"Any sign?" Shizuru asked softly sliding the door to the gifted house shut.

"No, it seems that they did leave," Nao said just as softly. Both avoided looking at the deeply stained wood of the back porch. "How's…" and Nao jerked her chin motioning inside the building.

"She's sleeping," Shizuru answered.

"And Nina?" Nao asked with trepidation.

Shizuru was silent and looked away. Eventually she answered "she's down at the doctor's office with the others. Youko said it was only exhaustion. She should wake up fine."

Nao nodded but they both knew that Nina wouldn't be fine. Not if Natsuki got her hands on her. "Have you been down?" Shizuru asked.

"To the doctor's office? No. Mai's guarding Y so I should go down and keep her company. Mikoto's out with the search party that are looking for Chie and Aoi, so I think you have the place to yourself tonight," Nao said and didn't even bother to make a sleazy comment. She was too tired and it just didn't seem appropriate.

"What about Kazu?" Shizuru asked with a frown.

"They're helping to get rid of the bodies," Nao said cutting the conversation dead.

Shizuru could only nod. They stood in silence not knowing what to do. Eventually Nao turned and sighed. "It's over."

"So it seems," but they couldn't really believe it. They had been hunted for so long and now, Shizuru didn't think she could sleep unless it was with one eye open.

"I'm going to check on Mai," Nao hesitated and her gaze slid back to the house. She seemed like she was going to say something but stopped herself at the last moment.

"I know," Shizuru said and Nao wondered if she did. Even she didn't know what she wanted to say. Shizuru looked so calm and sure of herself that Nao believed her. She nodded again and turned away.

XxXx

Nina couldn't understand it. Her body throbbed with a dull pain that hit her with each beat of her heart. She could barely sit up on the futon that they had laid her on. She looked into the blonde girls face, Shizuru, Natsuki's Erstin. "Natsuki won't come?"

Shizuru shook her head.

Nina nodded but her chest ached and she rubbed at it. It was a different hurt. "I'm supposed to stay here, is Natsuki here as well?" Many times Erstin couldn't come and visit her in the darkness because they wouldn't let her. Maybe that was why Natsuki was staying away.

"No, Natsuki is at the house," Shizuru said no emotion in her voice.

"Can she bring the kitten to me?" She asked.

Shizuru again shook her head and avoided looking into Nina's eyes. It was for the girls own good. "You're not allowed animals in here."

"They lock the door," Nina said quietly "and they don't tell me about Erstin. Is she awake? She didn't stop did she?" And her chest throbbed.

"Erstin's fine. She has a few scraps and bruises but she's awake," Shizuru reassured. Erstin was a little confused having suffered a mild concussion but mostly fine. She slept a lot and was weak but Youko told them that she would be okay in a few days.

"She didn't stop?" Nina asked again just to make sure. When Shizuru shook her head she felt lighter. "Can I see her?"

Shizuru shifted uncomfortably. People were scared of Nina. They found the ravaged bodies in the graveyard and seen senator Kuga's corpse. Natsuki didn't help when she tried to get in and strangle Nina. Everyone knew of her power now. "I'm sorry," she said "but you can't see her."

Nina stared out of the bared window. The room had been built a decade ago for a mentally disturbed villager. Instead of killing him he lived with the doctor in this secure room. It showed as the futon was the only piece of furniture in the room. Youko wasn't even allowed to take medical equipment in to examine Nina. He was apparently very happy or so the man outside that was posing as Nina's guard had said. Shizuru felt sympathy well up in her throat as the Nina put her head down. How could she explain to her that everyone hated her? She probably thought she was protecting her loved ones.

"I did something bad, didn't I?" Nina said staring at the white cotton sheet on the futon. She didn't know where the idea came from but it seemed right. "Will you put me back in the dark?"

Shizuru didn't know how to answer. She put her hand on Nina's shoulder and felt how skinny she was through her still blood soaked kimono. No one had changed her when she was unconscious and they were to afraid to do it now that she was awake.

Her view of Nina was terrible confused. Nina had protected Natsuki and for that Shizuru would do what ever she could for the other girl. But Nina had also hurt Natsuki by killing her father and she couldn't forgive anyone hurting Natsuki. But Nina loved Natsuki nearly as much as she did. Of that there was no doubt.

"I won't let them put you in the dark," she promised at last.

XxXx

"Do you remember me?" Mai glared at Y.

He was laying on a futon in the doctors office. He was fine now they just had no where else to put him. They couldn't even hold him here since he could teleport if he wanted to. Y was an operative trained to function outside of a SEARRs environment but he was still a Dog. He was kept there because no one had given him the order to escape. Just to make sure he didn't escape Haruka stood in the corner of the room, a dark shadow that imposed the old order of SEARRs on the mutant. He shook his head.

"You took my money and teleported my brother to god knows where," Mai said angrily. Nao hovered behind her unsure of her place and ready to give support. "Do you remember him? He was sick! Did you even take him to that island?! Does it even exist?!"

Y didn't respond. Haruka shifted in the corner and his eyes flew to her in panic. All SEARRs canines knew about the number one Hound. "Answer her," she growled from her corner.

"I don't remember you but if your brother was sick he made it to the island. I had orders to take a percentage of the fit canines to SEARRs. All the sick or unhealthy canines were allowed to proceed to the island," Y said and he sounded much older than he looked. His voice was soft and there was no fight in him at all.

Mai let out a breath and turned away. She felt relief flood through her. She smiled and her exhaustion from the last few days slammed into her. She fell to the floor instead of slowly letting herself down like she planned. Nao was immediately at her side looking concerned. "He's okay. He's there." She smiled and Nao smiled back.

"Dog," Haruka spoke and Y's attention immediately snapped to her "stay here until Mai decides to leave for the island. When that's done, I'll take your collar off," Y's hand instantly flew to his throat. His eyes flashed in fear "but what will I do? Where will I go?"

Haruka understood his fear well. She couldn't have thought of breaking from SEARRs a few months ago. What would her purpose be in life? Now she had Yukino and would always have her. Y didn't have that, SEARRs was all he knew. "Come back here, we'll give you your own house. You can do what you want with it. It will be yours. You can even have a family name." Most Dogs didn't get full names.

Y looked lost. She understood how overwhelmed he would be. She also knew how tempting it would be to slink back to his Master and the only life her had known. "Dog!" She barked to command his attention "who am I?!"

"You are Haruka-Hound SEARRs rank number one," Y answered quickly.

"Do as I say. Stay here until we have need of you," she watched him nod and was satisfied. He wouldn't go anywhere because she had ordered him not to. To him she was the only chain of command he recognised. She turned to Mai who looked happy but exhausted on the floor "I'm going back to Yukino, he won't give you trouble."

Mai nodded and looked up to thank Haruka but she was already out the door.

XxXx

Vera's chest struggled upwards and sank quickly down again. Her little frame trembled with the effort to exist. Most of the child was covered in bandages and ointment from her own vines. Her curly blonde hair had been cut as it was to stained with blood and dirt. It would only further hurt the child to try and rescue the mess from the tangles. She didn't look anything like the little terror that would glare at Midori anytime she sat foot in Youko's medical bay.

Midori couldn't move from the girls side as she held her in an iron tight grip. She didn't think the girl even knew who it was she latched onto tightly. Midori certainly wouldn't have been her first choice. As it was Midori made sure that she sat still and didn't jar the tortured child. If she could she would climb back on the boat and shoot Smith again. She had never liked Youko's brats but this- this was- and he called them the animals?!

She smoothed her face not wanting to scare the girl. Vera wouldn't have seen her expression as she spent most of her time in a deep sleep but she wanted to be useful to her in some way. She tried to think calm, fluffy thoughts to somehow provide a caring atmosphere that Vera would want to wake up to.

She looked up to see Youko hovering in the doorway. She hadn't entered beyond taking care of Vera. Clinging tightly to the doctors borrowed jeans was Nick. He hadn't left her alone since they got off the boat. The boy even went so far as to go to the bathroom with her. Midori didn't blame him. They had been through a lot and she hadn't been there to help them.

Youko had been busy being the only doctor on the island. She had mostly looked after the mutants with the villagers staying away respectively. The doctors office was filled with slightly out of date medical equipment. The building itself was small with only five rooms; the reception room, one exam room and three rooms. One was used solely by Nina and the other two were taken up by injured mutants. Most of the town had escaped unharmed. They believe this was because of the gifted and Youko didn't know enough to contradict them.

Midori tilted her head to the side and just gazed at Youko. She was different from when she had last saw her. Her eyes held shadows and old and yellow bruises sat plainly next to fresh purple ones on her face. All Midori wanted to do was go to her and hold her. What worried her the most was that she didn't come sit by Vera. She just hovered near her and made excuses when invited into the room. She could see that Youko's hold on Nick was just as tight as his on her.

"It's not your fault," Midori's voice sounded harsh in the silent room. Yukino grumbled from her futon but Haruka soothed her. Midori didn't really want to have this conversation with them in the room but it didn't seem like she had a choice.

Youko opened her mouth startled. Her jaw worked up and down before she turned and left. Midori moved to follow her but Vera whimpered as her hand was tugged. Midori stepped back. She smoothed the child's blonde curls away from her head and sat back down again.

XxXx

Chie sat down on a small wall to take a break. Her back was sore from helping to clean up the village. The soldiers had left quite a mess nearly every house had damage and the Mayors house was in rubble. She drank deeply from her water bottle and nearly choked when she was tackled from behind.

"Chie!" Mikoto chirped hugging the other girl from behind. She liked being close to her, she smelled really nice. Mikoto inhaled deeply and laid her head on Chie's shoulder.

"Hey, Mikoto," Chie said passing her water bottle behind her to the other girl. Normally she didn't like anyone touching her because of her power but Mikoto was just an innocent kid.

"So how come you're looking at Aoi the same way Nao looks at Mai when I've been hanging around them all day?" Mikoto asked taking the water gratefully.

"What?" Chie had no idea what Mikoto was talking about. She had only glanced at Aoi in passing and she certainly wasn't looking at how the other girl was stretching and wiping sweat from her brow. Her pink t-shirt rode upwards slightly-she wasn't looking.

"You're looking at her like you want to drag her into the nearest cupboard like Nao does to Mai," Mikoto said "does that mean that you and Aoi are together?"

"No!" Chie denied furiously.

"Nao!" Mikoto called pushing Chie down so she could push herself up. Chie allowed herself to be squashed with a grimace. Mikoto sprung off her and away presumably to chase after Nao.

"Chie! Can you give us a hand here?" Tai called to her from the same rubble pile that Aoi was working on. She hurried over "we're trying to selvage any possessions from the ruins," he explained and she nodded.

She began to move the rocks but her attention kept being drawn to Aoi who didn't seem to notice she was there. Which was good, she told herself since Aoi's stalking had been really annoying. She deliberately dropped a rock to roll at Aoi's feet. "Sorry," she grinned.

"Don't worry about it," Aoi said only glancing up to give a quick reassuring smile before going back to work.

Chie frowned and shifted she kept trying to get Aoi's eye but it didn't seem to be working. She turned to ask for help on a particularly big rock and was startled to see a crowd behind her. Most had the glassy expression in their eyes that told her she should really run home and get a shower before her power took completely over. When they caught her looking they snapped back to shifting rocks. She looked up at Tai "I'm going to go now…" and she pointed to her fan club behind her. He nodded in understanding but she couldn't help but think that was part of his plan.

"I'm going to take some of the stuff we found to a shelter," Aoi said breaking away.

"I'll help with that," Chie volunteered quickly. Almost immediately there was a chorus of volunteers "it's okay, I'm sure we can manage," Chie said to them staggering over to Aoi's side and making sure to keep out of the old men's reach. They were pinchers. A disappointed groan came from the workers. She grabbed the dining chair and a few photo albums that had survived the ransacking. Aoi grabbed a box of cloths and kitchen equipment.

Chie tried to make conversation on the way to the shelter but it always ended up stuttering to a stop. Aoi was very pleasant and didn't seem to be feeling the same stress as Chie. They got to the school were they would be storing the items as Chie tried to think furiously of what they could talk about.

"Well, thank you," Aoi said with a smile as she turned to leave.

"Aoi!" Chie grabbed her hand.

"Yes?" Aoi said expectantly and Chie looked at her helplessly.

"Uh, in the graveyard…" she managed to start feeling like an absolute fool. "You seemed immune to my power…?"

"Chie you know I like you, that I have for a very long time, I'm just sad that it took something like that to prove it to you," Aoi said taking her hand back gently.

Chie flushed "I'm sorry but, it's just that I didn't know if your feelings were genuine or because of this stupid gift."

"Well I hope you do now," and Aoi began to walk away.

She should have trusted Aoi, Chie realised. She should have given her the benefit of the doubt and now she had lost everything because-ooamf!

Aoi broke the kiss and Chie blinked at her dazedly "I lied," Aoi said still clinging to the shocked Chie "my mother told me that I should always lie to the person I love because men are stupid. You're still stupid but I don't think I should start things with a lie. I'm not immune to your powers, in fact if we were in that tomb for one second longer I would have hit you with a rock and humped your leg. I can't stop my hands now. You're all sweaty and smelly and should be disgusting me but I think it's cute and makes the whole, me slipping my hand up your shirt, a lot easier because there's less friction."

"Huh?" Chie was still confused by the kiss.

"Yeah," Aoi nodded and kissed her again.

Chie had enough sense to guide them into the school before anyone saw them and they ended up engaged.

XxXx