Innocence Lost

by Salt-the-Catgirl

Why does everything pure in Gareki's life always have to become tainted or lost? Or at least that's the way it always seemed before he met Nai. But there was someone else long ago, wasn't there? Full Summary Inside. Spoilers for Anime & Manga Alike. A/U (How Gareki and Yogi first met). This story is rated M for… reasons, nothing sexual will be shown (though it may be hinted)...

7. 7 - The Past Catching Up With The Past

Karneval: Innocence Lost

Author's Note: Well, we're getting closer to the end. I would like to ask my readers something though, just how far into the series would you like to see me go? If you know the series well enough, you know what this chapter is anyway, should I resolve the story after this chapter, or should I at least continue up to Rinoll and Silver Yogi? Or perhaps go until the end of the Anime? I think the further in I go, the more I'm loosing the original "dark" tone I had tried to start it out with. R&R please.

Chapter 7: The Past Catching Up With The Past

Hirato could hear Nai and Gareki bickering back and forth in the background over the phone. Yogi had called to ask Hirato for a favor. "Ne, Hirato-Saan," Yogi said in his sing-song voice, "We're about to leave the Niji Forest, but we're really close to Karasuna where Gareki-Kun used to live. He says he wants to drop by there to take care of some business. Of course we want to bring Nai-Chan along, I'll be sure to keep an eye on both of them. Is it alright, Hirato-San?"

In truth, Gareki didn't want Nai along this time. He almost would have preferred Yogi not to come, except that he wanted a moment alone with the blonde in order to talk things out. If he didn't get things off his chest, not knowing would drive him mad. "Let go of me," Gareki growled, "I told you, you don't have to come along!"

"But I wanna' go, Gareki!" Nai pouted.

Hirato was getting a headache just from hearing the two of them over the phone. "WHAT? Hirato said ok?" Iva exclaimed. "He's way too nice. Gimme!" She snatched Yogi's phone, "Didn't I report that they were attacked by Varuga in the forest? What if it happens again."

She had accidentally hit the speaker button. Yogi's grin spread from ear to ear as Hirato answered her. "Iva, that's what Yogi's there for. Just let them go, this is their only chance. I want you and Tsukumo to protect the Research Tower Group in the meantime. Is Akari-San there? Let me speak with him."

Yogi gave a wry giggle, to him, it was almost as if he'd just listened to Iva getting scolded. He turned off the speaker and attempted to pass the phone off to Dr. Akari, who refused the call. Hirato still managed to hear the young doctor's rejection. "Eh?" Yogi exclaimed, "I WILL NOT call him a cute person to his face!" he objected, "You two are like cats and dogs. Why are you both so mean to each other? If you want to fight please do it face to face, I don't want to be the middle man!" Yogi flipped the phone shut, he was almost fuming. He turned to Nai and Gareki, suddenly in an instant good mood again. "Good news, Gareki-Kuun!" he exclaimed running up to Gareki, "Hirato-San said it was ok to go. And what's more, Nai-Chan, he said you could come too!"

Nai smiled, feeling as though he'd just won the argument. "NO!" Gareki insisted, "He'll just get in the way or get lost again!"

"Garekiiii!" Nai whined.

"Nai-Chan is probably scared to be away from you, Gareki-Kun," Yogi sighed, thinking he understood the sentiment.

"Huh?" Gareki blinked.

"He's lonely without Karoku, who had left him suddenly, so he want's to be with you," Yogi explained.

"Damn it all, who are you to talk about being lonely when someone's gone missing?" Gareki thought. He turned to look at Nai, who was still clinging to his arm. Instead of the child, all Gareki could see was a tiny Niji clinging on for dear life, with big sad eyes, pleading not to be left behind. "Damn, I really am starting to see him as a pet!" Gareki looked away. "Tch! FINE!" he granted, shaking Nai off and turning away from Nai and Yogi who stood behind him cheering.

The Illuminated City Karasuna was abuzz with life and lit up with shops, game booths, food vendors, and 'red light' areas. "Wow," Yogi said, looking around, "It's been a long time since I've hung out in a city, can I play a little while we're here?"

"Don't act too much like a tourist," Gareki warned. "You look stupid enough and your pocket will get picked."

"Ne, Gareki, look! That's like you," Nai exclaimed, watching a balding man try his hand at a shooting gallery game. The shooter managed to hit a bottle of wine, which the booth tender gave him to take home.

"Wow," Yogi said. "Check out that purple leather bracelet. I want it. Ne, Gareki-Kun, do we have time to stop for a moment? I want to try my luck."

"What!?" Gareki sighed. "Fine, whatever!"

Yogi paid the booth keeper and picked up the gun. He shot and missed. "Wha?" He tried again and missed. "Eh?" Another shot, still no luck. "Aw, c'mon?" One more try. "Argh, why can't I hit it?"

"Pathetic. Give me that!" Gareki growled, snatching the gun away from Yogi. "Geeze you're lame."

"Huh?" Yogi asked. One shot. "Wow, Gareki, that was amazing! You hit it!"

Nai tugged at Gareki's arm and pointed at some snack foods. Before the booth keeper knew it, Gareki had nearly cleaned him out, and walked away with a bag full of items. He lead Yogi and Nai away from the booth and dug into the bag to find the bracelet. Handing Nai the food, he turned and handed Yogi the bracelet. "Here," he said.

"Huh? You mean it?" Yogi asked.

"You wanted it, didn't you?" Gareki asked. He smirked, "Unless you've changed your mind, then we can just put it around Nai's neck as a collar and attach a leash so we can keep up with him easier."

"No!" Yogi exclaimed, almost pouting. "I, I didn't change my mind. I do still want it. It's just… I can't remember anyone ever giving me anything before. Thanks, Gareki-Kun!" Yogi smiled and started in for a hug, but Gareki pulled away. "You were so cool, Gareki-Kun." He held the bracelet up, positioning it so that he could still see Gareki through it, as if it were a picture frame and following the dark haired boy's movements with it. "You must have two or three girlfriends. You really seem popular with the girls. Even I got red just looking at you." Gareki tried to ignore that last mumbled statement.

"Ga…? Gareki!" a voice called out.

"Wha…?" Gareki turned and looked. "Ts-Tsubame!?"

"Oh Gareki, I'm glad I found you!" Tsubame exclaimed.

"What, already? I was joking!" Yogi exasperated, "Who is this girlfriend A?"

"No," Gareki answered honestly and calmly.

"Huh? NO!" Tsubame exclaimed, "My dream is to marry someone chubby with kind eyes!"

"Well that's news," Gareki prodded her, teasingly. "Though, I suppose it makes sense," he thought.

Tsubame sank to her knees and covered her head. "I can't believe I said that out loud."

"Well, that's definitely HIS total opposite," Yogi said, with an almost relieved sigh. Gareki's eyes quietly shifted back to Yogi, as if daring the blonde to say another word. Much to his chagrin, Nai was nodding in agreement.

"Oh, screw both of you!" Gareki grumbled. "So, what's wrong, Tsubame? Why were you looking for me? Has something happened?" Now Yogi was curious. Gareki barely gave him the time of day, yet this girl, he seemed worried for. Again, the blonde had to remind himself any friend of Gareki's is a friend of his.

"I…I…" Tsubame threw her self at Gareki, wrapping her arms tight around him. "I've killed someone, Gareki! I don't know what I should do!"

"Y-You, what!?" Gareki exclaimed. He gently put his hands on her shoulders. "Tsubame, calm down. Look, let's go back to your place and talk this over. I'm sure we can figure something out." Gareki wasn't sure what to do. The last thing he wanted was to run into Tsubame and Yotaka while he was here. He especially didn't want to run into Tsubame under these conditions. Having Yogi and Nai along simply made everything even more awkward.

Tsubame lead them back to her house. "Sorry to make you walk all this way," she said, "Your friends, too. I wasn't aware you had moved, no wonder you're never home."

"How long have you been looking for me?" Gareki asked with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't exactly move," he thought. He pointed at a spot for Yogi and Nai to sit down, giving both of them a look that dared either of them to challenge him. They quietly obeyed. Suddenly, it was like he had two lost puppy dogs following after him instead of one. He sat down next to Nai, keeping the Niji between himself and Yogi. "It's been two years or so, right? Where's Yotaka?"

"I haven't told him yet. I don't even know how, but I'm sure he knows something's happened," Tsubame said worriedly.

Gareki nodded, "Being twins, you two have always sensed something in each other's feelings." Gareki's eyes shifted uncomfortably toward the two tagalongs sitting next to him. He could accuse both of them for being able to read him, too.

"Why did you kill someone?" Nai asked.

"Nai-Chan, don't be so direct!" Yogi scolded.

"He doesn't understand how to be sensitive about these kinds of things," Gareki sighed. "Look, Tsubame, just tell me what happened. If it was in self defense, maybe we can work something out to help you."

"Over the years, I would start to feel sick. It's been happening much more often lately. I start feeling light headed and dizzy, and everything goes black. When I wake up, I'm somewhere else, and I don't remember where I've been or how I got there. But, there's blood on my clothes. This time was different, I realized there were a lot of dead people, and the blood wasn't just on my clothes, but my hands as well," she explained. "Oh, Gareki! I'm so scared. Grandpa's still in the hospital, Yotaka is always working to try and keep us fed. I didn't know where you were. I just… I just don't know what to do." Gareki wanted to comfort her, but before he could even move, the door slammed open. "KYAAAA!?"

"What the hell are you guys doing to Tsubame?" Yotaka exclaimed, rushing in at them. Gareki moved so that he was between Yotaka and the other two and Yogi quickly snatched Nai up to get him out of the way.

"No, Yotaka, stop!" Tsubame exclaimed, catching hold of her brother. "It's Gareki!"

"G-Gareki?" Yotaka blinked and looked up. "Oh. You're still alive?"

"Nice to see you, too, Yotaka," Gareki answered.

"I'm sorry, all I knew was that Tsubame was crying. I didn't realize you were… Who are these guys?" Yotaka asked.

"They're with me," Gareki answered. "They won't cause any trouble." He smirked, "I do my best to keep them on a tight leash."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Yogi complained. He immediately shut up when he saw the look Gareki threw him in reply.

Gareki smirked. Yogi had no idea what he had just set himself up for by way of being teased. Gareki had told Yotaka that he was involved with stuff that would get him and Tsubame in trouble if they tagged along the last time the two 'brothers' had seen each other. Gareki reached back and grabbed Yogi by the arm, where his new purple bracelet was, making sure the twins were able to see the leather strap. "The blonde forgets his place from time to time, but he brings in the most customers. You're welcome to have some fun for free if you like," Gareki said, sounding as serious as a heart attack.

"Eh…?" Yogi blinked.

Nai was more confused than anybody, which was exactly how Gareki wanted to keep it. Yogi's face turned a bright red, as did Yotaka's and Tsubame's. "I didn't think you were into that sort of thing," Yotaka replied, not sure how to react.

"W-Well… He is sort of cute," Tsubame admitted.

"What the hell, Tsubame!?" Gareki and Yotaka both responded.

"Geeze, I was only joking!" Gareki said, letting go of Yogi, who's face was now as red as Nai's eyes. "Like I'd let anyone touch Yogi in such a manner!" he thought. He gave a light chuckle. "It was worth seeing the looks on your faces, though."

"Gareki-Kun, don't use me as a pawn for jokes like that anymore," Yogi complained. Though, he had got the hint, Gareki didn't want the twins to know their association with Circus just yet, considering Tsubame's current situation.

"Is this alright?" Yogi asked as Gareki began rearranging the furniture in the room that Tsubame had told them to use for the night.

"We're lucky we have two beds," Gareki stated, pushing the two of them together, "Three people in one bed would just be too tight."

"But we're staying in a stranger's house," Yogi pointed.

"You heard Tsubame, the people who lived here ran away, so it'll be fine," Gareki said as he threw the sheets across the beds.

"Yeah, but it still feels wrong," Yogi said, rubbing the back of his head. The trio climbed into the bed, Gareki taking the middle, with Nai on his left and Yogi on his right. "So, how do you know them Gareki-Kun?" Gareki fell silent for a moment, shifting a slanted eye toward Yogi, as if annoyed. "Oh, I'm sorry, is it something you don't want to talk about?"

"No, it's fine. I was just wondering where to start," Gareki said, "Let's see, I was eight when my parents sold me…" He paused to test the waters. The look on Yogi's face gave him away, but with Nai in the room, Gareki wasn't about to say or do anything. He wanted to be alone when he confronted Yogi.

"Hirato-San tried to convince me that everything Gareki and I went through had happened on that ship and nowhere else," Yogi thought, "I allowed them to think they had convinced me of such things. They tried to do it because they thought it was best for me after such a traumatic experience, but I know better. Gareki and I weren't on that ship long enough for me to get to know him the way I do, and there were too many good memories I had of him to have been made in a single week on board that ship. These 'parents' he's referring to, he means the Katashi couple who ran that Inn…" Yogi hung his head, all of his memories of Gareki and the Katashi Inn were in tact, regardless of what the people of Circus thought.

"Well, my foster parents, I should say. I never knew my real parents, and this couple raised me. They ran an inn, so as soon as I was old enough, they put me to work cleaning the rooms to earn my keep. It was a seedy part of town, so they didn't pull in the kind of money they would have liked. When I was eight, they were offered a large fee and sold me to a slave ship. I was crammed in with a bunch of other kids who had been sold." Gareki purposefully left out any mention of Yogi, watching for some sort of reaction. While he didn't get it verbally, the blonde's face told another story. Perhaps Yogi was just like him, waiting for a moment when it was just the two of them. "After a couple of days, they took on a mob mentality and began to bully the weak. I wasn't weak of course, but I was the smallest, so I became a prime target. Ganging up on me, they tied my hands together and began to take away my two meals a day. One day, I began to notice something strange. Every time they ate, they began to go wild. There was something in the food making them crazy. My last night on the boat, they tried to attack me, but a storm blew in and sank the ship. When I came to, I realized I had washed up on a beach. I went in search of food, walking until I couldn't go any further. When I finally collapsed from hunger, someone came along and found me."

From this point on, Yogi had had no knowledge of Gareki's life. Hirato and Tsukitachi had told him they were watching Gareki from afar, but had never told him how the younger boy faired. The blonde wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his head on his knees listening intently to Gareki's story. "It was a beautiful young woman named Tsubaki. She brought me home and fed me. Yotaka and Tsubame are her younger siblings. They took me in as part of their family, but, they didn't have a lot of money. She fell in love with someone, who ultimately ended up betraying her. He killed her. I don't know the man's face, but if I EVER meet him, I WILL kill him."

"Oh, my poor Gareki-Kun!" Yogi thought, "All this time, I never knew what you had to deal with, what you were going through."

"Huh…?" Gareki looked over at Yogi, who held out his arms for a hug.

"Can I hug you?" Yogi asked. Never before had Yogi asked permission, but this time, he thought he needed to.

"Wh-what?" Gareki exclaimed.

"Children learn what it feels to be loved through hugs," Yogi stated. "And Gareki, you need one!" he thought.

"You're the child!" Gareki exclaimed, pushing Yogi back a bit.

"Gareki, don't kill! I don't get the story, but don't kill!" Nai chimed in, "Killing is wrong."

"You're both so annoying!" Gareki exclaimed, pushing both of them off. He suddenly regretted taking the middle of the bed. "Geeze! Just go to sleep already!"

Gareki's dreams were torn that night. Being so close to Yogi for the first time in years, he allowed his bitter-sweet memories of their time together at the Katashi Inn to over take his dreams, but at the same time, being back in Karasuna and under the same roof as Tsubame, his dreams also turned to the time spent with Tsubaki. Yogi watched quietly as Gareki slept. Yogi himself couldn't sleep. The blonde sat in the bed, watching his childhood friend's sleeping face. He quietly brushed a strand of hair out of Gareki's face and smiled at the younger boy. He could easily tell what kind of dreams Gareki was having; it had always been easy for him to know when Gareki was having a good dream or a nightmare when they were kids. He had become lost in his own thoughts, which were interrupted when he saw movement outside the window.

Yogi put his hand to Gareki's mouth. "Gareki-Kun," he whispered.

"Hmmm?" Gareki's eyes snapped open. "Y-Yogi?" he thought.

"Shh…" Yogi raised a finger to his own lips, keeping his voice at a whisper. "Tsubame-Chan is outside."

The three boys quietly slipped outside and followed Tsubame. She was entranced, as if she were sleep walking. "You never went to sleep did you?" Gareki asked.

"Uh… Yeah," Yogi admitted.

"Suspecting Tsubame is a Varuga ever since you heard her story?" Gareki asked.

"S…Sorry," Yogi said, lowering his eyes and hanging his head.

"I was worried of that too," Gareki replied. "But if she became a 'power holder'… When, why? …! That medicine Tsubaki was giving her and Yotaka. Then that guy that killed her may be with the people Circus is after… Come to think of it, is it possible that that medicine was the same stuff that was given to the kids on the slave ship all those years ago? Damn it all!" he thought. "Hey? Yogi, can people who become Varuga turn back to normal?" Gareki asked.

"Uh…" Yogi hesitated, not sure how best to answer that question. He knew more about his own situation than anyone in Circus gave him credit for, but Gareki knew nothing about it.

"Got it," Gareki said, taking Yogi's silence to mean 'No.'

"Th-there's a body over there!" Nai exclaimed, "And a picture on its back."

"That's not a picture, it's a wound," Yogi said.

Gareki's eyes widened. "I've seen that before. It's the same as Tsubaki's… Then that means the guy who…" A shadow casts over their backs and they heard something drip and splash on the ground behind them. Turning, they found… "YOTAKA!?" Yotaka looked to be in a similar trance as Tsubame. He held up his hands, which were covered in blood, as were his face and clothes. Yotaka began to suck the blood from his fingers. "Y-Yotaka…? You…?"

"I'm hungry," Yotaka said blankly.

"Gareki!" Yogi exclaimed, snatching up Nai and Gareki each in one arm or the other and leaping away as an energy beam aimed right at them. Yogi landed on a roof top, they looked down and saw the damage the energy beam had done to the ground where they had been standing. Yogi's eyes shifted to Gareki. The look on the dark-haired teen's face communicated every bit of what he was feeling at that moment. "This isn't right!" Yogi thought, "Poor Gareki-Kun, he's been through so much. It's not fair to him for this to happen." Before Yogi could say a word, another beam came flying at them. Again, Yogi took to the air, moving further away. He sat Gareki and Nai down behind a derelict wall. "Gareki-Kun, take Nai-Chan and get out of here."

"No!" Gareki barked. "You're an outsider in all of this," he reminded the blonde. "I'm going back to try and talk to Yotaka."

Yogi frowned at Gareki. It was true, he'd not been with Gareki during his time here in Karasuna, but he knew the danger of the situation. He held up his arm to block Gareki's path. His eyes reflected a determination that Gareki had never seen in them before. "You can't talk to him," he said regretfully. "Gareki-Kun, please listen to me before he kills us. I'll do what I can, but in his current condition, you'll only wind up dead if you go to him now." Through the determination, Gareki could see it, Yogi was pleading with him. "I don't want that, Gareki," Yogi thought, "You use to protect me all the time, it's my turn to protect you!" Yogi flinched, and looked over his shoulder. "He's looking for us. Gareki, please just take Nai and go!" Yogi returned to the air, his swords forming in his hands. "I'll meet you at Karasuna. I'm sorry I can't go with you…" He smiled at them, "See you later."

"Damnit all. Who does he think he is telling me what to do?" Gareki thought bitterly. "They're my…" He found himself lost in his memories. He remembered several times when Tsubaki and their grandfather called him family, as well as the times Yotaka and Tsubame called him brother. He had started to lead Nai away, but he felt something tug at his heart. He glanced back in the direction Yogi had flown off. There was every bit a chance that one or both of them would die fighting each other. Having recently been reunited with Yogi, and with Tsubame and Yotaka, he wasn't certain he could bear loosing any of them again. His eyes trailed away from the fight. Then there was Nai. Why was it that every time there was a change in his life, he met someone who reminded him the world could still be innocent and pure? Furthermore, why was it that for every new one to come along, he had to loose the first? "Everything that's pure in this life is either tainted or taken away," he thought solemnly, "I don't want to loose any of them!" He had to make a decision, and he had to make it quick. "NAI! Go back by yourself," he ordered. "If I can't do anything for any of them, I will at least know I sent Nai back safely." He pointed in the direction they had followed to reach their current location. "We came from that direction, remember? Walk the same path, and you'll reach Karasuna. We'll meet with you when we can. I'll even give you my jacket so you don't stand out."

"NO!" Nai refused, throwing his arms around Gareki. "No, no, no!" he whimpered. "Gareki, I don't want to go by myself. I'm scared you'll be broken."

"Don't say such things," Gareki sighed, "If you're so worried, shouldn't it be about Yogi who's up there fighting with Yotaka?"

"Yogi is…strong!" Nai replied.

"WHAT THE HELL!? You stupid animal, are you saying I'm weak? What could you do if you came along?" Gareki growled angrily. He sighed, as his imagination once again ran rampant and instead of a human, he pictured himself scolding a Niji. "You want to see Karoku again, right? Then don't get involved with unnecessary things that don't concern you. Take advantage of the resources those guys at Circus have and keep moving. At the risk of sounding lame… I'm pretty shaken up right now. Yotaka just turned into a Varuga in front of my very eyes. Tsubame may be one too. There's a chance Yotaka was the one who killed Tsubaki. I have no doubt Yogi intends to kill Yotaka or die trying. But, I can't let that happen. Even if I don't see them anymore, they mean a lot to me. All I've ever wanted was for them to be safe forever." He threw his jacket overtop of Nai. "Now, get going! There's an abandoned building where you can hide!"

"Damn… I'm useless," Gareki grumbled, "Myself and whatever thing that made them this way SHOULD DIE!"

Yogi was hesitant to harm Yotaka. His initial intentions were to wear him down. He dodged several energy beams that Yotaka hurled at him. Yogi's eyes fixated on the black wings that had sprouted from Yotaka's back. "He hasn't fully transformed yet. Maybe I can… No, no time to second guess myself." Yogi landed on the ground and held his swords above his head. "DORNKISTE!" He buried their tips into the ground and a web of thorns sprang into the air. He attempted to capture Yotaka from behind, but an energy beam destroyed them, as Yotaka turned to face them. Yogi smiled, his distraction had worked. He appeared behind Yotaka, crossing his swords together. "GATHER!" he commanded. A net of vines and thorns flew at Yotaka, chasing him in zigzag patterns through the air, until binding him in a large ball, like a bird in a cage. Yogi adjusted the size of the cage so that Yotaka would have limited movement, but could still remain comfortable and unharmed. "Yotaka-Kun, listen to me. I really have no desire to fight you. Please, if anything, I want to help you. For your sake, for Tsubame-Chan's sake. … And for Gareki's sake, too."

Something snapped inside Yotaka's mind. He twitched his eyebrows. "Gareki," he said quietly. "Gare…ki." Yogi's eyes widened as Yotaka began to transform further. Yotaka's wings began to grow larger, and a bright light filled the thorned cage, shattering it and knocking Yogi back. Yotaka's midnight-colored wings flapped as they unfurled into the moonlight. His hair had grown longer and was flowing freely about in the air. He snarled at Yogi and sent another energy ball in the blonde's direction.

Gareki looked up, his eyes widening in horror as he could see the lights from the fight. He saw Yogi hurdling toward the ground, apparently unconscious. "Y-Yogi!?" he gasped. "Damn it all!"

Yogi landed unconsciously on the ground, his phone having fallen out of his pocket. Yotaka landed and crushed the phone under his feet. Yogi's side was bleeding. "This guy… Had no intention of killing me. Why? Who is he?" Yotaka wondered. He still had enough of his senses to realize he'd seen the blonde earlier with Gareki and Tsubame. "Whatever it is he's been doing since he left us, the kind of people Gareki deals with, wouldn't have hesitated just for his sake. So… Who is this guy?"

"YOTAKA!" Tsubame's voice rang out worriedly. "Yotaka, you…? What's wrong, what happened to you?"

Yotaka turned to find a man in a suit standing with Nai and Tsubame. He had a hand around Nai's mouth and Nai was desperately squirming to get away. He was also holding Tsubame by her hair. The man smiled and pulled Tsubame closer, putting his hand on her shoulder and moving his arm so that it was around Nai's throat. "It's so much more fun to have more people around isn't it, Yotaka?" he chuckled. "This will bring my research that much closer to completion."

"Y-Yogi…?" Nai whimpered worriedly, when his eyes finally settled on the sight. Nai's sense of hearing was sharp enough that he in fact could read Gareki's mind at times, sometimes reaching directly into Gareki's dreams during the night. As much as Gareki denied it during the day, Nai knew that outside of Tsubame and Yotaka there was one person that meant more to the dark-haired teen than life itself. "No, if anything happens to Yogi, then Gareki…" he thought worriedly.

"Hey, I've got an idea, Yotaka," the man said with a smile. "Why don't we have a party to celebrate your victory? We'll have lots of fun."

Gareki arrived on the scene and he froze, horrified by what lay before him. "Nai, Tsubame, how…? When did they get caught?" he thought. Some stranger was rough housing with them, who was this guy and what did he have to do with what was going on? "Yotaka?" The pink haired male looked much different from a few moments ago, having almost completely transformed. "YOGI!?" The blonde was out cold and completely immobile. All of Gareki's most precious people were laid out before him in a dangerous situation, and he was at risk of loosing one or all of them if he didn't act fast enough.

The man gave an evil chuckle as his eyes settled on the unconscious blonde, not noticing the sixth person on the field. "Tonight's menu will be… HIM!"

Gareki swooped in, landing a blow to the man's head with his foot, pushing Nai to the left and Tsubame to the right, he moved so that it became a sweeping kick, knocking the man to the ground and as far away as he could. "GAREKI!" Nai happily exclaimed.

"Yotaka…?" Gareki mindlessly muttered, taking in the setting. Yotaka's wingspan was equivalent to his own height, his pink hair was feathered and reached to his knees. He was standing, rather menacingly, over Yogi, who had still not shown any signs of movement up to this point. Yogi still had one of his rapiers in his hand, the other had been dropped and slung aside.

"Gareki," Yotaka growled in response, his eyebrows furrowing.

"What's with that look?" Gareki asked, "What the hell are you doing?"

"This has nothing to do with you, right?" Yotaka asked, "Isn't that what you told me that day?" Yotaka put a hand to his face, as though his head hurt. His body movements suggested he was fighting for control. "You told me to stop trying to act like your brother, remember?"

"Stop this, Yotaka!" Gareki tried to reason, "Tsubame and your grandfather, what'll happen to them if you continue this path?"

"SHUT UP!" Yotaka shrieked, still struggling for control. "Gareki, you're a fool… I'll kill you!"

Gareki's attention was temporarily pulled away from Yotaka, when he heard a laugh. He turned his head to find the stranger had gotten back up and was dusting himself off. "Wonderful," the man said. "You young people are so passionate."

"Who the hell are you?" Gareki demanded. On his way to the scene, he had stopped and grabbed a large metal rail, which he was now gripping so tight he could feel it grating into his hand. Any tighter, and he would have drawn blood.

"Me? I'm just 'someone' from somewhere," the man chortled. "I like games where I can nurture characters, like the one I'm playing right now." The man turned his attention to Yotaka and Tsubame. "I simply wanted to retrieve data on both of the twins, but Yotaka became suspicious of the medicine and began to take Tsubame's share as well. So, even if she resonated, she didn't transform. Yotaka's such a good boy. He kept on taking the medicine for the reward money. He's just that devoted to his family."

Gareki gasped. "YOU!" he snarled, as realization struck him.

"Yotaka!" Tsubame rushed to her brother, throwing her arms around him.

"You bastard… Tsubaki was also…" Gareki growled, lowering his head, but keeping his narrowed eyesight on the man.

"Oh yes. Quite the beautiful creature that one. I believe she was trying to save her little brother. Yotaka's first transformation didn't go very smoothly. In fact, he went berserk and not knowing what was going on, she rushed in head first. I'm not the one who killed her." The man narrowed his eyes at Gareki, as if he knew his next words would strike a nerve. "I wanted to make love to her a little more."

Gareki rushed at the man and swung the piece of metal at him. The man effortlessly stopped it with a single finger. "What is he?" Gareki thought. "Don't give me that crap!" Gareki insisted, "Open your mind and think clearly, you're the one who killed her!"

"I've seen your face somewhere before, haven't I?" the man asked. "Yes, I'm quite sure I remember it." He laughed. "Someday, you'll have your own set of flightless wings, silly little human." He began to transform into a monster himself. "I can give them to you now, if you like?" Before anyone knew what was happening, Gareki was stumbling backward and the man's arm was flying off, as Yogi had pushed himself between them and used his saber to slice it off. Yogi stood between Gareki and the man, panting heavily, trying to ignore the pain in his side, yet still holding his hand to it as he acknowledged its presence. The look in Yogi's eyes seemed to be daring the man to even attempt touching Gareki again. "I thought you were dead? What a shame, it would have been fun to watch the little ones cry as Yotaka and I picked you clean." As he spoke, Yogi used his sword in both swinging and thrusting motions to drive the man back several paces. The blonde's breathing was labored from pain as he made this attempt. "Yotaka. This is an order, kill everyone here. Apparently tonight is an all you can eat buffet."

"No!" Tsubame sobbed, still clinging to her brother. "Yotaka, you can't! He won't do it He would never…!"

"Ts-Tsubame…" Yotaka gently wrapped his arms around his sister, both of them now in tears. "I WON'T DO IT! Do you hear me? I won't!"

The man smiled. "Ah, so that's why you still have your humanity is it? I always wondered what was preventing you from completely transforming. So this is what happens with twins; reverse resonating. Tsubame's holding you here. That's interesting, but I don't know what's so attractive about remaining human when you're living a life of poverty."

"If you don't know what it's like to laugh and cry everyday," Yotaka smirked, holding his sister tighter, "To have people, family and friends, who love and care for you no matter what you're going through, then I pity you."

"That's enough," the man said flatly. "I've learned what I was looking for, but now I've lost interest. But let me remind you, you can't return to the past and undo what's already been done. You can't go against the transformation." The man began to transform again, several claws and tentacles sprouting from the nub where Yogi had severed his arm. His power exuded and he attempted to force Yotaka's final transformation.

"Gareki!" Yotaka exclaimed, trying his best to fight back. "Tsubame, run, please," he whispered.

"Yotaka?" Tsubame squeaked worriedly.

"G-Gareki, please, kill me! I don't want to hurt anyone anymore!" he pleaded.

"Y-Yotaka!?" Tsubame and Gareki both called out to him.

"Gyah…!?" Tsubame gasped as she felt her brother's hands grip her neck. One was trying choke her, to crush her throat, the other desperately trying to pull the first away.

"Yotaka, stop!" Gareki exclaimed. He picked up Yogi's discarded saber.

"Please, Gareki, if you don't, I'll kill everyone here," Yotaka pleaded, still trying to pull his hand from Tsubame's neck. He heard her attempt to speak his name, but his hand at her throat made it difficult. "Tsubame, I'm so sorry." he said tearfully. "Gareki, please!"

"That's what he said," Yogi thought, as he stabbed the man's shoulder, "But can Gareki bring himself to do it?"

"Don't get in the way," the man said, grabbing Yogi by the hair with his good arm. "Yotaka, do it, now!" He tried again to force Yotaka's transformation.

Gareki approached Yotaka, but Yogi's weapon dispersed in his hand. There was a flash of light and a staff pierced through Yotaka's chest. Tsubame fell to the ground, sputtering for air. Yotaka gave a relieved sigh and put his hands to his sister's cheeks. "Tsubame…"

"Y-Yotaka?" she sobbed.

"Everything's going to be alright, Tsubame," Yotaka assured her. Brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "Fly away, somewhere far away and safe…" He turned his eyes to Gareki, who was clearly stunned by the event unfolding before him. Yotaka's body was awash in a soft blue light and slowly dispersing within it, he didn't seem to be experiencing any pain. Gareki and Tsubame were safe, to Yotaka, that's what counted. "Gareki, take care of Tsubame. As her brothers, it's our job to look out for her, right?"

"Yotaka…" Gareki gasped, sinking to his knees. His eyes fell on the staff, he recognized it all too well. "Hirato…"

"No, Yotaka!" Tsubame pleaded, trying to hold on to her brother's body as it disappeared, "Yotaka, please, don't leave me!" she sobbed. "Yotaka!"

Yogi watched silently. He felt a twinge of pain and familiarity, as though for some reason he could not only sympathize with her, but empathize as well, as though loosing a sibling was an experience he could relate to. While Circus had failed to rewrite Yogi's memories of Gareki as they had intended, the memories of his own past before that were hazy. He had believed them when they told him his records had been rewritten to protect his family when he joined Circus. His eyes also landed on the staff. "Hirato-San…?" He looked up to find Hirato floating above them.

"Yogi, stand back!" Hirato ordered, taking a slicing sweep at the man in the suit. Yogi leapt away and covered his face with his hands as Hirato's attack kicked up a whirlwind of dust. When the dust cleared, the man had already escaped and Hirato and Tsukitachi had both rushed off to give chase.

"Tsukitachi, too?" Yogi grumbled, "W-What is Team 1 doing here?" he sank to his knees with a groan, returning his hand to the wound in his left side, wincing in pain.

Nai ran to Tsubame's side to comfort her as the last traces of her brother's existence disappeared into the light. Gareki's eyes remained transfixed on the staff that had killed Yotaka. His body felt numb, his mind was nearly blank. He could hear Tsubame crying. He knew Yogi was in pain. He felt useless and distraught. "I've lost another precious person," he thought, "And I couldn't do anything to stop it. Yotaka… Wherever Tsubaki-Chan is, I hope you two can reunite and be happy together."

Suddenly, the severed arm of the man reanimated itself. Springing off the ground, it aimed straight for Yogi. Before Yogi could react, a scythe came down upon the arm. Yogi was suddenly berated with scoldings like no one else from Circus had ever given him before. "What a miserable sight you are. Why are you so clumsy? Look at yourself, scruffy and soiled with blood. Disgusting! You're a disgrace to Circus! Letting your own blood get spilled is such sloppy work!"

Gareki's eyes quietly shifted in the direction of Yogi and the new female voice. Who the hell was this person that dared to talk to Yogi in such a manner after everything that had just happened? She was a small girl with curly blue hair. "Kiichi from Ship One," Yogi groaned, hanging his head. When it came to being serious about work, this girl was worse than Tsukumo, only much less robotic. There wasn't a single person from Ship Two, with the possible exception of Iva that she ever had a kind word for. "You hesitated because the Varuga was an acquaintance of someone you knew." Gareki flinched at those words, his eyes now becoming fixated on the little blue haired wench. Even Nai, who usually liked everyone was eyeing her angrily. "Because of that you let the tables get turned on you. You're too soft and so naïve, Yogi. It makes me sick! Honestly, to think that an idiot like YOU is the same rank as someone as cute and brilliant as myself. What an outrageous nuisance!"

Yogi looked away from her, his eyes settling on the ground. He already felt bad enough about the way things had turned out, but now, he didn't even feel he had the right to look at Gareki on the whole, let alone in the face, and he could feel the younger teen's blue eyes staring right through him and Kiichi both. "How long have you been here?" he asked quietly. She knew he had hesitated, which meant she had to have been present long before things had escalated to the point they were now.

What Yogi wasn't aware of was that the anger he felt from Gareki's otherwise blank stare wasn't targeted at him, but at the girl. "Oh, good job being a decoy! Thank you for working so hard to be the bait!" she giggled, placing a daintily curled right hand to her lips, with an equally daintily curled left hand resting just level with her right wrist. Her mouth was opened in the cutest smile she could muster, and her eyes were closed. Cute or not, neither Gareki or Nai were swayed of their original impression of her. In fact, the words 'decoy' and 'bait' only made Gareki angrier at her.

"Yotaka, Yotaka," Tsubame was quietly sobbing.

Gareki turned and started to move. He was on the verge of slapping the smile right off this blue haired little trollop, and if her top hat went along with it, all the better. Yogi had done his best to try and get everyone out safely, even put his own life at risk several times and loosing untold amounts of blood in the process. Tsubame and Gareki had just been forced to watch their brother turn into a blood thirsty monster, only to be killed before their very eyes, and this cutesy little tart was worried about things like RANK? Before Gareki could even move, Kiichi flew off to catch up with Hirato and Tsukitachi.

Nai sat holding Tsubame. "Tsubame-Chan is crying," he thought. His eyes shifted to Yogi, who had forced himself to go to Gareki's side. "Yogi is hurt…" He looked at Gareki.

"Gareki-Kun…?" Yogi softly called out the younger boy's name. He felt ashamed of himself and didn't look directly at Gareki. Thanks to Kiichi, he barely felt he had the right to speak Gareki's name anymore. "I'm sorry, Gareki, I let you down," he thought, teary eyed. He subconsciously tightened the grip on the wound on his side. Searing pain shot through him and he sank to his knees next to Gareki.

Gareki quietly looked at him. Now was not the time to talk with Yogi about the things he'd wanted to talk about. "Hey," he said softly. "Those wounds look pretty bad." Yogi flinched, his eyes widening, his hand tightening around the wound. The blonde had expected a whole new assortment of accusations and belittling the way Gareki had been treating him lately. But Gareki's voice actually held no traces of emotion, good or bad. "Yogi, I don't blame you," Gareki thought, "I told you to stay out of this, you were just an outsider looking in. Now, look at what's happened to you." Gareki sighed. "Are you alright?"

"Ah!?" Yogi blinked. "He's worried about me?" he thought, turning to look at Gareki. "Gareki…" He gave the dark haired boy a sad smile. "Yes, I'm fine, thanks for asking." Yogi's face was solemn, but Gareki could see the silent elation dancing within those violet, tear soaked eyes over the fact that he'd cared enough to ask.

Gareki dug his fingers into the dirt beneath him, his eyes returning to the ground. "I picked up your weapon, but it vanished."

Yogi gave a slight smile. "That's because only I can use it. If anyone else touches it, it disappears."

Nai silently watched the two older boys, and put a hand to his heart. He could tell Gareki wasn't physically hurt, and though he wasn't crying, he looked like he was. Nai wasn't sure why, but he felt a pain in his own chest, a sadness that he had no understandable reason for.

Yogi was sitting as close to Gareki as he thought he could get away with, now. He was afraid Gareki would push him away again, but wanted to reach over and consol his friend. Just like that night at the Katashi Inn, he wanted to take Gareki into his arms, and let the younger boy cry into his shoulder, to hold him and let him know everything was going to be alright, that he wasn't alone anymore. Before Yogi could even make such a move, Tsubame looked up at them. "Yogi… Are you a friend of the person who killed Yotaka? Are you with those people?"

"…Yes…" Yogi answered regretfully. Whatever anger she held toward Hirato and Kiichi at this moment, he was willing to take the full brunt of. There was nothing she could possibly say that would make him feel any lower than Kiichi already had.

"No, Tsubame…" Gareki interjected. "I know what you're thinking. But, they're people from Circus."

"Circus?" Tsubame parroted, looking up and wiping the tears from her eyes. Who was this person for Gareki to stand up for him at a time like this? She blinked and blushed for a second as she realized. When Gareki had first come to live with them, he had done his best to distance himself from them, as though he was afraid he'd get hurt if he let them get too close. There had been nights during that time where she remembered passing Gareki's room to hear him wake up from nightmares, the only word he ever spoke when those nightmares occurred… "YOGI…? So this is that person he was calling for? After all these years, he's finally found him?" she thought. Distraught with her own situation, she never even stopped to think about it until now.

Gareki nodded at her, not knowing she had put two and two together. "You've heard of Circus, right?" he asked. "They're an elite group of people who capture special criminals. Due to a series of circumstances, I've become involved with them. I learned about these creatures called Varuga. They're post-humans, or power holders who feast on humans to keep their own power in check. It was people like them who broke Yotaka and killed Tsubaki-Chan. It is Circus who hunts these people down trying to stop them."

"Gareki…" Yogi's voice interrupted softly. Gareki blinked and looked to Yogi. "I'll explain the rest," he offered with a soft smile. Gareki nodded. "The one who created the post humans is an organization the government calls Kafka. There are two main types of Varuga. There's the Kafka themselves who are created through cell infusion. Then there are the ones who have become power-holders who have had their cells damaged by bodily fluids and blood of the Kafka. This later classification of post-humans were originally victims like Yotaka. That medicine Yotaka took is why he changed. As members of Circus, our duty is to stop the time of those people whose distorted evolution has been forced by the desires of others, and to release them from all their chains. … NO, I'm sorry, release is too kind of a way to say it." He sighed. Gareki was watching him quietly, yet intently. He didn't realize Gareki noticed him trembling. "There's no way to cure people who have become post-humans. The only way is to kill them."

"Then Yogi, I want you to kill me as well!" Tsubame stated.

"Wha…? Tsu…" Gareki coughed in shock.

"Tsubame-Chan!?" the three boys exclaimed.

Gareki was on his feet and at her side in the blink of an eye, holding her wrist. "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? YOU'RE NOT A VARUGA! You're not a post-human power holder. Tsubame, you're no monster," he tried to reason with her.

Yogi looked away. He refused her request. Regardless of what Gareki thought of him right now, the fact remained that he'd failed to protect someone Gareki was close to and he wasn't about to let Gareki suffer loosing both of them tonight. "I took that medicine, for a while, too," she reminded him, "Some day I may change like Yotaka. Besides…" She hung her head and began crying again, digging her nails into the dirt with her free hand, "Yotaka isn't here anymore. I'm afraid to be alone. Tsubaki's dead, Grandpa's been hospitalized and didn't even recognize me when I went to visit him the other day. Yotaka's dead now, too," she sobbed.

"But the old man IS still alive," Gareki pointed out. "Haven't the two of you been working really hard to pay his hospital fees?"

"To be honest, we never had enough money for that at all," she sniffled. Gareki's eyes widened, he'd had no idea they were still struggling so much. "But the nurses told us in confidence that an old friend of Grandpa's had been sending money to pay for it."

Nai and Yogi both gave a quiet gasp and flinched. Their eyes settled on Gareki for a moment, then both looked at each other, their red and violet eyes locking with one another, as if there was some sort of silent understanding between them. They both suddenly felt they knew what Gareki had been doing in the time since he left his home with the twins. Hirato had stated Gareki was a thief who seemed to be looking for large sums of money, after all. Yogi gave a quiet smile, his eyes returning to Gareki. "Tsubame…" Gareki started.

"If I'm gone, it's alright," she whimpered, "I just want to disappear."

Gareki knelt down next to her. "Then what, Tsubame?" he asked. She blinked up at him. "Yotaka became suspicious of those drugs and took your share to protect you. If you throw your life away now, it'll mean his sacrifice for you was in vain. You heard what he said, he wants you to find somewhere safe. I…"

There was a bright glow of light in the distance. The group of four looked up to see the light, Yogi simply turning his head, as he was in too much discomfort to move much more of himself. "Hirato and the others… That man's been defeated," he stated.

"The man who killed Tsubaki and Yotaka is finally dead? That is what I wanted the most, but… Is this feeling of frustration simply because of I didn't kill him myself?" Gareki thought.

"Hirato-San," Yogi frowned as his captain rejoined them.

"You look like you want to say something Yogi?" Hirato asked. He raised an eyebrow as he noticed this statement only seemed to make Yogi even more mad than he already was. The blonde was not an easy person to anger. "Gareki was attacked by a Leichnam-Macht in the Niji Forest," Hirato stated, reminding them of the monster that had absconded Gareki when they had reached Nai and Karoku's cave. "However, he was unhurt. It seems that for whatever reason, their aim was not to kill or eat him but bring him back alive. Team 1 was already looking into the events that had been taking place here. It was their responsibility. But, you boys said you wanted to come here, so I agreed, letting Gareki act as bait." Hirato saw the flash of anger in Yogi's eyes. He realized he had to tread carefully around the blonde prince in his current state. Yogi was not easy to anger, but when it happened, he was frightening. If Hirato wasn't careful with his words now, there was a risk of Yogi becoming someone else entirely different from his usual carefree self, and he would not be easy to control. "… IF the ones who attacked Gareki appeared again, or were in fact the same people Division 1 were chasing, it would be killing two birds with one stone."

Gareki flinched, considering Yotaka's transformation, 'birds' may have been a poor choice of words. "HIRATO!" Yogi started to scold him.

"It appears I owe you another one," Tsukitachi stated, rubbing the back of his head, and interrupting Yogi.

"That's three now, right?" Hirato said, looking to his former partner who was now his 'superior', as he was stationed as captain of the First Ship. "My bill's getting pretty high, you know," he said with a wink.

"Right then," Tsukitachi said, turning to Tsubame and holding out his hand, "We'll have to ask you to come with us now, Miss."

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Gareki demanded. "Tsubame…?" He was surprised when she willingly put her hand in Tsukitachi's to let him lead her away. "You're not alone, you know," he assured her. "People like you… Tsubame, from now on, there will be others around you."

"Even so…" she said quietly. She turned and looked at him. "Gareki, even you left us. You left for somewhere far away, too, right? We thought you hated us, Gareki. After Tsubaki died and you left, we were always so lonely." She turned and looked at Gareki, then quietly shifted her eyes toward Yogi and back to Gareki. "I couldn't understand why. If anything, I thought at least you knew how that felt."

"Tsubame, I…" Gareki started to reach out for her, but she flinched away, turning to Tsukitachi.

"I'm ready to go," she said quietly.

"Gareki…" Nai and Yogi both looked on quietly, but worried for their friend.

Tsukitachi carried Tsubame to the hospital to visit her grandfather once more. She over heard the nurses gossiping about who the old man must be if Circus was taking an interest in him, and how the young man who had been paying the old man's bills was so mysterious and gorgeous. At Tsubaki's insistence, they gave her the name of the boy. "I believe the old man said his name was Gareki," one of the nurses stated.

Meanwhile, Hirato sent Yogi back to the ship to have his injuries treated and personally took Gareki to take care of his final business in town. "Have you finished your business here in Karasuna?" Hirato asked. "You know," he chuckled, "If you said something about the renewal procedure for the land, I would have made sure it was taken care of. Are you protecting your family's graves?"

"I have no family," Gareki grumbled. "I've always been alone," he insisted. "I can't afford to let others get close," he thought, "I couldn't save Yotaka, I wasn't the one who killed Tsubaki's murderer, and now Yogi's hurt because of me too. This is why I always told myself letting others get close was a bad idea."

Hirato smiled and chuckled, catching Gareki by the collar. "You're always so cute when you play tough," he said. "Tell me, did you leave them so they wouldn't get involved? So that your actions wouldn't get them in trouble as well?" He pulled Gareki and Nai up into his arms and flew back to the ship. "He's silent, I'll take that as a yes," he thought. "Come on, we have to get back before Yogi and Akari tear the ship apart."