Chapter Twenty-Eight: Darkened Skies and Hollow Eyes

The next morning, Kagome's soft brown eyes fluttered open... but when she finally woke up, she sat up with a yawn and stretched. Then she looked at her sleeping friends, one after the other, until her eyes fell across Rue's bed. The girl was horribly startled to see that Rue's Futon was empty. Then she noticed that someone else was missing, too: Saelind, the wolf demon who'd introduced himself after Rue had been injured, was no longer resting against the wall.

At first, Kagome was going to panic... but then she heard his deep voice rumbling from somewhere outside.

She instantly let out a sigh of relief and slumped inward on herself.

"Sheesh, getting me all worked up again," the girl huffed in Japanese, peering at the fluttering flap. "Still... what's going on this time?"

Feeling a little curious, the Asian girl stood up and quietly made her way over to the flap: when she peered outside, she didn't realize that her light footsteps had woken Inuyasha up. His yellow eyes were trained on her back when she shrank down and peered outside a little more cautiously. Kagome, however, was extremely confused by what she was seeing: Saelind was sitting in front of the girl and violently shaking her back and forth with large eyes.

"Wake up," he grumbled, looking extremely frantic for some reason. "Rue-chan... wake up! It's only a nightmare! Come on, wake up!"

Rue's entire body twitched and she went rigid in his grasp, but then she relaxed and merely lapsed into a limp posture.

When Saelind stared at her eyes, he frowned deeply and seemed to be severely alarmed. After a moment, he stood up and held out his hand... but the girl made no move to take it. She merely sat there on her backside with her arms hanging limply, not moving... not doing anything. When the demon gently gripped her arms and lifted the girl onto her feet, she made no offer of resistance and merely stood in place.

"What the heck?" Kagome whispered, staring with an open mouth as the demon shakily led her over to a stone and gently sat her down; now that she was facing the hut, the priestess could see Rue's eyes... and she immediately covered her mouth in shock. They had become almost completely dead of all feeling. "What... on... earth...?"

The sparkle inside them had completely gone out.

"Stay right there, okay?" Saelind muttered uneasily, slowly backing away; when he was sure she wouldn't move, he hastened toward the flap that Kagome was standing in front of. The girl leapt back and stared at him when he flew through the entrance towards Nanami, not even looking at her as he went: his slanted red eyes were full of fear. Inuyasha sat up with furrowed brows and watched as the demon shook the sleeping blonde. "Nana-chan! Nana-chan, wake up!"

"I'm still sleepy, Daichi..." the fox demon whined, rolling over so her face was buried in her futon; she said something else, but it was muffled by her sleep haze and the cloth in front of her mouth. "Ah wamma sweep..."

Saelind, however, narrowed his eyes and growled like a wild dog.

He looked genuinely pissed off.

Grabbing the woman by the shoulders, he lifted her up and roared into her face, making everyone snap awake in an instant.

Nanami's brilliant green eyes flew open wide and she stared at him in shock.

"S-Saelind?!" she squalled, staring at him in alarm. "W-what on earth are you doing?!"

"I'm not Daichi," he growled, crimson eyes narrowing even further when the demon woman paled. "However, that's not important right now! Miharu is acting really, really strange! She's... it's like she's... possessed, or something!"

"What?!" Sango exclaimed, instantly sitting up with large eyes. "I don't believe it! Did you SEE what she did to Naraku?! What kind of demon could overpower her?!"

"Let me take a look," Miroku muttered, getting to his feet with a yawn; everyone gave him sketchy looks, but he merely smiled and waved his hand in a soothing manner. "Don't worry, don't worry... this won't require any touching, I promise."

"It had better not," Sango muttered, giving him a very mean stink-eye; everyone followed the monk to where the girl was still sitting, staring off into space with that same dead expression in her eyes. After a moment, everyone could see what Saelind had been talking about, even Shippo: her face looked emotionless, and her eyes had lost their luster. "Strange."

She looked, for all the world, like an older version of Kana... Naraku's mirror-wielding incarnation.

"M-Miharu-chan?" Nanami whispered, staring at the girl's eyes; when she received no response, the woman bristled and grabbed her shoulders. "Miharu-chan! Miharu-chan, can you hear me?! Hey! Answer me!"

There was no answer: the girl merely continued staring off into space like a living doll.

"What did you do to her?!" Kagome suddenly demanded, looking at Saelind with sharp brown eyes; the demon twitched and stared at her in confusion, especially since everyone glanced at him. "I saw you shaking her just a second ago! You did something to her, didn't you! What was it?!"

"I didn't do anything!" the wolf barked, eyes flaring wide in outrage. "Miharu got up and started walking out of nowhere, even though she was asleep! She was calling for someone, and she started saying something about being in the dark, so I stopped her and tried to wake her up! When she opened her eyes again, she was like this!"

"And we're just supposed to believe that?!" Inuyasha growled, instantly drawing his sword; Saelind twitched and stepped back with startled eyes, and even Nanami seemed alarmed by his hostility. "Last night, I smelled the stench of a wolf... it was all over her, and she was acting funny last night. What did you do to her, and just what are you planning?!"

"I'm not planning anything!" Saelind snarled, eyes narrowing in fury when the half-demon shifted his stance. "Sheathe your blade, right now!"

"Give me a reason," Inuyasha sneered, narrowing his eyes; Kagome paled and backed away from the two of them, as did Sango and Miroku. Shippo hid behind Kirara just in case things turned dangerous, since they could all see that Inuyasha was angry. "Why should I sheathe my blade for a mangy stray like you?"

"Because the girl you're worried about is mine," Saelind hissed, fangs elongating into sharp-looking daggers before he bared his teeth; Inuyasha instantly tensed since the wolf-demon began to advance. "Don't take me lightly, half-demon... I bode no ill will towards you or your friends because Miharu thinks highly of you... but be warned: if you do not sheathe your blade, I will disarm you, and after that I will give you a hiding you'll remember for the rest of your life!"

"Oh, yeah? Bring it on, you smelly mutt!" Inuyasha snarled, eyes flashing with spite; he instantly lifted his sword and jumped into the air, but his breath hitched when Nanami unexpectedly leapt in front of the demon with her arms spread, green eyes shining with fright. "Idiot, what the hell are you doing?! Move it!"

"I WON'T!" Nanami shrieked, shaking her head and squeezing her eyes shut. "This isn't what Miharu would want! Out of everything, she hates violence the most!"

Inuyasha instantly pulled his attack and landed with his sword gripped tightly.

"What makes you think you know her so well?" the half-demon demanded, glaring at the woman over his shoulder. "Who are you people to Miharu?"

"We're not related to her by blood," Nanami whispered, shakily lowering her arms, "but to us... Miharu is our student, our friend, and in a sense... our daughter. Everyone in the Cavern Village was linked together as a family: we lived in groups of three and four, based on age and experiences. The three of us were all a family, bound together by our desire to become strong. We are the last survivors from the Cavern Village, and as her group mother... I beg you: stop it."

"She's right," Sango muttered, shaking her own head with a sigh. "Fighting amongst ourselves won't solve anything."

"Very true, but still," Miroku muttered, eying Rue's body from every angle before stepping back with a frown, "have you noticed that she doesn't even seem to be aware of what's going on around her? She didn't even twitch when the two of you started butting heads: that's not normal for her."

"Excuse me," a soft voice broke in, making everyone turn; Miroku's eyes narrowed in a flash of suspicion when he saw how Rue stiffened and started shivering for a moment, but aside from that, there was no change in her expression. "Um... I saw you all gathered here... but... what's going on?"

"Oh, Tachibana-san!" Kagome cried, eyes widening in alarm; the priestess instantly glanced between the doll-like albino and the approaching woman before hastily jogging over to her. "It's nothing, you know: we're a rowdy bunch, so we get up early in the morning."

"Ehhh?" the woman droned, sounding completely detached from the world. "Is that so?"

"Yeah," Kagome nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck with a laugh; then she became serious and awkwardly shifted her weight. "So, um... about Miharu-chan... we think... she might have gone into some sort of daze as a result of her fight with the man you saw before. Could you... take care of her?"

"Eh?" the woman gasped, jogging forward and glancing around the priestess; she stared at Rue's expressionless face with no emotion whatsoever. "Of course... I wouldn't mind taking care of her."

"Well, um, we'll leave her to you," Kagome stammered, hastily ushering everyone away from the two females. "Come on, guys... let's go."

When her friends let out protests, she smacked them upside the head and urged them even harder.

For several minutes, nothing was heard since both Rue and Mizuki were alone. The woman glanced at the girl's shaking hands, then took note of her slightly trembling mouth. Despite her lack of expression, Mizuki could see it was being forced.

"Thompson-san," Mizuki formally murmured, leaning forward and waving a hand in front of the pale girl's eyes; Rue merely looked through it, making the beautiful woman's lip curl a little in disdain. "Seriously, quit moping... I don't like what you've become. I can't even stand to look at you anymore. Pull yourself together long enough to walk inside."

"Hai," Rue whispered, closing her eyes and slowly standing up; without another word, she slowly made her way towards the flap and slid inside the hut. Mizuki, feeling extremely disgruntled and aggravated without really knowing why, followed her and stared at the girl when she sat on the floor and stared off into space. "Is there anything else you'd like me to do?"

"Actually, yes," the woman muttered, staring at her. "Tell me... when did you turn into a monster?"

Rue immediately twitched and squeezed the green cloth of her school skirt.

"I..." the girl whispered, eyes shimmering blue. "I'm not..."

"Don't lie," the woman snapped, folding her arms with an uncomfortable expression. "You ARE a monster: no regular human being randomly sprouts a pair of wings, Thompson-san, nor can they do what you did yesterday! You were stabbed through the heart, and then you transformed! How are you still alive?!"

Sango, who had been about to walk around the corner in order to talk with Mizuki about Rue's condition, halted in her tracks. Eyebrows furrowing in confusion, the demon slayer stealthily pressed herself against the wall and listened with a curious look on her face.

Truthfully, she had been wondering about what had happened between them the previous evening.

"I... don't... know..." Rue brokenly whined, lowering her head. "But... really, I'm not a monster!"

"Then explain how you transformed into a winged creature with nine tails!" Mizuki snapped. "Right now!"

"I... can't," she whispered. "I still don't understand it myself! I never knew I wasn't human until it happened!"

"Don't you lie to me," Mizuki hissed, mouth contorting like a snake's. "It's your fault I'm stuck in this nightmare! This is all your fault! If I had never adopted you... if you had just been normal... this wouldn't have happened. No wonder everyone returned you to that horrible foster home! You're nothing but trouble!"

Stop... Rue whined inside her head, begging her heart to slow down before it happened. Please... I can't...

"I've changed my mind," Mizuki Tachibana stated coldly, eyes devoid of the love that had been there for years. "I don't want you. I don't want to be your mother any longer. Once we get out of this, you're going right back to the orphanage."

Rue closed her eyes, heart breaking all over again.

Tears slid out from beneath her eyelids and dripped off her silver lashes as she sat there. When Mizuki sneered at her, however, the girl's sanity snapped and she stood up; before the woman could react, Rue tackled her to the ground and straddled her waist. The brunette screamed and struggled to get away.

But Miharu clamped down on her.

"You don't want me?" the albino demanded, speaking through the tears streaming off her nose; her mother's brown eyes were large and frightened as they stared into her burning yellow irises. "If this is how fickle your feelings were to begin with, you never should have adopted me in the first place! You're the worst! Out of every single family who took me in over the years, you are literally the WORST!"

"Excuse me?!" Mizuki screeched, eyes widening in outrage. "I WAS THE NICEST TO YOU, OUT OF EVERYONE! HOW AM I THE WORST?!"

"BECAUSE I LOVED YOU, OKA-SAN! YOU WERE THE ONLY WOMAN THAT I'VE EVER CALLED 'MOTHER'!" Rue shrieked back, making the woman fall silent. "I loved you more than anyone! To me, you became my whole world! Your smile was the one thing that kept me going, even when everyone else was hurting me!"

"Get off me, you filthy BRAT!" the woman screeched, trying to buck the girl off of her. "GET OFF!"

"NOT UNTIL YOU TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!" Rue shrieked back, pulling her mother's shoulders up and slamming her back down; she was instantly winded. "If you want to see me as a monster, fine! I can't control you! Hell, I don't even want to! But no matter how many times you insult me, no matter how much you say you don't want me, your words will NEVER change the fact that YOU are a HORRIBLE PERSON!"

"I'm a horrible person?!" Mizuki hissed, making the albino wince. "You're the one who deceived me into believing you were nothing but a lonely child who was abandoned by everyone. Hypocritical brat... get off me, demon... I have God on my side."

"God?" Rue abruptly laughed, eyes frantic with mirth. "Don't you get it? God doesn't exist!"

Mizuki's eyes widened and she froze, not believing her ears.

"How dare you!" she spluttered, mouth falling open. "You really have become a monster!"

"As if!" Rue snapped, glaring at her with tears in her eyes. "Oka-san, I've been stuck here for months and I have yet to see a single trace of the almighty God that everyone worships back in the present! Where was God when I was attacked and stabbed me through the shoulder? Where was God when I was nearly killed after falling into a raging river? Where was god when every single person living in the Cavern Village was slaughtered like animals?! BETTER YET, WHERE WAS GOD WHEN TSURUUKI AND HIS FRIENDS RAPED ME?!"

"Raped you?! You're making up stories, now?! That boy LOVED you! That's it... time to end this!" the woman screeched, whipping her cross out of her pocket and pressing it against Rue's forehead; the girl didn't even twitch when her mother's eyes widened, since nothing whatsoever happened. "W-w-w-what? But how?! It's a cross blessed by... by holy water!"

"Don't you understand?" Rue quietly asked, finally sliding off of Mizuki's torso; the woman sat up and stared at her with shaking limbs after the girl stood up. "I'm not evil... something like that can't hurt me, because I'm not a demon or a monster. Hell, as sad as it is, I don't even think that cross would work on a real one."

"Don't lie to me!" the woman screeched, pointing a shaking finger in her direction. "I believe in Christ Almighty!"

"I'm not lying," Rue whispered in a deadened voice, looking at her; her eyes were once again empty of all feeling, but her smile was as gentle as ever. "Still... I guess this is Goodbye, Mother... you should go talk to Kagome. Go see if she can take you back to the present through the Bone Eater's well. Hopefully, you won't have to be stuck here forever."

"W-what?! You mean, there's a way out of this nightmare?" the woman gasped, staring at her. "Really?! We can go back to the way things were?"

"Yes," Rue whispered hoarsely, lowering her eyes and lifting her hand to point the woman in the right direction. "Kagome is probably down by the river... go tell her that I told you to try it. If it works... you won't have to worry about me, because if I ever do make it back to the present, I won't be returning to you."

"What you do is none of my concern," the woman snapped, bolting to her feet. "Home... I can go back home!"

With that, she darted around the girl's shaking form and tore right past Sango, who's long hair drifted off to the side as the woman flashed by her.

Her brown eyes were wide with horror and she couldn't even comprehend what she'd just heard.

Then a dull thumping sound met Sango's ears and her mind kicked in; dropping her boomerang and losing one of her casual sandals in the process, the woman shakily hurried around the corner and ran inside the hut to find that Rue had collapsed to her knees and was staring at the floor with no expression. And yet, even though no tears were streaming down her face, the woman recognized the raw pain hidden behind the mask that had been put in place.

However, nothing came out of her mouth.

Sango merely stood there and watched as the girl stared at the floor.

For several hours, the two of them remained where they were: Miroku and Kagome came to check on them once in a while, but the demon slayer warned them off with nothing but a sharp glare. Rue's expression never changed even once as the hours stretched out longer, drawing the sky from day to night. The girl never moved... never spoke... never looked anywhere else. She merely sat there: the only proof that she was even alive surfaced through her breathing.

The demon slayer had long-since sat down against the wall with Kirara at her side to keep an eye on the girl, but... sadly, there was no change.

Eventually... Sango felt her eyes growing heavy, and she had trouble staying awake.

Somehow, without her even realizing it, she opened her eyes again and all of a sudden it was morning: sunlight was streaming in through the entrance, but the woman's heart turned cold when she looked up and saw Rue sitting in the same spot. Instantly getting to her feet, the dark-haired beauty grabbed the girl by the arm and hauled her up, then forcibly dragged her outside. Rue didn't respond at all when the demon slayer dragged her towards the Bone Eater's well.

"You can't leave things as they are," Sango whispered, biting her lip as she dusted off her pink Kimono. "You have to make things right."

However, when they arrived, they were already too late.

Kagome and Mizuki were already climbing through the well together.

Sango twitched, eyes widening in disbelief: flashes of Rue's desperate expression when she'd been on Mount Hakurei resurfaced when the woman jumped down into the well. She instantly hurried over and shoved Inuyasha out of the way in order to peer down, but neither female was visible: Rue's foster mother had successfully returned home.

"Good riddance," Inuyasha sourly muttered, making Sango whirl with shock on her face; she was startled, however, to see that he looked extremely pissed off. "As if waving a little metal crossbones stick at me would make me disappear or destroy me. Pfttt... dunno what she's been drinkin', but it turned her bat shit crazy."

"Inuyasha," Sango warned, glancing over her shoulder; Rue was already heading off towards Kaede's hut. "Never mind..."

"What's with you, Sango?" the hanyou muttered, scowling at her; then he sniffed and glanced around. "Better yet... where the hell did that mangy wolf and his yellow-haired fox lady go? I haven't seen either of them since last night."

"I don't know, okay?!" the woman snapped, feeling unusually aggressive for some reason; the white-haired youth stepped back with an open mouth and alarmed eyes when she stomped past him and headed towards Kaede's hut, as well. "Don't bother me for a while."

"Kagome should be back in about four days, she said!" Inuyasha called, giving the woman an uneasy glance. "Just so you know!"

Sango didn't answer him.

When she walked into Lady Kaede's home, she found Rue sitting on the floor in front of the window and looking out at the sky. The demon slayer felt her heart soften in sympathy, and without a word, she pulled a blanket from the corner of the room. Once she had it, she headed over to the silver-haired girl and set it around her slender shoulders before squatting down in front of her. For several moments, Sango merely stared at her deadened yellow eyes.

Already, she was missing the sparkle she had come to know.

"You know," Sango murmured, heart lightening a little when Rue lifted her eyes to her face; those large pupils seemed to stare right through her rather than at her, but it was still a sign that she was listening. "My shoulder is always open for you... so if there's anything I can do, please... just tell me."

For a moment, Sango held her breath, waiting for her to say something... to break down, to cry, to do anything but suffer in silence like this.

However, there was no response... and the girl merely lowered her gaze again in order to stare out the window.

Sango's face fell and she watched, helplessly, as Rue continued staring out at the scenery.

Around sunset, Sango noticed how messy the girl's silver hair had gotten and borrowed Kagome's favorite brush from the shelf she usually left it on; without a word, she began running the bristles through the girl's long tresses, combing them out and marveling at their iridescent sheen: in the light, her hair took on an almost prismatic texture.

And yet, even though Sango brushed the girl's hair until it had extended down her back and slid out on the floor nearly two feet from her body, she didn't move. She didn't blink. She didn't speak. She only sat there... quietly suffering... holding everything back the way she'd done in the very beginning.

Finally, the demon slayer dropped the brush and pulled the girl into an embrace, not even realizing that Miroku had just stepped inside.

"Miharu," the demon-slayer whispered, closing her eyes. "Stop. Right now... your eyes remind me of my brother's."

Miroku's face went blank and he stared at them; then he slowly started backed out.

"Please stop," Sango pleaded, face faltering when the girl acted as though she couldn't hear anything. "Please... don't suffer alone. You aren't alone anymore."

No response.

After a few moments, Sango gave up and began setting out a futon for the girl.

Once the girl had been set into bed and situated for the night, the woman left the hut with Kirara mewing at her side.

She halted just before she hit the edge of the path, however, and lifted her eyes.

"I know you're there, Miroku," she stated clearly, waiting for him to come out. "Keep an eye on her. I need to... I need to be alone for a while."

"Sango, wait!" Miroku shouted, trying to stop her when she leapt on Kirara and took off on her own; a peal of thunder split the air like a melancholy drum, making the monk look up. The sky was swirling with clouds that were forming above Kaede's hut... but these were merely rain clouds. "What on earth is going on, here? What happened between Sango and Rue yesterday, and where did Nanami and Saelind go?"

"Miroku!" Shippo called, waving at the monk with Inuyasha at his side. "It looks like it's gonna rain tonight!"

"We should get inside and try and go to sleep," Inuyasha muttered, scowling at the ground. "We can't do squat about finding Naraku until Kagome gets back since she's the only one who can sense the jewel... shards... wait. Wait, no, she's not! Miharu can—"

"Don't even think about it," Miroku warned in a low voice, halting the half-demon in his cheerful parade. "Something is going on with her. Adding unneeded stress would be extremely unwise considering the extent of her abilities. She's the one who's creating the rainstorm: look at the weather pattern. It seems to be expanding from a spot located right above Kaede's home."

"What's all this about storms above me house?" the old priestess herself asked, giving them curious stares before she glanced at the sky and blinked. She instantly extended her neck like a rooster about to let loose a morning call and gawked. "Well, I'll be! There ARE clouds forming above me house! But... why?"

"I don't know any details," Miroku muttered, shaking his head, "but I think Rue is having a rough time because her mother left her behind. I think the tension may have caused her and Sango to have a fight, and now both of them are depressed over it. That's the only conclusion I can come up with. The best thing we can do for the two of them is give them some space and let things work out the way they should: we'd only be a problem right now, I believe."

"Well, why don't we make dinner?" the woman asked, leering at the swirling rain clouds. "What a peculiar sight... bah, let's go inside."

Shippo, Inuyasha, Kaede, and Miroku all went inside the hut and purposely ignored Rue since they figured she wanted to be alone. Not too long after that, Saelind and Nanami walked inside the hut, hand in hand. Nanami was crimson, and Saelind had a somewhat cocky swagger to him: the older male's confident manner of walking caused a vein to pop out in Inuyasha's forehead, which everyone pointedly ignored.

"So, where were you today?" the half-demon suspiciously asked. "Out plotting schemes against Miharu, I'll wager?"

"I was out making mad, passionate love to Nanami," the elder demon stated calmly, grinning like a fox when the silver-haired youth very nearly choked on his spleen; similarly, Shippo looked around in confusion and Miroku turned bright red with a delighted gleam in his eyes. "Got a problem with that?"

"Don't warp reality," Nanami muttered, tugging on his long ear and rolling her eyes when he winced; she then looked up at them and sighed in dismay. "He wasn't making love, he was confessing it... and... although I can't accept it now, since I'm still in mourning, he's told me that he would wait until the day I'm ready to accept his feelings."

"Don't scare me like that!" Inuyasha squeaked, face redder than a tomato. "Sheesh, what's wrong with you?!"

"Nothing: I'm just being a man," Saelind snorted, then ruffled Nana's golden hair and glanced at Rue: she was staring up at the ceiling with an oddly tight expression lacing her emotionless demeanor. "Is she doing all right? We heard from a villager on the way back that her mother went home through the well."

"Yes... she and Kagome both left this morning," Miroku confirmed, watching as Kaede stirred the pot of soup she was making. "We should leave her alone for tonight. I think she'll be better if she comes to terms with things on her own."

"You're probably right," Nanami murmured, eyeing her eyes with concern, "but still..."

"That's enough grim talk," Kaede sighed, adding a few herbs to her concoction. "Let's just eat and rest... we've all had a long day."

Thus, when the food was ready, everyone had supper and people started making their beds.

Inuyasha, however, rested against the wall and kept his ears on full alert even though he looked like he was sleeping. When Sango finally came back and Kirara transformed back to her mini size in a gout of fire, he paid close attention to how the woman's breath hitched high in her throat upon walking into the hut.

Her footsteps halted, making the demon's nose wrinkle a little in confusion.

Sango smelled... afraid.

"Miharu..." the demon slayer sighed, sounding thoroughly shaken. "You should get some rest, or at least move around now and then. It's not... healthy to stay in one position for so long. I've heard of people who've lost mobility in their arms and legs as a result of similar situations."

Sango wasn't expecting a reply, since the girl had been in this state for a while now... but the sound of her voice stopped her.

"I don't want to fall asleep," Rue murmured in an almost robotic tone; when Sango turned her head and Inuyasha opened his eyes, both of them saw the emotionless expression on her face wavering slightly. "If I do... I'll dream again."

"What do you mean?" Sango whispered, staring at her in surprise. "You'll... dream? What do you dream about?"

"Oka-san," Rue quietly explained, expression never wavering. "Being alone is better than being destroyed. I'd forgotten that until now."

When she fell silent again and continued staring at the ceiling, Sango stared at her, at a complete loss for words. Likewise, Inuyasha was gazing at her with his mouth slightly open and his brows furrowed in angry confusion. Both of them watched as the girl slowly turned over on her side and avoided their gazes. Neither one of them knew what to do.

And frankly, they didn't even know if there was anything they COULD do.