^{Human Territory Chpt. 6.}

*****

Kitsune clutched the dagger tightly fearful that Shimauma would try and take it from her. "Where does this so called tunnel go? Will t get us away from the lab?"

"No to the first question, and no idea to the second- ah, here we go." Shimauma said happily, noticing the bush before either of them. He moved away the leaves, revealing the opening to the tunnel. "Dokuja?" Shimauma called, but not too loudly as he made his way inside.

Renzo looked at their new temporary home. Shimauma wasn't kidding when he said it was small, but it least it wasn't a small goldfish bowl from the lab. He chose not to sit anywhere until he had at least met Dokuja properly.

Dokuja blinked and looked up at the opening of the tunnel. "Be careful of the sssssssssteps!" she called back up softly, moving to the end of them in case anyone slipped on them again. Her snake eyes looked up in the dark as the flames of the dying fire kept the tunnel dimly lit. Her white lab outfit was still slightly covered in mud, but it was cleaner than before, and her pale skin looked beautiful in the dimness of the firelight. Her black hair moved in front of her face and over her shoulders, goosebumps on her arms, stomach and legs. She couldn't quite smell Kitsune or Renzo yet.

"I found the fox chick," Shimauma muttered as his eyes began to pain him again when they met the dark lighting in the tunnel. Fuck.. what the hell is wrong with me? He thought, rubbing at his eyes quickly before resuming his climbing down the steps. "And she's brought a friend of hers.."

Dokuja blinked and frowned, her brow furrowing. "Friend..?" she asked. Another hybrid? She hissed a little, uneasily, and looked down at the ground. "Very well.. the fire is dying, so I'll look for more wood. They can come in and wash." she called, scoffing at how silly she sounded, talking about the cavernous tunnel as if it was a house.

"Stop calling me fox chick..." Kitsune said angrily as she followed Shimauma. "My name is Kitsune so use it." She carried on clutching the dagger, feeling uncertain around everyone now.

Shimauma waved his hand behind him. "Ah, quit your whining." He said lazily as he finally reached the bottom of the steps, and almost fell headfirst into the mud. He frowned at himself, clearing his throat awkwardly when he glanced at Dokuja. "Your a chick, and practically a fox, so what's your problem, huh?" Shimauma raised an eyebrow at her as he dropped his spear on the floor and grabbed Kitsune's wrist, as to help her down the steps. "Like I said before, it's not that I care or anything." He muttered, looking away. "I'm just not going back out there to bury a dead body with a broken neck."

Kitsune finally stood beside him. She roughly pulled her wrist from his grasp. "Fine zebra boy, call me whatever you like I don't care...The only thing I care about is finding my friend, my human friend. I'll find him and you can't stop me."

"Humans aren't our friends." Dokuja said, shaking her head as she watched Kitsune with her snake-like eyes. "They never were. How do you think the animals got a hold of enough humans to do experiments on in the first place?" she asked. She moved closer to Kitsune and smiled, showing her pointed teeth as she stroked Kitsune's cheek with the back of her hand. "Only other hybrids are your friends, Kitsune. The animals will use you, and the humans will kill you."

"Chris is different..." Kitsune said pushing Dokuja's hand away from her face. "He was friendly and charming and he gave me this as a gift." she said holding the dagger up. "No hybrid has proved to be my friend yet, and to be honest I don't care if I never have a hybrid friend. Chris and the others are the only friends I need. I guess I should thank you two for abandoning me there...if you hadn't I wouldn't have met them."

Dokuja frowned at her. "So naive." she scowled and turned, walking back to stoke the fire. "So where's your friend?" she asked Kistune, remembering what Shimauma had said about Kitsune having a friend with her.

"Who said we were friends...he tried to abandon me just like you's did." Kitsune replied pushing past Dokuja and walking further into the tunnel. "He doesn't want to be friends with anyone..." she called back.

Renzo walked down the steps, all the new signals were creating a slight headache for him, but he supposed that would die down in time. He was only just getting used to his abilities after all "Hello" He said, rather aloof "Name's Renzo" He said this as if it was a chore to be gotten out of the way, then remembered what Kitsune had said about Chris being different to other humans "And by the way, Kitsune, Chris was hardly different towards me and Shimauma was he?"

Dokuja looked back over her shoulder at Renzo and scoffed at herself when she suddenly stopped to inspect him, like he was some kind of freak. "Shark." she said softly, only to herself as she put a name to the animal he was a hybrid of. She moved closer to him, her face only curious as her snake eyes looked him over and her excellent sense of smell took in his scent. "Fish. You smell like fish. There's a pond of water over there." she said and pointed to where the trickling waterfall dripped into the large pond-like pool.

Shimauma just took his place back on the ground, sitting in his usual position with one of his legs bent with one arm resting across it. He let his spear fall down by his side vertically as he stared into the flames. He didn't really fancy speaking to anyone right now. Why his eyes were paining him so was a complete mystery to him. But he would look around the tunnel a number of times as they darted from the fire to the mud. There were tracks of some sort, but Shimauma didn't truly know what they were. He just frowned at them and sniffed as he looked back into the flames, one finger of his hand caressing the sharp end of his spear as he did.

"Thanks" Renzo said shortly, and strolled over to the pool and splashed his face with some water, sighing contentedly. The water felt good to be on his skin, he drank some thirstily. While drinking, he realised he would eventually come to eagerly await rainfall when water was scarce. "I would smell like fish, being one" He said without looking around at Dokuja "And I'll thank you to never regard me with that same look ever again, unless you wish to share the kangaroo's fate" He smiled, splashing the water "Pun unintended, but we're all in the same boat, perhaps I'll allow some form of companionship this time."

Dokuja frowned as she watched Renzo in the dark easily. "Unless you want to die rather painfully, I suggest you never threaten me again, nor tell me what to do." she retorted. "Don't think you're the only hybrid with strong talents, goldfish." she scoffed and turned back to Kitsune. "Welcome back, lovely." This time, she grinned as she ran her hand along Kitsune's cheek when she passed her, going to warm herself by the fire again.

"You're back too, I take it?" Shimauma raised an eyebrow, not looking at Dokuja even though he had spoken to her and not Kitsune or Renzo. He was secretly glad inside, simply because he preferred the badass side of Dokuja. Plus she talked more often, too, and didn't go soft, expecting a hug when she felt one tiny tear slide down her cheek.

Kitsune glared at Dokuja as she passed. The sooner I get out of here the better. she thought angrily as she sat down on the ground and hugged her knees. "When are we getting out of here?" she asked.

Renzo ignored Dokuja, he did not need to deal with her right now. He finished drinking and stood up, letting the excess water run off his skin and slightly damp his shirt to keep himself going for a little longer. He turned to Kitsune "Who's 'we'?" He asked.

Dokuja glanced back over her shoulder at Shimauma at his words, watched him for a moment, but didn't answer before turning back to the fire, warming herself. "I believe 'we' means everyone alive in this cavern, goldfish, which would mean, Me, Shim, Kit, and you." she said in a tone that suggested he was merely stupid.

Renzo glared at her, disliking her tone "I believe I asked Kitsune, and unless your name happens to be Kitsune, then kindly shut your trap" He said coldly, his mouth flashed one tooth quickly, but it disappeared as quick as it appeared.

"Hey, man, why don't you shut the hell up?" Shimauma glared at Renzo darkly, his finger still stroking his spear lightly. "Be glad that I brought you here. If you're gonna be a complete dick, then get the fuck out. We don't need you and your goddamn sarcastic comments, ya hear?" His tail moved around angrily in the mud as he still watched the shark hybrid. Why am I talking for Dokuja? She can stand up for herself, so why am I doing it for her? Shimauma thought, but not making it noticable.

Renzo shrugged "Alright then" And with that he got up and left, if they didn't want him he wasn't going to stay. He didn't leave without passing a glare at Shimauma, however. As he walked away he called back "No-one try to follow me."

Kitsune watched silently as she sat near the fire. "You guys aren't making this any easier on anyone. So why don't you both sit down and be quiet!" she snapped. "We should be trying to work together, its the best way to survive. If you haven't noticed we hybrids aren't much liked by the animals or humans...so we need to stick together, or we'll never survive."

Dokuja chuckled softly to herself. Finally, Kistune was showing some backbone. "Kit here has a point, fishboy. We should stick together. It's the only way we'll survive." she said, almost humanely. But her eyes were still hard on Renzo with hatred.

"What's he gonna do to help?" Shimauma questioned with one of his eyebrows raised. "If we end up walking through the desert, then damn, is that guy dead or what?" He smirked, shooting a glare at Renzo.

Dokuja couldn't help but laugh out loud, throwing her head back. She couldn't deny it, it was funny. She nodded in agreement and prodded at the fire with a stick before throwing it in as well. "Too true. Goldfish over there would dry up like a pea on the sidewalk." she chuckled.

Renzo gave them both extremely hateful glares "If you two don't stop exercising those fucking vocal chords of yours, I'm going to tear them right out of your throat! Understand?" His voice was a low threatening growl, and he flashed his teeth menacingly.

"Heh, you could kill me, yeah." Shimauma said with a slight nod before looking at Dokuja, another smirk on his face as he commented again. "But you try to touch her," He pointed. "And you're still as dead as you would be in the desert."

Renzo shrugged, that hateful glare still present "As long as she goes with me" He said coldly.

"What and who are you talking about?" Kitsune snapped again utterly confused. "This isn't helping things..." Sh stood up and strode over to the two. "Now stopping acting like spoilt children and go and sit down!"

"I'm not doing anything, he started it!" Renzo said, and walked clear across to the other side of the tunnel (which wasn't very far) put his back against the wall and sat down. He stretched and put his head back against the wall too "This is what I mean about people, they can be so quick to turn against what they once considered a friendly interaction" He said to no-one in particular.

Shimauma scoffed as a wide grin appeared across his face. "Man, you're too serious. Lay off the speeches why don't you?" He raised from the ground and picked up his spear at the same time. When he stood however, his grin disappeared as he eyed the tracks in the mud again. Shimauma walked over to them and crouched low, inspecting them carefully.

Renzo noticed Shimauma's interest in the tracks "What is it?" He asked, without moving an inch from where he was sitting.

"Why should you care?" Shimauma replied gruffly, not keeping his eyes off the mud as he stretched out one of his arms to touch the tracks lightly. When he felt the mud however, a picture of some sort suddenly flashed inside his head, showing many trainer wearing feet hurrying through the mud, leaving footprints within it. Shimauma frowned when the image left his head and replaced his arm back by his side. "This dump leads somewhere." He said, looking far inside the tunnel. It seemed that he had regained some of his memory about shoes when the skin of his finger had come into contact with the mud which had an imprint of the bottom of a sneaker in it.

"I wouldn't care if it involved you personally" Renzo said coldly, giving him a slight glare "I meant, what have you found?"

Shimauma didn't answer him for a while as he stared into the tunnel closely. "Another way out." He finally replied tonelessly, picking up his spear from the ground and raising. Without another word, he began to walk into the darkness, but funnily enough, his eyes could still make out the walls of the tunnel.

Renzo watched the darkness swallow Shimauma, and then stood up and followed after him, using Shimauma's electrical signal to follow him "Any idea where it goes?" He asked, feeling like he was asking the darkness of the cave more than Shimauma.

"Might as well follow them..." Kitsune said looking at Dokuja before following after the two males. Her sense of smell and sound became heightened as the darkness swallowed her and her eyes adjusted well.

"Nope." Shimauma replied simply, following the tunnel. The walls were absolutely soaking wet, but the roof of the tunnel seemed to be getting higher, and Shimauma didn't have to bow his head now as he walked. Green plants stuck out in odds and ends either side of the tunnel in it's walls, and water would drip from the roof from time to time.

"Okay" Renzo sensed someone behind him "Kitsune or Dokuja, try and keep up" He said, as if expecting whoever it was to fail "We don't want to have to try and find you in the dark" He added, again with that undertone that said he expected whoever it was to fail.

"I'm right behind you!" Kitsune called angrily. She bent down and picked up a rock before throwing it and hitting Renzo with it. "See, right behind you."

Dokuja rolled her eyes a little. She sort of didn't want to leave the safety of this cave. She sighed and stood, as if just getting up was a huge inconvenience to her--which it was, considering she'd leave the warmth of the fire behind--and stomped out the fire emotionlessly. She shuddered as the cold hit her like a wave and gave her scaley skin goosebumps. She followed after them, able to see their heat signatures perfectly on the rocks and plants that they had passed, and even their footprints. Wherever heat had been transferred, she could see it. She followed them slowly, not exactly in a hurry, her mind still puzzled. Why did Shim stand up for me? I wonder if he'd do it again..? Not that I want him to think I'm weak or anything.. she thought.

Shimauma frowned as he turned his head to look at Renzo and Kitsune. He could see them perfectly. Well.. almost perfect, he could make out their facial features at least. "Will you two quit it? Man, it's like living with kids.." He grumbled, glancing at Dokuja lightly before his eyes returned to the darkness ahead of him.

Renzo frowned at the feeling of the rock hitting the back of his head "That was a tiny bit extreme, don't you think?" He said, trying to figure out a way to get Kitsune back for what she'd done without causing too much of a commotion. "I'm gonna get you back for that" He said, with a slight edge of warmth in his normally cold voice.

Shimauma just growled at the two and carried on walking further, clutching his spear tightly as to block out Renzo and Kitsune's voices. Why can't they just act serious and not fuck around? He thought to himself moodily, now pausing as his eyes found another pathway in the tunnel. He had walked pretty far ahead of the others, but he hadn't noticed. Shimauma seemed to glare at each route, eyeing them suspiciously. The left path didn't appear too welcoming, and nether did the smell. Zebras could sense danger, and the left route definitely seemed that way. Shimauma shot another glance at the route and took the right one on his own instead, despite the others being extremely far away from him. "Hell knows where this leads.." He muttered, walking on ahead, and eventually seeing some kind of light peeking through.

---

Sudo and Corp had left the labs, being a duo searchparty instead of having Kasshoku, Kinage, Shariah and Corp's brothers with them. It seemed that the dogs were distressed, and Shariah had of course, ordered Kinage and Kasshoku to stay put since another hybrid had escaped. The dog and the panther had left the labs around twenty minutes ago, but their pace was slow since they were focusing on tracking the scents.

The dog growled as a heavy gust of wind caused him to lose track of a scent which he had caught. He just sighed and walked on. "So you managed to persuade Leader to stay back?" Corp asked the panther, his voice gruff as he treaded through the forest with the light blue coat draped on his back. "Two more escaped I believe. I heard the reports from the crows. One was a stag, but I didn't catch the other."

"A stag, huh? Not fast creatures.." Sudo scoffed, knowing she'd be able to catch it no problem and bring it down. She sighed and sniffed at the ground again. Being a panther, she wasn't as good at tracking scents as Corp or Kasshoku were. Her talent was stealth and sound. She could pick up any sound a mile or more away and stay hidden as she followed it. Her sight wasn't so bad either. She growled when a leave flew into her nose and she sneezed it back out, rubbing her nose with her paw. "Dammit!" she roared.

Corp frowned at the panther when she had made such a noise as loud as her roar. If she was too loud, she would give their location away, and the hybrids as well as the humans which they were tracking would flee instantly. "Stay low, Sudo. We can't afford to be heard." The dog said wisely. "Do you still have the pin?"

Sudo growled at Corp under her breath, glaring at him a little, but nodded. She turned her head so he could see her left ear, where the bobby pin was securely stuck on. It had hurt a little at first when the monkey's put it there, but they assured her it would stay fastened there better than anywhere else, and she soon grew used to it. "Of course I do." she said softly and went back to walking.

"Good." Corp nodded, returning to tracking again with his nose to the ground. "If you didn't have it, I would have been mildly surprised." He added, his voice in a mumble since his muzzle was so close to the forest floor. Then the dog's ears pricked forwards slightly, and he paused and sniffed the ground quickly. "Hold." Corp muttered as he looked around the forest. The scent from the jacket on his back was close, very close. But it only seemed to linger amongst the bushes.

Sudo frowned and looked at Corp, opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when a noise hit her ears. A rustling. "That's unsual.." she whispered. Her eyes scanned the bushes and trees surrounding them, then she looked to Corp. "Kasshoku and I found that jacket and this pin at the cabin. The abandoned one. Let's look there." she said. Something seemed off.. and a feeling was drawing her there.

Corp nodded. "Lead the way." He said, looking again around the bushes, his nose sniffing the air lightly. "One of them was here, but they left a few hours ago. Three, maybe four I would say." The dog seemed to glare at the bush which had the strongest scent, and also, another scent was coming from it, too. It wasn't human, Corp knew that much.

Sudo nodded and turned, leading the way to the cabin. No one was there, and it was as quiet as ever. She sniffed the air lightly. "Humans were here not long after Kasshoku and I had first come.. but now their scent is almost gone."

"Ugh." Corp growled in complaint when he walked inside the living area of the cabin. Of course, being a dog, Corp had picked up the revolting scent of the bodyparts in the kitchen and the basement. The worst smell was coming from the basement since one of the jars had been smashed, and all of it's contents had spread all over the floor completely like an extra carpet. "That is sickening. And to think that Leader gains pleasure and amusement by stuffing dead humans into jars worries me. Come on, there's nothing here." Corp growled, leaving the cabin mere seconds after he had entered it.

Sudo watched Corp leave, but turned back to the cabin and looked around again. She had gotten a good nosefull of the smell as well and grimaced, wanting to throw up, but she swallowed it back and searched the place again. There might have been something else somewhere. She sniffed again and blinked, then frowned, sliding the end of her nose under a couch. She grinned a little when the familiar scent of the hair pin caught her nose. She grabbed the object with her teeth and pulled it out, then let it drop to the ground. It was a red hair ribbon, crimped and bent as if it had been twisted and wrapped for a long time. "Corp! Get back in here!I found somethi-" she stopped when her ears picked up another sound, and she looked up. Coming up from the basement was Miracle, her bow and an arrow tightly strung up in it.

Corp turned instantly and galloped into the cabin when Sudo called him. However, he skidded to a stop and looked directly at Miracle other than the panther. "HUMAN!" The dog barked, his lips of his muzzle folding back into that of a snarl. He glared at the girl first before darting towards her, his fangs bared at the ready, aiming for her neck of course. "Sudo! She isn't alone! Go down!" Corp barked in midflight to the panther as he caught the scent of the hairpin waft from both the girl and the basement.

Sudo ducked as Corp jumped over her, slinking past Miracle quickly, into the basement where she saw Aver. She snarled deeply in her throat, narrowing her wide, green eyes at the girl, and baring her teeth, moving closer at a threatening pace down the stairs. This girl was the owner of the pin on her ear and the red ribbon on the floor upstairs.

Miracle saw Corp coming from the corner of her eyes and had turned her aim on the dog quickly, letting her arrow fly straight at the dog. She was surprised when the panther had slunk past her without touching her, but was even more concerned for Aver. "Aver!" she called, watching Corp and the flight of her strong arrow.

"Aver's not home." Reva's voice called back coldly to Miracle, her mouth twisting into that of a smirk as she looked at the panther edging towards her. Help me.. Reva.. please.. Aver's voice begged. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, leave it to me." She waved her hand lazily as if waving off Aver's voice, and moved into a fighting stance like those of which were used in a karate duel. "Come get some." Reva's smirk widened, her own eyes almost seeming catlike. The pin.. Reva, the pin.. look.. it's there on it's ear. Aver's voice said anxiously. Reva just nodded her head once. "Hm." She muttered, waiting for Sudo to make the first move.

The arrow which Miracle shot caught Corp by mere inches in his right shoulder, causing the dog to bark loudly in both anger and pain. I should have gotten the damn breast plate! He thought annoyed, turning his head and snapping off the part of the arrow which stuck out from his flesh. But the worst part of the arrow was still inside his body. But Corp didn't care. He had a duty. The dog snarled again, and darted at Miracle once more, now aiming for her ankles.

Miracle gasped and dodged out of the way quickly, rolling on the shoulder opposite of the arm she held her bow in, but his teeth still caught her right leg, gashing her calf deeply. "AUGH!" she shouted and got back to her feet on the opposite side of the room. She didn't hesitate to grab another arrow and draw it in her bow, aiming at the dog.

Sudo growled louder, deeper in her throat, sounding more like a roar, as she slowly reached the floor of the basement and started to walk in a wide-diametered circle, watching Reva. She's such a small girl.. Does she think she can fight me? she thought, recognizing the stance as a humanly fighting stance. She pulled back her lips in almost a grin and suddenly jumped at Aver, her jaws wide open and her claws exposed.

Like she had three days ago, when she had first met Reid and kicked the dog, Reva used all of the strength in Aver's body to aim at the panther's head with her foot as Sudo leapt towards her. Inside her head, Aver's voice whimpered as she saw through her own eyes and looked at the panther, completely horrified.

"What is that? A new toy of yours?" Corp barked, Miracles' blood staining his teeth as he still snarled angrily, watching her. "Hit me!" He yelled, running at her again, his eyes mad with fury and desire for blood.

Miracle watched him with wide eyes and growled. "FINE!" she shouted and let the arrow loose at the dog, counting on him to dodge it.

Sudo saw her attack coming, but unlike on the ground, it was hard for Sudo to dodge in mid-air. She let out a snarling growl as Reva's foot made hard contact with her muzzle, sending her flying back and to the side slightly, colliding with the tool closet that Reid had found before. She slammed into it hard and fell to the ground, but got up again quickly as the doors crumbled open to reveal a man's tortured body, a noose around his neck, holding up his limbless body, his eyes gorged out. She rubbed her nose with her paw as it bled and her left eye refused to open. She has a pretty hard kick for such a little girl. she thought madly.

"Come on! Come get some!" Reva shouted at the panther angrily, clicking her nuckles and making Aver's eyes appear to be full of insanity. She almost didn't seem human anymore. R-Reva.. "Quit your whining. It's dead." Reva replied to Aver's voice coldly. Of course, Aver was becoming upset after seeing the man's body, but Reva wasn't affected by it at all. She moved Aver's arms and legs back into the fighting stance again, waiting for the panther once more.

Miracle's expectations were correct as Corp swerved out of the arrow's way. It skimmed his hip however, causing it to slice off a small part of his flesh and fur. Corp growled, not taking a moment longer as he leapt at Miracle again, aiming for her heels like before.

"GOOD-" Miracle shouted, smiling in satisfaction as Corp dodged her arrow and came after her heels. She suddenly swung around in a backwards spin-kick, landing her heel right on his jaw. "BOY!" she shouted the last part of her pun as she growled a breath of relief and adrenaline when her foot hit his face.

Sudo bared her teeth again and growled, trying to open her left eye, but it refused to. She figured her noggin' got a good knock around in that last hit and the muscles that usually worked that side of her face were in shock. It definitely made her line of vision confusing. She got used to it pretty quickly, though, and ran at Reva again, claws outstretched and fags gleaming. The pin on her ear glinted in the sunlight leaking through the open basement grounddoors.

The pin.. Reva.. grab it now! Aver's voice beckoned as Reva stayed put where she was, waiting for Sudo to draw nearer to her, her hands out in front of her. "Give me a second, Ave. I think I got it handled." Reva smirked, watching Sudo. When the panther eventually reached her, Reva darted forwards herself, giving out a battlecry of some sort, which eventually changed to that of a scream as her arm became locked in between Sudo's dagger-like fangs. But her other hand however, had tugged the pin from the panther's ear rather quickly before she had aimed to smack Sudo in the mouth. Aver's voice cried out in pain instead of Reva's now, and tears were starting to form in her eyes. Reva had shot back inside for a moment, as to not feel anymore pain. Take it, Aver. You aren't weak!

Corp yelped in pain as he was plummeted extremely hard and violently to the other side of the room, his back smashing against the rotting wall, causing it to crack and split. The dog slid down into a heap, growling low as he tried to move his jaw and the rest of his body to raise again. His claws scrambled and scratched the cabin floor as he attempted to stand. But before he could actually get to his feet, he heard the sound of more cracking, and looked up slowly at the wall. Corp saw dust flying from the cracks in it, and growled. "Crap." Without giving him any time to move, the wall suddenly crashed down to the floor, covering the dog in mounds of rotten plaster. But where the wall once stood, was the kitchen in the opposite room. The smell was even worse, now.

Miracle gasped and stepped back from the crumbling wall and the dank stench of the rotting corpses in the jars in the sink, covering her mouth and nose with her forearm. "That was easy.." she coughed and turned, looking for Aver. "Aver!" she called from the top of the basement stairs, seeing Sudo had her jaws on Aver's arm.

Sudo growled deeper as she felt Aver's warm blood spurting into her mouth with every motion, her tongue lapping at it instinctively to keep her from drowning in it. She kept herself from biting any harder, knowing she'd probably break the young girl's arm if she did, and not wanting to hurt someone so young. She still had a weak spot for children, even human children. She let go of Aver's arm and put a paw on Aver's shoulder, pushing her backwards onto the ground roughly, pinning her there.

Aver whimpered at the dreadful pain in her arm, and her whole body shook with complete fear, her hand clasped tightly around the hairpin. She closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to look up at the panther, especially at it's teeth since her own blood would be dripping from them like raindrops. When she heard Miracle's voice, she whimpered again, not being able to speak, simply because Reva was on the verge of breaking through again. Her eyes opened, and since she could feel the pain now, she winced, yet her eyes still held that cold stare within them. "Don't play with your food." Reva said tonelessly, her eyes flashing.

"CORP! Handle that one!" Sudo called back up towards the stairs, not taking her eyes off of Reva. She growled, keeping her pinned there, and promptly dug her claws into Aver's shoulder to keep her from moving.

Miracle gasped and pulled another arrow, loading it into her bow expertly and aiming at Sudo's back. If she hit the right spot, Sudo would never be able to walk again. If she hit another, Sudo would be dead before she even knew what had happened. She closed one eye in aim.

Corp barked loudly and ended it with a slight howl as he burst out from underneath the remains of the wall. He stood instantly, although his legs were slightly wobbly, and the arrow in his shoulder was starting to take it's effect. The dog hadn't really heard Sudo's words due to dizziness since the wall had hit him pretty hard. Plus his jaw was still very numb and painful. He looked towards the basement, and his vision was rather blurry as he spotted two figures at the stop of the steps. Of course, Miracle was the only one standing there, and his eyes were playing games due to bloodloss. "I'll get you both!" The dog growled loudly, and galloped rather drunkenly towards her, butting her backside with his head, pushing her aside roughly into the wall. But after he had pushed her, he lost his footing at the top of the steps, and tumbled down them towards Sudo, knocking her aside too, away from Aver's body. However, when Miracle had been pushed into the wall, and he had fallen down the steps at great speed, all of the weight caused the stairs to fall to the ground in sequence like dominos.

There was one scream from Reva in Aver's voice as two nails which were hammered into the top step, fell from it as the stairs were crushed apart. The nails fell at light speed, one landing straight through Aver's left free hand, and the other landing directly in her chest. Her eyes went wide for a few seconds, and she was almost struggling to breathe as the hand which held the pin twitched madly. But her eyes then drooped, and finally closed as the stairs fell even more.

Miracle gasped and let out a shout when Corp ran her into the wall, cringing when her shoulder hit it hard, then gasped and let out a scream when the stairs began to collapse. "AVER! NO! AVER!" she called and looked down from the open doorway, coughing in the smoke and dust kicked up from the collapse. She waited until it had settled and she could see Aver, then jumped down. "Aver!" she shouted and slipped on a few pieces of wood, catching herself just barely. She looked around. Sudo was to her left, the dog next to the panther, both unconscious among the woodpile. "Aver!" she called again and pushed some wood aside. She screamed and pulled her hand back when a piece of wood stabbed her palm, rather deeply because she hadn't seen it when she had intended to push it out of the way. She gripped her wrist as her palm bled, biting her lip as tears stung at her eyes, then growled in determination and went back to looking. "Aver!" She spotted a lock of black hair under a piece of wood and gasped, stumbling towards it. In a matter of seconds, she had Aver's head and chest uncovered, inspecting her for fatal injuries. She seemed alright aside from the nail in her chest. She bit her lip, then looked at Aver's hand, gripping the pin. "Well... I'll be damned.." she whispered and couldn't help but smile a little as a tear fell loose. She admired it for a moment, then went back to digging Aver out, pulling her free of the wood in little time. "It's okay, Aver... I'll get you back to Reid in no time flat." she whispered in promise and grunted, lifting Aver up onto her back. She turned and headed out the groundfloor basement doors, hiking back to the mall with the hairpin in her grasp, clutching it to her chest.

Aver was completely unconcious as Miracle carried her on her back. The stairs which had fallen on top of her had given her quite a few grazes and scratches on her face, but nothing too serious. The nail in her hand had stabbed straight through it, giving off the familiar horrifying appearance of Jesus Christs' own hands hammered to the cross with nails. It was bleedin heavily, along with her arm and chest. All three injuries left a trail of blood behind Miracle as she walked.

Miracle as all too happy when the mall came into view about twenty minutes later. She sighed in relief and walked a bit faster, being careful with Aver on her back and not really caring about the warm trail of blood Aver's injuries were leaving on her. She burst through the back entrance, shouting for Jack. "JACK! SHUT THE BACK ENTRANCE AND SOMEONE GET ME A MEDICAL KIT NOW!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the mall. The inhabitants were all too eager to help poor Aver. She was put in a comfortable cot found in the camping and sporting goods stores, wrapped in bandages and wheeled to a smaller store that they had cleared out and made into a minature hospital, filled with medicines and equipment they'd stolen from the actual hospital about an hour away. The doors were shut and locked, leaving Miracle to work on Aver to make sure she survived.

Reid was one of the first to check out the commotion, and he was scared to death of who the fuss was about. His heart and throat both felt like they just dropped to his stomach with a painful thud and his eyes went wide when he saw Aver. "A-Ave..?" he stammered, but Jack began to push him back from the doors as Aver was taken inside. "NO! AVER!" Reid shouted around Jack, struggling. He wanted to be with her.

"Wait! Jack!" Miracle called, coming back out of the minihospital. "Reid.." she said and went to him, drenched in Aver's blood and wounds of her own. She frowned at Reid and held out her hand, offering him the pin.

Reid gasped when he saw it, recognizing it instantly despite how it was covered in Aver's blood. He shakily took it from Miracle's hand, and didn't even pay attention as she turned and walked back to Aver's side, relocking the doors for privacy in the cloaked room. He swallowed thickly and gripped his mom's hairpin, closing his eyes. For the first time since Reva broke his finger (which was now perfectly re-splinted and bandaged thanks to Jack), he cried.

Jack let his arm go and motioned to a bench. "You can sit and wait there until Miracle tells you otherwise." he said, in a comforting tone.

Reid sniffed and nodded, wiping his nose on his shirt sleeve. He turned and went to the bench, sitting on it heavily and haunched forward with his elbows on his knees, turning the pin in his fingers, waiting. It wouldn't be for another hour that Miracle would come out again.

After hearing all of the noise and commotion, Chris turned his head and looked towards the crowd from his spot on top of the monument of the fountain. His lip was swollen now, and his right cheek had a dark red splatter of bruises across it. He leapt down from the fountain, not seeming to care much for his shoes as they were drenched in the water. Chris hurried to the scene, and skidded to a stop when he saw Aver's blood on the floor. "What.." He began, swallowing hard. "What happened? Who got hurt?" Chris asked anyone.

Jack turned. His wife, Anna, however, was the first to answer him. "That poor girl you came here with. She's so... hurt.. And Miracle is rather torn up too. But Miracle's a good doctor." she said, smiling comfortingly. "She'll take good care of the girl, dontcha worry." She seemed to be saying this more to Reid than Chris.

An hour or so passed, and Chris was sitting on the same bench as Reid, but keeping a safe distance away from him. He too was haunched over, and his hands were cupped over his mouth as he stared down blankly at the floor. "What made them leave?" He wondered aloud, keeping the same fixed expression on his face. "And why was Aver hurt more than Miracle? What'd she do?" Chris sighed and shook his head, bringing both hands through his hair as he held his head between his wrists, his eyes closed.

Reid frowned at his mom's hairpin in his hands, still crying silently. He watched as every once in a while, a tear would land on either the pin or his dogtags that swung back and forth lazily, and on the floor. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, wiping them clean, then looked up as he heard the doors open.

Miracle stepped out of the hospital room, bandaged up as well, her hand wrapped tightly and already bleeding through the bandages, as well as a head injury she'd gottan when she'd hit the wall, but other than that, she wasn't torn up too badly. She looked up at Reid and Chris. "Reid.." she whispered. "You can go in and see her now.. She's sleeping, so be quiet. She needs the rest." She then looked at Chris.

Reid didn't waste time in getting up, the instant she said "you can," he was on his feet and heading for the room anxiously. He went inside and closed the door behind him, locking it. He looked at Aver slowly, hesitantly, and his tears intensified when he saw her almost covered in bandages completely. She had her shoulder wrapped where Sudo had gashed her shoulder, her entire forearm wrapped tightly, and her chest wrapped so much she didn't even have to where a shirt. Her hand had been wrapped also, to match that of Miracle's, and she had bandages spotting her legs and stomach and face. A blood transfusion kit was plugged into her arm as well as an IV drip to keep her medicated and hydrated. He bit his lip and slowly moved to a sit next to her cotbed, sitting down and looked at her, holding the pin. "Aver..." he whispered.

Aver didn't move. Nor did her eyes open. She slept soundly, but the dreams she was having weren't exactly sound at all. The panther's eyes, the sharp fangs around her arm, the pin.. And the nails. The nails.. Two tiny little objects had caused this innocent teen so much pain.. Had there been a heart monitor in the room, it's beeping wouldn't be steady at all. It would have been below steady, and rather slow.

"Miracle.." Chris whispered, looking back at her and raising as quickly as Reid had. He hurried over to her and put a hand to her face, looking at the bandage on her head with a worried eye. He swallowed hard. Chris didn't want to make out that he was trying to play with her, or suck up to her in anyway as he pulled her into a gentle hug, being careful of her hand. "Jesus.. you're okay.." He whispered again, his eyes closing in relief.

Miracle allowed him to pull her into a hug, and needing one rather badly, she hugged him back and started to cry. "Chris.. I need to talk to you." she whispered shakily. "About what attacked us."

Reid sniffed and swallowed harder, hesitantly raising a hand. He wanted to touch her, to hold her hand. But he stopped it in midair, putting it down again when he studied her bandaged hand more closely. "Aver.." he whispered again more softly. He bit his lip as more tears fell and leaned so his forehead was against the side of the bed, his hands almost touching Aver's, the pin in one. "Aver.. I'm so sorry.. Why did you..? Why? Why did you go back there? Just for my mom's pin..." he whimpered between sobs. "I'm sorry.. I love you. I don't want to lose you too.."

"Save it.." Aver's mouth opened, but her eyes didn't just yet. It was Reva's voice which spoke, and shockingly, it sounded soft and calm. "As much as I hate you, boy, she really does-" There was a gasp which interrupted Reva, and her eyes snapped open, revealing one white eye and one blue eye just like when she and Reid had first met, even though the white eye had began to become blue over the past two days. "-Loves you." Reva finished, turning Aver's head slightly to look at Reid. "I see that now. I love Aver, too. Which is why we've both got to die." Her eyes then moved to look to the corner of the room where they stayed like that, just staring almost.. lifelessly.. Aver's breathing stopped, and her mouth was left slightly open as her hand became limp.

Chris nodded and stroked Miracle's hair softly, hushing her. "Come on, we'll find somewhere quiet." He pulled away from her and took her hand. Before he led Miracle away, he turned his head to look at the door of the room where Reid and Aver were. He stared anxiously at it, but pulled Miracle along without another word.

Miracle followed him, not really feeling like being the leader, but confident enough that Aver would be okay to leave the perimeter of the room. She gripped his hand tightly and kept her eyes down sadly, blankly.

Reid gasped and stood up off his chair. "NO! Reva! AVER! Don't, please! Don't leave me, please AVER!" he cried, gripping her hand and shaking her shoulder gently, leaning over her. He put his ear to her chest and listened for her heart. "Aver... Aver please don't go.." he whimpered and swallowed when he couldn't hear her heartbeat anymore. "Please.. I love you...." he whispered. He sniffled and cried against her for a long time before moving up and kissing her lips lightly, then held her hand tightly as he cried at her bedside. "Aver... I was so STUPID! I shouldn't have... let you go.."

Reid may not have noticed it, but Aver's left eye, her white one, was slowly becoming misty, and it's colour seemed to be swirling around in a circle. It slowly grew to become a beautiful hue of blue which matched her other eye perfectly. Aver's mouth gasped for breath lightly as her eyes widened. She didn't look at Reid at first, simply because she felt as if she had been born for the very first time, and was now learning how to breath. Her hand gripped around Reid's as she took fast and short breaths, her eyes just looking straight at the door. All of the pain which she had indulged was now taking it's toll on her, causing her to well and truly fight for her life.

"In here, come on." Chris said softly, leading Miracle into one of the stores which sold homeware like couches, dinner tables and different kinds of furniture. He walked over to one of the comfiest looking couches and sat down, pulling Miracle down gently with him. "Not the best place.. but it's the best I can do. I'm sorry, Miracle." Chris whispered, stroking her hair again. "You went to the cabin didn't you?"

Miracle nodded slowly, her eyes slowly trailing to his face and looked at him deeply, tears streaking down her cheeks. "She wanted to find that hairpin so badly, Chris." she said softly, shaking her head a little. It amazed her how far Aver went just to show Reid that she cared. Was that truely love? She gripped Chris' hand tightly in her lap. "They really have something special, Chris.. I think.. What they share is... a love so deep that humanity had to be threatened with complete extinction for them to find it." she whispered, shifting her eyes to the floor with a soft smile.

Reid gasped and sat off of Aver quickly, looking down at her in utter amazement. "AVER?!" he said, putting a hand on her head gently. "Aver!" he sighed in relief and put his hands on her face, gently turning it so she'd look him in the eyes. "Aver... I'm here.. You're okay.. Oh gods, I'm so glad!" he breathed and hugged her tightly as best he could without hurting her.

Aver coughed horribly as she regained some real breaths of fresh air. Her eyes were dim and worn. They had no life in them whatsoever as they closed again. But they wouldn't close forever this time, she was just resting against Reid's shoulder, now breathing lightly. "... P-..." Aver couldn't speak. All she could do was whimper and gasp now and again. "P-p... p-.. pin.." Her voice was hardly a whisper, and tears began to sting her eyes, especially her left one.

"That's a nice theory, Miracle.." Chris nodded, squeezing her hand. "So that's why he was so mad.." He said, mostly to himself. "What happened back there? Was it the grizzly who attacked you and Aver?"

Miracle shook her head and looked back at Chris. "A panther.. and a dog. A BIG dog... A german sheperd I think they're called." she explained, biting her lip in thought. "I don't know what they were doing there, but the panther attacked Aver, and the dog tried to kill me."

Reid frowned and sat back from her, looking at Aver deeply, his hands still on her shoulders. "Right... my pin.. you got it back for me." he whispered and looked at the purple butterfly hairpin in his hand. Tears dropped from his eyes again as he showed it to her, then clutched it tightly. "Thank you, Aver... no one has.... EVER done something like this for me.." he stammered.

Aver's hand was shaking madly as she wiped away any stray tears from his eyes. But her hand dropped quickly, and she fell into Reid's arms, her body limp. Her mouth opened to say something, but all that came out was a croak. She winced and sucked in the air as she shifted slightly. "D-.. d-d.. die..? Am I.. am I dying.... ?" Aver whimpered again and looked at Reid's hand which held the pin. She sighed at it lightly.

"Dammit.." Chris muttered, one of his fists clenched as he wrapped his other arm around Miracle's shoulders reassuringly. "It's their natural instinct. They must have tracked our scents somehow after we left the cabin." He sighed. "Did you take care of them? Or are they still up and about?"

Miracle shook her head. "I sure as hell didn't kill them... but the stairs collapsed on everyone... They looked dead to me.. but they may have only been unconscious." she whispered, looking at him. "I was too concerned about Aver to stay and worry about killing them."

Reid shook his head and hugged her, stroking her hair. "No, Aver... I think.. I think you'll be okay." he said softly, smiling a little into space. For once since he'd met her, he was thankful to Reva. She gave Aver back to him... He sniffled and hugged her tighter, rubbing her back. "Miracle did a great job, it looks like." He buried his face in her hair for a long moment, then sighed and whispered, "I love you so much, Aver.."

".. L-..l-love.. I love you t-too.." Aver answered, her voice a little clearer now. It seemed that Reva's leaving had caused her to have a little more strength. But not much. Not much at all just yet. Aver sighed into Reid's chest, gripping his shirt tightly. "M-my heart hurts.." She mumbled quietly.

Chris smiled down at her softly, stroking her hand which he was still holding gently with his thumb. "You're one great girl, Miracle. You saved her life." He said honestly. "If you weren't there, God knows what would have happened.." Chris bit his lip. "But I'm truly glad that the both of you are.." He paused. "Wait- what about Aver? Is she alright?"

Miracle frowned and looked down at their combined hands and sighed softly. "The stairs collapsed on her as well... after the panther did a good number on her, of course." she whispered. "Aver was half dead when I brought her back here... But she should be fine now."

Reid sniffled and caressed Aver's back gently, his face buried in her hair. "Aver... You're alive... I thought you were dead.. Reva said.. Reva had said that you... both needed to die.." he whispered, trying to think back on her words. "I wonder what she meant..?"

"She realised how much I-.. how much I loved you.." Aver stammered, her breathing slightly better now. It was close to normal now, anyway. Her voice was a lot clearer too, probably because Reid was holding her again. "Reva wanted.. to see how far I could go.." She swallowed back a few tears as her eyes began to sting again. "When she knew that I would die for you.. she.. left my body, just knowing that I was strong enough without her.." Aver whimpered, gripping his shirt tighter still. "..I was so frightened, Reid.. I thought I was going to die and never see you again. But I was more frightened about not bringing the pin back all in one piece since you were so upset.. you must have hated me so much when I lost it.. I never want to hurt you again.. I'm sorry.. I truly am."

Chris clicked his tongue. "Geez.. this really is a war.." He muttered quietly, shifting a little to get comfy again. "So many innocent people are getting hurt. It's madness.. not forgetting that it makes me wanna go outside and beat the hell out of that dammned dog.." Chris growled, speaking more or less to himself.

"Why the dog?" Miracle asked, leaning forward a bit to look at him, her head slightly tilted. "It was the panther that nearly killed Aver. The dog did almost nothing.."

Reid sniffled, a few more hot tears breaking loose. "I was upset... I won't lie to you... But I was even more upset and scared when you told me you were going back to the cabin.. I was... terrified." he whispered shakily. "I thought I would lose you. I should have followed you. I should have gone with you and protected you... All of this over a tiny hairpin.." He tried to laugh, but it sounded forced, so he stopped and swallowed it back thickly. "Thank you, Aver... This means so much to me. I love you..."

"You still love me even when you have seen me like this, Reid?" Aver asked quietly, referring to the bandages wrapped around herself practically all over her body. "When I was sleeping.. Reva told me that I would have scars on my hand and chest.. would you still love me if I had them?" She pulled away from him slightly and looked up at him, both of her eyes were bright blue now, and the colour of them seemed a lot lighter than her usual one. But it was a good thing. Aver looked more.. feminine.

Chris turned his head away from one of the mirrors he had been staring at and looked at Miracle. "Because it hurt you." He said simply. "And if I'm right, we're still having our date." He said with a shrug. "If you had said goodbye to me when you left, I wouldn't have worried as much about you as I did. You as well as Aver didn't deserve the pain you had back there."

Miracle raised an eyebrow at him and smirked a little. "I can handle pain better than you think." she said. "And you're so cheesey." she chuckled, shaking her head.

Reid looked down at Aver and shook his head softly, never taking his eyes from hers. "Aver..." he whispered and leaned down, kissing her softly, closing his eyes. "I could never stop loving you... Never. In fact... I think I loved you from the start.. Aver... I think you and I.. do really belong together." Here, he kissed her again, deeper. "You're my soulmate.." he whispered again, looking at her eyes lovingly.

Aver's eyes drooped slightly, perhaps because she was tired, or Reid's words had caused her to simply lose her voice for a few minutes, she honestly didn't know. The tugging in her heart grew lighter, but the pain was still there, whispering at the pain to continue. Aver went to throw her arms around Reid's middle, but the tubes in them stopped her. She whimpered and practically pulled them out from her skin, not seeming to care that she was bleeding again. Aver wanted to be in Reid's arms now more than anything. Her eyes flashed at the tubes and she looked up at Reid, putting both of her arms around his middle. "You believe in soulmates.." She said happily, hugging him as tightly as she could since her arm wasn't in great shape.

"Physical pain, maybe.. but what about mental..?" Chris asked softly, seeming to keep his voice serious no matter how gentle it sounded, along with his eyes.

Miracle shook her head. "I don't know... we can only hope she'll be okay both physically and mentally. She'll definitely have scars. I just hope Reid will be there for her... she really loves him, ya know.."

Reid chuckled softly, worried that she had pulled the tubes from herself, but didn't speak against it, hugging her back tightly but not too hard. She was still hurt.. "Yes.. after meeting you, Aver... I do." he whispered. He kissed her gently and stroked her cheeks with both hands. "I love you. And..." he whispered. He looked down at the pin in his hand and gently moved, pinning it in her hair. "I want you to keep it. I have no doubt my mom is safe with you."

"I can't.. Reid I can't take it from you.. it's the only thing you have to remember her by." Aver shook her head and took the pin out of her hair with her free, healthy hand and put it in Reid's palm, folding his fingers over it gently. "You keep it. It's not mine. I'll only.. lose it again.. and then all of this will happen. We'll keep moving in circles.." She shook her head again and sighed, stroking Reid's collar. "I want to move forward with you.. Look at us, Reid.. look at how mature we've become over the past three or four days being in the same prescence as each other, breathing the same air and sharing our.. our.. well.." Aver smiled, but only slightly before she leaned up and kissed him square on the cheek. "I remember when I first did that.. and I did it as a thank you gift.." Aver whispered. "Reid, you've helped me become the person I really am. I don't need a pin. I need you."

Chris nodded. "Yeah.. I guess he was frightened when he gave me a good beating earlier. Not just upset about the hairpin, but maybe he was afraid of losing her.." He sighed. "All is fair in love and war, huh? What a saying.."

Miracle chuckled and nodded. "Ain't that the truth.." she whispered. She sighed and leaned forward, running her hands through her hair, but stopped with a wince at her bandaged palm. "Dammit.." she frowned at it and massaged it gently. "What a day.."

Reid smiled and shook his head. "Fine.. if you won't keep the pin, then have this." he said and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a ring, gold with several rubies in it, deep red. "I found it in the jewelry store when you and Miracle were dressing... I wanted you to have it.." he whispered, looking at her. He was blushing deeply. "A-Ave... Will you... be my girlfriend? I mean, officially..." he asked in a stutter, offering her the ring.

"Of course.. you don't need to ask me twice, Reid.." Aver said softly, stroking his cheek lovingly, her smile now real and unforced as she took the ring from him. "From the first moment we shared a real kiss, I already believed that we were a young couple." Another smile, and she let her hand drop. "Now.. which finger..? I'm yours after all, and you are welcome to pick."

Chris nodded in agreement and yawned, pulling Miracle closer to him as he inspected her hand. "At least nothing really happened to that cute face of yours." He smiled, resting his head on hers gently. "Man.. I could sleep right here.." Chris said softly, yawning again.

"Then this can be your room." Miracle said, smiling softly. "You can sleep anywhere in the mall, ya know." she whispered. "That's why I sleep on the roof under the skylight."

Reid smiled softly and gently grabbed her left hand and took the ring back, slipping it on her left ring finger. "This one.." he whispered, then kissed it softly. "I love you, Aver." He looked at her, his blue eyes soft on hers.

Aver gaped down at the ring on her finger and eyed it curiously, thinking about why on earth Reid had chosen this particular one. "Does this.. does this mean th-that? Oh, Reid..." She had to put a hand to her mouth to stop herself from giggling loudly. "Oh, Reid... you really are something.." Aver smiled, bringing her hand to her cheek, rubbing the ring against it lovingly. "I love you too." She paused. "All of you.. even your other side.. because.. I think I could keep up with you, Reid.." Aver smiled and shook her head. "Reva gave me the memories of the karate classes I used to have.. she wiped them from me somehow because she would talk about other things to take my mind off it.. she thought that if she was the strong side, and I was the weak one.. she would win everything she did.." Aver sighed lightly. "I think I can fight now.."

Chris opened one eye and looked down at Miracle. "So does sleeping on you count as anywhere?" He chuckled a little, rubbing his temple before replacing his hand in his lap.

Miracle giggled softly as well and shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. Remember, you said this was still our date. I don't kiss on the first date." she smiled, patting his hand. But that doesn't mean you can't. she thought, a little whimsically as she slouched with a sigh and looked away.

Reid chuckled. "I'll take your word for it. I don't want to test it just yet.. not while you're hurt." he whispered, stroking her cheek and petting her hair. He admired her face for a moment, then kissed her again. "You need rest.. C'mon... let's get you back down to sleep." He smiled and slowly laid back in the cot, his ankles folded. He patted the spot next to him and smiled again.

Aver nodded and studied the marks in her arms where she had pulled the tubes from and just shrugged at them. Sure, they had bled a lot, but they didn't hurt. Before she joined Reid however, she slowly got out of the bed and limped a little towards one of the chests of drawers. Bloodloss resulted in body temperature going down, and Aver needed warmth. She opened each drawer, and her eyes would dim a little everytime she saw syringes and needles in each one until she reached the third. In no time at all, Aver had a blanket over her and Reid as she let out small breaths while she warmed up. "It's just like being back at the cabin.." She whispered groggily, yet happily, her toes playing with Reid's leg gently at the end of the bed.

Chris just yawned again and stretched his arms, now resting his elbows on his knees again as he sat hunched over. He honestly looked as if he had just woken up after a bad hangover of some sort. "Yeah, I know." Chris finally answered. He had to admit, he did think about the blonde girl a lot now that he was so close to her there in the mall while she was just outside.

Miracle looked at him again and leaned with her head tilted, her hands folded in her lap. "Chris.. You know it's better if you talk about your problems with someone." she said softly. "And just so you know, I'm here to listen." She gently placed her hand on his knee.

Reid smiled and rubbed a leg back against hers and smiled lovingly, kissing her nose. "Yeah.. almost. Just the two of us." he whispered and snuggled up to her under the blankets. He hugged her to him tightly and nuzzled her.

"Mm.." Aver mumbled softly in reply, her eyes now closing slowly and opening again. She was so worn out, and it was getting quite late now as it was. "What time is it..?" Aver asked in a whisper, putting one of her hands on Reid's chest where she fiddled with the buttons on his shirt, still admiring how it made him look older, perhaps even older than her, despite both of them being the same age at the moment.

Chris sighed and closed his eyes, thinking for a moment before he eventually leaned back against the couch again, his hand covering Miracle's in his lap. "You ever get that feeling.. when you wanna do something, but you just can't bring yourself to do it?" He muttered, frowning at a vase of flowers which was set in the middle of a beautiful oak dining table in the store.

Miracle nodded and looked at what he was looking at. "Yes... I certainly have." she whispered, then glanced back at him. "What is it you want to do? Maybe I can help." she whispered, giving his hand a squeeze.

Reid shrugged slightly. "I don't know... but does it really matter?" he mumbled, admiring the feel of her fingers playing with the buttons on his shirt. He grabbed her hand gently and smiled, unbuttoning his shirt slightly, but only at the very top, and grabbed her hand again so that it rested on his bare chest beside his dogtags. He stroked her hand and arm gently and sighed. "I love you.."

Aver's eyes closed again while she fingered his dogtags gently. "I know you do, Reid.." She whispered happily, opening her eyes and looking at him. Her lips touched his lightly for a few seconds, then they parted, and Aver's head found the deep of Reid's neck where it was lovely and warm. "And I love you, too."

Chris let out another sigh as he averted his gaze from the flowers and looked to a painting instead, even though it didn't interest him at all whatsoever. "You can't, chicko.. she's gone." He shook his head and rested his head on Miracle's. "Those flowers are the exact same colour as her hair.. but I never got to touch it.. stroke it.. smell it.." Another sigh. "I was too nervous to speak to her."

Miracle frowned and looked at the flowers more closely. After a while, she whispered. "We can at least give her a proper burial... I think she'd be thankful for that." she said softly, looking at him again. "Chris?"

Reid smiled with his eyes closed and gently twisted the ring on her finger lightly, then kissed her hand before replacing it on his bare chest. "You need to sleep." he whispered softly, caressing her hand. He hugged her to him tighter and kissed her head.

Aver nodded lightly and unbuttoned more of Reid's shirt so it was fully open. She sighed a little and shuffled up a little more, moving her hand away from his chest and to his back, enjoying the warmth of his skin as her eyes closed, the temperature of Reid's body causing her to fall into a deep and peaceful sleep. Aver dreamed, and it was made out rather obvious that it wasn't a nightmare of any kind since after ten minutes or so, she smiled in her sleep, her breath landing on Reid's skin as she slept.

"I don't know, Miracle.." Chris shook his head, nuzzling her head with his eyes closed. "I mean.. I'll dig a grave for her.. but I can't touch the girl. She's so delicate, and I'd feel like a complete stranger touching her since I never managed to make conversation once when we could pass each other everyday in the flats." He sighed yet again for the third time.

Miracle frowned and nodded. "Fine." she said softly and stood up, dropping his hand and moving to leave. "Stay a stranger. Stay a coward. Stay hidden." she whispered.

Reid smiled at the feel of Aver's breath on his skin and quickly fell asleep too, stroking her arm and twisting the ring on her finger. Aver... Gods, I love you. he thought as he drifted off.

"Yeah.." Chris muttered, agreeing with her although he didn't seem to pay much attention to it. But he had heard Miracle's words, and had agreed with coward mostly. "I guess I'd better turn in. It's just past eleven, and I'm worn out." He said, glancing at his watch and standing up himself. Chris shrugged and just patted Miracle's shoulder as he passed her when he walked out and towards the bedding store where he picked out a light blue quilt cover and a cosy looking quilt. "Night.." He added to Miracle, not looking at her as he passed the furniture store and headed nextdoor where the beds could be bought.

Miracle scoffed and shook her head at him, then adjusted her long bow on her shoulder and walked towards the stairs. She went up quickly and flopped onto her back on her bed, looking up at the stars, though there wasn't much to see because more rain clouds were moving in. She looked at the full moon that managed to shine between the clouds, though, and sighed. "What has the world become...?" she asked softly, wondering if anyone would hear her. If there's a god, he's definitely not listening.

*****
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