"Husky…Why do you get so emotional when it comes to Cooro…?"

Nana's question had been innocent enough – she was merely concerned for her (sometimes rather bashful) friend, as the fish +Anima didn't regularly have existential breakdowns. He was practically slumped on the sidewalk, taking in deep gulps of air and barely holding back tears. It was probably the lowest point the other two +Anima had ever seen him at.

The gasps slowed, but Husky's breathing did not. He turned his head so that he could stare the bat +Anima in the eyes. What did she mean…?

"Is it because…you love him…?" Nana admitted that she had kept this suspicion to herself for a long time. She'd just never had the courage, nor the audacity, to bring it up aloud. After the incident where she believed Husky was female (the source of her conclusion that Husky loved Cooro), she'd decided never to delve into his personal life again. In the emotion of the moment, though, she had forgotten.

Husky's eyes widened and his face went red. "O-Of course not! That's disgusting!" he shouted before collapsing back to the earth.

Thoughts swirled around his head like a great hurricane. Do I really love him…? Husky himself had been wrestling with this idea. In all honesty, the image of him kissing Cooro hadn't failed to give him an aversion yet. But the other boy was so damned attractive and, really, Cooro truly cared for the fish +Anima. There were a million times Husky would've told himself to screw off – but Cooro hadn't done that. Being raised in a circus, Husky had never had that sort of companionship. I just don't know…

But there were things he did know. And they were haunting him. It's all your fault. If you had been a better friend to Cooro, he wouldn't have run away. If you'd warned him about Zeke, then Zeke wouldn't have been able to manipulate Cooro. And if you had a damn head on your shoulders, you wouldn't have been distracted by Noïr, if that's her real name.

Senri and Nana were at a loss for what to do. Their friend had clutched his head, and was rolling from side to side, one step away from having a total epileptic seizure. The tears were rolling down his cheeks, something neither had seen in so very long.

Everything's gone all wrong! Husky shouted inside his mind. None of this was supposed to happen! The four of us were supposed to be happy, not split apart! And I'm to blame! The idyllic vision he had once had, of the four +Anima living together as a family, was blurred and fraying at the seams. Before his eyes, the happy ending he had guaranteed himself and his friends was falling apart.

It's my fault…It's my fault…

Miles upon miles upon miles away, no one believed it was Husky's fault. In fact, no one paid any attention to his existence.

They paid attention to Cooro. He stood in the middle of a dark room, surrounded by a circle of candles sitting on stools. The small wicker flames illuminated the crow +Anima's face, and not much more than that. The shadowy glints of the eyes that stared at him were the only other things that penetrated the darkness.

"Welcome, chosen one." Zeke's voice was full of life and volume, enthusiasm and charisma. "You have been heralded by others of your kind to lead +Anima to the dawning of a new day. Your charge cannot be refused – do you accept it?"

And Cooro nodded with vigor. Zeke had explained everything to him – it was his destiny to help destroy the dregs of organic life: the humans who were jealous of the +Anima and who persecuted them for their powers. People like Fly deserved the hell they were aiming for.

"We are your allies, the top tier of this new world hierarchy. Come out and introduce yourselves to the newest ray of light upon this bleak world." His voice died away as footsteps echoed towards the crow +Anima.

The girl who came out into the light had dark brown hair and a smooth face dotted with only a few freckles. Her eyes reminded Cooro of the ocean, which reminded him of…Without moving, he shook the thought from his head; Husky wasn't on their side. There were also some other choice features on her body – namely, the whiskers growing out of her cheeks and the alabaster tail extending down her legs.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," the girl told him. "Zeke's told me all about you." Her smile was anything but genuine – in fact, it seemed forced, as if to say back off. She reached out and took his hand in hers, shaking it with blatant dislike. "The name's Noïr – that's "noi-ear." Don't you forget it." A small claw pricked the back of Cooro's hand.

She waited for a weak, apprehensive nod from Cooro before she disappeared back into the shadows, her expression a total mystery.

Next, from the crow +Anima's left, came another familiar face. This man was tall, with shaggy black hair and a let cigarette clenched between his two front teeth. It was undoubtedly the clerk from the hotel; the one Zeke had given the room's key to. While he gained no grandeur, being surrounded by nothing but candles made the man seem much more intimidating. Cooro thought the man could not be any more intimidating than when he was given his task by Zeke – to keep the other three +Anima Cooro had traveled with out of their hair.

The man went into a small squat, until he was more level with the boy's head (but still above it). He extended a hand towards Cooro, and when the boy took it, he felt bumps along the man's arm. In fact, without a desk in front of him, the clerk's long, bulky, scaled tail was easily noticed.

As he shook Cooro's hand, the hotel's clerk said, "It's nice to meet you without your old company. I'm Tommy."

Looking past Tommy's figure, Cooro could see another girl standing near a candle. She had the look of someone who'd just seen a ghost on her face – nervousness, fear, surprise…Her eyes were cast partly at him, partly at the floor. The green spheres were full of apprehension, and…Cooro couldn't place the other emotion. Perhaps it was dejection…?

He didn't have anymore time to contemplate the odd girl, as she had disappeared behind the veil of shadow. Tommy once again shook the crow +Anima's hand enthusiastically before returning to his full height and stepping away. And for a minute or so, it was completely still...

…Which was why Cooro was visibly stunned when two thin, lithe objects fell over his shoulders and down onto his chest. Upon regaining his senses, he took a moment to examine the objects. They looked eerily like scythe blades, but were silver with green linings. What could they possibly be…?

His question was mostly answered when he felt someone's body up against his own. He swore he felt himself being tugged backwards, into the waist of the person behind him. There was a stifled gasp of breath, barely audible, before the air in the room returned to normal.

"Well, you have met the leaders of our operation…" Zeke's voice was unmistakable, especially being right next to Cooro's ear. The boy's hot breath tickled the flesh on Cooro's neck. "You are the final piece of the puzzle. Now we may begin." He leaned in and quickly nibbled on the crow +Anima's ear; there was a "humph!" from somewhere in the darkness.

When he was done, Zeke continued. "I hope you get plenty of rest over the next few days. There is one thing I must attend to. But in a week, we will claim our rightful place."

There were multiple gusts of breath from all sides of the room. In one glorious moment, the candles were snuffed, and the world – to Cooro, at least – was completely awash in shadow.