PART ONE

Chapter 1

The day before D-Day

In the military base of L'Aqua, Claude and his 11 comrades were resting, before the next day in which they had to battle the nefarious 10 wise men; the ultimate showdown.

On this day, which was creeping into a slow sunset, Precis went for a walk, looking for Claude. She was hoping to confess her love for him this evening, as it was something, which had been tormenting her since the time they had first met. Though, there was some part of her, which was telling her that it was a bad idea and that maybe he wasn't the one she liked. But she thought this was just her nerves. That was when she came to the beach, where Claude and Rena were snuggling together, kissing and such.

She felt wrenched and she did not know what to do. Her usual hyperactive self dwindled into nothing; her passion, her love dwindled into nothing. She ran, ran as fast as she could until she stopped dead, in realisation of the truth; as she thought things through, she realised she was not as hurt as she thought she would be. No tears, no cursing, no sad faces…nothing. Somewhere in her heart, she found the knowledge that Claude never felt that way about her and in reality, he was not the one she was meant for. She sighed deeply and carried on walking.

She could hear noises crying in the setting night; it scared her and she closed her eyes, keeping her fear inside, all the while whimpering like a coward. She sped up and without watching where she was going, she tripped over a large log. On sitting up and examining the object, she realised it wasn't a log, but a rather twitchy Ashton. Precis saw what appeared to be glass bottles littering the ground around him and he was holding two half-empty bottles himself.

"Ashton? What are you doing here?…And what-?" Precis started, before Ashton, on getting up a little, grabbed her skirt.

"Hehehehehehe, you're small. And you got eyes in your head," Ashton giggled, slurring his words. Precis just looked at him.

"Are you drunk?" She asked.

"Psht, of course not. I'mb fined," Ashton giggled. Precis looked at Gyoro and Ururun.

"And how could you guys let him drink so much?" Precis asked.

Gyoro and Ururun growled in high-pitched voices and swayed slightly. Precis sighed. She dragged him up and took him through the trees and onto a cliff, where they sat staring at the sunset, with the sun going gently down. The floating castle and the icy mountain could be seen in the distance. Precis cheered up a little and turned to Ashton.

"Hey, Ash-," Precis stopped. Ashton had his hands up near his face and his face glistened with tears. Gyoro and Ururun hung their heads in woe, with watery eyes gleaming. Precis put her hand on his shoulder, with her face full of worry. He turned his head away.

"I didn't want you to see me like this. What kind of adult am I?! To get drunk and stupid, like this. I hate it! I've never had any luck, I'm just a burned out failure," Ashton whined.

"Gyrooo. Don't you mean washed up failure? Burned up is not even a phrase," Gyoro pointed out. Ashton took a swipe at him, telling him to shut up. Needless to say, he missed and fell over. Precis pulled him upright again.

"You aren't the only one, y'know? I mean, I was chasing a self-absorbed moron and he was way out of my league. I knew all along that I was being blind to the fact that it was someone else I had affection for. I'm so dumb," Precis sighed. Ashton carried on looking depressed.

"I tried so hard, but it was all for nothing. I mean, she's so oblivious to me. I am an ant to her. No, a whatsit, a amobia-," Ashton started.

"-amoeba?" Precis suggested.

"-yes, that. I'm not even in existence. I messed up all the time, humiliating myself and I probably embarrassed her. I should have stopped before I got so attached to her," Ashton wailed.

"I was such a brainless dimwad, I didn't even take anyone's feelings into account. So, I just wanted to tell you Ashton-," Precis started.

"No, no. I gotta tells you, Precicious. Hiccup. That I-," Ashton slurred.

"I like you," they both said. They both stopped still and blinked. Then they slowly and weakly laughed. They both looked down at the ground, blushing madly. Ashton suddenly looked up and started frantically looking in all directions. Precis looked at him strangely.

"What's up, Ashton?" She asked. He carried on looking around.

"I feel like someone is spying on us. It's freaking me out," he replied. But he did not get a chance to go check it out, as all the alcohol he had consumed got the best of him and he passed out.

In the distance, Chisato hid behind a tree with a notepad and a pen. She had the pen touching her mouth, in a thoughtful way.

"Hmmm…Juicy. It should make for an interesting story. Lovers mingle in the sunset. I like that," Chisato giggled, walking off.

Claude and Rena stared off into the distance, but suddenly Claude turned sharply around, anxiously. He saw nothing, but the distant wall. He turned back and Rena stared at him funny.

"What's the matter, Claude-sama?" Rena asked.

"I feel like I'm being glared at," Claude replied. "And please don't call me that. It creeps me out." Rena giggled and nodded.

"You're just imagining things," Rena said. But Claude being Claude, he would not let it go. He got up suddenly and stared for a while. He ran forward for a while and stopped.

"KUU HA ZAN!" He shouted. A tall figure jumped out, dodging the attack. It was Dias.

"What do you think you're doing, watching us like that?" Claude shouted. Dias just stared him down, looking slightly amused.

"Heh. Just making sure my little sister is not being hurt. If you hurt her, however, you will suffer a thousand deaths," Dias whispered. He turned around and walked off. Claude just stood there, fuming and clenching his fists.

"Jerk. Like I would hurt Rena. Who does he think he is, anyway?" Claude muttered.

Dias walked back up to the main building. Before getting there, he stopped. Moments later, a little red head bumped into him.

"Ooooh? Heh heh. It's you! So, you spying on people as well, huuuuuh?" Chisato nosed. Dias stayed silent, in a way that told her she was right.

"Weeeeell? What's going on? You seem wary, yet content," Chisato asked. "Ah. I see. It's Claude and Rena, isn't it? But I bet you're relieved Claude seems right for your little Rena, aren't you, huuuh?" Dias stayed silent for a moment.

"Hmph. You seem to know your stuff. Being nosy doesn't befit a person of your stature," Dias said. Chisato giggled and smiled in a knowing way.

"I'm a reporter. I have to be nosy, to get the story. And I have to know what I'm talking about. Reading people's emotions, finding people's innermost secrets….it's what I do," Chisato said. She winked at him and walked back to the main building. Dias blushed slightly and let out a noise of contempt. He then set off for the building himself.

Leon sat on a cliff, gazing forlornly off into the distance. A bird fell out of the sky, with a thorn in its wing. Leon gently took the bird into his hands and took the thorn out, rubbing the wound afterwards. The bird chirped happily and more birds appeared, landing on his head, ears, shoulders and arms. This made Leon smile, bringing out the lost child in him.

Noel sat among the flowers and the animals in the forest. He looked quite content and seemed to be talking to the natural life around him.

Opera walked through the corridors, shouting the name Ernest. Through much searching, Ernest was found in a small room, with a gentile fire burning in the fireplace. He was reading a book, called "The History of Nede". He looked up and smiled upon Opera's entry. She sat down next to him and snuggled up to him.

"Soon this will all be over and we can go back to being normal," Opera said. Ernest turned a page and carried on reading.

"Not quite. Remember Rena and her friends are Expelians. Well, Rena was brought up there anyway. But what I am saying is that they have no home to go back to and therefore no normal life to go back to. Expel, along with the million other unfortunate souls, died when it collided with Nede," Ernest said, grimly. Opera sighed in a depressed way.

"I guess they will either have to stay here or come with us. Not that that'll be any burden. Maybe discovering new worlds will do them good. I'm guessing that Rena would go with Claude. So it wouldn't matter as much, but…," Opera said.

"I know. Forgetting all those they love would still not be made up by being with friends and lovers. Fate has indeed dealt a cruel hand," Ernest said, gloomily.

"Hmmm…If I get my hands on this fate, then I will give 'em one heck of a slap," Opera said.

In the next room, Celine and Bowman were having a couple of drinks at the bar. They could hear Opera and Ernest talking in the next room.

"…what I am saying is that they have no home to go back to and therefore no normal life to go back to. Expel, along with the million other unfortunate souls, died when it collided with Nede," Ernest said. Celine and Bowman spat their drinks out and sat there in shock.

"Died? Expel's….gone?" Celine said, in a slightly higher voice than normal. Bowman's hand was shaking and he broke the glass. He put his hands up to his wet face.

"Nineh…she's…?" Bowman cried.

"Mother…Father…Cecil…are gone?! How could they keep this from us? And how did they know?" Celine asked. They got up and stormed into the next room, where Opera and Ernest sat snuggling together.

"Expel's gone?! When were you going to tell us?" Celine shouted. Ernest and Opera looked at each other alarmed and guiltily.

"We didn't want to hurt you. Especially since we're battling soon. We're sorry we talked so openly," Ernest said. Celine and Bowman stayed silent and then stormed out.

They ran past Dias and stopped still. He was trying to return to his room. Celine and Bowman hurriedly explained what had happened to Expel. He seemed unperturbed.

"…Thought so," Dias replied, which was greeted by shock.

"What? How? And why aren't you upset?" Celine asked.

"…I have no one of particular importance there. And how? Claude looked like he was going to say something contrary to what you were saying about Expel being fine," Dias replied. "Now, if you don't mind…" He walked off, leaving Celine and Bowman gaping in shock.

Next they ran to where Rena and Claude were sat. Celine ran over and slapped Claude in the face.

"Claude! Is it true? Did you really know Expel is gone?" Celine shouted. Claude rubbed his face and looked guilty. Rena stood up in alarm.

"What? But, mother…Regis…Alen," Rena cried. Claude stood up.

"I would have told you guys, but how could I say that your home is gone? It would have been demoralising," Claude said. Rena ran off crying.

"Home? What do you mean? You sound like Expel isn't your home," Celine said. Claude looked strange.

"It isn't? You're not from Expel?" Bowman asked. Claude nodded his head in agreement. He left Celine and Bowman speechless and ran after Rena, who was running alone, back to the main building.

Celine and Bowman carried on through the forest, determined to let everyone know the truth. They reached Precis, who was sat there cradling an unconscious Ashton. They told her about Expel and she didn't even waver in her expression.

"So…everyone's gone?" She asked. Celine and Bowman nodded.

"Heh. The old man would have found a way out of there anyway, so why worry?" Precis said. Celine and Bowman looked at each other with exasperated expressions. They left her to her own devices and they searched for Leon. But Claude was there first.

"Don't you dare tell him. Or he'll never fight again and he will lose his reason. I don't want him dying here," Claude said, with arms out wide, in front of Leon. Celine and Bowman looked like they wanted to argue, but they gave in. Leon walked up to them.

"Good evening. Let me guess…you have found out Expel has ceased to exist?" Leon said. Claude, Celine and Bowman looked shocked.

"How'd-?" Claude stared.

"Easy. The wise men jerks had a large heraldic stone, much like that of the energy stone used for the Lacour Hope. From seeing big sister's pendent flash both then and at the wise men's stone, I deduced that they were of the same matter and it would have quite the destructive power. The tower was shaking and I figured, this stone was destroying Expel, without any hope of us saving it. We being in the vicinity of those jerks, we were transported to this planet with them," Leon explained. Claude, Celine and Bowman were shocked.

…And the night was spent in a forlorn shock.