I HAS RETURNED! Yeah that last chapter…. just…. yeah. Sorry about that, it took me forever. But this one did too… or never mind. You just want to read the chapter. And when you reach her dream… it's SUPPOSED to be confusing. Just thought I should tell you, okay. :) YAY FOR PLOT TWISTS!

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I'll be the one to protect you from your enemies and all your demons

I´ll be the one to protect you from a will to survive and a voice of reason

I´ll be the one to protect you from your enemies and your choices son

They´re one in the same, I must isolate you...

Isolate and save you from yourself

- Counting Bodies Like Sheep To The Rhythm Of The War Drums by A Perfect Circle

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Cold. That was my first thought when I started waking up. The next was that it felt like I'd been hit by a truck. I just wanted to sleep. And maybe have someone light me on fire. But being me, I don't let anything get me down. So I groaned and started to wake fully up.

"Cold…" I groaned, pulling the blankets tighter. Wait, blankets? "Where'm I?" I slurred out, my voice just wouldn't get loud and I was worried that my chattering teeth would chop my tongue off.

No answer. Frowning, I pulled my sticky eyes open, they were kind of burning, and looked around for someone, anyone. I was in my bed. I was wearing pajamas. No one was in my bed but me. Thank God there.

"I need to get up." I muttered.

'You have weird dreams.' Was all Jewels said.

"Oh, I know." I answered, then trudged to the door.

My long shirt brushed slightly against my thighs and I shivered, grabbing pants off the floor and the blanket off the bed. With that I walked slowly down the stairs. I still felt terrible, but I was hungry as hell.

"It's still dark out." I said as I reached the bottom of the stairs. "What day is it, what time is it?" I pulled the blanket a little tighter.

'I have no idea.' Jewels said.

"Great." I mumbled, stumbling across the cold floor towards the kitchen.

On my way there I almost missed the light murmuring from the living room. Something about a brother, and that- sorry. Someone was saying sorry. I padded lightly to the opening to the living room and peeked around the door frame. My eyes widened in recognition and shock. Agito, it was Agito. I blinked in surprise.

"Agito?" I mumbled out, my voice cracking some from disuse.

God, I sounded terrible. I sounded like I'd been smoking too much. His head jerked around towards me, clearly caught off guard by my sudden appearance. Hmph, I should have just eavesdropped to annoy him. But that's rude and I refuse to stoop down to his level. After all, Agito was a butt-face and I don't want to be that.

"What the fuck are you doing?" He hissed, his voice quiet but biting.

"I just woke up." I said, yawning.

My lips hurt, they felt swollen and my head was throbbing. I sniffled at the cold room.

"You should go back to sleep. You look fucking terrible." He said, stalking over to me.

It was then that I realized he was, in fact, taller than me. I twitched at the fact.

"Even you're taller than me." I muttered, glaring at the ground.

He snorted slightly.

"Shocking, now go back to bed." He snapped, pushing me out of the doorway.

I frowned.

"But I'm hungry. Really hungry." I moaned.

Now why would I be hungry again? Oh yeah, I hurled my guts out yesterday. That would explain it.

"I wonder why?" He drawled sarcastically. "Bed. Now."

"Wow, never thought of you as the protective type." I smirked at him, even if the movement made my head pound.

"Don't get the wrong idea. It's not… for you. Just- shut the hell up. I'm the fucking Fang King, I'm not protective." He snapped, blushing some.

"Fang King?" I asked in confusion.

He groaned and stared up at the ceiling.

"You are such a fucking moron." He whispered, then pressed slightly on the back of my neck.

I stared at him in shock before my eyes rolled into the back of my head and I slumped forwards.

"What the hell was that for…" I mumbled, now I would have to dream again.

00000000 (Agito P.O.V.)

I caught the unconscious girl gently and set her on the couch. She was clearly still very sick, what amazed me was that she could walk at all. Did that stupid chick even notice that her lips were almost blue and bleeding some. Did she even notice that she'd been puking just the night before. Fuck, did she even notice that it was like four in the morning. I huffed, and turned towards the sleeping girl. She wasn't a bed hog clearly, she had curled up in a little corner and wasn't moving, except for her rapid eye-movements. I wonder what she was dreaming about.

'Akito, are you done ignoring me yet?' I asked, I had been trying to apologize before Julia came in.

Silence answered me.

'Akito, come on. I said it was a misunderstanding. Fuck Akito! I-I'm- I'm sorry… okay?' I stuttered out, apologies weren't my thing.

After a pregnant pause he finally answered.

'Fine. But only because you apologized… and because you were nice. To Julia that is.' He said, my face started turning bright red and I looked away.

'Whatever.' I answered, Akito smirked some at my embarrassment.

'Actually… what should we do about her?' He asked.

'What do you mean?' I answered, it was to early for a heart to heart fucking chat.

'We need to go home. Kaito's going to kill us. But Julia needs someone to watch her.' Akito said.

I raised an eyebrow.

'Wow, you're actually being fucking smart this morning.' I gasped, the sarcasm just happening.

'I'm always smart.' He pouted.

'Calm the fuck down, I was kidding.' I said, rolling my eyes.

'Still, we should have been home yesterday.' Akito said, turning back towards me.

'I know, but as you said. Her Mom isn't here for some reason and we can't just fucking leave her.' I pointed out.

Now we were just going in circles.

'Maybe if we make it in time for the next fight?' Akito said.

'Yeah, then he can kill us AFTER the fight. Perfect.' I said. 'Fuck, but that's the best plan. Our next battle's in two days.'

'Okay… We'll go then.' Akito answered.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose in annoyance. It always sucked when Akito said something that actually made sense. It made me worry for my sanity, I mean, it's never good when what an insane person says starts to make sense. It's never good… ever. Okay, I'm done.

'Fuck.'

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"What is a pretty girl like you doing here?"

Haunting. My mind wouldn't comprehend.

"I'm going home."

It refused to understand.

"Please! Get away from me!"

It couldn't comprehend. This was something normal. But it was something that 'happened to everyone else'.

"HELP! PLEASE!"

Suffocating. A hand clapped over my mouth. It was dark, so dark, I couldn't see except for the small pool of light that illuminated their faces.

"You shouldn't have walked here."

Pain. But it went away. I wouldn't say anything. That would only satisfy them. But I couldn't help the shudders that ran down my body, or the tears that threatened. The street light was mocking me. So close, but just far enough away.

"Please…"

No one asked. No one noticed. I've always been a good actor, and now was no acception. I hid the need to hit anyone that touched me. I hid the disgust. I hid the need to cut my own traitorous skin off my body. Even when the evidence faded, I wanted to take it off. I could still feel it.

Hidden.

Pain. Pain. It hurt so much, and my stupid mind. It comprehended it differently than my heart. My traitorous skin. My traitorous mind. Make it GO AWAY.

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"GET AWAY FROM ME!" I screamed, jerking awake. Maybe I would have realized it was a dream, but my mind didn't understand that. "Don't touch me!" Tears were threatening and I scrambled backwards.

Scuttling off of the seat and away from the threatening form in front of me. The room was dark and I almost tripped on my discarded blanket.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" The figure yelled back.

My fuzzy mind began to clear and I swallowed, trying to quell the rising nausea that was about to make me empty my stomach.

"A-Agito? Is that you?" I asked, relaxing slightly, but not moving forwards.

"Yes, I'm fucking Agito. Who did you think I was?" Agito bit back scathingly.

I tentatively moved forward. I wasn't going to tell him that I most certainly thought he was someone else.

"Sorry, I was-" I almost mentioned my nightmare but then changed the sentence. "Preoccupied."

He opened his mouth to answer but the nausea suddenly came back with a vengeance. I grabbed my mouth, blearily stumbling towards the bathroom. Hands grabbed my shoulders, steering me towards the bathroom. I dropped onto my knees, heaving into the toilet. When I was done I sat there gasping air back into my lungs before washing out my mouth. Agito sat there in an uncharacteristic silence. He suddenly looked up at me.

"What was the nightmare about?" He asked.

No one asked.

"Just something that made me feel rather sick." I answered, hoping he'd drop the subject.

No one noticed.

"It's… better to talk about it." He said.

Pain, pain. My mind comprehended it differently than my heart.

"You wouldn't want to know." I muttered, finality in my tone.

My heart of course was screaming out to tell him. But I never listen to it anyway.

'Tell him Julia. Let it go or else you'll never get over it.' Jewels said suddenly.

I started and hugged my arms to myself.

'Shut up.' I snapped.

"I'm gonna go take a shower." I whispered, brushing past Agito.

I hope to god he didn't catch the shudder when my arm brushed against his. I think he might have said something when I went past him, but whatever it was… I didn't quite hear it. I just ran away like I always do.

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I sighed, sliding down the wall and curling up on the shower floor. That stupid dream brought a lot of unpleasant memories flooding back to the surface of my mind. I bit back tears as the scalding hot water rushed over me, burning my skin.

Hopefully it would burn it off.

I rubbed at my eyes, they really hurt and it suddenly hit me. I hadn't taken my contacts out in days. Almost a soon as they came out my eyes stopped feeling like they were burning. I have blue eyes, and originally very dark brown hair. But ever since I'd moved I'd dyed my hair a light brown and worn brown contacts. My eyes are a very bright, sky blue. They attracted attention that I didn't want, so I covered them up. You also don't meet many people with, literally, eyes that looked like they were pieces of the sky. That's how my- No, I'm not going to remember two unpleasant memories in one morning.

A knock on the door.

"Yeah." I asked, not even looking at the door.

A familiar comforting voice diffused through the wood.

"Julia, you okay?" My Mom asked.

I sniffled and did my best to make my voice cheery.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" I asked.

She didn't need to know about the fever, or Agito-speaking of Agito.

"I'll be out in a minute, just let me wash my hair." I said.

I could almost hear the hesitation.

"Okay, take your time. I just wanted to warn you about school and tell you I'm home."

Where was he? My Mom would have had a tizzy fit if she'd seen Agito in the house at this hour. He must have left, why did he leave? Better yet, why did he leave without telling me? Then it hit me.

I think he might have said something when I went past him, but whatever it was… I didn't quite hear it.

I groaned and hit my forehead. He must have left after I got pissed at him like that, or he thought that I wanted to be alone. But Agito just wasn't that thoughtful. Or at least, I didn't think he was. And I didn't even hear him say bye! God, I feel like such a terrible person. He went out of his way to help him and I just get sick and scream at him.

I slammed my fist against the bathroom wall and got out of the shower. It still didn't feel clean, but it was better anyway.

I came downstairs dressed in my new uniform about ten minutes later, my contacts in and my hair left as a ratty mess because I didn't feel like brushing it. I was too stressed out and my head going to blow a fuse. To be completely truthful I'm kind of shocked it hasn't happened yet. I'm just waiting for the day when my poor brain swells up to unimaginable sizes and goes boom. Or maybe it's just leaking out of my ears and that' s why it hasn't happened yet. I snorted then my face went back to stony as I walked into the kitchen. My Mom looked over at me.

"Why the long face?"

"What is this?" I gasped in horror.

This… this THING, it was a horrifying piece of TRASH.

"What's wrong?" my Mom asked, walking into my room.

"Look at this." I choked, pointing at the uniform I was currently wearing. "It's a miniskirt."

She made a bit of a face too.

"That's the uniform, now get to the bus or you're going to miss it." she said, choosing to look past the shortness of the skirt.

This was going to be a long first day.

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All right, all right. You have a right to be mad at me. This one took forever, but I was waiting for the plot bunnies to shine on me. And when I was reading this awesome story (i'll put up the link) I got this idea. I won't tell you everything, but… I think it might make Julia a rather interesting character. And no, it isn't just… there's a little more to Julia than just what you guys are now imagining. Just thought I should mention that. Oh, and I'm sorry for this chapter being so much shorter than the others. It was either shorter or you had to wait a while. I went for the shorter route. So yeah, anywho…

This is the story link:

.net/s/5681973/1/Thorns