How many days have passed... four, maybe five? I wasn't sure. My phone had died on me a while back, so it was completely useless to keep track of the days (and no internet, so it wasn't like I could call anybody), and it was hard keeping track of time on a watch when you could barely even see in the darkness. If it wasn't for the constant ringing of Blue's bell whenever he moved I almost wouldn't know he was there most of the time. His footsteps were quiet, like a mouse, and when he ran he was fast and oddly graceful, almost like a cat. It was a rather funny comparison now that I think about it. He even had a few funny quirks.

One time, Ao had accidentally startled him, sneaking up on him from behind and caused him to slip and fall into the stream where he brushed his teeth with a rough cloth (something that was apparently completely normal?) took baths, got drinking water, and did his laundry. According to him, clean water rushes through every day so the stream he uses never gets polluted. It would be nice if that was how it was back where I was from, but water and air was polluted everywhere and I'm not even sure how much clean water there actually is outside of what we drink and take showers with. But anyway, he had fallen in the stream and his jacket (being as it was made out of leather) seemed to not want to dry. Thankfully he had changed out of his clothes in a different room so I wasn't traumatized, but when he came out he had the fur from his mask wrapped around him to keep him warm.

When he sat down he had promptly curled into a fur ball of some sort with his head and feet sticking out. I don't think I've laughed that hard since the band-lock in a month or two ago. Blue had me in tears-whether from it just being that funny or because my ribs really hurt I didn't know. It seemed I wasn't the only one who absolutely dreaded and despised the cold.

I still retained quite a few reminders of the attack that happened a while back- I had bruises and swelling on my face (which was mostly healed by this point, thankfully) a concussion, and bruised ribs. My side was still pretty bad, but I barely noticed it.

I've also been having nightmares, something that was odd for me. I normally never had nightmares, but... after everything that happened I understand that it's pretty normal. Who wouldn't have nightmares after being in a crash, waking up some place new, and then getting the utter life beat out of you and watching said abuser get stabbed to death?

...Don't answer that. It's just... this isn't something I ever really thought would happen. I'm still having trouble processing that this is reality sometimes. It just... doesn't really seem real, you know? But... I know it is. Especially after the attack...

I'm fine. I resisted the urge to curl up into a ball, knowing that I would only hurt myself further if I did so. I pulled the fur that was covering me like a blanket over my face, biting my lip as I fought against tears. I'm fine. I'm okay. Blue saved me. I'm fine. But what about him? How long has he been doing this-fighting off all these bad guys that popped up because of some supposed "curse"? What if there are too many and he actually gets hurt? I remembered how the man had grabbed my hair, kneeing me in the stomach and slamming my head against the earthen walls. His sick words and disgusting gaze... I... I've never been so scared in my life. I quickly wiped at the tears streaming down my face, sniffling loudly as I tried to hold back the sob that was beginning to bubble up my throat. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. But... Blue is here. Blue is strong, isn't he? He... killed that man.

My eyes opened, staring blankly into the darkness. I had lost my glasses-I think the man had knocked them off with one of his hits, I'm not sure. I don't really remember much. I do remember Blue's words before I passed out though.

"When you're better... you should leave to someplace safe."

He wanted me gone. He didn't want me here. I'm a nuisance. A bother. A useless girl who can't even protect herself.

"Besides, now that I think about it, I can even use ya for a hostage." Ignoring the pain in my side and chest, I rolled onto my front with a grunt and flinch. My nails dug into the ground as I slowly balled my hands into fists, forcefully pushing myself up onto my knees. My head pounded loudly, the world going blurry from the sudden movement. "He isn't gonna hurt his little bitch, now is he?" I'm not... his freaking... bitch! Vulgar bastard. As horrible as I felt for thinking it, and as sick as it made me just remembering how his blood splattered everywhere as Blue's sword pierced him, I was glad he was dead. But... even though Blue had saved me... he doesn't want me here.

I was stupid for thinking we were friends. This is what I get for getting so easily attached to people. Even still... if someone else comes... they might try and use me to ambush him. He was nice, but... we weren't friends. He's not going to care if he has to run me through with a sword to get to the "enemy". I'm just worthless baggage...

But a part of me thought that maybe he'd stop- that he'd care enough to find a way to get me out of being a hostage before attacking the bad guy. I doubted it though. It was just good timing that he had arrived when the man had thrown me, allowing Blue to stab the man without harming me in the process. If the man had still be holding me... who knows what Blue would have done? It's not like I know him that well... for even if he was kind, I wasn't his friend. I thought of him as mine, but... I was wrong. He wanted me to leave. Who would try to save someone that they didn't really care that much about? I doubt anyone is that selfless.

The fur fell to the ground as I shakily stood, my breathing growing irregular rather quickly. My lungs felt as though they were constricting and I gasped, wheezing painfully as I wobbled towards the exit. I didn't think about grabbing my jackets for once, too dizzy and too sick to even remember I wasn't wearing them. Blue doesn't... want me here. Darkness danced in my vision as I neared the cavern doorway, so close to the exit of the room. My eyelids began to droop, the throbbing in my head only growing more and more constant and painful, my body beginning to sway. My legs began to go numb, feeling similar to jelly. My eyes stung, but I didn't know why. My heart hurt. He hates me and doesn't want me here. I know that, but...

I reached a hand out, vision blurry as my eyes began to burn. Something cold fell down my cheeks. It was hard to breathe. I heard the tinkling of bells as the world began to spin. My eyes slid closed just as I caught sight of blue and white, and I felt a rush of wind hit me as my legs gave out.

I want to stay here with him.

I blacked out, feeling someone catch me just before I hit the floor.

My dream consisted of me running again, the man from before swinging his sword wildly as he tried to hit me. I was breathing heavily, my feet pounding against the stone floor as my body threatened to give out from exhaustion. Despite the pain I kept running, refusing to stop and let myself get killed- or whatever else he planned to do with me. I ran down corridor after corridor, the endless maze seeming to just go on forever, when I turned a corner and saw it happen.

Red was everywhere, decorating the walls and floors and the bodies all around. Blue's mask flew off just as I entered the room, but shadows covered his face so all I could see was his hair and his open mouth, the male screaming as blood dribbled down his chin and splattered on the ground. A sword was protruding venomously out of his chest. What happened next wasn't even really a scream-it was more like a banshee's screech as I called out to him. I ran to catch him as he fell forward, but he simply turned into ash. His blood covered my entire being, as if symbolizing that I was the reason for his death. Because I was useless. Because I was being chased and couldn't help. I wasn't able to save him.

I choked on the tears, practically hyperventilating as I stared at the spot where he had been just moments ago.

And then, right as the sword pierced my throat from behind, my eyes snapped open and I was back in the dark cave with the fur covering me. I shot up without thinking of consequences, shouting Blue's name in horror and outstretching a hand in front of me as if I were still in the nightmare, running towards him as he fell. I couldn't feel any physical pain.

But then I froze, hearing the familiar and comforting sound of bells. Swallowing thickly I slowly turned my head to look beside me, only to see Blue staring at me in confusion with his mouth open and head tilted. Tears welled up in my eyes and I choked, moving and wrapping my arms around his neck tightly as I forced myself onto my knees, hugging him. I fought frantically against the tears, repeating to myself in my head that he was safe and alive. I could hear his heart beat from my head being so close to his neck. I soon pulled away, my eyes raking his form as I checked for any injuries. Once I was satisfied I pulled away with a hand over my chest, heaving an exhausted sigh of relief. "You're okay..."

"P'kyuu?" Ao squeaked, as if asking the question Blue was most probably wondering. I looked at the squirrel in surprise before suddenly cringing and wrapping an arm around my waist, sweat beading down my face as pain wracked my ribs.

"J-Just... had... a bad dream," I bit out, trying to grin. Spots danced in my eyesight, making it hard to stay focused. I forced my fear into the pit of my stomach, glad at how my physical pain was currently distracting me from fear or nervousness, and I looked up at Blue- staring into the darkness of his mask's eye sockets. "S-Sorry 'bout... the hug. Didn't mean... to freak you out." My voice was strained. I almost asked if he wanted me to go ahead and just leave, but found myself holding my tongue.

Blue lowered his head, as if thinking, before slowly shaking his head. I stared up at him, squinting a little as the right side of my face was still a little swollen from being hit so much. It was really weird not having my glasses-especially since I seemed to be able to see just perfectly without them. My vision had never been that bad to start with, yet now it was as if I never needed them in the first place.

I remained staring at Blue, trying to piece together what it was he was trying to convey with his single head shake, when he raised his hand. I instinctively flinched, remembering how I had been slapped and beaten, but my eyes opened in surprise when I felt him rest the limb gently on the top of my head, patting it.

Is... he telling me that it's okay? I wasn't too sure, yet at the same time I think that was what he was doing. I wish I was better at reading people... but on the bright side, I think I'm getting a little better at understanding his actions. He doesn't use words much, and his mask covers up his eyes and most of his face so I can't really get an expression other than the slightest movement of his lips, so I have to rely on body language.

After a long moment Blue removed his hand and I awkwardly laid back down, pausing only after I got situated comfortably on my back with the fur pulled over me completely. "H-Hey, Blue...?" I could hear the tinkling of bells. "Thank you... for everything." I pulled the fur over my head, hiding my face from him best as I could. I'm sorry for being such a pain. Silly Irene... apologizing isn't going to make anything better. Still, knowing that he was close to me reassured me that he was safe. That he was alive and that I had merely been dreaming earlier. I'm so glad you're okay... I'm a little amazed at just how scared I was. I didn't realize how attached I had grown to him... I'm so stupid. I should be distancing myself, refusing myself any conversation or interaction with him, but... I was selfish.

I'm a selfish sixteen-year-old girl who's scared, confused, and missing her family. Can... Can you really blame me for that?

Like a child I scooted closer to Blue, the top of my head touching his leg to reassure me of his presence. As long as I know he's there...

"P'kyuu!" I moved my gaze as saw Ao poke her head in, wiggling and popping in underneath the blanket. With a cute little, "Kyuu" she dashed up to me and nuzzles my cheek with her nose, cuddling up to me and falling asleep near my shoulder. I smiled lightly at her, feeling the warmth of happiness bloom in my chest, and closed my eyes. I... missed them... more than I thought. I'm so glad... they're okay...

I fell asleep.

More days went by, thus giving my wounds more time to heal. I kept waiting for Blue to tell me when to leave, but he kept saying "when I get better" and other times he just didn't answer at all. The swelling on my face and the bruises I had received were mostly gone, and my concussion wasn't that bad anymore and I could finally walk without getting too terribly dizzy and fainting. My leg wound was completely healed, all that was left of it being a thin scar, but my side was still really nasty for some reason. I really hope it wasn't infected... but knowing my luck, it probably is. Guess I'll find out if I get sick or if puss or something starts to come out of it. It wasn't like we had any real medical supplies... but as long as I didn't do anything too strenuous or bend over wrong I barely noticed it was there.

My ribs, thankfully, weren't as badly bruised as I thought so they were healing pretty nicely as well-so I believe. My nightmares kept getting worse though and they were actually beginning to hinder my sleep. They were all usually about the crash, or the attack, but occasionally I'd have one even more frightening than the two combined and I'd wake up in sweat and tears, trying desperately to forget it.

I can't tell you the amount of times I've seen Blue die.

I just about had a panic attack when I woke up one time and he wasn't in the room. Turned out he was just looking for food, but I think I gave him a heart attack when I broke down into tears. I felt so weak and pathetic, but more relieved than I ever had been before in my life. A few more days had passed after that, marking my stay of a little over half a month, and I was half-awake, trying to stay awake but at the same time trying to sleep. I was scared of having another nightmare, but at the same time I was really tired.

I had relaxed at the sound of bells, but opened my eyes tiredly when a hand lightly pat my cheek. I rolled onto my back, staring up at Blue who was kneeling over my form on the ground. I gave a look of confusion, knitting my eyebrows together. "Blue...?" I yawned loudly, raising a hand over my mouth, and asked, "What's up?"

"You... need to change clothes..."

I blinked at him groggily, brain slowly trying to process everything he was saying. "Hah...?" I yawned as I said that, causing it to be dragged out. "What's wrong with my clothes?" He stared at me from behind the mask and I finally took the time to look down at myself and what I was wearing. "Oh..." Bloodstained, torn and ripped, and just dirty and gross in general. Before you ask, yes I had been taking baths-no, I never changed clothes. I didn't have clothes to change into. Heck, I was only able to "brush" my teeth since Blue didn't seem to mind or care that much about sharing the rough cloth, and I only got clean because he shared what little soap he had.

He just gets nicer and nicer and I'm just being a jerk as I have no way to repay him. I just feel plain awful.

"I don't have any clothes to change into though..." Heck, I don't even think Blue himself has clothes to change into unless he steals the ones from his attackers. (Would say victims, but that sounds cruel) I watched him suddenly turn around and start to walk away. My eyes widened and I fumbled stand, "H-Hey! Blue!" I wobbled, going a little dizzy from how fast I got up, before chasing after him, "Wait up! Blue!" Where was he going? Am I supposed to follow him? I had no idea, but I quickened my pace and reached a hand out, ready to grab onto his sleeve.

He slowed down and grabbed my hand, letting me walk and match his pace. Blue had really long legs, being as tall as he was, so I had to struggle to keep up with him.

In case nobody caught on yet, I'm pretty darn short.

I blame my mom's side of the family. She was 5'2, my sister Tiana being 5'5. Melissa was around 5'8 and my brother was around Blue's height, maybe an inch shorter and standing at 5'10. My dad was around the same height, I think, and my step-mom was 5'. I was taller than my step-mom, but shorter than everyone else, which left me at the painful knowledge that I was in fact only 5'1 and cursed with the height of Haruhi Fujioka. Being short had its advantages, I'll admit, but I was often the brunt of bad jokes and if it wasn't for the fact that I took after my grandma in body shape I'd be mistaken as a twelve-year-old for more than just my face. Heck, it wasn't even until I got my hair cut that people finally started to realize-hey, she's sixteen! Wow.

It sucked. Especially since all my guys friends are tall-A.K.A Andrew and Chris, and now Blue.

My fingers wrapped around his instinctively instead of pulling away, showing just how much I trusted him despite the short-ish time I've known him. Not surprisingly his hand was much bigger than mine, his palm big and fingers long and slender. My hand was small, with short, skinny fingers. I think he had-oh, what was it? Water hands? I think I had either earth or fire hands.

Either way, his hand was compellingly warm. It made me feel safe.

It was odd, especially since I never really hold hands with people. The last time I held someone's hand was at the lock-in (a lot of things happened that day) and I ended up having a panic attack after being unable to breathe properly for quite some time. A couple of our bandmates thought it would be funny to shoot nerf guns at me, Chris, and Eliza, and I ended up running for my life as I was scared of getting hurt. I ended up slicing my wrist on a table Chris had knocked over for us to use a shield and after running for only a few minutes my lungs and legs felt like they were on fire-like they were about to collapse. I couldn't even feel my legs anymore after a bit more of that and I literally wasn't breathing, but somehow I was still moving.

I remember falling and getting back up, only to be knocked right back onto the floor as I slammed into Chris. I wasn't able to get up again after that and the couple had to lug me back to the stairs. We rested for about an hour before we were attacked again. I wasn't able to stop myself from breaking down into tears, panicking as my breathing got labored. It felt almost as if walls were closing in around me. Eliza tried to comfort me after that-the only comfort I allowed myself for the longest time. Whenever I had my attacks I was always usually in the shower(a confined space) and ended up rocking back-and-forth for a few good minutes trying to convince myself I was perfectly fine and get my breathing back to normal. Other times I'd be in my room trying to sleep and I'd remember everything that happened and I'd start to freak out and get scared.

Sometimes I was terrified to sleep, thinking that if I closed my eyes I might never wake up. It was stupid, I know, but... it really scares me-not being able to breathe...

Without realizing it my hand had tightened around Blue's. He looked down at me, probably a little surprised or confused, but didn't question it or say anything about it and merely looked forward as we continued to walk.

It didn't take long for us to arrive. I blinked, lifting my head up and looking at him. "The stream?" He released my hand and pointed at multiple objects located on the ground: the bar of half-used soap, a small towel, and a dark brown kimono that was folded and set next to them. Realizing that he was telling me to change into the kimono after I bathed I asked, "What do you want me to do with my clothes?"

"Leave them here... I'll wash them later."

I opened my mouth to protest, ready to say that I could wash them, but I closed it and held my tongue as I knew I had no idea of how to do that. Heck, I only ever did the dishes and vacuum back at home, and I only knew how to work the dryer because mom needed help with the laundry when she had her gallbladder taken out. So, how in the name of all that is good and mighty, am I supposed to know how to do laundry without something I never even knew how to work in the first place? "O-Oh... okay. Thank you." I felt horrible, but grateful all the same.

Blue seriously was different compared to anyone else I ever met. Most people were jerks, family was just... family. They made fun of you and teased you, but loved you all the same, and friends were pretty similar-if not a bit rougher. But Blue was just... nice. Like, too nice. It was a bit overwhelming at times, but I appreciated his kindness. You don't find many nice people out in the world nowadays...

That is to say... in my time. I still don't want to think about it, but it would make sense... Why else would everything be so strange and... old-fashioned?

But still... even though Blue wanted me to leave, he's still helping me out. Granted whenever I bring up the subject of when I should head out he either doesn't answer or just gives me the same response every time...

It makes me wonder if he really does want me to leave or not.

I watched him leave the room and once I was certain he was gone I started to get undressed, unclipping the necklace from my neck and pulling my shirt off. A loud "P'kyuu" startled me and I shrieked, jumping a good three feet in the air before scowling at the squirrel resting on my shoulder, unimpressed. "Really, Ao? Was that really necessary?" I then shivered, already feeling thirty degrees colder. I wrapped my arms around my stomach, dropping my bloody shirt on the floor, and gave Ao a sour look. She remained unphased, letting a simple,

"Kyuu!"

We had a short staring contest, the scowl on my face gradually fading and instead being replaced with a huge smile. "Aw, I give up! You're too cute!" I picked her up off my shoulder and kissed her forehead, squealing.

"P'kyuu!"

"Daw~!" After a couple more seconds of gushing over how cute she was I finally managed to get back into the mindset of getting clean. I set Ao on the ground, about to continue getting undressed only to pause when I saw her dive headfirst into the stream. "Ao!" I hurriedly walked over and got down on my knees, trying to see through the darkness into the stream. "Ao, where are you!?" I reached a hand, trying to feel around, the room just a bit too dark to see anything despite how used I was to the blackness. "Ao!" It was getting hard to breathe and my eyes began to sting. "H-Hey!"

The stream only went up to my knees and Ao knows how to swim, doesn't she? She took baths with me before and probably Blue hundreds of times before that. B-But why isn't she answering?

I was about to step in, still in my jeans, when she surfaced and spat out some water with a smile, letting out a loud "P'kyuu". My heart just about died from relief. "Oh god, please don't do that to me again," I sighed, feeling drained. Ao gave me a confused look before splashing her tail in the water and floating about. "Jeez..." I went back to getting undressed, ignoring how my heart was still pounding in my chest. I was usually uncomfortable getting undressed in front of both people and animals, but I was used to Ao. Back at school in gym class I used to hide in one of the stalls in the girls locker room whenever we had to change into our gym uniform or back into our school clothes. Showing too much skin always made me uncomfortable.

I reached over and grabbed the bar of soap, stepping into the ice cold stream. Goosebumps automatically ran along my skin and I was unable to suppress the shivers, teeth already beginning to chatter as I knelt down. Ao kept letting out little squeaks and splashing her tail in the water. I made sure to avoid aggravating my wounds, staring at my side in concern when I saw the edges were a bright red, but went back to scrubbing. I put the bar of soap down once I was done and washed the soap buds off of me, soon scrubbing at my head. I knelt down so my hair was in the water, scratching and scrubbing as hard as I could with what nails I had. My head pounded a little, but other than a small headache it didn't hurt too bad.

Suddenly a thought hit me-something I hadn't wondered about it a while.

How is everyone taking my disappearance? It's been a couple weeks now. They surely must have had a funeral or something- regardless of whether they found my body or not. I wondered if they cried, if they were sad... or if they were happy I was gone. Would they be mourning or rejoicing?

I suddenly recalled the kid who killed himself and how everyone reacted to his death-how I reacted to his death. Would... anyone react the same way... to mine?

Lungs burning I realized I had submerged my face into the water, not breathing. I yanked my head out, gasping painfully for air and coughing. I stood, stumbling and swaying as dark spots danced in my vision. My foot slipped on the ground and I shrieked, wincing when I fell back and landed roughly on the ground, scrapping my arms a little. "Ow..." Reaching over blindly I grabbed the towel, holding it to my chest as I shakily stood. I dried off and set the towel down, grabbing the folded kimono.

One thing became clear to me. There's no juban. That was basically the undergarment for female kimonos. I watched a lot of anime and I did plan to go to Japan one day, so I did some research. I also had do quite a bit of research for my writing as well-which could be a pain at times when I was unable to find what it was I was looking for.

I heaved a sigh, setting the kimono down, and grabbed my dirty undergarments, pulling them back on. I put the bandages on around my waist, leaving my leg free of wrapping as it was just a scar at this point. I then grabbed the light brown pants and pulled them on, noting in surprise that the bottoms were torn-almost looking deliberate. I pulled on the strings, pulling the pants up to my waist so they would at least fit me, and tied them. I then grabbed the kimono, pulling it on. It wasn't torn, but was so long it stopped at mid-calf. "Huh..." I shook my head, deciding not to question it, and tied the strings. I then grabbed the green obi belt that was discarded on the ground and wrapped it around my waist, along with the obi-jime cord. Once I was satisfied I did a quick turn, making sure everything stayed in place, and stretched with a loud yawn.

Everything went blurry as I grew light-headed, all strength leaving me as I swayed. I caught my balance and knelt down, ignoring how the sleeves covered my hands completely, and folded my dirty clothes and the towel. I grabbed the necklace laying on the ground, having almost completely forgot about it, and after a moment of thought I clamped it back around my neck, hiding it underneath the kimono.

"P'kyuu!" I turned my head, only to snort and clamp a hand over my mouth when I saw Ao shake the water out of her fur. Unfortunately for her it simply caused her fur to puff out in every direction.

"Nice," I complimented, teasing her.

"Kyuu!" She retorted.

"Rude," I grinned. I knelt down, extending a hand out to her while I used my other to hold my bangs out of my face, brushing them back. I could care less about appearances at this point and how my hair looked. It had grown so much over the time I had been here-the part that had been shaved was a good two centimeters long and my bangs all but touched my shoulders. Ao scampered forward and jumped onto my hand, allowing me to stand and carrying her. "It's so nice to be clean."

"P'kyuu!" She squeaked in agreement. I nuzzled her cheek against mine (something that was beginning to be a habit) and turned around, making my way barefoot out of the cave. The ground was cold, but it didn't bother my feet any. I was only really cold if my arms were cold-which they are right now, unfortunately. I suppressed another shiver as I exited, looking both directions as I tried to remember the way back to Blue's room.

Soft, barely audible snoring hit my ears and I turned my head, looking down in surprise to see Blue leaning against the wall with his knees pulled up to his chest, his chin resting on his arms as he breathed softly.

Was he waiting on me? I walked over and knelt down in front of him, reaching a hand out as I made to poke him on the cheek. I froze right before touching him, realizing how peaceful he seemed. He's sleeping. A small smile spread across my face and instead of poking him I reached a hand up and gently ruffled the fur on his head, before moving and sitting down next to him. I sat in a similar position, but had my head leaning back and resting against the wall. "Night, Blue. Sleep tight, sweet dreams." I yawned, closing my eyes. "Don't... let the cave bugs... bite." I ignored the urge to scoot closer to him, because even though I was cold and I could feel the warmth coming off of him I didn't want to make him uncomfortable.

I wish I didn't have to leave... I thought, holding back a sigh. My chest hurt as I thought about the day I'd have to leave. It would surely be soon, considering my injuries were nearly healed. My side was really the only thing I'm worried about at this point. I just want to be friends with you. I just want to stay living here with you. I don't want you to be by yourself either... I'm too scared to ask how long he's been here by himself. I'm terrified to learn the answer.

"P'kyuu?"

"I'm fine, Ao..." I mumbled, ignoring how she pressed her cold nose against my cheek. I shivered once more, rubbing at my eyes, and slowly drifted off to sleep. For once I had no nightmares, but at the same time... I dreamed of nothing.

I awoke sometime later by a hand on my shoulder shaking me lightly. I yawned and groggily opened my eyes, staring at the male next to me as I let out a small,

"Huh...? Oh, hey, Blue..." I then remembered, snapping wide awake. "Hey, you're up!" He stared at me, making me wonder what sort of expression he was wearing beneath that mask, and stood. I looked up at him, wondering what he was doing when he extended a hand to me. I stared at it blankly, trying to figure out if he wanted a high-five or something, when I realized he wanted me to take it and that we were leaving. "O-Oh!" I awkwardly reached up and grabbed his hand, letting him help me up onto my feet, and he wasted no time in leading me back to the room.

That's why he was waiting on me, I realized, he knew I'd get lost on my way back. Come to think of it, he'd been the one to guide me to the stream many times before as well. My eyes softened as I looked up at him, feeling just as guilty as I did grateful. I lowered my head, struggling to keep up with him. I really can't do anything, can I?

"I'm sorry..." It just came out. Blue stopped walking abruptly, causing me to slam into his back. I flinched and cried out, stumbling back as I wrapped an arm around my stomach. Blue had yet to let go of my hand. "S-Sorry!" I had slammed into him. I lifted my head, stiffening when I saw him stare down at me. Ao was resting on his head. I quickly discerned he wanted me to elaborate on what I was apologizing for and I felt my blood run cold, not at all liking this situation. "I-I just..." Blue tilted his head at me. "You... You're just... so nice a-and you're doing all these... things to help me and I-" I lowered my head, squeezing my eyes shut. Again I was thankful for the mask, as it let me look away. "I can't do anything to pay you back..." I'm useless. I can't protect myself, I can't do laundry, and I'm unable to find my way back to the room because of how easily I'm able to get lost. All I do is chatter away to Blue and try to make conversation, and even then I'm sure I freak him out when I have a nightmare or panic when he's gone for too long. I'm just... I'm just a burden, aren't I?

"...Your company."

My eyes snapped open and my head shot up. "Wh-What?"

Blue was staring at me, seeming thoughtful. "I like... your company." Ao squeaked loudly in agreement. I was stunned, and just a little disbelieving. I had no idea how to respond.

"You... like my company?" He nodded. "O-Oh, um... thank you?" He opened his mouth to say something but cut himself off. Without another word he tugged at my hand and we were walking again, surrounded completely by silence until we arrived back in the room. He released me and walked over to his usual spot, directly across from the doorway, and sat down. Ao squeaked and rolled off of his head, falling into his lap. Blue's mouth opened in surprise and he calmly scooped Ao up in his hands, making sure she was okay. Once he was satisfied he set her down on his knee, letting the squirrel nibble playfully on his fingers. He didn't seem to mind.

I stood there awkwardly before making my way over and sitting down next to him, crossing my legs with my hands grasping my ankles. I watched Ao play with his fingers for a few moments when I felt a pair of eyes on me. Lifting my head I saw Blue staring at me. I went still, feeling my face heat up.

"W-What?" I was still shivering. I had clenched my jaw, trying to stop my teeth from chattering.

Without another word and no sound other than the jangling of the bells he lifted a hand behind his head and detached the fur from his mask, holding the furry mass out to me. I was startled, as I had expected him to mention something about me leaving, but I took the warm fur gratefully and wrapped it around me like a blanket. "Th-Thank you..." I shivered again, getting that awkward chill when the cold suddenly mixed with heat.

"P'kyuu!" I turned my head, Blue and I staring at Ao who was now dangling from Blue's wrist. He lifted his hand in the air, placing his other hand a few inches below her in case she fell. "Kyuu!" Ao kicked her little legs, only to squeak loudly when she fell, landing in Blue's other hand as he caught her. A giggle-snort escaped me and I clamped a hand over my mouth, finding the sight of the two of them way too adorable. "P'kyuu?" Ao asked, staring up at me.

"P'kyuu!" I mimicked awfully, making my voice go up in pitch. Ao's ears perked up and Blue watched the scene silently.

"Kyuu!"

"Kyuu!"

Ao squeaked and I copied her, doing my best to imitate the sounds she was making with a smile. She jumped off of Blue's lap (he having set her down in the midst of the conversation) and jumped into mind, landing on the fur I was now using as a blanket. We kept going with our little "kyuu" contest, Ao winning, and I laughed. I pet her, picking her up and nuzzling her cheek with mine before planting a tiny kiss on her forehead. "Okay, okay, you win. Jeez." Cutie.

"P'kyuu!"

I suddenly remembered that Blue was watching us. I turned my head away, focusing solely on Ao as I felt my face flush, before I gained an idea. Biting back an embarrassed smile I held Ao up to his face, gently poking his cheek with her nose. "Mwah." Ao, going along with it, planted a kiss of her own volition on his face. I couldn't stop the stupid grin from forming. "Aw~ Ao loves you, Blue." He said nothing, but didn't pull away as Ao planted a few more kisses on his face, going "Chuu" instead of "kyuu". I eventually set her down on the ground, of which she then went and crawled back up on Blue's lap and rubbing her face against his hand. I blinked, furrowing my eyebrows as I stared up at Blue. He still hadn't said anything.

I was used to silences, as he wasn't really one who spoke much, but normally he would have said something in a situation like that.

"...Blue?" Is he okay?

He looked at me, before lowing his head and focusing on Ao. "How... are you feeling?" For a second I thought he was talking to Ao, but I caught the underlying meaning of his question. My chest tightened and my heart began to hurt as I thought about how to answer. I looked down at my lap, bringing the fur up to my shoulders as I pulled my knees up to my chest.

"I'm... fine, mostly. Bit of a headache, but that's it." I left out the bit about my side still being pretty bad. Ao, almost as if sensing the tension, stopped cuddling with Blue's hand and looked back-and-forth between us, seeming a little anxious and worried. Blue wants me to leave now... but he said he liked my company! So... but... Oh, I don't know. "Why? Want me to leave now?"

He didn't speak for the longest time-so long it was almost suffocating. My heart pounded as I waited for an answer and for a while I thought I wasn't going to get one. His reply startled me, as it was the opposite of what I was expecting. "You can... leave when your headache is gone."

I just stared up at him, trying to figure out his motive. It wasn't like a headache was going to affect me that much-did he or did he not want me to leave? Because I'd really love to know.

Blue suddenly shivered, catching my attention as he curled up into a ball with his knees pulled to his chest. My eyes widened, realizing he was cold, and after some thought I hesitantly scooted closer to him so our shoulders were touching. He looked down at me, mouth open in surprise. I pulled the fur that was covering me and reached over him best as I could in the position I was sitting in, trying to cover us both. Once I was done situating the fluff I pat his knee, awkwardly saying,

"There. Now we're both warm." I then looked away and used his arm as a pillow, knowing that if he was uncomfortable he could tell me to move or just push me away. I didn't really understand how he could feel so cold when he's so warm, but I don't really like the cold either so I completely understand his predicament.

Blue remained silent, as if trying to make sense of the situation. "...Thank you." I tried to hide my surprise.

"It's your fur," I told him as bluntly as I could, closing my eyes. I was certain my face was red. "Not like I have a right to hog it."

"..."

"...Can you please say something? It just grew really awkward."

"Ah...sorry..."

"Not what I meant, but that works, I guess."

"..."

"P'kyuu!"

"Thank you, Ao."

One, two more chapters before Yona and gang pops up! Woo! About a little over a month has passed, Irene is still grieving and trying to make sense of her situation, but is overall just trying not to focus on the events of the crash and the life she had unwillingly left behind. Trying to force those events out of her head, basically, and just focus on the present and her current predicament. So that'll be fun.

Sometimes I find myself typing Shin-Ah instead of Blue. XD Oops. Welp, in case you all haven't noticed that part about her yet Irene is a slight hypocrite. This will be shown in the next few chapters. Welp, Read and Review. Peace out!

I plan on torturing Irene thoroughly during the Awa arc for character development. (Evil, happy laughter) Fuhuhuhu... I'm actually a little scared to type nowadays. XD I feel like I'm just going to be letting you guys down. But you know what-I'm typing and posting them anyway! Am I writing Shin-Ah and Ao okay? I think I am, but... other peoples opinions are awesome.