Valt's POV
That was it. My final stop on my closure adventure. Now I could finally return to PIXAL at the Monastery and shut myself behind the strong wooden doors; there, I could safely practice my power - no one of flesh to hurt (with no offense in regards to PIXAL).

So why did it hurt so much to leave?

I went over my feelings again and again as I ran out of the International Blader's Cup building with no thought to where I was going - not that I knew where I was going, I was in the USA. My eyes were on the ground, watching as my feet made contact without actually seeing or feeling the impact. I had said goodbye to everyone: Ken, Toko, Nika, Mom, Daigo, BC Sol, Wakiya, Xander, even Shu. I had left them all with the mind frame that I was at least alive and well. What I couldn't figure out was why I felt even more empty than before.

I ran until my muscles screamed and my throat felt raw, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the the emotional pain. PIXAL had sent me on this little errand in order to to put closure on my relationships, and I thought it would make me feel better, but now I just feel hollow.

The building was surrounded by desert, so all I saw was rough, sandy earth as I ran on. Under PIXAL, I had learned that running helped me think. There was something about the moving limbs and heavy breathing that provided my brain with the fuel it needed to think things through. As I ran, I went over what had happened with Shu. I guess I had been acting a little crazier with him than I had been with any of the others. He had been my best friend throughout kindergarten, true, but so had Xander, and I wasn't nearly as overbearing with him as I was with Shu. So what was different with this stop?

Maybe... difference in feelings?

I started to slow down as it dawned on me, and kicked myself for not realizing it sooner. I had been so tipsy with Shu because I saw him as more than a friend. I loved him. And when I saw him follow that creep so blindly, losing himself in the process, it just broke my heart. I felt such anger towards Theodore for turning Shu into Red Eye, for making him forget his friends, for taking him away from me, that I wanted to make him suffer. I had wanted to make him feel every ounce of the pain he had caused me. If the Element hadn't sent my ancestors to stop me, there was a good chance that I would have killed Theodore.

A Master never kills, unless there is no other option.

PIXAL had taught me that. It was one of the most fundamental ideals of the Elemental Masters, yet I had almost forgotten and broken it. I almost killed a man. I'm not a Master... I'm a MONSTER.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a puddle that some distant rainstorm had left and had been saved by the mercy of the sun until the next day. I drifted over to it and looked at my reflection. For a second I thought someone was in the puddle, for I barely recognized the boy who stared back. I had grown used to how my physical appearance had turned out - I knew my hair had gotten longer, I had lost some weight, and a considerable amount of time in the sun had darkened my skin a little. But I hadn't yet taken into account how much my eyes had changed. Before they had sparkled with so much enthusiasm that I used to scare people away with a glance. Now I hardly recognized them - all of the former childlike sparkle had gone.

That wasn't the main reason why I didn't recognize the boy in the puddle. It was the fact that the boy didn't have any friends standing beside him. He looked crushingly lonely.

Monster.

Lonely.

A lonely monster. That's what I am.

At first I didn't notice the pain starting to build within my tear ducts. I vaguely understood that I was about to cry - who wouldn't, in this situation? Then the pain started to get worse, and I realized something was wrong. Tears mean you hurt emotionally, not physically. As soon as I had that thought, a blue line appeared in the puddle. It took me a second to realize that the line was in my eye. It was my tears.

As a blue line appeared in my other eye, I started to panic. PIXAL hadn't taught me everything about the Elemental Power, and what she already taught me didn't say anything about colored tears. Not only colored, glowing, I realized as the skin and eyes around the tears also started to turn pale with blue light. I didn't understand what was happening, but some internal instinct told me no matter what, I could not let the tears touch the ground.

Figuring that my best course of action was to call PIXAL and have her walk me through this, I reached inside my coat and brought out the penny sized collapsible headset that PIXAL told me never leave the Monastery without. It took me three tries to get it lined up properly with my ear, then I pressed it in order for its metal legs to clamp onto my earlobe. A pin sized mouthpiece protruded from the center and snaked along my jawline. Soon enough, PIXAL's worried voice filled my ear.

"Valt?" She inquired. "Thank goodness; I've been trying to reach you for the past hour. I was wanting to know when you were coming back so I knew when to start your birthday dinner. How does yakitori and rice cakes sound?"

"Sorry," I amended. "I was preoccupied, so I didn't realize you were trying to reach me." I licked my lips; it was taking all of my will power not to start crying, and the heat wasn't helping. "Um, PIXAL? Have previous Masters ever cried colored tears?"

She was quiet for a minute before asking, "Are you saying that you've started crying blue tears?"

Her tone told me that this was not a good thing. "Yeah... PIXAL? What's happening to me?"

Frantic rummaging reached me through the headset. "Valt, this isn't good - you're crying ELEMENTAL TEARS! When a Master feels sorrow or loneliness that fills them from the depths of their soul, their Element tries to make up for it by filling their tears with Elemental Energy. When those Tears touch the ground, they seek to find any and all sources of their element and affect them such so that everyone knows and feels exactly how the Master feels. First it's the town, then it's the state, then it's the continent, then it's the world."

"So basically... if a Master cries, their Element cries with them?"

"Precisely."

Oh no. This was worst than I thought - my very TEARS were a bio weapon! "Okay, PIXAL... what do I do?"

I heard footsteps, then the sound of the hidden elevator descending. "Alright, it's better to let the Tears flow, as attempting to keep them in will only cause you immense pain, but you need to do so in a controlled environment. Just stay there and try think happy thoughts. Flying in your Dragon Form with all the wind whipping your face will only jar the Tears loose. I'll pinpoint your location with the headset and come get you with the Samurai X suit. I'll explain further when I pick you up."

"Okay..." I took a deep breath. "PIXAL? Please hurry."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," She promised, metal clanking in the background. "Remember: happy thoughts!"

With that, she hung up and I sank to my knees, rubbing my knuckles under my eyes in an attempt to contain the Tears for at least a little longer. I tried to heed PIXAL's advice and think happy thoughts, but all I could come up with was this:

Worst. Birthday. EVER.

Shu's POV
After running out of Theodore's office, I took the stairs three at a time and made my way to the front entrance. I couldn't imagine Valt running anywhere else, but I got worried when I considered what modes of transportation he might have come by with his new lifestyle. Helicopter? Jet? Some form of automobile?

My fears abated when I saw the footprints stretching off into the distance just past the front door. Looks like my little friend still couldn't let go of his old habits. Thank goodness for that.

I started to follow the footprints, but it quickly became clear that Valt had gained some athleticism in the months he'd been gone. The trail stretched about five and a half miles, and I had to stop about halfway in order to catch my breath. My feet hurt and my lungs burned, but I pushed myself to keep going.

Because like any race, the prize at the end was worth every blister and ragged breath.

Finally I saw a dark blue dot on the horizon. Encouraged by the fact that my little race was almost over, I ran faster. As I drew closer, the dark blue dot morphed into a boy hunched over with his hands over his face. He appeared to be crying, or attempting not to cry. My heart hurt at the sight of him. I'm coming, Valt, I vowed. I'm coming, and I'll make this right. I was only about 10 yards away. 9. 8. Almost there...

Then another dark dot took up the horizon, moving much faster than I was. Worried that Theodore may have called in the cavalry to pick up both me and Valt, I put on another burst of speed, though it was obvious that the opposing party would get to Valt before me.

And they did end up reaching him far before I did, but it wasn't any cavalry I'd ever seen before. It looked almost like a metal god, a large, hulking body with highlights of white, red, blue, and gold. Sharp metallic claws decorated the hands, and wings of fire perched amongst the spine. The only thing that wasn't very imposing was the head, which was only a quarter of the size of the body, though it still bore a terrifying mask.

To be honest, it looked rather... familiar.

Valt quickly stood up and had an urgent conversation with the metal being. The wind made from the jet pack stole the words, but I made out the words tears, hurting, destroying.

Was he talking about himself?

Oh, my dear Valt! That's not you at all!

To my shock, the metal being held out its hands and Valt climbed into them without much hesitation. With my small friend comfortable, the metal being turned around, presumably to leave. The whole time, I hadn't stopped running. When I was no less than one yard away, I leapt into the air and grabbed one of the metallic feet. It didn't even flinch, and Valt didn't look down.

I wasn't scared of heights like Wakiya, but I felt my stomach dropping as the ground fell farther away. But I looked up at Valt the whole time, and I was fine.

For Valt, anything.

Xander's POV
I had run across Brazil trying to find Valt, but I'd come to a literal dead end. More specifically, the end of the continent. I kid you not, I had run right to the edge of Brazil and was now staring at the Atlantic Ocean. My chest was heaving and my feet hurt, and I was positive that my clothes and hair were ruined.

I didn't give a damn. My brother was top priority.

I stared at the ocean hard enough that I became positive that I would vaporize the ocean if I stared long enough. I was formulating a multitude of plans on how to get across when a dark dot flew over the horizon and headed straight for the shore. As it flew above me, I gave a start. It was hard to discern the colors from afar, but I was almost certain that it was the mysterious being that had taken Valt away the first time.

Oh no. I'm not letting you off the hook this time.

I started running after them. I didn't know how I'd catch them, but I would.

My brother was top priority.

—————-
2091 words.

Did I update this book twice in the past two days?

I guess I did!