ripped from the pages chapter 5

while icy was asleep, he began to dream. it was the same dream he always had with him just floating in a place that was white all over and continued on forever in every direction.

" now where's that voice i always hear..." icy said feeling matter under his feet to stand straight up and down.

"read or die." the voice suddenly spoke. although no one else was there icy knew he wasn't alone.

"found it" icy sat down on... whatever it was he was sitting on in his dream. furniture wasn't really an option here.

"read or die" the voice said again in the same echoing sound.

"please explain what you mean by that. to read or to die." pleaded with the voice

"it's a simple choice: the quest for knowledge or the pursuit of death." it answered

"well that's new. explain further. what do you mean by those two options?" icy said now floating. he started closing his eyes while he listened

"to read is to obtain knowledge. wisdom, intelligence, genius - they are all the same. but to become filled with a divine understanding of everything; true enlightenment, by the spiritual, the physical, the mental, it is complete harmony that can be found out of chaos. to know brings the power to create...or to destroy. to utilize it for the benefit of the world...or reap bitter waste upon all.

to die is to make life forfeit. maybe transcend to another plane of existence, higher than what could ever be physically comprehended. but for the physical, it is complete lost. void, null, nothing. especially when you hold that ability. cut down what is in your way. trim the obstacles and make room for your destiny to grow. there is the power to hold a life, or many lives, in your hand...elevate them, or crush them.

but both are driven by power - to search for it, to harness it. it is an all-consuming passion that would refine one and raise them to their destiny...or bring them to perish within the flames of ambition.

what will your choice be: read or die?" the voice asked the same question again after the long speech. it was determined to get icy's answer.

"die." icy said after floating in the same spot for a long time. he wasn't no stranger to death. he had, in fact, been brought back to life by having to die first and further cases much like it.

"why is it so?" the voice asked

"because they are unworthy of their existence." icy answered.

"who is not worthy?" the voice pressured on

"everyone on earth. they are wasteful of their gifts and seek to corrupt and destroy." he answered again

"what will you do?" the voice continued

"take hold of my destiny." icy answered boldly. he was ready to face anything about to come his way.

"then open your eyes and embrace it." the voice said in a fading tone.

icy opened his eyes, but instead of seeing white all around he saw and felt two things. the first being that four eyes were watching him rather closely and the second being the he suddenly felt something heavy on his lap. he re-focused and blinked until the two faces came into picture.

"hi icy" they both said in union. sit quickly sat up, knocking the boy on his lap off, and then stared at them.

"drake? dad? what the hell?" icy blinked and noticed to indeed be zaro and drake stand there.

"morning to you too, son." zaro vongola said. despite the last names, they were still family regardless, whither related by blood or not.

"hey sleeping icy." for drake it was questionable who he was. paper randomly befriended him and he's been a constant pain since.

"funny. how long was i asleep? exactly how did you two get in here? further more.... sai? have you been eating our food again?" icy noticed food crumbs on and around drake's mouth. "surely i wasn't sleep for that long."

"well, actually, you have been asleep for almost an hour. anyway, where's reks? i got a dog treat for him." drake said before getting hit by icy. "ow, what was that for?"

"dad, tell drake my son is not the dog. i keep telling him my son is reks and the mutt is tex but he's not listening."

"i don't want any part of this. where's raki?" zaro asked looking around.

"do you want the truth or the lie first? either way you're not going to like the answer." said icy making a drink for himself and sipped it slowly.

"tell me the lie then." drake interrupted. icy shrugged and just calmly said, "he got frozen in a block of ice. that's my lie and i'm sticking to it"

"and the truth?" zaro asked

"he ran away from home and we have absolutely no clue if he's okay... much less alive" icy took another sip of his drink.

"he's what?!' zaro shouted and glared at icy with malice." why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"because...well, for obvious reasons, we already sent out a search party for him. i would've went too but i can't leave the kids here alone. see the problem?"

"then drake and i will watch the kids while you go find him. now go."

"alright. i'll try to be back as soon as possible and i'll call when i find paper ans the others." said icy changing his clothes and quickly leaving out the house.

"you think they'll be okay?" asked drake after him and zaro were there alone.

"hopefully. i have faith in my children." he said taking out of icy's hidden stash of sake(1) and drinking it.

Author's Note

(1) for those that don't know, sake (sa-ke) is a japanese drink