Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Uh...yeah," Kane said in slight disbelief, "yeah, I though so. Wow," he said staring at himself. "I look good."

The future Kane whirled around to look at the boys. When he saw them he stopped dead in his tracks and gaped. Then, he was suddenly hit from the side by whatever enemy he had been firing at.

Kane ran forward to put himself inbetween himself and the other, when he saw who it was. "Kyaa!!!" He screamed in terror as a large tiger-skinned man lept for him. Barely dodgin, Kane managed to stutter, "L-Lyle!?"

"I'm fine," both of them answered at once. As they looked at each other there was an awkward silence between the two of them. Finally, the older one spoke. "So, why are you here and how did you get here?" He obviously knew who Kane was, but then he jerked his head at Lan and said, "And who's the cat?"

"Um..." Kane hesitated, "Well, long story short we were sent here by the angels because this future doesn't exist anymore and we need to find out if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"Wait, if this time doesn't exist anymore, how are we all here?" The younger Kane pondered this for a few moments, but once it was evidant that he was not going to be reaching a viable conclusion anytime soon, the older one said, "Nevermind. Just tell me why you have another neko with you."

"Oh," Kane realized that he had not introduced Lan yet. "Well, this is Lan, and he's my boyfriend," Kane said with a blush as if he wasa newly wed bride. Kane showed himself the ring that he wore as a symbol of their relationship.

"It's very nice to meet you, and I'm glad to see that I'm happy, but I don't know what you're talkingabout. I've never worn a ring and I've never been together with someone like that. In fact, I don't even know any nekos by that name. I'm not sure what's going on, but we've obviously had different pasts already." Getting up and brushing himself off, he said, "Well, why don't you two come with me? I've got a place to stay for now, and I'm pretty sure he won't mind you coming if I say your a family member or something." The older Kane began to lead them awayand to the place he was staying.

"So, you've never had anyone to love? I mean," Kane corrected himself with a blush, "to be dedicated to?"

"I'm afraid not. I wish I had. Maybe then I..." he just sort of trailed off and averted his eyes.

The older Kane let out a sour laugh at Lan's words. "I abandoned such foolish hopes long ago." Up ahead they saw another broken down building. "This is where I'm living right now," but before they could even reach the house, the older Kane was knocked off his feet by a powerful invisible blast. "Oh no," he coughed as he tried to push himself up on his elbows.

With a sinister laugh a pale man with long greasy black hair, slits for eyes, and a strange putrid aura came into sight. "Long time no see," he hissed evilly. When he noticed the young boys he said with a smile, "Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

As Master fell to his knees, he grabbed the hilt of Lan's sword and pulled it out. Getting back up, he said with a laugh, "You underestimate me." With one blast he sent Lan back into the wall where the other Kane had landed.

After making sure Lan was alright, the older Kane got up and charged at Matser only to be thrown back once more. "What does it take to kill this guy?"

Master raised Lan's sword with an invisible force and sent it flying straight at Lan. Kane managed to jump between and put a forcefield. As the sword clattered to the ground, Kane said angrily to Master, "I'm tired of running and I'm tired of having to be saved. I won't let you hurt Lan and there isn't anyone in the world who can take him away from me!" Picking up Lan's sword, Kane charged at Master.

"No!" the older Kaneshouted to stop him. Unable to catch Kane, he used a forcefield to keep him from going any farther. "That's suicide! You can't just charge him!"

Kane was sitting on the ground with his eyes closed and his fingers in his ears. The older Kane put a hand on his shoulder and said, "It's alright. You can look now."

Kane opened his eyes and looked over at Lan. He was again frightened by what he saw. "Myself, is it alright to fear the one you love? If it is only at certain times and does not really hurt you?"

The older Kane smiled at him with some sorrow and said, "I'm afraid I wouldn't know."

Kane sunk back a little and frowned up at the angel. "Your not Lan," he said rather bluntly and childishly, as if rejecting a new puppy that replaced a beloved old dog. He looked at Lan with some amount of distrust and no real love. What he was looking at to him was something that was Lan in body, but was not really Lan on the inside.

The older kane looked at his younger self with pity because he was being so selfish. 'You have someone who loves you; what does it matter if they change a little everynow and then?'

Kane giggled as Lan acted like a kitten. He hugged him around the neck and gave him a kiss back. "There's the Lan I know," he said joyously.

The other Kane let out a silent sigh and smiled at the two. 'He's lucky that Lan is so understanding. I was afraid he might have gone too far, but...these two have obvisouly been through a lot together.' Pushing himself up, he said to the boys. "Why don't we go inside now and take a break?"