Oh wow. 50 chapters. I never even imagined when I first started this story that it would go this far! I couldn't have done any of this without all of you, the readers. So, THANK YOU SO MUCH! X3!

I went sorta crazy with the moe writing in this chapter and I have officially decided that Gumi's back story is next chapter! Kya~! X3

Without further ado,

ENJOY CHAPTER NUMBER 50, MINNA~!

~Tiruneko ;3

X~50~X

IA rolls over, her cheek touching IO's shoulder again. She closes her eyes, inhaling his scent before resuming trying to sleep. The van is crowded, even with two people on watch duty. IA can't really sleep, then again, she doesn't really want to. She's afraid of those moments in which she closes her eyes, because it all seems to slip away when she isn't looking.

Just then IO begins to mumble softly in his sleep, his mouth peeling into a frown. His right arm twitches and IA sits up, watching him, her lips pressed into a thin concerned scowl. There is a brief pause in the boy's fit and then he resumes, his arms and legs thrashing madly, his eyes fluttering under his lids, his noises sounding like whimpers and muffled cries.

IA whimpers. She bends down over IO's body, lying directly on top of him. She pulls her thin arms around his neck and presses her face into his shoulder and pulls him into her. IO jolts awake, panicking.

He notices a large pressure on top of him and IO slowly opens his eyes. IA shifts, pressing her mouth near his ear and whispering, "The darkness can't come for you if I'm your shield." Her soft voice strikes a chord, and the tears IO had been begging himself not to shed begin to pour like a waterfall.

The dreams are too real, too furious, too true to ignore. IO quickly raises his arms, wrapping around IA's upper back and hugging her closer to his chest as he begins to silently sob into IA's hair. She doesn't mind and he can't stop himself, so the two lie there for a long time before IO's choking cries turn into small and quiet whimpers to sniffles to nothing at all.

IA eases herself off of him and looks down at his face. Her nose hovers not even an inch from his and his eyes are open. He's still awake. Her crimson red eyes are the only light in the darkness of the van's trunk. IA rolls off of him to his left side and presses herself into his side, wrapping her arm around his chest and gripping him by his shoulder. IA wrests her cheek on his shoulder and the sudden desire to sleep is overwhelming. But she ignores it, not eager to slip out of this moment.

IO rolls onto his side a little while later, and the two lie facing each other, IA's arms wrapped around him like he's a pillow. Under the protective gaze of his puffy red eyes IA can't help but slip out of consciousness and into dreamless sleep. He continues to watch her long after her eyes have closed and her breathing has slowed.

IO lies like this until the sun rises and as he hears Rin wake up, he pretends to be asleep next to IA. Realizing he doesn't look relaxed enough to be asleep, he takes this as an excuse to pull closer to IA, further into her limp, sleeping arms. Rin buys it, but then again, it's really not like she's looking anyways.

The van starts moving a little while later, slowly at first, then gradually faster. IO waits until the last possible second to move.

IA lifts her head, a small trail of drool clinging to the left corner of her mouth. The faint early morning sunlight streaming through the windows illuminates her eyes and her body ruffles the thick and comfortable matt bellow them. Her eyes flutter open to be met with a set of gleaming and emotionless red ones.

"Hi." IO says very softly.

IA curls slightly, closing her eyes again and relaxing around IO's body. Miku watches from the other corner of the van, blushing softly. Len scoots over to sit beside her and he watches IA and IO, slightly concerned and faintly paranoid. Miku notices and shifts heavily, eyeing Len almost with an air of frustration. Miku shrinks into her scarf and speaks, her voice soft and muffled. "She's fine. He really likes her." Len tenses visibly, clearly unaware that Miku could see through him that easily.

Len relaxes into the side of the van a moment later and replies nearly as quietly as Miku, but no one can be as quiet as Miku. "I know."

"You're tired, Len. You didn't sleep last night, you should sleep more." Again, Len seems shocked. Miku blushes profusely under his gaze. "U-Uh… y-your eyes a-are very tired. I-I-I wasn't watching you… I slept last night…" Miku yanks her scarf over her head and buries her face in her knees.

"Are you okay?" Len asks, playfully concerned.

"T-that came out w-wrong." Miku mutters. Len claps her on the back and Miku jumps, raising her head instantly. "S-sorry, I meant to comfort you… but… you c-comforted me."

"I don't need comforting, Miku. I'm good. You feeling okay? You normally don't talk this much and you're stuttering more than usual." Stuttering has become normal for Miku. Even if she had specifically practiced in her head exactly, word for word what she was going to say, it is always a completely random shot in the dark whether she would talk smoothly or not. Still the fear of talking to people, even some she's extremely comfortable with, is very controlling and overbearing on her.

Miku nods, lying. Len frowns softly. Miku shifts. "I dreamed about… my p-parents last night." Len goes rigid and his breath catches.

"Oh." Miku has never spoken about her parents to anyone and frankly Len had forgotten until now, and by her expression, it's not a good thing. He had also thought that no one else in the van could hear them, but at the end of Miku's sentence, Gumi tenses across the van.

"I-It's o-o-o-okay r-r-really." Miku has a hard time at the end, but gives Len a weak smile.

Directly in front of them IA finally sits up, yawning and pulling her arms out over her head, stretching. IO frowns to himself but sits up as well, squirming out from under her grip, embarrassed. Everyone in the backseat is watching them, Lapis, Gumi, Miku, Oliver, and Len.

IA looks around, lighting up upon seeing Len, and darkening upon not seeing Yuuma. "Where's Yuuma?" Her eyes widen, slightly fearful.

"I'm up here." Yuuma says from the driver's seat.

"Where are we going?" Lapis asks, yawning heavily.

"Wherever we end up." Len mutters, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The car lurches violently to a stop. Everyone hangs in the silence, biting their tongues, frozen in the moment. Gumi slowly reaches her hand and closes it around the handle of Gumo. With her other hand, as if a silent acknowledgement of something no one else can see, she flips her goggles over her eyes.

"Yuuma…" Rin, sitting in the passenger's seat, turns very slowly to him. The pink haired boy slams his foot against the gas pedal and the car doesn't even stall. It has simply stopped. Yuuma's face turns deathly pale. The hanging silence is cut through as Gumi stands, making the van rock. Her expression is unreadable.

"Stay in the van." She mutters, demanding harshly even through the quiet tone. Miku cringes at this new voice and shrinks into the back of the van.

Gumi places her hand on the car door and slowly eases it open. She slips out, closing it almost instantly behind her. Rin picks up her gun and checks the bullets. Yuuma glances over her shoulder and pulls out a handful of bullets from the console of the car. Rin doesn't ask but simply loads the pistol, bringing it to a tight grip in her hands.

More silence. IA begins to shudder and instinctually grabs IO around the shoulders, burying her face into his shoulder. IO cracks a tiny smile that fades almost instantly. Len glares, reaching for Yuuma's backpack and drawing out Lapis' knife. Lapis pulls the gun she found on Meiko out from her jacket pocket and waits, body blocking IO and IA.

A loud grunt and a thump on the side of the van echoes out and Miku jumps, yelping. She grabs Len and attempts to hide behind him. Another loud thud hits the side of the van and reverberates, followed by a gunshot.

"Screw this-", Rin kicks open the passenger's side door and emerges, shooting rapidly.

"Rin!" Oliver shouts, irritated, moving out of the back of the van. Len follows with Lapis behind him.

"Stay here." He warns. Miku nods, gulping and IA whines softly as Yuuma also leaves.

A pair of strong hands wrap around Gumi's throat and force her roughly into the ground. She braces her knees against the man's chest, pushing harshly and rolling him. Once on top she brings her elbow down with immense force into his nose, splattering her with a coat of thick blood. Len's voice draws at her, but Gumi remains, a force that is no longer human having taken control now. The black haired boy underneath her brings his forehead crashing into Gumi's, sending a loud and reverberating thrum throughout her brain. If anything it seems to allow Gumi to hit even harder.

Someone grabs Gumi by the hair and yanks her backwards, slamming her skull into their boot. A teenage girl with long and puffy swirls of blonde hair frowns above her, raising what seems to be a large silver mace above her head, about to swing it down. Gumi's pupils shrink slightly, and she rolls out from under the heavy weapon as soon as it swings down. A gun shot ricochets and Gumi flies for Gumo, head throbbing. She definitely has a concussion. Blood begins to drip out of her nose, splattering onto her shit.

Len's voice says something and Gumi shakes her head to clear it as the blonde haired mace wielding girl turns to face her, her expression emotionless.

She's a very tall girl, maybe about Miku's age, with long puffy blonde hair and a brown head band. She is wearing a white uniform with a pleated skirt that has orange stitching and knee length white leggings underneath. The top looks like a school uniform with an orange bow tied at the neck. Her face is concealed with a white mask with a bird's beak where the nose should be. The mask cuts off after there, allowing her mouth and pale cheeks to show. Her mace dangles at her side. The boy Gumi was attacking slowly stands up as well. He has choppy dark black hair with one red face framing strand on the left side of his face. His uniform is identical to the girl's, only without the skirt and just the under-shorts. A brown leather collar is around his neck, of all things.

Gumi's vision is gradually becoming blurred. Oh right, the concussion thing. Gumi curses under her breath, tensing and raising her crowbar. Rin bumps into Gumi's back, nearly causing the green haired girl to send her flying. Len backs into Rin, Yuuma into Lapis, Lapis into Oliver and Oliver into Gumi until they all stand in a line, their backs to the van, facing five figures.

As the dust clears everyone turns to look at Yuuma. His face has drained of all color, his eyes widened with horror, his shoulders dropping and his eyes nearly shaking in their sockets.

"Yuuma?" Gumi asks, panting and out of breath. "Get yourself together…"

The figure in the center of the line steps forward. They're about Lapis' height, with fair features and faint freckles under their eyes. Their hair is pulled into two hot pink drills and their white and pink combat uniform gleams under the morning sunlight. Clutched in her hand is a shining silver rapier with one pink gem at the end of the handle. Engraved on the blade of the weapon is the image of a bright yellow cross with a crow perched on top.

"Hello, Yuuma." Teto says emotionlessly, taking a step forward.

Len shoots Yuuma a glare that sends fire running through the pink haired boy's veins. "You lead them here, didn't you!?" Len nearly screams.

Yuuma ignores him, taking a step forward as well, his progression only stopped by Gumi's hand. "T-Teto? What-what're you…"

"I'm fixing your mistakes…" Teto gulps, losing all of the control she thought she had. She had planned every moment of this conversation out since she found out about her brother's betrayal of Demon's Crow, but now, all she wants to do is cry and scream and hurt him for what he's done. "…how…" Her voice wavers, cracking. "…how could you?"

"Teto-"

The sound of steady clapping sounds from the woman on the very far left of the enemies' line. Meiko steps forward, grinning ear to ear.

"Oh, oh wow!" She cheers, sneering. "Too many emotions, guys!" Meiko laughs snidely, still clapping. "Teto, get back over here. You're here for a job, not a family reunion." Teto grimaces at Meiko's voice but still she turns and gets back in the center of the line as Meiko steps forward. "Well, Demon Children, we meet again! And so soon too…" Meiko shoots a glare at Gumi who smiles widely, snickering. "…well, I love bragging, so let's begin, shall we? Meet the army of Demon's Crow! In progress, of course." Meiko laughs hysterically before continuing. "Well, basically… hmm… how to put this lightly… they're here to kill you and take the ones that don't die back to their nice little cells! Aw, where are the little ones? I had so much fun hacking their limbs off just to see what would happen…"

Yuuma tenses immediately, his eyes narrowing to a vibrant flaming intensity. Len does the same, nearly ready to explode. The blonde boy steps forward to face Meiko, looking up into her amber eyes.

"We may not be human but we're more human than you'll ever be."

"Oh? Didn't like what I said about the little ones? The way the girl screamed when the saw hit her neck… the way the boy sobbed when her blood began to paint him, the way the girl's body twitched in death as her head rolled onto the floor… did you not want to hear about that?" Meiko's mouth splits into a wide snake-like grin as Len shudders with rage. Yuuma's grip tightens around his gun as he listens, ready to shoot Meiko when he gets the chance. Meiko's eyes fall onto Lapis. "Oh! The Shion girl's here! What else should I have expected…", Meiko's face goes dark for a moment, as if the memory of Kaito hurts her. "Ah! Introductions, can't forget those, now can we?"

Meiko moves to stand in front of the tall, blonde haired girl. "SeeU..." Meiko moves on to the black haired boy. "Rook…" Yuuma jumps.

"R-Rook?" He stutters, staggering backwards slightly.

Meiko continues. "Teto… and lastly, Ted." A slightly taller boy with long red hair pulled into one very long and thin pony tail pushes his glasses up the bridge of the beak on his mask. In his hand is a small machete. "Well then… let's get started, shall we?"

SeeU lunges forward, swinging the heavy mace around her head in a circle, smashing it into Rin's side and sending her sprawling. SeeU is slow, but very strong. Gumi makes a mental note. The green haired girl is slowly becoming dizzy, she can't last much longer and she knows it.

Gumi skids over to where Len is fighting of Rook, and Gumi bashes the black haired boy over the head with Gumo, watching him crumple to the ground. "Len, cover me." Len nods and Gumi ducks behind him to catch her breath for a moment. Gumi turns around, pulling up the right leg of her pants and revealing a small white dart-pouch attached to her thigh. She unbuttons it and pulls out a slim black capsule the size of a battery with wires coming out of each end, winding around and connecting to another thin silver battery sized box. Gumi takes a green wire and connects it to a red one. She pulls her pant leg back down and hides the device in her hand.

Gumi waits for a perfect opening. She looks over Len's shoulder as he moves against the attacks of the girl named Teto towards the other side of the road where Meiko is standing. Behind Meiko is a grove of trees and just beyond that is what seems to be an unusual black object, most likely their car. But they wouldn't have brought only one, no, there would be a van to transport their captives back… Gumi spots the white car and shouts over the gun shots a command to Len. The blonde nods and the two go to work.

Yuuma pulls IA out of the van, slinging her around his shoulder and holding IO in his arms. Miku trails behind him, nervously. He ushers them out of the back of the van to the side opposite of the one facing the assorted battles.

"What're you-" Miku tries to ask while Yuuma cups a hand over her mouth.

"We wait for Gumi."

Not long after, Rin comes skidding behind the van, nearly falling on Yuuma. As Lapis barrels behind their only shield, Rin launches herself back out into the road. Oliver comes next, panting heavily and covered in blood, some his own. Lastly, a few minutes later, after many assorted thuds and gun fires, Gumi comes rushing back behind the van, panting heavily. She looks disheveled and exhausted, with heavy bags under her eyes and many bruises and cuts around her skin.

She bends down behind the van, attaching a black and grey capsule to the side. Yuuma's eyes widen in horror instantly, and he shoots upwards, grabbing Gumi by the wrist. Gumi instantly reacts, nearly about to take Yuuma's head off with her crowbar at the sudden touch.

"Is that what I think it is?" Yuuma scowls darkly.

"If you think it's a bomb, then yes, yes it is." Gumi instantly pulls everyone backwards, away from the van and screams at the top of her lungs, "INCOMMING!" She hurls a green bar dart with almost inhuman precision and as the tip of the trajectory touches the silver box on the capsule, the van erupts in yellow flames.

With the force of the blast the car shoots forward, rolling out into the street and sending flaming debris hurling in thick clouds of black smoke. A grin spreads across Lapis face as Gumi whoops loudly. Gumi ushers the group to move under the cover of the smoldering van. It's created a path straight through the road and into the grove of trees where Meiko's cars are parked.

SeeU, Rook, and Ted have all been knocked out flat by the explosion and Meiko was hit by a chunk of metal and she is unconscious on the ground. The only one still fighting is Teto, who is currently kicking Rin in the jaw. Rin comes back around, head butting Teto so hard she spins, falling backwards onto the asphalt. Rin pins her under her boot and utters a low pitched growl as the group comes running past her towards the other cars.

Just as Gumi steps over Meiko's unconscious form, Rook lunges at her from behind, hands clawing desperately for Gumi. He manages to pull her down and his hand grabs her shoulders from behind, one of his fingers slipping and raking down her back. Gumi's head snaps back and her pupils shrink to tiny pinpricks in her irises. She begins to scream. As if controlled by some instinctual and alien force, the green haired girl brings her hand down with such force that Rook's nose is instantly shattered and he recoils back in pain. From the force of the impact Gumi's knuckles burst, bleeding profusely.

She stands frozen for a moment and then continues running, even faster than before.

Gumi passes the first car with Yuuma at her heel. Rin ducks down and using Lapis' knife expertly slashes every one of the first car's tires. A watcher jumps out of the second car only to be drop-kicked into the ground by Len, who crawls into the driver's seat. Rin flings herself into the passenger's side and Gumi throws open the back doors to the van, sending crates intended to hold the Demon Children spilling out onto the grass. With them all gone the back of the car is actually quiteis panicked beyond belief. Oliver throws himself in next with Lapis not too far behind. Yuuma jumps in and Gumi runs around to the front of the van just as Len is about to step on the gas.

Gumi pries open the hood with her crowbar and jams it inside the engine under the hood. Rin screams. "Gumi! Get the hell away from the car!"

Gumi emerges from under the hood triumphantly, holding a white tracking device with the insignia of a crow perched on a cross in her hand. She throws the capsule down and flings herself with a final burst of energy into the trunk just seconds before Len speeds away.

The group sits silently in their new van. Gumi leans against the back of the van, panting heavily. This car is the type where the trunk has no relation to the front "cockpit" of the car, so that anything in the back is entirely separate.

Gumi cannot control her breathing at all, and her hand is bleeding slower now but still hurts incredibly. Her shaking hands reach for her goggles and she tugs them off of her eyes only seconds before she blacks out.

As Lapis and Yuuma and Oliver move to tend to Gumi, IA shudders violently, feeling a new wave of tears coming. IO's eyes widen with fear and he holds his hands up and out in front of him to IA. He shakes his head rapidly and says with his full volume, "Please don't cry anymore."

IA instantly melts, collapsing into his body and nearly knocking him over. IA's hands grip IO by the shirt tightly as she sobs into his chest and, without knowing what else to do, he slowly raises his own hands to touch her back, tentatively at first. Then, after a moment, he tugs IA with great force into him, and he touches his forehead to the top of her head and closes his red eyes for a long moment.

Thanks to reviewers: zhane17, MT's Souless6, Black White and Superstitious, Manga-Cats-Anime, iDontCare, Guest, and Awesome D.T

Something I Forgot To Address: Basically I've gotten a few reviews and PMs along the lines of, "Where the effin' hell is Miki?". Don't worry, I have NOT forgotten about her. In fact Miki will be playing a VERY important role in the future, so look forward to that! I'm also not adding one of my random little questions at the end of this chapter, but if you want to make one up and give your "theory" or whatever in your review, go ahead! Thanks to the responses for my last question too and don't worry, you'll find out the real answer soon enough... heheheheh.

Character Pole:

Len- 9

Gumi- 9

Miku- 8

Rin- 8

IO- 4

Yuuma-3

Oliver- 3

IA- 2

Lapis- 2

Luka- 1

Haku-1

Until next time!

~Tiruneko