(( fallout part b. read a first. duh. XD))

“It isn’t that big of a deal! Will you all just shut the fuck up?” Malba bit back, his sharp edgy tone strained, irritated. “I’ll live.”

“Malba. That is still a serious injury. You lost a lot of blood. You need to let Kopaka at least look at it better or something. Just admit you’re hurt. You told me it was killing you earlier, so stop trying to act big and bad now. It has to hurt like freaking hell,” Rae replied quietly, casting a sympathetic, concerned look to the darkness sprite. He’s trying to play it down, but he’s not in good shape. At all.

“She’s right, Malba-san...” Yuki added softly, briefly looking up from Druuvbin, focusing on the dark haired man. His teary grey eyes held a... Hollow, defeated look. Rae didn’t like the look in his eyes. Didn’t like the look at all. Yuki-chan... You look so... What’s going on with you? Yuki... He looked so sad, and... Hollow. It was troubling. I’ve got to talk to him once things settle down a little...

“I said it’s nothing,” Malba stated flatly, turning his gaze away, instead focusing on the wheezing, trembling psychic. He once again took hold of the water elemental’s hand, a frown on his lips.

“And I say it’s not ‘nothing,’ Mals,” Kopaka responded with an agitated sigh, wearily running a hand over his eyes.

Why is he being so difficult? Rae thought, a little perplexed. What was the sprite’s problem? Why wouldn’t he let the doctor look at his injuries? What is your problem, Mals?

“...You’re not touching it,” the darkness sprite muttered, a frown forming on his lips, his dark eyes lowered to the bloodstained bedspread.

“Is... Is that what this is about? Malba, I’m not... I’ll be careful, I promise. Just let me see it, okay?” Kopaka’s voice softened, a look of realization flashing through his tired eyes.

Huh? What the fuck? Be careful? What... What was the wind sprite talking about? Wait... I know he won’t let me touch it, but he let Xzai... So why not Kopaka? What... Rae wasn’t sure what to think. She bit her inner lower lip, perplexed.

“I said no.”

“Malba...”

“No.”

The two fell into silence but as Rae watched, it quickly became clear to her that the sprites were communicating telepathically. Malba shook his head a bit and Kopaka frowned, a sigh escaping his lips. The two continued to meet eyes, Kopaka’s frown increasing, a frustrated look appearing on his pale face. “...Fine,” he finally stated aloud, taking a deep breath, his tone irritated. “Kitsune? You can take care of it for now. Mals. I’m not going to argue with you right now, but I will look at it later,” the wind sprite then said, his voice weary and annoyed. “Not that there’s much I can do for you anyway. You’re going to have to restore your energy and... Just let it heal. Kits, you can at least put some ointment on the second degree parts and put some gauze on it...”

What the fuck... Okay. Something is definitely up. Wait... He let Xzai... And he’ll let Kitsune... But not me or Kopaka... Demons? Xzai and Kits are demons, but Kopaka is an elemental. What... What the fuck? Why... Why won’t he let...? Okay, the girl was confused. Not to mention... Concerned. Does... Does this have to do with his red eyes? Or...

What was Kaine talking about earlier? About... When he said something about telling me what Malba ‘really is’... And the blood... He... What is it about the blood?

Kitsune nodded at Kopaka’s statement, a frown on her icy lips. She turned her attention to Ryuuji, a questioning expression in her eyes. “Can you handle giving Druuvbin energy alone for a while?” she inquired, a slight hint of uncertainty entering her cool voice.

“Yeah. No problem. You’ve already given too much anyway, Kitsune. I’m fine, I have plenty to spare,” the purple haired demon responded, giving the woman a reassuring smirk. “Oh, but... I probably shouldn’t hold him though. I’m still pretty wet. The last thing he needs is for me to get him all wet and muddy.”

“You could change clothes first, before Kits takes care of Malba. I’m sure I can find something for you,” Rae suggested, a thoughtful frown on her lips. “And uh, Mals, you should really get out of those wet funky clothes too... Though, you’ll probably need some help, huh?” she questioned, giving the man a sympathetic look. Even though he was trying to hide his pain... She could still tell. He... He’s hurting. A lot.

“That’d be nice, if it isn’t a bother or anything...” Ryuuji trailed off and Rae raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yes. It’s a big bother, finding you clean clothes. I don’t know if I can manage,” Rae commented teasingly, giving the demon a smile. “It’s no problem. Hey, Kopaka keeps a few things in my closet for when he crashes out here... Do you mind if they wear something of yours, Kopaka? They may not fit perfectly, but...”

Kopaka’s clothes will probably be a little too big on Mals ‘cause he’s so thin and... Kinda short-ish... Well, not short, but, not real tall... Ryuuji is pretty tall, but Kopaka’s stuff should work for him okay... Rae turned to the grey haired sprite, a small smile on her lips. “So, you mind sharing your clothes?”

“Heh. No problem. Whatever, man,” the wind elemental replied lightly, a small tired smirk forming on his lips.

“You honestly expect me to wear something Kopaka would wear?” Malba questioned incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

“Dude. What’s wrong with my clothes?”

“Besides the whole pastel lameness? Not a thing.”

“Lame? That isn’t nice. And I’ve got a few tie-dyes that aren’t pink...”

“Tie-dye? Oh, even better. Idiot.”

“Man... You’re mean. Not cool.”

“Don’t worry about it, Kopaka. Your clothes are cool. Malba’s just too emo to wear them,” Jiro commented with a teasing smirk, his steel-blue eyes glancing over Malba’s dark attire.

“Excuse me?” Malba inquired irritably, aggravation flickering in his dark-blue eyes. “What did you call me?”

“Emo,” the shaggy haired teen repeated, his small smirk slightly widening.

Emo? Hah... Heh... That’s funny. Malba the emo, Rae thought, a small smirk forming on her lips as well.

“...Emo?” Kitsune blinked, a questioning look in her eyes.

“Whiny, angsty. Wears black,” Rae explained, taking in Malba’s irritated expression, his twitching eyebrow. Heh... He’s getting pissed...

“...I see. How appropriate,” the woman commented flatly.

“Fuck you, mutt,” the darkness sprite snapped, rolling his eyes.

“Fairy.”

“Mutt.”

“Ahem. Guys. Let’s get you some clothes, neh? Oh and, Kopaka, I don’t think we have any gauze or anything, except for what I put in the case. That’s obviously not going to be enough to take care of Malba,” Rae stated, a small frown on her lips as she turned to glance at the darkness sprite. Yeah... Definitely going to need a lot of gauze...

“Renny? Hate to ask, but... Think you could go get some stuff for me?” Kopaka inquired softly, turning his weary gaze to the human woman sitting on the couch. “A drugstore should have gauze and ointment and stuff... So...”

“Yeah. It’s no problem. Someone needs to sit with Kouji while I’m gone though,” she commented, her brown eyes focusing on the icy teen clinging to her. His shuddering sobs had somewhat slowed, though the tears continued to run freely from the boy’s closed eyes. I’m really starting to worry about Kouji-chan... He’s really out of it. Like big time. It was concerning.

“I will,” Yuki responded softly, his grey eyes focusing on the boy.

Renee nodded, giving the silver haired man a small smile. “Kouji? I have to go for a few minutes, I’ll be right back. You want to sit with Yuki for a little while, honey?” the woman questioned gently, running a hand soothingly along the boy’s back.

“...Okay...” the icy haired boy whispered quietly, his voice hoarse, so soft that Rae barely even made out his mumbled response. Poor Kouji... God. He’s having a mental breakdown or something...

After giving Kouji a comforting embrace, she gently sat the boy back, running a hand over his cheek. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” The tall brunette stood, briefly ruffling Jiro’s hair, giving her son a small smile before moving towards the room’s exit. She paused, her gaze focusing on Druuvbin. Renee let out a troubled sigh, a frown on her lips. “Well... I’ll be back...”

“Okay, Mom,” Rae responded, giving her mother a soft smile. I’m lucky to have such a cool mom. My stupid dad doesn’t even know about my non-human friends. Mom never wigged out about it. At all. She’s cool... “Love ya.”

“Love ya too,” the brown eyed woman responded. With another sigh she left the room, exiting to the apartment’s hallway.

Yuki moved to sit next to Kouji, gently placing a hand on the boy’s thin shoulder. “Kouji-chan?” he inquired softly, trying to meet the icy half-human’s gaze. The boy did not open his eyes however, only leaned his head on Yuki’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around the man’s neck. Yuki returned Kouji’s embrace, a concerned look on his pale face.

“Alright... Clothes. Uh, Ryuuji, do you mind wearing Kopaka’s clothes?” she questioned, looking over the man’s wet apparel. Somehow he really didn’t strike her as the tye-dye pink wearing type. At all.

“I don’t care. Clothes are clothes,” the man responded with a shrug. The demon ran a hand over Druu’s forehead, a frown on his split purple lips. “Clothes are the last thing I’m worried about right now.”

Cool. He... He really does seem like a nice guy. Even if he did keep calling me ‘human’. He and Mals don’t get along so great, but... “Okay. And yes, Malba, I know. No pink or tye-dye. I think one of Jiro’s emo-ish shirts will fit you. You’re all skinny and stuff, so... You can wear Kopaka’s jeans though,” she stated, giving Malba a small smirk.

“Stupid human,” was the darkness sprite’s only response, his eyebrow twitching.

“Okay. I’ll go get one of Jiro’s shirts, and maybe change real fast myself, if that’s alright...” She actually hated to leave the room... She... She still didn’t want to leave Druuvbin, not even for a few moments, it... I know I can’t do anything for him anyway, but... He’s, he’s so... Rae blinked hard, biting down on the inside of her lip. I love ya, Druu.

“Make sure it has long sleeves,” Kitsune commented flatly, glancing at the darkness sprite.

Rae raised an eyebrow. “Long sleeves?”

“...Wouldn’t want the delicate fairy to get cold,” the ice demon responded, a hint of a minute smirk briefly appearing on the woman’s icy lips.

“Stupid fucking bitch,” Malba retorted irritably, turning his gaze to the demon, his eyes flashing with aggravation.

Long sleeves, huh. Heh... “I’ll... I’ll be right back,” she stated, casting a quick look over Druuvbin, taking in his shaking, trembling body. His chattering teeth and... The dried blood stains on his nose and lips, on his chin and... Well. At least the bleeding has finally stopped... That’s a good sign, right? Druu... With that she turned, leaving the room.

The girl quickly walked through the hallway, her destination the laundry room located directly off of the kitchen. Once entering the small room she opened the dryer, grabbing the first pair of her blue-jeans she came to, then a long sleeved black Tales of Symphonia shirt. After a little more rummaging she found one of her brother’s shirts. A black shirt with a dragon design on the front and flames running up both long sleeves. This’ll do...

She closed the dryer, exiting the laundry room, clothes in hand. She made a quick beeline to the bathroom, a frown on her lips, apprehension coursing through her. Rae hurriedly changed into the dry clothes, kicking off her wet boots, tossing her sopping muddy clothes into the bathtub. I’ll deal with those later.

Afterwards she briefly took a towel to her wet pink hair. The girl ran the towel through her hair for a few moments before tossing it aside as well. With a shuddering sigh she exited the bathroom, the black shirt for Malba in hand. I know it’s stupid, but I’m like freaking out over leaving the room for two minutes... I just... Druu’s in such bad shape, and...

Rae walked back into her dark bedroom, her eyes immediately focusing on the unconscious psychic. Nothing had changed in the few quick minutes she had been absent of course. With a small sigh she turned her gaze to Malba, holding up the shirt. “Will this do?”

“...Ugh. Whatever,” the darkness elemental responded with a frown, distaste in his eyes.

“Hey. What’s wrong with that shirt?” Jiro questioned, raising an eyebrow. “I like it.”

“Of course you do.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’re a stupid human.”

“What does being a ‘stupid human’ have to do with a shirt?”

“...Whatever.”

Rae rolled her eyes, a small smile forming on her lips at the sprite’s fussy bitchy attitude. Whining over a stupid shirt. Big dork. With a small shake of her head she walked over to her closet, opening the door. After rummaging for a few moments she pulled out a couple pairs of Kopaka’s blue jeans, along with a short sleeved indigo blue tye-dyed shirt. “Is this okay, Ryuuji? Kopaka?”

“Fine with me,” Kopaka shrugged, rubbing at his eyes. The wind elemental moved to sit on the edge of the bed, his gaze focused on Druu. He took the man’s pulse, a small frown on his lips.

“Is his pulse any better?” Rae questioned hopefully, anxiety in her eyes.

“No,” the sprite responded quietly, a sigh escaping his lips.

A shiver ran up the pink haired girl’s spine and she shared an apprehensive look with her brother. God damn it... “Well... Here, Ryuuji. The bathroom’s down the hall, to the right. You can change in there. And just you know, leave your wet clothes in there. Either me or Mom will wash ‘em later,” she stated softly.

The purple haired demon nodded, a frown on his lips. He turned his red gaze down to Druuvbin, running a hand along the man’s cheek. “Be back in a sec, Druu...”

Rae smiled a little at the affectionate gesture. Everyone is being so nice and gentle-like to Druu. Even Malba and Kitsune... I’m glad. Druu... He really needs all the TLC he can get right now.

“You can handle it, while I’m gone, right, Kitsune?” Ryuuji questioned, turning to meet the ice demon’s gaze.

“Of course. Fool,” Kitsune replied coolly, rolling her eyes.

“...Just checking.”

The tall purple haired demon stood, stretching his lean frame. He moved to stand next to the human girl, taking a pair of jeans and the tye-dyed top. After casting another glance to Druu, he left the room.

“Ugh. Man,” Kopaka mumbled quietly, taking a shuddering breath.

Poor Kopaka... Rae turned her attention to the wind sprite. The grey haired elemental still sat perched on the edge of the bed, his eyes weary, pained. The girl bit her lip, stepping closer to Kopaka. She placed a hand on the man’s shoulder, a frown on her lips. “You really look like hell,” Rae commented, a concerned look in her aqua colored eyes.

It was true. The grey haired elemental was getting paler, dark circles under his eyes and a queasy expression on his face... He looks like he’s going to pass out or puke or something... “Kopaka?”

“I’ll be alright,” the sprite responded, his voice weak. He cast a tired smile to the girl, his eye twitching a bit as he let out a small wince.

“Kopaka-san?” Yuki inquired worriedly, his grey eyes focusing on the wind/ice elemental.

“I’m fine, Yuki-dude...”

No. I really don’t think you are, Rae thought, gently rubbing the sprite’s shoulder.

“How the hell much energy did you use, anyway?” Malba inquired, focusing his dark gaze on the wind sprite, a frown on his lips. “Did you completely drain yourself?”

“...Uh. Well. Yeah, pretty much,” Kopaka responded sheepishly, running a hand over his blue eyes, letting out a shaky breath. “It’s weird. With that much energy you could totally kill at least a hundred people easy, but trying to keep one person alive... Dude. It’s just not cool. Why does healing have to be so hard?” he questioned with a small smirk.

That’s the way it always is, isn’t it. It’s so much easier to destroy things than to fix them. Really not fair. Rae let out a small sigh at that thought, meeting the wind sprite’s tired gaze. “Sucks, doesn’t it?” she responded with an understanding smile, gently patting the man’s shoulder. “I’m sorry you had to drain yourself, but, you know that was really cool of you. To give up all your energy like that, that’s really cool of you. Completely cool.”

“If I had any left, I’d give you some,” Malba commented, giving the wind sprite a small sympathetic smirk. “I wasted most of my energy burning people in that base. Heh. I mean I’m not as drained as you, not enough to make me literally sick, but... Yeah. The stupid gunshot-burn thing isn’t exactly helping either,” the darkness elemental went on to say, his eyes focused on Kopaka’s pale face. “...You really look like shit. You ought to rest for awhile or something, Kopaka. You’re sick, obviously.”

“...Nah, I’ll be okay. I’ll rest later. And, dude. You burned people? How many?” Kopaka questioned, giving the darkness sprite a smirk.

“You burned people? Whoa,” Jiro commented from his spot on the couch, blinking. “Cool. Kind of freaky, but cool.”

“How many? I don’t know. How many was it? Two?” Malba inquired, turning his gaze to Rae.

“No, it was three. Sefth, and there were two guys in the hall. Oh and uh... The other guy. You didn’t burn him though...” the girl trailed off, a small smile on her lips. Yeah. Broken necks and black fire. Heh.

“Yeah, you’re right. It was two in the hall. Plus I snapped Ceanei’s neck...”

“Oh was that his name?”

“Yeah.”

“What a lame name.”

“Heh... I always thought so...”

“...You killed in front of her?” Kitsune questioned coolly, raising an eyebrow. Her voice was once again strained, obviously finding it difficult to produce enough energy for Druuvbin without Ryuuji’s assistance.

“What did you want me to do? Win the idiots over with my good looks? I didn’t exactly have a choice. They were shooting at us,” Malba responded irritably, giving the woman a dark glare.

“Fool.”

“Oh fuck you. Mutt.”

“Fairy.”

“Kits, it wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t care. Well. That one neck breaking thing was vaguely creepy at first, but yeah. Malba was actually pretty cool. All bad ass like. How the hell do you snap a neck like that anyway? That’s got to take some strength,” Rae commented thoughtfully, contemplating the art of neck breaking. Sure she’d seen Angel and Spike do it on Buffy, but to see it in person? Whoa. Definitely weird. He... As sick as it is, Malba was pretty cool while he was doing the whole black fire thing and neck snapping. Ugh. I’m so going to hell. I thought Mals was cool while killing people. Well the neck breaking thing was kinda creepy at first, but... Yeah. How sick am I? Meh, but those assholes deserved it. Especially if any of them were anything like stupid Kaine...

Rae’s odd contemplations were abruptly cut off as Druuvbin let out a gagged cough, a fresh trail of blood trickling from the corner of his lips. The psychic made a choked noise, followed by another bit of blood escaping his shivering pale lips... Damn it... Druu... Don’t start bleeding again...

“Druu?” Malba questioned softly, taking hold of the water sprite’s pale limp hand, giving it a small reassuring squeeze.

The psychic made no response, only continued to tremble, his teeth chattering. ...Man. Come on you stupid fucking drugs...

“I... Hate this. So very much,” Kitsune suddenly confessed, her voice strained, tense. The ice demon ran a hand through the water sprite’s blue hair, brushing stray strands away from the man’s pale face. She then pulled her hand away, once again wrapping her arms around the psychic, supporting his trembling frame.

“...I do too, Kits,” Malba responded quietly, a frown on his lips. “I’m so damn tired of watching him get sicker and sicker...”

“Yeah,” Kopaka added with a small sigh.

Rae blinked rapidly, shoving away the wave of emotion suddenly threatening to overwhelm her. She turned to her brother, giving him a small shaky smile. “This really does suck, neh?”

“Yeah. It really, does,” the lean teen responded, running a hand through his shaggy brown hair. “Really, really sucks.”

Yeah... It does...

The pink haired girl let out a sigh, turning her attention to the bedroom door as Ryuuji stepped through the entryway, glancing at the clean clothes he now wore. His boots were gone, only dark black socks on his feet. The light blue jeans he wore looked a little short on his tall frame, but the shirt fit fairly well. The demon held his gun belt in his hand, a frown on his lips. As he walked into the room he moved to sit the gun on the nightstand, his visible eye focusing on the fresh trickle of blood slipping from the unconscious water elemental.

“He’s bleeding again... How long do you think it will take those meds to completely stop the bleeding?” Ryuuji questioned softly, moving around the bed to sit next to Kitsune, placing a bruised hand on the psychic’s shuddering shoulder.

Rae felt the purple haired demon resume giving Druuvbin energy, a powerful flow of cool, dark energy... Definitely strong... Like, yeah. Big time.

“I really don’t know, Ryuu,” Kopaka answered with a soft sigh, lowering his head into his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. “You know how unpredictable his attacks are...Ugh...”

“Kopaka?” Rae questioned, raising an eyebrow. Damn, he really looks like hell.

“It's okay, Rae. I’m fine...”

“Yeah... Right,” Jiro responded, a concerned expression in his eyes.

“...Well. Mals, you really should change clothes at least. Can’t fix the burns up yet, but you could at least get out of those wet clothes,” Rae stated softly, turning her attention to the muddy, weak darkness sprite. He doesn’t look so good either. At all... He’s getting paler. He’s got to be hurting so much and...

“Shut up. I will in a few minutes,” Malba replied, rolling his eyes. He again squeezed Druuvbin’s hand, his frown increasing as the psychic let out a rasping harsh cough, his body shaking from the force. “I don’t want to leave him yet.”

“Can I hold him now, Kitsune?” Ryuuji questioned quietly, his red eye focused on the water sprite’s pale face, the blood slowly dripping from his lips.

Kitsune pulled her gaze to the demon, a frown on her lips. She stared coolly at Ryuuji for a few moments, finally letting out a small irritated sigh. “...Fine,” she responded, her voice flat, cold.

Again with the frigidness. Kits and Mals both definitely seem pretty pissed with Ryuuji... Rae noted, her brow furrowing in thought. I still don’t quite get why... Are they just mad at him for making Druu worry or what?

Ryuuji carefully took the shivering psychic into his arms, pulling the black comforter around Druuvbin. He ran a hand over the blue haired sprite’s forehead, a frown on his purple lips. “Hey, Druu. Just hang in there. You’re going to be okay.”

“Ryuuji...” the psychic muttered softly, a ragged cough shaking him, blood leaking from his lips. The purple haired demon positioned Druuvbin to rest against his chest, gently cradling him with one arm, running his free hand over the psychic’s forehead. “That’s right, Druu. It’s me. Can you hear me?” Ryuuji questioned softly, lowering his head a little, drawing closer to the deathly ill psychic.

Druuvbin gave no response, only let out a small agonized whimper, his teeth chattering, his body shuddering.

Druu... I... It was so awful, watching the man suffer so, watching him... Bleeding and making such piteous, pain filled moans... It was enough to make the girl want to go hide in a corner and cry. Not that she was going to do that of course, but hey. It was definitely tempting. As in really, really tempting.

“Druu? Come on, talk to me. Wake up for me. Can you do that, Druu?” Ryuuji questioned softly, continuing to gently run a hand over the water sprite’s forehead, caressing his pale skin.

Again the sprite gave no response, only continued to shudder, his breath wheezing and harsh. The spiky haired demon closed his eye for a moment, a sigh escaping his lips.

“Kopaka... He isn’t getting any better. Shouldn’t those fucking drugs be doing something by now?” Malba inquired, his voice tense, his eyes locked on the psychic.

“Just give it time, Mals. You know it takes awhile sometimes. It’s not a miracle cure all. Just the side effects alone are enough to put him in this much pain... We just have to hope he can take it until the actual attack fades off. I’ll have to keep giving him doses of that crap to keep the bleeding from going completely out of control. I... I Hate having to give him so much... I know how much it hurts him... I...” the wind sprite trailed off, his voice a little uneven. “But he’s already lost so much blood...”

“What the hell are those drugs, Kopaka? Why are they so... So painful?” Jiro questioned, a frown on his lips as he watched the suffering psychic.

“...It’s... It’s powerful stuff that... Mixing so many, such high doses... It hurts him. A lot. But it’s the only thing that keeps him alive. If I didn’t give it to him, he’d bleed to death. His heart would stop beating. It’s... It’s the only thing I can do,” Kopaka responded softly, not pulling his head from his hands. “I have him taking a bunch of different pills every day to try to hold off the attacks and boost his lungs and all, but they aren’t working very well anymore... He’s getting them more and more....”

Rae shut her eyes, clutching the jeans and shirt tightly in her hand. Druu... God damn it. This... “How often? How many times has he had an attack since I’ve known him? How many times have you guys not told me when he’s like this?” She opened her eyes, focusing once more on that deathly pale face. “Malba said he gets them a lot. What is ‘a lot’? How often?”

“...Since you’ve known him? In three years? I don’t know... They’re kind of unpredictable. One every few months? Usually he’ll have one around every two to three months, something like that. He... He gets them a lot, Rae. Plus, even when he isn’t having an actual attack, he stays... He’s not well. I’m really kind of surprised he was able to hide it from you for so long,” Kopaka replied, his voice slightly muffled by his hands.

Every two to three months? “You mean he’s this sick every two months? He gets this bad, every time?” she questioned unevenly, her voice shaking. How... How the hell did he keep this from me for so long?

“His attacks aren’t always this bad, but... Yeah, he pretty much stays sick all the fucking time. He’s got the actual attacks, the every day symptoms and then the flare ups... Which won’t kill him like the attacks, but... He gets damn sick,” Malba commented quietly, his dark eyes agitated.

“Flare ups?” Did she even want to know? This is so fucking terrible.

“One of us usually has to stay with him when he has one. He... He gets so sick. It... I don’t know,” the darkness sprite trailed off, a troubled sigh escaping his lips. “He doesn’t deserve all of this.”

“...How long... How long do the ‘flare ups’ last?” Rae inquired slowly, fighting to keep her voice steady. Flare ups, attacks, every day symptoms... Druu... How the holy fucking hell did you manage to hide all of this from me for so long? Three years...

“It depends. Anywhere from one day to a week or two. They’re pretty erratic,” Ryuuji answered softly, running his hand over the psychic’s cheek, his thumb gently tracing his cheekbone.

“He suffers so...Yet he... Never says a word,” Kitsune commented quietly, her voice flat, her ice eyes locked on the water sprite. “Fool.”

Rae rubbed at her eyes, taking a shuddering breath. I still don’t get why he didn’t tell me. He didn’t tell me anything. He never said a word. You... Why did you hide it? Why did you...

“Ve—tein...Vetein sa... Hanana? Vetein—Hanana ana dira sa?” Druuvbin suddenly mumbled, his breath short, his voice soft, weak. Far off and distant.

Weird language-ness again... What is he saying, I wonder? He sounds upset, she thought uneasily, her aqua colored eyes focused on the psychic. “Druu?”

Ryuuji frowned, sharing a glance with Kitsune. The purple haired demon shook his head a bit, increasing his hold on the water elemental, cradling him in a comforting gesture. “Druu. Na tana vetein. Hanana? Na jiaane kata ean tona,” the purple haired demon stated firmly in the odd language, his red eye focused on the blood slowly dripping from Druuvbin’s lips.

“Ne ada onuo,” Kitsune added with a frown, touching the psychic’s arm. “Na tana.” The woman then moved to take hold of a bloody rag lying on the bed nearby. She gently wiped away the blood dripping from Druuvbin’s pale lips with the crimson-stained cloth. “Na tana.”

“What the hell language is that?” Malba inquired, raising his eyebrow, a perplexed expression flittering across his pale face. “I’ve heard him say stuff in it before when he’s knocked out, but I’ve never been able to figure out what it is. How old is it?”

“Old,” Kitsune commented simply, not pulling her gaze away from the psychic, her free hand resting on Druu’s blanket covered arm. She once again wiped at the sprite’s chin as another small trickle of blood leaked from his lips.

“Oh. Wow. That’s so informative. You’re useful as ever, wonder-mutt,” the darkness sprite snapped in response, his eyes flashing angrily.

“Hanana? I... I didn’t want to...it...I’m sorry... Sana nai sa...” the water sprite mumbled, mixing English with the mysterious ‘old’ language. “I...Ngh...I...Bekat... It’s my fault...”

“That wasn’t your fault,” Kitsune responded firmly, her eyes narrowing, an angry look briefly flashing across her pale features. “Veenom is a fool,” she then stated, her voice agitated.

Veenom? So... I wonder what it is that Veenom blames him for or whatever? Kits said it’s not his fault... So Veenom must really just be a bitch then, right? Rae thought, thinking of the green haired poison demon, the hateful words she had spoken. Calling Druuvbin a ‘monster’... A...

“I despise that childish bitch,” Ryuuji commented darkly, his red eye narrowing, his smooth voice cool. “I really wish Druu would let me put a bullet in her head. Or several.”

“Wow. For once I actually agree with you. Imagine that,” Malba remarked, a dark smirk forming on his lips. “You know, it’d be entertaining to catch her hair on fire and watch her burn...”

Whoa. Heh... Serious Veenom hate... “Well... At least Sano got to beat her up,” she stated with a small smile, feeling pride for the teen. Taking down a demon. How cool was that? You rock, Sano. “That’s how Sanosuke and I got separated. Veenom showed up in the forest and was being a stupid bitch, so Sano stayed behind to fight her. Kicked her ass too. Heh.”

“Who is Veenom?” Jiro questioned curiously, raising an eyebrow.

“A little bitch who causes nothing but trouble,” Ryuuji replied, his frown deepening, his hold on Druu slightly tightening.

“Yeah, she’s annoying. Big mouth, real nasty. Though she did randomly tell me she likes my hair,” Rae commented, shaking her head. Veenom is definitely weird. Definitely...

“Hanana? Hanana... Vetein sa? Ngh--” the water sprite mumbled between ragged breaths as his breathing quite suddenly grew considerably worse. Sharp, jagged and wheezing... “Hanana...I...Please... Please stop?” Druu whispered, a harsh choking cough wracking his shuddering body. The psychic gagged, nearly retching. “Hanana...Ryuuji? I... Na kan fenai sa...” he trailed off, choking as blood slipped freely from his lips.

“Uh, Kopaka... He’s bleeding worse again,” Malba stated nervously, watching the blood dripping from the water elemental’s mouth with anxious eyes.

“Druuvbin...” Kitsune muttered softly, concern in her voice as she caught the trickle of blood with the stained rag, wiping it away. However as soon as she had wiped away the blood, a new trickle quickly took its place. Kitsune frowned, anxiety in her ice eyes.

“Damn it,” Kopaka murmured. He sat up, moving to sit next to Ryuuji, a frown on his lips. He pressed two fingers against the psychic’s neck, checking his pulse. “Druu, man. Can you hear me? Calm down, okay, Druu? Stay calm. Just... I think he’s making himself worse. Whatever he’s dreaming or seeing right now... I... I could give him another shot, but...” the wind sprite trailed off, his expression uneasy.

Rae felt her heart beat quicken, a fresh wave of panic threatening to engulf her. He... Druuvbin’s breathing was growing increasingly worse... He’s... He’s getting worse again... Druu... Fuck.
She shared a fearful look with Jiro, biting the inside of her lip. Damn it!

“Kopaka-san... Can he really handle another dose?” Yuki inquired quietly, breaking the silence he had fallen into. The small framed man cast his teary gaze to the wind elemental, his face troubled.

“If the bleeding starts up too bad, I’m going to have to give him more,” the grey haired man responded with another sigh, rubbing at his eyes. “Damn it...”

“Fuck,” Malba muttered, his dark eyes locking on the psychic’s face.

Rae turned her attention back to the psychic, her heart dropping as she took in the fresh stream of blood dripping from his nose. “Uh... Kopaka, his nose...”

“Rae. Go get that case... It’s still in the kitchen,” Kopaka stated softly, taking hold of Druuvbin’s shuddering hand.

The pink haired girl nodded, her eyes wide. Rae dropped the clothes she had been holding. She quickly left the room, practically running down the hall, towards the kitchen. She nearly slipped on the tile floor of the kitchen but did not slow down, grabbing the black case on the table. With her heart pounding she rushed back, case in tow.

“Here...” Rae commented nervously as she reentered the bedroom, her eyes immediately locking on the blood leaking freely from the water elemental’s nose, the thin stream dripping from his mouth... Oh, oh man... That’s bad. That is so bad, the girl thought fearfully, watching as Kitsune moved the rag to the psychic’s nose, attempting to staunch the blood flow. Bad... Really bad...

“How much of that stuff can you give him? What if you OD him?” Jiro questioned shakily, nervously twisting a strand of brown hair around his finger. “You already gave him three shots. What if...”

“It won’t OD him. It’d take more than this. For an elemental as old as Druu? It’s damn hard to literally OD him, trust me. I’m not worried about that, it’s just...” Kopaka trailed off, shaking his head. “Give it to me,” he then stated, holding out his hand.

Rae nodded, handing the man the black case, taking a deep anxious breath. Druu... Fuck. This sucks!

Kopaka opened the black case, pulling out a small vial. “I already mixed an extra dose, so...” his words trailed off as he pulled out a wrapped unused syringe. He tore the sterile wrapper off of the needle with shaking hands, a frown on his lips. The wind sprite inserted the needle into the top of the vial, drawing medicine into the syringe.

“Not again... God damn it,” Malba mumbled, his eyes agitated, his voice tense.

“I know, Malba, but... He’s bleeding too much. He’s already bled way too much. I have to get it stopped,” Kopaka responded unevenly, his frown deepening as his gaze focused on the needle in his hand. “Let me see his arm.”

Rae watched fearfully as Ryuuji pulled the comforter back. He then pulled the sprite’s blood-stained lavender sleeve up, revealing deathly pale skin. The girl let out a shaky sigh as Kopaka quickly injected the needle, shooting the contents into Druuvbin’s vein. “Druu...”

The grey haired elemental pulled the needle out of the psychic’s arm, casting the syringe aside. Kopaka then pulled a small piece of gauze from the case, pressing it to the lightly bleeding injection mark on the water sprite’s arm. He took Druuvbin’s hand with his free hand, an apologetic look flashing on his face. “I’m sorry, Druu.”

“Ngh—It...Va--lei...” the psychic muttered as his body jerked, a shuddering spasm wracking his lean body. The tremor did not ease off, only continued to shake him, his breath fast and jagged.

“Is he going to have another psychic seizure thing?” Jiro questioned fearfully, his eyes widening as he watched the water sprite’s shaking frame.

“No. That’s the drugs doing this, not his visions. It’ll last for a few minutes probably,” the grey haired elemental responded with a weary sigh, lightly squeezing Druu’s hand in a comforting manner.

“It will pass, Druuvbin. Just hold on,” Kitsune stated firmly, moving to rest her free hand on the water sprite’s shoulder. “Hold on,” she went on to say, her eyes focused on the rag she held to the man’s bleeding nose.

“This isn’t fucking fair,” Malba muttered, his eyes flashing angrily.

“Yes well, life isn’t fair, now is it?” the ice demon snapped irritably, her frown deepening. “Of course it isn’t fair. Idiot.”

Rae bit down on her lower lip, her wide eyes locked on the shuddering frame of the psychic, the... The... Malba’s right... It... It isn’t fair at all...

“Hanana...Hanana vetein sa? Hanana...R-yuuji? I... Na—kan... Fenai sa...” Druu whispered softly, his body jerking, his teeth chattering.

“Druu? Druu, I’m right here. You need to calm down, okay? You’re making yourself worse. Just calm down,” Ryuuji commented softly, cradling the man comfortingly, his eye troubled, his lips set in a deep frown.

“Hanana...” was the blue haired elemental’s only response, followed by a harsh gagging cough.

“Druu. I know I’ve been gone for a long time. I’m so sorry. But you promised you wouldn’t die while I was gone, remember? I haven’t even gotten to speak with you... So... Just hang on, okay?” the spiky haired demon questioned, his smooth voice worried, apprehensive.

Hm... Could Ryuuji... Rae noted the way the demon held Druuvbin, the look on his face, the tone in his voice. Does he... I wonder. Hm.

“Hanana... Sana nai sa...” the psychic whispered, taking a shallow shuddering breath, gasping for air. “I... I’m sorry...”

What are you seeing, what are you dreaming? It was so nerve-wracking, so horrible, standing completely helpless, watching as...

“Druu. Aka ekei. Na tenea ta aka ekei. Danet? Jiaane shia. Na... Na lanei sa...” Ryuuji trailed off, closing his eye. “Jiaane shia.”

“Oh. How very convenient,” Kitsune stated coolly, her gaze setting on the demon, a frown on her blue-white lips.

“What?” the purple haired demon questioned, opening his eye to focus on the woman. “Convenient?”

“Convenient for you, isn’t it? Convenient that he is unable to hear you,” the ice demon bit out, an angry look flashing through her eyes.

“...What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Ryuuji inquired flatly, his red eye narrowing. “Well?”

“Oh, I believe you know perfectly well what it means,” Kitsune remarked coldly, her eyebrow twitching. “Even you aren’t quite that stupid.”

The spiky haired demon clenched his jaw, anger flickering in his visible eye. He let out a small sigh, turning his gaze away from the woman, instead focusing on the shuddering psychic in his arms. He continued to gently cradle Druu, a frown on his lips. “I’m not arguing with you about this right now, Kitsune. So just back off.”

“Gladly. Fool,” the ice/fox demon snapped in response.

What the freaking hell was that about? Rae thought, taking in the positively pissed look on Kitsune’s face. She raised an eyebrow, turning her gaze to Malba. The darkness sprite was looking at the ice demon as well, a slightly perplexed expression in his eyes. Malba doesn’t know either. Hm... Seriously. What was that? Damn... She raised her eyebrow further, sharing a look with her brother. Jiro gave the girl a questioning look and she shrugged her shoulders in response. I don’t know what the hell that was about. What did Ryuuji say to Druu that pissed Kits off so much? The girl’s brain simply wasn’t working well enough at this point to ponder it. Er... Weirdness.

“I... I couldn’t... I didn’t w-want...to...” Druuvbin muttered softly, a few tears slipping from his closed eyes, trailing down his pale cheeks. “I’m s-sorry...”

Poor guy... Rae bit down on her lip, crossing her arms tightly about her chest. “He’s... He’s crying...” God did she hate this.

“Druu... Don’t cry. You don’t have anything to be sorry for, so don’t cry,” Kopaka stated softly, squeezing the psychic’s limp hand. “Don’t cry.”

“He can cry if he wants to,” Malba snapped irritably, his fists clenching. “With all the hell he puts up with, I think he has the right to cry every once in a while,” the darkness sprite muttered, his blue eyes focusing on Druu’s face, the tears slipping from his closed eyes.

“...He’s right. You can cry all you want, Druu,” Ryuuji commented gently. The purple haired demon ran a hand over the psychic’s face, wiping a few tears away from the sprite’s cheek with his thumb. “Na lanei sa. Na gena ta nia taef,” he whispered, pulling his hand away from the sprite’s face. He instead moved his bruised hand to gently stroke Druuvbin’s blue hair, brushing strands away from his pale face.

Kitsune twitched at the demon’s words, her ice eyes narrowing. The woman said nothing however, only frowned, irritation playing on her pale face. Rae watched the ice demon for a moment, contemplating her behavior. Why is she getting so pissed?

“I’m sorry...” Druuvbin mumbled, his weak voice so soft it was barely distinguishable. “I...”

The red eyed demon let out a small sigh, running his hand through the water sprite’s hair, his face troubled. “Druu, stop saying that. You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

Man. This all... Geh. This all just really bites. Completely... the girl was really, really... Worried. Druuvbin was so very pale, so very weak and... This sucks....

“How is he?” a voice cut into her troubled thoughts and Rae turned, noting her mother standing in the room’s entryway, a Rite-Aid bag held in her right hand. “He’s bleeding worse again, isn’t he?” Renee questioned softly, her brown eyes taking in the psychic’s bloody lips and nose.

“Yeah... I just gave him some more meds. The bleeding will hopefully slow here in a minute or two,” Kopaka responded quietly, turning his weary blue gaze to the human woman. “Thanks for going for the stuff, Renny.”

“No problem. I got back as soon as I could. The idiot at the checkout counter took forever and you should have seen the line. A bunch of rednecks buying booze,” the brunette replied with a small strained smile, stepping into the dark room. “So... Anything else I can do?”

“Nah... Not right now. Once he gets a little more stable, you can help clean him up and stuff, but for now... All we can really do is wait,” the wind sprite commented with a frown, turning his gaze back to the psychic. “There’s not much you can do for Druu now, but... Maybe you could take Kouji out of here or something for a little while. Try to get him calmed down. The kid is pretty messed up...”

Boy isn’t that the truth, Rae thought, turning her attention to the icy boy clinging to Yuki. Kouji is really losing it. Like, really, really losing it... The pink haired girl felt a wave of sympathy for the half-demon, her worried aqua eyes focusing on the boy’s shuddering shoulders. “You could take him to Jiro’s room and try to get him calmed down or... Something,” she suggested quietly. Not that she was really sure it would help the boy. He’s so out of it... Man... “Maybe you could uh... Get him to watch TV or something, try to keep his mind off of it a little? I know that’s not going to help much, but anything’s better than him sitting in here... As Druu... Yeah...”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Renee responded with a small nod, her brown eyes focusing on Kouji. “Seeing Druu like that is just making it worse for Kouji, I’m sure.”

“Yeah,” Rae responded, moving over to the young teen, putting a hand on his shaking shoulder. “Kouji-chan? Hunny... Why don’t you go with my mom and try to calm down a little?”

“That sounds like a good idea, Kouji-chan,” Yuki added softly, running a pale hand along the half human’s back. “You need to try to calm down, okay?”

Poor kid... She really hated seeing him so... So broken. He’s such a sweet kid. In Tokyo he was all bouncy and happy... Now... He’s... Yeah. I really hate seeing him so sad and...

The icy-blue haired teen gave no response, only continued to cry, much to Rae’s concern. Come on, Kouji-chan...

“Kouji,” Kitsune stated softly, her ice eyes moving to the boy. “Kouji.”

“...Kitsi?” the boy responded weakly, pulling his head away from Yuki’s shoulder, opening his teary ice blue eyes. He met his sister’s gaze, his lower lip trembling.

“Kouji. It’s going to be okay. Please... Please calm down,” the ice demon stated firmly, giving her brother a small strained smile.

“...But Kitsi...”

“Kouji. Calm down.”

Renee set the drug-store bag down beside the doorway and then moved to stand next to the boy, placing a hand on his. “You want to come with me for a little while?”

“Um... Okay, ma’am... Renee... Um... Or... What do I call you?” Kouji questioned softly, moving his teary gaze to the woman, his tone defeated, lost. “What should I call you?”

“You can call me whatever you want. As long as it isn’t ma’am,” Renee responded with a small smile, patting the young teen’s icy hand.

“Call her Ren. It’s what she goes by in Animal Crossing,” Rae commented with a small smirk.

“Animal Crossing?” Kouji inquired, a slightly confused look appearing on his pale face. “What’s that?”

“A video-game. Jiro could show you if you want,” the pink haired girl replied, turning her attention to her brother. Actually, it probably would be good for Jiro to get out of here for a little while too. He looks pretty stressed. If he could distract Kouji with a video-game or something, it would be er, a distraction for him too... Yeah, her brother definitely looked stressed. His gnawed nails and apprehensive steel-blue eyes... In a way, he’s had it just as bad as me. He had to sit and watch Druu dying all this time, while I was gone, getting the meds. Watching Druu bleed and have a seizure and... Yeah.

“I could do that,” Jiro stated quietly, turning to give Kouji a small forced smile. “Want me to show you my DS? I’ve got a lot of games for it...”

“I...” the boy trailed off, his icy eyes focusing on Druuvbin, tears sliding down his cheeks. “I...Um... I don’t want to... Leave...”

“You’re just going to be in another room, Kouji. You’re not leaving. It’s okay to go try to calm down a little. Druu wouldn’t want you to be so sad. So go rest and calm down for a little while, neh?” Rae replied, giving the boy a reassuring look.

“Um... But...”

“Kouji. Go on. It’s going to be okay. We aren’t going to let Druuvbin die. I promise,” Kitsune cut in gently, casting a reassuring glance to the boy. “It’s going to be okay, Kouji.”

I hope you’re right, Kits, Rae thought with a small shudder coursing up her spine. God did she hope the woman was right... She directed her gaze to the unconscious psychic held cradled in Ryuuji’s arms. The blood flow was slowing once more, the great shudders that had been wracking his body slightly diminishing... Looks like that dose is starting to kick in...

“Yeah, I’m not letting him die, Kouji. So don’t worry,” Ryuuji added with a small smirk directed at the boy, his smooth voice firm, though for a moment Rae thought she saw a flash of uncertainty in the man’s red eye...

“R...Ryuu?” the boy questioned, his eyes widening a little.

“What, just now noticing me?” the demon responded, a touch of amusement in his level voice. “Yeah. It’s me.”

“...Sorry I didn’t really notice before... I um... I guess I’ve been out of it, you know?” the boy remarked shakily, a few more tears leaking from his eyes, trailing down his pale cheeks. “It’s good to see you...”

“Yeah. It’s good to see you too, Kouji.”

“What... What happened to your eye?” the boy inquired with a shaky voice, his teary eyes focusing on the man’s eye patch.

“Nothing to worry about. I’ll be fine,” Ryuuji responded with a dismissive shrug.

“It really burned, didn’t it?” Kouji suddenly questioned, a frown on his lips. “It burned a lot. It burned and bled... There was a lot of blood and then everything went black...”

Malba raised an eyebrow at the teen’s words, focusing on the man’s patched eye as well. “So... What did happen to it?”

“...We’ll talk about it later. It’s not a big deal,” was the purple haired demon’s only response, his visible red eye again focused on the unconscious water elemental held in his arms. “I’m fine, so it doesn’t matter.”

Kopaka frowned, his tired blue eyes glancing first at Kouji, then Ryuuji. Obviously the doctor was quite curious as to what Kouji’s ‘burned and bled’ comment meant... Rae was rather curious herself. What had happened to the man’s eye? And for that matter, where the hell has he been? What happened?

“Mals... You got hurt. You went somewhere you shouldn’t and someone hurt you,” Kouji stated, his teary eyes moving to the wet disheveled darkness sprite, concern on his pale face.

“Nothing I can’t handle, kid,” Malba replied with a reassuring smirk. “Now, stop crying and go calm down. Stop being such a big dork,” the sprite added with a teasing tone in his voice.

“Um... Okay...” Kouji trailed off, wiping at his eyes as tears continued to streak down his face. “I’m... I’m so sorry I couldn’t remember...”

”Stop apologizing. It’s not your fault, Kouji,” Kopaka remarked firmly, his weary gaze moving to rest on the icy half human. “Dude. Really, it’s not your fault. At all.”

“Yeah, that’s right Kouji-chan,” Rae agreed with a nod. “It’s not your fault.” She gave the boy another reassuring look, sympathy for the teen flooding her. “Definitely not your fault.”

“Come on, Kouji. Let’s go in the other room for awhile. Are you thirsty or anything? I could get you something to drink,” Renee suggested soothingly, moving her hand to rest on the teen’s shoulder.

“Um...I guess I’m kind of thirsty...” Kouji commented softly, rubbing at his watery eyes.

“Well. Let’s go get something to drink then,” the brunette replied with a small smile, patting the half-human’s shoulder.

“Okay...”

After first giving the boy a gentle motherly hug she took hold of Kouji’s hand, helping the icy teen stand. Kouji hugged onto the woman’s arm, his eyes teary, a defeated, lost look still lurking within those ice eyes.

Poor little guy... Rae thought with a frown as Renee led the boy to the doorway. The tall brunette turned her gaze to Druuvbin, a frown on her lips. “Come let me know if anything changes,” she commented quietly. With a small sigh she then turned, exiting the room with Kouji in tow.

“You should go too, Jiro. See if you can get him to... I don’t know. Show him your DS like you said. Maybe you can distract him for a little while or something,” Rae stated, turning her gaze to the lean shaggy haired teen still sitting on the black couch in the corner of the dark room. Plus, you look pretty damn stressed too... It’d be good for you to get out of here for awhile...

Jiro frowned, his steel-blue eyes focused on Druuvbin. “Yeah, but...”

“It’s not going to do any good sitting there worrying. You’d do more good right now by helping out with Kouji,” the pink haired girl pointed out with a small smile. She understood her brother’s reluctance to leave the room, however. Hell, I didn’t even want to leave the room long enough to change clothes...

With a small sigh the lanky teen nodded, running a hand through his brown hair. “Yeah... I guess you’re right...”

“Of course. I’m always right, after all,” Rae kidded with a grin, winking at her brother teasingly.

“...Right.”

With a weak smirk Jiro rolled his eyes at his sister and then moved closer to the doorway. “I guess I’ll be back later. If he gets... Better or worse or whatever...”

“We’ll tell ya,” Rae nodded, her own gaze turning back to the psychic. The bleeding... Thank goodness. The blood pouring from his nose and mouth had finally stopped. He’s still shivering and so pale though.... He looks so bad... She pulled her gaze away, instead forcing a reassuring smile onto her lips. “He’s going to be fine,” she stated firmly, meeting her brother’s eyes.

“...Yeah.” With that said the teen exited the room, a small sigh escaping his lips.

“Well... At least the bleeding’s stopped now,” Rae commented quietly, moving to stand closer to the bed, her eyes focused on that pale, blood stained face. “Just hang in there, Druu-chan.”

“Hn...” the ice demon responded softly, moving to clean away the majority of the fresh blood on his face before setting the now sopping wet rag aside, taking the man’s hand into her own.

“Na gena ta nia taef. Na lanei sa,” Ryuuji muttered softly, running a hand over the psychic’s pale face, his lips set in a deep frown, concern on his face.

“Fucking idiot,” Kitsune bit out irritably, her eyebrow twitching, an aggravated expression appearing on her features at the demon’s words. “You... You have no right to say that.”

What the hell? Rae thought, raising an eyebrow as she took in the woman’s angry ice eyes. What’s up, Kitsune? What is Ryuuji saying? No right?

“You know what? I’m really not in the mood to argue with you. So, just shut the fuck up, Kitsune,” Ryuuji stated flatly, his red gaze never leaving Druuvbin’s deathly pallid face.

Whoa... Holy shit. Was that such a good idea? the pink haired girl thought as an absolutely irate expression flashed through the ice demon’s eyes. Yeesh... She turned her gaze to Malba, meeting his dark gaze. Rae gave the man a questioning look, wondering if he had any idea whatsoever as to why the woman was getting so irritated. I know he said he doesn’t know the language, but still...

--I think I might know what’s going on, but I’m not sure....-- Malba’s voice sounded in her head and she slightly nodded, a bit perplexed. She wasn’t really sure if she should press him further, after all... It wasn’t exactly her business... Plus, Malba didn’t seem exactly thrilled with Ryuuji either... What was up with all the tension between the three? She wasn’t sure what to think.

“Kitsune. Why don’t you take Mals to the bathroom, get him fixed up a little and get those wet clothes off of him, okay? Ryuu can handle giving Druu energy without you for awhile,” Kopaka suggested quietly, obviously trying to diffuse the tension that had arisen between the two demons. The grey haired sprite glanced first at Kitsune, then Ryuuji, a weary expression in his blue eyes.

“...Fine,” the woman responded after a few moments of silence, casting another livid glare at the spiky haired demon. The woman then turned her gaze down to Druuvbin, her look softening. She released her hold on the psychic’s hand, instead moving to gently touch the unconscious sprite’s blanket covered arm, concern in her eyes. “You’re going to be okay, Druuvbin.”

The psychic of course made no response, only continued to wheeze, his breath uneven, his face so very pale. Kitsune let out a small sigh, turning her gaze to Malba. “Come on, fairy.”

Malba frowned, anger sparking in his eyes. Before he could argue with the woman Kopaka cleared his throat, giving the darkness sprite a small smile. “Come on, Mals. It’s okay for you to go change clothes and let Kits take care of those burns. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

Malba, he really is worried... He doesn’t want to leave either. He’s as bad as me and Jiro... Heh. Mister big bad darkness master... Right, she thought, taking in the concerned glance Malba gave the water elemental. Despite his harsh bitchy attitude, the darkness sprite really wasn’t nearly the ‘big badass’ he pretended to be. At all.

“...Whatever,” was the dark haired man’s only response, a frown on his lips. The darkness elemental let out an irritated sigh, slightly turning, placing his booted feet firmly on the hardwood floor. His eye twitched and he took a deep breath, moving a hand to his side.

“Need help?” Rae questioned softly, giving the man a sympathetic look. He really looks like hell. Poor guy. Damn Kaine and Sefth... Bastards.

“No. Stupid human,” the dark haired elemental bit out, rolling his eyes. He slowly stood, letting out a small wince, biting down on his lower sliced lip. “Fuck.”

Kitsune stood as well, moving around the bed to stand near the doorway. She picked up the plastic bag containing the needed medical supplies, then moved to grab the clothes lying on the floor. She tossed the shirt and jeans over her arm, a frown on her lips. “Hurry up, fairy,” the woman stated impatiently, turning her icy gaze to the sprite.

“Fuck you,” Malba snapped in response, irritation in his edgy voice. The darkness elemental took a few slow steps toward the ice demon, his hand pressed lightly to his side. He gritted his teeth, another wince escaping him as he stumbled.

“Idiot,” Kitsune muttered, quickly moving to catch the sprite with her free hand. She cast her gaze to Malba’s pale face, the frown on her lips deepening. “You really are a reckless fool,” she stated quietly, her voice losing a bit of that cold edge. She carefully pulled the man’s arm over her shoulder, then wrapped her arm around his waist to support him.

“I... Don’t need your help, fucking bitch,” the darkness sprite mumbled irritably, though he did not pull away. “Stupid mutt,” he added, wincing.

“Fool,” was the woman’s only response. She carefully helped the man toward the room’s exit, making sure to keep the sprite steady.

Rae smiled at the two’s exchange. They act so bitchy with each other, but... Heh. The look in Kitsune’s eyes told the girl all she needed to know. She’s worried about him. Not that she’d admit it. And for a guy who doesn’t ‘need any help’, he sure seems to not mind having Kitsune holding onto him...

The demon and sprite exited the doorway and Rae turned her gaze back to the quiet room, a small sigh escaping her. Now... She focused on Yuki, who sat silently on the black couch, an utterly defeated look playing on his pale face. Yuki-chan... She... Despite the secrets the man was obviously keeping, she... Yuki, don’t look like that... I... I really need to talk to him.

Rae moved over to the black couch, sitting down next to the silver haired man. She gently touched Yuki’s hand, trying to catch his gaze. He slowly looked up, meeting the girl’s eyes with his own. “Rae-chan?” he questioned unsurely, tears suddenly forming in those sad grey eyes.

“Yuki-chan. I luv ya, you know that, right?” She knew he was definitely keeping secrets, but she also knew that regardless... He’s still Yuki. And yeah, I’m not overly happy that he doesn’t trust me enough to tell me what’s going on, but... I can’t stand that look in his eyes... He looks so sad.

Yuki blinked as his eyes grew moister, a small sigh escaping him. He moved to hug the girl, resting his head on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Rae-chan. I am, I swear I am. Please don’t be mad at me,” he whispered so softly the girl barely made out his muffled words.

“Yuki. I know... I know you have some stuff going on, and I know you don’t trust me enough to tell me or whatever, but I still love ya. It doesn’t matter, okay? So don’t think I’m mad. Because I’m not. Honestly, I’m just worried, that’s all,” she whispered in response, embracing the damp ‘spirit’. “I’m not mad, Yuki.”

--It’s not that I don’t trust you, Rae-chan... I swear it’s not... I... I... I’m afraid to tell you,-- Yuki’s voice sounded in her head and the girl blinked, surprised. Yuki could telepath? She... She hadn’t known that. Of course she also hadn’t known he could call down lightning, so yeah.

Yuki. You can tell me anything. It wouldn’t make me think any differently about you. I don’t care what it is. I’d never stop liking you. You’re one of my best friends. You, Druu, Mals, Kopaka, Kits, Sano... All of you. You guys are my best friends. So, yeah. I don’t care. You know me. I don’t really care about much except the people I love, she responded with a soft smile, returning the small framed man’s embrace.

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