Wheeeeew! This chapter was so fun! I kept getting interrupted at work, but I am finally happy with the editing! If you see any mistakes at all, please let me know. I don't have a Beta Reader on this and I'm trying to catch my mistakes (which are quite a bit sometimes).

I think this chapter will probably be one of my favorites. It's a lot calmer than my other beginning chapters have been.

Enjoy and see you after! :)

Van stomped through the chilled night air. His flashlight shinning on the leaf covered ground illuminated the obscure path through the forest. The dark towering trees usually made him nervous when he walked around in the forest at night. Their engulfing presence had a scary solitude to them like he was the only person left in the world. Most of the time, the black-haired boy hated the lonely feeling and wished for someone to walk with him through these shadowy giants.

Tonight – however - he would have welcomed the seclusion.

"…Then we went to a store to get the suitcases and clothes. That was how I got these Band-Aids put on." The little brown-haired girl held out her arm to show him strawberry printed bandages. "Once we cleaned up in the bathroom, I felt so much better. I rode on a dirty bus with Mr. Fanel. I didn't mind that it was dirty because I didn't want to walk the entire way here. Then we had to hike up here. That is tiring. Did you have to climb the mountain, too? I've never been camping before. Are you Mr. Fanel's son? You look a lot like him. What's your name?"

"Van," he answered in monotone.

"I'm Hitomi! I'm so happy to meet you. When I heard that Mr. Fanel's family might have been hurt as well I was so worried. I bet he is really relieved to see you are safe."

She's been talking non-stop. Van thought with rising irritation. Why did she have to come, too?

As soon as his father was safely placed in his mother's bedroom, Van's mom had hardly talked to him at all except to command to go with the odd little girl to get suitcases that were left by the mountain side. The black-haired boy glanced to the chatty stranger with a frown forming on his face. She was younger than him by at least a year. He could make out her brilliant green eyes even in the falling light. She wore a silly bunny dress that was dirty and ragged. Her light brown hair was cut short almost like a boy. Van vaguely wondered if his hair was longer than hers.

"Can we walk to the lake? I didn't get to see the fireflies. Mr. Fanel said they were really pretty at night."

"No," Van answered shortly. "I just want to get these suitcases and get back."

"Oh, I understand. You want to see your daddy." The girl stated with a smile, completely oblivious to his mood. "He's a nice man. I'd be happy to see him if I were you."

The boy ignored her smile. "I want to fix a boat I found. I don't care about him."

"You have a boat!" Her green eyes lit up excitedly. "Can I see it?"

"No."

"But I've always wanted to ride in a boat! I've never even been camping before!"

"You've already said that." Van pointed out rudely. He walked a little faster. "You don't need to keep telling me the same stuff."

"Why can't I see it?" she asked her smile slowly leaving her face. She panted to keep up with him. "Do you not like me?"

The black-haired boy closed his eyes briefly to suppress him growing anger. I wait for two days to see my dad and he brings some strange girl who won't leave me alone!

"Mr. Fanel always walks slower so I can keep up. You're not even going the right way. It's through these trees around the lake." She gestured to his left.

Van immediately turned the direction she was pointing and sped up a little more. She quickly fell behind him.

"Wait! Wait for me!"

"I don't want to!" Van shouted back.

"But I don't want to be left behind! You have the flashlight! It's scary out here!"

"Then go back! You can find the cabin just fine without a flashlight! And I'll find the suitcases just fine without you!"

"Your mom told me to come with you! Why don't you want me to come with you?"

The mahogany-eyed boy sighed audibly. Stopping his fast stride, he turned around with a crunch of foliage to shoot a scowl at the girl behind him. She stopped running at his expression and blinked with innocent curiosity. "You're annoying. I don't even know you. The only reason you are with me right now is because my mom told me to take you along. Who are you anyway? Why do you think you can just come here, follow me around, and talk my ear off?"

"Mr. Fanel said that I-"

"Why do you keep talking about my dad? He's my dad, understand?"

The girl looked down and Van wondered if she was going to cry. Through the growing darkness, he saw her swallow and scratch her cheek with a bandaged finger. With his mixing anger, the black-haired boy felt a whisper of shame run through him.

"I don't have anyone else," he heard her soft reply. "Mr. Fanel is all I have left."

"Why not?" Van asked her bluntly. Shinning the flashlight on her face, he saw her bite her lower lip. "What about your own mom and dad?"

"Mr. Fanel told me my parents are dead. Mr. Fanel saved me."

"Oh," was the only reply Van could think of. He tried to stifle the growing shame that was easily pushing down his anger. He gritted his teeth against the swirling mix of embarrassment and pity that twisted in his stomach. There was silence between them. The trees' leaves around him whispered with the chilling wind. He saw her shiver under her little dress. The bad feeling grew stronger.

With a sigh that was accompanied with a groan, Van trudged closer to the little girl and reached out to grab her bandaged hand to lead her through the trees. She gasped and he felt an electrical spark crackle through their touching skin. The electricity ran all the way down his toes. He abruptly let go of her hand and clasped his shocked palm with a glare.

It didn't hurt him, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

"You electrocuted me."

"I didn't mean to! I just got surprised!" The girl pleaded. "Do you want to hold my hand?"

The boy scowled. "Who'd want to hold your hand? You've got a lot of static shock. Don't touch me."

"You touched me first!" she retorted, growing defensive.

"I'm never touching you ever again!" Van shouted at her before turning back around to keep walking.

"Wait up, please!" he heard her call out. "You can hold my hand if you want to."

The mahogany-eyed boy felt heat rising to his face. "I told you, don't touch me!"

They continued together. The little girl kept distance from Van, which he was grateful for. The only way he knew she was still there was from the crunch of her footfalls on the ground. He wondered if she was upset with him, but then decided he didn't care. He just wanted to get these suitcases and get back to the cabin.

I'll get that boat fixed up before tomorrow morning. Then it'll be me, my fishing pole, and the lake. I'll leave her on shore. He smirked at his cruel thoughts. He could just see her crying to join him, but he wouldn't even look her way. Holding her hand, what was I thinking? She's just a stupid kid.

It was several more minutes before two large cases sitting side by side slowly came into view through the trees. He flashed his light on them.

"There they are," she stated simply, still a little ways behind him. "They are really heavy. I'll help carry one."

"No, you won't. I can carry them just fine." Van announced raising his chin with pride. "I've gotten stronger since I've been here. These suitcases are a piece of cake."

The girl shot him a weird look. "I thought you'd only been here for a couple of days. You've already gotten stronger?"

"Of course, I have. I've been taking care of everything. I'm the man of the house. Make yourself useful and hold the flashlight." He turned to hand the flashlight over and the beam of light brightened considerably once it entered her hand. He thought about mentioning the oddity, but decided against it.

Might get her chatting non-stop again.

"What happened, Goau?" Varie asked quietly as she put a wet rag on his hot face. He was breathing heavily; his face screwed with pain. The pillows pressed against the huge bump on the back of his head. Reaching down beside her, she grabbed some cheap pain-killers she'd brought with her and popped open the lid. "Tell me after you swallow this. And please, don't keep anything from me. You owe me answers for everything you've put me through these past three years." She slid the medicine into his mouth and held up a plastic cup to his lips. "Drink all the water. You need rehydrating."

"My angel of comfort." the man smiled weakly after a swallow of water. She shot him a withering glare.

"Don't you start that nonsense with me."

Goau tried to sit up against the pillows. The activity made him gasp with pain. Varie pursed her lips and – with gentle hands – moved his body to a more comfortable sitting position.

"I'll go grab some fresh bandages. When the suitcases show up, we'll take care of that back." She left the room quietly and Goau sighed. It'd been a while since he'd visited the cabin on Jajuka's camp. His foggy vision rested on the familiar rugs on the wooden floor. Instantly, the vision of the Kanzaki's sprawled bodies washed over his eyes and he swallowed tightness in his throat. He could see them dead, their corpses slowly catching fire as the lab burned to the ground.

He was crying by the time she returned.

"Goau?" he heard her whisper. He glanced up to see her carrying a steaming bowl of water and two rolls of knitted cotton. "Are you okay?"

He nodded his head, his long dark hair falling into his face. Lifting his healthy hand, he quickly wiped his dark eyes dry. "I'm okay. I've just been through a lot. My mind is finally catching up with the impact of it all." He chuckled bitterly. "I lost my work and my best friend. I almost lost my life. For a while I thought I'd lost you and my boys. Your message was my lifeline. It kept me going." He could feel her staring at him. "There's only so much a man can take before he weeps like a little girl."

The woman walked over and set the bowl on the floor. She busied herself with making sure the bandages didn't roll away as she said, "We need to get that awful shirt off of you. I want to see how much you've hurt your back."

The black-haired man couldn't help grinning cheekily as she reached to grab the bottom of the Hawaiian print and carefully pulled it over his stomach. It was tough. Some of his healed scabs stuck to the fabric. "Couldn't wait to get my shirt off, could you?" he joked and then gave a hiss of pain as it passed by his burnt back.

"You're an idiot." She answered lifting the shirt all the way off. She whistled through her teeth at the amount of scratches and burns on him. "It looks like you've been through hell."

"That's a fairly accurate description of my journey here." Goau raised his eyebrows throughtfully before leaning forward for her to inspect his back. She climbed to perch on his pillow and gasped.

"Good God, what have you been doing?" she demanded. "You've got a horrible gash down your back! And the burn! Goau, this is serious!"

"That scrape is probably from the concrete when the cars exploded. I have a pretty big bump on the back of my head to go with it."

He sensed Varie grow anxious behind him. "Exploding cars?"

"It's a long story."

"Goau, you have to go to the hospital."

"There is no way that is happening."

"I don't have the supplies or medical training! It'll get infected if you stay here in the wilderness."

"So, learn how to disinfect it. I can't go to a hospital."

"I think I'm ready to hear this 'long story' of yours." He heard the scowl in her voice.

"Sure."

"And you won't leave anything out?"

"I've learned my lesson, trust me." His voice caught slightly on his words and he cleared his throat.

"Well, while we wait for the ointment for your burn, let's check out that hand." She stated suddenly business-like.

"Thanks, Var," he said her nickname on reflex and he felt the air tense around them. She was still for only a half-second before sliding off the bed and pulling a chair to his side.

"So, start from the beginning."

And so Goau told her. He explained the fossil, its mysteries, and how powerful the object was. He described the test that Kanzaki missed and how the antimatter stabled even when exposed in the atmosphere. In the middle of his tale he noticed through the dirty window on his left Van emerging from the forest. The boy was struggling with the heavy suitcases as little Hitomi walked beside him with the flashlight. His son walked into the bedroom, sheen of sweat coming from him. The man stopped his description of the Parameter test results and nodded his thanks to Van.

The boy blinked, turned swiftly out of the room, and left the cabin. The screen door slammed behind him. As he crossed the yard, Goau watched Hitomi followed the boy in the darkness.

Varie remained quiet until Fanel told how Hitomi was shot in the heart in the hallway.

"The little girl was shot? But, Goau, she seems healthy to me." She whispered behind him. She'd gotten the ointment out and was slowly spreading a hot towel on his burns to clean the blue lint stuck to his skin from the Hawaiian shirt. Several times, his voice cracked with the pain, but he forced himself to keep talking.

"This isn't even the strangest part." He answered her. He gave sighed with relief as soon as the ointment hit his skin.

As he mentioned the hydrogen tank explosion, her hand trembled. Goau told her about Tsukasa's last words, then how he cut his hand on a piece of shrapnel, and then how the stray bullet had caught Hitomi's mother in the head.

"She'd laid the girl on the Energist. The next thing I knew, the little girl was sitting up, and the antimatter's residue was inside her. Her wound closed, Varie. Right before my eyes."

"This is impossible."

"I'm not even done." He let a small laugh escape him.

Goau kept going. Their escape from the lab, getting her voicemail before Hitomi destroyed his phone, and meeting Balgus.

"Balgus?" she interrupted. "As in, my step-brother Balgus? No way…"

"Yes, way," He nodded with a half-smile at her surprise. "I still can't believe it either. He's the same as ever was. Still just as grumpy."

"So, how did you get this huge burn here?" she asked indicating his back. "Did Balgus burn you?"

"Wouldn't put it past him, but no. Let me keep going."

The dark-haired man talked. The taxi, the bridge, the briefcase full of money, the bullets whistling past his head. During his description of the exploding traffic, Varie's mouth actually dropped open.

By the end of the tale, Goau needed another glass of water.

"I can't believe it…" she breathed. Handing him the glass, she pushed her hair over her shoulder and sat down – not on the chair – but on the side of his bed. "I just can't believe any of it…"

"Trust me; I'm still trying to believe it. You see why I can't go to the hospital?"

She nodded, biting her lip. Slipping her mahogany eyes away from his face, she played with her fingers in her lap.

"I know that gesture, Var." Goau narrowed his eyes at her. "You've got a story as well. It's time for you to talk. How did you know to escape?"

She swallowed and finally met his eyes.

"Folken came to the rent house. He told me that your lab was going to be destroyed. He knew all about it. He acted like he was a part of it. He's said something about a corporation that wanted what you've been working on. I guess now I know it's this Energist thing. The attack… he called it Operation RED. He told me you were working on something that will bring the end of the world. He said that they'd come for me too. They were going to kill Van and I just for being in association with you. He knew we had no idea what your experiments were, so he came to warn us. I called you once he left and gave you the voice message. I destroyed my phone right after the call and came here to wait. I never knew if you'd get it or not. Or if you were even alive." She bowed her head, twisting her fingers together. "It's been horrible waiting for you."

"I survived…" The black-haired man whispered clenching his fists on the bed. "I found you because you thought to leave the message for me. That was smart, Var."

"I have my moments," she murmured quietly. "But Goau, Folken-"

"Folken is part of these killers that want me dead. My child is with this corporation. It was horrible, Varie. What I saw… these people are monsters. And he's one of them…" He closed his eyes against the rush of pain that swept through him. His head pulsed with agony. I don't think I can handle much more than this, Tsukasa. Tell someone to lay off up there for a while.

"He's after you. I think Folken wants you dead more than anyone else."

Goau could barely breathe. His clouded vision grew worse.

"My own son… he wants to kill me."

"He's different." Varie shook her head at the memory. "He wasn't our Folken. He's changed so much since he left the house. He wasn't Folken again until Van came in the room. He even walked to Van and embraced him. He told Van to take care of me. Then he left. What are we going to do? He'll figure out through those killers in the park that you survived the attack. And they probably saw the explosion, too. The little girl with you will be in danger if they figure out what she can do. We can't possibly stay at this cabin forever. They'll find us somehow just like they found you at the park."

Goau scratched his arm with his newly bandaged hand. "Then I've got to leave, Var. I've got to keep running."

"But… no, no, that's not what I-"

He stopped her with a look. "I've got to study this Energist. I need to see what power it has. Why and how did it do this to Hitomi? Where did it originate from? Dinosaurs? Monsters? What does it want? I don't even know if the dig up site was carbon dated. My lab focused primarily on the Energist's functions. But now…I think there's more than that. I have to go to the source. I have to go to where it was dug up."

"I can go with you. I can help." She said quickly meeting his calm dark eyes with her own sharp mahogany.

Goau sighed and broke their locked eyes. "I'm fairly certain this Operation RED took care of the paleontologist team that was in charge of the site. Most likely, they wiped out everything and everyone having to do with this entire discovery. There are so many questions that have to be answered. It will all be in enemy territory."

"We'll find a way."

"I can't put you in danger. Not again."

She stopped and let his words wash over her. Her teeth gritted together and she felt hot anger swirl in her stomach. "So, that's it? You're gone again? You're just going to disappear from my life once more? Bury yourself in research and forget you even have a family?"

"It's for your own safety. You can't-"

"You're just deciding this on your own again! 'You can't this, Varie'. 'You can't that, Varie'. Stop saying that to me!" she shouted. "I wanted my husband here. I've always wanted him here, but he had other obligations. He had his secret research. There was no time for family. No time to even tell me what kept him from me. Because of this, Folken, your own son, has gone off the deep end and wants to actually kill you!"

"You have to understand, Varie. I did that to keep you safe."

"Well, they wanted me dead anyways!"

"I can't do what I need to do with my family all around me."

"You don't know that because you've never even tried."

Goau was silent. Swallowing, he reached out and grabbed one of her twisting hands. Gently squeezing her fingers, he quietly whispered, "This is the only way I can protect you and Van. I love you, Varie. I always will. You are the love of my life. I was a fool for never realizing how much I hurt you until it was too late. It's been three years since the divorce and all I want is to hold you right now and make you forgive me for the pain I caused. But, once again, I have to go. My son is hunting me with a secret corporation that will kill anyone in the way to get what they want. I'll only get you and Van killed if I take you with me."

Her mahogany eyes were wet with unshed tears. "But I don't want you to go. What if I never see you again?"

"I'll be back. I have to come back for Hitomi."

Varie blinked. "For Hitomi? What do you mean?"

"I'm leaving her with you. She needs a family right now. She can't survive traveling with me. It's only logical she stays with you in hiding."

"You told me she blew up cars just by being scared. She even shocked me in the woods when I ran into her to find you. Hitomi will cause attention every time she feels any strong emotion at all. She'll blow up a house if she gets a broken heart. This corporation will be after her as soon as she enters school."

Fanel shook his head. He squeezed her fingers again. "She deserves a normal childhood. Hitomi is too young to understand what is happening to her. Her parents were killed right in front of her, remember? She needs a mother to love her. A brother to protect her. As for her power, she'll have to learn to control her emotions. She'll need your help. Van's help. You'll need different names. Different backgrounds. Something that can't be traced."

"And you'll be able to find us again? Even with these new names?"

He smiled and a strange light hit his eyes. "You're my firefly. You wait on the ground and I fly around all dazed and confused. I can find your beautiful sparkle in even the tallest grass. My bioluminescence can't help but be attracted to yours."

She couldn't help snorting a laugh at his suggestive expression. "You are the most idiotic man I've ever met."

"And you believe I'll fly back for your glow?"

"The metaphor is running thin, Goau."

"You trust me, right?"

She sighed and her shoulders sagged. "I don't know how you make me do what you want by calling me a fly."

"They're beetles actually." He chuckled. She slapped his hand that was gently cradling her fingers, and left her palm on top of his. She heard his breath catch.

"Not that I'm agreeing, but something like that will take money."

"There's a certain briefcase that will help with that."

As if drawn by fate, both their heads turned to the window just in time to see Hitomi walk slowly past the window and sit down on the porch. Her small Band-Aid legs tucked under her chin, she laid her soft cheek on her knees.

Varie turned her eyes back to Goau. He met her gaze and read her thoughts.

"I'll be back for her. Once I get more information on the Energist, I'll find where you are hiding and take her with me."

"And you'll leave me behind again."

"I have to."

She closed her eyes. "No matter how much I hate you for that, I know you have to. How long until you come for her?"

Goau went quiet. He stroked his thumb against her fingers. Finally, he said, "As long as it takes."

Gray hardly blinked at the gruesome scenes that displayed on the screen in front of him. Copies of Dilandau's video were hard to come by considering the Corp hardly wanted to showcase such a failure. Luckily, the silver-haired man knew he could always get what he wanted with the right price. Sure enough, The Merchant had somehow procured a copy.

How the man got his supplies, Gray didn't want to know.

The video was everything Gray expected it to be. Gory. Wild abandoned killing spree. That was how Dilandau was operated to function. And he did his job gloriously. It would have been a shame for Zaibach to terminate such a talent. Gray figured perhaps that was why it was so easy to get the boy off the execution block. Dornkirk knew the boy's potential.

Gray's eyes narrowed with understanding and irritation. The old man had figured out already that Dilandau would come to me. He knew I would save him. He probably had it all planned from the beginning, I'm sure. The mahogany-eyed youth didn't know if he liked the idea of being used by Dornkirk. He brushed that thought aside and watched another bullet travel through a scientist's brain. Though it'd take time for Dilandau to go through training again, Gray silently congratulated himself on rescuing the boy.

His talents are exactly what I'll need. Next time, father won't be able to dodge the bullets.

He watched as the camera displayed a hallway that was empty of people. The image swerved to a closed office door. A foot raised right below the screen as if the boy was going to kick the door open.

Suddenly, the image swiveled to the right and Gray blinked.

"There you are, sweetheart." He whispered quietly to the silent screaming girl on the screen.

Van cracked his mahogany eyes open as a stream of morning light turned his eyelids red. Sitting up slowly, he blinked and looked around the bedroom. It took him several seconds to realize he was on the floor of the log cabin. A small hand was dangling off the bed beside his head.

That's right. The girl had taken his bed.

Grumbling under his breath, the boy pushed off the covers, stood, and stretched his tight muscles. Today was fishing day. The boat was ready to go. He'd made sure to patch all the holes on the bottom last night.

It was perfect.

Shoving his feet into boots, Van walked out of the room without looking at the little girl on the bed.

He didn't see her green eyes already open, a dazed expression on her face.

Dragging the boat through the trees was a chore, but Van smiled proudly as he rested for a handful of minutes on the banks of the lake. Picking up his jar of worms, he tapped the dirty glass with a fingernail. I hope this works, he thought to himself. There wasn't much to choose from in terms of fishing rods. He had picked the best one out of the four he could find. It was a bit rusty, but it should work. He'd studied the other rods to see how the line connected. He'd torn apart two poles before he finally got the hang of wiring it up.

He glanced over the rusted pole and extra string he'd brought sitting next to him. He tied the line carefully to the rotating barrel and rolled the wire until it was full. Threading the line through the corroded eyes of the pole, he grinned as he let out ten more inches of line. On the end came the old weight and eroded hook. He tested the set up and gave a happy laugh.

"I did it." He said to no one in particular. He gently swung the pole watching the weight and hook rock back and forth. "I actually got it to work. I'm a genius." Latching the hook safely on one of the eyes, he walked over to the boat. The black-haired boy set the pole gently inside the boat and turned to pluck his worms from the ground.

He gasped in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded to the little girl behind him. She was still in the big blue t-shirt his mother had found for her to sleep in. Her bare feet were filthy from walking on the dew covered ground. She was panting slightly as if she ran all the way from the cabin to the lake.

"You shouldn't go out." She said green eyes bright with fear.

Van frowned at her. "What are you talking about? I do what I want."

Her voice raised a bit more. "You'll die! You can't go!" Taking steps closer to him, she reached out a hand to grab his arm.

"I told you yesterday, don't touch me!" Van yelled. He brushed her hand away and felt a jolt of electricity run through him. "You shocked me again! Stop doing that!"

"But the boat is dangerous!"

"Buzz off! I'm going!"

"I can't let you go, Van!" she grabbed his sleeve with both hands. "Please, don't go!"

"Leave me alone!" The mahogany-eyed boy shouted and pushed her away. He was jolted with another shock as she fell to the ground. "You're a freak!"

A tear slipped down her cheek, her green eyes were full of confusion. Lifting herself off the ground, she stumbled away and out of sight. Van snorted with anger.

"Keep running!" he called after her. Smirking, he strolled back to the boat, placed the worms inside, and pushed off from the edge.

Varie jerked awake. Her neck gave a terrible popping noise and she lifted her face off the quilt. With a disordered blink, she realized her head had fallen on Goau's bed.

She glanced over at the man and suppressed a smile. He was on his stomach fast asleep, his arms dangling over either side of the bed. She let her eyes linger on his burnt back and she felt a pang of sadness hit her. He'd be leaving again. She knew he had to.

That didn't mean that she had to like it though.

Combing her long hair with her fingers, she sighed and pushed her hair over her shoulders. Standing up, she bent down to pick up the roll of bandages that had fallen to the floor.

"Mrs. Fanel…" a small faint voice called from outside. Varie looked up instinctively and noticed the little girl running from the forest in her blue shirt pajamas.

"Mrs. Fanel! Come quick!" the little girl pounded up the steps and the mahogany-eyed woman rushed to meet her in the living room.

"Van! Van's in trouble!"

Varie quickly noticed how the lights instantly turned on in the living room as soon as the girl entered the area. She had turned them off the night before. And now they were on… by themselves…

"Calm down, Hitomi, calm down. What's wrong?" she squatted down to the girl's level and gently held the girl's small shoulders. An energizing current rushed through Varie's body causing her to gulp in surprise. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, but it was definitely alarming.

"Van's on the lake in a boat! He's drowning!" the girl cried, tears slipping down her cheeks. She grabbed Varie's hands and pulled on her. "You have to save him."

"What?" The woman's mind tried to process the information. "Van's drowning?"

"Yes!" Hitomi said shrilly. "In the lake! He's in the lake!" She pulled even harder on her hands.

Standing up immediately, Varie ran out of the screen door, the girl trailing behind her.

She raced, her heart pumping with a fear she'd never known before. She pasted through the trees as fast as she could, but felt like she was crawling. She heard nothing but the sound of her pounding feet on the leafy ground.

It felt like hours had passed till she got to the lake. She stopped by the water's edge, but there was not a boat in sight.

"Van?" she panted. "Van, where are you?"

There was only silence from the quiet lake.

"VAN!" she screamed, her eyes widening with fright. Her voice echoed across the water.

"He's in the middle to the left!" she heard a small voice gasp out behind her.

Without a moment's hesitation, the woman stormed into the lake, pushing her legs against the murky water.

"Where in the middle?" she called back, her voice cracking.

"Keep going straight, Mrs. Fanel! He's a bit further!"

The lake suddenly bottomed out and Varie couldn't touch anymore. She stroked through the cloudy water, kicking off her shoes as she went.

"Right there!" Hitomi little voice called from the shore. "He's under you!"

Taking a deep breath, the woman submerged and swam down, her hands outstretched in the water. She felt something hard and opened her mahogany eyes.

It looked like a boat, but she wasn't sure through the foggy green water. Her breath was quickly running out. She had to find Van.

She had to.

Following the edge of the boat, she reached inside and felt wet fabric brush her fingers. She grabbed hold of the fabric and Van's still face drifted into her eye-sight. She had his t-shirt in her hand. Taking hold under the boy's underarms, she tried to tug Van up. He stopped. He was caught by the boat somehow.

Her breath was gone. She needed air. Letting go of her son, she swam up and gasped as her head broke the surface. She heard the cries of the little girl on the bank, but didn't register it. She dove back down.

Pushing her arms and legs, she found Van once again and searched for a way to release him from the boat. Feeling around, she noticed his foot tucked in the crevice of the bow. His shoe was wedged.

Grasping his leg with trembling hands, she yanked hard with her feet against the boat. Letting bubbles escape with the effort, she realized her head was getting dizzy. She pulled harder. The boat refused to let go.

Please, who ever is up there. Please. Don't take my baby.

She heaved, gasping. Water entered her mouth. She tried to tug a little more, but her arms felt heavy.

Please… please, don't take him.

Her brain was clogged, she couldn't breathe. She pulled one last time. One last ferocious time.

Van's foot slipped out of his shoe.

She drifted quickly away from the boat, pulling her son with her. Summoning all the strength she could muster, she swam for the surface. Van's body hung limply in her arms.

As soon as her head hit the surface, she gasped and coughed water out of her mouth. She breathed in the delicious air and pulled Van up so his head was exposed. He was pale. Completely still.

"You got him!?" Hitomi cried out.

"Yeah," Varie called back still coughing. She swam quickly towards the shore and the twitchy little girl. The five-year-old ran to meet her on the surf of the lake. Varie pushed her shaking legs to fight against the green water, Van's limp body in her arms. She hit dry land and gently set Van down.

She didn't see the girl's green eyes slowly fog over.

"Van?" she panted, kneeling down beside her son. She shook his shoulders "Van? Please, breathe!"

He was still. His eyes closed. His usually tan skin was an unearthly pale. The woman put her head on the boy's chest.

No heart beat.

"Van, no! NO!" Varie shouted her tears warm on her wet face. She held the boy's smooth cheeks in her violently trembling hands. "Breathe, honey! BREATHE!" He remained still.

He was dead.

"This can't be happening... this can't be happening to me..." she pressed her forehead against his cold one and cried on his face. "My baby boy... please..."

An odd static feeling crept up behind the woman, but she didn't pay attention. Suddenly, a strong electric current shot from her left shoulder and through her body like a bolt of lightning. The woman gasped and turned to see Hitomi's hand resting there.

"Let me see him," the girl said calmly. Through Varie's watery vision, she saw the brilliant sparkle of Hitomi's green eyes… and felt fear. She backed away from under the hand in fright and scooted closer to Van's head. She watched with held breath as Hitomi climbed on top the boy's body, sat on his stomach, and placed her hands on his silent chest.

The long-haired woman cried out as a fierce electric flow pulsed out of the girl's arms, down to her small palms and through the boy's body. His limbs jerked with the shock.

"Wha… what are you doing?" Varie sobbed. The girl ignored her. Her green eyes were focused on Van's still face. She pulsed the energy again. His body wiggled with the aftershock, but his eyes remained closed.

Hitomi inhaled and the woman heard the girl whisper something. Another shock followed.

And another.

And another.

The green-eyed girl stopped for a moment. Varie watched her young face tighten with anger.

"You're a meanie!" She shocked him.

"You call me names!" she shocked him.

"You didn't believe me!" she shocked him.

"And now you've made your family sad!" she shocked him.

"If you die, I won't ever forgive you!" she bellowed and shocked him.

Van gasped. His eyes opened wide.

Coughing and rolling to his side, water spurted out of his mouth and nose. The little girl jumped off his stomach as Varie rushed forward. He sucked in a ragged breath and coughed it out with more water.

"Van," the woman whispered through her tears. Her cold hands touched his face- his neck- his heart raced under her fingers. "Van!" she howled and grabbed the boy to her. Hugging him tightly with trembling arms, she smoothed the wet hair out of his eyes and rocked him. He coughed roughly and took in more air.

"Van… Van…" Varie cooed to him, crying freely and rubbing his back. "You're okay… You're going to be okay, Van… I love you so much… You're okay…"

The boy kept his eyes closed, panting for breath.

Several minutes passed as Van breathing slowly evened out. Varie continued to rock the boy and talk to him. She never noticed the small girl with brilliant green eyes slowly back away from the loving scene.

Tears of her own falling to the dirt floor.

Thrilling, wasn't it? :)

I find it funny that I killed Hitomi in one chapter and brought her back to life. Then I turn around, kill Van, and bring him back to life, too! My main characters really get a lot of problems from me. But I can't help it if you have to die for plot!

Like always, if you liked the chapter, thought it was horrible, want me to stop writing forever, or verbally throw fruit at me, you can write it all out below this author's note. I do sincerely hope you liked it though.

Work as been a bit trying this week. A lot of stuff to do. Yet somehow I pushed that all aside and finished this! lol! What a wonderful employee I am!

Welp, see ya next time - hopefully this week!

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