While traveling, there came wind. And with wind, came a rain. This cold, bitter rain that she was very familiar with...

"Such miserable weather…" she recalled from a song.

On, they traveled. Psycho hopped, his powerful legs sending him in great bounds. Just as they left the city limits of London, they entered up in huge rolling hills. They came up to the highest point of the countryside, just to meet with the last sight of stars. Psycho let out a tired pant and slowed down at the very top. Raven too felt miserably tired. They had traveled all night to ensure they would be safe from being seen. Now that they were in the security of emptiness, they were ready to collapse and rest. The kangaroo slowly waddled over to a large tube that sat nestled in some tall grass. A tube used at most construction sites, which had been abandoned here, would serve as their shelter. Raven held on to Psycho with the little strength she had left. Once he had crawled into the tube and plopped himself down, did she let go and easily slide off next to him. Her body ached with exhaustion. She looked over at her kangaroo companion, and stroked the top of his head and ears. He let out a shuddering snort, reflecting his dreariness, but a soft suggested smile crept on the corners of his mouth. He closed his eyes slowly, resting his head down on the cold pavement of the tube. His body had recovered from the electricity… and the deep bite in his neck started to scab over, the blood on his fur now dry and flakey. He was weak, tired, and still very sore from his previous combat, but he felt content… satisfied that Raven was back and safe with him.

Raven also felt thrilled to be back with her old friend, and sleepiness helped numb away the guilt she had felt before… but only temporarily.

She lay down next to Psycho and rested her head on his exposed belly. His scaly body wasn't at all very comfortable, but she didn't care… the security was enough to knock her out. Both the human girl and her mutant pet slept deeply in the tube, safe from the cold rain, the wind and the eyes of the world.

Raven had slept all day. Her body refused to awaken until her strength was completely restored.

She felt her body fading in and out of consciousness several times. In between moments of sleep, music echoed in her head. Familiar rhythms, beats, sounds… and words…

A crystal voice of a woman.

"I remember~"

Her eyes flashed open and she gasped out loud. "Mau-" she almost began. No… he's not here. Not anymore.

Raven then looked around frantically. Her memory came back to her. She had fallen asleep in this cement tube… had slept through the entire day… and awakened in the evening.

But… where was Psycho?

He had fallen asleep next to her, but as she sat there wide awake, she did not see him anywhere.

"Psycho…" she called. No answer. "Psycho," she said a little louder. Still nothing. All she could hear was the chirping of a lonely cricket nearby and the drizzle of rain on the tube and the earth.

"Psycho!"

At that moment, the kangaroo came bounding into view. Raven closed her eyes for a second, gasping in relief. Her friend hopped into the tube and hunched over. In his jaws, he held onto a plastic package. She blinked up at him as his jaw twitched and his head bobbed up and down.

"Wot's that, boy?" Raven asked, holding out her hand under his mouth. Psycho opened his mouth all the way, and dropped the package into her palm.

Raven brought it down, flattened out the crumbled wrinkles in the plastic and examined it. She smiled. "Food."

The package contained crisps that were salted. Good ol' Salt n' Shake… Raven eagerly ripped open the package and popped a crisp in her mouth. She didn't realize how hungry her stomach was until food was right there in front of her.

Psycho laid back down next to her and watched her eat, his nose sniffing and his eyes large. His mouth was beginning to salavate.

Raven glanced over at him. "...You haven't eaten yet, have you?" She asked. She then pulled out a fist full of the crisps and placed them down in front of the kangaroo. Quickly, Psycho bent his head down, and his long, green, lizard tongue licked up the crisps into his mouth. He crunched on the food and sighed deeply.

"Sorry, forgot you had trouble getting food out of plastic…" Raven said, rubbing the scruff of the fur under his jaw.

Psycho leaned against Raven with his head, chewing slowly.

"You snagged these from one of those out of town vendors, didn't you?" Raven asked, throwing him a sly look. Psycho just glanced up at her with large, blank eyes. Then a grin crept up his face, his sharp, pointy teeth gleaming in the low light.

Raven chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm not complaining… I don't have any pounds on me that could have paid for it…"

She continued to pick the crisps out of the bag and feast on the small meal, as well as share the delectable treat with her companion. She leaned up against his belly again, her gaze looking back out of the tube. The light drizzle of rain made everything sparkle and damp, which would explain why the fur and scales on her roo were so moist. The sky was dark and murky… so gloomy and depressing. Raven suddenly felt a weight plunge down in the pit of her gut. She made a very sour frown. The moment of turning was so recent. She could not possibly shake it from her thoughts. It swam around in her brain, haunting and pulsing, penetrating the emotions in her heart and stirring up her anxiety.

Raven had learned by now to keep her outer self calm and at bay, even though her mental self was having a breaking riot.

It was that look… Raven thought. The last look she saw on Mau5's broken face was what gnawed at her the most. The look of realization that Raven didn't want to stay… that she was not happy with him… that… unfortunately… she did not share the same feelings for him as he did for her.

Wot did he expect? No way to start a relationship of any kind by drugging 'em up and sleeping with 'em.

Still… why did she feel bad? Why was the pain in her heart continuing to nag her and weigh her down?

'Raven… don't go… please, don't leave me…'

Perhaps, she did grow to like him. She got to know his character and found it okay. It wasn't perfect, but then again, was she? Was anyone perfect? She had enjoyed being around him sometimes.

…It was still not the same feelings he had expressed for her. Mau5 had obviously grown to admire her above all things. To him, she was his eye candy, his motivation, his love, his best friend… perhaps even his idol. The longer she spent time around him, the more she noticed that his desire to be like her… to be human, had greatly increased.

And now she was gone. All of that… gone. Just like that. Such was life…

"I can't imagine how you are feeling now…" she whispered. Psycho lifted his head back up at Raven, after finishing his last crisp. He cocked his head in confusion. Raven only placed her hand down softly on his head, smiling to him and shaking her head slowly. "He really wasn't so bad, Psycho…" she began. Psycho gave a grunt. She didn't blame him, and would never expect him to understand. He didn't know the rodent like she did. Not by a long shot.

Since that fight had ended so brutally, and Mau5 had taken so much damage… she wasn't sure if he had even survived. She didn't know if he was still living and breathing and able to feel the inner pain she thought he would. That kick to the jaw could have led to a terrible infection… and possibly a break in a few veins and arteries… loss of blood could be very fatal. It would have then all depended on if someone had found and rescued him on time. Did Daniel and James find him? Did they tend to him before it was too late…?

Her body tensed up. Or is he still lying there… bleeding, broken… and finally a dead Mau5? That image… of his limp, dead body still spilt in the parking lot cracked her thoughts.

She shuddered, taking the backs of her palms and rubbing them harshly on her closed eyes. No, no, no… I will not cry or break down. It's far too late to do anything about it. It's already behind me now… it has already happened. Nothing can change it now…

Nothing- he's…. he's dead…

Her eyes burned.

He's dead… and it's all my fault.

Raven pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms tightly around them and bent her head down, her face hidden from sight. She let the tears come. It needed to. She cried… cried painful, guilty, shuddering tears.

Psycho leaned his head against her and grunted softly. He had no concept of why his friend was crying, and he did not like to see her sad. Seeing her sad made the panic slightly bubble under the surface… so he nudged her, bumped her and fussed in her ear, trying to get her to cheer up.

But she wouldn't… she could not be happy right now. The last bit of guilt she felt towards that whole experience with the Mau5 and the alien robots was boiling over… and the final drops of it needed to come out.

Finally after much pestering from her kangaroo friend, Raven reached around and wrapped her arms around his neck. She buried her face into his fur so that she could muffle her cries.

Psycho gave one final grunt, making his body quiver. His long ears folded down and he fell silent. There was nothing to do but wait until Raven stopped crying. So he would wait… and keep her company. Pretty soon, the moon would be up high in the sky and it would be time to travel on. They still had two more nights to journey until they returned to Essex. And then… they would have much more time to rest… and dwell… it necessary.

…

Twenty miles out in the countryside, the rain had lifted, but the wind stayed strong. The sky had become pitch black. The moon was almost full and provided a glittering array of light to show the way.

North east was their destination.

Raven held on to Psycho, her damp hair whipping around her face. That cold wind would not let up. She shivered several times, wishing she had her purple hoodie now…

I'll have it soon. It's waiting for me back home.

That thought brought a huge grin to her face. They weren't that far now. They had already entered the county of Essex. It was only a matter of time.

We're almost home.

Psycho seemed to be excited too. His bounds became faster and covered more distance, and his head was held high. Raven sat up higher on his shoulders to peer out to the horizon. She saw dim lights. She could see the road… the road that led off the highway and into the town.

And then she saw the sign: Colchester's Blackberry Bakery.

She lifted a hand into the air. Every nerve in her body wanted to shout with joy now. But she couldn't, not yet…. She had to keep quiet so that no one would hear them. So she just reached her out stretched hand up to the stars and let the excitement warm her heart. She closed her eyes tightly and the grin stretched tightly over her face.

YYYYYYESSSSSSSS!

One, two, three hops. The dark and small building of Blackberry Bakery was behind them.

Four, five, six hops. They were long past the welcome signs.

Seven, eight, nine hops. They had entered the jungle of houses of the neighborhood.

Raven's eyes got huge when the rooftops, the broken windows, and the filthy streets became recognizable. She saw the familiar turns in the small streets, the cracked pavement, and the withered looking shrubs at the sides of each house as they dashed by.

Never… had her slum-like neighborhood looked… so beautiful. She had never thought she'd be back. But she was. And it was making her heart flame and beat with euphoria. Absolute euphoria.

Psycho turned another corner and she held her breath at the sight.

There it was… Home.

There was the crusty, brick apartment that she could call her home, sweet home.

There it was.

Psycho halted right outside the tall, metal gate in front of it. He lowered his belly down almost all the way to the ground, and Raven jumped off his back. Her feet landed on the dirty sidewalk. She continued to stare up with complete dismay. Psycho then nudged her arm with his face, breaking her from her trance. She looked down at him and smiled big. She reached both her hands out to him and brought his face to hers. She nuzzled his face, grinning wide. "Thank you, Psycho. Thank you for getting me home safely."

Psycho grunted softly, stretching his neck out so he could push against her and return the affection. He was just as happy to have her back.

Now everything could go back to the way it was…

"See you tomorrow evening, boy," Raven said, giving him one last nuzzle and a rub on the forehead. Psycho nodded to her slightly and he turned to flee back to the outskirts of the city. The sun would be rising in a few hours. He had to get somewhere safe before the early morning risers saw him.

Once he was out of sight, Raven turned back to the gate and opened it. She walked up to the small porch of her apartment.

The door was probably locked. Mum is still asleep. Raven smiled and closed her eyes. She sank down to the ground and sat on the dusty welcome mat, and leaned up against the locked door. She would wait for her mom to awaken. She couldn't wait to see her…

She couldn't wait to return to life once again.