Black stripes, red blurs, flickering faces...

Do you remember Quicksilver? A thousand ways to label the unalive....

Looking down, he saw a mark burned into the fur of his chest. Smouldered away there, as if someone had pushed an iron into him. Who...? He looked around franticly for some sort of enemy when a pain from within struck him again. It drove like a stake through his heart and he fell to his knees in a void of nothing, gasping for breath. Colours formed before his eyes into some sort of blurred indistinct shape. Clutching his hands to his chest he strained through forming tears to make out who or what he was looking at. Who...

You won't be around to witness it.

With a sudden gasp, Kyotoshi jerked awake, pain thundering through his chest cavity. Running a paw over the fur beneith his shirt he found none of it burnt, but the pain did not receed in the least. The Hekshanian hugged his sides and curled over, gritting his teeth. Damn, these are getting more and more frequent...I should see a doctor...Nah, not now. Ain't time. Shaking his head, Kyotoshi gulped air and backed his ears in the dark. A wave of nausea washed over the feline as Kyotoshi lurched to his feet and staggered out of the grass hut to the clearing outside. Paw against the doorframe for support, he gasped in the humid night air of the Magos jungle. Gotta get away from the houses...Can't let 'em see me sick.

Holding his sides and running in the watery moonlight that filtered through the cloudy air, Kyotoshi made it to the edge of the clearing, beyond the torches which burned in a perpetual ring to ward off jungle preditors. It was dangerous outside the ring, but if anyone saw him sick on the inside...He didn't even want to think of the Magos idea of a doctor. Four arms, bald skinned and primitive. How would they know what was wrong with him anyway? Tripping over his feet, Kyotoshi grabbed hold of his knees as his stomach lurched. He gagged as stomach acid and alcohol washed back out of his stomach and spattered on the ground. Tears streaming down his face and the acrid smell of vomit filling his nostrils, Kyotoshi tried to remember the last time he'd eaten something. Didn't matter, he decided. Trying to stop throwing up was more important right now.

Panting hard a moment later, Kyotoshi shook his head and dry heaved, but his stomach was empty. There was nothing left. Shaking his head and staggering backwards, dizzy from the stress on his body, the Hekshanian looked around in the dark. May as well get back where it's safe and clean up...

Back inside the flickering ring of torches, Kyotoshi found a water jug and began splashing it across his fur, scrubbing at his face with his paws. Taking some in his mouth and spitting it out again to rinse the taste of bile, he poured the rest over his head. Water seemed to cascade down in a mushroom shape for a moment, a curtain soaking shirt and pants as well as fur. The felinoid shook his head, spraying droplets in all directions before looking up.

From across the camp, he saw something move.

"The hell was that?" Whispering quietly to himself, Kyotoshi ignored the clawing sickness in his stomach and padded softly behind the huts to creep up on whoever it was. Years as a thief on Hekshano had made him an excellent spy. The flattened grass of the camp didn't make a sound under his claws as he moved.

Twitching his tail, the Hekshanian peered around the corner of one of the huts and into the clearing between the dwellings. Dark as a shadow in the moonlight, two flickering brown eyes met him back. Kyotoshi felt a surge of fear and swung back around the corner of the hut, panting. His heart jumped alarmingly and he winced at the pain it brought but forced himself to calm down. Had he seen...what he thought..? With an almost aggressive determination, Kyotoshi swung back around in full view of whoever was there. He found himself standing face to face with Grey, the Inhuman's gaze seeming to barely regard him. The two locked eyes and Kyotoshi forced down the urge to flee as the silver flecked brown orbs seemed to tear through his soul like a starved wolf. Grey did not say a word.

Breaking the stare, Grey turned his gaze to the far end of the encampment. A clenched fist was the only indication the Inhuman gave before he broke into a full run. Kyotoshi ran a few steps after, half wondering and half fearing what the Demon was doing up at this hour. "Hey!" The Hekshanian shouted half heartedly, but stopped and shook his head. Grey had been strange ever since Kyotoshi knew him...but especially when he was thinking about the bounty hunter who'd studied him. Kyotoshi could only guess what she'd said and done to the kid...but he was always talking about not belonging. He usually kept quiet and close to Soshika but...

"Shit," With a hiss of revelation, Kyotoshi bit his knuckle and stomped the ground, glaring in the direction the Inhuman had run. The lake was that way. Kyotoshi himself knew what loneliness and confusion could drive people to. Ignoring the angry pounding in his chest, the Hekshanian grit his teeth and ran after. Dumbass, He thought to himself. Why do you want to die? Damnit people need you around already...craika, this bugger runs fast. Too bad I'm fast enough. Kyotoshi didn't waste breath in shouting but pushed after Grey. He couldn't see the Inhuman anymore in the dark, Grey's black clothing made sure of that, but he knew where the Demon was headed. He could get there too. A splash in the dark made Kyotoshi curse aloud and gasp air as Grey reached the shallows.

Claws sinking in the wet sand, Kyotoshi dove the last few feet and tackled the Inhuman, bringing him down into the water. Grabbing Grey by his shoulders, Kyotoshi dug in his claws and forced the Demon up to face him. Both were soaked through their cloths, but Kyotoshi hardly could feel it. The cold water was making his teeth chatter as he shook Grey, water splashing around them as the Inhuman thrashed trying to get free. "The hell do you think you're doing?" Kyotoshi snapped angrily, his voice echoing across the empty lake.

"Let go! Let go of me! Let me die, damnit!" Grey twisted angrily and kicked in the water, but the sandy bottom prevented him from getting a good foothold. Grabbing Kyotoshi's forearms, he tried to wrench himself away but the Hekshanian held fast. "Let go!"

"No way!" Kyotoshi swung the Demon around in the water, a wave cascading around them as ripples spread outward. Arches of water droplets hung in the air a moment, marking their movement before crashing down to the lake's surface again. "Not until you tell me the hell you thought you were gonna do!"

Grey paused a moment in his struggle to snarl and narrow his eyes at the elder alien. "I don't belong here." He tried to rip away again, but Kyotoshi held fast.

"Craika, what kind of reason's that? Nobody belongs in this damn universe, it's too shitty to live in!" Kyotoshi gave him a quick shake and stared him down, despite the way Grey's demonic eyes were making his already injured heart seemingly rip at him from the inside. "That doesn't mean you just ditch it and die! You try to make it better!"

Shouting now, the air crackled an eerie red as Grey's hands began to glow. "I've broken promises, I don't deserve to be here!"

"So have I, damnit, but that doesn't mean-" Kyotoshi was cut off as the water around them exploded, shot through with red light. The Hekshanian was blown backwards and landed on his back with a splash in the shallows, glaring at Grey. The red light of the Inhuman's hands reflected on the lake surface and lit his entire body. In the hazy jungle air, Grey seemed to glow blood red. Kyotoshi fought with his body for breath. "Wuzzat for?" He snapped.

Grey held up one hand, the red light forming a shimmering orb of energy between his fingertips. The demon narrowed his eyes and held the energy there. Kyotoshi felt a keening in the back of his throat...He didn't know much about the Inhuman and his ability to generate energy into a concentrated attack, but he knew the blast from a fairly small one was enough to kill a person. "Leave me alone," snarled the Inhuman.

Kyotoshi slumped backwards in the water, the lake washing over him. He felt the failures he'd commited creeping on him, one after the other. Fingertips twitching under the water, Kyotoshi closed his fist around the sand and let it leak through his grip. He dropped his gaze from Grey, and the Demon turned and began to walk towards deeper water. Kyotoshi choked on his own breath, feeling his eyes aching again with tears he wasn't yet ready to release. "Damnit, stop this..."

Eyes flickering dangerously in the dark, Grey twitched his fingers and the energy ball vanished from sight like a light snuffing out. Folding his arms, the Inhuman turned to regard the Hekshanian. "Why?"

"Because people need you!" Kyotoshi's voice cracked as he shouted in the darkness. The words skittered across the surface of the pond, and something in the dark slithered and splashed into the water. "People need you, can't you see that? Stop being so damn selfish and realize that!" Kyotoshi's breath caught in his chest as a paw went convulsively over his heart. It was pounding dangerously fast...The Hekshanian let out a almost silent screech of discomfort and grunted. "Craika, I need a drink."

Grey blinked twice in the dark and lowered his hands to his sides. His tone was monotone, almost mechanical. Lines rehearsed in his head over and over...something he'd been dwelling on for too many days now. "People don't need me. I was created for their use, they can make another one of me. Nobody needs me."

Kyotoshi's breathing was ragged now, a panting. "What about her, huh? You gonna leave her behind like this? She needs you!"

The demon's tone didn't change. "She needed me to help bring about the downfall of the Rulerists. That's set in motion. That was why she first came to me, and that was why she kept me alive. She doesn't need me now."

A frantic mewing sound came from the back of Kyotoshi's throat as he backed his ears. His cheeks were wet now with a mixture of lake water and tears. "You believe that...you really believe that craika..." He squeezed shut his eyes and looked away, screaming at the demon. "Fine then! Fine, you freak! If nobody cares, what are you waiting for?! GO!"

Something faultered in Grey's face as the Inhuman took a step back. For a moment, Grey's expression was almost pained before it faded, washed away by the mask of stoicism he wore. Turning silently, he walked further into the lake. Water rose around his hips and up to his stomach, an all encompasing cacoon of final peace. He wouldn't feel it when his lungs filled with water. He never felt any pain. Grey walked onward, his bare feet sinking into the silty bottom as he went.

Memories flashed back at Kyotoshi, memories of watching Jet and Soshika...each one a consecutive failure on his part to make the correct desicions for them. Kammi's words rang in the back of his head, the now dead mechanic never letting up her relentless assult on his better half. You wanted this, damnit. You look.

"I don't want this though," He whispered, squinting down at his hands under the water. The reflective surface distorted their shape until they hardly seemed human. The quivering made his head hurt. "I don't want this... I don't..."

Do something about it, then, you idiot!

"Damnit, don't do this!" Even with hearing Kyotoshi's Voice, Grey had precious little time to react as the Hekshanian tackled him again from behind. This time, the Inhuman managed to dodge and Kyotoshi only caught him around the legs, dragging them both underwater. Grey took the oportunity, forcing himself to breath the cold lake water and let it fill his throat and lungs -

"Will you stop it!" Frantic angry shouting now, and tugging at his shoulders. Grey felt reality fading slightly as Kyotoshi dragged his head above water. "Cough it up!" The feline demanded, his tone cold but shaking with fear. Grey held the water in his lungs. He could do so as long as he pleased, he felt no pain..."Cough it up, damnit!"

Panicking now, Kyotoshi was running out of options. Craika...I hate to make you do this but.. Jamming his index and middle finger between Grey's lips the Hekshanian pushed past his clenched teeth and down the Inhuman's throat, forcing Grey to gag on reflex. Water splashed across Kyotoshi's as Grey doubled over coughing, unable to stop the reflexive action no matter how he tried. Fingers withdrawn, Kyotoshi gripped the demon's shoulders again, holding him up as Grey's body forced him to gasp for air. "There," panted the Hekshanian, trying to calm down his own heart and body. "There, will you listen to me now? Will you cut this out and listen?"

Growling, Grey shook his head, water spraying across the feline. "What's so important you think a freak deserves to live?"

Kyotoshi mentally kicked himself as he opened his mouth to say something, but paused and rethought it. "I didn't mean that."

"Why should I keep causing pain? Why should I keep killing when I say I won't?" The Inhuman struggled to strike him this time, not to get away. It was a halfhearted effort and Grey stopped, glaring. Tears mixed with water on his face too. "I can't stop hurting! Why should I keep going?"

Kyotoshi's tone had softened and he stared into the Demon's eyes, fear of them gone. He understood Grey's confusion and fear too well...."Because you can make it better. You can help others and make it better."

Barely a whisper now, Grey seemed to loose all of the energy he'd had a moment ago. The Inhuman looked down, shame burning in his soul as Kyotoshi's mental Voice ripped through his mind. "I never help anyone," he whispered.

"You can help me," Kyotoshi moved his hands to Grey's sides, holding the Inhuman up as Grey continued to loose strength. The energy he'd exerted in running, fighting and coughing up lungfulls of water was more than the Inhuman has had to begin with...physical exhaustion, whether he felt it or not, was begining to take its toll. Kyotoshi wrapped his arms around Grey's body and pulled him nearer, the chill of the Inhuman's skin reaching him even through his fur. Grey was freezing. "Stay alive, and you're helping me repay what I've done wrong...I need you, Grey. I need you to be alive for me."

"I'll only hurt again," Grey's voice was growing scratchy, weak. The sound was muffled against Kyotoshi's chest. "Break more promises...I don't want to...I want to die..."

Kyotoshi gripped his sides tighter a moment and shook his head. His heart was thundering dangerously. He didn't have much time...It was getting worse. "No...Listen. It doesn't matter how many promises you break. You just have to show you're sorry. Pay the world back somehow, pay the next person back. But don't just die. People do need you, if you know it or not."

Grey burrowed against Kyotoshi, the Hekshanian brushed a paw through his silver black hair which was slick with water. Grey was crying, and refusing to let anyone see. He was afraid. "People don't need me, I'm their tool, their toy-"

"You're only one if you let yourself be," Kyotoshi forced Grey away from him for a moment and looked the Inhuman in the face. Tears were streaking out of the demon's eyes and reflecting in the wan light. "Only if you make yourself one. Please, Grey, don't do this. I need you. You're my last chance."

Closing his eyes, Grey wrapped both his arms around one of Kyotoshi's and hugged it tightly. "I'll only break the promise-"

"Don't promise then, just try. Please," Kyotoshi sidestepped and hugged the Inhuman from behind. "Just not now, just not tonight."

"If I go back alone..." Grey bit back words, his voice only a whisper without the usual quiver a crying person's held. "I don't want to...I'm afraid, I get nightmares, I wake up and I think it's better if it ends-"

Kyotoshi shook his head and began to move back towards dry land, guiding Grey along. Water dripped off them as they travelled across the encampment and towards the hut Kyotoshi occupied. "Then don't be alone. Stay here, I'll stay awake and watch you. It'll be okay. You don't need to be so afraid."

Inside the hut now, Grey nodded as Kyotoshi guided him to sit on the floor with his back against the bed. Bringing his own jacket, Kyotoshi tucked it around Grey as the Inhuman curled into a small ball with his head on his knees, tears still spreading. Brushing his paw over Grey's shoulder, Kyotoshi stepped away a moment and reached for the silver flask lying on a table nearby.

"Please don't go anywhere, Kyotoshi..." The frightened tone in Grey's voice made the Hekshanian's hand pause, hovering in the air above the flask. A slight smile crept onto his face as he shook his head and returned to Grey's side, sinking down to wrap his arms around the Inhuman. Grey made a muffled sound, trying to hold back the sounds of crying, and leaned against the yellow furred alien.

Smiling faintly, Kyotoshi brushed the wet strands of black and silver hair with his fingertips. "I'm not going anywhere, kid..." He said quietly. Looking up to the open entrance of the hut, he gazed across the encampment to where the glassy surface of the lake reflected a sliver of moonlight in the dark. "Just you don't leave either...I need you now. I need you more than you know."

Grey couldn't hear. Face burried in the wet fabric of Kyotoshi's shirt, hands cupped around his nose and mouth, Grey had fallen into an exhausted sleep.