[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/aU10lsu.png[/IMG]

[u][b]Odd Thoughts[/b][/u]

[i]It was an odd day. The clouds darkened the skies but the heat seemed to be compounded, as if the clouds were keeping the heat from the center of the earth trapped and sending it back to those that lived on its surface. A boy sat playing with toys brought with him from the big move, traditional toys from a place that his parents referred to as the homeland, something that the boy didn’t really understand at the time. The house itself was relatively bare; hardly containing anything other than what was absolutely needed to live, the walls were devoid of anything that might hint at a “normal home” instead remaining bear with white walls and white carpeting, creating the illusion that they were one and the same. As the boy continued to play he could hear his parents conversing in the next room, discussing things that rose above his comprehension. They had been having these conversations more and more frequently with strange people and strange pieces of paper that they told him that he wasn’t allowed to look at. 

The boy’s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden loud burst in the conversation amongst his parents in their special locked room, although he couldn’t tell what the exact words were but he could tell that they were said in anger. Feeling worried that something was happening that he may be able to fix, the boy decided to leave his toys and make the seemingly long trek to the end of the hall to see what the commotion was about. As he stood at the gaping maw of the hallway he noticed that the dreaded door stood partially cracked as an eerie orange glow emanated from just beyond his sight. With each creeping steep the sounds of their conversation grew louder and louder, although it was being spoken at such a high speed and the fact that the conversation was something that he had only heard once or twice in the whole of his life but he could almost make out some of the conversation. There was talk of gathering “intelligence” and reporting back to “HQ”, but the one thing that kept coming up over and over again was something called O.N.I. He wasn’t sure what it was but the both of the boy’s parents kept talking about it over and over again. The boy’s intent listening was brought to a sudden halt when he heard his name. For some reason amongst their discussion of whatever O.N.I. was and HQ was had something to do with him,

[b]”Yasuo you really can’t mean to go through with this do you?”[/b]

[b]”It isn’t my decision O.N.I. has made it crystal clear that he started showing signs of his abilities manifesting then we had to return to headquarters. If he is to become a Guardian then he must do so without our aid.”[/b]

[b]”To hell with the original plan, I won’t leave our son to fend for himself in a country that we know nothing about!”[/b]

The boy pressed himself as close to the doorframe as he could so he could peer into the room that once held so much mystery to him. His mother’s short, sandy blonde hair was tussled from raking and combing through with worn and weary knuckles turned white in fury and frustration. His father was an entirely different story, his face was angular and sharp his eyes were narrowed with furious determination but what caught him off guard the most was his overall appearance, where his mother seemed tired and run down, his father, Yasuo, appeared to be in pristine condition. 

[b]”You know what happens to those who directly defy O.N.I. Maria. Besides, you abandoned your own country and became a member of the Suji nation. Let your son become a citizen of this land on his own.”[/b][/i]

[u][b]Anatolian Wilderness – After leaving the Tree of Life[/b][/u]

Aaron’s reflection into his own past was interrupted again by a series of odd behavior by Kimberly. Ever since the group had left the Tree Kim had been acting rather odd towards him. As he walked in the blistering cold of the wilderness he looked around as some of the others becoming cold and start to shiver, Aaron supposed that was one of the better qualities of being a Guardian with spirits of fire, you never seem to get cold. As they trekked on through the snow Aaron couldn’t help but sneak glances at both Olivia and Maggie, the figure of their backs was an ever constant reminder of the mistakes that he had made and the choices that he now had to live with.

From the corner of his eye Aaron could barely make out the distinct figure of what appeared to be a man doing Kami could only guess in the vague general direction of Aaron, when he turned to look at the man in earnest he was gone and the only thing left was Kim. With odd and confused look on his face Aaron turned around and kept walking, it felt like something else was screwing with him or maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him. 

The remaining members of WARG had traveled a considerable distance further when it finally came time for them to take a well-deserved break. Aaron wandered off a short distance to think things over and actually process what had happened, both professionally and personally. After sticking his hands in his pockets he made an interesting discovery, he actually had a full pack of smokes and a working lighter shoved deep into one of the pockets on his pants. As he stood there inhaling what he knew to be the vile chemicals wrapped in paper, Aaron was disturbed by the almost incoherent mumbling of Kim. Although he was speaking at a tone that he could almost have missed as a passing wind Aaron got the gist of what he was trying to say. After taking a long drag of his cigarette Aaron pondered what Kim had said. 

It was true that what he had done to Maggie was reprehensible and that he agreed with everything that Kim had said, Aaron couldn’t help but ponder as to why this had to be brought up now, and for that matter what business was it of his to tell him what he should do at this point. Now, granted, he was aware the he was thinking of the group of a whole and he was becoming more and more aware that his presence among the group was becoming more caustic by the hour but there was something more to his request, an almost primal desire to see Maggie’s wrong righted. Finally, it dawned on him, Kim was in love with Maggie as Aaron was with Liv. 

As the slow mixture of his breath and the smoke escaped in frigid air, Aaron responded to Kim. This time, however, his newly acquired spirits remained quiet for once leaving Aaron to speak for himself. 

[b]”Kim, mind your own damned business. I’ll tend to MY business when I decide to, not when I’m told to.”[/b]

[u][b]Anatolian Wilds – Battle III[/b][/u]

The others had dove head first into the fight had become the custom for their little group, although it was interesting that Aaron wasn’t the one that started it for once. The intimidating sight of Kim turning into the giant bear of flames and Maggie riding the awesome figure into battle was truly a sight to behold. Aaron’s admiration was shortened when a horde of the mini blobs began flopping their way towards him, they almost weren’t worth the time to draw his blade.

[i]’Too easy…’[/i]

As Aaron held the handle of his sword, his other hand slid down to the trigger on the sheath and gave it a quick squeeze and as he did so dashed through the group of enemies, causing an almost undetectable amount of wind that Aaron sharpened into one massive sword. The mini blobs melted away into the snow. As Aaron looked on as Kim and Maggie took on the alpha Prime and Liv gave a massive hit to beta he decided to take fight the Primes himself. Charging head first towards the first Prime he saw (Omega) Aaron unleashed a furious assault from all directions, constantly drawing and sheathing his sword to utilize its natural speed boost. As his assault continued on Omega he saw another (Gamma) send out its disgusting barbed covered tongue to lash Aaron off of his target. The hotheaded boy gracefully dodged the lashing and launched himself straight towards what he had to assume was the creature’s maw.

As he landed the creature Aaron planted his sword firmly into the creature’s lower jaw and peered into the Primes now thrashing and gaping maw and stared at the hideously bulbous eye. Taking in a deep breath of cold air he released a full burst of immolation directly onto the creature’s eye.