"Please behave while the evaluator is here." Tsukasa surveyed the team, his voice pleading. "We don't know why they are here, so don't do anything that might backfire."

"Relax Boss. We'll be perfect little angels." Jade called out, making the team burst into laughter.

"Yeah, a fallen one in your case." Ryon snarked.

Andy rolled her eyes. "We'll be fine," Andy tried to assure.

"I'm not worried about you, it's them I am petrified of." The dragon sighed before leaving the kitchen.

Andy sighed, "Try to behave guys." She went to start cleaning up from the meal.

Tet helped her, his face pensive. He began to wash dishes quietly as the team filed out.

"You okay?" Andy glanced over at him.

"Just worried." He tried to smile, but his eyes were stormy.

"It'll be alright," Andy gave him a small smile as she started to dry the dishes.

"Just, this might be a disaster for other reasons than the guys being their usual hyperactive selves. I told you once this was an experiment to see if we could work together.." He stopped washing, leaning on the sink. "What if they decide we're too dangerous after everything that's happened?"

"Hopefully we can show them we're not dangerous," Andy said quietly. "But no matter what happens, we'll all stick together."

"Not if they disband us and send us back to our original units.." He closed his eyes, a wince crossing his face.

"If they want to do that, we'll just have to figure something else out."

He chuckled softly, opening his eyes and finishing the dishes. He put them on the other side of the sink, then ran some cold water and wiped his face. He gave her a half smile.

"So what's on your schedule today?"

"Was supposed to teach a hand to hand refresher course, but I think Jack will have to do it for me." Tet rubbed his temples with another wince. "Think I came down with something."

Andy said a spell to help with the pain, "Go get some rest."

He gave her a kiss, then headed out as Kiba came in.

"He doesn't look so good."

"I just told him to go rest. Hopefully he'll feel better later."

"Hope so too. What are your plans?"

"Not really sure. Might take stock of the infirmary supplies. You?"

"Running errands for everyone." He chuckled. "I lost a bet."

Andy laughed, "Want some company?"

"I was actually going to ask that." He kissed her with a grin.

"Well, let's go then. Maybe when we're done with everyone else's errands we can pick up some more groceries."

"Sounds good." He took her arm.

"Where to? Or would you rather drive?"

"It's a beautiful day..Let's drive."

Andy nodded before heading out of the kitchen. They went out and headed to her car, rolling down the roof to enjoy the sun.

"Feels good to get out for a change." Kiba leaned his head back as the wind ruffled his hair.

She smiled, "Yeah. Maybe we should just volunteer to do errands so we get some freedom." She gave a small chuckle. "So where are we heading?"

He pulled out his cell, consulting his list. "Game store, the new clothing store next to the market and Boss' salon. He ran out of dye." He chuckled at her. "He hated the pink but when it darkened he loved it. Kinda weird seeing him as a redhead."

Andy laughed and headed to the game store. "What do we need here?"

He headed for the game wall, grabbing several. "We beat all the others. Well, more like Shouma did."

"Of course he did," Andy chuckled. She glanced around the store, looking for anything of interest. She didn't find anything so she just waited for him to finish.

He finished paying, then grinned at her. "One mission complete."

She smiled and they headed off to the salon. After getting what they needed, she started her way to the clothing store. A used book store caught her eye though and she pulled into the parking lot.

Kiba rolled his eyes, but joined her in looking around. His eyes lit up as he glimpsed something across the room.

She raised an eyebrow at him and looked to see what he was looking at.

He eagerly flipped through a shifter manga, his eyes bright.

Andy chuckled before continuing to look around. Her eyes were pulled to the bottom shelf, a dusty blue leather book sitting there. She crouched down to pick it up, the feeling of a protection spell familiar to her and it reminded her of a book of shadows. She opened it, finding neatly typed spells. These involved more than just words like the spells she was used to. Some used different plants and rocks, some were recipes for potions. She finished dusting it off, deciding she'd buy it and see what use she could get from it.

She headed back to Kiba, "You buying anything?"

"Definitely." He had several volumes of the manga in his hands. He blushed slightly. "Looks like you found something."

"Yeah. It's a spell book."

"Holy shit. That's weird to have lying around, ain't it?"

Andy shrugged, "Maybe. It doesn't look like it's been touched in years though."

He nodded. "We should get going."

Andy went to the cashier and paid for her and Kiba's books before heading out to the car. She drove to the clothing store finally, "What do we need here?"

"Boxers..." He gave her an impish grin. "You didn't have to pay for me. Thanks." He slid out of the car, then leaned over the door. "Why don't you get the groceries next door. I shouldn't be long."

Andy smirked, "You should find the most embarrassing pair of boxers so we can give them to Tet."

"Were you reading my mind?"

"Great minds think alike," she laughed before getting out of the car.

Kiba's eyes danced as he headed into the store.

Andy went to the market, quickly filling a cart with food. When she was done, she went back out and started loading the car.

Kiba joined her a minute later, one large bag in his hand. "Couldn't choose. Think I'll spread them around."

Andy chuckled, "How many did you buy?"

He checked the receipt. "15.."

She rolled her eyes but smiled.

He set the bag in the car, pulling an orange and black pair out. "You think he'll kill me?"

Andy giggled, "Just tell him if he doesn't like them you'll gladly help him remove them."

He waggled his eyebrows with a grin. "Think Boss has gone nuclear yet?"

"Hopefully not.."

"We should get back.." His cell rang and he answered. His eyes darkened. "Roger. We're on our way."

"What's up?"

"Well, our luck held. Not the right kind though. Boss had another meltdown after the evaluator arrived. She apparently already has made up her mind about us. And Tet got worse. Akasa thinks its pneumonia."

Andy sighed, "Alright.." She stopped at a drug store and picked up a few things for Tet before getting them back to the base. She worked on unloading the car before heading into the infirmary to check on him.

He had an oxygen mask on, his face flushed. His eyelids twitched slowly as Akasa watched the readouts.

Andy laid out the medicine she'd bought and opened them before moving to Tet's side. "Tet? I need you to wake up and take these. They'll help you feel better."

His eyes fluttered open slowly, a small smile appearing under the mask.

Akasa sighed. "Jack found him struggling to breathe after you two left. Temperature was over 101."

Andy frowned but nodded. She made sure he took the meds before saying a spell to try to help until they kicked in. "Unfortunately there's not many spells to help with this kind of thing. Just have to keep monitoring him and wait until the meds kick it out of his system."

Akasa sighed, moving away as a glaring woman entered.

"Are you Takimoto?"

"Yes," Andy nodded.

"Kadoya's aide is refusing me access to both himself and several others. He said it was due to medical reasons." She tapped her pen on a clipboard repetitively.

"Yes, quite a few of the men have medical issues." She glanced at Tet with a worried look. "There's something going around right now."

"I just saw Specialist Nakamura in the kitchen. He appears to be fine, but Kaito refuses to allow me to speak with him." She scowled.

"I haven't seen him yet, but I'm sure Kaito has a reason for his actions. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

The evaluator shook her head angrily, turning away and heading for the door. She sneered at Daiki as he stopped in the hallway. "This is going in my report." She stalked past him and disappeared.

He grimaced, then gave Andy a tired smile.

"How's Tsukasa doing?"

"Had to sedate him. That bitch all but flat out said we were finished as a team. That either we'd be returned to our former units or dismissed from the military without benefits. He actually got into a yelling match with her."

"Well you know I always have a place for everyone if we do all get dismissed."

"Yeah, I know. Now she's demanding access to Ryusei and Kiba." He scowled, his eyes flashing.

"Why them though?"

"Branch. She wants to interrogate them over their experiences. I told her to jump in the lake wearing concrete shoes."

Andy rolled her eyes, "It doesn't seem to matter what we say, she's not going to like us anyway. She might as well just leave now and get it over with."

"She's refusing. Says she's waiting on a warrant to take custody of them. Andy, she wants to use hypnotics so she can get their full memories." Daiki looked frightened. "I told her that both of them are severely traumatized and she said they should be hospitalized then."

Andy growled, "Can I just shred this bitch?"

"I'm one step away from biting her. I was hoping you might be able to calm the situation." He sat down as Akasa eyed him critically.

"You've lost weight. Why aren't you eating?"

Daiki looked at the floor. "I have been, just not supplementing with blood."

Andy nodded slowly, "Why not?"

"Would you rather me use this? It would end it faster." He held a syringe filled with a molten looking liquid.

Akasa paled, attempting to snatch it away.

Daiki evaded his hand with a sigh.

Andy quietly asked, "What's been going on that you're doing this?"

"Branch, that attack on Tsukasa, this bitch..take your pick. She wanted me to sign something about keeping silent about my turning."

Andy frowned, "Why? That seems odd."

"The higher ups are afraid we might go public with Branch's crimes. Reveal that they lied to us with the military's approval."

"We should go public. It's not fair what they've done."

"That involves going public with everything. Revealing our very existence. They'd wipe us out before allowing that." He idly stared at the syringe, his eyes distant.

Andy sighed, "We'll figure things out. We always do. Try not to worry. I'm sure Tsukasa does enough of that for everyone here."

Akasa moved to her side. "You need to get that away from him. If he uses that, you won't be able to bring him back. It's liquid Hellfire."

Andy crouched in front of Daiki, "Will you please give me that? There's no need for you to use it. Everything is going to be alright."

He looked at her, his gaze sad and empty. "Not sure I can believe that right now. This might be the best thing.. Can't send back what doesn't exist.." He began to position the needle above his elbow.

Andy quickly grabbed it from him, tossing it away before wrapping her arms around him. "I know things are tough right now, but that doesn't mean you should end it. What about all the good things you'd miss?"

"If I'm not here, there aren't any.." His voice was choked with tears. "I'll be dead anyway. If I get sent back, my death sentence is reinstated. I'll be shot."

"I won't let that happen."

He gave a teary chuckle. "You going to blow up the entire military? Because the three of us were sentenced by the military court fifteen years ago. Our release is based on this unit being operational."

"You should know I'd try to."

He started laughing. "You're crazier than we are."

Andy shrugged, "Not sure that's a bad thing."

He gave her a small smile before sagging into her arms.

Akasa ran a scanner over him with a growl. "You idiot." He showed her the readout. "His body is close to shutting down."

Andy sighed and got him into a bed. "Set him up on a bag of nutrients and if you can get him to drink any blood, that would help."

Akasa nodded, going to get the items.

"Andy? Keep that bitch away, will you?" Kiba came in, Ryusei in his arms.

"What happened?"

"She cornered him. Gave him something. He freaked out, shifted and started to burn down the barracks. Luckily, he passed out before there was much damage."

Andy growled, "I'm going to kill that bitch."

Kiba laid the porter down so Akasa could examine him. He gave an evil grin as he looked at her. "Can I help?"

Andy sighed, starting to pace. She tried to think of ideas on how to keep everyone safe. Finally, an idea crossed her mind. She went and grabbed a syringe before writing some words down so she wouldn't forget them.

She headed out of the infirmary and went to find the evaluator.

The woman was walking toward the infirmary, her face triumphant. "I have a warrant for Kadoya and Nakamura. Please be accommodating and turn them over."

"May I see your warrant please?" Andy asked quietly.

The woman produced a piece of paper and handed it over. "This gives me the right to transport them to a military psychiatric facility for evaluation and possible commitment."

Andy nodded slowly and handed it back. As the woman went to put it away, she stuck the syringe in the woman's neck.

The woman yelped, staring at her before her knees buckled.

Andy lifted the woman up and took her into the infirmary, placing her in a single bedded room. She waited a little while then tried to wake the woman, knowing the sedative was still in effect. She muttered the words she had written down, focusing on the woman and praying it would work. If she could get her semi conscious, she could implant her with new ideas.

"What's happening?" Her words were slightly slurred.

"You're resting after a long day with your evaluation."

Her forehead creased. "Colonel Kadoya's group.. My report.."

"Yes, Kadoya's group. You are giving them a passing report."

She nodded slowly, then frowned. "Nakamura.. He needs treatment.."

"He's getting treatment here. He's going to be fine."

The woman sighed sleepily. "I'm glad. I didn't want to do it, but orders..They're so young.."

"What orders were you given?"

"To make sure the experiment was terminated. To transport Kadoya and Nakamura to hospital along with anyone else I could justify. The rest were to be returned to their former positions from fifteen years ago."

"Who gave you these orders?"

"Brigadier General Orton. He was most insistent about the hospital."

"Alright. You're going to return and give the group a passing report. You won't remember talking to me when you wake up."

She nodded slowly, her breathing evening into sleep.

Andy left the room and looked at Kiba, "Ever heard of Orton?"

He growled menacingly. "Bastard makes Tet's dad look like Santa Claus. He hates us. Especially Boss. No idea why."

"At this point, my plan is to go kill him. Not sure I can hypnotize that much hate out of someone."

"What the hell is going on?" Tsukasa's voice was sharp.

Andy winced, "The evaluator was given orders to shut us down."

Smoke began to erupt from him. "Who and why?"

"Orton. Not sure, other than he seems like an ass."

"That is the most massive understatement of the century." Tsukasa took a deep breath. "What happened to them?" His gaze settled on Daiki and Ryusei.

"She cornered Ryusei and fucked him up. Daiki.. he just needs some help."

"There paperwork for this fiasco?"

Andy shrugged. "Not sure. All I know is, she got a warrant, and I knocked her out and hypnotized her to give us a passing report. That doesn't help the Orton problem so I was considering killing him."

Tsukasa fought a smile. "Careful. There won't be anyone left if you keep killing my bosses. Where's the warrant?"

Andy headed into the other room and grabbed it, checking the woman's pockets for anything else important. She then went out and handed it to Tsukasa.

He scanned it slowly, his breaths beginning to flame. "Bastard! I'm going to fry him myself.."

"We need to be sneaky about it."

"Fuck that. The bastard signed them over to the Branch "hospital"."

Kiba paled. "You mean that one masquerading as a psychiatric facility?"

"We could go destroy that too while we're at it," Andy said angrily.

"What would we do with the patients?" Akasa had been quiet, but now he spoke.

"Clinic?" Andy suggested.

Tsukasa nodded thoughtfully. "I doubt any of them are dangerous. Let's do this."

Andy nodded, "Where are we going first? Taking out Orton or the "hospital?""

"I'll take care of Orton. You guys go take out the facility." Tsukasa grabbed a radio. "Yamae, get your ass in here."

A second later, the porter appeared. "What's up Boss?"

"Headquarters. Now."

The porter shrugged, touched the dragon's arm and disappeared.

Andy looked at Akasa, "You keep an eye on them here, she'll be waking up soon. She should just go on her way if everything worked out right." She then looked at Kiba, "Get a small team together."

"Yes ma'am." He headed for the door and disappeared.

Ten minutes later he returned. Ryon, Jade and Leo trailed behind him.

"Alright, Ryon and I will work to get the patients out to the clinic. You three focus on keeping the workers out of our way, then when we get them all we'll blow the place."

They nodded, everyone but Kiba vanishing.

Andy grabbed Kiba's arm and teleported them there. She noticed the large building and snuck in the entrance.

Kiba followed, pushing the nurses toward a storage room. His radio crackled.

"This place is empty." Jade reported.

"Not quite." Leo's voice was tight. "Need a little help. Our porter just passed out. I think from shock."

Andy headed to their location, entering slowly.

Leo was crouched over a slowly waking Ryon. There were three men restrained in beds, unconscious.

Andy went to them, teleporting them out to the clinic and placing them onto the beds. She then returned to check on Ryon.

"Sorry. That shouldn't have happened." He rose shakily, Leo supporting him.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly.

He nodded slowly, his eyes wide. "Didn't expect it, that's all. Are we leaving?"

"Yeah. Let's blow this place."

The radio buzzed. "Are you guys coming or did you want to work on your tans?" Kiba sounded bored.

They headed out, "Sorry. Let's go."

Kiba pushed the button as they exited the building, grimacing as it collapsed. Jade sighed and sat him down on the grass. "Let me see." The blond scowled as he pulled Kiba's shirt up to reveal a hole in his side. "Andy.."

Andy moved to him and frowned, "What happened?" She started on healing spells.

"Security snuck up on me while I was laying the charges. He had good aim." Kiba winced.

"Let's get to the clinic, okay?" She teleported them all there, getting Kiba on a bed and working on cleaning the wound as she said more spells.

Ryon sat beside one of the men, a tall redhead who looked like a much older version of the porter. He held one limp hand, using the other to brush the man's hair back.

"Who is he?" Andy asked when she was done with Kiba.

"Our older brother. We thought he was dead.." Ryon's voice was slow. "He joined up before us. He disappeared on a mission."

"At least you've found him now," she gave a small smile.

"Glad Ryusei isn't here. He might have had a heart attack.." Ryon chuckled.

Andy busied herself with checking the men over, making sure they weren't injured.

Ryon stood over the other two shaking his head. "Can't believe both of them were there.. You should be prepared for his reaction with a reviving spell."

"Do you know them too?"

"Only by a picture he carries. These two are his older brothers. They were thought to have died the same night his parents did."

Andy nodded in understanding. "Alright, should we get them to the base then or wait a while?"

"Are they in danger? I mean are they sick?"

"Not physically, but the place was supposedly for psych stuff. I won't know that kind of thing until they wake up."

He exhaled sharply. "Boss is going to wonder where we are."

"Let's get them to the base," she said before cleaning up the supplies. She teleported a few of the group out as Ryon did the rest. She glanced over at Akasa, "How's it been here?"

"Tet woke up. Seems the meds are working. Ryusei.. He's awake but mute. I moved him into the other room. Evaluator is gone. Boss needed a patch up, but he's okay. Daiki's improving physically. Won't wake up though."

Andy sighed, "Wait a while longer on Daiki. If he doesn't wake in a while maybe we can get Tsukasa to wake him. I'll go check on Ryusei." She headed into the other room.

Ryusei sat huddled on the bed, his back to the door. He didn't look up.

"Ryusei?" She moved in front of him. "Are you with me?"

He sighed, then nodded. He tried to smile.

"Hey, I heard what happened with that evaluator cornering you. I'm sorry she got to you."

He shrugged, looking down at the bed.

Andy wrapped her arms around him, "I should have done a better job keeping her from you."

He shook his head, reaching for a small notebook and scribbling. "My fault."

"I have some news for you.." Andy said slowly. "Are you up for it?"

He narrowed his eyes, then nodded.

"We went and took out a Branch hospital. Supposedly it's a psych facility. There were three patients. Two of them are your brothers."

He paled, his eyes wide. He scribbled quickly in the notebook. "How? They're dead.."

"I don't know. They're still unconscious so I haven't talked to them and I don't know how they'll be mentally. But Ryon says they're your brothers. We found his brother too."

Ryusei dropped the notebook, a squeaky "What?!" escaping.

"Do you want to see them?"

He took a deep breath, then nodded.

Andy moved to his side and held her arm out to help him off the bed.

He took it nervously. His eyes were wide.

"It'll be alright," Andy said softly as she led him out to the main room.

Tears began streaking his cheeks as he caught sight of the two men. His hand trembled in hers.

"It's okay," she gave his hand a supportive squeeze.

"What if they don't recognize me?" He raised scared eyes to hers.

"I'm sure they will," she said gently.

His knees buckled as one of the men spoke. "How could I forget that scrawny body?"

Andy helped support Ryusei, giving him an encouraging smile.

After a minute, he ran to the man. They embraced, the porter sobbing. The other man gently stroked his hair and whispered in his ear softly.

Andy watched with a smile on her face.

"Darlin?" Tet's voice was hoarse but strong.

She looked over at him before going to his side, "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I think? The last thing I remember was lying down after talking to you." He looked at the three men in confusion. "What's going on?"

"Long story. Reuniting family members."

"Sounds like a good day. What happened with the evaluation?"

"We're going to get a good report."

He nodded. "Is Ryusei even breathing? He sounds like he's about to pass out."

Andy looked over and gave a small chuckle, "He'll be okay."

"Who are you and where are we?" The redhead sat up slowly.

"Friends of Ryon and Yamae. I'm Andy. You're at our base."

"They're alive?" He looked shocked.

"Yeah. They're around here somewhere," Andy informed.

A minute later both porters were entering, Yamae skidding to a stop as he saw the man.

"Oh my god.." He swayed.

Andy kept an eye on him in case he passed out.

The man stumbled out of the bed and over to them. "You're alive…" He embraced them.

The twins returned the embrace tightly. A few minutes later, they parted. The man bowed to Andy. "I'm Kei. I take it they're alive because of you?"

"Yeah, kind of," she said with a small chuckle.

"Thank you." He paused, tilting his head. "You're a witch.."

"That's one of the many things I am, yes."

He gave her a smile. "Nice to be among another."

"We have Akasa who's also a witch, but we're the only two here."

"Two more than my last assignment." He chuckled.

"Can I get some help here?" The other man asked, Ryusei cradled in his arms. "He's asleep."

Andy smiled softly and lifted Ryusei up, laying him gently into an empty bed.

"You been taking care of him?"

"Trying to," Andy chuckled.

"He's always been a handful. Mom constantly threatened to glue his feet to the floor." The man laughed softly.

Andy laughed, "He's no more of a handful than everyone else around here."

"HEY!" Ryon and Yamae shouted in unison.

"You know it's true," she smirked.

Kei snickered, ruffling Ryon's hair. "Still troublemakers, I see."

"They're not too bad, honestly," Andy grinned.

"What did they bribe you with?" Kei avoided the smack Yamae aimed at him.

She laughed again in response.

"I'm not kidding. They bribed their homeroom teacher with concert tickets to give them A's instead of D's."

Both porters turned red.

"Bribes sound nice," Andy chuckled, "maybe I should start taking them."

Tet started laughing. "That's easy. We'll just promise to stop avoiding our physicals if you cook a feast every night."

"Or you could just do that anyway as thanks for all the times I save your ass."

Tet shut up as the porters laughed and pointed at him.

The noise woke Ryusei's other brother, who blinked slowly.

Andy blew a kiss toward Tet before she noticed, moving toward the man's bed.

The first brother carefully got out of bed and took the other man's hand. "Hideo, don't freak out okay?"

"Why?"

"Look beside you."

Hideo turned his head and gasped. "He's alive…"

Andy glanced over at Ryusei who was still asleep.

"Hitoshi, how?" Hideo reached a trembling hand to touch the porter.

"Ask her. I have no idea." Hitoshi returned to the bed, sitting down.

"He's been with this group for a while now," Andy said softly.

"We took care of him before that." Ryon gazed at the younger man with a smile. "Kinda adopted him."

Kei ruffled his hair. "That's my boy."

Hitoshi gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you. All of you."

"He's a good kid," Andy smiled. "He's not hard to take care of."

The two in bed looked at her. "What now? Are we being shipped somewhere?"

Andy shrugged, "You can do whatever you want to, it's not like you're a prisoner."

Tsukasa entered quietly. "Do you mind a few more mouths at breakfast?"

"Not a problem," she smiled.

He looked at the three. "You're welcome to stay if you want. Or we'll help settle you somewhere." He tapped Andy's shoulder.

Andy looked over at him.

He handed her a check with a lot of zeros. "Can you deposit this? Since my aide is currently out of commission."

She raised an eyebrow, "Where did this come from?"

"My boss. Turns out Orton was a spy working for Branch. I took him out, so we got a bonus."

Andy nodded before glancing over at Daiki, "You should talk to him. He needs help."

"How bad?" The dragon sighed. "I know that woman was pushing to talk to him."

"He had a syringe of Hellfire," Andy said plainly. "He needs to be eating more and drinking blood."

Tsukasa paled for a moment, then nodded. "I will take care of it." He crossed to the vampire's side and began speaking softly.

"You really don't mind us being here?" Hideo asked quietly.

"It's no problem," Andy smiled.

"Then I'm definitely staying." Kei wrapped his arms around his brothers.

Hideo and Hitoshi exchanged glances, then nodded. "So are we. We have a lot of time to make up for."

"Let me know if you need anything. I'm the cook and the doctor," Andy chuckled.

Kei raised an eyebrow. "Bet you're the cavalry too."

"Yeah, sometimes," she laughed.

"Most of the time." Ryon corrected as he and Yamae pushed Kei toward the door. "Come on, we need to get you set up."

Hideo gave a smile toward Ryusei before closing his eyes.

Hitoshi watched his brother sleep for a minute, waiting until Hideo was fully asleep before asking "How is Ryusei really?"

"He's not bad. I mean, no one here is perfect but he's doing alright. He's one of my favorites actually," Andy admitted. "He's a lot of fun."

"I'm glad he has been happy. We never could forgive ourselves for not being there that night.."

"I'm sure you had a reason."

"We were at college. Our room was attacked and we were kidnapped. When we woke, we were shown pictures of our home in flames. The scientists bragged about how no one suspected the anti shifter group was paid by them to grab shifters."

Andy sighed, "Those assholes.. It's terrible you guys had to go through that."

He gave her a small smile. "We mourned him every day. We fought the doctors non stop until they started to keep us restrained. They had their hands full with Kei. We were told last night that we were going into surgery in the morning.. I'm afraid to even think about what they meant."

"Well, I'm glad we got you out today then," she gave a small smile.

Her cell rang.

She picked it up and looked to see who was calling.

She chuckled as Phoenix 1 appeared on the display.

She pressed the button to answer, "Hey, what's up?"

"Hypothetically, if you were currently trapped by a horde of vampires who had your brother, what would be the best course of action,surrender or fight?" Taka was breathing hard.

"Do I need to come get you?"

"You bringing a platoon with you? Cause I think half the world's vamps are here."

"I'll see who I can grab. Be right there." She closed her phone and thought for a moment before heading out of the infirmary to find anyone available.

Ryon's eyes narrowed as he stopped in front of her. "What disaster is happening now?"

"The phoenixes are having trouble with some vamps."

"Give me five." He turned and ran toward the barracks.

Leo, Jade and Kenji were exiting the kitchen. They approached her worriedly. "Problem?"

"Vamps have the phoenix twins."

They growled as Ryon returned with his brothers in tow.

Kei gave her a smile. "Time to pay back my debt."

"You don't have a debt to pay, but thanks for helping," Andy looked at the small group. "Alright, Taka's running from them but they've captured Akira. Our goal is to get in, get them out, and get ourselves to safety. Take out as many vamps as you can as long as you don't put yourself in more danger."

"How many vamps?" Leo was all business.

"In Taka's words, 'half the world's vamps,' so this definitely won't be an easy mission."

Yamae groaned. "How the hell do those two attract so much trouble?"

Andy looked at them, "I don't know. I'm thinking half of us go for Taka, the other half go for Akira. Then meet back here."

Leo nodded. "We'll go for Taka. Yamae can port us. You guys find Akira. Depending how long they've had him, he might need medical attention."

Andy nodded, "Alright, let's head out."

Yamae touched Leo and his team, then vanished.

"Let's port to Akira's location and pray we aren't surrounded."

Ryon nodded, taking her and Kei's arms and focusing.

Andy's eyes first landed on Akira before she quickly looked around to analyze the situation.

Ten vamps began hissing at them, then suddenly vaporized.

Kei cocked an eyebrow. "Go get him already. We'll hold off if anymore show up."

Andy moved to Akira's side, starting to look him over.

His eyes were open but blank. No injuries were visible.

There was a flash of light as Kei muttered a spell. About twenty more vamps were massing a few feet away. The older witch scowled, yelling "Get him out of here! We'll be right behind you."

He and Ryon charged forward to meet the enemy.

Andy quickly teleported Akira to the infirmary, placing him gently into a bed. She continued to look him over as she waited for the others to return.

Yamae appeared, Kenji and Jade supporting a limping Taka. Their faces were stony.

"Where's Leo?"

"They grabbed him. He was watching our backs." Jade helped Taka to sit down, then scowled.

Andy took a deep breath, focusing on Leo and teleporting to him.

He was slicing into his wrist, his eyes blank as several vampires laughed. There was a set of fang marks on his neck.

Andy said a quick spell focused on a few of the vampires. She rushed forward to Leo, grabbing onto him and teleporting him out before the others could attack. She quickly got him into a bed and started saying spells to close up the wounds. When she was done, she looked around to see if Ryon and Kei made it back yet.

There was no sign of either.

Andy cursed under her breath before muttering the teleportation spell once more. She spotted Ryon first, a group of vampires in the room around her. She looked quickly for Kei.

His legs stuck out from behind Ryon as the dragon shot a burst of flame warningly at a vampire approaching.

Andy yelled at him, "Get Kei out of here. I'll be right there." She shifted into panther form and started clawing at the vampires.

He quickly reverted, turning to grab his brother just as a vampire shoved a clawed hand through his back. He made a surprised noise as it was removed, then crumpled on top of Kei.

Andy growled as she made her way over to him. She tore up as many vampires as she could, but a few latched onto her with their fangs. She kicked them off, finally getting to the brothers, reverting back to human form and porting them back to the infirmary. The bite marks oozed and one on her leg made her limp slightly. She ignored it all though as she got the brothers into beds. She started on Ryon, spending a good hour trying to heal him up. She moved onto Kei, starting to check him over.

A gash on his temple had clotted, some of his ribs were cracked and he had bruises forming around his throat.

Andy recited the spells she knew would help, then took a moment to reassess the situation. She looked around at the full beds, checking to see who still needed her attention.

Taka was barely conscious, a steady stream of blood coursing down his leg. He didn't seem to notice as he desperately tried to get Akira's attention.

Andy stared at Akira for a moment, finally remembering which spell she wanted to use. She recited it and hoped it would release him from the vampires control.

Akira's eyes blinked, clearing into his normal dark color. Then he passed out, making Taka even more frantic. "Wake up! Please don't die.."

Taka swayed, his face almost white.

Andy grabbed him, "Don't worry, he's going to be alright." She made him settle into bed and started saying spells to heal his wound.

"Promise?" He struggled to stay conscious, his breaths slowing as the blood loss finally caught up with him.

"Promise." She said as she got a transfusion set up. She then looked back around the room, seeing if anyone else needed her attention.

Kei gave a cry as he saw Ryon. Stumbling to his side, the witch cradled his brother in his arms as sobs began to shake his frame. "No...no.. this isn't fair…"

Andy moved to his side, "Shh, it's alright. Can you let him go for a minute?"

He looked down, brushing Ryon's bangs back. Then he clenched his jaw and nodded, gently laying the body back down.

Andy closed her eyes for a moment as she focused before opening them, the gold light appearing around Ryon's body.

Kei stumbled backwards as Ryon sucked in air. "You-You're-"

She gave him a small smile, "He'll be alright now. He just needs more rest."

The witch sat down as the light faded. "Now I really feel useless.."

"You're okay. Like I said, a witch is only part of who I am. I'm a necromancer, vamp, and shifter."

He shook his head. "You're a walking arsenal. Here I am, a one trick pony. I can't shift or teleport. I couldn't even protect him.." He put his head into his hands.

She gently put a hand on his shoulder, "You did the best you can and I'm sure he knows that. I can teach you a teleportation spell so you can at least do that." She sighed, "I'm only a walking arsenal because of Branch."

She could feel him tense. "Those bastards did that to you?"

"I was born a witch and necromancer, though I didn't know it until I met this bunch. Then Branch turned me into a vampire as well as a shifter with three different shifts. They wanted to build a weapon."

Kei quietly growled for a second, then sighed. "Do you have need of a potion maker? That's where my real talent lies."

"You know, I just found a book full of potion recipes," Andy remembered. "I haven't really worked with them before."

"Is it blue by any chance? My spellbook was taken by Branch."

"Yeah it is," Andy nodded. "I'll go grab it and we can see if it's yours." She moved slowly, still slightly limping as she went to get it. She returned and held it out to him.

His eyes went wide as he took it. "What are the chances.." He opened it, softly reciting a spell. The blank page suddenly wasn't blank anymore, an unfinished recipe appearing. "It's safe.."

He sighed in relief as Akasa swore behind her.

"Sit down before you fall down. I swear, you're worse than everyone else put together at getting hurt."

Andy moved to sit before looking back at Kei, "I found it at a bookstore."

"Really?" He laughed. "That's amazing."

Akasa didn't say anything, just began muttering spells as Kiba entered.

"Anyone seen- there you are. Wait, what the hell happened?"

"The phoenix twins were taken by vamps. We went on a rescue mission."

He groaned. "And you left me out? No fair. Are you okay?"

"Just some vamp bites," Andy answered. "You know that book I bought with spells? It's Kei's."

"Are you kidding me? What the hell was it doing at a used bookstore gathering dust?"

Kei shrugged. "Branch took it when they grabbed me. I always figured they kept it."

Tsukasa entered, chewing his lip thoughtfully. "Andy, do you know anything about getting into thoughts? Other than telepathy itself?"

"Not really. I just made a hypnotism spell which would kind of have to do with thoughts." She looked at him, "Is this about Daiki?"

He nodded reluctantly. "Akasa released him to me. Physically he's fine now but he just stares at the wall. He won't talk to me and I'm worried. Jack's with him right now, but it's like he's shut us out."

Andy frowned, "Let me do some research and I'll let you know."

"Thanks. By the way, General Katshiro has ordered another evaluation. A real one, though it's just to see how well we operate."

Andy nodded, "Hopefully we'll pass this one without me needing to hypnotize or kill anyone."

He chuckled, then looked around. "I see there was some trouble.."

"Issues with vamps again," Andy said quietly.

"Figures. Everyone okay?"

"Yeah, they'll all be fine."

"Good." He left the infirmary as Akasa finished his spells.

"By the way, Tet's in your room. At least he's supposed to be. The medicines knocked out the worst of the infection, but he's nowhere near operational. You might want to check to make sure he isn't doing anything stupid. Ryusei and his brothers are in his room talking." Akasa checked over Leo. "Should I replace the transfusion bag or is he good?"

Andy checked him over, "I think he'll be alright. Let me know if you need anything," she headed out to go to her room.

She opened the door, scowling when she found it empty.

She went to check his room next, wondering if he went to get something.

It was empty as well, the clothes on the floor several days old.

She took a deep breath and focused, teleporting to his location.

He was engaged in sparring with both Yoshi and Rei. The twins attacked simultaneously, getting knocked back by intense kicks. The tiger coughed slightly, then wiggled his fingers. "Is that all you got?"

"Tet," Andy growled, "You're supposed to be in bed."

"I'm fine." He shot her a smile as he blocked a strike behind him from Yoshi. He dropped to his knees, coughing as Rei got him in the chest with a punch.

"Fuck! You okay?" They crouched as Tet waved a hand.

"It's.. fine.." He gasped, trying to stop the coughs.

"This is why you need to be resting. Just because Akasa let you out of the infirmary doesn't mean you're free to do whatever you want. You're not a trained medic, and until you become one, you have to listen to us about your health," Andy said with anger in her voice.

"Oh boy..you made her mad." Rei whispered.

Tet finally stopped coughing, turning a charming smile on Andy. "Darlin, I'm fine. A little winded is all."

"You want to get sick again? Fine, don't listen to me. It's not like I went to school for eight years for this kind of thing. I'll see you when you end up back in the infirmary," she headed out the door.

Tet got to his feet, following her. "I'm sorry, okay? I needed to let off some steam. Woke up and you were gone. Heard something about vampires from Hitoshi and kinda freaked." He grabbed her arm. "Please don't be mad at me."

Andy sighed, "Yeah vamps took Akira and Taka so we had to go rescue them."

"Are they alright? Why them?" Tet fought a feeling of panic.

"I don't know why, but yeah they're fine."

He took a deep breath, then started coughing again. "Dammit.."

"You should probably get to bed but I won't force you."

"Will you come with me? The hall won't stay still."

She took his arm and led him down to her room, tucking him into bed before sitting beside him.

"I didn't mean to piss you off. I just woke up from a nightmare and you were gone.. I couldn't stay laying down." He said sleepily, blinking at her.

"It's alright, I'm sorry I got mad."

"I was being stupid. I know I'm sick.." He shook his head. "I was almost expecting you to smack me with a paw."

Andy gave a small chuckle, "You haven't pissed me off that bad yet."

"Good to know…" The words turned into a snore.

Andy sat and watched him for a while, occasionally running a hand through his hair. She eventually leaned back and drifted off herself, tired from the days events.