Chapter 4 /

The children stood in two loose rows, the taller, older ones in the back with hands protectively placed on the shoulders of the younger ones. Together, united by tragedy, they stood as shadows of what they once were, tattered clothes and dirt-coated hair gave them a Tim Burton feel. Soldiers stood opposite of them, their gazes thick with pity.

"Is this all of them?" asked the officer responsible for the group. He didn't once look at Sugata, to entranced by the children to look anywhere else. Sugata gave a slow nod. "Very well," he whispered then, louder, he addressed his men. "Get these children onto the ship! The faster we can get them to the mainland the fast we can sort this mess out."

Sugata remained still beside this man, watching as he barked orders to the men under his command. Simultaneously, he scanned the small group in front of him. Beside the lines of kids stood Tiger and Jaguar – who's help he elicited – and Wako and Takuto. Each one looked worn out, dirt clung to them and the hems of their pant legs were tattered. The former student was sure that he looked the same.

Tiger blinked up at him when his eyes passed over her; she could not even muster a smile and only shied away from his gaze. The other two girls did much the same, Jaguar almost ignored him while Wako met his eyes with a stern determination, then she dropped her head and pulled herself into a tight hug.

Takuto looked up when Sugata looked at him. His red eyes were bright with hope, faith in something that many here no longer had. The young man blamed this on the fact that Takuto was an outsider. He didn't know anyone here and wasn't as afflicted by the tragedies. But he still cried for the those gone; not out of pity but out of true sorrow. For this, Sugata was grateful.

The red head stuffed his hand in his pocket, holding Sugata's gaze, and smiled softly before beckoning the other over.

"Are you going with them?" Sugata asked upon reaching Wako and Takuto. The two maids shifted closer to them, joining in on the conversation.

Wako nodded sadly, glancing at the group of children. "Someone has to take care of them. They don't have their parents anymore." Beside her, Takuto silently agreed.

"We're not," Jaguar announced. Shock registered on Wako's face, but neither Takuto nor Sugata seemed very surprised. "I want to finish what I started."

"And I'm staying with Jaguar," Tiger offered. To this, Sugata just nodded. He could understand where they were coming from. Especially Tiger. If Wako had decided to stay then he may very well have stayed too. To protect her.

Takuto made a small gesture with his hand, catching the others attention."What about you, Sugata? What are you going to do?"

"I'm heading back to the mainland," he shrugged. Beyond the heads of the others, he could see the soldiers piling the kids onto the ship. Some called out to Wako and Takuto but the two just waved apologetically. "I guess we better get going then." He beckoned for the others to follow them, inching away while he waited for Wako and Takuto to give their goodbyes.

"I see you soon, right?" Wako asked as she pulled the two maids into a tight embrace.

"Of course," Tiger piped, pulling away and giving Takuto his turn. Then she turned to the remainder of the trio, blushing ferociously.

Sugata smiled softly, placed a hand on her head and pulled her close. "Take care alright?" Together, they stayed like that; until the commander gave his final call and forced them to separate. Tears stained Tiger's cheeks and there was a rosy flush to her features. Embarrassed, she turned away – rushing back to Jaguar's side.

With slow steps, Sugata led the way to the ship. The trip up the walkway seemed to last forever, a steady monotonous climb to sanctuary. It seemed like an escape from the catastrophe that plagued the land behind him, but the thick, metal walls around him seemed to cage like to provide him with any peace of mind.

A whimper echoed out from behind him and Wako as they dipped inside the ships hold. Turning, they caught Takuto eyeing his surroundings nervously, teeth gnawing at his fingers and legs quivering in anxiety.

"Takuto?" Wako whispered. She placed a comforting hand on his arm, her brow worrying together in a tight knot. "Takuto, are you okay?"

The red head squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. His gaze settled on Wako and a smile touched his lips. "I-I'm fine. I guess I just don't do so well with ships," he chuckled.

"Um, okay." Sugata knew that Wako wasn't completely satisfied, but she accepted his answer and, much to Takuto's gratitude, changed the subject. "We should find a place to stay for the night. The ship will take a while to reach land and it is late."

Together, Sugata and Takuto nodded. Wako's mothering was greatly needed right now. It gave Sugata a semblance of the past when she dotting continuously.

It didn't take long for them to find a spot to stay in the ships interior. They had managed to stumble across a particularly large area next to several stacks of crates. Soldiers were going around handing out blankets for the night, and children huddled together like kittens below the starchy fabric.

Wako didn't stay still for long, soon she was off tucking the girls and boys in for the night, humming sweet tunes as she went. The two boys remained seated where they were, Sugata's eyes carefully analyzing the young red head.

Takuto was quivering. His limps vibrated softly and he seemed frozen in a feeble position, his arms drawing his legs into his chest and forcing his shirt to ride up his back. The skin around his face looked pale, not sickly pale but frightened pale. It was like Takuto was scared that someone would come back for him.

The person who inflicted those scars.

Unable to watch this anymore, Sugata placed a hand on the others shoulder. It caused the red head to jerk back, almost violently, his eyes small and dancing in the dim light of the hull. Respectfully, he waited for the boy to calm.

"I... I'm sorry," Takuto muttered finally. "I don't have very fond memories of ships."

Sugata just nodded. He knew as much and did not need to be told. But knowing that terrible things had happened to this outsider on boats wasn't enough for Sugata. In order for him to trust Takuto he would need to know more. Normally meeting a person would be good enough for the young martial artist – he could judge what they were like and whether their intentions were true. This time the circumstances that came with Takuto's arrival were too ominous. Too deadly. No matter how pure the boy seemed, Sugata wanted to know what the catch was.

Taking in a reassuring breath, Sugata turned to the red head. Unable to be bothered with serene looks of pity, he looked upon the boy with judging, brown eyes. "Takuto. I saw the marks you had on your back." As expected the other flinched and immediately began to build walls. It would not be easy to pry the information out of him. "The very same day we found you a tornado ripped through the island and destroyed our livelihoods and our lives. That can't be a mere coincidence. So tell me." His eyes borrowed deep into Takuto. Unconsciously, Sugata extended a hand and placed it on the red head's arm; not in comfort, but in restraint. He didn't know if the other would, but he could not let Takuto run away. He had to know. "Tell me who marred you and tell me what they want with this island."

Fear darted across Takuto's being like fire across oxygen and, slowly, that fear evolved into resolve. Red eyebrows dipped down into a determined arch, a frown pulled at his lips. Then he pulled away, falling into himself much like a rabbit would when facing a fox.

"I can't say."

"Why not?" The grip that Sugata had on his arm tightened.

"Just..." The solemn look he adapted was heartbreaking. His brow creased in rueful admonishment and his hands rung the life out of his shirt time and time again. How broken this boy was. At last he looked at Sugata; truly looked at him. There was a promise in his eyes, but also weariness. Not that the young Takuto could be blamed. Sugata himself could fell the tendrils of sleep creeping in. It had been a long week.

"I'll tell you later," Takuto promised, patting the hand that Sugata still had rested on his arm. "You deserve to know. But..." His eyes darted across the room, taking a second to fall on each young child separately. The reason for his silence was clear, then.

"I understand. It isn't for young ears." The boy nodded, resting his head, using his own shoulder as a pillow. "That's fine, but when we get to the mainland I expect you to tell me."

"I will, Sugata. I will."

Sugata awoke to the sound of many running running feet. All around him there were people, soldiers and citizens alike, were bustling around. They ushered kids out by the handfuls; the very motion raised millions of alarm bells inside the boys head. He remained seated for long seconds simply watching the action. Not that he was numb with fear, but he knew that in order for him to react rationally Sugata would have to first observe.

He watched as, one by one, the children were rushed out of the hull. Their hands were placed either over their mouths of stomachs, as if they were going to throw up. Even from his spot on the floor, Sugata could see how green they looked. It was quite obviously how sick they were. But for so many of them to be sick at once.

One of the first thoughts that came to his mind was food poisoning, and in part that did make sense. All the children that were under their care had been eating the same meals. Their diets had mostly consisted of canned foods and bread. He knew that the bread could not be the cause of it because he had eaten that same bread and he wasn't feeling the least bit queasy at the time. The canned foods also made no sense. They were non-perishables after all. Unless there was something wrong with the entire shipment then they were also ruled out; no recall had been made.

If food poisoning was ruled out, then what was causing this outbreak?

A pair of footsteps stood out from the rest and Sugata rose just in time to meet that eyes of a frantic, panting Takuto.

"What's going on?" the martial artist demanded.

"I don't know. The soldiers don't know. But Sugata..."

The blue haired boy's eyes flashed dangerously. "What is it?"

"It's Wako. She's sick too."

A/N: Again, I apologize for the lateness. I was hoping to have this done for Christmas but... so much stuff to do. Hell, I've still got things to do. Not only that, ,but this chapter is much. But it does have a fair cliff hanger :)

Also, this chapter hasn't been reread at all. So I'll apologize for all the mistakes; I know that they'll be bounty full.

I still hope you enjoyed the read. I'm promise that this baby is long from dead :D

Reviews are always more the welcome. And with midterms quickly approaching I'll need all the encouragement that I can get.