HOME | DD

Description
"Wandering to Love"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 4: New Friends

----------

“Dear Journal, it’s amazing how the events of one night can make such a big difference in our lives.  After Elianaron and I came to an understanding, he told me he was ready to let Camillia go.  I think we both knew that she had developed a liking for me a long time ago, but stuck with him because she did care about him and didn’t want him to turn into those boys she was trying to get away from.  It was unfortunate that this decision produced an adverse effect and instead encouraged Ell to take on that transformation.  Thankfully, it’s something that he’s more than willing to get away from.  Well, with things between Camillia and me getting off to a promising start, I decided to give the rest of my attention to helping my twin.  I got him a job at Kawai’s; Mr. Phillips is the best.  He was willing to hire Ell without even hearing him play.  We play together for the most part, but even now Elianaron is on his way to getting a regular solo act.  Nothing can go wrong now…well, at least you’d think it wouldn’t.  Ell and I can attest to the fact that things can fall apart when you least expect them.  In the end, it all depends on the hand of fate.  Right now, fate is in a good mood, but that can change instantly.  What’s important now, is to make the best of what we’re given, and so Ell and I decided to invite our mother back to Starshine Town.  She met Camillia once before, only this time, Mom would be meeting her as my girlfriend…someone who could potentially be family in the years to come.”

----------

   In the weeks following that special night for Aranelion and Camillia, things improved for both them and Elianaron, all in different ways.  With the end of his relationship with Camillia, Elianaron was actually set free from the idea that he had to be just like Camillia’s other friends in order to impress her.  Realizing that she had liked him for who he was when she first met him, and seeing how happy Aranelion made her without having to be a party animal, Elianaron was inspired to make changes in his life.

   He kept his new look, everything from the Mohawk to the red tank and sandals.  This change wasn’t about how he looked, but was about improving the life he had started in Starshine Town.  The first step was looking for a new job, one that still embraced his love for music, but lessened how dependent he was on the party atmosphere he was trying to let go of.

   His twin Aranelion came to his rescue again.  As promised, he took Elianaron with him to Kawai’s that next Monday and introduced him to Mr. Phillips.  He mentioned that Elianaron wanted a job, and that his twin had as much musical ability as he did, and without another word, Mr. Phillips offered Elianaron a job.  His faith in his choice paid off, for Elianaron was indeed just as much of an expert at playing piano as his brother.

   Elianaron started off with his own act late at night, but at the same time, he would often team up with Aranelion during his act and they would play dueling pianos together, two baby grand pianos back to back.  Needless to say they were an instant hit, and as time passed Elianaron introduced his guitar playing skills to both his act and the one he shared with Aranelion.  Pretty soon, the Brokenstar twins were the most popular act, not only at Kawai’s, but all over town.

   Taking several steps towards a stable lifestyle worked wonders for Elianaron.  He had to admit, he felt better simply from having a regular sleep schedule and a more relaxed lifestyle.  He was able to be happy for his twin and the happiness he found with  Camillia.  Elianaron knew his true love would find him someday; somehow, seeing Camillia happy with Aranelion, truly happy, made letting go of their relationship more like an act of kindness for them both.

   Not having to worry about his twin as much anymore allowed Aranelion to enjoy his many blessings.  Once Elianaron was set, Aranelion was able to enjoy his time with Camillia.  Finally he could be with her and not have to worry about it.  Now that things were resolved between them all, Aranelion and Elianaron began to plan on bringing their mother Aerealei to visit them again.  She had visited once before on their 21st birthday, and she had met Camillia then too, only, at the time she was simply forming a relationship with Elianaron.  This time, their mother would come back to find that the pink cat had now formed a strong bond with her other son, a bond that had the potential to bring a new member into the Brokenstar family.  Whatever happened, this return trip would be very important, and so the boys wanted it to be the best that it possibly could.

   One night, the two sat in their apartment, discussing the matter…well, at least they were until Elianaron declared he was hungry and proceeded to order pizza.  After hanging up the phone, he returned to the living room where Aranelion sat waiting for him.

   “They better be here in less than thirty minutes,” Elianaron said as he entered the room, “I’m so hungry my stomach hurts.”

   With a chuckle, Aranelion reply, “Don’t starve yourself Ell.  You’re not even working tonight and yet you’re acting like the late night stress has taken its toll.”

   Sitting down, Elianaron gave Aranelion a look, crossed his arms and said, “Humph, at least you don’t have to work from two in the morning until 3 a.m. every night.  When am I gonna get better hours like you have?”

   “Ell, you already have my hours.  We play together almost every night.  As for your solo act, Mr. Philips will bump you up very soon, I can feel it.  You’re already as popular as I am, and we’re both loved even better together.  I think he’s holding you back in order to be fair to the other newcomers,” Aranelion explained.

   Finishing his soft drink, Elianaron took a breath, let it out slowly, and then replied with a laugh, “Ah, I know Air…I know.  Anyway, I’m cool with it.  My previous sleep schedule was much worse than this.  Every day I appreciate this kind of lifestyle more and more, really.  I’m so grateful for the change.”

   Aranelion laughed and said, “That’s good Ell, very good.  I’m sure Mom will appreciate it too.”

   Sighing, Elianaron replied, “I guess I turned out to need all the help she knew I would require.  Eh, at least she won’t have to worry about me now.”  Looking up at Aranelion, he added, “She had to worry about us all of our lives, sitting on the sidelines as we struggled with only a prayer for our safety to offer us.  I think once she sees how comfortable and stable our lives are, even in a big city like Starshine Town, she’ll be able to relax just as we have.”

   Smiling and lowering his eyes as he thought of his mother, Aranelion added, “She’ll finally have closure.”

   The twins sat in silence for a moment, both absorbed with thoughts of both their dear mother, and their deceased father.  Aerealei often told them that they were the biggest adventure of her life; every time they suffered, she suffered too.  She shared their joys, their sorrows, and their fears.  They were all she had left of their father, Armundae, for she didn’t even have a picture of him.  A gift to her, a photo of them both, was something she treasured, for it meant she could keep her boys with her no matter where they were.  While she had Armundae in spirit, without a picture, or her sons, he existed only in her memory, while his spirit waited for them all in Heaven.

   Now that Aranelion and Elianaron had settled down, they no longer faced the dangers Aerealei saw in her nightmares.  The end of the war with the mutants, as well as the reconciliation, had brought closure to a great well of pain shared by all three hearts.  The fact that Elianaron was finally settling down just adding icing to the cake; things were the way they always should have been, only now, with the events of the past behind them, they were better off than any of them could ever have hoped they would be.

   The twins were pulled out of their waking thoughts when the doorbell rang.  Elianaron, with wide eyes, quickly glanced at the clock that hung on the wall, and then exclaimed, “Awesome!  That was like…in twenty minutes!”  Jumping up, he ran to the door, leaving Aranelion to try to catch up.

   By the time he got the front door, he found Elianaron running to the kitchen table with the pizza in hand, leaving a somewhat surprised Greywolf standing at the door, still waiting to be paid for the pizza.

   Slightly embarrassed, Aranelion looked to Elianaron and said, “We still have to pay for that Ell!  I mean…gosh, you could have had crackers to tide you over.”

   Elianaron did not answer his twin, and instead opened the box and chomped down on his first slice of pepperoni pizza with extra cheese.  Letting out a sigh, Aranelion looked back to the Greywolf, sighed and said, “Heh, sorry about that.  Umm, why don’t you step inside for a minute?  I left my cash in the bedroom.”

   The Greywolf, who wore a bright yellow T-shirt, black slacks, and royal blue shoes with red and white stripes simply nodded, and stepped inside before Aranelion closed the door.  After Aranelion disappeared further into the apartment, the Greywolf ran his fingers through his deep golden blond bangs, looking first to Elianaron as he ate, before turning the gaze of his turquoise blue eyes to some pictures that hung on the wall.

   One in particular caught his attention.  Looking to Elianaron, who had finished his first piece of pizza and was now pouring himself a mug of root beer, the Greywolf asked, “Hey, do you guys know Camillia Starr?”

   Elianaron, feeling better now that he had had something to eat, took a quick swallow of his drink and replied, “Yeah we do.  She and I kinda, well, we were never really a couple or anything…we’re just friends, but she’s now in a very serious relationship with Aranelion, my twin.”

   The Greywolf quickly looked back towards the bedrooms as Aranelion emerged from his.  He asked, “You’re dating Camillia Starr?”

   Aranelion tilted his head to one side, curious as to why this Greywolf had such an interest in Camillia.  As he counted the money for the pizza, he replied, “That’s right.  She lives a few apartments above here in the penthouse.  Are you a fan of hers?”

   The Greywolf was silent for a moment, then let out a joyful laugh and replied, “Ah yeah, I’ve met her once before, but didn’t get to know her real well.  See, my uhh…friend Lairen, she and her step-brother have a catering service, and they always cater fashion show events and everything.  They’re the most successful catering service in town.  She and Camillia have become good friends, but wow, it’s cool to come here and meet Camillia’s boyfriend.”

   The twins glanced at each other, Elianaron taking a break from enjoying his dinner to listen to the story.  Shrugging, he looked to Aranelion as if unsure of what to say.  The Greywolf saw this, flushed red from embarrassment, and before Aranelion could reply, he tugged at his shirt collar and said, “Heh, sorry.  It’s just…Camillia’s a big time celebrity, and a nice girl besides.  It’s nice to see she’s found someone special.”  Pausing, he said, “My name’s Auron.  I go to all those catered events with Lairen, so we’re bound to run into each other again.”

   Aranelion glanced at Elianaron once more, and with a smile and a nod, he replied, “Nice to meet you Auron.  Heh, it’s no problem.”  The two then shook hands, before Aranelion continued, “Here’s the money for the pizza…keep the change.”

   After taking the money from Aranelion, Auron smiled and said, “Thanks.  By the way…you say your name is Aranelion, well, your twin did.  Do you two happen to be the Brokenstar Twins that play at Kawai’s five nights a week?”

   “Wow,” Elianaron replied when he heard this.  Wiping his mouth, having finished his second slice of pizza, he stood up, holding his half-empty mug of root beet, and said, “You bet we are.  I’m the newer end of the act, but that’s us.”  Looking to his twin, he added, “Man Air, we’re getting to be quite famous ourselves!”  Looking back to Auron, he laughed and said, “But wow, considering how fast you got our order here your place of employment must be pretty notable as well.”

   “Oh that,” Auron replied, “Nah, that’s just me.  You can’t really count on the rest of them.  The other delivery boys insist on driving everywhere.  Me, I prefer just to count on my speedy heels to get where I’m going…gets the pizza where it needs to be without losing its heat.”

   Aranelion, who had moved to get a glass of strawberry lemonade to drink, looked to Auron with wide eyes and said, “You’ve got super speed?”

   Auron laughed and said, “Nah, just…faster than average speed.  I’m not a speed demon like Sonic the Hedgehog…but I doubt he’d take a job delivering pizzas anyway.”

   “You know Sonic too?” Elianaron asked, sitting down at the bar.

   After getting his pizza and sitting down, Aranelion thought, “Boy, this is turning into a long conversation…I bet he has other orders to fill.”

   Demonstrating one of his actual powers, Auron looked to Aranelion and said, “Actually, this was my last stop for the night.  No need to worry about that.”

   Aranelion let out a gasp of shock and confusion, while Elianaron simply gave him a questionable look and asked, “What just happened here?”

   The twins looked to each other.  Aranelion shook his head helplessly and said, “I—I simply thought to myself that he might need to get going to his next order.”

   Laughing again, Auron replied, “Ah…I told you I don’t have true Sonic blue super speed.  What I do have…is Aura-reading and Telepathy.  I read your mind, and answered you.”  Looking to Elianaron, he replied, “I’ve met Sonic once or twice…last time it was shortly after this battle he fought in outside Angel Island.  He was traveling around to see friends since his buddy Tails Prower had healed from injuries sustained in that battle.  Last time I saw him he mentioned traveling dimensions soon.  I guess you could say we’re borderline acquaintances slash friends.  Thing is he’s never in one place long enough to get to know him really well…unless you catch him at the Hot Dog Hut next door to where I work at the Pizza Palace.”

   “Wow…so you do know Sonic.  Have you met any of his other friends like Shadow or Rouge?” Elianaron asked.

   Rolling his eyes, Aranelion replied, “Ugh, later Elianaron.”  Looking to Auron he says, “You can read minds?  Sounds a lot like the power our friend Hidama has.  He’s the older brother of Knuckles the Echidna, the Guardian who lives on Angel Island.”

   Elianaron gave him a look and said, “Humph, you asked him about Hidama.”

   “I didn’t ask him about Hidama.  I just mentioned his powers sounded similar to Hidama’s powers,” Aranelion replied with a groan.

   Auron chuckled softly to himself, and then replied, “Knuckles is Sonic’s friend.  I know of him.  I’ve never met Knuckles personally, but I do know he has a son.  As for Hidama…he’s Camillia’s old roommate, Delilah’s boyfriend.  He lived here for a good while before going back to Angel Island and taking her with him.  It’s the first time many of us had even heard of echidnas, let alone seen them.”  Auron paused, closing his eyes for a moment, looking to both twins even as his eyes were closed.  Aranelion and Elianaron glanced at each other, confused, until Auron open his eyes and said, “And from what I gather you two are both part echidna.  Your…father…he was the echidna in your family.  Your mother gave you your hedgehog blood.  I’m assuming that means your father was one of the ones that died on Angel Island…and that you, Hidama and Knuckles are very, very distantly related.”

   Both twins were stunned.  Finally, Elianaron replied, “Wow…just…wow.  How did you do that?”

   “That, was an example of Aura-reading,” Auron said, sitting down at the table near Aranelion.  “I just read your auras, and in that instant I could not only tell you were twins, which I knew obviously, but I could also trace both your echidna and hedgehog heritages, as well as place which side is your paternal side, and which was your maternal side.  It’s a pretty cool power…if you two weren’t identical twins I could read your auras to know it…obviously your appearance gives it away even with the different styles you’ve taken on.  Speaking of styles, auras can tell me a lot about a person.  I could read yours Elianaron and know that you’re the more wild and expressive of the two, and that Aranelion here is more relaxed but still loves to have a good time.”

   Even Aranelion was amazed by what Auron had just done.  It was fascinating how he could know all this about the twins simply by looking at them.  After finishing his first slice of pizza, and taking a swallow of his strawberry lemonade, he replied, “That’s amazing Auron.  I don’t know if Hidama has power like that.  He says he can look into someone’s soul and see everything about them, but he’s never called it aura reading.  He does talk about how his mind’s eye shows him things…not just events happening in the future, but stuff happening right at that moment that he couldn’t know about normally.  Did you coin the name for your aura reading power?”

   With a thoughtful look on his face, Auron shook his head and said, “I wouldn’t say I coined it…but it’s not like you can open a book at the library on the subject.  It seems anybody with special powers like that possesses some form of telepathy…that’s what Hidama calls his mind’s eye.  I bet you money that if he met someone with powers like his own that he could talk to them in his head.  …I think Shadow has powers like that.  Of course, Shadow’s special powers go beyond his abilities to use chaos energy.  I’d love to sit down with him and talk about his talents…all you ever hear about him publicly involves the chaos emeralds.  As for Hidama…his powers sound akin to aura-reading powers, but it sounds like he uses them differently than I use mine, making them different abilities essentially…even though they use the same source.”

   His root beer finished, Elianaron sat his mug down on the bar, then stood up to sit at the table with Auron and Aranelion.  As he moved, he said, “Yeah, Shadow has some strange power.  It’s scary…he certainly scared the mutant kings, Feldmort and Olermere, and he didn’t even have his chaos emeralds all the time.”

   Nodding, Aranelion added, “In the battle with Zelias he fashioned blades out of energy and used them to fight.  They disappeared whenever he was hit and he’d have to forge them again.  We know he can use telepathy, and outside of his ability to use chaos energy, something tells me he has much more power that we don’t know about.”

   “Do you remember that night when he went into that pain induced rage and killed off the rest of Olermere’s army?  We know that he used the chaos emerald for power, but the trigger for the attack…that was his own power,” Elianaron explained.

   After hearing all this, Auron nodded and said, “Fashioning weapons out of light or darkness…I can do that too.  He must have a mixture of several kinds of telekinetic powers.  I wouldn’t be surprised…considering the mysterious circumstances of his birth it seems fitting that he has that kind of power.  He’s also immortal.  It isn’t that spectacular that he’s so powerful…I’d expect it from him.  What’s really special is when common folk like you and me end up with that power.  Tell me…can you two communicate mind to mind?  Perhaps you feel each other’s pain on occasion?”

   The twins exchanged glances, and after a moment, Elianaron grinned and said, “Ah yeah…we feel each other’s pain for sure.  Seriously…one time, we got separated, and I was ambushed.  Aranelion felt pain in his arm as I got whacked in the forearm by one of my attackers.  This alerted him to my plight, and he came to help me.”

   “You can say we can read each other’s minds too…although, I doubt it’s like you, or Shadow, or Hidama do it,” Aranelion said, “I can look at Elianaron and just…whatever he’s thinking at the time becomes an active thought in my own head, and it works the same way for him.  We don’t really have anything in the way of special powers.”

   Auron laughed and said, “You have special powers that only twins can share.  I call that pretty unique.  Many twins aren’t in tune with each other well enough to even know they have those kinds of powers.  You two are very close, and thus are able to pick up on each other in this way.  Granted, you don’t have powers like Shadow, Hidama, or Lairen and I do, but yours are still pretty special, even for a power shared by all twins, simply because you know it’s there and can use it.”

   Aranelion and Elianaron exchanged glances again, and as Aranelion had explained, they were instantly able to know what the other was thinking.  A grin appeared on Elianaron’s face as he looked back to Auron after picking up on one of Aranelion’s active thoughts.  He asked, “You’ve mentioned this girl Lairen at least twice now…is she a friend, or more than that?”

   “Well I—I uh…well…,” Auron stammered, a touch of red blushing flaring on his cheeks through his furry white muzzle.  Aranelion and Elianaron chuckled softly to themselves while Auron tried to regain his composure.  He rubbed his eyes gently, letting out a sigh and said, “Lairen is my friend…she’s the only person I know, personally, who has powers as I do.  Hers are a different variety though; she’s purely a psychic.  Besides basic telepathy that all special ones share, she is able to levitate, and like your basic conception of a psychic, she can bend spoons, manipulate people’s thoughts, the usual.  She’s very powerful…one of her techniques, one she calls a brain lock, can stop somebody dead in their tracks.  So much pain…it wracks, not just your mind, but your entire being until you’re frozen and beyond the ability to do anything besides writhe in pain.  She’s not somebody I’d want to anger.  Of course, she’s a very smart and wonderful girl…we’ve been friends ever since we discovered we both had telepathy when we met in high school.”

   “Wow,” Elianaron replied, “She sounds strong enough to give Shadow a run for his money…and that’s saying a lot.  That whole brain lock thing sounds…unavoidable.”

   To this, Aranelion could only nod in reply, his eyes widened with a look of awe and fear.  Auron, relaxing after feeling flustered, grinned and replied, “You just have to know how to get her to stop it,” in a hushed voice.  Laughing, he added, “If you can suffer through the pain long enough to tickle her or distract her somehow she’ll let go of her hold over you.  My advice is to not make her angry in the first place.”

   Before Aranelion could offer a reply, the doorbell rang.  Looking at his watch, Aranelion jumped to his feet, and said, “Gosh Elianaron, we forgot that Camillia was bringing her friend over here tonight before we all went to the movies!”

   While Aranelion ran to answer the door, Auron looked to Elianaron and asked, “What’s this?  A double date perhaps?”

   “I didn’t forget…I was fully aware that they were coming tonight,” Elianaron grumbled to himself.

   Auron tilted his head to one side, and started to send telepathic interference towards Elianaron out of annoyance to his unanswered question.

   The Brokenstar twin then grabbed his head before massaging his temples, growled and looked to Auron, muttering, “It’s not a double date okay?  This friend of hers already has someone she’s interested in!  Now cut it out!”

   The Greywolf chuckled slyly, immediately stopping the nagging wave of telepathic noise that had rocked Elianaron’s head painfully.  As he recovered, they heard a voice come up from behind them, one that one of them had never heard before, but that the other was all too familiar with.

   “What’s wrong?” the voice asked.

   Auron’s sensitive hearing caused his ears to twitch as he jumped up from his seat.  Spinning around, he saw Aranelion, Camillia, and the owner of the voice, Camillia’s friend, standing right in front of him.

   She was a brown cat with long hair and a ruffle of bangs peeking out from her denim hat, which had a pink scarf tied above the brim.  She wore a purple vest over a white T-shirt that had a light blue collar, hem, and cuffs.  She wore denim jeans to compliment her hat, and grey, white and pink tennis shoes.  She wore light blue arm bands and black gloves, while a golden cross and a heart pendant, each on their own black cord necklace wrapped up her ensemble.

   Her green eyes gazed at Auron curiously.  She too tilted her head to one side, and as she smiled, her eyes locked on his, she appeared to be speaking to him telepathically.  As could be expected, she wasn’t expecting to see him here tonight, but as heard in Elianaron’s painful declaration, she was also very happy to see him here at the same time.

   As for Auron, he could feel a tickle of nerves erupt at the base of his skull.  Unable to lower his eyes as she kept her eyes on them, he tried his best to fight off blushing as he listened to her speak.

   “I didn’t expect to see you here…Auron.”

   He saw her smile, and this alleviated his nerves, warming his heart.  Returning her sweet grin with his own he spoke back to her with his own powers.

   “Neither did I.  Fate has brought us together again…Lairen.”

   The remaining three stood watching them, confused, but aware it seemed of what was taking place.  Finally returning her attention to the others, Lairen said, “Well gee, it appears that we have a friend in common!”

   Elianaron, still miffed about what happened before, stood beside Auron and asked, “Who do you have a friend in common with?  Aranelion and I have never met you before.  You’re Camillia’s friend, and Auron it seems is another friend of yours that we were the victims of circumstance to have met tonight.  What’s up?”

   Lairen giggled, looking to Camillia before walking up to Auron.  Running her finger along his jaw, she said, “Don’t tell me you sent a telepathic scramble to his head Auron.  He’s certainly talking like someone recovering from it.”

   “Telepathic scramble?  What the heck is that?” Aranelion asked, looking at Auron suspiciously.

   Giggling again, Lairen replied, “Oh, it’s Auron’s version of one of my powers.  Personally I think it’s more annoying than mine.  Mine is painful, whereas his is like an itch you can’t scratch.  He basically uses his power to scramble your subconscious as well as the aura around you.  It turns it into background interference basically.  You literally can’t hear yourself think.  Plus, it’s distracting…gets your thoughts mixed up and you start thinking about random things.  If he does it long enough you’ll end up with a major headache, and you’ll be pretty disoriented for a long time after.”

   “Yeah…but I’ve only done that once…the guy deserved it too,” Auron replied.

   Looking to Auron, she asked, “So, you already introduced me to them?  That saves Camillia and I a lot of time.”

   The Greywolf scratched the back of his head, grinning timidly, and replied, “Heh, yeah…right down to your special abilities.  That’s really what we were talking about…after I asked them about their twin powers we got on the subject of you…and well, your abilities.”

   “Wow!  So they’re actually in tune enough for theirs to work!” Lairen exclaimed.  Looking between the twins and then to Camillia, she continued, “The way Camillia talked about you I was hoping you were close enough to have not lost your subconscious bonds!  I’ve met at least three pairs of twins and never once have they even heard of that kind of a bond.”

   The twins glanced at each other.  “So…you’re Lairen then?” Aranelion asked.

   “That’s right!” Lairen replied.  Putting her arm around Auron and pulling her towards him, she added, “And this, is the friend we have in common!  You two were just lucky enough to have Auron as your delivery wolf!”

   “Heh…heh, yeah…,” Auron murmured, feeling the nerves return.

   Letting out a laugh, Camillia walked up to the pair and said, “Well, Auron, would you like to come to the movie with us?  Or do you have to get back to work?”

   Auron smiled and replied, “Ah no…these two were my last stop.  Pizza Palace is just down the street from the theater…I’ll run the money from their order down there and punch the clock before the movie.”

   “Great!” Camillia replied with a smile.  Walking up to Aranelion, she asked, “Are we ready to go then, or are you still finishing dinner?”

   Aranelion grinned giving Camillia a quick kiss on the cheek, and replied, “Ah I’m done.  Besides, I’ll have popcorn to snack on at the movies.”

   Camillia nodded and replied, “Alright then, I say we pile into your SUV and get rolling!  The movie starts in thirty minutes!”

   Without another word, Aranelion grabbed his keys, took Camillia's hand, and led her out of the apartment.  Elianaron followed, muttering something to himself, still reeling from Auron’s telepathic scramble, but still in a good mood, hiding the irritation with a smile, knowing he’d be over it soon.  He locked the door but left it open for Lairen and Auron to close once they followed.

   They walked into the hall together, and as Auron pulled the door shut, Lairen clasped her hands behind her back, staring at the floor shyly and asked, “Are you sure you didn’t plan on being here Auron, or was this really fate?”

   Auron turned around, seeing Lairen standing there, slowly raising her head to look at him with an innocent twinkle in her eyes.  He could sense whatever was left of his feeling begin to quiver and melt, but maintained control of himself.  Smiling, he shook his head as he walked up to her, taking her hands as he said, “I called it fate, and fate it is.  I got here and Elianaron took the pizza leaving his brother to find the cash to pay me.  I was invited inside while I waited, saw Camillia’s picture on their wall, and one thing led to another, and eventually to a long conversation about special powers.  I don’t call it coincidence, or the whim of chance; I call it destiny.”

   Lairen could feel her ears lower halfway as she gazed into his ocean blue eyes.  She had given her heart to him many years ago, and yet it was a love between them that grew very slowly, but had them bound by it nonetheless.  He wouldn’t leave her, nor would she leave him.  Though there were times when they were both unsure of what to do, it was a love in both their hearts that inspired them to keep trying.  They weren’t going to let go until the romance blossomed fully, however it would, whenever it chose to, wherever it wanted.

   Getting over her own tickled nerves, Lairen giggled softly, looking down at their hands briefly as she replied, “Destiny is a good friend of ours it seems.  I’m happy to pay it a visit as often as it’ll have me…wherever it’ll lead me…”

   “It’s…held us steady so far…,” Auron whispered.

   It was something they shared; they both knew how much they loved each other, and yet…neither of them had spoken the words.  So far, the words were foreign to their lips but at the same time sang joyously in a symphony loud and clear in both hearts.  It was faith in something greater that comforted them; they would follow the path their love laid before their feet, and when the time came to bond it forever, it would come.  That was what Auron was saying this night; they both knew it…they both trusted it.

   They needed no words…no kisses…their support and loving care for each other was enough.  It wasn’t what Aranelion shared with Camillia, but was no less deeper, no less stronger…no less true.

   Finally, Elianaron stepped off the elevator, shocked to find the Greywolf and Cat standing together holding hands near his apartment door.  Running up to them he awoke them from this loving gaze and with a groan, he cried, “What are you guys doing?  Do you realize I had to ride all the way back up that stinkin’ elevator to come and get you?  Let’s go already!”

   Without another word, Elianaron ran to hold the elevator for them.  Auron growled softly, wanting to give Elianaron another taste of his telepathic scramble, but relaxed when Lairen hugged him.  “Come on Auron, give him a break.  We do have somewhere we need to be,” she said, taking his hand.

   The Greywolf sighed his growls away, then smiled as he looked to her.  Holding her hand securely, the unofficial but steady couple ran to catch up with Elianaron, Aranelion and Camillia so they could go see the movie together.

  After all the excitement that evening, Aranelion and Elianaron found themselves forming their own circle of friends.  It was perfect for Elianaron; stable friendships would help keep his feet on the ground.  It was a joy for Aranelion, who like his twin loved every friend they could make, considering for most of their lives the only friends they had were humans, who were appreciated, and yet not the same as friendships with their peers were.  It was yet another story they could tell their mother when she came to visit.

   And yet fate was not done in their lives, nor was it finished with Auron and Lairen.  Love would find all five of them, even Elianaron.  His day would come soon, but for now, after all Aranelion had done for him, Elianaron decided it was time to give back to his older twin, and with his new friends Auron and Lairen to help him, this was something he planned to do in his own, personal style.

Description
"Wandering to Love"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 4: New Friends

----------

“Dear Journal, it’s amazing how the events of one night can make such a big difference in our lives.  After Elianaron and I came to an understanding, he told me he was ready to let Camillia go.  I think we both knew that she had developed a liking for me a long time ago, but stuck with him because she did care about him and didn’t want him to turn into those boys she was trying to get away from.  It was unfortunate that this decision produced an adverse effect and instead encouraged Ell to take on that transformation.  Thankfully, it’s something that he’s more than willing to get away from.  Well, with things between Camillia and me getting off to a promising start, I decided to give the rest of my attention to helping my twin.  I got him a job at Kawai’s; Mr. Phillips is the best.  He was willing to hire Ell without even hearing him play.  We play together for the most part, but even now Elianaron is on his way to getting a regular solo act.  Nothing can go wrong now…well, at least you’d think it wouldn’t.  Ell and I can attest to the fact that things can fall apart when you least expect them.  In the end, it all depends on the hand of fate.  Right now, fate is in a good mood, but that can change instantly.  What’s important now, is to make the best of what we’re given, and so Ell and I decided to invite our mother back to Starshine Town.  She met Camillia once before, only this time, Mom would be meeting her as my girlfriend…someone who could potentially be family in the years to come.”

----------

   In the weeks following that special night for Aranelion and Camillia, things improved for both them and Elianaron, all in different ways.  With the end of his relationship with Camillia, Elianaron was actually set free from the idea that he had to be just like Camillia’s other friends in order to impress her.  Realizing that she had liked him for who he was when she first met him, and seeing how happy Aranelion made her without having to be a party animal, Elianaron was inspired to make changes in his life.

   He kept his new look, everything from the Mohawk to the red tank and sandals.  This change wasn’t about how he looked, but was about improving the life he had started in Starshine Town.  The first step was looking for a new job, one that still embraced his love for music, but lessened how dependent he was on the party atmosphere he was trying to let go of.

   His twin Aranelion came to his rescue again.  As promised, he took Elianaron with him to Kawai’s that next Monday and introduced him to Mr. Phillips.  He mentioned that Elianaron wanted a job, and that his twin had as much musical ability as he did, and without another word, Mr. Phillips offered Elianaron a job.  His faith in his choice paid off, for Elianaron was indeed just as much of an expert at playing piano as his brother.

   Elianaron started off with his own act late at night, but at the same time, he would often team up with Aranelion during his act and they would play dueling pianos together, two baby grand pianos back to back.  Needless to say they were an instant hit, and as time passed Elianaron introduced his guitar playing skills to both his act and the one he shared with Aranelion.  Pretty soon, the Brokenstar twins were the most popular act, not only at Kawai’s, but all over town.

   Taking several steps towards a stable lifestyle worked wonders for Elianaron.  He had to admit, he felt better simply from having a regular sleep schedule and a more relaxed lifestyle.  He was able to be happy for his twin and the happiness he found with  Camillia.  Elianaron knew his true love would find him someday; somehow, seeing Camillia happy with Aranelion, truly happy, made letting go of their relationship more like an act of kindness for them both.

   Not having to worry about his twin as much anymore allowed Aranelion to enjoy his many blessings.  Once Elianaron was set, Aranelion was able to enjoy his time with Camillia.  Finally he could be with her and not have to worry about it.  Now that things were resolved between them all, Aranelion and Elianaron began to plan on bringing their mother Aerealei to visit them again.  She had visited once before on their 21st birthday, and she had met Camillia then too, only, at the time she was simply forming a relationship with Elianaron.  This time, their mother would come back to find that the pink cat had now formed a strong bond with her other son, a bond that had the potential to bring a new member into the Brokenstar family.  Whatever happened, this return trip would be very important, and so the boys wanted it to be the best that it possibly could.

   One night, the two sat in their apartment, discussing the matter…well, at least they were until Elianaron declared he was hungry and proceeded to order pizza.  After hanging up the phone, he returned to the living room where Aranelion sat waiting for him.

   “They better be here in less than thirty minutes,” Elianaron said as he entered the room, “I’m so hungry my stomach hurts.”

   With a chuckle, Aranelion reply, “Don’t starve yourself Ell.  You’re not even working tonight and yet you’re acting like the late night stress has taken its toll.”

   Sitting down, Elianaron gave Aranelion a look, crossed his arms and said, “Humph, at least you don’t have to work from two in the morning until 3 a.m. every night.  When am I gonna get better hours like you have?”

   “Ell, you already have my hours.  We play together almost every night.  As for your solo act, Mr. Philips will bump you up very soon, I can feel it.  You’re already as popular as I am, and we’re both loved even better together.  I think he’s holding you back in order to be fair to the other newcomers,” Aranelion explained.

   Finishing his soft drink, Elianaron took a breath, let it out slowly, and then replied with a laugh, “Ah, I know Air…I know.  Anyway, I’m cool with it.  My previous sleep schedule was much worse than this.  Every day I appreciate this kind of lifestyle more and more, really.  I’m so grateful for the change.”

   Aranelion laughed and said, “That’s good Ell, very good.  I’m sure Mom will appreciate it too.”

   Sighing, Elianaron replied, “I guess I turned out to need all the help she knew I would require.  Eh, at least she won’t have to worry about me now.”  Looking up at Aranelion, he added, “She had to worry about us all of our lives, sitting on the sidelines as we struggled with only a prayer for our safety to offer us.  I think once she sees how comfortable and stable our lives are, even in a big city like Starshine Town, she’ll be able to relax just as we have.”

   Smiling and lowering his eyes as he thought of his mother, Aranelion added, “She’ll finally have closure.”

   The twins sat in silence for a moment, both absorbed with thoughts of both their dear mother, and their deceased father.  Aerealei often told them that they were the biggest adventure of her life; every time they suffered, she suffered too.  She shared their joys, their sorrows, and their fears.  They were all she had left of their father, Armundae, for she didn’t even have a picture of him.  A gift to her, a photo of them both, was something she treasured, for it meant she could keep her boys with her no matter where they were.  While she had Armundae in spirit, without a picture, or her sons, he existed only in her memory, while his spirit waited for them all in Heaven.

   Now that Aranelion and Elianaron had settled down, they no longer faced the dangers Aerealei saw in her nightmares.  The end of the war with the mutants, as well as the reconciliation, had brought closure to a great well of pain shared by all three hearts.  The fact that Elianaron was finally settling down just adding icing to the cake; things were the way they always should have been, only now, with the events of the past behind them, they were better off than any of them could ever have hoped they would be.

   The twins were pulled out of their waking thoughts when the doorbell rang.  Elianaron, with wide eyes, quickly glanced at the clock that hung on the wall, and then exclaimed, “Awesome!  That was like…in twenty minutes!”  Jumping up, he ran to the door, leaving Aranelion to try to catch up.

   By the time he got the front door, he found Elianaron running to the kitchen table with the pizza in hand, leaving a somewhat surprised Greywolf standing at the door, still waiting to be paid for the pizza.

   Slightly embarrassed, Aranelion looked to Elianaron and said, “We still have to pay for that Ell!  I mean…gosh, you could have had crackers to tide you over.”

   Elianaron did not answer his twin, and instead opened the box and chomped down on his first slice of pepperoni pizza with extra cheese.  Letting out a sigh, Aranelion looked back to the Greywolf, sighed and said, “Heh, sorry about that.  Umm, why don’t you step inside for a minute?  I left my cash in the bedroom.”

   The Greywolf, who wore a bright yellow T-shirt, black slacks, and royal blue shoes with red and white stripes simply nodded, and stepped inside before Aranelion closed the door.  After Aranelion disappeared further into the apartment, the Greywolf ran his fingers through his deep golden blond bangs, looking first to Elianaron as he ate, before turning the gaze of his turquoise blue eyes to some pictures that hung on the wall.

   One in particular caught his attention.  Looking to Elianaron, who had finished his first piece of pizza and was now pouring himself a mug of root beer, the Greywolf asked, “Hey, do you guys know Camillia Starr?”

   Elianaron, feeling better now that he had had something to eat, took a quick swallow of his drink and replied, “Yeah we do.  She and I kinda, well, we were never really a couple or anything…we’re just friends, but she’s now in a very serious relationship with Aranelion, my twin.”

   The Greywolf quickly looked back towards the bedrooms as Aranelion emerged from his.  He asked, “You’re dating Camillia Starr?”

   Aranelion tilted his head to one side, curious as to why this Greywolf had such an interest in Camillia.  As he counted the money for the pizza, he replied, “That’s right.  She lives a few apartments above here in the penthouse.  Are you a fan of hers?”

   The Greywolf was silent for a moment, then let out a joyful laugh and replied, “Ah yeah, I’ve met her once before, but didn’t get to know her real well.  See, my uhh…friend Lairen, she and her step-brother have a catering service, and they always cater fashion show events and everything.  They’re the most successful catering service in town.  She and Camillia have become good friends, but wow, it’s cool to come here and meet Camillia’s boyfriend.”

   The twins glanced at each other, Elianaron taking a break from enjoying his dinner to listen to the story.  Shrugging, he looked to Aranelion as if unsure of what to say.  The Greywolf saw this, flushed red from embarrassment, and before Aranelion could reply, he tugged at his shirt collar and said, “Heh, sorry.  It’s just…Camillia’s a big time celebrity, and a nice girl besides.  It’s nice to see she’s found someone special.”  Pausing, he said, “My name’s Auron.  I go to all those catered events with Lairen, so we’re bound to run into each other again.”

   Aranelion glanced at Elianaron once more, and with a smile and a nod, he replied, “Nice to meet you Auron.  Heh, it’s no problem.”  The two then shook hands, before Aranelion continued, “Here’s the money for the pizza…keep the change.”

   After taking the money from Aranelion, Auron smiled and said, “Thanks.  By the way…you say your name is Aranelion, well, your twin did.  Do you two happen to be the Brokenstar Twins that play at Kawai’s five nights a week?”

   “Wow,” Elianaron replied when he heard this.  Wiping his mouth, having finished his second slice of pizza, he stood up, holding his half-empty mug of root beet, and said, “You bet we are.  I’m the newer end of the act, but that’s us.”  Looking to his twin, he added, “Man Air, we’re getting to be quite famous ourselves!”  Looking back to Auron, he laughed and said, “But wow, considering how fast you got our order here your place of employment must be pretty notable as well.”

   “Oh that,” Auron replied, “Nah, that’s just me.  You can’t really count on the rest of them.  The other delivery boys insist on driving everywhere.  Me, I prefer just to count on my speedy heels to get where I’m going…gets the pizza where it needs to be without losing its heat.”

   Aranelion, who had moved to get a glass of strawberry lemonade to drink, looked to Auron with wide eyes and said, “You’ve got super speed?”

   Auron laughed and said, “Nah, just…faster than average speed.  I’m not a speed demon like Sonic the Hedgehog…but I doubt he’d take a job delivering pizzas anyway.”

   “You know Sonic too?” Elianaron asked, sitting down at the bar.

   After getting his pizza and sitting down, Aranelion thought, “Boy, this is turning into a long conversation…I bet he has other orders to fill.”

   Demonstrating one of his actual powers, Auron looked to Aranelion and said, “Actually, this was my last stop for the night.  No need to worry about that.”

   Aranelion let out a gasp of shock and confusion, while Elianaron simply gave him a questionable look and asked, “What just happened here?”

   The twins looked to each other.  Aranelion shook his head helplessly and said, “I—I simply thought to myself that he might need to get going to his next order.”

   Laughing again, Auron replied, “Ah…I told you I don’t have true Sonic blue super speed.  What I do have…is Aura-reading and Telepathy.  I read your mind, and answered you.”  Looking to Elianaron, he replied, “I’ve met Sonic once or twice…last time it was shortly after this battle he fought in outside Angel Island.  He was traveling around to see friends since his buddy Tails Prower had healed from injuries sustained in that battle.  Last time I saw him he mentioned traveling dimensions soon.  I guess you could say we’re borderline acquaintances slash friends.  Thing is he’s never in one place long enough to get to know him really well…unless you catch him at the Hot Dog Hut next door to where I work at the Pizza Palace.”

   “Wow…so you do know Sonic.  Have you met any of his other friends like Shadow or Rouge?” Elianaron asked.

   Rolling his eyes, Aranelion replied, “Ugh, later Elianaron.”  Looking to Auron he says, “You can read minds?  Sounds a lot like the power our friend Hidama has.  He’s the older brother of Knuckles the Echidna, the Guardian who lives on Angel Island.”

   Elianaron gave him a look and said, “Humph, you asked him about Hidama.”

   “I didn’t ask him about Hidama.  I just mentioned his powers sounded similar to Hidama’s powers,” Aranelion replied with a groan.

   Auron chuckled softly to himself, and then replied, “Knuckles is Sonic’s friend.  I know of him.  I’ve never met Knuckles personally, but I do know he has a son.  As for Hidama…he’s Camillia’s old roommate, Delilah’s boyfriend.  He lived here for a good while before going back to Angel Island and taking her with him.  It’s the first time many of us had even heard of echidnas, let alone seen them.”  Auron paused, closing his eyes for a moment, looking to both twins even as his eyes were closed.  Aranelion and Elianaron glanced at each other, confused, until Auron open his eyes and said, “And from what I gather you two are both part echidna.  Your…father…he was the echidna in your family.  Your mother gave you your hedgehog blood.  I’m assuming that means your father was one of the ones that died on Angel Island…and that you, Hidama and Knuckles are very, very distantly related.”

   Both twins were stunned.  Finally, Elianaron replied, “Wow…just…wow.  How did you do that?”

   “That, was an example of Aura-reading,” Auron said, sitting down at the table near Aranelion.  “I just read your auras, and in that instant I could not only tell you were twins, which I knew obviously, but I could also trace both your echidna and hedgehog heritages, as well as place which side is your paternal side, and which was your maternal side.  It’s a pretty cool power…if you two weren’t identical twins I could read your auras to know it…obviously your appearance gives it away even with the different styles you’ve taken on.  Speaking of styles, auras can tell me a lot about a person.  I could read yours Elianaron and know that you’re the more wild and expressive of the two, and that Aranelion here is more relaxed but still loves to have a good time.”

   Even Aranelion was amazed by what Auron had just done.  It was fascinating how he could know all this about the twins simply by looking at them.  After finishing his first slice of pizza, and taking a swallow of his strawberry lemonade, he replied, “That’s amazing Auron.  I don’t know if Hidama has power like that.  He says he can look into someone’s soul and see everything about them, but he’s never called it aura reading.  He does talk about how his mind’s eye shows him things…not just events happening in the future, but stuff happening right at that moment that he couldn’t know about normally.  Did you coin the name for your aura reading power?”

   With a thoughtful look on his face, Auron shook his head and said, “I wouldn’t say I coined it…but it’s not like you can open a book at the library on the subject.  It seems anybody with special powers like that possesses some form of telepathy…that’s what Hidama calls his mind’s eye.  I bet you money that if he met someone with powers like his own that he could talk to them in his head.  …I think Shadow has powers like that.  Of course, Shadow’s special powers go beyond his abilities to use chaos energy.  I’d love to sit down with him and talk about his talents…all you ever hear about him publicly involves the chaos emeralds.  As for Hidama…his powers sound akin to aura-reading powers, but it sounds like he uses them differently than I use mine, making them different abilities essentially…even though they use the same source.”

   His root beer finished, Elianaron sat his mug down on the bar, then stood up to sit at the table with Auron and Aranelion.  As he moved, he said, “Yeah, Shadow has some strange power.  It’s scary…he certainly scared the mutant kings, Feldmort and Olermere, and he didn’t even have his chaos emeralds all the time.”

   Nodding, Aranelion added, “In the battle with Zelias he fashioned blades out of energy and used them to fight.  They disappeared whenever he was hit and he’d have to forge them again.  We know he can use telepathy, and outside of his ability to use chaos energy, something tells me he has much more power that we don’t know about.”

   “Do you remember that night when he went into that pain induced rage and killed off the rest of Olermere’s army?  We know that he used the chaos emerald for power, but the trigger for the attack…that was his own power,” Elianaron explained.

   After hearing all this, Auron nodded and said, “Fashioning weapons out of light or darkness…I can do that too.  He must have a mixture of several kinds of telekinetic powers.  I wouldn’t be surprised…considering the mysterious circumstances of his birth it seems fitting that he has that kind of power.  He’s also immortal.  It isn’t that spectacular that he’s so powerful…I’d expect it from him.  What’s really special is when common folk like you and me end up with that power.  Tell me…can you two communicate mind to mind?  Perhaps you feel each other’s pain on occasion?”

   The twins exchanged glances, and after a moment, Elianaron grinned and said, “Ah yeah…we feel each other’s pain for sure.  Seriously…one time, we got separated, and I was ambushed.  Aranelion felt pain in his arm as I got whacked in the forearm by one of my attackers.  This alerted him to my plight, and he came to help me.”

   “You can say we can read each other’s minds too…although, I doubt it’s like you, or Shadow, or Hidama do it,” Aranelion said, “I can look at Elianaron and just…whatever he’s thinking at the time becomes an active thought in my own head, and it works the same way for him.  We don’t really have anything in the way of special powers.”

   Auron laughed and said, “You have special powers that only twins can share.  I call that pretty unique.  Many twins aren’t in tune with each other well enough to even know they have those kinds of powers.  You two are very close, and thus are able to pick up on each other in this way.  Granted, you don’t have powers like Shadow, Hidama, or Lairen and I do, but yours are still pretty special, even for a power shared by all twins, simply because you know it’s there and can use it.”

   Aranelion and Elianaron exchanged glances again, and as Aranelion had explained, they were instantly able to know what the other was thinking.  A grin appeared on Elianaron’s face as he looked back to Auron after picking up on one of Aranelion’s active thoughts.  He asked, “You’ve mentioned this girl Lairen at least twice now…is she a friend, or more than that?”

   “Well I—I uh…well…,” Auron stammered, a touch of red blushing flaring on his cheeks through his furry white muzzle.  Aranelion and Elianaron chuckled softly to themselves while Auron tried to regain his composure.  He rubbed his eyes gently, letting out a sigh and said, “Lairen is my friend…she’s the only person I know, personally, who has powers as I do.  Hers are a different variety though; she’s purely a psychic.  Besides basic telepathy that all special ones share, she is able to levitate, and like your basic conception of a psychic, she can bend spoons, manipulate people’s thoughts, the usual.  She’s very powerful…one of her techniques, one she calls a brain lock, can stop somebody dead in their tracks.  So much pain…it wracks, not just your mind, but your entire being until you’re frozen and beyond the ability to do anything besides writhe in pain.  She’s not somebody I’d want to anger.  Of course, she’s a very smart and wonderful girl…we’ve been friends ever since we discovered we both had telepathy when we met in high school.”

   “Wow,” Elianaron replied, “She sounds strong enough to give Shadow a run for his money…and that’s saying a lot.  That whole brain lock thing sounds…unavoidable.”

   To this, Aranelion could only nod in reply, his eyes widened with a look of awe and fear.  Auron, relaxing after feeling flustered, grinned and replied, “You just have to know how to get her to stop it,” in a hushed voice.  Laughing, he added, “If you can suffer through the pain long enough to tickle her or distract her somehow she’ll let go of her hold over you.  My advice is to not make her angry in the first place.”

   Before Aranelion could offer a reply, the doorbell rang.  Looking at his watch, Aranelion jumped to his feet, and said, “Gosh Elianaron, we forgot that Camillia was bringing her friend over here tonight before we all went to the movies!”

   While Aranelion ran to answer the door, Auron looked to Elianaron and asked, “What’s this?  A double date perhaps?”

   “I didn’t forget…I was fully aware that they were coming tonight,” Elianaron grumbled to himself.

   Auron tilted his head to one side, and started to send telepathic interference towards Elianaron out of annoyance to his unanswered question.

   The Brokenstar twin then grabbed his head before massaging his temples, growled and looked to Auron, muttering, “It’s not a double date okay?  This friend of hers already has someone she’s interested in!  Now cut it out!”

   The Greywolf chuckled slyly, immediately stopping the nagging wave of telepathic noise that had rocked Elianaron’s head painfully.  As he recovered, they heard a voice come up from behind them, one that one of them had never heard before, but that the other was all too familiar with.

   “What’s wrong?” the voice asked.

   Auron’s sensitive hearing caused his ears to twitch as he jumped up from his seat.  Spinning around, he saw Aranelion, Camillia, and the owner of the voice, Camillia’s friend, standing right in front of him.

   She was a brown cat with long hair and a ruffle of bangs peeking out from her denim hat, which had a pink scarf tied above the brim.  She wore a purple vest over a white T-shirt that had a light blue collar, hem, and cuffs.  She wore denim jeans to compliment her hat, and grey, white and pink tennis shoes.  She wore light blue arm bands and black gloves, while a golden cross and a heart pendant, each on their own black cord necklace wrapped up her ensemble.

   Her green eyes gazed at Auron curiously.  She too tilted her head to one side, and as she smiled, her eyes locked on his, she appeared to be speaking to him telepathically.  As could be expected, she wasn’t expecting to see him here tonight, but as heard in Elianaron’s painful declaration, she was also very happy to see him here at the same time.

   As for Auron, he could feel a tickle of nerves erupt at the base of his skull.  Unable to lower his eyes as she kept her eyes on them, he tried his best to fight off blushing as he listened to her speak.

   “I didn’t expect to see you here…Auron.”

   He saw her smile, and this alleviated his nerves, warming his heart.  Returning her sweet grin with his own he spoke back to her with his own powers.

   “Neither did I.  Fate has brought us together again…Lairen.”

   The remaining three stood watching them, confused, but aware it seemed of what was taking place.  Finally returning her attention to the others, Lairen said, “Well gee, it appears that we have a friend in common!”

   Elianaron, still miffed about what happened before, stood beside Auron and asked, “Who do you have a friend in common with?  Aranelion and I have never met you before.  You’re Camillia’s friend, and Auron it seems is another friend of yours that we were the victims of circumstance to have met tonight.  What’s up?”

   Lairen giggled, looking to Camillia before walking up to Auron.  Running her finger along his jaw, she said, “Don’t tell me you sent a telepathic scramble to his head Auron.  He’s certainly talking like someone recovering from it.”

   “Telepathic scramble?  What the heck is that?” Aranelion asked, looking at Auron suspiciously.

   Giggling again, Lairen replied, “Oh, it’s Auron’s version of one of my powers.  Personally I think it’s more annoying than mine.  Mine is painful, whereas his is like an itch you can’t scratch.  He basically uses his power to scramble your subconscious as well as the aura around you.  It turns it into background interference basically.  You literally can’t hear yourself think.  Plus, it’s distracting…gets your thoughts mixed up and you start thinking about random things.  If he does it long enough you’ll end up with a major headache, and you’ll be pretty disoriented for a long time after.”

   “Yeah…but I’ve only done that once…the guy deserved it too,” Auron replied.

   Looking to Auron, she asked, “So, you already introduced me to them?  That saves Camillia and I a lot of time.”

   The Greywolf scratched the back of his head, grinning timidly, and replied, “Heh, yeah…right down to your special abilities.  That’s really what we were talking about…after I asked them about their twin powers we got on the subject of you…and well, your abilities.”

   “Wow!  So they’re actually in tune enough for theirs to work!” Lairen exclaimed.  Looking between the twins and then to Camillia, she continued, “The way Camillia talked about you I was hoping you were close enough to have not lost your subconscious bonds!  I’ve met at least three pairs of twins and never once have they even heard of that kind of a bond.”

   The twins glanced at each other.  “So…you’re Lairen then?” Aranelion asked.

   “That’s right!” Lairen replied.  Putting her arm around Auron and pulling her towards him, she added, “And this, is the friend we have in common!  You two were just lucky enough to have Auron as your delivery wolf!”

   “Heh…heh, yeah…,” Auron murmured, feeling the nerves return.

   Letting out a laugh, Camillia walked up to the pair and said, “Well, Auron, would you like to come to the movie with us?  Or do you have to get back to work?”

   Auron smiled and replied, “Ah no…these two were my last stop.  Pizza Palace is just down the street from the theater…I’ll run the money from their order down there and punch the clock before the movie.”

   “Great!” Camillia replied with a smile.  Walking up to Aranelion, she asked, “Are we ready to go then, or are you still finishing dinner?”

   Aranelion grinned giving Camillia a quick kiss on the cheek, and replied, “Ah I’m done.  Besides, I’ll have popcorn to snack on at the movies.”

   Camillia nodded and replied, “Alright then, I say we pile into your SUV and get rolling!  The movie starts in thirty minutes!”

   Without another word, Aranelion grabbed his keys, took Camillia's hand, and led her out of the apartment.  Elianaron followed, muttering something to himself, still reeling from Auron’s telepathic scramble, but still in a good mood, hiding the irritation with a smile, knowing he’d be over it soon.  He locked the door but left it open for Lairen and Auron to close once they followed.

   They walked into the hall together, and as Auron pulled the door shut, Lairen clasped her hands behind her back, staring at the floor shyly and asked, “Are you sure you didn’t plan on being here Auron, or was this really fate?”

   Auron turned around, seeing Lairen standing there, slowly raising her head to look at him with an innocent twinkle in her eyes.  He could sense whatever was left of his feeling begin to quiver and melt, but maintained control of himself.  Smiling, he shook his head as he walked up to her, taking her hands as he said, “I called it fate, and fate it is.  I got here and Elianaron took the pizza leaving his brother to find the cash to pay me.  I was invited inside while I waited, saw Camillia’s picture on their wall, and one thing led to another, and eventually to a long conversation about special powers.  I don’t call it coincidence, or the whim of chance; I call it destiny.”

   Lairen could feel her ears lower halfway as she gazed into his ocean blue eyes.  She had given her heart to him many years ago, and yet it was a love between them that grew very slowly, but had them bound by it nonetheless.  He wouldn’t leave her, nor would she leave him.  Though there were times when they were both unsure of what to do, it was a love in both their hearts that inspired them to keep trying.  They weren’t going to let go until the romance blossomed fully, however it would, whenever it chose to, wherever it wanted.

   Getting over her own tickled nerves, Lairen giggled softly, looking down at their hands briefly as she replied, “Destiny is a good friend of ours it seems.  I’m happy to pay it a visit as often as it’ll have me…wherever it’ll lead me…”

   “It’s…held us steady so far…,” Auron whispered.

   It was something they shared; they both knew how much they loved each other, and yet…neither of them had spoken the words.  So far, the words were foreign to their lips but at the same time sang joyously in a symphony loud and clear in both hearts.  It was faith in something greater that comforted them; they would follow the path their love laid before their feet, and when the time came to bond it forever, it would come.  That was what Auron was saying this night; they both knew it…they both trusted it.

   They needed no words…no kisses…their support and loving care for each other was enough.  It wasn’t what Aranelion shared with Camillia, but was no less deeper, no less stronger…no less true.

   Finally, Elianaron stepped off the elevator, shocked to find the Greywolf and Cat standing together holding hands near his apartment door.  Running up to them he awoke them from this loving gaze and with a groan, he cried, “What are you guys doing?  Do you realize I had to ride all the way back up that stinkin’ elevator to come and get you?  Let’s go already!”

   Without another word, Elianaron ran to hold the elevator for them.  Auron growled softly, wanting to give Elianaron another taste of his telepathic scramble, but relaxed when Lairen hugged him.  “Come on Auron, give him a break.  We do have somewhere we need to be,” she said, taking his hand.

   The Greywolf sighed his growls away, then smiled as he looked to her.  Holding her hand securely, the unofficial but steady couple ran to catch up with Elianaron, Aranelion and Camillia so they could go see the movie together.

  After all the excitement that evening, Aranelion and Elianaron found themselves forming their own circle of friends.  It was perfect for Elianaron; stable friendships would help keep his feet on the ground.  It was a joy for Aranelion, who like his twin loved every friend they could make, considering for most of their lives the only friends they had were humans, who were appreciated, and yet not the same as friendships with their peers were.  It was yet another story they could tell their mother when she came to visit.

   And yet fate was not done in their lives, nor was it finished with Auron and Lairen.  Love would find all five of them, even Elianaron.  His day would come soon, but for now, after all Aranelion had done for him, Elianaron decided it was time to give back to his older twin, and with his new friends Auron and Lairen to help him, this was something he planned to do in his own, personal style.