they were killed.

Ginny couldn't help it then. Such a sad idea of little children like that being harmed made her sad. She started to cry now, moving her hands from her temples to her eyes.

Xaver's heart and stomach plummetted as she began to cry. Other than little Kylie's occasional outburst, he had no experience with others crying. He watched her for a moment before gently wrapping his arm around her back, kissing her hands and cheeks and temples. He had feintly seen the vision, for it had quickly slipped through his shields before it had reached her, but he didn't know what to make of it. He soothingly whispered to her.
Xaver was suddenly struck with the painful notion of realizing he didn't know how to comfort her. He swallowed, and quietly murmured to her, holding her.

"Yes, force it out of you, soyou might as well tell me."

(sorry for short post)

Ginny continued to cry. She didn't cry often, it wasn't like her to cry at all in fact. She leaned against him, her crying now silent, but still she cried.

"go on, force whatever you want out of me. i have nothing to hide." said bolt, rather forcively, and fiercely. "i dont care if you do. go on! force me all out!" said bolt angrily as small bolts started to fly out of him and his hair started to rise.

"If you have nothing to hide, why are you so defensive?" Lavy asked uncomfortably, for she know what was happening to Ginny and Xaver.

bolt sighed."i already told you. i have nothing to hide. and i have a short temper. can you tell?" ~ginny? ginny?~ however he tried, he couldn't contact with ginny. he knew something must be wrong.

"Please you are preching to the choir, I have the worse self-control."

Although most of the visions stopped comming, that specific one kept circling in her head. The faces started getting clearer and Ginny didn't want them too. She was sad enough, and knowing who the children were wouldn't help. It would make her feel worse, and she didn't want to see them. This conciouse thought was screamed in her head And she closed her eyes as tight as she could, tears still running down her face.

"look, im telling you, force it out of me, because i don't have anything too tell. go ahead. im not gonna try and stop you." then he bowed his head expectantly, his mind on ginny's safety.

"Ginny will be fine Bolt. I'm a bit moer worried about you."

"oh okay. but why are you worried about me?" said bolt curiously.

"Because, I am."

"I'm touched. look, you don't need to be worried about me."bolt said. "but now still, you were about to force that stuff out of me." he reminded her.

"Oh, what's the point anymore, you refuse to beive your hiding somthing, which makes my job ten times hared then it needs to be."

"thank you." said bolt kindly, now that the argument was over. "so......" he said, after a few minutes of silence.

Lavy leaned her head up aginst the tree  she was sitting next to and sighed. "I have to go somewhere, want to come along?"

"it depends where we're going." he replied

"My headquarters."

Xaver held her close, softly kissing her now and then, rubbing her arm affectionately.
"What can I do?" he asked hoarsely, suddenly protective over her.
Xaver kissed her ear softly, watching her, unsure of what to do.

Ginny said nothing, as her crying slowed. She kept her eyes closed, though and leaned against him. Feelings of exhaustion washed over her again, and she just wanted to sit there.

Xaver simply nodded and held her close, continuing to whisper to her and softly run his hand through her hair. He rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes, focusing on her.

"Thank you..."Ginny mumbled to him, softly. She really was content in his amrs, and she felt safe.

Xaver nodded, and gently kissed her temple, hugging her tightly.
"Of course," he said quietly.
He leaned his cheek against hers and ran a hand through her hair, nodding once more.
"Comforting you, is no trouble me to bear. I can't stand to watch you cry."
Xaver pulled his head back slightly and watched her, brushing his thumb beneath her eyes, and wiping away her tears. He gave a little smile, and kissed her forehead.

"And, I'm sorry. I don't cry....hardly ever. Almost never." She said, looking down. Ginny was telling the truth, but she hoped he would say it was okay, because she liked it so much. Him caring for her. It made her feel....good.

"Don't be sorry," Xaver whispered to her, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders protectively, brushing his hand along the curve of her cheek, tracking over the trail of her tears.
"You should cry more often, when ever you feel like it. It's alright to, you know," he said softly, the words coming naturally to him. He smiled reassuringly at her, and gently ran a hand through her hair. "I'll always be there for you."
Xaver watched her for a moment, his shields still up and securing.
"Don't be sorry," he repeated quietly.

"You..."She stopped, trying to make sure he wouldn't take Offence. "Don't feel like you have to....you can back out....any time you want." She said, looking at him now.

Xaver met her eyes and slowly shook his head.
"I don't think I could ever do that," he whispered gently.
Slowly, he pulled back slightly, allowing her room, falling still.
"Unless it was you, who wanted me to. I just want whatever it is you, want."

She nodded, and looked down. She hadn't ment him to think she had wanted him to.

"What do you want?" Xaver finally asked.
He knew of Conan and of Romania, and of the family of his, but he didn't truly understand the relationship there. He didn't understand a lot of things, and he really wanted to. He just didn't want to make a fatal mistake. Not with her.

(im tired of the nickname bolt. call me Naroto)

"uhhhh..... okay." Naroto replied.

She wiped at her eyes and laughed, slightly.
"Part of the problem is I'm never sure what I want."

Xaver chuckled.
"I could believe that."
He winked at her.
"But why is that a problem?"

"Because it means I'm never satisfied." She said, after a pause. She wiped at her eyes again and smiled at him.

"It's a bit silly, I guess."

Xaver chuckled slightly, comforted to see her smiling again. He relaxed slightly, and allowed an inane grin to sport up on his lips, winking at her as he poked her side.
"Nah, not silly. Just a little confusing. But you are complex, so I expected nothing less."
He winked at her again.

"Ow..." She said as he poked her. She gave him a fake scowl. "And what do you mean by complex?" She said. She was teasing of course.

He grinned his predator-like grin as she scowled.
"Careful, I'll pounce and tickle you," he threatened teasingly.

He pondered over her for a moment, then looked at her curiously, with a soft smile.
"Complex, as in you're not just someone I'll ever truly figure out. Once I think I've understood you, you pull some tripwire and I'm at the beginning again, as interested as ever. Complex, as in many sided. You're the pretty, rubix-cube woman of the forest. Now, who many people can admit that they've ever been called that?"
Xaver chuckled softly.

"I'm sure there's been someone other then me.." She said, trying hard not to grin. She couldn't help it though and started laughing.

"I highly doubt it," he answered her. "No one else could fit."
He chuckled, then as she started laughing, the chuckled heightened into a merry laugh. He nudged her, and playfully, but effectively, pushed over. He grinned over at her, and fell onto his back, laughing still.

"Think thats funny?" She asked before rolling ontop of him, her knees on the ground, but her hands beside his head. She looked down at him, smiling.

"Don't make me hit my head against yours!"

Xaver grinned widely up at her, and nodded.
"Yup."
He smirked playfully.
"You wouldn't dare."

"Don't test me!" She threatened, smirking back, though not as playfully. She had head-butted people before, the only diffrence here would be she wasn't trying to kill the other person.

"Testing, testing..."
Xaver grinned playfully up at her, noting her more serious tone, but still having his fun. He chuckled and reached up, taking her wrists, and he pinned them with one hand over her head and rolled her so that he was kneeling over her, grinning still. He gently tapped her nose.

Ginny's shook was apprent on her face. She'd fought many people, and no one had ever done that. She tried to take her wrists back and frowned, though not an unhappy one. More like frowning because she had lost easily.

Xaver grinned, playfully, dow at her, and didn't release her hands, until he gave her a swift kiss on the lips.
"Your punishment," he explained with an inane grin, chuckling.
Xaver moved slightly and sat on her ankle (not heavily, holding his weight in his legs as not to hurt her, but enough sothat she couldn't squirm too easily), pulling off her shoe and sock. He grined up at her, and tickled her foot.

"I'm going to hurt you so bad!" She said, between giggles.

Xaver grinned, and tickled her until he was nearly roaring with laughter himself, when he finally released her. He chuckled and crossed his legs, and after propping her foot onto his knee, he casually massaged her foot, working out the knots and discomforts many people did not know formed in feet.
"Bash me silly, then," he said, grinning up at her again.

"Ohhh, I can't beleive you, Xaver." She said, giving him the evil eye.
"besides, "She said, wrenching her foot back, "I hate my feet!"

Xaver smirked at her, reached out and pulled her foot toward him, and he gently kissed her instep before releasing it again.
"I like them," he said honestly.
Then he grinned.
"Still waiting for that bashing."

"Ohhh, and you deserve it!" She said, standing. She pulled off her other sock and show and pulled her hair up. She took off her sweatshirt and scowled at him. Now she wore a white t-shirt with her jeans.

"Stand up." She said, her facial expression changing to one of false sweetness.

Xaver smirked slightly and watched her, curiously raising an eyebrow. He followed her order, however.
"Of course, Milady," he returned, standing, watching her with an interested gaze.

She was about ten feet away from him, which was a pretty tight space for what she was going to do next. She did a hand spring, landing on her feet, crouching down and swinging her foot underneath both of his, kicking them out from under him. On one leg, she stood, put the other one down and took a few steps back.

Xaver raised his eyebrows as she kicked at him, and he having not expected it, took full impact of her kick and his legs went out from under him. Instead of falling to his back however, he flipped himself backward, landing in a balanced poise on his hands. In the same instant while he had momentum, he forced his energy to flow backward, and he sprung from the push in his arms, to land on his feet, facing her, not two inches from her face.

"You didn't think I was seriouse, did you?" She asked, softly, looking at him. A few strands of hair had falled loose and hung in her face.

"I'd hoped not," he said with a gentle smile.
Xaver reached up and tucked the fallen red silk of her hair behind her ears, cupping her chin with his hands.
"You did surprise me though. Not many people have been known to do that in such a complete manner."
He winked at her, and almost regretfully allowed his hands to slowly drop. He smiled softly, and grinned.
"You're very good. You're movements are fluid and agressively beautiful. Did you teach yourself?" he asked.

"Actually, yes." She said, turning from him and picking up her socks and shoes. She put one hand against a tree to steady herself as she pulled them on. She pulled the hairtie from her hair, letting it fall back down. She looked around for her sweatshirt then.

Xaver nodded.
"Thought so."
Xaver grinned and rested his hand on her shoulder, in his other hand, her sweatshirt. Instinct told him she'd want it soon enough, anyway. He casually offered it to her.

"Is it that obviouse I taught myself?" She asked, softly. She turned as he held out her sweatshirt and looked at it. She took the sleeve in her hand and looked at him.

"Because, i had to. I had to teach myself. Really, I learned while fighting." She said, not taking her sweatshirt, just holding the sleeve. She looked at it as though it held many secrets.

"Like I had said before, your movements are fluid and beautiful. They would not be so much if you had learned more than a certain amount from another, I don't think. But you don't truly know someone until you see how they fight, move, or whatnot. Just as in anger, truth comes out when people usually aren't looking for it."

Xaver watched her curiously as she only took the sleeve, and he didn't release it, seeing how it would fall to the ground.

"I grew up fighting," he said absently. "I trained myself. My style is my own, concience-wise. Not many live people have seen it..."
He tipped his head and watched her eyes.
"Why have you been fighting?" he asked solemnly.

"Why? Because if I didn't people would get hurt. People I cared about would have been hurt badly." She said. She put on foot forward and placed her forhead against his shoulder. She leaned against him slightly.

"And I wanted to help. Sometimes, my mind powers and normal powers weren't enough."

Xaver ran a hand through her hair then gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder, kissing the top of her head, nodding in understanding.
"I know the feeling," he murmured quietly.
He held her close.
"I just wish you never had to do that. Fighting may be beautiful sometimes, but in reality there is nothing 'lively' about it. .. It is kind of good that war is so terrible, or people would grow too find of it. ... sorry, sidetracked..."

"It's okay..." She whispered, closing her eyes. She liked his babbling like that. It helped her relax for some strange reason.

Xaver chuckled slightly, the low, once rare sound reverberating throughout the rib chamber of his chest. He aimlessly wondered if she even knew how much he had changed, for the better, because of her. For example. He never used to laugh. Rarely ever. The number of times he had before he knew her, he could probably count on his hands, out of his entire life. He was now laughing, and casually, whenever he felt like doing so.
Xaver held her close and rested his chin atop her head, smiling like a fool.

"I fought to protect....but I..." She said, very lowly, almost in audibal, "I think I enjoyed fighting. I think I enjoyed hurting people...." She said, feeling awful. She squeezed her eyes tighter, "You know, I stopped fighting as much just before I met you. I had given up on everything just before that day you wanted some help in the forrest and you tripped over me."

"What changed?" he asked slowly, closing his eyes. He didn't have to see her. Her heartbeat against his side was enough to drive him wild.

"The fact that you came, seeking help, and forgot your problems to help me." She said softly. Her legs felt week, suddenly, and she put her arms around his neck to keep from falling.

"And that you did it so selflessly."

Xaver suddenly released the sweater and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, looking down at her with a soft, tender smile.
He sighed softly, touching his forehead to hers.
"What else could I have done? "

"You didn't know me. You knewwho I was, and I knew who you were, but you didn't know me. I had only talked to you about once or twice before. What cause would you have had?" She asked, thankful for his arms to help hold her up.

"You didn't know me. You knew I was a Fallen Prince, yet you asked no questions about how I had fallen, and you helped me. No one other than my little sister, and Dumbledore three times before, had ever helped me. I didn't know what to make of myself trusting you, but I felt inclined to follow my own emotions. I'm glad I did. I don't know what I would do without you."
Xaver watched her closely, his eyes seeking hers.

"It wasn't my bussiness. I helped because I felt I should. Not because I'm a nice person." She said, softly. "I have many people who would like to see me suffer then die....you were just...." She paused, "I dunno...diffrent."

"I'd like to meet these people and tell them where they can oh so sweetly stick their ideas..." Xaver said firmly, with a slightly agressive tone. He winked down at her.

"I am very different. And you could have made it your business..."
He looked down at her, and smiled softly.
"I guess it was all those interesting decisions that led us to where we are now.."

"I guess your right...." She said, closing her eyes tightly.

"I'm sorry....I'm sure I just add extra worries to you. You have enough with worring about Kylie."She said, softly. She wasn't looking for reassurence, she truly worried that she just added to stress.

"I may have started worried about your well being from the first time I met you, and I know I will forever more, but that adds no weight to my burdens. You aren't a burden Ginny. I'm luck to know you."
He smiled down at her, and kissed her forehead.

Ginny pressed her face aginst his chest and stopped herself from crying again. She didn't know why she was feeling like this, but she couldn't help it.

Xaver ran a hand through her hair and his arms went around her again as he drew her close, resting his chin atop her head.

Ginny slipped from his arms then and sat, her knees pulled up, her forhead upon them.

"Xaver, you don't have to stay when I'm like this."

Xaver kneeled down to one knee beside her, smiling impishly.
"I don't to breath, or think, or reason, either. I don't have to protect my little sister. I don't have to love you."
His smile softened.
"But I choose to. I want to."

He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"Give yourself a break, Gin. You are allowed to have changes in your attitude and emotions, whenever you feel like it. Allow yourself some freedom."

"Your so dam optinistic." She  said, after a moment.

(I'm sorry about such a really short post, my min and throt are dead cause I went to see Queen last night)

(lol, yeah Queen  ;D right on, lmao it's ok.)

"Yeah, sometimes," he agreed with a sly smile. "Got a problem with that? Eh? Eh?"
He grinned wickedly, and gently pushed her over, chuckling.

She placed a hand on the ground and pushed herself into a sitting position. She smiled, slightly.

"Maybe I do."

"Oh yeah?"
He smirked teasingly, and gently pushed her over again. He stuck his tongue out at her.

(And OY! I learned how to sing the 3 most popular Queen songs before I was 5.)

"Yeah. What are you going to do about it?" She asked, deciding to froget about her sadness and save it for anoter day. Besides, she was with Xaver, and he was making her smile. He had a knack for it.

(lol, cool ;D I was into Guns'n'Roses when I was little. They were my favorite ;D Don't know how I got into it, either, lol. Sadly, I didn't discover Queen until later :P )

Xaver smirked, and pounced onto her, grinning, and sneaking a kiss onto her lips, before snatching her up, bridal style, and, with a pop, teleporting her with him to directly over the lake. He grinned at her, and fell with her into the lake water.

Ginny was more surprised abput the impulsive teleport then being taken into the water. She had come into the lake in about a month, since she was so busy, and she missed it.

Xaver came up for a breath, finding a large boulder beneath the water and standing on it. He pushed his hair back out of his eyes, the water slicking it back. He didn't notice, and looked around for Ginny, grinning slightly.

Ginny knew he was on the bolder, but she didn't feel like surfacing yet. She swam around the bolder about fove or ten times, she lost count, then came up. She wasn't breathing hard, but she had been down for over a minute, so she was wet.

Xaver grinned slightly and splashed over at her, then jumped up into the air (high. He didn't endure years of training to do just that, and have inhuman powers for nothing. He jumped high, when he wanted to) and did a weird acrobatic flip, his back arching as he came to the water hands first, finishing a backflip. He swam around the bottom for a while, and when he came up, he was covered in grass that he had gotten tangled in. He chuckled, and moved back to the rock, peeling it off.

She watched with amusment. She could jump high, but she was a good swimmer and was able to manipulate the water to help her swim. She swam lightly over to him, using one arm and stayed in the water. She reached up and took the grass off of him, shaking her head, amused.

Xaver smiled down at her.
"Thanks," he said.
He suddenly grinned wickedly, and picked her up, throwing her into the air and catching her. He held her in his arms, still grinning down at her, then he raised her over his head, easily for she was quite light, and leaped far out and away off the rock, plunging into the water, even as he continued to laugh.

Ginny let oput a scream as he threw her and she covered her eyes with her hands. As they went into the water, she almost forgot to kick in her breathing system.

Xaver came up, and pulled her up with him; he could barely reach the bottom, but he could still stand, as he wrapped an arm around her back, holding her close to his side, spluttering slightly, but he was laughing to hard to catch his own breath. He grinned impishly down at her, his thick hair hanging over his eyes.

Ginny coughed, and wiped at her eyes.
"Your such a brat!" She yelled hitting him in the shoulder, though not hard. Then she startted to laugh too.

Xaver gasped in false shock, then pretended to feint, releasing his old on her, and dropping backward into the water as if he'd passed out, though he was grinning still. He couldn't hide that.

She giggled at how weird he was being. She shook her head at him.

Xaver swam below and came up behind her legs, locking an arm over the top of her knees, and then standing, so she was sitting on his shoulder, as he balanced, reaching the bottom by standing on his tiptoes. He chuckled and grinned up at her, swaying sightly.

Ginny stopped laughing and covered her eyes again. She was a water person, not an air person, and although she wasn't 'afraid' of hieghts, this postion freaked her out.

Xaver noticed her rigidness, and he slowly sank, until the water reached just beneath his nose, as he shifted her to sit actually on his arm, and she was at waist level. He watched her eyes, his filled with apology for teasing her, but also a wicked playfulness.

"You...are...a brat." She said slowly, before falling backwards off his arm and taking his hand. She pulled him to the middle of the lake and smiled.

"Maybe..."
Xaver grinned, not letting go of her hand. He kicked his legs to remain floating, but with a smirk, put hisfree hand on top of her head, and dunked her.

She came up sputtering, and shaking her head. She let go of his hand to wipe at her eyes. She was laughing though. He was almost always a gentleman, and she liked it when he wasn't just as much as she liked it when he was.

Xaver went down in the water as she came up, the waterline coming over the bridge of his nose, just under his eyes. Though as she started laugh, as always he found it contagious, and he inhaled a mouthful of water before he realized it. He came up, hlaf gagging, hald howling with laughter, though it broke off when he suddenly sneezed, the force of it pushing him under water again.
He came up and flicked some water at her, grinning.

She grinned back.
"Having fun?" She asked, half sarcasticly.

Xaver scowled at her, though playfully.
"Maybe. Got a problem with that, Milady?"

"Maybe." She said, grinning before diving under the water and swimming away from him. She went low into the murky lake, changing her direction once and awhile.

"Hey..."
Xaver watched her swim down into the darker waters, and he dove after her. He swam aroun for a while, but after winding through some weeds, he had lost sight of her. He frowned slightly, but knew she would be alright, for she seemed most comfortable in the water. He looked aroud absently, picking at some rock and pulling himself farther into a black crevace. He was about to go up for air, when he spotted something glinting at the deepest part of the crevace. Interested; suffocating himself, but interested; he flipped around and began toward the bottom of the crevace.

~What are you looking at?~ Ginny asked, still underwater. She was swimming in a wide arc around him.

Xaver glanced back p at her, then disappeared into the shadowed, deepest part, shivering slightly.
-I see something.. Ouch..- he replied, his last coming up with a good size of the air in his lungs.
Yet he remained down in the depths of what could have been hell itself for a few slow moments longer. He cam up finally, the back of his shirt torn in a wide, diagonal slash from his right shoulder to his left hip. He propelled upward, something in his hand clutched against his chest.
Xaver waded up so he was standing on the shoreline, the water coming up to his knees. His clothes stuck to his athletically muscled, compactedly shaped form. The gaping stretch across his back now lay open in the light, his muscles knotting and bunching as he walked. There were were various scratches and chips of rock across his back, around a long, bubbling gash that followed the line of his town shirt. He didn't seem to notice, or care, however.
Xaver crouched down, and rubbed clean some gold, glittering object in his hands.

Ginny followed him up, but when she came out of the water, she was barley damp this time. She looked at his back, worridly.
"What happened to your shirt?"

He glanced up at her and smiled grimly.
"A large rock fell. Barely escaped it," he explained.
He looked back to the artifact, and dipped it beneath the water, working a little magic into it. When he pulled it up, it was sparkling clean, and beaming slightly, pulsing with the soft touch of his magic. He took her hand and placed it upon her palm, shrugging.
It was only a chain. A long, pure gold, ancient looking chain, that was probably over hundreds of years old. It still hummed softly with his magic, even as he released it, for the links were ovals, and, a circle never ends. His magic would never leave it.

Ginny took the chain and twirled it around in her fingers.
"You found this in the lake?" she asked, looking up.

Again, he shrugged, standing, blood running from his back, and down his legs, trickling around his wrist slightly and staining his shirt. He didn't seem concerned. Or to even notice. It seemed like a usual thing, for him to be injured, in that kind of slight way. Suddenly, however, without even a thought, the wounds began to heal themselves, replenishing the firm, tanned skin across his back.
"Yup." He nodded, and winked.

Xaver itched his back, and finally tok notice of the blood. He backed away slightly and pulled his thrashed shirt over his head, crumpling it up into a ball, and throwing it up. It vanished. He glanced over his shoulder, and found that he couldn't see his back. He spun a few times, but finally scowled, not being able to see it, and settled with ignoring it agian.

She watched him spin and coverd her mouth to stop from laughing outloud.
"Here, stand still." She said, comming up to him from behind. She raised her hand closest to the water and it rose up, splashing across his back and washing away the blood.

Xaver fell sitill. Or enough so ht sh could slash mos of it away, before he became figety. e tuned, and smiled at her.
"Thank you."

"Don't worry about it." She said, nodding. If the cut had still been open, she wouldn't have done that, simply because of the bactieria in the water.

Xaver smiled at her, and nodded. Playfully, he reached down, and splashed her back.

"Ohhh, you brat." She said, laughing as she got hit with water.

Xaver chuckled, and walked closer to her, looking down into her eyes.
"I thought it was snot?" he asked with a sly grin.

"I guess you thought wrong." She teased, aware that he was close to her.

"Well, no changes there."
He grinned, slipping even closer.
"Brat."

"Who, me?" She asked, pretending to be shocked. She grinned back at him though.

"Uh huh," he said, nodding seriously, though he played a devious grin.
"You, you, you, you, you."

"Me, me, me, me, me?" She said, widing her eyes slightly, still grinning.

"What about you? What are you planning?"

"Whatever makes you happy," he said, chuckling slightly, winking.

(lolz, I just remembered. The last time I asked a guy "what are you up to?" he had his hand on my leg and I had to smack him around, lolz)

"Oh really? How do you know what makes me happy?" She asked him, smirking.

(lol -imagines the smacking around- lmao :P heh. His mistake :P )

Xaver chuckled.
"You tell me, obviously."
He returned the smirk.
"Brat."

"Oh, I get to tell you, huh?" She said, smirking once more, before she placed a hand on his chest and pushed him backwards, also latching her foot behind one of his ankles and pulling so he wouldn't be able to catch his balance.

Xaver landed on his back in the water, going under for only a minute before he was sitting up, leaning back on his hands, shaking his head -dog like- to get the water out of his ears and his hair out of the way. He spat out some water, then half grinned, half smirked up at her.
"Come now. Is that the best you can do?" he challenged playfully.

"No, but that's the worst I will do." She said, laughing.


(My internet is out at home. My dad killed it)

"And why is that?" he asked, a wicked grin spreading over his sharp features.
He reached up, closed one of his hands around her right wrist, and yanked her down into the muddy water, next to him.

(Ouch.  :-\ Poor Internet.. lol :P

"Hey!" Ginny yelled, laughing as she landed beside him.

(Internet alive again? ;D lol)

Xaver grinned over at her.
"Hey."

(yes!)

She stood back up, shaking her head, mud wipping from her hair. She grinned and held a hand to help him up.

"Come on, you nutcase."

(lol)

Xaver chuckled, and took her hand, rising. He smirked, brought her hand to his lips, and softly kissed the top of it, before he let go. Se straightened, and ran a hand through her hair, the mud disappearing off of her. He chuckled again.
"What do you wish of me, snot?" he asked teasingly, poking her in the nose, before smearing off some of the mud from his bare upper torso.

"Well, I was going to take a shower, and suggest you take one as well." She said, laughing.

"It's going to be dinner soon." She nodded at the sky, which was growing dim achingly slow.

Xaver grinned wickedly.
"Suggesting I need a shower, eh?"
He flicked a chunk of the mud off his abdomen, chuckling as it splatted on her arm.
"You're probably right. Maybe."
He winked, then followed her eyes to the skyline.
"It'll be getting late quickly, anyway. Besides, I'm hungry."

"Yes, I'm always roight!" She said, laughing. She shook her head at his sillyness, and started walking backwards toward the school so she was still facing him.

"Besides," she added, not hinking, "I don't qant to be out here tonight."

Xaver grinned inanely.
"Of course you are. That's why I love you so much. You're always right."
He smirked teasingly, chuckled, and walked over to he, turning, and wrapping a muddy arm around her shoulders, matching her pace in walking backwards. He chuckled, then looked down at her curiously.
"You don't like the dark?"

"Me? Afraid of the dark. Yeah, right." She said, impulsivly rolling her eyes. She had akready forgoten adding that last part.

Xaver chuckled, kissed her temple, and gently turned her, so that they were walking forewords, leaving his arm draped around her shoulders.
"What is it then?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing, I just want stay inside tonight." She said, her voice raising slightly in pitch. She cleared her throat.

"Is something strange about that?" She wondered.

Xaver's brow creased slightly, as he watched her curiously.
"Well, no. I'm just curious to know your motive, Mud-Queen."

She shot him a look and rolled her eyes.
"I don't even know why I said that." She muttered.

Xaver smirked.
"But you did say it."
He chuckled slightly, shaking his head to get his mud-thickened hair out of his eyes. He only happened to get some dirt into his eye. He stopped, withdrawing his arm from around her, and muttered a low curse, rubbing his eye and blinking repeatedly.

"Yeah, whatever." Ginny said, taking his wrist and moving his hand from his eyes and touching beside his eye, making the dirt dissappear.

"Thanks."
He blinked a few more times, then smiled, chuckling.
"Only I can make an idiot out of myself while shaking my head.."
He rolled his eyes, immitating her, then looked at her again, grinning slightly.
"You're right. I need a shower."

She tapped his cheek with her hand and smiled, walking back to the castle.

Xaver watched her walk away for a long silence, before a grin spread widely across his lips, and he jogged to catch up, slowing once he was at her side again. He smirked at her, then stuck his tongue out at her, before opening up the doors, waiting for her to pass through, as he chuckled.

"Watch, I'll cut that off." She warned, going through the doors.

"Nuh uh, you won't."
He grinned, starting up the stairs.

Ginny smirked and followed till the Gyrffindor comonroom, where she smiled as she went to the girls dorms.

Xaver followed her with his eyes, up into the girls dorm, then went into the boys, himself.

He came down an hour or so later, freshly washed and dressed in some new jeans and a shirt. He ran a hand through his still wet black hair, and yawned, walking a few paces with his eyes closed.

"Boo!" Ginny said, jumping from the top step of the staircase to the girls dorms. She landed in front of Xaver and smiled.

"Hey. Ready to eat?" She asked. She had on a dark blue t-shirt and jeans with sneakers, and her hair was brushed behind her ears.

Xaver opened his eyes, taking her in with an admiring glance. He had sensed her coming. Or, he had smelled her coming that time. He had caught a whiff of her shampoo. Smelled nice, too. He grinned.
"Hey, beautiful. Yeah, I always am."
He chuckled.

"Why am I not surprised?" She asked, laughing.

"Because you've seen my appetite?"
He grinned, and opened the portriat.
"After you."

"I swear, when you come to dinner, the house elves should be warned." She said, grinning as she climbed out.

"Yeah, there should be a huge scurry, everybody on double over-time."
Xaver chuckled, climbing out after her, though less as gracefully. He almost fell. Hiding it, though, he started down the stairs, casting a grin her way.

She smirked and jumped down the steps beside him. She laughed, pretending for his sake not to see the almost fall.

Xaver led them all the way to the great hall, nudging open the doors once they reached them. Instantly, the loud chatter and swet smells of food came surging foreword, and Xaver had to hold himself from jumping on the table like a maniac, and diging in right then and there.
He smiled at her.

She snickered, "Go ahead, you idiot." She said, laughing now.

Xaver chuckled, went in, and found two empty seats at the Gryffindor table. Absently, he waited for her to sit before he did, then, reaching around for random foods. He was starved. Somehow, he managed to eat a truckload, and chew with his mouth closed.

She raised her eyebrows, impressed as always how much he ate. She took a normal serving, like everyone else.

(lol)

Though Xaver ate two to three times the normal person's appetite, he did it well, and finished quickly. Often, before anybody else even finished half of theirs. He had done it again. Absently, he smiled over at her, comfortable, sipping his goblet.
"Who are your parents?" he asked curiously. He didn't know.

"Arthur and Molly Weasly." She said, absently.

"Your father is the one who works in the Ministry then? I have seen him before, once or twice, but I've never met him. I haven't met either of them, or most of your brothers, either."
He chuckled, watching her over his goblet, as he drank now and then.

"Yes. And another brother works there, but he's a jerk." She said, finishing her fod. She put her elbows on the table, folding her hands and putting her chin on them.

Xaver nodded, not pressing the subject. He took a long drink, finishing the goblet, and then set it down, watching her all the while.

Ginny looked up and down the table, noticing for the first time how many of the students seemed to be moving slow. She shook her head, then looked up at the clock on the wall. Even though she watched it for at least thirty seconds, the second hand only moved about six spaces more.

"What's going on?" he asked.
Truthfully, the slow motion made him kind of dizzy. Curious, though.

"I didn't do it!" Ginny blurted out, then grinned sheepishly. Of course she didn't do it, she never slowed time, only stopped it.

"Someone is messing with our time."

"Guilty conscience, eh, my love?" he questioned against her ear, his words reaching only her. He chuckled softly, watching her eyes, then.
"Who, do you think?"

"Well, I have a few ideas. Most of them are good, just hope it isn't the bad ones." She said, smiling.

Xaver smirked slightly.
"Knowing our luck, it's bad."
He looked around, solemnly interested in the slow moving people.
"What will we do, Milady?"

"Well, we could wait here for the attackers, or go outside, we're they most likely are." She said. She didn't seem all that concerned. She just wondered why anyonefrom time was bothering her, since she had compleatly resigned against it all.

Xaver nodded. He didn't like anything, or anyone that caused Ginny trouble. He never liked to see her uncomfortable, ever. She didn't seem concerned, but he was slightly annoyed. Who was causing trouble now?
"Best go out there, then, instead of bringing controversy inside, where they are others."
He shrugged, and nodded his head toward the slowly moving, but otherwise mutually cheery students around them.
Xaver, simply smiled at her, and took her small hand within his.

"Good idea." She said, standing. She walked to the door of the Great hall and turned. She whispered a time spell, closing her eyes and concentrating so time would return to normal. Then she walked out of the school, still holding Xaver's hand.

A few feet away from the main door, a group of three people stood. One was about thier age, dark hair and clothing. The other two were older, obviously people who helped control time. Ginny stopped a respectful distance from them, nodding her head.

"Yes?"

Xaver nodded and walked out with her, holding gently to her hand. As they stopped, he took a quick, sweeping glance around them, his eyes taking in everything from the number of tiles in the room, to the colors of their eyes, and the design of their clothes.
He watched the trio, expressionless, waiting for their reactions, more than curious to know what was going on.

One of the older ones smiled at her, the others didn't move. Well, actually, the one thier age sneered, but that was it.
"Ginvera? We were told that you wish to distangle yourself from time." said the one, smiling. The boy muttered something about being a coward, and the smilig on ignored him.

"We're afraid we don't find that possible." Said the unsmiling one.

"What? Why not?" Ginny said, upset now.

Xaver glanced at Ginny, his eyes darkening a little as he looked back to the group. It angered him that they were upsetting her. But he didn't say anything, not yet. Not until he had actually figured out what was going on.

"Because you involved yourself with too many time altering events." Said the one that wasn't smiling. They boy stepped forward, pushing the smiling old man out of his way.

"Yeah, like killing my Grandfather!" he said, angrily, hir dark eyes flashing. Ginny glanced at him, knowing he wouldn't dare do anything in front of the two old men.

"I told you, he killed himself." She muttered.

"Mhan, shut up!" Said the one that had been smiling. He turned angrily to the boy.

"Distangle yourself from time? Grandfather? What?"
Xaver folded his arms across his chest, frowning, glancing at Ginny, then back to teh three.
"Explain, please."

Mhan turned his dark angry eyes to Xaver and grinned.
"I see, this is why you quit messing around in my time." He said, smirking. Ginny scowled, but didn't say anything. Mhan continued, "You see, little Gin here used to do alot for the time workers. Often, she'd get 'personaly' involved with the events of time. One happened to be in my time. Where she and her little boyfriend killed my grandfather." He sneered, then smiled again, "But now she wants out. And they can't let her."

Ginny looked at the time workers who nodded, "Normally, we are able to remove all traces of our workers. But you affected too many people."

Xaver ignored the comment, his calculating eyes taking in everything and giving nothing.
"She hath perhaps affected people, but you cannot release her? Why?"

"While she worked for us, she disobayed our rules, refusing to stay in the backround of events and working behind the scence. If you look in history books, somewhere you will find her name. Her description. Someone will one day notice, and there is no way for us to fix this mistake." Said the one who didn't smile.

Ginny looked down, thinking hard. She looked up, her eyes fierce.
"But had I stayed in Romainia, wouldn't somone have realized what was going on?"

"Yes, but then we had record of you. Once you quit, we are supposed to throw out your record. The only way for us to complety delete you is to go back and delete yourself. But--"

"I locked that time." Ginny said, lowly.

"Why did you lock the time?" he asked curiously. "And why would there be such a problem if one found her name someday?"

"I locked it because too many decided to try and kill my former self." Ginny said, looking at him. Mhan smirked, he had been one of them, until these two old men caught up with him.

Xaver nodded, and crossed his arms again, watching her closely, his eyes soft. When he looked back to the three, he caught the smirk, and he scowled, returning to ice.

"She locked many times, and she can't unlock most of them. Which is why our problem is just so unuseal." stated one of the old men.

"So, now what?" Xaver said blatantly, frowning.

Mhan grinned, he knew what came next.
"She has to come with us, until we figure out a plan." Said the men, almost in usion.

Ginny looked fierce.
"Why? It's not like I'm going to run away."

"It's for your own good."

"It's for her own good that she does what she wants. It's for what you want, that she should ever come with you," Xaver said in a low growl, his voice hinting on actual anger, now.

Ginny smiled, faintly at Xaver. One of the men grabbed Mhan's shoulder and pushed him forward.

"Do you see this boy? Did you know, that just a few months ago, he almost killed Ms. Weasly? The only reason he didn't was because we got there just in time. There are dozens out there. Dozens who won't be as confident as him to give us a place and time." Said the old man, scowling. Mhan seemed almost proud of himself.

"And the humble arrival yours spared Ginny's life? He is just that, a boy, with his intentions screwed a little too tight. And I doubt with my own life, that Ginny would ever be as safe with you, as she would be somewhere, anywhere, where she felt remotely at home. Dozens perhaps have the same ideas as Mhan," he nodded toward the boy, his mental energies low and untraceable, "but dozens will fail, and fall."

Mhan smiled again, and Ginny took a step back. This one boy scared her alot, mostly because in the few fights they had were very close. And she knew that look in his eyes. This boy's mental powers were very strong, about the same as Ginny's.
"Oh, I've failed before, but you know what they say, " he said, speaking slowly, only to them. The other two seemed incapable of hearing his voice, "practice makes perfect."

Xaver's eyes darkened until they were nearly as obsidian as his hair. On most numbers of circumstances, Xaver was a calm creature, at resolute evenness controlling his own self and powers, while trying, and usually getting, others to attain that certain calmness as well.
But the other stirred his blood in a way he had almost forgotten.

Many didn't realize, by the usually respectable way Xaver had accepted himself to behave, that Xaver actually was very powerful, and had only just recently come away from the bindings that made him such a feared, and fallen, dark subject. He had learned to feel again. So far his emotions had been undeniable kept under control, and almost at peace. But it was interesting to feel again the pang of memory of what he had, actually not too long ago, been chained and nearly crazed of.

Mutual dislike would clearly be an understatement, but for the time being, it worked. Somehow, it worked. And even as Xaver's instincts told him to simply rip the throats out of any who dared insult or threat the one he loved, it was a credit to his changed character, purely, that he restrained the impulse and remained firmly where he was. Though the threads of his self-obedience were testing. Tempting.

"You fail enough times, perhaps even you will see that such things are not meant to happen."
He shook his head slowly, expressionless.
"It is far easier to make war than peace."

Ginny looked at Xaver, feeling the changes in his mind pattern. As Mhan opeaned his mouth again, to keep rambling, Ginny waved her hand. It it was one thing she was good at, it was silencing spells. Though really, Mhan didn't even notice at all, since he thought he could hear his voice. Ginny looked at Xaver.

"It's okay. I can go with them. They'll take me to a place where I've been dozons of times." She said. She didn't want to go, and if it wern't for her not wanting to get Xaver too involved, she'd have refused downright.

"No!.."
Xaver turned, and watched her quietly for a moment, not embarrassed at his outburst, but calming himself some good notches, anyway, for the better.
"No..," he repeated.
"I can somehow sense what your getting at," he said, "because I myself have known the feeling more this last month than ever before in my life. Don't think that."
Gently, he reached out, and tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear.
"Don't do this, to protect me. If you go, I am following."
He watched her eyes.
"I'm not trying to be difficult, but you don't want to do this. And da*n it all if I let them take you."

He glanced at Mhan, and then looked back to her.

Ginny's cheeks grew slightly flushed, though not from embarassment.
"Xaver, I don't want you to follow me. These guys are nuetral to most things, it's part of the job, and they are made that way, but I don't want them as enemies. They can play with time so much," She said. "Really, it's fine. I'll only be gone a while."

Mhan seemed quite pleased with himself, talking so long without being interrupted.

"But..." he protested weakly.
He knew the threat of time. When changed.. there was so much able to be faltered. Though he himself didn't care about taking on some more enemies, in the rash and reckless way he had always thought, subconsciously, he knew she had a point. And, he didn't want enemies for her.
If she was choosing to protect him, he knew that put in the same place, anywhere, he would gladly do much the same.
But he didn't want her to go. Especially because she didn't want to. He didn't want her to go.

He looked at the floor, defeated.
"How long.. will you be gone?" he croaked out, his voice no more than a whisper.

As soon as he looked down, Mhan's voice was heard and the men told him to shut up. They heard Xaver's words and nodded at each other, satisfied. Mhan smirked.

"Only as long as it takes to unlock the times I messed with and fix them. I'm the only one who can do it, if I can." Ginny said, relevied. She reached up and touched his forhead, softly. Though the other didn't know it, she was establishing a direct link to his mind, so he wouldn't be burded with sending thought to her through the diffrent time dimensions. It would happen normally.


"Let's go, Ms. Weasly."

Xaver cursed, and looked up, stepping foreword, reaching out and running a hand down her cheek, cupping her chin, and bringing her close into a fierce, but gentle, loving kiss. He stepped back, but only an inch, watching her eyes restlessly.
"Be careful.." he said, the tone he held, the one only she would ever hear, she being the only one it would ever be directed to, and finding that to not be enough,
"And just know, I love you. Though I hate it, I'll wait for you. Just send a thought, if you ever need me. I will. Be there."

She smiled and nodded, hding that she was sad.
"It's okay, I'll be back soon." She held up a finger and winked at him, "I'm good with playing in time!"

"Ms. Weasly."

"I'm comming. For people who can manipulate time, you always seem to be in a rush." Ginny said, a bit snappish. She smiled again at Xaver before walking to the men. The each placed a hand on her should, and one touched Mhan. Ginny winked at Xaver one last time before they wavered, then dissappeared, soundlessly.

Xaver watched her go, as soon as she disappeared, his face falling into an expression quite like that of a kicked dog. He groaned a little, grumbled a little, and cursed such a long and steady stream of words that in a group of passing first years, half were outraged, and half were admiring. Xaver didn't even see them. Blindly, he stuck his hands into his pockets, and walked out, and into the forest, his eyes watching the ground.

Suddenly -
"I've seen you this depressed before, but that was only when there was a tragic death, or you just came back from the battlefield, where everyone knows you don't like to be. Gods, man, what beat you into oblivion?"
Xaver looked to the side, not surprised at all, to see one of his older friends, Aaro, walking beside him. Looking for the usual scathing look and a stream of explanations, the old weapons master was surprised when he didn't get it. Worried, though he didn't show it, he shook his head.
"Well, anyway, come with me? I know you don't like to, but we need you back at home. I'll explain more when we get there."

Xaver stopped and looked around. Then, surprising his friend again, he nodded.
"Alright," he mumbled.

Aaro eyed Xaver uneasily, shook his head, and clapped the younger man on the shoulder, the two disappearing.

Ginny sat on a narrow bed, leaning against the wall, watching the shadows move. Since they wanted her to have plenty of guards while she undid her damage, they had to wait till more came in. Which meant finding time workers and getting them to come. Which meant Ginny was stuck in this cell until then. She hated these cells, dark, dreary and wet. She could hear the demons of time laughing in cell's beyond hers and scowled. She stood, walking to the bars and slipping her arms through them to place her forhead upon one.

"You look a bit sad." Sneered a voice. Ginny glanced up, her eyes narrowing.

"God, no wonder it stinks so bad. They put me across from you." She growled. The cells on everyone but her had special locks, unable to be opened by anyone who had never been a time worker. Mhan smirked across the narrow hallway.

"Awe, come on, just cause I try and kill you, you hate me." He said, he was being unusually nice.

Ginny scowled at him and laid her head against the bars again.
"Shut up."

As expected, Xaver' homeland was in far more turmoil than the older man let on, by about a hundred times over. After settling some of the larger, Xaver sat in one of the huge council rooms, seated at the circular table. But he wasn't very involved as the others debated. He was slouched in his chair, his elbows on the arms of it, his hands folded across his lower abdomen.

--How are you?-- he sent out randomly, to Ginny.

It was the first thought he had sent her. He had been thinking of her nonstop, but hadn't thought about mentally actually talking to her until that morning.


"Lord Xaver... XAVER PAY ATTENTION!" someone snapped.

Xaver jumped, sitting straighter in his seat, giving them all an apologetic, but not very sheepish look. He began to doze away again, when the words 'battle' and 'riot' reached him.
"Repeat that?" he input, suddenly paying very close attention.

Aaro nodded at him, seated next to the young lord, and sighed gravely.
"We were saying, we have no choice but to battle these people. It won't so much be fighting them as making them back down and stop bothering our people. You've seen the effect of the last riot, just outside our gates."

"Yes," Xaver said. "We said we needed to stop that. Of course. We're not idiots. But going into full-fledged battle? Don't you think that's a little overboard?"

Aaro shook his head.
"Let me explain, what we haven't told you, and what you haven't been around to hear..."

~Okay, I guess.~ Ginny sent back, softly. really, she was frustrated. She was being followed around in  time by twelve guards. They really were a bother. They didn't let her speak to anyone, and the made her work all day, since she had gotton up.

She walked to a store and saw a younger version, by at least a year, heading off after some people. She followed, half thinking about what had happened when she woke up. Mhan had tried talking to her again. It unnerved her.

--Seriously, are you okay?--


There were going to battle with a neighboring realm. Not only was Xaver annoyed and disturbed by it, he was worried. There was nothing romantic or heroic or wonderful about battle. Half of it was luck of staying alive, half of it was keeping your company alive, and the entire thing was based on driving a nearly equal force back, and away.

Already, and too soon, Xaver was in his black pants, leather boots, and a sort of reinforced black, full-sleeved top. He slipped random knives into specially-made hidden pockets. The sides of his boots, his forearm sleeves, his belt-buckle, etc.

Almost mournully, Xaver clipped a short-sword to his side.

--How are you doing?--

~I'm okay, or I will be. You don't sound too good.~ Her comment sounded off hand, though it wasn't She had just frozen one of her former selves, and it was creepy.

-I'm alright. I've been staying out of trouble.- 

He strapped his belt on, tied the loop of his boot lace, and exited the tent he had been in, climbing immediately into the saddle of his huge armred horse, and friend, Centaur. Mentally, he conversed with the animal, though the conversation was extremely low.

-Did you know I still had that orb you gave me, the first time we met?-

He pulled it out of his shirt pocket, and rolled it around his fingers, staring at it a moment, before putting it back into the pocket, clasping it closed. He sent a thought, and Centaur went to a gallop, and propelled them to the side of Aaro. The horse stopped next to him, and Xaver bowed his head, sighing.

"Are you ready?" Aaro asked.

Xaver looked up, his expression grim.
"When is one ever ready to meet what we are today?" he shook his head, and accepted the offered longsword.

"You must be. It is too late to back down now."

"I didn't want to go in the first place. I hate everything to do with war. You know that."

"Aye."

"...Let us be forgiven in Elysium."

"Are you a religious man, Xaver?"

"Not particularly."

"I am."

"Well, prey for both of us, then."


Xaver shook his head, turned his horse, and watched. He was standing atop a hill, warriors and friends and nearly family behind him, looking down into the bowl of the valley. Where most lords stuck to the back, to be able to run away, Xaver stayed in the front. He was not a coward, and wouldn't set his friends as assets sure to die. He would fight with them. He would bleed with them. And if it required it, he would die with them.


--I miss you.--

~You never used that? Why'd you keep it so long? Most people get curiouse and throw them to see what they do.~ She sent, softly to him, leaning against a wall and closing her eyes. She ignored the guards telling her to keep moving.

~I miss you too.~

-I never needed to. Or, I was too stubborn and stupid to realize I did. And for some reason, I wanted to keep it close.-  Mentally, he softly chuckled, and then his mindpath was blank and unreachable.

Xaver didn't want to ever stop talking to her, but had he kept on, it was likely that either he would have revealed to her he was literally in battle, and/or, he would have been killed. Easily, he could do many things at once. But the effects of battle affected him in ways no other things did. He hated it.

It had started at dawn, and it ended at mid-morning the next day. They had driven the others off, thankfully, and were then, tending to the wounded. And dead.
Xaver wasn't life-threateningly, or horribly injured, so he, after getting a few pathetic bandages slapped on, which he took off anyway, he went about, healing others. He was kneeling next to Aaro, who was sitting against his sword, stuck into the mud, his legs extended in front of him. He had been swiped pretty fiercely just above the knee, but Xaver was fixing it.

--..Where are you?-- he sent to her randomly, his mentality a little shaken, though that was hidden, just wanting to hear her voice.

~When, remember? Around the time of Worl War II.~ Ginny was alone know. Her guards had gotton scared and run off when things had gotton rough. Ginny shuddered, there are few things as strange as fighting yourself physically. She had learned one thing though. She used to depend on her mental powers alot more then she should have.

-Right, when-OW.-

He cursed aloud. Aaro, when Xaver wasn't paying him much mind, had reached foreword and tapped Xaver's ribs, seeing as how he was favoring them, and wincing.
"Bast-" he began.

"No, actually," Aaro retorted stiffly, frowning at the significant pain that had written itself across Xaver's face. It wasn't usual. "I'm just an old man worried about a younger. You need to get that treated. It doesn't look so good."

"Neither does this," Xaver snarled, poking Aaro's knee.

Aaro winced, and clenched his teeth, but fell silent. Xaver nodded at him, and, though still favoring.. well, his entire aching body, he finished healing Aaro's leg.


--Sorry. Papercut.--

He slowly rose, with help from Aaro, but steel-mindedly refused to be taken to the healer tent, moving on over, and finding Centaur, beginning to remove the horse's tack. Centaur nudged Xaver's side appreciatively. Xaver winced, but merely petted the stallions leathery nose, removing all and everything. The horse was brilliant, and didn't need anything to hold him down. The odd saddle was just to keep Xaver in place while he was on his back, and... killing...

Xaver shivered, and leaned his forehead against the horse's neck.

--Are you doing okay?--

~yeah, peachy.~ Ginny sent. She stood and rubbed her eyes. She was really tierd, and didn't realize her arm was bleeding. She looked around, then dissappeared into shadows as some soldiers walked by. She had managed to win against herself, but she had to find those stupid guards and get outta there before she found herself. She stopped walking and shook her head.

~Time travel is confusing.~

-I bet,- he replied softly, sympathetically, and worried for her. -I can't even keep my own time under control.-

He hadn't meant to let that slip, but he was too tired to figure out he had, let it. He tried to clamber up onto the back of the horse, but found it too painful, so from his back emerged his wings again, of which simply lifted him, and dropped him onto Centar's back, folding then. Being huge and impassive, his wings had not eluded all weapons. They were blanketed with their share of gashes and many feathers were clipped and ravaged and nearly all were sticky, and glued together with blood, of which in the black satin, only gave off a demonic hue. Xaver himself was covered with both others, and his own, blood. Blood, grass, and mud covered him. He was just very good at hiding how hurt he was.
Besides, there were others who were worse off. He was too stubborn to let himself be healed, if there was another who could be saved in his place. So, slouching, exhausted, on the bare back on Centaur, he sent a thought, and the stallion carefully trotted back toward Aaro.


-How much do you have to do?- he asked her.

~Not much more.~ Ginny lied quickly. She rubbed her temples and sanned the area for any of her guards.

"Losers!" She shouted, angrily.

Xaver paused, both mentally, and physically. Her response was too quick, as he caught it.
-Really?-

"Xaver, we need to go, now. The other realm has began one last charge on the far flank. That is where we are housing most of-"

"Our injured, I know. Let's get out there! Come on!" Xaver urged, calling forth those well enough to help.

Steeling himself, he sat up straight, withdrew his longsword again, and Centaur began at a full run. He alone, would be there as a reinforcement, first. The weight of his weapon felt unusually heavy.

-I've got some work done back here. I bet you'd bash my head in if you knew. If they don't do it first..-

His wings expanded, and he flew off Centaur's back, literally, landing amidst a crowd of his own men, and the opposing, standing between the two..

-I hope to see you soon...-

Ginny ignored the question of wheather she was telling the truth. In reality, she had just ducked behind a building. Someone had started throwing bombs from airplanes.
"Sht...sh!t!!!" Ginny said, seeing a bomb comming and running faster then she ever did in another direction. She slouched behind a thick building.

"Owws...." She muttered, rubbing her head.

~Xaver, you'd probley hate me as well.~ She sent, jumping up, this time becuase she saw a guard. She tackled him, and over the roar of alarms she made him understand her. The other guards appeared, since they had mind connectors and helped Ginny, who had slipped to the ground, her legs weak from running and explosions and the fight before.

~We'll see each other soon.~

There was a scream, and a shudder, as Xaver's sword went through the middle of some unfortunate soul. He looked up, and their eyes met.. It was just a kid. Xaver withdrew, screaming, cursing, in pain, and almost too tired to carry on. The kid was dead, he knew. Xaver was not so precise with his sword, as to not know. He kneeled and searched for the boy's pulse, not finding it.. He was dead.
-No matter what you did, or what you would ever do, I could never hate you.-
Xaver was tackled from behind, the force of the blow driving him over and far away from the boy's body, and his sword. He was rolling around bodies, hands clenching around his neck. He struggled for a moment, then with a sudden burst of energy, expelled his attacker away, standing. He looked up, and not a foot away, another was in the air, falling toward him, weapon raised and plundering down toward his chest. With sudden impact, Xaver gave a grunt and a short cry, slammed to the ground even as he made to move, his efforts preventing death, but the blade still hit him, grazing through the tender flesh of his side between his ribs and hip. He put his hands up to the shoulders of the other, and with a sudden force of energy, threw him away, the entire effort of the magic he had tapped, rippling through the valley, flattening everything standing more than a few inches high.

He coughed and rolled onto his side, and was the first to stand, dragging a foreign sword up with him.
Slowly, he brought it up, shaking, as he swung it down into the lead command of the enemy.


He tried to allow himself to fall to his knees, but at that same instant, as others seemed to know what had just happened, there was a sort of stampede - a riot - and arms came around Xaver, pulling him away. He would have struggled, but the knife to his throat held him at bay.


--...I hope so...--

~No. never.~ She sent softly. She and her guards were walking on the edge of the town, trying to find their portal.

-Wha?...-
His thoughts were rather jumbled, and her response didn't make much sense to him.

There was a pair of hands on each of his upper arms, and a knife to his throat from behind. He was being dragged, to put it mildlyBut oddly enough, he wasn't putting up a fight. No one could tell if he was planning to retaliate, or was just too weak to do it. That in itself was enough to make those around him nervous.
There were people and all sorts of screatures scrambling around them. It was hard to see a face, let alone recognize anyone.

Ginny tripped and fell down. One of the guards leaned down to pull her up.
"Don't touch me!" She yelled. He stepped back, afraid of her tone of voice. She closed her eyes and shook her head.
~Xaver...I have the feeling we're lying to each other.~

The blade around his throat went away, and the grips clamped around his arms both went back, then swung foreword and expelled him. Not having enough time to catch his wit, his hands hit first, then his shoulder, and he flipped twice, before recovering some of his spent agility, and coming to roll all the way back up to his feet.
Only to be forcible knocked down, flat on his back, and winded. He groaned and rolled to his stomach, vanishing his, what felt like crushed, wings.

-I'm sorry,- he sent to her, his words coming a mile a minute. His thoughts were so rapid, that one words nearly melted into another.

A pair of hands gripped the back of his shirt and dragged him to his feet, forcibly spinning him around to face him. He didn't recognize.. any of the sixteen or so, he counted, circled around him. Xaver clenched his teeth until they hurt, not once swaying, but nearly ready to collapse into a heap.

-Let's just start with what we weren't lying about,- he sent, thoughts still jumbled and as rash as before. As quick as his pulse rate.
-I'm worried about you. I haven't stopped thinking about you since I met you, and moreso now that I haven't been able to see you.-

In unison, the group around him drew weapon, and sprang at him.
Xaver yelled slightly in surprise, and leaped up, avoiding them, flipping backward and balancing on the shoulders of one. He propelled off him, throwing him to the ground, and tackled another, taking their weapon, and cutting their palm, as not to kill them, but to 'inactivate' them. He drove his elbow back, hard, into another, spun, driving the short sword through his shoulder.

-I miss you. I only wish I could explain more thoroughly how much. Every time I blink increases the need and want to see you again.-

They had gotten him. Xaver, no doubt, had done a good job of desperately exterminating his attackers, but their numbers never ceased to keep coming back, and for one man, an injured man, against an entire regiment of retreated, grungy, but still alive and still considerably powerful others, it had only been a matter of time.
All of them fell still and arced away a step or two, as the one behind Xaver darkly grinned, as Xaver clenched his teeth, and dropped his weapon. And dropped to his knees. Easily, the man behind could only add insult to injury, by slightly twitching the blade he had run completely through Xaver's right side - through the hard muscle of his lower back, and out through abdomen. Each movement, each maliciously torturing twitch, sent waves of pain licking through his body. He shuddered.
"Come with us, and we won't kill you," was the only explanation he got.
But between the time the other spoke, and Xaver could manage to nod his head, the blade was forcibly twisted 180 degrees, then ripped backward as it was withdrawn. Xaver felt it. And cried out in pain, kicked to writhe on his stomach for a moment before hands clenched around his arms again, and dragged him up. He made no move to walk this time. He let them drag him.

-What did you mean by, 'no, never'?- he asked softly.

He was nearly thrown onto the bare back of some foreign animal, the reigns in the hand of another rider. He leaned foreword, speaking softly to the animal, and resting his forehead on the horse's neck, leaving bloody stains on the white fur everywhere he touched. His eyes flickered around, taking in the scars on the poor creature's flanks, and the unnerving thinness of the animal. It made him angry. He petted the horse's neck, with only the energy to speak softly and befriend it, and hold on, slouching foreword, finding no way to ease the pain. His head spun. The horse nickered in response, and even lightened its footsteps, Xaver being the only kind thing that had come across its path in a long while.

- I love..- he winced and groaned painfully, both aloud, and accidentally, mentally, -you.-

In quick, but what seemed like agonizingly slow, minutes, Xaver was led into the gates into a complete different land, and taken away from the public and usual eye, led hastily.. to the dungeon tower. Xaver was powerless to stop it. He hadn't slept, stopped using magic, stopped fighting for his life, and stopped bleeding, for nearly two days. It all came rushing back to him as he was dragged from the poor horse's back, led through various cells to the very back, and deposited into one, the solid metal doors closing behind him and the footsteps fading away.
The only light came from the barred window, of which was about as high up as two of him. The cell was just that, a little box, nothing in it, except mold at the corners and leaking down from the window, and a little.. lizard, skittering across the cell to Xaver's foot. It looked up at him in what could have been understanding, then went to a corner, watching him.

Xaver gagged.
It smelled like rotting flesh, burning creature waste, and heating, milky blood.
Slowly, he just fell over, rolling onto his back, staring at the ceiling.

-And I could never hate you,- he finished softly, almost feeling the sun rise into noon, and begin to quickly heat his cell like an oven. He shivered. The heat made him sick..

Xaver did nothing but close his eyes though, mentally watching the lizard come up to him, and curl up on the palm of his hand.

~Xaver, I love you and miss you so much, I can't explain it. I start to think of my work, and my mind jumps back to you. I start thinking of you, and I get trip when I'm walking.~ She laughed mentaly, lightly. Now, they were back in the Time workers place, and she was walking to her cell. She had finally snapped on the guards and opeaned a portal on her own.

She pushed open her cell and slumped against the wall, sliding down it to hold her head. Mhan started and called to her.

"Ginny?" He asked, pausing slightly. "Listen, I don't know if your awake or anything. I'm sorry. They took me to the ime when my grandfather was killed. Your...right. It was an accident, and you and that boy tried to stop him. I'm just....sorry." He sounded just like a small kid. Ginny ignored him, almost sure he was just trying to throw her guard down.

~Xaver, tell me the truth. You hurt, arn't you?"

-It wasn't my fault,- was the soft, almost airy response.

His mouth felt like sandpaper. All too quickly, the sun had risen, from those gentle early morning hues, to penetrating, boiling temperatures.
Xaver rolled onto his belly, shakily crawling to the barred door. He magically felt around it. It was magically reinforced. The entire cell was. He would literally have to blow the tower to pieces, to get out. As the thought struck him, it sounded like a good idea. The only idea. He wouldn't live through the day's heat to when they took him back out.He slowly dropped back down to his belly, wounds and bruises smearing with grime, though he could strangely not feel anything.

-What about you?- he said worriedly. -A response earlier was so quick..-

He began to draw power, tapping into regions of which he had stored magic, and determined never to use again. Tapping into the last of his strength, and above it, and using the phobic cell as an area to center it all. All the while, making sure the little lizard was safe, sitting idly a foot from his face, just watching him. He didn't know, or really care, as to why. He looked just as bad off as Xaver did.

"Ginny?"

"Leave me alone, Mhan. Send a spell through the bars if you want. But stop lying."

~I'm okay, right now anyway.~ She sent back to him. She glared moodily at the ground.

"I'm not lying!" Mhan's voice was earnest. "But, I have a proposition to make. Your the only one able to walk out of your cell and unlock others."

Mentally, Xaver gave a giddy laugh.
-I just destroyed half of a city.-

Xaver ran, though he didn't know where he found the strength to do so, the lizard gently clenched in his left hand. He want straight toward the demolished gates, and was pleasantly surprised when the horse he had ridden in on, ran up beside him, and nudged him with its nose. He wrapped his right arm around the horses neck, and yelled aloud as he swung up onto the bare back. He yelled again, and the horse went into a full out run, leading him out of the rubble, and across the valley way again.

When there were half way across the meadow, the horse slowed willingly, and Xaver simply slid from its back rolling to the ground with a groan, curling up on his side, after setting the lizard free. The horse angled itself off to the side, shading him, as he caught his breath, in a ball of pain.

~Sounds fun.~ Ginny thought tierdly. She glanced at Mhan, who looked eager.

"Listen, Ginny. If I give you my owrd I'll leave you and yours alone, will you let me go? We can help eachother get out. My life is easier without you in it anyway. I can go on doing what Grandpa did."

"Stealing?"

"Hey now, those things are stolen. People give them to me." He shrugged.

"I'm sure they do."

"Come on!"

-.. It was..-
Other than limply sliding onto his back, and closing his back, Xaver was still. Exhausted.

-You ok?-

~I guess so....Can people change from hating someone to trying to get along?~ She asked, wondering weather she should trust Mhan or not.

A muffled response.
Xaver quivered weakly, fighting the threatening nausea and fog of pain that seemed to want to overwhelm him. The sun beat down on him, even in the shade provided from the horse, and the peril of his sitation grew. But he was oddly calm, laying there, his body screaming for a release and nothingness, that his mind adamantly refused.

-Depends on who they are,- he sent softly.

~Say...Mhan was offering for both of us to get out of here, helping each other. Do you think he might mean it?~

Ginny watched Mhan across the hall, considering for a moment. She wanted to know what Xaver thought. SHe hated being here, and if she could get out and away, she would.

Xaver closed his eyes and fell still, breathing in the hazy grass-smells more shallowlybut oddly, smelling them more efficiently. He didn't move any lnger, being too tired to, and that scared his new horse-companion. It, or he rather, nudged Xaver with his nose, nickering when it didn't even get a groan as a response.

Xaver thought for a moment, his mind being the only thing that worked completely.
-Well, weigh the pro's and con's. Could he be trying to set you up, or does he actually want to get out too? Can you read minds there?-

Ginny narrowed her eyes at Mhan.
~Yes, I can, but not his. His blocks are as thick and high as mine`~ Ginny almost laughed. ~I'm so stupid. High blocks are high everywhere, but they have to leave one small open spot. So if the block breaks, it dosn't over flow too badly and hurt you. I could get in that way. Hard though.~

-You aren't stupid,-  he sent seriously.

Xaver gave a low, loud scream, his eyes opening. There were figures all around him, dark blobs, and one had grasped the front of his shirt, and literally dragged him to his feet. Kind of. Hands went to each of his arms, holding over the painful bruises from earlier, holding him up, ecas as he tried to regain some sense of footing.

-Do you think it would be worth it?- he asked her softly, hiding anything except the thoughts.

~No. I've been there once before. He's as parnoid as I am and spends alot of time with false minds. I'm going to trust him. As long as he dosn't cause anymore waves, we can both be left alone from the time workers.~

Ginny looked at Mhan again.
"Okay. I don't trust you. I don't like you. But the feelings mutual, I guess. Truce."

Mhan nodded.
"Okay, I know for a fact no one will be here in an hour."

Xaver tried to regain some sense of walking, tugging upward on the grips on his arms, trying to relieve some of the blinding, red patches of pain from his eyes, thoughthey apparently took it as if he were trying to escape, and simply grasped his arms tighter. With each lost drop of blood, and movement, Xaver's protests weakened, then simply stopped all together. He bowed his head foreword onto his chest, wincing at the blazing heat turning his thoughts and strength to mush.
Xaver didn't heal nearly as well back in his own realm as he did around Hogwarts. There was a sort of equal amount of magical power, but his realm was in a sense heavier, and less omitting. And the heat.. Xaver had never done well in the heat. And beneath his layers of unique and, though light, thick armor, and layers of clothes, he felt like sloshing muck in boots. Boots of which he began to drag, no strength in his legs left to carry their own weight. The two holding him noticed, and grunted to each other, the first signs that they were actually alive beings. They simply dropped him. Or so it felt.

Xaver gasped and clutched tightly to his aching side, of where he had been quite literally, run through. He felt a boot nudge his cheek, but after that, he physically felt and saw no more, than blackness. The only thing still working properly, being his mind, of which had suffered the least. Or of which hadn't yet taken account of its own blows, yet.

-Be careful,- he sent softly.
Nothing but darkness. He was, for the time being, only mentally conscious. He saw nothing. He felt nothing. Only the patterns and tones and expressions of her thoughts, and his own.

-So how are you two planning to get out?-

~I can walk in and out of my cell without getting shocked. I also know how to unlock other cells. If no one is here, we should be able to just walk right out.~ She sent this very softly, somehow sensing he wasn't doing as well as he sounded.

Her tones softened, and Xaver silently thanked her. Even subconsciously, it seemed, she always knew how to help him at the right times. He allowed his thoughts to settle, somehow not very concerned or worried about much within his own situation. He was fed up with it, really.

-And if someone is there?- he asked, worried about her.

~Let's just say I'll be in bigger trouble the next time you see me.~ There was a slight threat in her voice, but still, she kept it soft. She didn't want to hurt him, even if all she sensed was a headache, she couldn't be too careful.

~Xaver? When will we see each other....~ This was spoken even softer, almost like a forgotten thought. Something flew threw the bars and hit Ginny on the head. A pencil. Mhan leaned out and whispered "Hey, your looking worried! Cut it out! They'll think something is up!!"

Ginny gave him a scathing look and rubbed her head.

Water. Ice. So cold. He was being forced back into physical realism, by his instinctual will to survive. Water in his eyes, his mouth, his lungs.
Xaver choked and gagged, his eyes sliding open, shaking his head against the stream of poured water, of which didn't ceace, until he rolled, slowly, away from it, gasping breathlessly, and spitting up as he did so.

"Good, he's awake," he heard, in in gruff voice.

Xaver raised his searing head, and peered upward, still panting, watching one of the men near him clip a water container back to his saddle belt, saying something lowly to his horse, before turning back to Xaver. The man keenly watched him, until Xaver looked away, dropping flat back onto his stomach, wanting to go back into what was a peaceful blackness.

"Now, now, sonny, stay alive.. you two. His armor," growled the same voice.

Xaver winced at the footfalls, and then gasped again, as he was roughly dragged to his feet, or dangled upward, anyway. He was passed between two burly, heavily armored and muscled soldiers, of who, because his captors had no knowledge of his kind of armor and weaponry, they did a clumsy, and awkward job removing it from him, wringing several cries and groans from his body.
Stripped down to his fitted grey, now blood soaked long sleeve shirt, and black pants, he was simply released, to fall to a heap again. Xaver rolled to his back, then to his side, retching blood until he again he lay still, only able to lie there as they looked over his armor, and attached it to their packs.

-Soon, love,- his thoughts whispered back. -And I can't wait..-

There was a crack of a whip, and for a moment, Xaver thought it was directed toward him. But it wasn't - it was toward the already beaten horse who had literally, just saved his life. It was enough for Xaver.
He rose, though he didn't know where he found the strength do so. And he got angry, though he couldn't imagine, where he found the energy.


Xaver didn't kill them, though he quite easily could have. He removed and vanished everything they owned except their underclothes back to the storage of his home realm, tied them up with magic-powered ropes, gagged them, and left them to be found, setting their horses free. He stumbled over to his new horse friend, sort of clambered onto its back, with help, and leaned foreword against the beasts neck, giving a soft thought, and just hoped the animal would obey, and take him back..

"That's no reason to throw something at me! Geeze!" Ginny said, almost comiclly funny. She folded her arms and sat against the wall again, seething. She really didn't like Mhan, but at least it was a truce. He wouldn't bother her anymore, and she didn't have to be afraid for people close to her.
~Me either.~

"Yo, Ginny, look at the time." came the hiss an hour or so later. Ginny started and stood up. She reached through the bars and unhooked her cell door, pushing it open. She walked over to Mhans.

"Back up, kid." She said.

He somehow knew when she began the escape.
-Be careful,- he sent softly.


The horse had been trained to listen to commands, such as calls, and physical touches, such as the tapping of a heel, of snippet of a whip. Xaver had neither the strength nor willpower to do either. And the animal wasn't used to Xaver speaking to its mind, or his gentle ways. It tried to help him, but could not so much think for itself, as remember the way. The horse, once white, was now, half stained by Xaver, red.
They approached a town he couldn't remember, and Xaver only closed his eyes against the horse's neck. Town = People. If Xaver would be unaccepted, in this heat.. Or if approached with armed forces, he would be easily overrun.
It was sweltering, or so it seemed to him. He shivered, though, spasms of pain wracking his body. He was dizzy, though, and didn't feel nearly as much as he should have. It was going to hurt a lot worse once he was back in his right mind.

~Always am.~ She sent, pretending to be cheery. She tapped the lock twice, mummbled the incantantion, and the door swung inward. Knowing Mhan would be right behind her, she quietly walked towards the front of the building. This building was at the center of all time, so only one spot could be used for transporting at all.

~You too.~

-You more...- he sent in almost a whisper.

"Mister!"

Xaver blearily opened his eyes watching the feint outline of a short,little figure, for a moment, before blinking the red haze from his eyes.. it was so hot..

"Mister?" The voice was a girls. A very little girls.

"Yes?" Xaver replied, wincing at how hollow his voice sounded, softly asking the horse to stop, which it did. He raised his head slightly.

"Are you ok, Mister?"

Xaver stared at her, leaning foreword, fighting the urge to be sick again, until he saw red patches in his line of vision again. He simply shook his head, closing his eyes, and didn't wait for any reaction. He couldn't, if he'd tried. He was unconscious again.

"You ready?"

"Shhhh!" whispered Ginny. She crept closer to the center of the building. Hopefully, Mhan was right when he said no guards were there. He had been imprisoned more the her, after all. Mhan dropped something, and it clanged. Ginny forze, as did he.

"Opps...."

In a haze, Xavers mind could scarcely pick up anything going on. He felt the horse move beneath him, and carry him into the city. He felt arms remove him from the animal.. To a cel, or a medics, he couldn't tell at all. All he knew, was that it was hot. Humid, yet smokey dry. He felt himself shivering nonstop, but he could barely breath.
Slowly, he forcefully opened his eyes, seeing nothing but tan tent and unfamiliar faces around him. They didn't know him. It seemed they were trying to help him, but in reality, they were killing him.
Sweltering, but shivering as if cold, he fought the urge to get sick, moaning aloud at the heavy, obtuse pain aching all over his body.

"Hu...." Someone mummbled sleepily. Ginny gave Mhan a look and he shrugged. Someone stood up and came near them. Ginny pulled Mhan around the corner, as whoever it was walked by.

"Come on." Ginny mummbled to Mhan angrily, pulling his sleeve then slipping into the transport room.

Xaver squirmed. The 'doctors' could not cut off his long-sleeve shirt, like they wanted, because it was inter-woven with chain mail. Hence, scissors would not work. They propped him up, and tugged it off of him, ripping another few tamped down, cries of pain from him. He was almost forced back down, though when one accidentally brushed the wound at his side, he nearly collapsed. He twitched and growled, clamping his teeth far past the point when they would just hurt, keeping silent as much as possible, blinking stars from his eyes as he accidentally knocked his head back against the solid table he lay on.

"Where to?" Mhan asked.

"Let's just get away from here first." Ginny said, acticating the main portal. She dragged Mhan into it and the two of them landed in some unknown time. She turned to him.

"Listen, Mhan. This truce...does it mean you won't hurt anyone near me?" She asked.

"Not on purpose. I havn't fought you in a while, so I'm almost afraid." He said, laughing.

Xaver could curse just as good as anybody, and better than probably most. It was torture. They healed where he had been run through, after an excruciating process of cleaning the wound, though they only fixed it with the simplest magic possible. They simply, just weren't strong enough to restrain him, let alone completely heal him. He was a creature none of them had healed before.
Xaver wouldn't remain still long enough for them to heal him any further. he wasn't too sure if they were healing him, just to throw him in some cell, anyway. Twice, he'd tried to get up. Twice, though, he'd fallen to a heap. He hated being powerless. But more, he hated the heat. The weather was getting to him, and efforts to get away were being quickly smothered by it. None of them understood why he wanted to keep moving.
They thought he was insane.

Ginny smiled and held out her hand to shake his.
"Okay, this is a true truce." She said. Mhan shook her hand.

"Okay. Where are you going now?"

Ok. Xaver knew now, that they thought they 'knew' he was insane. One of the doctors left, and brought back two guards. Xaver winced, his thoughts of the worst confirmed. He tried to back away from them, flipping of the table in the process, but he was, scarily, easily caught. Each guard grasped one of his upper arms, over the blackening bruises there, easily picking up his weakly limp, shirtless body, and literally dragging him out of the tent, into the blinding sunlight, and peircing heat. Xaver bowed his head, tightly shutting his eyes, as his sweat seeped over him, the salty particles teasing open wounds and driving him mad. The guards simply kept walking, and Xaver didn't even bother to look where.

"I don't know. I can't go home. I'll go hide out somewhere." She said, smiling. He nodded and activated his time travel portal to his home.

"Bye, Ginny." He said, dissapearing. She slumped against a tree.

~Xaver?~

-Yeah?-
He blinked, amazed at how groggy and low his own voice sounded, even mentally. He cleared his thoughts as much as he could, and then more softly, -How'd it go? Are you alright?-


Xaver, agonizingly, raised his head, looking around as he was being led forcefully through the street. Then he immediately put his head back down, cursing. He was in the outskirt town of the neighboring enemies he had just got done fighting with. If he was recognized..
Xaver shifted his feet beneath himself, trying to walk, and not let himself just dangle, but he couldn't find the strength. And the guards holding him were moving too quickly, and, thinking he was trying to escape, clenched his arms tighter. Quickly, he began lose feeling in his hands.
He fought the sloshing-bile feeling in his stomach, his eyes cloudy, his footing non-existant, drooping heavily in the manacles of his captor's hands. Number one was to get out of the heat, to survive. Number two was not to be recognized. Three was to get away..

There was no doubt, the heat was getting to Xaver. He finally found his feet and started slowly walking, though he shouldn't have even gone so far - the warm, seeping blood from the re-opened wound on his back pouring over him, darkening his belt and black pants, shining bright, and dark, thick red over his bare skin - was proof enough. He did walk though, numbed by the mush his thoughts had turned into. He walked like a drunk, aloud, talked like a drunk, rambling incessant, incoherent mumbles, and cursing and groaning with pain with every shock of pain that coursed through him. Not thinking straight anymore.
The guards glanced at each other, but didn't do anything. Simply kept pushing him along.

~I'm fine. I'm just trying to figure out where to go. I can't go home, to our original time. I might go hide out in my childhood, but that's obviouse...~ She sent, hoping he wasn't to busy to help her. She could feel his mental distress, even though he was trying to hide it.

Xaver was quiet for a moment, none too messed up to think straight, occasionally, though he was slightly losing it. He was being dragged again, his legs having gave out after he tripped over himself.

-If you could get me out of my mess, love,- he sent softly, outwardly frowning as the guards stopped, conversing over him. He realized, they weren't sure where to throw him. And that could be bad. -I would gladly help you, take you anywhere..-

Xaver, noting the ache in his arms had reduced a little, threw himself backward, his legs over his head in a backflip, landing on his feet. He wobbled, but remained standing. The wounds stung, blood stained the white flesh of his back, licking around to his chest and belly, drying quickly in the heat, but it was more like a dull ache; he was finally pinpointing his own magic, and slowly, agonizingly slowly, curing injuries. Xaver was injured, but not enough to let himself be caged. Never again.

~I can do that. Mind telling me how deep your in?~ She asked, concerned. She began to find his location by pinpointing where his messages came from.

Xaver was about to turn, when one guard drew sword, and the other, expanded his hands at his sides, becoming enveloped in blue power. Xaver shook his head, wobbling backward, but keeping his balance. The wobble was enough, and he was closed in by a hoard of people, pushing and prodding him foreword, he without the strength to stop it.
-Very, I should say.. It's so hot out..-
Mentally, Xaver shivered. He hated the heat..

Suddenly, there was an outcry, and all motion ceased, as Xaver began cursing.
"Look! It's him! The remaining enemy prince!"

Xaver bowed his head and tried to duck away, but he was suddenly flat on his stomach, a knee nailed into his back, hands pinning him down. Xaver panted, his breathng short and labored, as he was being suffocated, and smothered by the sweltering weather.

~Alright, I should be there in a few seconds. Try to stay where you are.~ Ginny told him, having a feeling he might not have a choice. She hurridly opeaned a portal to pass between worlds and stpped in.

Xaver didn't reply. He couldn't wrap his mind around focusing enough.
His wrists were tied behind his back with a sort of sticky, itchy twine, that immediately cut into his skin, biting and drawing blood. The knee at his back was removed, and a hand went to his hair, clenching, and yanking his head back, bringing him up to his knees, with enough force to make him see stars, a blade pressing threateningly against his throat.

Ginny stepped out from her portal, and quickly elbowed her way into the crowd. Several people refused to move, and she simply overpowered them with a sharp kick the behind their knees.

"Excuse me, could you please let him go?" She asked, smiling, in a voice sickly sweet at the ones who help Xaver.

Xaver pried his eyes open, looking foreword, as his hair was released, though not relaxing, still aware of the blade held against his jugular, close enough that each movement stung. Xaver blinked heavy beads of sweat and delerium out of his eyes. Ginny.. God she was beautiful. And so impeccably helpful. If only he had found her sooner..

"On what grounds should I do that, Miss?" the guard holding him asked. "His life could mean the outcome of our Wars."

"His life could mean the outcome, or rather the end, of your lives." She kept her smile, and her sweet tone, but her eyes had a dark glint, showing her words were no an idle threat. She didn't look at Xaver directly, shehad to keep herself in control, and looking at him, she couldn't do so.

"And you, being responsible?" the guard growled, his tone slightly angry.

Xaver adverted his eyes upward, swallowing, the motion enough to sting and send a small trickle of sticky warmth down his neck, and chest. He didn't particularly care, anymore.
"Thinking of her that way would only prove you more a fool than you, even are. Never, underestimate her," Xaver input gruffly, twisting his bound arms behind him, the string numbing his hands, chewing his wrists raw, beginning to struggle again, refreshed by her just being there.

The guards aura darkened, a little more cautious, then. Even nervous. In a normal situation, Xaver would have taken then to rise and pummel the guard. It was just another testament to how weakened he was, that his legs simply shook under him, and panted heavily, his mouth dry, doing nothing.

Ginny gave Xaver the quickest of glances, hoping he wouldn't try to overexert himself.

"Actually, I would be. Now please, I'll ask you once more, llet go of him." She said, her tone losing some of the sweetness. Her hands hung limply at her sides, she had no wepons, and she didn't look strong.

Suddenly, a low, powerful pulse rumbled through the ground beneath them all. A tremble. What was blinding heat, became cool, just long enough and dark in the skies enough, to draw attention, before the heat returned in a fresh wave. In that short length of time, the twine biding around Xaver's wrists were broken, and then lay in a small pool of his blood, behind him.
He didn't even move; just winced at the sun.

The guard didn't notice. It was very hard to. He looked down at Xaver, scowling, gripping his hair again, and pulling his head back, more worried about Xaver cooperating. Fool.

"Sorry," he said, toward her.

"You should be," Xaver retorted, driving his elbow back into the guards stomach, leaning just far enough away from the blade to avoid it, and rolling away, to stand. He was suddenly overwhelmed by the suppressing heat, however, and he simply collapsed. He sat up, leaning back on his hands, still blinking away stars, as the enormous crowd, rioted.

Ginny grinned, even as the crowd turned on both of them. She ducked under some peoples arms and knelt beside Xaver. People ran past in confusion.
"Come on," she said, almost laughing, "we don't want to be trampled." She took his forarm and pulled him up, fast. She knew that since he seemed to have lost alot of blood, he should just lie there, but they had to hurry while confusion was keeping the crowd busy.

Xaver winced and groaned as he rose to stand, though, forgetting everything as he sought and found her eyes. He shivered and wobbled a it, but that didn't upset him enough, that he couldn't gently run the back of his hand over her cheek, into her hair, cradle the back of her head, and softly, but swiftly, kiss her. He sighed, in what could have been simply sheer tiredness, relief, content, or all of them strewn together, breaking away from her, gently pulling her into a crouch, to avoid a thrown knife that narrowly missed her. Xaver cursed over his shoulder, and took her hand within his, kissed it, and nodded in understanding, closing his eyes against a burning, fresh wave of nausea, though rising again, his height enabling him to see over many. He spotted one of the guards, and gently tugged her hand, ducking down with the crowd, ignoring the pain that wanted to simply make him black out, every time he was bumped or knocked. Once, he was elbowed against her. He looked oer at her, and shook his head.
"I don't think being trampled is the problem.. it's surviving it."

She was almost laughing. Why was she almost laughing? He looked at her curiously, even as he tried to avoid people, and pending death, interested.

She smiled at him, and took hold of his wrist, above where it was bloody. She laughed outloud then, pulling him through the crowd, headlong. She crashed into a few people, but simply since she was going faster, they fell over. A few people tried to stop her, but she ducked around them, pulling Xaver with her. They got to the edge of the crowd and she looked around.

"Ready to get outta this town?"

Xaver simply shook his head.
"And you call me mad!" he called to her.

Everything seemed so much better. Hopeful. More real, when she was around. And he only knew, it was funner. Quicker than he thought he'd be able to, he was laughing along with her.

"Forever?" he panted. "Always."

Shaking his head at the odd use of his own words, he found a grin, and slung an arm around her shoulders.

"Let me get myself healed, and then I'll be doing the taking."

"You wish!" She said, laughing and letting go of his hand so she could spin. Suddenly she lost her grin and grabbed his hand again.
"Come on." She said, pulling him away from the crowd, quickly.

"Ah. I wish a number of things, my lady."
He grinned at her, though it faded quickly, squeezing her hand as she took his. He closed his eyes for a fleeting second, steeled himself, and he followed her, running as if nothing was wrong, moving as if it didn't hurt. It would. Just later. Then, he was numb.
"Where," he called hurriedly.

"I don't know." She called back to him. She just keot running, creating a maze through allys and diffrent roads till they came to the edge of town.

"We're on equal grounds, then," Xaver said, when she slowed, not panting, but unable to hide the fact that he was in pain. It just wouldn't go away.
"I've been here only once. When I was little. I had been captured. I was locked away in a tiny, dirty cell for five and a half months, in that building, there."
He pointed to a broad, depressing, dark tower.
"That's all I remember. My mental blocks had been forcefully shredded repeatedly, and I was forced to forget how I had gotten to my location. The brutality of how they ripped my memories away, tore away more than the selected ones. I don't remember anything specific. I just get memory flashes."
Xaver shrugged, and shook his head, looking over his shoulder, still wary, and nervous. Jumpy.

Ginny's eyes sweeped the aream before she shrugged.
"Hell with it, come on." She started walkeing. She figure they were bound to run into someone who didn't know who Xaver was.

Xaver simply followed, never having let go of her hand. He started to fall into another heat-induced daze, when a group of rowdy kids rounded the corner. They weren't young or old, but maybe barely into their teens. They all froze when they caught sight of Ginny and Xaver, and one literally dropped the kickball they were holding, gaping as it rolled away.
Xaver went still, knowing how absurd he must seem. Shirtless, covered in dirt, grime, blood, and wounds, disheveled and pale - standing next to a goddess. He glanced at Ginny. The situation made him grin.

She stuck her tounge out at the kids, but otherwise kept walking, pulling Xaver with her. As they walked past them, Ginny made sure she was between Xaver and the kids, she smiled.
"Hi." She said, in passing.

Stealing a glance at their gaping, deterred faces, Xaver let out a low, slightly delerious chuckle. He laughed. Something was just weird about it all. His voice became kind of strangled, so he just went quiet, shaking his head, blinking away beads of sweat, and stars. So hot..
A dry heat, that made his mouth feel as if it were stuffed with cotton. Xaver wanted to choke, but instead, just panted, his steps slowing, tiredly. They rounded a corner, and Xaver looked around uneasily, as everything went suddenly quiet.

"Just keep walking. Look stright ahead and keep walking. Can you do that for me, hun?" Ginny said, doothingly. Her voice was low, and she was looking at him.

Xaver pried his bleary gaze off of the streetcorner, and met her eyes, blinking a few times to focus.
"I think so," he said softly, calmly, nodding his head, and looking foreword.
Just a little further. It was always only a little bit away. How long would it be, until he didn't have the strength to keep looking anymore?
Xaver cleared his mind, wrapping his thoughts in a solid, steel barrier, swatting them away, focusing on the hand holding his. Trying, with all his will, to ignore the petrifying sun.

"Once we reach the next town, keep your head down, your eyes almost closed, and don't look at anyone. If we can help it, we don't want them to reconize you. Then we'll get some place to stay." Ginny told him the temporary plan so he would have something to concentrate on for now.

Xaver nodded, licking his lips, taking slow breaths, focusing, and with a practiced self-control, literally slowed his heart beat. Calmed himself down. Shut away his mind, in a sense, his power, so that he would not do anything particularly stupider than he would in a normal situation. So he could remain sane, even though the heat was pushing him past his limits.
"I haven't been past that town, and nowhere in this territory, that I remember. It should be ok.."

His eyes darkened from their usual sea blue. From calm waters, to tired blue-tinted opals.
"I swear I'll be a good boy. Scouts honor."
He make a salute and a small smile, even as they entered the new town, wishing he had more of a shirt on than the layers of his own blood.
Oh, well. Beggars can't be choosers.

Ginny stopped a passer-by, asking how to get to the nearest place to stay. While the man gave her directions, he kept glancing at Xaver, obviously noticing the blood. Ginny quickly smiled.
"Oh, he fell out of a tree." She said, dragging Xaver away then. She quicklywalked to the inn, asking for a place to stay. Thankfully, they didn't ask for money upfront. The innkeeper led them to a room upstairs, then went back downt the stairs.

"A tree?" he asked, whispering in her hear, for only her hearing. "Couldn't have made it all more macho? Like.. I was nearly eaten by a large land-walking hairy octopus, or something?"

Xaver let a tiredly playful grin sweep his face, and, though he actually was using the door for support, he found the handle, and opened it for her, using his usual polite attitude as an excuse, simply worn out.

"No." She said, grinnning. She walked in and nodded to him.
"Seems to be a bathroom over there. Go take a warm shower, then get in that bed ans sleep." She ordered.

Xaver pretended to be hurt by this, and shut the door, sticking his tongue out at her.
"Cruel."
He looked around the room, then shivered.
"No. Definitely not warm.. I think ice cold. I don't much like the heat, and I've been in it for over two.." He yawned, and shut himself up.
He shook his head slowly, then went to her, kissed her lightly on the lips, and nodding again, slowly still, making his way to the bathroom. He waved and disappeared inside.

Like he'd said, the cold water cleared his senses, and he emerged from the bathroom, more or less, back to normal, physically. He had magically cleaned his clothes and shoes, another factor of evidence proving his better-off state. He had left his boots and socks at the bathroom door, though, not wanting to put them back on earlier than he needed to.
Once he had gotten better control of his mind, he had focused his powers onto better healing his wounds. His physical wounds. Mentally, it would be a while. Xaver hated battle. He hadn't wanted to go. It would haunt him for months.
He still didn't have a shirt. Most of his minor scratches and bruises were completely gone. There was an occasional little clean scrape here or there, but they were quickly fading away. The spot where he had been completely run through, and then 'fixed' by the other people, was still tender and bright red. Xaver had healed the outside of the wound, so to stop the severe bleeding, but whatever they had drugged him with for pain, which never had worked, either, had taken some odd effect on the wound. He had used his power to clean it, but it hurt like hell, and wouldn't go away, despite his effort. He traced a finger over the exit pink, fresh scar, clamping his teeth shut to hold back a wince at even that slight touch.

Ginny glanced up at him from the chair she sat in. She didn't say anything, only pointed with one hand at the bed, and continued reading th newspaper she had asked for.

"I don't need sleep," he muttered stubbornly, though even as he spoke, moving. "I dunnumbwth..."

Xaver flopped onto the bed, though carefully, spread eagle on his belly. He lay still for a moment, then brought a pillow under his head, wrapping his arms around it, his face turned toward her, his eyes already closed. He sighed heavily.

"Thanks for coming.." he said softly, half-asleep, though he wouldn't admit it.

Ginny looked over the top of the paper again, this time smiling.
"Why do you do that?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Why do I do what?"
He slowly pried one eye open, looking at her curiously, fighting down and swallowing a yawn, content with just laying there.

"Thank me. You don't have to you know. If I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't be." She watched him, one eyebrow raised. She stood, putting the paper down and walked over. She sat on the edge of the bed, stroking his hair.

"Just go to sleep."

"Because," Xaver said, the tension that had been forcefully strung around him the last few days easing slightly. "You're someone for I'll always be thankful."
He looked up at her, his cheek against the crook of his elbow.
"I've spent years being forced to be 'thankful'. Being made to think I was. It wasn't until I met you, that I actually figured out there were things to be thankful for. And that I could find myself thankful, on my own will. I thank you infinity times."

He smiled slightly, his eyes drooping tiredly, bird-like.

"And I know you wouldn't. It just worries me that someday you won't want to."

"Well stop worring. Unfortantly for you, I'm sticking around." She said, tapping his cheek. She folded her hands in her lap and smiled at him.

Xaver suddenly grinned, moving, swinging his legs so they draped over the side of the bed, sitting up right next to her, ignoring the searing pain in his still injured abdomen, staring at her.
"And you think that could ever be some misfortune, to me?"
He shook his head.
"Never."

She raised an eyebrow.
'Lay down, or I'll make you lay down." She told him, half joking.

He stubbornly crossed his arms, shaking his head.
"You can't make me."

She could by no doubt, in his condition, make him. And he knew she probably could, if he were stong again, anyway. And it plainly showed in his face.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, gently pushing him onto his back.
"Whatever." She smiled at him.

Xaver let out a deflated gasp, landing flat onto his back, as he knew he would, when he challenged her, his legs still dangling, from the knee down, to the floor. He scowled up at her, and, though only with a small wince, laughing it off, he bent up slightly, taking her hand, and yanking her down beside him, numbing away the little shocks of pain that ran through him, again. Finally, he lay still, looking over at her.
"Yeah, whatever."

Ginny rolled her eyes, trying to sit up again.
"You brat. You should be sleeping." She said, finally sitting on her knees, facing him.

Xaver simply smiled knowingly.
"I will," he whispered.
He watched her for a long moment, fighting a yawn. And failing.

She slipped of the bed and stood there for a second. She watched him, then went back to her seat.

Xaver watched her get up, and he rolled back onto his belly, turning to lay the right length on the bed, his height almost exceeding it. He pulled the pillow back under his head, and closed his eyes, though frowing, wincing in the effort to keep still and quiet. The entry wound on his back, and exit on his lower belly, of which he lay on, shone brightly, threateningly red on his pale skin. It hurt. he didn't know how to heal it anymore.
Finally, he relaxed, closing his eyes, and drifting off into a sort of light slumber.

Ginny waited till he fell asleep before getting up and leaving the room. She closed the door, sealing it with magic so no muggles could get in and bother him, and went to the lower level. She found the innkeeper, asking if he had any paper and a pencil or such. He handed it to her, smiling.

"Here miss. Writing a letter home?" he asked.

"You could say that, I suppose." Ginny said, cooly, taking the paper and pen. She walked back up the stairs, tapping the door with her finger to unlock it.

"Finally."
Xaver pulled open the door with a soft woosh, standing not six inches from her. His wings were out, and obviously had been treated, for they were washed of blood and dirt, though there were a few scratches still open, and still healing. His wings twitched impatiently, opening one of the wider scrapes in the motion, and arcing a trail of blood on the floor, and the wall. He was standing, moving, staring, but he wasn't awake. He was sleepwalking again.
His blue eyes were heavily dialated, the blues barely visable at all, and he was muttering under his breath.
"Didn't want to.."
Xaver started foreword.

Ginny knew not to touch him, but didn't want anyone to see him with his wings. She hated using magic on him, but she'd have to.

Quickly, she propelled him backwards with her magic and stepped in, closing the door.

Xaver caught the blow, absorbing it in the chest, skidding backward on the toes of his bare feet. He slowed and stopped just before he hit the wall. It didn't hurt, and there was no damage, but Xaver, or the part of him that was awake, while the rest of him was asleep, anyway, found the idea of being caught by surprise rather dark in retrospect. He frowned in a moment of confusion, but then shook it off, starting for the door again, blankly glancing at her.
What happened next was just as confusing to him.
He caught his ankle around his boots as he started walking. Tripping himself, he had only the thought to roll out of it. He hit the ground, hard, but absorbed the blow mainly in his shoulder as he rolled out of it - and under the bed, with a dull thud, knocking his skull on an iron pole holding it up. It was enough to wake him completely up, and bring a low and steady string of muffled curses. Xaver had stopped mid-turn, and was on his side, facing the way out. He wiggled and shifted, worming himself out, and he was just about to rise, when he was yanked back to the floor. His wings were stuck. The dangling threads and wires and springs from the old mattress had wrapped and stuck and knotted all around his wings, and he could barely even twitch them.
Xaver paniced, tugging and thrashing around, trying to free himself, his eyes wild.
He hated being captured, but more, he hated the always-near threat of getting his wings caught up. The last time he had been in such a situation, he'd nearly died. He'd been tortured endlessly - and such scars never healed well on Xaver, if they did at all.

Ginny watched him thrash for a moment, after placing her paper down. She waited till he calmed a bit and knelt, putting her face next to his.
"If you don't stop moving around, I'll never be able to help you out of there."

Xaver winced, and after a final bit of tugging, fell still, frowning.
"I was sleepwalking again?" he asked lowly, shaking his head.
There was enough of a bruise on the side of his head to prove just that, but it worried him just the same. He sleepwalked a lot. It annoyed him. He fall asleep one place, and awoke in another. This time, stuck underneath an old bed, a painful knot growing on his skull.
He tugged pointlessly for a moment, shivering, then looked up at her.
"I'm sorry," he said softly, looking away, mumbling something about 'trouble', and 'd**n beds..'

"Yup. Do you want me to find something to help cure tht?" She asked, reaching past him, carefully untangling part of his wings with her hands.

"And don't be sorry. You can't control yourself when your sleeping, and it's no trouble to me."

"Well, thank you. I know I can't. That's part of what bothers me so much. Trouble, though.. You haven't seen me when I haven't been completely wiped out, and messed up in the head, sleepwalking. I can be great trouble.. ow." He whacked his head on the iron pole again. "Just less often, as of recent."

"Cure for the sleepwalking?"
Xaver shifted, twitching one of his wings, satisfied with the little snaps of torn material that had wrapped around the wing, breaking, with her help. He rolled slightly, and shifted from his side, to his belly, letting the freed wing emerge from his unusual confinement. He moved again, twitching the other wing, and then suddenly clenched his teeth, softly groaning, his cheek squished against the floor as he helplessly reached back toward the bend of  the still entangled wing, blindly flailing.
"I didn't know there was one..." he said, his voice slightly muffled, and ragged.

"Quit moving!" She ordered, slapping his hand slightly in reprimand. She smiled.

"It's not a cure itself. It helps. Nothing I have is strong enough to sure on it's own. But it's partly a sleeping potion that will immobilize your body." She undid the last bits, freeing him compleatly.

"Well, the bed just stabbed me!"
He shot a look of pure loathing toward the underside of the mattress, mumbled something, then squirmed the rest of the way out, crawling over her in the process. He grinned at her, then pushed himself up, standing, and spread his wings, working out the aches that had been beaten in, and the ones he had, not purposely, self-inflicted. He scowled, and tucked his left wing behind him, wrapping his right around him, so he could at least partially see the back side of it. He draped his arms over the wing and reached, then, hopping slightly, pulled out a coiled strip of metal, drilled into a tender fold of the bend of the wing. The wing twitched (in a way that could have been sleepily) and then tucked behind him with the other, as he turned toward her, looking over the bloody spring.
"Like I said.. it stabbed me.."
Xaver shook his head, and went to a counter with a sink, washing the metal, and his hands, off, not looking at her, still full of the shivers, and not wanting her to see them. Not wanting her to see how shaken up he'd gotten over something that could be thought so simple.

"I'll definitely try it," he said. "But not here. Not where you could now be in danger, even more than myself."

"Here." Ginny said, standing and throwing a cover at him. She could see he was shivering and shakin up, but she pretened to think he was just cold.

"Of course not here. i have to make it."

Xaver turned as she spoke, dropping the metal piece in the sink, and leaving it there, and reflexes seeming as slow as his mid-yawn, the blanket hit him square in the face. He let it fall into his hands, laughing it off, and silently thanking her. Instead of wrapping it around himself, though, he used it to wipe up the blood he had trailed on the floor and walls, willing the reopened and fresh wounds to heal themselves, and go away. He should have been dead. He knew it. But he would take a moment to consider that, later. When it mattered.
"Well, that too," he agreed loftily, casting a grin her way, his spirits picking up some. One of his wings just barely brushed the wall, and he jumped a good foot away, then scowling, and mumbling something.
He dropped the cover into a bin, then looked around the room, curiously. Where were they? He had no idea. He silently went to one of the windows, initially flinching back at the bright, hot light, then leaning against the windowpane, looking down onto the streets. Guards. More guards. Nervous town-folk and the remaining towns-unit of soldiers, roaming the streets. He backed away from the window, shaking his head.
"I told him.." he mumbled, to no one in particular.

"Get away from that window. Just because there's a thin magic covering dosn't mean someone in tune with magic can't look up and see you." She said. His wings were a dead give away to who he was, and that would give trouble.

"I did," he snapped grumpily, then he paused, looking from the floor, to her, his frown deepening into apology.
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "Yesterday.. and the heat has been getting to me. It's no excuse, but.."
He shook his head, and only with a good amount of self-restraint, refrained from panting. he hated the hot weather they were in. Instead, though, he walked slowly over to her, his head tilting to the side in interest.

"I'll trade you my story for yours. What happened where.. when.. you were?"

"Basically, my guards were a bunch of idiots, and I used my magic beyond my body's limit. They exhausted me. You now." She didn't move, looking in his eyes, she kept his gaze.

(Sorry, Internet is working as slow as a one-legged turtle, lol.)

He stopped a foot or so away from her as she began to speak, watching her closely, holding her gaze as she had firmly taken his. He was silent a moment, thinking over her words, then,
"Went to battle. War started. Riot. Was captured... sort of.. Prison cell. Demolished a city, woke up with 'surgeons' knifing me."
He shook his head slowly, his mind still in a haze about a few parts.

"Well, a dream like that must mean something. Look at how much it took out of her. She can hardly get up."