I'm sorry that it's not as long as I hoped it would be. I've been having a hard time writing this story lately, so I apologize if it's not super amazing ^^ Please review anyway though, and tell me what you think!

(Hikaru's POV)

The next day wasn't too bad. We were getting ready to leave and as Frau was packing up the hawkzile, Teito ran off with Capella saying he had something to do. I turned to look at Frau and saw that he too, had no idea what Teito was planning.

"Go on kid. I know you got something to do too."

I nodded and ran off, taking a different direction than Teito. I didn't want him to see what I had planned on getting with the money I had earned. I checked around at the different shops and finally spotted exactly what I was looking for.

"How much are these?"

The shopkeeper was surprised at first, but told me the price and gave me the three items I purchased; one for each of them. I bowed to him slightly and ran off to go catch up with Teito. Just as I passed through the main shopping district a shiver went up my spine. Someone was here.

"It's nice to see you again, Pet."

I immediately spun around, but this puppet was faster and managed to get a hold on my neck, slamming me against the brick wall. A mangled cough escaped my lips, but Rok had awakened and put a large gash on the man's face. Thus allowing me to escape and give an attack myself.

I hit him violently with my zaiphon and sent Rok to go get Frau while I ran. I couldn't risk getting the people in the market involved in what was going on, so I did my best to navigate the twists and turns of the city. Finding Teito and Capella was my first priority at the moment, because I couldn't let them get hurt; especially when Capella shouldn't be involved in our problems.

I heard a loud clashing of zaiphon and caught site of Capella and Mikage under the bridge. I ran towards them and covered them the best I could from the debris that was being thrown in all directions. A particularly large piece of rock hit me in the head causing my vision to go foggy for a few seconds, which was just enough time for the one winged kor to attack us.

Crap! I forced my wings out quickly and managed to make it to the top of the bridge, but the fogginess from earlier made my reaction just slightly late. He'd hit my leg and I collapsed to the ground, hiding my wings while still looking to find someplace safe for Capella. Teito appeared beside me at that moment and I made sure he took Capella.

"But you're hurt!"

"We don't have time for this Teito! Take Capella and run! I'll try to hold him off a-"

"Not quite, Pet. If anything, you're going to help me. After all, you still are under my control."

I grabbed my head and yelled at Teito to get away. I didn't want to hurt him, not again. Luckily, the kor that was chasing me decided to show up and destroyed the part of the bridge Teito was on, driving him further away from me. It was then I noticed Teito was hurt.

Blood dripped of the end of his fingers and I knew he wouldn't be able to do any more fighting without the use of his arm, but the voice in my head was whispering, telling me to take him down in this moment of weakness.

"Do it now, Hikaru!…You should know better than to try and disobey your master…He's unable to defend himself…Now would be the best chance!"

Shut up! I can't hurt him! I did it once and I swore never to do it again! I'm not going to give in this time!

He apparently didn't like that response because next thing I knew, I was shoved harshly into the floor with my arm held behind my back in a painful position. I was vaguely aware of the ring of zaiphon around my neck as the other kor threatened Teito.

"Why do you steal everything that's precious to me? What in the world are you after?"

"The box in Antwort was empty. That box was one of a kind who was the one that removed it?"

I couldn't see what was happening, but I automatically knew it was bad when Teito began screaming. I struggled against the kor's grip, but a cracking sound stopped me mid way as pain shot up my shoulder. I made no sound as I screamed, when suddenly, the weight on my back was removed and Rok sat before my tear stained face.

I didn't know when I had begun crying, but knowing that Frau was here and Teito would be safe was all I needed to grin from my place on the ground. I couldn't move my right arm at all so I just waited for Frau or someone to realize I was here. Rok nuzzled my face gently and flew over to Frau, biting his ear.

"I know! I know! Geeze, I didn't forget 'bout him!"

With my good arm, I allowed a small message to float above my head as Frau turned to help me.

"Teito comes first. I-I can take care of myself…It's my fault anyway."

I forced myself to painfully sit up and try to roll my shoulder back into place. The pain was excruciating and I couldn't get it until Frau grabbed my arm. I opened my mouth to retort, but closed it with a loud snap when he popped it back into the socket. I glared at him, wishing he would just leave me and help Teito when he said the words I've always wanted to hear.

"It's not your fault…I'm not going to leave you. None of us are."

He smiled kindly and I smiled a little myself as I dropped my head.

"Thank you."

The next time I awoke, I was in a ship of some sort. It was dark, but I spotted Teito, Capella, and Frau sitting on some chairs in front of me. Teito and Capella were looking out the window at something so I sat up to see. At the sudden movement, my head began to spin after which I groaned which alerted Frau and the rest to my awakening.

"Oi! You shouldn't be movin' so fast!"

"Yeah, Hikaru! Just lay back down!"

Everything came back to me in a rush and I remembered what had happened before I passed out. Teito's arm seemed okay now and Capella wasn't hurt. Even Rok was up and about, flying over me and around the windows. Glancing out of my own window, I realized that we were surrounded by Wendi Skyrunners, relatives to Rok; who was extremely excited to be close to them.

I quickly grabbed the small bag that I had hidden in my coat, holding everyone's gifts. I pulled out a flat wrapped object and handed it to Frau.

"Hm? What's this-"

His eyes grew wide as he looked between the cover of the book and my smiling face, before a large grin covered his face and he ruffled my hair.

"Looks like I taught you something after all, brat."

Teito leaned over and caught a peak at the cover before blushing and turning to me with an angry look. I quickly stuffed my hand into the bag again and pulled out a small scarf, wrapping it around Capella's neck. He threw his arms around my neck, surprising me at the contact, but I hugged him back as he thanked me. I then reached into the bag and pulled out the last thing; a pair of black leather, fingerless gloves and handed them to Teito.

"I wasn't sure what you would want and I thought you might like these…"

Another pair of arms wrapped around my neck and he thanked me over and over again, before handing me a dark red scarf. I was shocked, never expecting to get anything in return, but I smiled as I shoved my head lower into it's warmth.

After a while, Teito had apparently beginning to teach Capella about zaiphon, but I noticed him start to zone out after a while. He soon fell asleep and Rok was tugging at my hair and biting my ear for me to play with him.

"Alright, alright. I'll play with you Rok."

I smiled gently and tugged at his tail. We made a game out of this where he would run around and try to stop me from poking him. It's like a game of tag and it doesn't take much to play, so I wasn't aggravating my wounds at all. Soon enough, Rok collapsed on my lap thoroughly exhausted with his small paws in the air. I was getting tired as well, and fell asleep while petting his stomach.

"GYEEEEEHHHH!"

I fell out of my seat and spotted Rok looking attentively towards the front of the ship. Something looking similar to Rok, only white, was flying outside the ship. The ship itself began tilting downward and I slid along the floor; Rok trying to slow me down by gripping my pant leg in his mouth. I hit the door separating the front of the ship and this room and struggled to get up. Pain shot up my leg and I sank back to the ground. Another hit to the ship sent a jolt up my leg and somehow opened the door, allowing me to tumble into the cockpit just as Frau and a few others fell out.

"Teito! What's going on?"

Teito never answered and instead was trying to land the ship. Rok had a death grip on my head and my leg was throbbing, but I managed to put my hand on the zaiphon support system.

"Hull energy 30% repaired…45% repaired…50% repaired."

"Hikaru! What are you doing? Your still injured! I can handle this, so let go!"

I just grit my teeth and smiled forcefully at him. He didn't like that answer, but now was not the time to argue seeing how we were flying towards the mountains with no place to land. The people around us were yelling and that, mixed with the blood seeping through the bandages on my leg, was causing my head to pound violently against my skull. I heard that we were landing and braced myself as best as I could.

The ship rocked violently and I was tossed around the floor of the cabin until I was practically thrown out the door into the snow, when it landed. The ice cold snow soaked through my clothes and I could only watch as Teito ran away from the ship. I desperately tried to get up and follow, but due to my injury I could only lay there until someone noticed me. Luckily, Frau did.

"Come on brat. Can't leave you here with that injury."

I was soon picked up and carried to where a fyulong dragon was confronting Teito. Frau's deep voice rumbled through his chest as he spoke to the beast.

"My bad. The one who took your child was me."

The dragon was less than pleased about this and ordered him to be silent.

"The darkness emitted from that child is visible to me. And of course, you and that other child as well, Sichel."

Teito continued to converse with the dragon and I felt Rok wiggle out from under my scarf and fly off towards Mikage as Teito set him down. I watched as Rok landed and play fought with Mikage before licking him and knocking heads. He seemed to know what was going to happen, but I didn't expect him to fly up to the large fyulong and sit on its nose, staring straight at it. They were completely silent for a moment up until the fyulong turned its head towards Frau and I.

"You are a tainted child to have Samil within you, but this youngling has told me about the great amount of light that you hold. Come forward so I may witness the truth of this."

Frau set me down and I took a step forward, only to fall to the snow. Frau bent over to help me up, but I grit my teeth and rose shakily to my feet. I stumbled towards the dragon and fell just before reaching it. I expected to feel the crunch of snow under me, but instead I felt warmth and fur. The fyulong had caught me with its nose and I stared up fearlessly into its large violet eyes.

The world around me seemed to vanish and I was surrounded by a mixture of pure white feathers and dark black ones. Flashes of my memories flew past at an unremarkable pace and tears began to flow freely from my eyes, Rok lapping them up and nuzzling my cheek from my shoulder. I felt immense sadness well up within me, but along with that feeling came fear and determination. Fear of losing myself, but the determination to do anything to protect those close to me no matter what the cost. The world returned and the fyulong purred, looking down its nose at me with sorrowful eyes.

"You have been through a lot for one so young and yet the light within you is bright, banishing the darkness of the world in an instant. Gather enough brightness to erase the shadows of fear and doubt, and your mind will be free of temptation and vile."

I gripped the dragon's fur and nodded my head against her nose as she gently set me down on the snow. I pet Rok affectionately as the dragon spoke again to Teito and soon took off. Mikage was left with Teito and all seemed fine, until Frau carried me and we began to leave: Teito collapsed.