Chapter CXIII: Shrewd as a Martan Trader ~Naaro

(Note: About the title...Marta is a small, populated island on Yoshin that uses the barter system. Thus the title. Just figured I'd clear that up for you all.)

"There she is," Naaro said as he acquired Rynn's position. It wouldn't be long now until he was reunited with his love. He found the cave and flew inside, landing in front of a quiet Gundam Aquilus. The cockpit of Gundam Horus opened, and out he walked. Hanging on to one side of the cockpit, he shouted, "Hey, baby, it's me!" To his surprise, he received no response. *Huh?* he thought, looking around. "Hey Rynn! Babe! It's Naaro!" he called out. He blinked, again receiving no response, and hopped down from the cockpit, landing in a crouch on the ground. He took off his suit and put it inside its bag, beginning to walk into the cave. As he walked, Naaro continued to call for Rynn, hoping that something hadn't happened to her. As he walked further into the cave, he heard a voice behind him. "Naaro! Out here!" It was Rynn. He turned and ran in her direction. "Babe! Where were you?!" To his dismay, she wasn't there when he exited the cave. He looked around, discovering that she had disappeared. He walked forth. "Rynn?" he asked, hoping for an answer. The one he got was a plume of flame that struck him from behind and chucked him into the ground. "What in the hell?!" he cried, rolling over. His eyes widened in disbelief as Rynn bared down on him with her sword.

"Rynn?! What the hell's wrong with you?!" he cried out as she sunk her sword into the ground, just barely missing him. She growled and fired a point-blank bolt of lightning at him, blasting him far. As Naaro sailed through the air, Rynn tossed out two black fireballs which locked onto his energy signal. They hunted him down and blasted his body with dark fire, causing him to drop to his knees in pain. "Heh heh heh...how much simpler could it have been?!" Rynn said delightedly, her actions completely under Havering's control. Naaro struggled to his feet only to have Rynn deliver a powerful uppercut to his jaw. He landed on his back, panting. Rynn stood over him and pointed her sword at his neck. "Now you die," she stated with a villainous smirk. Naaro's powerful ties to his instincts through training in Kamar energy told him that something had possessed his love, and, in a flash, the blade of the Halcyon was at Rynn's neck. She gave a cruel cackle. "Go ahead...I will only lose my host. You, however, will lose your beloved." Naaro gave a silent growl. He was in a real spot this time...he either lost his own life, or he took Rynn's. His death he could tolerate, but if he ever wanted to get Rynn back he would have to stay alive. That's when an idea popped into his head. "Whoever you are that's possessed Rynn...I have a proposition for you," he stated firmly, no emotions showing. "Bah!" Rynn scoffed, "it's Havering, the illustrious Sir Pseudo Havering...and why would I want to bargain with you? I hold all the cards in this situation!" Naaro gave a slight smirk. "If you let me up and put away your sword, I'll show you why." Rynn/Havering hesitated for a moment, giving Naaro a questioning stare, then removing her sword from her neck. She sheathed it, and he rose, sheathing the Halcyon.

"Ok, here's my proposition," Naaro said. "How about I guarantee your safety in exchange for a couple tiny favors?" The words rolled off his tongue in that tone that made deals irresistable. Rynn/Havering stroked her chin, pondering it. "Maybe," she said, adding, "What are the favors?" Naaro smiled, and gave them to the Twilighter. "Simple. Just protect Rynn from coming to any harm and don't harm any of the other heroes." Rynn/Havering broke into laughter. "Bahahahaha," he cackled, "what a moronic deal! I can find a body just as good if not better than this one for possession easy!" Naaro gave a smirk. "You can, but it's going to be quite annoying...am I right? There's a lot of people in the multiverse...this would save you a lot of time." "Hmm...true, true," Rynn/Havering said, pondering the deal once more. "Well...alright, fine. You win, lizard. I'll accept your terms...but if ANY of the heroes harm a hair on this body, the deal is off. Got it?" Naaro gave a nod. "Very well then," Rynn/Havering said, giving Naaro a cruel smirk. "I'll be taking your lover's body elsewhere...remember, NO HARM must come to her. Farewell!" Rynn/Havering was then engulfed in a burst of blue flame, cackling. She disappeared, and Naaro dropped to his knees. "God...damnit..." Those were the only words he got out before falling to the ground and burying his face in the dirt, overwhelmed by grief.

"Hrm..." the human mumbled as he looked around. He stood atop a small cape in a rainforest, the rapids beside him falling into a waterfall. He watched them, and pondered. He was dressed in a red windbreaker jacket with a black stripe running down from the collar to the sleeves, two smaller white stripes running the same length around the black ones. On the back was a design depicting a red-and-white wheel with feathered wings, the symbol of the Detroit Red Wings hockey team from First Earth. The jacket was unzipped, with a black t-shirt under it. On the front of the t-shirt was a large, black, metallic dragon with red eyes, standing atop a great rock with flames burning in the sky background. A white circle surrounded the scene depicted on the t-shirt, which was matched with baggy black pants and shoes with a mix of forest green in some areas and leather brown in others for color. He was fairly good-looking, and had brown for both his eye and hair color. His hair style was that of a simple bowl cut. In one hand resting on his shoulder was a seemingly-normal black hockey stick, and at his side with its handle slid through one of his belt loops was an object that resembled a handheld mirror in every way, except for the inversion of the design. The glass was silver, and the body around it was made of glass. He appeared to be young, only about 15, and held a black pre-fitted ballcap in the hand that wasn't holding the hockey stick. It had Japanese Kanji on it that translated roughly to "Those who brave the fire will only survive to face the blizzard." The young man took a deep breath, and let it out. "Aah...I've forgotten how the senses bring Reality's sweet fragrances to life." He glanced around, and then peered into the jungle ahead of him. "It's just as I'd figured...shouldn't be too much longer," he said. With that, he leaped into the air and dove into the pool below.