Rays from the now setting sun were shining on the seven of them as they walked towards the train station. After a looooong explanation, blocking some attacks and yelling, Durbe had learned that Mahpari and Kite trusted one another and had become friends at some point. Naturally, the two soldiers came to trust each other as well.

Smoke rose from the train station as a few of them pulled away. Durbe kept a close eye on the train they were supposed to board, making sure they didn't have to try and sprint to get on at either time. Walking was enough of a problem.

He could only imagine what running would do.

Mahpari watched as everyone walked ahead of her. She stayed close to Kite and Durbe, but said not a word on anyone's conversation. Rather, she just stayed silent, enjoying the scenery. It was somewhat peculiar, with a cactus here and there in their own little pieces of sand that were surrounded by luscious grass. High rocks were to the left, taking the sunlight and hiding it so no one could go blind as they walked to the station ahead.

None of them said a single word as they raced onto the train. Mahpari jumped down by Durbe, snuggling against him in an instant. Mizael and Kite sat across from one another, while Alit and Gilag instantly took the opportunity to sit together.

"Nii-san..."

Durbe turned and looked at Mahpari, staring into her curious smokey-gray eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure you're okay? You've been limping, and I'm concerned."

"That's just from one of my injuries. After that explosion, my glasses broke. Some of the glass punctured my leg. I've kinda been limping ever since."

"Oh."

That definitely answered the question. Mahpari chuckled, then looked at Kite with innocent eyes. She still found it hard to believe that they had become friends after a small conversation involving Kite's little brother.

Another chuckle escaped Mahpari's lips. She leaned her head on Durbe's chest, thankful he was allowing her to sleep, considering the fact she still felt a bit weak from her little...injury from earlier.

Life is normal for me now, Mahpari thought, a warm smile crossing her lips. She blinked, then sank into her older brother's embrace. It's finally normal.

And just like that, she fell asleep, happy thoughts swimming around her mind for the first time since Durbe had left again.

If only she'd noticed the figure that was standing atop the rocks near the station.

XxXxXxXx

There was a small shaking on her shoulders. Slowly, she began to come out of dream world, but the voices she heard were nearly impossible to make out. Mahpari's smokey-gray eyes opened half way, and they stayed staring straight ahead of herself. Colors slowly began to revert back to their original shades as she finally allowed her eyes to drift up, staring into Kite's sky-blue eyes.

"How ya doing, kiddo?" Kite asked, running a hand through Mahpari's silky gray hair.

Mahpari smiled. "Kinda tired," she yawned out, not moving from her spot on top of Kite. Instead, she blinked, then snuggled a little closer to him. "Where's my nii-san at?"

"He needed to lie down for a little bit. So I took you and let you sleep on top of me."

"Oh. Well, thank you."

Kite only chuckled. He turned and looked out the window, watching the stars as they passed slowly through the area. Mahpari copied him, wondering how many hours it had been since they first boarded the train. Let's see, they got on at around 8:37 PM, so...maybe three or four hours?

Not like it mattered to Mahpari. She got to spend time with her brother and her new friend. As long as she had them, she was fine.

A small, plaintive whimper came from Mahpari as she relaxed even more into Kite's embrace. The blond and teal-haired man smiled and held her close in a very protective fashion, making a few thoughts begin to go through Mahpari's mind.

"Um...Kite? Can I ask you a question?"

Now, Kite looked away from the window. He stared at Mahpari, sky-blue eyes gazing into smokey-gray ones. All he did was blink in response.

"I may be pushing it a bit," Mahpari began, "but...what happened to Hart? Like, who killed him?"

Mahpari could feel Kite's whole body tense with fear. She winced, starting to think maybe this was not the best time to bring it up.

"I don't know, Mahpari," Kite whispered. His breathing began to get a little heavier. "About one year ago, when I first started working for Vector. I enjoyed it for a while. But then, they started trying to get Hart involved in stuff, wanting to use him as bait. I didn't want that to happen, so I decided I'd quit and take Hart with me to safety."

"They took him, didn't they? To make you stay. And when you continued to refuse... they killed him?"

Kite could only nod.

Mahpari sighed, then flung her arms around the blond and teal-haired man's waist. "It's okay," she whispered. "It's alright."

The train pulled to a stop. Kite and Mahpari looked up to see Alit bounce to his feet. As they looked around, they could see that everyone else was fast asleep.

"How do you plan on waking them up, Alit?" Mahpari asked.

Alit turned and smirked. "Like this."

Neither Kite nor Mahpari understood just what Alit was going to do at first. But soon, they knew, and they ended up having to cover their ears to block out Alit's yell.

"GUYS GUYS WAKE UP! THE TRAIN'S GONNA BLOW!"

In an instant, Durbe, Mizael, Gilag, and Shark were up, rushing off the train in a heartbeat. Alit laughed, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. "That's never not funny," he said, chuckling and grabbing his stuff before darting off on his own.

Mahpari looked up at Kite when they stood. "That was rather obnoxious."

"Yeah, it was. I think you should get your brother's backpack."

"Right." Mahpari walked over to the seat Durbe had been sleeping in, then grabbed his backpack and slung it over her shoulders. She and Kite walked off the train just as it began to pull away, watching as Shark, Alit, and Gilag began to walk away. Probably going back home as well, Mahpari thought.

That's when the thought hit her. Mahpari turned to Kite, then gave him a strange look. "Where are you gonna go?" she asked.

Kite shrugged. "I dunno. I packed my pictures of Hart and I, then left the house to go with you back to your brother's base. There's really no place for me to go."

"Why don't you just come with us?"

Now, Kite's eyes lit up. He looked at Durbe, whose eyes were wide with shock. Mizael's were the same way.

"Mahpari, what are you suggesting?" Durbe asked. "That we let him live with us?"

"Yes," Mahpari replied flatly.

An awkward silence came and swept over the trio. Finally, Durbe sighed, and his only visible answer was a nod. Upon seeing this, Mahpari squealed with joy, then grabbed Kite and Durbe by the wrists and began to run away towards their house. Mizael simply chuckled and walked after them.

And that was about when Mahpari screamed, followed by Durbe and Kite crying out in shock.

"What the hell?" Mizael exclaimed, forgetting what he was doing and charging forward. He did not dare to stop until he got to where the scream had been heard. When he did, he about let out a scream of his own.

Vector stood there, Mahpari clutched in his grasp, with a knife to her throat.

Mizael, Kite, and Durbe all stood totally still, confused as heck. It made no sense whatsoever! Vector had been killed in that explosion. Even Mizael knew of this because he'd been told by Durbe. So how was he still around?

Apparently, they had not looked close enough after that horrible mess.

Kite glared, then balled his hands into fists. "Put her down, Vector!" he yelled, ready to charge forward. As he did, Durbe grabbed him by the arm, keeping him back. The blond and teal-haired man glared, then realized what the soldier behind him was thinking.

If they got too close, Vector would end Mahpari right there.

Mahpari seemed to understand this as well. She narrowed her eyes the way Durbe often did, then let out a yell and elbowed Vector. The orange-haired man yelped and tossed her forward, causing her to land right on top of Mizael.

"Oh that tears it! I will kill you all, one way or another!" Vector yelled, grabbing his knife from where he'd dropped it. He went rushing forward, only to be surprised by Mahpari, who leaped in front of him and jump-kicked him down. Everyone, especially Durbe and Vector, was stunned by what they had just seen.

The gray-haired girl growled. "Stay away from us," she mumbled. "You'll only cause trouble for yourself, you maniac."

It seemed that had gotten through Vector's thick, thick skull. He glared, then stood back up. "Fine," he sneered, slowly bringing his hand to his jacket pocket. Mahpari squinted, attempting to see what it was he was reaching for. Something shiny caught her eye. At first, she couldn't be sure just what it was.

But in a heartbeat, it clicked in her mind. It became completely clear when Vector drew the pistol from his pocket, ready to shoot them.

"If I can't come near you, I'll kill you from a distance!"

Vector pointed the pistol towards Durbe. The gray-haired soldier gasped, freezing on total instinct on accident. Mahpari noticed this easily.

When the shot rang out, the rest followed so quickly that it was almost unbelievable.

Mizael stood there, wide-eyed and scared stiff. The event played over and over in his mind, and at rapid speed too. One second, Mahpari had been right next to him. The next, however, she had somehow managed to pounce in the way of the bullet, protecting her older brother from the impact that was meant to kill him.

Instead, it hit her. Straight in the chest.

The scream that had come from Mahpari was so loud that it reached Shark, Alit, and Gilag. In an instant, they were running back, calling Mahpari's name in fear of what might have happened to her.

But the scene they raced into told every word they needed to know, without making a single sound.

Clutched in her older brother's grasp was Mahpari, who was bleeding from the chest. Durbe was holding her close, whimpers coming from him as tears flooded down his cheeks. He brushed his fingers against Mahpari's face as he stared at her, as if that would prevent her from going.

He knew it wouldn't, though.

Meanwhile, behind them, Vector lay there, motionless. Kite and Mizael loomed over him, making it pretty obvious who had killed him.

"Mahpari," Durbe whispered, staring into his little sister's eyes when she opened them. She weakly smiled up at him, trying to convince him that it would be okay, even though she knew it wouldn't be.

"It...it's o-okay, nii-san," Mahpari said in a hushed tone. She forced herself to chuckle. "It's okay."

"No, it's not! You're dying! That's not okay, Mahpari! And I can't lose you!"

Mahpari had no words left to say on that note. She simply giggled, ignoring the pain that pulsed in her chest. Her voice sounded like it was coming from the wind as she spoke.

"I love you...nii-san..."

There was nothing left to do but stare as Mahpari's smokey-gray eyes closed, her body went limp, and her older brother began to sob.

TO BE CONTINUED...

XxXxXxXx

Okay, yup, left off with a major cliffhanger. Hehehe, make your guesses on what will happen next, but just know you won't be finding out until after May 15. The only reason for that is that I'm taking time to rewrite and fix most of my stories because it's bugging the crap out of me. Warning: It will (Probably) make my stories page look completely different. Anyway, I'll give the signal on my profile a few days after I'm finished reposting things, so until then, ignore me story wise. You may still PM me. Happy waiting on the edge of your seats...mwahahaha...