Home, Just...Home

[±Witchcraft±]

Rhyme and Sam walked though the school up to a high tower were a single empty room stood. There, they walked together, side by side, to the door. It was the portal to their home, it would take any student back to their homeworld, and it would soon be taking them home. Reaching for the door, Rhyme tried to pull it open, but it was stuck fast.

“It won’t open” Rhyme said to his sister Sam

“Let me try then.” she said as she tried to open it herself, but could not

Where'd you go?
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone.

Rhyme and Sam heard a small soft voice singing on the wind. They stared at each other for a moment when their first heard it, both knowing what it was. They heard the voice all threw their childhoods. It was their mother singing.

Taking a step forward, he returned next verse, which was the males part of the song.

She said "Some days I feel like shit,
Some days I wanna quit, and just be normal for a bit,"
I don't understand why you have to always be gone,
I get along but the trips always feel so long,
And, I find myself trying to stay by the phone,
'Cause your voice always helps me to not feel so alone,
But I feel like an idiot, workin' my day around the call,
But when I pick up I don't have much to say,
So, I want you to know it's a little fucked up,
That I'm stuck here waitin', at times debatin',
Tellin' you that I've had it with you and your career,
Me and the rest of the family here singing

"Where'd you go?"[/center][/i]

On the other side of the world pretty much, deep within a forest, a middle aged women jerked when she heard someone sing back to the song she started. She nearly flew through the roof when she heard that it was Rhyme. Even with his different voices, she could always tell her son apart.

I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone.
Where'd you go?
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone,
Please come back home...

You know the place where you used to live,
Used to barbecue up burgers and ribs,
Used to have a little party every Halloween with candy by the pile,
But now, you only stop by every once and a while,
Shit, I find myself just fillin' my time,
With anything to keep the thought of you from my mind,
I'm doin' fine, I plan to keep it that way,
You can call me if you find that you have something to say,
And I'll tell you, I want you to know it's a little fucked up,
That I'm stuck here waitin', at times debatin',
Tellin' you that I've had it with you and your career,
Me and the rest of the family here singing "Where'd you go?"

I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone.
Where'd you go?
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone,
Please come back home...

I want you to know it's a little fucked up,
That I'm stuck here waitin', no longer debatin',
Tired of sittin' and hatin' and makin' these excuses,
For why you're not around, and feeling so useless,
It seems one thing has been true all along,
You don't really know what you've got 'til it's gone,
I guess I've had it with you and your career,
When you come back I won't be here and you can sing it...

Where'd you go?
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone.
Where'd you go?
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone,
Please come back home...
Please come back home...
Please come back home...
Please come back home...
Please come back home...[/i][/center]

With that, the giant metal door began to creak open, and bright light flooded the room, revealing the swirling portal home.

[[red].Raven]

'He mentioned going home today through that portal... I wonder if I could go?' pondered an idle Rei as she wandered the hallways. Unknown to her, she had ended up in the same hallway that would lead to the Homeland Portal. IT didn't take her long to figure this out once she heard someone singing. Unlike Rhyme's mother, Rei's first thought wasn't 'That's Rhyme singing', that was her second thought. Her first had been 'There's magic in that song'. Following the sound, Rei opened the Homeland Portal door just as the actual portal door opened. She squinted slightly against the light and hesitantly entered, tentatively approaching Rhyme.

At first she said nothing and wondered if she should simply walk quietly back out and leave the pair undisturbed, but a voice told her to stay, so she did. "Rhyme? Are you going home?" She paused, unsure, and then continued carefully. "Would you... like some company?"

[±Witchcraft±]

Rhyme turned slowly when he heard her voice, and gave her a timid smile, with pain and tension hidden behind. If it wasn’t for Sam there with him, he would have bolted long ago, not wanting to meet his father again, not after all that his father put him through.

The super hyper Sam answered before Rhyme could even get a word out.

“REI! Of course you can come!” she said happily as she ran over, giving Rei a big hug.

[[red].Raven]

Rei smiled and laughed lightly, gently returning the ecstatic girl's hug. The gesture had surprised her, but with Sam, she'd expected it by now. Her smile dimmed down just a bit as she looked at Rhyme. She could see his reluctance and could think of nothing to do but give him a comforting look with her eyes; she wouldn't say anything about it while Sam was within earshot. "So..." Rei started casually, pulling out of the hug. "I'm not sure how everything is supposed to work, so... I guess I'll just follow you." She shot Rhyme an encouraging smile, hoping to relieve some of the more obvious tension. 'To be going home when it's so clear it's not what he wants to do... what he'd do for Sam is so touching...'

[±Witchcraft±]

Rhyme nodded slowly and solemnly to Rei. She had it almost right in her thinking. Yes, he did want to run right now, from the conflict his presence would make, and from the risk of entrapment back into what his father called “real magic.” He never really like his wife‘s, Rhyme’s mother’s, magic, he only accepted it after she kicked his ass the first time they met.

“Okay, and...thanks.” he said softly, it barely coming out.



After Rei managed to squeeze out of her hug, Sam began to spin and twirl around the room behind Rei as she played a happy song on her flute. She was really happy to be able to bring Rhyme home to their poor mother, she never really noticed how Rhyme felt about their father, though she knew it so well herself.


Then together, all both stepped through, Rhyme with a frown on his face, and Sam with a giant smile plastered on her lips.

[[red].Raven]

Rei gave Rhyme a slight nod, then stood back slightly as the pair- brother and sister- entered the glowing portal together. She watched, near amazement, as they were taken from this part of the world. Tentatively, she stepped forward and placed a hand into the light. IT was an odd, nonexistent feeling, and she quickly drew back. 'Maybe I shouldn't go...' Rei shook her head. 'No, I said I would, didn't I? Besides, they might need me there...' With a steadying breath, Rei raised her hand once again and place it in the light. There was something more this time. A very warm feeling wrapped around her fingertips. 'So... there is another side...'

Rei closed her eyes, and stepped through to join the others.

[±Witchcraft±]

On the other side of the portal a great silvery old forest came forth. The trees stretched high into the sky on all sides of them, their silvery bark cracked with natural age, and small sections pealing away. As soon as they got the Sam went off running down the path at top speed, which for the hyperactive 12 year old, was very fast.

Rhyme though, stayed behind, and walked slowly down the dusty worn path. He would stop at a tree, and run his hand over the bark, as he looked into the twisting branches with the changing leaves just ready to fall off. There wore many leaves on the ground already, but many yet still hung there on the trees.

For a moment he wanted to turn, to go back through the portal, but when he did he noticed that it was gone, he was stuck here until he found a way to come back, which if he knew anything about magic, especially old magic, that would happen, if, and only if, he did what he came here to do.

So Rhyme walked down the path, lost in memories of home.


((I feel so bad for Rhyme right now, so hurt, so depressed, wow, dress him up and call him emo...WAIT, don’t, if you did that Reba would probably go after him))

[[red].Raven]

((Awe, poor Rhyme))

Rei, wondering why everything was so dark and then realizing her eyes were closed, opened her sky blue orbs and looked around. She saw Sam in the distance skippin-er, running merrily along, and then Rhyme only slightly further ahead, taking his time. They were in some sort of forest, but the air was... different. It was powerful. The whole place seemed... enchanted, somehow; it made her Mark tingle with that odd warmth... Rei blinked a couple times, snapping back into focus, and realized that she was a good way behind the others now. Sighing at her own idleness, she walked briskly to catch up with Rhyme, and then slowed to his pace.

She remained silent for a moment, watching Sam's figure shrink as she wasted no time to get to where ever they were going. Knowing the young girl was out of earshot, Rei at last spoke. "Rhyme... " she began hesitantly. "are you... okay?"

[±Witchcraft±]

Before Rhyme could answer, a high pitched scream could be heard in the distance. From over the hill Sam came running back even faster then before.

“One of dad’s guardians attacked me!” she screamed.

Behind a large stone golem stomped. Their dad made them to protect the home from any magical threat, though they never attacked any of the family before.

“Damn him, I figured he would set it to attack me, since I ran out, but Sam? Now he is really going to get it” he swore angrily under his breath.

Knowing what the Golems were made out of, Rhyme focused on his throat and changed his vocal chords. Then he let out a deep rumbling sound that the others wouldn’t be able to hear.(not sure if Rei could, the sound is below the human spectrum of hearing though) Even though they couldn’t hear it, they would be able to see Rhyme’s Adam’s Apple vibrating, and the creatures of the forest bolted from the sound.

When the sound his the rock though, it had no effect, this made Rhyme’s eyes bug out wide, since it should have. He hit the perfect pitch to make the rock vibrate and break apart, even some of the rocks on the hillside did it. The only meaning would be that his father purposely made it so Rhyme’s sound based attacks wouldn’t be able to work against it.

“Take cover!” he said, running backwards, trying to keep himself from falling.

[[red].Raven]

When the scream reached Rei, her eyes snapped in Sam's direction, but focused behind the girl, not on her. A Golem was not something she was familiar with. A faint glimpse of a memory is all Rei can recall, but she's never encountered one up close nor had to fight one off. After assessing the creature, her eyes scanned Sam to make sure she wasn't injured, and then darted back and forth from Rhyme, to the Golem; what should she do? When Rhyme activated the low pitch, it sounded as though a very large swarm of very large bees was hovering a few hundred yards away; the sound was almost nonexistent. Rei quickly evaluated what Rhyme was trying to do and went on to watch the creature anxiously, hoping his idea would work.

But hope isn't always enough.

When Rhyme started running, Rei took the hint and did the same. Falling wasn't an issue for Rei; moving was like second nature to her. Acting on impulse and the spur of the moment command, Rei went for the first cover that made sense to her; up. The first sturdy tree she came to, she was up. Clawmarks marred the silvery bark from the talons that were visible for only a moment as Rei made her smooth ascention.

Perched securely on a branch, she reached down and offered a hand to either one of her companions as her mind raced with thoughts and ideas. Her lack of knowledge on golems wasn't helping much. At last, Rei called out to Rhyme. "Rhyme! What do we do?"

[±Witchcraft±]

Staying at the bottom of the tree Rhyme looked up at her as Sam clutched his arm. Looking down at Sam, he asked her a question before he answered Rei’s.

“You still have that locket mother gave you right?” he asked, getting a nod of approval from Sam.

“Good...” he turned to Rei “Take the locket and run up the hill and get my mother, she will know how to stop it, Sam and I will keep it busy.”


He then stooped down to her level and looked Sam in the eyes.

“Ready to sing together again Sammy? But this time, lets really sing!” he said


“YAH!” Sam screamed as she got Rhyme’s courage, though Rhyme didn’t really have any himself.

[[red].Raven]

Rei took the locket almost robotically and made no move to leave her tree. Her sky blue eyes became stormy with clouds of worry and streaks of concern. She knew full-well that Rhyme could take care of himself, especially with Sam to help, but how could she bring herself to leave at a time like that? Staring down at the pair, Rei clutched the locket securely as her eyes flickered toward the approaching beats. She knew she was wasting time. She knew she had to go. She also knew she didn't want to.

She wanted to help, not run away. 'But...by running away... I'm helping... aren't I? Clenching her jaw and closing her eyes, Rei pushed from the branch out of the tree just as two dragon-like wings sprouted from her shoulder blades. With one last look at Rhyme and Sam down below, Rei gained some altitude and set off, nearly streaking through the trees; Rhyme had said 'run', but flying was so much faster.

With the locket to guide her, it wasn't long- though it felt like forever- before Rei's keen, currently infrared eyes, narrowed onto a figure in the distance on the hill; it had to be Rhyme's mother. Folding her wings, Rei dove toward the ground, spread them once more, and alighted gently back on the earth. Morphing back to normal, Rei sprinted toward the woman and frantically held out the locket. "Rhyme and Sam- there's a Golem attacking- they- they said you could help- I- I- that way!" Unable to form proper sentences, Rei simply pointed desperately back in the direction she had come.

[±Witchcraft±]

Rhyme had a twinkle in his eyes as he thought up a good song. Not really a battle song, but that isn’t what they needed. And truthfully, he wanted his mother to be a bit mad at their father when this all goes down, and this would make sure that she would be their to destroy the thing herself. He knew that his mother would not know about the golem, since she would have never allowed it.

“Well Sam,” he said, getting up and Sam following “I have been gone for about a year, lets show our good old dad how we ‘measure’ that year.” he said, grinning toward her.

“Yes, lets.” she replied back.

Rhyme hit the play button on his MP3 player and let the music roll out around him in waves. The music started softly, with a light piano starting behind him. Though oddly, though Rhyme guessed it was from residue magic from her fathers side, Sam began to change age, Rhyme always believed that their was a bit of time magic in her, which was why she always acted so young at times, and why she changed now. She changed to be the same relative age as Rhyme.

((www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8iTeDl_Wug))

Rhyme didn’t pull out his baton, he just stood next to his sister as they began to sing.

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Moments so dear
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure - Measure A Year?

In Daylights - In Sunsets
In Midnights - In Cups Of Coffee
In Inches - In Miles
In Laughter - In Strife

In - Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
How Do You Measure
A Year In The Life?

How About Love?
How About Love?
How About Love?
Measure In Love

Seasons of Love.
Seasons of Love.

Rhyme and Sam sang together, their voices meshing perfectly from old practice coming alive again. Their singing created a lighter blue ribbons, combined with pink hearts that surrounded the golem and held him in place against it’s struggling. Rhyme’s song spells where one thing their father could never protect himself against, since he himself didn’t know truly how they worked.

-----------------

Elandil, Rhyme’s mother, looked at Rei for a moment, a bit shocked for the sudden entrance. She thought about if the person was evil, she looked it by the wings, but when she saw the look in Rei’s eyes and the locket in her hand. She nodded, before she yelled in for Alina to watch Lucas as she grabbed a cloak and ran out, slamming the door hard.

-----------------

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Journeys To Plan

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes

How Do You Measure The Life
Of A Woman Or A Man

In Truth That She Learned
Or In Times That He Cried
In Bridges He Burned
Or The Way That She Died

It's Time Now - To Sing Out
Though The Story Never Ends
Let's Celebrate
Remember A Year In The Life Of Friends

Remember the Love?
Remember the Love?
Remember the Love?
Measure In Love

(Under Above by Rhyme at same time)

Oh you got to you got to remember the love,
You know that love is a gift from up above
Share love, give love, spread love
Measure, measure your life in love.

Right on the high note of the song, Elandil appeared, and taking her hands together, she channeled the great power of the song into one solid beam, which she fired at the golem. The beam was periwinkle in color but had a slight overtone of red from her anger.

The golem split apart into many pieces, all the pieces going many different ways.

As the song ended, Sam reverted to her original form, and Rhyme shook slightly and quickly as he cleared himself from the songs effects. He took a small step back though when he saw his mothers anger

”When I see that man I am gong to murder him!” she screamed out in anger and frustration, “Setting those stupid golems after our own children! He is so bullhead at time, wouldn’t take it that his son wasn’t a true mage, so he tried to turn him into one.” she went on ranting long after that, pacing back and forth in the created clearing, but it was under her breath, so Rhyme and Sam couldn’t hear it.

[[red].Raven]

After Elandil had gone off, Rei stood where she was, eyes still fixated where the woman had been. He breathing was slightly irregular- not from being tired, but from the slight adrenaline that had been released in her minor fit of panic. Blinking rapidly after hearing the aftershock of the final blast of music from the battle in the forest behind her, Rei spun and sprinted back through the trees. No more flying; it was an unnecessary risk.

She quickly returned to where Rhyme and his family were, stopping short when she saw Elandil pacing angrily. A little more slowly, she approached Rhyme. "Are you both okay?" Her eyes flickered to Sam to indicate what she meant by 'both'.

[±Witchcraft±]

Rhyme nodded to Rei, giving her a slightly fatigued smile, though it was a real smile for once, not the forced ones he wore earlier. It was easier for him to sing with Sam then Rei, since both of them drawled their power from nearly the same source, the music. That was why Rhyme almost never got tired, he could hold his body up with magic, and he had a near infinite amount when he sang. Rei didn’t, she had to use her own, which means she could run out.


“Mommy!” Sam cried out, back to her old 8 year old acting self. She ran out and gave her mother a giant hug, which her mother returned. Then she stood up straight again and held out her arms and gave a warm smile.


A single tear dropped from Rhyme’s eyes as he ran over and have his mother a big tear filled hug. He missed her so much, even though he wouldn’t let himself think of her often because of it. But with her here he let it all out.

“I am so sorry Mom, I just had to go, I just had to go...” he repeated over and over again into her shoulder as she made soft shushing noises in his ear.