Hi, I'm back! After finals and college and other nasty (but necessary) stuff. Ah... It's about time I started moving the plot forward, huh?

As he rode back with Aqune and Igneous, it became painfully obvious that Shadow was giving him a non-existent shoulder cold enough to freeze over hell. The tension hanging around them was thick enough to suffocate someone. Aqune, Igneous, Flame, and Portia were wise enough to stay out of the whole mess.

"When exactly did you wake up? Everyone was worried sick," Aqune asked, her voice as clear as ever.

"A-a while ago!" He stuttered, feeling Shadow's irritation surge. Aqune turned away with a smile that looked just the tiniest bit forced.

"I see."

"Did you like the new clothes we got you?"

This time he turned to face Igneous.

"Yeah! They're really comfortable," he said. "Wait, is Quartz alright? He said he was coming back with backup but never came."

"Ah, I'll explain," he said, with some shame, "you took care of the situation quite well, and no alarm was ever sounded, so the guards actually didn't take him seriously until he took down a fully grown man and started pounding on our door as if his life depended on it."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, he may be around your current age, but he's extremely strong. He's one of the best in his class actually. To be honest, I think his strength could rival that of Slate someday. Perhaps even surpass him."

"Wow, that's pretty cool."

With that, the conversation fizzled out pathetically. It was to be expected, but he didn't think it'd hurt him this much. Being gone for three years during a war had definitely damaged every single relationship he'd ever had in the Inner World. Besides, what excuse had they all concocted to explain his mysterious disappearance? Had they said he'd died, or gone on a journey of sorts- what exactly? He gently lowered himself onto Shadow's back and sat down. Sudden exhaustion had suddenly swept him off his feet, and the world blurred into a spiral for a few moments. All this worrying and thinking was making him tired. What a joke. All that sleeping and he was still so tired. He took out the Oracle Keys, admiring them for a moment under the darkened core's light. His abnormal regenerative ability and Shadow's bizarre growth were no doubt linked to the Oracle's powers. She'd obviously decided to bet on them for victory against Obsidian. The problem was, what exactly had she bet? He sighed and put away the Keys. He was alive and stronger than before, but it was obvious that he'd traded in a few things in exchange.

"Shadow, I'm going to sleep," he murmured, pressing his face against Shadow's cool exoskeleton.

"Don't you dare."

"Huh?"

"The least you can do is stay awake long enough to greet everyone else."

Hunter smiled and closed his eyes anyway.

"I really screwed up this time, huh? Don't worry, I'll stay awake."

"You stupid idiot, worrying all of us like that. Did you even think about the consequences when you woke up? The first thing you did was go take a bath!"

"Oh shut up," he mumbled, "there was blood and dirt everywhere and I felt like crap. Give me a break."

"You've had one for three years straight."

"Gosh, you're never going to live that one down, are you? I went through a freaking nightmare that whole time."

Shadow didn't respond for a few moments.

"I don't know what you saw that entire time, but try thinking about things from my point of view, you worthless Rider."

That comment stung, but when Hunter did think it though, something happened. Hunter's bare palms touching Shadow suddenly felt like they were fusing into the exoskeleton, and Shadow's brisk pace shattered and broke into a disorganized push forward as the two of them exchanged three years of helplessness and despair. It swallowed each of them in a moment of brief panic and within seconds it was as if nothing had ever happened.

Shadow skidded to a halt as a wave of nausea overtook them both, and Igneous and Aqune also stopped and hurried over.

"What happened?!" Igneous said, letting Hunter bury his face into his cloak, trying desperately not to empty out his internal organs through his mouth. Shadow trembled uncontrollably and Aqune warily touched his head. She leapt back from the unexpected feeling and stumbled away to vomit in the garden's nearby shrubbery. Igneous watched everything, utterly confused, and reflexively ruffled Hunter's hair soothingly, the way he treated the other children currently housed in the palace.

After what seemed like minutes, Aqune returned, looking very pale.

"Where... where did you learn how to do that?"

"Do... what?" Shadow slowly forced out, since Hunter could only listen.

"The Oracle's Handmaidens' have certain gifts, such as finding things based on the flow of life or power, or linking minds. What you two did was a messy, mutual link," she said shakily, "what... the Oracle, she's done something."

Hunter looked up, his face deathly pale. He took a few breaths, trying to force down whatever was trying to come up, desperately digging his nails into Shadow and clenching a fist around Igneous' cape.

"I-I remember after... After I fell asleep that, that I'm a quarter Handmaiden," he somehow managed to finish before covering his mouth. Aside from the raging urge to spill out his guts, and piercing migraine that resembled a pile driver being stabbed between his eyes was beginning to take place. If Shadow's sudden slump to the ground meant anything, he felt just as crappy as Hunter.

"G-gramps was normal, but apparently my- my grandma was a- a Handmaiden."

After saying that, he vomited. Luckily, he didn't see any lungs, or a stomach, and instead spilled out the entire content of his stomach.

Weakly, he crawled back onto Shadow.

"Hey, Shadow? Let's go home," he quietly sobbed.

Shadow didn't reply and began speeding home. They both were suffering, and as they hurried back to the palace, Hunter cried non-stop, as Shadow felt his heart split in two. The three years had been hard on them both. The sobbing turned into loud bawling and Shadow was forced to stop.

"I hate everything!" Hunter screamed. For the first time ever, Shadow saw his Rider throwing a childish, pained tantrum. He jumped off of Shadow and began stomping his foot, kicking rocks, and punching the ground until his hands were bloody. The acrid smell of blood reached Shadow, and he promptly knocked Hunter to the ground.

"Stop that! You'll hurt yourself!"

"I don't care! I had to remember everything, and I come back and it's all gone to hell, and we're lost!"

"Shut up! I know how to get back! I can smell!"

For some reason, hearing Shadow scold him was oddly comforting. Familiar, actually. He stopped hurting himself and wiped at his tears and runny nose.

"Your face is all swollen," Shadow said.

"Oh."

Hunter sat in front of Shadow, embarrassed at how he had acted.

"Sorry, I'm just a bit overwhelmed."

Shadow's sigh was weighed with fatigue, but his voice was layered with relief and comfort.

"At this point, I'm just glad you're back."

Aqune and Igneous were nowhere to be seen, and Hunter hoped they had simply gone ahead without him. He blotted out his tears a bit more and eventually lay on the ground, exhausted.

"When did you grow so much?"

Shadow's question caught him by surprise.

"I should be asking you. You were fully grown last time I saw."

"The Oracle said I would need strength, and she made me grow bigger, but I'm faster too."

"Huh. I'm sorry. You must've been lonely. You were acting like a jerk and people were complaining about you. You're usually nicer than that."

"No, I'm only comfortable around whoever I know well."

"If you weren't comfortable around me, I'd be kinda worried."

"Maybe I'm too comfortable. I even let you see me hunt and eat."

"I was curious!"

"You couldn't eat anything that night, but you're important to all of us."

"Really?"

"At the very least, I promise I won't leave you."

Hunter felt like crying some more. He covered his face in shame and let the tears flow.

"You really won't leave like everyone else?"

"Promise. I won't be like your parents or your gramps."

"That's… that's good."