I'm Riki... probably one of the last surviving somewhat neutral lummoxes from Margmel, a region that I was suppose to save. I had set out two years ago in search of numinous rings that were believed to rejuvenate my home. Instead I lost sight of my goal and ended up helping humans better understand theirs.

"So am I to believe that you had no part in the death of your 'Master?" A man dressed in navy blue took a sip from his coffee before pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He said earlier he was off-duty when they called him in to investigate the series of events that went down two days ago and left me slumped over the steps of IRPO in a state of distress. I watched him closely; gold plated badge on his vest looked almost brand new. Fuse... that's what the badge said... I'll never forget it.

"Yessir, that's just how it happened." I smiled and closed my eyes, already I am nearly drowning in memories of what had happened yesterday.

I watched fuse reach into his pocket and pull out a little tape recorder. He fumbled around, moving the now lit cigarette from one hand to another before deciding to place it between his lips. "Riki, what we are going to do is get your side of the story recorded on this." He waved the recorder around before dropping it on the desk in front of me. "You are to tell the truth and all of the truth. I will ask you certain questions depended upon what you tell me."

"Yessir, I understand wholly." I could tell that he was already annoyed. Not just with me but also with the fact that he had to come in to deal with me and this... dilemma (if you could call it that) that went down.

He nodded his head and pushed the red button on the little machine. As he grazed his hair with fingers that had removed the cigarette from his mouth, he made himself content in a rather uncomfortable chair. "So Riki, in your own words tell me who 'Master' really is. . ."

"Master? Ah yes. . . Master"

I had remembered him well; Draped in blue and white fabric from the Magic Kingdom, a flourishing city that I credulously helped save. My master was Blue, the magician... His magician.—No... My magician.

"-and when you say, 'his magician' whom are you referring about?" Fuse cut me off rather quickly, getting straight to the point now that his mug on the table was now empty and waiting to be refilled.

"Why Lute of course... He was also with us on our journey." I wanted to be as indirect as possible while giving my side of the story. Apparently even though he didn't want to be there, he sure was going to do his job with complete competency.

I never truly understood Blue's motives. He always spoke of how he would one day kill his brother Rouge and finally become whole. I envied him simply because he kept at his goal till the very end.

Fuse sat up in his seat and gave me a concerned look. I knew that he had a question, so I paused and looked over into his direct. "Wait! Are you telling me that this Blue guy killed his own brother?"

I smiled, "Apparently it was the right thing to do. Forgive me I'm not human so some of the beliefs some of you have are confusing to me." I looked down at the tape recorder on the table, letting my eyes focus on the turning wheels within the contraption. "I believe when my Master went to get the runes... His brother had to have come here."

Fuse chuckled and leaned back in his chair, placing his feet on the table. "I see a lot of people a day. I don't recall anybody named Rouge."

"That's because you didn't ask..." I trail off rather fast and focus my attention on the would-be interrogators shoes. Why was everything on him look so new?

Continuing on, Rouge was killed... shortly thereafter, Magic Kingdom was saved. All that was left was for the gang to celebrate our not one but two victories. This was when I gave Blue all of my attention. You see... Back when he picked me up in the pub of Scrap he made a promise. He said he would find some way to help me save Margmel. But only after he mastered all of the arts magic had to offer.

Thoughts of Margmel shrouded my brain. I held back a few tears as I looked up to Fuse and asked for a glass of water.

He wasted no time handing me a plastic cup filled halfway, "Please... Continue."

I scoff down the liquid— room temperature. I contemplated if he used this water normally to feed his plants. I sigh and continue.

There were five of us: Blue my master and leader, Lute our swordsman, Mei-Ling the healing gunner, our mute mystic with wings, and me... Riki. I never understood what brought all of us together. We all had our own goals yet somehow Blue seemed to control us with some unknown power...

"Manipulation" Fuse moved around in his chair, keeping his eyes fixated upon me. I could tell he was curious about my whole story.

Yes... Manipulation... That's almost what I would have called it. But then again with each step we took I was blinded by the fact that my journey was about to begin. He kept his eyes on me... While everybody else had their doubts he was always right there alongside me; telling me that Margmel would be a beautiful place again. So when I watched him absorb what was left of his brother I became overzealous.

"So through your actions, you caused the death of Blue?"

I chuckled softly and let out a breath of words, "No... I just became a bother to the rest of the group."

Before my journey had begun Blue wanted to head back to Magic Kingdom to prove to the people that he too had became a powerful wizard. Thus, during the journey back, I would attack anything that I had felt would slow down the time of getting to Blue's hometown.

"Hmm..." Fuse crossed his legs and let his arms rest upon this thigh. "There were no casualties along the way?"

His questions... I felt almost like he was trying to deliberately accuse me.

-o-

Lute leaned back in his chair, his guitar resting neatly within his lap. He had grown tired of the waiting and was now ready to leave. Unkempt in his purplish outfit, he let out a long loud yawn that could be heard from across the room. He knew that what he was doing was rude. But why should he care since he was left waiting... Wasn't waiting rude too? His eyes ran across the chinks in the table before conveniently finding an inviting spot between Mei-Lings breast. Ah... Mei-Ling, she sat across the table from him; examining one of the rings that I had given her for safe keeping. "I could stare at that cleavage all day."

I guess today she didn't care; having put up with his obnoxious mouth for over 5 months, it was almost like a regular thing out his mouth, like breathing air, or hearing the wind blow. She wasted no time. The ring was placed on the table and yet another button was fastened on her shirt. A riled look was given towards the direction of Lute before she stood up, "I'm going to take a look around while we wait for Blue and Silence to come back."

"But you took a look around fifteen minutes ago..."

Too late, Mei-Ling was already out the room by the time Lute had gathered enough energy to push out the detached message. As his words rolled off the back of her dress— along with Lute's eyes, she continued to not care about anything he said as her footsteps became nothing more than a pining notion.

This left time for me to bond with the instrumentalist. Hopping on the table and moving as close as I could, I was nothing more than a child staring at him with eyes of curiosity. "Lute... where did Master go?" I recalled the time I had to wait for something... the time I had waited with a fellow Lummox near a tree as they pulled off molded fruit and told me to wait just a little bit longer while they climbed to the very top for the fresh ones. He continued to look in the direction of where Mei-Ling had long left and out of instinct I repeated myself again, louder. Sometimes Blue would say I spoke too low for him. "Lute when will Master co-"

This was the first time I had ever felt enmity between us. I couldn't understand what was wrong with Lute when he snapped at me, eyes still giving off that lilac color. "Will you shut up already? And stop calling him 'Master'" He stood up, that instrument of his hitting the floor and becoming a new sound within my ears. The sound of a jealous heart. But what could I have done wrong?

Think. Think. Think... I still don't understand.

Lute ignored the sound while he stood to his feet, straightening out his slacks with the clearing of his voice. "I don't know what Master sees in you." He mocked me... But of course at that time I didn't know what to mock was. "All he ever does is talk, talk, talk. Riki needs to get the rings this... Riki needs to get stronger that..." Lute slowly made a fist and moved over to the wall closest to the door so he could lean his shoulder up against it.

"Master will save Margmel!" I smiled like I always did; on all fours and shaking my tail. Times like this when I felt strange feelings within the air, I wanted to make everyone happy. Sanguine laugh, I hopped off the table and came to a halt, just some feet, of the bard.

A bottom lip was bitten almost to the point to extract blood. I could see from his eyes that he was thinking, better yet planning. Plotting? The lip was released and a long sigh escaped from him. My senses picked up on a trace of rum which he probably had had when he and Blue went into Lute's room for a tactical meeting earlier in the day. His body slowly moved around to face me and he allowed me to come closer so that I could receive the usual wrestling of fingers within my fur. "-and to think... just this morning he told me he wasn't going to get those rings for you. Something about it being an inconvenience... You're just a stupid monster."

And to think just this morning he told me he wasn't going to get those rings for you... inconvenience... inconvenience... inconvenience... monster?

The rubbing of my fur continued. I allowed it to continue because I was lost within thought. I tried to remember something that was done during our travels that intertwined with the collecting of the rings. We had been everywhere... Sei's Tomb, Tanzer, even to the casino, Baccarat. Not once was my situation brought up. My body began to hurt I could feel the bloody within start to burn. I rubbed my eyes and looked up at Lute. "So Master doesn't want to help me save my home? But he promised that once we saved his home he would save mine."

Lute moved away from me and headed over towards the table. Even from my new angle he still looked scruffy as if we had just come from an immense battle. I followed behind him. My mouth moved but words stayed close to my heart, covering it the best they knew how.

What was wrong with me? I still don't understand.

Think... Think... Think...

"Riki when was the last time you seen your home in the sky at night? Remember you use to point it out to us; red star, right?"

I briskly nodded; flames of fur danced around my body before being cut short when I spoke. "Yes it's out there... I always see it." A twinge went down my spine I couldn't understand why Lute would wait till now to tell me such things.

-o-

He was mad. He was really mad. It was just getting dark when Lute had arrived back from Sei's Tomb. He could barely stand when his body rammed at the door of the Inn. Riki was the first one to cross his path. Those eyes full of childlike innocence. How could anyone resist them?

"Lute? Where have you been? I had to help eat your food. But it's okay cause I saved you some-"

Lute swung out blindly, missing Riki completely and nearly popping his arm out of the socket. "Stay back! I don't love you... I don't want you! Don't ever touch me!" Tears streamed down his face, moving over dried blood and creating a trail for the next drops of sadness.

Confused, Riki approached Lute slowly, biting at his bottom lip so that he too wouldn't break out into tears of empathy. "Please... Let me help..." He moved a paw closer to Lute, ever so gently so that Lute could accept him. "I know how to heal, remember." A rainbow colored light encased Riki's paw and as he brought it down towards Lutes body, the light vanished.

Lute was now slightly injured. Those purple locks laid dormant along his face, covering his eyes completely; after speaking they never moved. "I... Blue... Make him stop. I won't forget!" He mumbled to himself.

Riki continued to stare at the battered musician, those furry fingers resting on his lap and comforting him the best way a Lummox knew how. What happened to him? Why was he hurt so much? Riki's mind went into over time. But it was no use... even after he devised a question to ask, the seriousness of the situation was over— to his concern. "So did you want the biscuit I saved you for dinner?"

A stiff laugh escaped from Lute. How did he find time to laugh at something so serious? But then again who would believe what really happened? Did it even happen? He remembered Blue on top of him with a detached smirk, punching him and repeating the words: "I love you." Lute's body almost went into shock when those words crossed his mind.

"Riki? Where is Blue?"

"Master came back and went straight to bed. He said he wasn't hungry so it was up to me to finish his dinner for him."

Lute slowly stood up with the help of his Lummox friend, "Please... Take me to my room. I need to rest for the battle tomorrow."

Both members slowly headed towards the steps Lute looked around and then turned his gaze upon Riki. "Where is everybody else?"

Riki grunted, he wasn't strong like the others, so having to support Lute's weight was a bit of a chore and the last thing he wanted to do was talk. "Ugh... ... When Master came in and said he was going to bed, Mei-ling left out of the Hotel with a man in black glasses. Silence went to his room as soon as you and master left to train and hasn't been out since then."

Lute used his free arm to wrap slightly around his stomach. He was grateful that Riki was around and not the others. He wasn't the brightest of the other members. Nor was he as skilled. His reason for joining the group was for the credits and treasures they would find on the way. If it could be appraised and sold he could show his mother that he had some kind of job.

"We're here!" Riki used his foot to keep the door open as he came in with Lute, keeping a smile on his face the whole time.

Lute staggered over to the bed and collapsed down. His body slowly loosing its tense grip and letting him feel ease. The covers drowned the wounded solider and tried its best to make him forget everything. But how could anybody forget what Blue had done?

"Is there anything you would like me to get you?"

"Lute?"

Riki's paw moved over and rubbed Lute's arm before he proceeded to turn around and head for the door. Even though he couldn't understand what had happened to Lute, a part of his heart could. He brought a hand towards his chest and closed his eyes. "Lute stay happy." A warm smile fell upon Riki's face and he slowly looked back at Lute before shutting the door and letting the musician get his rest.

(To be continued)

Chapter 2... hmm... I dunno... R&R, Gracias