dreams of dawn ~cold-light~ part C
~

“Druuvbin... I’m sorry,” Kitsune mumbled, her words so soft, they were barely even distinguishable amongst the harsh, rasping sounds issuing from the unconscious water sprite. “Just hold on, Druuvbin.”

Kitsune... The woman was definitely upset. As Rae watched the ice demon’s pale, icy face... She could clearly see emotion written across Kitsune’s features. A regretful, anxious expression, tense and so very pensive. It... It was kind of scary, seeing the woman look so... Kitsune, man I wish I knew what the hell is going on with you. It was beyond just worry for the water sprite. There was definitely more to it than that. I’d ask her, but gee, somehow I’m pretty sure I’d just get my head bit off... So the girl sat in silence instead, letting out a weary sigh. This... Ugh...

“Danat... Ngh...” Druuvbin whispered, his head pressing into Ryuuji’s chest, his pallid-white hand held in Kitsune’s twitching. “Sorry... Kanat sa, sana nai dira sa...” he mumbled, his shivering lips forming a small frown. “Danat?”

“He’s not speaking much English,” Jiro noted quietly, his tone weary, his intense steel-blue gaze focused on the suffering water elemental. “It’s like... Is it easier for him to speak that other language than English? He’s not using English much at all,” the shaggy haired teen commented softly, lowering his gaze to the floor, to the worn floorboards. “I know, not my business, right?” he added, a touch of bitterness entering his fatigued voice.

Kitsune took in an irritated breath, pulling her focus away from the blue haired elemental, turning her icy gaze to the lanky brunette. “It’s Druuvbin’s native language. Of course it’s easier for him to speak his own language,” she snapped, her tone agitated, her eyes... Upset. “He’s lost in his own mind, in memories and visions, dreams and... Pain. He hardly has the energy to concentrate on using ‘English.’ It’s impressive he can use it at all at the moment, considering how much agony he’s in,” she then stated, her harsh tone easing, her gaze dropping to the pale hand held in her own. A hand even paler than her own... “Druuvbin has mastered so many languages over the years, it’s hard to even imagine how he keeps them all straight.”

“Yeah, well you guys are still speaking to him in English some. If it’s so hard for him, why are you doing that, huh?” Jiro responded, a frown forming on his lips as a touch of irritation washed over his exhausted facial features. “And you didn’t have to bite my head off, you know.”

A crooked grin formed on Ryuuji’s lips at the teen’s statement and he turned his red gaze to Kitsune. “He has a point. Snapping at the boy really wasn’t necessary,” he stated, a hint of amusement tinting his smooth voice. “Though seriously, the reason Kitsune and I are using ‘English’ is simply because neither of us are exactly fluent in -‘Dirashia,’-” the lean, toned kokuei explained, turning his gaze to the human teen, ignoring the irritated glare Kitsune was directing his way. “The language of ‘life and death.’ It’s an extremely old language, to say the least. It’s pretty difficult to learn. Kitsune and I can speak it, but... Not that great, really,” he added with a shrug of his shoulders. The man then turned his gaze back to the ice/fox demon, taking in the angry look the woman was giving him with a purple eyebrow raised. “Oh, come on, Kitsune. I hardly see how telling them what language Druu’s speaking is going to hurt anything,” the kokuei commented evenly.

“...Fine,” Kitsune coldly responded, breaking eye contact with the shadow demon, a look of irritation still plainly written across her face. “Dirashia. Life and death. One of the oldest languages of our world,” the woman then stated flatly, her ice-blue eyes focusing again on the pale, limp hand held in her own. “A very rare language.”

“The language of life and death?” Jiro inquired, raising an eyebrow. “Life and death?” he repeated, giving the two demons a questioning, uneasy look. “That doesn’t sound good.”

What the hell is that supposed to mean? Life and death? Rae’s brows furrowed in thought as she contemplated the language’s ‘name,’ a bit of apprehension coursing through her. It... Well, it sounded kind of creepy, actually. Life and death?

“Dira means life; alive; live. Shia means death; die; dead. Put the two together and roughly you get ‘life and death.’ The symbols for each word actually connect to create the ‘and’ in life and death,” Ryuuji explained with a frown, moving to lightly caress the suffering psychic’s pallid cheek. “I’m glad my tutor forced me to learn some of it back when I was a kid. Who knew it would come in handy? It’s a dead language... Well. Mostly, anyway,” he stated softly, continuing to gently stroke the water elemental’s pale face, tracing his cheekbone.

“It was required in my training as a child to learn at least six languages, to prove my mental capabilities. I was to choose six languages and become proficient in each. I chose Dirashia as my first, knowing how difficult it would be. I wanted the challenge,” Kitsune admitted quietly, her ice-blue eyes not pulling away from her focus on Druuvbin’s pale hand held in her own. “I never mastered it, but I grew proficient enough to please my instructors,” the ice demon stated with a slight shrug of her lean shoulders, the frown on her lips deepening. “Now I wish I had fully mastered it.”

...Six languages? Rae’s eyes widened a bit at the woman’s words, impressed to say the least. Hell, I did good to just learn English. Heh... “Six languages? That must have been hard for you to deal with. I mean... You were a kid and... Yeah,” she commented softly, her aqua-blue eyes focused to Kitsune’s pale face. Her training... Somehow, the girl was pretty damn sure that Kitsune’s ‘training’ as a child must have been... Absolutely grueling. Not only did she have to learn to be an assassin, but she had to deal with some intense schooling apparently. Six languages? “How old were you, how long did it take to learn the languages and all?” she inquired, a hint of curiosity entering her voice. ADD kicking in here, but I’m just curious...

“Five. I was expected to become proficient enough to pass an examination on two of my chosen languages per year. I didn’t need to master the languages, only prove a general understanding. When I proved that I had gained a general knowledge of all six, I was then instructed to study six more. Same rules applied. I was tested at the end of each year,” Kitsune explained, her voice flat, her eyes holding no real expression. “I was of course also expected to master hand to hand combat, killing techniques, and weaponry, among other things... Juggling it all proved to be quite difficult.”

“I’m sure,” Rae responded with a frown, clenching her hands into tight fists. “How did you keep it all straight? I mean, hell... That had to be confusing. Damn,” she stated with a shake of her head, her voice quiet, her facial expression troubled. So Kitsune was expected to become ‘proficient’ in twelve freaking languages by the time she was, what? Two languages a year... Somewhere around eleven or twelve years old? Damn... That was hard to even imagine. I wasn’t terrible in school, but I sure as hell couldn’t have learned twelve freaking languages, that’s for damn sure... Not to mention how she had been forced to learn to kill, to... To... Ugh...

“How the heck did you even do it? Twelve? Is that even possible?” Jiro added, raising an eyebrow, disbelief apparent on his facial features. It was no secret that the teen rather disliked anything related to school, so the very idea of studying twelve different languages was obviously disturbing to the brunette. “Twelve?”

“I did what was expected of me. To do otherwise would result in painful consequences. It was as simple as that,” was the woman’s cool response, and it was clear the ice demon did not want to discuss her arduous schooling any further.

Painful consequences... Man. Rae wasn’t sure she even wanted to know... With a small shake of her head, she focused her attention back to what Ryuuji and Kitsune had said moments before, about the language of ‘life and death.’ One of the oldest languages in their world... “So... Dirashia... Why is it called that?” the pink haired girl inquired slowly, a tint of apprehensive puzzlement entering her voice. “Is it just a weird name or is there more to it than that?”

Kitsune and Ryuuji shared a glance, both remaining in silence for a few moments. Though Rae wasn’t sure, she had a sneaking suspicion that the two were --again-- communicating telepathically. A quick flash of anger appeared on Kitsune’s face, a brief look of exasperation on Ryuuji’s face... Yeah. The girl was pretty sure the two were definitely communicating. Meh... How annoying.

“It’s complicated,” Ryuuji finally stated aloud, pulling his focus away from the ice demon, instead briefly meeting Rae’s questioning gaze. “It... I don’t think Druu would really want us to tell you,” he then admitted with a frown, his cut marred face holding a troubled expression. “It’s...” the man trailed off, as if unsure what to say. His frown deepened and he took in a weary breath, faintly shaking his head. “I don’t know. I really don’t know what to say about it, without saying too much,” Ryuuji then confessed, a hint of a wry, self-deprecating smirk forming on his split, light purple lips.

“It’s a language of a people who were obsessed with balance. A foolish thing to even contemplate in our world. No balance has ever existed in our world, and I highly doubt it ever will,” Kitsune remarked coolly, her flat voice holding not even a bit of emotion. Her eyes however... The woman’s ice-blue eyes moved to focus on Druuvbin’s face, a bitter, sympathetic expression flickering in those icy depths... “Those people are all long gone now of course. All but one that is,” the ice demon added softly, lightly squeezing the psychic’s hand held in her own in a consoling movement. “They were utter fools... Forcing the label of death, of a ‘monstrous error’ on an innocent child, all in the name of balance...” the woman let her words trail at this, her jaw clenching, an intense, angry spark of emotion briefly flashing in her ice-blue eyes. Anger. Cold, bitter anger. “Druuvbin was dealt a terrible hand.”

“Yes. He was,” Ryuuji agreed, running a finger along the psychic’s cheekbone, his red gaze focused solely on the blue haired sprite’s pallid, suffering face. “Not that he realizes it. To this very day, he still blames himself,” the spiky haired demon commented with a frown, pulling his hand away from Druuvbin’s cheek, instead moving to again tenderly caress the psychic’s forehead.

“...Monstrous error?” Jiro inquired slowly, his hands clenching into fists, a bitter, angry expression playing across his weary face. “Death?”

What... What the fuck happened to you, Druu-chan? A language of people obsessed with balance? Who forced the label of death, of a monstrous error on an innocent child... That... Rae wasn’t even sure what to say, what to even think. That... What did those ‘people’ do to Druu? And if they are all gone, why does their entire freaking world still hate him or whatever? What... What did they do to you, Druu-chan? Rae thought, biting down on her sore lower lip, forcing herself to take deep, steady breaths. Slow, deliberate breaths, attempting to control the sudden rush of anger, of agitation threatening to completely overrun her. It was wrong. So very wrong. To call this sweet, beautiful guy a monster, death? It was... Wrong.

“Vetein,” Kitsune murmured softly, her cool voice holding a strained tone, a bitter, dark look lurking in her ice-blue eyes... The woman said nothing more, only lowered her gaze to the white comforter wrapped securely around the water sprite, her expression fading, replaced by that trademark emotionless demeanor. Blank and expressionless.

Vetein... Rae frowned at the ice demon’s muttered word, finding it incredibly familiar. Vetein... Vetein... Wait. Druuvbin. He had uttered that word several times, hadn’t he? Softly murmured through wheezing breaths and ragged, gagging coughs... --...Vetein sa, sana nai sa...-- “...Vetein. What does that mean? Death? Monster? Is that... Is that the ‘label’ forced on him?” Rae inquired slowly, her voice low, flat. Vetein...

“A monstrous error,” Kitsune replied, not moving her gaze from the thick blanket, her face remaining expressionless, her voice emotionless. “I believe that is what he was called as a child.”

“...God damn...” It was the only thing Rae could really even think to say. What could be said? So... That’s one of the things he keeps apologizing for. For being a ‘monstrous error,’ a... That... Damn. The pink haired girl took in a shaky breath, tightly closing her eyes. “Why? Why would he believe what those idiots called him? How can he honestly think he’s a monstrous error?” she questioned softly, closing her eyes even tighter. Her head was aching, her body growing so very weary, but worst of all... The roller-coaster of overpowering emotions and... This has been one fucked up day... Er, night, day, whatever... The girl shoved the thought away, opening her eyes, focusing her attention back to the ice demon.

“Have everyone you’ve ever known call you a monster starting from the day of your birth. See how long it takes you to believe it,” Kitsune stated irritably in response, her flat voice holding a touch of aggravation. “It was driven into his mind at an early age that he is an unredeemable monster. Of course he believes it,” she added, her tone softening, lowering. “As does the majority of our ridiculous world.”

“...Now who’s saying too much?” Ryuuji inquired with a hint of a smirk, raising an eyebrow at the ice/fox demon’s statement. “You get mad at me just for telling them the name of the language, but it’s okay for you to tell them all that? Hypocrite,” he went on to say, his tone light, joking. He cast a soft, teasing smile to the woman, showing he meant no real offense. “Since when are you so chatty?”

“Shut up, Ryuuji,” Kitsune snapped with a roll of her ice eyes, a frown forming on her blue-white lips. “Fool,” she muttered, giving the purple haired demon an irritated glare. She then pulled her gaze away from the man, instead focusing her attention on the unconscious darkness elemental resting in her lap.

A hint of a smile formed on Rae’s lips at the two demons’ exchange and she shook her head. Ryuuji, you really do have a big mouth... Heh... The guy was amusing. And definitely outspoken... Her smile quickly faded however and she turned her thoughts to the ice demon’s words about Druuvbin, about his ‘childhood.’ He was called a monster even when he was a baby? And he was freaking brainwashed into believing it himself... Why? Why did they call him a monster? Why does their world think he’s a monster, it... It didn’t make sense. It... Poor Druu-chan... It was terrible. The sweet soul lying on her bed, wheezing, rasping, suffering... A monster? A monstrous error? Sure, I know Druu has a more serious, kick-ass side he doesn’t show much, but a monstrous error? The pink haired girl let out a deep sigh, clenching her closed hands tighter. I hate this...

It seemed no one could think of anything more to say, so the room fell into silence once more. Still and dim, greys and shadows... Rae closed her eyes, stifling the yawn attempting to escape her. What time was it even? Sometime after five... The girl forced her weary eyes open, focusing on the small wall clock hanging on a tediously grey wall of the moody room. Five fifty-two... It was hard to believe. It felt like days, weeks, hell even months had passed. Instead, a mere night. Druu collapsed last night. Sometime after six... So this whole fucked up ordeal... Eleven or twelve hours. That was all? It... Mere hours...

“I... I think I’m going to go check in on Kouji and Mom,” Jiro commented softly, cutting into the quiet of the dark room. The shaggy haired brunette let out a shaky sigh, his intense blue-grey eyes focusing first on Druuvbin, then Malba. “I think he might have been awake again when I got up...” he added quietly, pulling his gaze away from the bed, instead focusing his attention on the worn floor.

Rae turned to the teen, taking in his weary, troubled expression, his upset, anxious eyes... He looks pretty bad... “Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Rae responded, giving the tall boy a small smile. He ought to get out of here for awhile. It’s... Stressful, to say the least... To sit and watch not only as Druuvbin lay suffering, but Malba as well. Not to mention hearing all the terrible things about... About Akiona, about Kitsune’s ‘training’ as a child and... About Druuvbin’s past... Seeing the guilt-ridden, upset expressions playing on Kitsune’s face, and... Just everything. It... Definitely stressful...

The brunette merely nodded in response, moving to run a hand through his shaggy locks, brushing his bangs away from his face. He then slowly stood from his sitting position on the black couch, his focus moving to the open doorway of the moody room.

“Yeah, go on. We’ll let you know if anything changes,” Ryuuji added with a reassuring smirk, pulling his gaze away from Druuvbin to focus on the boy for a moment. “No real point sitting in here anyway. Nothing you can do right now,” he pointed out evenly, his smooth voice firm.

“Yeah, okay,” Jiro responded with another sigh, nodding his head in a distracted manner. With that said, the boy took a few steps toward the room’s open entryway; though cast an uneasy glance back at the unconscious occupants of the large, black-framed bed. “I’ll be back in a little bit I guess,” he stated softly, turning his gaze away, stepping out into the dimly lit hallway.

“Okay,” Rae replied, watching as the teen made his way from the room, walking down the hallway, leaving her view. The pink haired girl then took in a deep breath, laying her head back to rest on the black couch’s soft back. I don’t blame him for wanting to get out of here for a little while, she thought, leaning her head further back, focusing her aqua colored gaze to the white ceiling. Ugh... So tired... Not that she could sleep, even if she wanted to. Rae knew her own mind well enough to know that sleep was simply not a possibility at the moment. Though tired, her frazzled nerves and concern were far outweighing her weariness. Besides, I don’t want to sleep anyway... What if... What if while she slept, Druuvbin died or his condition grew worse or, or something? She... Yeah. She really just did not want to sleep.

So instead of sleeping, she simply sat, her head resting against the couch back, her blue-green eyes locked on the white ceiling. Listening to the stillness of the room, only broken by the sounds of Druuvbin’s rasping, gasping breaths and the occasional sound of wind rustling against the windows.

It... It was too quiet. Suffocatingly silent. Except for those pained gasps for air... She... It’s too much, I... the girl let her thoughts trail, pulling her gaze away from the ceiling, instead focusing her attention on Malba, on his troubled, sleeping face...

As she sat, silently watching the darkness sprite’s uneasy face, her thoughts slowly slipped once again back to the bathroom, to that white tile floor, those hollow red eyes... He was so sad... And that damn song I sang in Tokyo...

Of all songs, she had to choose that one. I don’t know what it is about the lyrics, but they obviously bother Malba. Seriously bother him. Lust for Blood... Those troubled, sad red eyes...

--“What was that song you sang in Tokyo?”--

--“Lust for Blood. It’s a Gackt song.”--

--“It’s stupid.”--

--“Yeah. You’re right. It’s stupid.”--

Of course she had agreed with him. Anything to take away that sad, hollow expression playing in his weary red eyes. In truth it was one of her favorite songs, but... That bitter, melancholy look on Malba’s pale face, it... Sure, the song is stupid, Mals. I’d call it stupid any day, if it’d make you feel better... she thought, not pulling her attention from the darkness sprite’s clammy face, his restless expression. Lust for Blood...

--“It... It’s sad, though... It’s really sad...”--

--“...Yeah, Malba. It really is.”--

At that moment, when Malba had softly stated those quiet words, his voice hollow, void of any emotion, so weary and broken... It had been everything the girl could do to keep from glomping the guy and crying like an idiot. It... It was rare for Rae to get any read on the non-humans’ emotions. Though the girl did have a tiny bit of empathic ability, it... I’ve never really been able to read them. They’re different, they... I’ve never been able to get through. It’s like they are all solid brick walls, unreadable, but... She felt it. In that brief moment, the wall crumbled and the girl had felt such a blast of absolutely despondent, remorseful, painful emotions. A blast of hopelessness, of suffering, agonizingly painful sensations of loss, grieving and... Pain. Lots and lots of pain. Bucket-loads. Not to mention guilt. Truckloads of guilt...

--“It... It’s sad, though... It’s really sad...”--

Lust for Blood... In that brief moment, it... She’d wanted to hug him and... I don’t know. Somehow make it stop. That... It had almost been too much to handle. That momentary flash of empathic sensations, that brief link... How could she have missed it? All these years, I never realized just how much he hurts and... How... Rae let out a slow breath, clenching her fists, moving her focus back to the white ceiling. I didn’t know, Mals... I didn’t realize just how sad you really are. Yeah, she had so wanted to glomp the guy anime style, to cry like a baby and... Yeah. Somehow though, she had figured that probably wouldn’t be the greatest idea... So the girl had simply rubbed the man’s shoulder, lightly touched his arm... Heh... I’ve never been good at the whole supportive thing... She never knew what to say or do... It...

Rae forced the thoughts away, closing her eyes for a moment. Yeah... The room was definitely too quiet. Suffocating and... Druuvbin’s jagged, harsh breaths, soft rustling sounds of wind... It... It was overpowering. The quiet tension, the worry and pain clouding the dark room, it... It was almost too much to stand. Maybe Jiro had the right idea, she thought, tightly closing her eyes, moving to cross her arms about her chest in a nervous gesture. Though sleeping was certainly out of the question... Perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to leave the thick, overwhelming tension of the dark room, if only for a few minutes. She... Rae opened her blue-green eyes, focusing her attention to the pallid, wheezing psychic resting limply in Ryuuji’s arms. Short, rasping breaths, shallow and pained... I’m afraid to really even leave the room, to leave Druu-chan, but if I don’t get out of here for a minute, I think I might have a freaking panic attack or something...

“...I think, um... I think I’m going to go check in on Kopaka. See if he’s um, maybe woken up or anything yet,” Rae commented softly, breaking the thick silence of the dark room. I really need to get out of here for a minute... It was too much. Seeing Druuvbin suffer, seeing Malba so troubled and weak and... It... Besides. She was worried about Kopaka. I know Ryuuji said it’s just energy loss, but still... The last few times she had checked on the unconscious wind/ice elemental, he... He had looked pretty bad. I know he just needs to rest, I guess, but...

“Kopaka hasn’t woken up? At all?” Kitsune questioned, cutting into the girl’s train of thought. Rae looked up to meet the woman’s inquiring gaze, taking in the ice demon’s frown and raised eyebrow.

Oh yeah, that’s right... In all of the commotion with Malba, no one told Kitsune that Kopaka’s still unconscious... The pink haired girl shook her head at Kitsune’s question, a soft frown forming on her own lips as well. “No, he’s still out cold. Kopaka... He’s pretty sick...” the human murmured, pulling her gaze away from the icy haired woman, instead focusing her gaze to the room’s open doorway. “Yuki’s been taking care of him, but... I dunno. Last time I checked on them, Kopaka was still completely out. It’s been a little while since I last looked in on him though, so... Maybe he’s awake now...” Rae commented quietly, forcing a hopeful tone into her voice.

Kitsune’s frown deepened at the girl’s statement and she turned her ice-blue eyes to Ryuuji, meeting his red gaze. “That’s unusual, don’t you think?” she inquired flatly, her cool voice holding no real emotion, though a look of unease could be seen flickering in her intense ice eyes.

“It’s a little unusual, but I doubt it’s anything to be concerned about. Kopaka used a lot of energy. It’s not that surprising that he’s still unconscious. He’s probably going to feel pretty bad for a day or two,” Ryuuji responded evenly, his smooth voice holding a firm tone. “And if he did any drugs before this whole mess started, that could be affecting him as well,” the kokuei added, shaking his head a bit. “We both know he does tend to overdo it with the drugs,” the shadow demon then stated, giving the ice/fox demon a wry smile.

“Hn...” was Kitsune’s response, her frown increasing, a look of unease playing across her pale features. The woman cast a glance at the open entryway of the room, and then turned her focus back to the kokuei, again meeting his gaze. “He was acting odd earlier,” she commented quietly, a hint of apprehension tinting her cool voice.

“Odd?” Rae inquired, raising an eyebrow at the woman’s words. Odd how? The girl hadn’t particularly noticed him acting ‘odd’ before he passed out, only tired and... Well, a lot more serious than what she was used to. Not that I didn’t know he was capable of being serious, it’s just rare to actually see...

“Shortly after I jumped here... He was ill from energy loss, which wasn’t surprising of course, but...” Kitsune paused at this point, a thoughtful, troubled expression appearing in her ice blue eyes. “He blanked out. It was as if he had fallen into some sort of catatonic state. It lasted for minutes, he wouldn’t respond to anyone,” she admitted flatly, her voice remaining level, toneless.

What the hell? Uh... Okay, that didn’t sound good. At all. Energy loss causing catatonia? That was a new one for Rae. How could that have caused him to blank out or whatever? That... Doesn’t sound right, the girl thought, crossing her arms about her chest tighter, a cold shiver crawling up her spine.

“...Well. That’s unusual,” Ryuuji remarked with a blink of his sole red eye, a frown forming on his split, light purple lips. “Passing out from energy loss isn’t unusual for an elemental, or hell, even for a demon in certain cases, but... Catatonic? Are you sure?” the kokuei inquired, his voice holding a perplexed tint.

“Am I sure? Well, let’s see, Ryuuji. He sat and stared into space for minutes, completely unresponsive. Now, what would you call it?” the ice demon snapped irritably, her cool voice lowering, a spark of agitation flashing in her blue eyes.

“Okay, Kitsune, calm down. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” the kokuei responded slowly, letting out a sigh. Ryuuji moved to run a hand absentmindedly through his spiked back hair, his purple brows furrowing. “That is unusual... Maybe it was just a lapse of consciousness, he just... Didn’t completely pass out? I really don’t know, Kitsune. I’m obviously no medical expert,” the lean shadow demon stated with a frown, a thoughtful look on his cut marred face.

Gee, like I wasn’t worried about the guy before... The concerned frown on Rae’s lips deepened and she slowly stood from her sitting position, her aqua colored gaze focusing to the open doorway. Why the hell would he have went freaking catatonic? And why the hell didn’t anyone mention this earlier? I mean, uh... Catatonic? That wasn’t a good sign, was it? Catatonic? That... Well, gee. Let’s see how much more stress we can throw in here. Druu dying, Malba... I don’t even know what the fuck is wrong with Malba, but obviously something bad, and now Kopaka’s got something wrong too? What the hell is going on here? God.... Okay, so maybe she was overreacting, but... Catatonic? That really... Just scared the hell out of her. “I’m going to go see how he’s doing,” Rae commented softly, taking a step toward the room’s exit.

“I’ll go with you,” Kitsune stated flatly, her focus moving to the human girl, a deep frown on her icy, blue-white lips.

“Kitsune, I’m sure he’s okay, don’t get too upset just yet. Give the guy time to restore some energy,” Ryuuji responded firmly, his smooth voice holding a touch of reassurance. “But do go check on him. I would myself, but... Well, you know why I can’t,” the kokuei demon stated with a bitter smile, his focus moving to the deathly ill psychic held securely in his toned arms.

“Hn,” was Kitsune’s only response to the man, her icy gaze briefly focusing on Druuvbin. The woman pulled her focus away from the wheezing, blue haired psychic with a troubled sigh, instead turning her attention to the darkness elemental resting in her lap. Kitsune ran a hand through Malba’s long, loose hair, her ice-blue eyes taking in the man’s pale, clammy face. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, Malba,” she stated softly, her cool voice somewhat lightening as she addressed the unconscious dark haired elemental. With that said, she slowly moved to stand from her sitting position, gently repositioning Malba so that he was still resting in a comfortable position on the large bed. The woman stood next to the bed for a moment, her intense gaze moving first over the dark haired sprite, and then the pallid psychic. With another sigh, she then turned away from the bed, meeting Rae’s gaze.

The pink haired girl gave Kitsune a shaky smile, crossing her arms about her chest tighter, taking in a deep breath. As she continued to meet the ice demon’s intense gaze, she clearly noted the weariness and apprehension, the... For a moment, the woman’s eyes looked... So very old. The look passed quickly however, replaced by that usual emotionless expression. Poor Kits... She’s still worn out from earlier, I can tell. Plus, I think all this is really getting to her, she... Rae’s thoughts trailed off and she let out a troubled breath, turning away from the icy haired demon. She instead focused her attention to the open doorway of the moody-grey room, the frown on her lips deepening. Kopaka, come on. Be awake or... Be getting better now... Please? She.. .She didn’t want the wind/ice elemental to be sick, didn’t...

The pink haired human forced the thoughts away, moving to step toward the doorway, walking through the open entryway, out into the dim hallway. Kitsune followed suit, and the two moved across the hallway, towards the living room’s --also open-- doorway.

With a deep, shaky breath, the girl strode into the living room, her eyes moving about the large area. Yuki had dimmed the lights, the area dark, with shadows lurking on the white walls and tan carpet... The TV against the far wall turned off, it’s large screen blank. The computer against the closest wall to the exit softly glowed in the dimness of the large room, its screensaver displaying a star field scrolling across the screen in an almost hypnotic motion... Millions of tiny stars amongst an otherwise vast, empty space...

Rae moved her gaze to the large, cushiony tan couch against the right wall. Her blue-green eyes locked on the still form of Kopaka, taking in his pale face, the dark circles ringing his closed eyes... Still out I guess... she thought with a shaky breath, moving her gaze to Yuki, who was sitting on the large couch with the motionless wind/ice sprite’s head resting in his lap. “Hey, Yuki,” she stated softly, watching as the small framed, silver haired man looked up, meeting her gaze. Teary grey eyes, worried and upset...

“Rae-chan... Kitsune-san,” the small framed ‘spirit’ greeted the two as they stepped further into the room, his soft voice uneven, shaky. “How is... Druu-chan... And Malba-san?” he inquired, his light, gentle voice quiet, wavering. The man pulled his focus away from Rae and Kitsune, instead casting his gaze back to the wind elemental resting in his lap.

“Druu’s still... In terrible shape and Malba’s not doing that great either,” Rae answered with an unsteady sigh, her gaze also moving to the unconscious grey haired sprite lying prone on the large couch. “How’s Kopaka? Has he, um... Woken up or anything?” she questioned, biting down on her lower lip in an anxious manner. He looks awful, she thought, taking in the wind sprite’s pallid skin and... You know, she was really sick of watching her friends lay unconscious, pale and... And... God damn this...

“No. He... Um... I can’t get him to wake up, he... I keep giving him energy, but... He’s not keeping it. Kopaka-san isn’t restoring any energy, and it’s like... He can’t even keep the energy I’m giving him... I...” the small framed man trailed off, pulling his teary grey eyes away from Kopaka to focus on Kitsune, giving the ice demon a questioning, frightened look. “Why isn’t he restoring any energy? He’s rested long enough that he should at least have a little bit back, he... I...” the man’s sentence died and he closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a shuddering breath. “Kitsune-san, I don’t know what’s wrong with him, it... He should have more energy than this by now. I kept hoping that he would get better with a little more rest, but... It’s been hours and he isn’t any better at all,” he stated unevenly, his gentle voice growing even more uneven, his pale face clearly showing his concern.

Kitsune stood in silence for a few moments, her lean, bandaged arms resting by her sides, her fists tightly clenched, her ice-blue eyes carefully focused on Kopaka’s pallid, expressionless face. “...You’re right. He isn’t restoring any energy,” the woman finally stated flatly, moving her intense eyes to meet Yuki’s watery grey gaze. “Move,” the ice/fox demon then said, the frown on her blue-white lips deepening. “Let me see what I can do,” she added quietly, her voice remaining flat, toneless.

Rae bit down on her lip harder at the two’s exchange, a fresh rush of worry, apprehension coursing over her, a cold chill traversing up her spine. He wasn’t restoring any energy? None? That... That isn’t right at all... That was entirely not right. Beyond not right. That... The pink haired human closely focused on the wind/ice sprite, forcing her weary brain to concentrate, to focus on the man’s energy, the... God damn... It’s like there’s nothing... I can’t feel anything at all, that... Her thoughts trailed and she stepped closer to the large couch, her aqua gaze locked on the grey haired sprite. “I can’t feel anything coming from him at all...” she mumbled softly, her voice anxious.

“Move,” Kitsune repeated, stepping forward to stand directly in front of Yuki. She motioned for the ‘spirit’ to get up with a quick wave of her hand, her ice-blue eyes not moving from Kopaka’s expressionless, unaware face. “Let me see him.”

With a nod of his head, Yuki complied, making sure to disturb Kopaka as little as possible as he slowly stood from his sitting position on the tan couch. The small framed man took a few shaky steps away from the motionless wind sprite, his tear-filled eyes moving to focus on Rae. “Rae-chan...I, I couldn’t help, I...” he murmured softly, a few tears slowly falling down his face, his soft voice shaking and low.

Rae shook her head, moving to stand next to the silver haired man, taking his pale hand. “You helped, Yuki-chan. A lot. If it weren’t for you, things would have gone to hell in a hand basket,” the girl commented firmly, lightly squeezing the spirit’s hand. It was true, of course. Without that energy the man had given her to use the Jump, calling down a freaking lightning bolt, charging the Jump... Druu would have died if I couldn’t have jumped to get Mals and the meds... Rae thought, giving Yuki a gentle smile.

“I... I’m so sorry, Rae-chan,” he whispered in response, his grey eyes moving away from the girl, focusing instead to the tan carpet. Tears continued to streak down his face and he took in another shaky breath. “I’m sorry...” he softly repeated, his tears falling faster.

What the fuck? Rae raised an eyebrow at the man’s shaky apology, a frown forming on her lips. “Yuki, hunny... Why are you sorry? Don’t cry,” she stated tenderly, trying to meet the man’s teary eyes with her own. She failed however, as Yuki kept his focus down, not meeting her gaze. ...Yuki... God was the man so... Man, I want to know what it is he wants to tell me and Sano later, it... Why does he look so... Guilt ridden and... The pink haired human shook her head, pushing her questioning thoughts away. It would do no good to speculate at the moment.

She instead refocused her attention to Kopaka, watching as Kitsune sat down on the large couch, gently pulling the wind sprite into her arms, positioning his head to rest on her lean shoulder. “Kopaka?” the ice demon inquired quietly, her ice-blue gaze focused solely on the man’s face, a deep, troubled frown forming on her blue-white lips. “I... I knew something was wrong,” she then muttered quietly, her voice flat, expressionless. “I should have questioned him more on it, but he insisted it was nothing to be concerned with. Fool.” The woman slightly shifted the unconscious sprite, getting better hold of the man as she continued to closely watch his face. “I’m going to see if I can at least get him to keep a little ice energy,” she stated softly, closing her eyes.

“Do you have enough energy to do that? I mean you used a lot of energy earlier, have you restored enough?” Rae inquired uneasily, taking in the look of concentration forming on the woman’s icy face. The last thing we need is for you to make yourself sick too... she thought anxiously, continuing to closely watch the ice/fox demon.

“I’m still utterly exhausted, but I’ve restored enough energy to give Kopaka a little without draining myself,” the woman responded frankly, surprising Rae. Hell, she had almost expected the woman to give her the ‘not your concern’ treatment... “It helps that Kopaka’s element is partly ice. I obviously specialize in ice energy, so it makes it considerably less difficult,” Kitsune added evenly, not opening her eyes, her look of concentration deepening.

The dim room quite suddenly experienced a drop in temperature as Kitsune called forth ice energy, slowly surrounding the wind/ice sprite with that cool power. Kitsune’s frown deepened and she took in a weary breath, closing her eyes tighter. “Something is definitely not right,” she mumbled, her voice growing a touch uneasy. “His body isn’t accepting the energy,” she stated, her hold on the unconscious elemental tightening as she summoned forth more energy.

“That’s what... Was happening with me. I... I couldn’t get him to keep any, it kept just... I don’t know. I don’t understand it, I... I’ve never felt anything like it before,” Yuki admitted unevenly, tears falling freely from his eyes. “I don’t know...” he mumbled, tightly closing his grey eyes.

It doesn’t make sense... Why would his body not accept ice energy? Ice, one of his natural elemental powers? Why would his body reject it? That... It didn’t make sense. Rae’s brows furrowed in thought as she contemplated the situation, trying in vain to make any sense of it. Kopaka... What the hell is going on? she thought, her blue-green eyes moving to focus on the wind/ice elemental’s blank, pale face. This... I guess Malba was right to be worried. Something’s definitely wrong. When she had first told the darkness elemental that Kopaka had yet to regain consciousness, the man had... Well, seemed pretty wigged, actually. I guess he was right to be wigged...

With a soft sigh, Rae turned her focus away from the grey haired elemental, instead moving her attention to the crying ‘spirit’ standing next to her. His standing posture slumped and dejected, his silver hair pulled back in a somewhat disheveled low ponytail, his head down, his closed eyes leaking tears... The guy looked absolutely miserable. It... Yuki-chan...

The pink haired girl took another look over the small framed man, taking in his light, bloodstained jeans, his long sleeved mint-green top, also stained with blood. Druu bled so much... Kopaka was covered in dried blood as well. The girl briefly cast a glance at the wind sprite, taking in his dusty-rose colored jeans, his white shirt with the pink rabbit, noting the numerous bloodstains covering both the jeans and the top. How the hell is Druu even alive, after losing that much blood? It... Rae forced the thought away, refocusing on the present situation.

There’s nothing I can do for Kopaka, but I can at least try to get Yuki-chan to calm down a little, she thought, taking in the silver haired spirit’s shaking shoulders and tearstained face. “Yuki? Yuki-chan? Calm down, hunny,” she stated tenderly, moving to pull the man into a soft embrace. “Yuki, don’t cry,” she whispered gently, running a hand along his back. “Don’t cry.”

“This is my fault, I don’t know why, but I... This is my fault,” the silver haired ‘spirit’ mumbled softly into the girl’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around Rae, tightly embracing her. “I...” he started, but trailed off, silently sobbing into the pink haired human’s shoulder. “This is my fault, Rae-chan... I... I...”

“Yuki, what are you talking about? It isn’t your fault,” Rae responded with an eyebrow raised, a perplexed frown forming on her lips. What was the man talking about? His fault? Why would what’s going on with Kopaka be his fault? she thought, a puzzled expression playing in her aqua colored eyes. ‘Why would it be your fault, Yuki?”

Yuki did not respond to the girl’s question, only continued to cry, holding onto Rae tightly, pressing his head into her shoulder. Rae’s eyes grew a bit teary at this and she took in a deep, unsteady breath, continuing to lightly run a hand along the despondent man’s back. Yuki... The girl closed her eyes for a moment, taking in the man’s cool body, the waves of distraught, fearful emotions emanating around him. That and...

Uh... Rae opened her eyes, a deep frown forming on her lips. “Yuki? How much energy did you use?” she inquired, pulling Yuki back, looking at his tearstained face. He doesn’t... His energy, it... It felt... Weird. The girl wasn’t even sure exactly what it was that she was sensing, but the small framed man’s energy felt... Strained? It felt... Weak. Something... Off. Seriously off. “Yuki?”

Yuki did not open his eyes to meet the girl’s inquiring gaze; he only lowered his head back to Rae’s shoulder, hugging onto the girl. “I didn’t use that much, Rae-chan... It’s nothing to worry about,” he responded softly, tears continuing to run from his closed eyes, collecting on the pink haired human’s shoulder, soaking into the dark fabric of her black long sleeved shirt.

Rae raised an eyebrow but said nothing more, a troubled look on her face. He’s lying. His energy... It feels really... Really weird. Yet it wasn’t like she could force the guy to tell her... What could she do? Why does your energy feel so... Strange? The girl forced the thought away, though she couldn’t quite shake the disconcerting sensation Yuki’s energy was giving her. Something’s definitely off...

“There, I think he’s taking a little of the energy,” Kitsune mumbled softly, the look of concentration on her face plainly visible, her voice holding a tense, uneasy tone. “Now if he’ll just keep it,” she stated, opening her ice-blue eyes, focusing on Kopaka’s blank face.

“Kitsune, do you have any idea what the heck could be causing his energy to screw up like this? I mean... Why is he not restoring energy? It doesn’t really make any sense. Have you ever seen anything like this?” Rae inquired, moving her focus to the ice demon, a questioning, anxious tone in her voice as she watched the woman continue to summon forth energy.

Kitsune did not respond for a few moments, her tense facial expression increasing, her brows furrowing, as if in deep thought. The ice/fox demon finally shook her head, letting out a sigh. “I’m not sure. I know there are certain viruses that elementals and demons both can contract that interfere with energy, but... He doesn’t have a fever, which is usually one of the first symptoms in those sorts of illnesses. Especially amongst elementals. Fevers are usually the first sign of any illness in an elemental, Druuvbin being the exception to that rule,” the woman stated slowly, a perplexed tone in her cool voice. With a troubled frown, the woman moved a hand to the wind/ice sprite’s neck, taking Kopaka’s pulse with two fingers.

“How is it?” the girl inquired nervously, watching as the demon continued to feel the elemental’s heart-rate. She tenderly increased her hold on Yuki as the man let out a sob, his head pressing almost painfully into Rae’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Yuki, don’t cry,” she then murmured softly, trying in vain to comfort the disconsolate ‘spirit’ weeping into her shoulder.

“...A little slow,” Kitsune stated quietly, pulling her hand away from the sprite’s neck, her gaze slowly moving to the despairing silver haired man clinging to Rae. “Yuki?” she inquired flatly, a small frown on her lips, her eyebrow raised.

“...Kitsune-san?” Yuki questioned in response, his voice weak, uneven. He slowly pulled away from his tight hold on Rae, his watery grey eyes moving to meet Kitsune’s intense gaze.

“...I wonder. How is it that a human ‘spirit’ could muster enough energy to even attempt to replenish a strong elemental’s power?” she inquired tonelessly, carefully watching the ‘spirit,’ taking in his tearstained face and sad grey eyes.

“I... Um, I don’t know, I just... I just...” was Yuki’s only response, his tears quickening, his voice holding an almost confused, befuddled tone. With that, the slender, small framed man slowly dropped to the carpeted floor, lowering his head into his hands as silent sobs shook his slender body. “I don’t know, Kitsune-san...” he mumbled, his soft words muffled by his hands.

Rae and Kitsune shared a glance, and Rae raised an eyebrow, unnerved by Yuki’s demeanor, his tearful, shaky voice, and... God, it’s like he’s having a damn panic attack or something. And I thought I was the one who was going to have one, she thought dryly, moving to sit down on the floor next to the man, gently placing a comforting hand on his back. “Yuki? Yuki, what’s going on? Yuki-chan?” she inquired softly, her face troubled, her voice gentle and weary. God, can this get any more stressful? Ugh... Oh sure, that was really smart to think. Jinx it, Rae... The girl shoved the thought away, moving to pull Yuki into another embrace when he showed no response to her question. “Yuki...”

Kitsune continued to carefully watch the sobbing ‘spirit,’ a deep, thoughtful frown on her lips, a tense look on her pale, icy face. “Yuki. I didn’t mean to upset you,” she finally stated, not lessening her watchful, intense gaze on the man. “I was only curious,” she added, a contemplative, troubled look playing in her ice-blue eyes.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry...” Yuki cried, wrapping his arms around the human girl, hugging tightly onto Rae as he continued to weep harsh, silent tears. Rae shook her head, running a hand over the back of the man’s head, gently caressing his silvery locks in a consoling motion. The pink haired girl turned her gaze to Kitsune, biting down on her sore lower lip in thought. You and I both know he isn’t a ‘human spirit,’ Kitsune... I don’t know what the hell he is... And I don’t know why he’s so secretive and... She didn’t know. It... It was confusing to say the least.

Kitsune moved her icy gaze to Rae, giving the girl an inquiring look. --...He’s acting even stranger than usual, isn’t he,-- she stated mentally, linking up to Rae’s mind. --...He was acting this way before. A bit before you returned with Malba and Ryuuji,-- the ice demon remarked, her mental voice expressionless, yet a hint of unease could be seen lurking in those intense, ice-blue eyes.

--Yeah? Well, he was also acting really weird before Druu collapsed. I’m not sure what the hell’s going on with him, Kitsune,-- Rae confessed with a shaky breath, turning her concerned gaze down to the man tightly clinging to her, sobbing into her shoulder. It was safe to tell the demon that much, wasn’t it? She knew that Yuki had something he wanted to tell her, something he didn’t want any of the non-humans knowing, but... It should be okay for me to just tell Kits that Yuki’s been acting weird... She wouldn’t say much more than that of course, as she respected the silver haired man’s wishes. I still don’t understand though...

--It’s concerning,-- Kitsune admitted after a lengthy pause, slowly moving her blue eyes back to the wind/ice elemental resting in her arms. --It’s not unusual for him to cry, but this... This is different, don’t you think?-- the woman then inquired flatly, her mental voice toneless.

--Yeah. Definitely,-- the girl quietly agreed, closing her weary aqua colored eyes, letting out a sigh. It... God, was she so very tired. Tired and scared, confused and... Just weary. So weary.

The ice demon said nothing more, instead closed the mind-link. She then refocused her full attention on the unconscious grey haired elemental resting against her shoulder, held in her lean, bandaged arms.

Rae remained silent for a few moments before slowly opening her eyes, focusing her attention on the sobbing, small framed ‘spirit’ tightly embracing her. “Yuki? Come on hunny, you’ve got to calm down a little and tell me what’s going on, okay?” she inquired softly, running a hand along his back, lightly rocking Yuki in a gentle, soothing motion. It was odd. Even though the man was older than her --twenty two when he ‘died,’ if that was indeed true-- she still felt a very overprotective, almost parental type of feeling for the man. Especially at the moment, with the way he was sobbing, so distraught, so very upset... “Yuki-chan?”

Yuki took in a deep, shuddering breath, slowly pulling back from his hold on the girl. The small framed ‘spirit’ opened his teary grey eyes, meeting Rae’s inquiring gaze. “I’m... Um, I’m sorry... I’m... Just, I guess I’m just afraid, that’s all... Everyone is hurting and... Druu-chan and Malba-san, and now... Kopaka-san, I... I’m just scared,” he stated softly, his timid, gentle voice holding an unsure, wavering tone.

--Afraid? Hm. I believe that was his excuse the last time as well,-- Kitsune’s voice suddenly sounded in Rae’s head, her tone dry. --Yeah, he’s not that great of a liar, is he?-- the girl responded softly, her tone bittersweet.

--Oh, I don’t know about that... I believe he may very well be an excellent liar,-- the ice demon remarked coolly, her mental voice void of emotion.

((---next page---->