(Disclaimer) Brace yourselves.

For an asthmatic, I do a lot of running.

"I wanted to ask you ever since you rang my doorbell. But after sometime, I figured that if you didn't bring up your father then neither would I.

I've run to and from constantly. Point A to B, problem to problem.

"Because you were here. And you know, not all the kids that end up in my home are here because they don't have families. They're here because they have no other options. It became clear to me that applied to you, too.

Whenever I do bolt, I have a clear destination in mind—a safehouse to hideaway in until the next big thing arose. So I could feel safe, protected. And despite a change in location and family, that much has stayed the same.

"So, believe me, there was never any intention of secrecy. Hiro has been a touchy subject for years. Anastasia leaving hurt me, but Nayla... Some people are just more susceptible to pain.

Now it's just me and the open road. No plan, no sanctuary.

"Anyway, neither of us had heard from either of our kids since they left. So if you don't know, we don't know."

Just raw emotion pumping me forward.

"But you think so." Martha nods. "And Nayla?"

I collapse at a bench, wheezing and hacking. I can't tell my tears from my sweat.

"When I told her, she was afraid to see you. She was embarrassed of her Alzheimer's—that's what she told me. But I know her better than that.

And I sit there, kneeled over and chugging knockoff oxygen. That's when I notice the streetlight. I turn over my shoulder to watch the bulb flicker and I don't know why, but it makes angry. The light...all it's ever done is cause me problems. I want nothing to do with it now.

"If it turns out Hiro is your dad, then that means it wasn't just one home he ran away from. And that certainty would hurt her all over again. I think she believes it, but she'd rather not know.

The streetlamp surges to its brightest and dies in a flying array of shards.

"I don't think she's capable of taking another beating."

I'm up again and pushing back the way I came. Breath heavy and quick. Legs stinging. Every light I pass bursting into nothing.

Darkness surrounds me.

"I mean, I didn't appreciate you stealing...borrowing my car in the middle of the night to go to Security Headquarters," Carly says over the line, "but you know I'm not calling about that. Ushio and Mikage told me what happened."

I huff out a breath. "Yeah."

"And..." Her words get lodged in her throat. "You really think...?"

"Yeah. It's what I said."

I adjust the towel around myself and sit on the bed in wait of her response. "We're gonna get to the bottom of this. I know everything's up in the air, but if we just stay grounded we'll figure it out. I'm sure of it."

"You're right." A smile peeks through my previously stiff expression. "Listen, I just got out of the shower so I'll call you later, okay?"

"Promise?"

"Over the phone pinkies," I chuckle.

Once I've changed into some spare clothes I'd left at the twins from last time—a cotton sweater and black leggings, I wander into the front room with everyone else and seat myself beside Aki on the couch. The twins squabble over the remote on the other, yet neither of us sees reason to butt in.

She smiles. "Better?"

"Much. Showers solve everything." I pull the towel from my head and let it drape around my shoulders. I glance at the siblings then. "Except maybe which Saturday cartoons to watch."

"I know how we're going to settle this!" declares Rua, zealous as ever in such early hours. With a finger directed at his sister, he shouts, "Duel me!"

I raise a brow. "Isn't there something quicker you two can—"

The twin lock hands and with the utmost seriousness, chant, "One two three four! I declare a thumb war!"

"Oh. Plot twist." I turn to Aki and whisper behind my hand, "Who's your money on?"

"Are you even trying, Rua?"

"Of course I am! Why is your thumb so abnormally strong?"

"Ruka, from the looks of it," she laughs.

I nod. "I'm gonna go with Rua. Not to be contrary, but because I'm a sucker for underdogs."

And not even ten seconds later does Aki win my imaginary bet of life savings; as her trophy, Ruka picks this show about gems who take care of this kid named Steven who has a rock for a belly button. I don't really get it, but it seems pretty flipping awesome.

"Did you do something to your hair?" Aki asks about halfway through the episode.

I turn to her, a puzzled look squinting and pulling my face. "I washed it?"

She reddens and holds up shaking palms. "I didn't mean it like that! Just that it looks different. Uh, lighter."

"Oh yeah," comments Rua, who despite all the fuss was just as engaged in the program as the rest of us. He folds his arms over the couch's and piles his head on top. "Looks kinda blonde."

"Shh! Everyone be quiet!" Ruka commands.

We speak no more of my hair conundrum, but I do give it more thought. Maybe my hair's just lighter because summer's almost here and I've been out more comparative to my old lifestyle. Or maybe it's got something to do with the way I made all those lightbulbs explode with my mind last night.

Or maybe I should just not think about it. Yep, that's better.

So that's what happens with every passing hour. I don't think about all the questions surrounding last night and pinball from distraction to distraction. Cartoons, food, Poppo Time. The guys, their engine program, Aki and the twins' homework, Mako.

That last one appears coincedentally. Mako: hey whatcha up to 2nite?

I take a minute to collect myself. An odd sense of suspicion casts over me and suddenly the simple act of holding my own phone feels equal to holding a bag of stolen cash. Despite that, I respond, The usual.

Mako: think youd be interested in a little adventure?

Like what?

Mako: just thought id give you a tour of my dozen acres before you got to keep em

Mako: wow just read that and realized how creepy that mustve sounded

Yeah, I'm definitely not in the mood for adventure now.

Mako: how bout something else then? ;)

I place the phone face-down and stare at nothing until I come across Aki's worried gaze. She asks, "Everything alright?"

"Uh..." My stumble for words falls into an awkward laugh. Smiling proves fruitless, too; I think I just end up grimacing. With my pocket of responses emptied, I slide the phone across the counter.

Her eyes trail back and forth over the screen and when she's done her cheeks are as flushed as mine. "Who is this?"

"Who's who? What are we talking about?" Rua leans over the counter and eyeballs the two of us.

"It's this guy from work," I whisper.

"What was that? Can you repeat it a bit louder and also not put your hand in front of your mouth?"

Ruka explains, "They're trying to have an adult conversation, Rua."

"Like you weren't eavesdropping too," he snips. His sister rolls her eyes, yet denies nothing. "C'mon, we're bored!"

"And almost thirteen," Ruka supplies, batting her eyelashes.

"Well, almost-thirteen year olds," I reply with a tone as soft as sandpaper, "go do almost-thirteen year old stuff."

The twins send each other narrowed glances, but relent for the time being. I huff and begin again, "It's this guy I work with. We've been flirting? I guess that's the best name for it. And now he sends me this and I don't know what to do."

"Do you want to go out with—"

"Hello." Crow saunters up to the counter and waves to us as if we haven't been standing in the same room this entire time. "Normal adult here, just looking for a normal adult conversation. Funny thing is, two tiny green birdies told me one of those conversations is happening right here. So what is up, ladies?"

"Why's everyone in the kitchen?" Bruno asks as he heads for the cabinets.

"Not you, too," I groan, my palm sliding down my face.

He blinks. "I'm just getting ramen?"

"That's what they all say."

"Oh," says Aki. "He texted you something else."

As she hands me the phone, Crow asks with honest interest, "He? Who's he?"

Mako: if youre feelin up to it, me chiyo and asura are heading to this club later. wanna go?

"I. Would. Love to!" I press send and slam the phone down. "Everyone happy?"

"I'm just confused, really."

"Us, too," the twins chime. Ruka adds, "But it kinda sounds like we're in trouble."

I tell them, my octave raising beyond my control, "Well, you're not!"

"Then why are you screaming?" questions Bruno after a slurp of noodles.

"Maybe I'm just a shrill person!"

"What's going on?"

I whip around to shout, "I'm going on a date!" Immediately after, my mind recognizes Yusei's sky-colored stare. And I regret saying those words as I notice his eyes cloud over. Yet I say them again, for me. "I'm going on a date."

"That's not adult stuff. That's girl stuff!" Rua states, disgusted. "Nevermind. I'd rather be bored."

"With who~?" Ruka brightens, stars in her eyes.

"You met him once—that guy at the roller rink."

She gasps. "Of course! You guys were holding hands!"

"Holding hands?" Crow's eyes switch from me to Yusei and back to me. When he speaks this time, his voice is stacked with suggestion. "Interesting."

Thankfully, Ruka takes charge of the conversation once more. "What are you going to wear?"

—

"This is a bit much." I come out of the walk-in closet in the glittery, floor-length evening gown Ruka chose. "I wouldn't leave the room in this, let alone this house."

"But you'll have all eyes on you for sure," she says. Ruka hops off the bed and scours the rack for something else. "And you said it was always your childhood dream to be a mermaid, so I just thought it was fitting."

"She's right, you know?" Laughing, Aki goes to help with the search. "About the 'eyes on you' thing, at least. What's this about mermaids now?"

I waddle away from the closet and belly-flop onto the bed. "It's better for my dignity if you just don't ask. But, maybe I don't want everyone's eyes on me."

Ruka remarks, "But you want Mako's eyes on you."

"Yeah, I guess."

"This would look good on you." Aki holds out a black dress with sheer sleeves. I take her up on the offer. "And you don't sound all that excited. You do like this guy, right?"

"Yeah. Of course." When I stop to take in the statement, it sounds sardonic instead of giddy with infatuation. Pulling myself out the evening gown, I continue, "I mean, he's not the man of my dreams or anything. But he doesn't have to be. It's just a date—and it's hardly that, if at all. It's more like four co-workers hanging out."

"So it's not a date and you don't like him?"

"I'm figuring things out." I turn my back to her and Aki zips me up. I make a full circle and show the girls my front expectedly. Their reactions are lukewarm at best. "Guess it's a no."

"It's not bad," Ruka corrects, "but not enough."

"It'll be Plan B if all else fails," I say. "Anyway, enough about me. What about you two, eh?"

Ruka plays coy. "What ever do you mean?"

I lean on the door frame, smirking. "I see the way you're all googley-eyed by that Sly kid. Don't even try to hide it."

The girl freezes for a moment, her mouth puckering. Aki and I share matching grins. "I suppose it's a bit like your situation. I don't quite like him, only sometimes."

Aki presses, "Why not all the time?"

"Because he can be mean," she sighs, arms falling to her sides. "I used to look past it because I thought maybe there was someone better underneath. But I'm not so sure anymore."

"If you feel that way, you're probably right," I surmise. Then I pat my stomach twice. "In the gut, we trust."

We both face Aki next. Her eyes widen and mouth gulps under pressure. "What?"

"We're sharing our deepest darkest crushes here," says Ruka, a finger pointed. "You know what. In fact, I think we all do."

"You don't know anything!" the redhead squeaks, hands racing through the rack as a front.

"Mm-hm! And his name starts with a Y and ends with an -usei!"

"Fine!" Aki pouts, rouged cheeks rounding out. "Maybe I do like him a bit—"

"A lot." When Aki shoots Ruka daggers that even give me shivers, the twelve-year old merely shrugs. "I just want everyone to be honest here."

"I do like him. A lot," Aki gives in while twirling one of her long strands of hair around her fingers. A meek smile blooms over her lips. "He's helped me so much and I don't know what I would be without him. But it's so confusing because I can't ever tell what he's thinking, let alone if he reciprocates my feelings. You both know how he is—he's open, but not entirely."

"Like he's in a cell," I propose, my eyes averted in case she can see into my soul. "Like he can reach through to you, but you can't get all the way to him."

"That's it exactly! And he gives me all these mixed signals. Plus, lately he's been spending all his time with Bruno and on the engine and we don't talk much so...like I said, it's confusing." She rubs her arm and eyes the two of us. "What do you think I should do?"

"What is there to do?" Ruka replies. "There's only one thing you have control over and that's if you tell him how you feel."

"No, no! I don't think I'm ready for that. Maybe someday, but no." Aki shifts her gaze to me. "Maria?"

"Oh! Uh, well this little booger said it pretty well herself." I wrap my arms around Ruka's shoulders, to which she beams a smile. "But I've never really liked anyone as much as you like him, so I wouldn't really know. I guess the only real words of wisdom I can honestly give you are: if things don't turn out how you expect, it's not the end of the world."

"You think he doesn't like me back?" she murmurs.

"No! I mean, I don't know what he thinks! I just know what I think. And what I think is that you've got a good head on your shoulders and an even better heart. The world isn't going to stop if a guy doesn't feel the same about you because it's your world, not his."

"Is this going to turn into a hug moment?" asks Ruka, cheesing. We all look from one to another and shrug, then embrace the moment before it passes. "Oh my gosh!"

We separate at the sound of the youngest's exclaim. Ruka pulls a dress off the rack and raises it up to me. "This one!"

"Ruka," I groan. The girl's enthusiasm drops a notch, but exudes still. "It's yellow."

"What's wrong with yellow?"

"It hurts my eyes and every inch of me down to the blood cell."

"It wouldn't hurt to try it on," Aki says.

Ruka shoves the dress into my chest. "Two against one! Now you have to!"

I do, just to appease democratic overuling. But I look in the mirror and what stares back isn't half bad—much better than what I've been seeing lately. The dress is shorter and more exposing than I'm used to, but maybe that's a good thing. I've been playing myself too much recently. Maybe it's time I'm someone different.

"Well?" comes Ruka's sugary-sweet tone.

"I guess I like it," I mumble, my eyes circling their sockets. "But only because my boobs look amazing!"

"I'll take it!"

"When did Mako say he's coming to get you?" asks Aki.

I check my phone's clock. "Another two hours. What do you want to do to pass the time?"

—

"Ow-ow!" Asura whistles as he dangles out the passenger window. "Look at those stems! Where have you been hiding 'em, girl?"

I scoot in next to Chiyo, hoping my blush isn't as noticeable as it feels. "I always knew you had a good bod under those baggy sweaters and mom jeans. And I must say, I do love being right."

"My friends helped me get ready." My eyes skim the carpeted floor and scattered water bottles. "I was worried they were going overboared with the makeup and hair straightening, but they were having fun so..."

"They did good," Mako comments from the front. He flashes a smirk my way and I try not to squirm too much under his wandering gaze. "You look brand new."

Asura cuts between us, his nostrils flaring as he sniffs around the car. "I smell something!"

Chiyo plays along, "What is it, boy? What is it?"

"It's sexual tension!" he shouts flatly. I shrink back in my seat as Mako rolls his eyes. "Now that I've successfully made all the heterosexuals in the vehicle uncomfortable, can we please get a move on?"

Mako swerves off the curb and back into traffic as requested. Asura blares music over the radio; all I take away from the song is that this woman has a very personal agenda against stupid hoes.

I say to Chiyo, twice, "Where is it we're going?"

"Pot O' Greed. It's this place not far from here, actually. You'll love it!" She continues dancing in her seat afterward.

It's only a fifteen minute drive till we reach the hulking, neon pot-shaped sign of our destination. Mako tosses the valet attendant his keys and everyone's off to the races.

"Um," I pipe up, "you guys don't think it'll be an issue that I'm underage?"

"What, you don't have a fake?" Chiyo chuckles at first, but it morphs into a gasp. "Oh my god! You really don't! Jeez, I had mine at fourteen!"

"No bouncer ever looks at a girl's face—guys get in by their faces. Or money." Asura shrugs and continues on. "Your tits are out, your skirt's short. You'll get in."

An instinctive urge causes my hands to pull my dress down. An arm wraps over my shoulders. Mako's boldness catches me off guard yet again. "And if that doesn't sooth your worries, we went to high school with the guy who owns the joint. So just stick close and you'll be fine."

The only response I can find is to nod. The others hop up the steps after getting stamped by the beefy guy holding a velvet rope. Mako extracts himself from me to give the guy's hand a shake in that overly complex way guys tend to do. The black pot on my hand sticks its tongue out at me as I wait for him.

"That's Darryl," he says after. "We're cool."

"Ah," I chuckle.

Inside is all ultraviolets and beat drops. In the center is a giant crowd of people jerking to the deejay's playlist, a masque of sweat or smoke lingering in the colored lighting above them. Chiyo takes hold of my hand before I can gawk too long and shouts something, but ultimately ends up dragging me through the surrounding huddle of people. Surprised, I grab Mako too and we all escape into a booth where Asura awaits.

I ask. "Is it normally this crowded?"

"On a Saturday? Always!" answers Asura. "So, what are we feeling like tonight ladies and gentlemen?"

"Everything!" Chiyo cheers.

"I'm good. I'll just watch the table if you guys want to go get stuff," I opt.

"The usual for me," says Mako.

"You got it, Davey!" Chiyo salutes us and sets out with Asura in tow. "We're a comin' for ya, bar!"

I watch the thick clumps separate and reform in the lava lamp's casing. "So, how do you like it?"

I glance up at Mako, then back to the lamp. "Oh, it's so cool! I've wanted one ever since I was— You're not talking about the lava lamp, are you?"

He laughs, eyes smiling to a close and shakes his head. "No, I'm not. But you're not wrong. They're pretty sick."

I push my hair aside and stroke it together in one big, embarrassed twist. "Um, but to answer your real question: I'm still processing it. So far all I've got to say is that it's bigger and louder than I thought it'd be."

"And what's that mean to a girl like you?"

"A girl like me?"

Mako leans closer, his beard tingling my cheek. "This isn't your kinda scene, you've said so yourself. So I'm wondering if I'm dealing with the old you who's just trying something new or if you're someone else altogether."

I pull back slightly, enough to stare him in the eye. "What do you think?"

"I think," he brushes his fingers over my collarbone, "the girl in front of me would look good being whatever she wants to be."

"Did someone call for a cockblock?" asks Chiyo when her and Asura stroll up to the table. The pair wear grins that take up most of their faces. "Because we have arrived!"

Honestly, I'm thankful they're back. Though everyone at the table mistakes my sigh of relief for one of disappointment.

"No need to be so glum," Asura chirps. He places a glass of yellowy-red liquid before me. "We got you a present!"

I try not to be deceived by the drink's cute baby umbrella and ask, "What is it?"

"Try it!" I continue to frown at him. "Okay, that's fair. It's called Sex on the Beach."

Chiyo tacks on, "It's mostly fruit juice. We figured we'd ease you onto the hooligan train."

"Plus, we thought it would be funny since you're a virgin and all," Asura laughs. Chiyo elbows him in the ribs and I'm not sure what to do, even less when he adds, "What? You are, right?"

"Dude, c'mon," Mako butts in. "You're obviously making her uncomfortable."

"Oh? Because that squeaky clean mind of yours wasn't just wondering that a minute ago?"

"Why do you always gotta be like this? Why's it always 'The Asura Show'?"

"What do you mean, bro? I'm just a friendly guy hangin' with my friends and being friendly!"

"Funny," Chiyo jabs, "because you sound awfully passive to me."

Asura plays it cool and sinks back in his seat. "Me? No! I'm just trying to get to know our newest recruit a bit better is all. I mean, I know all about you and Mako, so why should it be any different with Virgin Maria over here?"

"Yes," I finally shove my two cents in his face. "That's what you want to hear, right? Yes, I'm a virgin. Yes, I've never been to a nightclub or done anything illegal. Yes, I've never touched a drug in my life. But you know what?"

I let my question float around the booming electro-pop music and chug my drink instead.

"And the party starts now!" exclaims Chiyo, eagerly following my lead.

"Ugh!" I slam down the empty glass and shake my head. "That was so cold!"

Mako arches a brow. "You regret it?"

I look over at him, grinning. "No."

Sometime later, before my third cocktail, our little group finds ourselves mingled in with the dancing mob. We're all together at first, but Chiyo and Asura split off from us to delve deeper while Mako and I stay to the side.

"How do I dance to this?" I shout.

Mako pulls me into him, a hand on the small of my back and the other on my hip. I don't mind as much as I had before. I guess that must be the vodka working its magic. "What?"

"I don't know how to dance to this music!"

"It's simple!" Mako spreads out, his game face on. "First, for beginners, you start with the head nod. Y'know, just follow the beat."

"Okay," I laugh. "What next?"

"Once the training wheels are off, you go for the fist bump. Not too hard, though. We don't want you getting booted for fighting."

I give the move a few whirls and call it quits. "I feel stupid!"

"Well, yeah!" Mako chuckles. "But at least we all feel stupid together!"

"And at the end of the night, that's what really matters!"

"See? You already got the hang of it! You're already one of us!"

I must admit, I like the sound of that. Everything that has gone on so far tonight—I've liked it all. It's like an acquired taste; it takes time. But after a few more head-bobbing minutes, I can feel my old self slither up my throat and clutch its fist around my breath. Fear, panic, asthma? I'm not too sure what it is that tells me to hit the road. Yet whatever it is, it leaves its mark.

Mako takes me by the arm. "You okay?"

"Um." I rub my fingers against a temple. "Yeah. I think I just need to sit down."

We venture back to the table, but it doesn't let up. The next stop is beyond the club's front doors. We go around the side where the line of people doesn't reach. I slope against the building's wall, head tilted up at the sky. When I look back at Mako, his thumb's scraping across the wheel of a lighter.

He catches my eyes. "Want a hit?"

"I'm good, thanks."

"Feels better than it smells, if that's the issue. Have you ever tried?" Mako blows out smoke through his nostrils and halfway through, he begins to laugh. "Ah shit. I forgot about your whole virgin spiel earlier."

"Me too, until now." I roll my eyes at the memory and they land back on the boy before me. "Did I do something to offend Asura, by the way? Am I offsetting the usual vibe or something?"

He scoffs. "He's just used to being the center of attention. Been that way ever since we were kids." Mako flicks ash off the joint. "Honestly, I think you intimidate him."

My response comes out as a snort. "What? He's got, like, half a foot on me. At least thirty pounds, probably all of which are muscle—"

"Asura thrives in the spotlight, but he's had it taken away from him before so he'll be damned if it's ever off him again." Mako shakes his head, an amused expression sweeping over his face. "But that's the thing: he already is."

Confusion ripples my mouth into a frown. "I think your weed's kicking in."

"No, I swear I have a point!" Mako laughs, drops the roll, and squishes it out under his sneaker. "You are, without a doubt, the purest person we know—you got your shit together, your ducks in a row, tons of brain cells in your noggin. And that's where you've got him caught 'cause, you see, the only ones who go down in history are saints, gods, and my boy Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

"Never have I ever thought I'd see the day where someone compares me to Rudolph and I'd end up feeling flattered." I tug myself up from the wall and nearer, asking, "But if that is so—if my nose shines as bright as you say, why are you still here? Aren't you damned, too?"

"Oh, that's easy," he replies, his voice lowered. A hand finds its way to my back and a shiver crawls up my spine. Mako lifts my chin by the hold of his thumb and index finger. In the night, his brown eyes look like my worst nightmare. "I know what it's like to live in the dark."

A vibration sets us apart before our lips can come together. I spurt out an apology, but go about checking my phone anyway. 1 missed call from Crow. 2 missed calls from Aki. 1 new voicemail from Aki. 2 new messages from Aki.

My heart races in a matter of seconds. "Shit shit shit," I mutter.

Mako asks what's up but I ignore him and open the texts instead, Aki: St. Luke's International Hospital on 85th

Aki: the doctors say they're stable.

"I have to go to the hospital," I finally say to him.

"Are you—"

"I'm fine, but my friends need me right now." I walk to the curb and wave my hand to hail a cab.

"What are you doing? I have a car. I'll take you."

I eye him over my shoulder. "Mako, I'm ninety-five percent sure you are high right now."

"Yeah, but five percent of me isn't." He lets his reply roll around in his head, eyes squinting to spot his mistake. "Wait. Fuck."

A taxi slides up beside me. As I get in, I tell him, "Listen, tonight was definitely not supposed to turn out this way. I'm sorry I have to cut it short, but maybe there will be another time that's just not now."

"It's cool. Shit happens." He shuts the door on my behalf and leans through the window. "My offer's still on the table, though. When you're really ready to join the dark side, hit me up, Skywalker."

He bangs the top of the taxi and the driver kicks it into gear. After telling him where to go, I start the voicemail Aki left for me: "I don't know why, but Ruka fainted. We were just watching TV and all of a sudden our marks flashed and then she was just out cold. I don't think she's in trouble, but..." Her sturdy voice breaks off into a sigh. The sirens play loud and clear in the silence. "Tenpei called right after it happened. He said Rua fainted, too. Not only that, but he said he swore he saw a Signer mark on Rua's arm beforehand. So just call me or anyone of the guys when you can."

I call Aki and tell her I'm headed straight there. Twenty minutes later, the cab skids to a stop at the hospital's front entrance. I unbuckle my seatbelt and hand the guy a wad of bills.

Then, I hightail it through the automatic doors—well, I go as fast as I can manage in three-inch wedges. I arch over the desk, mouth opened to speak. The nurse behind it raises a finger immediately and continues on with her "business" call. Thank the heavens above for counting this woman's lucky stars because I'm about five seconds from snatching the phone out of her grubby little sausage fingers and chucking it across the room when Aki appears.

We skip greetings altogether and collide in a speedy hug, then hitch a ride up the elevator.

"I came as fast I could," I state, resting back against the metal railing. "How are they? Anything new?"

Aki shakes her head. "Nothing's changed, but I guess that's for the better. All we can do is wait, otherwise."

The lift dings on the seventh floor and we exit. Aki opens the door to the third room and everyone's heads raise to meet our arrival. It's crowded to say the least, but I'd rather that than the twins awaking to no one. Ruka's cot is first in line; my hand combs her bangs down and back into the neat row they're always in.

"How long has it been?" I ask everyone, anyone.

"Going on," Crow pauses, "over an hour now."

I face Rua's bed now. I stare at his arms, both of them bare. I hold one of his hands in my own two.

"I didn't feel it." I glance at the group, specifically the Signers. "I've felt your marks before, but I didn't feel either of them."

"Maybe that's a good sign. Maybe that means it's not anything bad, like I thought," offers Aki.

She did have a point. The only times our marks interacted were during sure signs of danger. I let it go with a nod, but my anxieties remain floating on the surface. I camouflage them with fake hunger and a journey to the cafeteria five floors beneath. But of course it's not alone. Yusei joins me in the elevator.

I don't put up a fight, only say, "I'm not going to the cafeteria."

The doors slide to a close. "I know."

We're back on the ground floor and passing my best friend at the front desk again. Her mouth hangs open when she sees Yusei in step beside me and I shoot her with imaginary laser beams in my head. Not because of him, but because it's the only thing keeping me from flipping her off.

When we're through the doors, I stop and pull off the pair of heels. But I keep walking till my bare feet meet the wet lawn. And I stand there, gazing up at the stars.

"I hate hospitals," I whisper following a few breaths. "They make me feel like I'm choking. Like I'm dying."

"You're going to be okay." He rounds me, his presence demanding my attention as it always does. "The twins will be okay. We're all going to be fine."

I nod and keep breathing. Soon, I exhale, "Where are their parents, Yusei? I know we all love them like we're family, but it's just not the same. They need to be here. Kids need their parents!"

"I wish I knew," he murmurs.

"I didn't feel either of their marks, but earlier I had this horrible, suffocating feeling. And I didn't know what or why it was, but now I do." I wave my hands out to the world. "It was this. I tried doing something different, being something different! All I wanted was a break. But I should've known. There's no way to escape this cycle."

"Maria, I know it's hard to believe that things change. But what else do we have if not that?"

"That's why you followed me out here—because you thought I changed?" I retort. Yusei glances off to the distance for a moment. "No. You came out here to babysit me and make sure I don't do anything stupid like I always do. And that's the real kicker, because while you're spouting all this idealistic bullshit about trust and hope and believing in people, all I'm hearing and seeing and feeling from you and me and everyone in my life is the exact opposite!"

We stand in silence. The wind howls.

"Where's all this coming from?"

I'm ashamed of the truth. Yet as ugly as it is, I'm relieved it's finally out: "I don't know. I don't know anything."

His Head mark alights then, calling curtains on this little scene of ours. We hurry back into the hospital, back to the twins. They're both conscious when we enter. Rua still seems out of it with groggy moans and itchy eyes. But Ruka's wide awake and has a stare that pins me to the door.

Aki coaxes the girl at her bedside, "Do you want to tell us now that everyone's back?"

"Ancient Fairy Dragon called me to her. That's why I fainted." She looks at her brother. "I think I got scared and took Rua down with me on accident."

"We don't think that was an accident," says Crow. "Tenpei said he saw a mark on Rua's arm."

"What?!" The boy is resurrected at the mention of that. Rua scours his skin for any trace of crimson, but it's a dead end. "It's gone."

"Did Ancient Fairy Dragon say anything about your brother being a Signer?" Jack poses, arms crossed.

Ruka shakes her head. "I felt Rua, but he wasn't with me. I didn't see him, at least."

"I don't really remember anything, either," he clarifies. His countenance bloats with thought, but nothing comes to him and Rua moves on. "What did Ancient Fairy Dragon say?"

Ruka's stare lowers to her lap. Everyone of us braces for the news. "She wanted to warn us. Something's...gotten out."

Slowly, I ask, "Are you talking about the killer, Ruka?"

The piercing, gold stare returns to me. She nods. "It's been here since the Signer War."

"It's been nine, almost ten months since the war," Crow announces. "It's been here that long?"

"It's been dormant. To travel as far as it has, it would need to rest. But now that it's awake, it needs food."

"It's not just killing people," Bruno collects. "It's hunting?"

"I woke it up, didn't I?" I gaze down at my hands. "All this stuff—Annie, the white spirits, the murders—they began once I moved here. This thing and I are connected, aren't we?"

I can tell from just by looking at her that she's trying to find a way to sugar-coat it, but Ruka comes up empty-handed in the end. "It's your Other. And it came from the Graveyard, which is why Ancient Fairy Dragon didn't know until recently. Zephyrus told her."

"But she said Zephyrus has been separated from them for years—centuries! Is he in this place? The Graveyard?"

"I don't know." Ruka's voice and body turn meek under pressure. "She didn't say."

I shake the burst of frustration off and place a hand on top of hers. "It's alright. We'll figure it out. It's okay."

"You mentioned her Other," Aki rewinds the conversation. "As in, the other Star Child? Like her version of a Dark Signer?"

"Yes...but no." Ruka sputters to a stop, then starts again. Eyes on me. "It's not a Star Child, I don't think."

"And why is that?" I call out, softly.

"Because there's never been two," she replies, matching my tone. "There's not supposed to be."

I don't know what to say. I don't think anyone does. So, like instinct, the only word that comes to me is: "Why?"

"Ancient Fairy Dragon said, 'To have as much potential as Star Children do is often dangerous. When they exist, they do so alone because otherwise they cannot exist at all.'"

"So then," I breathe, "what about the Other?"

"Regulus told me once that Others are like reflections—they have no shape of their own, so they'll try to be whatever they see first."

It's all coming round full circle. That day I found Annie, I had also discovered something more. That shadow in the fog—that was the start of it all. That was the first time we met and though I didn't see it, it saw me.

"Once an Other knows you, it will try to take every bit of you until it becomes you. And when that's not enough, it'll take more—as much as they can get."

Lost in the forest after my blackout, it led me to it. It attacked me, tried to overtake me. Tried to steal my life away.

"So how do we stop it?" Yusei's voice charges through the tension, through my own mind. "How do we keep the Other from killing more people?"

Ruka seems a hundred years older with the way she sighs, how heavy her head seems. "The potential shared between Maria and the Other is too much for the world. Ancient Fairy Dragon suspects that the only way to deplete it will be through an explosion."

"The hell does that mean?" Jack grumbles.

"Ain't it obvious?" Crow responds, too dejected to sound sarcastic. "It means 'Apocalypse Number Two. The Sequal. Back With A Vengence.'"

Rua calls out to his sister. His countenance reminds me all too well of his run-in with Lucciano. "That's...that's not what you mean, right?"

Ruka doesn't look at him—I'm not sure she can. Our gazes intertwine once more. "Now that an Other knows you, it can become a Star Child too."

"And when two stars collide," I finish, "there are only two possible outcomes: one eats up the other, or they create a black hole."

Ruka eyes the room. Everyone was there when she and her brother began to drift to sleep, but now it's only the two of them. Her sights settle on the older sibling. A welt of envy grows over her; if only she could sleep so soundly after what she'd learned. Nonetheless, she's happy for Rua. Hopefully, he would be safer in his dreams than in reality.

Because after tonight, she's uncertain they'll ever be able to have that comfort again.

It was the ache in her brain that woke her up, she concludes. When Ruka was afraid, her mouth would run dry. When she was nervous, her stomach would buzz with nausea. But when Ruka lied, her conscience reprimanded her.

Is it lying, though, if you don't speak the whole truth? Is it lying if you do it for the better of everyone—for your other half?

Ruka doesn't know. What she does is that, at this moment, she is not brave enough to speak the words Ancient Fairy Dragon told her to anyone but herself:

"What is occurring in The World of The Living is not like any of us have seen before. Because of this...obscurity," the regal serpent angled her head up at the sun then, its rays bouncing off her armor, "the only advice I can give to you is to be prepared. I do not know what is to come, but I fear it will urge you and the rest of the Signers to fight in a way we were hoping you never would."

Maybe when Ruka could speak those words aloud, she would find the strength to question the pinkish-peach flames flickering off her deck.

HAPPY 50 CHAPTERS IS RIGHT, ImATopMagicianFromWonderland! Finally flipping made it to this long awaited chapter! Oh my gosh, this one has been in the works even from the first version of JAG.

I've been pretty mum down here because I wanted to see your guys' reactions to everything and I still want to see what you guys have to say, so please please please tell me what you think! I'll say this, though: if you haven't noticed by now with all my literary elements of LIGHT and DARK, Maria's in a very bad headspace right now. wolfs rain lover123 asked "why I keep doing this to her" (lol) and the answer is that some of it is just her as a character (and yes, I know I wrote her but y'all know what I mean). She's incredibly sensitive and overreacts to literally everything, and it can be funny or it can be sad. Regardless, that's actually Maria's most important quality. Her sensitivity and depth of emotions will continue to shape her normal and Star Child life as the story progresses.

Two final things: One, no one really answered if they wanted to see someting about BBT (I know the one Guest mentioned a place to watch it but that's about it). And though I know canonically it happens before the Crash Town Arc, I'm pushing it back because I know where I want it to happen, if it does. Two, I'm starting college in the next few days so I'll need time to acclimate. No promises of when the next update will be, but it will be a bit because I want to update TWIW before I do another one of these.

So thanks a million for all your patience and understanding and dedication to this fic. It's been a long time coming, but we've made it this far and I have no intention of stopping. Take care of yourselves, DON'T LET ANYONE UNDER THE INFLUENCE DRIVE YOU OR THEMSELVES ANYWHERE, and stay in school~!

Love your head nerd,

Tushmonkey