He didn't answer me. I wanted my a̱̪n͇̮s͕͖̖̙͉w͚ ̦̳͈͓e̱ṛ͎̘.

Even so, as he leaned over and pushed me tighter into the covers I found it so very hard to move. The world around me swam in a delirium of floating colours. Of whites, and blues, blacks and the unmistakable greens of his sallow, tired eyes. I reached out to that swirl of colour and the pads of my fingertips hit his cheek. Warmth leaked into the cold of my fingers, and it sprang up against his skin like wildfire. He drew away.

My touch. Just my touch h͚̯̬̖�*̳̲uÌ®rÌžÍ‡Ì ¤ÍšÌÌ–t̩�*s̖̬ people.

My hand fell away as he left. My eyes were unable to focus but I could hear the steady thump of his boots against the chiseled onyx floor, the grind of the steel door as it opened then shut and the echo of the force behind it.

I was....wa R M? WhE Re WaS i ag͖͍͖A�*Ì©IN�*Í™Ì»Í Ì¤Ì™?

I shut my eyes. I liked this warmth. Even if I could feel it burning away, charring at my touch. Had I be Co Me so po Werful? So C̘̫�*̟͉̰oÌ¥Ì¼Í…Ì˜Í ÌªÌžr̞̞̮̙͓͚̱ RÌ–u̥�*̦̳̮͔p͇̞̪t ̜̗̩͚̟eÍ•Ì¤ÌŸÍ‰Ì¼ÍˆÌ –d ̯̹͇ͅ?͎̞̰ This was what someone wanted. Good.... G O oood..

I pushed myself off the bed, a shaking hand held a balled up section of blanket that trailed behind me as I took slow, steady steps toward what looked like the door. Darkness...it - it encroached on the field of my vision. There was no reason to me being up and around, no drive to walk and yet, as though pressing on and being goaded by an unknown force I moved. Soundlessly across a room I barely recognized.

The door opened and a figure stepped through, billowed waves of white followed. "Scarlet?" Gentle hands gripped my shoulders, then pulled away as flesh hissed and burned. "What happened?"

Still under the effects of Richards truth serum, I spoke with a hazy tone. "Everything...is shattering. I cannot...who are you?" I asked as I tried to focus my gaze on him.

"Zero. I'ts Zero. What is shattering?"

Ah...I faintly recalled that name, I took a shaky step forward struggling to support my own weight. "I am. I am No T Sc Ar let. I am...tool. I think... it's hard to think...tavern. Shinsou was there with another...ah..." I lifted a hand to gently graze the hole in my skin, where nothing but a blackness swirled beneath. "I shattered. I have a fever. Was told to...."

Words faded into nothing; as did my mind. Everything I was saying and doing in t Hat mom ent vanished, and ć̈̉̇͗eÌ€Ì€Ì‰ÌˆÍ¦Ì ‰Ì¬Ì¦Ì°Ì™as̪̫̳̫̞̽ͯ ͚̗e̮̻͓͍̘̝̔dÌŽÍŒ ’̼͔̻̙̓ Ì“Í¥Í‹Ì‡Í¥Í¯Í®Í™Ì®Ì¦Ì¥Ì ²ÌŸtÌ‡Ì…Ì‹ÍªÌƒÌ‘Í£Ì¬Ì¼Ì Ì—ÌŸÍ“o̔͋ͨͩͧÍ*̪̎ ºÍ‡Ì³Ì¦ ̟̞̱̲ͮ̓eÌ‹Í—Í¦Í«ÌšÌ Í„Í‰Ì¦ÍšÌœÍ“xÌƒÌ€Ì„Ì†Ì ¼Ì¼Ì©ÌºÍ…̦i͙̦̝̪͌ͤ œÌªÍšš͖̮̞̣̗̿tÌªÍ Ì*͍̩.Í«Í¬ÌšÍ—ÌŠÍƒÌŠÌ°Ì Ì¥


Small footsteps shuffled forward. The one man who had any iota of concern or care for her left behind, broken and battered as he was momentarily forgotten. Each barefoot step lead closer to the door then out.

Another came into blurred view.

Oh...

It was UlR OkE.

"̰͓͍͕͖͕̗L�*Í‰Í Ì®Ì«y̥�*Í•Ì°Í•Í•y̪̝ Ì—Í“e� �̲e̬͚̝̹͔̝̘.Ì—Ìž ̺.͍̣̪̪̖̟ͅ"Ì°Ì° Ì– The name fell from my lips long, drawled out and crackled. I stumbled forward, crashing into his chest. Gripping the leather of his jacket tightly I forced him down to the ground as I lost the ability to stand myself. The material hissed in my hands and melted away, pieces of ash were caught in the breeze and carried away. We were both on the floor now, him an unwitting prisoner of my grip, his upper half in my lap. There it was again, that tingling sensation of warmth.

I n E eD eD it.

My fingers absently fell through silver trestles as I stared blankly at a swirling world before me. It was like patting a dog, or a confused puppy. But such creatures w͔͎o̘̹ͅuÍšl̝̪̱dÌºÍ Í•ÍÍ…Ì°Ì¬ ͎̻͖d͍͔͓̩͓̪iÌ—eÌ ¤ÌºÌ™ in my grasp.

"You ...were going to...kill me, weren't you?"

He W A ss... go ing to try anD end <me.... how silly... he s aid it himself. I am iMmortal. He Is N oT.

My grip tightened, fingers digging into the holes they made in his attire. I clutched him tightly. The darkness, it was encroaching further and further on my vision. Perhaps...this was what my existence was now. "You're mine." The words came breathlessly from my lips. They weren't possessive, nor was it a threat. They were uttered as though I were a small child, who was about to have their beloved pet taken and beheaded in front of them.

"No one WilL take You from mE...."

And with that, the last of my vision faded, a low deep breath expelled and my body swayed side to side. There was nothing. No conscious thought. And yet, tender hands began to gently glide through silver hair once more, every so often a thumb gently grazing over a creased forehead. Beads of sweat dripped from a swaying fevered broken thing onto it's master below.

"I'l̹̹̝͓͉̥̻lÍ“Ì˜Í – k̮͖̰̝i̯̬̙�*ÌªÌœï ½*ll̯̞͚̺͓̳ �*̦th͖̩̱͙̯̜̞eÍšÌ ŸÌ—̟̳m̺͕̞ͅ ͍̟͉̺f̺̻̦̲͖̙i̦ ™Í‰ï¿½*̰͔͕r̫͇̣ͅs ͔͇ t"̳͇͖