Senjuku

Piled high on either sides of the entrance to the Temple of Time were gifts: clocks, watches, cakes, trinkets made by hand and toys bought from the store. The sun was high in the sky, cicadas buzzing in a tune that sounded like summer. The people of the village were bustling about, getting ready for the Moon Festival that would be taking place later in the day until early the next morning.

Sitting inside of the temple, on a chair made of melted down time keepers, was a young girl with silky pink hair and eyes to match. Her dress was a simple white frock with a pink ribbon going under the bust and her shoes were plain white flats. The young one's eyes were closed, her expression one that could have been mistaken for relaxation.

Gentle rays of light lapped at the stained glass windows depicting a girl in the center of a million gears. Colorful fractals of the sun's rays mottled the marble floor, swirling in graceful patterns that the Keeper's Assistant would have found beautiful had she not been so worried about her Mistress's expression. What was the girl seeing? What part of history was she in?

It was nighttime, the light of the moon lapsed every so gently against the water. The Keeper of Time was wearing her favorite pink gown with lots of ruffles and ribbons that the Queen had given her for her fifth birthday. The child was only six years old and was standing with her birth parents at the waters edge, she explained to them how she could see everything from the moment the earth was created to the end of it all.

"You're a freak," the child stopped short. She had never been called a freak before; powerful and knowing yes, but a freak? No one dared utter that word at a Keeper. Her birth father stood up, taking his wife's hand. "You're a freak," the child's mother echoed. The two stood up and slowly backed away towards the edge of the beach.

"Wait!" The girl called after them, running towards them, desperately wanting the love of the only people she really cared about. "We absolve our parental responsibilities," they got into a car and drove off, leaving the girl there alone. She sunk to her knees, shaking, her tears soaking into the beautiful cotton of the pink dress.

A hand was placed on her shoulder, she was taken into the warm embrace of the Queen. "There, there, your parents are fools to think that you are anything but wonderful."

"Ma'am," that wasn't right. Whose voice was that?

---

"Ma'am!" There it was again, that odd squeal like a child whining for attention. "Reyna!" The Keeper of Time's eyes snapped open at the sound of her name. She had warned her assistant never to disturb her when she was within the folds of history and yet here the noisy girl was, her expression worried, hand still on Reyna's shoulder.

"What is it Kotoko?" Reyna stood up and smoothed down the folds in her gown. "The car to take you to the Capitol is here." Kotoko said nervously and handed Reyna her jacket. "Thank you," Reyna took her jacket from her assistant and walked to the doors that led to the main room. She swung open the grand French style apertures and stepped out into the hallway where several people were milling about, leaving offerings and gazing at the beautiful collection of clocks Reyna was forced to maintain.

"There she is!" A child shouted and Reyna winced as the little girl ran up to her, "have a good evening Ms. Reyna," the child bowed respectively, the large bell sleeves on her robe reaching the floor. Reyna bowed in return, "you as well Wren." One great thing about being the Keeper of Time was never having to ask anyone's names.

---

The ride was long from the Village of Time to the capitol. It was covered in beautiful greenery along with stretches of odd barns and lands filled with animals. When Reyna finally stepped out of the car, she was so tired from watching grass turn to buildings that a yawn escaped her cherry red lips.

"Good evening Ms. Reyna," a man greeted her with a bow. He was already in his robes as well, "I will be your assistant for your time in the capitol. My name is-"

"John, you're a foreigner aren't you?" He stood and smiled with a nod of his head, clearly impressed that the stories were true. With one look, Reyna could see your whole history. Other Keepers could do things like that too, like the Keeper of Nature could tell how many bugs you've squished in your lifetime, or the Keeper of Darkness would be able to tell if you feared the dark.

"Right this way please," Reyna followed him into the building. She wouldn't see any of the Keepers until the Festival began, but until then there was so much prep that Reyna wouldn't have had time to say hello if she wanted to. "Are you ready?" John asked looking a bit uncertain, he was obviously new at this. "Yes," Reyna nodded her head and stepped into the room that would be hers until the end of the Moon Festival.

"Let the preparations begin."



Elias had been driving all morning and had dozed off in the car, drool pooling onto the hand that was leaning against his face. A bump in the road caused Elias to hit his head on the top of the vehicle and a straggled cry escaped the boys already parted lips. "Sorry Sir!" The driver profusely apologized, but Elias waved the words away, it was an accident, nothing the driver could control.

The boy rubbed the saliva on his jacket before touching his eyes with the heel of his hands to wipe away the last traces of sleep. His heart fluttered at the thought of some of the beautiful things he was going to see, buildings, the Tree, even other Keepers. There was one in particular that Elias had always loved but was too much of a coward to say anything. She was possibly the most beautiful thing his eyes had ever lay on, but Elias would never tell her that for he was scared of rejection.

Then suddenly, the car pulled into a marble entryway beyond large golden gates. His heart fluttered once more at the realization that he was so close to her and yet so far away still, there were the hours of dotting on and prep before he could actually see any of the people he considered his friends. Elias had always thought of it as some kind of perverse torture, but no one else seemed to agree with him and so the ritual of getting ready for hours and being pampered on by the King and Queen continued despite his hate for it.

The moment his foot touched the steps that led into the palace, an Assistant came stumbling down the stairs to his aid. "My name is Kalani and I will be your assistant today," she breathed, a bit overweight but cute with sparkling green eyes. "You're dehydrated," he stated and continued his walk up the stairs. Kalani seemed a bit flustered, but said nothing as she followed him, then took the lead at the door and led Elias upstairs. He caught a glimpse of pink hair wearing a towel and heading towards the bath house. A smile crept onto his lips, the first thing all Keepers did when they came to the palace was bathe. They had no regard for separate gender bathing in the capitol and it was one of Elias's favorite times. It was probably the only time he ever got to see a naked girl.

"Shut up you pervert," he whispered to himself, causing Kalani to turn around. "Excuse me sir?" She asked, puzzled. Kalani had been taking out the towels. "No, it's fine; I was just talking to myself," he began pulling off his wine colored shirt, Elias's muscular form now visible. The blush on Kalani's face came through full force, or maybe that was just the dehydration the assistant was experiencing. He took the towel from her and headed to the bath house, hoping that she would be there as well.

'I don't want to die... Please stay away!' Those thoughts ran through Rymol's head at a pace half as fast as his legs. He was quite literally running for his life. A gun shot sounded off in the air and Rymol heard the scream of a nearby tree. It splintered, the debris brushing against his skin as he passed it.
"Why...? Why are you doing this, father?!" He yelled out, tears streaming behind him accompanied by a generous supply of mucus protruding from his nose. Another shot rang out and Rymol hit the dirt and began rolling down the shrub-enveloped hill. He couldn't even concentrate on the twigs scratching away at his face. He was paying too much attention to his open shoulder, that was leaving a fresh trail of blood behind him. If that didn't give away his location, his screaming definitely did.

"Help me! It hurts! I can't see!" He yelled out, helplessly, gripping his shoulder with one hand while smearing blood into his eyes in an attempt to get it out. After finally getting an eye free from the sticky, warm substance, it instantly widened as it was met with the end of a barrel. Still writhing in pain and sniffling endlessly, Rymol continued to stare the pistol down with his one good eye. After a few seconds his eye trailed off until it reached his father's face. It was cold and emotionless. The only sign that the man before him was even human were the dark rings around his eyes. He looked so tired. In that split second their eyes met, Rymol almost felt as if he could understand his father. Just a little bit. The rest was a blur. The next thing Rymol could recall, his father had ran off. He had been too out of it to notice anything else. The punching sounds, the gun shot, the screaming. He was in too much shock to notice any of it. He dragged himself to the fallen figure before him speedily, no longer even taking note of his shoulder. As he reached it, he stopped and stared at his mother in disbelief.

"Wolf... You are just like a dying wolf...-" She began. "Stop... Don't say it... I don't believe you!" He exclaimed, his voice shaking more with each phrase. "You are just like a dying wolf... trying to please the hunter... who shot you." As soon as she finished, her skin began tearing away and folding unto itself. Light brown hair began poking out of the crevices of where her flesh was tearing. No... It was fur. In a matter of seconds the image of a dead wolf lied before Rymol. Hesitantly he slowly began reaching out to it.
"M-mother... Do-" The wolf's head shot up and dug its fang deep into Rymol's arm.

---

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Rymol yelled out, jumping up in his bed. He was balled up, covering his head with both of his arm. Tears dripped down his chin as he whimpered to himself. After a second he began checking for injuries. He found that both of his eyes were clear and his shoulder wasn't split open. After a few panted breathes, he let out a sigh and calmed down.
"You forgot to check your arm. Or did the dream change this time?" A familiar voice called out to him. He swiftly turned his head towards his assistant, Tsukani. "H-... How many times have I done that this month?" Rymol asked, hesitantly.
"Lets see. That was only the second time if I remember correctly. I think you're improving a little... If you can call it that." Tsukani replied, nonchalantly.

"Anyway. Get dressed. You're adoring public awaits." Tsukani ordered, throwing a set of clothes at Rymol.
Rymol fumbled a bit as he failed completely in his attempt to catch them. Mumbling incoherently to himself, he picked up the dark brown T-shirt and first placed his head through the loop, misjudging where the head end was. He struggled to push his head through the armhole. Tsukani sighed and made his way over to him. "You really are hopeless, aren't you?" He commented, arrogantly as he helped Rymol fit the shirt on. "Do you need help with that too?" Tsukani asked, pointing a finger at the pants that lied, slumped over the end of the bed. "O-of course not! I'm not a child." Rymol pouted, grabbing the slacks and pulling them on. "I'd hurry if I were you. This is your first time performing the festival, right? You've barely met any of the other Keepers. This might be your chance to make some friends for once that AREN'T cats or flowers." Tsukani stated, waving Rymol over so he could put his shoes on.

"I'm a little nervous. I don't know how to deal with the others. Emarosa... I don't want to meet her again. She scares me." Rymol replied, waiting as Tsukani tied his shoes for him. "Oh? Just the fact that you remember her name must mean you became friends, right? You'll be seeing her naked during this meeting as well." Tsukani said, smirking mischievously as he led Rymol out of his room and through the long hallway. "N-naked?" Rymol asked, all of a sudden turning several shades pinker.
"Indeed! You'll be taking a bath with her and all of the other Keepers. Be sure to establish close bonds with them."
"No! I can't do this anymore! I don't want to go!" Rymol exclaimed turning to run back to his room.
"You don't have a choice! The tree needs to be revitalized! You are the Earth keeper! It will die without you!" Tsukani grabbed him, and forced him the rest of the way to the front doors. "I'm scared, Tsukani..." Rymol whimpered, having given up the struggle. "Don't worry. I'll be with you the entire way there." Tsukani said, casting him a reassuring smile.
"Really?" Rymol asked, hope gleaming in his eyes. "Really!" He replied placing something over Rymol's head.
"W-what?! Help!..." Rymol flailed, trying to pull the foreign object off of his face. By the time he managed to get it off, he found that it fit perfectly around his head, while the rest fell to the back around his shoulders. "My hoodie!" He exclaimed in surprise as his pulled his arms into it and through the arms.

"Lets hurry now! The crowd will start getting out of control if we don't leave soon!" Tsukani opened the double doors and pushed Rymol through. Rymol quickly pulled his hood tightly over his head to block out some of his face. Immediately, cheers roared out in the surrounding area. Rymol rushed quickly through the front corridor as guards struggled to keep the public away from him. Tsukani followed suite, remaining right by his side. Tsukani quickly opened the car door for Rymol and he lunged for the seat. Rymol moved over to make space for Tsukani but was surprised to hear the door shut firmly. "T-Tsukani?" Rymol asked, looking back to see Tsukani glaring at him mischievously and waving. "N-no way..." He said to himself as the car began moving away. "You're just like the rest of them after all, Tsukani... You bastard." Rymol said, looking down at his feet with dead eyes. His driver, feeling the deep tension in the back, didn't dare speak a word to him. Rymol merely continued sulking the entire way to the Capitol.

---

An assistant had been waiting for Rymol as soon as he got out of the car. "Good day, keeper. My name is Lauma and I shall be your assistant today." From a glance, one could tell he was one of those overly optimistic types. Not sparing him a second glance, Rymol began his dissent up the palace steps, hanging low the entire way up. Lauma had insisted on commencing in idle chatter with Rymol.

He asked frivolous questions that were never answered, made comments that were never recognized, and gave compliments that were completely ignored. Yet the entire time to the bathing area, Lauma hadn't once noticed how low Rymol's head was hanging.

"We are here. Would you like to remove your clothes yourself, or would you like me to?" Lauma asked him.
Rymol's face instantly flushed red and he jerked his head up. "I-I-I can do it myself. Thank you." He stuttered, as he began removing his jacket and T-shirt. Lauma smiled, just happy to have gotten a response out of him.
"If you are finished, then please follow me to the bath house." Lauma said, handing Rymol a towel and leading him to a different room. As Rymol slowly followed, tears began wallowing up in his eyes.

A cool early morning breeze rolled through the massive window of the palace. The sun has not even risen yet, and the palace is silent. The only thing that can be heard is the lonesome sound of a piano echoing lightly through the corridors of the palace. A young man is seated at the piano playing with such a grace that truly gives him the title of a Prince. He swayed his head slowly with the elegant rhythm as he presses softly on the final few notes.

The young man, Prince Alexander Caelum, arrived at the palace the day before from the Village of Light to get the last minute arrangements done for the Moon Festival. The King and Queen decided to give the Prince some responsibility as a leader and let him oversee this year's Moon Festival while they are ill. Not only is he overseeing it though, he is going to be one of the main attractions, for never in history has there been a Royal Family member blessed with the power of a Keeper. Alex wants to make sure that this year's Moon Festival is the best it possibly can be. Everything today must be perfect. The stress has taken its toll of Alex to where he has lost countless hours of rest because of it. He longs for these moments where he can just sit down and relax to the sweet sound of music.

Alex slowly rises from the seat, and the sun rises with him pouring its soft rays over the horizon. He walked up to the window and gazed at the rising sun. The light making his bright blonde hair even brighter and his eyes a deeper blue.

"Well, this is it." He sighed aloud running a hand through his hair. What was anxiety is now tranquility, restlessness to relaxation, and exhaustion to restfulness. All of Alex's worried disappeared, and for a moment, he was in a trance. The wind blew gently on his face and through his hair. It gave an otherworldly pleasure that can only be described as amazing. Slowly, he closed the window to the massive window, and he headed out of his room to the kitchen to make sure the first of his plans are running smoothly.

Upon entering the kitchen, there was a big man dressed as a chef to greet Alex. "Ahh, Prince Caelum! Right on time." The burly man put a huge hand on Alex's shoulder making it look as though he could crush Alex anytime he wanted to. "Everything is running on schedule here," The man continued, "The lunch should be done by the time all the Keepers arrive."

"Wonderful news, Mike!" Alex replied with a beaming grin. He surveyed the kitchen, and he saw countless numbers of chefs cooking what will soon be a special lunch for just the Keepers. A special plan of Alex's to help strengthen the bond between the Keepers. Although the time spent in the bath house works pretty well too.

"Damien wanted me to tell you that the entertainment for the Nobles have arrived, and that he also posted an assistant for each Keeper in front of the palace." Mike said with his gut sticking out. Damien: Alex's right hand man when it comes to business in the palace. He can always count on Damien to make sure that everything goes smoothly. Mike was also one of Alex's most trusted friends. A master in the kitchen, and also one of people who helped raise Alex.

"Thanks for letting me know, and keep up the great work." Alex replied patting Mike on the shoulder. Mike grinned and wave at Alex. Alex quickly went back upstairs to prepare himself for the ceremony later. He put on his Keeper robes of Light and closely examined them. It was very expertly knitted and it gave Alex the feeling of wearing the Light itself. To think that today is one of the few days that Alex actually gets to wear his robes. Who would've thought that on the last year to become a Keeper, he becomes the Keeper of Light. Alex smiles to himself and heads down to the bath house.

It doesn't look like anyone has arrived yet, so Alex takes this opportunity to go into the bath house before anyone else arrives. He stripped his robes off and made his way into the bath house. It was a big and busy day, so there wasn't anyone in the bath house besides Alex. With a sigh, he slowly made his way into the soothing hot water until everything but his head was submerged. The water felt so good against on his tired and stressed body. 'I wonder how long until they get here.' He thinks to himself. He lays his head back and slowly closes his eyes. 'Maybe they won't be here for a while...' Was the last thing that went through Alex's mind before he drifted off to a light slumber.

Reyna allowed her towel to drop and stepped into the bath, basking in the silence and warm water for only a moment before she realized someone else was there. Reyna swam over to him and poked him in the shoulder as she settled into a seat on the bench beside him. The tub was rather large and harbored hot and warm spots, Reyna happened to get a spot that was the perfect temperature.

"You know, falling asleep in a bathtub can change your future and not in a good way." Reyna said lightly and picked up a bar of soap to begin soaping herself down. Reyna took her pink hair out of their pigtails and watched as her hair turned red as it absorbed the water. "How is the Festival coming along? I heard it's going to be the best one so far."

She held out the soap to him, "do you think you can wash my back for me? I can't really reach it so well," to Reyna, close contact wasn't awkward at all. She was born a Keeper and was used to these annual baths with both sexes, so being naked with a guy wasn't uncomfortable or sexual to Reyna and she didn't think it would be for any other Keeper as well.

She was about to ask him another question when her vision went black and Reyna's body slumped against the wall of the tub. This happened sometimes, she would unexpectedly fall into different time paradoxes and wouldn't be able to come back until she saw something specific. This time however, it was different, her arms and legs were bound and when she looked up, Reyna was tied to a clock. She wasn't in the past, no, Reyna was in the future.



Elias heard sniffling and frowned, he turned around and walked towards where the sound was coming from, finding Rymol standing in a room and crying like a child. "What's wrong?" Elias asked, he had never actually met the boy and knew to be careful around him. "Are you uncomfortable? Do you need help with something? I'm Elias, by the way, Keeper of Water." He would hold out his hand to shake, but both were occupied holding up his towel.

"You're pretty new right? Do you need help finding the bath?" He was sailing through choppy waters, Elias had no idea what to do or say, he didn't want to scare the boy off, but didn't really know how to act. What to do? What to do? "Um, do you wanna talk about it?" He suggested a bit clueless as to how to go about this.

Rymol was a peculiar case, everyone had warned him of that. They had known there was a new Keeper, but hadn't been able to find him for a long time. Unlike the others where as soon as they were bestowed, they were taken. For most it was a good thing, for some not so much. Elias loved the fact that he was a Keeper, he loved the fact that he was important and knew that if something ever happened to him, people would actually care.

No one could bully him, or say that his name was stupid or crap like that because if they did, he could curse them or freeze them in a block of ice or something. Somehow Elias thought that telling Rymol that people couldn't bully him wouldn't really make the boy feel any better.

"Here we are! Please enjoy your stay in the palace, keeper. When you are done with your bath, I shall escort you to your room." Lauma stated with a perky smile, before heading off to his designated waiting area for when Rymol has finished his bath.
"W-wait!" Rymol exclaimed, reaching out to Lauma before realizing that his towel began to droop. He quickly withdrew his hand to retrieve it, while blushing a pale pink. "Seriously... Why do I have to do something like this, just because I'm a keeper?" He sniffled a little, turning away from the doorway leading to the bathing room to secure his towel around his waist. After fiddling with the towel for a couple of minutes, he managed to tie a crude knot at his right hip, letting the rest of the towel fall around him.
"Maybe I should just wait here... I can just leave after a little while and just say I took the bath. Wait. But then he'll wonder why my hair isn't wet. This is so frustrating!" Rymol was so busy mumbling to himself, that he didn't notice someone come out of the bathing room.

"What's wrong?" A simple phrase, harboring a simple question, that usually led to a somewhat complicated response. Rymol's however, was far from complicated. "AH! I'm sorry! P-please don't hurt me!" Rymol jumped, startled by the new voice in the room. His voice, while not exactly prepubescent, hadn't fully matured when he turned 16. It cracked a little when he screamed, making even Rymol's wince at the icky sound it made. After holding his head and shaking for a few more moments, Rymol turned around to take a curious glance at the newcomer. At first glance, it only seemed to be a boy around Rymol's age. But he figured from his posture that he must have been a bit older. Or just very mature. The boy seemed to take Rymol's glance as a signal that he was willing to communicate. While not 100% accurate, Rymol strangely didn't feel like running away as soon as he laid eyes on the boy.

The boy introduced himself as Elias, the Keeper of water. Not only that, but he even asked how he was doing. Rymol thought about replying and opened his mouth to do so, but quickly closed it as Elias continued. "Heh?" was Rymol's simple response when he was asked where the bath was. Slowly, Rymol raised a shaky finger in the direction of the doorway Elias had came from. He jumped again at Elias's next question as he had been concentrating on his hand to make it stop shaking. While he was doing that, he had forgotten why exactly he was raising it in the first place. Or that Elias was even in the room.
"U-u-um." Rymol mumbled, not really knowing how to respond to Elias's question. In all honesty, he would much rather leave as soon as possible then talk about his issues. However, Rymol wasn't sure how to voice this opinion.

Rymol suddenly stopped muttering and shaking all at once. Taking a calming breath, he began observing Elias. From the way he talked, Rymol could tell that Elias was just as unsure about how to go about this conversation as he was. Elias seemed to be pondering his question choices carefully before asking them. Rymol wasn't really sure why, but he felt a sudden desire to ease Elias's worries. "U-um... My name is Rymol... K-keeper of Earth." He stated, just a little bit louder than he muttered speech earlier. He looked for any signs of irritation, or malice before continuing. "I don't really know how to talk to people..." He said, soon turning around and beginning to hyperventilate. While to most, this statement would seem downright odd, to Rymol it felt bold and courageous. Something that he didn't feel that he would do very often. He soon recovering from his breath attack with a sharp breathe, as he sucked oxygen in through his nose, then released it through his mouth.

Having calmed his nerves, Rymol planed to return to his conversation with Elias, hopefully with a less awkward atmosphere. A sound caught his ear, coming from the direction the bathing room. The soft smack of flesh against tile erupted into the air. While not being too loud, anyone within the area would have heard the feint noise. "I-is someone else in there?" Rymol was hesitant to ask the question. Even more so to find out what had caused the sound. He felt a sudden eerie tension in the air that seemed almost familiar to him, yet very mild. He remembered that he had felt this tension once, but couldn't exactly place his finger on it. Almost on instinct, he began heading into the bathing room, noting just how far in front or behind him Elias was the entire time.

"Can this place get any noisier?" A silky haired teenage girl stepped from the car that had just arrived through the giant gates of what would be her new residence for the time being. Emarosa took one last drag for the cigarette that was hanging from her mouth and she threw it to the ground putting it out with the heel of her shoe. The driver, coughing while fanning away the second hand smoke from the car with this hand, exited the vehicle as well and began to unload her things. The Keeper of Fire observed her surroundings. No matter how many times she came here she could never get used to the towering buildings that surrounded her. The Village of Fire, which was located in a deep isolated valley area, wasn't even a fourth the size of the Capitol. She hoped that this whole procedure wouldn't last that long but she knew that her wish was only a wish and probably would not come true.

"Welcome! I will be your assistant for today!" A short, blue eyed girl suddenly appeared before her. Ema hadn't even seen her there. Her long black hair that reached to the backs of her ankles swayed in the cool breeze and the girl had the biggest smile on her face. Ema swore she couldn't be over 9 years old. "My name is Sena Rue and you must be Emarosa, yes?"

Ema could tell that she already wasn't going to like this shrimp. "Yea, that's me. What do you want, brat? Get lost."

"My my. It seems what the others say about you is true." Sena chuckled softly and shook her head.

"EHHH? What was that?! People talkin' shit about me?" Ema had the urge to kick the little girl off her feet.

Sena, unfazed by Ema's verbal attack, shook her head once more. "They also said you get worked up over the smallest things as well."

Ema clenched her fists. "Don't ignore me you little-"

"Now now, lets get you inside and into the bath. You reek of smoke!" Ema's brave assistant interrupted Ema mid sentence and motioned to the driver to bring her things inside. "We want you looking your best before you meet the others, no?"

Ema shook with rage. Who did this little brat think she was? Just one flick of her finger and she would put that little shrimp in her place for good but-..... Ema relaxed and took a deep breath. There was no use in causing a scene in the first five minutes of her arrival. The elders of her village would surely scold her for putting a bad face on the entire village for her behavior. Ema huffed.

"Tch.... Its not like it would matter anyway. The only time they are ever even talking to me is to scold me." The fiery girl mumbled and silently followed Sena inside. This was going to take awhile.....
______________________________________________________________________________________________________


The bath was extremely large. Sena could hardly believe people used baths as large as these, but then she remembered. These kinds of baths weren't meant for a single person. Setting her towel down nearby she stepped into the warm water and felt the liquid rush up her legs eventually swallowing up her whole body as she dipped under. Bringing her head out of the water, Ema took a breath and sighed. What a great feeling. She had been sitting in a stuffed car all day and a bath was what she needed. She just wanted to be alone for a bit before all the chaos broke loose. Always alone. It was what she had grown to know. Nobody really understood her back at home and no one ever cared to. But she didn't mind.

Ema was just about to put her head under again but she suddenly realized that she WASN'T alone in the bath. Turning around slowly she spotted a girl and a boy nearby. The girl had long pink hair and matching eyes to boot. The boy was a blonde and both of them were seated not too far away from her. Were they the other Keepers? Ema decided to ignore them. She wasn't in the mood for this..... She never was....

Black. Everything was. It's as if it has been that way for centuries. The only Alex saw was his own self. Nothing else in the universe existed, nor did it ever. It was completely and utterly lonely. He hugged his knees close to him and buried his head in them, hoping that someone, anyone, would show. Just in that moment, a Light appeared from behind him, and cascading down in golden locks was what appeared to be a woman made up of light. He turned quickly to gaze at the wonder in front of him. The brightness was intense, but it did not sting his eyes. In fact, the light was soothing and heartwarming. She slowly floated down to Alex's level and circled around him a couple times as if to examine him. She then reached out her hand to him in a way of asking Alex to accept her. He cautiously reached out and took the woman's hand. Both of them were enveloped in a blinding light, and in a few moments, the woman was gone, and Alex was alone once more. He drew his knees back in and buried his face in them. His eyelids felt very heavy all of a sudden. He closed them slowly as if it would be the last time he would do so.

---

Alex felt something poke him. For a moment, he was disregarding it, and just simply swatted the hand away lazily when he heard the splashing of the water. 'That's not right...' He thought for a moment and then immediately opened his eyes. He turned to the girl sitting next to him and nonchalantly scratched the back of his head with the hand he was using to swat hers away.

"You know, falling asleep in a bathtub can change your future and not in a good way." The voice of the girl called out. He smiled and kept scratching his head and tried to think of something to say back. Alex lived in the palace for most of his life, and the bath house was one of his favorite places, so naked women shouldn't bug him too much. However, he is still a man, and one stuck at the age of maximum hormonal stress. Still, this was one of his fellow Keepers, and a good friend of his, so he can brush that to the side for now.

"I wasn't sleeping, I was-uhh, trying to see what the back of my eyelids looked like." Alex said playfully back at her. Just one of the many ways Alex joked around with people. He put his hand back down and felt both stupid and relieved that one of his friends found him sleeping in the tub and not anyone else. It would be a little weird if people found out that he slept in the bath house.

"How is the Festival coming along? I heard it's going to be the best one so far." Reyna asked Alex. Alex suddenly got nervous again, not from the fact that he had a naked girl beside him, but the fact that she said that this year's festival is going to be the best. Alex was never confident in any of his abilities, and since she said that he might have just been able to manage the biggest festival ever made his heart jump a little.

"Well, I wouldn't say the best," Alex replied in a modest manner. "But I did try my best."

She held out the soap to him, "do you think you can wash my back for me? I can't really reach it so well," This wasn't abnormal for Alex. He grew up doing the same thing to many other women, and guys too. She grew up the same way, so of course she would ask for him to get her back.

"It would be my pleasure." Alex replied taking the soap from her. However, just as she was going to turn around, her eyes got glazed over and she slumped against the wall of the tub. Quickly, Alex let go of the soap and grabbed Reyna's arms and lifted her up so she wouldn't fall into the water. This happened only once in front of Alex, he doesn't know how many times anyone else saw, but Reyna explained it as a normal thing that happened sometimes. He chose not to freak out, and instead wrapped an arm around her shoulder and let her fall into his grasp so she could use him as support. He still can't help but worry a little about what she would be seeing. A power like hers is truly fascinating, but it comes at a price it seems.

He never even noticed that they were joined by another Keeper.

The clock struck twelve, the sound ringing in her ears. She was waiting for someone to enter the clock, to untie her, but no one came. The clock struck twelve again, the girl wincing at the sound. How long had she been in here? In reality it could have only been a few second, but in this room twelve hours had already passed. Reyna was growing frustrated with this whole thing and wiggled a bit, freeing one hand. She reached towards the back of the restraints and loosened them enough so that she could fall to the floor.

It only took a bit of walking to realize she was inside the castle. There were noises coming from down the hall, worried whispers echoing down the white walls. Reyna phased through two doctors and looked inside the room they were wildly gesturing to. These walls were a Robin's egg blue and in the corner was a bed with gray sheets where a a bundled figure with long pink hair and eyes that matched lay, playing some hand game with the wall. She was wearing a pair of white pajamas, mittens covering her hands so that the girl could not scratch herself or anyone else. It took Reyna a second to realize that the figure huddled on the bed was herself, muttering a child's nursery rhyme about clocks and mice.

"Why did you want me to see this!" Reyna yelled to no one in particular, in one of these little episodes, the Keeper was invisible so it was fine to yell or mess up whatever she wanted because it would have no affect on the timelines.

Reyna had realized she was slowly going crazy, knowing exactly how you died and that there was nothing you could do about it was maddening in itself, but automatically knowing how every child, adult, friend, and crush died just by looking at them was worse. The future was always changing, but every time Reyna checked her fate was always the same. However, Reyna had never seen this branch. Maybe she was now slated to die in a mental institution somewhere deep in the capitol.

The Keeper's body shuddered as it came back, there was no way Reyna was going to let this happen. "Thanks," though worried, Reyna smiled at Alex, apologizing for her sudden blackout. She was glad he had held her up, otherwise Reyna surely would have drowned. It dawned on her that someone else was in there with them and Reyna turned to see the Fire Keeper Emarosa in the tub. "Em!" Reyna called and waved, "come join us!" She turned back to Alex, "I have a feeling this year's festival is going to be the most interesting one yet."



"U-um... My name is Rymol... K-keeper of Earth." Well yes, Elias had realized that because of the fact that he had never really seen the boy and no one besides a Keeper would be allowed in the bath at this time. "Well Rymol it's nice to meet'chya, shall we go into the bath?" Elias turned when the Keeper spoke up once more. "I don't really know how to talk to people..." Elias had been like that at first as well, he was quiet and never knew what to say to anyone. It had been awkward at first, but after training Elias had small talk down pat, he forced a smile and what he hoped was a reassuring wink.

"Well then don't talk, no one's forcing you to." He heard the smack of flesh and turned towards the door, "probably Em beating someone up for bringing her the wrong colored soap or something." He mumbled and opened the door only to find Reyna passed out in Alex's arms. Well wasn't this an interesting development? It seems Reyna's little crush on Alex was finally getting somewhere. Elias was really having a hard time trying not to burst out laughing as he dropped his towel and slid into the tub, then grabbing some shampoo and began scrubbing. "Hey Em, if you need to pass out I'm right here." He joked, soaking in the water and letting out a relaxed sigh.

"Rymol are you coming in! Or do we need to drag you!" The Keeper of Water called towards the closed door, unintentionally making ripples on the surface of the tub. He had found a nice hot spot and wasn't about to give it up to go get the shy Keeper of Earth to join them.

Rymol flinched as Elias moved in front of him, towards the room. While being grateful that he wouldn't have to peer in and check himself, Rymol didn't like the idea of Elias going ahead to face whatever might be in there alone. Slowly creeping towards the door, behind Elias, Rymol began imagining numerous horrible images and ill fates that will meet them behind this door. 'I really hate not knowing things. What if a huge monster is in there?' Rymol thought to himself. As this thought surfaced, the image of a large, scaled beast of about 8 feet high clouded his mind. Just imagining this horror made Rymol lightheaded and he began losing his balance. He stumbled forward, almost bumping into Elias before he caught himself. 'Jeez. I need to keep it together. Besides, Elias can control water. We should be fine.' Rymol assured himself before following Elias to the door once more.

"Em...?" Rymol asked aloud, to no one in particular. He didn't know why, but as soon as Elias spoke that name a secondary feeling of unease brushed over Rymol. 'Who is Em? Is she violent? I should probably stay away from her.' Rymol thought to himself, sweatdropping as Elias opened the door. "W-wait! Don't just walk right in-..." Rymol tried to warn Elias, but was too late. Shivering, Rymol slowly peered in past Elias. A deep red covered his face as his eyes widened at the scene before him.
'Are we going to be doing things like this? How scary!' Rymol thought to himself, unable to take his eyes off of Reyna and Alex, as he held her in his arms. He didn't even notice that one of the Keepers there was Reyna, who he had met before.

He flinched as Elias suddenly splashed into the tub, laughing his heart out. After realizing that it was only Elias, Rymol noticed something he said. 'There's that name again. Em... Why does it sound so familiar?' Rymol pondered, trying to focus on the name and see if he could think of anything. As his mind slipped into deep thought, his eyes subconsciously trailed over to a figure at the opposite end of the tub. Focusing his eyes through the steam, he could faintly make out white hair that supposedly belonged to a female. He couldn't tell much more than that. It was in that moment that Rymol started to put two and two together. 'Wait... Em? White hair? EMAROSA?!" With an "HEE!" Rymol quickly withdrew himself back behind the door. "So she is here after all... I really can't do this." Rymol said shivering, his mind going back to the dreaded memory of his first chance meeting with the girl.

As his mind trailed off, Elias spoke out to Rymol again. "Rymol, are you coming in?! Or do we need to drag you?!" Rymol jerked forward at attention to this call, just like a private who was caught goofing off in formation by his superior. 'This is really bad. What should I do? Will he really drag me in there? Should I just go in on my own? Either way I'll be completely at HER mercy. I should take this chance to run away...' Rymol took a deep gulp before deciding his next plan of action. The door to the bathing room slowly cracked open. Peering inside once more, Rymol looked to Elias, making sure not to even look in Emarosa's direction. "C-coming in..." He stuttered as he slowly drew himself in, inch by inch. Despite his attempts to stop, he continued to shudder the entire time.