[SpringsSong]

Why am I out here...? Why on earth did I agree to meet with him here? the young Blaze Fenling asked herself, shaking her head as she shakily walked into the Shrine itself.  As she walked into the Shrine, she looked down at the note that she had brought with her:

Fire,
I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, and the last person that you want to talk to, but I want to attempt to come to terms with you.  It would be really important to me if you would come out to Basantha Shrine and speak with me--and maybe we can hunt for a Hunter to try and bring things back into balance between us.
IceCry

"Someone, please... tell me why the heck I actually agreed to come out here and meet with him when I would just as soon strangle the very life out of him." Fire said as she sat down at the entrance of the Shrine, waiting patiently for IceCry to appear.

Hopefully he's not using this as a trap... she thought quietly.

[1.1]

[SpringsSong]

IceCry sighed as he read over the reply he had gotten from his letter to Fire.  "Ice, I am amazed that you eved dared to write to me, especially after all the pain you put me through.  However, I do not see any problems in meeting with you at the Shrine.  I will be at the Shrine's entrance around noon tomorrow.  Regards, Fire."

He sighed as he put the letter aside as he thought, Fire, I will not let you down--I promise.  I will not make you think that I'm just another jerk. He looked around, hoping to find Fire, and, when he spotted her, he padded over to her quietly.

"Hey, Fire." He said calmly.  He smiled as he looked over her fire-colored fur and the pearls curled within them.  If only she and I still were... well, together, as one.  I wish that could still be true, he thought.

[1.1]

[SpringsSong]

Fire turned around to see the Glacial Fellox, her eyes both hard and enflamed at the same time.  She carefully cleared her throat before she said, "Hello, Ice.  It's... good to see you again." Her ears were flattened against her skull for a moment before she turned them forward again.  She knew that, when she said that it was "good" to see him, she was lying.

He was, in fact, the last person that she wanted to see right now.  However, she knew that she had agreed to this because she, too, wanted to try and come to terms with him.

"So... how are things going with Sea?" she asked; almost instantly, she wanted to take it back.  It was a very touchy subject for her, talking about her younger sister, but she wanted to try and start a conversation with him.

[1.2]

[SpringsSong]

Ice cleared his throat as he said, "Um... yeah.  Sea and I aren't together anymore." He shook his head as he said, "She kept wanting to talk smack about you all the time, and I just couldn't... deal with it.  I mean, yes, I needed to get away from you and get to know someone else; no, I wasn't expecting it to be your sister and I wasn't expecting her to want to, like... you know, try and do away with you."

He shrugged as he turned and said, "What about you and Earth?  Are you two still together?  I mean, ah... I saw you guys down at a cafe the other day, and you seemed a little distant from him." Ice had a feeling that she would probably incinerate him on the spot for that, but for him, it was better to be incinerated than make assumptions.

[1.2]

[SpringsSong]

Fire lowered her head as she said, "Um... things between Earth and I are a little strained.  I know that I like him and that he likes me, but I'm not sure that we're... you know, together anymore, you know?"

Fire shrugged as she looked around.  "So.  You want to hunt for a Hunter, eh?  Any reason... why you want to hunt for a Hunter, Ice?  I mean, when we were together, you never wanted to hunt for a Hunter because you said that there was nothing that you could give up to free one, because the only thing you could think to give up was your ability to feel love." She said, her orange eyes glowing.

[1.3]

[SpringsSong]

"Oh... so you're single now too, eh?" Ice asked quietly, not wanting to really risk an incineration.  He knew that the topic of relationships were a difficult one for Fire, and he knew the reason why it was a rather difficult subject for her.

All he needed to do was look at the reflection in a lake, or a pond, or a mirror.

"I'm sorry, Fire.  For... everything that happened.  Between us." Ice said, lowering his head, scraping his claws against the stone of the floor.  He shook his head as he said, "The reason I wanted to hunt for a Hunter... because I want you to know something.  And I can only tell you if we find a Hunter."

[1.3]

[SpringsSong]

Fire had to bite her lower lip before she answered.  "I suppose you could say that.  Let's just say that he said... well, that maybe we need to see other people." She said, shaking her head.  "As soon as I hung up the phone, I felt like I wanted to incinerate myself."

Here, however, Fire tilted her head as she thought.  What could he be thinking?  I mean, there's only so many things that he could give up... heck, that I could give up?  I mean... gah, that is part of what always kept me on my on my toes when I was with him; I never knew what he would do.

"Okay.  Let's get going, then."

[1.4]

[SpringsSong]

Now that was a first.  Fire only ever wanted to incinerate herself when she was either horridly angry at something she had done, or incredibly depressed.  Ice didn't know what to say at first, but he moved a little closer to her and placed a paw on her shoulder.

"I'm terribly sorry, Fire... I know how much you liked him and all, and how you were glad that you'd found someone else after me..." he said at last, and then, he turned and began to walk deeper into the Shrine, turning around and waiting for her to follow after him.

"You know that it won't help to dwell on the past, Fire.  You learned that with me." He said quietly, shaking his head.

[1.4]

[SpringsSong]

Fire almost didn't want to believe what she was hearing right now.  Ice was feeling sorry for her because she now had two ex-boyfriends, instead of not caring, like it had sounded when she talked to him over the phone when he was in Jawan and she was in Aldrect.  Here, she stood up and followed him, but she was still hesitant.

"Why in Yepha's hallowed name would you feel sorry for me, Ice?  I mean, do you even know how much pain you put me through with those six words?  You shattered my world that had been built up by three words that you always whispered into my ear as you ran your hand through my hair and held me close, and you're only just now beginning to feel sorry for me?" Fire said, her eyes blazing dangerously as she stepped closer to him, her paws blazing.

[2.0]

[SpringsSong]

Ice sighed as he stopped, his head lowered as ice slowly crept up around his paws.  "Fire... I know this might seem hard for you to believe, but I was just as hurt when I saw you at the auditions and you so wanted to talk to me, but I didn't want to talk to you.  Believe me, when I saw you walk outside to help get people to their practice rooms, I wanted to run after you and try and talk to you again, but my uncle didn't want to stay any longer than we had to."

Ice sighed as he said, "Please, don't incinerate me, Fire.  Things between us are already bad, but I want to try and make ammends to you.  Please... please.  Hear me out on this, Fire."

[2.0]

[SpringsSong]

"Why should I hear you out on ANYTHING, IceCry?!" Fire shouted angrily, trembling as she tried not to cry.  "When I tried to tell you that I wanted to be friends with you again, you didn't hear me out!  Why should I hear you out now?!

The Fenling's fire-colored form was shaking as she looked up at Ice.  "No.  I'm not going to hear you out on this right now.  If anyone's gonna hear anyone out on anything, you're gonna hear me out." She said, her eyes glowing dangerously red.  She shakily walked up to him as she said, "You told me that you loved me.  You held me--and my heart--far closer than Earth ever has, and how did you end it?  You coldly said, 'I think we need to start seeing other people.'  Did you even think of how you sounded then?  Did it even matter to you that I was quite literally starting to cry?"

[2.1]

[SpringsSong]

Ice turned away slightly as he said, "Fire... don't you remember how I asked you not to cry because then I would start back up?" Ice, of course, knew that Fire would doubtless think he had just said that to make her feel better at the time, but it was true.  He had tears forming in his eyes when he heard Fire's choked-up voice on the other end of the line, saying, I'm really trying my best not to cry... after he'd ended things with her.

"I wasn't kidding when I said that I felt like I was going to start crying, too.  Please, Fire.  I'm begging you... hear me out on this." He said. "I know you're upset about EarthSong and what happened between you two, but I still have something to remedy between us."

[2.1]

[SpringsSong]

"You have NOTHING to remedy between us, Ice.  There is nothing to remedy." Fire said angrily, shoving past Ice, tears streaming from her eyes as she went deeper into the Shrine, the tears falling down over her cheeks as she ran.

He has nothing to fix between us.  There is nothing that he can do to change what happened in the past.  What is done is done.  He cannot take back what he did; there's no way to take back what has been said and done.  He cannot right the wrongs between us.  He hurt me worse than Earth ever could...

Deeper and deeper into the Shrine Fire ran, her breath shaky and her limbs trembling as she finally went down hard on the stone floor, tears still streaming down her face.

[2.2]

[SpringsSong]

Ice sighed as Fire ran away from him.  Why did I know that she was going to do that...?  Easy enough, Fire just doesn't trust me anymore, after that. He thought, slowly following after her.  However, after a few moments, he lost her trail and ended up going to the Halls of Amnesty and Remembrance instead.

"Fire?  Come on, please; Fire, come back out... I just want to tell you that I'm sorry, please..." he said quietly, looking around the Hall.  After a few moments, he sat down, his tails swaying deliberately as he waited to hear something from Fire.

[2.2]

[SpringsSong]

There is nothing between us that he can fix...

Fire thought this as she realized where she was; she had ran straight into the Halls of the Lost, where the Hunters were known to reside.  She made no moves to leave; Ice was out there, why would she go back out there when Ice was there, and doubtless, he woudl still try to convince her that he had something to remedy between them.

He cannot fix anything between us... no.  He cannot.  When he said that... I agreed never again would I allow myself to feel that way for him.  He's just trying to play tricks on us.

Even as she thought this, she accidentally reached out with her telepathy and subconsciously thought, I can[t believe that I stumbled into the Halls of the Lost...

[2.3]