Guess who's alive? Me!

"Sion? Sion!" Nezumi slammed the door open only to pull away because of the smoke. His scarf was wrapped around his nose and mouth but his eyes still stung and he choked on the smell of it. "Where are you!?" His yelling only helped to irritate his throat.

With Sion not answering, Nezumi figured that he had no other options but to run in, grab the stupid white headed moron, and hightail it out of there. But first he had to find him.

"Sion!" He ran in, running around fallen bookshelves, hoping to spot the damned troublesome dumbass.

"Sion!"

"Here!"

He stopped running and looked around, hoping to locate the source of the voice.

"Here!"

The sound seemed to be getting fainter and fainter. Where the heck was it coming from? His heart felt like it was squeezed with a vengeful hand, one that wanted to tear him apart. And if he wasn't able to find Sion in time, Nezumi was sure that he'd feel that way.

He would hurt, so much.

"Sion!"

"Here!" And then he spotted him. But he couldn't feel relieved, not just yet. Surrounding the white haired male was a blazing red fire which jumped from bookshelf to bookshelf, spreading quickly. Nezumi was about to run to him, but another crashed right in front of him. Sion seemed to realize it to as he screamed.

"Nezumi!"

"I'm coming!"

His heart kept thumping, he was afraid but adrenaline helped to keep him fighting. He pushed the side of the fallen shelf and miraculously pushed it aside, not completely, but enough for him to get in and bring Sion out.

"Sion! Are you okay?" Nezumi figured Sion could at least walk or lean on him a bit, but he could have wounds that he couldn't see.

"I'm alright!" But with all the coughing he did, Nezumi was sure he wasn't 'alright'.

"Here." Nezumi wrapped his scarf around Sion, hoping it would help at least a little bit to protect him.

"Hurry! We need to leave!" The fire wasn't going to get any smaller. He helped Sion up, noting that Sion was leaning quite heavily on him, and led his blind friend out.

"So what exactly happened there?" Nezumi glared at the dog keeper. He and Sion were taking refuge at Inukashi's place, who at first refused to let Nezumi in but hurriedly rushed them inside when he saw the state Sion was in.

"I don't know."

Nezumi's curt answer must have annoyed Inukashi as the younger stood up to yell at him.

"What do you mean you don't know? You brought Sion here! You should know something!"

"Well I don't! I don't know anything!"

"Ne..zumi?"

"Sion!" Nezumi hopped off the bed as he had been sitting next to Sion who had been lying down. "What happened?" Inukashi snickered as Nezumi fawned over the white haired boy.

"Nezumi? I'm fine-" his coughing proved he wasn't.

"I'll get you something to drink." Inukashi stepped out of the room to get water.

"Sion, what happened?" Stern but filled with anxiousness.

"I..." Sion frowned. "I took a nap and... and there was a fire when I woke up. It was pretty right hot already and bookshelves were crashing all around really loudly but then you came."

"You were sleeping... the whole time?"

"Yeah, you came just after I woke up."

Nezumi had to resist the urge to smack his injured friend. Just who in their right mind could sleep through a fire? Okay maybe Sion couldn't see the fire but he could smell the burning right? With all the smoke and dust, the dense idiot would be able to figure out he would need to wake up and get the hell out of there, wouldn't he?

"Water." The dog keeper came just in time before Nezumi could give the boy a good beating.

"Oh, thank you." Sion smiled and sat up with Nezumi supporting him.

"Need anything else?" Inukashi was being especially considerate to Sion, Nezumi noted. He hadn't been offered help when he carried Sion in, put the boy to bed, and collapsed into a worn chair in the corner of the room. Favoritism was at play though he was quite acquainted with the feeling of wanting to spoil Sion.

"No, I'm fine." Sion drank the water with only slight difficulty. "Oh now that I think about it... I was going to make stew again. Remember how ithe taste was wrong last time? I made sure to do it right this time!" Nezumi flinched at the thought of having to suffer through eating the over salted stew again. Maybe it was actually good thing that it was burned and inedible because of the fire.

"Sion, didn't I tell you you weren't supposed to cook anymore? It's too dangerous! You could get hurt-"

"Or burn down the house" Inukashi interjected.

"But since you're here, Inukashi will take care of the meals alright? Just stay in bed and get better."

"What?" Nezumi glared. "Ah right, I'll take care of it"

"So don't worry alright?" Good thing Sion couldn't see or else he would have been scolded.

"Yeah, don't worry about it! Me and Nezumi'll go outside so you can rest!"

"What?" and with that, the taller boy was dragged outside quickly.

"Oi! What's this all about me taking care of Sion?" Inukashi pinned, or at least attempted to, Nezumi to the wall demanding answers.

"Look, at least you could keep Sion here. There's no other place for us to go and he can't take care of himself right now. He's blind for God's sake!" He shoved back knocking the smaller over. "At least keep him."

They stared at each other for a moment, eyes locking, with both parties strong and determined. At the end of their match, the dog keeper sighed and agreed.

"You may as well stay too. Sion would be devastated if you weren't with him." He muttered glumly, clearly despising the idea of having Nezumi close by but... it was what Sion needed right now.

TBC