I'm hungry. (Fuu~fuu~fuu~)

(I'm going to put a good quote up here every time I post.) (If I remember... -_+ )

'Laugh your heart out,

dance in the rain,

cherish the moment,

ignore all the pain,

live, laugh, love, forgive and forget,

life's too short to be living with regrets.' -Anonymous

Kazu and Agito both bristled at how Broken was bagging on Ikki, without even KNOWING anything about him.

'Shut your mouth, brat, before I do it for you.' Agito snarled as he stood up from the bed, getting ready to fight to preserve Ikki's honor.

Kazu could tell that this match would be bloody, and Broken might not survive it if Agito really TRIED to kill him. Kazu was sure that this morning's beating had just been a warm-up for his friend.

Kazu stood off the bed also and tried to reason with Agito, but to almost no-avail.

'That's right, hide behind your little tramp. You got lucky this morning.' Broken snarled.

Kazu looked around, confused, 'T-tramp? I'm a tramp?'

'No!'

'Yes!'

The shouts rang out at the same time, one from Broken, and one from Agito.

Kazu turned around to face Broken and said, 'How am I a tramp? I haven't slept around or anything.'

Broken just scoffed and put a snide smile on his face, and Agito could tell what was going to come out of the boy's mouth next.

Agito began to turn Kazu towards him, hoping the he could somehow keep the words from reaching his ears.

'We heard you talking about your disgusting sex habits' with the man you live with. How you liked it, how you tried it out on the little THING next to you. You're so disgusting; I can hardly look at your pathetic face. How 'bout you just bend over and be obedient, like a good little hoe.'

Fast as lightening, Kazu whipped around and punched Broken so hard in the face that they all heard his nose break.

Broken slid to the floor, blood gushing from his nose, strange gurgling sound coming out of somewhere.

There was silence from around the room, nobody moving, nobody even seemed to be breathing.

When Kazu turned to face the room, he looked so destroyed, tears running down his face and falling off his chin, his eyes desperate to be told it wasn't his fault.

Agito moved to him, hugging him as tight as he could. Agito felt another presence, the young blonde, Azura; he thought her name was, yeah, Azura . . .

Azura came over and hugged Kazu from behind, helping to hold him up, helping to soothe his hurt. She made soft cooing sounds, rubbing his back in small circles, comforting him as much as she could.

'Shhhh. It's all right. Shhhh. It's not your fault. I heard too, he took you without consent. It's not your fault. It's not your fault. We're here for you, now. You're not alone. You're loved. You're safe. It's not your fault.'

Those seemed to be the word Kazu's body was waiting for, because he dropped to the floor, clinging to those around him, crying softly, small whimpers escaping him every so often.

Apolomi and Luna started to walk towards them, but Agito growled a low warning; if they came to attack, they would die.

They both stopped and put their hands up, motioning that they meant no harm. And the movement was so well timed that Agito knew they really were twins.

'Peace. We're just going to check on Broken, make sure he isn't dead over there. Although he deserved what he got, I cannot let someone from my team die.' Luna said, her voice soothing the anger the was welling up inside of the smaller boy.

'Save him now, but know this, he has hurt mine, and he shall not see the night.', Agito's voice was cold, like ice daggers, ready to pierce the heart of anything that got in his way.

Luna just nodded her head and strode to Broken, standing above his prone form.

Agito's jaw dropped as she kicked him hard in the ribs, causing him to wake, sputtering blood and snot, tears forming in his eyes.

Broken whipped around, as though to fight with Luna, but Apolomi was there faster than he could move, pinning him to the ground, a foot between him shoulders.

Luna's voice rang out like thunder, no longer soft like the oceans waves, but harsh and unforgiving as a storm at sea, 'You have broken team law for the last time. You have assaulted a victim and now you will pay the price. We will vote to decide your fate; Execution, or Expulsion.'

Gasps rang out from the room. Some voices protested her judgment, saying that they should vote on his punishment.

Luna's voice rang out again, silencing every sound in the room, the wind and birds themselves seemed to quite a notch, 'Can any of you say that he does not deserve his punishment? Look what he did to Kazu-Kun. He had no right to say those things, to make the wounds in Kazu's mind deeper. He has abused the power granted to him. I have been lenient with him thus far, but no more! Raise your hands in the vote. Who chooses Expulsion?'

More than half of the group raised their hands, favoring life rather than death. Even Kazu, who was still lying on his back, being held by Agito and Azura, held his hand up, voting for the boy to keep his life.

Luna seemed shocked by this, a questioning look on her face. 'Why don't you vote death, Kazu-Kun? After what he did, I would be really pissed.'

Agito was about to slap some sense into his friend when Kazu's voice came out, trembling, but his conviction strong; 'It might be naive, but I think that life is more precious than this.'

Kazu sat up a little, looking at Luna, the depths of his crystal eyes shining, his beliefs giving them a life of their own.

Luna looked at him for a little, thinking about what he said, he strange miss-matched eyes wise and older than she looked.

'You,' she said,'may just be a little wiser than your years. Yes, life is precious, but to protect life, sacrifices have to be made. Broken has been giving numerous chances to change. I kept him around 'cause he has nowhere else to go, but I won't let him pollute the minds of the younger children. Azura looks mad enough to kill.'

Kazu and Agito both looked at the young girl, and there was blood lust in her eyes, but pain too.

Kazu hugged her close, letting her feel his embrace.

'I just hate it when people say stupid things. Broken just doesn't know what it feels like, to not have a choice. To be forced into things. He just- He just doesn't understand!' her little voice quavered at the end of that sentence, tears on the verge of escaping. She clung to Kazu's shirt and cried softly, repeating, 'he doesn't understand. . . '

One by one, people came forth from the crowd, some kneeling down next to Kazu, some next to Azura, and some next to Agito, but they all crowded around, using their warmth and flesh to comfort the three of them, and it felt good, being part of that warmth.

They stayed like that for quite a while, just holding and being held, until Kazu noticed that Agito and Azura had both fallen asleep, their faces peaceful and unburdened, finding a peace in their dreams that is so hard to find in the day.

Kazu tried to get up, but realized that many of the bodies around him were limp as well, not responding to his need to get up.

Kazu began to struggle, feeling trapped by the bodies, not wanting to be stuck underneath them.

Before Kazu could start to fight his way out, Luna pulled him out of the pile, easily lifting him above the heads of the sleeping team.

She put Kazu down to the side of the mountain of bodies, her face kind.

'What's wrong, Kazu? You seemed frantic in there.' She said, her voice back to the gentle lull of the waves.

Kazu looked back to the sleeping mass, "How the hell could they have fallen to sleep so quickly? It's not even mid-day yet!"

Luna smiled, her gave too on the mass, and said "They have odd sleeping habits. Most of them stay up till all manner of night; the others just love to sleep. I can understand why Agito is tired; he was rather restless all last night, fretting over you in his sleep."

Kazu looked up at her and studied her face, really studied it.

Beyond the age in her eyes, her face was young; her skin was soft, but firm and she had no deep wrinkles or blemishes. Her chin was pointed like a fox'; she really was lovely, but it wasn't an earthly lovely, she was like the moon; beautiful, but unattainable. It was like you could almost touch her, but not quite, as though she weren't actually there. She seemed quite lonely too, as though she knew this.

Everything was perfect on her, from her full but not over full lips, to her smooth but not bo-tox-ified looking forehead. Over-all, she looked to be about seventeen, just a year older than Kazu, but her eyes were like a statue, dulled with age and worry. Filled with the horrors of time.

Kazu couldn't take the weight of her eyes, and looked away, hiding his thought from her, as though she could reach into his head and take them away.

'Why do you look away, Kazu? Do you find my eyes discomforting?' she asked, her voice mild.

'Yes', Kazu answered, 'The age in your eyes make me feel like a child. As though you've seen the world and hate it all.'

Lunas eyes widened slightly, her eyebrows going up. 'So,' she said, voice cautious,' you think I have old eyes?'

Kazu looked up at her, trying to see past the humor she was hiding behind, but failing.

''Yes, I do. I think your eyes are old and tired. I think they have seen more than most people can hold.' Kazu said.

Luna smiled and leaned down to Kazu's level, so he wouldn't have to look up so much.

'I have seen the end of man, monster, machine, and time. And yes, I have grown weary of the trials of life, the repeated failures. I have grown to despise man; man who distorts life and love and freedom. Who creates drugs and guns, and death and suffering. Man, who has done nothing but destroy thing.'

Kazu couldn't comprehend what he was hearing, how could a human hate being a human?

'But humans aren't all like that! Humans have created good things. We can create if we can destroy.'

Yes,' Luna said, 'but everything they have used to create, they have used to destroy; Man made religion, and used it to annihilate billions. Slaughtering women and children. Killing their own. Man made art, and used it to spread color through the world, but people turned color into race, and race into discrimination. Man made money, and now, still, people suffer everywhere because there isn't enough of it. Man is evil. Not worth saving.'

Kazu, about to protest, opened his mouth to speak, but Luna spoke again, first; "But I am trying. I am hoping that I can save these children. I hope that if I save them, they will save others. Maybe 'man' isn't worth saving now, but I hope that one day, it will be. That is the only hope I have left to me in this world. To protect these children and let them have a life that isn't ruled by others' discriminations.'

Kazu felt like crying; Luna was right. Man made its own problems, and maybe it was hopeless, but he thought her world sounded good. A world free of the pain and judgment. It sounded fine to him.

Only then did Kazu realize that he was tired, even though he had only been up for a few hours. This day was only half gone, but it felt longer than any other in his life.

Kazu hugged Luna and crawled back next to Agito, holding his lover whilst he fell into sweet slumber, letting the emotional stress of the day melt away with the warmth. Not even worrying that Broken was still in the room, knowing that Luna would protect him. Even if he didn't know it for sure.

And for the first time in days he slept peacefully, without the effect of drugs, and dreamed a sweet dream.

I might continue this, but I also think this is a good ending, but there is so much more I had wanted to put in here.

Who votes to continue?

To let it die?