A/N: I was very pleased with how many people were disturbed by the last chapter. Good. It means that I'm doing something right as this worlds SEARRS have no real redeeming quality. Its true that the tone of the story has gotten darker but that's because the characters are in a dark place and it fits.

Tometsetsu while I'm glad you like the fic I will not retract the references to rape and sexual harassment. Yes it may make people uncomfortable but it is relevant to people's understanding of how evil SEARRs is. To SEARRs it isn't rape as mutants are not human so Mr Smith doesn't feel he is doing anything wrong. As a compromise I will start to add vague warnings in the beginning of chapters to put you on guard for what is to come. Though I am loathed to do it as I feel it spoils the surprise.

"I found out where Mikoto is," Shizuru said the next night. The others had been silent since their first training session as hounds. This morning as they were lead away Shizuru hoped it would be better but they came back just as silent each one lost in their own thoughts. They had been moved into a bigger cell with futons to sleep on. All of them together and still they seemed to sink further into themselves.

Mai looked up but didn't say anything. Nao didn't even bother to look up she sat still with her knees folded into her arms resting on top and her face turned away. Natsuki sat a little away from her making sure she didn't touch anyone. It was this that scared Shizuru the most. "She's in one of the guest rooms. They don't know about her power," she thought that would at least spark some interest but the others didn't seem to care. Nao laid down and turned on her side away from the rest while Mai seeming glad enough to know that Mikoto was alive continued her staring contest with the wall. Natsuki didn't move at all. Shizuru sighed in defeat and went to sleep.

The sound of their door opening woke her a few hours later and she wanted to glare at Yukino who stood there stone faced but didn't knowing it was foolish to draw attention to herself. She watched as without ordered to the other three got up and into single file before walking out of the cell. Yukino closed the cell after them and without a word they excited. This place wasn't good for them. She saw the haunted look in their eyes that hadn't been there before and she wanted to know what placed it there. Natsuki could barely look at her and she hadn't talked since the incident. She didn't think her own thoughts could be so lonely.

"All alone this morning," Reito grinned at her opening the door for her "today I'm going to bring you some place special," his eyes flashed in mocking amusement but she had no time for his games.

"What did Yukino do to the others?" She demanded.

Reito looked startled for a moment but regained his grin momentarily "she's using shock tactics I suppose. Don't worry today she will begin to build them up. Your job is to make sure that it sticks."

She nodded slightly comforted. Reito was many things but he wasn't a lair so if he said they would be better today she believed him. He took her to the kitchens where she picked up her cart and wheeled it around the kennels feeding the other mutan-Dogs and Hounds. Reito kept her company only having to correct her once when she tried to take the wrong turn. Secretly he was impressed with how fast Shizuru had learned her route.

"Now I'm going to give you this," he held out a key card "this is for a special floor which you have just been put on."

She had the feeling he was hiding something nothing malicious but something that would draw an amusing reaction from her. His version of amusing anyway. They stopped once again at the kitchens to refill the cart and she went back into the elevator. "Place your card in the slot, if you try to get to B11 without the key card security is called and the elevator is shut down," Reito explained as the elevator started to move again.

When the door opened silently she pushed her trolley out onto a corridor that had two burley men guarding thick doors with bullet proof glass and wire. They were the type of doors found in high security prisons. Reito turned to one of the men and showed him the card. The man examined it then Reito who was keeping his eyes downcast. It seemed like an eternity before the man nodded and shifted one thick arm to unlock the door. He waved them through.

"They shouldn't let you come in here alone," Reito said as the guard closed and locked the door behind them "but they get bored guarding this place so its entertaining to send Dogs that have no defensive mutation in here. You must be careful."

"What is this place?" Shizuru asked. The doors all seemed to be made of bronze with sliding grates but when she ducked down to put the food dish in the grates she found metal bars behind the grates. "How do I serve the food?"

"You have to rap the door first and depending on the response you put the bowl in first then ladle the food through the bars," Reito explain rapping the door. Silence answer him so he nodded at her to continue. She placed the bowel through the bars and then went to ladle the breakfast. The ladle was jerked off her roughly and smashed against the bars as a mad face pressed itself against the bars. Bare teeth grinned at her from an emancipated face and a dumb laugh jeered at her.

"To many bits! Not all one! Will contort! Will contort!" the mutant taunted her rattling the ladle on the bars. He then slammed the slide shut but she could still hear him banging with the stolen ladle. She had recoiled from the bars straight into Reito's broad chest. He placed his hands on her shoulders and she could feel him shaking in laughter. She tore herself away from him and glared. "You think that was funny!"

"Yeah," He grinned handing her a spare ladle that he had made her take. "Welcome to the Mutt ward. This is the place where the failures of the breeding programme end up. The crazy and powerful end up here. The crazy and weak end up dead," he pushed the trolley to the next door handing her the bowl and knocking, there was again silence. She was more careful when she placed the bowl in and then the food and her ladle wasn't stolen. She grinned triumphantly at Reito but they both froze as the sound of hinges squeaked open. They turned to see one of the bronze doors swing inwards and they backed away slowly. She gripped the ladle like a weapon noticing how Reito retreated behind her. She had no doubt that given the choice of saving her or himself which he would choose. She even had the feeling that he might trip her to give himself more time to run away. Her grip on the ladle whitened her knuckles and she swallowed hard. They both nearly feinted in relief as a blonde quite sane looking girl excited the cell and pulled the door shut after her and locked it.

"Erstine!" Reito cried in surprise and Shizuru noticed that his voice held more warmth than she had ever heard form him "you just took ten years off my life!"

"Reito-Pet-sama," Erstine said in surprise. Shizuru bristled at the name, she remembered Mr Smith saying that he had a telepath scan her for information. Erstine was the one he named and she was the girl who gave him the power to put her in this awful predicament. "I-I was just visiting. I didn't mean to scare you," her voice was quite and timid and she hunched inwards like she was trying to avoid being seen.

Reito nodded and stepped out of her way she hurried past and he stood looking at her back for a long moment. "There are good people in this place. Against all the odds they survive here."

"Careful Reito you just referred to her as a person," Shizuru looked at him sideward's and Reito snapped out of his daze. He seemed to care about that kid more than she had seen him care about any female. That was a surprising thing that she noticed about Reito. He didn't seem to like people at the best of times but he seemed more hostile if they were female. Even now when he spoke to her she could always here the slight undercurrent of disdain.

"Anyway the other type of Mutts that are held here are the ones who's powers are disturbing," Reito said obviously changing the subject. She smile as she knew she had rattled him.

XxXx

"This is Master Midori and she will be taking Mai for one on one training," Yukino said to the three would be Hounds that were in line before her. She saw the pink haired ones eyes narrow but she didn't speak as Haruka without moving suddenly became more intimidating. "She will work with all of you one on one at some point however, so I suggest you get used to seeing her face."

Midori waved cheerfully at them and they looked at her warily unaccustomed to the people in this place being happy let alone smiling. Midori seemed to be bursting with energy as she remained perfectly still but gave of the impression that she was bouncing all over the place. Nao decide immediately that she didn't like her.

"Natsuki will be training with Erstine and Nao with myself and Haruka. You have two days to learn as much as you can before," Yukino grinned at this knowing their reactions would be favourable "you get the chance to beat Haruka and I up," as expected the girls seemed shock but Nao was the first to recover and from the smirk on her face Yukino knew she liked the idea of hitting her captors. "That's all pups, go to your temporary Masters and let us begin training."

Midori threw one arm around Mai's shoulders before pulling her out the door talking loudly and animatedly about the training to come. Yukino felt sorry for the girl, a drunk Midori was a lot to handle but sober was next to impossible for most people. Good thing they weren't people she reminded herself though it didn't sound as strong as it had in the past. Natsuki glared at Erstine who shyly gestured for Natsuki to follow her out. She glanced behind her every few seconds to make sure the girl was following but never made eye contact and never for to long. It was just Nao in front of her now.

"Okay Nao, I understand that you have the ability to produce a web like substance," Nao didn't say anything just listened. Good that meant she was learning "I want you to crawl up the wall onto the ceiling,"

"What?" Nao said sceptically.

Yukino's hand whipped out to strike the girl across the mouth and quicker than the pain could register the hand hit her again on its return to Yukino's side. Nao glared and cradled her mouth. She managed to stop herself from screaming at the woman angrily mostly due to the intimidating blonde at her side. "Two things you did wrong there Nao-pup. You didn't address me as Master and you questioned my orders. If I have to repeat myself you will be punished severely. Hounds don't have the luxury of being deaf. Now, do as I said."

Nao give her a withering glare and she was tempted to strike the girl again but decided to cut her some slack. She couldn't push to hard at once without risking total rebellion which would lead to a ruined Hound which in turn would displease her father and have no benefit to the organisation.

Nao walked to the wall and wondered what the hell she was supposed to do. Sure wall crawling was easy enough for Spiderman who had the gripping tools to do the job as easily as his name sake but he didn't have tiny spider hairs on her palms. To show that she was actually trying she placed both hands on the wall and glanced over her shoulder to see her 'Master' staring stone faced at her, her blonde pet just behind her. That girl really freaked Nao out. After seeing her claw out her own intestines and be perfectly fine the next day…it didn't take a genius to realise that she had power. A large amount of it. That coupled with her dogmatic dedication to her handler made her a scary thing in Nao's mind. She placed one foot on the wall and fighting down how silly she felt she jumped and tried to grab the wall. As expected she slid down the wall looking ridiculous. She glanced behind her again to see Yukino hadn't moved at all.

She did that a few more times before she turned with her hands spread the look on her face clearly saying 'see? I told you so.' Yukino still looked at her indifferently and when Nao was about ready to give up and go back to hopping on the wall she glanced down at her watch "I'll give you fifteen more minutes and if you not on the ceiling by then I will allow Haruka to show you how," Haruka's nasty grin made Nao think that she didn't want her to come anywhere near her.

She thought furiously and dragged up all her memories of the Spiderman cartoon she had watched as a child. She didn't like to admit it but she was actually a little of an otaku as she used to collect anime and manga fanatically but it was mostly western and that was how she consoled herself. She would die of embarrassment in Mai ever found out. How did Spiderman get on top of ceilings? Crawling obviously but what else? She grinned. She shot some web at the ceiling and stuck the other end to the floor so a column of web formed before her. She tangled her hands in the sticky substance and began to climb to the ceiling. She glanced over at Yukino to see her reaction, her hand twitched and Haruka wasn't behind her anymore. She was slammed back on the ground hard and she cried out in pain. Haruka was back at Yukino's side.

"I told you to crawl to the ceiling Nao-pup," Yukino said calmly giving no sign she saw Nao's glare. She was really going to have to teach that girl about her looks. "You have three minutes."

Nao picked herself up and ignored the sharp pain in her back. She glared balefully at the blond who she knew was the one to slam her onto the ground. Stop it, she didn't have time to glare. She cast about for a plan but there was no way she could crawl on the wall. She was not Spidergirl!

"Times up, Haruka show her how," Haruka came to stand before Nao who had braced herself to be hit. Her arm was snatched and Haruka turned it so she could trace the veins on her wrist. Naos fist clenched involuntary at the touch. She was not afraid of this girl or she would at least pretend she wasn't but she could feel her heart rate pick up in her instinct to flee and knew Haruka would be able to see her pulse jump.

"Squirt," Haruka said softly but firmly and Nao realised that it was the first time she had heard her speak. For some reason she was surprised, she thought that the blonde girl would have a booming voice as despite her total submissive stance around Yukino she just seemed to ooze authority and control.

"Huh?" Nao said in surprise flinching as she expected to be hit again but the blow didn't come. Instead Haruka rolled her eyes and shook her wrist. "Squirt," she said again. Nao did as she was told and 'squirted' her web but only a thin line that gathered in her palm. She was disconcerted that someone had described what she did as 'squirting' but knew she was in no position to correct anyone's descriptive words. Haruka placed her hand against the wall softly and stepped away. Nao looked at her in confusion for a moment until it clicked and she 'squirted' onto her other hand as well and placed it on the wall. Her hands stayed stuck there. It was hard climbing using only her hands but she could do it. She laughed exhilarated at finding out a new trick to her powers.

"Your mistake Nao-puppy," Yukino said almost affectionately as she stood before her once again as she dropped from the ceiling "was not asking your Master how to accomplish your task. Most Hounds are trained to take orders, very few are encouraged to think on their own, unless they are designed to go after high class Strays or on other business for the organisation like Haruka is. No handler would ever give their Hound an impossible task to perform."

Nao nodded still smiling from learning something knew about her powers. Yukino patted her head smiling as well. "Now lets continue shall we?" And Nao nodded eager to see if she would learn more about herself.

XxXx

Midori shooed her towards a couch as she shut the door and Mai took the time to look around the room. It was filled with dark furniture and many leather bound books on the dark shelves. Like most of the offices there was no windows but Midori had pictures of different monuments on the walls. She looked closer and saw that Midori was in most of the pictures and the doctor that had examined her the previous day. The office would have looked very professional if it wasn't for the toys scattered about. On the middle shelf of the mini library sat in their proper stands all nine of the sailor senshi from Sailermoon complete with Tuxedo Mask stood posing for their audiance. Below them were a series of Gundams but Hero's was missing. Mai only knew this because the anime was one of Takumi's favourites. Dotted around the office was other anime memorabilia some Mai knew and others she had no clue about. She turned to look sceptically at the chagrined Midori who had to move a Charmander teddy from a leather seat so she could sit down. Mai took a seat in the middle of the couch book ended by a white haired female teddy and a red haired female teddy in jumps suits.

"So, I bet you're wondering what a good looking girl like myself is going to teach you huh?" Midori sat forwards and Mai leaned back nervously. There was something too cheery about this woman. "Well, according to your medical check you can't use your power at will. I am going to get to the root of that problem because its very common among wildies like yourself." Midori grinned at her before swivelling and bouncing from her chair to rustling in her desk drawers. She snatched out a pair of silver rimmed glasses a note pad and pen before leaping back into her seat. The force sent the seat skidding to the left and Midori scooted back in front of Mai with an embarrassed smile. She collected herself and put her glasses on her nose and readied her pen. "Okay fire starter lets see what put out your flame! Its Doctor Midori PhD to the rescue!"

Mai at Midori's urging found herself lying down on the couch using the arm rest as a pillow. She never took her eyes of the bundle of energy before her. "You want me to tell you about my child hood or something?"

"Yes!" Midori grinned then waved her hand airily "I know it's a cliché and all that but it really does work. Tell me about when you first remember using your powers."

"Oh," Mai's brow furrowed as she tried to remember when she first used her powers "well, I never used them a lot. I burnt a boys hair when he tried to push me of a swing in the play ground when I was about seven but that was it I never used them again until I met Nao."

Midori nodded her face fully focused on listening, knowing that Mai had just lied her little heart out. Most people tended to do that when they were face with psychiatrists for the first time. "Tell me about that meeting…"

"Well, she was getting chased by these bull like creatures," she looked at Midori in confusion "is it possible for mutations to change your appearance?"

Midori nodded "its more common than you would think as most mutations show physically for a short time anyway but those that show permanently are usually corrected at birth or not…" she trailed off and Mai could imagine what would happen to those who couldn't be fixed. She shuddered and Midori hurried to change the mood "so she was getting chased?"

"Yeah, and me and Mikoto were in the shop she ran into-when will I get to see Mikoto?" Midori looked annoyed at the new interruption so she answered fast "if you stay a good pup then I'll see if you can visit her soon now continue," Mai nodded satisfied for now at least "well we ran out the back and I just wanted to get away I was ready to leave her," Mai looked upwards to ashamed to look at Midori. At the time Mikoto and Takumi were her only responsibility so she didn't care about some girl about to get beat up. She only cared that the girl wasn't Mikoto. "But Mikoto wouldn't leave. She wouldn't-couldn't stand by and let Nao get beaten up by those creators and I want back to help her because I couldn't let Mikoto go as she would get hurt…" She stopped talking and felt Midori's silence and thought the other woman must think the worst of her "…I'm not proud of it and I'm really glad I went back for her because she really helped out in the future with Mikoto and Takumi. I don't think I would have handled things as well if she wasn't there…"

"So you're powers came out when you were in danger?" Midori gently probed.

"Yeah I guess, well not really as they only came out when Nao was about to get crushed by one of those bull like things," Mai said absently and Midori sensing that Mai was preoccupied with something else guided her "so how did she help you out?"

"She was great. At the time she had no where to go so Mikoto volunteered for her to stay with us, which I was totally against because she was a stranger and we might have woken up one night robbed. That's understandable right?" Mai looked at Midori for reassurance and saw no look of condemnation so continued "Takumi was always sick. His medicine cost a lot of money so I was working all the time which meant that he had to take care of Mikoto which was fine until her-" Her eyes darted towards Midori and quickly away. They didn't know Mikoto had a mutation. "-period started and she was hormonal all the time and the mood swings were to much for Takumi to handle so I had to take time off work and that cost to much so I started to bring Mikoto to work with me but the manager didn't like it because she always caused trouble even when she didn't mean to. I was so tired and frustrated all the time and then Nao came and she could look after Mikoto and keep an eye on Takumi…" Mai smiled tenderly and Midori noted that reaction down. Nao's power was the only thing that could stop Mikoto sometimes when she went into her rages. Until the one time it wasn't but Mai pushed that thought away forcefully.

"So that's how she helped me. Funny though the next time I used my power was when I was fighting with her and she is just so annoying," she turned to look at Midori "you have no idea how bad she can be. She snores and steals the covers and wears the shortest skimpiest night gowns so I always ended up getting flashed," Mai rolled her eyes until she realised what she said and saw Midori's great grin "we had to share a bed there wasn't enough room in the apartment!" she hurried to explain fighting off a blush.

"So you used your power to try and shut Nao up?" Midori said hiding her grin under her professional mask.

"No, it wasn't like I was trying to kill her or anything," Mai looked genuinely shocked at the insinuation "I was just so mad that I-burst into flames…"

Midori nodded in a doctorly fashion or in a way she thought was a doctorly fashion. She had an theory and decide to test it "so how long did Nao live with you?"

"About three months then school started. I had taken a month off at the end of last year due to Takumi's bad health," Mai said.

"And what age are you?" Midori asked carefully watching Mai's face

"Seventeen,"

"And your school was called?"

"Fuuka academy,"

"How long have you cared for Mikoto?"

"Two years almost,"

"And you've been in love with Nao how long?"

"Two mon-" Mai bolted upright in shock. Midori was grinning at her and writing on her pad. "I don't know what you mean! I am not in love with her!" Mai said panicked "stop writing! I didn't mean that! You tricked me!" She tried to snatch Midori's pen away but the woman was to fast for her and pushed the chair backwards out of her reach.

"Don't worry about it. SEARRs has nothing against gays you're fine," Midori was grinning as sure reassured the stricken girl but Mai didn't seem to hear and Midori laughed loudly as she realised "you haven't even admitted to yourself? God I wasn't sure until now but I kinda suspected it from listening in on your conversations in the cells…"

"You listen in on our conversations?" Mai snapped but wasn't that surprised. She was more rattled by her revelation. She knew she was attracted to Nao she couldn't deny that as much as she wanted to and she really did want to. "You're not going to tell her are you? I wouldn't live it down. Actually she wouldn't live it down because I would probably kill her…"just picturing the younger girls smug reaction made her fist clench.

"Naw its okay. But at least now I have an idea to get your powers going," Midori's grin was verging on wicked and Mai started to grow apprehensive. "Now, Now it wouldn't be any fun if I told you. But have you noticed that you seem to use your powers more when you're around Nao?"

Mai hadn't but she wouldn't give the woman the satisfaction of knowing she was right. She crossed her arms and refused to make eye contact. Midori seemed a little put out at this change in attitude "okay well leave it here for today. Though we still have to figure out why you put a cap on you powers."

Mai still refused to speak so Midori sighed and removed her glasses which were really only for show. She thought they made her look distinguished in a really hot way. She placed them on the desk and called for the guard to come and get the pup before her.

XxXx

Erstine looked behind her and snapped her head forwards so fast when she found Natsuki glaring at her back that she swore she heard a crack. Natsuki refused to feel sorry for the little snoop even though she did resemble a kicked puppy. Erstin stopped at a grey door the guard glanced at her barely before opening the door and letting her in. Erstin never raised her eyes or spoke the entire exchange and Natsuki felt her disgust for the girl rise.

Inside the room was a man strapped to a chair gagged and blind folded immediately putting Natsuki on her guard.

"T-this is a r-rouge h-handler," Erstine stopped to calm herself down. She didn't normally have a stutter but she could hear all the hostile thoughts that the dark haired girl threw at her without realising it. She took at deep breath and gathering her courage looked the older girl in the eyes. She got her forehead but was proud that she was at least looking at something that wasn't her shoes. Small steps "he tried to turn his Hound into a Pet without clearing it with the business first. When they refused his request h-he tried to run away with her. We're going to use him for you to practice on." The man hearing this began to struggle and muffled sounds of distress filtered through his gag.

"I am not torturing this man. That's cruel!" She said disgusted watching with mild satisfaction as Erstine flinched at her tone. She also felt like she was kicking a puppy but pushed that feeling away. The girl was a little snoop.

"You have to or else Master Yukino and Haruka-Hound-sama will punish you and your friends," Erstine said and the fear in her eyes convinced Natsuki she wasn't lying.

It's still wrong she thought but couldn't see a way out of it. Erstine saw the conflict on the girls face so volunteered hesitantly "he wasn't a very good Master. He always snuck around the breeding sector with Master Sergey," Natsuki's sharp eyes caught the blonde's face darken at the mention of the last man's name but she didn't care enough to ask. "We can start out slow," Erstine continued visibly shaking herself.

She reached her pale hand out to Natsuki's temple and she had to squash the urge to slap it away. But the hand was just a ploy to shift Natsuki's attention away from her head. She sent her mind into Natsuki's and saw the girl jerk in surprise. Natsuki's gaze became unfocused as she looked inwards.

Is that you?

Yes.

It feels different from what I remember of Shizuru's mind.

Well this time you're the one receiving the thoughts. Its different for everyone. Some telepaths feel cold or like they are being squeezed but normal people can't feel a thing.

Oh, what do you plan on doing?

Well I was looking at you memories and its amazing your able to sense half as much as you do as you've put a really big mental block around your power.

Mental block?

Yes it's a tool telepaths can use to stop the conscious accessing parts of the brain. You've subconsciously stopped yourself from using your power. This would usually cut a telepath off from all their powers and if they wanted accesses to them again they would have to get another telepath to remove it as they would be completely powerless.

Can you use that to block other mutants powers?

Sometimes if the powers are mentally based but not for those that are physical. I think you using your powers limitedly is due to their ties to you empathy. Empathy is a rare power and I'm not sure how useful it would be to the organisation but so far its just hindered you. Would you like me to block it off?

Cut off my feelings?!

Not yours. I'll just stop you from feeling other peoples emotions from a distance. It won't work if your touching someone due to that being carried in their touch but I can stop you being assaulted by the emotions tied to thoughts. Here I can teach you to put it up an down yourself.

And before her a vision of a cube formed. She waited quietly silently noting how much more confident Erstine sounded now that she didn't have to speak.

You take the cube and put it here.

A picture of her brain formed and the block was placed down in the path of a red stream that coiled from the right side of her brain down her brainstem and to the rest of her body. The flow was cut off from her head and leaving the red line in her body.

You'll have a little trouble visualising your mind at the start but after you see more of it it will become second nature. The easiest way to describe the brain is in layers. The first layer is the conscious and in there you can retrieve recent memories and events. Subconscious is were the long term memories lie and dreams. The third level is the emotional level where all the feelings are kept and where most mutant powers lie. My job is to retrieve and erase memories and information. The more powerful telepaths are trained to take over bodies and change personalities. For now we'll try and make you send your conscious outside your body into the man in the chairs.

I don't want to leave my body!

Don't worry I'll be here to make sure nothing happens. Now you must concentrate! Get a firm picture of yourself in your mind. Remember who and what you are. You need to know this so you will come back to your body. Have it?

…Yes

Now reach out and enter that man's mind. Its hard to explain its like running towards a brick wall but somehow knowing you'll be able to break through it even when it should be impossible.

That doesn't help at all!

Here,and Natsuki felt as if someone had picked her mind up by the scruff of the neck like a mother cat might do to its kit. This is called giving someone a piggy back. You're riding on my conscious now see what I mean about running through a brick wall?

And Natsuki did though it was hard to describe. She knew she couldn't get into the mans head but at the same time she had the idea that if she just kept poking him with her thoughts they would eventually be absorbed.

I'm going to let go of you now. Prepare yourself, it's a little strange being in someone else's head fully the first time.

It was like some one had through her into a hot bath. The thoughts rushed against her knocking over her and against her but unlike the times when she touched people she couldn't here anything in these thoughts. She couldn't even see anything.

Why is it so dark?

Because he's blind folded. If he was dreaming we would be in his dream or seeing what he saw if his eyes weren't covered at the moment.

Oh. How come I can't hear his thoughts? It was more like she could feel them but they weren't real. Just like hard mist. Enough they could be felt but not enough to be touched.

Your not touching them. You have to-oh this is terrible. Suddenly Erstine was before in her physical form floating in the blackness. Ihave never been in someone's mind with another person so I never bother to make my mental form. You try, just picture yourself.

Natsuki did and she was suddenly standing in her shock she lost her form but Eristine grabbed her hand and kept her together enough that she could concentrate again. Erstine smiled at her Good for a fist try. You're a little see through but that doesn't matter. What I want you to try now is visualising the first level that I showed you. It will be a lot easier since this man is awake.

Natsuki frowned and tried to picture the first level that Erstine had shown her. It was the top of the brain divided into coloured sections. Each section had raised bumps that she knew from Shizuru's mind contained thoughts. And it was suddenly around her and she was floating above it. Erstine smiled at her proudly. She didn't smile back.

We have to retrieve where this man hid a computer disk. It has information on the company that is to sensitive. It should be in one of those sections. Erstine nodded at the grid.

Hey what do the colours mean? Natsuki asked gesturing to the grid also.

What colours? Erstine asked confused.

In the boxes they are colours with raised bumps.

The raised bumps are thoughts which lead to memories sometimes but there are no colours.

Natsuki frowned she could see colours.

It might be part of your empathic power to see the emotions tied to thoughts. They might appear to you as colours? Erstine offered hesitantly Lets begin anyway, you really just poke around until you find what you want.

Natsuki soon learned that the raised bumps or thoughts were easily penetrated it was just a matter of poking them. She heard the man's panicked thoughts and when she followed the bumps to a memory she realised that he wasn't a good man. She saw him forcing himself on tied up woman and killing without guilt. She became less delicate in her poking after that.

Can they feel this? Natsuki asked a little later.

If we call up memories without being careful they can see them and might get suspicious but usually not. They only feel us if we want to be felt. Later I can show you the nervous system and show you how to inflict pleasure or pain on someone. A-ha! Erstine cried cheerfully taking her head out of a bump. This is it. Now this is how you erase a memory and she reached down as if she were hugging the mound and lifted if gently of the surface of the brain and began tearing it like tissue. The smaller the fragments the less chance of it getting pieced back together. Though there's always the risk that they can be recover by specialized telepaths as you can never make someone forget something fully. Your head is like a computer once something goes in it can never really be taken out.

Natsuki nodded to show she understood and Erstine spent the rest of their time teaching her other things. She learned that her power could be scary if it was misused but it could also be pretty fun if only she took the time to get to know the ins and outs of it. She couldn't wait to show Shizuru what she found.

XxXx

Reito entered the medical bay and stopped dead as he heard the raised voices of Youko and Midori. The last thing he wanted was to interrupt them in an argument so he bided his time confident in his hiding place.

"-n't be my friend Midori because I don't want you as one!" Youko shouted uncharacteristically reacting in some way that wasn't weary or annoyed.

"Come on Youkie! Lots of couples remain friends after they break up!" Midori said in the pleading tone she always spoke to Youko in. Reito rolled his eyes in disgust, she had been pleading with the doctor to talk to her for nearly a year and before that she had been pleading with her to move in with her and before that she was pleading-Midori just always seems to be begging Youko for something. Midori was just pathetic in his eyes.

"Yes I'm sure they are but I bet one of those couples never left the other a week before their wedding in a country whose language they can't even speak!" Youko glared and he heard footsteps begin to retreat only to be halted.

"Youko that was almost a year-" Midori began.

"It was eleven months two weeks, three days and six hours ago!" Youko raged but he could hear the crack in her voice "…I'm guessing the hours but you get the point."

"Wow," Midori did sound shocked Reito thought and despite his common sense he wondered what she would do "you keep track?" He winced expecting Youko to defy her Hippocratic oath and put Midori in a hospital bed.

"The fact that you don't is the reason I can't be around you," Youko said her voice soft "just let me go Midori you were the one that left me…" her voice sounded tired and defeated.

"And now I want to come back," there was a pause before Midori rushed to fill the pregnant silence

"I want to be your friend! Just your friend! I couldn't stick being together again!"

He could actually hear all the blood rushing to Youko's face in her rage as the sound of flesh hitting flesh was heard before Youko bellowed in rage "Nick!" and like a tiny juggernaut the brown haired boy flew out from one of the beds and like a deranged goat head butted Midori in the stomach before kicking her shin.

"Ah! You little shit!" Midori yelled in pain hopping up and down on one foot bent over cradling her shin and stomach "come here!" she made a dive for the pup but he escaped to hide safely behind Youko's back glaring at the older woman from behind his Master's big white coat.

"Get out of here before I wake up Vera," Youko threatened. It was no idle threat either as Vera was fiercely protective of her primary Master and had always held a special place of loathing in her heart for Midori.

Reito timed his entrance to coincide with Midori's undignified exit. That way Youko would be to busy glaring at her to really pay him any attention. It worked and he managed to ease his way past with all his limbs intact. He made his way to the far end of the room where a bed with cordoned off with white curtains. He reached forward and pulled the curtain aside to reveal an angel.

Kazu looked up blankly from the beside of Akane. The monitors beeped steadily in the rhythm he had been listening to for endless hours. It meant she was alive. It didn't matter that it was slowly driving him crazy. It meant she was alive and he would listen to it forever if it meant she would stay that way.

The boy in front of him was pale with sunken dull eyes and far too thin but even so Reito could see the absolute goodness shining out of him. He hadn't seen goodness a lot in his life but it was due to his limited exposure that he could recognise it instantly. He doubted this boy had even seen a quarter of the evil he had and instead of despising his innocents like he had so many others he was drawn to sit beside the boy on the vacant plastic chair. He noticed the desperate grip he had on the even paler girls hand. If she ever woke up from her coma her hand would definitely have a bruise.

"Hello Kazu-san I am Reito and your friend sent me here to check up on you," He said turning to face the boy. He really didn't care much for the girl but he noted her condition so he could tell Shizuru about it later. "If you don't mind me saying so Kazu-san you don't look so good. Have you been eating recently?"

The boy didn't respond he just lowered his eyes to once again stare at the unnaturally still girl. He told her he would protector. She had trusted him to keep her safe. He would this time. He had to.