Ugh...I hate this chapter. I was tempted to scrap it and start over, but I didn't know what I would do instead...

Also, I feel the need to mention a "trigger" warning for something VERY small briefly mentioned in this chapter. It's not actually a suicide attempt, but I thought I would still give a warning, just in case this bothers anyone.

Cuore had never been sick before.

She knew what it looked like, as she had seen family and friends with varies aliments before, but…

She didn't know what it felt like.

And now she wasn't so sure if the virus was affecting her or not. She could tell her vitals were abnormal, but it didn't seem serious. She had a headache, but that wasn't unusual. Her joints ached, but not badly.

Most of all, however, she simply felt…numb.

The others had all gone their separate ways save for BarZenDao, who was busy organizing one of the cabinets in the back of the room. He hadn't said much of anything, but having him there, acting normal, put her at ease.

She sighed and tipped her head back, leaning it against the wall behind her and tucking her knees to her chest. The ceiling seemed so close, as did the walls, and the glass cover of her containment cell.

She was feeling more claustrophobic than ever.

With a quick shake of her head she closed her eyes. "Think about something else." She chided herself. "Something other than this virus, overthinking if you can tell it's at work in your systems…other than your friends being upset with you, other than being scared, other than…"

She winced, cutting off her train of thought before she got too caught up in the mess between her and certain young man.

She sighed again. This had been one thing after another. Like so many Lunarian items, this ship had turned out to hold more than anyone had guessed. She only wished it could, for once, be used for good.

"I miss my Eidolons…if only this dampening field weren't here…" she thought. Even if the ethereal beings would only be angered by her choice to inflict self-harm, she still wanted them nearby. They made her feel safer, calmer.

Cuore held up a hand and frowned at it, flexing her fingers a few times in confusion. Her joints had abruptly stopped hurting.

Her brow furrowed; her headache was gone.

"Odd…"

She continued to stare at her hand, realizing the numbness she had felt earlier was spreading. It washed over her like a cooling river of nothingness. It eased everything but it also, somehow, made everything feel more…sensitive.

Cuore sat up, eyes darting around the room in equal parts alarm and curiosity.

Her eye sight had always been good, but now it was inhuman. Her ears could hear the distant hum of the machinery two rooms over. Her skim could detect a speck of dust that landed on her arm.

And yet, despite how much everything screamed at her, it wasn't overwhelming. It was…calming.

But still she took a wavering breath, suddenly aware that, although everything was heightened, something felt wrong about it. Senses were heightened, but she didn't feel any of it. Her skin wasn't cold or hot, it simply existed.

"BarZenDao?"

She had meant to say it aloud, but it had merely happened telepathically.

He perked up and stood, shuffling over and giving her a curious look. "YenSa?"

Cuore bit her lip and forced herself to slow down so that she could speak verbally. "Do you know how to run the scans like TinSouRe?"

He nodded slowly. "I believe I can figure it out." He hesitated, fingers clutching at the edges of his sleeves. "Why?"

"I'm just…curious what my vitals are." Cuore replied.

She hated how weak her voice sounded, how tired and fearful. Had she always sounded like that?

He went to work on the console in the center of the room, tapping the panels and intently staring at the readouts.

Cuore stood, tired of sitting down and feeling restless. "Well?"

"Hmm…" the boy said. "I'm not sure exactly, but your vitals are different then what they were last time we scanned you. Do you feel alright?"

She shook her head, "No, I feel…I don't know how to explain it."

"I should get TinSouRe," BarZenDao said, looking up.

Cuore held up a hand, "No! Don't, please. Not yet. Just…let me rest a moment."

He hesitated, but didn't make a move to disobey her, or even disagree.

The last thing she wanted at the moment was too have everyone hovering around her again, trying to talk to her and telling her they didn't like her choice.

It was a little late now.

"Can we…talk?" she asked timidly.

BarZenDao blinked, nodded, and promptly sat down. "What topics would you like to discuss?"

She grinned slightly and shrugged, "I don't know…I just…want to talk."

"Then, may I make a query?" he asked, folding his hands in his lap.

Cuore nodded her ascent.

"Ceodore had mentioned you had…a…family. I…"

She could tell he was having trouble phrasing his question so she smiled and spoke up. "You want to know about them?"

He nodded.

"Well, where to start…" Cuore muttered, crossing her arms.

She began to tell him about them, about how they had met her, how they had been so kind and loving from the onset. She told him about her siblings, about her home, about everything and everyone she couldn't wait to see again.

It took time to talk about the complex emotions related to a 'family', since he had no reference point for the word.

In a lull in the conversation he spoke up, voice soft, whispery. "That sounds…very nice."

Cuore expected to feel sympathy, compassion, sadness or something else over his lack of a family on understanding of the concept, but instead she felt nothing.

That startled her more than anything else.

"Maybe…you should get TinSouRe," she said, eyeing the floor. "There is something quite wrong with me."

BarZenDao hopped to his feet, eyes widening. "Should I leave you?"

"I'll be fine. Just go." she instructed, wishing she could feel panic over the situation.

But, she couldn't, didn't. It was so unusual to not feel anything.

As the boy rushed from the room, she sagged against the wall and winced, finding that she was having to try very hard not to cast her senses beyond the room, to the others, to their dreams and thoughts.

There was a cracking sound.

Cuore darted a glance around the room, trying to find the source of the sound. Her eyes rested on the glass casing as a long, obvious crack spilt down the middle.

"What-"

It shattered, falling to the floor with a rain of clatters and clunks. She wanted to feel surprised, but in a moment she realized that she had done that. Unintentionally, subconsciously.

Yes. There was something wrong with her.

As wonderful as rest sounded, Kieran found himself unable to relax at all. He refused to use the pods, and hadn't felt like spending time with anyone else, either. He wasn't even sure where Ceodore and Ursula had gone, but he had backtracked to the storage room he'd been in not too long ago.

It was blissfully quiet, with only the distant hum of machinery throbbing through the walls, and he had even discovered how to dim the lights. Now the room was bathed in a soft, bluish glow instead of the harsh, burning white light.

But still, he wasn't about to sleep anytime soon.

Kieran sighed and shifted on the bench he'd been laying on, trying to get into a more comfortable position. The ceiling above his head was draped in wires he hadn't noticed before, likely exposed from the plates that had been stripped off.

His thoughts were turbulent and unyielding, mostly centered around a certain young woman.

"I can't believe she didn't tell me she was reading my mind," he fumed.

It was unsettling to know that she had, even accidently, been hearing thoughts. Even more so that she had apparently given him ideas, too. Just how strong were her telepathic abilities?

It hurt to know she didn't trust him enough to tell him.

That was the real root of his anger.

As much as he hated to think she could read his mind, could know things about him that maybe even he didn't know, to share thoughts…mostly he was just upset she didn't trust him.

Still.

"No wonder she can't return my feelings, she still can't trust me." Kieran thought. He sighed again and flung an arm over his face, stifling a groan.

"Damn you, Cuore. I want to be mad at you for lying to me, for digging around in my head, for not loving me, but…how can I?"

He couldn't blame her, not after their history together.

There had been too much pain between them, too many times he'd said something or done something to hurt her. The last time she told him she was reading his mind he had lashed out at her.

What was different about this time? He'd basically done the same time, even if she had started it.

"How long is 'lately', anyway?" Kieran mused, frowning. "She said recently she'd been reading my mind, but before the ship, so what does that mean? Since Damcyan? Since I was stranded in Eblan? Before? When we went to find Leo?"

He groaned again and let his arm slide off his face and dangle off the bench.

"Damn you," he muttered out loud.

But it wasn't really her fault; it was his. It was always his. All the times he'd blamed her for the trouble in his life, all the unsavory names he'd called her in the past, all the arguments they'd had, all the tears, the threats, the memories.

"I should have realized that this would never work, not after all that." he thought, sitting up. "I shouldn't be angry with her. If I truly loved her, I could let this go, I could…let her go."

As much as it hurt, he knew, deep down that love couldn't rewrite history. Even love couldn't rewind time itself.

Kieran sighed once more and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to ignore yet another headache that had started. In fact, he felt rather queasy, too.

"And I'm not even the one that's sick," he muttered, standing up and swaying. He frowned, reaching out to grab the wall as support.

The unsteady feeling ebbed, leaving him only feeling emotionally ill. As much as it hurt, as much as he was still angry, he needed to push aside his selfishness. Right now, there were bigger things at work then his love life.

Or lack thereof.

Cuore, he was sure, could use company, and possibly an apology though he wasn't sure he could make it sound sincere when he didn't truly feel like he had done anything wrong.

He made his way through the corridors, wishing all of them could have dimmers on them so they didn't gleam with an artificial white glow. It only made the ship seem more sterile and impersonal.

He was actually looking forward to the endless sand of the wasteland they had left behind.

The doors to the lab zipped open and he recoiled instantly as sparks flew off the nearest console. In fact, all the displays were flickering on and off, overloading with small bursts of flashes while the main lights overhead cycled through varying stages of brightness.

"Cuore?"

Kieran carefully stepped inside, trying to avoid all the stations around in case any more of them were about to spark. He moved towards the wall where he knew her self-imposed isolation cell were, calling once more; "Cuore?"

She still didn't reply but he saw her sitting inside, glass shards all around her. She flicked a look at him and he instantly froze.

The look on her face was so unlike the Cuore he knew that it startled him. He'd once told her she didn't even look like a Maenad, and he had meant it.

Her eyes alone were filled with emotions, with light, with life, that it set her apart from the walking dead the Maenads mirrored.

But now, that light were gone and she looked so utterly empty that he thought for a moment he was looking at one of her 'sisters'.

"Don't be stupid," Kieran chided himself. "She's still Cuore,"

He hesitated and then stepped gingerly over some of the broken glass, clearing his throat to speak again. "Cuore? Are you…alright?"

"No." she replied.

He flinched. Her voice wasn't right, either. It was cold, detached, apathetic.

"I can't feel anything." she continued, looking down at herself.

He frowned. He was caught off guard in confusion and wary of what she was getting at. But all that he found he could ask was a pathetic sounding; "What?"

Her expression didn't change, even though he had assumed she would find his baffled question stupid and at least roll her eyes or frown.

Instead, she unwrapped her arms from around her knees and held one up, showing him a series of cuts on her forearm. Concern growing by the second, he darted a glance to the glass shards around her, noticing that some of them had red stains on the edges.

"Cuore!" Kieran hissed, dropping to his knees in front of her. He took her arm as firmly as he dared and pressed a hand to the worse looking of the cuts. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Nothing. That is the problem." she replied. She made no moves to push him away and he looked up from her arm to search her face for signs of pain or fear.

There was none.

"I don't feel anything," she repeated.

Kieran went back to looking at her arm and carefully turned in over and over. The cuts didn't look deep, but that didn't mean it wasn't damaging. "So you just decided to slice yourself up? First the virus, now this, Cuore-"

"I'm not seeking my own demise," Cuore interjected, voice tone still cold. "It is not self-deprecation. It was an…experiment."

"And?" Kieran snapped, tearing off a piece of his shirt and tying it around her bloody arm. "What were the results?"

He was asking out of spite, mostly, but she answered regardless.

"That my nerve endings have become dulled and my sensory data is corrupted."

Kieran paused, remembering her telling him about the Maenads. He frowned and finished wrapping her arm. "And the consoles? The sparks? Is that you, too?"

"I believe so, yes." Cuore replied, looking up to stare at them. "I…have been unable to stop it thus far. I believe it's some sort of telepathic discharge that is effecting certain transistors in the monitors. There is no permanent damage to the ship."

Kieran squeezed her arm gently and locked gazes with her. "The ship isn't what I'm worried about,"

Cuore blinked at him and he studied her for a moment, missing that flicker in her eyes that she always had. Now they were listless, empty.

"You don't feel anything…" he repeated, realizing she wasn't talking just about pain. "Your emotions, too?"

She nodded. "Yes. I seem…unable to recall them. If…that makes any sense."

"TinSouRe said the virus could change you," he muttered, averting his gaze. "I just…I guess I didn't really get what she meant."

"Where the hell is TinSouRe?" he complained internally. He could use help, because right now all he wanted to do was shake the woman in front of him until she came to her senses.

"I sent BarZenDao to get her," Cuore answered.

Kieran sighed, "Please stop reading my mind,"

"It is difficult to do so."

Kieran sighed but dropped it. Right now he couldn't deal with her. Besides, something else was starting to worry him. Cuore's skin felt warm; too warm. But then again, her arm was cut and the blood flow would make it heated. He didn't bother to ask permission and reached out to take her other arm.

Slipping his fingers under the hem of her sleeve he felt her wrist and frowned. "Your skin is way too warm. You're burning up,"

"My internal temperature is within normal parameters." she contradicted.

Kieran glared at her, "I think your parameters are wrong. You have a fever."

"I am still functioning." she argued.

He rolled his eyes, "You just told me you don't feel anything. How would you even know?"

Cuore appeared to give this some thought. "Logical…"

Kieran winced when another console flared and the displays cycled through some screens again before falling black. He stood and gently urged her to her feet; "Let's get you away from this glass,"

"I don't intend to harm myself, if that is your concern." Cuore assured him.

Kieran shook his head, "You promised me that already once and lied, am I supposed to believe you now?"

He managed not to sound bitter with the comment, but he still regretted saying it. He had come here with the intension of helping her, not making things worse.

Cuore swayed on her feet and her knees gave out. Kieran kept her from falling and pulled her closer, letting her lean her weight on him as he debated where to put her. Finally he half guided, half dragged her to the pod in the center of the space, ringed by displays and equipment.

Cuore was clearly uneasy on her feet, despite her protests to the opposite, so he set his hands on her hips and hoisted her up onto the rim of the makeshift bed. He stepped back, hands up, to see if she could stay sitting, but she pitched to the side.

With a sigh, he caught her again, hands on her shoulders, and nodded. "Alright, so you are clearly sick."

Kieran glanced over his shoulder at the door. "How long ago did you send BarZenDao out?"

"Approximately fifteen minutes ago," Cuore muttered.

"Well, what is he going? Taking the scenic route?" he complained.

He felt Cuore tremble and turned back to stroke her arm with one hand while the other brushed her wild hair from her face. Cuore just stared at him, as if the action was confusing.

Kieran felt the need to talk so he didn't get panicked, and offered her a weak smile. "Well, on the upside, if you have a fever that means your body is trying to fight off the virus,"

"A virus is not bacteria," Cuore muttered in reply. "My fever isn't a fever. It is a change happening in my cells. I'm no longer compatible with this environment."

Kieran blinked, "What?"

She sighed, "I'm no longer compatible with this environment. The virus is designed to alter, to change. It has latched onto sections in my DNA and is trying to force the modification. My body, in turn, is rejecting the deviations. It favors its original form."

Kieran swallowed, hand tightening on her arm while the other lingered on her neck from where he'd brushed her hair back. "I don't like the way that sounds…what do we do?"

"There's nothing you can do," Cuore replied with a small shake of her head. "Either the virus wins this battle, or my cells retain their original coding and win. Outside interference is futile."

Cuore winced and reached a shaky hand to touch her nose. Her fingers came back stained with red and she frowned, "I may pass out shortly."

"Don't," he said abruptly. He had to restrain the urge to tighten his grip around her. "Don't you dare, Cuore."

She blinked at him, "I don't have much of a choice in the matter,"

"Then…then tell me what to do if you do pass out," he insisted. "Seriously, where are the others?"

"There is nothing you can do," she answered, tipping her head to one side. "I…am uncertain what you want me to say,"

"Oh, well that's a loaded question," Kieran mentally complained. Aloud he just shook his head. "I…I just want you to be alright. I want you to be normal again. I want the woman I love back."

He winced, realizing what he just admitted out loud, and more embarrassed then anything when she just continued to stare at him. But something shifted in her expression, ever so subtly, and she hesitantly reached out to rest her hand against his chest.

"I…would very much like that too." she whispered. Her eyes closed and she swayed again. "Will you remain here?"

The answer was said before he even considered the question.

"Always."

She nodded, but she continued to quiver and he pondered if he should pull her closer. The doors finally opened and the others entered, and it was then Kieran realized that the consoles had finally stopped sparking.

"It took you long enough!" he said, frowning.

BarZenDao hurried to Cuore's side but before he could say or do anything, TinSouRe caught his shoulder to stop him.

"No," the woman said firmly. "She should not be out of her containment cell. She might be contagious."

Kieran rolled his eyes. "Said containment cell is in pieces and BarZenDao is already sick."

"No, she's right," Cuore's voice said. It was so quiet he would have missed it if he wasn't standing in front of her. "You probably shouldn't be this close to me, either."

"So I get sick, so what?" he replied just as quietly.

She opened her eyes, unfocused as they were, and frowned ever so slightly. "But I don't want you too,"

"I promised to stay with you," he reminded her gently. "I'm not going anywhere, blade dancer."

The nickname rolled easily off his tongue, but it also jolted him to realize he hadn't been saying it recently. They had been arguing so much that it hadn't felt right to say it.

He felt slightly guilty for that.

Cuore blinked at him. He hated that blank, empty stare.

"Hmm…" TinSouRe said, punching commands into the controls.

"Hmm what?" Ursula snapped, coming to stand at Cuore's other side and reach out to take her arm. "Is she fine or not?"

"I am…uncertain." the Lunarian woman replied, looking thoughtfully at the screen.

Kieren rolled his eyes at the lack of an answer. Ursula did the same next to him.

BarZenDao was fidgeting beside his counterpart, eyeing the displays around them. "Her vitals were fluctuating,"

"I can see that." TinSouRe replied. "It appears as though her body is having a…reaction to the virus's attempts to alter her base code. It's trying to adapt while, at the same time, expel the unwanted infection. Incredible…"

Cuore spoke up, voice quiet as she wavered slightly; gaze unfocused and half-lidded. "It is the three percent genetic material I didn't inherit from Rydia's DNA."

"Where did it come from?" Ceodore asked.

Cuore blinked, "The creator."

"Whoa, wait," Ursula said, holding up her hands. "You mean to tell me that you have creator DNA in you?"

The teal haired woman looked puzzled by the question. "Of course. A trace amount. It was why the Maenads were so connected to him. We were, in essence, a part of him. It is that trace amount of coding that is rebelling against the changes this virus is attempting to make. It favors its original form; not the altered one I would transformation into."

"That doesn't make any sense," Kieran argued, glancing over his shoulder TinSouRe. "The creator wanted to evolve, I thought. So why this reaction?"

"The virus was coded to Lunarian DNA." the white haired woman explained. "It isn't compatible with Cuore's physiology. However, both her and the virus are highly adaptable. This has become an internal war."

"How do we stop it?" Ceodore asked.

"We cannot." TinSouRe said with a single shake of her head. "It is out of our hands, just as it has been."

"So basically you are useless," Ursula complained, glaring at her.

Kieran missed whatever argument ensued behind him because Cuore suddenly collapsed with a sigh, right into his shoulder.

"Cuore?" he asked, gently shaking her. She didn't stir and he shifted her position to try and make her more comfortable.

"What happened?" BarZenDao asked, racing over.

"She warned me she might pass out," Kieran replied, struggling to keep the anxiety from his voice. "We need a plan,"

"I am unsure how many times or ways you want me to say this," TinSouRe remarked. Her voice had, for once, a hint of emotion in it. "There is nothing we can do. Cuore's body will continue to reject the virus and the virus in turn will continue to infect more and more of her cells. It is a battle, and eventually one of them will win. We cannot interfere."

"I won't accept that," Ceodore insisted. "There has to be something we can do,"

BarZenDao sighed. "She is correct. There is nothing. This is what our people have been facing in regards to the Uo'Ru virus. Everything hinges on if Cuore was correct in her calculations that she would be able to fend off the virus."

Cuore was lost to the world, and Kieran closed his eyes as the others kept arguing in circles. As much as he hated to admit that the Lunarians were right, he knew there was nothing they could do.

Cuore had done this to herself, and sadly she was alone in this as well.

He moved her again, laying her down carefully onto the pod but making no moves to close to the cover or turn it on. She hated those devices, he knew, so he merely left her lying down.

Whatever the others decided to do, he had made his promise; he would stay with her.

There was a war going on between consciousness and darkness, and it took a few minutes for either side to win as both pulled at the strings of her mind.

Cuore tried to open her eyes, but hissed in pain at the bright, obscene lights and shut them again, taking a moment as her head throbbed and the dizzy spell passed.

There were sounds and lights around her that she couldn't quite make out, as if they were on the edge of her vision and hearing.

Cuore fought to open her eyes and keep them open, and it took another few moments for the ceiling above her to come into focus. It was blurring and the colors seemed off before it finally shifted back to how she remembered it looking.

She took a deep breath and winced from the stiffness in her muscles that even an action like that hurt. Her body felt oddly disconnected, and yet at the same time, highly sensitive. She could feel a speck of dust on her arm, and an air current out of place as it brushed by.

She frowned, confused and disoriented.

"Cuore?"

The voice was hesitant, but blessedly familiar and she turned her head to the side. She instantly regretted the action and closed her eyes again as another wave of vertigo passed over her. "Ursula?" she asked, voice echoing oddly.

Her friend breathed an audible sigh of relief; "You're awake!"

"TinSouRe," she called, as if beckoning the woman closer.

Cuore blinked her eyes open again and tried to move any part of her body until someone touched her arm. "Don't move,"

She rolled her head to the other side and blinked once more, this time not becoming as disoriented. "Kieran?"

He offered her a slight smile, "Hey. TinSouRe will check you out, just hold still."

Cuore swallowed, blinked again, and spoke up, taking things slowly. "What…happened? I…have gaps in my memory."

Kieran hesitated and then shook his head, "Don't worry about it. Just rest."

"But…"

"Cuore," Ursula said, "Kieran's right. Just rest."

She wanted to continue to ask more questions, but since they refused to answer her, she didn't bother. She could hear Ceodore speaking with TinSouRe, but it hurt to try and listen so she laid still for a moment, hoping to quell the abnormal vitals.

Her eyes opened and she tensed at an unexpected sensation on her arm. It was sharp, but not painful, and felt so out of place that she twitched in response.

"Sorry," Kieran muttered. The feeling abruptly stopped.

Cuore frowned and jerked her arm again, confused and slightly irritated. "What was that?"

"Oh," he mumbled, shifting on the stool he was sitting on. "I was just holding your arm."

He sounded almost embarrassed, but Cuore was more concerned was the touch had felt so anomalous.

A sudden, unpleasant sensation exploded on her other arm and she flinched, invoking an annoyed sigh from the Lunarian woman standing at her other side. "Hold still."

"What is that?" Cuore asked, pulling her arm further out of the woman's hands to try and get a look at the device she'd jammed into it.

Cold was seeping into her arm from it and the feeling was growing in pain slowly but surely.

"A needle, and I need to remove it. Stop moving. You've already ripped it from my hands." TinSouRe chided.

Cuore squeezed her eyes shut as the woman yanked the needle out. She winced and whimpered, wondering why it hurt as badly as it did. "You could have warned me,"

"I needed a blood sample." TinSouRe replied in regards to a question not asked. She wandered away and Ceodore took her place, grinning sheepishly at Cuore. "How are you?"

"I am…" she trailed off, confused. "I don't know. I feel…alright, but different. What happened? I have no recollection of the past few hours. In fact, there is an extensive gap in my memory."

Ursula and Ceodore exchanged an uneasy glance, and Cuore frowned, wondering why they were acting the way they were. She decided to continue; "The last thing I remember was talking with BarZenDao, but even that is…fragmented. I don't seem to recall anything after that."

Hearing his name, the boy spoke up. She could hear his footsteps as he walked over, making her wonder if he had always walked so loudly. "Let TinSouRe run her scan now that you are awake, Cuore. She will have answers."

Slightly annoyed, she twitched her fingers and swallowed once more. "Would someone help me sit up?"

Ceodore made a face, "Are you sure your up for that?"

Cuore frowned, "I am sure I am,"

He didn't look convinced, but she decided that to demonstrate her point she would do it herself. Yet it proved more difficult then she had anticipated. While her arms felt fine, her torso and hands were numb, making it problematic to tell if she was actually moving. Apparently noticing her trouble, Kieran stood and carefully helped her sit upright.

Cuore flinched away from him when his hand rested on her arm again. She was startled at the feeling, like sparks under her skin.

Kieran frowned, "Sorry…are you…okay?"

Cuore blinked, "I…am uncertain. Do that again."

"What?"

"Touch my arm." she clarified.

He gave her an odd look, but after a moment's pause, did as she asked. Cuore felt it again the second his fingertips made contact and she blinked. "It feels…"

"Your nerves are in a state of over-taxation." TinSouRe supplied from a nearby console.

Cuore looked up and craned her neck to see the two Lunarians. "That would explain it, I suppose…"

Ceodore appeared to be pondering. "So, her nerve endings are hyper sensitive right now?"

"Some, not all." TinSouRe answered, glancing up from her scans. "It appears that some of the nerves are reverting back to normal, leaving them overtaxed and stressed, providing anomalous discharges of certain sensations, like pain."

Kieran snatched his hand back and shook his head apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

She hated to think he felt guilty for something that wasn't his fault, not to mention that he wasn't understanding. She shook her head. "Not only pain. Other sensations, like pleasure."

He didn't seem to know how to take that comment, judging by the look on his face.

Cuore didn't have time to process a further explanation since TinSouRe was continuing.

"As for the rest of your nerve endings, they are still dormant, and may take time to reactivate. As such, they will leave you numb in those parts of your body."

Cuore frowned, "Like my hands, chest and legs?"

The Lunarian nodded, "Yes. Give it time; I suspect they, too, will return to their original condition."

"I suppose that's good news, then," Ceodore commented, sounding hopeful.

TinSouRe shrugged. "It's neither good nor bad news. Simply the facts."

"Glass half empty," Ursula sang under her breath.

Cuore offered her a grin.

"So," Ceodore said, standing up straight. "How is the rest of Cuore? Is the scan complete?"

TinSouRe glanced back at the screen and nodded, "In just a moment it will finish analyzing the blood. So far, everything looks normal."

"Normal?" Cuore repeated, brow furrowing. "What about the virus?"

Ursula bit her lip, "You really don't remember?"

"No," she insisted, curling her fingers into fists. "I am clearly missing something, so please, tell me."

She glanced at each of them in turn, and they all seemed reluctant to speak. Finally Kieran sighed and explained, voice quiet.

"You got pretty sick on us, Cuore. So sick you passed out. The virus was changing your DNA, and your body in turn wasn't liking the changes. It rejected the virus and that lead too…complications."

Cuore blinked, taking a heartbeat to study his posture, noting how slumped and withdrawn he looked, as well as tired. That coupled with the fact that he wasn't looking at her made her wonder what had happened.

"Complications?" she asked. "Clarify."

He winced and glanced pleadingly at the other two. Cuore turned her head to them, wondering why every single one of her friends was acting so odd.

Ceodore sighed. "You were really, really sick, Cuore. In the last few hours alone you've had three seizures. Your blood pressure kept spiking and dropping…not to mention all the telekinetic mishaps…"

"Hours?" Cuore said, startled. "How long…?"

"If the last thing you remember was talking to BarZenDao," Ursula replied. "Then…a day and half, Cuore."

Her eyes widened. "I have no memory of any of this."

"I don't doubt it," Kieran mumbled, shaking his head again. "You were…pretty out of it."

Cuore blinked at him and tipped her head, trying to catch his distant gaze. "You stayed the whole time?"

"You asked me too," he said. He gave a short laugh. "I guess you don't remember that, either…"

TinSouRe interrupted. "The scan is complete."

"And?" Ceodore prompted, sounding impatient.

The Lunarian woman smiled slowly; a rare sight. "Her blood, her cells, her organs…all of them have no trace of the virus. It's as if you were never infected, as if you never had it. In fact, a majority of the changes to your base code have even been reversed. You are, more or less, back to your original form."

Cuore breathed a sigh of relief, and she wasn't the only one.

"This is incredible…simply remarkable…" TinSouRe was muttering, punching keys and symbols and studying the screens with rapt attention.

"Her cells just reverted?" Ursula said, looking dubious. "Just like that?"

Cuore shrugged, "The Maenads were perfections of life, with that in mind, the creator made them not only resilient but also immutable. Any changes, any deviations and our forms were supposed to adapt or revert. I suppose mine favored the way I was before."

"I am most glad for your recovery," BarZenDao said, pattering over slowly to stand at the foot of the pod.

She smiled at him, "Thank you, BarZenDao."

He nodded and a sudden thought struck her, making her look up again.

"TinSouRe?" she called.

It took a moment for the Lunarian woman to pry her eyes away from the displays. Once she had her attention, Cuore gestured to Ceodore and BarZenDao; "What about them? Did you get any data from my…experiment to help form a cure?"

TinSouRe appeared thoughtfully. "I believe so, possibly. I will begin working on it right away. You should rest, however. Your systems still need time to repair, virus or not."

"I feel alright," she insisted.

Ursula snorted and Ceodore set a hand over hers, resting in her lap. "Ah, I'm going to have to agree with TinSouRe on this one, Cuore. You need the rest."

Cuore hesitated and bit her lip, "Can I…at least rest somewhere else? I…do not like this device."

Ceodore perked up, "Yes! So, Ursula and I discovered that the memory dome thingy,"

"Ast'Tron-Ema?" Cuore said.

He nodded, "Yes, that. We figured out you can remember yourself a bed, and rooms…not food, but all well. Still, the beds feel pretty real for just illusions."

Kieran made a scoffing noise, "You just walked right into me making a smartass comment here…"

Ceodore ignored his friend with a pointed look; "You could rest there, if you'd like."

Cuore smiled, "That sounds lovely, actually. I'm just not sure if I can walk there…"

Ursula smirked, "Oh, well, I'm sure Kieran would help you."

He shot the blonde princess an irritated look and Cuore glanced cautiously at him. She would prefer his help, but he was acting strangely, and she felt like she shouldn't bother him. "Would you…mind?"

Kieran seemed to consider the question with another reluctant expression. He took so long to answer that she feared he would actually decline and wondered if she should take back her request to save him the trouble.

He nodded after a moment and held out his hands. "Of course."

Cuore slid her hands into his, glad the nerves in her hands weren't hypersensitive yet, and carefully hopped off the pod's edge.

The moment her feet hit the floor, she nearly collapsed. All the feeling in her legs was delayed, or nonexistent, and the faintness wasn't helping.

Kieran let go of one hand to wrap an arm around her midsection to keep her upright, pulling her back to her feet. "Careful," he muttered, "Are you sure you're up for a walk?"

Cuore exhaled and glanced up at him, "I see no other way for me to arrive at my destination,"

He didn't reply and just scooped her up, swinging her rather useless legs over one arm.

Embarrassed, Cuore heaved a sigh, "That…"

"I either carry you, or drag you. Your choice." he remarked, shrugging.

She bit her lip, debating her options before deciding that there were worse things than him carrying her, and it hadn't been the first time. She nodded timidly. "You make a convincing argument…"

Ursula snickered and Cuore gave her an uncertain look, making the blonde princess quiet with only a joyful smirk on her face. Ceodore simply looked worried.

"Rest easy, okay?" he said, frowning lightly. "I'll come check on you in a little bit."

Kieran rolled his eyes, "She's not a baby,"

Cuore smiled, "Thank you, but Kieran is partially correct. I'll be fine."

Ceodore sighed, and Ursula wrapped her arms over his shoulder, resting her chin on her hands. "Go, you two. Get some rest."

Cuore nodded at their request and, as much as she hated the idea that she wouldn't even walk on her own, she had to admit it took a portion of worry off her shoulders to be carried. She was sure Kieran wasn't happy with the situation, but she decided to worry about that later.

They left the lab and Cuore sighed in relief, glad to be out of the stifling room. The hallway outside was quiet despite the hum of distant machinery, and the air felt lighter.

Kieran said nothing as they traversed the corridors to the Ast'Tron-Ema, and Cuore tried her best not to fidget. Instead of thinking about the awkwardness between them, she focused on her nerve endings.

Her legs were slowly coming back to life, but not enough to where she could walk, she was sure. Her hands, likewise, were starting to spark. In fact, they were almost too sensitive. She could feel each individual thread that comprised Kieran's jacket.

Alternatively, her arms were finally returning to normal. The spot where TinSouRe had drawn blood hurt slightly, but other than that, she felt ordinary.

She didn't realize they had entered the domed, darkened room until Kieran spoke up quietly, asking; "Can you stand?"

Cuore blinked out of her reprieve, surprised she was as relaxed as she felt. Flexing her muscles in her legs, she nodded. "Yes."

Kieran carefully set her back on her feet, leaving his hands on her arms as she steadied herself, before turning to the pedestal and pressing his hand on the top symbol.

"I should probably let you do this," he mentioned distractedly, "but…"

The room flickered, photon discharges coming to life and creating a rather impressive illusion of somewhere familiar. Cuore watched the final glimmer of lights before the image solidified into a memory induced hologram.

She raised an eyebrow as she gazed around; "My room?"

"I figured it would be the most restful for you," Kieran replied.

She glanced at him and smiled slowly, touched by the gesture. "Thank you,"

He seemed uneasy and studied her face for a moment before looking away, shrugging quickly, jerkily. "I'm sure I've missed some details…I've only been in your room once, after all."

Cuore frowned at the way he assumed he'd made a mistake and hesitantly reached out to grasp his arm, giving it a light tug. "Kieran,"

"What?" he asked, guarded. Glancing back at her, he only turned halfway to face her.

Cuore's frown deepened, and she shook her head slightly before using her other hand to hold his other arm, forcing him to turn around. "Thank you,"

Kieran nodded, but he didn't seem to understand exactly what she was thanking him for. She sighed softly, trying not to get distracted by her abnormal vitals and the overtaxed nerves in her fingers.

Whether it was the virus or the same problem she'd had before, she couldn't ignore her racing pulse.

"No," she whispered, firmly. "Thank you."

Cuore carefully brushed her fingertips against the seam on the arm of his jacket, mesmerized by the texture, the way it curved across his arm. She was surprised he didn't pull away as she struggled to find the words to tell him just how thankful she was.

Her hands continued to trail up his arm, to his shoulders, and then back down again. Still looking for the right words, she lifted her gaze to meet his.

He looked conflicted, cautious. Cuore felt him gingerly place a hand on her elbow. The touch felt like he couldn't decide whether to push her away or pull her closer with the way his hand barely grasped the joint.

"Cuore," Kieran murmured. His tone was a warning.

She said nothing, taking another step closer, forcing him to actually take hold of her arm. She was trying not to break eye contact, wanting him to fully grasp her words, if she could ever figure out what she wanted to tell him.

So much had happened, and she was still puzzled and unsettled, but she knew for certain that he had been kind to stay with her.

"Don't," she heard. Her hands stilled and she paused.

One hand was resting over his heart, and she could feel its irregular rhythm.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me?"

Cuore recoiled, both from the staggering realization that she was reading Kieran's mind again, and the mental tone to his words; so desperately broken.

It wasn't just the words, or the thoughts, it was the emotions she could feel, too. They were conflicting, volatile, frightening. The young man in front of her was so full of confusion and hurt and longing that it was wounding him.

The feelings mirrored her own, and irrevocably pulled her to him while at the same time repulsing her.

She blinked rapidly, trying to grasp the threads of their strange, unexplained connection enough to put an end to the flow of thoughts.

"S-sorry," Cuore whispered, pulling her hands back. "I…"

Kieran's expression shifted ever so slightly. He took a step back and Cuore bit her lip, hurt by the action.

"…It's fine." he muttered, averting his gaze. Clearly he knew what she was apologizing for and wasn't happy. "You're tried. You should rest."

Cuore wanted so badly to pull him back, to regain whatever friendship they had lost, to have him nearby. And beyond that, she was distracted by thoughts of sweet, tempting kisses.

Kieran glanced at her once more and then looked away again, seemingly troubled. He hesitated before turning, mumbling one last request for her to rest before he left her alone, doors to the dome zipping shut behind him.

Cuore exhaled a shaky breath and sank to the edge of the memory-produced bed. She bit her lip, jumbled and disturbed.

Everything was so hard for her to understand at the moment. She was beginning to think TinSouRe's scans were wrong and she wasn't rid of the virus.

Cuore buried her face in her hands, lost.

Perhaps rest was the best option at the moment. Everything would look better the next time she awoke.

She hoped.

Author's Note: You all know Cuore is my favorite character, but she is being such a bitch these last few chapters...geez...

Also, I feel like a horrible person for everything I put Kieran through.

Those of you who believe Cuore should get a verbal lashing will have to wait a little longer, but I do promise it will happen in a way that I believe will make everyone happy. (Including me,)

I did research into viruses and DNA for this story, and there is much our modern world still doesn't understand about both the topics. However, I tried, like always, to be as realistic as possible. I, of course, don't know what would happen if someone like Cuore were a real person, so some of it was mere theory on my part. Still, hopeful it made sense.

Hmm...well, that was this chapter. I don't love it, but I AM excited for a few scenes coming up...

No Lunarian lesson today! Sad...

Until next time~