*"Where am I?"*

Stupid bitch.

*"What? Who's there?"*

You don't deserve happiness.

*"Who are you? Show yourself!"*

If I can't be happy, no one can.

No one…

can be…

happy…

*"That voice…no, it couldn't be…"*

The world began spiraling around. Silverton's heart plummeted and her stomach churned. Wind was rushing in her ears at rapid speeds. Suddenly, her body immediately halted, but her heart sped past her before slinking back into her chest.

Silverton opened her eyes slowly, watching all the trees around her spin. She dizzily rubbed her eyes. *"The hell happened?"* she thought as she regained consciousness. She'd suddenly remembered being hit in the head by an akuma. That was all. She was now lying in the bushes somewhere in the creepy, dense forest. She took a moment and closed her eyes to focus. *"There are still some akuma nearby. Fuck, I bet they're by Miranda and Yu…"*

~ ~ ~ Kanda ~ ~ ~

There was a high whistling sound that sliced through the air, snapping Kanda to his senses. "GET DOWN!" he trampled over Miranda, pushing her just barely out of the way of a purple missile.

Miranda sat up, dazed and confused, and looked at the missile that lodged itself into the ground where they were previously standing. "I-Is that a..?"

"Yeah," the samurai replied, "that missile came from an akuma."

The two of them watched as swarms of akuma began rising up over the trees. Kanda unsheathed Mugen and tried to stand ready for attack, but was held back by Miranda's hand in his. However, there was a problem.

"Kanda…you're…h-hurting me..!" Miranda stuttered in pain. She tried to pull her hand from his, but was unable to. "Please, stop…squeezing my hand..!"

"I-I'm not!" Kanda used all his strength to release her hand, but his muscles wouldn't respond to him. "Come on!" He ran with Miranda into the trees to avoid akuma, all the while trying to pry his grip from her hand that was turning white and purple. It was as if his hand had a mind of its own.

~ ~ ~ Silverton ~ ~ ~

She ran blindly through the forest, desperately trying to find the lake. "GOD DAMN IT! WHICH WAY IS FUCKING NORTH?!"

In all her irritation and rage, she found herself tripping on a stone and tumbling down a hill. When she finally caught her grip on the ground, she saw a green spark. "What the..?" her hands were buried in marshy soil. Water seeped between her fingers and sparked green again. She decided it would be best if she followed it uphill, since the water was trickling downwards.

She followed the water until she found a narrow cave. The sparking water was leaking out from the cavern. The question was: where was it coming from?

~ ~ ~ Kanda ~ ~ ~

"Die, die, die, die, DIE!" An akuma chanted as it chased Kanda and Miranda through the forest.

Kanda used Mugen with one hand to the best of his ability using only his right hand, since his left hand refused to respond to his commands as it squeezed Miranda's on its own.

"Why won't you let go?!" Miranda's pleas were getting more aggressive with the more pain she felt.

"I told you! It's not me! I'm not doing it!" Kanda shouted.

There was a crack and a scream. Kanda's heart dropped as he realized what happened. Miranda was the one screaming. Her hand was the one that cracked. Kanda crushed Miranda's hand until it broke.

At the same time, Kanda suddenly had control over his hand again as he quickly let her free from his grip. His knuckles regained their color slowly. He stared at his own hand, then down at Miranda. She had collapsed to her knees, holding onto her crippled hand, crying tears of pain.

After looking around for the akuma that had been chasing them, Kanda took the time to kneel down beside her and comfort her. "Shh, you'll be fine. I promise. I know it hurts, but I need you to be quiet."

~ ~ ~ Silverton ~ ~ ~

She stepped into the cold cave. Her footsteps echoed off the cave walls with every step she took through the shallow water. It was dark and damp, and the eerie atmosphere made Silverton's skin crawl. But if that wasn't enough to get her heart pounding, she wasn't at all prepared for what she was about to walk into.

A scream erupted from within the cave. It was a blood curling scream that ricocheted off the hollow walls and caused Silverton practically jump out of her own skin. She'd assumed the worst, due to her phasmophobia, and she contemplated running away right then and there. However, something told her she had to keep going. Had to. If she turned back now, she'd be proving Nova correct in calling her pathetic. That wasn't about to happen.

She pushed on down the hollow cavern, taking deep breaths as she did so. It wasn't long before she heard more voices. This time, they weren't screaming; They were whispering;

"She's here…"

Silverton let her nerves get the best of her and screamed. Although, it was more of a cry than a scream. However, she was unable to form words.

The voices started again.

"Is that her?"

"What if it's not?"

"Could it be…someone's here to save us?"

"HELP!"

"HELP US, PLEASE!"

"We're in here!"

"Oh god…please let it not be her…"

Silverton stopped her whining abruptly. *"Are they…people..?"* She swallowed the lump in her throat. "H-Hello? Is…anyone in here?"

"It's not her!"

"We're saved!"

"Please, hurry!"

Silverton darted further into the cave until she saw an orange light. When she reached the end, what she saw she couldn't believe.

~ ~ ~ Kanda ~ ~ ~

"Don't move your hand, it'll only hurt more." Kanda put Miranda in a safe spot within the trees before coming to a realization. "Miranda, are you able to turn back time on your own hand, or does it only work for things other than yourself?"

Miranda shook her head with tears in her eyes. "I can't…"she sobbed, careful to keep her hand still.

"You'll be alright. Stay calm. Your hand will be fixed up when we return to HQ." Kanda did his best to console the upset woman. *"This is the first time she's really been injured as an exorcist…and it's my fault. No wait…that wasn't me! I couldn't move my own hand. Either way, I can't afford to be sentimental right now. That akuma could be anywhere…"*

A chilling, rumbling voice emanated through the trees. It practically engulfed the exorcists as it uttered a single sentence, "...I'm right…behind you…"