Another Boring Author's Note:

Alright youse guys, chapter five. A LOT of it didn't happen in the forum, except for the thing at the very, very end...

The last seven lines (not sentences, LINES) were written by DarkCloud 780, since I'm awful at writing romance.

Lol, Cloud.

DarkCloud 780's OCs: Miles Prower, Serina the Kitsune, Riku the Hedgehog

Makito Namikaze's OCs: Cloud the Hedgehog

Bolt the Wolf's OCs: Bolt the Wolf (duh), Ren Swanson the Cat, Marl the Fox

Brice Smudar's OC: Tyler Scrimmer

Also; If you feel that your OCs are not in character, let me know.

The drawings held a lot of meaning for him. Everything was going right....well, as right as it could possibly go after The Disaster. Thanks to The Disaster, everything was subjective now. While he had a good idea as to what happened next, it was no longer written in stone. It could change. Not only that, but he couldn't see as far into the future as he would've liked, leaving big white margins on the edges of his paper.

The crayon accidentally snapped in his hand, the red stub slicing across the picture of Riku, decapitating him. That wasn't a good sign.

One of Marl's favorite pastimes was being alone, especially after spending a long period of time in the company of others. Being alone was more precious to him when it could easily be shattered by any of the other people in the Hermitage. He sat on the tree stump with his legs crossed and arms relaxed. Only his ears moved as they twitched towards the sounds of the forest; the sound of a sparrow as it flitted through a tree, the chattering of a squirrel as it poked along the base of his stump, and the distant noises of Bolt sparring with the new yellow guy.

He was completely at peace with himself and the grove around him. He became completely in tune with the swaying of the trees, the swirling of the leaves as they blew around, and the chirping of the forest insects. He frowned when he heard the twig snap.

"Go away," he muttered, not caring who it was that was bothering him.

"I—I know I'm interrupting, but this is important." said the human. Marl didn't know his name yet, but it wasn't as if he tried to learn.

"I'm listening." he said, keeping his eyes closed and not turning around to face him.

"Have you seen that white Hedgehog anywhere recently?"

"Yes. He passed by here around two-and-a-half hours ago."

"In which direction?"

"Towards the sea."

"Thanks."

Bolt dodged the weak lightning attack that Cloud threw at him and retaliated with his own blast. It connected with Cloud's side and pushed him onto the ground.

"Cloud, you can't eat McDonald's and fight me at the same time." he said.

"Sure I can!"

"No, you can't, otherwise I wouldn't be beating you so badly."

"You are not beating me! I'm winning so far!"

"Ren?" Bolt called.

"Cloud=3, Bolt=11." Ren said, reading off of the tally sheet she'd been writing on. Cloud hastily gobbled up the rest of his burger and belched loudly, making Ren wince.

"Alright, now I'm ready."

Bolt rolled his eyes and got back into a fighting stance. Cloud copied him, and waited for Ren's signal.

"Three...two...one...go!" she yelled, starting the fight. They both shot weak ribbons of electricity at each other, causing the two streaks to collide in the center, kicking up ashy dust from the ground of the clearing. Bolt was used to Cloud being handicapped by his food, so he didn't expect to be punched in the gut. He bent over, winded, and quickly stood up straight, firing several bolts of electricity as he did so in front of him. Bolt turned to see if Ren had watched his last move, but was disappointed to see that she was gone.

"So, why do we need to get Riku back?" Ren asked as she and Tyler walked through the forest towards the ocean. Tyler had asked her to come with him to the ocean during the fight between Bolt and Cloud, so he wouldn't get lost.

"For two reasons:" Tyler said. "One, because I don't think he really wanted to leave. And the second reason is a very long story."

"You might as well say it now, since it'll be a little while before we get to the sea."

Tyler sighed, choosing his words carefully, which Ren found odd. Why would a child his age need to think about 'choosing his words?' That was something adults did.

"There's something under the Hermitage. I don't know what it is, or why it's there, but it's there. And it's doing something big. Something that involves all of us. Whatever it is, it's been drawing people to the this forest, and to the Hermitage. I don't know why. But it's just started. And it has a set order to it, too. Or, at least, it used to."

"I don't think I understand..." Ren said.

"I don't think I do, either. What I'm trying to say is, there's something ancient underneath the Hermitage that's drawing a bunch of people to this place in a specific, predictable pattern."

"Really? Is that why Bolt, Marl, Miles, Sonic, Riku, and I are here?"

"I think so. That's why I'm here, too."

"That reminds me, how did you get here?"

There was a pause. "I'll tell you some other time. Anyway, there was a predictable order in which all of these people, including us, were coming. But something happened about a month ago that changed all that. Did you hear what happened to Neku?"

"You mean that fishing village? I heard it got totally flattened."

"Well, that's where Serina came from. But Serina wasn't supposed to come to the Hermitage."

"So, what does that mean?"

"It means that whatever destroyed Neku messed up the order in which people arrived. And until recently, I could foretell the order of people."

Ren stopped walking. "You could? You can see the future?"

"...Sort of. I can only predict the people coming to the Hermitage." Tyler was wearing a black rectangular bag that went over his shoulder with one strap. He opened the bag and pulled out one of his crayon drawings. "I drew this a few hours ago."

The picture showed a pair of double doors in the center. Around the doors were large circles, and within the circles were messy drawings of Bolt, Kyle, and the others. Each person had their own circle, and each circle was connected to the double doors with a line. Cloud was the furthest person to the edge of the paper.

"I see some more lines, but nobody's attached to them. What does that mean?" she asked.

"I can't see any further than that. More people are coming, but I don't know who. And if we don't get Riku back, then the order will really be screwed up. He wasn't supposed to leave. He was brought to the Hermitage for a reason, and if we don't get him back, then something awful will happen."

"What will happen?" Ren asked. Tyler didn't answer her. He'd already drawn the outcome himself, and he didn't like it.

"...That's why we need Riku back. He needs us to solve his internal problems, and we need him to solve our external ones. That's what I know."

"Wow. ...Why do you know all this?"

"I'll tell you later." he said again. His mood suddenly changed to one that actually fit an 8-year-old. "So, are you and Bolt a thing? Like, a boyfriend-girlfriend thing?"

Ren laughed. "No, silly. We're just really good friends." Maybe more than friends...she thought hopefully.

The hostel sat on Heel Peak, a very narrow hill-like cliff that pointed over the sea. Heel Hostel, the only hotel in the area, sat at the very top, surrounded on three sides by a sheer drop off. The waters below the peak were choppy and dark, and the wind blew constantly against the building. Riku sat in his grimy, moldy room on the second story, consulting the map laid out on his lap. Hmm...If I go southward, I'll make it to Soleanna... He'd seen pictures of the so-called 'City of Water,' and wondered if it was as beautiful in real life. That sounds like a good place to go next. I'll be in and out of there before anyone notices.

He folded up the map and put it back in his jacket pocket. He lay back on the smelly bed and gazed at the ceiling, staring at the leaking cracks in the plaster. Rain began to drum against the hostel, pattering against the cracked window. This place really does suck, he decided.

There was a tentative knock at his door. He quickly got up and crossed the room and opened it, but nobody was there. Just the peeling pink wallpaper in the hallway.

"Down here," someone said. Riku looked down and saw Tyler.

"Oh, hey. What are you doing here?"

"Lookin' for you. Can I come in?"

Riku hesitated, but decided that the hallway was much dirtier than his room, so he let Tyler in.

"...Nice room. I don't think I'd be underestimating this place if I thought this was the master suite," Tyler said. A wooden chair was in the corner of the room, and he sat in it as Riku sat on the bed.

"...So, why are you here? Did something happen?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, something happened. You left."

"Well, yeah, I did."

"Are you coming back?"

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Why not? Do you like this place better, for all it's...country charm?"

"I thought I overstayed my welcome."

"Everyone else had the same welcome, and nobody's leaving."

"You wouldn't want me there."

"Again, why not?"

"Kid, look at your hand. It wouldn't have cut on it if it wasn't for me. You wouldn't have been almost possessed if I hadn't come along."

"I'm fine, aren't I? And now we know not to touch your sword."

"It'll only be a matter of time until you ask me to leave."

"Why do you say that? Nobody's asked you to leave."

"That green Wolf did."

That caught Tyler by surprise. "He did?"

"Yes. He told me, and I quote, to 'Get lost.'"

"...He doesn't speak for everyone." Tyler said.

"Why do you want me back there so badly? You don't even know me. You don't know how much trouble I could cause."

"If you came back, would you willingly cause trouble?"

"No, but--"

"And if there was any trouble, wouldn't it be your demon's fault, instead of your fault?"

"Well, yeah, but--"

"Then what's the problem?"

"Listen to me!" Riku barked, trying to keep his voice down. "No matter where I go, no matter what I do, I'm always causing problems!"

Tyler stood up, but he didn't get much taller. "We need you back there."

"..What?"

"We need you. Something horrible is going to happen, and from what I know so far, you play a big part in stopping it."

"What's going to happen?"

Tyler didn't answer him for a moment. "Just...something bad."

"...You're not going to tell me?"

"No."

"That's very convincing." Riku said, crossing his arms.

"That's not the only reason, though."

"There's another reason?"

"Well, yeah." He sat back down again. "You've been pushed out of towns, right? You've been wandering all over the continent since you were my age, right? You've had no friends, no home, no nothing. All you've ever had is pain."

Tyler opened his bag and removed another crayon drawing, and handed it to him. On it was a poorly-drawn picture of Riku, standing in the corner of the page. A giant black Venus-flytrap type monster was sticking out of him, made entirely of solid black crayon, colored so thickly that black wax shavings were stuck to the paper. The black monster was chasing the multicolored stick people away from the drawing.

"Wouldn't it be nice," Tyler said. "To be someplace where you're wanted? To have friends? Something is supposed to happen at the Hermitage that will help you."

Riku was torn: what if Tyler was right? What if this was his chance to have a home, and to meet new people, and finally settle down and live the life he wanted? Or, what if this was just a huge mistake, and they would chase him away?

The desire to have people welcome him was too strong. "Alright. I'll come back."

"Thank you."

Over the course of the next two weeks, the people at the Hermitage began to form distinct groups. Kyle and Serina were almost always together, and were usually found in either the garden, the Rec Room, or Kyle's room. Marl usually kept to himself, preferring to stay outside and meditate. Ren liked to hang around with Tyler, and Bolt liked to be wherever Ren was, so they formed that group. Riku was usually alone, but not because he was being ignored; it was a habit of his to be solitary. But he joined everyone during mealtimes to conversate and enjoy himself, for once. Cloud mingled with all groups, except for Marl. Cloud had tried to sneak up on Marl while he was meditating, and wound up with an arrow lodged in one of his quills.

After sparring with Bolt for a few hours, Cloud came back inside the Hermitage, his sleeveless black shirt covered with numerous tears (Bolt had developed a new technique: shoot anything that moves), and ready to unwind and relax in the Rec Room. There'd better not be someone else with the remote control in there, he thought. He entered the Rec Room, and sure enough, Tyler was already in there with the remote in hand, watching a show.

"Hey Ty, I'm gonna watch a show now, so hand me the remote."

Tyler raised an eyebrow. "I'm already watching something, but it's over in a few minutes."

"You are gonna be over in a few minutes if you don't give me the remote. And you're sitting in my spot,"

"So?" Tyler said.

"So you'd better move."

Tyler smirked. "Make me."

Cloud laughed. "You asked for it." He walked over and sat on him. "I told you, this is my spot."

"Geez, Cloud, you smell. Deodorant was invented for a reason."

"You're hilarious. Now gimme the remote."

Tyler hid it behind his back. "Nope."

Cloud curled his arm around the back of Tyler's head, shoving his face into his armpit in a headlock. He took the remote and flipped it to his channel.

"Have either of you seen Serina?" Kyle asked as he walked in.

"Yeah, I saw her earlier today in The Garden. I think she said something about wanting to see you." Cloud said, not letting go of Tyler.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I forgot." he said, zoning out as he watched the television.

Kyle sighed as he left the room and headed towards the garden. He walked a good distance down the brushed chrome hallways until he found the circular double doors that led to The Garden. The giant domed room was different than the real outdoors; the sky was bright blue, the trees were heavy with ripe fruit, and a few peacocks strutted around the meadow. Kyle looked around for Serina, and spotted her sitting on the edge of the lake, gazing at it thoughtfully.

"Hey, Cloud said you wanted to see me," he said, sitting next to her.

She didn't waste any time, and immediately kissed him.

As Serina kissed him, Kyle was suddenly taken off guard. However, he returned the kiss passionately, embracing her as he did so. She moved as close to him as she could and her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him into a gentle open-mouth kiss. He always enjoyed these kisses, though he wasn't ready for Serina to bring them into another one so suddenly. He had to break it to take a quick breath before quickly returning the kiss. His tails began flicking back and forth excitedly as his passion rose, and he embraced her even tighter. She let out a moan as he tightened his grip, and she pushed her mouth up against his as much as she could. She began rubbing his back, gaining a slight moan from him as an intensely pleasing tingle shot through his back. He felt like he could keep the kiss held forever, but she finally pulled away,her eyes glowing from the intense happiness she had just re-experienced.

Kyle said, "That was nice...but what was that for? It was so random..."

Serina smiled and said, "I have some good news, Kyle. You're a father."