Aurora was in a place full of palm trees and warm breezes and the sound
of the ocean and the wonderful, hot sun. She was in a hammock...no that
wasn't right. She frowned, her eyes still closed as she tried to place
the gentle rocking sway. Shadow-spawn. This was his rolling gait. She
sighed as the dream and it's illusion of warmth fled as the dull throb
above her left hip and memory slowly started to reclaimed her. She
opened her eyes and focused on the features of the bowed head above her
shadowed by the broad brimmed hat and smiled. Nephlyte. He was taking
her home. Home! She wondered if he was asleep. His arms where firm
around her even though his eyes were closed and his head moved loosely
back and forth with their mounts stride. Her smile turned into a grimace
and she drew in a sharp gulp of air as she tried to shift to a more
comfortable position.

	"Aurora?" Nephlyte's eyes snapped open and he tightened his arms around
her as that sound jerked him out of the doze he had been lulled into by
Shadow-spawns rolling lope.

	"I'm O.K. I just need to move," she assured him in a tight little
voice.

	He helped her as she pushed up and hated the helpless feeling that
fluttered through him as she went pale with pain. She closed her eyes
and bit at her lower lip, her hand moving to press against her wound as
he steadied her while she moved to straddle the back under her. She
leaned back against him with a sigh, relaxed, then tensed as she sat up
and looked around. He wondered what was wrong as he scanned the
undulating blue sameness of the Southern Plains. Nothing but a small
herd of long-legged prey youma occupied it for as far as he could see.
Shadow-spawn slowed, then halted and went to his knees.

	"Aurora? What's wrong?" She avoided his hand as he reached to steady
her as she wiggled off and limped a few steps away. He slid off,
confusion warring with annoyance as he followed.

	Aurora had been concentrating so hard on not giving in to the pain as
she moved that she hadn't realized that they were still in the Dark
Kingdom. It had stunned her to find that they were still in this horrid,
cold place. That Nephlyte had lied to her. Again. An uncharacteristic
fury was rapidly replacing the shock of that discovery. Shadow-spawn
gave a concerned nicker as he saw the Darkness begin to tinge the gray
of his One's aura. The High Youma and Aurora ignored him.

	"Where are we?" Aurora demanded, her voice trembling with suppressed
anger as she turned on Nephlyte.

	"The Southern Plains," her hostile stance and tone of voice pricked at
him and he sub-consciously drew himself to his full height and put his
closed fists against his hips, a posture that the youma knew and feared,
as he made himself keep a firm hold of his own temper.

	"Why?" She snapped.

	"Why?" He echoed as his temper flared despite his attempt to control
it.

	"You said you were taking me home! You lied to me! Again! You lied!"
She all but snarled as her face twisted into a hard cold mask from her
fury.

	Nephlyte glared back at her, coldness taking hold of his soul.

	*Please, Aurora, stop...I can't...* but she wasn't finished yet.

	 "I think it's all you know how to do! And I, stupid human girl, keep
on believing you! Look at me!"

	She took another wincing step back and looked down at her hand over the
hole in her body. "I'm a seventeen year old girl masquerading as a youma
in Hell! You did this to me! You did it!"

	Nephlyte tensed and his body moved without thought. It was the only way
he knew to stop those words that raked across his being. Shadow-spawn
roared and lunged.

	"I hate this place! I hate it! And I hate..." She stopped, the fear
that came into her eyes not from the strike that was flying for her face
but from the word that had almost been spoken.

	She held his eyes with her own and seemed to dare him to hit her as
those venom filled words struck him. Fear came into them as his hand
sped for her face.

	*No!* he took hold of his anger and contained it.

	He would not hit her for speaking the truth. He managed to stop as she
simultaneously raised her hand and thrust it in the way of Shadow-spawns
fang filled mouth, saving him from the youma's poisoned bite.  They
stared at each other, each uncertain of what was happening. Then Aurora
pressed her lips together into a thin line and lowered her eyes.

	"Aurora..." his hand was now slow and gentle as it moved towards her
face.

	She turned her cheek away from the intended caress.

	"Just leave me alone for a little while, Nephlyte," she kept her gaze
on the ground and her head turned away from him.

	He dropped his hand and schooled his features into bored unconcern as
he shrugged as he turned. He glared at Shadow-spawn who laid back his
ears and hissed menacingly as he passed and walked fifty paces away from
Aurora, fuming. A silver sheen came into his eyes as he crossed his arms
and scowled at the vast plain that stretched in all directions.

	A part of him said he should just leave her here and strike out on his
own. He'd stand a much better chance of staying hidden and making it to
the Gate without this human girl in tow, Mender's bargain be damned! It
was a part that he had always listened to. A part that had kept him
alive. Would keep him alive if he would only heed it. It whispered to
him now to slink away as she pouted. She wouldn't stand a chance on her
own and he would be rid of her for good. Rid of whatever power she held
over his soul. Then he would be free of these confusing thoughts that
were making him do foolish things.

	Be rid of her. He swayed as the Darkness sang to him. Be rid of her.
This silly human girl who had somehow managed to save him from Zoicite's
clutches, had drug him to Mender and put her soul in danger to stay by
him. Images flicked through his mind. Aurora smiling at him with a
mischievous gleam in her eyes, his yellow and white roses in her hair,
her determined and terrified face as she tried to pull the roots out of
his chest. No. He would never be free of her. Even if she was to die she
would still live in his mind. He shook his head, the silver that had
overtaken the blue of his eyes gone with a blink. 

 	*What had just happened? If he didn't know better...* he turned and
looked at the girl who was leaning forwards against the shadow horse,
her face resting against his strong shoulder. He had been a fool to
think that she would be untouched by so much time here. He focused,
called on what little power had returned to him. Was the youma aura
created by the gem around her neck darker than it had been? He wasn't
sure. His concentration was broken by the shriek of the herd lookout.

	Shadow-spawn raised his head. His ears flicked forwards and two streams
of steam made a small cloud over his head as he breathed deep and tasted
the breeze with his tongue. Nephlyte studied the horizon that the herd
was now eying nervously and squinted against the afternoon glare of the
faded orange sun. There was dark movement against the skyline. Youma
heading for the Zenith Gate just as they were. They needed to get
moving. Shadow-spawn craned his neck and pushed at her shoulder with his
nose as he crossed back to them. She ignored them both. He stopped a few
feet from her turned back.

	"Aurora."

	"Nephlyte, I really don't want to talk to you right now," there were
tears and anger in her muffled voice.

	"It doesn't matter," he snapped back.

	It did. But he wouldn't let her know that. Refused to let her know that
she had the power to hurt him. "We still have to go. Things are coming
and we can't stay here."