Thanks for sticking with this one for so long. You guys are great.

The drowning code

He was sinking,

sinking,

sinking.

Drifting away, drifting afar, disappearing into the vastness. All he could think about was how lonesome it all seemed, suddenly, his arms splayed before him as the water's surface grew more and more elusive and illogical to touch. How lonesome it all was, falling into the depths of the nothingness, gravity pulling him down and silent.

It was the silence that killed. Stripped his soul clean like wind over rock, chiselling mountains down to dust. Something that slipped under his skin and burrowed into the marrow of his bones; he was hollow and empty, some resting place for sorrow. Weightless and defanged, it ate him up. He could almost let it all go — his burdens, let them wash away with the chill of the water. Let them freeze in this icy place. He could let it all go. But his eyes were slick with tears.

Like a broken marionette, all un-feeling, his wandering mind finally dwelled in the same place as his body. Basked in water and in the cold grogginess, his eyes were slick with tears that defied gravity, would never run. His untouchable wounds, invisible battle scars littered everywhere: he couldn't feel it, for the moment, perhaps his last — the water lifted the weight of them to the surface like the bubbles of unheld breath. He couldn't hold onto anything any longer. He was too weak.

He was born stalwart, strong and ceaseless like the course of planets and solar bodies, but that was long gone. He felt the hollowness where the solitude had bit into him like ice, left teethmarks, felt the ache in the divinity of his wings no one else could feel or ever hope to understand. Well, now that he was one noble and one single soul. But this almost felt alright — it was better to fall than dangle on that edge.

His grief-lidded eyes, clumsy fingers in the water, he took a chance to wonder: why was his fall so slow? Descending to the depths in slow motion, in utter, calm acquiescence, this too, was agony. He reached up tentatively, trying to touch something far away on the surface. Shattered against the truth and the tempest, he even mourned for the sunlight child. Remembered him wandering after whom he'd never had to chase. Smog settled behind his eyes, muting all.

He was obliterated the moment he let the one that mattered so much slip out of his sight and disappear the way he once did. (But how was he to know that he would not come back? How was he to know that his bonded wouldn't either?) But at least his bonded gave some warning. At least he got to see him open the door and leave. Frankenstein didn't get to have even that. Turn-tail and run. He racked his drowsy, disorientated mind, finding the memories beyond the ragged parts of himself. White tulips, white tulips, white tulips, he muttered away as he sank. Beneath the ever-choppy, ever-churning waves, he sunk with unspoken words coating his tongue.

When it ended, it would end in shame, with the memory of his most beloved, the things he held true and dearer than the life he was losing.

The pendulum was slowing and it seemed as if it would stop, and cease to tick in the middle.

"Come back."

The ghost of a memory touched him.

A burst of bubbles blew from his lips. Frankenstein?

It was his voice. Where are you? I'm so afraid that I'll — that I'll just forget, one day…the sound of your voice.

Red eyes blinked in the water. His sight wobbled in a haze and he fought back to his senses. Why did this seem so familiar? Was it a dream? Was he dreaming? Nobles did not dream, but in his slumber he was connected to his bonded. He had seen parts of his life go by and felt what he had felt so strongly;

I've never felt so afraid — what if, what if I've forgotten it already? If you called me would I still know to answer? Call my name. Call me to you. I don't want to forget.

'Frankenstein,' Raizel thought.

His heart sunk.

…Fuck.

"Frankenstein!"

The word that came out of his mouth gurgled into bubbles. Raizel's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to call again, make a sound, but all that came out was a jumble and he was suddenly gripped with fear.

It should have ended all those eight hundred and twenty years ago. He didn't even care if it was duty or obligation or something else — he wanted Frankenstein and Frankenstein wanted him. That was enough for him to claw his way out of the mouth of death and strike down the opponent that obstructed him. That day, he defied everything to come back to Frankenstein, because Frankenstein wanted him to come back. And if that was what Frankenstein wanted, then that was what Raizel was about to do. Even if Frankenstein was gone — Raizel would do what he wanted.

He stopped gurgling his name, defied the hopeless thoughts that tried to envelop him. Before, it was Frankenstein that made him disregard everything to return, but now there were so many things to live for. He wouldn't dare make M-21, Takeo, Tao sad; he wouldn't think of giving Regis and Seira a bad report back to Lukedonia. Raizel needed to pick out his latest school uniform and go to class — oh how far behind he was in mathematics. Shinwoo, Ikhan and Yuna and Suyi, they wanted their friend back. They needed somebody to beat in the internet cafe. Who was he to deprive them of that?

Amid the chattering that filled up the dull moments, the pass-code door, microwave meals and home-baked cookies, there was Frankenstein that had given him this life. He had never deserved any of it, never could, but. Frankenstein had waited so long and impatiently for Raizel to return and share that life with him. Raizel wanted that life like he'd wanted Frankenstein. All he'd ever been was to be too afraid to reach out and take it. He let that memory flicker like a candlelight, seeking it out, remembering what he'd heard in his slumber. He could never forget the sound of Frankenstein's voice.

The pattern of the waves rocked to and fro from above, reflected in the red of his eyes.

He had solved this riddle of drowning — Cadis Etrama di Raizel needed to live.

A rush of water gushed into his lungs, stinging his airways. He raised his neck, squinting in the darkness. He lifted his arms, trying to flail in random directions to find his bearings. His movements were so sluggish and weighted. His breath had long floated away, and now his mind was starting to go fuzzy from loss of oxygen. Raizel kicked his legs, completely disorientated in this alien place, ignoring the cold that stabbed him all over. But it was no use. He had inhaled so much water.

His mouth was opening and closing, voicing nothing as he clenched and waded his arms in languid strokes, with nothing to show for it.

Still, he was sinking. The surface of the water no longer looked like watching the storm from the bottom of the ocean, it looked stiller, calmer. And yet, he couldn't die here. His movements were losing power and his awareness was weak, diluted, nothing else inside of him that could conjure a thing to help.

Water flooded into his body. He thought he could burst from the tight feeling of claustrophobia, and the pressure clamping down on his ribcage, pressing in everywhere. Raizel opened his mouth for air and clenched when there wasn't any. The sharp feeling of cold strained down his oesophagus, into his nasal cavity, into his larynx, struck him with pain. He writhed in short, involuntary spasms, feeling the feeling go away. Raizel didn't stop reaching.

Gasps ceased to suck in more water. His fading sight botched over with blackness. His arms went limp. But he didn't believe in dying right now. He was still fighting when it all came to a stop.

All the while the surface seemed more remote, Raizel reached, and reached, and reached.

A hand clasped onto his, wrenching him with all the strength of a million suns back to the top.

Frankenstein struggled for breath, sucking and forcing air down his lungs so he could move and fight against the current. It took all he had within him, every dram of energy left in his terror-seized body to not stop or break down — if he hesitated, if he lost it for just a moment and gave into the dozen damning scenarios swimming about his head, that could be enough for him to lose everything. He didn't even have time to consider the solitariness of it all, the lack of voices cheering him on or dragging him down. There was no one trying to spite him in the distance or make a sick joke for him to cringe and laugh at. He couldn't save a simple thought for the pounding in his chest, pounding his muscles into submission.

Move. move. Frankenstein lugged his way over the water, gasping for another intake of air. You're ok. You're ok. Frankenstein kept Raizel close, trying to stop the heat leaving his body and trying to hold his head high above the water, you're going to be ok. He balanced Raizel's head on his shoulder, using his free hand to grapple with the waves.

His eyes waded through the depths of sky and lake, horizonless. It was hard to see things here. The water was one boundless sea of black to him. Frankenstein saw nothing. It was almost as if Dark Spear had him in its clutches again, pulsating around his body, closing in with pressure from all sides — but that can't be — he was cold; he had one voice in his head telling him to move.

Raizel was incredibly light against his hold and it frightened Frankenstein just as much as the moment they parted souls. Languid and lifeless. Frankenstein summoned some energy, making the couple metres ahead of him glow white. With a last push and tug, Frankenstein plod onto the shore and collapsed onto the banks, arms holding Raizel as his back grazed the rocks. With another huff, he rolled over the pebbles, placing Raizel down with trembling hands. It was only now that he realised how his hands were trembling again.

"Master!"

Inches from him, and Frankenstein felt nothing.

"Master?"

Nothing stirred.

For a blank, dumb second, Frankenstein's arms dropped to his sides.

And then everything came cascading back at once, filling his insides with the fire he needed. Frankenstein flung himself over Raizel, pressing his head to his chest. The smallest hiccup of a heartbeat pulsed over him. He barely held himself there long enough to determine the sound, fast-slow, erratic and completely out of beat. "Hold on! Please — you're going to be alright!"

Frankenstein gritted his teeth together, keeping them from chattering. "You're going to live," he scowled, shifting beside Raizel to do something.

He folded his hands over his chest and began to pump, counting the numbers in his head and calculating the exact amount of pressure to exert. With the strength he had regained, he couldn't risk damaging Raizel's ribs if he pushed too hard. "Eighteen, nineteen, twenty…" He droned under his breath, huffing out mist he couldn't see. "Twenty-nine, thirty—"

With a swipe of his hands, Frankenstein brushed wet hair from his face, lifted Raizel's chin, tilted his forehead back — and with no hesitation, pressed his mouth to Raizel's. Stoic eyes watched his chest rise once, twice, before immediately moving to pump his chest again. "Two, three, four, five…"

This wasn't enough. This was so temporary, he had to think of something. Frankenstein poured back into his knowledge, searching furiously for what to do.

A thought:

When he put down his hand to feel for damage, he listened to the way a young girl's heart buzzed in a dozen, awkward directions. It was weak and erratic, little jumpy beats beating at the wrong time, in wrong rhythms. Heart fibrillation in such a young girl? It seemed unlikely, but the evidence was there. Tesamu was fearing for the stranger's life and the family was already mourning when they shouldn't.

There was no split second decision to expose his power or not — it had already been made the moment he stepped into that hut and heard the girl's heart flutter. Frankenstein gathered his golden aura and did what he could to save her life.

He expected backlash, when all he got was handshakes.

Dark Spear was gone.

His eyes widened as he realised what that meant. Defibrillator — he realised he'd used his powers to mimic a defibrillator before. Frankenstein flipped his hands before him, wondering if he could do what he did all that time ago. His aura wasn't the same, it wasn't as vigorous or electrifying as before. Could he do it?

The besmirched colour illuminated the shoreline, whitening the dark in Frankenstein's sight. He closed his eyes, bracing one hand over Raizel's chest while refining his aura, sharpening it to the intensity he needed. This needed to be exact. Or as exact as he could manage at this rate. He swallowed, brow already wet again with cold sweat as he concentrated on the feel of his aura.

He couldn't afford any more stall in time.

Frankenstein folded his hands over Raizel's chest. He pooled his aura from his core, built up a charge, and concentrated it to to a point. Frankenstein shuddered.

He shocked Raizel's heart.

Raizel's skin jumped. Electricity flickered. Frankenstein's entrails rattled. He gasped, putting his head down onto Raizel's chest to check. "…Master?" he called in the dark.

"Ugh!" Frankenstein's palms barely touched his forehead before he flitted them down, focussed his powers again. "You promised me," he began to say, pressing his hands urgently, "You promised me I could stay by your side! You promised me to let me serve you! Master — wake up!" Sparks pricked from his fingertips again. He drove his power to shock Raizel's heart one more time. "Wake up!"

Raizel jolted awake, eyes snapping to their widest and pupils dilating. Patterns of blurs swam around his sight. What had happened? Where was the water? There had been water. Something stung at the base of his brain and he groaned at the incessant ring.

When his hand touched the ground — the ground? — a marshy graininess met him back and he recoiled, wondering what he'd touched. The ringing was loud, blaring over his muddied mind and all he could hear was himself huffing for breath. He steadied, and Raizel whacked what was in front of him away, facing away from the mass of shadow.

But he suddenly fell into a coughing fit, his gag reflex choking out lake water. Raizel shakily climbed to his feet before doubling over again. There was weight on his shoulder and he hurried to brush it off, swipe all the foreign objects off of him with without knowing where they were. What was left of his powers was spiralling out of control and before he knew it, a red mist began to furl around him and his red tears started slipping. Raizel was an open wound. Confusion dizzied him; the same shape seemed to be shifting around his sight, the same sound was merging with the ring in his ears and the mist pulsed weakly.

He toppled into overdrive, his senses picking up everything in the immediate region and processing it faster than he could understand. Water slapping, waves crashing, trees swaying, people dreaming, energies flowing, thoughts flying — nobles and humans — anyone, anywhere, everywhere. It changed constantly, making sounds glint and sights scream. Raizel squeezed his eyes shut and buckled. Something caught him and squeezed his arms with trembling fingers. Fingers?

Raizel opened his eyes and grimaced. The day — or was it night? Still night? — was spinning, sloshing around as his head shifted left, right; Raizel coughed again before—

There was breath before his face, a figure over the jumble. A pair of hands flew up, clasped his head between them, and Raizel's world stopped spinning. For the moment. That same sound, caught in the boggling, senselessness of everything, sounded louder and steadier. What were they saying? What were they saying? Raizel blinked again when it dawned.

"Master! Master! Mas-Master!"

He blanked his face, a white sheet, and waited for the rest of him to wake up.

"Master! Can you hear me? Are you alright? Master?!"

His fingers dug into the backs of their — the human's — hands on his face and he gave in because the familiarity choked him. He gasped and croaked, "Frankenstein?"

"Yes."

A silence cut through him. Then a finger swiped over his face, softer and gentler than a breeze, wiping away a trail of bloodied tears. And then another. And another. Raizel could see. The mist evaporated into nothing.

"Frankenstein?!" he mumbled, more tears heating behind his sockets. Nothing made sense. He liked that it didn't. He just wanted this to last longer. Whatever it was. Raizel plucked off the hands by the wrists, held onto them, and stared. Blonde hair, and a face he knew better than his own. Eyes no longer so blue, yet just as deep, just as passionate, caring. This was Frankenstein.

"Master," Frankenstein uttered, letting Raizel hold his wrists between them. "It's me." He lingered there, frowning and relaxing, trying to figure out what was happening. "It's me," Frankenstein repeated, "it's me, Master, I'm here." He sighed, shot Raizel a sort of grin, "it's Frankenstein. I'm fine, Master. I'm alright."

"You're alive," Raizel whispered.

"I'm alive." Frankenstein lowered their hands and Raizel slowly let go. The hysteria died away and when the splotches started to clear up, Raizel began to waver. Frankenstein shifted in an instant. Raizel collapsed his weight onto Frankenstein. He leaned on him, stagnant, poised between relief and disbelief; the magnitude of what had happened not yet registering.

"How dare you," Raizel said flatly.

"How dare I," Frankenstein murmured.

"I cannot believe you."

"I cannot believe myself."

"Your aura feels different."

"It is."

"You're ok."

"Now I am."

Raizel wrapped his arms around him, put his heart on his sleeve, put it as close he could to Frankenstein, and buried his face into his hair. Frankenstein gasped lightly. Blood that wasn't his began to drip down his back. Frankenstein dug his chin into Raizel's shoulder. It occurred to Raizel that Frankenstein couldn't feel any of the things he was trying to convey. There were no words that could compare. He wasn't even sure what he wanted to convey. They held each other for a long while, nothing to be said in that moment. Raizel just laid there, focussing his world on Frankenstein. He felt his calloused palms scrape behind his neck, the slight rise and fall of his chest. Frankenstein's shoulder's rose and his arms moved down his back, squeezing him close. Raizel drifted in the sensation, in the warm comfort of the gesture until he could form the words he needed to say in the right way. Yet he still stumbled over them, a slight babble here and there.

"I'm so — you — Muzaka — Tesamu, Tesamu tore us apart."

Frankenstein jerked up, looking Raizel in his eyes. "I know!" he quickly interjected, "I know, I know, and I'm - you shouldn't have had to feel that." In the endless space of black and white, Raizel's eyes were redder than red to Frankenstein. Jewels set in marble. He felt cold and was still wet, but Raizel had come alive again in Frankenstein's embrace, holding onto something he could not afford to let go of. Frankenstein inhaled sharply. "I am so sorry. Master, I - I'm the one that…in the end…

He crumpled.

"I abandoned you. But I didn't mean to leave, Master. I didn't mean to…" His voice cracked.

"Neither did I."

Frankenstein's eyes went wide. Raizel sighed sharply. "I couldn't have dreamed of leaving and never coming back, all those years ago, Frankenstein. I did not foresee what would happen. Muzaka and I fought and…I lost everything." Raizel said.

Frankenstein didn't answer.

"I wish circumstances were different. I wish I didn't make you feel so alone. I wish I knew how to comfort you in this new world I awoke in, how to still be worthy of your trust. I've soiled our contract."

"No!" Frankenstein's arms pressed into Raizel. "You did what you had to do. You always do what you have to do, no matter the cost to yourself or what you want. Even if it meant saving some wayward human about to destroy your homeland, or stray children, ex-Union escapees. There is no reality where you can let a child die and a friend to rampage over innocents. There's not. That's why I follow you." He let out a low chuckle. "And yet I blamed you for that. I, someone who swore to you that I'd protect you, did the worst possible thing imaginable. You didn't do anything wrong, Master. I was wrong. I am wrong."

Raizel coughed, a wet hack. "You're the rightest thing in my life, Frankenstein," Raizel breathed. "Don't you dare — think otherwise."

Frankenstein swallowed, and swallowed again.

"Don't you dare think that you are anything but the most profound soul I've ever had the privilege to meet. Let alone bond with. Let alone spend time with through ages."

"Master, I—"

"Listen,"

"You shouldn't have to—"

"Listen, Frankenstein," he said, struggling against himself and the lightness of his head. Frankenstein went quiet.

Raizel reached a hand up, though he was too exhausted for even that amount of movement. He couldn't manage to land right and ended up instead, slapping Frankenstein in the face. But he held his hand there, holding his cheek. "I care, immensely."

Frankenstein sighed, pressed his forehead into Raizel's shoulder as he said it.

"About you," Raizel finished.

"I know," Frankenstein grumbled into his shoulder. "Master, I know that. You've told me." Raizel smiled through creaky lips. Frankenstein inhaled. "And now I need you to know that it wouldn't have mattered whether you'd awakened after eight hundred and twenty years or a thousand. Ten thousand. A hundred thousand. I will always wait for you, and I will always follow you."

Raizel felt exhausted. He nodded, closing his eyes shut, not a shred of strength left to answer.

"I'll be there when you wake up, Master."

Raizel nodded one last time.

Frankenstein watched over him as Raizel drifted off to sleep, the red of his eyes blinking shut, throwing the world back into noir.

An Sangeen heard the chirp of the car door lock over his shoulder and picked a second cigarette as the first one fumbled out of his hands. He reared his head, inhaling the first whiff of it deeply, hoping the nicotine could get to work in time. He felt like this was one of those cases where he'd need it. Cigarette smoke curled between his fingers and the dull sting of it at the back of mouth and nostrils felt like routine. He turned in a circle, eyes finally finding Yonsu. Na Yonsu rolled her eyes at the smoke before gesturing him to follow. Sangeen trekked into the urban wilderness after her.

"What do you think it is this time," he said, smoke furling from his words as they left him.

"What else?" Yonsu sneered through the dark. She sounded more annoyed than on routine. Or frustrated. One wasn't far from the other when they were running into the heart of the latest incident like this. It was often that two high level KSA were deployed on freak runs akin to this one, but this one…this one was freaky. More so than usual, even for the two of them.

"It's either the Union or the nobles. There's literally nothing else I can pretend this is," she said. Yonsu pushed past the shrubbery and was promptly met by the gate.

"Aliens?" Sangeen offered innocently.

Yonsu took a pause from rattling the gate, her entire body relaxing defeatedly. She turned only her head around. Half of her glare glazed Sangeen from behind her shoulder. He put his hands up in surrender. Smoke blew from his nose as he did, shielding him from her stare.

"Sorry," he said.

"You better be."

"But at this rate, if it really is aliens, I would not be even a little bit surprised anymore."

"Nnn."

After a bit more fiddling with the gate, Yonsu felt for the weapon at her side, checking it was secured. Then she heaved up her weight, swinging onto the other side of the gate easily.

"Hurry up."

Smoke blew from Sangeen again. "I am." He tucked the cigarette in his mouth and moved to mimic her.

"Here," Yonsu said, reaching past the gate as Sangeen's hands were full with trying to get himself over after her. "Lemme help you hold that." She snatched the cigarette as he pulled back. Yonsu hovered it stark before his face before flitting it onto the wet floor. She crushed the cigarette under her shoe. Sangeen coughed a little as he landed.

"…Thanks, Yonsu."

"You're welcome."

They continued, both of them picking up the pace.

Sangeen pressed his fingers together, feeling the wetness from the gate. When Yonsu turned back to shoot a look, she grimaced. Sangeen lifted it to his mouth and licked.

"What are you doing?"

"The rain," Sangeen said. For the moment, he was extremely mournful for that cigarette. He needed a drink after this one. "It's blood."

Yonsu's eyes widened. They both understood what that meant. She nodded, believing him, and hurried on. "There," she pointed, "That's where the flare was." Over the lake. They'd seen what blood magic could do and the chasm that noble made when he unleashed it. The kid in the high school uniform, probably able to rip new continents if he tried. The Noblesse was definitely involved in this incident.

"So they found him," Yonsu said, not sure what that information meant. She reached into her pocket, quickly sending out a secured message back to the director at KSA that they trusted. She looked up. "Actually wait for the back up? Or keep going?"

"Pffft," Sangeen let out.

"What?"

There was worry in her voice. She held out her hand for him to take, something she only did when they were alone. Sangeen took it, squeezed, and then dropped it as they started walking again.

"Nothing, nothing…I just…the conspiracy theorists are going to get their 'end-of-the-world,' tabloids all over the news this time round, if they didn't make it the last time." He popped another cigarette into his mouth. His lighter flickered twice before setting it alight.

The 'annoyed-frustration' crossed back onto Yonsu's expression again, with a twinge more 'annoyed' and a side of 'disgust.'

"When — when have we ever waited for back up and not kept going?" Sangeen said honestly. He continued forward, Yonsu sighing and following in agreement.

They followed what looked like an overgrown path to the edge of the lake. It was still too dark to see to the other side and the lake seemed to swallow the reflections of the few working street lights. It was a damn-big natural lake. Damn deep too, from what Sangeen could remember from his high school education. He took another drag and exhaled from where Yonsu couldn't see.

"Sangeen," Yonsu called.

Sangeen quickly breathed in the smoke a couple more times, steeling himself to give it up at her command.

"Sangeen!"

The urgency in her voice swept him from one side of the bank to the other. He came rushing from the pebbles to stop next before Yonsu, hands outstretched and ready. Yonsu was frozen in a defensive battle stance. The sight before Sangeen and Yonsu was straight out of crappy night time telly. Sangeen's lips quirked up, beside himself. They were literally on their own damned cop show. A man was sprawled out on the bank, limbs jutting in strange directions and head jerking up-down and sideways. A sound straggled from his throat, low and groaning, and his body kept convulsing in short spasms.

"You don't look too comfortable, Mister," Sangeen started, lowering his arms. "Do you…by any chance have identification?"

The figure stopped all of a sudden. And then out of the dark, a flaming, pointed projection flew out and landed too close to Sangeen's face. Another disembowelled cry followed.

"OUT OF THE WAY, SANGEEN!"

Sangeen felt Yonsu shove him away from the fiery thing and point her gun to the creature.

"YONSU!"

It echoed over the lake.

Blam, Blam.

Blam, Blam.

Blam.

"You shot it five times," Sangeen said mildly.

"Because this KSA-issued standard pistol only lets you shoot five times," she gritted, reloading the barrel.

"Great," he said, "now let's hope the KSA covers hospital bills this time, because we sure can't."

"The heck you mean?" she grimaced back at him.

"Look at that thing—" Sangeen pointed to the extinguishing projectile. "Look familiar?"

She pursed her lips, disgruntled. Yonsu readied the pistol and pointed it at the figure nonetheless. Sangeen backed her up with his own.

"Chairman…Lee?" Yonsu asked cautiously, "Is that you? Principal of Ye Ran High?" She came closer, Sangeen at her side. "We were told you were overseas. Is that you, Chairman?"

"No."

The figure rose up. Sangeen's eyes widened. His cigarette fell to the floor. Yonsu clasped her weapon tighter, finger itching to pull the trigger many more times than just five. A scabby, crawling entity was wreathed over the quite-human man's body. He was huffing and gasping for breath standing on what looked like jagged legs. For a faint moment, Sangeen thought it really was the Chairman, with that blonde hair. Slowly, painfully, the purple entity seemed to retreat, pulling back behind him and folding away into nothing. The man took a breath of air like a drowning man, and immediately slumped to the floor.

"…Hey," Yonsu called out. "Hey!" she called, louder. Sangeen patted her back once in reassurance. He went forward.

"Oi, Mister…so if you're not the devil Principal, then are you a noble or part of the Union?"

Something small stirred from the man. He lifted his head, thinking on it for a moment. "Neither." Then he nodded out of consciousness and fell flat on his face.

Sangeen looked back at Yonsu. Yonsu looked at Sangeen. Sangeen shrugged.

"See."

"What?!"

"Aliens."

Voices rang over the other side of the lake, shouting over each other with cracking vocals and sore throats. The household were scattered over the terrain, screaming Raizel's name.

"We've got to hurry!" Tao said as they ran over the shoreline, "I can hear shots over the other side — the actual authorities are here! We can't be arrested!"

"Shut up and find Raizel!" M-21 went back to running directionless.

Seira noticed it first. The slightest tinge of a familiar aura, and then not-so-familiar as it neared. Her heartbeat picked up. Her breaths quickened. She lugged Death Scythe out again, positioning it to attack the second anything went awry. The others took the signal instantly and banded behind her.

The cold, frigid lakeside furled mist in the air from their breaths.

"Who is there?" Seira asked.

The figure before them stilled. "Sei— cough —" A series of coughing sounded from the darkness.

"I said, who is there?" Seira said, sterner. Seira raised Death Scythe. Tao immediately flit a hand onto her shoulder, stopping her.

"Wait."

Two figures cleaved from the dark. One man holding the other in his arms, head rested against shoulder. Blonde hair and dull eyes loomed into view. Seira's stomach plummeted. Tao grabbed her shoulder exponentially tighter. The household stood there dumbly.

The expression that had crossed Frankenstein's face was one of surprise and relief. Then a sliver of embarrassment flickered over. "Hello, everybody."

Takeo cocked his gun, pointed it pass Seira's head and shot the man's unoccupied shoulder three times. The man grunted, stumbling back three steps as he rocked.

"TAKEO?!" Regis screamed.

"Who are you?" Takeo asked with malice. "Surrender Sir Raizel this instant and identify yourself."

Frankenstein gimaced. His eyes flew to the holes in his left shoulder, brushing it off as more of a curious inconvenience than anything else. "Master is asleep, please don't be loud." He looked up from Raizel and smiled at the household. "I am Frankenstein. Chairman Lee of Ye Ran High School," he said quietly. He cleared his throat again. "Your landlord," he huffed. "And I have a few things to say about my house. I've just been there. Why is it a colossal wreck and why has no one tidied up?"

"No," Takeo pointed his gun down and up again, eyes flitting between Tao and M-21. "Prove it. Prove you're him. We're not going to be so simply fooled by another 'Mark,'" he said dangerously, and M-21 went stiff. "We know Frankenstein and he's been gone for...months." The end of his sentence faltered. Takeo breathed in and sneered. M-21 didn't know what to think. What if this wasn't another Mark? What if it was?

Seira's concentration wavered, causing Death Scythe to dissolve and disappear from her grasp. She clapped a hand over her mouth.

"I'd appreciate it if you don't shoot me again, Takeo," Frankenstein said slowly. "Nev-never mind. What I should say is, I know I set a horrible example by throwing around the furniture like a child. And I was a horrible excuse of a boss. By now you should all know I might well be an overall horrible human being." He looked down. "I don't know how to convince you that it's me. I've been told I've been gone for a long time, and I'm sorry. None of you deserved any of the things that have happened and if I could take it all back, I would."

"…Now how the heck are we supposed to know if he's real or not?" Tao whispered back.

"Screw it," M-21 said. "Tell us something only Frankenstein would know. That's how you prove it!'

Frankenstein pondered for awhile. "Something only you could know… M-21, you must have realised I've stopped fitting you for clothes. I have to order your suit jackets, in bulk, from the tailor, every time you finish a fight." He eyed his current state. "Of course right now you have to be topless. Has the latest batch run out yet? Don't tell me you've been running around half nude while I've been gone. Three months and your wardrobe goes to hell?"

As the household stared, speechless, another thought crossed his mind. "How often did you go out and fight, actually?" he ambled forward, low voice bordering on dangerous. "Did you really have to make a mess of yourself so often? Didn't I break your arm?"

Frankenstein swallowed, making a tight face at that last addition.

"You cracked my clavicle, 'couple of ribs, my arm, and a toe," M-21 finished. He stared at him in silence. A smile curled over his lips. "Welcome back, Prof."

They lunged at him, minus Rael. Tao reached him first, looking like he was brave enough to tackle if it weren't for Raizel still in Frankenstein's arms, the rest of the household not far behind him. M-21 last. All of them were torn between the joy of Frankenstein being alive and the still present worry of Raizel, lying unconscious in his arms. Huddling around them, the household exclaimed with different levels of incredulity:

"YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"I am most displeased at this entire ordeal and demand answers—"

"WHERE THE HECK WERE YOU?"

"— I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shoot you! But I had to shoot twice for good measure, I—"

"So. About your plane, Boss…"

"—but we'll tidy up immediately…"

"It's good to be back, everyone," Frankenstein sighed, fighting to get that ridiculous smile off his face. But he had to watch their eyes fall onto Raizel, a serene look over his sleeping face. He looked peaceful.

"Did you catch Raizel-nim?" Regis asked.

"He's soaking wet," M-21 snapped sarcastically. "What do you think?"

"How long does he need to enter sleep for?" Seira asked urgently. Frankenstein darkened. The trio exchanged looks. Even Regis hid away his questions for later.

"I don't know," Frankenstein started honestly. He looked down, unconsciously squeezing Raizel tighter. "Master has exhausted himself far beyond his limitations." He sighed. "I've never seen him exert himself like this…the last time this happened was when he fought Muzaka…"

Frankenstein paused.

"Yeah, also about that, too," Tao began, and he wondered how best to explain their circumstances.

"Yo," Muzaka greeted, hand in the air and Lunark by his side. Tao grimaced.

Frankenstein's eyes shot wide open. "Muzaka."

"Frankenstein!" Muzaka exclaimed.

"Lunark?" Frankenstein questioned, unsure which side she was supposed to be on.

"Frankenstein?!" Lunark called out in shock.

"Raizel?!" Muzaka said, worried.

"Muzaka," Frankenstein repeated, angry.

He took a stoic step towards him, totally out of it before the feeling in his arms began to sour and he poured his attention back to Raizel.

"Lord Muzaka and Lunark are not what they seem, Chairman," Seira quickly explained. "Faust had bought reinforcements, and they helped us apprehend Gradeus."

Lunark came forward. "And Rajak Kertia has appeared to take Gradeus back to Lukedonia for his crimes."

Frankenstein nodded at their explanation. He turned to Muzaka. "I don't have time to humour you. I'm taking Master home, then we can talk. We'll invite Rajak back to the house later — I imagine Lukedonia is in utter turmoil over me." He meant it as some sad excuse for a joke, but the long looks on the children's faces told a different story. How much had happened while he was gone?

They began to head out. Frankenstein froze for a moment, taking his eyes off of Raizel to glimpse behind him. He peered over the water, saying nothing.

"Frankenstein?" M-21 said.

Lingering awhile, Frankenstein turned to him. "What happened to Faust?"

M-21 followed his eyes into the dark. "He fell. Right after Raizel-nim did."

"Oh."

They left the lakeside just before the siren blares in the distance caught up.

Notes

(Posted on 28 July/17 a good date). I present to you - tv show fake medicine. I had to cut out "Trust me, Master. I'm a doctor."(because what a terrible joke to make at a terrible time, but hehe.)

Rai was having dreams about Frankenstein during his long sleep. He remembers that thing that happened in chapter 6 when Frankenstein went to that cathedral.

*xfiles theme blares at high volume in the background as An Sangeen and Na Yonsu pose with guns. I've never seen the xfiles.* I put these two chapters together because it seemed too short by itself. The title for the second half with Sangeen and Yonsu was going to be "Trigger Ecstatic." (hahaha!)

The way the lake at night was written to parallel dark spear lol. Like in chapter 18, Deep Water. Rai cannot swim so that was a close one.

But Franken and Rai - they're here again.