Like a river...

"What?!", Janus cried, jumping to his feet. "You would have us forget the 
past so easily and lead ourselves on the path to destruction once more?!"

"Janus!", Schala cried, leaping up after him, but it was too late. Kaela 
whirled around, startled by Janus's outburst. 

Janus stood in the center of the circle, his expression daring anyone to 
challenge him. This couldn't be allowed to happen again. He had seen the 
ravaging that the world had undergone when the Kingdom where he was born 
had been destroyed, and he knew that this plan lead nowhere but along the 
same trail.

"Janus, please!", Schala said, appealingly. What had gotten into Janus? He 
was acting like a madman, standing up to the elders like this!

"All of you, you would all condemn us to a destruction that is imminent! You
would have us repeat what has brought the world down to its current 
condition!", Janus accused, his eyes shifting from elder to elder.

"Janus, sit down!", Schala pleaded. Her brother was clearly out of control 
and he could do some serious damage.

Kaela was utterly confused. Why was her friend acting like this? Was there 
something he hadn't.. told her? She had never heard anything about this 
'path' Janus was talking about. True, they had had that huge tidal wave 
early last year, but the elders had blamed natural causes.

Schala stood up. She couldn't let her brother continue like this!

"Schala, you know I'm right!", Janus said, accusingly,  as she approached.

Schala just hardened her heart against Janus's retorts, and kept on moving 
towards him. The people on the edge of the circle parted for her, and she 
entered the circle, alone, save her little brother.

"Schala.. You know I'm trying to do what's right.. They can't do this..", 
Janus said, being more himself but still holding tenaciously to his stand.

"Kaela.. please, help me..", Schala said, scanning the crowd for Kaela's 
familiar face.
 
Kaela stood, slowly. Confusion clouded her eyes, as she reluctantly stepped 
forward to help Schala take Janus out of the circle. Why? Why, Janus? 

As if giving up, Janus allowed Schala and his friend to lead him out of the 
meeting, his senses only then coming to him. Kaela held Janus's hand tightly, 
not only to lead him out, but for reassurance, to herself. Schala held a 
gentle but firm grip around Janus's shoulder, as she practically propelled 
Janus out of there herself.

When they had reached the edge of the large circle of people, Janus stopped. 
Motioning to Kaela and Schala to let go, he turned around. In an even tone, 
quite unlike the one he had used only mere moments before, he said to the 
entire group;

"Do what you want. Just don't expect my help in bringing about your own
destruction."

Then he turned, and walked away quietly, Kaela and Schala at his sides.

"Janus.. what were you thinking?", Schala asked, stunned.

Janus remained silent. He gave a convulsive tremble, then burst into tears
and ran away from them, towards the hut they were staying in.

"Janus!"

"No, Kaela.. He needs to be alone..", Schala said softly..

"S..Schala?"

"Let him be.. He needs to be alone for a while.. Then, he will tell you..", 
Schala said softly, barely audible over the bustle of the village's daily 
routine.

Kaela resigned herself to just watching Janus's tearful form dissappear into 
the distance, unable to do anything for him.

---------

"Janus.. we need to talk.."

Kaela was standing in the entryway of the grass hut the three of them shared.
The sunlight streaming past her body illuminated the crosslegged figure 
sitting in the shadows. Janus sat in the corner, his shoulders shaking in 
silent sobs. His head was bent over, and he was cradelling his face in his 
hands.

Kaela strode forward, concerned, and knelt next to Janus, her hands on his 
shoulders.

"Janus, you've got to tell me what's wrong.." Kaela said softly, listening 
to Janus's muted intakes of breath, which came in sporadic cycles. If Janus 
had turned his head at that moment, he would have seen the concerned face of 
his friend, her eyes wide with confusion, shadowed over by her rich black 
hair. "Janus.. please.. for me..", she entreated.

For the next few minutes, she merely sat there, comforting Janus in the best 
way she could; She was sitting on her knees, her hands around his waist, 
giving him a gentle comforting hug, as she leaned against him, lightly 
enough that he could only feel her against his back, but not that there was 
any weight to topple him over.

Slowly, one gasping breath at a time, Janus's emotions drained away, with 
his tears. As his shoulders came to rest under Kaela's reassuring hands, he 
drew silent. He raised his head, and his hands fell to his sides. Wiping the 
tears from his eyes with his moist hands, he turned his head. 

"Janus..?" Kaela crawled beside him. The pain was visible in his eyes, as he 
looked at her concerned face blankly.

Gently, Kaela crawled around, so that she was in front of him. Drained, 
Janus just turned his head, following her. Wordlessly, she took Janus into 
her arms. With no energy to resist, and a need for comfort, Janus leaned 
against her, resting his head on her shoulder, his body held by her strong 
arms.

Cloaked in gentle reassurance, Janus just left the harsh outside world 
behind, closed his eyes, and drew closer against the warm form in which he 
was held by.

Kaela caressed Janus's hair gently, and softly pressed his head to her 
collar. As a further comfort, she gently rocked back and forth, eliciting a 
gentle emotionless calm on Janus's face, as opposed to the visage of abject 
sorrow he possessed mere moments earlier.

"Janus...?"

Kaela lifted her head. Schala stood, silhouetted in the sunlight of the 
village outside. 

"He's okay, Schala.. He's okay..", she reassured, trying to resolve the 
concerned look written on Schala's face.

"Take good care of my brother...", she began softly. With a small tear, she 
whispered "..he needs you..". Then, turning swiftly but gracefully, Schala 
dissapeared into the outside world.

Kaela nodded slowly. She rested her head against Janus's, and kissed his 
forehead. Janus, blissfully unaware of anything beyond the warmth of Kaela's 
body, huddled tighter to her. Kaela sighed..

Rest well, Janus.. You'll need your energy, as much of it as possible.. As 
will I..

Kaela said a silent and ancient prayer in the tongue of her people, and 
slipped into a state of rest, no longer conscious of the busiful goings-on 
outside the hut.

-----

Schala sighed.

She was leaning against a tree in a shady glen just beyond the outskirts of
the village. A small quiet pool of clear water, only a short distance away,
 rippled slightly in the warm breeze that was flowing like water through the 
surrounding trees. In a sign of desperation, Schala picked up a pebble that 
had strayed onto the lush carpet of fieldgrass that was encircling the shore
and blanketing the floor of the glen, and threw it into the centre of the
pond.

Looking desolately at the ripples that were expanding to the edges of the 
pool, Schala realized..

She was no longer the pebble making the ripples. She was now on the shore, 
watching the ripples expand from the centre. 

Schala sighed. Her work, for the most part, was done. She had been Janus's 
only companion for more time then she could remember.. But now, it was time 
for her to distance herself. Janus had Kaela now. For Janus, she was more 
important. Schala had done her work, by raising Janus in place of their 
mother, and now it was time for her to leave her post, to step away from 
Janus's life. She was no longer the guiding force to Janus. She was now.. 
his big sister.

"Oh, Janus...", Schala said, as the feeling caught in her throat. As Schala
leaned against the tree, her head in her hands, she thought back.. far back..

"...He's so gentle, but he never talks to anyone, so nobody knows how truly 
bright he is, especially for his age..."

"Come, let us go down to your river. You've been cooped up in this room all 
day, just watching the clouds."

"Well, I'll leave you here, Janus. Don't drown!" 

"There's no time. I'll explain later. All I can say right now is, I'm sorry 
to have deceived you."

"Oh, schala! We did it! There''s no more magic!"

"Janus!!!!", Schala cried out, at the height of her sorrow. Tears sailed 
into the air, sparkling in what sunlight there was in the grove. 

"Janus.. I.. love you.. I always will..", Schala whispered, haltingly, as 
her body trembled in waves from the outpouring of tears.

She raised her head, to focus on the single visible patch of blue sky 
through the lush green canopy above.

"Kaela.. take good care of my brother.. He loves you."

---------