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Decide Now

Disclaimer: I don't own my friends but I own the setting and characters of the Beyond. I do not own chocolate Pocky either. ^^;;

About the Fic: This is a challenge fic. I leave out the ending because it's for you to dream up the ending. I suggest you read Dancing on Ice before writing the ending and perhaps Deadly Passions when I finish it. Remember, the ending is up to you. I don't give a damn about what happens as long as no one dies.

~*~

It's been three weeks. Three whole weeks since he locked himself in the chamber with no food and no water. Three weeks of minor explosions but they seemed to rock her mind as if they were aimed at her.

Amphrite paced in front of Dan's door for the thousandth time in those three weeks.

No, it was probably more than one thousand.

How could Tracy not care? Where was Tobias? The King and Queen? They seemed to take life as if Dan never locked himself up. As if the archmage was on a mission or something.

The archmage had never told Amphrite what he was doing in there. For all the nymph knew, Dan could be in a coma, near death. His life energy was drained but still strong.

She had not slept nor ate well for the last two weeks. In the first week, she had not worried so much. But now…Amphrite could not even concentrate on her studies.

Finally, she couldn't take it any longer. Since the mage didn't bother to put a powerful lock spell on his door, it was easy for the enchantress to break it down.

Blinding flashes of light filled her eyes as she shielded herself.

There was a cry in anger and frustration, and Dan's life energy flashed once, but then remained calm.

The light died down and Amphrite lowered her hands.

"Dan? Are you—" her words were cut off when she saw the look on his face. "Is there something wrong?"

Golden eyes shimmering with anger glared back at her. "Why would there be something wrong? Everything is just right. I mean, I was preparing for one of the most dangerous spell experiments in my lifetime and my nosy girlfriend walks in. She not only nearly kills me, but she ruins the once-in-one-hundred-years effect of the moons and sun. Now, I have to wait another one hundred years. Again, why would anything be wrong?"

Amphrite was speechless for a minute. "I—I didn't know."

Dan blew up. "Of course, you DIDN'T know! You NEVER KNOW! HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OF ASKING ANYONE INSTEAD OF BARGING IN LIKE THAT?! HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT BEFORE YOU ACTED?!"

Now it was the nymph's turn to get mad. "Well, EXCUSE ME, for being SICK WITH WORRY!!"

"Let me ask you something, HAVE YOU ASKED TOBIAS?! HAVE YOU ASKED MY SISTER?! If you did, WHAT did they tell you?"

Shock ran though Amphrite's veins. The archmage was right. She didn't ask. She had always thought that…the others didn't care. Then again, the enchantress had always been taught not to ask too many questions. Those things always got her some cruel punishment. "I—no. I assumed…"

"You ASSUMED. DAMNIT, AMPHRITE, DON'T DO THAT NEXT TIME! Never mind, BECAUSE OF YOU, there will probably never be a next time."

"I'm sorry…"

Dan seemed to calm down for a second. Finally, without looking at the enchantress, he ordered, "Get out. Get out of here RIGHT NOW."

Frightened and hurt, the water nymph turned and ran down the hallway, tears blinding her way.

The archmage sank to the ground, wetness on his cheeks. "Damnit," he whispered as his shoulders started shaking. "Damnit all."

Amphrite ran until she was outside on one of the long-running balconies. The sunny day didn't suit her mood at all. She would have preferred it if it was like a movie, all rainy and cloudy.

She saw a figure leaning against the railing of the balcony. Tracy. Venus must have let her off on a short break and the warrior was eating…chocolate Pocky. (Sabri, it's the damn cigarette thing. This is so AS's, Umeda's, Koji's, and Youji's fault.)

The nymph walked up to her and leaned against the rail a few feet from Tracy. However, the queen didn't look up. Instead, she continued eating the Pocky.

Finally, Amphrite broke the silence. "You heard, didn't you?"

"Half of the castle did."

The nymph looked down at her hands. "I…just don't get it. He spends so much time with his magic. I mean, I'm not saying he should spend more time with me…it's just that I'm worried about his well, erm…Shit, I'm sounding like a house-wife."

Tracy was about to eat another stick when she suddenly stopped. "Amphrite, I have about a ten minute break before I go back to the Stimulation Dome where Venus will recreate my death or something…and you're bothering me with this?"

Hurt once more, the enchantress shrugged and began to walk away. "I suppose it sounds silly to you…" she muttered.

"I'm kidding," Tracy drawled out. "Sheesh, the stuff you guys take seriously from me. I swear, if I didn't say I was kidding half of the time, I'd be dead."

Amphrite shot a grateful look at the air guardian, but wasn't sure she should yell at her or not for being sarcastic with a matter like this. She went back to the rail.

"It just seems like he loves magick more than me."

"He probably does."

That caught Amphrite's attention. "What?"

"You have to understand that he's a fully fledged archmage. To every mage, magick is their first and some times only love. It's just the way they work."

"But what about you? Tobias?"

"Tobias is different. See, Dan draws his energy from other sources while Tobias has drawls his energy from himself and Amon-Ra. Tobias doesn't need to do half of the work Dan does in order to get the same amount of power. Perhaps if Dan awakens Orisis, he'll be able to focus on something other than magick. Me, I draw from Hathor and other sources. An equal balance."

"So what are you trying to say?"

"There comes a time in life when the mage has to choose between his magick or his love life. That is, if he has a love life."

There was silence as Amphrite drank in the words. "Tracy?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you going to do when you have to choose?"

There was a loud crack as Tracy broke the pocky stick in two, half in her hand and half in her mouth. The nymph flinched as the noise interrupted the rather peaceful surrounding.

Instead of answering, Tracy ate the half stick and turned to go back inside. Then, she said, "I'll think about it once the time comes. Venus is calling me back."

The air guardian seemed to disappear with the breeze that drifted in.

Amphrite stared at the grass. Finally, making up her mind, she decided to see Dan once more.

Tracking down his energy pattern, she found him siting under some tree, glancing into the lake. His eyes still had anger left over in him.

He did not greet her as she arrived.

For about five minutes, they stood there, nymph staring at archmage, archmage staring at water.

"Uhh…"

"What?" his voice was cold.

Amphrite forced herself to calm down. After all, she had been hurt before. What was the difference? The difference is that this is the man you truly love. However, in his heart, you may not be first. "I…talked to Tracy."

Dan blinked and finally looked at the enchantress. "Yeah, and?"

"She explained to me the background of what just happened."

As if by some mood swing, Amphrite's face suddenly looked furious. "You have to make a choice, archmage. It's me. Or your magic."

"Make it, NOW."

~*~

And this is where I leave off. If you're going to write the ending, let me know!