[Nyxia]

*Her almost silent foot falls in the dark,Ki felt her foot catch on a large dark object before she tumbled over a few times landing on her back in the dark,wet grass.Grumbling she sat up again and rubbed the back of her neck with a gloved hand,this place,this was it,but she felt uneasy all the same.Crawling partly up the enbankment she'd slid down she found her pack,and then let herself slid on her butt down the small slope once more.Fishing nervously through the pack's contents she finally came across what she sought,a hard steel case,which she pulled out quickly.Upon opening it,she found her stash of rolled cigarettes running low; with a low growl in her throat she removed one,snapping the case shut again.After having dropped the steel case back into her disaray of a pack she pulled a small lighter from her pocket,a lovey piece of silver,adorned with a ruby bat.Shaking the light for a second she guarded the front of her cigarette with her cupped left hand,spinning the wheel of the lighter with her right.Once the flame caught the end of the white paper she let it go,a inhaled deeply,almost sighing when she let the breath go again.Her smile for a few seconds was hidden in the dark by the white smoke,"Ah,the only thing I honestly miss from being hidden away in Yasu's little world.This is true peace." She laughed quietly at herself after saying it,three very long years had passed since she'd vanished into the misty world of Zabitiy,though it hadn't seemed like it in there.She was though somewhat content to have returned to the normal world,even if it was such a brutal and horrifying place."Well...I've finally come back...come home..."She told herself before getting to her feet and brushing the grass and fallen leaves from herself.A few loose strands of dark hair curled at the edges of her cheeks as she wiped her gloved hand over her face once more before picking up her pack and returning it to her left shoulder."So...I wonder who all is here now..."She pondered aloud before silently making her way towards the once majestic ruins that now lay stilled in shadows.Slinking through those very shadows she felt the spirit of her old haunt taking her back,and that fanged smirk returned to her lips as she passed through the fallen archway,much more cautiously this time.

[Nyxia]

After spending a few more hours stalking through the shadows of the ruins,and when she'd found a nice spot to settle herself.Dropping her pack on the mossy ground,she let herself drop onto the remains of an old entry stair way.Relight her last cigarette,she sat in the dark,green and blue eyes scanning through the blackness and the light fog that had begun to mount from the wet moss and grass.In the moon lite fog she could see people,they laughed and talked,sitting around a table made from the fallen stones.Pausing for a second she smiled,before waving her hand into the smoke and mist clearing the air in front of her.Memories were the last thing she needed then,as she reclined some so her elbows propped her up."Maybe its not here either..."She said with a sigh,knowing there was no one within earshot who could answer her.Giving another look around she twitched her nose before crushing out the finished and smoldering white paper;if nothing else was to be found at least she could pay her respects,with that thought in mind she tilted her head back and looked up at the sky watching the few stars she could see through the haze she'd made.

[Nyxia]

After only a what seemed like minutes Ki noticed something odd,a dark smoke around her.Sitting back up she looked all around the area but found nothing,rubbing her eyes she sighed,"Just gettin tired and old Ki,stop jumpin at shadows."She muttered at herself before stretching out her arms and standing up,shaking off the sleepy feeling she had.But as she reached for her pack something slithered its way up her arm,leaving an icy feeling on her skin."Ahhhh!"She yelled tumbling back over a fallen block."What the...?"Looking all around again she saw nothing,that was until the two small glowing orbs caught her eye. "Who's there?!"She called pushing to her feet.From the inky blackness came a strange small creature,which looked her over,blinked its glowing eyes, and immediately slithered up her arm again,this time not leaving such a chill.
Confused,Ki looked over the small creature which was wrapped around her wrist.Its inky looking body and wings were fascinating to her,but its glowing eyes were what really drew her to it.The eyes changed colors from the mischievous gold color to a calmer blue,as though it was showing her its emotions. "Heh...Go figure I'd end up with some strange tag along..."She huffed at it,causing its little eyes to turn a deep blue and its head to lower. "Ah,c'mon I didn't mean that...You're actually kinda cute."Sighing when it continued to seem sad she reached down and petted its dark feather like head,causing it to perk up.Shaking her head Ki looked around before picking up her pack again. "Well I'll guess your coming along,eh?" She asked the strange creature before heading up the crumbling stairs and into the entry way of the cathedral.Inside the dark large hallway she found a spot against the wall and leaned back,pulling out a map

[Nyxia]

She'd only been sitting a short time before she noticed that the map she was looking at was for the Basantha Shrine. Growling at herself she shook away the darker thoughts of just burning the paper to a crisp and replaced the now tightly rolled map back in her pack and removed her lovely silver friend again,lighting the white roll between her lips and drawing in a deep breath around the white paper. "Mmm.." She breathed out,slowly exhaling the white wisps of smoke from her nose. Getting back to her feet she looked around the area, "So much has changed in so little time..." She whispered to herself as looked out in to the empty floor of the great entrance. The memories were so fresh to her still, she could even still see the guys sitting around the fallen stone slab. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she remembered Tern and Fallon sitting talking;her tender spot for the two old werecains seemed a weakness at times like this.Shaking away her memories she now looked at the black and empty space her sadness still evident though mostly gone like the last few puffs of smoke to have left her lips.

[Nyxia]

She'd finally cleared the memories of her past from her mind, and realized the white smoke was getting closer to her nose than it had been; each breath taking more from the roll of paper than the last. Flicking aside the stub of burning paper, she turned her back to the fallen slabs and the memories that lingered there and began back out the door. The strange smoky wisp followed her out the door, squeezing its way between the cracks in the crumbling door jams after her. "C'mon you weird little thing. We have a long way to go before I find my answers." She told it with a heavy sigh.

Her trek seemed to go on and on, up a hill side, over the crumbling and over grown steps. After a few silent hours had passed, Ki found herself standing at the very crest of valley, looking back on the place she'd once called home. Sorrow tugged at her almost cold heart as she did, but shaking away her sentimental thoughts she heard a hissing sound. Cocking her head to one side, she caught a glimpse of the inky creature again, "What? You tellin me where to go now too?" She questioned emotionlessly as she walked along the path pondering where she would go next to find a clue to what she sought. Silently she hoped though to at least find some part of the old gang or at bare bones luck she could find Fallon again.