Again, I don't own K. Yea. Oh yeah, if you haven't already figured it out the titles are lyrics to a song called This Fire by The Used. I obviously don't own that either!

+*{Chapter 2: When you pushed we never pulled}*+


I really couldn't tell if this was editable or not, looking at the gray and dry oatmeal glued onto the bottom of the plastic, white bowl. I could feel the eyes of the nurse next to me burning holes onto the side of my head.

"Well?!" Her voice very annoyed and impatient. "What's taking you so long?" I peeked from my lids and gazed up at her standing form, her arms crossed and foot tapping. I faked a little grin and picked up the metal spoon. I practically had to scrape the contents of the last remaining oatmeal off of the sides. I gravely stared at disgusting food then despite my own wishes I shoved it quickly into my mouth. And I thought oatmeal wasn't suppose to be crunchy. In revulsion, I dropped the metal spoon in the bowl and rushed to the glass of bitter water, washing whatever was left of the vile taste. The glass was then knocked from my grasp as she slapped me across the cheek. "Ungrateful brat of a strain! You never complained before! Why must you complain now?" She literally spat at me.

I put a hand to the warming of my right cheek, feeling as the blood rushed to that numb spot. It's true, I hadn't complained before. It didn't mean I didn't feel the same way about the foods served here. I guess, I had just got tired of pretending. Who wouldn't?

I didn't realize she had left and I was alone at the metal table of a blank looking dining room. Or at least, I thought I was. At the end of the long table sat a white blond haired girl, Ash. She as well was finished with her breakfast, her green eyes were looking back at me. None of us bothered to look away, it seemed almost normal and comforting this silence between her and I.

"Is your full name Ashley?" Her eyes slightly ajar from the sound of my voice then she spoke.

"I don't originally have a name… But yes, Ashley is what they called me."

"They?" She got up slowly from her chair and cautiously walked over to my side of the table. She stopped a few feet and sat on the spot she stood, crossing her pale legs snuggly on top of the other.

"The homeless people of Shizume City."

"What?" I leap up slightly from my chair and stared questionably at her on the floor. "There are no homeless people in Shizume. This is practically a wealthy and healthy city. You must be lying." Coldly she replied.

"Yes, there are. People like you just don't see them. You never do! Always caring about yourselves! Ignorant snobs!" Just like that she jumped to her feet and tackled me to the ground. Her fists slamming into my gut and legs kicking at my shins. I reached for her hair and clawed whatever skin my nails made contact with. It wasn't until we were both exhausted that we just laid on the floor, our heavy breathing all too loud in the tranquil room. It was our third fight so far. After realizing who she was yesterday after my brief over dose, I pounced on her.

Fighting with her was never the same. I relished in these small quarrels. The blows, kicks and slitting her nails did actually stung. The regular damaged delivered by the nurses and doctors did no big harm and definitely didn't hurt. It seemed like a mere tap or pat. Ash's injures were different, they made me feel alive when all I felt here was just cold and dull. I think she realized it too because we always went back to talking to each other. Then of course brawling with each other.

"Why would the homeless people call you Ashley?" A few peacefully seconds went on and I glanced at her beside me. Her face was bright and happy, her eyes filled with emotion.

"Because they were my family. They took me in. They cared for me." Her eyes glazed over with memories. I guess, this kind of thing (being taken into a corrupted insane asylum) could happen to any one, even that of a homeless girl.

"Did you love them?" She snapped her eyes open and began laughing hysterically. I punched her playfully in the shoulder and she ceased, turning seriously to me.

"You're asking a strain if they could love?" It did seem like a stupid question. At least, to us. "You tell me, Ember."

"Yea, I guess you're right. Sorry."

"Shut up." She said in a teasing tone before she grasped my hand and hers. She had her eyes closed, cradling herself into my side. Her length the perfect fitting to my own. She was so warm. I then asked myself; could a strain love when all we knew inside was emptiness?

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It was raining again. It usually rained every time I happen to stare outside. The clouds pulled over the sun, turning everything under it black or gray. Will I ever get to see a beautiful day? The only other colors in this place were that of the minimal crayons I was given since first coming here even the food appeared colorless. Ash was using them at the moment, coloring on some paper she had stole. I wonder where she had stole it from…

"Look Ember! Do you like it?!" Slowly tearing my eyes form the scene outside, I looked at Ash's picture. She had drawn two faces, one of them with yellow hair and green eyes, the other had black messy hair and gray eyes. Both looked to be smiling at me.

"It's nice Ash." When she didn't move or respond I peeked at her. She had her head cast down and she seemed to be shaking. I stood up to get a closer look at her when she tore the paper into pieces and threw them at me.

"Is that all you have to say!" She leaped up and ran out the room we were currently lounging in. I crawled over to the ripped pieces of paper she left behind. I took each piece into my hand as a small feeling of guilt washed over me. Without much thought I put them under the tight waistband of my white pants and ran after Ash. The speed of my feet felt as if they never touch the floor. I had run around the whole asylum a couple of times before running out of breath.

When I had finally calmed down I felt the pulling of my arm and noticed Ash was the one pulling it. A neutral look on her face, she sure did recover quickly. I followed where she lead me which seemed to be an office. She put her hands around her mouth and put it to my ear to whisper.

"I want you to keep watch while I get more paper."

"WHAT! YOU STOLE THE PAPER FROM HERE!"

"Shhh! Keep your voice down!" She turned to glance behind us and stretched her small neck to see if anyone was around. At least for right now, we were completely alone beside the office. "Yes, I stole the paper from the printer in here. Hey, don't look at me like that! They wouldn't let us write in the books." She was, right.

"Just hurry up, okay!?" She nodded her head and turned to open the door. By the time it creaked open she had already squeezed her way through and was reaching for the printer paper. I peeked from the crack of the open door as I stood in the empty room with her.

I heard footsteps coming from the hall and I could literally feel my heart leap into my mouth.

"Ash, I hear something we have to go! Now!" She leap off the printer and was rushing to me when suddenly the door was yanked from my grasp. There two big male doctors stood blocking our only exit. I quickly grabbed Ash's hand and ran toward the two hoping to, at least, find a gap between them. In surprise they jumped back leaving the doorway open. With Ash close behind my heels I ran as fast as my legs could handle.

From around the corner I didn't see the group of nurses already waiting for us. As soon as we turned my hair was pulled and I was forced to tear my hand away from Ash's. I could hear the familiar sound of her voice scream and echo in the hall. A needle stinging and plunging it's way into my neck, I completely and immediately grew limp as I was thrown over a male nurse's shoulder. My eyelids growing very heavy as I hopelessly stared at Ash's violent struggle with the remaining nurses. She screamed and cried out for me when all I could do was sob softly into this stranger's shoulder. I watched as she reached out for me in pure desperation before a fuzzy blackness took me.

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I hadn't seen Ash in days. For all I knew, it could have been weeks. Time was indifferent in this Asylum. Though time meant nothing, I knew that it was about that time for my shock therapy session.

The two nurses almost promptly bursted into my door, each with masks and gloves on. I had given up fighting and surrendered as they dragged me through the halls, the trail already memorized in my aching head. We entered the room and they tossed me on the slab of a gurney, binding me with leather straps. The familiar looking doctor also sporting the same gloves and mask.
"Where's Ash?" The question caught him off guard as he prepared the machine.
"Oh. You mean patient 31!~" His voice laced with amusement.

"WHERE'S MY FRIEND!?" I was on the verge of tears. I hated this place. And someone I thought was my escape was taken from me. Someone I was considering to be my friend.

"Now that is something we are going to have to change, aren't we?" He gave me a smirk from under his mask and laughed. "You strains don't have no friends. In fact, you should be incapable of emotions. Oh, it will change when you grow, we will make sure of that. But you're still so young.~" His rubbery hand touched and cradled the side of my face. The smell almost overbearing to my heightened senses. "You are all alone. We will prepare you to be nothing but indifferent tools. I'm only giving you, strains, what you deserves.~" Before I could answer back he stuffed something hard into my mouth, I bit hard as I knew the shock of electricity was soon to come.

A white hot pain shoot through my body as they pressed the handles to my temples. I heard the sound of my voice scream inside the small room. Another white merciless pain sent to my toes and fingertips. While being electrified they repeated the same words.

"You have no friends. Patient 31 was never your friend. You are alone." This would go on for so long that my throat became raw and sore from my continuous screaming. Over and over again, up until I wasn't aware which was reality and which was not. It went like this for another couple of days. Was this was my punishment for being a strain?

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"Who are you?"

"I am patient Number 13."

"What are you?"

"I am a strain."

"What is a strain?"

"Monsters."

"Now tell me. Can a strain love? Do they have friends?"

"No. A strain cannot love because of their inability to feel things. They have no friends because they are alone."

"Now, strain. What are your abilities?"

"I do not know." The doctor sighed very tiredly and hung his head. The smirk he wore days before now gone and replaced with an irritated frown. He crossed his arms and tossed his head to the figure looming behind him. I tried my best to not fidget or glance at the person. He wore an all black suit and also stood with arms crossed. His face and head out of my area of vision.

I kept very still and breathed in evenly, the urge to blink all too strong now. I had to be able to fake being oblivious and just plain emotionless if I wanted to stop the torturous days I've been having. They were trying to break me. And they could too, if this keeps going on.

"I don't see why we still have her. She doesn't even have any abilities. And neither does the other little girl." Other little girl? Does she mean Ash? My heart leaping inside my stiff ribcage.

"She is a strain. Perhaps she hasn't discovered them yet. That should be YOUR job to find out!" The doctor flinched under the loud scolding of his superior.

"Yea. Well, how can you be sure she's a strain?" A strong hand surrounded the arrogant doctor and began to squeeze. His eyes bulge and he was brought to the balls of his feet, leaving my line of vision. All I could see now was his withering and shaking form.

"ARE YOU QUESTIONING ME? HUMAN!" In response was the sorrowful gurgles of the suffocating doctor. He was sent flying across the floor in a loud thud sending all the chairs in the room in a crash with him. "She's a strain. You will find her ability. Along with the other one!" With the man left the room, I was now alone scared and shocked with the barely conscious doctor. Who was that?

I had passed the test and was now free to wander the insane asylum. I was happy for once. I wasn't locked inside my room like I had been for the past two weeks. It felt longer. I had found myself in the common room. It seemed different now as more bodies huddled in that small room. More strains.

I walked up to the fire place which I knew wasn't lit because of how cold it was. I simply stared at my feet and from my peripheral vision I saw someone already sitting at my spot. Before I knew it I was running toward her and hugged her tightly from behind. The feel of her blond tresses tickling my face as I felt tears begin to fall. She didn't respond until she shoved me from her. I gawked up at her now standing form as she tightened her fists at her sides. In a whisper even so soft I could barely hear she said.

"Not here, Ember. People are watching. Meet me at the pool." With that she pretending to be disgusted and turned on her heel, I was almost confused until I registered that she had said my name. She remembered. She remembered my name! I wiped the tears that had fallen and got to my feet, turning the opposite direction to begin my walk to the pool. Where I would see my only friend, Ash. A strain without ability like me.

A warmth inside my chest, in the place where I thought my heart had stopped pumping hot blood, only pumping the ongoing cold hate for the reality I called my life.


Ahhh! Second Chappie! I know this is dark. Very dark. Sorry if it's too much. Also another thing, Ember may sound like very adult like in her thoughts but I like to think of Strains already being intelligent and fast learners. But she is also still a little girl. Anyway. I hope you enjoyed! I also kind of enjoy writing this. Ciao!