Chapter Fourteen

Sigma came to me the other day. He asked me to help him, and as much as I wanted to...I wasn't able to. Rebuilding my life has proven to be much more difficult than I really expected. There are still things that hurt...the destruction I caused in Naunet Riva has left a scar upon the city and the people who live in it.

It was strange to receive such a request from Sigma...the man has changed so much since we first met. He was such an oddity to me. He rarely spoke, and rarely made himself noticeable to anyone. He never asked for help back then...even when he was in the most danger. And then somehow...suddenly...he was part of our family. Rinn took a liking to him almost instantly, and the other boys, Yuki and Kiro, accepted his presence as if he just..belonged there. I remember feeling like I was the only one who noticed that he wasn't supposed to be there, but the others just accepted his presence.

Hah....Byakuya hated him at first, I remember that quite vividly. Oh the times he'd whisper to me how much he wanted to put a little fire-flower in Sigma's pants and see how well he danced. I remember thinking it was vastly entertaining at the time, especially since Byakuya never actually tried to do that.

And so, slowly, Sigma became part of us. But even then...he never once asked us for help...with anything. And so...I feel guilty..not being able to help him. He's changed so much....

Our family keeps growing. Am I selfish for wanting it to stay my family?....or is it something else.

I suppose it doesn't really matter, as long as we're all together.

~ Zenarith's Journals ~

“Don't you ever run off on me again!” The long, muscular arms that belonged to Avin wrapping around Rinn's slender frame. “I was worried about you...you could have been killed... or gotten lost....or any number of things! I just...” Avin buried his face in Rinn's soft blue hair. “I can't lose you...” he whispered.

Rinn's cheeks colored faintly and he curled up in the taller man's arms. Rinn's feet weren't even touching the ground anymore. He smiled faintly, a purr rising softly from his throat. “Was safe...” Rinn whispered to Avin. “Was careful to stay away from others.”

Avin shook his head. “Even so...you could have..gotten really hurt...and I wouldn't have been able to do anything....”

Rinn kissed the taller man's cheek. “Am here now...so no need to be scared anymore.”

Sigma held back an inward groan at the obvious romantic mood coming from the two in front of him. He folded his arms over his chest. He still didn't feel...at his very best, so he was in a bit of a bad mood. Avin was preoccupied with checking Rinn over, giving a worried exclamation at the purple-black bruising of the boy's shoulder. Sigma rolled his eyes. He'd bandaged it well enough...Avin had nothing to worry about.

He felt a chill run down his spine and froze, knowing that eyes were burning into the back of his skull. He turned slowly, his eyes and face calm, just the faint shifting of his hair and eye color giving away his nervousness. There she was, glaring at him, her eyes blazing. He blinked. Why on earth was she here....and more importantly, why the hell was she pissed at him? She grabbed his arm and pulled him away from Rinn and Avin, her hands gripping his arm tightly. It almost hurt, the way she was pulling him. You have a lot of explaining to do, mister,” she hissed, glaring at him.

He blinked, a little confused. He kept his expression carefully neutral. “About what?” He asked cautiously.

She shook her head, eyes burning into his as she pulled him along into an empty bedroom. She closed the door behind them and folded her arms. “All right. Tell me what is going on. Why am I having dreams about you and your past? Are you doing this on purpose?” She looked frustrated and angry. He blinked with surprise. She was dreaming about him....? And his past....? He frowned slightly.

“That's not possible,” he said with a neutral expression. “I don't know what you're talking about.” Admittedly, he was flattered that she had apparently had a dream about him. It made his heart skip a few beats and it was only because of his careful control that he didn't blush.

She sighed exasperatedly. “I'll show you what I saw then,” she said with an irritated tone. She moved towards him, holding up her hands as though she were about to touch him.

He stepped back. “Uh, no. You're not messing with my head,” he said, eyes narrowing. His hair and eyes shifted to a dark red tone. He didn't want her in his head....she'd see things...He shook his head. “You're not getting in my head,” he emphasized.

“Stop being such a baby,” she said with a pout. He wouldn't be swayed by those cutely pouted lips. Nope. Not a chance. She was trying very hard to be cute, he decided.

“I don't want you poking around in things you've no business in,” he countered, folding his arms and looking for a quick escape.

“What is your problem?!” She exclaimed. “You're the one who sent me strange dreams. You're the one who has the attitude problem. I just want to help you, and understand why you're such an a--”

He'd had enough of her yelling at him, and he did the first thing that came to his mind. He kissed her. His second reaction was panic. Why had he done that? Sure he felt physical attraction, but usually he was able to keep careful control of himself.

He stepped back, his cheeks bright red. “Shut up,” he mumbled. “I don't know any more than you do.” He couldn't read her expression. Her eyes were wide, lips parted, cheeks flushed, and she had this...surprised...look. He felt awkward. “Look, I--”

She moved faster than he expected, those soft full lips pressed to his. “Shut up,” she whispered, her eyes glinting with a strange light. His heart skipped a few more beats. What was she doing....? Her lips were on his again, and he melted back against the wall, feeling her smaller frame pressed against his. She was kissing him and tasted...sweet. There wasn't another word for it. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her up against him. She was seducing him with her mind powers, he figured, but he realized he didn't mind. She wouldn't have to work too hard to seduce him.

His hand slid up her leg, pulling her hips against his as he kissed her hungrily. He pulled back for a moment, his eyes swimming dark gold pools, his hair dark red, shifting with emotions that were barely readable on his face as anything other than want. “Don't tempt me,” he said softly.

Thalia blushed vibrantly, and fluttered those thick dark eyelashes at him. “Don't tempt you to what?” she whispered.

“I think you know,” he replied, his hands gripping her hips, pulling her against him. He kissed her lips hard, eyes glinting.

She smiled teasingly. “I'm not tempting...I'm offering,” she whispered. She didn't really know why she was so turned on by him, but there was something about those ever changing eyes and the odd way his hair shifted colors with his mood. She was so angry with him, or so she thought...but she realized that she had been worried about him...and that her feelings ran much deeper than she'd originally thought. She arched her back, pressing her whole body against his, feeling the hard muscles underneath his clothes. She blushed faintly, kissing along his jawline, nibbling at his ear as she whispered. “Make love to me...”

Chapter Thirteeen

I don't remember much of the time I spent in the Waste. Much of it is distorted by my lack of control over my emotions. My mental state was...less than exemplary.  I am not proud of the things I did when I  lost control of myself. Many people died because of my stupidity. But...What's done is done. I cannot change the fact that I have killed innocents. People who had nothing to do with what occurred that night he died.

How can I forgive myself?

The truth is...I cannot. I can move on...but I cannot forget what happened. I remember seeing it so clearly, but it was if I was not there.  I was watching myself from a distance, and although I could feel the warmth of the blood that spattered on my skin, and feel the cold of the ice that pressed around me, shooting through the air, boiling up inside me...It was surreal.

I look back on it now and feel sick to my stomach. My nightmares have grown worse, and I am again glad that I do not share a home with those who are sensitive to such things...Avin and Rinn have long since moved to their own residence.  I am happy that they have each other. Avin brings balance to Rinn's life. I remember a time when Rinn was unable to speak or express himself at all. He's come such a long way.

Sometimes I wish that we could all remain together...but we all draw apart some time.

Is that human nature? To draw apart? Or is it merely that we are selfish, and wish to keep our most precious things to ourselves and not share them with anyone?

I honestly don't know.

*

     -Zenarith's Journals -


* * * * * *

Sigma frowned at the cat-boy sitting on his bed. How did it come to this?  Rinn was staring at him with an expectant smile that Sigma couldn't help but find incredibly irritating. The kid was far too cute for his own good, and far smarter than he appeared to be.  He sighed, running a hand through his hair, trying very hard not to look at Rinn.

The cat boy was giving him the look.  It was that look little children gave adults when they knew they were cute and they wanted something from the adult. The look that said 'you love me, right? So....give me that please~?'.  He sighed.  He didn't really want to listen to what Rinn had to say. It wasn't something he wanted to get involved with any more.  He sighed, glaring at the cat boy. "Well?" He asked expectantly, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible.

Rinn watched him with wide eyes, their scarlet depths sparkling slightly. "Will help us?  Must find Zenarith. Must explain how still alive. Byakuya still alive?" The boy's ears were perked up straight, his tail stiff behind him. 

Sigma grimaced. The poison. He didn't want to think about what it might have done to him. He had survived, sure, but he didn't really know how. His body worked different from normal humans. He hadn't been born, he'd been created...though that was something he also didn't like to think about.  He sighed. "I don't know how I survived, kid. Your friend is probably dead. Either way, it doesn't concern me."

Rinn's face darkened, and his eyes looked even more sparkly. Great...he'd made the kid cry. Wasn't that just lovely. Sigma sighed, feeling more stressed and irritated. He still didn't feel particularly wonderful, nor did he enjoy spending this much time without having any food. His stomach complained at him, and almost on cue, Rinn's stomach grumbled as well.

Rinn touched his stomach, cheeks turning a faint pink. Sigma shook his head. "Listen kid, I'm not going back to that place, I'm not going to get involved in this investigation anymore. I already risked my life for it, I don't want to do it again."

Rinn watched him with an unreadable expression. Sigma got the distinct feeling that the boy was studying his emotions, and he steeled his resolve, preparing to block the boy from his mind. Apparently, though, trying to do that was pointless. He could feel the waves of emotion rolling off of Rinn's slightly trembling body, and he sighed, steeling his resolve yet again. He couldn't let himself be affected by the pleading  eyes that glittered at him.

"Will...Won't even try?" Rinn said softly, looking down at the ground, sinking into a crouch, wrapping his arms around his knees. Sigma felt his stomach churn as big tears leaked from the cat-boy's glistening eyes.  The kid looked pale....too pale. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He really didn't want to deal with this. 

"I've already become too involved with this as it is, kid," Sigma said softly, his resolve breaking down slowly.  Rinn just curled up tightly, shaking his head. Sigma half wondered when the kid last slept or ate for that matter. By the shaking of the boy's shoulders and the waves of despair being thrown at him, he knew the kid was probably crying.  His stomach churned uncomfortably in his stomach. He sighed, closing his eyes, pressing his fingers to his temples to stem off the impending headache. 

Sigma sat down heavily on his bed, falling back on his pillows, staring up at his ceiling. "...alright, fine," he said, inwardly groaning. "I'll come tell them what happened, but beyond that, I don't make any promises, all right?"

A choked sniffle came from the curled up cat-boy, and Sigma knew he'd lost the argument when the waves of despair faded in an instant. He rolled over,groaning as he faced the wall. He wanted to sleep...just sleep. Food was nice too, but he didn't have the energy.

Sigma didn't know when it was that he'd fallen asleep, but the scent of cooking food made his nose twitch, and he sat up carefully. Who was in his secret hideout? He remembered in a flash the discussion with the cat-boy and groaned at how easily he'd given in to the boy's manipulative ways.

Sigma was insistently denying that he'd purposely given into Rinn's charms. He wasn't about to admit that he'd wanted to go back, if only to see Thalia again. He shook his head, and then studied the form of the cat boy on the opposite side of the room, utilizing his small kitchen unit. Rinn had apparently found some dried foods and was making some sort of hearty stew. It smelled good and his stomach gurgled at him in agreement.

The boy's tail was swishing back and forth, and the boy was....purring?  An odd rumbling noise was emanating from the young man's smaller frame, his cat-ears twitching occasionally. Sigma frowned slightly. What on earth was that...noise?  He noticed a feeling of contentment washing over him, and he sighed. The kid was obviously happy.  Sigma sighed, still a little irritated that the boy had so easily manipulated him. He hated being made to do things that he didn't want to do...especially when he knew he was going to end up doing it eventually anyway. He sighed...he didn't want his head to hurt again. His stomach complained loudly at him.

Rinn turned and smiled widely at him. "Almost finished, " the young  man assured him, setting out a couple of bowls on the counter-top, his fluffy blue tail waving behind him cheerily.

Sigma glared at the boy. "And who said you could go around getting into my food and into my things to put this together, mm?"

Rinn just smiled at him. "Hungry," the boy said, pointing at him with a sleek ladle. "Stomach was growling. Decided to feed it."

Sigma sighed. It was a little hard to tell whether the kid was talking about himself, or if he was talking about Sigma's stomach growling.  He sighed and shrugged. "You're still not off the hook, kid...You compromised my hideout by following me here. I'll have to move now."

Rinn blinked at him, a confused expression crossing his face. "Move?  No one saw.  No one in area. Would have sensed," he said, tapping his head.   Sigma raised an eyebrow at that. He hadn't expected that...Of course, being a psychic sensitive would make it so that the cat-boy would be able to tell if anyone had been nearby...that was probably how the kid had found him in the first place.   Rinn served the hearty stew and offered a bowl and spoon to Sigma.  "Sad man...why run?"

Sigma blinked, his spoon stopping just before reaching his lips. "Run from what?" He asked, the spoonful of soup entering his mouth. It was good...his stomach's grumbling lessened almost in approval.

Rinn's face grew serious. "When Byakuya fall.  Why run?  Sad man did not hurt him. Running makes look guilty...but sad  man not. Why run?"

Sigma set down the spoon, his face darkening in thought. Why had he run, apart from the obvious? He hadn't wanted to get caught...but caught doing what? Being unconscious and comatose in the same location as the fiery redhead?  No...that wasn't quite it. There had always been the possibility that they would have thought him to be the deliverer of the poison, but that would have been disproven in a short amount of time. So why, then, had he run?  Perhaps...it was because he did not want them to know he wasn't....human.

Human.  The word had a multitude of definitions these days. Those with augmented abilities were considered just as human as those without. Even Bio-gens, to a point, were considered 'humanoid' at least.  Sigma was none of these things. Where then, did he fall? Where did Rinn fall within those categories? He sighed. "I ran because I have secrets that I'd much rather keep to myself, thanks," he said, gulping down the rest of the hot stew.

Rinn watched him thoughtfully, his ears twitching on occasion. "Found something? Avin saw disk in Byakuya's terminal. Wanted to tell him something?"

Sigma sighed. Well, he should have known that Rinn would have picked up on that detail as well. "Yeah, I guess so. I delivered the information from what was pulled from those hidden files. It seems like this bio-gen issue goes deeper than it looks." He made a face. Maybe working it out with the kid would make it easier on his nerves to deal with the rest of the redhead's group. "There's a paper trail that makes it look like these recent attacks aren't exactly normal Bio-gen behavior. The data disk I gave to Byakuya shows it pretty well. There are some other minor things, like meteor-fall research and genetic re-ordering...the only really useful bit on there is the money-log." He gave a wry chuckle. "Gotta give that Amlys fellow some credit...he kept meticulous detail on exactly who he paid and was paid by....guess that's what got him in the end." 

Sigma carefully left out the part where he'd edited the data-file before transferring it to a new data disk...the one he'd given Byakuya was not the one he'd gotten from the computer genius, Kiro. He'd taken out the information on the human-biogen soldier program...Chimera. That was something he'd much rather the group left alone. After all, they weren't investigating all of Amlys Kuro's work...just his bio-gen studies. Chimera's information was something that Sigma wanted kept private.

Rinn nodded slowly, eating another spoonful of the stew. "Amlys....Nefe's father, yes?"  He paused, waiting for either a nod or a shake of a head from Sigma, getting a nod.  "Is...dead?"

Sigma set down his empty bowl of stew. "Probably. From what I've read before,  Amlys disappeared into the Waste before they could capture him.  They never found a body. No big surprise there....the`1 Waste is a dangerous place."

Rinn nodded, finishing his bowl. "Many Bio-gens there. Was made to fight them.  But am failed experiment. So never fought...but... can still smell them. Instinct. Sometimes really wish to fight..."  The slender boy shivered, and then turned his vibrant crimson eyes to Sigma. "Sometimes...sad man's scent....remind why was created."

Sigma stared at the boy for a long moment, his hair's color shifting dark, along with his eyes. He  shrugged, picking up the bowls and washing them quickly and thoroughly in the sink.  "Doesn't matter why you were created. You've got a good life now, right?"

Rinn nodded slowly, dropping his eyes. "Yes.  Apologies....am worried...for Zenarith. Waste is dangerous....city is angry.  Caused much damage when leaving..."

Sigma shrugged again. "Then, I'll just go beat some sense into him and drag his skinny ass back here. Then you don't have to worry about him anymore."

Rinn grinned at him and just purred.

Chapter Twelve

I chose not to care anymore. The day I lost him, I lost myself. I wanted nothing more than to die. I thought that perhaps by finding the one who killed my love, I'd find peace. I thought that maybe if I killed the man who killed him...I'd be happy. I was wrong. Death only brings more death. Sadness and pain create more sadness. There is no peace in revenge. The only thing that kept me going then, was the thought that if he could see me...he would be so ashamed. He wouldn't want me to be like this.

For weeks I wandered what we call The Waste. It is a place of desolation and death. There are very few things that live there. The things that do have adapted to survive in a harsh environment. The cities of my world are protected by the shields created to keep the city within safe. They are not there to merely keep the bio-gens out. They're there to protect from the harsh reality of our world.

My world is dying. Slowly, day by day, week by week, month by month...the number of the bio-gen's is ever increasing, and with their increase, hundreds die...thousands even. Eventually there will be nothing human left on this world. All will be the mindless creatures we call bio-gens.

Perhaps we will meet that end without ever changing. Like the creatures of The Waste, mankind must learn to adapt to this world. We cannot live forever in our gilded cities, with our lies that mask the reality. Bio-gens exist. There is no escaping that.

Will we become as the nomads of Kalla? Quiet...reserved...unable to trust anyone? Perhaps. If that is what is necessary for survival, perhaps that is what I shall become. My life is not worth anything...but I cannot go against my love. He would have wished for me to continue on.

There comes a time in any man's life when he must choose a new path. For some, it is as simple as making a change in their daily routine or diet. In my case, it was a change of mindset. I had to find a way to continue on without my guiding light. Such a thing is difficult...especially for me. Without a light to guide me, my emotions take control. I lose sight of what my goals are...and after the dust clears, there is nothing left but destruction. In the end I am all alone.

Where is my guiding light?

• Zenarith's Journals -
  

* * * * * * * *

His stomach growled at him again, for at least the twentieth time today. Rinn sighed, curling up into a neat ball in the darkness of the alley. He'd made it to the lower-city before losing Sigma's scent. He sighed. He'd made it here, and then the scent had just...stopped. Rinn frowned, trying to understand why exactly it had stopped. There was no sign of Sigma here. This part of town was empty...many of those who once live here were gone. The few who still came through were homeless or on their way to somewhere else.

He sighed, pouting. He was hungry. It had been nearly two days since he'd started searching for Sigma, and three since he'd returned to the city in the first place. His stomach complained loudly at him, and his ears drooped. He sighed, closing his eyes. It was getting hard to concentrate. His nose wrinkled as he sniffed, trying to catch Sigma's scent again. It was so faded already. He knew that any onlooker would disregard him almost instantly, thinking that perhaps he was just a homeless idiot searching for money in the gutters.

Rinn reached out his senses, trying again to catch a tendril of thought that might belong to Sigma. Nothing...he couldn't sense anything at all. He was about to pull his senses back when there was the small sense of ...something. His eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated. His heart was pounding in his chest when he finally located the direction the sense was coming from.

“Below..?” He whispered softly, confused. Rinn's crimson eyes widened. Of course! Where else had he not looked? His eyes darted around, stopping on an access panel. “Level one..? No...Two?” He whispered to himself, his tail waving behind him. He looked around quickly. There was no one nearby.

He smiled widely to himself, scurrying to the access panel, and prying it open. He was strong for his delicate-looking size, and the panel opened easily. He peeked down into the hole, wrinkling his nose at the strong musky stench rising up from below. He was probably over the fertilizer pumps for the level one gardens.

Carefully, he slipped down into the access corridor, closing the panel above his head before going down the ladder. He covered his nose. The smell was just so strong...it stung his nose, almost burning. Rinn shook his head, and continued forward. It seemed like such a long time before he finally couldn't go any further. The scent of the fertilizer was just too strong. He looked around, completely lost.

Panic rose in his chest. He didn't know which way to go. He was at a cross-way, and after turning to decide which hall to continue down, he'd forgotten from which way he came. He fought off a wave of panic that threatened to overwhelm him.

“Must find,” he whispered to himself, voice shaking slightly. “Must find...” He nodded to himself, picking one of the corridors, and hoping it was the right way. Several minutes later, he finally found another access panel, but...it was shut tight. No amount of pulling was able to free it. He closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against the wall. He felt sick...the smell of the fertilizer was just so overwhelming. He coughed, feeling dizzy. A man touched his arm, and Rinn started with surprise, eyes going wide. He pulled the hood down further on his head, making sure his tail was neatly tucked inside the huge coat. “H-Hello..” he said shyly.

“What are you doing in here, kid? This corridor's off limits to anyone without a hazard-suit,” the man grumbled, his thick eyebrows furrowing in concern. Rinn looked down, unsure what to say. He bit his lip, then looked down the corridor behind the man, and then the opposite way. He kept his ears flat against his head...just in case.

“Am lost,” he whispered, his voice still shaking just a little bit. He looked down at the floor, and then covered his nose and mouth again, coughing. The man frowned, re-covering his own face with a soft cloth mask, and pressing one into Rinn's hands. Rinn covered his nose and mouth, holding the mask up, eyes wide. The man beckoned for him to follow, and Rinn did so, trying not to stumble too much.

The man led him for what seemed like an hour, and then down a set of stairs. The air was cleaner, and Rinn felt like he could breathe again. The dizziness faded over a few minutes time, and when they stepped into the bright, warm light of one of the Garden's, Rinn couldn't help but make a small sound, squeezing his eyes shut as he attempted to re-adjust his eyes to the light. The man turned, and smiled slightly at him. “There now...you're out of that place, now....where are you from, kid?”

Rinn bit his lip, uncertain how to reply. He couldn't risk being sent back now...not when he was this close to finding Sigma. He looked down, fidgeting. “Am...looking for someone,” he finally replied, tilting his head to the side. He didn't know how far he could trust the man. “Where...?”

The man smiled a bit awkwardly at him. “West district, Level One Gardens,” he said, almost without thinking. Rinn could tell the man was proud of his job...proud to be a gardener. Rinn smiled at him, perking up a bit. The man seemed nice enough. Rinn went over his mental map, calculating where it was he needed to be. His eyes widened as he thought about it. He was close. He sniffed, and then winced. His nose still stung.

Rinn nodded slowly to the man, and then turned, startled by the sound of water hissing. The man let out a soft gasp, and stepped back from him. Rinn's eyes widened as he turned to face the man. His hood had slipped back, revealing his soft blue ears. He paled, feeling the dismay rolling off of the farmer. He trembled, stepping back as the dismay changed into anger. The fury surrounded Rinn, and he felt smaller. He stepped back, wanting to avoid getting in a fight. The last thing he wanted was to get hurt or hurt someone.

“D-damned Bio-Gen!” The man hissed at him, taking hold of a nearby shovel, swinging it at Rinn. He was startled, and tried to dodge the heavy object, the end of it clipping his left shoulder. He whimpered, feeling his arm go numb, and then burn with pain. He stumbled away from the man, pulling the hood back over his head.

He ran, stumbling down the corridor, the scent of the fertilizer in the water spray stinging his nose. He followed his instincts, speeding into the shadows of an alley outside the Garden. He hid, his heart pounding in his chest as he hid behind a trash bin. He held himself still as he could, waiting for the sound of the farmer to disappear. He sat there for at least an hour..waiting, shivering..the pain in his shoulder just got worse, and he bit his lip, feeling slightly faint.

He took a deep breath, and sent out his senses again, searching for that faint flicker he'd felt from Sigma. Ah..there it was again. Faint, but definitely there. He smiled, and shuffled off into the shadows, searching for a way down to the next level.

Rinn found his way down through a regular transport service elevator. He slipped on top of one of the boxes of supplies, holding tight as the elevator dropped down to the next level. It came to a shuddering halt, and Rinn winced as it bumped into his wounded shoulder. He took a moment, waiting for the dizziness to clear from his head. He slipped out of the elevator before anyone took notice of his presence. His nose wrinkled, and he let out a soft curse. His cheeks flushed. Oh the look Avin would give him if he knew that Rinn had cursed. A soft giggle escaped him and he couldn't help but smile at the thought.

His smile disappeared after a moment though. Avin was probably searching for him. Rinn shook his head. Even so, he couldn't let Avin find him. Not yet. Finding Sigma was too important. He nodded to himself, steeling his resolve. He took a deep breath and made his way down the alleys of the second sub-level of Naunet Riva. Rinn had been to this level of the city before, but not this section. There were many residences for those who were Augmented humans. The ocean was just outside the thick walls, and it shielded many of those with powers from the outside stresses. Rinn even felt calmer here. He smiled softly to himself. Maybe someday he'd get a residence here...it was nice...very quiet too. He shook his head. No time to be distracted now. He sniffed, trying to catch Sigma's scent again. It had already been so long...but the scent was definitely stronger here.

Rinn frowned as he came to the warehouse section. Sigma's scent was stronger here, but it didn't go anywhere again. He sighed, thinking to himself that Sigma was a very hard man to find. He smiled at that. It wasn't a bad thing that it was that way...just a little frustrating. He sighed, tapping his feet, tail swishing. He looked up at a cluster of storage nits that overlooked the area, and narrowed his eyes. Oh of course it just had to be up there. Rinn sighed, looking for a way up. He found a ladder, and made his way up. It was a little hard, since his left arm wasn't working right...every time he tried to move, it sent waves of nausea and pain through his small frame.

He sighed, sinking down against the door of one of the buildings, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. His shoulder was throbbing with massive amounts of pain. He sighed softly, trying to relax. Maybe it wouldn't hurt..if he were to rest for a little while.

* * * * *

Sigma groaned. After waking, his body was complaining about functions that needed to be taken care of, but he really just did not feel like getting up. He finally stumbled to the bathroom, mentally making a note to never take a three-day nap ever again, no matter what. It didn't matter if he'd been poisoned or injured...he just didn't like taking care of business when he felt like garbage. He sighed, feeling much better, and washed his face with cool water. An annoying beep had started a few minutes ago, and he grumbled. His head was aching much like it did when he drank too much Dusk.

“Shut the hell up,” he muttered to the external sensors. The damn things were too sensitive, and often picked up small creatures like cat-mice or rat-snakes. He flipped a switch, pulling up his display, waiting for it to boot as he took a deep swig of chilled water. Sigma frowned, looking over the projection. There was the empath..the strange little cat-boy...Rinn, was it? He couldn't remember properly. He sighed, deciding to ignore the others presence. He was about to turn away when he saw the small puddle of blood pooling near the boy's left arm.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He really didn't feel like dealing with this right now, but his heart wasn't cooperating with his head. Sigma sighed, noting that the cat boy was unconscious. He grabbed his med-kit, and slipped out of his secret entrance hatch, kneeling next to the empath. He neatly cut off the boy's torn and bloodied shirt, and felt his heart clench at what he saw.

The boy was so thin. His slender frame was compact. Sigma could see hints of lithe muscle, but he was completely covered in thin white scars. Sigma's eyes narrowed, and he shook his head. He didn't want to think about where they came from. He couldn't risk becoming attached to the boy in any way. He quickly cleaned up the long gash on the young man's shoulder, and re-set the dislocated portion. It was already bruising, looking dark nasty black and purple colors tinged with green. He knew that it had to have hurt. He wondered how Rinn had managed to find him...this was one of his most secure locations.

Sigma sighed. He'd probably have to move again, much s he didn't want to. He didn't trust anyone, and most certainly didn't want to risk being found. He'd already become far too involved in the bio-gen investigation as it was.

He bandaged the gash, noticing how it was already starting to heal. Lucky kid had quick healing as well? He shook his head, frowning. Didn't matter. He pulled the boy's huge coat out from behind him, and covered the unconscious boy, hoping that the kid would leave once he regained his senses. Sigma went back inside his hiding place, keeping the display up and running as he rummaged around for food. It had to have been at least three days since he'd eaten that damned roll. He grumbled to himself. The last thing he wanted was to think about how he'd ended up unconscious with nasty nightmares of things he didn't want to think about ever again.

He sat, looking over the daily news report as he always did, eating some fruit. It was a little bruised and old, but still edible. He'd have to go out for food soon. Most of it was starting to go bad since he'd been gone so long. He sighed with irritation as the display beeped at him again in its annoying high-pitched squeal. He sighed, finishing off the last piece of fruit, his stomach still grumbling, and stood, moving to the display. It looked like the kid was waking up.

He took a long swig of the water, and raised an eyebrow, half amused, half irritated when the boy stood up, looking at his own shoulder. The kid was cute, Sigma had to give him that, but he wasn't going to let the cute factor distract him. He wasn't going to help. That was that, and there was nothing the boy could do to change it.

“Sad man..?” Rinn whispered, looking up into the sensor detector. Sigma groaned. He wondered how on earth the boy had come up with a name like that one. He didn't like the idea of anyone looking inside his head. His past was his and his alone, and there was no one he wanted to see it. He ignored the boy and continued eating his meal, devouring fruit after fruit.

He watched with some amusement as Rinn tried to get into his secret hiding place. The boy's tail was twitching almost with irritation, along with the boy's cat ears. Sigma munched on a fruit, thinking to himself that it would be amusing if Rinn managed to find a way inside. He decided that if the boy managed to do that at least, he'd listen to what the kid had to say.

Rinn stopped suddenly, eyes going wide as he looked up to the sensor. Sigma felt a surge of dismay as the boy's face brightened, his lips pulling into a huge smile.

“Really?” Rinn beamed, his voice crackling over the external microphone. The boy's tail was waving behind him. “Will listen to what said?”

Sigma groaned, slapping his palm to his forehead. Now why had he thought that? He couldn't take it back now. He found that he rather disliked the uncanny ability Rinn seemed to have about figuring out what Sigma was thinking. Thalia had never been so impolite.

Now why was he thinking of that woman? That in and of itself was rather unusual...He frowned, remembering that he'd heard her voice in his dreams as well. Why had he been thinking of her? He'd only met her a few times, and only spoken to her once. Now his thoughts were on her again. Rinn giggled outside, and Sigma felt his cheeks warm and redden, his hair shifting to the violets and red end of the spectrum of color. He sighed with irritation, and glared at the screen, trying futilely to not think of anything that would give Rinn any hints. He grumbled with dismay as Rinn managed to open the access panel that released the door. He frowned at the other with irritation, wondering how Rinn had figured it out.

“Have a good nose,” Rinn said softly, tapping his own nose, smiling at Sigma. It was obvious that the boy was pleased with himself. Sigma sighed, and leaned against the wall, glaring at the cat-boy who was now sitting on his bed, looking pleased.

Well, this was going to be fun. Maybe.

Chapter Eleven

The next twelve hours seemed to pass in a slow-paced blur. They had heard nothing more about the so-called 'attack' on Naunet Riva. It had taken all those hours for Avin to get a permit to go down to the city. The tall man had ended up pulling the relative card. Yuki had given proof of his partial ownership to the Residence that was now a rather large ice crystal. Rinn sighed, feeling somewhat anxious. He didn't like having to wait. He needed to be down in the city to find out what had happened. He didn't feel the sad man's presence anywhere...nor did he feel Zenarith. Or Byakuya. He didn't like not feeling them. It seemed so unnatural.

He tugged on Avin's sleeve, almost as if wanting to reassure himself of the other man's presence. They had boarded an airship hours ago. Rinn's tail twitched anxiously. He just wanted to be in the city. He'd never have thought such a thing before. The city used to frighten him so badly. It still did, to a point. He did not like being around large crowds for extended periods of time. It wore him out, mentally and physically.

Rinn sighed softly. He was so...bored. He didn't mind flying, usually. Watching the clouds and imagining the shapes had been entertaining for the first few hours. He'd paced through the entire air ship, exploring as much as he was able to. There were only so many places one could go. He sighed. Why did Aeros have to move so far from Naunet Riva? It had only been two weeks since they arrived on the city, and even with it moving slower than normal, the city had moved quite far from where it had been when they arrived.

He sighed and stood. He stretched, and then began wandering around the room. Avin was sleeping in the corner where Rinn had left him, leaning against the wall of the makeshift holding cell they'd put Nefe in. His ears drooped at the thought of Nefe. He really didn't like that man. He shook his head. No, he couldn't wake Avin to keep himself entertained. That wouldn't be very nice at all. Rinn sighed, looking down at the wood floor, wiggling his toes. A hand touched his shoulder, and he jumped, startled, looking up into Thalia's kind eyes. She smiled softly at him. “Bored?”

He nodded slowly, biting his lip. “Have nothing to do. Want to arrive now,” he said quietly, looking down. It felt a little silly to say. Rinn sighed, ears drooping slightly. He still had trouble expressing himself properly, and it got a little frustrating at times when he couldn't quite get his thought across.

Thalia smiled softly, nodding her head. “I completely understand. I also wish to return to the city as soon as possible.” Her eyes took on a distant look, and she sighed. Rinn tilted his head to the side. He knew something was bothering her. The waves of uncertainty rolling off of her were unsettling. He touched her hand, sending reassurance to her. She smiled widely at him and patted his head.

“Why don't you get some fresh air, and then maybe take a nap?” She suggested, standing up straight. “We'll be arriving in a couple of hours, and then we'll see what we can get for you to do, all right?”

He sighed, and nodded slowly, going near to where Avin was sitting. He sat down heavily, sighing, lips pulled into a pout. Avin pulled Rinn close, kissing his forehead. Rinn blushed faintly, tail waving slowly.

“Heya, kiddo,” Avin said, his voice still in the foggy just out of sleep mode. Rinn smiled, and crawled up on Avin's lap, laying his head on the other's shoulder. Avin smiled, rubbing his shoulders. “I know it's a long flight,” he said.

Rinn shook his head. It was better now that Avin was awake. A purr rumbled through his throat and he snuggled closer to the other, a smile curling on his lips. Avin always made him feel better. He felt calmer and less...bored. He blushed faintly as Avin traced his cheek and jaw with a finger. It sent tingles down his spine, and he wiggled a bit on the other's lap, trying to get rid of the warm feeling in his stomach that he sometimes got.

Avin chuckled, rubbing his shoulders. “Try to get some sleep, Rinn,” Avin said softly in his ear, petting his hair, rubbing his shoulders. Rinn smiled, laying his head on the other's chest, closing his eyes. Avin smiled softly, and whispered sweet things to him. Soon enough he was off in dreamland, oblivious to the rest of the trip to Naunet Riva.



* * * * * * * * *

His heart was pounding in his chest, crimson eyes wide as he surveyed the destruction. Ice had torn through stone and earth, leaving great gouges on the ground. Rinn shivered. He could still feel the residual emotional scarring in the area, and it sent chills down his spine. It didn't really matter how close Avin was. With this much emotional energy, Rinn rather thought that he'd probably feel it from ten miles away. He shivered again, ears pressed flat to his head. He swallowed hard, eyes following the path of destruction

He still couldn't feel Byakuya. That unnerved him more than anything. He took a deep breath, and started up the wide stairs to the entry hall. Avin stopped him, taking hold of his hand, his face grim. “It's...not pretty in there, Rinn,” Avin said softly, green eyes filled with concern. Rinn nodded, and smiled reassuringly at the other before pulling away.

A horrid stench filled his nose, and he covered his mouth quickly, stepping back a bit. Rinn's eyes watered. He'd forgotten just how sensitive his nose was to scents. He closed his eyes, trying to alleviate the nausea he felt. He tried hard to not look at the blood mixed with water on the floor. He shook his head and hurried up the stairs, slipping once on a patch of ice. His hand grabbed the railing of the staircase, but then he pulled it back instantly. Sticky wetness came off with his hand, and he looked down, his stomach reeling at the sight of red staining his palm.

Rinn clenched his fist tightly. He had to know. Byakuya couldn't be...dead...could he? He hurried down the hall, Avin following close behind him. Rinn's stomach lurched as his eyes fell on the displaced torso of a maid. The gaping hole in her chest still had fragments of ice within it. He paled, turning and retching in the corner, the acrid stench rising up through his nose, burning. He took a deep breath, trying not to think of the blood and gore strewn throughout the room. Everything was soaked with water from the ice that had melted.

Rinn shook his head and carefully stepped into Byakuya's study. It was a disaster. Books were strewn everywhere, torn to pieces, pages plastered to the walls and floor. Broken glass littered the floor in a circular pattern from the couch near the window. Rinn's eyes widened as a flash of light caught his eye.
A huge crystal sat at the window, cold rolling off of it like water off oil, and within it was a still form, red hair pooled on the cushion of the couch that was frozen with him. Rinn's hands shook as he lightly touched the ice crystal. “B-Byakuya...” He whispered, eyes wide. Tears threatened to pour out of his eyes. The ice was so cold...it didn't melt under his touch. He pounded on the crystal, trying to get to Byakuya within. “C-can't feel him,” Rinn whispered, trembling as Avin pulled him back from the crystalline structure.

He buried his face in Avin's chest, finding it difficult to even look at the frozen fire-elemental. He didn't want to believe Byakuya was dead. Even if that very situation had driven his friend Zenarith to madness. Rinn trembled, pulling away from Avin, placing both his hands against the ice. “Byakuya...” he whispered, sending out his senses, trying to reach something within the ice. He felt a flickering against his senses, but then it faded almost as quickly as he'd felt it. Breath shuddered out of his chest, and he was pulled away from the crystal, snapped out of his attempt at connecting with a dead man. He cried out with the pain from the backlash of his mind being pulled back so suddenly. Avin looked at him with a white, worried face, eyebrows furrowed.

“Don't be stupid, Rinn,” the man whispered. “We've already lost Byakuya...we...I... can't lose you too...” Rinn could feel the unhappiness rolling off of Avin, and it hurt...it burned his senses, the raw nerves sending pain throughout his body. He struggled to pull away from Avin. He couldn't bear to feel the pain from everyone in the building. He trembled, burying his face in his hands, shaking. Yuki stepped into the room, looking sick. The grief that exploded from the white-haired young man sent stabbing pain through Rinn's mind, and he screamed with pain, and then everything went dark.

Rinn woke some time later, in a dark room with soft blankets wrapped around him. It was probably the guest house, he figured, the smell of ice and blood still heavy in the air. He could hear murmurs in the other room, and choked sobs that probably came from Yuki. His ears drooped...poor Yuki...he'd lost his brother and close friend. Rinn couldn't begin to think what it would be like if he ever lost Avin. He didn't want to think about it. He took a deep breath, and stood quietly, sneaking to the door, ears twitching as he struggled to hear what was being said. The door opened a crack, light streaming through from the hallway. He winced slightly at the brightness, but made no noise otherwise.

“The cameras caught most of what happened,” Avin was saying to the others that were present. Thalia wasn't there, but Yuki, Kiro, and Fen nodded slowly in response. Yuki was garbed in black robes, his head down. Kiro was holding his hand tightly. Rinn smiled slightly. It was good to see Kiro expressing his feelings, even though the circumstances were terrible.

“The mystery-man...Sigma, I think he was called, was here that night, but he left. You can see him here, disappearing, and then Zenarith goes inside. Ten minutes later, and then this....” There was a loud rumbling noise, and then a static hiss.

Rinn stepped back from the door, looking down at his toes with a frown. Sigma...the sad man. Rinn couldn't figure out why, exactly, he was so drawn to the strange man. He always seemed so...sad. He shook his head. He wondered what Sigma had been doing there. Certainly the man hadn't hurt Byakuya. Rinn knew that was impossible.

He nodded to himself. It was decided. He'd find Sigma...find out what happened...and then find Zenarith.
* * * * * * * * * *

Rinn slipped out of the guest house, wrapped in a tidy, comfy coat he borrowed from Avin's baggage. It was huge, but that was okay. He needed the large hood and length of the coat to hide his ears and tail from the general public. He made his way to the gate entrance, wrinkling his nose at the stench the cleanup crew was making with their cleaning solvents. The smell of blood was dissipating slowly, becoming replaced with the acid scent of cleanser. He had to move swiftly. He knelt on the ground, touching it gently, closing his eyes. His nose wrinkled as he sniffed. He sent out his senses, shuddering at the burning sensation. His nerves were still raw, but...he had to do this. He had to find the sad man.

His eyes snapped open, a soft gasp escaping his lips. Rinn's eyes went slightly unfocused. “Sad man...” he whispered, eyes narrowing as he mentally assigned a color to the scent. Dark red colored the scent he found. It was faint. Not surprising, considering the ice that had nearly destroyed the whole residence, and the fact that it had been over twenty four hours since Zenarith's explosion to the time that Rinn now knelt there.

He closed his eyes, letting his nose memorize the scent. It smelled tangy...slightly off. Something had been wrong with Sigma when he'd left. Rinn's eyebrows furrowed, and he stood, pulling the hood over his head. He hurried out of the gate, wanting to be far along the trail, long before Avin noticed he was gone.

* * * * * * *

Sand. Blood. The stench of death. The screams of dying men. There was so much pain. Thalia trembled, stumbling through the shifting images. Everything was so dark around her. Men were dying, and she didn't know who they were.

“A dream...?” she whispered softly, eyebrows furrowing. It certainly wasn't one of her own...this nightmare belonged to someone else. A voice calling to her caught her attention and she turned, seeing a dim light in the distance.

She vaguely remembered going to sleep after seeing the destruction left by Zenarith. It had disturbed her to the point where she'd had to return to her own residence. The mental energy still remained around that mansion. She shook her head. This voice was so familiar. Where had she heard it before...? Aeros? It sounded much like the voice that had screamed to her there. She shook her head again. It didn't make sense. She wanted out of this dream...it frightened her.

She took a step forward, and the shadows reached out to her, trying to take hold, trying to pull her into the nightmare. She steeled her mental walls, and the light around her brightened, the shadows falling back with wails. The voice murmured again, calling to her.

All she could do was move forward, and keep walking.

* * * * * *

He was at that place again. Lined up along with the remainder of his comrades, armed to the teeth, and going over the orders they'd been given. Enter the hive-city and destroy the bio-gen queen. A simple enough order, but what it entailed was extremely hard to do. The bio-gens were large in number, and being sent in to their nest was just suicide. He was a soldier, however. He'd follow his orders. That was what he was trained to do. He signaled to his second-in-command to move forward, and the other nodded, eyes glittering with anticipation. He tightened his grip on the weighted chain in his hand, feeling more secure with its presence. He moved, feeling the odd pulse of time shift around him, and he grinned. It froze, momentarily, and suddenly he was there. The bio-gen's seethed around him, snarling, hissing, biting at him. The other men flickered into existence, their weapons slicing through the enemy, the monsters dropping like flies before them.

He felt elation run through him. They were succeeding! Only a few hundred feet to go, and they'd be within the hive-city itself. His weighted chain slithered out, sinking through several creatures at once, slamming them to the ground, gurgling hisses escaping the creatures.

Suddenly one was before him, the face more feminine, and so close to his face. “Mine,” the bio-gen hissed, reaching out a clawed hand to him. A hammer smashed the creature's face in, blood and brain matter spraying out in a blackened fan behind what had been the creature's head. He turned, eyes wide. His second-in-command...Rho. The name came to the fore-front of his mind and he grinned at the man, nodding in thanks to the other. The man chuckled and waved him forward, turning and smashing through more bio-gens.

He shook his head, grinning. Rho always had his back. He turned, slamming his boot into another creature's face. They'd made it past the first wave of creatures. Elation soared through his chest, and he grinned, waiting for his people to regroup. The next stage was infiltration. They'd slip into the city, killing any creature that attempted to stop them. By now, the were covered in enough bio-gen blood to mask their human...or mostly human anyway...scent.

A roaring hiss filled his ears, and he turned, eyes wide as a metal object hissed toward them, great spouts of flame roaring from its tail. His eyes widened with the sense of betrayal. He grabbed Rho's arm, pulling him along as he shifted, time popping around them as he ran. Time ran out far too quickly, and a loud concussing shook the air. Rho was pulled from his grip, and he screeched in pain as shrapnel tore through his side. He hissed with pain, glancing over his shoulder, eyes widening at the blinding light, roiling flames rumbling toward him. He squeezed his eyes shut, the dull pop sounding as he shifted his movement through time. He dragged himself as far away as he could go, the vision of Rho's lifeless eyes staring at him boring through his soul. He collapsed, time hissing back into movement, the heat of the explosion stinging his skin. His consciousness started fading, and he saw a woman in his fading sight. She was reaching out to him, her mouth mouthing his name.

“Sigma!”

His world went dark, and then he felt pulled in another direction. He lost track of time. He had no idea how long he was floating in that darkness. Hours...? Days...? He didn't know. When the world around him took shape and color again. The heat hit him first, then the brightness of the world around him. Sand...he felt its roughness against his cheek. He couldn't move...his throat was so dry. Water...he wanted water. No, it was best not to think of that now. He tried to sit up, and pain bloomed through his side. He hissed, eyes narrowing. He looked down, seeing the red life liquid that seeped into the golden sand, and frowned, wondering how he'd gotten such a wound. His arms couldn't move...and as he watched the blood seep from his side, his thoughts flashed through what had happened. His men had been killed. There was the explosion, and such a device was not a modern weapon. Missiles were a thing of the past. An ancient war machine that killed hundreds...thousands...even millions or humans. He snarled. Only the group he was created by would have been capable of such a thing. He had been betrayed. Fury welled up in his chest. He was going to die here...and the voices...screaming remnants of his memories of his men...they screamed at him to survive. But how...? He was injured; he couldn't even move. The world started to go dark again, and he screamed in his mind. He wouldn't die here! He couldn't! Revenge! He wanted revenge on those who had killed everything that had meant something to him. There was that woman again..calling to him....and then there was darkness again.

His world flickered in and out of view, scenes that caused his stomach to churn. His world solidified again, and he was kneeling by a bed, an old man, face weathered by wind and sand and sun laying there, eyes closed, lips parted and blue in death. Tears were streaming inexplicably down his face. A long, thin knife was sticking out of the man's chest. He touched the hilt gently, drawing his hand back at the symbol engraved on the handle. The double p. Rho.

He was startled out of his thoughts as a hand touched his shoulder. He turned, eyes widening at the sight of the face of a woman...beautiful, delicate cheekbones...dark hair...concerned eyes.

“Where are you, Sigma...?” She whispered.

“Thalia...?” He asked, confused. There was the sound of rushing wind, and then he was alone in a dark room. It was so silent, and he held his head. It was aching...his whole body was aching. He felt like throwing up the contents of his stomach, but based on the calendar he had on the wall, it had been three days since he'd last eaten, so he doubted anything would come up.

Sigma grimaced, sinking back on his bed, eyes staring up at his blank ceiling. He was so damn tired...

Chapter Ten

Zenarith frowned, rubbing his shoulder where Sigma had pushed away from him. He watched the other stumble off into the night, eyebrows furrowed. He'd never seen Sigma so...unbalanced. Granted, he'd not seen much of Sigma moving around anyway, but it still seemed strange. The man had seemed...off. He frowned, shaking his head. Zenarith was pulled from his thoughts as a high-pitched wail came from inside the manor. His eyes widened, and he hurried inside, a dark feeling sweeping over him. He heard the sound of running people, and followed a maid up the stairs.

Byakuya...there wasn't any way something could have happened to him..was there? Zenarith swallowed hard, steadying himself. He moved past a maid into Byakuya's private chambers, and then stopped. His world froze around him.

Crimson hair spilled over the floor, long-fingered delicate hands lay limply on the cool stone, and then the pale, lifeless face, lips parted, no breath escaping them. His world crashed, darkening on itself. A scream tore its way out of his throat, and he pulled Byakuya's limp form to his chest. Tears were streaming from his eyes, crystallizing into sparkling droplets of ice as he sobbed, holding Byakuya's limp form close to him. An inhuman wail escaped him, and with that wail, ice spread from where he knelt, cracking the stone, freezing everything it touched. A maid at the door, gasped as the ice crept up her legs, her eyes wide with terror as she was frozen.

Zenarith stood slowly, his shoulders shaking with the sobs that escaped him. He carried Byakuya's still form to the couch they often shared, laying the other's slender frame down with a gentle touch few ever saw from him.

“My love,” he whispered, his voice shaking. “Please....don't leave me,” he cried, his hands shaking as he touched Byakuya's face. The other was still warm. Tears splashed on Byakuya's pale cheeks, freezing on contact, small snowflakes misting from where the tears made contact. Zenarith let out a choked sob, taking hold of the pendant around Byakuya's neck, an intricately carved stone in the shape of a flame. He held it tightly to his chest, whispering to himself. “I love you...I love you..” He sobbed. He took one step forward, laying the stone on his lover's chest, his hands shaking. He let out a soft, shuddering sigh, watching with eyes devoid of light as ice encapsulated his love, holding Byakuya in its impossibly cold embrace.

It glittered with the moonlight that streamed through the open window. Zenarith shook, squeezing his eyes shut. He touched the cold surface, his hands trembling. “You'll be safe now,” he whispered. He turned, eyes going dark, and cold. Someone killed his love. The one person in the world he'd do anything for, and they were gone now. Someone took Byakuya from him.

Rage boiled up inside him, turning cold as it reached his heart. A growl tore through him, his eyes glowing faint blue. Ice spikes tore through stone and wood, ripping books to shreds. He didn't care any more. Maids and guards alike were impaled, frozen, and torn apart by the ice that tore through the manor. It was as if a monster within him had been released. Everything in his path would be destroyed. He wailed, howled, screamed his fury and despair. The only thing untouched was the large ice crystal that encapsulated his lover.

He dragged his nails along the wall, the tips hardened with ice. They dragged deep gashes in the wall as he stormed down the hall toward the entrance. A maid tried to stop him, and she was frozen in turn. He felt the ice rage within him, burning cold and ruthless within his chest. He stalked out of the building, leaving a path of icy destruction behind him. A woman stood in the gardens, waiting for him. She held up her hands, eyes looking worried. “Zenarith,” she said softly, eyebrows furrowed.

His mind reeled, and his eyes narrowed. The bitch was trying to get inside his mind. He roared, snarling at her, summoning great spikes of ice to surround her. He hissed at her, the ice creeping up on her. She screeched, and he felt her mind dig at his again, attempting to subdue him. He smirked with pleasure as she whimpered from the sustained effort of trying to reach his mind. He sealed off his mind, letting her feel the impenetrable cold of his fury and she screamed, collapsing to the ground. He continued on his way, finding a floater. He would leave the city. The bio-gens were the cause of this. They just had to be smarter than anyone thought. They just had to be investigated....and it was their fault, however inadvertently, that his love was now dead.

The image of Sigma running from the estate crossed his mind. He was likely at fault too, though Zenarith knew he wouldn't be able to find the man. A smirk crossed his lips. Very well then...he'd draw Sigma to him. Kalla. That was the city the man came from. Kalla was where Zenarith would go...to destroy every hint of their existence. They had sent the man who killed his love. He would make them pay.

Zenarith programmed a course into the floater, his face stone like. It took him to the sky port in a matter of minutes. Men tried to stop him, but they were failed. Ice overtook them, shattering them into thousands of shards that littered the ground of the sky port. His eyes burned cold as he boarded an airship, leaving a path of icy death in his wake.


* * * * *

Rinn smiled softly to himself, toying with the sparkly that the nice professor had given him to play with. It was an intricate model of a star system, complete with planets, moons, and asteroids. There was even a little comet that spun around the system. His eyes widened as his mind pulsed. His breath stopped in his chest, his mind getting pulled to the city below.

Ice...there was so much pain...cold. He whimpered, crimson eyes widening. A scream tore through his mind. Pain. His friend was in so much pain. He curled up on himself, shaking, ears flattened to his head. Hands tried to shake him out of his thoughts, but he couldn't pull himself from the image of death in front of him.

He saw blood...so much blood. Tears were streaming down his face. A voice was calling to him. He turned, and yelped as burning eyes, glowing cold with rage bored into his soul. Then pain and white light surrounded him and he was yanked out of the vision.

His heart pounded in his chest, and he shook. Thalia knelt in front of him, Avin next to her. His mind screamed pain at him, and tears poured from his eyes. “B-Byakuya,” he whispered, trembling. “Z-Zenarith...gone m-mad...gone. S-so much pain. H-he's gone,” he whispered. Warmth enveloped him as Avin pulled him into his arms.

The silence was deafening. He trembled, feeling raw and burned. His eyes searched Thalia's as her face went white as a sheet. He frowned, pouting at Avin. He couldn't sense anything with Avin this close to him. She trembled, eyebrows furrowing.

“Sorrell,” she hissed. “Stupid!” She stood, turning to the window, eyes taking on that unfocused thought that meant she was talking to someone. She yelped a moment later, stumbling from the window, holding her head tightly. “He's gone insane,” she whispered to Avin, hands shaking.

Yuki stared at them, eyes wide. “What's going on?” he asked, violet eyes wide. Kiro shook his head, frowning at a computer screen as he typed furiously on the keyboard. He brought up a display, vibrant eyes intense as they flickered over the various codes. He muttered to himself, and then nodded shortly. The display hissed static, and then cleared, bringing up a news report from Naunet Riva.

Rinn's eyes widened, his hands trembling as he watched a wide path of ice explode from Byakuya's estate, and then the ice moved through the city, buildings collapsing under its weight, other buildings bursting as ice consumed them, a path of destruction leading to the sky port. Screams from the crowd, and an airship zoomed from one of the hangars. It sped out towards the waste, two fighter ships following close behind. The camera zoomed in, and ice bloomed from one of the fighters, exploding it into bright fireworks.

A gasp escaped Rinn's lips as the second fighter shot out one of the engines of the airship. It spun out of control, fleeing out into the waste. The fighter followed it. The camera stayed focused on the distant flickers of light in the distance. Rinn held his breath, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Light blossomed on the horizon, a bright flower in the night. The camera cut at that point, returning to the news anchor.

Yuki sat down heavily, eyes wide. “That couldn't be.....there's no way....but I don't understand...” he whispered.

Tallen watched the news report, eyebrows furrowed. “That ice....the only one capable of such a thing is your friend, isn't it...?”

Rinn glanced up at Avin, eyebrows filling with tears. “Avin...” he whispered. The taller man tightened his hold, looking down at him with a sad little smile. “Must go,” Rinn started to say. He was interrupted by an announcement on the view screen.

He felt his world get crushed again as the announcement that all flights down to the city were now closed. There would be no transport down for twenty-four hours due to the extremity of the apparent attack. Reports rolled along the screen that the stolen airship had crashed in the waste. The death toll was still rising, as bodies were slowly getting identified.

Rinn felt sick. Something had happened to Byakuya. Something bad. Zenarith had lost his mind because of it. Rinn shuddered, ears drooping. He pulled from Avin's hold, feeling a sudden need for air. He trembled. “Air,” he whimpered, clawing at the door as he tried to get it open. Avin pulled him into his arms again, petting his hair. Rinn struggled to pull from the hold, fighting off the panic that was rising in his chest.

Rinn stopped struggling after a minute, his face buried in Avin's chest. This was all wrong...things weren't supposed to be like this. Thalia let out an odd, strangled noise, her face going white as a sheet. “Thalia...?” Yuki whispered from where he stood against the wall.

Rinn turned, hearing a loud thump. Thalia had collapsed onto the floor of the professor's study. Tallen was at her side within a moment, checking her pulse and eye dilation. Yuki watched helplessly, arms wrapped around himself, his face pale. Kiro watched from his seat, seemingly unconcerned, face blank except for the narrowing of his eyes and furrowing of his eyebrows. Nefe chuckled from the corner of the room. “She couldn't take it, eh?” he said maliciously, eyes glittering with pleasure. “Zenarith always was a bit over-dramatic, wasn't he?” The man purred. “Always waving about his holier-than-thou attitude. I thought he was mister big-bad ice-man. What a joke.”

Anger burned in his chest. Rinn was so un-used to feeling such things. His eyes narrowed as he bared his teeth at Nefe. He barely felt himself move as he made his way to the man, his small fist connecting with the man's jaw. “Lost his love,” Rinn said darkly, eyes burning. “Should not speak of things not understood,” He hissed at the man, slightly pointed teeth bared. Nefe stared at him in disbelief, holding his jaw. Avin touched Rinn's shoulder, but Rinn shook him off, kneeling next to Thalia. She had brought him out of his connection with Zenarith's mind. He was grateful to her. He touched her cheek gently, drawing some of her mental pain from her. He grimaced, taking it in, and compacting it. He put it in the dark place at the back of his mind, re-setting his walls there to keep it from hurting him until it could fade.

He took a deep breath, turning to face Avin. “Must go,” he said softly. “Are needed...must find him.”

Avin nodded slowly, standing. “We will.”

Chapter Nine

The city sprawled beneath them, clouds surrounding it, glowing faintly with energy. Tall spires with winding arches, expansive gardens, and the huge domed complex in the direct center seemed to move beneath them. Various airships flitted about, and people looked small and rather like moving dots down below. Rinn's eyes were plastered to the city below, wide with awe. Zenarith didn't blame him. Aeros was a city of extraordinary beauty. The city itself was a garden dangling in the sky. The energy that held the city up was what had inspired the smaller airships that filled their world now. Zenarith remembered what he'd learned of the event.

Records of the event two hundred years or so ago were fairly descriptive. The sky had filled with light in the middle of the night, blue streaks filling the sky above the waste, and then a series of small earthquakes. A group had traveled to where the light had fallen to the earth, unearthing a set of crystals in the burnt soil. The smallest had fragmented into seven pieces, and their unusual energy signature had been adapted into shields for the cities. The next largest was currently in the center of Naunet Riva, and its fragments had been sent to the other cities as communication crystals. And the largest one, pulsing with energy far more unusual had been placed in the core of Aeros. Zenarith didn't understand the physics of how it worked, but somehow that energy kept the city afloat and protected it. He sighed softly, shielding his eyes from the sun as it filtered through the windows of the ship.

He couldn't help glancing towards the back of the airship to the containment room where Nefe was being held. Avin was in the room with the man, mostly to keep Nefe from using his abilities. Zenarith really hated the idea of letting Nefe have access to research material, but with the possibility of the data being genetic-code protected, his presence was necessary. He sighed, shrugging and looking back out the window at the city below them.

He'd sent a message to Yuki, telling him that they would be arriving today. Byakuya's brother was a student at Aria University, and had unique skills in his own right. Yuki had replied that he would make sure that the research team would have a place to stay, and that Nefe would have secure living quarters. Zenarith felt the deck rumble beneath his feet as the airship slowed, descending to its landing pad. He gathered up his shoulder sack, grinning at Rinn, who smiled widely back at him, tail waving slowly in the air.

The landing went smoothly, and Zenarith watched as an armed guard, along with Avin marched out of the ship, Nefe in tow. Rinn sighed, watching them go, ears drooping slightly. Zenarith smiled, ruffling Rinn's hair. “He's going to meet us at Yuki's once Nefe's safely put in his holding cell, okay?” The boy nodded, ears perking up again.

They made their way out to a floater, Rinn entering it first, followed by Thalia. Zenarith got on it last, sinking into a seat, amused at how Rinn seemed to be unable to keep his eyes off of the beautiful surrounding. The sky-port was busy, as it usually was whenever Aeros neared Naunet Riva. The sky seemed filled with airships and floaters, and the clouds seemed so close that one could reach out and touch them. Rinn's eyes almost glowed as the floater took them through the gardens surrounding the port. The streets were stone-paved, with buildings made of wood and stone. It looked so...inviting. Aeros was a city made of stone and wood, with many gardens. The very air was full of such scents that made one feel ...at home. Zenarith smiled, watching with amusement as Rinn's tail waved excitedly. Thalia sat across from him, her cheeks a little pale.

“Miss Winter..are you all right?” He asked, eyebrows furrowing in concern. Her cheeks flushed faintly as she nodded sheepishly.

“I'm all right, sir,” she said softly. “Just..a little nauseous is all.” He nodded, understanding completely. He figured that she probably felt a little airsick. That happened on occasion. He knew she never really flew anywhere. The council members from Sedrin took ground transport from their well-protected city to the sea, and from there, they took a ship across the waters. It was how things had always been done. Airships rarely ever traveled to Sedrin. There was a large chunk of airspace that was forbidden. One could fly to the outskirts of the city, but the ships were not allowed above the city itself. Thanks to that little thing, it wasn't surprising that Thalia was unused to flying.

Zenarith smiled reassuringly, and Rinn tilted his head at her, tail waving. The young man scooted near to her, reaching out a slender hand tentatively. Zenarith wasn't sure what Rinn was up to, so he didn't stop him. Thalia let a soft surprised sound as Rinn took hold of her hand. Zenarith watched in fascination as her face went from pale and slightly ill-looking, to calm, surprised, and slightly flushed. Rinn smiled widely at her, tail swishing softly. Zenarith shook his head, amazed at what the young man was able to do.

The rest of the trip went smoothly, the scenery changing from quiet gardens, to rows of neat little residential cottages. Rinn was fascinated. Zenarith half wondered if he should convince Avin to move here. It'd be easier for Rinn, probably. The crime rate was close to zero, and there were several psychics who would be capable of shielding Rinn's mind when Avin was unable to be with the young man. The school here was excellent as well, and Rinn was nearing the age when he'd benefit from classes of the university level.

Zenarith made a mental note to talk to Avin about it at some point, but an excited shout tore him out of his thoughts. The floater landed on a wide, stone-paved terrace, and the shock of white hair tinged with purple made Zenarith grin. A slender young man in lime green danced to the floater, holding out his hands towards Rinn, violet eyes bright and glittering.

“Yuki!” Rinn giggled, making his way out of the floater, taking hold of Yuki's hands. The two twirled around each other, the sight bringing a smile to both Thalia and Zenarith's faces. Zenarith studied Yuki's figure. The boy had grown several inches taller, and it seemed as though he'd been working out. His frame was leaner. He wasn't the stick-thin sickly boy anymore. He'd grown. Yuki's hair was longer, shoulder length at least, and he looked..healthy. Zenarith knew that Yuki probably still got sick fairly often, but he looked like he'd been doing much better.

The thought of that brought a smile to his face. He looked past the hyper twosome in front of him to see a shorter, wiry young man leaning against the wall. Zenarith grinned in relief. He'd been worried that Kiro wouldn't join them on the project. The young man had recently taken a break from technological things, according to the letters Yuki had sent. It was apparently so that Kiro would be able to focus more on his schoolwork and on his therapy. The young mans vibrant green eyes widened slightly as they met Zenarith's, and what looked like a small half-smile curled slightly on the young man's thin lips. It was a bit strange to see even that bit of expression from the other.

When Zenarith had first met Kiro, he'd been an extremely introverted, stubborn young man who was almost like stone. No emotions showed on his face, and he had such a non-caring attitude about everything but things that had to do with Yuki. The two of them, Yuki and Kiro, had formed a strange friendship that had baffled Byakuya. Zenarith recalled with great amusement how frustrated Byakuya would get when the dark-haired technopath seemed to ignore his teasing. He chuckled at the memory, and raised a hand to wave at the other.

Kiro nodded at him, cheeks flushing faintly. Zenarith watched as Kiro turned, disappearing into the building. He turned his attention back to the still giggling pair of Yuki and Rinn. He shook his head. “Yuki, I know you're excited to see him, but...we've things to do, you know.”

Yuki grinned at him, sticking his tongue out for a moment. “I know,” he said. “I'll show you to your living arrangements, and then we'll go to meet Professor Finch. He's been excited to meet you since I told him you'll be wanting to use his lab.” Yuki grinned.

Zenarith chuckled, shaking his head. Tallen Finch was the local eclectic professor. His interests ranged from renaming the stars to his own categories that no one but him understood, to needlepoint. Zenarith had heard a lot about the professor from Yuki, and in all honesty, he was looking forward to meeting the man. “Lead on, then,” he said with a a laugh, shouldering his bag once again. Rinn was clinging to Yuki's arm, purring, tail swishing. Thalia had a smile on her full lips, and her robes rustled softly as they followed Yuki into the building that Kiro had disappeared into. Zenarith felt an odd chill run down his spine again, but he shrugged it off. It was probably nothing.

Yuki showed them each to their own rooms, saving Rinn's for last. He told Rinn softly that this was for him and Avin to share, and then giggled wildly at the resulting blush. Zenarith smiled to himself. It was cute to him, how Rinn and Avin were so close, yet nothing had ever happened between the two. He doubted that anything would happen for some time yet, but the idea of it was sweet to him. Thalia had retired to her room, saying that she needed to contact Sorrell. He knew that she probably needed to rest after sending to Sorrell over such a distance. They weren't terribly far away from Naunet Riva, but the shielding surrounding each city made such messages somewhat difficult.

He stepped outside, shielding his eyes from the bright sunset. It was somewhat strange, being so high in the sky. The shielding kept air at a breathable consistency, which was good, since without it the air would have been too thin for any human to breathe. He sighed, shaking his head, turning to face the building. Kiro stepped out to meet him, avoiding looking directly at him.

“Yuki plans to take you by an alternate route,” he said, looking out to the clouds and orange sky.

“Alternate route?” Zenarith asked, frowning curiously. “What do you mean?”

Kiro shrugged, opening his mouth to speak softly, but he closed it, turning to face the building as Yuki and Rinn came out. Rinn had changed from traveling clothes into something that likely belonged to Yuki. The colors were blindingly bright, and Yuki carried a carefully wrapped object in hand. Zenarith frowned slightly. He knew the object was most likely a mirror, and he hoped that Yuki wasn't about to try something stupid.

Rinn giggled softly, winking at Zenarith. “Are going on an adventure!” he exclaimed.

Yuki grinned at Zenarith, nodding in agreement. “You're gonna love this,” he said, eyes glimmering mischievously. He unwrapped the mirror, tracing a finger along its intricately carved frame. Zenarith's eyes widened.

“Yuki....are you sure its wise?” Kiro asked softly, eyes studying Yuki's face.

Yuki nodded, grinning. “It won't take long.” He winked at Rinn, taking hold of the cat boy's hand. Zenarith felt Kiro take hold of his, and then Rinn held Kiro's other hand. Yuki giggled again. “Take a deep breath.”

Zenarith had hardly a moment before suddenly he, Rinn, and Kiro were pulled into a strange-looking place. He held his breath, acutely aware that there didn't seem to be any air in this place. Rinn looked excited, and Kiro looked calm as always. Zenarith frowned darkly at Yuki. Yuki shrugged and shook his head, starting to walk, pulling the rest of them with him. Zenarith felt his stomach churn as the world around him blurred, the colors muted to nearly gray Nothing seemed solid, and strange glowing figures moved without them. It took him a half second to realize that the figures were people on the other side of the mirror. That's where they were...inside the mirror that Yuki carried with him.

A tendril of fear snaked around Zenarith's heart, and he glanced at Yuki in panic. Relief washed over him as he saw the mirror still in Yuki's hand. It looked strange, the colors it reflected almost too-vibrant. Rinn squeezed his hand reassuringly, calm seeping through the touch. It didn't stop Zenarith from nearly throwing up as they were yanked out of that strange place and back into the normal world. The ground spun underneath him, and he felt nauseated. He covered his mouth in an attempt to keep from throwing up.

The ground was rushing up to meet him, and then...darkness.

Zenarith woke to worried whispers, and half-noticed that someone was holding his hand. He felt slightly nauseous, and his head hurt. He blinked slowly, frowning at the too-bright light above his head. “Where...?”

Yuki's face appeared above his, followed by Rinn's, the young man's crimson eyes wide with worry. Yuki looked upset. “Oh god, Zenarith, I'm so sorry,” Yuki mumbled, eyes watering. “I didn't know you'd react like that...”

Zenarith sat up carefully, keeping his eyes closed in case the room spun again. He winced, his head hurt like someone had taken a rock to his skull. Rinn tightened his hold on Zenarith's hand, and the pain dissipated. Zenarith blinked, and squeezed Rinn's hand back, thankful for that. “Yuki...that was stupid...and highly unsafe,” he said softly, frowning. It was apparent to him that what they'd just done was not safe, and he prayed that Yuki wouldn't ever do that again. “Think of what your brother would do if you never came back from a trip like that...”

Yuki paled, looking down. Rinn frowned at Zenarith. “Not nice,” the young cat-boy said, eyes narrowed. “Safe enough. Yuki know what doing.”

Zenarith blinked, staring at Rinn, unsure what to say now. Luckily, he didn't have to say anything. He was interrupted by an elderly man scurrying near them and taking hold of Zenarith's hand. “This is the ice elemental you told me about, Yuki?” The old man looked incredibly excited. His weathered face wrinkled in multiple places as he grinned, looking at Zenarith's hand. He pushed his spectacles up his nose. “How very fascinating!”

Zenarith couldn't help staring at the man who looked so happy to see him. “Uh....”

“Oh, please do excuse my manners, I've become overly excited. I've forgotten myself.” The man let go of his hand, and bowed with a flourish. “Tallen Finch, professor of oddities and Astronomy. I'm ever so glad to meet you, young man, very very glad!”

Zenarith's cheeks flushed faintly at the exuberant welcome he was receiving. He nodded his head, completely at a loss for words. The old man grinned at him and started rambling on and on about how excited he was and how often he and Yuki had spoken. Zenarith stole a glance at Yuki. He felt bad for yelling at him. Yuki looked so...upset. He sighed. “Yuki....I..” He was interrupted again before he could finish his apology.

“Let's go up to your temporary lab, all right~?” Tallen took hold of Zenarith's arm and pulled him off the couch he was laying on, and up the wide stone stairs, Rinn, Kiro, and Yuki following him. The stairs seemed to go on and on. He was out of breath when they reached the top of the stairs. That in and of itself was somewhat odd. Maybe it was the trip through Yuki's mirror. He shivered, feeling an odd tingle run down his spine. Zenarith looked around, eyes darting back and forth, searching for a glimpse of Sigma. Usually that odd tingle came before the strange desert nomad appeared.

“Welcome to the second laboratory. Nobody's used this in months...the class that was supposed to use it got canceled, unfortunately, due to the professor's...ah...unfortunate demise,” Tallen said, running a hand through his thin, wavy hair. The man smiled almost apologetically. “I received permission from the Headmaster, though he'll want to see you at some point to finalize the paperwork.”

Zenarith nodded, taking a look around the room. It was a bit dusty, with heavy curtains that covered the windows. Tallen moved about the room, opening the curtains to let some light in, and activating the main light source in the room. A holographic computer terminal in the corner beeped in response to the light, turning on to standby. Zenarith nodded to himself, taking stock. It would work. He stepped nearer the window, looking out and down. They were at least four levels up, high enough that he wouldn't have to worry about Nefe trying to escape through a window. “Professor Finch,” he started to say. The professor held up his hands to stop Zenarith's words.

“Please, call me Tallen.”

“Tallen, then,” Zenarith said with a small half-smile. “Is there a way to lock the door from the outside to prevent unauthorized...subjects...from exiting the lab?”

“Ah, you must be speaking of your unwanted assistant, Mr. Kuro,” the professor said with a chuckle. The man moved towards the door. “It's got internal and external locking mechanisms, with pressure seals. That was put in a few years ago for in case we started working with volatile stuff. I'm fairly sure that we can get someone to replace the lock with an external mechanism on the hall-side of the door, and maybe put in a buzzer so that a guard on the outside can let people out. That way your man can't exit unless you want him to. Will that work for you?”

Zenarith nodded, frowning while he thought about it. It would work, most likely. Nefe's ability had been identified when they had put him in prison four years ago. His voice, along with his own minor psychic abilities, combined to manipulate thought processes through sound waves.

Kiro touched the door softly, eyes flickering from green to silver. “....” He frowned, and there was an odd series of clicking noises. Kiro pulled his hand away from the door, looking satisfied. He pulled at the inside lock , and it came off, the door smooth beneath it. Zenarith blinked, staring at where the lock had been.

“Ah, Kiro, you've fixed the door, have you?” Tallen grinned, shaking his head. “We'll just get a buzzer sent up to release the lock, and you'll be set, mm?” Kiro nodded, and pocketed the now unnecessary lock. Zenarith stared in amazement. It always surprised him each time Kiro used his unique ability. The ability to understand and manipulate machinery with only his mind. The changes he effected were small, and didn't seem like much until the machine was started again. It could be as simple as repairing a broken gear, or as much as completely re-working the very purpose of the thing. Zenarith shook his head. It was an amazing thing, and one not well understood.

Rinn took hold of Zenarith's hand, squeezing it slightly. The boy was trembling slightly, his ears flattened against his head. “Rinn...?” The boy shook his head, tightening his hold, biting his lip. It seemed like he didn't want to speak. Zenarith glanced at Yuki, who had been oddly silent since the trip through the mirror space. Yuki shook his head, pointing to the clock. It was past the time they were to meet Avin in the commons. Zenarith frowned, feeling an anxious twinge in his chest.

“Nefe...” Rinn whispered, tightening his hold on Zenarith's hand. “Avin....can't feel.” Zenarith's eyes widened, and then narrowed dangerously.

“Rinn...are you certain?” He asked softly, searching the cat-boy's face. Rinn nodded, tears leaking from his eyes. Zenarith turned to Kiro. “Hold on to him, Kiro,” He said softly, pushing Rinn into the young man's arms. Kiro nodded, and held Rinn protectively, rubbing his shoulders softly. Zenarith took hold of Yuki's arm. “Yuki, I need you to take me to where Nefe's being held...and I need you to take me through that mirror.”

“But...you said..”

“I know what I said. Just do it, okay? I know what to expect now, I'll keep my eyes closed.”

Yuki looked uncertain, fingers tugging on a strand of his white hair. He fidgeted, and then nodded, pulling out the mirror. “We have to go outside,” he said softly, pulling Zenarith down the stairs and outside into the dim afternoon light. “Hold your breath...” Yuki whispered, his eyes taking on an odd light. Zenarith felt that odd tingle as he took hold of Yuki's hand. He took a deep breath, and then the world blurred once again.

Zenarith kept his eyes closed until he felt solid stone beneath his feet once again. He covered his mouth to fight off the nausea that he still felt. He grimaced, and straightened, eyes darting around. Yuki looked pale, and a little shaky. Zenarith's lips tightened into a thin line. It probably took a great deal of energy to move through that mirror world. He shook his head, the nausea fading a bit. “Wait here, Yuki....I'll need you to keep your eyes out for anything unusual..and please...just in case, plug your ears, all right?”

Yuki's eyes widened, and he nodded slowly

Zenarith nodded before slipping into the building. The guards were unconscious, but they seemed unharmed. His eyes narrowed...where was Avin? He searched all through the first floor, finding only guards who were at best, semi-conscious. He cursed softly, moving up to the second floor, finding the same.

Avin was slumped against the wall, breathing softly, unconscious. Zenarith breathed a sigh of relief, kneeling beside him. Avin had a wicked looking lump on the back of his head, and Zenarith didn't like the look of it. He called for a medic through the comm panel on the wall, then returned to Avin's side. A medic came a few minutes later.

At this point, Zenarith had already searched the building. Nefe was nowhere to be found. He scrambled the guards that were now awake, and sent them out to search the city. He was angry. Nefe had agreed to remain in custody for the duration of the investigation, but now, Zenarith was seriously considering sending Nefe back to Librithium, and to hell with using him to break the code. They'd do it manually, no matter that it would take considerably. He sighed, shaking his head. Byakuya would be highly displeased if he tried that, especially after going through hoops just to pull Nefe out of the high-security military prison. He followed the medic outside, the mini-floater carrying Avin to the med-transport.

“We'll keep him overnight, sir, just to be safe,” the medic said as Avin was loaded inside. Zenarith nodded, folding his arms over his chest. He felt an odd tingle run over his spine again, and his frown deepened. The medic saluted him, and shivered as the temperature of the area dropped by a couple degrees. He watched, irritated, as the transport took off, heading toward the city hospital.

“You should check inside,” a calm voice said behind him. Zenarith spun, eyes narrowed, ice following his movements, crackling through the air. Sigma stepped neatly out of the way, raising an eyebrow. “In a bad mood, are we?”

“I was just in there,” Zenarith hissed. “My best friend is hurt, and some stupid fool security guard let Nefe out! And you...you sneaky bastard, you keep sneaking around, hiding from everyone's notice, and then popping up out of nowhere when we least expect it. If you're going to help, then help. Stop playing your foolish little disappearing game!”

Sigma waited in silence, eyebrow raised. His eyes flickered dangerously, his hair color shifting with them, and Zenarith took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Yelling wouldn't do any good here. Sigma waited until Zenarith was outwardly more calm again before speaking, his eyes cold. “I am on no ones side, and it would do you well to remember it,” he hissed darkly, drawing himself to his full height. “Your idiot prisoner is inside.”

Sigma spun on a heel, and there was that odd hissing pop, and then he was gone. Zenarith glared at the space where Sigma had been, and then stormed back inside the building, heading up the stairs. The scent of cooking food wafted past his nose, and it twitched. Zenarith frowned, eyebrows furrowing. He followed the scent, wondering who would be cooking up here.

Light streamed through an open door, and Zenarith stopped in the middle of the hallway, staring at the open door. It couldn't be....He moved quietly toward the open door, and peered in, eyes widening. Nefe knelt by a portable cooker, stirring what looked to be a hearty stew. The man turned, smiling widely at him. “Where have you all been? I turn once, and you're all gone. I thought that perhaps, you didn't love me anymore.” Nefe pouted at him, eyes glittering. He stirred his stew before grinning at Zenarith again. “So, I went to get me some dinner, I was getting rather hungry. Care to join me?”

* * * * * * *

The old man glared at the report in his hands. All members of the city councils were receiving these updates once a day from Aeros, where the investigative team along with the criminal Nefe Kuro were digging head-first into the bio-gen issue. He hissed, throwing the report against the stone wall. It made a crackling noise, and then fell to the floor, smoking slightly. He took a deep drink of his wine, eyes narrowed at the view out his window. The city around him was corrupted. Full of potential mutant creatures, and augmented humans. He wrinkled his nose, turning from the window, his dark colored robes rustling. He sat down on a chair with a large, high back, resting his hands on the arms of the chair. The fire elemental was getting too close to the truth. He could see it in the numbers that were presented to him each day. He glared at the communication station as it beeped insistently at him. He grumbled, moving his heavy, elderly frame to the beeping device. He palmed it, and a holographic message appeared.

Stone-gray eyes skimmed the message. The impudent fool....he'd sent a request to the council to send an investigative team into the waste. What a ridiculous notion. The bio-gen's were corrupt plague-carriers that should have been eradicated centuries ago. He grimaced and lifted a finger to send his own denial of the request. He was cure that the other councilmen had received similar requests, and it seemed almost a futile effort to send a no from himself. He sighed, dropping his hand, and moving toward the drink bar to refill his glass. So the red-head wanted to get a sample. A dark chuckle rumbled from his throat. It would amuse him to no end if the sample ended up being an ex-human that the fire-elemental had known in the past. He brought up a record on his computer of a holding facility deep in the desert. He had a few samples kept there from an experiment he'd run with an old friend of his....Yes..that would do quite nicely. Or perhaps....yes, that would work even better. He couldn't risk the red-head councilman finding out his involvement. This investigation was far too dangerous to his plans.

He tapped a few keys, sending out the order to one of his most trusted men. If all went as it should, the red-head would be dead within the next twenty-four hours. An evil smile curled on his lips, his eyes glittering darkly. Nothing would please Malin Semdar more than the death of the man who represented everything wrong with this world.

Byakuya would die.

* * * * *

Zenarith paced as he watched Nefe and Kiro run through the data again. Nefe had been diligent in undoing the encryption on the files after his little adventure into the city. Avin had suffered a concussion, but had been no worse for it.

Ice blue eyes darted to the side as a screen beeped. He stepped closer, looking over the information put back up on the screen. He nodded to himself, taking note of the too-even numbers on the screen. He sighed, stepping back. “Are we ready to send the files downside?” he asked Thalia softly. She nodded slowly, eyes focused on the data projected on the screen.

“Nearly,” she said softly, eyebrows furrowed. Zenarith turned to face the man leaning against the wall. Sigma had stood there every day that they'd spent decrypting the memory crystals. Zenarith glared at him, irritated by his seemingly useless presence. Thalia hadn't looked at the man, and Rinn had been curiously quiet.

It was strange, now that he thought about it. Zenarith had been so used to Rinn being unable to speak, that when the boy had started to, Zenarith had been completely distracted by it, and now that Rinn was back to not speaking, it threw him off. He shook his head. Rinn hadn't reacted to Sigma's presence at all, not even a tail-twitch or nose-wrinkle. Nothing. Zenarith half-wondered if he was the only one able to see the man. He wouldn't put it past Sigma...nothing the man did made any sense at all.

Kiro looked up at him, and nodded slightly. Zenarith sighed, moving over towards the central console. A quick glance at the clock told him it was nearing the evening break for dinner, and he quickened his step. Nefe pointed to a holographic image of a bio-gen. “See that?” he asked softly. “That is one of the oldest scans we've found in the files. It's nearly a century old. See the neural structure?”

Zenarith nodded, frowning slightly. He could see it, but it didn't really mean anything to him. “Now, look at this one,” Nefe whispered, eyes glittering excitedly. “Look at the brain activity. This is a more recent scan, taken from one of the bio-gens with that female one from the recording.”

Zenarith's eyes widened. The readings of activity in the telepathic centers was off. He frowned deeper. “So you're saying there's more mental activity...?”

“Exactly. They're thinking more when they should be thinking less. Bio-gen's are humans that have mutated and been reduced to the most primal nature. Part of the change that occurs is that the telepathic centers of the brain are made more open to suggestion, which is how the females control the males, or so we think,” Nefe answered. “You see, according to this data, the bio-gens this group was looking at were from two different places: A control group from the waste, and a more..secluded group. A group that had guidance from an outside source.” The man's eyes glittered with excitement.

“...What do you mean.”

“I mean to say that my father was into some very...very naughty things. Bio-gen and human brought into balance to create a super-soldier.”

“...that's insane.”

“Of course it is,” Nefe chuckled. “But it is also effective. What better creature to destroy a bio-gen than another bio-gen? The hunger that drives them is all-consuming. If the bio-gens were made more intelligent, more responsive to control, they would make a formidable army.”

Zenarith fell silent, trying to process this new information. “So you're saying that someone was trying to create a super-soldier army...?”

“Exactly. And not just anyone.” Nefe's lips pulled into a grin. “My father was working for a very influential man. I haven't been able to uncover his identity yet,” Nefe's eyes glinted dangerously. “But I will find out who he is, and what he's up to. He's made himself very interesting,” he purred, licking his lips.

Zenarith's eyes darkened slightly at the malicious smile on Nefe's face. Kiro caught his eye, and shook his head, his lips pulled into a thin line of displeasure. Zenarith sighed. It was dangerous, having Nefe help them. The couldn't be sure just how much of what he said was the truth. Thalia had so far been able to verify that what Nefe said was what he believed to be true. That was as much as they could expect, though. Nefe was deceitful, and it was unknown whether or not he could lie to himself.

Zenarith sighed, and glanced to where Sigma was. His eyes narrowed and he cursed softly. Sigma was gone.

* * * *

“Sad man....?”

Sigma stopped, turning to look over his shoulder. Rinn was leaning against the wall, ears laid back against his head, tail drooping. Sigma said nothing, eyes and hair shifting color slowly. Some of his agitation diminished by the mere presence of the cat-boy. A small smile curled on Rinn's lips, and his ears perked up a bit.

“Sad man leaving...?” Rinn asked softly, touching Sigma's arm lightly. “Will be safe...?”

Sigma nodded his head. He didn't trust his voice. He knew that Zenarith was going to send the data to Byakuya first thing in the morning, but after looking over the files, Sigma knew that it was better to get them there faster. He didn't trust the data-transfer system. It would be far too easy to tap the stream and corrupt it. He'd palmed some memory crystals, and copied the data they'd decrypted. It had only taken a single look-through for him to figure out who had been paying to create the super-soldiers.

A grimace found its way on his normally-blank face. He shook his head, and patted Rinn's head, rubbing the soft ears lightly. “It's very important that I take this to the red-head, okay kiddo? Don't tell the cranky one.”

Rinn nodded, his face serious, dark crimson eyes studying Sigma's face. They had too much in common. Sigma had known from the moment he met the boy that they'd come from similar backgrounds. He knew of the tortures the boy had been through....he'd lived through similar things. Rinn was lucky... he had a family to care for him. Sigma shook off those dark thoughts. It was better not to think of the past now. It wasn't something he could change.

He smiled at Rinn, a rare thing. The boy hadn't said a thing throughout the entire investigation. The only ones who knew he was there had been Rinn and Zenarith. The boy beamed at him, turning, and going back inside with elegant grace.

Sigma shook his head, and dropped off the edge of the building, releasing one of his weighted chains from where it decorated his clothes. It latched onto the edge of the building, slowing his free-fall. He landed lightly on his feet, eyes going vibrant blue as he released his hold on time. The world stopped around him, and only he could move within it. He moved swiftly, darting in and out of shadow, unnoticed by the world around him. It didn't last very long, but by this point, he was already on a floater and headed to the port. He found himself a neat little hiding place on a freight transport headed down to Naunet Riva after delivering its cargo, and hunkered down to wait out the ride, his eyes narrowed as he studied the crystalline memory chips in the palm of his hand.

Byakuya needed to be told. He was possibly the only man in the city capable of getting the council to side against the idiot running the operation. Sigma knew what it was like to be an experiment. Nobody deserved that fate, except, perhaps for those who performed experiments on living, breathing humans. He shook his head, snapping himself out of his thoughts as the freighter landed. He slipped out, unnoticed, and headed straight for the fire-elemental's estate.

He smiled to himself as he slipped in through the main gate, nose twitching at the scent of delicious food as he passed through the hallways outside the kitchen. Dinner sounded good right about now. His stomach growled quietly in agreement with that thought. He glared at it, mentally telling it to be quiet as he moved silently into Byakuya's private study. His eyes lit up as he looked at the various objects of ancient technology that were scattered throughout the room. He hid his presence, moving along the wall as he slipped up behind Byakuya's desk.

A maid brought in the evening meal, and the redhead thanked her, ignoring the food. She curtsied, and left, closing the door behind her. Sigma's stomach complained at him again, and he grimaced, glad that he was well-hidden. Byakuya picked up another report from his desk, idly nibbling at some of the delicious-smelling bread. He picked up a glass of dark red wine, sipping it slowly before starting to eat the meal. The scent filled the room, causing Sigma's stomach to complain at him again.

Sigma frowned. He wondered if he would be able to get some food from the kitchens after he gave Byakuya the memory chips. He sighed silently, remembering the last time he'd made an appearance to the redhead. He had no desire to get roasted by the councilman's flames. Oh, he could easily avoid them, but the books and ancient treasures...those would be destroyed.

It was several minutes before Sigma made up his mind to show himself to the redhead. He sighed, and pulled himself out of the shadows in the room, sitting down on the corner of Byakuya's desk. He tossed the memory crystals on the paperwork in front of Byakuya, outwardly nonchalant. Inwardly, however, he wanted desperately for Byakuya to shove them in a projection reader and see what was going on.

Blossoms of flame winked in and out around him, and he tried to ignore the heat that brushed against his skin. Vibrant azure eyes glared at him. The redhead was understandably angry, hair sparking with crimson flames that lit up the room. It was a fearsome sight, though Sigma thought rather smugly to himself that given an even playing field, he could probably take on the redhead with little difficulty.

“What the hell are you doing here,” the councilman hissed, eyes burning. Sigma, dusted off his sleeve, shrugging.

“Newest data from the investigation up top,” he said bluntly, sneaking one of Byakuya's dinner rolls. He grabbed it during the half-second that he'd frozen time, making it seem to the other that he'd pulled it out of his own robes. He took a bite, and his stomach complained at him again, telling him to devour the roll. He took his sweet time with it, though, enjoying every single bite. It was delicious, warm, and very fresh. There was a slightly odd flavor to it, but it wasn't bad.

Byakuya glared at him, the flames winking out as he took a hold of the memory crystals. Sigma's eyes followed the other's hands as they put the crystals into a reader. He felt a surge of relief, and allowed himself to take larger bites. The machine whirred into action, reading the data from the crystals. It was good that he'd brought them, he decided. Things would work in his favor now.

Byakuya continued eating his meal as the crystals loaded their data to his projector. The machine beeped, and data started scrolling down the projected screen. Sigma smirked to himself as Byakuya set the food aside, eyes widening. The redhead stood, tapping out a series of questions to the computer. Sigma took the opportunity to snag the rest of the young councilman's meal, devouring it in a matter of seconds.

“How can this be...?” Byakuya whispered, eyes wide as he studied the numbers.

Sigma grew serious. “Do you see why I brought it to you personally...?” He asked softly, eyes studying the shocked expression.

Byakuya nodded, his face pale. “I never thought that something like this...” The councilman shook his head, apparently in shock.

It wasn't surprising. Finding out that one's world wasn't quite what it had portrayed itself to be was a big shock to almost anyone. There were very few that could handle such a thing. He studied the other's face as it went from pale shock, to vibrant red anger. The redhead was furious, and rightfully so. Sigma was just glad that the wrath wasn't actively directed at him. It would have been far too much trouble to fight with the redhead in a room so full of flammable material. Besides, he needed to renew his energy reserves. He snagged another roll, nibbling it slowly.

The world around Sigma wavered, and he fought off a sudden wave of dizziness. His stomach churned and he frowned. He looked at the half-eaten roll in his hand, and he dropped it on the desk, standing suddenly. The room spun, and heat rolled through him, followed by a chill. He felt sick. He glanced at Byakuya. The man was out of breath, loosening the collar of his robes. Sigma could see the pulse in the other's throat. He watched in rapt fascination for a long moment before his insides twisted with pain. He winced, stepping back from the desk. “Poison...” he whispered.

Byakuya seemed to waver where he stood, and then as if he were a puppet whose strings had been cut, the man collapsed to the floor. Sigma turned and ran. He took a mental stock of his body's state, finding the places that felt numbed. It took every ounce of strength he had to pull himself down the hallway. He had to get away from here before the poison took him. He panted softly, leaning against the cool stone of the wall.

His guts twisted with pain again, and he felt the world spin again. He was dangerously close to losing consciousness. He focused his energy on his heart, slowing down the time for the poison within him. He wouldn't be able to use his skill to get out of the house, but he'd be able to get far enough away to get to a nearby safe house.

He stumbled out of the front entrance, bumping into someone going inside. He looked up, eyes unfocused. He saw a glimmer of silvery blue hair, and ice blue eyes.

“Sigma...?” the man asked uncertainly. “Are you all right?”

Damn...it was the ice-headed fool. Sigma grimaced, and yanked himself from being in front of the other. “Leave me be,” he hissed darkly, eyes flickering odd shades of green and gold, his hair the color of dying leaves.

Zenarith took hold of his arm. “Listen, I was thinking about what I said before...and I'm sorry for yelling at you. You've been nothing but helpful to us, and--”

“Shut up and leave me alone!” Sigma grumbled. He tore himself away, stumbling out into the night, leaving a stunned Zenarith standing in the entryway to Byakuya's home.

The streets seemed so uneven...so full of people. Pain blossomed through his chest, and he struggled to remain conscious. He barely made it to his safe place before the darkness took him.