KK, here goes my shot at a serious Evolution Worlds fic! X3 Of course, being the slash writer that I am, I just had to do a yaoi fic. Especially seeing as all the fics here are Mag/Linear and Mag/Chain... I thought, ah heck, why not a Mag/Yurka? Seriously though, I've been thinking about doing this for a very long time.

Disclaimer: I don't own Evolution Worlds. Oh but if I did...

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The day was hot. Very hot. And to make matters worse, Mag Launcher, the seemingly last and respectable member of the Launcher family, had to shovel dirt for eight hours to earn his keep at the local inn. Three years ago, he was constantly paying off his debt by exploring ruins and collecting artifacts. Now he was traveling the world with Linear in search of a friend, new adventure... and paying off their debt. The teen, almost twenty years of age, swiped a hand across his brow, smiling breathlessly as he looked down at the now small pile of dirt. He'd managed to spread a truck load along the entire backyard of the inn over the course of a few days, it was supposed to help the grass's regrowth, since most of it died out during the winter.

"Mag, are you tired?" asked a quiet voice from behind him. A tall girl walked up to him, a glass of ice cold water in hand. Said boy looked up to her, literally. He hadn't grown much taller over the years, but he was proud to say that he was now only a head shorter than Linear. The girl handed him the glass, which he accepted thankfully, and smiled. "Come inside when you're done, ok?"

"Sure Linear." He breathed, releshing the water's cool passage down his throat before handing her the empty glass and getting back to work. Luckily for him, he would be done with this job just in time for dinner.

It did not take long at all, in fact. The entire yard was now lightly covered and quite leveled. He had to admit, he always was good when it came to manual labor, but perhaps not much anything else. Mag swiped a hand across his forehead as he entered the inn, and briefly thanked the heavens for air conditioning, even though it was only a small system. Linear came gingerly down the stairs carrying a towel. "You might have to wait a while, Miss Linda is in the bath right now."

Mag sweated a bit at the news, accepting the towel and making his way down the left hallway. "Yeah, gotcha." They had been staying at the inn for nearly a week now, and it didn't take them long to realise that once Miss Linda, seemingly a regular, got inside the washroom it was going to be quite a few hours before she got out. "I can't see how it could take a lady so long to take a bath..." The red-head mummbled as he sat down on a waiting bench. "But I guess with all that hair... Still..."

A creeking sound.

Started, he looked about, but saw no one, and nothing but the sound of running water could be heard. "That's funny." Just as soon as he closed his eyes, there was another creeking noise, almost as if someone was walking underneath the floor boards... he jumped when he heard something scurring behind the wall he was leaning against. He got up and shivered, his mood for the day totally wrecked. "This place has rats or something."

With a sigh, he stood in waiting for what he estimated was about two hours. When the bathroom door finally opened, at first he couldn't move because his legs had gone asleep. Miss Linda stepped out of the bath in her usual blue bathroom robe and a towel around her head. She smiled brightly at the boy who failed to return the gesture. "The shower's all yours!" She sang happily, swaying her hips as she walked down the hallway to her room.

Mag stared sullenly behind her before grabbing his towel from the chair and making his way into the bathroom. The place smelled of perfume or shampoo, or whatever that woman had been using. Flipping on the lock, he didn't hesitate in stripping off his clothes and running the bath water into the tub. The floor was covered in water, and the stool was still soapy from use, but he sat on it and turned on the shower head nonetheless. He closed his eyes, letting the water hit him, as a strange, nostalgic sensation coursed through his veins. Then suddenly, he hearda heart beat.

Just a little closer.

His eyes snapped open, but he didn't move. Someone had just spoken to him... in his mind? Looking around, hewas thankful to see that he was still alone, but that wasn't entirely a good thing either. "I must have pushed myself too hard today..." He mumbled to himself, turning off the shower seeing as the bathtub was almost full. Turning off the water faucet, he slipped into the tub and grabbed the nearest bottle of shampoo that Miss Linda left behind and began massaging it into his hair. If anything, that was probably just him thinking to himself without realizing he was thinking... Yes, it had to have been his mind talking... But then... Why was that voice not his own? Mag clenched his hands and narrowed his eyes, "That's it! I'm taking it easy for a while. I don't want to be going all crazy. Hehe..." Feeling his hands unclench slowly, he took on a more worried expression, even if he relaxed, somehow he was already convinced that something supernatural was going on... Although it wasn't as if he believed in ghosts or anything like that... But after what had happened three years ago, anything seemed possible.

"Mag." Linear's voice was just barely audible from beyond the bathroom door. He answered her call meekly, and she paused before continuing. "Dinner is almost over. But I will save you something to eat, ok?"

Mag dipped half his head below the bath water and blew bubbles angrilly, then came back up and called out a "Thanks Linear!" before sinking back down again. That Linda... If it weren't for her... This time, he ducked his entire head underwater and let countless bubbles escape his mouth. Sometimes, he just wanted to stay like this forever, never come back up... But as soon as the need for air hit him, he came back up with a gasp.

Back in the dinner hall, Linear sat alone at a small round table, staring at the empty chair Mag was supposed to be sitting in. She had barely touched her plate, and Mag's plate was... Well, of course it was still full. Mag... She thought morosely to herself. The red-head was constantly the object of her focus, even though that sometimes angered people. Especially that Chain. Speaking of Chain, Linear touched her chin with a forefinger, wondering for the first time how the girl was doing, or what she was doing now. Had Chain changed at all since they left? And what about Pepper...? There's no way she would still be hanging around in Panam Town. Shaking her head gently, her thoughts returned to Mag. He'd been going around doing various jobs ever since they left on their journey, simply to keep them from being left out on the streets of lord knows where. She felt a slight pang of guilt, considering the fact that she never really even tried to make things easier for him. Her heart sank at the thought, but before she could fall further into the traps of her mind, a gentle voice broke her concentration.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Linear." Mag walked up to her hastily, his hair pulled down towards the floor, still damp and practically dripping.

Linear looked over at him and smiled, "You smell nice, Mag."

The boy blushed at the sudden compliment and scratched the back of his head. "Uh, thanks." He walked over to his side of the table, inspecting his tray of food and frowning. "Ah, man. It's cold." Looking up to see Linear's face filled with sorrow, he waved his hands nervously and grinned, "It's nothing to be sad about, Linear! It can't be helped."

"Mag." She began quietly, effectively cutting off whatever else he was going to say. She looked up at him from across the table, her eyebrows furrowed. "I'm sorry. I haven't been much help, have I?"

"Wha?" What was this all of a sudden?

She looked down at the table again, and played with her fingers lying in her lap. "Everytime we go somewhere," She began again, pausing to briefly look up and then continued, "You always end up doing all the work. Is it a bother for me to be here like this?"

Somehow, he felt guilty that Linear felt that way, and made his way to her side. He patted her right shoulder gently, "That's not your fault Linear. I wouldn't be able to go on this journey like this if you weren't here with me." He smiled comfortingly, glad to see that her mood seemed tobe lifting. "I'm glad you're here. So don't worry about a thing, 'K Linear?"

Feeling overjoyed, Linear smiled and nodded. Not long after that, they left for their room andgot ready for bed. There was no point in eating cold leftovers, so Mag left it on the table. He just had to remembering to eat breakfast in the morning before setting off for the next town. With a stretch, Mag lied down in his cot and fell asleep almost immediately. Although morning came quickly, he felt totally rested. Linear was up very early, as usual, and had brought a tray of food into the bedroom by the time Mag woke up. "Here you go." She smiled, placing it on his lap.

Mag yawned and sighed, blushing down at the tray in his lap. It felt weird being served breakfast in bed, but he was thankful for it. Linear was always so sweet, how could she even begin to think that she was useless? He ate quietly, every now and then they would exchange words, but for the most part, the morning was quiet all the way up until it was time for them to leave. Mag pulled his gloves on tighter and checked his backpack before they left town. Most likely, it'd be a long road ahead before they made it to another town, although they could have very well taken the train, Linear liked to hike every now and then being the nature girl that she was. He had to admit, tiring as it was, something about it was relaxing.

"..." Linear paused in her walking when she spotted a flower half dead by the side of the road. Without a word she silently walked over to it and bent over to work her healing powers, however Mag hadn't noticed her detour.

He continued walking until an idea hit him. 'ObanCity is a huge tourist area. Linear's never been somewhere like that... Maybe we should...' It was then that he noticed her absense, he stopped walking and looked around to find her quite a bit behind, soft green glows of light were floating around her hands. He smiled and shook his head, it was going to be a long trip alright. But you'll come to see me, right? "Wha?" Blue eyes widened in sudden shock. It was that melodous voice again. But where...?

"Mag!" Linear called, snapping him out of his dazing and running to his side. It took a moment for him to find his voice, but when he did, he tried his best to completely forget the little voice in his head, and grinned vibrantly. "Let's go to Oban City, Linear!" He spoke with enthusiasm, and had an odd jump in his step. However, Linear couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. But she just couldn't find the gall to bring up her queries, so she remained silent, and followed closely behind Mag.

It had been a good thing they left so early, at the pace they were going, it'd only take about 2 days to make it all the way into the next city. Coming upon a crossroads, Mag leaned up to read the signs. The one pointing the left read "Odale Town: Center of good living" and the one indicating to the right read, "Oban City: Under heavy construction..."

"What the... What could've happened over there? Do you know Linear?" Linear shook her head, already used to Mag asking her stupid questions every now and again. Honestly, how would she know. "Oh, sorry Linear, you couldn't possibly know. Haha." He sighed in, feeling tired, he rethought about his choice of going to the city. Something big must have happened there for them to put up a sign like that. And Odale Town sounded like a nice place to settle in to... Another sigh, 'Guess I'll have to forget about showing Linear any amusement parks...' "Come on Linear." He spoke dryly, starting on the path to the left. Not that way. He froze in mid-step and turned back to Linear. "Did you say somethi..." Trailing off, he shook his head and continued walking, but his body suddenly froze over and he felt a deathly shiver. Please don't leave me behind... Feeling the effects wear off, he paused deep in thought, leaving Linear to worry over him. She repeatedly called his name and tugged gently at his sleeve, but his mind was elsewhere.

Someone was trying to find him. No, someone was trying to help him find them. Either way, the fact that something incredibly strange was happening to him, and he had a forboding feeling that this voice simply wouldn't go away until he found whatever or whoever it belonged to. He looked to the right, past Linear, at the path he chose not to take. 'Should I really...?'

"Mag!" Said boy jumped, startled at Linear's suddenly loud voice. Settling down, he glanced up at her worried expression and laughed nervously. "Ahaha, sorry about that. I kinda spaced out." Regaining his composure, he took her hand and hurriedly made their way down to the right path, the path leading to Oban City. "We're going this way afterall!"

Linear blinked in confusion as she allowed herself to be pulled into a run. "...afterall?" She spoke quietly, so he didn't quite hear her. But despite that, she couldn't help but smile. Something about Mag had changed, however slightly, and whatever it was, he seemed to have his usual energy back. Morning turned to afternoon, and afternoon turned to evening. By that time, the two were exhausted, and stopped by the side of the road to set up camp. Linear stayed by their things to spread out two blankets on the ground, while Mag went to get firewood. When he got back, a fire was started, and he plopped himself down beside it, letting out a tired breath.

"We sure came a long way, huh Linear?" When he received no response, he looked across the fire to see her face concentrating on the small flames. "Linear?"

She looked up at him after hearing her name for the second time, and nodded her head. "Sorry, Mag." She spoke sheepishly. She always felt embarrassed when she was caught spacing out. "You must be hungry." She spoke softly, reaching into her small backpack and pulling out a bag of dried fruit.

Mag accepted the offer thankfully, since they hadn't eaten anything since they left the last town. Chewing slowly, he stared blankly into the fires. His mind wandered back to the past few events, the familiar voice in his head. Who could it have been? No matter how much his mind struggled to remember, he kept drawing up a blank. It was deep, and flowed easily, although those last words it had said tugged at his heart strings. "Please don't leave me behind..." There was a sad note to that voice then, like it was about to cry. He had to admit, that may have been the final blow in convincing him to find this thing, or person. "...Ok?" Slowly, he came back to the real world, noticing with surprise that the fire he had built had dimmed down quite a bit. But he'd worry about that later. He turned back to Linear, "Are you Ok?" She asked again, and at that, Mag waved a hand casually, "I'm fine, Linear. Thanks for worrying though." He smiled and looked up at the sky to see that it was pitch black. His smile faltered a little, just how long had he been spaced out?

Deciding to think more on the issue later, he settled into his blankets with Linear following suite. As soon as he closed his eyes, sleep claimed him, and for a while, everything was blank. Until he could hear the sound of footsteps...

Running. He was running.

"Mag, where're you going? There's more over here!"

Pepper? He stopped running, looking about. Although his vision was considerably hazy, he was able to make out Pepper and Chain a bit behind him, battling three enemy robots. The area was dark and ominous, and a twisting feeling clenched at his gut. But seeing his friends in danger got the better of him, and before he knew it, he was charging at the nearest 'bot. They downed them all quickly, and when Mag simply stood there staring at them, Chain got impatient, "What are you doing? Get a move on! Don't you wanna save Linear?"

"Linear?" He asked stupidly, "Linear's in danger?"

His two partners simply stared at him, dumbfounded. Pepper was the first to recover, "Don't tell me you just forgot. Linear was kidnapped by that Yurka kid, remember?"

Yurka.

Azure eyes widened in shock, yes... Yurka...!

Please don't leave me behind...

Chain's voice made muffled cries, telling him to hurry up, and he felt himself running. However, even as they progressed through the maze, and up a staircase, his mind was still elsewhere. Luckily for him, the area they entered was completely devoid of monsters, and they all stopped at the final staircase.

But you'll come to see me, right?

They ascended the stairs, immediately being assaulted by gusts of wind. As soon as he spotted the giant robotic structure, he ran up as close as he deemed safe, and stared up in awe. There was Yurka and... Linear? The memories of everything that had happened flooded back to him, and he realizedthat he was experiencing his own memories... So this Yurka was...

"Humans," Came the dark boy's growl from his seat in the giant machanical monster. Even through his foggy vision, Mag could make out hateful eyes, glaring at him.

"Linear! What have you done to Linear?" He heard himself cry out. He no longer had control over his own body, his actions, his emotions... The images all faded into a white background, and he could only hear voices. The cries of anguish, of battle, of spirit. Then his vision returned, though still hazy. He was kneeling next to a body. A smiling face looked up at him.

"Thank you."

For what? His eyes slipped in and out of focus, yet he could here himself speak, "Maybe we can all be friends someday." He noticed Linear next to him nodding, and the distant voices of Chain and Pepper comforting the fallen boy.

Yurka turned his head towards the skies, a strange light engulfing his body. "Friends..." Mag could only watch, as the body seemingly lifted towards the heavens. Where was Yurka going? "I'd like that. Thank you." His vision became a blur of white.

"Mag."

"Wake up, Mag."

"Wha?" The red-head opened his eyes slowly, his surroundings clearing up after a minute of blinking and rubbing at his lids. He sat up and swiped a hand down his face, looking up to see Linear smiling down at him. "Oh, good morning Linear." He spoke groggily, feeling very much like an old man. Even though he was awake, he found it difficult to move. "Hey Linear." She looked over to him expectantly, pausing in putting away their camping supplies. "I have a feeling our friend is nearby."

Linear just stared at him, at first confused, then in excitement. Now in a hurry to leave, Linear practically shoved every item she could grap into her backpack, which wasn't much, and stood up, urging Mag to do the same.

Mag laughed at her sudden burst of energy and followed in much the same fashion. He had to admit, it really would be nice if that were the case. It didn't take long to reach Oban City, not nearly as long as Mag had anticipated. At first, everything look normal. There were people bustling about the market, and there were many bright shops and buildings. But as they went further along, they quickly noticed the rapid thinning of the crowd, the dull atmosphere, bright colors giving way to more bland, grayish decorations.

A policeman stopped them from going any further into the city, "I'm sorry, I can't allow you to go on. This area's underconstruction..."

"I can see that." Said Mag casually, looking about the area. It looked almost as if the place had been bombed. Everything was black, and some buildings looked as if they were snapped in two. "What happened here anyway? I knew something must've happened but..."

"I can't give you that imformation... Ah, you have a cyframe!"

Smiling, Mag strechted out his machanical hand to give the officer a better look, "Yeah, pretty cool, huh? So, why can't we know what's going on?"

"Nevermind that!" The officer waved his hands dismissively, signaling for one of his companions to come over. They whispered to each other, his companion, though wearing a different color uniform, nodded in agreement with whatever it was they were talking about, and they soon both turned back to Mag and Linear. The man who joined them, in a green uniform, cleared his throat. He spoke with authority, "I'm glad we found someone like you. Maybe you can deal with this new problem."

"What problem?" Mag asked suspiciously, now wondering if it was such a good idea to come to this city.

The man in the green uniform covered a cough with his fist, then bowed to him slightly, "Please follow me."

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A/N: That's it for today. XP Yah, I probably shouldn't have ended there, but I wanted to start off the next chapter by skipping a few days. Yurka won't be appearing for quite a while, so don't expect no action anytime soon. XD But don't worry, I'm planning it all out in my tiny brain. lol For now, I'm gonna work on my DanxEchizen fic, then I'll come back to this again... Arg, I have to update Juvenile too... -.- Anyways, I hope you guys like it so far, and look forward to the next chapter!