Chapter II: Separate Destinies

Kathryn groaned as she woke. She didn't think she was seriously injured, but she was sore. And wherever she was, the air quality was horrible. "Hey, I think she's waking up!" A masculine voice called out. She coughed.

"What's going on?" Kathryn asked as she opened her eyes, sitting up to see she was on a very rickety bed. She came face to face with the only other occupant in the very small room. A man with huge eyes and a hat that concealed any hair he had. "Who are you? Where am I?"

It hardly looked like a hospital room. What if I was kidnapped after I was knocked out?The thought made her scowl at the man, but before he'd thought of an appropriate answer, the door to the room opened. Another man, with greasy brown hair and the same startling eyes looked at her before turning to the other guy. "If she's up, then let's get her out of here. Eeez has a bed time, you know?"

Kathryn, not needing the encouragement, quickly got out of the bed. "I'm up. Now, will you please answer my question's?"

The men shared a look before the man in the hat looked to her. "I'm Momo, that's Clark. You're by the mines." He leaned against the wall. "And I've got no idea what's going on. Tyki said you were collapsed outside the mine. We don't get a lot of girls workin' here. Did you dehydrate?"

Kathryn stared at the two. "What mine? Where? I wasn't anywhere near a mine!"

A new voice entered the room, and it was one that, despite holding no malice, made her want to shiver. "Finally up?" Kathryn looked to the door where a man stood in jeans and suspenders. Who wears suspenders anymore?A pair of very dorky glasses rested on his nose, and she found herself frowning in an attempt to see his eyes.

"Who are you?"

The one called Momo spoke. "That's Tyki, the one that brought you in. If it weren't for him you'd probably still be on the ground out there."

She looked to Tyki in surprise. "Where did you find me? Were there other people there? My car?"

They all stared at her.

"What?"

Thursday was less than pleased to find out that more than likely, the feeling on her left side probably wouldn't return. She was even less pleased when the doctor asked her to leave her sister alone for awhile. It wasn't like she was stalking the poor girl. She just wanted to make sure she was okay, and that doctor was one she didn't know, and didn't trust. Which was how she found herself sneaking away from the bed she was given to sleep in and heading to the infirmary door.

Her hand was on the doorknob before she heard a voice at her ear. "What are you doing?" She couldn't help it; she squealed.

She released the doorknob and turned to backhand her assailant, but said assailant grabbed her wrist. She was face to face with the boy that had nicknamed her screamer girl. And she had just screamed in front of him. Again. And he was smirking. "What's so funny?"

"That I scared you that bad. Oh man, the look on your face..." She glowered at him.

"That isn't funny!"

"You're not very good at being quiet, are you?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it before she accidentally proved his point again. She took a deep breath before speaking in a lower voice. "I think maybe we got off on the wrong foot." She held a hand out to him. "I'm Thursday Lawrence. And you are?"

The older teen looked at her hand as if deciding whether or not he should take it. Eventually, he sighed and took her hand. "Daisya Barry."

She smiled at him. "Nice to meet you, Daisya."

"Nice to meet you too, screamer girl."

She turned back to the infirmary door. "Now, if you don't mi-" Thursday stopped mid sentence as what he said sunk in. "Did you just-I have a name you know! I justintroduced myself."

"Yeah, but now you have a nickname too." He looked at her with an amused glint in his eyes that caused her to frown, and it took her only a few seconds to realize that she was outright pouting. She turned away from him.

"I don't need a nickname. I'm going in." But he grabbed her shoulder. Her left shoulder. She was confused for a moment as to what was holding her back, but when she turned her head to look at her side she saw his hand. "Would you let go of me?"

"You aren't supposed to go in there. Go back to bed." He released her. "I'm guarding the place, and I'm the strongest one here. She'll be fine." Thursday turned to him and looked at him for a long moment before giving a soft nod.

"If anything happens, I'll have your head." It was meant as a threat, but as she turned away she saw him smile. She marched back to her room. He doesn't take me seriously at all.

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It wasn't long after that Tiedoll came to relieve Daisya. Daisya hadn't been waiting long, but already he was getting restless. Fortunately, he and his mentor had long since scheduled out just how much Daisya could take of sitting and doing nothing. Surprisingly, Daisya had gained some patience since becoming an exorcist. Unfortunately, that wasn't much.

Daisya looked at Tiedoll. "Took you long enough."

Tiedoll laughed a little and took his glasses off to clean them. "I was making sure everyone was tucked into bed."

Daisya shook his head. "They aren't your kids, old man. Don't baby them." Silence ensued for a long while before Daisya spoke again. "They're taken care of, right? Why don't we just leave?"

Tiedoll looked to his apprentice. "And let these confused people fend for themselves?"

"Fend for themselves? You already paid their medical bills. Doesn't get much better than that, does it?"

Tiedoll shook his head. "They don't know how they got here, or what's happening. Unless the little one remembers more than the other two, but according to them the accident occurred while they were already trying to get her medical attention."

Daisya sighed. "But I don't want to wait around here forever. We already lose hours because you have to paint everything you see." He locked his arms behind his head, looking toward the chapels stain-glass windows.

Tiedoll followed his apprentice's gaze. "We'll just have to accompany them until they can get home."

"But you said they didn't even start in this country.Couldn't we just, I dunno, send a finder to help them?"

"It might take awhile unless they have someone in the area."

"Better than us babysitting them."

"Daisya." Tiedoll gave him a soft warning, to which the boy scoffed. "I think we should take them with us."

"But they came out of nowhere! They say they don't know anything, but who knows? Maybe they came to kill us."

Tiedoll shook his head firmly. "No. Why would three injured humans try to kill us? I think they really don't know."

"Maybe they got hurt attacking someone else and came because they knew you would react like this."

"Daisya. It's good to be wary, but don't be overly suspicious. Not everyone is out to get you."

The boy quieted, but crossed his arms, unsatisfied. "Okay, say that they aren't, and that we take them. They're hardly fit to travel. That kid especially."

"It will be difficult." The general locked eyes with his apprentice. "But I get the feeling that we met them for a reason."

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Morning was twenty times too bright for Patrick Mason. Unlike the sanctuary and hallway, the quarters they were given had normal windows. And his had sunlight pouring in from every angle. Sitting up slowly, he rubbed his eyes and yawned. Though his wound still hurt, it was now a dull ache. I'm surprised that-his innermost thoughts were interrupted by a dog barking. Never mind...

Patrick stood and stretched, wincing as the action pulled on his wound. Throwing on the button up shirt he had received, he closed it as he made his way through the sanctuary and out the doors. The Pomeranian was still yipping excitedly, but suddenly stopped. Patrick blinked. "Oly?" He walked to the spot where the dog had been, but the spot was empty. He wondered briefly if someone had seen him and thought the dog was abandoned. He swept his gaze over the area, but didn't see any sign of the dog. "Oliver?" He walked around the area, but with no results. Well...this isn't the first time he's taken off. He'll be back when he gets hungry.

The boy turned and started heading back to the chapel, getting hungry himself. He spotted something from the corner of his vision and paused, walking to the spot in question. A dog collar, resting on what could be either sand or ashes. Worry renewed, he started calling for the dog again.

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Daisya had gone outside to eat his breakfast when he heard the scream. Discarding the food, he rushed toward the sound, weapon in hand.

The boy they had found-whose name he had yet to ask-was on the ground, scooting backwards as he stared straight ahead. Tiedoll and Thursday ran up behind Daisya, having also heard the screams. Seeing what Patrick was staring at, Thursday covered her mouth to stifle an oncoming scream. Daisya, in contrast, was grinning broadly. "About time I got some action around here."

The statement was enough to get the creature to look over, and sure enough, it was a level one Akuma. But he wasn't worried. Activating his innocence, he swiftly kicked the weapon through the demon's center. Sound waves that were almost visible rocked through the monster before causing it to shatter. "Think that one was alone?" Daisya had directed the question at his mentor, but the artist had already made his way to check on the fallen boy.

"W...what was that?" Daisya looked to the owner of the question to see that Thursday was still where she had arrived, and was now shaking a little.

Daisya, despite having fought many Akuma, had never improved at explaining it to other people. People always reacted so differently from how he had. "...That was an Akuma. It's a demon."

"A...dem-" The girl didn't even finish her question before promptly passing out.

Daisya, startled, caught the girl as she fell. "You've got to be kidding me. Why is it," he started, hoisting the girl over his shoulder. "That every girl I tell about this has to-" He turned toward Tiedoll, only to see that his charge had also lost consciousness. "faint..."