Hurray, new chapter, and I can get to the part from the last chapter I had to push back, hurray. Early too.

Chapter 37

"Are you sure about this?" Cooro asked once they reached the park. "I mean, we haven't even had any chances to solve your problems, all this other stuff keeps coming up," he said. It was true, everything just seemed to be happening at once, and it just wasn't possible to keep it all sorted nicely, but Nana simply nodded. It reminded him of how Husky would switch between his different problems to keep himself sane. They really were more similar than either would ever admit.

It wasn't long before they were back at the small pond, Nana looking around for any sign of the silver boy. Truthfully, Cooro would have thought he'd probably already left, if the tugging wasn't telling him otherwise.

"You're sure he's here?" she asked, starting to walk over towards the pond. Cooro just nodded, deciding to keep a little bit of distance.

"Yeah, he's still in the water." Nana didn't ask how he'd known that, and he reminded himself that he'd have to explain the pulling to her soon, but not now; after they found out if Husky was lying or not. Usually the black haired boy hoped that people weren't lying to him, but he sincerely wished that it wasn't the case this time.

Glancing into the water, it took her a few moments before she caught any sight of the silver fish boy lying on the bottom of the lake, and even then it wasn't any more than just a glimmer of his hair and scales. Picking up a nearby rock, she tossed it into the water towards him, hoping to catch his attention. She doubted he would have heard her under the water if she tried to yell after all.

Luckily it did the trick, Husky looking up confused, before finally spotting her and swimming up to the surface. It was so strange, seeing him use his powers so comfortably… and Cooro had said he'd flown back…

"What are you doing here?" he asked, barely letting himself come above the water's surface, as if he was trying to hide. It was getting dark combined with this, so it was rather difficult to see his face, but Nana was sure that his eyes were bloodshot. Sure, it might be because he'd been in the water for so long, but she was almost positive it was something else.

"Tell Cooro you were lying," the brunette demanded. It was only when she mentioned him that Husky realized the black haired boy was there. He tried not to feel relieved at the sight of the two of them, although it was hard. That… nightmare was still on his mind, and even though they weren't in it, he couldn't help but be glad that they were alive. It didn't make any sense… it wasn't real, but then again, Cooro and Nana had both had similar dreams… Why weren't they there anyway? In his dream, he meant. He'd told Senri they needed to find them… Well actually, he never said who they needed to find, but that didn't shake his feeling in the least that it was Cooro and Nana.

"Lying about what?" he asked, trying to ground himself in the real world again. Though he'd never admit it, it was a little intimidating having to look up to Nana from down in the water.

"About not wanting to be his friend anymore," she answered.

"I wasn't…" he mumbled, not looking either of them in the eyes. Maybe it was a mistake but… they'd probably all be better off if they didn't have to deal with him. Sure, they all had problems, but he didn't want to force his onto them, and if they were going to try and take care of him, then he wasn't going to let them.

"What?" Nana asked, not entirely sure if she'd heard him right.

"I said I wasn't lying, I don't want to be friends anymore, with any of you," he repeated, surprised at how hard it was to get those words out. He could see Cooro standing by the edge of the clearing, practically deflating at those words, but he tried his best to just ignore him and the guilt he felt. It'd be fine, they'd all be better off without him.

"Get out of the water," the brunette girl demanded. It was just, she couldn't concentrate when he was like that, every glimmer of his scales and tail distracting her, and those gills… She couldn't think about that when she was trying to yell at him.

"Huh?" he asked, surprised by the sudden switch in topics.

"I said get out of the water, it's hard to yell at you when you're so low to the ground," she said, and Husky just rolled his eyes, but pulled himself out of the pond none the less. Quickly he changed his legs back to normal and stood up, still not used to the feeling of the transformation. He'd only done it a few times after all, even if he'd had these powers for quite a while now.

"Now what?" He asked, trying his best to sound annoyed.

"You know it's not true, so stop being such a jerk," Nana demanded again, but Husky wasn't going to listen, even if he kind of wanted to.

"If I say it's true then it's true. Just leave me alone," he said, but before he was even able to finish his sentence Nana was shaking her head. Urg, why did she have to be right all the time?

"After everything that's happened, you think you just say 'forget it' and abandon us?" she asked, and Husky nodded.

"That's exactly what I think," he said. It wasn't that he wanted to abandon them, not at all, but it'd be better if he did. They wouldn't have to deal with his problems anymore, and could just focus on taking care of themselves. Every word he said just seemed to be getting Nana even angrier though.

"Well it doesn't work that way! We're in this together whether you like it or not."

"I don't want to be 'in this' with anybody! We don't even know what 'this' is! I'll deal with it on my own and there isn't anything you can say to make me change my mind!" he yelled, starting to walk away from the two. It was for their own good. It was for his own good. He couldn't get too attached. If he did… and something happened to them… then… No, it was better to just end it now, while he still could.

"Why Husky, huh? Why in the world have you decided now that you want to be all alone? We just want to help, so why won't you let us!" she yelled, and the silver boy spun around on his heels to face her again. He didn't even feel like himself, and the words came out of his mouth before he could even think.

"Because I don't want to lose you again!" he yelled, before almost immediately snapping his mouth shut. What did he just say? It didn't make any sense. He'd never lost them to begin with, so what… Cooro and Nana were just staring at him, both looking equally confused as he was sure he did.

"Again? What do you mean, again?" Nana asked, and Husky just shook his head. Cooro actually managed to get up the courage to take a few steps closer, not sure if it was from curiosity or concern. Probably a mixture of both by this point.

"I-I don't know! It just came out before I could think…" he mumbled, wishing he hadn't said that and now probably looked like an idiot. Cooro took a few more steps forward, a small smile on his face, although he still looked a bit confused.

"Wouldn't not being our friend anymore count as losing us?" he asked, the first thing he'd said since they'd started talking to the silver boy. Husky just shrugged, looking down and kicking halfheartedly at the ground. This is why he didn't want to be friends with them, they were too perceptive… and nice.

"I guess…" he said quietly, not daring to look up at either of them. They probably looked all smug and happy, knowing they'd won.

"Then stop moping around and acting like an idiot and say you didn't mean it," Nana said, sounding a lot happier than Husky was grateful for.

"Fine… I didn't…whatever…" he grumbled, glancing up at them just slightly. The sun was completely behind the horizon now, and he could barely see them in the darkness. Which meant they could barely see him. He couldn't help but feel a little bit grateful for that, knowing that his face was probably much redder than he would of ever wanted. He could see that Cooro had managed to walk all the way up and was besides Nana now.

"Good, so were all friends again?" Nana asked, and reluctantly the silver boy nodded. It'd be better for them if he'd just left them alone but… he really didn't want to.

"Yay!" Cooro said happily, and Husky just rolled his eyes, trying to act like his normal, non caring self. He was happy that Cooro was happy though. Suddenly a thought occurred to him, and he turned towards the black haired boy.

"Oh, Cooro?" Husky asked, and he nodded. "Don't ever call me Myrrha again, got it?" he demanded, and the older boy just nodded yet again, his smile back full force now. He didn't know why it had felt so wrong when he'd called him that, but it just was. His family could call him Myrrha, but not his friends. It just wasn't right.

"Well, we should all probably be getting back, especially you Husky, you're aunt was really worried when we couldn't find you. She even said that she was gonna call the police if you didn't show up by morning," Nana said, and Husky grimaced. He knew he was going to get in trouble, but she was right when she said that he had to. Aunt Crystala wasn't his dad, she wouldn't not notice if he just went missing for a month. Before he was able to agree though, Cooro spoke up.

"Hey Husky, do you get an accent when you're upset?" he asked, completely confusing the other two children. The silver boy just stared at him for a moment as the question sank in.

"What? No, I don't get an accent. Why?" he asked, having no clue what he could of possibly meant by that. Cooro just shrugged though, not appearing to think his question was strange at all.

"Because just now, when you said you didn't want to lose us again, you spoke funny, it sounded like an accent slipping," he explained. Husky just stared at him, still confused beyond belief, but after a few seconds, Nana nodded as well.

"You're right! He did say it all weird!" she said happily, causing Husky's face to contort into a frown.

"I don't speak weird! And I don't get any kind of accent when I'm upset either," he insisted, although couldn't help but let a bit of his curiosity get the better of him. "What did it sound like?" he asked.

"Kinda middle eastern," Cooro said, and Nana nodded.

"Or Russian," she added. Husky just raised an eyebrow slightly.

"My dad has an accent like that, but I never talk to him, and I lived with my mom until a little while ago, so I don't," he said. The two just stared at him, and he smirked slightly. "What, I don't look Turkmenistanian?" he asked, which only seemed to confuse the two even more.

"Don't look what?" Nana asked.

"Turkmenistan. It's a country in the middle east, where my dad's from," he explained. The brunette just raised her eyebrow though, a skeptical look spreading across her face. It didn't really surprise Husky though. The few people he'd talked to before he moved never really believed him all that much either.

"There's no way you're middle eastern," she said. "You're too…"

"Pale, and your hair's all silvery," Cooro finished for her, and Husky just rolled his eyes, ignoring the mumbled 'who has natural silver hair… unless you're graying…'

"I take after my mom, she wasn't," he said, and the two nodded, seeming to believe that. "And I am not graying!" he quickly added as an afterthought. Cooro noticed that this was the second time he'd mentioned his mother, even though he'd never really done it before now. It was strange, but he guessed it was nice. Nana started to look confused again though, as another thought occurred to her.

"But Keane's really pale too, and has red hair," she said.

"He takes after Dylana, people have two parents you know, and my dad is only half to begin with" he said, and Nana said a small oh. "Anyway," Husky said after a few moments. "I don't have any kind of accent, so I don't know why you would of heard one then." Cooro just shrugged.

"Well, that's what it sounded like," he said.

"I donno then, but I guess it's not the weirdest thing to happen to us," he conceded, and the other two nodded. He was about to suggest that they should all head home now, when a thought came to him. Oh yeah… He'd have to tell them soon, and he wouldn't mind putting off having to go back just a little longer. Sure, the more he waited, the worse whatever punishment he'd get would be, but at the moment he didn't care.

"Uh, guys?" he said, a bit quieter than before.

"Yeah, something wrong?" Nana asked, but Husky just shook his head. He guessed there wasn't anything wrong, at least, not really. It was just a dream.

"No, but um, before you guys showed up I kind of… had another dream," he said, mumbling the last part slightly. They instantly seemed to understand what he meant though, and even though it was pitch black out now, none of them were even thinking of leaving.

"Was it like the other ones you had?" Cooro asked, and Husky nodded, before shaking his head.

"Yes, no, I mean, it felt the same as them, but it wasn't the same subjects… I think, I mean, it was kind of like the ones you guys had… with the fire," he said, stumbling over his words slightly. Cooro just nodded, although Nana was already looking spooked. It probably wasn't too good of an idea bringing this up so soon after she got her bat powers, but there wasn't any helping it now.

"Were we in it?" she asked, and Husky shook his head again.

"No, but Senri was. I think we were trying to find you," he explained, and Cooro nodded yet again. Sighing slightly, he decided to go on. "We were being chanced in some building, but then I got caught," he hesitated slightly, not sure if he wanted to go on with the next part, but decided it'd be best if he did. "They told Senri to put away his bear arm, and he did… even though they were going to kill him… then I woke up," he finished. "But… they're just dreams, right?" he asked, sounding as uncertain as he felt.

"I don't know, but I don't think it's going to happen… they don't really seem like us, you know?" Cooro said, and Husky couldn't help but nod. There was just something off about all of them, but he couldn't put his finger on what.

"I wonder if Senri has them too," Nana said, and the other two nodded.

"Even if he did, I don't think he'd remember if we ask him," Cooro said quietly, and Husky agreed. He kind of wished the older boy was here now, actually. He knew it was stupid, but he wanted to be able to see him, and know he was okay. It still amazed him, even if it was a dream, that he'd done that. He had to of known he'd be killed, he told him it was going to happen, but he stopped anyway…

"There was something else," he said, quickly catching the other's attention once again. "In my dream, they were called… animas or something. Our powers, I mean," Husky said, not sure why he'd mentioned that. It couldn't be the real name, but it was better than what they'd been calling them before, he guess.

"Anima?" Nana asked, and the silver boy nodded.

"Yeah, the people told Senri to put away his anima, and he turned his arm back to normal… it's probably not the real name, if they even have one, but…" he said, trailing off once he noticed Cooro shaking his head.

"I think that's a good name for them. It's better than 'weird animal power thingies' at any rate," the black haired boy said happily, and Nana nodded her head in agreement. Well, at least they hadn't said it was stupid.

"Okay, well, I guess we should all be headed back soon, it's really dark… and cold…" he said, adding the last part as a gust of wind blew itself through the trees. He'd mostly been ignoring it, he was still soaked from the water, and that was not helping the late fall weather at all.

"Ah Husky! You're all wet!" Nana nearly yelled, just now noticing. The silver haired boy rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Yeah, I know. Do either of you know how to get out of here?" He asked, and they quickly led him out of the woods and back to the main park. He really didn't want to go back home, but he'd get in even more trouble, and possibly have the police called, if he didn't soon. Outside the park gate, the three turned towards each other.

"You're coming back to the church, right Nana?" Cooro asked, and the brunette looked rather hesitant. "Please?" the black haired boy pleaded, and she gave in.

"Fine, but only one more night, I promise I'll be fine," she insisted, and the other two nodded, although they still weren't very keen on her going back so soon. They would probably feel better, although it could possibly be worse, if they knew what had happened, but they couldn't just ask about something like that.

"Alright," Cooro said, before turning towards Husky. "Good luck," he said, and the silver boy laughed bitterly.

"Thanks, I'll need it," he mumbled. Keane was probably even more of a wreck than he had been lately, and his dad and Crystala pissed. Yeah, he was not looking forward to whatever waited for him back there one bit.

"Um…" Cooro mumbled quietly before Husky got the chance to go. He'd just gotten him back as a friend after trying to pry, which was so unlike him, but he was just so worried. He was still worried, but he didn't want to risk something like that happening again. Sure, he seemed fine now, but he didn't want to set anything off.

"Something wrong?" the silver boy asked, and Cooro quickly shook his head, but decided to ask anyway.

"No… I was just wondering. You don't have to say if you don't want to, since I really don't want to fight again and it's really none of my business anyway so I shouldn't even be asking, so if you don't-" Husky's sigh cut him off in the middle of his ramble.

"What happened to that backbone you grew earlier? Whatever it is, just ask me already," the silver boy said, not sounding angry at all, and if the other two could see him in the dim streetlight, he was smirking.

"Oh, okay. I was just wondering… why you ran away from the funeral," Cooro said, and Husky just shrugged, trying to act like it didn't actually bother him to start thinking about that again.

"My dad just pissed me off and stuff, it's nothing," he said, hoping they weren't going to make him elaborate. He already knew he was going to be interrogated like crazy when he got back home. He didn't want to not tell Cooro anything though, especially with what had happened earlier. Maybe it was a bad idea to keep being their friend, but he really didn't think he could convince himself to try and give that all up again.

"Oh well, I hope it all goes well," the black haired boy said, and Husky just nodded. Without much else, he started heading towards his home, the two other children walking in the opposite direction.

Once he reached the outside of his house, he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He really, really didn't want to go back in there. He was freezing though, and had remembered halfway to his house that he'd left his jacket back at the park, but wasn't about to go back and try and find in this late at night.

Walking up to the front door, he wished he could just turn around and have his mother waiting in the driveway to take him home instead. That wasn't going to happen though, and she never did let him back in the car when he was suppose to be visiting here anyway.

Yay, friends again ^_^ Had fun writing this chapter, although I guess there is something I should explain, a bit of head canon of mine.
For some reason, I strictly believe Husky has some sort of accent, since he's not from Asteria. Why'd the others never mention it? They didn't want to sound rude, they just think he talks funny. Anyway, I don't actually know too much about Turkmenistan, but I wanted to make Husky from there anyway.

Also, Cooro's backbone is made of glass, easily broken with words.
Well, I hope you liked this chapter, and please review.