A/N: These chapters were originally going to introduce a secondary conflict, but I felt like it was too soon. I looked back at my outline and realized the part I was writing was more fit for later, after a certain different event happens and there's less hostility between the Rabbits.

WARNING: There is a moment of self-harm in this chapter- completely intentional "I need to feel alive" self-harm, not the "how dangerous is this thing I need to find out" kind from the previous chapters.

"Blu, don't just pick up soil like that, who knows what's in it."

Blinking, the blue Rabbit looked up from the soil and glanced over towards his companion. "Relax, Red, I'm not even holding it with my hands," Blu informed him, turning to look at his... friend? He wasn't sure if that was what the Bear was to him, but since waking up that morning they had stuck together, choosing to do their part of the exploring with each other. Part of him was convinced it was just because Red was concerned about him.

"The cloth serving as your bandage does not count," Red deadpanned, quirking a brow at him. "Why are you looking at the soil anyway?"

Blu's ear twitched in the direction of a snapping twig and a muttering voice, but he ignored the twin Bears who had chosen to follow them. He wasn't surprised one bit that Freddy and Goldie didn't trust him and Red out on their own. Instead, he focused on Red and gave him his best grin, holding the soil up.

"Look at it," he commanded. The Bear eyed him warily before looking at the dark pile of soil in Blu's hands. It was soft and sifted around with the slightest movement, so Blu strived to keep his hands perfectly still as the Bear observed the sample.

"It… looks strange?" Red questioned, looking back at Blu. The Rabbit let out a small laugh because it was true; the soil was nearly black and lacked any decay from leaves or grass.

"Well yeah, I can't deny that," he agreed, stepping closer to his companion, "but actually look at it."

He watched as the younger Bear looked at the soil again. Several seconds passed by before he noticed it, his blue eyes widening slightly as he realized what Blu wanted him to see. Blu grinned. "There's… something alive in it," he noted, surprise lacing his voice as he looked up at the Rabbit again. It was the first sign of non-flora life they had seen thus far; small, dark, and digging carefully through the soil in Blu's hands, most likely seeking out its scant breakfast.

"Yes," Blu confirmed, nodding. "It's a detritivore. The branches that fall, I guess it feeds off of the rot. But they aren't everywhere... it's kind of strange, isn't it?" As he spoke, he knelt down to set the soil, along with its resident lifeform, back down on the ground. "And if there are detritivores here, then I wonder what else is..."

"What else?" Red repeated, prompting Blu to look up at him.

"Yes," Blu nodded, standing up again and patting his hands off on his pants. The soil had left clear marks on the knees and shins, but to be honest he couldn't be bothered to care; he thought it was kind of cool. It was a new experience. "There's foliage, grass, and even a meat-source, no matter how small it might be, so logically speaking there should be some sort of system here."

"Oh," Red sighed, nodding in understanding. "You're right, there's enough nutrients here to support an entire web... You'd think there'd at least be small carnivores and grazers feeding off of the, uh... detritivores and grass."

"Exactly. But..." Blu frowned in thought, glancing up towards the canopy, "we don't actually know if there's no other fauna. For all we know..."

He trailed off, the incomplete thought hanging between the two of them as they both looked above.

"We should probably be more careful then," Red sighed, looking down towards the soil again. "And it definitely means we need to set up some sort of safe shelter. With walls and a roof, if possible."

"So far there's no signs of larger fauna, but better safe than sorry yes," Blu agreed, turning to look at the approaching twins.

"What's better safe than sorry?" Goldie asked, raising a brow. Clearly neither of the elder Bears had been listening to their conversation.

"Blu discovered detritivores," Red answered before Blu could even open his mouth. "We were saying it's better safe than sorry to prepare in case larger fauna are around somewhere."

The edges of Freddy's lips turned down as he hummed in thought. "Well, I suppose that means it's best to not go running off on our own."

Red nodded in agreement and Blu sighed, averting his gaze as the younger Bear's blue eyes landed on him. "Right, Blu?"

"Yes, I get it, no running off on my own again."

The Rabbit felt like a chastised child, but at least none of the Bears were yelling at him or threatening him with camps. Or sliding a knife across his shoulderblades. Or-

He cut himself off. Just don't think about it, Blu. You're far away from Lapinia now. From them. Wait... Wasn't there something important...? Oh...

"Oh no," he moaned, slipping his hands over his eyes. I completely forgot, that's why mother took my Chaska away- I was supposed to be studying before I woke up here!

"What?"

"I had an exam today..."

The three Bears were completely silent and Blu knew they were staring at him without even dropping his hands. He could practically feel their eyes on him.

"Wait- we're trapped on a planet none of us know... and you're concerned about missing an exam?" the golden Bear asked incredulously. Blu could have sworn he heard a hint of a laugh in his voice. It wasn't very funny to the Rabbit.

"It's not the exam that's got me worried," he muttered, dropping his hands away from his face and looking at the Bears. "I still live with my parents, they're gonna notice I didn't go to school. When we get out of here and I get home I'm gonna be in so much trouble..." because on Lapinia, there was no such thing as a retest. He would get a fail on the exam and his parents would never forgive him.

And the Matching's next month- oh no, my parents will kill me if I miss that...!

"I... hadn't even thought about my parents," Red admitted, his voice laced with a strange emotion that Blu couldn't identify. "They'll panic when they realize I'm gone. Ardraw isn't... safe."

That was putting it lightly; MB27X was well known to be one of the deadliest inhabited planets, but its resources were valuable and the colonists had been living there for generations. They belonged to the planet and vice versa; there was no chance that the colonists would leave the planet which had become their home, freezing nights and sweltering days included.

Blu knew as long as Ardraw was "primitive," as his parents put it, they would only ever be a colony; they relied too heavily on Ursius for their survival. Unlike Alpha C 301, though, the Ardraw colonists seemed content with the arrangement. Maybe because they aren't living completely separated from and subjugated by the Ursians.

"Dad's gonna be pissed that we disappeared," Goldie muttered, more to Freddy than the younger teens. "And mom will worry..."

"We'll explain to them what happened," Freddy assured his brother, frowning as he thought about it. "Now that I really think about it, we'll be missing our last year of education if we're here for too long."

"I guess we'll just need to figure out what's going on and find out how to get home," Red sighed, glancing over at Blu. "However, none of us even know where we are."

"Well," Blu started thoughtfully, glancing towards the canopy, "maybe we can figure it out if we look at the stars. Maybe we'll recognize something... my dad had me study three different astronomies, so... I might be able to recognize something."

"Three different astronomies?" he heard the golden bear whisper questioningly to his darker-furred brother, but Blu couldn't be bothered to explain. The Ursians had yet to discover the other layers of the universe, after all, and the Lapinians had yet to share the information with them.

"It'd be worth a shot," Red started, "if nights weren't so cold and you could actually climb a tree."

"I can climb," Blu immediately protested, frowning and crossing his arms. "Come on, I climb all the time- I have to be able to reach weird locations, you know."

"I was actually talking about your hands," Red informed him flatly, gesturing towards them as he spoke. "Climbing will only aggravate the wounds."

"Oh. Right." The Rabbit let his hands fall back to his side. "Sorry, I shouldn't assume things."

"You seem quick to assume an insult," Freddy started. Something in his voice got Blu's attention... he felt almost like he was about to be interrogated. He tensed up slightly and frowned, glancing towards the older Bear. Freddy was watching him, an unfamiliar glint in his eyes. "Why is that?"

Because my parents find fault in everything I do?

"Oh, no reason," Blu answered dismissively, glancing up towards the canopy. He needed to change the subject. "We should go back now, shouldn't we? See what the others were able to fi-"

"-Spring is younger than me actually, don't let what just happened fool you."

"He always points that out. I think he's insecure about it."

Blu closed his eyes and let out a breath as the Lacatran Rabbits and the two Humans walked into the area he and the Bears stood in. "Wonderful," he muttered bitterly, more to himself than the Bears.

He didn't like the colonists- not because they were colonists, of course. He couldn't care less about that part, if he was honest; as far as he was concerned, Lapinia should just let that colony go. The Rabbits of Alpha C 301 had gone in a completely different direction than Lapinia and had been self-sufficient for hundreds of years already, and even though their ancestors were from Blu's planet, Blu knew the Lacatrans would never be Lapinians. There was just too much bloody history between the planets.

No, Blu didn't like the Lacatran Rabbits because they scared him, and he had never feared anything but authority. He hated that those two Rabbits elicited the same reaction from him that his parents and government and teachers did- that they were to be feared.

If something was to be feared then it was to be obeyed... and like hell would Blu obey a pair of Rabbit brothers from an entirely different galaxy, even if they could snap him like a twig without even trying. He'd die before he let either of them have authority over him. That meant showing no fear.

As if he would in the first place.

"Oh great," one of the voices groused. He wasn't sure which brother it was but he didn't care to find out. Before the voice could continue, though, Freddy spoke up.

"Bonnie, Spring, Mike, Jeremy," Freddy greeted politely, his voice lighter. Blu was somewhat happy to realize that the Bear wouldn't keep questioning him. "We were just about to head back to camp, meet up with the Foxes and Chickens and get to work."

"What did you guys find?" Mike asked curiously, carrying a makeshift bucket in his hands. He had something hanging out of his right ear, but Blu couldn't identify what it was.

"Some sturdy wood," Goldie answered with a lift of his shoulders. "We have no idea how long we'll be here, so it'll be best to make some sort of proper shelter."

"We also have no idea about the weather," Red put in with a thoughtful frown. "The air is heavy and humid but the nights are cold."

"Kind of like Ardraw," Freddy noted, raising a brow at Red. "Isn't it?"

"Thankfully not that bad," Red snorted. "We also found, um... what were they called, Blu?" he asked, looking at the Rabbit in question. "Detri...?"

"Detritivores," Blu answered. "I don't know what else they'd be called."

The Lacatran Rabbits exchanged confused looks but the Humans seemed to understand. "So there is fauna here?" the lighter-haired Jeremy questioned.

"Some type, yeah," Blu confirmed, crossing his arms. He could feel the Bears looking at him; apparently his shift in attitude was noticed. "But it's just small lifeforms, nothing big that we know of."

"Your point?" Bonnie asked, his voice giving off his annoyance. Clearly he thought whatever the blue Rabbit was saying was pointless.

Blu resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead leveling the taller Rabbit with his best unimpressed look. "My point is that we don't know what's on this planet."

"We've been here an entire day already-"

"No, we've been here an entire night and part of a day," Blu corrected hotly before schooling himself again. Don't let your agitation show. Calmly, he continued, "We haven't had time to actually observe-"

"This isn't some scientific experiment to observe, Lapinian," Bonnie snarled, glaring at Blu as he shifted the weight of the "bucket" in his arms. "This-"

"If we don't understand our surroundings then-"

"You don't have to understand anything to know something's true-"

"We don't know if it's true," Blu pointed out with a small growl, unable to hide his annoyance with the older Rabbit. "Anything could be on this planet and we're-"

"What?" Bonnie snorted. Blu was getting really aggravated at being interrupted; he could feel the scowl forming on his own face, breaking his neutrality. "The little Lapinian afraid the lionwolves are gonna get him?" It was mocking and it was only making the air around them tense, but Blu refused to back down.

You cannot have power over me, he thought angrily as he said, "Lionwolves don't live in this environment so obviously not, I'm just-"

"Shut up, both of you," Red interrupted, his voice a little louder than he usually spoke which prompted Blu to actually stop speaking and look at his companion. The Bear was scowling at them, blue eyes narrowed. He was clearly agitated by the Rabbits' little fight. "You're arguing about nothing and it's extremely counterproductive and very annoying, too."

Without missing a beat, Bonnie stated flatly, "It'd be easier to not argue if the Lapinian wasn't constantly looking for a 'logical' side of things like a fucking robot. Just accept things as they are and stop questioning everything! "

"You must question everything. Take nothing at face value..."

His mother's words from so long ago flashed through his mind and he stared blankly at the Lacatran, trying desperately to figure his words out. They were the exact opposite of how he was raised. Don't question everything? Accept things as they are? How do you even do that? If you don't understand, you put yourself in danger...

"Stop it, Bonnie," Freddy commanded, clearly displeased with the other Rabbit, but Blu had ceased to care at that point.

"Like a robot." Isn't that so fitting... I did score perfect on the Endurance test... didn't react at all...

His right hand suddenly curled into a fist, sending pain up and down his arm. He didn't really feel it, though; he felt numb. Why? He could see the purple and gold Rabbits arguing with the twin Bears and Red, but he couldn't hear what they were saying anymore.

"Like a robot." Didn't I say the exact same thing last year? How does a Lacatran even know about robots, anyway? What right does he have to... to just say...

"Bandi?" The voice was soft, gentle, and it startled Blu out of his thoughts. He turned his emerald eyes to the shorter Humans. He hadn't even noticed until that moment that they were shorter than him... it was by less than a foot, sure, but he was still-

"Are you alright?" Jeremy asked, concern lacing his voice as he pulled the Rabbit out of his thoughts. Blu blinked as the argument suddenly filled his ears.

"Dammit, Rabbit, you don't need to-"

"Just stay out of it, Ursian, you don't even know-"

"Stop blaming him for things he had nothing to do with-"

"No, I'm not," he answered simply, quietly, tearing his gaze away from the concerned Humans. "I need to be alone."

"Wait, Bandi-" Mike started, but Blu turned and walked away, ignoring the Human's call. As he got further away, the argument faded and so did the Humans' concerned voices. The Rabbit didn't wonder why they didn't follow; the Humans didn't seem very adept at the whole "survival" thing either.

Blu wasn't the best with directions, but he knew where he was in relation to the camp- he had no fear of getting lost.

And if he did, then so what? He'd spend a night on his own and either be found the next day or die. At that point, he couldn't care which it was.

You're a Lapinian. Lapinians don't let stupid comments get to them. But... I just don't get it. He called me a robot... just for trying to understand what's going on. What's so wrong about that? Or is he just annoyed because I'm Lapinian...?

He moved swiftly, silently. It was different from the day before, where he ranted aloud and hit the surrounding branches. He stewed silently in his thoughts as he walked, stepping carefully over branches and roots. The forest was completely silent around him.

If there were any animals, Blu couldn't hear them. If there was anything alive, he couldn't feel them. The forest felt empty- it felt dead. He felt alone... but that was a familiar feeling for him.

He slowed down to a stop as he came across a familiar location. Strung up between two trees was the cutting vine, and on the other side he could see his incomplete saw just sitting there, waiting to be finished. With a soft sigh, Blu lifted his bandaged hands to look at them.

That vine will tear my hands up, he noted miserably. "I can't finish it right now," he told himself aloud, staring at his hands. The "bandages" were dirtied from holding the soil, but he could still see the red staining them.

The wounds underneath still stung. It was sharp and jarring, he remembered, when the vine had sliced through his hands. It had been a pain that he couldn't ignore.

Pain. It had been such a large part of his life for so long... but that pain had been agonizing. It had been unlike anything he had ever felt- like fire right in the palm of his hand. At the time it had been bothersome. Well... more than just bothersome.

Still, though... still, he had been able to smile through it. He had been able to take it and tolerate it, despite how it sent agony screaming up his arms and caused so much blood to spill. He had still fooled Red, right up until he saw the wounds himself. He had still managed to play it off. To normalize it.

I wonder... how much it would take before I feel alive again?

It was a sudden, almost confusing thought. Pain- or, rather, ignoring pain- was such a normal part of his life, but he had never been the cause of the pain... not on purpose, anyway. He had never even considered it before; what was the point if it wasn't real? Easy; there wasn't. If it wasn't real, then why even try? He could ignore it all.

But how much pain was too much to ignore? How much would it take before he reacted like a normal person- not a Lapinian, but... anyone sane and not desensitized?

He wanted to know.

It's like an experiment... how much pain can the Lapinian take... Slowly, he unwrapped the makeshift bandages from around his hands and let them fall to the ground. The wounds on his hands didn't look very good and his fur was stiff with dried blood. I need to clean them, anyway.

He raised his gaze to the vine strung up between the trees. If he looked carefully, he could see red from where he had accidentally nicked himself the day before. It cuts so easily... I have to be careful...

If Red was there, he knew he'd be getting a lecture at that moment for even acting this way. No one was there, though; no one to see him, to judge him, to lecture him... to hate him for being so... so... he didn't even know. So Lapinian? So non-Lapinian? It's all about perspective in the end.

The blue Rabbit stepped closer to the vine and he reached out with his right, less-injured hand, positioning the vine right under the base of his fingers. After a few seconds of pondering it, though, he shifted so that instead of his hand, it was under his forearm. There was only so much he could risk with his hand, after all.

He still wanted to be able to play his Chaska.

Slowly, he began applying pressure, not even wincing as the vine once again cut through his fur and then his flesh. He paused, watching the blood drip down; it was stinging, but it wasn't the same burning agony he had felt before. He pressed down harder, biting his tongue as it so easily cut through his skin, but it still isn't unbearable.

It wasn't enough. Steeling his resolve, he started to apply even more pressure, determined to feel that burning, unbearable pain that had made him feel less robotic, more living, more... more...

Then a purple-furred hand clamped firmly around his wrist.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"