A little shadow was moving fast in the dark street. It stopped in front of a small house and, it stood for a while ringing the door bell several times until it finally was opened by another huge shadow.

"What took you so long?" Little one asked.

"Sorry, I fell asleep." The huge one said apologizing.

"Geko." The little one sighed. "You can put the groceries in fridge and do dinner. I'm exhausted"

"Uuh." The huge one said, but took the bags and went in to the little kitchen, when the little one sighed again.

The little one sat down on the couch, but jumped back up.

"Free! Don't leave your dishes in the couch!" It shouted to the kitchen.

"Ah sorry. Like I told you, I fell asleep." Free shrugged.

"Honestly, like I don't have enough to deal with already, geko."

"Sorry Eruka." Free said again and took the dishes from the couch and went back in the kitchen.

"Geko, geko." The stressed Eruka sighed and sank down on the couch again. I can't take it any more. I want to be free. I don't want the snakes in me anymore. Stupid snakes, stupid Medusa. I just want things back to like they were before. And now I have to stay in this filthy, witch hating town. I can't do any magic and living like a normal person is hard. I don't even know why we have to be here. Gaah! No. I have to think positive. Sulking won't get me anywhere, Eruka thought and hit her forehead. At least I'm not alone. Free is here as well and he helps with the house holding and he keeps the rats away. And the Mizune sisters come by from time to time as well. Though, it kinda makes me uncomfortable. After all I'm the one who told them that Shibusen killed their sister. Oh man! I'm the worst, if I wasn't such a coward I would stand up to Medusa and kill her. But if I fail. I can't even imagine what she would to me.

"Geko." She whimpered and covered her eyes with her arm.

A loud howl suddenly came from the kitchen and Eruka screamed in shock as well.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

"Free, what happened?" She asked and rushed to the kitchen.

"You bought some weird vegetable." The werewolf said. He held both hands to his left eye.

"What? Which one?" She asked. Could someone have poisoned it?

"The little long red one." He said, still covering his eye.

"Free you idiot! That's a chili." She scolded. "What's wrong with your eye?" She asked.

"I was cutting it and then my eye itched a little, but then it started to sting really badly."

"Idiot! Move your hands from your eye!"

"Why?"

"Because you have chili on your hands and now you're putting it in your eye. It's the chili that makes your eye hurt, geko."

"Ooh." Free said and removed his hands. "It still hurts." He complained.

"That's because it's still in your eye."

"I thought it was on my hands."

"Geko. Yes it was, but now you it is also in your eye."

"Oh." He said, but he still didn't understand.

"Hold still." Eruka said. "I'm gonna clean your eye."

The werewolf sat still like a child waiting for candy or something.

"There. All done." She said. His eye was swollen, but there was no chili in it. "Now hurry and wash your hands before you touch anything."

"Ah, it doesn't sting anymore. Thanks a lot Eruka." He said and washed his hands carefully. Suddenly there was a loud ringing noise and once again Eruka joined it.

"Woaw. Relax. It's just the timer."

"Oh… Sorry. I'm just…" Eruka mumbled and went back into the living room. Though Free didn't look like it at all, he was a fairly good chief. The only reason she found out was because he ate ten times more than a normal person and she had refused to cook for him. Since then he made the food. She sat down on the couch again and moments later Free came in with a pot the size of a bathtub almost and two plates and cutlery. They ate in silence for a while. Well Eruka ate and Free shoveled the food in.

"Free. Can't you eat a little more restrained?"

"Hmm?"

"You are shoveling to food in your mouth. No one is here to take it from you."

"Oh. Uhh sorry. I was just hungry, guess it kinda made me forget to eta properly." He shrugged

"You don't forget how to eat properly, geko."

"I just did. Why are you so angry?"

"I'm not angry. I'm annoyed."

"It's the same."

"No it's not, geko. Now eat properly."

"Alright, alright."

Oh man. I really am the worst! Just because I'm so anxious, I let it go out on Free. But how can he understand my situation? He works for Medusa under free will. He's not forced like me.

There was an angry knock on the door. Oh it's probably the Mizune sisters.

"I'll get it, geko." She said and went to open the door.

"Eruka! Don't!" Free suddenly shouted and leaped forward. All of a sudden there was a gunshot and a sharp pain struck Eurka in the stomach. She screamed and fell to the floor. Everything was hazy and she couldn't make out any details but there was snarling and the sound of tearing clothes and horrified screams. People were running away from the werewolf. Some ran back where they came from and in the middle of the chaos there were two men who still were calm. One of them had a huge rifle and he aimed it at Eruka. Oh crap. I don't have the power to do anything. At first she was really afraid, but then an odd calmness came over her. This is it then? Oh well… I guess I have to do better in my next life. She didn't want her last image to be of her killers. She closed her eyes and drew forth images of the people she cared for and held dear in her mind.

BANG!

The last image was still there when she opened her eyes. She was embarrassed. It wasn't on purpose, but the image just came on its own. But she didn't mind. She didn't mind that it stayed, so she kept looking at it.

"Thank god you woke up." The image sighed in relief. "I really thought you were a gonner there." The image's eye became dark and distant… and sad. No that's not right, she thought. It's not supposed to be sad. It's supposed to be carefree and happy. She lifted her arm to stroke the sad image away, but gasped. Something hurt.

"Does it hurt?" The image said in a worried tone. Something was not right. Images usually didn't know what was going on with the person imagining it. Then it hit her.

"Am I still alive?"

"Yes."

"Geko." She said embarrassed.

"Why are you blushing? Do you have a fever or something?" He put a big hand on her forehead. It only made her blush even more. She had always pushed the feelings away. Denied them, but she was tired of denying herself happiness and freedom. He was everything she wasn't. She tried to sit up, but she couldn't. He caught her and helped her up. She took his face in her hands and kissed him.

He was Free.