Surprisingly, there wasn't one. The head vampire laughed as Tet suddenly appeared beside him. The shifter shot her an apologetic smile. "Daiki safe?"
She nodded slowly, eyes narrowing.
"Good." He gave a small chuckle. "You're not the only one who can learn spells, darlin'. Now go home."
Andy growled, "You're going to have to kill me before I let them have you without a fight."
Tet's shoulders slumped. "I'm protecting all of you. Why can't you understand? We can't afford a fight right now. Do you want everyone slaughtered?"
"You think this is the best way? Then kill me. If not, I'm going to keep fighting them to keep you free."
He growled. "Why are you so fucking stubborn? They're not going to kill me. I'll come back.."
"You don't want this, I know you don't. If I do leave, I won't be there if you do come back."
Tet froze, his resolve crumbling as he looked at her. Tears began trickling down his face. After a minute, he took a step toward her.
"Enough of this." The vampire snarled, grabbing Tet and sinking his fangs into his neck as he glared at her.
Tet jerked, then began to slump into his arms as the man drank from him quickly.
Andy quickly turned into her panther form, pouncing on the man and ripping him apart with her claws. She grabbed onto Tet and teleported them back to the infirmary. She glanced at Akasa, "Get him set up on a transfusion." She checked the seal spell she'd put in place months before making sure the virus wouldn't affect him.
Akasa raced for the refrigerator as Tet struggled to speak. "Don't leave..please.." His face was almost white, his eyes glassy. "I'm sorry..just wanted to protect.."
"I need to go make sure they won't come back after you," she said quietly. "I'm just trying to protect you."
"I..love you. I'm sorry…" His eyes closed as his breathing stopped.
Akasa looked at her, his hands filled with transfusion equipment.
A few tears filled her eyes as she stared at Tet. "Get the transfusion set up." She focused on him, trying to get his breathing back.
The nurse quickly attached the IV, making sure the blood was flowing well. He watched with a frown as Tet didn't respond to Andy's spell.
Andy tried again, "Come on Tet, come back to me."
One shaky breath escaped, then another. They were erratic, long pauses between them. Tears were leaking from his eyes onto the bed sheet.
"Should I put him on a ventilator?" Akasa asked quietly.
"Yeah, probably should." She sighed as she started pacing while trying to think.
Akasa got everything set up, the ventilator whooshing as it pumped air into the shifter's lungs. Then he moved to Daiki's side, checking his pulse.
The vampire was paler than usual, multiple fang marks on both sides of his neck. He was barely breathing, his chest jerkily moving up and down.
The nurse sighed as he examined him, then muttered one of the spells she'd taught him and headed for the fridge again.
Andy finally moved to Ryon, "If I'm not back in an hour, come find me."
He looked at her in alarm. "You're not really going back are you?"
"I just need to do something, okay?" She gave him a small smile before teleporting away.
Kiba woke, his eyes blurring with tears as he saw Tet's condition. Noticing he was alone, he rose and slipped out of the base. Shifting, he ran for the forest.
Andy appeared at the Conclave location, shifting into her panther form and preparing to fight. She growled at the vampires and started pouncing on them and ripping them apart with her claws and her teeth. She got through a large chunk of them before multiple vampires bit into her, bite marks littering her fur. She tried to shift into a snake and slither away from the group but one of them caught her and slammed her into a wall. As she fell she reverted back to her human form, blood seeping from the bites. She weakly pushed herself up and tried to fight before she got kicked in the head, knocking her unconscious.
Akasa cursed as he returned to find Tet's alarm wailing. He glanced around the room, noticing Kiba was gone. He shook his head in frustration before trying to keep Tet alive.
Andy weakly opened her eyes, bright light surrounding her. She sighed and looked around, wondering what was happening. If she was dying, wouldn't her parents be there again? She started walking forward, unsure where she was going.
A forest materialized around her, a familiar form sitting by a tree. He was huddled, his knees up to his chest as he shook with sobs.
She knelt beside him, putting a hand gently on his shoulder, "Hey, it's alright. There's nothing to worry about."
"I screwed everything up. She's had enough and is going to leave forever. I can't live without her.. Why couldn't I die before she hated me?" Tet was ice cold but he didn't seem to notice.
"Tet, look at me," she grabbed his chin and gently moved his face so he was looking at her. "I love you. I'm not leaving you, okay?"
"That's not what you said.. Just stop pretending. You finally got sick of me. The worst thing, I was almost prepared for it.." He dropped his eyes as his breathing became erratic, his gasps an awful noise to her ears.
"Tet, I only said that so you'd come back to me! If you really gave yourself up to them, I'm not sure what I'd do. I just wanted you back safe with me," Tears rolled down her face as she moved to a sitting position. "Everything I do is to protect you.."
He laid his head in her lap, his eyes distant. "I'm sorry.. I'm so tired." His eyes began to close as his breathing slowed. "You won't leave? I'll see you again right?"
"I'm not leaving you." She tried to remember how she got into this situation in the first place and let out a sigh, "I hope you'll see me again. Just remember, no matter what, that I love you."
"Maybe another life.." He looked up at her. "One last kiss? So I remember you when we meet again?"
"Tet, I'll kiss you when we're both awake and safe. I need you to stay with me, you need to stay."
A tear escaped his eye as he struggled to stay awake. "I don't think I can, darlin."
The light reappeared, glowing brightly as it approached them.
Andy focused and tried to push some of her energy into him. "Please.."
Arms suddenly encircled her, pulling her away from Tet. She screamed as the light enveloped him and the forest disappeared.
Her eyes flew open to reveal an exhausted Akasa above her.
"Thank god that worked." The nurse leaned on the bed as Ryon watched in desperation.
"Tet..?" she said weakly.
Akasa closed his eyes and shook his head. "I tried everything.. He's gone."
Andy pushed herself up and stumbled to his side. She leaned on the bed as she shook, tears filling her eyes. She focused on trying to revive him, the gold light surrounding him. She waited and nothing happened, the light fading away. She let out a sob as she tried again, focusing on him. Once more the light did nothing. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, trying to think of anything that could bring him back to her. She finally gave him the kiss he'd been wanting, gently pressing her lips against his. "Please, Tet, come back to me."
The gold light suddenly surrounded them both. A minute later, Tet was kissing her back, his hands tangled in her hair as he deepened it. He broke away, murmuring her name as he breathed. "Andy..I love you so much.."
She gave him a wide smile as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I love you too."
He returned the smile, then glanced at Akasa. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Trying to keep you alive unsuccessfully, trying everything I could find to save her and searching for your wolf is exhausting." He sat down in a chair and blinked slowly.
"Is he not in the bunker..?"
Ryon shook his head. "He's vanished. Not sure how long he's been gone. Akasa found him missing when Tet went into arrest."
Andy took a deep breath, feeling the exhaustion from everything that had happened. She pushed it away though, "I'll find him." She looked down and noticed the remains of healed bite marks on her arms. She shook her head before kissing Tet again and then heading out of the infirmary.
She headed into the forest, transforming into a snake and slithering around in search.
Suddenly, the forest opened into a clearing with a cliff at the end of it. Kiba stood stiffly on the edge.
She stayed a way back to not scare him as she reverted back into her human form, "Kiba..?"
"I hurt him didn't I?" The question was anguished. He trembled, clenching his fists at his sides.
"Who? Tet? No, he got bit by a vampire at the Conclave."
The wolf slowly turned, his expression confused. "How did he end up at Conclave?"
"Apparently he's memorized the teleportation spell," she sighed. "They wanted him or they'd kill Daiki. After I saved Daiki, Tet found his way there and gave himself up. Of course I wouldn't let him do that, but he got bit in the process." She sighed, "If you need proof we were there, look at all these bite marks," she motioned to her skin.
He made a horrified whimper as he got a good look at her. "How are you alive?"
"I'm not really sure, Akasa saved me."
He sighed. "I'm an idiot, huh?" He looked down at the ground.
"No, you're not. You've just been a bit screwed up like the rest of us," Andy gave a smile.
He chuckled, then shrugged. Unfortunately, the movement caused the cliff edge to crumble under his feet. He let out a shout as he fell.
Andy quickly shifted into a hawk, diving off the cliff and trying to grab onto him with her talons. She struggled to get a good grip on him so she flew under him and tried to catch him on her back. She slowed his fall down greatly but they both tumbled to the ground, rolling down a slight hill at the bottom. She tried to stand, swaying as the world continued to spin.
"Shit..sorry.." Kiba's voice was strained. He coughed, blood trickling from his mouth. He tried to move, letting out a strangled cry as his legs didn't. The blood flow increased, dripping off his chin onto his shirt.
Andy struggled to catch her breath, her chest hurting as she tried. She transformed into her snake form, finding it easier to slither than to try to walk. She wrapped herself around his arm before saying the teleportation spell. They appeared on the floor of the infirmary.
Tsukasa yelled for Jack and Akasa. He knelt beside her. "What the hell, Andy?!"
She untwirled herself before reverting back to human form. She let out a few coughs as she continued to struggle to breathe, "Fell off..cliff.."
Tsukasa face palmed as the two ran in.
Jack tended to Kiba as Akasa frowned at Andy. "I want a raise." He began muttering spells.
When she could breathe better she looked over at Tsukasa, "He fell, so I flew off to try to catch him. I don't have that much experience flying yet, let alone while trying to catch someone.."
Jack scowled. "Don't cover for him.." He paused in his exam, his lips tight. "Akasa, I'm going to need help when you're available."
The vampire's jaw twitched. "He might just get what he wanted.."
Andy growled, "What do you mean by covering for him? The edge of the cliff broke."
"I mean we all know his state of mind lately.. You wouldn't want us angry at him. So you might give another explanation.." Jack's eyes glittered as he looked down at the unconscious shifter.
"Yeah he was upset when I went out there and he might have been originally thinking it, but we were just talking and I swear the cliff broke." Andy said with a sigh, pushing herself up to move to look at Kiba.
Jack exhaled softly. "His back's broken. One of his ribs put a big hole in his lung. I've done what I can."
Andy closed her eyes before she started muttering healing spells. She tried a few different ones to try to fix all the damage.
Kiba's breathing improved, his color returning.
Tsukasa's cell rang and he moved into the hall to answer it.
"I didn't mean.." Kiba whispered slowly.
"I know, don't worry," Andy said softly before she kissed his forehead.
His face betrayed panic as he tried to move. "Andy? My legs.."
"I know, you broke your back.. I'm going to try to find a spell to help, okay? Try not to worry."
He shook his head. "Kill me. Pack law.. Alpha takes out wounded members if there's no hope."
Tet exploded. "You fucking idiot! Let her help you, you damned furball!"
Andy looked at Kiba sadly, "I'm not going to kill you. Just give me a bit of time and I'm sure I'll find a spell to help."
The wolf closed his eyes briefly, tears falling silently. Then he tried to slide off the bed, eyes focused on a tray of surgery tools nearby.
Andy held him down before muttering a sleeping spell. She lightly kissed his lips, "Just sleep. Let us worry about everything."
His eyes were dejected as they closed.
"DAMMIT!" Tet hit the wall with a fist.
Andy looked over at him, "What?"
"Why the hell was he there in the first place?"
Andy sighed, "He was just being stupid. I think I helped him with our talk though. If the stupid cliff didn't give out though this wouldn't be a problem."
Tet frowned as Tsukasa came in, smoke billowing around him. "Are you good to go?"
"What's going on now?"
"We've been volunteered to help a coup. Tet, Ryon will port you as soon as you pick your team."
The dragon turned to Andy. "And before you ask, no. You're staying here. You aren't fully recovered from your accident, not to mention everything else."
Andy sighed before looking at Tet, "Are you sure you're up for going? You did just die a little bit ago.."
He gave her a smile. "I'm fine. Behave yourself while I'm gone." He climbed off the bed, pausing to kiss her hard before he left.
She laid down to rest for a few minutes but ended up completely passing out after everything that had happened.
The next morning, voices woke her.
"I found something that may help, but it's a complicated spell. I'd rather wait until she was awake." Akasa's voice was soft.
"Understood. I'm waiting for word from Tet's group. Don't breathe a word of this to her, but it's not going well by all reports. There have been unverified reports that the dictator had more firepower than we thought and there were heavy casualties. Also one report of foreigners being captured."
Tsukasa sighed heavily. "We may have just lost them."
Andy tried to stay calm, pain racing through her which she tried to ignore as she tried to stretch out.
Tsukasa sent a look toward her, then scowled. "You're awake, aren't you?"
"Your talking woke me," she admitted as she tried to sit up.
"Fuck.. are you going to yell at me?"
She shook her head before looking at Akasa, "First off, pain meds? Secondly, what's the spell you found?"
Tsukasa looked relieved as Akasa gave her a pill and muttered a spell. The nurse opened the book of shadows to a spell she hadn't seen yet.
"Says it's for nerve injuries, but I'm not confident I can do it right. But something has to happen soon, he got violent after your spell wore off. I had to restrain him and sedate him heavily."
Andy nodded as she read over the spell. She pushed herself up slowly before moving to Kiba's side. She closed her eyes and focused for a moment before reopening them and reciting the spell. A yellow light soon surrounded him.
When it disappeared, Akasa scanned the wolf. He gave her a smile as he met her eyes. "No sign of injury."
She smiled, watching Kiba for a minute. She hoped he'd be in a better mood when he found out he was better.
A small whirlwind whipped around her as Ryon teleported in. He was supporting Leo, Jade scowling beside him. The teleporter was shaky, blood streaming from a head injury.
Akasa took Leo's arm as Ryon fell to his knees.
Andy went to Ryon and helped him into a bed, "What happened?" She looked him over before starting to clean the injury.
"Tried to get to Kenji. He's going to be shot at dawn tomorrow."
"Where's everyone else?"
"It was just us and Tet.. we got separated during the fighting." He gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry, I'll get them out of there." She finished healing him up. She stepped away from him and focused on Kenji before saying the teleportation spell to get to him. She spotted him chained up, and grabbed tightly, teleporting him out of the chains and back into the infirmary. She set him up in a bed before focusing on Tet and teleporting to him.
He jumped as she appeared, then scowled. "You don't learn do you?" His face was ashen, blood covering one side of his fatigues. She could see the tremors running through him as he scanned the horizon. "Have to rescue Kenji.."
"I already did."
He gave her a slow smile, his eyes struggling to focus. "You're amazing, you know that?"
She suddenly noticed the blood matting his hair.
"Let's get you back home, okay?" She said softly before taking his arm and teleporting him to the infirmary.
He blinked once, then buckled.
She caught him and moved him into a bed, checking him over and starting to say spells for the injuries. She gently cleaned the blood off of him, making sure the wounds were clean.
Kiba tottered toward them slowly. "What the hell did he do now?"
"They were sent on a mission. How are you feeling?"
"Like an idiot. Should have known you wouldn't give up on me."
"I wouldn't give up on any of the team, but especially not you and Tet. You should know that by now."
He grinned softly as Tet groaned. "Owww."
Andy gave a small smile, "Hey, it's alright. I can give you a spell for the pain if you want one?"
"Please. Otherwise, I might give myself a concussion knocking myself out." He opened one eye to look at Kiba. "Thank god you're okay."
Kiba gave his arm a squeeze. "You too."
Andy recited a spell to ease his pain before she moved to sit in the chair beside him. She rolled her neck around, feeling the ache of it still not fully healed. She straightened back up before watching Tet.
"How are you doing?" His eyes were concerned.
"Still healing from the accident, and knowing that almost dying from the vamps and diving off a cliff didn't help." She gave a small smile, "I'll be fine, don't worry."
A cell phone rang and Ryon smiled sheepishly before answering it. A few minutes later, he burst into hysterical laughter, almost falling off the bed. An unintelligible shout echoed from the phone, then the porter took a deep breath. "Give me a few minutes, okay?" He waited for a minute, then hung up and wiped his eyes.
Andy raised her eyebrow, "What's up?"
"Ryusei got arrested buying alcohol. The cops think his ID is fake."
Tet and Kiba began laughing.
Kenji shook his head. "Maybe you should have Andy find a spell so he looks older. This is like, what, the fifth time? He's twenty six for fuck's sake."
Andy chuckled, "This has happened before?"
Tet fought for breath. "Oh yeah. One time, we were out of country, so he spent the weekend in jail. He was pissed."
"I mean, he looks young but it's not that bad.." she laughed.
"Maybe the spell should be for the cop's eyesight?" Kiba snickered.
Ryon tried to compose himself. "I have to go bail him out. Want to come with?"
Andy nodded, "Alright."
He got up, crossing to her and waited.
Andy stood up and took a deep breath before smiling at him, "Ready when you are."
He took her arm and focused, appearing in a police station. He released her as his eyes landed on a very pissed off Ryusei handcuffed to a chair. He tried not to smile as the porter glared at him. "Calm him down, will you? I'll pay his bail." He moved toward the desk.
Andy moved to Ryusei and chuckled, "How's it going?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? I'm handcuffed in a police station and you use that for an opener?" He chuckled humorlessly. "Actually, can you get me out of these?"
Andy took a moment to look at the cuffs before saying a spell to unlock them.
Ryusei gave her a thankful smile, massaging the chafed wrists. "The cop who arrested me wasn't friendly. He put them on really tight."
Ryon came over and lifted him to standing. "Why were you in a liquor store anyway?"
Ryusei sighed. "Thought it would relax everyone. It's been so hectic and depressing lately."
"We can go pick some up now if you want. Maybe have a little party?" Andy suggested.
"You buy it. I'm traumatized right now." Ryusei pulled out his ID and showed it to her. "How does this look fake?"
She shrugged, "Who knows. Maybe the liquor store workers were drinking?"
The men chuckled, then Ryon looked at them. "So, drinks and home?"
Andy smiled, "Yeah, let's go. How far is the liquor store from here?"
"A few blocks." Ryusei answered.
Andy headed outside and took a deep breath, enjoying the sunshine. "It has been pretty hectic hasn't it?"
Ryon ran a hand through his hair. "Almost non stop fighting.. But we're kinda used to it."
Ryusei remained quiet, looking pensive.
"We need a day off base, maybe a picnic or something? Go to a park?" Andy thought aloud.
"Sounds good. If the world cooperates, that is." He pointed to the liquor sign. "This it?"
Ryusei scowled. "Yeah."
"I'll go in and get the stuff, you guys just wait, okay?" Andy smiled before heading in. She grabbed a bunch of different bottles before placing them on the counter and paying. She headed back out and handed some over, "Let's party."
Ryon grinned as Ryusei gave a thumbs up. They focused and appeared in the infirmary.
Tet laughed as he saw them. "Decided to get the alcohol anyway huh?"
"We're partying today. Then if we have a free day tomorrow we're going on a picnic. Unless we want to combine them?"
"Let's keep them separate. We're probably going to get too drunk to eat." Tet reached for a bottle, opening it and drinking deeply. "Nice choices by the way."
Tsukasa raised an eyebrow as he entered, but didn't say anything. He helped Ryon set up the bar, then poured himself a shot and downed it. After a few seconds, he sighed happily.
Andy made herself a drink and started sipping on it before heading back over to Tet. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay." He kissed her, then looked down. "Are you happy with me? I feel like I'm constantly breaking your heart."
"Of course I'm happy with you," she smiled softly. "Of course I do also get upset when you give yourself up instead of fighting, but that doesn't mean I'm not happy. I love you, okay?" She kissed his cheek.
He gave a small smile, then took a drink from his bottle as Kiba entered.
"You guys are holding out on us? Where's our invitations?"
Andy chuckled, "There's plenty for everyone."
Kiba grinned as he turned toward the door. He leaned out and flashed a thumbs up, then headed for the bar as the rest of the guys came in.
Soon everyone had their drinks and were cheering as Kiba and Jack arm wrestled.
Andy smiled as she watched, glad the group could have some fun after everything happening lately. She finished her drink before getting a new one, giving a small giggle as she sat back down.
There was a cheer as Jack won the contest, Kiba growling jokingly.
Tet waved Ryusei over, his eyes twinkling. "He looks all of twelve, doesn't he?"
Ryusei stuck his tongue out.
Andy chuckled softly, "Maybe 16 if we're generous."
Ryusei looked at her in shock. "You too? I thought you were on my side?" He sulked before laughing. "When Boss first saw me, he told the General he wasn't running a daycare. Mind you, I was fourteen at the time."
Tet began laughing. "Kiba asked if he needed to buy diapers."
Andy giggled as she listened, finishing her second drink.
"Remember how I got him back?" Ryusei took a drink as Tet laughed so hard he fell off the bed.
Andy lost herself in laughter as she watched him fall. Eventually when she got enough air in she choked out, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I forgot I was so high up." Tet reseated himself before starting to laugh again. "One of our first bases was overlooking a lake. The night Kiba made the crack, Ryusei here got a bucket of water and poured it on wolfie while he was sleeping. In the morning, he woke to find a package of diapers on his table with a note that he seemed to need them for his "accidents.""
Andy chuckled, "Sounds like you guys have had a lot of fun times." She stood and swayed a little before going to get another drink. She sat back down before starting to drink it.
Ryusei smirked over his cup. "That started the prank war that has lasted off and on for years. He once spiked my food with wasabi. I mean everything had that damned thing in it. And he made sure that there was no water bottles."
Andy laughed, "Have you guys pranked everyone on the team?"
They exchanged smiles. "Yup."
Tet took a drink, then smirked. "We once put hair remover in the shampoo. We got in so much trouble because Boss had a meeting the next morning.."
Ryusei chuckled. "Remember the itching powder?"
"The twins deserved it." Tet grinned. "If you side with the wrong person.."
"You guys better not prank me, or you'll be in trouble," Andy smirked. "But pranking does seem fun. I want to see someone put hair dye in the shampoo. It might not show up on everyone but it'd definitely show on Tsukasa."
Ryusei's eyes glittered as he took another drink.
Tet groaned. "I think you started something, darlin'."
Andy giggled, "Make it pink."
"Your wish, my command." Ryusei vanished. A few minutes later, he reappeared with a small bag.
Andy smirked before taking another drink.
Tet face palmed as the porter removed a bottle of fluorescent pink hair dye with a grin.
"I can't wait to see it," Andy finished her drink up. She went to stand and started laughing when she almost fell over.
"Think you've had enough." Tet chuckled. "You need to be sober so you can heal idiot here when Boss gets ahold of him."
Ryusei rolled his eyes, then vanished.
Andy smiled, "I'll be sober by then, don't worry." She headed to the bar and poured herself another drink.
Tet chuckled, lifting the bottle as he glimpsed Ryon and Yamae trying to play darts. They were both drunk, the darts going everywhere but the board.
Andy approached Kiba, "Having fun?"
He grinned drunkenly. "Oh yeah. Haven't done this in awhile. Was a good idea." He leaned over and kissed her. "You're an angel, you know that?"
Andy blushed as she giggled, "Not sure about that, but thanks."
"Most people would have quit. We've actually gone through five doctors. They all said we were reckless and insane."
"Well, I'm probably reckless and insane with you guys.. I mean, charging into the vampire Conclave by myself, not the smartest idea I've ever had."
He snickered. "You don't say?" He tried not to laugh at her look. "Want to hear something? You ever seen Boss lose his shit for real?"
She shook her head, "I don't think so. Why?"
"You'd understand why we never work with other teams. Boss actually ended up in the brig once."
"Wow," Andy said in surprise before taking another sip of her drink.
"He fried three members of another team over me. He also fried a shrink over Tet." Kiba drained his cup.
"Kind of wish I could have seen that."
"No, you don't. He was so pissed, it was frightening. I had just found out we were brothers and had decided to make his life miserable. Started a fight with the other team. They carried silver daggers. Think I don't have to tell you the rest."
Andy nodded slowly as she finished her drink. She leaned against the wall as exhaustion washed over her.
"You okay?" Kiba looked at her.
"I'll be fine," she gave a small smile.
"To tell the truth, the only reason Boss fried the shrink was he got to him first. The whole team was going to kill him painfully after his report." Kiba grabbed a bottle and took a drink.
Andy sighed, "He must have deserved it then." She pushed herself off the wall, swaying for a moment.
"Recommended Tet be lobotomized and institutionalized until "nature takes its course" quote unquote."
Andy rolled her eyes, "Dumbass."
Kiba laughed. "Yup. Frankly he got off easy cause you would have really hurt him."
Andy chuckled, "Oh yeah." She glanced over at Tet, smiling at him.
He waved sleepily at her.
The party had become quiet as several squad members had fallen asleep on the beds and others had wandered out of the infirmary.
Andy yawned, "Probably should get some sleep if I have to prepare a picnic tomorrow."
Kiba snickered, kissing her cheek as he weaved out the door.
Tsukasa raised his glass and toasted her. He looked relaxed for once.
She smiled at him before heading over to the bed next to Tet. She climbed in and looked over at him, "This was nice."
"Yeah.." He was half asleep, the bottle hanging loosely in one hand.
Andy reached over and grabbed it, setting it on the table before speaking again, "Good night." She smiled as she watched him for another moment then she drifted off to sleep.
In the morning, she woke feeling her head hurting and she wondered if it was still her injuries or a hangover.
Suddenly there was a shout from the bathroom. "RYUSEI!"
Andy snickered before opening her eyes and pushing herself up. She glanced over at Tet to check on him.
He cracked one eye open. "I don't care if he's Boss. If he yells again, I'm strangling him. Then I'm going to strangle our prankster."
"It was my idea though," Andy chuckled softly. She kissed his cheek before heading out to her room to change. She then headed for the kitchen and started making breakfast and picnic food.
Tsukasa stalked in and looked around. "Where is he?"
Andy fought a laugh, "I haven't seen him today."
"A likely story. Have a feeling you gave him the idea." He growled at her before grabbing a plate.
She chuckled softly, "The color does look good on you."
He groaned. "At least I don't have any meetings."
Kiba shuffled in, took one look at Tsukasa and began laughing. "Let me guess, our prankster struck again?"
Andy started giggling to herself, unable to hide the laughter.
"Get it out of your system." Tsukasa rolled his eyes and began to eat.
Kiba leaned on the wall, wiping his eyes. Then he reached for the coffee.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Andy asked as she put together little sandwiches.
"Better than most, I'm only half hung over. Ryon and Yamae look like hell, Tet threatened to murder me and almost everyone else is still passed out. By the way, Ryusei is hiding in the bunker."
Andy chuckled, "I'll have to take him some breakfast." She finished up the sandwiches and packed them into a basket which she stuck in the fridge. "Hopefully everyone is up by lunchtime to go eat. I found the perfect park to go to."
"Believe me, alcohol doesn't keep this bunch down for long." Tsukasa put his plate in the sink. "Tell Ryusei it's safe. I'm not going to fry him."
She smiled in response before heading out to the bunker. She yelled down, not wanting to climb the stairs, "It's safe. And I made breakfast."
Ryusei poked his head out. "He's not pissed?" He climbed up slowly.
"Well, he said he's not going to fry you," Andy answered.
The porter exhaled in relief. "Guess he's mellowing in his old age."
"Don't let him hear you say that."
Ryusei chuckled, heading for the kitchen. He loaded a plate as she followed.
She started making some salads to take with on the picnic before she finally sat down and ate something.
Tet yawned as he entered, then kissed her cheek. "Morning." He tousled Ryusei's hair. "Was prepared to use the fire extinguisher on you. What did you do, beg for mercy?"
Andy chuckled, "Tsukasa was actually pretty good about it."
"He must be getting old." Tet gulped some coffee, then began to eat.
Slowly the squad trickled in for breakfast. Everyone was quiet, nursing cups of coffee.
Tet looked around with a frown. "Anyone see beanie boy and red?"
"I think Kiba mentioned them earlier.." Andy looked thoughtful.
"They were pretty hammered last night." Ryusei finished his food.
"Someone might want to check on them just in case."
"I'll do it." The porter stood and put his plate in the sink, then headed out the door. A few minutes later he was back, his eyes worried. "Andy? Can you die from too much alcohol?"
Andy took a deep breath, "Technically, yes.. Why..?"
"I think you need to come now."
She followed him out to where Ryon and Yamae were.
They were pale, their chests barely moving.
Andy checked them over before looking at Ryusei, "Help me get them to the infirmary."
He nodded, grabbing both of them and disappearing.
After getting to the infirmary she took blood samples, testing their blood alcohol level first. She frowned when she noticed it wasn't too high. She continued to do tests until she finally found a poison in their system. She quickly formulated an antidote and injected it into their arms. She frowned as she glanced at Ryusei, "You got arrested, they got poisoned.. You'd think the liquor store was after us.."
"Poisoned? What do you mean poisoned?" Ryusei stared at his friends in alarm.
"I mean, they were poisoned. Not alcohol poisoning, regular poisoning."
"They only drink one type of alcohol.. Are we in danger?"
Andy sighed, "Unless anyone else starts showing signs, I think we're fine. It must have just been that one bottle."
Ryusei's face darkened. "I've got some questions for that store."
"Calm down. If it is someone targeting us, you don't know what you're walking into."
"I was the one who suggested the party.. This is my fault." He scowled at the floor.
"This is not your fault. If it was the alcohol that was poisoned, it's the store workers fault, okay?"
Tet entered slowly, a half empty bottle in his hand. "This is what they were drinking. Are they alright?"
Andy took the bottle and started testing it. "They should be now that I've given them something." She finished up, "Yeah, it was definitely the alcohol that was poisoned."
Tet's eyes widened. "What is going on?"
"That store almost killed them." Ryusei snarled before vanishing.
Andy sighed, "I told him not to go off on his own.. Though I'm not a good example am I?"
Tet took a deep breath. "Focus. Why did he decide to go Lone Ranger on us?"
"Because the store poisoned the alcohol..?"
Tet growled. "You mean this wasn't because they got completely wasted? Someone tried to kill them?"
"Right," Andy nodded.
"Fucking hell. Should we go save him?"
Andy sighed, "Yeah probably." She grabbed his arm before teleporting them outside the liquor store.
Tet entered, his eyes narrowing as the counter was empty. He continued into the back, then a gun fired.
Andy rushed to see what happened, entering cautiously.
Tet was holstering his gun, a man lying dead nearby. He knelt beside Ryusei, his head bowing as he touched him. He grabbed a discarded syringe and showed it to her. "We were too late.."
Andy looked at Ryusei sadly before lifting him up into her arms. She teleported them back to the infirmary and set him on a bed before doing a blood test. She made an antidote to counter the injection then focused on trying to revive him. The gold light shone around him as she worked.
He sucked in a slow breath, then coughed. His eyes fluttered open and focused on her. "Sorry."
"It's alright, as long as you're okay now. But that's why I told you to not go alone."
"He laughed when I asked him about the bottle. He wanted to know if it had been painful.."
Andy growled, "Asshole."
"I saw red. I dragged him into the back, but he stabbed me with a syringe. I thought I was burning to death.."
Tet growled. "He tried to get me too but I shot him."
Andy sighed, "At least they'll be okay now and we took the guy out."
Ryusei looked at her. "I wanted to go on a picnic too…"
"We'll wait until the twins wake up and then we can still go on one, okay?" She gave him a small smile.
"Really?" He brightened.
"Yeah, we'll just push it back a couple hours if we have to. I did make a lot of food to take with, it would be a shame to waste it."
Tsukasa frowned as he walked in. "Something happen I should know?"
"There was an incident.. We took care of it though."
He nodded. "Everyone's up and at least half sober."
"I figure we can head out once the twins wake," Andy smiled.
As if on cue, both men groaned in unison. Ryon sat up, squinting at the light as Yamae pulled a blanket over his head. "Did we actually finish the bottle again?"
"No, it was poisoned," Andy answered.
"What the hell?" Ryon and Tsukasa asked at the same time. Yamae's wide eyes emerged from under the blanket.
"Liquor store worker poisoned it, Ryusei went to see about it and got injected with something, Tet killed the guy and now we're here."
Tsukasa whistled. "Busy morning."
"Yeah, a little," Andy chuckled.
"Sorry we screwed up your plans." Ryon sighed apologetically.
"It's not your fault. And we're still all going if you're up for it," she grinned.
The trio of porters grinned at her as Yamae finally sat up. "Absolutely."
"Let's go get everything together then. Most of the food is packed in baskets in the fridge."
Tet grinned as the three ran for the kitchen, then followed.
Tsukasa pursed his lips. "Any idea why?"
"The poison?" Andy asked. "Not sure exactly but he's also the guy that got Ryusei arrested so he definitely didn't like us."
The dragon grimaced, then gave her a small smile. "Let's go relax."
She nodded and headed out toward the kitchen. She made sure the porters had grabbed everything before giving them the address of the park. Once there, she set up the food so they could serve themselves then went and grabbed a blanket and laid out in the sun.
Several of the guys started a football game, others cheering from the sidelines as they ate.
Tet gave her a grin as he ran by with the ball, Kiba in pursuit.
Andy pushed herself up to watch better, happy that the group was having fun.
He made the touchdown, sticking his tongue out at the wolf.
Kiba scowled, then laughed. "Let's see you do that again, you oversize rug."
"Keep watching, furball." He playfully pushed Kiba.
It then became a wrestling match, the two growling playfully.
Andy chuckled as she watched them before finally getting up and getting herself some food.
Soon, Tet sat down, swiping a sandwich from her plate with a grin.
Andy rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek.
He swallowed quickly and kissed her lips with a contented sigh.
"We should do these picnics more often if we ever get the chance."
"Definitely." He chuckled as he watched the porters chase each other. "Glad as hell you were here for them."
Andy nodded, "We have Akasa now too, maybe I need to teach him about poisons.."
"With our luck.." He looked at her with a twinkle in his eye, then kissed her again.
Andy smiled before deepening the kiss, not wanting it to end.
He lay her down on the blanket, eagerly continuing.
She wrapped her arms around him, grabbing his hair with one hand.
He chuckled, his eyes soft as they looked at her.
"Ick...Get a room." Kiba yelled out.
Andy laughed, "Care to join us?" She stuck her tongue out.
Tet laughed as Kiba blushed. "Come here furball."
Kiba slowly approached, looking nervous.
Andy patted the blanket, giving him a smile.
Tet grinned, whispering "She doesn't bite.. Unless asked."
Andy rolled her eyes as she chuckled.
Kiba leaned over, kissing her hard before turning and doing the same to Tet.
Andy gave them a soft smile, "I love you guys."
"Goes double for us." Kiba's voice was low, his eyes dark. "Still can't believe my luck."
Andy gave a small chuckle, "I thought you two were a little crazy when you showed up at the clinic. Never expected all of this to come out of it."
Tet closed his eyes with a snort. "I was sure you'd freak when you found out about us, maybe calling the cops to report stalkers."
Andy gave a contented sigh, "I'm glad I didn't."
Kiba started laughing. "I can't believe I pointed my gun at you."
Andy lightly smacked his arm, "I forgot about that."
He gave her a smile, "Sorry? To be fair, there was a Hound coming after us."
She kissed his cheek, "Thanks for saving me."
"Anytime." He kissed her again.
"Feeling left out here." Tet pouted right before Kiba captured his lips. He made a soft noise as the wolf moved away.
Andy smiled before laying back again, closing her eyes as the sun hit her face.
"We should continue this later.." Kiba sighed.
Andy blinked an eye open to look at him, "Why?"
"You a closet exhibitionist? Trying to give everyone a show?" Tet chuckled.
Andy closed her eye and chuckled, "I meant we could just port home if we wanted to continue, but putting on a show could be fun."
Both men swallowed hard.
"I didn't want to interrupt the picnic.." Tet said softly.