(A/N: Sorry to those of you who I replied to first, I said I'd have the next one up soon didn't I? Well there are reasons why it took longer:

1. My laptop broke and so did my computer. Whenever I switch to one it breaks so I have to go to the other, then that one breaks. It's a good thing I have this on my memory stick.

2. Real life was being difficult.

3. I had a bit of writers block. Ok, a lot of writers block.

4. I haven't written a fanfic for ages, so I miss-estimated the time it would take.

5. This chapter is longer.

Disclaimer: I do not own +anima or its characters. I do not own 'somewhere I belong' by Linkin Park, ether. Nor do I own Eastenders. I do own my OCs though. Warning: This chapter contains swearing and oocness.)

Nana's head slowly began to droop once more. Startled, she caught herself mid-act and sat up straight again. The young girl stood up from the small wooden chair she was sitting on and made her way to the windowsill. She glanced at her watch, and was surprised to find it was morning.

It had been a whole three hours since Becca had left, but Nana was still to nervous to let herself sleep. Maybe she would have, if it were not for the fact that her bed was currently occupied by someone else, namely, Husky.

A small groan behind her made her spin quickly around, her heart beating faster as she tip-toed over to the bed. The young man was still asleep. Nana breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the bed, once again assigning herself to studying the man's face.

There was something feminine in the face that made it look so innocent, yet something; some weird essence in the face that made it defiantly masculine. Nana's eyes trailed down from the perfectly shaped nose to the soft, plump lips, gently parted as they took in air.

'They're so perfect, like everything about him… so…kissable…' Nana blushed when she thought this, and shook her head. No! He was bound to have a girlfriend already, surely? But hadn't Becca mentioned that he had no other friends except her? A voice awoke her from her thoughts.

"Are you just going to sit there staring, or are you going to get off me?" With a startled yelp, Nana noticed Husky was awake. And that she was sitting on his legs.

"S-sorry!" She said, getting up and sitting on the chair conveniently placed beside the bed. The young man sat up and immediately clutched at his head.

"Ow!" He winced. "Shit. I guess that's what I get for getting drunk, huh? Take my advice, stay away from alcohol." Husky suddenly seemed to notice where he was.

"How'd I get here? Where is here? What time is it?" He asked, rubbing his temples.

"U-um, you passed out yesterday after me and Becca saved you. My house was closer so we flew you here. You've been asleep for more than three hours. Its 7:00AM." Nana answered, carefully avoiding the fact that she had sat there watching him all the time he was asleep.

"Oh. Well, thanks for that, but I really didn't need the help. I'm fine-" Husky was cut off as he got out of bed and fell promptly onto the light green carpet, face first. Nana tried to stop herself from laughing, but failed miserably as she dissolved into giggles. Husky pulled himself up from the floor and glared at her.

"This is why I hate girls. Always finding humour in everything. I'll be leaving now." He said. He slammed open the door and stomped out.

"Husky, wait!" Nana called after him, rushing and grasping his arm. He glared again at her.

"Don't you get the message? Fuck off! I don't want more friends!" Husky wrenched his arm out from her grip and found his black trainers by the front door. Nana stood behind him, a slightly hurt expression on her face. Once Husky had his shoes on, he turned to look at her. Suddenly, his face softened.

"Err, well, thanks again for letting me stay here. I owe you one. See ya around, Nana." He said, his voice barely above a whisper. And with that, he left.

-

About an hour later, on the other side of town, a man with grey beaded hair and an eye patch over one eye opened the curtains to his and his girlfriend's bedroom, letting the early summer morning sun stream onto his rather handsome face.

"Senri? Ugg, is it 8:00AM already?" The woman behind him asked, rubbing sleep from her slightly cat-like eyes. Senri only nodded at his girlfriend.

"What day is it?" The woman, Rose, asked. She looked towards her calendar and answered her own question. She groaned.

"Great. Work." She said sarcastically, going over to a drawer and picking out clothes for both of them. She left Senri's on the double bed and took her own into the bathroom. While she was dressing, she turned the radio on.

'And here is the newest song from Restless wave, Somewhere I Belong!' The radio DJ said. Rose, curious now, turned it up.

(When this began)
I had nothing to say,
And I get lost in the nothingness inside of me
(I was confused)
And I let it all out to find,
That I'm not the only person with these things in mind.
(Inside of me)
But all the vacancy the words revealed,
Is the only real thing that I've got left to feel.
(Nothing to lose)
Just stuck, hollow and alone,
and the fault is my own, and the fault is my own.

[Chorus]
I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real,
I wanna let go of the pain I've held so long.
(Erase all the pain till it's gone)
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real
I wanna find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong

And I've got nothing to say
I can't believe I didn't fall right down on my face
(I was confused)
Looking everywhere only to find
That it's not the way I had imagined it all in my mind
(So what am I)
What do I have but negativity
'Cause I can't justify the way, everyone is looking at me
(Nothing to lose)
Nothing to gain/ hollow and alone
And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own

I wanna heal, I wanna feel, what I thought was never real

I wanna let go of the pain I've held so long

(Erase all the pain till it's gone)

I wanna heal; I wanna feel, like I'm close to something real

I wanna find something I've wanted all along

Somewhere I belong

I will never know myself until I do this on my own
And I will never feel anything else, until my wounds are healed
I will never be anything till I break away from me
I will break away, I'll find myself today

I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real
I wanna let go of the pain I've held so long
(Erase all the pain till it's gone)
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm close to something real
I wanna find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong

I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm somewhere I belong
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I'm somewhere I belong
Somewhere I belong

As the music faded out, Rose felt a slight pang of pity for Husky. What must he have gone through to write something like that? She turned off the radio and got dressed in silence. She came out of the bathroom to find that Senri had also gotten dressed. She smiled at him.

"What do you want for breakfast, Senri?" Rose asked, putting her usual hairclip into her hair.

"Honey…" Came the reply. Rose giggled.

"Coming right up." She said.

-

Cooro made the finishing touches to his pancake before swallowing it whole and almost chocking on it. He laughed and began to make himself another, whilst pouring himself a drink of apple juice at the same time.

"Apples, apples, gotta love dem apples!" He sang to himself. After three more pancakes and another glass of apple juice, Cooro loaded the dishwasher and had a shower. After said shower, he put on his work clothes (Black shirt down to his elbows and a pair of denim shorts) and put his stuff into his backpack.

Grabbing his keys off the fridge, he locked the door behind him and got on his bike, (He didn't want to damage the environment by having a car, and besides, he only lived ten minutes away.) Smiling as the wind rushed through his dark hair.

-

Husky slammed the door behind him and locked it, his face one of confusion. Why couldn't he stop thinking about that Nana girl? I mean, she let him sleep in her bed and all, but surely she was just being kind.

He decided to watch TV to get his mind off her, but somehow he always caught himself thinking about her. Her soft brown hair that smelled of raspberries, her shimmering emerald eyes that bore through your soul, her perfect, round lips… Gah! With a sigh of frustration, Husky heaved himself off his sofa and decided to call the pizza place down the road. He didn't feel much like cooking. But then, as he reached for the phone, it began to ring. It was Becca.

"Hey Husky! I just wanted to make sure you made it back ok." She said.

"Oh. Well, I did, so you can hang up now." He replied, grumpily.

"Hey, who woke up on the wrong side of Nana's bed this morning? I mean, it's only…" Becca checked her watch "11:53AM! Be grateful I didn't wake you at midnight this time!"

"Yeah, okay. Listen, Becca, I'm sorry I yelled at you yesterday. And that I walked out. And that I got drunk and almost got mugged. I just don't know what came over me. I think I was just stressed." Husky said, sitting down in the chair by the phone and rubbing his temples.

"No problem…" A sly grin overtook Becca's face. "I guess this means you won't mind trying again? With Missing life and the other two? Please?" She begged him. Husky sighed.

"I don't know… what if they don't like me any more? What if they just think I'm horrible because I shouted at you?"

"I'm sure they don't. I've already asked BlackDust, Cooro, his real name is, and Missing Life, because they had work today, like me. They said they don't mind starting again with a clean slate. I'm sure Nana is the same; otherwise she wouldn't have let you stay at her house. Please?" Becca reasoned.

"Okay. I'll give it a shot. But no promises, alright?" Husky smiled to himself at the thought that he was being given another chance.

"Ok. Tonight, 6:00PM, same place. Don't be late." Becca replied, hanging up.

-

Outside a small café on Mort Street, a similar scene to that of the day before began to unfold, but this time, the end was hoped to be different. It was 5:47PM, and only Becca and most of Missing Life were there. The members that were there were Ricky, Angel, and Rose. Senri had said (OMG he spoke?!) that there was something he wanted to buy before he came, and although she had her doubts, Rose had let him go alone. After another ten minutes, he, Nana and Cooro showed up at the same time, from different directions.

"Hey you two! I guess Husky is going to be late agai…" A musical, soft voice cut through hers.

"Now that is where you're wrong." The voice belonged to none other than Husky.

"Husky! I knew you wouldn't let me down… again…" Becca said, grinning sheepishly. Husky was dressed in a high necked blue shirt and black jeans, with matching trainers. He sat down.

The same waitress from yesterday approached them.

"Er… can I take your order?" She asked, slightly nervous from the outburst the previous day. But this time things went differently.

"Yes, thank you. I'll have a waffle with cream please." Said Husky.

"I'll have the same please."

"And me."

"My boyfriend and I want ours with honey."

"My sister and I want ours with syrup, please."

"I'll have mine with apple sauce."

After all the orders were taken, the waitress went away, and then there came a slightly awkward silence.

"So, what are all your names, Missing Life? I already know Cooro and Nana…" Husky asked.

"I'm Ricky, and this is my sister Angel. The tall one with grey hair is Senri, and the other one is his girlfriend, Rose." Ricky said. He lay back in his chair and looked towards the sky. "We met about five years back, during the +anima war." Everyone nodded. They all remembered that. Many +anima had been slaughtered, and a lot had to go into hiding underground.

"After the war, we all found we had a talent for music. So, having nowhere else to go, we formed a band, got popular, and here we are." Angel continued quietly. There was another silence, but this time, everyone was remembering terrible the events of five years ago. Nana cut through the silence.

"What kind of +anima are you all? I know Becca is a butterfly, and I'm a bat, but what about everyone else?" She asked, her voice a whisper so no one on nearby tables overheard them.

"I'm a white zebra finch. I can grow white wings." Angel replied.

"I'm a yellow canary I grow yellow wings, the same color as my hair." Her brother said.

"Wow, there are a lot of birds here today, because I'm one as well. A crow." Cooro smiled at the siblings.

"That means most of us have wings, bird or not." Becca mused. She fell quiet when the waitress arrived with drinks. After she had gone, Rose spoke.

"I'm a cat, and Senri is a bear." She then looked expectantly at Husky.

"I guess I'm the odd one out. I'm a fish. I grow a fish tail and gills, similar to a merman, my +anima markings are on my neck, that's why I always wear high-collars." Husky said. He took a sip of his milkshake.

"I guess we are all lucky to have another +anima as our costume designer. Otherwise we would have been doomed from the start." Nana added, though she knew that her markings weren't hard to hide.

After another few minutes of meaningless chatter, the food came. Everyone sweat dropped when they saw Cooro begin to eat, especially when he started singing.

"Waffles, waffles, can't get enough of them waffles!" Not the most imaginative of songs, but it was effectively annoying all the same.

"Cooro! Please, could you just SHUT UP for once?!" Becca said, holding her ears after about the millionth line of 'Waffles'. It wasn't that his singing was bad, by all means it was very tuneful and Cooro was a good singer, but once you've heard the same line over an over again for even five minutes, it does get on your nerves.

Mercifully, there was only a set amount of time one person could be eating the same waffle, and soon they were all finished.

"Well that was nice. I think we should do that again sometime." Rose said, wiping away some waffle crumbs with a napkin.

"Agreed." Ricky nodded. He stood up and threw his share of the bill on the table. His sister did the same.

"Cya around, guys." He said. He then left, sister in tow.

"What the deal with them two then? How did they become +anima?" Cooro asked. It was an innocent enough question, but the effect was immediate.

"Cooro! That's a very personal question!" Nana said, her cheeks puffing out in anger. Rose and Becca looked sad.

"No, it's alright; I don't think they would mind. They're very open about it. Though for many, becoming a +anima is a terrifying experience. Not just from the fact that the situation you are in must be life threatening, but also the shock of becoming the 'monsters' your parents told you never to go near. I know I don't like to talk about it, but Ricky and Angel… they just don't seem effected by grief. I know they must be, but maybe it's in a different way? I'm never sure with them two." Becca explained. Receiving expectant faces from Cooro, Nana and Husky, she went on.

"I happened about 15 years ago, when Ricky was 10 and Angel was 6. They're parents were traveling researchers of plants, and they were in the North mountains, a place that is cold, but exotic at the same time. A strange but wonderful place. Anyway, the family's carriage was running along side a deep canyon, when a crash of lightning scared the horse. It veered to the left, and into the canyon. In the canyon lived various canaries and finches, lots of different types of small birds, basically. As they were falling, Ricky and Angel became +anima. But their parents were obviously too old to become +anima, and died." Becca ended the tale and put her hand in her pocket, retrieving her purse and putting her share on the table.

"I've got to go. Cya at work." She said. Cooro also paid and left; the smile always on his face gone and replaced with a thoughtful frown. Next to leave (after paying) was Nana, who muttered something about needing to get home before Eastenders. Then Rose and Senri left, Senri insisting there was something he wanted to give her. And so Husky was left alone to pay his part, which he did. He then set off down the road, in the direction of his house.

When he got home, Husky finally allowed himself to smile. He thought that that went quite well, really, except for the bitter twinge at the end. But then again, things like that never go perfectly. He had sorta made up with Nana as well. Though why he was so pleased at this, Husky wasn't sure.

He flopped down on the sofa and began to watch TV. But though his mind was in all sorts of places, in that canyon, on Nana, in the café, in that dark, deep pond where he almost drowned, it wasn't on the TV.

-

Nana yawned as she locked the door and slumped down into her armchair. She turned on the gas fire and switched on the TV, where 'Eastenders' was coming on. Nana had always been addicted to this soap, mostly because her mother watched it when her dad wasn't in. With a sigh of content, she hugged a cushion close to her, and glued her eyes to the screen.

-

Cooro eventually got home after a 30-minute bike ride. He hummed a tune under his breath as he got himself a drink and set up his laptop, switching on his stereo as he went. When his laptop finally loaded, Cooro turned down the music and began to randomly surf the internet, mostly playing games and watching funny videos.

-

Laden with bags of shopping, Becca struggled through her door and closed it behind her. The brown haired girl put the bags on the ground and straightened up with a yawn. She took the bags she knew had things that needed freezing or refrigerating in them and unpacked them, leaving the others in the hallway. Becca saw the darkening sky and decided to call it an early night, locking her door and going into her room.

She was part way through getting dressed when she looked in the mirror, and, out of the corner of her eye, thought she saw someone. She span around quickly, only to find no-one there. Becca bit her lip as fear washed over her. She had recognised the person she saw. But that was impossible. That person was dead. Becca shook her head.

"I must be going crazy." She said, getting into bed.

-

On the other side of town, a blonde girl with light blue eyes also packed up for the night. She was weary from the day's events, but somehow sleep wouldn't find her. So, with a sigh, she switched on her TV and began to watch a documentary on Elephants. There was a sudden knock on the door

"Come in." She said; her voice only just above her TV. Angel knew who it was. And, as she suspected, it was her brother Ricky.

"I brought you some hot chocolate." He said. Then he paused and continued. "Can't sleep huh? Me nether. I guess today was full of excitement. I'm going out to the garden to do some weeding, weird time to do it but I guess that's just how I am. Don't stay up too late." He left the room and closed the door behind him. As he left the house he paused by the last picture taken of him and his family as a whole. Mother, Father, and the two children. Ricky smiled at it and walked out into the garden

-

"Come on Senri, tell me! What's going on? What do you want to tell me?" Rose asked for about the tenth time as she was dragged through the threshold of the room she shared with her boyfriend, Senri.

Rose was lead to an armchair and Senri began searching for something, looking everywhere: The drawers, the wardrobe, under the rugs. Frustrated, Senri got out a small brown book which he then looked through. He suddenly seemed to find what he was looking for when he saw a rough drawing of a box and a pillow. Somehow, this made perfect sense to Senri and he went over to one of the pillows on the double bed and found what he was looking for underneath it. He hid whatever it was behind his back.

"Senri?" Curiously, Rose leaned forwards in her chair as Senri took out a small black velvet box and got down on one knee. Opening the box to reveal a beautiful sparkly ring, he asked a life-changing question.

"Marry me…?"

-

(A/N: OMG… I just realised, I made them all into couch potatoes, didn't I? Well, that's mostly due to the fact that I can't think of anything else for them to do. Ooh cliffhanger-sort-of-not-really! Please review!)