*dances in hexagons* OH! MY! GOD! I love you guys soooo much! 9 reviews!?!? Hopping halibuts, I was like getting high on them!!! But then the men in white coats came and. no, let's not go there. BUT THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH YOU GUYS ROCK!!! *runs about insanely distributing plushies* Personal thank you's at end of chappie!

Now I just wanted so say, if you REALLY wanted to, I guess you could view this as slash. I, however, am writing this story viewing Stanley and Zero's relationship as a brother-ship one. After all, Zero IS the young cute endearing one. Who wouldn't feel an older-brother type responsibility for protecting him? *sniffs and huggles Zero muse*

Disclaimer: *begins attacking computer with a shovel* SHUT UP ALREADY!!!

Got your Zero stuffies in easy reach? Ok, then, bring it on!

ooooo

Pain, so tired.

Zero blearily blinked his eyes open. As soon as reality crashed down over his pounding head with full force, he forced his eyes to flash around the cabin in panic. But his brain wasn't cooperating with him; all the images swan together dizzyingly, swirling until his insides seemed to churn along with them. With a low moan, he flopped back against the wall, screwing his eyes shut and concentrating his whole being on not throwing up. His eyes drooped drowsily and his whole body shook like a leaf.

Zero lay like that for awhile; he wasn't sure how long. When he was finally able to swallow the burning bile in the back of his throat, he cautiously attempted opening his eyes again. For a moment, everything still swam, but his vision cleared when he blinked, and several tears of pain rolled down his cheeks. He scanned the cabin again, this time with a forced calm. He breathed a sigh of relief. He was alone.

Zero didn't dare look at his shoulder, even now it seared and throbbed almost beyond endurance. He was terrified of what he would see if he looked down, already the blood soaking his arm and his inability to feel his fingers was scaring him witless. Well, that and the combined pain from.

Zero shuddered, his wide eyes locking on the door to the cabin. He trembled again, carefully drawing his knees to his chest and gasping in pain as the many welts across his chest screamed in protest. He kept his legs up though, wrapping his arms around them and hunching forward, his curly black hair flopping into his eyes.

Zero was still in the middle of the desert. Why was he so cold?

Suddenly, without warning, the door to the cabin burst open. Zero gasped and cringed back; his mind flooding with a thousand miscellaneous thoughts, that chased each other through his already aching head in a terror-stricken frenzy.

Zero found himself with his eyes screwed shut, trembling in panic as he pressed himself against the splintering wood behind him.

His thoughts flew desperately to his only friend.

Stanley.

ooooo

It wasn't long this time before Zero blacked out. As soon as the pathetic boy went limp and his soft begging and whimpering stopped, Mr. Sir got bored and left, dropping the belt and staggering out the door in a drunken daze. Sunflower seeds hadn't broken his craving for cigarettes. Booze had. Mr. Sir was completely independent of smoke. His life depended on alcohol.

The other boys at the camp had noticed a difference in Mr. Sir. Sure, they figured out he was stoned around the clock pretty quick, but instead of making him more short-tempered and violent, he actually became silent and glaring. A big improvement, all in all.

Except that this was a result of his having his own personal punching bad.

ooooo

Meep, I feel somewhat bad! *huggles invisible Zero* Well, tell me if this was a whole crapload of unnecessary violence. Flashbacks, Zero torture and Caveman coming next chappie! Please review!

THANK YOUY REVIEWERS!!! I am eternally in your debt! *hee hee big words!*

Celestra: meep, it's all very sad! See, the downside of sugar highs; sugar lows. Hee hee, I've randomly started ranting about fanfic a good many times. Like the other day I'm on the phone with my friend's MOM (don't ask, hella long story) and I suddenly started cracking up and without question began describing this hilarious LotR fanfic to her. She hung up. :-/ YAY! I can't WAIT to read your fic! Cheeses crackers, we Zero fangrls NEED some more fics! THANKS FOR REVIEWING!

Amanda: Erm, hee hee, Zero's gonna be ok-er by chapter 4. YES, BE PROUD AND CLAP, I HAVE A PLANNED PLOT!!! [insert shocked gasp] I'll try to update as much as I can, but I got a ton of humors and a serious LotR fic under construction (and under other names ^_^) so it might take me a while. But this is getting the most reviews so it's a priority! :D

Wildmare90: ^_^ if I told you all that, I'd be giving away half the story! :D Omg I'm so excited people really want to know where this is going! Makes me feel so loved. Thank you for the review!!

Fire Spirit: Love the name! Yea, we are seriously lacking in Zero ficcies. Hope this update was soon enough for you! ^_~

Trigger: lol, I do hate it when people say they're gonna continue and never do. Cruel, am I? WOW, that was a good review I mean WOW, it just really made me feel loved and like WOW, thank you so much! *wow!* lol!

Beena-Pani: NUUUU! Not the little brother! *begins stringing garlic up all over hobbit hole. Yes hobbit hole, that's where I live. I'm ungodly short ;_;* I'll update as often as I can! *I got other fics, so it might take me a few days. HAVE MERCY!* Wow, I made somebody cry! Not that I didn't cry while writing it (lol) or anything, but geez, wow! THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING!

MirrorMirror: *hands tissue* I hope this didn't make you cwy! Poor Zerokins, why is it so much fun to hurt him? THANK YOU FOR SHINY REVIEW!

GriffinFox: heh heh. *hides as police cars pull up all around hobbit hole*

Razormouthrachel: THANK YOU FOR REVIEW! Lol, I kinda want to see where this is going to. I have a plan up to a certain point. Then things might get *thinks for a minute* unique! ^_~

I just real quick wanted to ask, do leaves shake??? I've never met a vibrating leaf.