Raven chuckled. "Do you want me to go with you, or should I catch you at the bottom?" he asked her.

After a minute, Nic hesitantly shook his head.

Frei seemed to consider this for a moment, eyes growing more serious, "With." she decided.

Laurel looked confused, "But... that's what you told me." she replied, "You said I reminded you of your brother. How he always saw the best in people, you said it wasn't love when we were on the Juttle so how could you have loved me since my birthday?"

Raven nodded with a smile as he helped her dog paddle over to the side of the pool.

"... It depends on the love you mean," Nic tried to explain. "This that I feel now; it started on your birthday."

Frei seemed to prefer that he just carry her over to the side. Once out of the water, though, she ran lightly up the stairs to the top before waiting for Raven with an impatient little dance.

Laurel frowned and was silent for awhile, "So... what you're saying is... you started to really love me on the day of my birthday, then thought it was just sibling love for awhile before realizing that it wasn't?" she asked, glancing up at him.

Raven told her not to run, but didn't spoil her fun. As soon as he got to the top he sat down and put Frei in his lap. "Ready?" he asked her.


"... Uh..." Nic muttered, having a little trouble following her logic. But he didn't spend too long trying to sort it out. "I think so," he replied.

Frei let out a squeal that sounded an awful lot like a chirp as she nodded.

Laurel was silent for a long time, trying to work something out in her mind. The dark flashes were back and growing strong but finally she sighed and opened her heart. "Nic... I'm scared." she admitted quietly, "I love you more than anyone but I... I don't know what you've done. I don't know who you were in the past, I don't know your family, I don't know why you're involved with these gangs, became a hacker, have so many people after you. I don't know so many things and yet, I still love you. I love... your soul, the essence of who you are." she paused, "But I'm... a little f-frightened to find out." here she hesitated before forging on, "Not because I'm worried I won't love you anymore. I don't think... there's anything you could ever do that would make me stop loving you." she admitted, voice dropping to a whisper, "But because... I know it will hurt me so much... to hear what you've been through. I know it will break my heart."

Raven didn't give any warning as he suddenly pushed off with a smirk on his face.

Nic turned away from Laurel part way through. When she was done, he ran a hand through his hair. "... I don't have time to go through it now," he replied quietly. "And I don't think that would be wise either. I'll... tell you in time... But... I'm not sure even you would believe me. And even if you did, no one else would. So that's why I have to work. I have to find proof. Running is no longer an option. I have to make the others believe me."

Frei was surprise as she let out a little scream of fear which turned to joy as she threw her hands and enjoyed the ride.

Laurel shook her head, "Let me finish." she ordered quietly, "I have no desire to know, for the present. I will not ask you or judge you regarding it. If I hear anything from others I won't pay attention because I will wait for you to tell me. I'll wait 'til you're ready, have evidence, whatever, because I trust you, Nic. I have trusted you from the very beginning and I will continue to trust you until the very end. I will never, to the best of my ability, turn my back on you. Even if you can't find evidence and everyone else does." she stated firmly. "I... I'm not confused anymore, Nic. I'll do my best to be strong for you right now. I won't burden you with feelings..." she paused, "Because I understand you need to focus. But you're not alone anymore, remember that." she reminded him quietly as she suddenly lifted the shirt back up and began to sow again.

When they landed in the water, Raven quickly swam over to Frei, hoping she hadn't swallowed any water.

Nic didn't say anything for a long time. When he couldn't think of anything to say, he turned back to his computer.

Frei was coughing again but once she clung to Raven she started laughing again. She seemed to like the thrill of the fear. "Again!" she demanded.

There was an obnoxious knock on Yue's door.

"Alright," Raven agreed. "But you're going to swim to the edge this time."

Yue let out a loud sigh. Translation: "Come in if you must."

And suddenly Frei pouted, she actually looked rather adorable.

So James invited himself in with a smile, eyes looking around.

"I'm not falling for that," Raven told Frei as he slowly put her in the water. "But don't worry. I'll help you get there."

Yue was sitting on her bed. It looked like she had been watching something on her tablet.

Frei sighed but slowly tried to doggie-paddle over to the side. She was frail it looked like it might take awhile. Actually, it looked like she didn't typically get much physical exercise at all.

So James walked over and threw himself on the bed beside her, "Whattya watching?" he asked pleasantly.

Raven helped push her along which cut the time down considerably. All he cared about right now was her putting in the effort.

"Nothing," Yue snorted. Which was technically right since she had turned the tablet off.

Once Frei was out she ran to the top again.

"Why do you always turn it off?" James complained as he put his hands behind his head.

Raven said a quick prayer that she wouldn't slip. And so he continued the process for as long as Frei wanted to keep going.

So she stated the obvious. "I don't want you looking at it," Yue told him.

Frei seemed to be beyond ecstatic until halfway down the slide she suddenly started to scream. Only this time is wasn't out of fun but pain. When she entered the water she wasn't breathing.

James slowly grinned, "What? You have some naughty stuff on there?" he teased as he pinched her side.

Raven wasted no time getting Frei over to the side of the pool and getting any water out that might have entered her lungs and took care of her. Of course something was bound to spoil all the fun.


Yue hit his hand away. "Of course you'd think that," she noted.

Frei was shaking, the fever setting in again as she fought with the drugs that permanently inhabited her mind. It was a losing battle as she started to get feverish, like always, but she clearly wanted to stay with Raven. She was saying something so softly it was barely audible. "R-Ryu... ji... Ryu..." and her hand stayed clamped onto Raven's.

James chuckled, "Why shouldn't I? You're naughty." he teased effortlessly.

Raven sighed a little, staying with Frei as he told someone to get blankets to dry them off. "... I'm here," he tried to reassure her, talking to her as calmly as he could.


"Depends on who you ask," Yue snorted.

Frei seemed to come out of this fit faster than she had before. The fever remained but her eyes were clearer. Soon it turned from name calling into apologies. She had ruined the day for Raven... and the thought made her want to cry... which only worsened the fever.

James smirked a little, "Actually, I came here to talk to you about something." he said as he rolled over onto his side and suddenly blew in Yue's ear.

"Oh, stop that," Raven told Frei gently as he dried her off. "Even I need a break from water slides. And they'll be there tomorrow. But for now I feel like being lazy. I wonder if there is a good movie to watch."

Yue cussed a little, shoving a hand in his face while using a finger from the other to clean out her ear. "If that's all, then please go," she told him.

Frei eyes continued to well up and for a moment Raven could see a very tender spirit come to the surface before being shoved back under the surface by a calculating glance. Slowly she nodded, she'd like that.

James sighed a little, nibbling on Yue's hand for a moment before pulling away, "No... it's not all." he mused, rolling onto his back and staring up at the ceiling, "I'm going to be... going away for awhile, Yue." he said quietly.

Raven nodded back. So he got someone's help changing Frei into dry clothes before looking for something to watch.


Yue rolled her eyes a little, not taking him completely seriously.

James had pretty much every movie in existence. Raven caught Frei looking at the disney movies.

James' continued to look calmly at the ceiling, "I'm not sure when I'll be back so... don't come looking for me, alright?" he said with such a serious voice it didn't seem right coming from him. He sounded so sad in that moment he seemed like he might cry, but almost instantly it was followed by laughter, "I'll always find my way back to you~" he teased as he suddenly kissed her cheek. Everything seemed a little odd to Yue, having been stuck around James for so long.

Raven continued to try and get a feel for what Frei liked before pulling his best guess off the shelf.

Yue shooed him away like usual. "... Learn some manners while you're gone," she suggested.

Interestingly enough, Frei ended up leaning heavily towards Alice in Wonderland and seemed pleased enough when Raven picked it.

James chuckled, "Right back at you, sweetheart." he replied easily before slowly sitting up. "They're going to conduct the raid soon so I'm going to see them off." he explained as he stretched.

So Raven played Alice in Wonderland for the two of them.

Yue rolled her eyes and then nodded a little.

Frei started off rather distant again but she seemed to be really missing Wolfe as she eventually ended up snuggled up in a blanket on Raven's lap.

So James, with one last handsome smile, left Yue alone. He paused at the door though, staring very hard at Yue's face, then was gone.

So Raven spent some bonding time with Frei, trying to alleviate some of her loneliness.

Yue was a little off. Maybe trying too hard to act normal. She didn't say anything.

"You are strong." James told her before the door closed. Not fifteen minutes later, the voices the neonates were speaking from the intercom. But... they had already left. This wasn't a recording. There was only one person on board capable of such a feat. Indeed, the neonate voice's even cut each other off, having a lengthy conversation that never repeated itself, the perfect alibi. James was seemingly perfect at what he did.

At the voices, Kale started to stir more. "Mmn..." he muttered, eyes starting to flicker open slightly.

Blaze kept holding his hand, more focused on him than the conversation on the intercom.

Finally Kale's eyes were open more than halfway. He blinked and on finding her general shape, tried to focus on her.

Blaze waited patiently.

It took Kale a rather long time, the pain growing worse the more awake he became. But as his eyes grew less foggy, he seemed to relax and the corners of his mouth twitched upward slightly as he took Blaze in.

Blaze looked back at Kale. It wasn't too clear what she was thinking.

Kale didn't try to talk, he just kept looking at Blaze. After a moment though, he managed to squeeze her hand tighter.

Blaze squeezed his hand a little in return.

Kale seemed quite content just staring at Blaze until the pain was obviously becoming too much for him to handle. The doctors then slowly put him back under, his hand slowly relaxing again in Blaze's.

The doctor walked closer to her, "The results are better than we expected." he informed her quietly.