Ok, I get it…this is hecka late. =m=" Sorry guys; I let you down. ANYWAYS! I'M TRYING!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own +Anima, which belongs to Natsumi Mukai. I also don't Lonely Lullaby, which is by Owl City; just Kira, this fic, and this plot. ;p

IMPORTANT! If you don't remember most of this story, you may wanna refresh yourself by reading the past few chapters. ^^;

-\[=]/-

[Husky's POV]

I woke up with a fresh bruise placed on my right cheek bone. With a hiss of pain, I sat up straight. Quietly and gingerly, I looked through the bars of my cell. A sigh escaped my lips as I realized the +Anima were still locked in. It was impossible. Escape, I mean. This was beginning to be a tough fight. We were given little portions of food, not enough water, and they threatened to extract our +Anima in the most terrible way possible if we didn't do as they pleased.

Slavery was the most horrible possible way to live. They kept the boys and girls separated…unless you count our second work hour. That was when I got to see Nana. She was separated from Rose and Kira most of the time; stuck with girls she didn't really know all too well.

"It helps to sing," she told me just a few days ago. I huffed as I slid back down to the ground, quietly humming to myself.

"I'll dissolve when the rain pours in, when the nightmares take me…I will scream with the howling wind," I panted as I sang. I wasn't so used to speaking, let alone singing. "'Cause it's a bitter world, and I'd rather dream."

It was still quite dark out. This meant that the guards were eating breakfast. Some remained near the cells, but they disguised themselves to keep people from knowing their locations. With a small gasp for air, I collided onto the cold, dirt ground.

I woke up about an hour or so later to Cooro, who was dumping water on my face. He beamed and called Senri over to us. As much as it pained me, I sat up. My head throbbed immensely as I was put on the bed made of hay. I griped in agony, hanging onto the rim of the bed for dear life. My knuckles turned white according to Cooro, Senri, and another boy named Roo. He had brown, spiky hair and somewhat-blue eyes. He was only about five years old.

"Husky," Cooro whispered, "are you alright?"

He then coughed and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. None of us were used to talking all that much. It made me wonder how Senri felt each and every day. My head was soothed after a few moments. Tears were shining in my silvery eyes, but boys don't cry. No, they…they don't cry. The guards already thought I was some dumb girl. I didn't need to give them anymore of a reason to question my gender.

I swallowed and looked up at the two, "Yeah…I think I'm alright."

Something occurred to me and I looked at Cooro.

"Where'd you get the water that you poured on my face?"

He smiled at me as he replied with, "I'd been saving it last night. Just in case."

I nodded, lying back down. Roo came to my bedside and gave me a look with his giant, blue eyes. His kangaroo feet, ears, and tail were out. I went wide-eyed and stared at him.

"Retract it," I whispered, "the guards don't like when our +Animas are out."

He shook his head and smiled softly at me. His older brother's name was Jake; he wasn't own a +Anima. Roo was our responsibility as long as we were stuck in the slave camp. I couldn't imagine being ripped away from a brother. Of course…that's probably how Rose felt. Nana told me that Rose's cell was only a few feet across from hers, but she could still hear her cry Pinion's name every night.

"No," Roo finally said, which cut me out of my thoughts.

I looked back at him, a frown crossing my lips. What was up with this kid? Didn't he know he could be killed if he didn't retract his kangaroo? I sighed and scooted over. He gave me a confused look, which consisted of a cocked eyebrow, a scrunched nose, and a sideways mouth. I smirked at him.

"You can share this bed with me if you retract your +Anima," I wagered.

He thought momentarily on it, and then decided it was worth it. With a tiny shrug, he withdrew his +Anima and slid in next to me. It was still crazily dark outside, which meant we only had about an hour or two of sleep left. Cooro and Senri went to their own beds. Usually, we'd switch out beds. One of us would sleep on the floor whilst the others took the remaining beds. It was my night, but Cooro wanted me in a bed so I wouldn't accidentally kill myself. I didn't want Roo out of a bed—he was the youngest after all—so I decided sharing for the rest of the night would be alright.

The next day scarred me for life.

-\[=]/-

What a bitter day to live. We had to do eight work hours instead of six. I knew they were only trying to kill us faster, but no one else seemed to pay much attention to such a thing. During our third work hour, which was lugging rocks to the other side of the camp, the head guard came over to us. We looked up at him. We all had black circles around our eyes and back pains, but we managed through it all.

"I've been feeling generous," he smirked at us, "we've decided to leave most of you alone."

Everyone decided to beam and cheer as loud as they could (it wasn't all that loud), except for Senri and I. This reeked of lies. Nevertheless, everyone worked as hard as they could. The guard decided the weakest boy and the weakest girl would mysteriously disappear.

Finally, working hours were over. We headed back to our cells, awaiting the slop that they called dinner. The cell closed and I noticed Roo wasn't there. I blinked and searched under the beds and through the corners. A guard with a tin bucket came by. His ladle filled with what looked like pig vomit. I came up to him and stood on my tip-toes.

"Who were the kids that got chosen today?"

"I-" he began, but I cut him off.

"Please, please answer!" I yelled hoarsely and mutely.

His eyes widened as he pulled out a list.

"Roo Carnation and Nana Alba."

Now it was my turn to widen my eyes. No…this couldn't happen. This couldn't…they wouldn't dare! Would they? Would they really take two small children away? Starve them? Beat them? Kill them? For the sake of the two, I really hoped not.

At night I found myself singing again, tears rolling down my dusty cheeks.

"Annmarie…I'll never forget you, Annmarie…" I sobbed, "I'll never forget you…"

Ok, that was a bit…angsty. 0.0" Sorry about that. Ok, so you've entered…THE FLASHBACK ZONE.

Again, I'm sorry that this is so terribly late! ^^; I hope you guys aren't mad! I'm on spring break and already starting the next chapter so…yeah! :D

See ya'll then!

REVIEW IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE NEXT CHAPTER! *holds a gun up to the chapter's head*

Chapter: PLEASE REVIEW! SHE'LL DO IT! SHE'LL DESTROY ME.