Red reached up and wrapped around Quarrel protectively. He glared up at Tobias gale.

"Stop!" He pleaded.

Gale gave a scoff and motioned for the machines to move in without another word.

--

Neko set another cup of cocoa down in front of Adamanti, before taking a seat beside him silently.

"You don't understand...those boys aren't anything like normal boys." Adam sighed. "I know you're aware of the children in the Facility and why they're there, but two ones aren't like anything they had initially planned."

"I could tell they weren't normal right off the bat," Neko admitted, crossing his arms over his chest. "After all... Albism was cured in the 22nd century. If Kayen was like any other kid there, he wouldn't have it. Not to mention his number was '1', and the other two were '2' and '3'."

Shotaro stared down into his own cup of cold cocoa blankly.

"...They're names are Domino and...Chess." Adam said firmly.

Ryou looked over at Neko from his chair beside the fireplace.

"I know," Neko admitted, quietly.

He sighed and looked down, uncrossing his arms to run a hand through his hair.

"I didn't think they would... go and murder people," He whispered. "I was... trying to make their hate for silvers lessen... not make their hate for humans grow."

Shotaro shifted, having to hold back a small snort.

"...They have so much reason to hate...and being boys, they don't really know how to really...control that." Adam sighed. "They just children and they're too sheltered and...some of them aren't stable."

"We just want to make sure nothing like what happened in the city last night happens again." Ryou said quietly. "No more people dying...no more children being murdered."

A knock on the door caused them to jump and Neko got up, moving slowly toward them.

People rarely knocked on the church doors... usually they came right in with pitch forks. Then again, they were all dead... so who could it be?

Pulling it open, he was surprised to find Kamariya and Denum - LiSen on his back - standing before him.

Shotaro got to his feet in surprise, before nudging Adam and pointing.

"Denum!" Adam jumped up and hurried over.

"Dad!" Denum stumbled in.

Ryou got up and looked over curiously.

Neko quickly helped LiSen down off of Denum and Shotaro watched as his love embraced his son.

"I'm glad to see you're safe," Neko told Kamariya. "I'm guessing Winneth told you about the city?"

"Dad, Kayen didn't do this, tell me Kayen didn't do it!" Denum begged.

Adam just held the boy tighter against him- muffling his voice in his shirt before turning to Shotaro.

"Shota." He waved the other over before looking at Kamariya. "What happened to LiSen?"

Ryou came over now.

"I got bitten by some... thing," LiSen informed. "But the Silvers treated it with... some sort of berry. It still hurts, but not as bad."

Shotaro came over to Adam with his head down, looking relatively uncomfortable.

"Please." Adam pleaded his lover as he started moving Denum into the other room. "Get LiSen up and down on the couch!"

"I got him." Ryou nodded before looking to Kamariya. "Help me, he's tall."

Shotaro gave a small nod and moved to help Ryou, but stopped when he realized Kamariya was helping.

"I'd feel the same way if Ryou had kids," Neko told him, patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, but you'd try to be a parent." Ryou commented as he hoisted up LiSen with Kamariya.

Adam moved over to his spot and sat down with Denum held against him.

Frowning, Shotaro watched as Ryou and Kamariya took LiSen out of the main room. He spared a glance at Neko, who took a few moments to get the hint, but eventually saluted him and left.

Letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, Shotaro moved over to Denum and Adam, sitting beside them and rubbing the boy's back gently. "Kayen realized what he did was wrong, Denum... He needs help and he knows it. I don't think he understood at the time... he thought he was helping..."

"Helping!?" Denum burst. "Helping!?"

"He took a message poorly...you know he wouldn't have...he's sick." Adam said as calmly as he could. "And we're going to find him."

"Where is, he's not here!?" Denum looked alarmed.

"Domino took him, he..." Shotaro frowned, looking at Adam. "Denum... Chess... Chess was..."

"Was he the one that made Kayen do this!?" Denum demanded.

"Denum...Chess...he's dead." Adam said.

Denum stopped dead and blinked.

"...He's dead?" Denum repeated lifelessly.

"He and Kayen... they were fighting," Shotaro breathed, slowly. "He was pinning Kayen down and Kayen was fighting him... and then one of the Silvers... well..."

He swallowed and continued, skipping the details,

"Domino killed the Silver and took Kayen," He explained. "They went into the forest..."

"Domino..." Denum's eyes widened. "We gotta find them...there out there and Domino's brother is dead and Kayen killed people!"

Shotaro looked up at Adam in alarm. "Domino isn't going to hurt Kayen!"

"Domino...I don't think he would, he's not...like..." Adam frowned.

"...We have to find them!" Denum took Shotaro's shirt. "Don't you understand!? They're sick!"

"We'll find them," Shotaro assured. "But right now we need to worry about you and LiSen. If his leg is still hurting after being treated, it might be broken..."

"I will find them." Adam nodded. "You're staying here with your stepfather and boyfriend."

"What-!?" Shotaro cried, but quickly fell silent as Neko came back in.

"I think the other boy has to stay down for a bit." Ryou commented as he came back in with Neko. "Neko can treat his leg."

"Are you going after Kayen?" Neko asked gently - trying to not upset Denum any more then he already was.

"I am." Adamanti nodded before getting up. "I'm leaving my son here."

"I wanna go with you." Denum protested.

"Think of LiSen for a minute." Adam said firmly.

Denum fell silent.

Neko was silent for a moment, before he sighed and looked at Ryou. "And you're going too, right?"

"You think he could navigate the woods without getting killed?" Ryou snorted.

Adam frowned at the little fellow before shaking his head and moving towards the door.

"Just keep dinner warm for us." Ryou told Neko.

Neko gave a huff in reply and turned away - frowning only after the two had left through the doors.

"...LiSens' ankle is sprained," He told Denum. "I put some ice on it for swelling. Silvers don't really understand human anatomy, so they didn't know that they should do that. He'll be fine, but he needs to stay off of his feet for a few days."

"...Thank you." Denum murmured as he got up. "...You spoke to Kayen?"

"He stayed here for a few hours," Neko informed, looking down.

"Look at me when you talk about my little brother." Denum said firmly.

Neko lifted his eyes to look at the other once more. He wanted to ask what Denum meant about Kayen being his 'brother', but felt it best not to press the angry teenager.

"...What did you say to him?" Denum asked evenly. "What did he tell you?"

"I tried to tell him that Silvers aren't horrible," Neko informed. "He thought that I meant that humans are his enemy."

"For what they've done...they are." Denum said stiffly. "But specific humans. I never thought he could do it."

"He wasn't in his right mind, that much I can tell you," Neko whispered. "There was a difference between the little boy that was in my church and the boy who hurt those people..."