"It was the same person!" Denum snapped. "Just with your misdirection!"

Shotaro reached out and grabbed Domino's hand, a frown on his features.

"What?" He frowned back at Shotaro. "You know how that conversation probably went."

Shotaro frowned at him and shook his head.

Denum huffed and laid off Neko.

Giving Neko a sad look, Shotaro stood up and grabbed Denum's hand, pulling him back into the room where LiSen was laying.

Denum didn't fight as he was led off. He looked over at the boy lying on the bed before hurrying past Shotaro and over to the prone boy.

"Li?" He called softly.

"Mmm... yeah?" LiSen asked, rubbing his eyes and turning to look at Denum.

"Were you resting?" Denum asked- crawling onto the bed.

"I was," LiSen confirmed, reaching out and pushing a lock of hair out of Denum's eyes. "Sorry... did I scare you?"

"Me?" Denum smirked. "Scared?"

LiSen looked away, his cheeks a little pink. "Um, well... I'm okay. Just a sprain."

"Good, then I won't have to carry you around as long." Denum winked.

"...I think its broken!" LiSen chirped, before he threw his hands over his mouth.

Denum blinked before he started laughing- a genuine thing that wasn't heavy with sorrow.

LiSen's cheeks lit up, but he slowly smiled.

--

The sun was slowly setting over the forest, leaving its inhabitants in a soft glow.

Kayen wrapped his arms around his middle and stared at the lowering sun - he'd been watching it almost all day, curled up against that same tree in silence.

Domino was lying not far, his arm draped over a mound of freshly moved dirt and his sleeves stained with soil. He hadn't moved since he'd finished burying his twin brother by hand and hadn't said anything from when they departed from the city.

Kayen wanted to say something... anything. He felt like... no, he knew it was his fault that Chess was dead. And he knew Domino was just waiting to come over and slit his throat... or maybe choke him slowly, watching him die...

He watched the blonde for a moment. Every part of him told him to run... to get away... but he couldn't. He deserved to die. He deserved to be killed by Domino for taking Chess from him...

There was a soft sigh that Kayen recognized and made him frown as he watched Domino shift slightly where he was. The older boy must've fallen asleep sometime and Kayen hadn't noticed with his back to him.

Slowly, Kayen's senses started to flare up... Domino wouldn't kill him. He wasn't cruel enough... he would sit everyday and hate Kayen for what he'd done, but he wouldn't get rid of him.

He really was too kind...

Slowly, the white-haired boy slipped to his feet and headed off toward the sunset. There had to be something around here...

If Domino wasn't cruel enough to kill him... he'd do it for the blonde.

"Makes me nervous when you wander off like that." Came a quiet voice behind Kayen.

Stopping dead in his tracks, the white-haired boy slowly turned and looked, his eyes wide.

Ice-blue eyes- slightly red-rimmed from tears shed less than an hour ago.

"It always did." Domino murmured. "Even back at the Facility."

"Domino..." Kayen whispered - instinctively taking a step back, even though his mind tried to tell his body not to alarm the other boy.

Kayen's back was met with something- something that gave slightly, but barred his retreat. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw that Domino's sleeves had reached around and wrapped against some nearby trees, blocking Kayen off. Domino came forward.

"This place...it was supposed to get better when we finally left, but people are just disgusting...all of them." Domino murmured.

"They are," Kayen agreed, turning back to the other. "All of them... even me..."

"You're not people." Domino said.

The sleeve unwound and wrapped around Kayen's waist and shoulders gently before cradling him in the air.

"You're Kayen." Domino said. "You're better than people."

"I'm... I'm better?" Kayen asked in confusion, a frown on his face. "But... but Chess..."

"They killed him Kayen." Domino said- bringing the boy a little closer. "They took him from us."

"They did...?" The white-haired boy whispered as he was brought even closer. "Them... not me...?"

"Them Kayen." Domino said- his face and Kayen's very close now. "They made us...to save them all."

Kayen's eyes slowly began to go wide. "We have to save them... we have to destroy them. All of them! We have to start fresh, Domino!"

"...Save them all Kayen." Domino said- leaning in and slowly nuzzling the boy.

"I have to save them..." Kayen breathed, wrapping his arms around Domino and holding him close. "I have to..."

--

"You're hungry," Rathi pointed out after a long silence, walking behind Luda.

"You can't know that." Luda replied- still holding Dolly close.

"I can hear your stomach rumbling because it's empty," Rathi pointed out, lifting an eyebrow.

"Or maybe I'm growling in irritation." Luda replied.

"You're the one that wont let-" Rathi fell silent, turning his head to listen to something to their right.

"Let what?" Luda stopped.

"Shh!" Rathi snapped, grabbing his hand and ducking behind some thick brush.