The tip of the arrow pulled out and Kayen followed it over to the end of the tail of a tall Silver. One of the ones that had brought Shotaro to the city. It looked down at Kayen and Chess coldly. Kayen could see right into Chess' missing eye and out the back of his head. The blonde boy reached up and covered the open eye-socket- blinking and looking confused. His vision blurred and things slowed down. He suddenly felt very heavy and it was hard to move...hard to think.

"Ch... Chess-!" Kayen squeaked, trying to struggle out from beneath the other. "Chess- oh god! Get him a medic, Adam! Neko! Please! CHESS!"

"Why...?" Neko asked the Silver, numbly. "Why did you...?"

"They...cannot do this again." The Silver said icily.

"K-Kay?" Chess managed before he fell over on his side.

"CHESS!" Kayen cried, scrambling out from under the other and pulling him into his arms. "Oh god... OH GOD!"

The teenager buried his face into his friends neck and started to sob openly.

Neko stared at the Silver blankly for a few moments, before he looked down at Kayen.

"You'll die..." Kayen whimpered. "I'll kill you... I'll kill you ALL! Humans and Silvers alike, you're both MONSTERS!"

"You will not do this again." The Silver said firmly- lifting his tail to strike.

Then suddenly, a bit of cloth wrapped around his middle and he was pulled back roughly- smashing into a nearby vehicle. Domino gritted his teeth and used his sleeve to lift the Silver again and smash him into the ground- cratering the asphalt with the force of the slam. He let out a growl and tossed the Silver's limp body into the crumbled remains of a nearby building.

"Domino, stop!" Neko cried, trying to move over to the boy as more Silvers began to pile in from behind the wall - the ones that had been lurking in the shadows. "This isn't the way-! Please, stop fighting, everyone!"

One of Domino's sleeves wrapped around Neko's throat- stopping his protests and his air. He glared intensely- his body seeming to glow a bit. There was a gunshot and some of Domino's sleeve ripped- releasing Neko. Domino stumbled back as Ryou came running to Neko's side.

"Leave him alone!" Kayen shrieked, standing up and stumbling a bit with Chess' body leaning against him. "Don't you dare hurt Domino!"

Neko looked frantically at Adamanti and Shotaro. "Don't you have stun guns or something!?" He rubbed at his throat, but grabbed for Ryou's gun and forced him to lower it. "They're just children!"

"I only shot the sleeve." Ryou assured. "He's not hurt. Kayen, you have to stop this!"

"Who are you!?" Adamanti demanded- frowning at Neko and Ryou.

Domino started to get up- looking mad as ever.

"Domino, don't!" Kayen cried as he stumbled toward the other, still holding Chess close. "They didn't do this, please-! It was the Silver, the Silver did it-!"

"They were staying with us," Neko whispered. "I didn't know... I didn't think he would-! I..."

"They are Silver sympathizers!" Domino growled- taking his brother from Kayen and hugging Chess' body tightly- his twin's blood staining his jacket as he nuzzled the corpse. "They are humans...they are everyone else! They all can't understand us! They all aren't one of us! We're different and they'll strike at anything that's different!"

"Adam and Shotaro... Domino, they're like us!" Kayen cried, desperately. "And Neko... he didn't want Chess to die, he... Domino, please! No more dying... no more...!"

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Neko whispered. "Watching the people you love die...? How do you think all these people here felt, Kayen?" He motioned around them. "As you slaughtered their families!"

"You said they were monsters..." Kayen whispered, looking at Neko in horror.

"They aren't the ones that sold their families!" Neko snapped. "You slaughtered innocents- you killed children, Kayen!"

"Gah, I'm done with you all!" Domino stood up with Chess cradled in his arms. "We're leaving...if you follow us, I'll kill you without a second thought!"

Ryou pulled Neko closer to him, still holding his gun.

"Domino!" Adam took a step forward and the blonde boy lashed out- knocking him back.

"Adam!" Kayen gasped, leaping in front of the tall blonde man, his arms spread out wide.

Domino's eyes flashed and his sleeve wrapped around Kayen's middle- lifting the boy up before the other sleeve reached up and gripped the high wall- pulling him, Kayen and Chess' body up to the top. From there, Domino leapt with the other two out of sight.

"...Damn it!" Ryou hissed. "Those kids...someone has to catch up to those kids!"

"Shotaro?" Adam looked at the Shota in his arms.

Shotaro just turned and buried his face into Adamanti's shirt once more, his entire body still.

Neko stared up at the wall for a long moment, until the rising sun peaked over the top and shone into his eyes, forcing him to look away.

--

Quarrel gave a long yawn, stretching his lanky body out and curling his tail around himself for a few moments, before he blinked his eyes open.

There were some soft noises around them, many of the older Silvers already up and onto their morning tasks while the young ones still slept and of course the children from the facility- well with the exception of Denum who was sitting up watching all the Silver carefully with LiSen's head resting in his lap.

Rubbing at his eyes for a moment, Quarrel slowly turned to look for Red at his side.

The redhead was sprawled out- still fast asleep where Q had left him the other night. He wasn't snoring loudly, but breathing softly, which was somehow surprising given how relaxed he looked at the moment. But as Quarrel looked closer, he could see that Red's brow was slightly furrowed. Maybe his sleep wasn't so peaceful after all.

Slowly the Silvish boy reached out and touched the other's face, gently petting the tanned skin.

He wondered how it was such a bronze color - he had never seen anyone with that color skin before... the closest were the scientists with darker skin, but this was in between the two extremes. It complimented Red's hair quite nicely...

Hoping silently to himself, the dark-haired boy closed his eyes and imagined a peaceful scene in his mind. He imagined the feeling of gliding, his wings spread... he tried to gently push the thought into Red's dreaming mind, the same way he had pushed his fears out in hopes someone would hear him.

Hmm...never had a flying dream before...

Red's eyes slowly blinked opened a little and he stared up. At first, Q could clearly see that Red wasn't quite with him- couldn't see the surroundings of the cave and the glow of the crystals or hear the sounds of the Silvers softly conversing when they decided to speak aloud. But his vision soon cleared and his eyes came into focus right up at Quarrel.

"Hello," Quarrel greeted with a small nod.

Aireio yawned and stretched out, bumping into her brother and causing him to groan out and shift in Denum's lap.

Denum sighed in frustration and started to pet LiSen's hair to ease him back into sleep. Red blinked- his eyes clearing a little more before he sat up suddenly and looked around- seeming somewhat alarmed.

"Its alright," Quarrel told him, gently, as he reached for the redhead. "You are safe."

LiSen settled back down into Denum's lap with a heavy sigh as Aireio sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Happened to me too Red." Denum sighed. "You're not at the facility anymore."

"No...it was on fire." Red frowned as he looked around- jumping back from Q's touch a little.

Quarrel looked a little hurt, but it wiped away quickly as he pulled his hand back. "The hunting party will perhaps see if it is still in tact."

"That building is probably gone." Denum sighed.

"No." Red shook his head. "The city."

"What city?" Denum frowned.

"I don't know!" Red burst in irritation.

Giving a small frown, Quarrel turned to one of the nearby Silvers and said something in Silvish.

The Silver nodded and slipped off quickly- it was amazing how fast and silent they were and seemingly effortless it was to be. Red blinked and then looked at Q questioningly.

LiSen awoke with a start and sat up quickly, his eyes wide with alarm.

"Whoa, easy." Denum blinked before putting his arms around LiSen.

The dark-haired boy went tense for a moment, before he relaxed, his cheeks growing hot.

Aireio shot the blonde a glare and grabbed her brother, pulling him away from Denum.

"Hey!" Denum frowned.

"You too LiSen?" Red asked.

"Kayen... Kayen did something," LiSen breathed, frowning. "I could see him laughing..."

"I saw some guy with frickin' cat ears." Red frowned.

"...What were you dreaming?" LiSen asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Was it Q?" Aireio pressed, smirking.

"No, the city was burning and..." Red trailed off, looking away. "So were the people- WAIT! What the hell was that supposed to mean!?"

He glared at Aireio.

"Nothing, Nothing!" She cried, holding up her hands. "It was just a dream, though. So stop freaking out!"

"It felt real." Red said.

"Kappah, Kappah!" A Silver dressed in thick leather cried, rushing up to the group - and over to Q's parents. "Rathi!" He began to ramble on after that.

Quarrel gasped after the words and Aireio began to look around in confusion. "What!?" She cried as Silvers all around began to react.