The heavy rain of the junkyard drummed noisily on the roof of the New Hideout. There was a crack in the roof, and the water that seeped through it fell with a soft splash into the growing stream on the floor. The water ran across the battered stones, draining into a little indent in the middle of the room, close to where he was sitting . Too close for comfort.

Heat had never had trouble sleeping before because of a little rain. Indeed, it had always been the rain falling outside that lulled him to sleep. Or had it? The thought of the rain being anything remotely close to comforting was so far away, and any chance of sleep claiming him was soaked up into his cloak.

He shifted his body to the left, and pulled it around his shoulders. 'So damn cold in here…' The broken pillar that was supporting his weight was cold and damp; He could feel it on his back, creeping down his spine. He shivered despite his best efforts to restrain his body, and his eyes eased open.

He sighed, and was surprised at the small cloud of breath that hung in the air for a few seconds and then vanished. The climate of this new area was much different than Muladhara. The original Embryon base was just as rainy, if not more, but it had at least been warm and humid. Were they really that far away now? Heat frowned and cursed the situation, displeased with his new surroundings, and then sneezed.

The force of the sneeze turned his head towards the middle of the room, where his eyes, not quite adjusted to the darkness, fell on a small shuddering form. Watching the steady rise and fall of the shadows relaxed him in a way, and he remembered why he was there. Sera. Or the black-haired girl, as their pursuers referred to her. He had left the only place he had ever felt at home, the only place he could remember, for the sole purpose of protecting her. As long as he was around, no one was going to take her.

But as he watched her shoulders shake from the cold air, he asked himself why. Why was he so hell-bent on protecting her? He had only known her for a short while, but for reasons unknown he was drawn to her. Not that he cared… His thoughts were interrupted as he shifted his weight to the right, and he groaned softly. "Nnh.. Shit…" The beads of water that had been absorbed by his cloak and warmed by his body were now exposed to the cold air and occasional breeze. He pressed himself hard against the pillar, hoping to heat the now cold water. No such luck.

"Pointless…" He growled, and agitated by the cold and by his thoughts, Heat rose slowly, and quietly made his way across the room to the open window. He rested his hands on the cold railing and peered into the darkness. 'Hmm… Wonder how Serph and the others are doing…' A surge of anger shot through his body at the thought of his leader. He grunted and shook his head, as if to cleanse himself of any thoughts of his comrades. 'If they have a problem it's their own damn fault. What really matters is keeping Sera safe…'

He glanced back into the dark room and noticed the shadows shaking more violently than they were a minute ago. He felt a warmth inside, the likes of which he had never felt before, and he looked at her. 'Must be cold.' He took off his cloak and crept silently over to Sera's sleeping form. Gently draping the cloth over her body, the strange feeling returned once again. 'Tch… What the hell is that?'

Annoyed, he began to move slowly back towards the window. Sera's body shifted. "Mmm…?" The response was barely audible through the rain pounding and his heart beginning to beat faster, but, startled by the sudden movement and sounds he blurted out "Yeah?" Sera's cobalt eyes opened sleepily and she clutched the cloak as she sat up.

Once her eyes were semi-adjusted to the darkness, she looked down and blushed. "Oh.. Did you.. Bring this over for me?" A crimson dark enough to rival his hair flashed across Heat's cheeks, or, at least it would have had there been anyone able to see it. "Yeah.. I uh… You were shaking." He knelt by her side and touched his forefinger to her nose. Fireball glowed faintly, but the effect was more obvious in the dark. "Cold." He said softly. Sera blinked, and her cheeks darkened further. "Yeah…"

She stopped and thought about the situation for a few seconds and then asked sheepishly, "Were you watching me?" He looked away and said simply, "I said I would keep you safe, didn't I? Can't do that if I'm asleep." Sera looked curiously at him. "Aren't there others guarding this room? Serph sent others with us…" Fireball glowed brighter than before. "Yeah, I guess he did. But…" His voice trailed off into the shadows of the room. "But.. You couldn't sleep, right?" She asked. There was a pause, and Sera wondered whether she had offended him.

Having known him for a very short time, and knowing the few things she did about him, she knew he was not someone one wanted to offend. Fireball continued to glow, and she worried that she had made him angry. His sudden response surprised her. "Yeah, that's it." Something about the way he said it made her uneasy, so she did the only thing she could think of. "I'm… Sorry…" She stammered, and looked at him. Heat turned his eyes to hers and she thought she saw something flash through the fire, but as quickly as it appeared it was gone.

"Don't be sorry… You didn't do anything wrong, I woke you up." Heat shivered once again from something other than the cold and silently cursed himself. 'Dammit…' he thought angrily. Sera took note of his shaking and asked "Are you cold?" He shook his head. "No, not anymore. Nothing to worry about." He leaned against the pile of rubble behind him, closed his eyes, and exhaled deeply.

Sera watched him move and pictures flooded her thoughts, pictures of something, someone she thought she knew. The pictures were too muddled to decipher anything besides a face, a face that seemed to be smiling at her. She blinked and they were gone.

Feeling a little awkward, she drew Heat's cloak and her blankets around her arms. "I know.. Why don't I sing a song?" Heat opened his eyes and looked at her. A faint smile played across his lips, and he nodded. "A song… That would be nice…" And so she sang.

Her voice drifted through the window, through the rain and into the dark sky. The rain's drumming became a soft hum and the drops of water splashing to the ground mingled with the song to become something new, but also familiar. Heat's eyes drifted closed, and before he felt himself slip out of consciousness, he realized he knew what it had become.

fin