A/N: Oh my gosh you guys! We reached 40 reviews! Thank you so much! You don't know how awesome that is for me! :D Thank you so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so much! Also, two more chapters to go after this one! Yay! More character progress! XD Don't cha love it? Not much to say today. I'm really thankful for my followers and reviews. I'm so glad to see most of the same screen names popping up and then some new ones at the same time. But I'll save my speech for when this arc is finished. XD This chapter is short, but the next one is too... Bad short chapters. e_e

-Misty

Summary:

Thirteen years ago, the Shinrabansou was ripped away from its owner. Forcefully. Without its consent. By an unknown force. Now, the new age has begun. The world has fallen to the new ruler of the Nabari world. Humans have been forced upon each other like savage beasts. In this world, the previous owner, struggling for life like everybody else, meets another who has had his own share of misfortunes.

Chapter 10: Escape

"This way," Yoite says and starts to crawl forward. I follow him, though I'm hesitant. It's really dusty and somehow foggy. It's hard to see far ahead, but I trust Yoite to be my eyes for me.

I try to be as quiet as I can while crawling. In the vents, all the sounds are amplified. It sounds like we're a herd of elephants. I wonder if it's the same out there.

Would someone hear us if we went by?

After what feels like hours of crawling, he finally stops and points down through another open air vent. He puts a finger to his lips, motioning me to be quiet. I quietly crawl next to him and look down through the grating.

"So what do you think about the new convicts?" A female voice asks. I back away for a moment, fear hitting me before I peek through again.

"This bunch has a lot of will power. They fought until they were pulled into cells." A male voice says.

I see only two people. They both look young, one younger than both of us. Her hair is long, down to her hips, and it's white. She's very small, half the height of the boy who seems to be taller than me. He's got white hair too, but it's short and almost feather-like. His eyes are red, hidden behind a pair of glasses that sit on his nose.

They aren't in Tracker outfits; they are in normal everyday clothes. They look like a couple of kids you would see walking down the street. Normal. Well, except for the white hair.

"True. They held out for so long. It is almost a pity that they got caught." The girl says while twiddling her hair between her fingers.

"Bite your tongue, Shijima! They deserved what they got." The boy says.

"Oh no doubt about that. I'm only saying it was kind of fun to have such a rebellion within these walls. It makes people panic." Shijima says.

"Well, I guess it's better than the normal." The boy says. They begin walking forward. I look to Yoite, remembering the projector showing me pictures of the rebels. Was she talking about the ones I saw on the projector? If so, they must be something to get the government scared.

We wait a couple of seconds, listening to the footsteps disappear. I watch through the grating until I feel they are really gone. Yoite moves away for a moment to grab some wires sticking out through the metal wall. He pulls and I can hear something click. It happens a few times, but then stops.

"The cameras should be off. Let's go." Yoite says. I smile and nod my head in understanding. Yoite pulls out my pocket knife and does the same thing as he did before. He unscrews each bolt that's holding up the metal. This one is loose though and falls before he can even pull his hand back. It falls to the floor with a loud clank.

"I hope no one heard that." Yoite whispers. He slips through the opening carefully and drops down silently. I watch him look back and forth a couple of times before holding out his arms to me. "It's safe, come on."

I drop down, his waiting arms catching me. I cling to his neck a little before he puts me down. I let go, lingering to see his face. His eyes are looking ahead however.

This is another moment that happens too fast. I see his eyes widen, and when I turn around to see what's shocked him, I get a sharp pain across my face. I fall to the floor and cover my face with my hands as blood begins to seep through my fingers. I hear Yoite call my name desperately, but then I hear more voices.

"And just when things were getting boring." A female voice says. I lift my head and peak through my tightly closed eyes to see four people there. The two white-haired teens are there, but now there are two more. One has long hair, yet he's a boy. The other has short hair, but she's a girl. These two are twins.

Yoite comes up behind me and lifts me in his arms. He moves my hands out of the way to look at the gash across my face and I can see the fear in his eyes. It must be as bad as it feels.

"Are you okay?" He asks with panic. I nod my head, but I'm far from being okay. I'm in so much pain and I'm already dizzy. I can feel the collar of my shirt (technically their shirt) already drenched in my blood.

"Rokujo Miharu..." The male twin says. Yoite lifts me back to my feet and holds me up. I can hear him panting though, so I know he's already out of energy. He lifts his hand and points a finger at the four, but nothing happens. I can tell he's only trying to threaten them.

"Miharu, come to the sound of my clapping hands." The boy begins to clap and his sister follows him.

"Leave the shinagami." The sister says. "His time will be up soon. Why stay with someone who only takes and takes? Especially when it is your life he takes." She asks.

I feel Yoite tighten his arm around my waist. I can't tell if it's because of what they're saying or because I'm losing the energy to stand straight. It's probably both.

My blood is boiling though. It's not a good thing when I'm losing blood, but I can't help it. Shinagami? Did they really just call him that?

The one I remember as Shijima, the short one with long white hair, steps forward. Her eyes are glued to Yoite, who hasn't let his hand fall yet.

"The forbidden technique that eats away at your life," She says in a questioning tone. Yoite's words ring in my head again.

A technique... That eats your life? Is this what has made Yoite sick?

"What does it feel like to be heading towards death?" She asks. I gasp in surprise. I stand in front of Yoite, clutching my injured head while I block him from these tantalizing people. "Does death inspire fear in you?" She asks.

I feel Yoite trying to push me out of the way, but I stop him and lower his hand.

"No, Yoite don't. They aren't worth it." I whisper.

"Or does death give you hope?" Shijima persists. I grit my teeth in irritation. Everyone just seems to be going after Yoite today. "If you mastered the Kira technique willingly, then that means you willingly accepted your own death, isn't that right?" She continues.

Yoite stumbles behind me, his arm falling to his side. I turn to him to see him fall onto his knees. I kneel down beside him, taking his face into my hands and accidentally smearing my blood on his face.

"Yoite, what's wrong?" I ask. Yoite cringes and lifts his hand. I feel my blood freeze at the sight of blood on his hand. I look down to see an open wound in his knee, bleeding profusely. I stare with fear at his blood.

When did this happen?

I press my hand against his wound. He protests, but I don't stop. I keep the pressure on it to keep it from bleeding any more than it is.

"Is there something you want to protect that is more precious to you than your own life? Or do you long for death itself?" She steps forward a little, much too close for my comfort, and says this. She goes quiet and lifts her arm, inevitably having the large and baggy sleeve of her shirt slip down her arm. I'm surprised to see claw like devices attached to both of her hands. She pulls those claws up to her face and brushes her hair back.

"No. That leaves unanswered questions. If you're saying you want to disappear, isn't that the same as saying that you want to avoid death instead?" She asks.

Yoite visibly shakes from her comment and points his finger in their direction. I don't have time to stop him before he shoots at them, but they all get out of the way anyway. I quickly sling Yoite's arm over my shoulders and try lifting him from the ground, but I'm so dizzy that he's in better condition than I am.

The four of them circle around us, trapping us in a box. They all have their weapons pulled out; ready to kill us within the blink of an eye. I get the idea in my head that they won't kill me. Torture yes, but kill, I don't think so. Yoite is a different story entirely. They weren't feeding him, so what would want them to keep him alive?

Absolutely nothing.

"This doesn't have to end so badly, Miharu." The boy with white hair says. I look back at him and glare, but I see something I don't see on the others. In his red eyes, hidden away by those glasses, I can see worry. I shake my head and look away, thinking that maybe I've seen things wrong.

The two twins lunge at us. Without knowing what the other two are doing behind me, I move to the side as fast as I can, pulling Yoite along with me. I miss, but they are fast, and the girl, who is the closest to me, throws a punch. She doesn't miss. I move as fast as I can in front of Yoite to take the blunt of the impact, but I'm sure I was her target and not him.

Yoite finally pushes himself off of me. I look at him with surprise, but I can see the energy slowly coming back to him after his moment of respite. He balances against me, still a little wobbly, but it's better than nothing.

The male twin goes after him. Yoite misses a deliberate punch and gets hit in the gut. I try to help, but I'm pushed back against a cell door by the girl.

I can already tell what they are doing. They are separating us into corners, keeping us apart. I get a moment to look over to Yoite to see Shijima joining the male twin and taking on Yoite. The guy with white hair joins us over here.

"Let's make this quick, alright?" He says. I can't help but get the feeling that he doesn't want to fight and is trying to avoid it, but when I see him pull a kunai out from some mysterious place, I toss my suspicions out the window.

The twin steps back, letting him have his chance at me. He lunges at me and I jump out of the way. I barely have time to catch my footing when he throws his kunai down at my head. I grab at his arm and push back, but the tip of the kunai hits my head.

I grunt as I push against him, but he is very strong. He pushes me backwards while I still have a grip on him. I feel a cold cell touch my back again and I panic. He's got me cornered again.

"Look how the mighty have fallen!" The sister calls, her voice laced with laughter. I break eye contact with this white-haired assassin and look to where Yoite is. He's on the ground, getting the air kicked out of him by the brother. The girl, Shijima, is simply standing there, doing absolutely nothing. My blood boils in anger.

I look back to this boy and push with all of the energy I have left. It doesn't seem to faze him. His red eyes stare at me with incorrigible focus. I scream, though I don't know why, and move his arm as far away from my head as I can.

I gasp for breath, but this guy isn't giving up. He's so strong. I can still feel blood dripping down my head from my open wounds. I'm weak. I have to think of something though, anything. My arms are trying to keep this guy from doing serious damage. I'm against a cold cell door. It's getting harder to breathe. My eye sight is getting fuzzy. My legs are getting weak and-

"We're on your side." He whispers. My eyes widen when I see the change on his face; more serious, but with the tinniest of smiles that one wouldn't see unless it was fully directed at them. He starts to loosen his strength on me, but not by much.

"Wha-"

"We want to help you, Miharu. Shijima and I." He whispers again.

I look back to Yoite. He isn't moving. The two have finished with him and are now making their way over to us.

If this is his way of helping us, it sucks.

"Come on, Kouichi; stop playing with your food." Shijima says soothingly, her fingers twiddling between each strand of her hair again.

The boy she's called Kouichi moves the kunai, but then pushes me to the ground without much effort. It's almost like all of that struggling I just did was him playing with me, feigning weakness to me. It was like he was just playing a game, and with the instructions from Shijima, he stopped the game.

I hit the ground hard, only getting a moment to get my act together before I look up.

Everything goes black.