A/N: Alright, so...I really don't have much to say about this one, except that it's finally a resolution to the whole "rape" thing. I know, I know, took me long enough.

Sorry it's so short, I can't find inspiration anywhere.

ANOTHER NOTE:

I have no beta-reader, so all these ideas and gramar mistakes are all mine. Yeah for me.

SAME DISCLAMERS APPLY!

Lesson Sixteen: How to Act

-Turk's View: Zel-

"You should have died!" Tori accused again, pointing at me. Man, if looks could kill…

"Tori, what did I do?" I asked, struggling to my feet. Cin-excuse me, Shera, clung to my arm as if it were a lifeline.

I'd like to take a moment to say something.

I don't know what's going on. Honest.

Thank you for allowing me that moment.

"You know exactly what you did!" Tori yelled at me. He looked like a raving lunatic. Oh great, this is like a déjà vu. I have really been here before…when was it?

Oh, right. With Lucy and her boyfriend…that didn't end well…

Oh shit, what'd I do?!

"Look, Tori, I have no idea what is going on!" I shouted back. I really didn't want to be shouting, but the only way to talk was to yell over Tori.

"Liar!"

"I'm not lying! And could you please stop yelling? You're scaring Shera!" And me. Shera's nails were digging into my skin now. Oh, and I noticed I wasn't wearing a shirt. Great, just wonderful.

"I can yell all I want!"

"I know you can! Now could'ya stop?! Look, Tori, I know you're mad at me, but isn't there any way you could tell me so without alerting the whole damn building?!" I wasn't kidding. There were scientists on the floor, watching us. And I think I saw Samuel Tuesti…and he works on the third floor!

"Shut the fuck up!" Tori yelled.

"Watch your language, children present!" I pointed at Shera. "Could you just tell me what's going on?!"

"You try to rape River and then you try to pass it off as if you can't remember anything! I know your lying!"

"I tried to what?!"

"You heard me!"

"I know!"

"So you admit it!"

"No, I heard you! I'm not admitting anything!"

Right, quick recap on what everyone is doing. Riley is having the whole mental breakdown-attack of the motherly-ness thing, because Shera's still stuck in the room with Tori and me.

Lilith looks ticked. Or scared. No, I bet it's ticked.

Vincent looks…strange. I can't pick out the emotions…And he's trying to get into the room, but anytime someone tries, Tori hits them. So there goes his paycheck.

Rito has a gun.

Wait, a gun?! Where'd he get that? WHY DOES HE HAVE A GUN?!

Is it for me or for Tori?

Maybe he's on crowd control. Every Turk and their mother is here, it seems. 'Cept River…where is she?

Did I really…?

"Then admit it and save us all some breath! Just admit that you're an insane rapist!"

"I am not! Okay, I am insane, but I'm not a rapist! Rapists deserve to get shot!"

"That justifies Vincent shooting you then!"

And…SILENCE! Tori sure knows how to silence a room.

So Vincent's the one who shot me…things are starting to make sense. That means Drakra came back again… I really shouldn't have thrown my medicine out a window.

Vincent's eyes were darting from me to Shera and back at me. Oh, I get it now. He looks apologetic. Right…'cause he shot me, and then I almost died, and I'm his brother, and no one was sad but Shera and him…I get it now!

I tried to catch his eyes, to let him know it was okay that he shot me and all, but now he was staring at Shera.

Actually, Shera was glaring at him.

To think, cute little Shera…glaring…heh…

"Everything's going to be alright, Shera," I whispered to her, getting down on one knee and patting her on the head. She smiled slightly at me, that angelic heartbreaking smile of her's.

A hand grabbed me and ripped me from away. I slammed against a wall (broke a window from the impact) and slumped against the floor. I didn't have to look up to know Shera was mortified and Tori was standing over me, ready to kill.

I wasn't going to fight back. I swear to Gaia, I'll die here, if it's what I deserve.

"Get away from her, dog!"

"Leave Master alone!" Shera screamed, tears slipping down her face. I struggled to get up, smiling.

"Don't cry, Shera. It's cool, really." Tori punched me, and I was on the ground again. Riley rushed into the room and swept Shera up in her arms as I hit the ground. Oooh, I'm bleeding.

"Don't talk either!"

"Yes Master," I muttered…only to be struck again.

"Tori, stop it!" Rito screamed from the hallway.

"Stop hurting Master!" Shera cried.

"Why won't you fight back?" Tori mocked. "Are you afraid of me?!"

"I don't want to kill you." Tori hesitated from hitting me again. He let me lie on the ground, catching my breath.

People started yelling again. Shera was still calling for me, telling Tori to leave me alone. Tori was screaming something-I think it was "murderer"-Lilith was ordering people to leave the floor.

Too much noise.

Rito was shouting at Tori to snap out of it, Riley was holding Shera close to her and whispering something over and over again. Vincent wasn't moving. I know his guilt was crushing him right now.

There was still too much noise.

"Please…everyone stop talking," I whispered, clasping my hands over my ears.

The din only grew. I don't think they could hear me anymore…Or maybe I couldn't hear them.

"Please," I whispered again.

I can make them silent.

"No…" I jolted, thousands of needles piercing my body all at once.

But the world didn't fade out. Awkward.

No, stay alive, Strife. I want you to see this.

-V.P.'S View: Lilith-

Lilith didn't have to be the genius she was to understand things were escalating to "out of control." She'd been able to get everyone (except the Turks, obstinate little buggers) off the floor, though she guessed that Grimore and Fameos were hiding somewhere, watching.

"Everyone needs to calm down!" she said-or tried to- over the rising clamor. No one responded, but she doubted anyone could hear her. She was about to yell again when she and Vincent caught sight of the same thing together.

Zel was sitting ramrod straight, staring at the ceiling and saying nothing. His eyes were wide open, and for as long as Lilith watched him, he didn't blink. It made her think that he was listening with rapt attention to Tori's rant. Never a good sign.

"Why didn't you die?!" Tori called, holding his hands over his eyes.

"Tori, shut up!" Riley screamed. Shera cried loudly. Rito was praying in choked phrases of words. The other Turks were talking worriedly among themselves.

An earsplitting howl shut them all up. It also brought attention to the now-developing problem in that little infirmary room.

Zel was standing now, breathing hard from the beastly call that had just escaped his lips. Tori backed away, eyes wide with fear. He tried to run but Zel grabbed the collar of his shirt and threw him through the now broken window into the hallway. Tori landed with a sickening crunch. His arm was broken.

"M-monster!" he stammered.

"Yes?" Drakra replied, yellow eyes glowing. "You asked for the murderer."

Tori was silent with fear. Drakra dove for him but Rito was faster. He pulled his petrified brother out of the way and dashed down the hall, carrying him over his shoulder. Drakra laughed as they fled.

"Cowards, the lot of you!" A quiet whimper came from behind him. He turned around and faced Riley and Shera, smiling. "Hello there." Riley drew Shera closer to her, staring at Zel-gone-crazy with a look of fear and determination. Lilith admired her at that moment.

"Zel, wake up," Riley whispered. "Everything's alright now."

"Who's Zel?" Drakra asked. "Oh, right. The stupid Terrain. I'll give him your message." He took a step forward, smiling wickedly. Riley was now pinned between the wall and a psychopath, and, by what Lilith saw, she was trying to figure out how to get through the wall.

"So, who's first?" Riley's eyes turned to slits. She was about to respond when Lilith entered the room. He whipped around, smiling.

"You volunteering, Princess?"

"Sure. Kill me if you want to; just leave the little girl out of this." The Turks gasped but Drakra's smiled widened.

"Why would I kill someone as delectable as you? That wouldn't be any fun, now would it?" Lilith stood her ground.

"Then you're the one who tried to rape River?"

"River? Oh, yes! She's a cuttie," Drakra grinned. "I would've, Princess, but that mutant Terrain shot me." Vincent sneered at the mention of his, well, alias. "Yes, that would have been enjoyable. You should have heard how much Strife was screaming at me. I think he screamed all the hot air out of his head." He took a step towards Lilith but was stopped when the back of his legs were hit with a speeding object.

More like a speeding girl.

"Master, come back!" Shera cried, burying her face into her master's legs. Drakra looked down at her and laughed.

"You want that filthy Terrain back? Let's see…if you kiss me, I'll let him come back." Shera blinked and looked at him, saying nothing. "What do you say, Slave?"

Shera smiled suddenly. "Sure…but...I'm too short to reach you." Lilith was hit with this sickening feeling that something like this had happened before. Drakra seemed happy enough with her response and got down on his knees to receive his kiss.

Only to be slapped instead.

(Say it with me "PWNED!")

"You little Bitch!" Drakra reeled, pulling away from Shera and holding his face. Her nails had left little scratch marks on his cheek. "Do you want to die?!"

"Master doesn't let me be ordered around by other people," Shera said, dropping her hand to her side and standing at her full height proudly.

"You stupid whore! I am your master!"

"No you're not."

"How would you know, slut?!" Drakra was pissed.

"I'm not a slave to Master."

Drakra started to laugh maniacally. But slowly his laugh became slightly higher pitched and less demonic. More human.

Zel was back.

"Master Zel?" Shera asked timidly. Zel looked up and smiled.

"Hey Shera…could you do me a favor and stay away?" Shera looked sad. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"But Master…"

"Go with Riley," Zel ordered, his own voice still soft. Shera nodded obediently and turned around. She let Riley pick her up and take her from the room.

Lilith felt her heart break, but she knew what she had to do.

"ZEL! MY OFFICE, NOW!" She screamed. Zel jolted to his feet as half the other Turks jumped in fright.

-Forty Minutes Later: Lilith's Office-

Zel stood against the wall. River was sitting in one of the two chairs in front of Lilith's desk. Lilith herself held her head in her hands, elbows resting on the desk as she sat in the high backed office chair behind the desk.

They'd gotten here a half an hour ago, and no one had said anything, besides Lilith shooing Fameos and Grimore out of the office (so that's where they were hiding), making them leave River behind.

The silence was killing her.

Actually, it wasn't completely silent. Twenty minutes ago, Lilith had tossed Zel puzzle made of two metal rods twisted together. She'd challenged him to get them apart. Two minutes later, he put them back together and did it again.

He'd taken apart and put the puzzle back together ten- wait, eleven- times now.

The room was still silent besides the soft clicks of metal coming from Zel.

"Somebody say something," she moaned. River looked up at her and then back down at her hands, neatly folded in her lap. Zel just continued to focus on the puzzle, and, though Lilith hadn't thought of it as possible, he'd scrunched up closer to the wall, successfully placing himself farther away from River than before.

"So neither of you are going to talk?" Silence. "For Gaia's sake!" Not even crickets. "Look, can we just resolve this so there are no more riots?! I have nothing against all of your personal lives, but seriously, I can't have something like this happen again!"

"Yes ma'am," the two Turks replied, still not looking up. Lilith rolled her eyes and slammed her head on the desk.

"Zel, are you alright?" she muttered, still not lifting her head from the desk.

"I'll stop bleeding eventually."

"Make sure it doesn't get infected," River murmured, casting a quick glance back at him before focusing on her hands again. Zel said nothing for a minute.

"River, I'm so-"

"For what?" River cut him off. Lilith shot into a sitting position, watching her with curiosity.

"For almost raping you," Zel said cautiously, as if he was trying to disarm a time bomb. River just looked at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied, staring him straight in the eyes. Zel looked confused for a moment before laughing bitterly.

"Oh, I get it. That's what I sound like. Right. Nice River, real mature," he muttered, looking away. "Just because I have memory issues doesn't mean you…"

"I really don't know what you're talking about," River interrupted again.

"River, for Gaia's sake, you know exactly what he's talking about," Lilith stated sternly.

"No I don't. But whatever this thing is that Zel's talking about, if I were him, I'd just pretend it never happened and go on with my life," River retorted. "But I'm not Zel."

"But River…" Zel started. River stood up angrily and turned to face him.

"Shut up, Zel. Just pretend this never happened, alright?! You really can't remember anything anyway, so it should be easy for you. I'm fine with going back to the way things used to be. So just suck it up and act!" Zel was silent. "Let's just go back to being friends…" she said more calmly.

"Friends," Zel repeated.

"Yes."

"Just friends."

"Just friends." Lilith didn't have to be observant to know they both were heartbroken by their consensus.

"Okay, if that's what you want," Zel muttered, looking back at the puzzle.

"Great. Fine. Wonderful. Lilith, I'm taking the rest of the day off. So are the Twins. See ya tomorrow," River said, nodding and walking out of the room, passing Zel as if he were just a spot on the carpet and not a human being. Zel just continued to stand there.

"Zel, you can go now," Lilith said, waking up her computer to "report" on what happened a week ago. (Nothing, as it was now.)

"Why me?" Zel muttered, turning to leave. "Why did I have to get the demon for a conscious..?" He opened the door to leave…

And was hug-tackled by Riley.

"Whoa. Riley, what are…don't you have a boyfriend?" Lilith looked up and laughed, seeing Riley choking Zel in one of her famous bear-hugs.

"Glad you're back, Zel!" she said, smiling at him. "Force wouldn't have been the same without you! Who else would use the coffee grinder and all the sugar?" She let him go and scratched the back of her head.

"Does Aaron know you hit on random males that you work with, Riley?" Lilith joked.

"Huh? I'm not hitting on him, Princess, I'm welcoming him back! Two different things, weirdo!" Riley explained, nodding.

"What do you need, Riley?" Lilith said, laughing.

"Oh, yeah…Zel, can I ask you something?" Zel nodded. "Is it okay if I take Cinder…or is it Shera? ...back with me tonight?"

"Back with you where?" Zel asked, looking shocked.

"You know, back to my place. With Aaron. I swear she'll be safe and well fed and taken care of! I just thought…" Lilith was beginning to think that they were talking about a pet, not a human being.

"She'd want some normalcy after what she's been through?" Zel finished. Riley looked taken aback.

"No no no! I just thought that I could use Shera to convince Aaron that we should have kids!" Riley said brightly. Lilith choked and burst out laughing as Zel turned bright red and covered his eyes. "What'd I say?"

"Are you guys even married yet?" Zel asked, scratching his neck nervously.

"Details details," Riley said, waving him off.

"Look, I don't know if I want you to take Shera with you just to use her as a bargaining chip, Riley. No offence," Zel said, shrugging. "But if she wants to, she can."

"I already asked her. She said I had to ask your permission first."

"Oh."

"So…?" Riley prompted.

"Fine. Just…don't do anything to her, alright? Nothing out of her comfort zone, okay?"

"YAY!" Riley jumped up and down excitedly and then rushed out of the office, leaving a very bewildered Turk and Boss standing there, wondering what the hell just happened.

-Demon's View: Drakra-

Of all the Terrains on this filthy planet, I got him. Seriously, the Daemon Lords are laughing at me somewhere. This is some kind of punishment. What did I do wrong?! Where did I go wrong?! What did I do to get stuck inside some bubble-brained blonde-haired snot-nosed half-pint?!

I'll get you, Chaos.

Oh, and if it wasn't bad enough who my host is, it's who he's "related" too. The Valentines, of all the damn...I give up, seriously.

Right and there's all the hot Terrain females he works with but will not let me touch! Selfish little bastard!

And what's with this red-head girl? Why's she living with us now? We were perfectly fine on our own! We didn't need any angels.

I'm serious; I don't think that chic is Terrain. She's defiantly not Cetra or Daemon either, so I have come to the conclusion that she has to be some type of angelic figure.

No one else can stop me when I take over. Yet she can. Just like that other bastard, what was his name? Coyote?

Wolf.

Right. He can die in a pit. On fire. Impaled with spikes. While playing chess. And gagging on mustard gas.

I hate that guy. I hate that girl too. Shera, right. Her old owner sure knew what he was doing when he named her, that's for sure.

Shera, at least to us Daemons, means "Angelic Beauty."

Fan-Damn-Tastic.

A/N: Yeah, so...alright. Um, thanks for reading.

Next chapter will be more of a light humor chapter, and it has a new view for you all to enjoy. His name's Aaron Finelli.

THANK YOU RILEY VALENTINE! YOU KNOW WHY!

Please review! :-)