Disclaimer 1: I do NOT own Zoids.
Disclaimer 2: The characters Ibeyla, Obscura, Spectral, Rollo, Rabe, Salca, Playzia, Driacoul, Rika, Avea, Serrer and Libelle do NOT belong to me. They belong to ShadowRebirth37.
Disclaimer 3: The characters Atherin, Azel, Eiji, Tyme and Ryoko belong to ME. The towns Redai and Jurei also belong to me.
Author's Note: Hey everyone!! As promised here's my weekly update!! It's not a terribly long chapter, but it has enough in it to keep you interested!! Last chapter Rabe came back and seriously hurt Atherin! D: Will he make it? Or will Raven be too late in being able to save him? Read and find out!!
This is a collaboration fic between ShadowRebirt37 and me. We thank those of you that Reviewed!!
Ͽ A Brother's Betrayal Ͼ
Tyme soon came out to the garden. He had heard Atherin scream and had tried to get to him as quickly as he could. It was made a little difficult when he was stopped by just about everyone asking him what was wrong. He didn't want to panic any of them so had told them that he was just looking for Atherin. He spotted his brother, lying on his side, with Raven kneeling beside him. Both were covered in blood, but the thing that made his blood boil was that he could see Raven's dagger a few feet away, bloodied with his brother's blood.
Raven looked up, and saw Tyme. "Tyme! You have to help!" he said, looking back down at Atherin. Tyme just glared at Raven and before Raven could say anything else he found himself pinned to a tree. He was momentarily confused as to what had happened, until he found himself face to face with a pair of angry cold lavender-blue eyes. Raven stared at Tyme at shock. "Tyme, what are you doing?! We have to help Atherin!" he shouted, trying to struggle free.
Tyme narrowed his eyes at Raven. He was pissed at him for hurting his brother. He didn't even want to listen to what Raven had to say. Raven gritted his teeth, Tyme's claws digging into him slightly. "Tyme, why are you doing this?! Rabe hurt Atherin, not me!" he shouted, still struggling. "Why would he go after Atherin when I was the one that killed his mate?" Tyme hissed out. "...." Raven didn't know what to say. He honestly didn't know why Rabe had gone after Atherin. "I... I'm not sure..." Tyme growled. He was losing his patience with Raven. He had half a mind to kill him himself and then make Atherin drink his blood to reverse the effects of the silver.
Raven was starting to panic. Tyme didn't believe him and was blaming him for Atherin's condition. Suddenly an idea struck him. "Tyme! Rabe attacked Atherin and me! See!" he said, motioning to his scratched side. Even though Atherin had tried to heal them, the marks were still clearly evident. "Rabe tackled me into the pond!" he added, looking over at the still slight-crimson water. Those claw marks looked like they could have belonged to Atherin... And the blood in the pond could have been when Atherin tackled him into the pond. Both boys still had damp clothes. Tyme wasn't buying that story either.
Raven was getting scared. "Why don't you believe me, Tyme!" he cried, "You know I'd never hurt Atherin!" Tyme growled again. He was getting fed up with Raven, and listening to these stories wasn't helping Atherin's condition any. He pulled Raven forward a little before slamming him back into the tree, nearly knocking Raven unconscious. Raven cried out in pain, but went limp in Tyme's hold. He was barely conscious, but aware enough to hear. His eyes were closed, and he was dizzy and disoriented.
Tyme, none so gently, dragged Raven over to where Atherin was. It was hard to see his brother in that condition, but he was going to reverse it. He knelt down in front of him, after having let go of Raven. He gently put him into a sitting position, trying to ignore the whimpers of pain that came from Atherin. This was why most vampires never survived getting silver in their system....they just couldn't move with out causing themselves an immense amount of pain. Raven tried to move, but found he couldn't. He realized he was on the ground now, but he didn't know what was going on.
Tyme made sure that Atherin wouldn't fall back to the ground. He pulled Raven closer to where Atherin was sitting, trying to get him to 'feed'. Raven groaned weakly, the movement hurting. He tried to open his eyes, but he still couldn't. When Tyme saw that Atherin wasn't making any move toward 'feeding', he tried to figure out what was wrong with him. He took some time looking for a reason why Atherin wasn't doing what he wanted him to, not knowing that Atherin couldn't see and didn't want to 'feed' off Raven without his consent. Raven managed to move a little, opening his eyes for a brief second. He couldn't tell what was going on; his thoughts still a jumbled mess from the blow.
After a moment of noticing that Raven wasn't talking or anything, Atherin thought that Tyme had actually killed Raven. He started to panic, which was not good in his state. Tyme just couldn't understand why Atherin was refusing to 'feed'. Raven tried again to move, but he still didn't have the strength. He still didn't know what Tyme was trying to do... Atherin was still refusing his brother's request of 'feeding' off Raven. Tyme wasn't happy with that answer and so pulled Raven a little closer to where he was sitting. Raven groaned and tried to struggle when Tyme did that, his injured side paining him greatly. He opened his eyes again for a moment or two, trying to figure out what Tyme was trying to do.
Tyme held Raven still, not wanting him to move as he tried, once again, to get Atherin to 'feed'. "Come on Atherin. You'll die if you don't 'feed'..." Raven's heart skipped a beat. Tyme was trying to get Atherin to 'feed' off him, when he couldn't even defend himself. Raven started struggling, trying to get free. Tyme notice Raven trying to get free and that made him angry. He decided that he would silence Raven for good, but Atherin stopped him. That confused Tyme, but he still didn't let go of Raven. "Let me go, Tyme!" Raven shouted, still trying to get free. He wanted to help Atherin, but Tyme was making it difficult.
Tyme was reluctant, but he let Raven go, pulling him into a sitting position before he shoved him closer to where Atherin was sitting. Raven looked over at Tyme. "What was that for?!" he said, narrowing his eyes at him. Tyme only glared at him. His eyes turned red briefly, before they returned to the cold lavender-blue. Raven shied away from his gaze slightly. He didn't know why Tyme didn't believe him, or why he had pushed him.
Tyme growled again, but it was more directed at Atherin for not 'feeding' than anything. "Come on Atherin, 'eat'." He tried again, shoving Raven closer. Raven's eyes widened. He wanted Atherin to 'eat' him?! He staggered to his feet, panicking. Tyme pulled him back down and was going to make sure he didn't try that again. However, before he could do so, Atherin's condition took a turn for the worse, and drew his attention back to his younger brother. Raven turned around and looked at Atherin. He ignored Tyme for a moment, more concerned with Atherin.
Atherin's breathing was worsening and his blood had congealed even more. It felt like his heart would burst because it was trying to pump so hard. Raven completely ignored Tyme. "Atherin... c'mon... you have to 'feed' off me..." he said, knowing it was the only thing that would keep him from dying. Atherin looked over to where he guessed Raven was. He knew that he needed blood, and soon, but he was afraid that in his panic he might drain Raven dry. Judging from Tyme's abrupt change in behavior that he couldn't place, he wouldn't stop it. Raven sighed. "Atherin... come on..." he said, worried.
Atherin continued to stare blankly at him with dull eyes. It hurt him to move, but he shakily reached out with his hand, trying to find where Raven was. Raven moved over beside him, so he could reach him easier. For some reason Atherin wasn't reacting to him well, so he light tapped his shoulder, so he knew he was beside him. Atherin let his arm fall, and he 'looked' to where Raven was beside him. He was waiting for Raven to tell him that it was alright, but he didn't know if Raven knew where he had to bite to reverse the silver that was in his system.
"Atherin, its okay if you 'feed' off me..." Raven said, knowing what Atherin had to do, even if it scared him. Atherin nodded weakly. However, as he couldn't see where Raven was exactly he couldn't really do anything. Raven didn't understand why Atherin hadn't made a move to bite him yet. "Atherin? Why haven't you started? Is something wrong?" he asked. "....I...c-can't...s-see..." Atherin answered quietly. "Oh..." Raven said. He reached out and guided Atherin's hand up to his neck. "Better?"
Atherin nodded weakly again. He didn't like doing this, especially when he couldn't see. He took a moment to locate a safe place where he could bite, using two fingers to pinpoint where he would bite. He shifted a little, even if it did cause him pain, as he tried to get into a better position. He could feel Raven's heart starting to pick up and that in turn made him nervous. After a few moments more of hesitation did Atherin finally draw closer to Raven's neck. He didn't remove his fingers until he finally bit down. Raven forced himself to stay calm, knowing it wouldn't do either of them any good. He was scared, but he did his best to hide it. He knew Atherin needed it or he'd die.
Atherin knew that Raven was scared. It made him nervous as well, but he resisted the urge to bite harder. It was an instinct to do so if he felt that his 'victim' was going to try and escape. He knew that Raven would have to stop him...lease he really try to drain him dry. Raven struggled to keep calm, even though he knew Atherin wouldn't hurt him. He could feel himself getting weaker with each swallow Atherin took, but he knew his friend needed it badly. He wouldn't stop him until it was absolutely necessary. Atherin continued to drink. He could feel his blood starting to thin and his heart starting to pump a little easier. His wound wasn't healing though. It would take a while for a silver inflicted wound to heal. Raven still didn't stop Atherin, even though he was starting to get dizzy. He had finally calmed down, now sure Atherin and Tyme wouldn't hurt him... for the moment... Atherin was faintly aware of the fact that Raven was getting light headed. However, at the moment, he was making no moves to stop himself.
Raven could barely sit up now, Atherin had taken too much. He was light-headed and dizzy, and felt extremely weak. "A-Atherin..." he said, lightly tapping his shoulder. If Atherin took much more, he'd lose consciousness... Atherin let go when Raven tapped his shoulder. He was still in pain and his vision was just starting to return. He could make out blurry shapes, but nothing more than that. Tyme wasn't too pleased that Atherin had listened to Raven and had stopped. He still didn't understand what had happened. He couldn't see why Rabe would just leave Atherin with only a cut and not instantly kill him, let alone go after him in the first place.
Raven's head was down, his eyes closed, weakened severely by the loss of blood. He was glad Atherin was somewhat better, but he knew he'd have to let Atherin 'feed' off him again. Tyme got up from where he was sitting. He walked over to where Raven was sitting and jerked him into standing up. Atherin couldn't make out the fast moving blurry images, and so didn't know what was going on exactly. Raven stared at Tyme in fear. "Tyme, what are you doing?!" he asked, trying to get free.
Atherin tried as hard as he could to focus on what was happening. He knew that Tyme would hurt him if he didn't something. "T-Tyme! L-Let...him g-go..." Atherin said as he tried to stand up. Tyme gave an exasperated sigh, but let go of Raven. Raven turned away from Tyme and back to Atherin. "Atherin... don't move around..." he said, pushing him back down lightly and sitting down beside him.
Atherin didn't try to fight against him. Tyme narrowed his eyes at Raven, but decided to leave. He didn't go too far though, just far enough that neither of the teens felt too threatened with him being there. Raven looked over at Atherin. "Are you feeling b-better?" he asked. "I'm...s-still in p-pain...but....I think....I'll m-make it...." Atherin answered. Raven nodded. "Good... you had me r-really worried, Dracula..." "I was...w-worried m-myself.... I th-thought I w-was g-gonna die.... B-But...w-why did T-Tyme try to...h-hurt you...?" Raven looked down slightly. "He... he thought I was the o-one that h-hurt you..." he said quietly.
That didn't really make any sense to Atherin. He tried to think about why Tyme would think that Raven had hurt him. Well...his knife had been used to cause this wound.... He could try and piece it together, but he was too tired at the moment to do so. He was still having troubles breathing as some of his blood was still congealed, but at least it had stopped and not spread. "...I'm s-sorry... f-for his b-behavior..." "It's not your fault A-Atherin..." Raven said quietly. He was still extremely weak from the loss of blood.
Atherin tried to focus his vision better, but he couldn't. He wanted to 'seal' the puncture wounds he had made so then they wouldn't get infected or Raven ended up killing himself on accident. He knew Raven still had a bad habit of ghosting his hand over the wounds. Raven looked over at Atherin. He got a little nervous when he saw him looking at his neck. "Are you... looking for something?" He asked. "...The...p-puncture...w-wounds.... I c-can't f-find them.... D-Don't want you...t-to a-accid-dently....ag-rivate...them...." Raven shook his head 'no'. "No Atherin... I'll be f-fine..." he said, "... you need to s-save your strength..." Atherin didn't try to argue against him. He just wanted to go to a nice, dark, cool place to keep calm and start to heal. His room was the best place for that as he could control how warm it was.
Raven didn't like being out in the open, when Rabe could easily attack again. "Atherin, d-do you want to g-go back inside?" he asked. Atherin nodded weakly at Raven's suggestion. He knew he was extremely vulnerable right now. He tried to get back up, but it hurt him a lot. Raven helped Atherin up, trying to be as gentle as he could so not to cause him too much pain.
Atherin cringed in pain, even though Raven was trying to be careful. He knew that it'd be an extremely painful walk back to his room. He wasn't going to stay in the medical facility this time. Tyme had disappeared inside Horai by they time he and Raven had started their way to Horai. Raven helped Atherin back to his room. It was slow going, but he didn't want to force Atherin to go any faster with silver still in his system. Atherin nearly collapsed onto his bed. That walk had exhausted him. His breathing was labored again and he bled the whole way back. It was still just a slow, oozing bleed as that was where the silver was most concentrated.
"I'll be r-right back Atherin..." Raven said, turning and leaving him. He walked back to the medical room, grabbing a roll of gauze and some medical tape. He put some gauze on his neck before he left, walking back to Atherin's room to wrap up his wounds. While Raven was gone Atherin had decided to make things a little easier to wrap his wounds up. He knew where Raven had gone. He undid his scarf and took off his mesh shirt. It caused him pain, but he knew just about anything he'd do would cause him that. Raven walked over to Atherin's bed and sat down beside him. He started to wrap up the worst of his wounds, trying to be as gentle as he possibly could. Atherin tried not to move too much, nor let Raven how much it hurt. He just wanted him to finish so then the pain could start to alleviate. Raven finished quickly. He had wrapped up all of Atherin's serious wounds. "Alright... I'm done Atherin..." "T-Thanks... ...I'm...g-gonna r-rest now...." Atherin said as his exhaustion took over. He gently laid down and was asleep before Raven had even left his room. Raven got up and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. He started to head back to the garden, having forgotten his silver knife by the pond.
Before Raven could make it to the garden he was suddenly and very abruptly pulled into one of the rooms that lined the hallway. He was flung into the room, but didn't hit anything. He tried to get his sense of balance back before he heard the ominous locking of the door behind him. Raven managed to regain his balance, although he was a little uneasy on his feet still from the blood loss. It was dark, so he couldn't really see who grabbed him due to his spinning vision. A light was dimmed on. It was just bright enough for Raven to see in. The person who had locked him in here had yet to say anything or make another move toward him. All the color drained from Raven's face, recognizing Tyme. After what happened earlier, he was afraid Tyme was going to hurt him.
Tyme didn't move from his spot in front of the door. He was glaring at Raven and had a look of utter hate written on his features. This was a side of Tyme that Raven didn't think he even had. It was silent for a moment before Tyme decided to speak. "You're extremely lucky that you're Atherin's friend, or I'd kill you in a heartbeat." Raven swallowed hard and stepped back, terrified. He honestly thought Tyme was going to hurt him. Tyme saw this in Raven's eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you, human. But you, and every one else on this Zoid are really lucky. I detest humans, and the only reason I've been so kind and friendly to you all is solely for Atherin's sake. How the boy has been able to keep any sort of compassion for you creatures is beyond me." It looked like Tyme had been waiting to say this for some time now... Raven blinked and swallowed again. He shook a little, completely terrified.
Tyme was silent. He vanished in front of Raven's eyes and the next thing he knew he was once again pinned to the wall. He could feel Tyme's hot breath on his neck before he whispered something to him. "I have half a mind to finish what Atherin started." Raven had to stop himself from struggling. He was terrified, honestly thinking Tyme was going to kill him. This was his worst nightmare; one of them wanting to consciously bite and kill him... Tyme let go of him and backed off. He still had a look of deep loathing on his features. Raven faintly heard the click of the door unlocking, but before Tyme exited he spoke one more time. "When Atherin wakes up tell him that I am no longer here. I don't care if you tell him what I told you, but as far as I'm concerned I can not stay here any longer and pretend to like any of you any more." And with that he vanished.
Raven immediately checked his throat, making sure Tyme hadn't bitten him. When he didn't find any wounds, he calmed down slightly. He hurried went to the garden and retrieved his silver knife, not wanting to get attacked by Rabe...or Tyme. He went back to Atherin's room out of habit, instead of going to the medical room. Atherin woke up when he heard his door open. Even with his blurred vision he could tell that something was wrong with the black blur that was Raven. He sat up slightly, trying not to do anything that would cause him any more pain. He wasn't sure if asking 'what's wrong?' right at the moment was a good idea. Raven looked over when he saw Atherin sit up. He didn't say anything, Tyme's words still repeating over and over in his mind. When Raven didn't ask if he was 'okay' that worried him. "Raven...? Wh-What's...w-wrong?" Raven looked at him and blinked. He didn't respond, still terrified.
Atherin tried to sit up more, but that ended up bringing him a lot of pain. He grabbed his wounded chest lightly, gritting his teeth, before he turned back to ask Raven again. "C-Come on...R-Raven... P-Please t-tell m-me...?" "T-Tyme..." Raven said quietly, bringing his legs up to his chest.
Atherin blinked. Had Tyme threatened Raven when he left to go get something? That didn't sit well with him. He tried to mentally contact his brother to ask what he had done but....received nothing...not even white noise... It was just like...when he had thought that he was dead... Tyme...wasn't here any more that much he knew. "W-What...h-happened...?" Atherin asked quietly...a little hurt that his own brother refused to even speak with him now. "H-he... told me what he t-thought... and..." Raven hesitated, not sure how Atherin would take the next part, "... t-then he... h-he pinned me... and... a-and nearly... bit me..."
".....He....what....? B-But why...? W-Why would he d-do so-something like t-that...?" Atherin asked, more to himself that to Raven. Raven could hear the hurt in his voice, probably because of the thought that his brother had betrayed his trust. "H-he said something about h-him... hating humans a-and that... the only reason I wasn't d-dead was b-because I was... your friend...." Atherin was silent, trying to take this all in. On top of the fact that he had nearly died, his own brother threatened his best friend...and had...lied to him....
Raven lowered his gaze from Atherin. He subconsciously put his hand on his neck where Tyme had nearly bitten him. He was still scared about how close he had just come to being killed… Atherin didn't know what to say....nor did he think he had a voice to say anything with. It felt like the piece of hope that Tyme had brought to him when he found out that he was alive just...died... He felt even more alone now than when he thought he was the only one left alive. Raven couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened. Tyme had nearly bitten him, and had threatened to kill him. He had never seen Tyme like that before, and he knew he would never be able to trust him again.
Atherin was thinking along the same lines as Raven was. He'd never be able to trust Tyme again for doing what he did. As far as he was concerned now, Tyme wasn't his brother. His family was the people here....but a sudden horrible thought crossed his mind... What if...they abandoned him as well because of this incident? He tensed at the thought. It would mean that he would be back to square one...and he feared that he wouldn't be able to get passed that square... Raven rubbed at his neck again. He could almost feel Tyme's breath on his throat; he shivered slightly at the thought of just how close he had just come to dying.
Even through Atherin's blurry vision he could see how scared Tyme had made him. He couldn't say that he wasn't afraid as well... "...Raven...?" Raven didn't say anything, his hand still on his neck. He was shaking slightly, terrified still of the recent events. Atherin didn't like the fact that Raven wouldn't answer him either, or the fact that he was touching the puncture wounds again. He was close enough to him that he could reach over and pull his hand away. And he did just that, but it wasn't with a lot of force...
Raven jumped when Atherin touched him, nearly falling out of his chair. He started shaking more, trying to get away or at least out of Atherin's reach, but he couldn't move much due to being on the chair. Atherin withdrew his hand immediately. That hurt him greatly. Had he already been abandoned by his 'new' family? Or had he just been deceiving himself the entire time? Raven drew his legs closer to his chest, lowering his head. He tried to protect his neck, but there wasn't much he could really do.
"....Do you....r-really fear me that much...?" Atherin asked quietly. Raven shook his head no. "No... N-not you..." he said quietly, "I'm a-afraid of... what T-Tyme nearly... did..." Atherin lowered his blurred gaze. He was now really starting to hurt and not just from his physical wounds... He knew that Raven was scared to let him near his neck and now thanks to what Tyme had done, he feared that Raven would be afraid of him 'feeding' off him again. He didn't want to worry anyone else with his condition as he knew no one else would be too willing to let him near... Raven lifted his gaze slightly, and noticed the expression on Atherin's face. "Atherin? Are y-you... alright?"
"....Y-You're n-not....g-gonna abandon m-me too.....a-are you...?" The vampire asked quietly and hesitantly. Raven looked at Atherin oddly. "No... I'm n-not..." he answered quietly. Raven was lucky that Atherin couldn't see clearly, other wise he'd be thinking that Raven was just saying that. "I...I don't...w-wanna be...alone again..." Atherin said quietly. He couldn't help but say things that were on his mind right now. His mind was trying to pick up the shattered pieces that had just been broken. He needed to be reassured of things, just for his own peace of mind. Raven looked up at Atherin. "Don't w-worry Atherin... you w-won't be alone again..." he tried to reassure him.
That calmed him down some. He didn't think his heart could take another betrayal again. He still couldn't believe that Tyme had threatened to kill his friend and had basically told him that he wants nothing more to do with him by closing his mind to him. It hurt to have his only living blood relative do that to him. Raven sighed, unsure of what to do. Before he could think of anything, the door was flung open, Shadow running in. She stomped over and licked Atherin, wagging her tail. Avea followed after her in her true form, dragging Ligie behind her.
"H-Hey Sh-Shadow...and....A-Avea...." Atherin said quietly. He had lain back down on his bed, no longer able to keep himself propped up. Shadow continued to lick Atherin, purring quietly. Avea crawled up onto the bed and nuzzled his arm in concern. "...I-I'll be...f-fine you...t-two.... J-Just n-need some.....r-est...."
Shadow nodded and wandered over to Raven. She immediately didn't like the punctures on his neck, but she didn't make it known. Avea stood on the bed beside Atherin, whining quietly. She knew what was wrong with him, and it worried her. Atherin lifted his hand a little too pet Avea to keep her calm. He could guess that Shadow wasn't too happy at the moment with him, but right now, he just couldn't be bothered with it. Her being mad at him wasn't something else that he needed to weigh heavy on his mind. Avea purred and nuzzled his hand, wagging her tail. Shadow resisted the urge to lick at Raven's wound, and instead nuzzled him and licked his hair.
Atherin continued to pet Avea until he couldn't hold his hand up any more. He was starting to feel too warm, and, while that may be good for most creatures, it wasn't for Atherin. ".....H-Hey...Raven...? Co-uld you t-turn the therm-ostat....d-down...?" Raven nodded and got up. He turned down the thermostat a few degrees before he sat back down. Avea curled up beside Atherin, laying her head lightly on his shoulder. ".....W-What're...we g-gonna t-tell the...o-others?" Raven blinked. "The truth... R-Rabe attacked us... and u-used silver on you…" "...I...m-meant a-about....T-Tyme...." Atherin said quietly. "He l-left... that's all t-they need to know..." Atherin nodded. He didn't want to go too deep into detail about why he suddenly decided to leave. Raven shuddered slightly, remembering what Tyme had nearly done to him.
"....I....c-can't a-apologize...en-ough to....you for w-what he....did...." Raven sighed. "It wasn't your fault, A-Atherin...." "....B-But it f-eels like it is.... If I h-had been....p-paying a-attention, ins-tead of s-leeping....th-is could...have b-been avoided.... A-And I c-could have...ca-ught on to...his t-true f-feelings....s-sooner..." Atherin replied quietly with a little difficulty. "Well... I should have t-tried to explain what happened b-better... maybe that would have at least h-helped..." Raven said. "...I d-doubt it.... E-Even if it h-had...it w-wouldn't have...changed his m-mind....." Atherin replied. "But I don't understand... if I had really... hurt you... why w-would I ask him for help? Shouldn't t-that of said something?" Raven asked. "....T-To an...angry v-vampire....it d-doesn't matter.... I'm s-sure that....he only....saw y-your knife covered in my b-blood and j-just....lost it...." Raven nodded. "I c-can't blame him, t-though..."
"....A-And c-coupled w-with what....hap-pened to the...vill-age....I should have seen....this coming...." Atherin replied quietly, just about mentally beating himself up over this. "Atherin... it w-wasn't your fault..." Raven said. "......B-But I....still f-feel responsible...." The vampire replied quietly. "You shouldn't... it w-wasn't your fault in t-the slightest..." Atherin sighed. It sure felt like his fault. "....As...f-far as...I'm...c-concerned....he's....not my b-brother any...longer...." Raven sighed as well. "You can't s-stop being his b-brother... Atherin..." "...I k-know... B-But....he's al-ready t-thinking the s-same th-thing about me... I...can't get any...mental c-contact with him....wh-which....is l-like being....d-disowned...in h-human terms..." "Oh..." Raven said quietly. He didn't know it was that bad. "I'm sorry I c-caused all this..."
"....It's...n-not y-your f-fault... It's...m-mine... I'm t-the one t-that chose t-to....l-live with h-humans....in-stead of...b-being on the...p-path of....g-genocide." Atherin said. Raven looked over at him. "Well... T-Tyme should have r-respected your d-decision..." "...I t-think he...t-tried to.... B-But....there are...some other f-factors....that made him....u-unable to..." Atherin replied. "What were t-those?"
"....Y-You already...k-know t-that most of it....w-was influenced because of...the vill-age....b-but...I also think....t-that he c-couldn't be-because of me... Y-You see.... I was...su-suppose to...be on...the f-front lines too.... B-But mom said 'n-no'.... D-Dad w-wasn't too happy w-with that and...T-Tyme wasn't either....as I...later f-found out... I wouldn't...have b-been able to do any thing...anyways... I was h-hardly any s-stronger than a...h-human child...but... I guess it w-was just b-because of m-my fire ability...and the f-fact that I'm s-supposed to be a 'Berserker'." Atherin explained. "I'm s-sorry, Atherin..." Raven said.
"...You d-don't...need to f-feel 'sorry' a-about it... Its s-something t-that....c-can't be changed." Atherin replied. Raven nodded slowly, before he got back up. "I'll be b-back in a moment..." he said, leaving before Atherin could say otherwise. Atherin sighed. He wasn't tired that he needed sleep. He was just tired, period. He hoped that Raven returned soon...as much as Shadow and Avea kept him company, he wanted 'human' contact at the moment... Raven came back after about ten minutes. He closed the door behind him and sat back down in 'his' chair.
Atherin looked over to where Raven was. "...W-Where'd...you g-go...?" "I took some of Ibeyla's medicine... to h-help with the blood loss..." Raven answered. "...You should have....s-stopped me sooner t-than....when you h-had...." Raven shook his head 'no'. "You needed it... and I'm okay now..." "....You...didn't n-need to let me take s-so much....that y-you nearly....p-passed out though..." Atherin argued. "Again, it's okay... I was w-worried about you and wanted to get rid of as much s-silver as I could...." Raven replied.
"...T-There's still some si-silver in me...m-mostly concentrated near the w-wound... I don't...t-think....I'll n-need to take a-any more.....after t-the next time....you let me.... ....A-And....i-if you d-don't want to....I c-can always...go into...t-town..." Raven shook his head. "You're not going anywhere in your condition..." he said. "....B-But....I d-don't...want...to....t-take from you...if y-you're uncomfortable....w-with it...." Atherin said.
Raven shook his head. "It's okay..." he said quietly. "....I'll...be able to l-last....a few d-days before it becomes...p-problematic....again.... S-So...y-you don't have to give m-me any tomorrow..." Atherin replied.
Raven nodded. "The medicine will replenish my blood in a few hours... so w-whenever the silver acts up, I'll be ready..." Atherin nodded. He'd be glad to get the silver out of his system as soon as possible. However, he wanted the wounds on Raven's neck to heal before he bit him again. Raven reached over and stroked Shadow. She purred and licked him, and for once allowed Shadow to groom him. Avea squeaked and nuzzled Atherin's arm, purring softly. Atherin gently caressed Avea, before his gaze went over to the corner of 'his' room. Raven looked up, seeing Atherin's movement. "Something wrong?"
Atherin didn't get a chance to answer Raven. Before he could protest, whatever he was looking at decided that it wanted on his bed as well. Raven could see Atherin's bed sink due to the additional weight of the now identified Azel. Avea squeaked in fear, clinging to Atherin's arm. She didn't know what was going on. Atherin tried to get Avea to calm down before he turned to Azel. "A-Azel...y-you're too b-big... G-Get off!" And as he expected, Azel didn't. Raven couldn't help but snicker at him. Avea had crawled up onto his shoulder, trying to hide from whatever was there. Even though Azel was invisible he could still be heard. He was clicking rapidly and in worry at Atherin. "...I'll be al-right...Azel..." He tried to placate his Organoid. Avea tried to find Azel, unable to see him. He had yet to see Atherin's Organoid since she had arrived.
Azel barely noticed the hatchling on his partner's shoulder. He was too worried about Atherin's condition to do so at the moment. Atherin, however, knew that Avea had yet to meet Azel and now was as good a time as ever. "...Azel...? You can...b-become v-visible again...." More clicks were heard before Azel revealed himself. He was curled behind Atherin protectively...after all...the ocean blue Organoid considered Atherin 'his' hatchling. Avea chirped and jumped onto Azel's shoulder, looking at him curiously.
Azel turned to look at the hatchling on him. He clicked a little at her, it wasn't threatening, but it was a little curious. After looking her over, did he turn back to Atherin....and started to groom him. It didn't bother Atherin in the slightest though. Avea jumped down to the floor, after dragging Ligie off Atherin's bed. She knew Atherin just needed rest, and teleported away. Raven looked over at Azel grooming Atherin. Shadow had stopped licking him and had laid her head on his lap. "You f-feeling any better?"
"...A little.... I'm still in pain...and it's still a little hard to breathe... And my heart's still is pumping a little too hard for my liking though..." Atherin answered. "Okay... but you aren't in danger of d-dying, right?" Raven asked. "...I'm n-not gonna d-die....right now at least... B-But....if I don't get...b-blood within...two days my....condition will go back to w-where it was earlier.... And I'll....n-need twice as m-much blood....to g-get back to this condition...." Raven nodded. "Just let me know when you need more blood..." Atherin nodded. He wouldn't keep quiet if he needed blood. He didn't want to jeopardize either of their health's...
Raven went back to stroking Shadow. She was nosing at his injured side, licking the wound to occupy herself. Raven for once let her do what she liked, not really bothered by it this time. Atherin had soon fallen asleep, which prompted Raven to let him get his rest. He went back to the medical facility to just sleep there. Evening soon came and went, the night moving by quickly. Morning was soon upon them once again.
Author's Note: *laughs nervously* Well…at least I didn't kill Atherin, so be happy about that! I promise that there's a reason why everything happens! I swear!! Anyways, apart from the betrayal, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please Review!!