The dark caverns which once housed Beryl and her once mighty Negaverse Army were cold and empty.

Well...not QUITE empty.

Footsteps echoed off the black stone walls, first faint, then slowly becoming louder. They were heading towards the former Throne Room, where Beryl had laid her plans for world domination, debriefed her generals, and had given out punishments for 'lax' subjects. This imposing chamber stood faintly lit, with dark shadows draping the outskirts, the only other sound was a trickle of water dripping down off a stalgmite unto the cavern floor.

The footsteps slowed as they entered the main throne area, and a young man with short curly red hair stood in the dim light. His green eyes looked around absorbingly. His tall form was fitted in a long black cloak, which covered a dark grey Negaverse commander's uniform. His calf length black boots kicked up dust clouds as he moved towards the raised dias where the throne was.

With another piercing look around, he smiled an odd little smile. 'Its been a long time..' he thought, 'Guess the housekeeper's been on strike'. He climbed the stairs to the throne. He removed the cloak, and tossed it unto the ground, next to the gnarled chair.

Looking down from the dias, he had another amusing thought, 'No wonder why Beryl looked so imperious to us...we must of all looked like ants from up here'. Chuckling, he began his search by pacing the dias. "Must be up here somewhere..." he muttered, "...the central focal point of power...". Closing his eyes, he *reached* out with his thoughts...searching. He stepped forward two steps, then stopped. "Here...", he said cooly, "From here, I can to open the portal."

Concentrating again, he closed his eyes, pulling the power resources from deep within. Instinctively, he rubbed the small pendant hanging around his throat. Feeling the power gather, he put both arms in front of him, and aimed it towards the center of the cavern. He hoped he had enough power....opening a portal to the netherworld was not something that a mere youma could do.

'However....' he thought abstractly as the power pulsed from his fingers, 'It's not like youmas do much anyway....besides gather energy and be destroyed'

At first, it seemed like nothing was going to happen. Beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead. More and more powerful beams of black energy flowed from his fingers. He strained......

Suddenly, a black and purple vortex opened in the middle of the cavern. Swirling, it looked like a nightmarish twister that was going to suck in the young man, except for the fact it was "spitting" things out. Slowly, from the depths of the portal, a figure appeared.

Tall and masculine, he walked towards the dim cavern. Slowly, he emerged, dressed in a gray uniform, with a long white cape and a uniform shirt open at the first button. With his long white hair, he could of been at least fifty; he was only thirty. 1030, if you counted his true age. His piercing blue eyes looked around completely bewildered...

Malachite remembered this room, it was the throne area. 'But what the hell am I doing back here?' he thought confusedly. Then he looked up, and noticed the redhaired man who was keeping the portal open. Malachite took a step forward, and stared. "Erkyte?!?! What the....How did you--?"

Erkyte cut him off with a sharp answer, "Malachite...I need...I need your help...." Sweat poured down Erkyte's forehead. "I can't keep the portal open much longer....".

Without truly questioning why, Malachite simply nodded, and without another word, he turned and focased his power on the portal. The portal, that had shown signs of closing, opened a little wider. Another figure could be seen, slowly walking towards the light. Smaller than Malachite, this one had a definate feminine appearance. Her blond hair pulled away from her face by a loose ponytail, she shaded her green eyes from the light in the cavern.

'I've been in the Darkness so long..the light, it hurts my eyes...' she thought to herself. She stepped into the cavern, arms covering her face.

Zoeisite's eyes may have been weak, but her hearing was not. She heard a strangled cry, and sudden footsteps towards her. She moved her arms and squinted to see...a tall man, in a gray uniform. Ice blue eyes, and long beautiful white hair...."Malachite!" she cried. She threw her arms around him.

"My love...." he murmered, and kissed her deeply. Behind the two oblivious lovers, the portal closed. Erkyte took a deep breathe, and wiped the sweat from his brow. After a couple minutes of pretending NOT to be there, he coughed. Loudly. This broke the two generals from their embrace.

"Erkyte..." muttered Zoeisite, "But weren't you--"

"Transported to the ends of the known Universe, sent to conquer other planets?" Erkyte said as he descended the stairs. Laughing darkly, he said with a wicked tone, "I'm back on 'extended vacation', as it were....". Malahchite frowned at him, and was looking as if he wanted to ask a question.

Erykyte glanced at him, and cut Malachite off again, saying shortly, "I will answer all questions in due time. But first, we have something important to do...". He began to walk to one of the outer corridors, gesturing for them to follow him.

Malachite asked, as they followed him down the darkened passages, "What are WE doing, precisely?". Erkyte smiled an unpleasant smile and said, "Calling on an old friend...".

Deep withing the cavern, lay a dazzling crystal ice cave. With a small shaft of light in the ceiling, it turned the cave into a multicolored thing of beauty. This is where Erkyte lead his two companions.

"You brought us both back from the dead...to show off Beryl's crystal collection?" asked Zoeisite with a raised eyebrow.

"Nooooo.." said Erkyte, smirking, "..To break it!". With that said, he gestured to the largest crystal in the middle of the room. It, unlike the other pristine white crystals, was slightly discolored with black lines. Zoeisite frowned, where had she seen this crystal before?....and with sudden realization, she gasped.

Malachite swore; he also recalled. "Jediate's prison...he's been trapped for over a year now..." he muttered.

"Poor bastard...", added Zoiesite.

Erkyte closed his eyes, and again, *reached* towards the crystal. "We have to hit it...." he muttered, "There!". He pointed at a small crack in the base.

"What good will that do?" asked Zoeisite, baffled.

Erkyte looked at her, and said, "It will cause the crystal to break open, freeing Jediate." Zoeisite skeptically looked to Malachite, who snorted.

"Why in the world do we need him for? He was weak and pitiful!", he said contemptously.

"Don't underestimate him, Malachite...he was more powerful than you think..." Erkyte said darkly.

"I am never wrong about the weaknesses of others." said Malachite coldly.

"Funny...didn't you say the Scouts were weak teenagers, and their leader nothing but a crying baby?", asked Erkyte with a far from innocent tone. He looked at Malachite, crossing his arms and added, "They certainly showed you...didn't they?"

Malachite glowered. Erkyte smiled, and pointed again to the crack. "Hit it there...if you will?" he asked, knowing he had won the war. Malachite merely nodded, Zoeisite did as well. "Goooooood..", and with that, Erkyte aimed a small dark sphere blast at the crystal. The crack opened a little wider. Malachite, filled with anger, aimed a particularly large bolt of energy at the crystal, weakening it further. Zoeisite's blast of crystal daggers cracked the crystal wide open, causins slivers of crystal to fly everywhere. The generals and Erkyte covered their eyes as the rain of sharp fragments flew past them.

They all looked up to a moan. Jedaite, freed from his long imprisonment, was holding his head in pain. 'Oh ye gods, what a headache...'he thought to himself irrationally. He floated unsteadily down to the ice floor, and looked at his rescuers. His violet eyes widened, then slitted. He stood and glared at the two generals. "Zoeisite, Malachite..." he growled, "So glad you thought so much of me...."

Jediate turned to Erkyte, brushing off his gray uniform, and smoothing his blond curls. "I suppose I have you to thank for my freedom...these two selfish assholes wouldn't save their own mother if Beryl beckoned..", his tone bitter and sarcastic.

Malachite was about to bite off a quick insult, when Erkyte intervened. "Okay...'gentlemen'.." and he gave a quick amused look to Zoeisite, "And ladies, I suppose...WE have more important things to do than bicker among ourselves." The three Generals looked at Erkyte.

"Like what?!?", Zoeisite asked, exasperated. She crossed her arms and glared at Erkyte. "You've pulled Malachite and I from the netherworld, and freed Jediate. Not to say we're all not grateful, but what the HELL is going on?!?!?"

Erkyte smiled again, that small menacing smile. "Patience, Zoeisite, patience.....".

Jediate snorted. "I don't think she even knows the meaning of the word...Ask HER about her miserable failures..." he sneered.

Zoeisite snarled, "HOW THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW?".

Jediate said in an even, low, yet malacious tone, "I was imprisoned....not dead." He made a broad gesture to the crystals around him. "It's amazing how Beryl's screams vibrate off these things...." he murmered.

"ENOUGH!!!!!" Erkyte shouted. He looked at all of them with an even menacing look. "We don't have time for this. You wanted explanations, I can give them to you! However....", His green eyes slitted. He continued slowly, his voice getting louder with each sylable, "To do so, I need you all to stop this petty back stabbing for TEN minutes! DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DO THAT?!?"

Malachite simply nodded, as did Zoeisite. Jediate said mildly, "Sure..not a problem..."

Erkyte straightened his uniform. "Good. Then follow me to the throne room.", he snarled. He marched off into the darkness. Jediate looked at Malachite, then at Zoesite. He raised an eyebrow, then followed. Malachite went after him warily, and Zoesite's footsteps were the last to echo off the crystal cave's walls, as she dissapered into the gloom after her lover.....

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