Mood: Tired
Music White Eyes --– Gackt

Rae: Hello, lookie, I’m back yet again, yo. XD

Hah, and again this part is so damn long I have to split it into multiple pages. XD

Ahem.

My poor Druu-chan. *sigh*

Well, I wasn’t lying when I said a plot was emerging from the insanity. Yes now it’s insane and plotful. XD

*cough*

Ahem.

Hm... I haven’t been online much lately at all. I haven’t been feeling good and I dunno. I haven’t even updated my livejournal for like a month. O.o And my poor crappy website has not been updated since I think um... November? Heh. *sweatdrop*

Man, writing in story format is SOOOO much better than script style. I mean back when I first started the whole muse thing, it was good enough I suppose, because it was basically just pointless insanity. But now... Yeah, I’m having so much more fun writing in story format. ^__^

Oh, yeah, I haven’t taken the pictures yet, sorry. You know the pics of my beloved muses that I made in SC3? I shall get around to that and have it for ya by the next entry. ^^ And dude... Whoever said that male face 1 is a good face for pretty girly guys? Needs their ass kicked.... When I unlocked that face it terrified the hell out of me. Seriously. XD But I found a face for Malba anyway. ^^ So not face 1. *shudder* The horrid face 1.... XD

Er... Rambling. Shutting up now... I can ramble more after the to be continued dun dun dun part, yeah? XD

Heh... T3h guilt of it all. T.T ....Ahem...

Oh and I'm almost positive there are a few weird typos and crap in this. I'm sorry, I honestly don't feel like looking through sixty-nine pages worth of story... So um... Just deal with the typos for now, okay? T.T I'll try to fix em later...

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The Tempest; part a
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“Oh... Oh God I was right... Not again...”

The whispered words filled with guilt and fear did not escape Rae’s attention, however for the moment she ignored the spirit, her aqua colored eyes focused solely on the bleeding sprite.

Only moments ago he had been smiling and talking, yet now Druuvbin’s eyes were closed, a small stream of red blood slowly trickling from a corner of his pale lips. Kopaka held the motionless sprite in his arms, his blue eyes filled with an apprehensive, deadly-serious expression. The girl had never seen such a grave look pass over the usually carefree wind elemental, which only served to further increase her ever rising level of alarm. Druu-chan? What’s wrong with him?!

“What the hell is wrong with him?” Sanosuke questioned loudly, echoing the girl’s thoughts. The spiky haired teen stood from his sitting position on the large couch, his brown eyes locked on the water sprite.

Kopaka frowned, his eyes quickly scanning the room. With a swift movement he shoved the wooden coffee table away from his path with a kick of his foot, the table sliding nearly across the room with that one small push. “Come here Sanosuke, hold him,” the wind elemental ordered firmly, leaning down to gently place the bleeding psychic on the carpeted floor where the table had been moments before. “Sit him up a little. We need to wake him up.”

The tall brunette followed the sprite’s command, quickly moving to sit on the floor next to Druu, pulling the thin man up into his lap to support his lean frame. “Like this?” Sano questioned unsurely, casting his nervous eyes to the psychic’s pallid, blood covered lips.

“What the fuck is wrong with him?!” Jiro nearly shouted, his wide steely-blue eyes filled with alarm, his voice shaking. "Why is he bleeding like that?"

This... This isn’t happening. This... He was... Rae tried to keep her thoughts in order, fighting down the fear threatening to over-run her. She instead moved to sit beside the bleeding sprite held in Sano’s arms, taking the psychic’s bloody hand in her own. He’s so cold...

“I... His color.. I should have remembered. I’m so sorry. I...” Kouji trailed off, slumping down to his knees beside Rae, tears slipping from his icy eyes. “Why couldn’t I remember what it meant? What the hell is wrong with me?!” the boy shouted angrily, guilt filled eyes locked on the psychic’s face.

“Don’t say that. There’s nothing wrong with you Kouji,” Rae responded quietly, giving the boy a sympathetic gaze. She noted the downright distraught look on the half-demon’s face, guilt shining in those tear filled eyes... “It’s not your fault hunny.”

“Yes it is,” the boy bit out, his fists clutched at his sides.

Kopaka meanwhile had pulled his long white shirt up a bit, revealing a pink belt with a small pouch attached to the strap. The grey haired elemental hastily snapped open the pouch, pulling out and opening a small case containing a few vials of dark liquid and an odd syringe. “Dammit. I don’t know if this is going to be enough... I knew I should have made more...” the sprite muttered quietly, once again turning his attention to Druuvbin.

“What is that?” Rae questioned nervously, her hands trembling as she continued to hold the psychic’s cool, motionless hand.

Kopaka dropped down to the floor next to Sano, moving a free hand to take the psychic’s pulse, pressing two fingers against the water elemental’s pale neck. Kopaka then frowned, obviously not happy with what he felt. “Druu? Can you hear me? Listen, I need you to open your eyes, man. Come on,” the sprite stated loudly, moving his hand away from the psychic’s neck, gently patting at Druu’s pale cheek, attempting to arouse the limp elemental. “Druu?”

A small moan escaped the pale water sprite’s lips and his eyelids briefly twitched, however his eyes remained closed.

“Druu. Come on. Wake up for me,” the wind/ice elemental tried again, once again lightly patting Druu’s pallid cheek. “I need you awake.”

“...Ngh?” the water elemental finally roused a bit, his eyes cracking open for a few brief seconds. The normal lavender coloring of his eyes had faded, replaced by a bright, glowing blue, yet... Rae thought she made out traces of an eerie misty-white color slowly seeping into the abnormal luminous blue... What the fuck is that? she thought, shivering with trepidation.

“Druu. Come on man,” Kopaka stated once again, shaking the sprite a bit. “Wake up. You can’t sleep, okay?”

“Ah...But... I am rather tired....” Druuvbin finally whispered, a hint of a smile appearing on his bloody lips. The sprite slowly opened his blue-white eyes, unfocused gaze set on Kopaka.

“Yeah well, too bad. Stay awake,” Kopaka responded with a shaky smile, affectionately running his hand over the sprite’s cheek before pulling away. “I’m gonna give you some medicine and you’re going to be fine,” he went on to say, turning his attention to the vials and syringe in his hand.

Druu smiled a bit in response, yet a small cough shook his lean body. “I...Didn’t get any blood on the carpet... Did I?” he then questioned lightly, turning his blue-white eyes to Rae, a weak, apologetic smile on his lips.

“What? Dummy. Don’t worry about that, just stay awake, okay? I care about you, not the carpet,” Rae responded shakily, giving the sprite a smile, gently squeezing his cool hand.

“That’s like you. Worrying about the damn carpet,” Sano added with a small smirk, his concern-filled eyes focused on the sprite.

“Jiro go get a couple of washcloths. Damp, run a little warm water on them,” Rae stated, turning her attention to her silent, wide eyed brother. “Let’s get some of this blood off of ya Druu-chan, okay?” she went on to say, once again giving the sprite’s hand a gentle squeeze.

“Um, o-ok,” Jiro replied with a small anxious stutter, quickly stumbling out of the room.

The pink haired girl watched her brother exit the room, and then turned her gaze to the rocking-chair, in search of Yuki. Her eyes widened a bit as she realized the spirit was simply not there. What the fuck? He left?!? she thought with a touch of anger, her gaze set on the empty rocking chair. He just left?! First he says something about how he was ‘right’ and then he leaves?

I don’t know what the fuck your problem is Yuki, but right now taking care of Druu is more important... she thought with a sigh, pushing the anger away. She turned her gaze to Kopaka, watching as the sprite fiddled a bit with the odd syringe, inserting one of the vials into a hollow space in the device. What kind of needle-injecty-thing is that? I’ve never seen anything like it... Looks like it can hold three or four of those little vial-things, maybe...

“Why didn’t you tell me, Druu?” Kopaka questioned gently as he loaded the first tiny vial into the device, the syringe making a sharp –click- noise as the container locked into place.

“I...I thought—I had it under control...At least for another few weeks... I was—g-going to tell you later, honestly... I’m sorry,” the psychic coughed, his eyelids slowly drooping back down, his voice growing weaker.

“Don’t be sorry, it’s okay. Just stay awake,” Kopaka replied firmly, loading another vial of dark liquid into the odd syringe like device.

“Druu. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t remember, I’m so sorry,” Kouji whispered softly, finally speaking up from his teary silence. “I’m sorry.”

The psychic let out another small cough, blinking his eyes, obviously attempting to focus on the icy boy. “Sorry? Whatever for? Kouji—Don’t---cry...” Druu stated gently, his eyes slowly drifting closed as his soft voice trailed off.

“Hey! Psychic boy! No sleeping, remember?” Sano stated firmly, shaking the blue-haired elemental a bit.

“Ah, yes, sorry,” Druu replied, once again forcing his eyes open.

Rae frowned nervously, taking in the psychic’s unfocused gaze. The misty white coloring was spreading, taking over the glowing blue. Why are his eyes turning white? God dammit. Man, I knew there was something wrong with him... I should have said something... or something... I-... the girl thought, a wave of guilt washing over her.

Her guilt ridden thoughts were interrupted when her brother re-entered the room, a couple of blue wash-cloths clutched in his hand. “Here,” the boy stated, handing the damp rags to his sister. The shaggy haired teen then sat down next to Kouji, his steel eyes locked on the pallid psychic.

“Thanks,” she mumbled distractedly. Rae took one of the warm washcloths, moving to gently wipe at Druuvbin’s pale lips. However only moments after she had wiped his lips and chin, yet another cough wracked the water sprite’s cool body and a fresh flow of blood escaped his lips. Rae frowned, wiping away the new blood as well.

What the fuck is wrong with him? she wanted to ask Kopaka again, however decided to stay silent for the moment. The grey haired elemental was busy focusing on the vials and needle, and she figured it probably wouldn’t be such a great idea to distract him...

“He’s going to fucking bleed to death or choke or something,” Jiro stated unevenly, biting at his nails, eyes focused on the now red washcloth in his sister’s blood stained hands.

“No, he’s not,” Kopaka responded firmly. The sprite had loaded two vials into the syringe like device, and was now pouring a bit of dark blue liquid from one of his small vials into yet another, mixing it with a dark, murky colored liquid.

“What is all that?” Sano questioned nervously, watching the sprite mix the liquids in the petite vial.

The wind elemental ignored the teen’s question, focusing on his task, biting his lip in concentration. “Okay. You still awake Druu?”

“...Am I?” the psychic commented lightly, his now mostly white eyes only half open. “I suppose so.”

The wind elemental gave the psychic another shaky smile, locking the container filled with the two liquids he had previously mixed on to the syringe. The grey haired sprite let out a sigh, turning his gaze to the odd device in his hand. “Pull his shirt up.”

“What? Why?” Sano questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m going to inject it into his heart,” Kopaka answered with a small frown.

“Wh-at?” Jiro practically squeaked, looking at the needle with trepidation. “The heart? Are you crazy?”

“And what the hell is it even? Should we really trust you to be shooting weird drugs into him or whatever?” the spiky haired brunette added, giving a suspicious look to the wind elemental.

“Shut up, Sano. Kopaka knows what he’s doing,” Kouji responded quietly, his teary eyes focused to the floor, on a small dark blood stain seeping into the tan carpet...

Rae blinked, also eyeing the needle. The heart? Damn... Like in that movie The Rock or something? the girl thought, her mind briefly running over the older action movie. She then shook her head, once again focusing on the device. “Why the heart?”

“Because it works best to inject it directly into the heart,” the grey haired elemental replied impatiently, fiddling a bit with the syringe, adjusting one of the vials.

Rae bit her lip but nodded, setting the washcloths on the floor. She then moved her unsteady hands to the sprite’s shirt, pulling the lavender top up to reveal pale skin. His tattoo... The tattoo is showing... she noted, her eyes taking in the design on his stomach. Whatever power he had been using to conceal the mark was now.... Rae shivered, her eyes once again turning to the needle. “This is going to fix him, right?” the girl questioned hopefully, fearful doubt flickering through her blue-green eyes.

“No. It should help though... If it’s enough,” the wind sprite responded quietly, his voice temporarily faltering, a hint of uncertainty tinting his tone.

Sanosuke frowned, meeting Rae’s eyes. The two shared an uneasy look, before once again focusing on Druuvbin. Rae noted the psychic’s drooping eyelids, his far away gaze. A shudder ran through her and another wave of panic threatened to take over. She shoved the sensation out of the way however. This is no time to be emotional...Need to keep a level head... I just wish Kopaka would tell me what the fuck is going on.

With another small sigh Kopaka moved forward with the syringe, biting his lower lip a bit. “Take his hand Rae,” he ordered quietly, his blue eyes focused on the long, thin needle.

The girl nodded, once again taking the psychic’s hand in her own.

“This stuff... Isn’t fun,” the wind elemental commented with a frown. “Sorry Druu, I gotta do it, man.”

The psychic smiled a bit, attempting to focus on the wind elemental. “It’s—fine, Kopaka...” he answered slowly, his weak voice light and pleasant, as always. “It’s—not-that bad.”

Even laying here bleeding and pale and... Yet he still manages to sound calm and carefree...Oh Druu... she thought with an aching heart, biting the inside of her lip so hard that she could taste blood...

With another frown Kopaka moved the needle down to the pale sprite’s chest, skillfully injecting the psychic. The syringe like device slowly emptied its contents into Druuvbin’s chest, three vials worth of odd liquid...

Rae felt the water elemental’s hand twinge, gripping her hands just a bit tighter. A small tremor ran through his body, yet he said nothing.

After finally injecting all of the contents, the grey haired sprite carefully removed the needle, casting it aside. He then reached over to grab one of the washcloths near Rae, pressing it down on the area he had just injected. “Hold that there for a minute, Sano.”

Sanosuke nodded, moving a hand to hold the cloth to Druu’s chest. “Like this, right?”

Kopaka nodded distractedly, moving his eyes to briefly scan the room. His gaze stopped on the large sofa, noticing the rumpled maroon throw blanket tossed causally across the arm of the plush furniture. The sprite grabbed it, moving to cover Druu’s lean frame. “Here man. You’re gonna be alright. Just don’t close your eyes.”

Rae tucked the fuzzy throw-blanket around Druu a bit better, and then once again took his hand, giving the water elemental a smile. “There, that better?” she questioned, forcing her voice into a level tone.

“That’s--fine, Rae-chan...” he replied softly, his voice taking on a somewhat distant, faraway tone, his eyelids once again drooping.

“Shouldn’t we put him on a bed or something? Make him more comfortable?” Sanosuke questioned, slightly shifting his body in order to better support the psychic.

“No. I don’t want to move him yet,” Kopaka responded, blue eyes intensely watching Druu. Rae noticed the deep gaze, biting her lip a bit. He’s watching for something... What the hell was that stuff he shot into Druu? And... her thoughts trailed off. She didn’t even want to contemplate what would happen if the psychic ‘went to sleep’...

“Now will you please tell us what the fuck is going on?” Jiro questioned, his voice uneven as he turned his steel eyes to focus on Kopaka. “What’s happening to him?”

Rae could tell her brother was attempting to keep his emotions in check, his jaw clenching and his hands fisted tightly at his sides. Yet his voice shook, and his eyes were filled with a combination of fear and even a bit of anger.

“Druu is sick,” Kopaka commented quietly, his eyes not moving away from the pale elemental. “Really sick.”

“Oh, ya think? I couldn’t tell. That was really so helpful,” Jiro shot back, his eyebrow twitching, irritation entering his shaky voice.

“Jiro,” Rae stated firmly, giving the young teen a beseeching look. “Calm down.”

The teen let out a loud sigh, running a hand through his shaggy hair. “Yeah, sorry...”

“His color ...Why didn’t I know? Why didn’t I remember?” Kouji suddenly stated with teary eyes, shaking his head a bit. “I’m such an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot Kouji,” Kopaka responded, casting a small reassuring look to the icy haired boy. “If anyone should have known, it’s me.”

“Ngh,” Druu suddenly moaned a bit, his grip on the girl’s hand momentarily tightening, a small shudder running through his lithe frame.

“Druu? Come on, talk to me okay? Keep your eyes open, man,” Kopaka stated firmly, moving to once again take the psychic’s pulse. “Try to take a few deep breaths, okay?” he went on to say, his frown deepening as he continued to check the water sprite’s heartbeat.

“Nngh-My head...” the psychic moaned quietly, another shudder passing through his body, his breathing abruptly growing rather shallow. “It--hurts...”

“Deep breaths, man. Look at me, okay?” Kopaka ordered firmly, yet a small trace of uncertainty could be heard in his light voice. “Druuvbin listen to me,” the grey haired sprite then stated, gently taking a hold of the psychic’s face, locking eyes with the sprite. “Breathe. Deep breaths.”

Rae felt another tremor wrack Druu’s body, his breath catching. Another moan then escaped his lips, along with a fresh flow of blood. “Druu-chan?” she questioned with a wavering voice, biting down on the inside of her already bleeding lip. “What’s happening to him?” she then questioned yet again, watching Kopaka closely. The fact that the wind elemental had called Druu by his full name and that almost pleading tone that had entered his voice... It terrified her.

“Ah-Kopaka...I don’t think...I--Ngh-h...I’m sorry,” Druu whispered softly, his eyes now completely white, another large tremor shuddering throughout his cool body. His eyelids slowly drooped, a harsh cough shaking his already trembling frame.

“No! Keep your eyes open!” Kopaka responded sharply, anxiety slowly entering his voice. “Give the meds a chance to work, okay? Just stay awake!”

“What’s happening?!” Jiro questioned with wide eyes, gnawing at his nails, which were now bitten completely down to the quick. “What the hell is happening?”

“He’s dying,” Kouji commented quietly, his voice taking on an almost emotionless, flat tone. Tears continued to streak down his blank face, and the half-demon began to gently rock in place. “The color is death you know. I couldn’t remember. But that’s what it is. It’s death.”

“What? Death? That’s the color?!” Rae felt her heartbeat quicken, glancing at the rocking icy blue haired half demon. He’s losing it... Is he going into shock or something? Rocking is never a good sign... She reached a hand over to take a hold of Kouji’s icy hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Her focus then turned back to Druu, his shaking body and those bloody lips... Don’t die god dammit! she thought fearfully, her other hand gripping his pale, shuddering hand.

“What? That can’t be right!” Jiro exclaimed with a shaky voice, biting down once again on his already gnawed nails.

“He can’t just die. That-that’s...” Sanosuke trailed off, his dark eyes wide, anger and trepidation tinting his voice.

“He’s not going to die!” Kopaka nearly snapped, a loud frustrated sigh escaping his lips. He moved a hand away from the pale psychic’s face, back to his neck, once again checking the elemental’s pulse. “Druu?”

“Kopaka...Why is it I—wonder. Why-- is it that... you--fight so hard...to keep a monster alive? Y-you and the others insist on keeping me—alive...Why is that?” Druuvbin questioned haltingly, his soft voice calm and detached, his gaze fixing on nothing as his eyelids slipped closed. A new flow of blood began to run, now not only from his mouth, but from his nose as well.

“Don’t say stupid things like that! Open your eyes. Druu please, just open your eyes,” Kopaka replied forcefully, his blue eyes widening at the sight of the fresh blood flow and the increasingly shallow breaths....

“His color is fading away,” Kouji commented emotionlessly, tear filled icy eyes focused on Druu’s white, motionless face.

Rae felt herself go cold, a dizzy feeling overcoming her, dread filling her very being. No. This... The cold sensation... A dark feeling... A sudden bad premonition...

It was unreal to her. Only a short while ago he had stood, smiling and laughing, now he lay with blood dripping from his nose and mouth, his body shuddering, his face deathly white... One of her best friends in the entire world... Bleeding and... And... Why would he say something like that? You’re not a monster Druu-chan... You’re not a monster at all...

“Now what?” Sano questioned shakily, taking the washcloth lying next to Rae, moving the rag to Druuvbin’s bleeding nose. “Now what the hell do we do?” he questioned again, trying to staunch the blood-flow.

“Is he...?” Jiro whispered softly, steel eyes in turmoil.

“Damn it! I knew I should have made more! It’s not enough. I knew he was getting worse, but I didn’t know it was to this point yet! I thought we still had some time but... Obviously I was wrong,” Kopaka bit out, his voice taking on a self-reproachful tone, a shaky sigh escaping his lips.

“What can we do?” Rae questioned, trying to keep her voice even, locking eyes with the grey haired elemental. “What’s wrong with him and how do we fix it?”

“If you already knew he’s sick, why the hell don’t you have enough medicine or whatever already made? Isn’t that pretty stupid?” Sano broke in, anger tinting his voice, his gaze set on the wind/ice sprite.

“The medicines lose potency after about thirty hours or so. I can’t just make a bunch and save it. I did make this dose here because I had a bad feeling, but I apparently didn’t make enough. So yeah, I messed up, okay? I should have made more, I get that! Just shut up for a second and let me think,” Kopaka bit back, shooting an angry glare at the spiky haired teen, his usually light and carefree voice now angry and strained.

“Yeah well if you’re so strong and all, why don’t you just magickally whip out some miracle medicine then? You can turn people into freaking rabbits, but you can’t make some stupid medicine?!” Sano snapped in response, meeting the sprite’s angry gaze with his own.

“That’s all just stupid illusions, Sanosuke! I can’t very well help Druu with an illusion, now can I?!” the blue eyed sprite retorted angrily, an agitated sigh escaping his lips.

The pink haired girl jumped at the severe tone in Kopaka’s voice, a bit startled by the sprite’s sharp gaze. Had she ever seen the wind elemental angry before? Rae watched the grey haired sprite, noting his lightly trembling hands. He’s as freaked out as we are. He’s just trying to hold it together... “Sano don’t take it out on Kopaka. It’s not his fault. Let’s just, um try to stay calm,” she stated, doing her best to keep her voice level.

“Kitsune won’t be back for who knows how long and I definitely can’t leave, and I sure as hell can’t jump Druu back to our world in this condition, it’d kill him... I... I need to get him stabilized but I don’t have enough meds and...” the wind elemental trailed off, his eyes locking on Druuvbin, taking in the water sprite’s pale face and shallow breaths...

“So what do we do?” Jiro questioned unsteadily, moving to place a hand on Druu’s unmoving arm.

Kopaka let out a troubled sigh, reaching out a shaking hand to once again take Druuvbin’s pulse. “I-I don’t know... I-Wait. Malba!” the sprite suddenly exclaimed, his eyes flashing with realization. “Malba should probably still be in Laineka. You’ve been there before, Rae.”

“Yeah? What about it?” the girl responded with a touch of confusion.

“That means you can jump there. You can get to Malba and he can get the supplies I need,” Kopaka replied hurriedly, turning his gaze to the girl. “Jump to the Kainitif forest outside of Laineka, get into Laineka and find Malba, you can do that, right?”

“I...Me? Me? But what if I can’t get the jump to work? What if I can’t find Malba? What if I screw up?” Rae questioned fearfully, her eyes growing wide as she turned her gaze down to her tattooed hand, still clutching Druu’s white, motionless hand... Kitsune and Druu said it would be hard for a human to use the jump, what if I can’t? What if...

“It’s the only option we’ve got at this point, Rae. I can’t leave. I have to stay here and... Look... If I don’t get him stable...We just need to hurry, okay?” the sprite stated quickly, his voice tight, his eyes turning back to the unconscious psychic in Sanosuke’s arms.

Oh God...

“Um, okay. I’ll do it. I just have to um, jump to Laineka and get Malba. I can do that,” she answered with a nod of the head, uncertainty flashing through her blue-green eyes. “I guess it’s a damn good thing you guys decided to give me the jump yesterday, huh?” she went on to say with a forced laugh, feigning a confident tone of voice.

“Go with her Sano... And...Tell Malba to hurry,” the grey haired sprite stated softly, gently taking a hold of the psychic, pulling him into his arms. He positioned the unconscious elemental carefully, letting Druu’s head rest against his toned shoulder.

Sano nodded, slowly standing, looking down at his own blood stained hands. Druu’s blood...

“Rae, grab a pen and I’ll tell you what all I need. He can get it at my apartment in Aiskea,” Kopaka went on to say with a small sigh.

Rae nodded, quickly standing from her position on the floor, stumbling over to the cast aside coffee table. The girl hastily opened the table’s small drawer, taking out a pen and a scrap of paper. “Kay. Er, what if I spell something wrong?”

“Malba will know what you mean. Don’t worry about it,” the sprite responded. He then went on to list a few different drug names, all unfamiliar to the girl. She quickly scribbled the names down, spelling the best she could. Rae then looked over the list, still unable to identify any of the ingredients. Never heard of any of this stuff... With that thought she folded the paper, carefully placing it in a pocket of her dark denim blue jeans.

“So... Exactly how the heck do you know so much about drugs and medicine and all that, anyway?” Jiro questioned, raising an eyebrow at the grey haired elemental.

Kopaka shrugged, a small strained smile momentarily forming on his lips. “I guess because technically I am kind of a doctor...”

“You? You are a doctor?! You’ve got to be kidding,” Sanosuke responded with disbelief, crossing his arms.

“Well, I worked in a medical research lab for around fifty years. I specialized in experimental drug treatments and all that stuff. I was just a research dude, nothing special. Drugs were really the only thing I was ever good at...But still. That technically does make me a doctor. Not a very good one but, ya know...” the sprite trailed off with another shrug, closing his blue eyes.

“You... You’re serious?” Sano blinked, eyeing the sprite with surprise.

“Well... I guess that would explain why you’re so good at drugging people...” Jiro commented dryly.

Wow... You really have so much more going on then what you want people to think, Rae thought, watching the sprite. Odd how one moment Kopaka could run around acting like a two year old on crack, yet... Now he was showing an entirely different side of his personality. Actually... It’s really not that surprising.

A large crack of thunder interrupted the girl’s thoughts and for a moment the lights in the room flickered, as if the electricity was about to give out. That was loud, Rae blinked. She had entirely forgotten it was even storming, as she had been so wrapped up in the current situation. “Come on stupid power, stay on. That’s the last thing we need,” she then commented aloud, moving her eyes up to glare at the flickering overhead lights.

Kopaka ignored the flashing lights. His eyes remained closed, gently holding the unconscious psychic in his lean, toned arms. Rae turned her attention back to the grey haired sprite, noting with a touch of surprise that Kopaka’s shaggy grey hair was actually moving a bit, as if blown by a gentle breeze... A few moments later a cool gentle wind began to slowly circle the room, lightly ruffling the curtains.

“Er, what is that?” Sanosuke questioned, holding out a hand to feel the cool breeze of air slowly encompassing the room.

“It’s me,” Kopaka commented distractedly, his eyes remaining closed.

“What are you doing?” Jiro asked, watching the elemental.

“Giving Druu my energy. It’s not going to be nearly enough, but it’ll do for now,” the sprite responded softly, his shaggy hair lightly moving with the cool breeze circling him.

“Isn’t that dangerous for you? What if you, uh run out or something?” the younger teen questioned, biting his lip a bit.

“Hah, dude I’ll be fine,” the wind sprite responded with a small dismissive laugh.

Rae let out a shaky sigh, turning her attention down to the tattoo on her hand. “Well... Sano. You’re going to come with me, right?” she questioned, turning her uncertain gaze to the lanky, spiky haired teen.

“Yeah, I’m coming,” Sano responded, giving the girl a small smile. “Let’s go find fairy boy, get Druu his medicine and everything’ll be fine,” the teen went on to say, a somewhat forced grin appearing on his lips.

“Make Mals explain when you get there okay? Druu doesn’t have the time for me to tell you everything and... It’s complicated,” Kopaka commented softly, not opening his eyes.

“Okay, well um... Let’s see... So I just um, hold onto Sano’s arm or something, pull in natural element energy of some kind and um, picture Kainitif forest, and um, we should jump, right?” Rae questioned uneasily, her nervous gaze once again set on her hand. She then turned her attention to her palms instead, noticing the dried blood stains...Oh Druu-chan...

“Yeah,” the grey haired elemental responded, his tone distracted as he placed his full concentration on giving the unconscious water elemental his energy.

Rae bit her lip but nodded. She then quickly dropped down to take Druu’s hand in her own, gazing at his pale face. “I’ll be back soon, I promise. So don’t you dare drop dead, okay? Because um, you’re like the best friend a person could ever have, even if you do cheat at video-games and keep secrets and um, I love you okay? So don’t you dare die. Or um, I’ll go all Willow on you and bring you back just so I can kick your ass, okay? And you’re not a freaking monster, you hear me?” the girl rambled shakily, suddenly fighting back the urge to cry. Which was an unusual feeling for the girl, as tears weren’t a real common thing for her...

Rae shook her head, reaching a hand to gently caress the psychic’s pale face, letting out an uneven sigh. She mentally uttered a small prayer and then stood, turning to the tall spiky haired brunette. “Okay Sano. Let’s get going, yeah?”

“Okay.”

“Um, be careful, okay?” Jiro spoke up, giving his sister a small smile.

“Yeah, we will,” she smirked in response. She then cast her gaze to Kouji, who still had that same blank expression on his pale face, his icy eyes filled with tears. “Kouji, hunny. Calm down. It’s going to be okay,” she stated softly, crouching down to look the boy in the eyes.

“I-I um... He’s going to die. If I had just remembered... I could have told Kitsi...but...um, I’m sorry Rae-Rae. I think my brain is broken or something,” the boy whispered quietly, slowly moving his eyes up to meet Rae’s gaze. “I can’t remember anything...”

The girl frowned, giving the icy-blue haired half demon a quick hug. “You’re brain isn’t broken. And Druu’s not going to die. You can help him too, okay? Sit here and just hold his hand,” she replied soothingly, pulling back to give the boy another smile.

Kouji nodded slowly in response, rubbing a few tears away from his eyes. “Okay,” he said with a shaky voice, pulling himself closer to Kopaka and Druu, taking the water elemental’s limp hand.

Rae cast a quick glance back to the empty rocking chair in the corner, her thoughts briefly running over the odd words Yuki had spoken, right before he had made his escape... He knew? Was that what his little freak out in the kitchen was about? Did he really know that Druu was about to... Why didn’t he say anything then? And why the hell did he leave? she couldn’t help but feel another twinge of anger at the thought of the ghost simply vanishing...

She shook her head, turning her gaze to her brother. Jiro also had cast a quick look to the rocker, a frown on his lips. I see he’s thinking the same thing I’m thinking...

With another sigh she pushed the thoughts away, turning to meet Sano’s dark eyes. “Let’s go.”

“What are you going to use?”

“What else? Let’s take advantage of the storm, neh?” the pink haired girl replied with a smirk, turning to gaze out the dark window.

“Hey, what the hell do I say to Dad if he comes home?” Jiro suddenly questioned, his gaze once again set on Kopaka and Druuvbin.

“Either tell him the truth or knock him out or something. Whatever,” she responded with a distracted shrug, her anxiety swiftly rising at the thought of trying to use the jump. What if I can’t do it? “Hopefully Mom’ll get back soon. She’s all nurse like and smart, she can help...” the girl went on to say, suppressing the nervous feeling threatening to take over.

“Come on Sano, let’s go outside. It’ll be easier for me to um, you know... Take in the energy while standing directly out in it,” Rae stated, letting out a disconcerted sigh. “I can do this. I can do this...”

She cast one last gaze to the unconscious psychic in Kopaka’s arms. His pale face and lightly trembling body... The small trickle of blood slowly sliding from his nose... Dried blood on his lips... She shuddered. I want you to wake up and be okay, smile and laugh and...

The girl turned her gaze away from Druu, not able to look anymore. “Take care of him, Kopaka.”

“Yeah. Be careful. And hurry back... I’m gonna keep him stable for as long as I can, but I’ve never been much of a healer type, man. I’m uh, basically just a burnt out drug addict loser,” Kopaka responded, briefly opening his eyes to meet Rae’s gaze.

She gave the sprite a warm smile, shaking her head a bit. “You’re not burnt out or a loser,” she responded firmly, taking in the elemental’s eyes. With one look she could tell the sprite was using his magick, as his eyes had taken on an ethereal like quality, the blue almost shimmering... As if snow and wind gently breezed within his eyes...

“We’ll be back soon.” With that said she exited the room, Sanosuke following close behind.

The two quickly walked through the apartment, exiting the back entrance to the residence. With shaky legs Rae hurried down the stairs, her heart racing. I can do this... Yeah. I can... I... Um... What if I can’t?!

Sano and Rae stepped out into the rain, the harsh wind blowing against them. The heavy rain quickly soaked the two, matting their hair against their faces.

Rae shoved a wet lock of hair away from her eyes, focusing her gaze up at the black, starless sky. “Okay,” she took in a deep breath, grabbing a hold of Sano’s arm. “Let’s do this.”

“Hurry up and do it before we drown,” Sano replied, running a hand through his wet hair.

The pink haired girl closed her eyes, raising her right arm palm up to the sky. She felt the falling rain against her palm, felt the harsh wind brushing against her. Concentrate...

“Where the hell do you think Yuki ran off to?” Sanosuke suddenly questioned, a frown on his lips.

“Who knows? He just randomly left right after...” the girl trailed off, not opening her eyes.

“And you heard what he said, right?”

“Yeah... I did.”

“What the hell was that supposed to mean? Did the little bastard actually know that Druu was...” Sano trailed off, anger tinting his voice.

A sharp flash of lightning briefly lit up the sky, shortly followed by a loud crash of thunder. Rae focused on that lightning and thunder, focused on the energy swirling about in the tempestuous night. She tried to push the thought of Yuki away, the thought of Druu’s blood and gasps for air; she pushed her nervousness and anger away. Everything else just needs to fade away... Take in the energy of the storm... The wind and water... The earth... And...

The girl bit her lip, drawing in the energy filled night, drawing it further in, further... Gah...This...Is kinda...Hard.... she thought, but pulled even more energy in, her body shaking with the throbbing force of the storm. “Come on, come on,” she muttered as another flash of lightning lit up the black sky.

“What’s taking so long?” Sano questioned impatiently, eyeing the dark sky, his voice partially drowned out by a loud crack of thunder.

“Shut up! This is harder than it looks. I’ve never tried to take in this much energy before,” the girl snapped, nervousness entering her voice. What if I can’t do this?!

Kainitif forest, Kainitif forest, Kainitif forest... Come on! Work, dammit!

Her left hand began to pulse a bit and she continued to draw in more energy... Just a little more...

The girl took in a shaking breath, the energy becoming thick, hard to contain... Come on!

Her left hand twitched a bit, yet nothing happened, the energy not enough to activate the small device implanted in the girl. “God dammit!” she muttered, gritting her teeth, attempting to pull in more energy. “It’s-It’s not working!” Rae bit out, struggling to hold in the force of the stormy night.

“Well make it work, dammit! If you don’t do this Druu is screwed. Plus if you don’t hurry up and jump us, we’re going to get struck by lightning or something!” Sanosuke shouted, agitation in his voice.

“I know that!” she snapped angrily, taking in a shaky breath.

“That’s actually exactly what you need,” a soft voice stated and Rae jumped, surprised. Fuck! she thought as she lost her concentration, losing her hold on the energy. “Dammit!” she shouted, turning to look for the owner of the voice.

Sanosuke and Rae both turned to face the apartment building, their eyes widening a bit in surprise as Yuki walked out of the shadows, a solemn look on his face.

“That’s what you need,” he repeated, his grey eyes locking on the pink haired girl.

“What? What are you talking about?” Rae questioned, raising an eyebrow at the silver haired spirit.

“And where the hell have you been?” Sano added angrily, shoving his wet drooping hair away from his eyes. “Well?!”

The spirit let out a shaky sigh, his gaze focusing down on the wet earth. “Druu doesn’t have much time. If you want to get the jump to work, you’re going to have to trust me. There is no way you’re going to be able to get it to work fast enough. You’re a human with no experience using it. It’ll take too long,” Yuki stated slowly, his voice flat, holding little emotion.

“And exactly how do YOU know all that?” Sano bit back, his fists clenching, his dark eyes filled with anger.

“So, what do you suggest?” Rae questioned with a deep sigh, deciding now was not the time to argue with the spirit. Whether she trusted Yuki however? Suddenly, she wasn’t so sure... But if he really knows how to get it to work...

“You have to trust me,” the spirit responded, walking closer to Rae.

“Tell me what to do,” she replied with a small frown, locking eyes with the grey eyed spirit. “What do I do?”

Yuki nodded a bit, turning his gaze up to the stormy sky. “You need to get struck by lightning. That’ll be enough energy.”

Rae blinked, eyebrow rising. “Wait... WHAT?! Struck by lightning?!”

“Are you out of your mind?!” Sano added, his voice rising as another blast of thunder shook the earth. “Are you completely insane?!”

The spirit let out an agitated sigh, running a hand through his silver hair. “I know what I’m talking about, okay? Just... Trust me.”

“Yeah, right! Trust you? You know I heard Shishio. About you being not so innocent? About how you’re a liar?! He may be a freaking psychopath, but you know what? I’m starting to think he’s right! Why the hell should we trust you when you’re standing here, telling us we should get struck by lightning?!” Sanosuke shouted angrily, stepping a bit closer to the short, small framed spirit.

Yuki didn’t flinch, just levelly met the tall teen’s angry gaze, his facial expression remaining the same. “Do you want to save Druu or not?” he questioned quietly, his grey eyes holding no emotion.

“Tell me what to do,” Rae repeated firmly, her hands clenched by her sides. “What do I do, Yuki?”

He looks so different...Those blank eyes...

The spirit nodded his head a bit, walking further out into the wet, grassy yard. “Come here.”

“You’re going to listen to him?” Sanosuke questioned incredulously, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

“Yeah. I am.” With that said the girl walked over to Yuki, standing next to the small spirit. “Now what?”

The tall brunette let out an irritated sigh, shoving a wet strand of hair away from his rain drenched face. “Fine. But if he gets us killed? I’m blaming you.” Sanosuke then moved to stand next to the girl, his brown eyes filled with doubt.

“Take Rae’s right arm, Sanosuke,” Yuki ordered quietly.

The teen frowned but obliged, moving to grab a hold of the girl’s right wrist. “Alright.”

“Raise your left arm up, Rae,” the spirit then commanded, casting his bright grey eyes to the dark sky.

I have to believe that Yuki is right about this. I have to believe... I don’t know what you’re hiding Yuki... But you’re still Yuki... I believe that... You’re not going to hurt me...
The girl raised her left arm toward the sky, reaching her hand to the cloudy black night....

“Concentrate on Kainitif . Don’t think of anything but Kainitif . Both of you,” Yuki ordered firmly, his light voice calm, revealing no emotion.

Rae nodded her head, biting her lip. Kainitif ...Kainitif ...Come on...

With a small sigh the spirit grabbed a hold of the girl’s outstretched arm, his eyes focusing on the sky. “Don’t be afraid...This might hurt a little...”

The girl nodded again, her eyes wide. “Um...Okay.”

A sudden surge of energy shot into Rae’s outstretched arm, pain searing up her arm, out her fingers. “Wha-What is this?!”

“Concentrate on Kainitif !” the spirit responded forcefully. Yuki tightened his grip on the girl’s wrist, his eyes focusing solely on the black sky.

Rae bit her lip with a small groan as the massive surge of energy continued to flow through her arm, up towards the dark sky. What is this energy? It’s... It’s coming from Yuki....God damn, it feels....Weird....

“Uh, why are the clouds doing that?” Sano questioned loudly, his voice tinted with anxiety. “What the hell is that?”

Rae raised an eyebrow, watching with widening eyes as the clouds directly over their heads began to swirl, dark greys and blacks mixing and merging... What...The...Fuck?!

“Okay. Here it comes. Don’t be afraid. I promise I’m not going to hurt you,” Yuki stated firmly, his eyes locked on the swirling black clouds.

“What are you--” Rae started but suddenly trailed off. The sky.... Oh. Shit.

A bright flash of lightning streaked down from the mass of swirling black clouds, illuminating the dark night. Well. We’re dead.

The bolt of lightning crashed down towards the three and Rae watched with almost morbid fascination. Time seemed to slow, though it could only have been a mere instant, to the girl it seemed to stretch on... The bright streak slowly crashing down to meet her...

“Now!” Yuki shouted, letting go of the girl’s wrist.

Instead of hitting the two, the bright lightning swirled around Rae and Sanosuke, as if encompassing the two in a white orb of glowing light. The world flashed bright white, static energy sparking around them.

Kainitif forest... Kainitif forest. Please!

The mark on her hand grew cold, the sensation slowly spreading across her whole body. Suddenly the girl felt as if she were underwater, cold, cold water...

“What’s happening?” she vaguely made out Sanosuke scream, but the sound was quickly drowned out by the flooding noise crashing into her ears. A loud, unrecognizable sound... What... Is that noise?

With that thought the jump activated and the two disappeared, leaving Yuki standing alone in the rain.

He stood still, his face turned to the black sky. A few moments later he slowly walked to the apartment building, dropping down to sit on a cold, rain drenched cement step. Yuki placed his face in his hands, a small sob escaping his lips. “I’m so sorry Druu-chan.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

--ZAP—

A bright flash engulfed his senses and Sanosuke let out a startled yell. “What’s happening?” the teen shouted as static sparked around him. He closed his eyes, as the light was growing far too bright, straining his eyes....

--ZAP—

Huh?

As fast as the odd light and energy had appeared it was gone. Sano opened his eyes to see forest earth...Far beneath him.

“Oops...” he heard Rae utter sheepishly and he turned his gaze to the girl beside him, his hand still clutching her wrist.

“Oops?!” he cried out indignantly, raising an eyebrow.

“Heh...”

With that short exchange, whatever remaining energy from the jump that had kept the two suspended in the air faded, sending Rae and Sano plummeting to the earth.

“Owww! Dammit! Good job, Rae!” Sano groaned as he hit a thick patch of moss, which thankfully softened his fall. “What the hell were you thinking?” he muttered as he sat up, rubbing his head.

The pink haired girl let out an agitated moan, slowly sitting up from her position near Sanosuke. “So I accidentally got us uh, a few feet off the ground. At least we’re here,” Rae answered, rubbing at her left wrist.

Sano let out a sigh, taking in their new surroundings. A thick, black forest with dark moss and ferns covering the earth. Dim and shadowy, a somewhat oppressing atmosphere hanging in the air... Good old Kainitif forest... the teen thought with a small frown. He didn’t exactly have real fond memories of the place after all...

“Well. I guess ghost boy was right about the lightning thing,” the spiky haired teen commented, slowly standing from the mossy earth.

“Yeah... Now. Tell me what normal ghost knows how to make some mystical jump thing work for a human AND can randomly make lightning strike without frying us said humans to a burnt Shishio-like crisp,” Rae stated with a frown, slowly standing as well, glancing about the dark forest.

Damn good question... Sano really wasn’t sure what the hell to make of what had just happened. Had they literally been struck by lightning? Because if so, shouldn’t they both be really, really dead? He didn’t know what to think of Yuki or... Anything.

Sano looked down at his soaking wet clothes with a small shiver. He ran a hand through his drooping hair, letting out a small sigh. Really, if they were going to use some big mystical magickal gadget thing, couldn’t it have at least made them not wet? Because it was really kind of cool in the forest and... Yeah.... The teen shook his head, realizing that now was definitely not the time to be worrying about wet clothes.

The sight of the bleeding psychic had shaken him more than he’d like to admit. Druu could drive him crazy sometimes sure, what with his weird jokes and random hit-ons and secretiveness and all, but... He had really grown to like the guy. So seeing the sprite so sick... Blood covered and.... Sanosuke shivered again, only this time not from the wet clothes...

We need to hurry.

He looked to the murky sky, noting that it was still daylight in this area, perhaps late afternoon? Though not night, the sky was cloudy and dark, an oppressive sensation... This forest gives me the creeps...

“Well uh, do you know the way to Laineka from here?” he questioned, turning his attention to the wet, pink haired girl standing beside him. He had pretty lousy luck when it came to the whole navigating forest things, so he figured it would probably be best to just leave it to Rae...

“Uh... Maybe,” she commented unsurely, blue-green eyes glancing uneasily about the dim forest. “I think its west of here. Down that little path uh, that way?” she went on to say, pointing a finger towards a small dirt trail a few yards away.

Sano nodded, biting his lip a bit. He wasn’t sure if the girl had thought of it yet but... Once they got to Laineka, there would still be a problem. If he recalled correctly... Wasn’t the city of Laineka on lockdown? A gated city that required ID to enter?

No. It doesn’t matter...If I have to, I’ll break the damn door down. Whatever it takes, he thought, clenching his fists a bit. Sure his Futae no Kiwami may not be strong enough to take down demons or whatever, but a wooden gate? I can handle that. The problem is once I get it down, will the guards kill us outright before we can find the fairy? Sano frowned, running over the various possibilities. They’d just have to make it work. One way or another...

Not to mention the fact that they needed to get through the forest without getting eaten by some giant demon monster or something. Yeah, we definitely need to get moving...

“Yeah, I’m right. Let’s go this way, I’m almost positive we’re only a few minutes away from Laineka,” Rae commented, breaking into his thoughts.

The brunette turned his attention back to the girl, nodding his head a bit. Uh, hey wait... “Uh... You’re bleeding,” he stated, pointing to the girl’s nose with a raised eyebrow.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, don’t worry about it,” she replied with a small smirk, rubbing the small trail of blood away with her already bloodstained sleeve. “It’s a magick thing. Like the one and only thing in the history of Buffy that Joss Whedon EVER got right about magick,” the girl commented as she began to walk towards the small uneven trail.

...Huh? Buffy? Joss Whedon? What the hell is she talking about now? Sometimes he really just didn’t get the girl. At all.

“Uh, what?”

The girl glanced at the blank, uncomprehending expression on Sanosuke’s face and a small grin formed on her lips. “You know that tv show I make you watch with the girl that kills vampires?”

“...You mean the one with the cute blonde slayer girl?”

“Yeah. That one. That show basically got everything like completely wrong about magick. But, it’s true that using it sometimes gives me mini-nosebleeds and little headaches. It’s not a big deal, it’s just all the energy and stuff I guess. Er, that’s what happens with me anyway. Or maybe it’s just me? Who knows,” she replied with a shrug, running a hand through her rain soaked pink hair.

“...Whatever,” he replied with a blink. He still wasn’t sure he understood her, but it really didn’t matter as the bleeding had stopped. Which was good, because really? Sano was sick of seeing blood. Really sick of seeing it... He had seen way too much for one day... He briefly let his gaze travel down to the blood stains on his clothes and hands... Yeah, too much blood...

The two fell into silence for a few minutes, walking along the dirt trail at a quick, hurried pace. They both understood the dire situation and knew that the longer they spent in the forest, the longer Druu...

Sano felt another small shudder pass through his body, his thoughts once again drifting back to the pale bloody lips of the unconscious psychic... Funny how attached he had grown to this strange group of people...

It’s like I have two different groups I hang around... Back in my time there’s Kenshin and everyone... And in this weird world of the future I’ve stumbled into... There’s all these weird people...That I’ve somehow grown to really kind of like... his thoughts trailed off and he shook his head. What am I thinking? Now’s not the time to get all weird and...stuff.

“What... What the fucking hell do you think is wrong with Druu-chan?” Rae suddenly broke the silence, her voice strained and tight.

Sano glanced at the girl, a small sigh escaping his lips. “Hell if I know... It... Kind of reminded me a little of a disease I’ve seen back in my time but...” he trailed off, thinking of the blue haired elemental coughing up that dark red blood...

“What, TB or something? I somehow doubt it’s anything as simple as that. It was a terrible, horrible killer in your time, but now... It’s treatable. I don’t think a simple little human disease would be able to affect Druu anyway,” Rae replied thoughtfully, biting her lip a bit. The girl glanced down at her hands, her aqua eyes focused on the blood stains still present.

Sanosuke nodded, his frown deepening a bit. No, it didn’t make sense for a strong elemental to have some human disease, right? Plus, last time he checked, glowing blue-white eyes wasn’t a symptom he’d ever seen in ANY disease...

“Could it be something to do with his magick or something?” the pink haired girl mused thoughtfully, picking at the hem of her bloodstained long sleeved shirt as the two continued their trek. “But then again, how could any medicine help some kind of magick thing? Gah. I don’t know...”

“Kopaka said it was complicated, whatever the hell that means,” the spiky haired teen commented, a sigh escaping his lips.

“Yeah...”

The two fell into silence once again, focusing on the dark forest path.

We’ve got to hurry... he thought again, increasing his pace. Druuvbin... He had been so cold... Kopaka hadn’t actually come out and completely admitted it but... Sano knew that look in Druu’s eyes. He’d seen death before. That pale skin and shallow breathing...

Kouji... The kid’s right. Druu’s dying. But why? From what? It didn’t make any sense to the teen.

“He’s dying,” Rae suddenly stated, almost mirroring Sano’s thoughts. The spiky haired teen blinked, turning to glance at the grim look on the girl’s face.

“You don’t know that,” he replied, unable to agree with her. He knew. They both knew. But saying it out loud? It... He didn’t want to admit it. It would somehow make it more real. Right now... He didn’t want to deal with that.

“I’m not completely stupid Sano, despite the way I act most of the time. That was a hellava lot of blood he was coughing up. That’s bad. That’s REALLY bad. And he was cold. And... I don’t know. The look in his eyes right before he passed out... It was...” she trailed off, her voice cracking a bit.

Sanosuke let out a shaky sigh, running a hand through his wet hair. “I... I know. But... Kopaka may be an idiot, but... I don’t know. He won’t let him die. I believe that. We just need to get this medicine stuff, whatever it is, and get it back to him. Druu’s going to be fine,” he stated firmly, giving the girl a small smirk.

Did he really believe his own words? ...Yeah. It’s going to be fine...Yeah. Keep telling yourself that.

“I don’t think Kopaka is an idiot at all. I think he’s a lot smarter than he wants people to think. He’s a freaking doctor for kami’s sake. It’s not that I don’t trust Kopaka, because I know he’s going to do everything in his power to keep Druu alive... It’s just...” she trailed off, a troubled sigh escaping her lips.

“Just what?” he questioned, eyeing the girl.

“...I dunno... I... Have a bad feeling...”

“A bad feeling?”

“...Yeah... It’s... I... Never mind,” Rae shrugged, a frown on her lips.

“It’s going to be fine,” Sano stated firmly, his fists clenched by his sides.

“...Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.”

“So... A medicine research doctor or whatever, huh? Who would have thought?” he changed the subject, focusing his thoughts on the wind sprite.

“Yeah, well. It does explain why he knows how to make that ‘Kopaka Water Dude!’ stuff,” she relied with a small wry grin.

“Yeah and how to drug me,” Sano muttered, thinking back to the whole Tokyo fiasco...

Weird how everything has went completely crazy in the last few days... All these big secrets revealed, the whole strangeness with Yuki, that jump thing, Kouji, and now... he shook his head, deciding he really should just stop thinking. Because... It was really all a little much.

“God I need a cigarette,” Rae randomly commented with a shaky sigh. “And where the fuck is that god damn sign?! There should be a sign that says something about Laineka,” the girl went on to say, her voice rising a bit as another agitated sigh escaped her lips.

“Calm down,” Sano stated, raising an eyebrow at the girl. He could tell the girl was trying to hold her composure, but her hands were twitching, and her voice had grown rather strained.

“I know, I know. I just... Really want a cigarette,” she muttered with another sigh. “And what if we can’t get in? The freaking gate and all. And what if Malba’s not even there anymore? And even if he is? How do we find him in a CITY full of fucking people?”

“That’s not calming down,” the spiky haired teen stated dryly, giving the girl a small smirk. “We’ll manage, alright?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I’m just... Trying not to lose it. You know... I’m glad you’re here. Because yeah...You’re kind of like my random adopted older brother or something. You’re a big dork but, you’re cool too, ya know?” she responded, giving the teen a small smile.

“...I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not...” he replied, though returned the girl’s smile. I’m cool huh? Hah, yeah, damn straight I am...

“Though technically you’d be like my YOUNGER brother. I’m older than you,” she then went on to say mischievously, a small smirk on her otherwise worried face.

Sano narrowed his eyes at that comment, giving the girl an annoyed glance. “Yeah well, I’m definitely the most mature.”

“Hah. Yeah right, rooster boy.”

“What did you call me you pink haired weirdo?”

“Oh what, that’s the best you can do? Pink haired weirdo?”

“Yeah and rooster is real original.”

“But it’s so fitting.”

“Shut up Rae.”

“Heheh.”

Sanosuke rolled his eyes, though didn’t take the banter too seriously, as he could tell that Rae was using their teasing argument to distract herself from that ‘bad feeling’ of hers...

Bad feeling huh...

“I swear to any freaking god you can think of if we don’t find that stupid sign in like two seconds I’m going to scream,” the girl randomly stated, her voice once again growing tense and strained.

So much for the whole distracting thing...

“Will you calm down? You’re acting like an idiot.”

“Shut up! I... I’ve had a really bad day,” Rae commented, giving a small smile to the spiky haired teen. “Sorry.”

Sano rolled his eyes, shaking his head a bit. “Yeah, I think this would definitely qualify as a ‘bad day’, alright,” he responded, running a hand through his wet hair. “Very bad day.”

“Yeah well, guess what guys? Your day is about to get totally worse,” a cool voice commented from behind them. Both Rae and Sanosuke froze, eyes widening.

That voice... They both knew THAT voice...

Oh, that’s great. Just what we need...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
end part a
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kay, go on to part b now. ^^
------>

((Posting it now. Will be up shortly, yo. XD)