It's Time for Another "Good Idea, Bad Idea"

Taking larger strides than normal, Rin tried her best to keep up with her friend. He seemed to be a bit on edge today, though she couldn't pinpoint why exactly. Perhaps it was the fact that they were in the dark, on their way to a spooky castle, to find a spooky flower. Yeah... That was a possibility. The young girl happened to be quite scared of the dark, but what kind of friend would chicken out when they were needed! Not this girl! Lester had asked them to find that pesky plant, and that was exactly what they were going to do! Puffing up her chest and standing up straight, she attempted to make herself seem more confident. Fake it til' you make it, right?

Suddenly hearing Theo speak, Rin jumped a bit, startled by the sudden noise. There it is?! There what is?! Eyeing her surroundings frantically, she noticed a building that was in the distance. Oh! He was just talking about the castle! Letting out a small sigh of relief, she nodded, following closely behind Theo as he approached it. The castle seemed to be pretty old. The bricks that made up the walls were chipped, and had several different types of vines and moss growing from the cracks. Fog surrounded the base of the building, making it almost impossible to see the ground beneath them. This wasn't going to be an easy search, was it?

"How are we going to find this flower when there's fog covering everything?" The pink haired girl grumbled kneeling down to get a better look. There didn't seem to be anything but moist, slightly wilted grass beneath them. It did make sense that the flower wouldn't just be hanging out at the front of the mansion, but it was always good to hope. As Theo began to speak once more, Rin stood upright, looking to him with a curious expression. A garden? Perhaps he was right. That was the most logical place to find plants, after all. "Coins and red wine? I guess he did say that... It shouldn't be too hard to find if it smells that strange!" Rin giggled, trying to lighten the mood with a poorly constructed joke. "I-I'll go search on this side, okay?" Turning around, she moved quickly towards the right side of the castle, pink hair flowing gracefully behind her. "A fence... I just need to find a fence." The maiden whispered to herself, scanning her surroundings diligently. As she searched, a very subtle creaking sound resounded from behind her. A gate, maybe? Had Theo found the garden?! "H-Hey, Theo did you-"

What?

What was this?

The castle?

The castle...

She had to go into the castle...  

Stumbling forwards, Rin made her way towards the entrance, in some sort of trance-like state. "R-Rin! Where are you going?!" Lily called after her. Going? The castle. Yes, the castle of course! The flower was obviously inside the castle. Where else could it be? Yes... Closer... Closer...

No!

Yes...

"No!" Rin screamed, clasping her head in her hands. Forcing her legs to stop moving forward, she dropped to the ground with a thud. "Theo! Th-There's something in there! It's in my head!" The girl cried through gritted teeth. Seconds after, a loud ringing sound echoed through her skull, causing her to cry out once more. What was this thing?! How was it in her head!? "G-Get out of here! Don't let it get to you t- AH!" Another loud shriek cracked through her mind. It wouldn't stop.

It won't stop.

Not until i've had my fun.

Come inside and play with me, dear... I promise, it will only hurt a bit...

Watching as Theo began to run off towards the entrance to the castle, Rin outstretched her hand in protest. "Th-Theo! Wait!" She cried out, watching as he disappeared behind the door. Almost as soon as he had entered, the screeching stopped, a rush of relief washing over the girl as it did. Sighing deeply, she flopped on the ground, having lost quite a bit of strength during that ordeal. Raising her head shakily, she looked towards the door, a worried expression spreading across her pale face. There was no way she was going to let him go in there by himself! She knew that he did what he did to save her, but she couldn't just leave him to fight whatever was in there alone. Standing up on unsteady legs, the young mage stepped forward, prepared to enter the haunted building.

Upon entering, the air almost seemed to become thicker, making it harder to breathe. The walls almost seemed to be closing in on her, the darkness swallowing her whole. Legs shaking, she advanced toward her companion, who was on the ground, trying to move away from something. Kneeling down beside him, she placed a soft hand on his cheek, looking into his icy blue eyes with concern. He didn't seemed to be physically harmed, but he looked like he wasn't feeling very well. "It's okay. W-we're going to get out of here. Hold tight." She cooed, brushing the soft, black hair out of his face.

Having eyes only for her dear friend, she failed to notice the thing that he seemed to be cowering from. Seeing a delicate flash of light coming from her right side, she turned quickly, realizing for the first time that they weren't alone. She knew that there was a creature in this decrepit place, but didn't expect it to be this creepy. A creature cloaked in black. His face covered completely with a mask that looked to resemble a bird of sorts. A bloody knife rested in his left hand, and the lantern that had been the source of the light was in his right. The only thing that seemed to be somewhat normal was the hat he wore atop his head. It was actually a pretty stylish accessory. Glaring at the creature with distaste, the young girl rose, as if to protect her friend from any harm. "Lily. Get out of here." She grumbled, looking to her pet with a stern expression. Nodding, Lily obeyed, floating outside of the castle with ease. "Alright. Let's dance."

Reaching her hand quickly into her bag, she retrieved her tablet, ready to begin the battle that seemed to be unavoidable at this point. Fabricating her pen, she began to scribble furiously. The Plague Doctor had begun to approach quite swiftly, but was interrupted when a ring of fire formed itself around him. Noticing that the cape draped around his shoulders had been set ablaze, he turned around, waving it around in an attempt to put it out. "Theo! This should hold him back for a little while! Now's the time to get up! I'll take some shots at him, but I can't do this alone!" She cried, looking back towards her friend, who was still upon the dusty castle floors.

Now was the time to strike! Throwing her tablet back into her bag, Rin prepared for her next attack. "ReQuip!" The pink haired girl cried, lifting her right hand into the air. As she did, a bright flash of light appeared above her. The light formed itself into a dainty revolver, before dropping lightly into her outstretched hand. Thrusting the weapon in front of her, she tapped the button that rested on it's side. Almost instantly, the gun was then engulfed in a pink flame, heating up the ammo that was inside. "Here we go!" A final cry, drowned out seconds later by the loud firing of bullets. The gumballs flew gracefully towards their target, clinging to it as they made contact. Those would definitely do some damage! "Gosh! The kickback on this thing really hurts my hand!" She grumbled, shifting the weapon to her other hand for a moment.

Noticing that the fire keeping the devilish creature in it's place had begun to fade, Rin turned quickly to Theo, panic beginning to set in. "U-Uh! The fire isn't going to be there for much longer! We need to come up with a plan! I know you're not feeling well, but I know that we can get through this, so stick with me, okay?" She cheered, a smile as sweet as candy spreading across her delicate face. "It's going to get much darker when that fades, so we're going to have to account for that. The lantern he has should give us an idea as to where he is, but we need to be careful not get in each other's way. Try to make as much noise as possible! That should-" Before she could finish, the fire dissolved, a puff of smoke left in it's place. Reaching for Theo's hand, she would attempt to grab it, squeezing it tightly for a few moments, before releasing him. She was afraid of the dark, sure, but she was more afraid of losing her sweet, goofy Theo.

Noticing that her friend was in quite the predicament, Rin began to panic a bit. There really wasn't much she could do from this far away... Shooting was always an option, but it probably wouldn't do much to get the creepy monster off of Theo...

Think... Think... What was the best thing to do in this moment.

Hearing his cry of desperation, she did the only logical thing she could think of. "Ahhhh!" She cried as she charged towards him, prepared to knock the Plague Doctor away. The spell Theo had cast not only gave her a greater physical strength, but a greater mental strength as well. "ReQuip!" She called out once more, another bright flash of light forming before she rammed into the beast. As she had, she shoved her newfound weapon into it's flesh, pinning it to the ground with her candy cane saber as they fell to it. Beginning to feel the effects of the sickness that Theo had spoken of, she groaned. It really did feel just like a nasty flu...

But that wasn't going to make her move. Not at all. The safety of her friend was much more important, though, so she was just going to have to get used to it for the time being.

"I-I've got him pinned down! He shouldn't be able t-" Suddenly feeling a sharp pain in her stomach, Rin stopped speaking, completely shocked. "W-Wha..." Looking down, she realized that the Plague Doctor had managed to slice his dirty, rusty weapon into her. "A-Ahh!" The scream echoed around the room as the pain intensified. It only seemed to be getting worse as time went on. A combination of the injury and the sickness caused her to slump forward, blood flowing from her mouth as she coughed harshly. Well... This wasn't good at all...

Taking advantage of her current weakness, the being grabbed her sword from her fragile hands, tossing it to the side. Before she could react, she was thrown backwards, pinned against the ground in a similar fashion to the way she had pinned the beast down moments before. "Touché..." She croaked, not having the energy to struggle. Grimy hands wrapping around her small neck, the Plague Doctor began to squeeze, blocking her airway almost completely. Panic finally beginning to set in, she looked frantically for her weapon. Spotting it, she reached out desperately, trying to grab it before she could no longer breathe. Of course it was just out of reach!

Yeesss, little one... Come, play with me... In hell...

The voice boomed within her head again, as her vision began to fade. Was this how she was going to go out? A stupid Plague Doctor was going to be the end of her... She didn't even have the chance to remember who she was... Or where she was from... Why did it have to end so suddenly? Beginning to give in to the clasps of exhaustion and oxygen deprivation, her eyes closed.

"Rin!"

A sudden scream came from the doorway of the castle, jarring the girl back to consciousness.

Lily?

Oh yeah... That's right... She was here too. That damn bunny cat would kill her again if she died here. Looking around desperately, she tried to spot her friend, who was lurking somewhere in the darkness. "Th-Theo... M-My weapon..." She managed to gasp, stretching her hand out towards the candy cane sword once more. If he could manage to grab it and smack this thing a few times with it, then all of this would be over.

Feeling the weight against her neck disappear, Rin let in an enormous gasp of air, treasuring the oxygen as it entered her lungs. You forget how important the air is until you can’t have it. Noticing that there were rats scrambling across her body, she sat of quickly, trying to brush them away. Her wound wasn’t very happy about this sudden movement, though, and began to throb. Letting out a small yelp, she placed her hand against the injury, attempting to make the pain less intense. Now she had received two wounds to the stomach, almost in the exact same place. The wound from the mountain lion had all but healed, but now it was split open again, bleeding heavily once more. Wait... What was she doing? Her friend needed her! Why was she sitting here worrying about herself?

“Theo?!” She called out, trying to stand up on wobbly legs. Once she had reached her feet, she moved towards the ragged breathing she heard to her right, putting all of her effort into not collapsing to the ground. Finding him at last, she knelt down in front of him. The exhausted look on his face caused her to frown in concern. “Hey...” She cooed, placing a gentle hand on the hilt of his sword. His grip on it was really tight, but she managed to drag it away from him, placing it on the ground beside them with care. Once the weapon was out of the way, she reached forward, wrapping her weak arms around him in a gentle embrace. “You saved my life...” The young girl whispered, grateful that her friend had been there to help her. Pulling away from him a few moments after, she stared into his icy blue eyes, placing a gentle hand on his cheek. His gaze was intense, but she could still see the kind, gentle Theo that she always knew. "Thank you." Almost becoming mesmerized by her companion’s hues, she felt herself leaning forward, bringing her delicate face closer to his.

“Hey! Rin! Theo! Are you guys okay? Are you hurt?” A voice came from the castle entrance once more.

Lily!

Suddenly realizing how close her peach colored lips were to Theo’s, the girl’s eyes widened, shocked by the proximity. Jumping back, a bright red shade spread across her cheeks. What just happened?! Theo was just her friend... Her teammate! It must have been the situation getting to her head. "Y-Yeah! We're fine, Lily! We have a few injuries, but I can heal them no problem." After calling back to her fluffy friend, the pink haired girl attempted to stand up once more, flustered from her interaction with Theo. "W-We should head outside so I can heal those wounds on your arms. How did that even happen? It was too dark to see anything..." Trying to change the subject, she rambled on, heading towards the exit.

The fresh air felt so nice against her pale skin. It felt like ages since she had been outside, even though it had only been a short while. Taking in a deep breath, she cherished her surroundings, happy that the two of them had made it out alive. Hearing a sudden thud, the girl turned around swiftly. Theo seemed to have fallen down into the dirt, exhausted from the wounds he suffered, and the energy it took to save her. Moving quickly to his side once more, she sat beside him, worried about his current condition. He didn't know where the wounds had come from? That was impossible... How could he not know? Scrunching her face up a bit, she stared at him, knowing that something was off about his statement. Was he lying to protect her? That was silly... Why would he do that?

He spoke again, his voice frail and quiet. It hurt her to see him this way. Why was he concerned for her when he was in this state? "I-I'm okay... But you're not... Why won't you tell me what happened?" She cooed, concern laced through her pinkish brown eyes. As soon as she had finished her sentence, the boy fell backwards, thumping harshly against the cold, hard ground. "W-Wait! Theo! Hey!" She cried, eyes widening with panic. What happened?! Had those growling noises she heard done something to him? Feeling an intense throbbing in her chest, she whimpered. What was this feeling? This wasn't like anything she had ever felt before. There wasn't any other way to describe it other than a deep, unadulterated passion. It was so painful...

Reaching into her bag frantically, she dug her tablet out, prepared to draw. Fabricating her pen, she scribbled four doves, which soon came to life and flew from the trees that sat calmly beside the castle. Pointing towards her friend, she ordered them to approach. Obeying, they swooped down towards him, placing soft kisses against each of the wounds on his arms. Almost instantly, the gashes began to close, disappearing as if they had never been there in the first place. "Th-There!" A cry of victory escaped her throat as the doves disappeared into the darkness.

Expecting her companion to bounce back instantly, the young girl was extremely disappointed when he didn't. Face dropping into a frown, the tight feeling in her chest resurfaced. "B-But..." She assumed the worst, convinced, without any proper evidence, that her friend had passed away. "No no no... You can't leave me... Theo!" She screamed, lurching forward towards him. Tears welling up in her eyes, she let out a few pitiful sobs, completely distraught by her discovery. "Lily! W-What do I do?! I-I can save him, right?!" Desperately turning to her bunny-cat pet, her eyes begged for help. "Y-Yeah! Um! Try giving him CPR! I heard that works!" The feline cried out, a frantic look in her red eyes.

CPR? What was that? "I don't know what that is! How am I supposed to do that if I don't know what it is?!" Rin sobbed in reply, shaking her head in frustration. "Uh... I don't really know what it is either... I think I saw it on TV once or something... The guy just put his lips on the girl's lips, and then she was okay again. I don't know! Just! Ugh! Do something!" Lily replied, anxiously pacing on the ground beside the two of them.

Put her lips on his!? But wasn't that just a... A kiss? How was that supposed to save him? Well... There weren't really any other options now, were there? If he was dead which he wasn't lmao what a drama queen then there was nothing to lose! She had to try! A blush forming on her face, she leaned forward, passionately pressing her soft lips against Theo's. It was a strange feeling. Almost as if electricity ran through her veins. Maybe that meant that the CPR thing was working?! What a genius Lily was!

Feeling movement beneath her, Rin's eyes snapped open, only to see that her friend seemed to be looking back at her. His face was flushed, cheeks almost as red as her own. As he move upwards, his soft, gentle hand came to her face, pushing her back slowly. She had done it! She saved him! A smile erupted across her face, pure joy glimmering in her pink-ish brown eyes.

Sleeping Beauty? What a strange thing to say at this moment. It wasn't like she had kissed him, right? It was just CPR! That's what saved him! "Lily was the true genius! She's the one who told me about this whole CPR thing! It was almost like magic! I felt this spark flow through my body, and then you woke up! Now that I know how to do it, I can save so many people!" A look of determination and fascination soon replaced the smile that was present just moments ago. If this CPR thing really worked, she could use it on anyone who needed help! What a great power! She was surprised that she had never heard about it before!

Her wounds? Oh... Those were the last thing on her mind! Theo was the most important thing to her right now, which is probably why she had almost forgotten that she was injured in the first place. Suddenly becoming aware of the pain again, the girl's face scrunched up into an unpleasant looking grimace. Placing her hand on it once more, she felt the gash carefully. Wow... That damn Plague Doctor had really gotten her good. Not only was it dirty from that nasty blade he carried, but it was quite deep as well. Trying not to worry her friend, the young girl smiled, waving her hand around lackadaisically. "Uh... Well, I can't really use that spell again for a while. But you were more important, so I needed to heal you first. I-I can just worry about it later!" Getting up shakily, she put her hands up in a "ta-da!" kind of motion. "See! I'm okay! I'll be fi-"

A sharp pain once more. This time was worse than all of the others, though. Whimpering, she fell to her knees, hands reaching down to clasp the gash again. "Rin!" Lily cried, floating over to land on her human companion's shoulder. "You can't be so reckless! If you're in pain then just say so!" Looking away from the fluffy creature, Rin sighed, trying to keep the tears in her eyes from escaping. She had cried enough for today! "I-I'm fine! D-Don't worry about me!" She yelled, becoming frustrated with her condition. How was she supposed to protect her friends when she was so weak? "We came here for a reason, right? The flower for Lester. We need to find it." Trying to change the subject, she looked away from her friends, not wanting them to see the pain in her eyes. "I-I don't know if I can really get up... But I can sure try!" She didn't want to be knocked down like this. She had always been weak... It was about time to get stronger, and be brave.

"H-Hey! Don't look at it!" Rin cried, as Theo moved her hands away. Embarrassment flooded over her, causing her to chew on her lip anxiously. If she had just been more careful this never would have happened! Neither of them would have gotten hurt. Why couldn't she just be strong, like all the other mages she knew. Lester, Theo, Desirée... All of them could take care of themselves without any problems, yet she could never seem to do anything without screwing it up.

Tears had begun to well up in her eyes, when she suddenly felt herself being lifted upwards. Shocked by the random movement, she clung to whatever had lifted her for dear life, not having the strength to do much else. Looking up carefully, she realized that Theo had picked her up, and began walking away from the castle. "Wait! Theo! We need that flower! Lester would be so upset if we came back without it!" Her protests seemed to be pointless. The young man didn't even look back. Not even for a second. Sighing in frustration, the pink haired female gave up, not having any extra energy to spend arguing. It looked like that had all been for nothing, then. "I'm fine! H-Honestly... I... I just need some rest... And maybe some cake... Yeah, cake would be nice" She mumbled, her eyes closing for a moment. The swaying of Theo's steps almost seemed to lull her to sleep.

However, his next words shocked her. So much so that her eyes cracked open, looking up towards him with disbelief. Her? The important one? That wasn't true at all. "If anyone here is important, it's you. I don't even know who I am. Or if anyone is even out there who remembers me. I have nothing. I am nothing." Frowning deeply, she continued. "I don't have a home to go back to. Or a family. I've been alone for as far as I can remember. I-If I were to disappear, would anybody even notice? Would they care?" The thoughts chilled her to the bone. "You, on the other hand, must have plenty of people who know and care about you. I-I care about you... If you had died, I don't think I could have lived with myself. So... I-If anybody were to go, it should be me!" Her chest clenched once again when she thought about her companion not being there beside her. The name of the feeling still alluded the poor girl, but she sensed that it was something very important, and possibly even special.

"W-What if I'm alone... What if nobody is even looking for me, or thinking about me... Theo, that thought scares me more than anything... No monster, no pain, no betrayal could scare me more than that..." Tears had begun to flow down her cheeks once more, dripping slowly down to her neck. "I-I don't want to be alone!" The sob left her lips before she could even think about it. What was she even saying? Why here? Why now? Clinging desperately to her friend, she tried to find comfort in his warmth.

Theo felt the same way she did? How was that so hard to believe? The normally cheerful boy showed no signs of having such a dark, shadowed past. What had happened to him? The girl wanted to know more than anything, but it would do nothing but harm if she asked. It was best to wait for him to tell her. The look on his face broke her heart. Seeing him in such a somber mood was almost like seeing a cake without frosting. It was so unusual, and it filled her with an unexplainable sadness. She wanted more than anything to make him smile, but was oblivious of how she could.

"You're right... We have each other now... I-I... I'm just not used to that. It's been a while since we first met, but I'm just so used to being alone by now, that I'm not used to having someone like this. Someone who cares... I just want you to know that... that..." Pain wracking through her body once more, she trailed off, a strangled grunt leaving her throat. Her thoughts had become completely scrambled, leaving her speechless. "I..." The last word was whispered almost inaudibly as her eyes began to slowly close. It felt as if all of her energy had been sucked out of her body all at once. Was it because of all the blood she had lost? Shoot... She probably should have done something about that sooner. Body suddenly going limp, she fell into a deep sleep, not to be woken any time soon.

"Hey! Shrimp! Wake up!"

Huh? What was that loud noise?

"Boss, are you sure we should have taken this one? She's the daintiest lookin' flower I've ever seen! She can't be any older than 10! Why couldn't we have caught us a bigger fish!?"

Dainty? Well, that was a bit rude. She was trying to sleep here, too! Couldn't they keep their voices down?!

Feeling a rough hand against her cheek, her eyes snapped open, revealing a dimly lit environment. W-Where was this place? She was just with Theo a second ago?! Where was he now?

Feeling fabric tied around her hands and in her mouth, her eyes only widened farther. What was going on here?! She tried to cry out, but the fabric between her lips kept her from making any noise.

"Oh look! You're finally awake! Welcome back to the world, sweetie!" The voice from before boomed again. Looking to her right, she spied a tall, beefy looking man. His hair was cut short, and his face gruff and mean. Where had she seen him before?

Wait...

This wasn't real... It was a dream... It wasn't real... Was her life flashing before her eyes? Why did the memory come up at a time like this?

"So! We're goin' on a fun little field trip! Are you ready to see where we are? 'Cause we're excited to show ya!"

Another voice. Another man. He was much lankier, hair reaching down to his shoulders, and a scruffy looking beard upon his face. A bright flash of light flashed into her eyes, and the sound of a sliding door filled her ears. A van? Were they in a van this whole time? Grabbing Rin roughly by the arms, the men dragged her out of the car, dropping her not so lightly to the hard ground.

Looking up, she saw a normal looking place. Buildings scattered around the land, people walking, and even a pretty looking fountain that stood in the middle of it all. It seemed like a normal looking town. Except... Something was a bit off...

All of them were children. Well... Almost all of them. There seemed to be a couple adults sprinkled around the area, but most of the population seemed to be 12 and under. Struggling to stand to her feet, she noticed something that was even more odd.

Why was she so short?

Getting a better look at herself, she noticed that many things were off. Not only was she even shorter than she normally was, but her hair was brown. When had her hair ever been brown?

"Alright, runt! Let's get a move on! We got lots to show ya!" The lanky man hissed, shoving her forward impatiently. Obeying reluctantly, she walked forward, feeling hopeless in her current situation.

"Okay! So we're gonna give ya a little tour, okay? First of all, this is where you're gonna be livin' from now on! Pretty cozy, ain't it? Lots of kids your age to "play" with." He continued, chuckling at his own little inside joke. Getting a sharp elbow to the ribs from the larger man, he shut up, wheezing slightly. "Don't ruin the surprise for her, Lieutenant Sanders. It's more fun when they don't see any of it comin'!" The burly man grunted, shaking his head in disapproval. "I-I'm sorry, Boss! Won't happen again, I swear it!"

Rolling his eyes, the boss man continued forward, pointing to various buildings and explaining as they went. A sudden screaming caught her attention, though. It sounded like someone was in agony! Attempting to run to their rescue, the small girl took a few steps forward, but was quickly corralled again by the lieutenant. "No no no! Not so fast! Looks like this little one's interested in our little dungeon, boss. Should we give her a tour?" He snickered devilishly, looking for the boss's approval. "Hmmm... Maybe it would be a good idea to show her that, huh?" Grabbing her arms aggressively, the men dragged her towards the menacing structure.

"Please help me! Oh god! Please! Kill me!"

Screams. They came from every directions. Begging for death. Begging for rescue. Begging. All she heard was begging.

"Alright, little one! This is what we call our "pain tolerance" program! These little ones will be in here for a few more days, actually! Well... If they make it out alive. Our specialists are pretty good at keeping them awake and alive at all times, though. So not to worry!"

Why was he so calm about this? These poor children... They were being tortured... It was brutal. Cruel. Animalistic. Eyes wide in horror, all she could do was stare, legs shaking violently.

"Oh don't you worry! We won't put you in there. Not for a few more months, that is! I'd say that's enough looking for now, though. Say your goodbyes!" The skinny man said, a sick smirk across his bearded face. Turning around to leave, they began to drag her away once more.

"No! Don't leave us! Please! Come back! Noooo!"

There was nothing she could do... She was powerless... Weak. Useless. Tears forming in her brown eyes, she turned away, trying to drown out the cries. What was this place? Why was it so cruel? Why was she here.

"Now, I bet you're wondering about now why you're here. Well! That's a good thing to wonder about! How about we show ya, huh?"

No... She didn't want to see. No more... She couldn't take any more of this. The men couldn't hear her mental cries, though, and continued on their merry way, dragging her towards a large, circular shaped structure. Entering quietly, they took a seat on some nearby bleachers, forcing the young girl, of course, to sit beside them.

"This is my favorite part of the job! I'm glad that you get to watch it with us! This should be an exciting one for sure! These two are some of our best students!"

Students?! What did he mean by students!? These children were in no way here by their own accord.

"Bring them out, boys! Let's get this show started!"

Nodding and saluting to what she had assumed to be their superior, the men within the arena type space began to move forward, stepping towards what looked to be sliding doors. Raising the gates with a push of a button, the men ran in opposite directions, attempting to leave the space quickly. But why? What were they running from.

Sudden movement. Two children. They were incredibly fast, agile, and mean. There was no emotion on their faces, just a hunger. A hunger for blood. They lurched at each other, throwing fists, legs, whatever they could, at each other. "Yeah! That's right, Tango 458! Take him out! You can do it!" The lanky man cried out, rooting for one of the children below.

Why were they fighting? What were they gaining from this?

"You like it, little one? That's going to be you down there, soon! Well... If you can manage to get there. Only the elites get to fight in the arena! It's an honor!"

Elites? Elites of what? What was happening?

"You look confused! Oh, don't worry! I'll tell you everything." The boss man adjusted himself in his seat, facing towards the small Rin. "So. We call this place The Killer's Campground. The junior version anyways. Here, we're going to turn you into a pretty little weapon. When we're done with you, you won't feel anything anymore. No pain, no emotion, nothing. Your sole purpose is to be a weapon. Well. If you make it out of here alive, that is. Each class has 40 children within it. The only way to survive is to kill. To learn. To become vicious... When 40 turns to 20, you get to move on to the senior program. That's what those two down there are fighting for. Tango 458 and Delta 892 are number 20 and 21 in their class. All the rest have been killed. This is the deciding fight. They're fighting for their lives. That's what makes it so entertaining, huh?"

Kill... But... Why... Who was this man? Why were they doing this? Why did these innocent children have to die?

"I don't know why I chose you, sweetie. Everyone thinks I'm crazy, but I see a fire in those eyes. You're going to be our greatest student yet, aren't ya, Zulu 379?"

Zulu... That wasn't her name... Her name was Rin... Rin... RIN...

Hearing a sudden scream, her eyes moved frantically towards the arena. Blood... It was everywhere. The blood of an innocent child. "Well done, Delta 892! Wow! You're an animal! Look at the way that leg is twisted! It's brilliant!"

This was hell... She was sure of it... This was hell...

"C'mon, Zulu 379. Let's get out of here. Today marks the first day of your training."

A quiet whooshing sound. It was so subtle, but so calming. "Mmmmnn..." A small grumble escaped the girl's lips as she awoke, eyes cracking open ever so slightly. Everything was quite blurry, but it seemed that the more she stared, the sharper the images became. Where was she? Last she remembered, she had been in Theo's arms, but that wasn't the case anymore. There was a river... Some tall trees... It was a peaceful looking spot. The thought put her at ease. At least the two of them weren't in danger anymore.

Wait...

Danger...

Theo was in danger... Because of her...

The memories seemed to flood back all at once, causing her to jolt forward anxiously. "I-I... I'm a monster..." The words tumbled out of Rin's mouth, shocking her for a moment. A monster? Was she really one? According to what she had just remembered, she had a great potential of being one. But she didn't even know what had happened after that? Maybe she escaped... Or maybe they set her free! Yeah! That had to be right! There was no way that she would hurt someone...

But...

The last job that the two teammates had been on... She had hurt someone... Badly. She had almost killed the poor man. Her rage was like nothing she had experienced before. The thought of Theo being hurt had pushed her over the edge.

How did she know how to hurt someone like that...? It must have been... She must have been trained...

Placing her hands on her forehead, she leaned forward towards the ground, panicked tears streaming down her cheeks. She really was a monster. A weapon. Whatever they had called her. It was all true. Why did she have to remember such a terrible thing? Why now?

"Rin! Honey! What's going on?" Lily, who had been pacing along the river, ran to her human companion, worry deep within her red eyes. "I-I... I'm... What am I?" Rin stuttered. It must have sounded like such a stupid question, but Lily seemed to understand instantly. "You... Did you remember? Oh god... Why now?" She knew... Lily knew... Why hadn't she said anything? "What do you mean did I remember?! What do you think?! I was a monster this whole time and you didn't say anything! You didn't tell me anything! How could you?!" The pink haired girl screamed, her tears only flowing harder and quicker. "I... Rin... I was just trying to protect y-"

"Protect me?! I thought I could trust you! You've lied to me for as long as I can remember! How do you even know about my past? Have you known me this whole time?" Interrupting the bunny-cat, Rin looked up, an intense hurt burning within her pinkish brown orbs. Of all of the people who could have done this to her, why did it have to be Lily? That damn furball had been the only thing she had for years. The only person she could talk to. Like a mother. And she knew this entire time? "I've been with you since you were a baby... But... I can't say anything more... I promised your father that I wouldn't. That I would protect you until you remembered everything." Her father? What did he have to do with any of this? What else was there to remember? The thought only caused more rage to brew within the pit of her heart.

"I... I hate you, Lily! I hate you!" Sobbing hysterically, the wounded girl stood, turning to run from the creature that had betrayed her. Unfortunately, though, she didn't get very far before her legs gave out on her. "Ugh!" She cried as she hit the ground, the breath being knocked out of her lungs. "D-Dammit...! Why won't my legs work!" Angrily hitting the ground with her tiny fist, she continued to cry. The pain in her abdomen seemed to have subsided, thanks to the work of Theo. She hadn't properly noticed the bandages that were neatly wrapped around her until now. But why couldn't she walk still? Why did she have to be so weak?

"Rin..." Lily muttered, beginning to approach her, but quickly deciding against it. It was probably best for the bunny cat to give her some time. The words had stung, but Lily knew that this was going to happen eventually. She just wished that it hadn't been now.

Looking down at her wound, she watched as he examined it carefully, making sure that the bandages were still in place. He was right, once again. She shouldn't have been so reckless when he had gone to all the trouble of cleaning and covering her injury. "I... I know... I'm really sorry... I just... It hurts..." The girl whispered, referring to the feelings that seemed to have taken a worse beating than she had. It was one thing to remember her twisted past, but then to find out that the one person she had always trusted had been lying to her... It was almost cruel.

Noticing that her inky haired friend had extended an arm to the side, suggesting that she should give him a hug. Hesitating for a moment, she just stared, unsure if it was really okay to be so close to him, especially after what she had found out about herself. What if she hurt him? There was no way she would be able to live with herself if she did... His next words, though, pushed her over the edge. Tears dripping heavily from her pinkish brown hues, she lurched forward, throwing herself into his open arms. There was no way that she could hurt him, even when she was as upset as she was at the moment.

"I would never want to do that... I couldn't hurt you. Not even if someone tried to force me to." She hadn't even thought about that possibility until now. If they had turned her into a weapon, then there had to be someone that was controlling her, right? Did that mean that... If someone told her to... She would have to hurt her friends? Depressing thoughts swirling through her brain, she gripped onto her friend tighter, almost as if he would disappear at any second if she let go. "I... I want to tell you about it... But... If I told you, I'm afraid that you wouldn't want to be around me anymore..." She mumbled into the cloth, (what was left of it anyways), of his shirt. Theo and Lester were truly the only friends she had ever made. If they were to run away after finding out about her distressing past, she would be left with no one...

"But... I fear that it would be worse if I didn't tell you... Something bad could happen, and you would have no idea why." Bringing her face upwards slowly, she stared into the friendly and sympathetic eyes of her teammate. It truly would be painful if he were to leave, but it might be for his own good. Lifting a hand up slowly, she brushed a few strands of hair away from his icy blue eyes. It was a shame that it hid them sometimes. His hues were truly mesmerizing. Moving the hand downwards, she placed it on his cheek, a motion that seemed to be quite familiar now. "I want you to promise me something... If I tell you what those memories were... Who I am... You have to promise that you won't disappear..." What a selfish thing to say. She had just been thinking about his safety. Why is it that she said something that completely contradicted that? Instinct? Or maybe it was because of this weird feeling that seemed to tug at her heart the more she looked at him.
"

His facial expressions almost told a story within themselves. He was definitely hiding something. Something that hurt him deeply. It hurt to see his face twisted in such a gloomy looking smile. Curiosity tugged at her mind, but it wasn't right to ask about something that could be hurting him this badly. His words only seemed to confirm her suspicions. The question almost seemed like it didn't even need to be answered, but for some reason, the girl knew that it did. "Of course I wouldn't just disappear. We're friends. Friends are always there for each other, right?" Rin didn't really know much about friendship, considering she can never remember ever having one before she met her squadmates, but it seemed almost like common sense that friends would stick together.

Sighing deeply, she looked away from the handsome boy in front of her. This could end up being a huge mistake, but she just had to trust that he would actually keep his promise. "Well... If what I just saw really was a memory, then it would seem that I'm a human weapon..." She mumbled, chewing on her lip anxiously. "I don't know how I got to that horrible place, but it looked like I had been kidnapped, or maybe I was sent there? I have no idea which. All I know is that it definitely wasn't my choice. I was only about 10 at the time, so I highly doubt I would have willingly put myself in that situation." It was true... She hadn't had much time to think about it, but it hardly made sense why she was there in the first place. If only the memory would have come as a full package, and not just a fragment of it. "It was disgusting... You could even say it was cruel. There were little children everywhere. We had to fight for our lives. There was no other choice. It was either you fought, or you died. And... I-I... I guess... Since I'm alive... That must mean that I killed... A lot..." A look of shame stretched it's way across her delicate face. The fact that she was alive was almost disgusting to her at this point.

"I tried to tell myself that maybe I got out... That I hadn't killed anyone. But... When we went on that job together... I don't know what came over me. I almost beat the life out of that man, when, as far as I can remember, I've never done something like that in my entire life... When would I have just picked up a "skill" like that?" Taking a moment to calm herself a bit, she stopped speaking, placing a hand on her forehead. It was almost too hard to talk about at the moment, but she wanted Theo to know about this... It was important to her that he knew about who she was. "Those poor children... They were killed for no good reason... Apparently there were 40 of them in my "class," and only 20 of them were permitted to leave. I guess... That I was one of them. I just wish that I knew more... I don't want to believe that I killed people to be where I am today. What kind of existence is that? Only living because of the pointless slaughter of others?" Tears welling up in the poor girl's eyes once more, she leaned back into her friend's embrace. Was her life really worth the life of others? It was hard to believe.

"I-I'm sorry... If you think worse of me... I would understand. Somebody like me doesn't even deserve to exist after the things that I've done." She had wished for these memories every day... Wanting nothing more than to be someone. Anyone. Careful what you wish for, huh?

Feeling warm, gentle hands on her cheeks, a small blush began to form against them, heating up her face slightly. His gaze was firm and serious as he spoke to her. It was strange to see him talk this way, but it sort of made her feel safe and reassured. Though, his stare and their closeness was making her a bit embarrassed. Her mind screamed for her to look away, but his soft hold on her face kept her from turning away. Once he had finished speaking, the girl seemed to have gone mute, at a loss for words in this moment. It was hard for her to believe that what she had done was okay, but the way Theo had spoken to her made her feel like maybe there was a way she could live with it. She had helped him that day, that was true. But what if she had accidentally killed that man? If Lily hadn't been there to stop her, that very well could have been the case. She had shown no signs of stopping, so who's to say that she didn't have intentions of killing him?

Sighing deeply, she reached her hands up to grab his, intertwining their fingers. Placing their hands on her lap, she looked down, thinking about the situation, and what to say. "I... I guess... No... I know that you're right. I'll just have to find a way to live with it. I'm just afraid that at some point I may end up hurting you or Lester... If I was designed to be a... a weapon... Then that means that I must be "controlled" by something, right? What would happen if I lost control like that again, and I started to attack one of you guys?" Squeezing his hands tightly, she stopped for a moment, a bit nervous about what he would say. "I don't think I could ever hurt either of you, but I could be wrong, y'know?" Looking up to him once more, her lips twitched upwards into a small smile. "Thank you for being here for me, though... I really appreciate it. More than you could ever imagine." It was entirely true. If Theo hadn't been here for her, who knows what she would have done. The grief she felt was so strong, but with her friend by her side she felt like she could bear it.

Letting go of his hands, Rin tried to scramble to her feet, though it was a bit awkward. Once upright, she walked slowly towards the river, taking a seat right beside it. It was probably best that they got going soon, but she wanted to look at the flowing water before she left. The bubbling sound that it made was calming. Closing her eyes for a moment, she just listened, pink hair blowing lightly in the slow breeze. Suddenly hearing some chirping, her eyes opened once more, training themselves on a nearby tree. It was a couple of birds. Squeaking and playing, they jumped from branch to branch, seeming to enjoy each other's company. "Nature truly is beautiful, isn't it? I wish that there was more time to stop and appreciate it." The pink haired girl said, eyes squinting slightly in a thoughtful smile. "Don't you just wish that you could be a bird? Or a squirrel? Or just, anything else really? They seem like they're so free, and happy all the time." It probably sounded like such a strange question, but it was a genuine one nonetheless. "They get the chance to live their own lives, do what they please and go where they wish. And some of them even get the chance to love. Lily told me once that some animals mate for life, just like humans do. It's truly amazing." At this point, she didn't really know what she was saying at this point. Words just seemed to be tumbling out of her mouth.

"Isn't love just a magnificent thing? I've wondered about it ever since I can remember. What is that feeling that brings people so close together? I've observed lots of people like that... And all of them seemed so happy, like nothing else in the world mattered to them as much as this other person." Closing her eyes once more, her smile only seemed to grow wider. "The only love that I can seem to remember is the one I had for my father. It's really vague, but I can feel it in my heart somewhere. I loved him very much." Stopping for a moment, she corrected herself. "Well... And I love you guys too. You and Lester that is. You guys are the closest thing that I have to family at this point." Giggling awkwardly, she felt a small blush spread across her pale cheeks. "I-I'm sorry for going on a strange rant. Seeing the birds just made me really happy!" That was partly true, but what had made her even happier was the presence of her dear Theo.