I walked through the base humming an old tune I used to know as a child. It was another folk tune to which the worlds and name I had forgotten, but the tune was still there. It was an ancient tune that had been passed down through the generations in my family, so it wasn't just any kind of ancient. It was ancient, ancient. I came to my destination, Vicious' room. Ordinarily I wouldn't go here, but I was called and had no choice. I approached the door and stopped humming once I knocked gently at the door. I heard Vicious call out for me to enter, so I did so.

"You called for me, sir?" I asked, looking to Vicious. He looked up from whatever I was he was doing and smirked slightly. I supposed it was as close to a smile as any half-crazy guy could muster so I smiled slightly in return.

"There is something I must know." Vicious said before standing and advancing slowly toward me. I gulped but held my position, watching him carefully.

"Yes?" I asked, still watching his every move. I wonder what he was up to. Vicious began a slow pace around me like a wolf when he walks around his next meal. Sizing me up as he walked. When he came full circle he stopped and stood facing me. I looked into his eyes, and realized I shouldn't have. Its like looking into the eyes of a vampire. He could control me with any word he wanted now. Funny how that happens. I saw something in his eyes, some strange emotion, a tiny fleck of something in there. Something other than sadness.

"Why did you take pity on me?" He asked. I raised and eyebrow and looked at him through icy eyes.

"Sir, I take pity on no one. I don't know what you're talking about." I said firmly, still watching him carefully. Vicious began his restless pace around me again.

"You took pity on me when you bandaged me. I could see it in your eyes." He said simply. I shook my head.

"No sir, I was doing my job. To protect and serve you in any means." I said. "When I bandaged you I was simply protecting you from illness." I said. I stopped behind me and I could feel his breath on my neck and I tried my hardest not to shiver. I would never show weakness to Vicious. It would be a grave mistake.

"Hm. That will be all. You are dismissed." He said. I about-faced and left as quickly as I could without being suspicious. First thing first, I needed a shower.

I allowed the hot water to run down my bare skin. I had become dirty again. Not just any dirty, this was under-my-skin dirty. The kind where you scrub and scrub and the dirt wont go away, no matter how hard you try. I scrubbed at my scalp with the shampoo and conditioner, scrubbing and scrubbing. Then I took to the back ob my neck. That was the dirtiest place of them all. I scrubbed at the nape of my neck until it was a nice pink. My ebony hair fell behind me, and clung to my wet body. I sighed and leaned my head against the wall in the shower in front of me, tears streaming from my eyes. Soft crying sobs escaped my lips because I didn't know why I was crying but something ached in me. My heart. It was ripped in half by some unseen force, and the drunken insanity was beating down on me.

I got out of the shower, rapping the white towel around me, tucking the end into the top. I opened the door to my room and walked over to my dresser, pulling out another uniform. I turned around to find a sleeping Lin on my bed. I raised an eye brow and smiled slightly. It was odd, how innocent he looked while he slept. I almost sat down to watch him, but remember that that would be awkward when he woke up, being that I was only in a towel. Taking my fresh uniform, I walked back to my bathroom, pulling them on. Of course, the other uniform was fresh as well, I had only put it on this morning. However, it was dirty, so dirty. I decided I would have to take it down on some random planet and burn it, though the only thing that would do was short me one uniform. Oh well, no loss.

Pulling my brush through my hair, I walked back out into my room quietly. As odd and difficult as this may sound, it was an everyday task for me. I have no time to do it any other way. After I threw my clothes in my hamper, I set the brush on top of my dresser then climbed into my bed, gently lifting Lin's arm. I carefully wrapped his arm around me and leaned my head on his chest, going to sleep. I don't know why, but I just needed that little shred of protection. I knew it wasn't possible but it felt as though he could protect me from my own insanity, even as Vicious-esque as he was becoming. It was peaceful there, I couldn't explain it even if I tried. It was like the world around me could crash and burn but I wouldn't care, because I was here.

…………

Later at the mess hall, we met up with Shin and sat at a random table. I felt like I was at high school as gossip had already reached around that I had been called to see Vicious. I shook my head when Shin wanted to know why.

"Esoteric, Shin." I said, teasing him. "Well, actually, he wanted to know why I took pity on him." I said simply.

"Pity?" Lin asked after he gulped down some of whatever it was he was eating. He raised a brow and looked over at me.

"Hey, he said it not me. I was simply doing my job." I said. I sighed some and slammed my forehead on the table before sitting back up. "Don't look at me like that guys. Once again I state: He said it, not me." I finished. They both just shook their head. "You know who I feel bad for?"

"Who?" Lin asked.

"Y….Never mind." I said and shook my head. I was going to tell Lin that he was taking after Vicious, and that's why I felt bad for him… But as it seemed, he didn't look like he much minded. I just shook my head again.

"Tell us." He said calmly.

"Gren." I said. "Because Vicious abandoned him. He looked up to him, he believed in him," I began to become preachy. Maybe I should stand on a table… "And he abandoned him." I said then calmed down. They shook their heads at me.

"Gren was stupid to believe in Vicious." Shin said, looking at me. I looked up at him fiercely. "He should have known Vicious would betray him."

"How could he have? He didn't know him very well. He thought Vicious was another kind face." I said crossly.

"Exactly. He thought." Lin said. "He thought wrong and got himself wrapped up in the tangles web that we all call life." He said. I sighed, it just wasn't enough for me but I ended the subject anyway. I didn't want to talk anymore on the subject. I was becoming homesick for Callisto again, even though it wasn't my home. During the month spent on Callisto with Gren it had become like my home away form home, and I missed it sorely. It was a life I could have gotten used to.

Unfortunately, I already had a life here and previous engagements. A life that there was only one escape to and I just wasn't ready to take that path. With a sigh I stood from the table, telling Lin and Shin that I would be in my room, if they needed me. I headed to the gym anyway. There I ripped off my jacket, throwing it on the ground. I plopped down and pulled off my boots, and took off my tie. With that I rolled up my sleeves and beat the hell out of the punching bag, using it to take all of my anger and anguish out on it. This time, however, I didn't bring it down. They used reinforced chains on it.

A figure stepped from the darkness behind me, though I didn't see it because I was turned the other way, concentrating on the bag itself. "Thought you said you were going to your room." Lin's voice sounded behind me. I jumped about ten feet before turning around.

"Yeah." I said smiling slightly. "After I take this bad from the ceiling again." I finished.

"So that was you?" He asked. I nodded in response and walked toward him. "You're pretty good. I've never seen you in action." He said.

"I'm glad you haven't. I've become a monster, Lin." I said. "I'm taking after Vicious more and more every second of the day and I think I'm going completely insane! I miss Gren because he was so nice and I don't see how anyone could be as cruel to do what Vicious did to him. You're becoming more like Vicious with every passing day, more so than myself and I think I may have fallen in love with you!" I spilled out in one breath. Then I realized that I just spilled everything in me that was bothering the hell out of me and it felt good. My encroaching insanity-wrapped doom just jettisoned itself back about three years. Convenient, because I joined this hell three yeas ago. Then I realized the fault in my last line. I had said everything so fast that I wondered if he even heard what I said. Lin smiled slightly.

"You think so, huh?" He asked slyly. Now I realized that he did hear it, and wondered if he had paid any attention to anything but the last ten words. I sighed and nodded in defeat.

"Yes." I said. There was no backing out of it now, I couldn't lie to him. It was Lin, and Lin could get under your skin. Rhyme unintended. I sighed. "I've been thinking about it since you kissed me. At first I didn't think so, because I thought I couldn't feel love. That's why I went back to Callisto, to talk to Gren about it. I told him I couldn't feel love, he said I could and I do…" I finally finished. Lin looked rather satisfied and brought me into his arms.

"See now, was that so bad?" He asked.

"Lin…" I started.

"Yes?" He asked, holding me back so he could see me clearly.

"Lin. What's wrong with me?"

Author's notes:

Well, Here it is. Sorry I don't have much to say here, I'm kind of, blank minded.

Ash: Brain Da Mage, eh? Thats got to be the worst most bestest puns ever! I love you in that twisted little best friend way! Keep bing awesome!

Also,

Thank you to my readers.

Thank you to Ash, Kenta, and Sarada for their nice reviews and encouragement! Its always nice to see that people enjoy my work.

Also, please forgive any little mistakes, like ' The Black Crow Bar' which should be ' The Blue Crow Bar.'

Enjoy!