Author's Notes: Hey hey, here's chapter two. These guys are all characters who appeared in 'Crimson Report 2' apart from Hymo, Ishra and of course Shelinda. Pasck was in 'Crimson Report 2' but his name wasn't mentioned, he was the young soldier who finds Logos and Ormi fooling around at the very beginning and guides them to the Den of Woe.

Their surnames (excluding Ormi and Logos) are all Japanese (though I can't remember if Pasck's is) and usually tell something about their character.

And please do take merriment in the fake that I totally ripped-off Hermione Granger for Shelinda as a youngster, in turn Ishra's looks were unintentionally based on Violet Incredible lol.

Enjoy, and please, please I'm begging you now, review! Lol

Chapter 2

Toy Soldiers

"Hey guys, look!" A gangly, redheaded boy hissed as he peaked round the door.

"What is it, Shino?" Another boy, this time petite with long, thick, black hair, joined him.

"They're showing some newbies in."

A mousy haired boy with a pointed nose jumped onto the one named Shino's back playfully.

"Wow, look how many there are!"

"Ow! Erit you're hurting me! Get down."

"Sorry, Shino, how many are there, Nadra?"

"I can't quite see," the black haired boy known as Nadra replied, "Shino's fat head's in the way."

He gave the boy's head a heavy knock.

"Will you two stop beating me up!"

"Eighteen!"

A tiny boy with dirty, blonde locks squeaked as he concluded his crawl through Erit's legs and popped up in front of the congregation.

"What?" Shino grumbled.

"Eighteen, Pasck says there's eighteen of them." Nadra alliterated.

"Hey so you guys have noticed."

The handful of boys fell back into a yelping pile, startled on seeing the elder, sturdier boy's chiselled face come from round the outside of the door.

"I thought you lot would have been still asleep." He laughed running a hand through his auburn hair.

"Don't do that, Hymo!" Pasck piped, trying to get up but tripping on Nadra's ankle and falling to the ground once again.

"You guys are useless." Yet another boy had emerged from inside the room, this one dark, olive skinned and spiked copper hair.

"Give me a hand, Hymo."

"Sure thing, Jubis."

Both boys gathered everyone to their feet clumsily. After a good deal of squabbling and one or two spirited punches the boys arched round the door again to watch the display.

"They look very morbid." Hymo commented.

"Can ya blame 'em? Working here isn't exactly a picnic."

"Come on, Shino, its not that bad."

"What's everyone looking at?" Something behind them yawned.

They turned to see a short, stout boy. He wasn't fat by any means but his impressive width could fool one. His skin was sun kissed but not the same deep tone as Jubis', there was a redder tint in this boy's flesh. Atop his head sat a layer of rich, brunette hair, all curled to his head and ruffled from the night's rest. Like the other boys he wore a standard white sleeveless shirt and murky, green slacks though to be blunt it did not at all flatter him. In addition, in one hand he dragged a ripped and tattered stuffed bear with only one button eye and no nose.

"Ormi, come see, they've got the new recruits."

Nadra grabbed the boy's stubby wrist and pushed him in front of the group where he staggered for a moment drunkenly.

The new recruits were clustering around the rooms at the far end of the corridor, all blabbering amongst themselves, some grateful for the dorms, some not so pleased. There was one boy however you stood detached from the ordeal.

"Whose he?" Ormi asked groggily.

"How should we know he's a newbie." Erit chaffed.

"You know what though? He looks like Kanye." Hymo observed.

"What?" The boys chorused turning to the older member.

"Yeah I've worked with him a few times, not much though I mean he's two years older than me, much more experienced but that kid's almost the spitting image of him."

"Do you think those two are related?" Pasck chirped.

"It's possible, he does have two younger brothers if I remember right."

"He's pretty creepy." Ormi whispered, only just regaining consciousness.

"Yes, very foreboding." Nadra admitted.

"I dare one of you guys to speak to him." Shino goaded.

"Uh-uh, not me."

"No way."

"I ain't doing it."

"You bunch of wimps." The redhead provoked.

"Shino, give it a rest just let the kid be." Hymo scolded.

"Oh, so what you chicken too?" Shino flapped his bony arms and crossing his eyes began to make shrill squawks. "Everyone inside."

"What are we doing?" Pasck was perplexed.

"Come here and I'll show ya."

The seven boys filed into the crammed bedroom and sat in a semi-circle with

familiar docility. Shino was cutting something with a dull penknife, a skeletal piece of rope. He chopped it messily into six pieces of equal length, however the seventh was stunted and barely half the size of the rest.

"Ok, whoever gets the short one has to talk to corpsy out there."

The boys ogled the runty piece Shino twiddled between his fingers, expressions anxious. Shino collected up the rest of the rope and held it behind his back, sticking his tongue out while he concentrated, turning over the pieces in his hands and idly rearranging them. They reappeared again, all held taught in Shino's fist, only their head's visible and it was impossible to decipher the short one.

"Go on chicken, you first." Shino nudged after detaching a long piece of string to keep himself safe.

"Stop calling me that!" Hymo snapped, snatching at a thread.

A lengthy piece, Hymo smirked.

"You next, Erit."

The boy sniffed loudly and slid out another piece. Another tall one.

Each boy from around the circle took a section of rope; there were only two remaining when Shino announced Pasck's turn. The fair boy gently gripped one of them (after much deliberation that is) and whipped it out with great haste. The rope drooped across his hand and the boy released a melodramatic sigh of relief, a long piece.

"Ormi looks like it's up to you." Shino jabbed, folding the plump boys hand around the squat piece of rope.

Ormi looked at it with wide eyes, biting his lip and whimpering a little.

"Well, yous did it wrong. Wes all suppose to take a piece at the same time, we gotta do it again."

"No way, you got the short one fair and square." Shino retorted.

"Nah, I had my eye on a piece but then Erit took it. We gotta do it again."

"I'm not doing it again, if we all do it again Mr. Happy out there might be gone. Besides, like I told you, you got it in a fair game."

"He's got a point the boy may leave if we repeat the activity." Nadra intersected.

"Ormi he's just a kid just like you, yeah sure he may be a year older but so what?" Hymo added.

"Go on Ormi, be brave." Pasck trilled, striking his chests with his puny fists as if he was some kind of cave man.

Ormi however was not so certain, scratching the back of his neck as he contemplated. Suddenly Shino had lugged Ormi to his feet and began bulldozing him towards the door.

"Come on tubby!"

"Don't call me that!" Ormi shrieked trying to throw the leech that was Shino away but the redhead was too wily and managed to avoid the attack unscathed.

"Don't be such a baby, Ormi, he's just a vampire!"

"Vampire!" Ormi wailed, flailing wildly.

"He's being a jerk, Ormi, that kid's not a vampire." Hymo reassured.

"What? Of course he is! Can't you see the lust for blood in his eyes!" Shino teased, pointing straight at the boy as he flung open the door.

"Guys I don't want to do this anymore!"

"You didn't say you wanted to do it in the first place but here we are."

With that Shino threw Ormi over the threshold and out into the corridor, slamming the door behind him. Ormi stumbled and fell into the opposite wall, which shuddered in reaction to the blow. He froze however when he noticed the callous boy looking at him in distaste, the boy had been leaning on the wall and the sudden tremor had disrupted him. Ormi flushed pale as the boy's upper lip began to curl. He shuffled to the door and grasped the knob trying desperately to turn it, but it was apparent that Shino and perhaps the others had thrown their weight against the door and therefore locking him out.

It was a lost cause; Ormi would have to do this dare.

The boy was still staring daggers at Ormi, it was so intimidating and for a moment Ormi's vision became blurred.

"Erm…" he murmured. "Hi?"

The boy grimaced but did not speak.

Ormi cleared his throat and took a few steps forward.

"Yous new here? Yeah?"

The boy turned a little which caused Ormi to start.

"Yes." The boy's voice spoke acidly.

It became quiet, Ormi pulled at the collar of his shirt, this was getting extremely awkward and the boy's eyes just wouldn't leave him.

"So, erm, I'm Ormi. And you are?"

"Ormi? Isn't that the name of an ancient samurai?"

What the-? That wasn't the answer to the question.

"Er, yeah I think so."

"Do you know how to wield a sword?"

"No, only fire a basic rifle."

"Hmm pity, then you don't really live up to your name then do you?"

This guy is nuts! Ormi wished for nothing else but for a Captain to troupe up those stairs at the end of the corridor and shepherd all the new recruits out, including the boy, so he could get out of this mess.

"Um, ok, but what's your name?"

"Logos."

"Right, isn't that the name of an ancient," come on Ormi think! "Ninja?"

"It means the word of God, you dolt!" The boy lashed.

Ormi flinched. The boy curled back into the wall but still his eyes did not budge. The door behind Ormi creaked open and six pairs of eyes peaked round it.

"Guys! Look I did it so let me back in!" Ormi rasped urgently.

"Not yet, you have to have a proper conversation." Shino's voice jived.

"I have!"

"Well then what's his name?"

"Logos."

"How old is he?"

"Erm…"

"Is he Kanye's brother?"

"Hmm…"

"How come he looks like something from beyond the grave?"

"Well…"

"See you don't know anything. You have to keep going if you want to come back in."

Ormi turned back to Logos with gritted teeth.

"Urr, so yous just joined, that must mean you're eleven, right?"

"Oh come on, he's almost as tall as my dad how could he be eleven?" Shino's voice echoed in the background.

"Indeed the voice is right," Logos sneered, the collection of eyes behind Ormi let out a small yip and cowered back behind the door. "I'm fourteen if you must know."

"No way! That's how old I am!" Ormi squealed with a wide grin, happy to find common ground.

"You don't say." However Logos was still unaltered.

"Hey, according to a friend of mine you look a lot like a soldier here called Kanye, do you know him?"

Why was everyone so curious about his origin, Logos was getting agitated now, although this boy's bumbling mannerism were very amusing.

"He's my brother. So yes I know him."

"Ah nice."

The session had run dry again, but not because Ormi had run out of things to talk about, more that there was a reply he wanted to make but wasn't sure whether he'd be derogated for doing so. Yet he would say it anyway.

"I wish I had a brother."

Logos' head turned sharply with a very bemused expression.

"I always thought it would be really cool, ya know."

"Oh please, it's not all it's cracked up to be."

"Yeah but isn't it nice to have someone there when ya need them?"

"Not always, I prefer to be alone personally, besides parents easily manage the support department if one really must ask for assistance."

Something had hit a tender string in Ormi. He rubbed the back of his neck again looking a tad forlorn.

"Well, I'd like to have parents too."

Logos' eyes made a sudden change, the deadly and patronising glare transformed to something softer, nothing drastic but he seemed much more approachable now.

"Oh." He breathed. "When did they die?"

"Sin killed them when I was eight. My dad was a Yevonite and my mum was part of the research and engineers department here."

"So you're an orphan?"

"Yeah, well I live with my grandparents but it's not really the same. My grandpa's pretty strict cos he used to be a Yevonite Captain, it was him who made me join. My grandmas alright though."

"Well, at least you've got someone." Was that a smiled that had just flashed onto the boy's face? "I know what it's like to be under pressure too, my dad can also be a bit scrupulous though I'm certain he doesn't mean to be. Everyone expects me to live up to him and my brother but to be truthful I'm not sure I want to."

They stood still for a moment and from that moment the tension just seemed to evaporate. This Logos guy didn't seem too bad after all, probably just a bit misunderstood. Likewise Ormi, although indeed a bit of an oaf, implied to be quite the kindred spirit.

"Wow, that was beautiful!"

Shino leaped out of the door behind Ormi, clapping his hands inertly and wiping away a faux tear. He only stopped when Hymo's broad hand made contact with the back of his head, scuffing it solidly.

"Shino, you liar, he's not a vampire!"

Pasck foot flew down on Shino's and the boy began to hop about, a very unrepeatable selection of vocabulary sparking from his mouth.

"Shino has been telling him how the vampires dispose of their victims." Nadra explained.

"Yeah! First they creep up on them all quiet like," Erit was practising the very moves on Nadra, "and then they pounce and dig their teeth into their prey's neck and suck out the blood."

Nadra wobbled as Erit ambushed him, who was hissing wildly and pretending to bite his throat.

"Yeah but he's not a vampire, his teeth aren't big enough." Jubis commented as he attempted to look in Logos' mouth.

"I like him!" Pasck cheeped.

Shino collected himself and carefully pushed the other boys out of the way as he approach the new comer, brushing himself off and making himself respectable at the same time.

He extended an arm.

"Well, I guess I'll welcome you. I'm Shino Leiko."

Logos looked at the hand at first as if it were covered in slime but after a moment he cautiously took it and received a hearty shake from the redhead.

"This here is Nadra Tomoake, Erit Yoshi, Jubis Masaru, Pasck Chogawa, Hymo Kenzo and of course you've met Ormi Hassun."

"Charmed." Logos replied, rubbing his now aching wrist.

"We're all pretty new here too, apart from Hymo he's been here for three years, and Pasck who's been here for nearly a year."

"I'm gonna be twelve in two months!" The little blonde boy just couldn't contain his excitement.

Logos gave a half sincere grin to the mouse of a boy.

"What the heck is going on up here?"

The boys turned to see a two girls coming towards them. One was rather petite but had a dogged haughtiness about her, fine but frizzy, brown hair flaring behind her as she strode up to them. The other was a little taller but very weedy looking with almost no definite figure; the only angle to her body was her hips that spiked out of her sides. She had straight, shiny, black hair, part of which fell tardily over her right eye.

"We can hear you all from downstairs! You woke us all up!"

"Oh Shelinda, please forgive us. We didn't mean to wake you from your beauty sleep, we all know how much you need it." Shino pleaded falsely.

"Shino, why can't you just grow up?"

"Hey! He can grow up whenever he feels like it, he's just too busy." Erit joined.

"You know this is why you all get in so much trouble half the time. You're all immature and you don't do as you're told or consider anyone else."

"Actually the Captains' rarely consider anyone else either so that's a poor argument."

"Who said that?"

The boys shifted to the sides to make narrow passage between them. Shelinda had seen who had spoken, and with a huff, charged up to him.

"How would you know? You're just a new recruit. I bet you're just like the others. I'm going to assume you did something silly and a Captain caught you and put you in your place and now you feel they are the one at fault."

"Not so," Logos uttered, eyeing the young thing before him, "true I've been here only a short period of time but from what I can see the Captain's are just as selfish as the soldiers, if not more. I've already been interrogated by one for simply being who I am and I doubt it will be the last. He was rather cynical in his manner when he inquired too."

"Well who are you anyway? And which Captain are you talking about?"

"His name's Logos!" Pasck yapped.

"And I heard Ralin's name mentioned by the soldiers who escorted the new recruits up." Hymo intervened.

"Well," Shelinda's nostrils began to flare, "I can tell you that Ralin is a great and responsible Captain. You must have done something wrong otherwise he would have had no reason to question you. It's obvious that it was your own fault."

"How dare you." Logos growled.

"Oh come on Shelinda that's a complete load!" Erit whooped.

"It's not! Ralin's a respectable soldier, he always keeps you all in line when you're disobedient and he's always courteous to those who pay attention and do well." She beamed smugly.

"That's cos he's a perv, Shelinda!" Shino barked.

"I've got to admit he's only ever nice to the girls in my section, always gives the guys a hard time."

"Hymo's right!" Pasck sang, referencing the prior speaker. "He'd know cos he's a good soldier, he never does anything wrong."

The minuscule, boy's blond hair received a firm ruffle in appreciation from the elder member.

"Oh you're all impossible!" With that the girl heaved an aggravated sigh and tromped off to the lower floor.

The raven-haired girl stood perfectly still as she observed her friends exit. She did not move for a moment or so, creating an awkward hush among the boys.

She turned to them slowly.

"What jumped up her backside and died?" She reviled, barely opening her slim mouth.

"You got me, Ishra," Hymo shook his head, "she's got an over-inflated sense of self esteem me thinks."

"She used to be so nice, like when I joined last year she was the only one who talked to me on my first day, what the hell happened to that Shelinda?"

"Aah, she just thinks she's the bees knees is all, don't worry about it." Shino sneered.

"So," Ishra rested her bony hands on the peak of that pointy pelvis of hers, "who exactly is this new guy?"

"Kanye's brother." Logos received a hard thump on the back as Erit pushed him forward.

"Logos, nice to meet you." He introduced himself while massaging his now bruised shoulder blade.

"Listen, Logos, don't take any notice of that pompous duce, she can be a right schmuck when she wants to be. She takes right after Ralin and all the other vile Captains here. Basically she's a complete kiss ass."

Logos mouth curled into a subtle smile as the girl tossed her shiny hair a little and revealed her second, blue-grey pigmented eye.

"Thank you." He replied, raising an eyebrow in a suggestive manner.

In return the girl flashed a somewhat buck-toothed grin.

"Great. Well I best be going before frizz-head throws another tantrum, see you all later." She began to saunter off to the stairs. "Oh by the way, you didn't wake Shelinda up, she just wanted to yell about something. She could sleep through a flipping Sin rampage."

After the landing was clear of all those who were not of male gender, the boys returned to their dorm; Hymo had rejoined the older soldiers upstairs and left the younger be to get ready. Shino had stampeded through the other boys to make sure he was first to access the washroom; Jubis was given quite a violent smack in the nose during this exercise and was now sitting sulkily in the corner behind the door, pulling on his uniform slacks. Nadra was battling with his thick hair using only a small, thin-toothed comb as his weapon. Erit, who knew better then to challenge Shino, completely ignored the fact that he wasn't in front of a sink and instead sat clumsily on a chest of draws brushing his teeth and spitting out the window from time to time. Pasck was somewhere buried within the confides of the disarrayed wardrobe, voyaging for his minute uniform and Ormi, keeping himself to himself, was neatening the quilt of his lower bunk and carefully placing his raggedy teddy bear on the pillow.

Logos wandered in, a little bewildered by all the commotion. The boys had sent him to the room the Captain had directed the new recruits to earlier, to fetch his possessions and akin garments: two more spare uniforms, pyjamas, bathrobe, accessories for certain weather conditions and toiletries. It had sounded like a reasonable amount of equipment but it was less than unimpressive once Logos had seen it for himself, it now sat comfortably in a wimpy, little pile in his hands. The only thing that hauled him down now was a large, black satchel filled with personal items, which Yevon had held for the past few hours during Logos' induction.

"So, when exactly does the day commence?" He asked after a small pause.

"Usushally aboooust ninseish." Erit dribbled.

"What?"

The boy sprayed out the window and a distance shout of disgust echoed up.

"I said, 'usually about nine'."

"So you have an hour to get yourself ready." Jubis mumbled from his spot.

"Though you're already dressed and assembled I guess-ow!" Nadra yelped as he finally ripped a juicy knot from his strands. "Why don't you get your bed sorted."

Logos glanced round; there were only three sets of musty, bunk beds.

"My bed?"

"Here!"

Logos' eyes swivelled downwards to see Pasck, (wearing only his green, uniform shirt, which was miles too big for him and hung down past his knobbly knees) he was tugging playfully on Logos sleeve with one hand, and in his other was a long, thick piece of fabric, like tight-knitted wool. The boy heaved it up and tossed it atop the pile of clothes, it jangled quietly and Logos noticed it had two metallic hooks on each end.

"It's a hammock."

"I know what it is, I'm not blind."

The boy tittered a bit.

"I'll get you a quilt and a pillow." With that he stumbled back to the closet.

"There should be a space in the upper far corner of the room, behind Ormi and Nadra's bed, attach it there." Shino suggested as he exited the bathroom, Jubis skidding in behind him before anyone else had a chance to breath. "Might want to clean it out for spiders though first."

"It's alright, I don't really mind the arachnids."

"The what?" Erit gurgled through foam.

"Nothing."

And hence he did as instructed.