dreams of dawn ~cold-light~ part D
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--Heh... You may have a point...-- was the girl’s only mental response. Rae then refocused her full attention on Yuki, giving the man a warm, tender smile. “It’s okay to be scared, Yuki-chan. I just don’t like seeing you so upset,” she stated quietly, deciding to not press the ‘spirit’ on his breakdown. “Just try to calm down, okay, Yuki-chan?” she added gently, reaching out a hand to softly touch Yuki’s tearstained cheek. “Calm down, okay?”

“...I... Yeah, okay... Rae-chan,” he quietly replied, his voice sounding... Oddly hollow to the girl. Rae frowned at this, a fresh spark of concern appearing in her aqua eyes. Not that voice again... That soft, empty voice... It... Man, everyone is so fucked up... This bites, so hard...

The girl’s thoughts were interrupted as Kopaka shifted in Kitsune’s arms, issuing a small moan. Rae turned her attention to the wind/ice elemental, a frown on her lips. Is he maybe going to wake up? Come on, Kopaka... Wake up, please? she thought anxiously, continuing to study the man’s pale face.

Kopaka moaned again, a frown forming on his lips as he shifted once more. “Kopaka? Can you hear me?” Kitsune questioned, her ice-blue eyes also locked squarely on the wind sprite’s face. “Kopaka?”

“Nn... Kits?” the man mumbled softly, his closed eyelids fluttering, his lips still forming a small frown. “Dude... Not cool...” he then mumbled, again shifting, his eyelids twitching.

Yuki slowly turned his gaze to the grey haired man, a few more tears streaking from his watery eyes. “Kopaka-san?” he inquired shakily, his soft voice anxious, with a touch of... Remorse perhaps? Remorse? Rae resisted the urge to question the man on it, as that probably wouldn’t be the best idea at the moment... When Kits asked him about the whole energy, ghost thing, he completely had a meltdown, so... Yeah... Besides, once things calmed down, once Sano had returned, then... Then she’d get to ask Yuki questions. And boy do I have some questions...

The pink haired girl pushed the thoughts away with a faint, barely visible shake of her head, her blue-green eyes carefully watching Kopaka’s pale face. “Hey, Kopaka? Come on, wake up, okay?” she inquired softly, scooting closer to the large couch, closer to the ice/fox demon and wind/ice elemental. “Kopaka?”

“Nn... Ugh, man....” the man softly mumbled, his eyelids twitching, though still remaining closed. The wind sprite then let out a low groan, a frown still firmly in place on his pink lips.

“I believe he has enough energy at the moment to regain consciousness. It may take a few minutes, however,” Kitsune stated evenly, her gaze not moving from the sprite’s face. “Now, whether he’ll actually keep this energy remains to be seen,” she went on to say, her tone flat, seemingly emotionless. Rae knew better than that of course, as a look of concern and unease was once again lurking in the woman’s ice-blue eyes. She’s worried, the girl thought with a hint of a bittersweet smile. You can pretend to be emotionless and cold all you want, Kitsune, but I know it isn’t true. At all.

“Maybe... Maybe I should go get him a fresh bottle of water and um... I don’t know, maybe a blanket? I was kind of afraid to leave him alone before, but now that you two are here...” Yuki stated softly, his timid voice hesitant, unsure, his teary grey eyes focused to the tan carpet. “When... When he wakes up, he’ll probably be thirsty, so um...” he trailed off, his voice taking on an empty, hollow tone, his eyes not moving from his intent focus on the carpeted floor.

Rae turned her attention to the slender ‘spirit,’ again not liking the tone in the silver haired man’s voice... At all. That hollow, dejected sound, forlorn and... “Sure, that’s a good idea. You want me to come with?” the girl inquired gently, carefully watching the ‘spirit,’ concern in her aqua colored eyes. Yuki... Man, I’m really worried about you...

“No... I can manage, Rae-chan,” Yuki replied, his soft voice not losing that hollow, empty tone. The man slowly pulled his gaze up, briefly meeting the pink haired human’s worried blue-green eyes. --I’m sorry for acting like a baby, Rae-chan... I don’t know why I can’t keep myself calm, I... I’m sorry,-- he added telepathically, creating a mind-link between the two. --Please don’t get mad... I...--

--Don’t be sorry. And I’m not mad, Yuki. We’ll talk about all of that later. Don’t worry about it right now,-- she responded softly, giving the man a gentle smile. “Well, you know where the water is, obviously. Um, and for a blanket, check the laundry room. Look on the top shelves. I should have thought to get him a blanket earlier, but I just kind of forget,” she then stated aloud, briefly reaching out to gently touch the man’s cool hand with her own. --I’m not mad. I already told you earlier, I’m not mad. Just worried.--

“Okay, Rae-chan,” the silver haired ‘spirit’ replied, giving the girl a small, shaky smile. --...I love you, Rae-chan...-- he went on to say telepathically, his soft ‘voice’ holding such a... Such a sad tone.

--I love you too. A lot. Like a lot, a lot. Nothing’s ever gonna change that,-- she responded, her mental ‘voice’ holding a light, tender tone. --Now stop worrying about what I think. I’m not pissed, I promise,-- she commented firmly with a warm, affectionate smile. Yuki, I know you’re hiding things, but I really just... Heh, love ya, so it doesn’t matter... I’m just really worried.... she then thought to herself, making sure to not let Yuki hear.

With a shallow, shaky breath, Yuki slowly stood from his sitting position on the floor, his grey, watery eyes moving to focus on the open doorway of the large living room. “I... I’ll be back in a minute...” he whispered quietly, his soft words tinted with such a sad, dejected tone. --Rae-chan, I think I might also... I’m going to sit outside for a minute first and... Calm down a little, okay? I’ll be back in a few minutes. I... I’m sorry,-- he then telepathed, his grey eyes downcast, his mental ‘voice’ soft, hollow. Not waiting for a response, he slowly walked from the room, his legs seeming unsteady, his steps forced and deliberate.

Rae watched in silence as the man left the room, walking down the dimly lit hallway, leaving her view. Her frown deepened and she let out a sigh, shaking her head. Damn it, Yuki... What the hell is going on with you? She... She really didn’t like the idea of leaving him alone to sit outside and ‘calm down,’ but... If it’s what he wants to do... The pink haired human forced her attention away from the now empty hallway, instead moving her focus back to the wind sprite, his twitching eyelids, his frowning pink lips... Poor guy...

“What... What do you suppose he really is?” Kitsune questioned quietly, breaking into the girl’s silent contemplations. Rae raised an eyebrow at this, moving her focus to the ice demon, meeting her intense blue eyes. She was actually asking her? Me? Rae sat in thought for a moment, a pensive look in her aqua eyes. What is he? I... “Honestly, Kitsune? I haven’t a freaking clue. Yuki confuses the hell out of me,” Rae admitted softly, making sure to keep her voice low. After all, she wasn’t sure how good Yuki’s hearing actually was. For all I know, he’s got hearing as good as Kitsune’s uber ears.

“Hn... I suppose... I suppose that means I’m not the only one then,” the woman responded, her voice taking on a dry tint, a trace-hint of a smile briefly forming on her blue-white lips.

Rae smiled at this, surprised by the ice demon’s admission. Heh, he confuses the hell out of you too, huh? “You mean the great Kitsune gets confused too?” she gently teased, giving the woman a light, joking smile. “Who knew?”

The icy haired woman rolled her eyes, though again, for a brief second, another hint of a smile could be seen on her pale lips. “There’s nothing ‘great’ about me,” she stated flatly, her even voice holding a bit of a dry, frank tone.

“Oh I dunno about that. Malba seems to think you’re pretty great,” the girl responded, a small smirk forming on her lips, a mischievous look appearing in her aqua colored eyes. Heh... Time to get my head bit off...

Kitsune’s eyes narrowed at the girl’s statement, a look of annoyance playing on her pale face. “Idiot,” was her only response, her icy gaze moving away from the pink haired human.

The smirk on Rae’s lips grew at the ice demon’s reaction, a look of amusement briefly flashing across her features. “Well, he’s right though. You are pretty ‘great’ ya know,” she stated, her voice taking on a more serious tint. Not only did you risk your life using so much energy for Druu, but you... You’ve been looking so... I don’t know. Sad and messed up.... She was pretty concerned about the woman and those looks she had been getting on her pale face.

“Great? Hardly,” Kitsune stated with a shake of her head, slowly bringing her gaze back to the human, meeting her eyes. “There’s nothing great about me,” she then repeated, a bitter look quite suddenly appearing on her icy face. “Trust me.”

Rae raised an eyebrow at this, a frown quickly replacing her former smile. That isn’t true, she thought, carefully watching the woman, her bitter expression, her weary eyes... “That’s not true, Kitsune. I happen to think you’re pretty freaking ‘great,’ you know,” Rae stated firmly, her voice holding a sure, confident tone. “You’re a cool, strong, incredibly ‘great’ person, Kitsune,” she added, giving the ice/fox demon a warm smile.

“And you are a fool,” the demon retorted, an agitated sigh escaping her pale, icy lips. “A complete fool,” she mumbled, again pulling her gaze away from the pink haired human.

“Uh, well duh. You know, you and Malba really don’t have to keep pointing out the obvious. It’s been well established that I am both a ‘fool’ and a ‘stupid human.’ Heh,” the girl responded lightly, her voice again taking on a teasing tone. “Seriously though, Kitsune...” Rae started, however paused, her brows furrowing in thought. What should she say? Obviously the woman was... Angsting or something, but... I don’t want to screw up and make it worse... Or get my head bit off.... The human girl ran a hand through her long pink locks in an absentminded gesture, her gaze set on the ice demon. A tense, bitter look on that pale, icy face... Oh, fuck it. If I get my head bitten off, all well, she thought after a few moments of contemplation. Now... What to even say?

“Kitsune... Is something wrong? Besides the obvious? You... Uh, not to piss you off, but... You seem really upset about something and... Well, I’ve been kind of worried about you, so um... Are you upset about something, besides the whole ‘everyone’s sick and/or hurt’ thing?” the girl inquired slowly, a hesitant tone in her voice. I don’t want to piss you off, Kits, I just want to know what’s going on with you...

“It’s nothing to be concerned--” the ice demon started, yet paused, a look of frustration appearing on her icy face at her own words. “...Ryuuji is right, isn’t he? I really do sound like a broken record...” she then murmured flatly, her cool voice taking on a tint of self-deprecation.

“A broken record? Well. Maybe just a little,” Rae gently teased, a soft smile on her lips. “Hey, but really, Kits. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine, it’s just... I dunno. You seem pretty upset,” the girl added tenderly, concern in her aqua colored eyes.

Kitsune sat in silence for a few moments, a contemplative, fatigued expression clearly written across her pale, icy facial features. She then let out another sigh, slowly pulling her ice-blue eyes up, meeting Rae’s worried gaze. “...I say things I don’t mean, I do things I don’t understand, and I... I then wonder why I would do and say such terrible things. I wonder why I’m so cold-hearted, why I can’t seem to control the idiotic things that I say and do,” she finally stated flatly, her voice utterly void of emotion, her icy eyes weary. The woman turned her gaze away from the pink haired human, instead focusing on the wind elemental resting against her. “I truly am a fool.”

What the hell? Rae frowned at the woman’s toneless confession, pondering the ice/fox demon’s words. Says things she doesn’t mean... “I think a lot of people are like that, Kitsune. It doesn’t make you a ‘fool.’ I know I say and do really stupid things all the time. Of course I am stupid, but not the pont. It doesn’t make you cold-hearted. You aren’t cold-hearted, Kitsune. Not at all,” the girl commented firmly, trying –and failing— to catch the woman’s gaze. Kitsune... You aren’t cold-hearted... Why... What had Kitsune ‘said or done’ that was bothering her so much? It... “Kitsune... Does this have to do with Druu?” she questioned quietly, thinking back on the remorseful, troubled looks the ice demon had been giving the water elemental.

“...I say such terrible things to him. I don’t understand why. I... I care about him so very much, yet I...” the ice-demon trailed off, her ice-blue eyes closing. “I don’t mean what I say, yet... I still say it. Why?” she then inquired, her tone exhausted, perplexed. “I don’t understand myself,” she added with a deep breath, closing her eyes tighter.

Oh... I bet I know exactly what this is about, Rae thought, a spark of realization coursing through her. Before Druuvbin’s collapse, Kitsune had communicated with the psychic in that bright kitchen, with storm clouds on the horizon... Duh, Rae. Why didn't I get it sooner? I’ll bet that’s exactly what this is about. She must have said something that’s freaking her out, now that Druu’s having an attack...

The girl scooted closer to the couch, moving to sit directly in front of the ice demon. “Kitsune. Of course you care about him. That’s why you get so pissed off. That’s not unusual, you know. Getting pissed is not an unusual way to show worry or fear. That doesn’t make you cold-hearted. Whatever you said... It doesn’t matter, Kits. What matters is that Druu knows you care about him. And hello, he’s psychic. I’m positive he knows,” the girl stated firmly, a bittersweet expression playing across her round face. So... That was why the woman was acting so off, so remorseful. She’s totally guilting over something she said to Druu-chan.

“...I still... Should control myself. Saying hurtful, foolish things hardly helps anything. I...” Kitsune let her sentence die, shaking her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know why I am the way I am,” she then mumbled softly, slowly opening her eyes to focus on the frowning wind/ice sprite in her arms. The man let out a low moan and she frowned as well, closing her eyes once more. “I really don’t understand. What’s wrong with me?”

A sympathetic, troubled look played on Rae’s face and she sat in silence for a moment, trying to think of something constructive to say. So far, it seems like I’m just making this worse... The pink haired girl let out a concerned sigh, cautiously reaching a hand out to lightly touch Kitsune’s bandaged left arm. Please don’t get pissed... “Kitsune... You’re the way you are because you were raised to be a calm, stoic person. So yeah, I guess it’s a little hard for you to express yourself now. Maybe sometimes it’s hard for you to know what to say or do. That’s not surprising. There’s nothing wrong with you, Kits. At all,” Rae gently remarked, her voice holding a consoling, soft tint.

Kitsune did not pull her arm away from the girl, she simply sat, her eyes remaining closed, a deep frown still firmly in place on her blue-white lips. “...I really... Wish that I weren’t so...” the ice demon mumbled softly, her words trailing into silence.

“Wish you weren’t so what?” Rae quietly questioned, carefully watching the woman’s pale, troubled face.

“...I... I don’t know,” Kitsune admitted with a slight shrug of her shoulders, her troubled frown deepening, her eyes closing tighter.

“Kitsune, you’re fine just the way you are. Everyone loves you just the way you are. So you have issues expressing yourself. Big deal. Don’t beat yourself up so much. Seeing you so upset with yourself, it... You don’t deserve it, Kitsune. You are a good person, and you don’t deserve the guilt you’re putting on yourself,” the pink haired girl stated, her tone firm and confident, a bittersweet smile forming on her chewed-sore lips. “You’re a good person, Kitsune. I promise,” she added softly. You are, Kits. You’re a really good person, even if you are a mercenary/assassin type. Seeing you so upset is... It's pretty scary, the girl thought, watching the ice/fox demon’s face, taking in that remorseful expression... She hated it. The weary, troubled look on woman’s icy face. It...

Kitsune slowly opened her ice-blue eyes, looking up to meet the human girl’s aqua gaze, a bitter frown playing on her blue-white lips. “Why would he apologize to me? He... Druuvbin was upset, crying... Asking for my forgiveness, when I’m the one who... Why would he do such a thing?” she suddenly questioned, her cool voice somewhat losing that usual flat tone, replaced with an uneven tint.

“Because... Probably because he knows how upset you are. He doesn’t want you to be,” Rae responded after a moment of thought, giving the woman another warm, consoling smile. “Druu blames himself for pretty much everything apparently, so he probably just... I dunno, feels bad that you are so upset with yourself,” she added, keeping her voice soft, in what she hoped to be a comforting manner. How weird is this? A minute ago, I thought I was going to have a mental breakdown or something, yet Kits is the one who looks like she’s about to wig and I’m trying to help her... Well, somehow she hadn’t expected that. Honestly, she hadn’t expected the woman to open up and talk with her either, so... Yeah.

“He... He’s such a fool,” was the woman’s only response, a trace-hint of a melancholy smile briefly gracing her blue-white lips.

“Yeah. He really is,” Rae agreed, a sad tenor to her quiet words. “He’s a big idiot. But, he’s a sweet, loveable idiot,” she added softly, her voice low, growing a touch unsteady. Druu-chan... You really are so stupid, heh... God I love him so much... “A baka, but... So damn loveable,” the pink haired girl then stated, blinking a few times, pushing away the fresh wave of sadness threatening to invade her thoughts.

“Yes... He is,” Kitsune responded softly, her gaze moving away from the human, focusing on the tan carpet, on the small dried blood-stain near the couch... “Loveable fool.”

Rae could think of no real response so she only lightly squeezed the woman’s arm in a consoling motion, a minute bitter smile on her lips. Er... Wait... the girl suddenly thought, her gaze moving to her hand resting on Kitsune’s bandaged arm. “Uh, that doesn’t hurt, right?” she inquired without thinking, a frown replacing her previous smile. Me touching her arm doesn’t hurt, right? Malba said it’s just scars, so it wouldn’t still hurt, would it? Yeah, that happened over four years ago, so her arms should have healed enough by now that it... Um... Oops... Her thoughts trailed off as Kitsune raised an eyebrow, meeting the girl’s gaze.

“...Why would it?” the woman questioned, a hint of suspicion playing in her intense ice-blue eyes. “Why would it hurt?” she then inquired, her cool voice level, toneless.

“...Uh, well...” Rae stuttered, pulling her hand away from the woman’s arm, lowering her gaze. Sure, that was real bright, genius. She may not have wanted me to know, and er... Well, now she knows that I know. Great. Idiot, she berated herself, clenching her fists in a nervous gesture. “Malba... Um, kind of told me... That, um...” she mumbled softly, her voice low, unsure. “He kind of... Told me what happened to your arms.”

Kitsune rolled her eyes at this, a look of annoyance passing over her icy face. She then slowly resituated Kopaka enough so that she could reach her left arm with her right hand. She unwrapped a bit of the bloodstained bandage, revealing dark, heavy scars marring her lower arm. “It’s simply scars, so no it doesn’t hurt,” she stated flatly, holding her arm out for the girl to see.

Rae cautiously examined the woman’s skin, taking in a deep breath at the massive scarring, a frown on her lips. That... Those scars, damn... Immense scars, clearly visible despite the room’s low lighting. Thick and ugly, dark, marred skin... “That... God that had to hurt so much,” Rae commented softly, her blue-green eyes holding a sympathetic expression

“It wasn’t exactly pleasant,” the ice demon dryly replied, rolling her eyes at the human girl’s quiet statement. “Though I was spared the worst part of it... That fool,” Kitsune then mumbled softly, her intense gaze moving to the scars marring her flesh. “I suppose the fairy told you about that, correct?” she questioned, a tint of irritation entering her voice at the mention of ‘the fairy.’

“Yeah,” Rae nodded in response, giving the woman an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I mean, I guess you probably didn’t want me to know... I wasn’t trying to pry, it just kind of... Got brought up. I don’t think Malba was really thinking about if you’d get upset with him for telling me,” she stated awkwardly, unsure of what she should say. Me and my big mouth...

“It’s not that. It’s not as if I’m hiding them. I don’t particularly care about the scars. It’s just skin,” the ice demon commented, the annoyed tone fading from her cool voice. “It’s just... Irritating. Knowing that I let my guard down, allowed my father to...” The woman let her words trail, shrugging her lean shoulders. “It’s just irritating, having them as a reminder,” she finally added, a bitter smirk forming on her blue-white lips for a brief moment.

God, her arms... Man. And to think, this is the stuff that got poured in Ryuuji’s eye... So what the fuck would his eye look like? Or should I say, what’s left of his eye? How the hell did he even live? She... Really didn’t want to even think about it. I probably shouldn’t tell Kits about it right now either. She seems stressed enough as it is,the girl thought, her eyes again briefly focusing to those dark, heavy scars. Such terrible, horrid scars... “And you wonder why you have issues expressing yourself. I’d say having a dad that would pour a deadly poison on you just for pissing him off might have a bit to do with it, neh?” Rae questioned dryly, giving the woman another soft smile.

“Perhaps,” the demon answered, that trace-hint of a smirk once again gracing her lips. “He was furious... As it was the first time I had directly confronted him, the first time I lost my temper with the bastard,” she then admitted, her gaze slowly pulling away from the girl, moving to Kopaka instead. “Akiona had just been killed. I was... So very angry. I even hit him,” she confessed with a dry, bitter tone in her cool voice. “That wasn’t smart of me, to say the least.”

“You hit him?” Rae inquired with a blink, raising an eyebrow. Man... Not that I blame you. It may not have been smart, but still. Tatsuki... Fucking bastard.

“Broke his nose,” Kitsune confessed, a look of dark amusement appearing in her ice-blue eyes.

Rae couldn’t help but smirk at that. “Oh man... God I bet that felt good for you, neh? Well... Until he poured that stuff all over you,” the girl commented softly, her gaze again focusing on the scars covering the woman’s arm.

“It was almost worth it, just to see the look on the vain bastard’s face. I dared mar his -‘beautiful’- face,” Kitsune responded flatly, pulling her gaze away from the wind/ice sprite, meeting Rae’s aqua eyes with her ice-blue. “That is, it would have been worth it if Druuvbin hadn’t been such a fool and... Used that ability of his,” she then stated, a frown forming on her blue-white lips. “The fool nearly died because of that.”

Well. He used it on me too, Kits... So, yeah... Even if it’s not why he’s sick now, it still makes me feel guilty, so... I know how you feel, the girl thought, lowering her gaze back to the woman’s arm. She remained silent however, not even feeling up to admitting that Druuvbin had used that ‘ability’ of his on her. I’m too tired to even go into that again. Too much guilt...

“I never told the others what our fight had been about, or why my father ‘punished’ me, but I think Kopaka knew. I vaguely remember him apologizing to me, when I was still mostly unconscious. As if it were his fault my father killed his sister. That... That was such a terrible feeling. I still feel guilt over that, even though I couldn’t control the man, I still... Feel shame for the things he did,” Kitsune suddenly confessed with a quiet, weary tenor to her voice, her gaze locking on the wind/ice sprite’s pale face. His frown and twitching eyelids...

“Yeah, I can tell. But Kits, you are definitely not your father, you didn’t have any control over him. He had control of you. You were as much of a victim as anyone else. If not more so,” Rae responded with a sympathetic smile, moving to lightly touch the woman’s scarred arm. “Heh. Makes me grateful that my dad is just a workaholic jerk and not an evil psychopath,” the girl then lightly joked, her voice holding a kidding tone.

“Don’t you mean clueless, workaholic jerk?” Kitsune amended dryly, faintly shaking her head. “You would think the man would notice that Malba and I are both rather un-human like,” she added, moving her gaze to Rae, giving the girl a hint of a smile.

Rae blinked, taken aback by the woman’s comment. Was that... Was that a sense of humor poking through her usually cold, flat demeanor? “Heh, yeah you would think anyone with half a brain would notice. I mean no offense, but you definitely kind of stick out amongst us lame humans,” she then responded, returning the ice/fox demon’s smile. Icy-white skin, blue lips, unnatural ice-blue eyes, tri-colored hair... Heh, yeah just a little stand-out worthy... the girl thought, glancing over the lean, toned woman, taking in her obvious not-human features. Not to mention that Malba’s eyes were like, glowing blood-red at the time. You’d think Dad would have noticed that....

“Hn, yes, I highly doubt I could pass as a human, amongst anyone with any common sense at least,” the ice/fox replied, her voice dry. “How does Malba put it? Something about the Titanic, correct?” she then inquired, rolling her ice-blue eyes.

Okay, so Rae had to laugh a little at that. “Um, well okay, so you’re a little hypothermic looking. It’s pretty damn neat if you ask me. Us humans are boring looking,” the girl stated, forcing her laughter away, however a small smile still remained on her lips. It... It was nice, actually having a conversation with the ice demon. Usually the woman was so stoic and reserved. It was fairly rare, to actually... Have a full conversation with Kitsune. Usually it’s just ‘hn’ or ‘feh.’ This... She’s actually been fairly talkative tonight, this morning... Er, whatever. “Hey, Kits... You know, you really should talk more often. It’s cool, actually getting more out of you than the whole ‘hn’ thing,” Rae commented after a few moments of silence, her tone quiet, a smile still on her sore lips.

“...It isn’t as if I have anything of any real interest to say,” Kitsune responded with a dissmissive shrug, pulling her gaze away from the human girl, instead focusing her ice-blue eyes to her exposed, scarred arm. The ice demon then moved to re-wrap the bloodstained bandage around her lower arm, once again hiding those massive scars.

Rae's eyebrows furrowed at this, a perplexed look appearing on her face. “How do you figure that? Uh, Kits. You’ve lived for over seven thousand years, I’m sure you have plenty of interesting things to talk about. Besides, you’re cool, so of course it’s cool talking to ya,” the girl responded with a petite grin, her voice light. Seven thousand years... With all of the things she’s seen and done, I’m sure she’d have some interesting stories to tell... Oh. Damn it... The girl’s thoughts trailed off and she turned her gaze to the woman’s face, taking in her narrowing eyes and raised eyebrow. Oops. Again...

“Over seven thousand? I don’t recall telling you that,” the demon stated flatly, a touch of annoyance entering her cool voice. “I see the fairy was feeling quite talkative, hm?” she then questioned dryly, rolling her ice-blue eyes, an irritated sigh escaping her.

“Uh... Well, he was kind of bleeding to death at the time, so I guess he wasn’t thinking too clearly,” Rae responded with an apologetic smile, her voice soft. “It started with Mals saying something about Druu being treated like hell for thousands of years, and well... He ended up telling me how old all of you are. Well, except for Ryuuji, but everyone else,” she admitted, her focus moving to Kopaka as the man shifted, his eyelids twitching. Come on, Kopaka. Wake up, you can do it... She then turned her attention back to the ice/fox demon, noting the look of annoyance on her face. Heh... I guess I just got Malba in trouble... Sorry, Mals. Me and my big mouth, she thought sheepishly, her small smile rueful. “He told me that you’re somewhere around seven thousand, that he’s nine-hundred and twenty two, Kopaka’s uh, about nine-hundred and twenty-eight and... Druu’s old. Really old,” the girl then stated, her focus moving away from the woman, her gaze dropping to the tan carpet instead. Really old...

“...Seven thousand, three-hundred and twenty-six if you want to get exact,” Kitsune responded flatly, her cool voice holding a dry, frank tone.

“...Wow. That’s...” Rae trailed off, unsure of what to say to that. Somehow I doubt ‘gee you’re really old, neh?’ would go over well, she thought, a touch of annoyance flooding the girl at her own stupidity. Yeah, sure, that’d be real good...

“Old?” the woman inquired, a trace of amusement tinting her otherwise flat, toneless voice. “Yes, I suppose so. Though if I’m not mistaken, Ryuuji is a few years older than that even, so I suppose that makes him ancient, hm?” she then commented, a minute smile briefly forming on her blue-white lips.

Rae smirked at the demon’s statement, a bit of amusement playing in her blue-green eyes. “I had a feeling he was pretty old. That doesn’t surprise me,” she replied quietly, moving her gaze to Kitsune, meeting her ice-blue eyes. “To think, he’s thousands of years old and still hasn’t learned to control his big mouth,” the girl then joked, her tone light, kidding. Somehow, I think Kits should like that joke, as pissed off as she is with him...

A faint look of amusement graced Kitsune's pale face at the girl's words and she gave a quick nod of her head. “Yes... Though to his defense, I believe it really has more to do with the fact that he isn’t quite used to interacting with others. The man was even colder than I am. Which is obviously... Saying quite a bit,” the icy haired demon admitted with a sigh, a frown forming on her blue-white lips. “He’s changed. I believe it’s hard for him, feeling things, knowing what to say, how to act. Or should I say, he doesn’t know what not to say. I can empathize I suppose,” she confessed quietly, her voice flat, toneless. “He’s still an annoying bastard, however,” Kitsune quickly amended, an irritated expression overtaking her pale face.

Rae had to bite back a laugh at the ice demon’s ‘bastard’ comment, a small smile on her sore, swollen lips. Heh... She couldn’t resist taking a shot at him, she thought with a touch of amusement, taking in the irritated expression playing in the woman’s ice-blue eyes. “Ryuuji told me about how he used to be in the Tevrran military, told me how he met Druu, and how... Well, he changed. He said he didn’t blame you for not trusting him and all that,” the girl then stated, a more serious expression appearing on her face. “So yeah, I’d say it is kind of hard. If he spent so many years being all shut off and cold... Yeah, it must be hard. You two are actually pretty similar in a way, aren’t you? Only, I guess you both just kind of react to it differently. He talks too much and you don’t talk enough,” she then kidded lightly, her blue-green eyes still focused on the ice-demon’s pale face.

“...Hn,” was Kitsune’s only response, rolling her eyes at the girl’s joking comment. The icy haired woman then turned her focus back down to the wind/ice elemental resting against her, a frown on her blue-white lips. “Hopefully Kopaka will wake up in a minute. It looks as if he’s trying,” she stated, watching the man’s pale face, his frown and twitching eyelids.

“Yeah,” Rae responded softly, moving to take Kopaka’s limp left hand. She lightly squeezed the man’s hand, her gaze focused on his pale face. “Come on, Kopaka. Wake up, okay?” she then quietly inquired, a frown forming on her lips. Poor guy... It doesn’t even make any sense. What the hell is going on with his energy? she thought, a perplexed expression in her aqua gaze. She then forced her weary mind to concentrate, focusing on the grey haired elemental’s energy... Or lack thereof. She could clearly feel that icy power of Kitsune’s, but... I don’t feel Kopaka generating any energy at all. Just Kitsune’s energy... It... It was frightening. Why can’t he restore any energy?

“Nn... Yuki?” the wind sprite mumbled softly, his voice low, his eyelids fluttering. “Nn...” he moaned, shifting in Kitsune’s arms.

“Yuki will be back in a minute, Kopaka,” Rae stated gently in response, giving the slowly rousing elemental’s hand another comforting squeeze. Yuki and Kopaka seem to be pretty close. Even if Kopaka does pick on the poor little guy all the time, the girl thought affectionately, various memories of the grey haired sprite tormenting the slender ‘spirit’ floating through her mind. “Wake up, Kopaka. Yuki’s really freaked out you know. Er, and so am I for that matter, but yeah. Try to wake up,” she then stated, her voice gentle, a worried expression playing across her features.

“...Yuki. Hasn’t he been gone long enough to get a bottle of water and a blanket?” Kitsune questioned, her ice-blue eyes moving to glance uneasily at the dim room’s open entryway, a troubled look appearing on her pale face.

“Yeah... He told me he wanted to sit outside for a few minutes and calm down... I didn’t like the idea of leaving him alone, but it wasn’t like I could stop him,” Rae responded quietly, her gaze also moving to the open doorway for a moment, a concerned expression clear in her aqua colored eyes.

“He told you this? When?” the woman blinked, moving her focus to the pink haired human, the frown on her blue-white lips deepening, her eyebrow raised.

“Oh. He didn’t say it out loud. He used telepathy,” Rae explained, noting the questioning tone in the ice demon’s cool voice. “I still don’t like the fact that he’s alone... He seems pretty messed up,” the girl then mumbled, a sigh escaping her lips.

“...Telepathy? Yuki has the ability to create a mind-link?” the ice/fox demon inquired, a hint of surprise tinting her otherwise cool, toneless voice.

“Uh, yeah. Apparently,” the girl replied with a hint of a smile.

“...I see.”

“Yeah...”

The two fell into silence and Rae took in a weary breath, focusing her attention to the hand held in her own. Limp and pale... The girl slowly pulled her gaze away from Kopaka’s hand, moving her eyes to the man’s face, though... Wait... Rae blinked, pulling her focus back down to the wind sprite’s arm. What the... Oh. Her thoughts trailed as she realized what she was looking at. In the crook of Kopaka’s left arm... “Uh... I... I guess he usually hides that, huh?” Rae inquired with an uneven voice, biting down on the inside of her lower lip. I guess Kitsune isn’t the only one who keeps marks on her arms hidden... Only these weren’t burn scars. No... These...

Track marks. A deep, dark bruise and... Kopaka... You idiot. She... She knew the guy obviously did drugs and all, but she had never actually seen him do any herself, only that odd drink of his and... Well. Alcohol, but other than that, she... Well. I guess now I know his drug type of choice. He shoots up. Wonderful, she thought, gently tightening her grip on the wind/ice sprite’s hand. You would think a doctor would be smarter than that. The pink haired girl let out a deep sigh, her gaze locked on Kopaka’s arm, the lines and bruising.... He must have just used before this whole thing started or something, those look fresh. Plus, he should have a faster healing rate than humans, so for him to even have marks at all means... He must use a lot. Wonderful.

Kitsune focused her eyes to the wind sprite’s arm as well, letting out a troubled breath. The woman said nothing, only frowned, pulling her attention away from his arm, back to Kopaka’s face.

Rae closed her eyes for a moment, shaking her head, somehow feeling... Well. Kind of pissed, actually. Kopaka... That’s just stupid. I mean... Well, I know how freaking dangerous it is for humans. I don’t know for sure how dangerous it is for an elemental, but still... It couldn’t be good, she thought, letting out a weary sigh, opening her eyes to focus once again on the sprite’s arm. Only... The marks were gone. No bruise, no marks. Only pale, smooth, unblemished skin. What the... Rae’s thoughts trailed and she turned her attention to Kitsune. She closely watched the woman for a moment, raising an eyebrow. She’s hiding them... “Why are you bothering to hide it now? I already saw,” she finally stated, her voice quiet, weary.

“...It’s what he would want,” was Kitsune’s reply, not meeting the girl’s gaze. “It takes very little power to conceal. If I really wanted to, I could conceal my own scars instead of using bandages, but it really seems like a waste of energy, little as it may be,” she admitted with a shrug of her shoulders, her icy gaze slowly moving to Kopaka’s arm, to his supposed ‘smooth, blemish free’ skin. An illusion. “Unlike Kopaka, I don’t particularly care about my own scars, other than the irritating reminder of my father. Kopaka on the other hand... Cares. Which is why you haven't seen this before. Up until a few moments ago, he was managing to conceal it.”

Rae could think of no real response, so she only frowned, her focus still locked on the illusion Kitsune had put upon the man’s arm. Smooth, unmarred skin...

“Kopaka is a fool. You already knew that,” Kitsune pointed out with a hint of a bitter smile briefly gracing her pale, icy lips. “This shouldn't exactly be a shock. He's an idiot.”

“I know. It’s just... Weird. Seeing that, and... Well... At least he doesn’t stick himself in weird places like under his tongue or in between his toes or something. I guess it’s easier to shoot it in the arm and just hide it with energy,” she stated softly, the frown on her lips not lessening, the troubled look in her aqua colored eyes still present.

“He heals fast. There’s no point in injecting drugs in odd places for an elemental. He can simply use energy to conceal any marks, and it fades quickly,” Kitsune responded matter-of-factly, her voice deceptively cold, apathetic. “He lost control of the illusion a few moments ago. Impressive he kept it up that long, even while unconscious,” she added flatly, a sigh escaping her blue-white lips.

That’s why I didn’t notice the marks earlier. He was still keeping them hidden, even though he's all passed out and drained? It... This whole conversation was making the girl feel vaguely ill. Needles and marks, drugs and illusions... I guess you really are good with illusions, aren’t you, Kopaka? Idiot...

“...Kits?” Kopaka suddenly mumbled softly, his eyelids fluttering, his hand in Rae’s twitching. “Nnn... Damn...” he then muttered, slowly raising his free hand to his head, his eyelids fluttering once more.

“Kopaka?” the ice/fox demon inquired in response, her attention immediately focusing to the man’s pale face, an uneasy expression briefly washing over her features. “Can you hear me?”

“...Heh, yeah... Not deaf, Kits,” the man slowly responded with an amused smile, rubbing at his eyes for a moment before letting his hand drop away to rest by his side. “Ugh.”

“Kopaka? God am I glad you’re waking up,” Rae stated unevenly, lightly squeezing the elemental’s hand. I love you so much, stupid. Even if you are a freaking idiot, she thought, her gaze momentarily focusing on his arm, then moving back to the grey haired man’s wan, sickly face. “Kopaka?”

“...Druu. How is he?” the sprite questioned softly, his voice weak, his eyelids slowly opening, revealing his bright blue gaze.

“Alive. Other than that? It’s anyone’s guess,” Kitsune responded quietly, a deep frown on her lips as she continued to carefully watch Kopaka’s pale face.

“...How... How much is he bleeding?” the sprite then questioned, his eyelids drooping, closing. “Ngh,” the man winced, taking in a sharp breath.

“Not that bad at the moment,” the ice demon replied, her voice low, her ice-blue eyes troubled. “He’s still coughing a little up, and he’s still... He’s in a lot of pain,” the woman went on to say, her cool voice losing that apathetic edge, instead replaced by an uneasy, softer tone. “...What of you? How are you feeling?” she inquired, moving to lightly run a hand over the man’s pale forehead, brushing grey locks away from his face.

“What about Mals?” the wind sprite inquired, dodging the icy haired woman’s question.

“...Resting,” was Kitsune’s only response, apparently deciding not to trouble the wind sprite at the moment with Malba’s condition, the red eyes and... Lapse of consciousness...

“Ugh. How long have I been out?” Kopaka inquired weakly, his blue eyes again opening, moving to focus on Kitsune, meeting her intense gaze. “Sorry about that, by the way. Didn’t mean to crash out,” he added, his voice weak, his words slow, a small, wry grin forming on his pink lips.

“You’ve been ‘out’ for hours, Kopaka. It’s morning,” Rae responded with a troubled frown, gently squeezing the man’s hand. “Everyone’s been really worried about you,” she added, her frown deepening.

“Hours? Damn... Nnn. I... I Don’t know why I’m being such a wimp. I’m really sorry, heh,” the man responded haltingly, taking in another sharp, pained breath. “Ngh.”

“Don’t apologize, fool,” Kitsune forcefully replied, her voice holding an edge of concern. “Kopaka, your energy. You aren’t restoring any energy. The only reason you are awake is because I’m giving you mine,” she pointed out with a deep frown.

“Uh, well... It’s probably nothing... Kits. I’m just wiped out I guess,” Kopaka responded, giving the woman a reassuring smile. His smile quickly faded however as he let out a moan, tightly closing his eyes.

“Kopaka?” Rae questioned shakily, watching the sprite’s pained face with an anxious, concerned expression in her aqua eyes.

“Damn. Heh, that kind of hurts,” the wind sprite mumbled weakly, though his voice held a light, blasé tenor. “Don’t worry, Rae. I’m alright. Don’t freak out, man,” he added, slowly opening his eyes to meet the girl’s worried gaze.

“Number one, you’re definitely not alright. Number two, I’m not a man,” the girl responded softly, giving the man a shaky smile, her grip on his hand tightening. “Kopaka, you shouldn’t be this sick, should you? What the hell is going on?” she then inquired, biting down on her lip in what was quickly becoming a nervous habit for the girl. “Kopaka, I’m kind of freaked out. You’re... You’re not in very good shape, you know,” she stated unevenly, carefully watching the sprite’s pale, sickly face.

“...You didn’t do anything that would interfere with your energy, did you? You didn’t take too much of anything, correct?” Kitsune suddenly inquired, a deep frown on her lips, a troubled, questioning look on her pale face.

“Oh, come on Kits... I’m not that stupid,” Kopaka responded with a grin, turning his blue gaze to the woman holding him. “I mean I’m stupid, but heh, not that stupid,” he amended after a moment of thought, his tone light, teasing.

“Is that so?” Kitsune remarked irritably, her eyes narrowing. “You’re not that stupid, you say?” she then inquired, giving the man an aggravated glare.

“...Dude, that was one time. One time. You’re never going to let me live that one down, are you?” the wind sprite replied with a grin, his voice holding a mock indignant tone.

“Fool,” the woman snapped in response, rolling her ice-blue eyes.

What the hell? He really took too much one time? Rae’s eyebrows furrowed at the two’s exchange, a perplexed, inquiring look on her face. “What one time?” she questioned, a frown on her lips.

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