Hello! It's been a while. But that's all good, because now I'm here with an update! A very special update! This drabble is indeed very special because it is a guest drabble written by the one and only princespeach! Applause! Yes, it's all very exciting. So without further ado, allow me to present Shades of Blue's very first guest drabble!

Disclaimer: I hold as much ownership over princespeach as I do the rights to ToS.

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17: (But We Have to Look to) The Future

On the ground, there was no marker. There was no sign pointing or giving any indication as to what had happened here. There didn't need to be. For Yuan, it was all feeling.

This was where he had buried him.

It had been a new experience for Yuan. Even Martel had been denied the tradition by her brother. To be honest, it was all a little ridiculous.

There was so much significance put into how the dead are treated. Digging a hole, covering them with dirt, and inevitably feeding them to all manner of pests. Next came forgetting about them, allowing grass to grow, all for people to walk about atop them.

Maybe it was a fitting description of people. To forgive, forget, and move the hell on.

It was alright, though, because none of that counted for Forcystus. No sir, grass would never grow here. Nothing grew on the ranches. Nothing even tried. The grounds were ghosts of twisted metal and mangled shapes of steel. The morphed creations of the fallen and disturbed hero. Where the rest of world would forget, this place never would. That was part of the reason why Yuan allowed Forcystus to stay here. Nothing else would ever happen here now. It all ended with Forcystus, and with Yuan. It also put Forcystus next to those he cared for most – his comrades. Yuan wanted that dedication to last even when it no longer existed. When nothing existed.

But even with all the noble intentions, this was still the place where Forcystus died. It would forever be the last real place they could never be together. When he came here, Yuan wanted to think of all the happy memories, but this wasn't that kind of place.

That was sort of the point.

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"I told you that you wouldn't believe me."

"I guess I should have listened. I never would have thought 'Lord Yuan' was one for jokes, to be honest."

"I'm not."

The other gave Yuan a side-long glance. "So Lord Yggdrasil is the four thousand year old hero from the Ancient Kharlan War. Why didn't I see it before?"

"Because," Yuan answered, ignoring the sarcasm. "You had no reason to. Think: there's no record of anyone coming before him. Cruxis itself is so old there's no exact date of establishment. It's an organisation that practically predates written history; why can't its leader be the same?"

"It's not that the records aren't there, Yuan. Lord Yggdrasil keeps them restricted. What I know about Cruxis is all that he wants me to know. I would imagine it's the same for yourself. And if what you say is true and he is thousands of years old, then you have no way of verifying your ideas."

There was a short but thoughtful silence after the statement.

"What if I were to tell you that I was over four thousand years old as well?"

Then there was laughter. "I'd say you look good for your age."

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Yuan had no preconceptions about what had happened. Forcystus' death was a direct result of Renegade entanglement. There were many things that he himself could have done about it, such as delayed it, or even prevented it, but in truth the real failure was his absence from the place. In an existence that lasted forever, Yuan would give a Grand Cardinal the most valuable thing he could, what they couldn't have then: commitment. It was why Yuan had to be here now and onwards, it was why the world was allowed to forget – because he never would.

It was why he wore black.

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Personally, I really love this drabble. I also love the idea that I can update this fic and I didn't actually have to do any work for it! How about that!

Also, princespeach has asked me to inform you of the fact that the title of this drabble is actually a quote from the recent remake of Battlestar Galactica.

Please let us know what you think of this guest appearance (and this series as a whole) in a review!