~*Fern's Hide out*~
"Ok, I'll hold off on talking to Fern."
Will said as him and Yuki reached the hideout. "But what are we going to do about keeping your mom safe from Luki?"
Numori landed next to Will, "Ok Haniko, we're on the ground again."
Haniko let go and opened her eyes before running over to Yuki. "Yuki are you alright?!"
"Ye-yeah I'm fine. Are you and mom okay?"
Yuki asked as Haniko nodded.
Will yawns as he shifts back to his human form and sits down.
"I'm alright Yuki, and I'm so glad you're not hurt. Will, are you ok?"
Numori asked looking at the blood on his arm.
"Yeah I'm ok."
Will said as he looked at his arm. "I knew what the risks were when I jumped in front of you to protect you."
"That was very dangerous, but thank you."
Numori said with a stern look on her face.
"Luki, wont hurt Haniko or I, but...... You should probably go to the facility Momma..."
Yuki said climbing off Will.
"You're welcome."
Will said as he looked down remembering that he left one of his swords at the ruins.
"But what if he does try to hurt you and Haniko to try to lure me back, I can't let either of you get hurt."
Numori said kneeling down and hugging Yuki.
"We'll be fine! Father wouldn't hurt me, and can't afford to hurt Yuki.... So please... Just go..."
Haniko said turning away from her mother.
"Are you sure about that, from what Arthur told me and how he acted back there he seems to have gone insane and he might do anything to hurt me. The only thing that would really hurt me is if I lost you or Yuki."
Numori said looking over at Haniko.
"Da** it... JUST SHUT UP!! You're -You're not my mom! My mother died! A-and she was sickly... She know exactly what to say or do to make papa & I smile! M-momma... Could fix anything!"
Haniko said dropping to her knees trying to wipe away the tears that kept flowing.
"Haniko... I was sickly, but when I died and became an angel I wasn't sick any more, I got better."
Numori said looking at her daughter sadly as she tried to hug her.
Will sniffled slightly as he got up and started to walk to the infirmary.
Haniko moved out of the hug. "I-I have to go check on Amber...."
"Haniko... Please..."
Yuki didn't know what to ask... But he didn't want Haniko to just keep walking away.
"It's ok Yuki, I'm sure she'll come around eventually."
Numori said with a sigh, she wanted to believe her own words, but Haniko was just so angry with her she didn't know what to say anymore to make her smile.
"I'm sorry mommy... I-I don't know why Haniko is like that..."
"She's in a lot of pain and very angry Yuki."
Numori said.
"I shouldn't have ever left..... If... If I stayed with her, maybe she wouldn't be so mean to you."
"Don't blame yourself Yuki, I think she's more upset about me leaving her."
Numori said ruffling Yuki's hair slightly.
Yuki smiled a bit." Maybe she just needs more time!"
"Well, well, just who we were looking for, right, Lil?"
Numori stood up and got in front of Yuki when she heard the voice.
"Wh-what do you want?" Yuki asked turning looking past his mom at them.
"Now, now we aren't here to fight~ We bring a gift?" Lilly said holding up a rabbit.
"Yeah~ Kids like rabbits, right?"
Rhett grinned crookedly. "I mean, it is Easter, and all~"
Numori narrowed her eyes slightly at Rhett and Lilly not really buying their 'gift' story.
"Rabbits bite..... Besides how do I know you're not trying to trick me?!" Yuki asked.
"*sigh* Look kid I am not going to hurt you, one, you're not worth it, two, it's too risky, three, I have nothing against you nor an order to attack you." Lilly stated tiredly as she swung the rabbit slightly.
"Either you take this thing with you, or it's joining it's little pals in the bunny cemetery, so make your choice, prince."
"Don't you talk to my son like that."
Numori said glaring at Lilly and Rhett.
"My name is not prince, it is Yuki Lansing, now if you you'd like to treat me as a prince you can." Yuki said calmly his face exactly like Luki's I'm glad I will be killing you in a moment' face. He stepped out from behind Numori and reached out his hand. "Hand it over~"
"Wow, now I see the resemblance~" Lilly giggled handing over the scared rabbit.
Numori looked down at her son curiously.
"His mother's features, but definitely his father's face~"
Rhett agreed. "Now if you don't mind~ The boss would rather kill you himself than have us do it, and we do have places to be." He strode past the mother and son.
Yuki glared at them as he stepped between his mom and them.
"Bye, Bye Kiddo~"
Lilly snickered ruffling Yuki's hair as she walked passed.
Numori tried not to hiss at Lilly for touching her son as she walked past her.
Yuki looked up at his mom after they where gone. "Wh-what did you like about dad?"
"Hmm... Well your father was a lot like you when I first met him, but he would put on a charming front."
Numori said with a smile and a small giggle at the memory.
"Li-like me?!" Yuki asked seeming a bit shocked.
"Yes, very sweet and kind and sometimes got easily upset, but he was also strong and protective of his loved ones... But now he's different, I guess my death affected him more than I realized."
Numori said sadly as she sighed.
"He... He must have really loved you... Will, I end up like him?" Yuki asked looking a little scared.
"I don't think you will sweety."
Numori said hugging Yuki gently.
"O-okay." Yuki replied hugging back still nervous.
"I'm sure since you have me and your friends back at the facility you'll be just fine. After I was gone your dad didn't really have anyone to help him through his grief."
Numori said.
"O-Okay..... Dad still had people to help him though.... He had Haniko, Lilly, and Arthur."
"Well maybe they weren't there enough for him, or maybe his depression was too much for him."
Numori said.
"He was already fighting with himself."
A male voice stated in mono-tone from behind Numori.
Numori blinked and turned around.
A young man stared back at her with blank nearly glowing green eyes, he had short black hair and tan skin.
"Ed-Edgar?"
Yuki asked looking over the young man.
"Edgar?"
Numori repeated looking Edgar over curiously.
"Hello.... You're Numori... Correct?"
Edgar asked still not showing much emotion.
"Yes, that's right."
Numori said with a nod.
"Oh... I see... Hmmm angle?
Edgar asked his head tilted to the right slightly.
"Yes, I'm an angle now."
Numori said with a nod.
"Hmmm Luki probably doesn't respond well to this..."
Edgar stated possible to himself.
"No, he wants to kill me because he doesn't believe I'm the real Numori."
Numori said sadly.
"Hmmm... That doesn't sound good..... Nova will be interested in this."
"NOVA?! She doesn't need to know about this! Sh-she has nothing to do with this!"
Yuki stated.
"Hmmmm... You're wrong... Luki works for her if there's something that might be affecting him it is of her interested."
Edgar replied now his eyes where locked on Yuki's.
"Who's Nova?"
Numori asked looking at Yuki worriedly sensing he was uneasy.
"She's the woman that's been feeding off dad's madness..." Yuki replied glaring at Edgar.
"Feeding off Luki's madness?"
Numori repeated looking a bit annoyed/angry.
"...... I wouldn't word it like that, Your... Father has a goal that he wants to achieve... Nova's... Helping."
Edgar replied he seemed to not know how to pronounce "Helping" so it sounded like a question.
"Helping?"
Numori repeated with a raised brow. "What kind of goal?"
"Hmmm... He wants to... Make the world better? I believe... I'm afraid I don't deal with interacting with people, all that often."
Edgar replied.
"Oh, so you mean making people 'free' and 'happy' by killing them?"
Numori asked curiously.
"......... Not... Exactly. She provides him with weaponry, due to his earlier services with her."
Edgar replied pulling out a not padding a started chatting something down.
"What are you writing?"
Numori asked.
"Taking notes.... That chandelier needs a new bolt... That one's getting old... Plus there is a crack on that tile."
"H-how did you? You where looking at us this whole time." Yuki asked confused.
"I have good eyes."
"I'll say."
Numori said with a nod.
"Thank you.... So you aren't mad with me?"
Edgar his voice softened slightly but still was pretty non emotional.
"Why would we, you didn't attack us."
Numori said.
"I.... Never mind.... Be careful."
Edgar said before disappearing.
"Well that was odd."
Numori said blinking.
"Be careful?"
Yuki repeated confused. "I know he works for Nova, and I know Nova would probably enjoy seeing us die...... So why'd he say be careful?"
"Maybe he doesn't really want to work for Nova, but was forced to or decided to for survival reasons."
Numori suggested looking down at Yuki.
Yuki blinked for a few minutes. "Momma...... Are you... naive?"
"No, just optimistic."
Numori said.
"Oh.... How can you be optimistic... When everything seems to be going wrong?"
"Even when things go wrong they can't go wrong all the time you have to look for the good and the right in every situation."
Numori said.
"I-I feel so safe and happy at the facility.... But here... I feel like something bad's going to happen any minute... I know if I'm with Haniko or Graham I am safe... But... Still... And then, I don't know if you're safe any where."
"Well if you don't feel safe here maybe we should go back to the facility, I might be safe there."
Numori said.
"N-NO!! I... Can't I owe Graham and Fern for protecting me and saving my life. Even if Fern saved me just because she thinks of me as property or because Haniko asked, she still protected me.... Which means... She can't be all bad right...... And then there's the government... What if they really do want to turn me against Haniko?"
"Why on earth would they want to turn you against your sister?"
Numori asked looking shocked.
"Haniko said they would.... I mean papa- er Jace... Is in the facility and Fern is here and they fight all the time!"
Yuki replied.
"Its true~" Haniko hummed as she walked over with her arms crossed.
"Papa? Who's this Jace?"
Numori asked curiously looking over at Haniko as she walked up.
"He's really nice and tall and strong and great hand-to-hand fighter!! And he's nice to me like Big brother! He even said he'll adopt me!"
Yuki stated with a smile.
"WHAT?!! You can't do that! Dad's alive and you're here, and dad never put you up for adoption... An-and.... Why would you want some dumb bother... I-I'm here hehe.... So-so just forget about them!"
"Haniko dear calm down, I'm sure all Yuki wants is a male role model, he was separated from his father."
Numori said.
"B-b-but I...."
Haniko began before Yuki cut her off.
"Haniko... I love you you're my big sister, but I also love Jace and Jack... When I repay my debt you can come back with me, and I'm sure you'd love them too."
"I know you love your brother Haniko, don't you want him to be happy too?"
Numori asked.
"I... I..... I just want everyone together! Why is that so wrong of me?! I want papa happy again I-I want to be told a bedtime story and I want Yuki by my side!"
Haniko said as she started sobbing before taking off towards the clinic.
"Haniko wait."
Numori said grabbing her wrist. "It's not wrong to want your family together and happy, everyone wants that."
"B-but..... I-I keep messing up... Every time... I brought Yuki here... And look what happened!"
"Haniko, it's ok you were trying to help, it's not your fault things turned out bad. We can't always control the outcome of our plans."
Numori said trying to help her feel better.
Haniko quickly wiped away her tears. "If I planned things better I could."
"Maybe, but it's not always guaranteed."
Numori said with a slightly sad smile.
"If you plan it out correctly there shouldn't be very many risks."
Haniko replied.
"True, but you can't predict how everyone else will react."
Numori said.
"I've been being trained to be a leader, I should be able to do these things..."
Haniko said.
"I hope you're right and you find loyal followers that won't try to hurt and betray you."
Numori said with a small smile.
"Hehehehe I was
raised to be a leader, but I think I'd rather work for Ma'am Fern."
Haniko giggled.
"I-I will too.... At least... Until I repay her and Graham..."
Yuki said holding his arm. (since he doesn't have Mr. Glares with him to hug)
"Repay her for what dear?"
Numori asked looking at Yuki curiously.
"Fern protected me from da- er... Luki earlier... And Graham saved my life a few years ago."
"Well if I see Graham I'll thank him for saving you."
Numori said with a smile.
Yuki nodded before turning to his sister "Haniko... Can I get him now?"
"Fine, but if he gets hurt don't blame me~"
Haniko shrugged.
"You mean Mr. Glares?"
Numori asked curiously.
"Yep, I swear he bawled his eyes out when I told him to leave it in the room."
Haniko said raising a hand to her head as Yuki took off up the stairs.
"Well maybe Mr. Glares is your brother's friend."
Numori said.
"If they we're truly friends Yuki would want it tied to his side all the time."
"Why do you think he wanted to cry when you told him to leave him in the room?"
Numori asked.
"I don't know, He thinks Mr. Glares talks to him or something, it's kinda sad that he can't even have a normal imaginary friend."
"Well maybe Mr. Glares does talk to him."
Numori said looking at Yuki and winking.
Yuki smiled as he hugged Mr. Glares and came over.
"Umm... Never mind I won't ask."
Haniko said.
Numori smiled and looked at the bear.
"Hey mommy! I've kept him with me all these years! And he's hardly shown it!"
"Yes, he still looks brand new."
Numori said smiling at the bear as she knelt down to look at it.
"Yep! He's special!"
Yuki giggled.
"You're... Acting so unusual brother... So giddy..."
Haniko said looking over Yuki.
"I'm sure he's just happy to see his friend again."
Numori said smiling.
"I guess..."
Haniko replied not really understanding.
"He's been with me really long... I don't like being away from him..."
"That's fine, it's good to have someone to hug when you're sad and feeling lonely."
Numori said.
"I'm going back to the clinic..."
Haniko stated as she walked that way.
"Should we follow?"
Yuki asked looking around.
"Well would you rather stand here in the hall or follow Haniko?"
Numori asked.
"Umm... Less people go in the clinic..."
Yuki replied taking his mother's hand as he walked towards the clinic.
Numori smiled as she followed her son.
"You didn't have to come with me Haniko."
Will said as he tried not to start crying even though a few tears started to slide down his cheeks.
"It's fine..."
Haniko replied.
"Do you think that Amber might be awake now?"
Will asked as he dried his eyes.
"I'm not sure..... But seeing how Drake is their only medic he has to be good."
Haniko replied.
"True."
Will said with a sigh. "I need to go back to the ruins after checking on Amber."
Haniko looked at him confused for a moment before remembering. "Right your sword! I'll go with you... I don't want you getting hurt."
"Thanks."
Library
Dining Room
Kitchen
"Hmmm seafood bake?"
Graham asked.
"Sounds yummy."
Todd said smiling happily.
"It is~! Especially with my family recipe~"
Graham hummed.
"Need me to help?"
Todd asked curiously.
"Hmm de-shelling some of the crab or lobster would help~"
Graham hummed.
"Ok!"
Todd said getting the crabs and lobsters. "How many do you need de-shelled?"
"Hmmm one Lobster and I'll take the crab, since it's just You, Drake and I."
"Alright."
Todd said grabbing one lobster and a crab and going back over to Graham.
Graham smiled as he took the Lobster. "Hmm let's see....I hope I can remember the recipe.. pfft hehehahahaha!!
"
"What's so funny?" Todd asked curiously cocking his head to the side cutely.
"Oh sorry, I was just remembering the last time I made it." Graham replied smiling.
"Oh, who'd you make it with?" Todd asked curiously.
".......... Someone I cou-... Someone who isn't around anymore." Graham replied looking down at the lobster as he started breaking it's shell.
"Oh... S-Sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Todd said apologetically as he noticed how sad Graham looked.
Graham shook his head. "Hehaha now feel like an old man, 'back in my day I used to make this'~"
Todd smiled, "Well I'm sure you can remember how to make it."
"I think I remember the sauce... I'll start making that~ I hope you and Drake will like this, no I know you two will like it! XD " Graham hummed.
"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll love it." Todd said with a smile.
Graham smiled as he quickly put spices and liquids into a saucepan.
Todd smiled as he de-shelled the lobster.
Graham came over and started cutting the seafood into finer pieces.
Todd watched Graham cut up the seafood.
"Can you bring the sauce over, Kitten?" Graham asked as he places the seafood into a baking pan.
"Sure Kitty." Todd said getting the sauce and bringing it over to Graham.
Graham poured half over the bake then put the rest back on the stove, then got the bake and put it in the oven.
Todd smiled as he watched Graham cook.
"Are you having fun?" Graham asked.
"Yeah, cooking is fun, I've never helped anyone cook before." Todd said sitting in a chair.
Graham walked over and sat next to him. "I'm glad your enjoying it~ it's been awhile since I made anything other then alcohol."
"Really? Why?" Todd asked curiously.
"Yes~ I enjoying making Alcohol but.... I like making food for people I care about~"
"So... Does that mean you care about me?" Todd asked curiously.
"Well I have no reason not to, you seem nice and you haven't hurt anyone." Graham smiled.
Todd smiled and his tail flicked happily, "Thanks."
Graham continued smiling as his tail swung lazily about. "I don't know if there really is a reason to thank me but, you're welcome~"
Todd smiled as his tail swung back and forth gently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The oven beeped and Graham happily went over to get them back out and sat it on the table.
"Oh, it smells really good." Todd said his tail flicking and he sniffed the air.
Graham grabbed the sauce pan and poured the rest over the bake. "Mmmmm~ now the hard part..... Waiting for it to cool down slightly."
"That is hard because it smells so good." Todd said as his tail flicked in anticipation.
Graham sighed and nodded in agreement. "This has always been the hardest part~"
"Maybe we can play a game while it cools." Todd suggested trying to be helpful.
"Hmmmm like a word game?"
"Yeah, sure." Todd said with a smiled and a nod.
"Okay~ I'll say a word then you say a word that starts with the last letter of mine! Okay?" Graham asked excitedly.
"Alright." Todd said smiling happily.
"Eagle!"
"Hmm... Egg." Todd said with a grin.
"Gold~" Graham smiled.
"Dragon." Todd said.
"Night." Graham Hummed.
"Together." Todd said.
"X3 Romance~" Graham hummed
"Eternal" Todd said with a smile.
"Love~" Graham smiled happily.
"Hmm... Everlasting." Todd said smiling.
"...ummm Glad!" Graham hummed before remembering food. "Oh.... We've probably waited long enough."
Todd chuckled, "See, it made time fly."
"It did~" Graham hummed getting some bake onto a plate. "I'll go take this to Angel, be back~"
"Alright." Todd said with a nod and wave.
Todd was humming and swinging his feet while he waited for Graham.
"Sorry to keep you waiting~ a puppy wants food now too, so I'll get him it and be right back, you can get a plate while you wait if you want."
"Ok, but I think I'll wait for you Kitty." Todd said.
"Alright, then all be back in a flash."
"Ok." Todd said smiling.
"I'm back~" Graham hummed.
Todd smiled happily, "Hi Kitty, welcome back."
"I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long~" Graham chimed walking over to the bake as he grabbed a plate. "Is there a certain seafood that's your favorite?"
"No, you didn't... Lobster." Todd said smiling.
"Good~" Graham purred as he added more lobster to the plate before giving it to Todd.
"Thank you." Todd said with a smile taking the plate and taking a bite. "This is delicious.
"Oh good! I'm glad it's to your liking!" Graham said setting down with his own plate.
Todd smiled at Graham as he continued eating.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"That was really good, I loved it." Todd said once he had finished eating.
"I'm glad." Graham replied beaming with pride as his tail swooshed happily.
Todd smiled, "I'm glad that you're glad."
"Want something for desert?"
"No, I don't want to be a bother." Todd said.
Graham was about to reply as the door opened and Takara stumbled in with absolutely no grace.
"Oh, hi Takara... Where have you been?" Todd asked looking over at her curiously.
"Loooosttt~" Takara whinned
"Lost? What or who are you looking for?" Todd asked with a raised brow.
"Sethie..."
"Sethie? I don't know where he is, Graham do you know?" Todd asked looking at Graham.
Graham tilted hes head in thought. "Hmm I'm not really sure where he went."
"Maybe you should just stay here, I mean he'll get hungry eventually right?" Todd said looking at Graham.
E
Takara hummed in thought before nodding. "Okay!"
Graham smiled at the young demon girl before shooting up his smile fading completely. ".....I smell blood.."
"I do too." Todd said standing up as well and sniffing the air as he walked to the door. "Smells like it's coming from that way." He said pointing towards the infirmary.
"Takara wait here. We'll be back.." Graham said quickly taking off for the infirmary.
Todd nodded as he followed Graham just as quickly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seth peeked into the Kitchen, "Hey Takara."
"SETH!!" Takara chirped jumping down from the stool she was sitting on and running over to him.
"I heard you were looking for me." Seth said as he watched her run over to him
Meeting room
Infirmary
"Any change yet Drake?" Will asked as he walked in.
"The little mouse is stable and responding well~ Even her reflexive actions are starting to kick in. But she hasn't woken up..." Drake said.
"That's good to hear." Will said as he walked over to Amber's bedside. "Amber, I really need you to wake up."
Haniko walked over to the chair on the other side of Amber's bed and sat down. "So her reflexive action are starting back up?" She asked poking Amber's hand boredly.
Amber's hand twitched in response.
"Yes, but no conscious action, as of yet."
"Drake can you heal my arm please?"
"Oh, my! What happened?" Drake started looking over Will's arm.
"Tried to stop Luki from hurting Yuki's mom and got scratched by the psycho."
Drake blinked. "Well it isn't too deep... It will scar, though, and it'd be best if you watch to make sure you don't develop an infection." He started applying ointments and bandages.
"I'm not worried about the scar and I'll keep a eye on it." Will said with a small smile.
"See that you do~"
" you shouldn't have gotten involved Will...." Haniko said as she accidently poked Amber harder.
"I couldn't let him hurt her Haniko even though you don't think of her aa your mom."
"She isn't my mom!" Haniko shrieked as she shoot up out of her seat and headed towards the door.
"Haniko, Wait."Will said to Haniko."I'm sorry, I shouldn't of said that."
*sigh*...it-its fine.....I'm sorry..I shouldn't have acted like that." Haniko turning around and walking back.
"It's ok, I would've done the same thing if it was my mom who came back from the dead."
"Really?" Haniko asked not seeming to believe him.
"Yes really."Will said with a sigh.
Haniko looked up with determination " I wish Fern was my mom...and Drake could be my daddy!"
"Wow...that sounds....scary." Vic chuckled coming in with a young man.
"That would be cool Haniko."
"Well, now, who is this?" Drake asked Vic.
"Turner, he's a new kid, we where training and he got his side slashed, but I wantta know how you managed to get a kid to want ya as a dad?!" Vic laughed.
"I think I'd make a nice family man..." Drake grumbled a little before turning to the boy. "Alright, let me see, little mouse~"
Turner raised his shirt so Drake could see the gash.
"Oh that's a nice one!" Haniko hummed.
"That's going to leave a good scar." Will as he glanced at the wound.
"I agree~" Drake grinned at Will and Haniko before turning to Turner and gesturing to a bed. "Lay down on your uninjured side and try to keep your shirt up. If that's too difficult, you may remove it entirely. Or if your ribs hurt too much for that, I suppose cutting it off is an option..."
"Please wake up soon Amber."Will said with a sigh as he set his hand on top of hers.
Turner to off his shirt with a slight cringe and laid down.
"Turner can't talk by the way." Vic stated.
"Inconsequential~ Most of my patients aren't particularly chatty around me, anyways~" Drake paused and blinked before going to check on Turner's side. "I wonder why..."
"Because most humans are bad, so most people expect you to be bad too~" Haniko replied.
"I can see how someone could think that." Will said as he looked down.
"Hm~ Perhaps..." Drake started cleaning out the wound.
Turner winced slightly but held still.
Haniko glanced a boredly at Vic's sword.maybe I should try taking it....just to see if he notices...it'd be kinda fun..then I could give it to Will.. and we could- Haniko remembered what Will mentioned earlier. "Hey Will do you want me to get your sword while you watch over your sister?"
"Yes and thanks for asking Haniko."Will said to Haniko.
"No problem.." Haniko replied getting up and heading towards the door
"Be careful out there okay."
"Yes,yes." Haniko replied waving before leaving.
A few minutes later Graham opened the door and came in with a plate of seafood. "Angel I brought you dinner~!"
"Ooh~ How thoughtful of you, kitten~"
"Where do you want me to place it~?" Graham asked noticing that he was busy with a patient.
"Hm~ Perhaps a tray at one of the empty beds?" Drake smiled as he continued tending to Turner.
"Alrighty~" Graham hummed setting it down
"Hey, where's mine?" Vic asked teasingly.
Drake finished cleaning the wound and took out a surgical thread and needle. "Would you like anesthetic~?"
Turner shook his head after thinking for a moment.
"Then I'm afraid this will hurt. Perhaps even more than the alcohol wash."
Turner nodded as he readied himself for the stitching.
Drake quickly and neatly stitched the wound closed.
Will yawns as he gets comfortable in the chair that he was sitting in and looks over at Graham."I didn't know you knew how to cook."
"I know how, I just rarely do~ If you'd like I can bring you some, as long as your not allergic to seafood."
"I would like some please." Will said as his stomach growled slightly.
"I'll be back then~" Graham hummed leaving the room.
"okay"
Graham waltzed back in with another plate in his hand. "Here you are~"
"Thanks Graham." Will said taking the plate from Graham happily.
"Your welcome~ I hope you both enjoy it~"
"I'm sure we will... It smells really good." Will said sniffing it slightly.
"Alright~ then I'll see you later." Graham hummed heading back to the kitchen.
"See ya." Will said with a nod and wave.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey Drake, do you think Amber will remember me when she wakes up?" Lil Will asked curiously once he had finished his food.
"...I wish I could say for certain, but brain damage and amnesia are both possibilities that we can't be sure of until she awakens." Drake admitted.
"Well even if she doesn't remember me I'll be here for her to help remind her." Lil Will said looking over in Amber's direction.
"So determined, little mouse~ I'm sure she's lucky to have you."
"I hope you're right." Lil Will said looking at Drake and smiling slightly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Haniko came in and walked over to Amber's bed.
Lil Will was asleep in the chair by Amber's bed, he was gently holding her hand in his sleep.
Numori walked in behind Yuki and looked around.
Haniko moved a chair next to Will's and sat down quietly.
"Mama... Will his sister wake up?" Yuki asked quietly getting teary eyed.
"I'm not sure Yuki, the brain is very fragile, sometimes it takes years for someone in a coma to wake up." Numori said looking down at Yuki sadly.
"Haniko will never be in a coma... Right?" Yuki asked trying not to cry.
"I can't predict the future, but I'll do my best to prevent it." Numori said hugging Yuki close.
"Tsk, of course I won't." Haniko muttered.
"I'm sure your sister can handle herself, but if she needs extra help I'll help her." Numori said.
"I'm at the peak of health, I'm fine. Right Drake? Don't I look healthy?"
"You're the healthiest little mouse I've ever seen~" ^-^
"Liar......" Yuki muttered about Haniko.
"See, Mr. Drake seems like a brilliant doctor type, I'm sure he's telling the truth." Numori said with a small smile.
"Yeah, he's the best~!" Haniko added.
"B-but you-" Haniko covered Yuki's mouth. "Okay that's enough~"
"Is something wrong?" Numori asked with a slightly raised brow looking from Yuki to Haniko.
"Yuki gets paranoid sometimes.." Haniko replied.
"He's probably just worried about you." Numori said with a smile.
Haniko shrugged but doesn't remove hand
Suddenly Chaos comes rushing past them. "WEEEEEEEEE!" He skids to a stop and looks at them curiously. "HI!"
A creepy-looking man with a split tongue, multiple piercings and white-blonde hair grinned down at Chaos. "Well, hello, little mouse~"
A Brown haired girl & blue haired boy blinked dumbfounded at this strange boy, the girls hand slid off the boy's face. "What the hel-heck?!" The said in unison
Chaos hissed at the creepy man. "I am NOT a mouse!" He puffed out his chest and proudly declared; "I am a cat." He grinned, his smile literally going ear to ear. "See?" He proceeded to run around the small group in circles.
"What the?!" Will said looking at Chaos confused and curiously.
"You should run, you could trip, fall and hurt yourself." Numori said as she watched Chaos run.
Chaos stops and looks at them all. He lets out a laugh. "SO...where is this place? It's funny."
"This room is my infirmary~" said the creepy man.
"A room where people die or seek medical attention isn't funny." Haniko (the brown haired girl) scoffed, slightly annoyed.
Chaos shrugged. "What's that? What's 'die' mean?" He looked genuinely puzzled cocking his head to the side. He looked from Haniko to the creepy man and back.
"That's not funny!! Death is what's happening all over this crummy planet! Shame on-" before Haniko finish Yuki covered her mouth as he stroked her hair.
Drake (the creepy man) knelt down to be eye-level with Chaos. "Death is when one's mortal body ceases to function. The heart stops pumping blood, the lungs halt their intake of breath and the brain no longer can control or stimulate the rest of the body. In this state, the soul often leaves the body, sometimes to Heaven or Hell."
Chaos looks back at him and then actually started to laugh. The laughter almost seemed psychotic. "Oh...you mean they go to sleep? Oh and by the way there is no heaven or hell. There is only existence and non-existence. By the way you might want a breath mint. Your breath smells." He said with a sweet smile.
Haniko started screaming (most likely cuss word) into Yukis hand. To keep her from pulling out her sword Yuki held onto her in a tight hug.
"STOP IT!! That's not funny, its mean and hurtful!" Yuki stated trying to keep his voice calm.
Chaos turned and looked at them innocently. "What do you mean? How is it hurtful or funny? I was just saying the truth. What he just described is sleep. There really is no heaven or hell. You either exist or you don't. I don't know how that is mean. Sorry. Why is she screaming anyway?" He looked confused.
"No, no...people still have heartbeats and breathe in their sleep..." Drake attempted to explain.
Chaos Shook his head. "No they don't. Ambrose just closed his eyes and went to sleep. Then Nadya and finally Hatter....they all went to sleep and didn't wake up. They just left Chaos alone. And then Chaos tried to go to sleep but he couldn't. So he decided to stay awake." He looked sad for a moment but quickly hid it with a smile.
"When someone goes to sleep and never wakes up that is death, they died. People still breath, have heart beats and brain function when they sleep, that's how they wake up again. I'm sure your friends didn't want to leave, most people don't choose or want to die." Numori said feeling sorry for poor Chaos.
"My family died too, well all but my sister, she's in a coma." Will said.
"Mama..you came back after dying....maybe his friend and family can to." Yuki said as Haniko calmed down.
"Yes I did, but there's no way I can know his friends are angels now." Numori said looking down at Yuki.
Chaos "Bull Sh** ! Chaos was left alone." His voice suddenly goes real quiet. "He is always left alone. They went to sleep. Maybe I should make you guys go to sleep too." His eyes glow a deep red and claws began to extend from his finger tips he looks more feral now.
"And what would that do? Would that make you feel better? Would that change anything? No it just would be more pointless dea- er...it would make more people go to sleep." Haniko stated her eyes taking on a red tint.
Chaos his smile no longer looked innocent it looked terrifying. "Because you will leave Chaos alone too. You guys may try to be friends but you will abandon him too. Everyone always leaves. So if I put you all to sleep it means he won't get hurt."
Will grabbed his swords and took on a defensive stance while getting slightly in front of Haniko.
"You shouldn't put people to sleep just because you're scared they'll leave you all alone." Numori said stepping in front of Yuki, Haniko and Will.
Chaos* vanishes and appears before will, he pulls the sword from his hand and throws it at Haniko. "How tasty are you wolfy?"
Will didn't think twice, he quickly jumped in front of Haniko while pushing Numori away and took the sword to the stomach for Haniko, "H-Ha...ni...ko..." He was able to say before coughing up blood and collapsing.
"Oh my goodness!" Numori shouted as she barely stayed up right and watched Will fall to the floor.
Haniko stared wide eyed frozen for a moment as Will fell. "WILL!!" She shrieked, trembling as she pulled out her own sword.
Drake is immediately at Will's side, applying pressure to the wound. "Someone restrain that child!"
Chaos grins wickedly. He shoves Drake away and his jaw unhinges. He begins to swallow Will whole.
Yuki stared in shock and horror at the scene infront of him. "H-how?"
Haniko screamed in anger as she swung her sword down at Chaos, at full force.
"Oh my lord!" Numori said her eyes growing wide as she grabbed Will's legs and tried to pull him back out of Chaos' mouth.
Chaos managed to catch the blade, pull will s legs from Numori and finish his grisly task. After he was done turned to Haniko. "You hurt him, you die. Okay?" He dropped the blade and leapt back as he landed his eyes and appearance shifted back to the innocent looking boy they first had met. He looked around in confusion and scrambled further from her when he saw the sword. "W..what happened? Why...does everyone look shocked or angry?" He asked as tears filled his eyes.
"You... You kind of went insane, you killed poor Will and ate him." Numori said trying to stay calm.
"Heh...hehehahaha!! You're completely insane! Oh but don't worry... I'll put you out of your misery~" Haniko hummed as her eyes turned red and the air seemed to get cooler. She hummed as she walked towards Chaos, beginning to tap into his energy. All she could think of was how she wanted him to dissapear and die.
"Haniko, no!" Drake both shouted and used someone's name for the first time since arriving at the hide-out. "If there is even the slightest thread of life in Will, you'd devour his soul, as well. I could pump his stomach or do surgery."
"....He's dead... There's nothing we can do to change that..." Haniko replied not stopping.
Chaos cowered in fear. "No! I didn't hurt anyone! You're a bully!" He screamed before he turned into a small kitten and vanished in a cloud of purple smoke.
Haniko grined wider as she grabbed for where his neck would've been only to grab air. "Huh?.... Ba***rd!!"
"Where'd he go and how did he do that?" Numori asked looking at the area where Chaos had just been.
The door flew open as Graham & Todd came in. "What on Earth happened?" He asked noting everyone's faces.
"A cat boy popped up here... He... He kind of snapped and went insane and killed Lil Will and some how unhinged his jaw and ate him." Numori said, she was standing by Haniko with her hand on her shoulder.
Haniko's eyes filled with tears as she turned and burried her face into Numori clinging onto her mothers shirt. "I-I ...I couldn't..stop him...I'm to weak....I..I let him die..."
Yuki held back tears as he hugged Haniko and Numori.
"Now you didn't 'let' anything happen, mouse. You can't predict and control such things..." Drake said with an unwavering voice.
"Poor children.." Graham said softly to himself as the door creaked open.
Luki stepped through the door with an air of hatred. "What happened to my princess?"
"She has witnessed a most unfortunate situation, I'm afraid." Drake frowned deeply.
Haniko stopped clinging onto Numori as she broke from Yuki's hug and hurried to her father still having tears running down her face.
Graham frowned.Things just keep getting worse..
"Apparently some cat boy killed and ate her friend right in front of her and she couldn't stop him." Todd said as Numori slowly backed away behind Drake.
Luki pet Hanikos hair as he listened completely ignoring his wife and son. "Want daddy to punish him for you?" He asked Haniko, she simply nodded against him.
"I wouldn't." Edgar stated appearing beside Luki. "He's with the government."
"From what I can tell, the boy is unstable. He can't tell the difference between sleep and death, he is insistent that he will be abandoned by all, and at one point he spoke about himself as though he were an entirely different person. Even if he had no allies, it would be best to proceed with caution." Drake said.
Luki's eyes softened only slightly. "So he's mentally unwell? Do you think he can be helped?"
"NO! HE'S EVIL!!" Haniko yelled looking up at Luki.
"...I think...he might be able to be helped...it wasn't until he felt threatened th...that he did that..." Yuki said quietly his voice shaking.
"From what I can tell, the dominant personality is childish above all else. It is stubborn and temperamental at times, but means no harm. The second one...I don't believe there's any reasoning with him when he's in his second state." Drake admitted. "Perhaps if he felt safe or empowered enough to leash the second personality..."
Luki petted Haniko and nodded at Drake's comment with a small smile. "Very well, I suppose it would be harsh to punish the child when he had no control."
Yuki clinched his fist as he glared at Luki. "Yeah..it would be."
"B-but..."Haniko began but was shushed by Luki.
"Can't anything be done about his second state?" Todd asked curiously.
"Split personalities often form as a result of trauma, to adapt and survive a dangerous or psychologically damaging situation without entirely losing one's innocence. I'm afraid there will always be a chance of him being confronted with a trigger or threat that gives the second state control. His first, more innocent state, would retreat for self-preservation. Like I said, he has to feel secure, empowered. Even lowering the chances of the second state taking over by making the first state more confident and less likely to panic would have to be a gradual process. The slightest slip..."
"Well how do keep him from snapping?" Todd asked.
"Like I said. Gradually. Aside from perhaps isolating him from all possible negative stimuli, that's all we can do." Drake replied.
"Hmm that wont be a easy task, of course, neither would getting him back in the first place..." Graham stated pressing his index finger to his lips in thought.
"Maybe we should just...try to forget about him....?" Yuki said, it seemed too dangerous to bother with.
"NO! Then he'll just end up k-killing someone else!" Haniko hissed.
"I agree with Haniko, this boy is dangerous." Numori said sadly.
"Well how do you propose we track him down?" Todd asked curiously.
"As a human medic with the average human nose, tracking is something I have no experience in." e____e
Todd shrank back and his tail flicked defensively.
"No need to be snippy dear, it was just a question." Numori said patting Todd's head gently and smiling at him.
"How come none of you are asking how he got in here in the first place?" Seth asked curiously from the doorway, he glanced down at the puddle of Will's blood on the floor.
"Well he left the same way he came: Abruptly and dramatically without anyone having anyone noticing anything other than his presence or lack thereof. He disappeared in a puff of smoke, so it's safe to say he's no normal werecat." Drake said, being entirely genuine in his response.
"I think he's a Cheshire cat." Todd said his tail flicking slightly.
Graham cocked an eyebrow at Todd's statement. "How is that even possible? Isn't the Cheshire cat a fictional character from a child's fairy-tale?"
"Well it used to be, but a few have popped up here and there." Todd said as Seth gave him an 'Are you serious' look.
"Well people used to think angels, vampires and ghosts weren't real once." Numori said.
Graham head dropped at Todd's reply pinching the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. "You know your worlds screwed up when children's fairy-tale characters are coming to life and trying to eat you."
"To be fair, Kitten, it's not that much of a leap..." Drake frowned.
Graham looked up as he hummed thoughtfully. "Definitely not a good sign....there's a lot of new races showing up lately..."
"I wonder what it means." Todd said as he looked deep in thought.
"I'm not sure, but I don't think it's a good thing." Numori said with a small sigh.
"There are several things that could be causing this..its far to early to truly know....although, I'm guessing some of it has to do with the rogue scientists." Luki stated thoughtfully.
"It doesn't even have to be rogue, the governments always trying to find stronger weapons... Some of their plans, tests and experiments are so bad they hide some of them from everyone that isn't part of it~" Haniko stated turning completely away from the pool of blood and the floor.
"NO! The government is good, they have nothing to do with this!" Yuki stated annoyed that Haniko would still be bashing the government.
Todd's ears went down and his tail flicked violently at Yuki's statement, "Not all members of the government are good, there are rogue, corrupt members that kidnap people and do horrible experiments on them."
Seth raised a brow at Todd's reaction and statement, but he remained silent.
Graham frowned at Todd's reaction, he reached his hand up and put it on Todd's head with a smile as he pet Todd.
Yuki's eyes started to water."Th-they wouldn't....they are...supposed to protect us..."
"Yuki, the government is the whole reason most of us exist. They continuously fail at being protectors." Luki stated.
"Yeah, the government are the ones responsible for creating that weapon that created zombies and the other creatures normal humans fear." Seth said with a nod.
Todd smiled at Graham and leaned into the petting.
"So many cynics~ Kindness and cruelty can be found anywhere." Drake said.
Yuki moved closer to Drake. "Yeah....so it is quite possible that the government isn't behind this..."
"That's completely possible, Mouse." Drake nodded.
"The government has made mistakes in the past that has cause a lot of problems and there are still some in the government still making mistakes, but perhaps the people Yuki has met are actually good." Numori said patting Yuki's head gently.
"Well it may not be the entire government, but it could be some in the government." Seth said.
"Doesn't matter, corruption in a group as large as the government is dangerous especially when its the heads that are the most corrupt." Luki sighed.
"Yes, yes, we all know the government can't be completely trusted, but we stray from the subject at hand. which is, what is causing this large out break in creatures? The answer is, "we don't know, because we don't have enough answers." so you can all stay here and theorize if you'd like, but I'm going to go report this to Fern so we can start looking for answers." Haniko stated boredly as she turned and headed towards the door.
"Haniko's right, someone has to inform Fern." Seth said as he stood aside to let her pass.
"That's my baby girl~" Luki chuckled with a wide proud papa grin.
Yuki took his mothers hand as he hurried after Haniko.
Numori smiled as she followed after Yuki.
Seth rolled his eyes at Luki's grin.
"I have people to speak with so, I'll be taking my leave as well~" Luki hummed still smile as he left.
"...that was..interesting.." Graham said as his tail twitched.
Drake nodded. "Their family dynamic is..."
"Strained?" Seth said as he watched Luki leave.
"Not all of it. I was going to use the word 'strange'." :/
"...I think 'faulty' might be a better word for it.." Graham offered.
"So dysfunctional eh?" Seth said shaking his head.
"Oh your friend Takara was looking for you." Todd said suddenly remembering she was in the kitchen.
"Oh, well I guess I'll go find her." Seth said with a shrug as he headed for the door.
"She's in the kitchen." Todd said, Seth nodded as he disappeared.
Graham looked a bit guilty for forgetting. "Poor girls probably been waiting a little while."
"Yeah, I kind of forgot we left her there." Todd said looking guilty.
"I did too..." Graham stated guiltily.
"Well now she'll have company." Todd said smiling slightly.
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