Dominic had stayed up the entire night, debating with himself over whether or not it was worth risking Lucian’s life just for the sake of protecting Tyrell. The problem was that it was not just the Keys that were on his mind. He wasn’t staying here just because of his Guardian duties; he was staying because he enjoyed the opportunity to be with his partner. He was getting used to their constant battles of wit and Lucian’s frequent mood switches. It had been such a long time since he had last felt this content.

But that was exactly the reason that his stay was beginning to be a predicament. Without meaning to, he had gotten too close to Lucian. He had forgotten the rules that he had set up for himself. As long as he was detached, associations were fine. Only this was no simple association, it was a relationship. Check that; it was an addiction. This had gone too far and it was time to put a stop to it before any further damage could be done. He couldn’t put Lucian in any more danger than he already was in by being chosen as a Guardian.

Watching Lucian toying with that blade that night had turned his insides. He was just augmenting Lucian’s sickness. Lucian feasted on the danger that he gave him. He tempted a side of Dominic that the older youth wished did not exist. Dominic was in no way proud of his violent tempter. It was merely a hapless result of his childhood. The worse part was that he had little control of it around Lucian. Whatever amount of normal rage that he usually felt, it was multiplied to the umpteenth power when ever he was around the redhead. Lucian just seemed to attract animosity to him. Dominic hated feeling that way about someone. To make matters even more complicated; he couldn’t understand why he could hate Lucian so much and yet feel so strong about him.

Ever since he had met Lucian, everything had been so much more difficult. But this was the end. Lucian would no longer radiate through his thoughts and he would no longer pose a significant object of attention to the younger boy. Both of them could be free. That was the best solution. Wasn’t it?

He laid on the bed, feeling something sharp bite into his hip. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the ring. Holding it between his fingers, he gazed at the shining gem in the middle. Aiden had often told him that both he and Selene adored the amethyst. Too bad, the mere sight of the stone made him shiver. Damn Angelique! Why did she have to mess him up like this? What was her connection with all this anyhow? He wanted to find out, but now that he was going to be ditching his partner, he would have to do it on his own terms.

Still thinking about the hated jewel, he unlatched his necklace and slid his mother’s ring over the cold chain. It clicked against the sun amulet hanging off the middle. Heaving an exhausted sigh, he tossed the necklace around his throat and redid the clasp. Selene’s ring felt cool against his chest. Nadia had said that she had worn it all the time he was gone. Maybe it gave her some sort of comfort. If it had, it wasn’t affording him the same solace. It just made him think of Aiden and of what he had lost. Yet all of the sudden, he wanted to remember. What was it that Lucian had said? You can’t focus on the bad forever? Well, wearing the ring was a start.

He was sorting a meager pile of clothes to put in his backpack when Lucian waltzed in, looking as though his temper last night had disappeared with the dusk. Crimson eyes trailed around the room, catching a glimpse of the small collection of items on Dominic’s bed. He had his notebook, his pocketknife, a few sets of clothes, and his schoolbooks all grouped together. Stepping from the closet, which still had several assorted clothing items that Dominic had neglected to add to the mess, Dominic turned to acknowledge his visitor’s presence.

"Whatcha doing Nicky? Taking a little road trip?" Lucian teased as he patted the bundle of clothing on the mattress.

"I’m leaving," responded the other teenager as casually as he could despite the lurching feeling in his stomach.

Lucian hopped on the bed and starting fooling with the switchblade, flicking the sharp edge out and in again like a child with a fancy new toy. He rested his head on Dominic’s neat pile of clothing and shifted his eyes to him. "Sure you are," he bantered. Then the redhead pointed to the clothes left in the closet. They were the ones that he had helped Dominic pick out during their shopping trip. His favorite had been a dark blue button-up with short sleeves that gave Dominic a more laid-back look. Of course, Dominic had hated it upon sight and refused to wear it. "You missed some," Lucian reminded the dark-haired boy with a grin.

"I’m not taking those. They’re yours. Now get up. I have to have all this ready before I go talk to Tyrell," Dominic commanded as he shoved Lucian off his clothes.

"What are you talking to him for? Got something new on the Chimera? When I woke up last night, I heard you shuffling about down here. What was keeping you up?" the other youth questioned as he rolled off his partner’s clothes, still playing with the knife.

"I told you. I’m leaving and I have to discuss with Tyrell how I will continue to protect him from now on."

"Yeah right. Come on, Nicky, quit messing around. Why are you really going to see Tye?"

"I’m not playing, Ambrose. Get your ass off the bed," snapped Dominic reaching for the knife in Lucian’s hands. "And give me that too while you’re at it."

Lucian gave Dominic a puzzled look and then held the tip of the knife with his fingers dangling it just in front of his companion’s reach. Cursing, Dominic snatched at the weapon, contemplating slapping it out of Lucian’s grip. Jerking the blade away again before Dominic could grab it, Lucian whipped it behind his back. "What are you talking about, Nicky? You can’t leave."

"I said give it to me!" snarled Dominic as he threw an arm behind Lucian and grasped his wrist, twisting it to the side. The redhead hissed in pain and dropped the switchblade on the mattress. Sweeping it from the covers, Dominic flicked the blade back inside and forced the weapon into his pocket. He lifted his eyes to see Lucian feeling around his wrist and gritting his teeth. Damn, he had hurt him again. He couldn’t do the most basic thing without lashing out at the boy. He couldn’t even say goodbye. Fuming, he lifted the objects on his bed and shoved them into his bookbag with a groan. Unknown to him, the notebook collapsed to the floor, hidden by the overhanging covers of the bed.

"Damn you. Why can’t you just listen? Why must you always make me so angry with you?" he charged as Lucian choked back another whimper.

"You’re joking, right? You’re not really planning on walking out on the Guardians?" the red-haired boy demanded anxiously as he fought to ignore the pain lancing through his wrist.

"There you go, changing the topic as always. Tell me why can’t you just act civil for once!"

"I don’t want you to leave!" Lucian screamed back, his words hitting his partner like a kick in the gut. "You can’t!"

His voice sounded so hysterical, so full of denial and anger. He was truly upset by this. Dominic knew that it was too late. He had played the game too long and now Lucian didn’t want to stop. Lucian would not let him abandon the playing field. This was his drug, his high, and Dominic knew that Lucian would not give it up so easily.

But Dominic also knew that he could not give in to this. It was the first time that he was sure of his decision. Lucian would be better off without him around, feeding his twisted addiction and putting his life in immediate danger. That fact gave him the strength to look into his partner’s eyes despite the queasy feeling in his head. It was hard, gazing at the spheres of such raw beauty and knowing that he had to hurt their owner one last time. Then it would be over. The game would be finished. Win or lose, it would finally be complete.

"You cannot tell me what I can and cannot do, Ambrose. I make my own decisions. I am leaving," he asserted, hating the cold echo of his voice in his ears.

"But the partnership...." Lucian began in a shaking tone.

"Is dissolved. You and I are no longer a team. I shall work on my own from now on as I had originally intended to do."

The younger boy leapt up from the bed and hurled himself against Dominic, slamming them both down on the floor. Insane frustration gleamed in his eyes as he pinned the older youth down by his shoulders. "You can’t do that! The Guardians need you! The Keys need you! I need you!"

Dominic gathered his strength and rolled the other boy onto his back. "The Guardians will be fine without me. I will still watch the Keys by my own means. And as for you, all that you need me for is your damn danger-rush. I’m just a fix for you. This is not a friendship. It is not a relationship. It’s an addiction, an inescapable psychosis."

"No it isn’t!" wailed Lucian as he tried to force Dominic off him. "You don’t understand. It’s not just an addiction. We’re a team. I’m your partner."

"Correction, you were my partner. Besides, I’m merely living up to the condition of our agreement. I promised that I would stay until my shoulder mended. Well, it’s healed."

"Because of me! I healed it for you! If it weren’t for me, it would still look like shit. Not to mention that you’d probably be dead! You’re an ungrateful bastard!"

His slurs pricked Dominic like the bloodthirsty thorns that they were. Dominic was a little surprised that he was reacting so emotionally to such childish stimuli. He had been called a bastard thousands of times, whether he deserved it or not. He figured that he would be used to such a title by now. But this time, it was more than a lifeless word; it was a violent denouncement of his entire being. Lucian might as well have punched him. Either way, it would have produced the same reaction. Dominic winced at the insult and averted his eyes.

He knew he wasn’t being fair in Lucian’s eyes. He was taking advantage of his kindness in helping him and using it to provide an excuse for his departure. This was probably the reason that Lucian had held off on healing him for so long. The redhead had suspected that he would run away as soon as he was no longer hindered by the injury. Well, he had been right. After all, it had been Lucian’s fault for keeping him in the dark all this time. He was due for some form of castigation. Yet, this logic failed to soothe Dominic’s guilty conscience or remove the betrayed expression from Lucian’s face.

"I am grateful for your help. It is my gratitude that insists that I leave. I am not helping matters in this house. I’m more suited to working on my own," Dominic explained, backing away from Lucian and allowing the other boy to scramble to his feet.

"That doesn’t make any sense!" raged the red-eyed youth as he jerked his face away from Dominic. When his only response was the other’s silence, he continued on his rant. "Of course, it only matters if it makes sense to Lone Wolf Nicky, doesn’t it? You’ve spent so much time pretending to be a wild beast that you’ve forgotten what it’s like to be a human like the rest of us. What happened to the old notion of loyalty to the pack?"

"I don’t need a pack."

"Oh, a rogue wolf, is it? Did you know that those are the first to die in the wild? All wolves need their pack at least some time in their lives. Those that are ostracized are doomed to die on their own."

"How do you know that?"

"I have a computer. I did some research on wolves back before I knew that you were the black one. You could say that it enlightened me," sneered Lucian.

"Good. Then you should also know that we are very unpredictable creatures, prone to rash actions," warned Dominic as he glowered at the younger teenager.

"I won’t let you leave," his companion declared as he stood in front of the door, leaning against one edge while placing his foot upon the other one.

Dominic growled and gathered his schoolbooks under one arm, then sauntered over to Lucian. Giving him a stern look, he dropped the books at his feet. "I trust that you can return these for me since I will no longer be enrolled at Carthala."

"What are you going to do then? Where are you going to stay? You don’t have any money and from what I gathered from your interaction with your sister, you ran away from home. So who are you going to turn to out there?"

"I will be fine. I always have been."

Taking a deep breath, Lucian kicked at the nearest book, flinging it against the back wall. "But you’re not fine! Nobody who lives this way can be fine. You need some stability in your life. You can’t just wander around with only an abstract purpose."

The dark-haired boy knew that Lucian spoke the truth but he couldn’t bring himself to accept it. It didn’t matter anyway. It was time he ended this conversation and there was only one surefire way of accomplishing this. He reached out and snagged Lucian’s collar, tugging him from the doorway.

"Why the hell should I be listening to you preach to me about a stable life when you don’t even know the meaning of the word? You’ve never had a stable life, Ambrose. Never. If you ever believed otherwise, then you were just fooling yourself," he mocked as Lucian tore out of his hold, ripping his shirt in his rush to escape. Dominic could see the mortified mask on his face as the elder’s words sunk into his mind. Then his humiliation turned into burning rancor.

"Fuck you!" he spat in fury, his voice on the verge of cracking due to the emotions that were ravaging it. "You have no right to say such bullshit to me! Just because I can’t detach myself from everything like you doesn’t give you the right to use my past against me. So I have a danger addiction. So what! Everybody has his or her flaws. You’re just too busy moping over your own problems to realize that not everybody has the ability to ignore everything and pretend to continue living. Because you know something Nicky, you can’t. It’s not possible to go through life, pretending that nothing ever matters. You might as well be dead!"

"If that’s the way you feel, then why didn’t you just leave me after the dance?"

"I couldn’t. Don’t you understand? I can’t let you die. I need you Nicky. I don’t even know why. All I know is that the thought of spending one day without your mocking voice drives me crazy. I want you to stay. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?"

"Why?" Dominic insisted, actually curious to know what motivated the younger boy to try so desperately to make him stay. "What am I to you anyway, if not just a means of aiding your disease?"

Lucian paused for a second, garnet eyes wavering with an unknown emotion. "You’re like part of the family, Nicky. You, Shira, and me. We’re a family. We need each other," he answered in a distant tone. Dominic could tell that he wasn’t telling him the whole truth. But right now, that wasn’t important. He needed to see Tyrell and he was wasting time here.

"That’s where you’re wrong, Ambrose. I neither need nor want a family. I’ve had enough of that institution to last me a lifetime." He made a move to enter the hall when a set of clutching fingers curled around his lower arm. Turning his head, Dominic found himself face to face with a pair of pleading red eyes that glistened with a supernatural light.

Lucian choked up on his hold as he started to respond in a dull yet supplicating timbre that had the faint hint of a sob in its sound. "Fine! Forget about the family idea. But what about us? Aren’t we even friends?"

"Friends?" balked Dominic as if the word rolling off his tongue was disgusting. "Why do you even bother to ask? I’ve told you many times, Ambrose. We’re not friends; we’re just partners. And now, we’re not even that." Lucian’s fingers slid weakly from his skin as he pulled away and journeyed down the stairs and to the door.

"Nicky wait! Please!" the redhead begged as he raced down the staircase and stopped halfway. Dominic held the door ajar and waiting, not wanting to look up and see the desolation in the younger boy’s face. Why was Lucian making this so hard? Then again, didn’t Lucian make everything far more difficult than it should have been? Lucian had once joked that it was his talent. He was certainly a master of his art.

"Ambrose," he breathed, unwilling to face his companion.

"I believe that all the Guardians need each other, even you. Isn’t there some part of you that longs for companionship?"

"I don’t need anyone. Goodbye Ambrose," the older youth murmured as he stepped outside, closing the door behind him. As he began to head toward the main stretch of road, he failed to detect the frail reply that reverberated through the empty room in a piteous moan.

"But I need...you."

Tyrell threw the skeeball up the ramp as Maren stood beside him counting his enormous coils of gaming tickets. The ball leapt over all the winning hoops and sunk into the empty slot that yielded one measly ticket. This game stunk. Maren gave a loud guffaw and slapped Tyrell on the back, nearly pushing him off his feet.

"Aw, can’t win them all, Arteme," he quipped sarcastically as Tyrell swiped another ball from the set and launched it up the ramp once more. It bounced into the highest circle but the force of the throw caused the ball to bounce back out and roll into the null spot. Tyrell groaned and ripped the second ticket from the machine.

"Maybe. But it would be nice to win just once," he pouted as Maren dashed off to challenge some other youths to a game of air hockey. "Nice to know you care," mumbled Tyrell as he tossed the rest of the balls into air, watching them all sail into the lowest slot. Ignoring the rest of his tickets, the green-eyed youth stepped away from the game and went to go see all the other teenagers and their skills at the arcade’s games.

He was eager to see some happiness after his ultra depressing talk with Dominic. How could Dominic just decide to withdraw from Carthala like this? Didn’t he even care that he was ruining his chance of graduating? Just the other day, he had seemed so appalled at the notion of Lucian failing. Why wouldn’t he care about his own academic career? Why was he doing this in the first place? Everything had seemed to be going so well between him and his Guardians and now this.

Dominic had appeared so fidgety all during the conversation as if he wanted to leave as soon as possible. All that he had said about still maintaining his Guardian position was that he would watch Tyrell as he had done in the past. Tyrell wondered if the older boy meant that he would return to his persona of Wolf. Perhaps, Dominic no longer wanted to spend free time with him or any of the other youths. He had always seemed antisocial, but this was insane. Dominic could not just ditch them like this. He couldn’t just masquerade as Wolf for the remainder of this Chimera situation. Whether he liked it or not, he was born a human and as such should have to live his life as one. What sort of person would refuse such a basic truth?

As he walked toward the gaming section, he saw a crowd of aggravated teens slamming their hands down on the gaming system and stomping away. It looked like someone was managing to beat every single youth that challenged him. Squeezing his way through the group, he caught of flash of golden blond hair and heard a triumphant cry. The figure spun around to him with a sinister grin, tossing a quarter in its hand as its fingers gripped the plastic gun cemented onto the base next to the gaming monitor.

"So we have another victim I....Tyrell!" exclaimed the champion as Tyrell blinked at the person who gloated in front of him.

"Erik, you’re back," Tyrell yelped as he scooted to the position next to Erik. The people watching the blond’s skill stared in disbelief at the boy who dared to take her on.

One of them reached over to Tyrell and gave him a timid warning. "You better be careful. That guys an expert. He’s still on his original quarter. Man, the way he fires that gun makes you wonder if he ever used a real gun."

"Yeah. It does," the mahogany-haired replied in a low voice as his eyes wandered over to Erik. "Is it all right for me to try?"

"I’m getting tired of this game. There’s no competition," bragged Erik as she stepped away from the booth, receiving several disappointed sighs. "Let’s go outside if you want to talk." She grabbed Tyrell and sashayed away from the crowd, calling back, "Keep practicing children. I’ll be back here soon to pick up some new suckers."

"Quit hassling them, Erik. You’re cheating anyway since you already know how to shoot," Tyrell whispered in her ear as they headed outside the arcade.

"It’s not my fault if they’re pathetic."

"I thought that you were staying with your father this week."

Erik snorted in contempt, sitting on the bench outside the arcade. "I was. But it appears that ‘Daddy’s’ illness isn’t as bad as we had thought. He’s just suffering from too much stress. That man worries about everything. He’s such a neurotic. Kind of like you."

Tyrell situated himself next to the blond and gave her a disdainful glance. "Thanks. I assume that he and your mom are separated?"

"Divorced," Erik corrected with a flick of her hand. "They had some problems that they just couldn’t work out. He was too pushy and she was always so sensitive. Sometimes it baffles me how I could share her genetics."

"I suppose you got your personality from your father then?"

"Him? Yeah right. ‘Daddy’ isn’t too happy that his precious princess wants to play the role of the prince instead. He thinks that all girls should want some big strong man to be there to rescue them. He never even fathoms the fact that we might want to protect ourselves once in a while. Why should we always need to turn to a man for help? As for as I’m concerned, aside from the physical features, I’m just as good as any boy when it comes to anything."

"But why would you want to be?"

"Must there always be an reason for everything, Tyrell," the girl replied in a huff. "And even if there was an intelligent reason that I act the way I do, what makes you think that I would want to share it with a weakling like you. With the way you act, you might as well be a girl."

Tyrell was abashed by the remark. So he was a little more sensitive than Maren or the other boys in his school. He could still pull the masculine role when he needed to. He just didn’t see any reason for boys to always be tearing each other up over pointless contests and getting themselves filthy in the process. What was wrong with just wanting to be a gentleman? It didn’t make him effeminate. It just showed that he had a bit more dignity than the rest of the Neanderthals that roamed Carthala’s halls. Besides, Erik had no right to condemn his choice to act civil when she was under the guise of the opposite sex. Just because she was macho didn’t mean that everyone should have to be.

"That’s just your opinion, Erik. I don’t care if you wish to parade around like some guy. I will act the way I wish no matter how it appears to you. My way has always seemed to get me the best reaction and helps me to communicate with people. Maybe you should try to be more genial and see if it has a positive affect on you as well," he suggested, trying to keep himself from sounding overly snobbish. "And you shouldn’t condemn your father for wanting the best for you. There are many nasty stereotypes about girls who dress like men and vice versa."

"He doesn’t want the best for me! He just wants to control me like he did to Mother. He’s such a man. A chauvinistic bastard and nothing more. I could care less what he thinks is the best for me. I too will act the way I wish," Erik retorted, digging her nails into the base of her palm in her irritation.

"Sorry," the other youth whimpered as he realized his mistake in speaking up too soon.

He usually had more tact than this. This slip was probably due to the uncomfortable situation with his first Guardian claiming a desire to break away from the rest of the group. Dominic was just putting him on edge today. He could only imagine how the Ambroses must be feeling. Lucian did seem to enjoy the reserved boy’s company. But it was bad manners to let his problems influence how he treated Erik. Even if Erik did not choose to show him a decent degree of respect, he considered himself big enough to let that slide and treat her as he would any other girl. Only that seemed to infuriate her more. Maybe he should try treating her like the rest of the guys. In that case, a change of topic wouldn’t seem too horribly out of place. Maren and him switched what they were talking about all the time.

"So will you be returning to school tomorrow, Erik?" he asked cautiously.

Erik regarded him with interest for a moment. Perhaps, she was pondering why he had decided to switch the direction of the conversation. "Yes," she answered after a moment of silence.

"Then I’m sure that you’ll be glad to know that Dominic has decided to drop out. He told me that it would be easier for him to keep an eye on us Keys if he weren't burdened down with all the pressures of school. I don’t understand though. He never seemed to have any trouble in school. Dominic always seemed really intelligent to me."

"Solanis? Oh, he’s smart all right. But I doubt that it’s his school that’s causing his distress," Erik mused in a distant tone.

"Oh. What do you think is wrong with him?"

"It would take forever to answer that question, Tyrell. But for the sake of time, let’s just say that Dominic considers all of you to be a burden to him."

"Us?"

"Yes. You and your zany comrades. He’s probably tired of playing the social game. His kind can only mingle for so long before they feel the urge to return to their solitude. I gather that this means that he will no longer be working with the Ambrose twins?"

"Yep. He told me that his partnership with Lucian is through. It’s about time. Lucian needs to find some more amiable company," the younger youth complained before he realized that he had just said his thoughts out loud.

Erik didn’t seem surprised by his bitterness toward Dominic’s relationship with Lucian. She just ran her fingers through her short blond hair and muttered lightly, "Ambrose does not enjoy the peaceful lifestyle, Tyrell. He’s a rebel. He craves the wild life. Nice people just bore him."

"I’m nice and Lucian seems to like me just fine."

The girl shook a finger and tapped Tyrell on the chest. "Ah, but you are also a Key. Ambrose has to placate you. He feels that it’s his duty to develop a sort of affinity with his charges. It’s kind of like a bodyguard and employer relationship."

"You think you know everything, Erik. But you don’t know anything about Lucian. He doesn’t do stuff just because it’s his job. He only does things because he enjoys doing them. You said yourself that he was a rebel. Well, why would a rebel just bend down to destiny? Lucian associates with me because he wishes to do so. You’re wrong about him only caring about the Cruce," fought the boy as he pushed away the blond’s hand.

"Aren’t we the little expert?" she jeered with a cruel laugh.

Tyrell sighed and scooted further down the bench so that he was no longer so close to the girl. She was making him nervous. Why did Erik have to act so weird all the time? It made it hard for people to hang out with her since she always seemed adamant about getting on their bad side. Unlike Lucian who just messed with people, she went for true disgrace and wouldn’t stop until she had achieved her goal. What made her cynical? Dominic was mean but he did it in a more direct manner so that his companions wouldn’t feel like they were being tricked. Every word that Erik spoke just seemed to ooze distrust.

Stopping his retreat when he had backed up against the end of the bench, he turned around to her and glared. "Why should I even believe you? What can you see that others can’t?" the green-eyed youth demanded.

The blond narrowed her chestnut eyes at the young boy. "You could say that I am a skilled observer. I can read people’s emotions like an open book, and a bad one at that. It’s a talent that I have acquired over the span of my life. Unfortunately, I learned of this skill too late...." she paused mid-sentence and jerked her head to the side.

"Too late for what?"

"Never mind!" she snapped as Tyrell’s emerald eyes shook at the sound of her words. "I pulled you out here so that I could ask you something."

For a second, Tyrell thought about whether he should indulge the girl. Nothing that she wanted to know was going to be good otherwise she wouldn’t be asking. Erik always tried for the really tough questions, the ones that made one question everything about himself. Yet, there was no way that her question would involve her turning into a gorgeous destruction demon with a hot temper and a grudge at the deities for cheating him out of his chance of resurrection. When he thought about it that way, the idea of answering Erik’s question didn’t seem half-bad.

"Shoot," he replied, chuckling at the pun in his words considering whom he was talking to.

"During our last fight, you never drew your weapon. Even before Solanis was attacked, you didn’t even look like you were considering the option. What was wrong? Were you afraid to fight?"

Brilliant. He had just subjected himself to facing the one question that he could not answer. Besides him, there were only two other people who knew the reason and those two were actually the same person. Though, Tyrell still didn’t know if Tavores had shared the information regarding the Cruce with Lucian yet. He had seemed quite angry right before he disappeared. Maybe, he would hold back on telling Lucian the truth just to spite Tyrell for criticizing him.

Tyrell bit his lip so hard that he could feel the warm blood flowing on his tongue. This was the last thing he needed. He had not interest in sharing with Erik the sacred truth that he held the Cruce. Erik was too suspicious a character to take for granted. He wasn’t going to tell her anything until he knew for sure that he could trust her. The one good piece of advice that Dominic had ever given him was to be careful whom he trusted and after this whole mess with Angelique having Evangel’s pendant, he wasn’t sure who that was anymore. He had still yet to get the pendant from her and had chickened out, begging Maren to come with him to the arcade. Maren had agreed for mainly two reasons. He loved winning mass amounts of tickets and he had been looking for a way to congratulate Tyrell for last night’s performance.

It was going to be quite a task to lie to Erik after her boast that she could sense people’s true emotions. She was doing a fair job of it. Tyrell was afraid to underestimate her ability just yet. But either way, he would have to find a way of weaseling out of this conversation. All he needed was a halfway decent story.

He tightened his grip on the bench’s side and opened his mouth to speak. "N-no. I wasn’t afraid of t-that...." Tyrell held his breath and mentally cursed at himself for the jumpy way he was talking. Oh, this plan was working beautifully. All he needed now was to sound a bit more pathetic. Shaking his head, he forced himself to continue in a more confident tone. "As a matter of fact, I’ve discovered something that could really spur me in battle. It’s just that I was...er...surprised, I guess. I hadn’t expected that the Chimera would show up at such a crowded place."

Erik tossed him a skeptical glare as she lifted one leg and crossed it over the other. "You should be better prepared if you want to survive, Key. By the way, what is your new strategy?"

"I have some finesse for swordmanship. It comes from the years my dad spent teaching me how to fence when I was younger. He said it was important for young gentleman to retain a commanding stance and know how to move with fluid grace. When I fought with him, I wasn’t that good. I guess I must have gotten better without even noticing. The only trick to it is preventing the Chimera from disarming me before I can get angry enough to unleash my full potential. It appears that some part of my mind has developed a fail-safe that blocks my skill from me unless I truly desire to use it. We’re talking passionate desire."

"Interesting," the girl drawled with a malevolent gleam in her eyes.

"I guess," Tyrell admitted, satisfied that Erik had no wish to further interrogate him on the matter.

The blond lifted herself from the bench and stood before Tyrell with an inquisitive expression taking over her usual scowl. "Tyrell, are you doing anything special tonight?"

"Not that I know of. Why?" stammered Tyrell, curious to know where Erik was going with this question.

"I thought that maybe we could do something. I haven’t gotten to know you very well and I think it’s time to ditch this wedge that we’ve placed between us. Also, you look down at the loss of one of your loyal watchdogs. I’m sure a night on the town would cheer you up," Erik encouraged in a disturbingly jovial voice.

"I don’t know. I did drag Ren here," her companion evaded as he wrung his hands. Why was Erik interested in getting to know him better all of the sudden? She never cared before and the group had been together for almost a month. Maybe she had an ulterior motive. It would be wise to be careful around her. "Ren will be angry at me for leaving."

"Oh, just tell your friend that you’ve changed your plans. I’m sure he’ll understand. After all, he doesn’t ever appear to have noticed your disappearance yet. Are you so sure he wants to be here?"

"Probably not. But...."

Erik smiled sweetly and leaned down to him placing her arms on either side of him, entrapping him underneath her. "What’s the matter, Tyrell? Are you afraid of me? Are you afraid to be alone with me? I’m your Guardian too. Would I put you in danger?"

Tyrell gulped as he stared into her piercing brown eyes. "N-no. I’m not a-a-fraid." He wasn’t. Well, not that much anyway. Erik was right. She was a Guardian. That technically meant that she couldn’t hurt him. Perhaps, she really wanted to talk. Either way, she definitely wasn’t going to let him go unless he gave her the affirmative response.

"Then you’ll come?"

"I should go tell Ren. I’ll just say that this is Guardian business. He knows what that means," Tyrell said softly as Erik moved her arms to pull him off the bench. Still uneasy about these circumstances, the younger teenager walked over to talk to Maren with Erik shadowing his every step.

Lucian stormed into the arcade just in time to see Tyrell heading off with Erik. Normally, he would have been bothered by this and gone to see what was going on. But today, Tyrell was not on Lucian’s mind. He brushed off the other’s strange company as he walked over to a fighting game and jammed a few quarters into the slot. The game blinked as the two animated combatants appeared on the screen and starting to slash each other up, blood and gore flying everywhere in the usual gratuitous fashion. Lucian pounded the buttons mercilessly. He was good at this particular game. Working with computers for most of his life had rewarded him with the ability to tap keys quickly while still pushing the joystick.

He hit the key even harder as his combatant swayed in a trance. The move decapitated the tiny figure and blood gushed from the wound, spraying the screen in a marvelous display of CG. Lucian perked a smile and then began to bash the next contestant. This was what he needed right now. A chance to take out his anger on some meaningless game. A world where the characters were fake and could not even feel the pain as they limbs were lopped from their bodies helped him forget about the despair that had taken hold of his mind. He knew it was sick. Getting enjoyment by tearing apart a bunch of gaming villains was pathetic. Yet it was good to know that he could hurt something right now. Because at the moment, that was all he wanted to do. Hurt something. Make it bleed. Make everyone know the rage and misery that he felt. Maybe then, the pain would go away.

But as he continued to advance to the harder levels of the game, those hideous words came back to haunt him. ‘This is not a friendship. It’s not a relationship. It’s an addiction, an inescapable psychosis.’ Attempting to drown his sorrow in fury, Lucian crushed his fingers against the keys and grabbed the gaming stick so hard that it dug into his skin.

"He’s wrong. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. It’s not an addiction. It’s more than that. Why can’t he see?" he growled to himself, watching the pretend enemies crash before him in their death throes. "He’s the most evil asshole that I know!" Another slap on the keys. "He doesn’t give a damn about anyone. I don’t know why I even bother." A twist of the stick. "Shira was right. She was always right." The final boss loomed before him but Lucian could barely see. There was a thick mistiness blocking his eyes and he wiped them furiously. "He doesn’t care, so why should I?" He could hear his voice becoming louder and louder with each sentence. People were probably staring now. They could take a picture for all he cared. Still trying to keep an eye on the screen, he watched as the final boss approached him. Lucian reached to slam the buttons as red clouded his vision. It was a dark red, but it was not coming from his eyes, which were currently covered with a pair of black shades. This was the red of overwhelming rage. "Why are you doing this to me Nicky!"

There was a spurt of purple as his character fell to the ground. The screen flashed the words that he had only seen once in his entire life and that was before he had learned how to play. ‘You lose. Deposit another quarter if you’d like to try again.’

"I never lose!" Lucian screamed as he kicked at the machine, unable to get rid of the ire consuming his conscience. The game began its ominous countdown. ‘5. 4. 3. 2. 1. 0. GAME OVER.’ "No!" he shrieked as he kicked it again, this time hard enough to make the machine shake and the coins to rattle inside of it. "It’s not fair! He cheated!"

A young man with dyed dark blue hair arranged in a tousled fashion ran up to him from behind the crowd of observers that he had gained during his fit. "Whoa! Calm down there, kid. What’s the problem?" The group parted to let the man through as Lucian whirled around, his eyes coming into contact with bright green. "Lucian?" the man asked as Lucian pried himself away from the taunting game.

"Devon? What are you doing here?" Lucian inquired as he ran his eyes over the familiar form. The man in front of him looked to be in his early twenties and was decked out in his usual punk regale, tattoos racing down his arms and earrings encircling his entire left ear. He was shaking his head at him and nudging away the crowd.

"I work here. At least, I do for another five minutes and then my shift’s up. Lucian, it’s great to see you. So how have you been? Haven’t seen you around much since you changed schools. You never come by the shop anymore. Is your computer being nice for once."

"For the most part. So you ditched the computer store to work at an arcade?" the younger boy questioned in an incredulous tone.

"Hell no! I still work at the shop. But school’s a major pain in the ass to afford. Being a technician isn’t the easiest thing to prepare for either. The folks don’t have shit in the bank. So I have to take on yet another job. The arcade looked like it would require the least amount of work. I was right. All I have to do is sit behind that counter and make sure the kiddies don’t take off with anything or..." he paused, "...try to damage the equipment."

Lucian smiled sheepishly as he glanced back at the gaming booth, which now had a faint dent in its side. "Sorry. I’ll pay for that."

"You had better, otherwise it gets cut from my pay and I need every penny. What’s your deal with the machine anyway? Did you and Tashira get into another squabble? Or did one of your zany adventures turn out unlike you expected?" Devon prodded as he watched some youths form a line at his counter, awaiting their prize for their tickets. He motioned to Lucian and hurried over to the counter. "Come on! We can walk and talk at the same time."

"It’s nothing like that. It’s...personal. I don’t want to talk about it," the other boy murmured with a drop of his eyes.

Devon ran about, delivering the prizes to the ticket holders and then leaned against the counter to examine the morose expression on Lucian’s face. He fished some candy from out of the prize buckets and pushed it over to the redhead. Lucian declined and looked toward the door, sighing. The blue-haired man gasped and stared at Lucian in horror. "Lucian Ambrose, the boy known for his perpetual sweet tooth, refusing free candy! Something must be wrong. Why don’t you tell me? We’re still friends right? I got you free computer parts all the time."

"I know. It’s just that I really don’t feel like talking?"

"Anything I can do?"

The red-eyed boy removed his glasses and turned to Devon as a cynical grin crossed his face. There was something that Devon could do. Devon had one major advantage over Lucian. He was over twenty-one, which meant that he was legally allowed to drink and purchase alcohol. As lousy as he was feeling right now, Lucian was positive that a good stiff drink would do the trick. Actually, make that a few good stiff drinks. Feeling better wasn’t enough. He wanted to get completely drunk, wasted enough that he could forget that this whole day had ever happened. Dominic’s departure couldn’t torment him further if he couldn’t even remember what the dark-haired youth had said when he left. He wanted to forget it all and though Devon might have never been one to drink too much, he was a social drinker. Lucian was sure that the young man could help him get what he wanted. Perhaps, a few mixed beverages were in order.

"You say you get off work in five minutes?" he inquired, resting his full wait on the counter and pinching one of the candies between his fingers.

"Make that right now. There’s the next worker," Devon replied as he waved to the man who had just walked it. "You want to go somewhere?"

Lucian slowly unwrapped the candy and dropped it into his mouth. He sucked at its tart flavor as he raised his garnet eyes to the other figure. "Yeah. I want to get something to drink. Something good and hard."

"Alright. There’s a store just a few miles from here. We could pick some stuff up there. Just promise me that you won’t drink too much. You know you’re not legal yet."

"Of course," Lucian assured his friend with an artificial grin.

"God, I am stupid!" Dominic snarled as he walked up to the door and knocked out it. It had taken him about three hours of hitchhiking to realize that his notebook wasn’t on him. This time, he could really use it. Unwilling to give up one of his most prized possessions, he forced himself to turn around and walk all the way back to the Ambrose house. By the time he had arrived, it was nearly eleven. Thank goodness, he still had the key that Lucian had made for him since the first week he began staying with the twins.

He turned the key in the latch and prepared to open the door. He knew he was being silly, rushing all the way back her just to retrieve a crummy bunch of papers. But they were his papers. He had had them forever and there was no way he was going to just forget about them. Part of him still needed them. After all this time, he still needed their comfort. God, he was such a child. No matter how old he pretended to be, he would still be that frightened little boy cowering behind the shadow of his uncle. Yet, he couldn’t be on his own just yet. He wasn’t ready. It was one thing to be away from people, but it was another to be isolated from everything you hold dear. As long as he had his notebook, he could never feel entirely alone. Because whenever he wrote in it, it felt like he was talking to Aiden.

Dominic had picked up the item just before he had left home at age fourteen. At first, he had planned on writing a note telling his stepmother not to worry. But then his old malice toward her had reared its ugly head and he had kept the item for himself. Atina had another kid to worry about anyway. She should devote her attention to taking care of Nadia instead of searching for him. Having already told his sister of his plans for running away, there was no need to keep the notebook any further.

Then, during his travels he had discovered that he needed someone to talk to. For the first time in his life, he was totally alone. Even when he had lived with his father and dealt with the same treatment night after night, he had at least been satisfied to know that he wasn’t alone. Although his companionship was based on abuse and hatred, it was still there. Back then, he had desired to escape from it all and be on his own. But his time with Aiden had changed all that. Living with Aiden had caused Dominic to grow accustomed to companionship and when he had gone out on his own, he learned that he still needed that. That was what had inspired him to start writing in the notebook.

By writing, he could imagine that he was still talking to Aiden. Everything was fine and he would just discuss the happenings of his day and how he felt about them as if they were sitting at a dinner table. It had been their usual pattern when he had lived with the compassionate man. In some respects, Lucian had been right. The notebook was a diary, but it was far more than that. It was his way of reaching Aiden. Not only could he sort out his thoughts, but he could also share them with the older man. He needed that notebook. That alone was worth the trouble in coming back here.

Maybe if he were really careful, he wouldn’t even run into either of the twins tonight. He could just creep up to his room, snag the notebook, and get out without anybody being the wiser. At all costs, he wanted to avoid seeing his ex-partner. He knew that he could not handle speaking to Lucian again. It had nearly torn him up the first time and he wasn’t sure if he could take that torture again. Moreover, he was sure that Lucian wouldn’t enjoy it either. Walking out and then traipsing back in wasn’t exactly the most polite action in the world.

The doorknob was suddenly ripped out of his hand, the action flinging him to the floor. His knees slapped against the sturdy floor, sending waves of pain up his legs. He cried out before he could stop himself and lifted his flashing eyes. Standing above him was Tashira gaping at him in a combination of confusion, fear, and anger. Her face was flushed and her breathing was strangely erratic.

"Dominic," she hissed as calmly as she could manage. "What are you doing here? Luce said that you left."

"I did. I came back to get something. Now, if you will excuse me," Dominic sighed as he moved Tashira out of his way. She reached out to stop him as he clambered up the stairs and ran into his spare room. He began to search for his notebook, spotting it jutting out from beneath his comforter. Seizing the notebook, he pushed it into his pocket and then left the room.

Jouncing back down the stairs, he went for the door. Tashira was leaning against it, her hands clutching the handle, as she stared at him with anxious silver eyes. Dominic made an attempt to pull her out of the way when Tashira slashed at his hand with her nails.

"Try that again and next time, I go for the eyes," she warned in a low hiss.

"Please get away from the door, Tashira. I don’t have time for this," the older youth requested, holding his hand and staring at the pinkish lines on his hand. Tashira had really done a number on him. He was lucky that she hadn’t drawn any blood. Why was she acting like this? And where was her brother? He was always the one to cool her down whenever her temper got the best of her. Yet Lucian didn’t come this time. The two youths glared at each other for a few minutes as Dominic listened to Tashira’s nails grate against the surface of the door.

"You always say that! You don’t have time for this. Well, you’re going to make time because this is important!" she spat, eyes shining with fury.

"Tashira, what are you talking about? Where’s Ambrose?"

Tashira laughed a sick, dry sound. "He’s not going to jump in to save you, Dominic. And it’s your fault."

"Make sense, Tashira. Where is your brother?" Dominic persisted; growing worried at the menacing way in which the girl was looking at him.

"I have no idea. He’s been gone for hours. The last time I saw him was just a couple of hours after you told him that you wanted nothing more to do with him," Tashira responded, her words dripping with venom. "Where do you think he is?"

"How should I know? I’m not his keeper. You’re his sister. It’s your responsibility to keep an eye on him. If he’s gone, it’s your fault. Not mine."

"Desperate words from a desperate boy," the silver-haired youth sneered.

Dominic made another attempt to reach for the handle behind his companion. "Step aside Tashira," he ordered in his brisk timbre. Tashira reached up and slapped his cheek with all her might; jerking his head to the side and making him wince at her touch.

"Don’t you even care what you’re doing to him? You’re hurting him! I told you that he worships you and you have the nerve to try and run away. You’re acting like a weak coward! I thought that you were above that, Dominic Solanis."

"You could never understand, Tashira. I’m doing this for the team. I just muck everything up. I can’t stay here anymore," Dominic explained as he kept his head turned from the other teenager. Why did his voice sound so choppy? He could hear the frailty of its tone. It sounded as if would shatter if given the slightest impetus. This was making him sick. He had to get out. But Tashira refused to grant him this release. She braced herself against the door, darting her eyes across his face and breathing heavily.

"Whatever happens to Lucian tonight is your fault, Dominic. There is no way you can hide from that. You’re making the wrong choice."

"Believe me, this is the first thing I have done right in some time. Ambrose will recover and he will be the better for it. He doesn’t need me."

"Dominic, maybe you haven’t noticed this but for some unfathomable reason, Luce cares about you. He truly does. Are you just going to throw that away?" Tashira pressed as her voice fell to a hushed plea. "You can’t do that."

"You’re wrong. Your brother doesn’t care for me. He just gets a kick out of the danger I bring him. It’s just his addiction that he’s concerned with. He’s simply confused," the dark-haired youth argued as Tashira began to slide away from the door.

"You truly believe that?" Dominic nodded, wrapping his fingers around the handle and giving it a tug. Tashira put her hand against it one final time and glanced up at him with a somber visage. "Then do me one last favor before you leave."

"What?"

The shrill ring of the phone distracted the pair from their conversation. With an uncharacteristic action, Dominic rushed over and yanked the phone from a table. There was static and a few harsh pants from the other line as Dominic brought it to his ear.

"Shira sweetie, I think we have a problem. The car it...." the voice strained from within the phone as it was interrupted by a sharp groan of anguish. "I think it’s busted. Crashed or some shit like that. I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have been driving it especially after...."

Dominic’s head shot up as he recognized the person on the other end. It was the elusive Lucian and he sounded terrible. His voice was so scratchy and his words were horribly slurred. He sounded as if he were really really drunk. But Lucian didn’t drink. At least, he had never drunk anything aside from soft drinks around Dominic. What was going on?

"Ambrose! What happened to you?" he shouted into the phone as he was rewarded by an enraged snarl from the receiver.

"What...are..y-you doing there?" Lucian stumbled over his words as the line went dead, leaving only its crackling static.

"Damn it!" Dominic swore as he smashed the phone back into the cradle and shot a frantic look toward Tashira.

"That was Lucian," she stated, making it clear that it was not a question.

"Yes."

She moved over to Dominic and gazed down at the caller ID resting next to the phone. "He’s at a pay-phone about thirty minutes from here. How did he get there?"

The older youth shrugged and tried to push down the rising fear inside of him. Lucian had sounded hurt. He had said something about the car. It was highly possible that he had gotten into a wreck. If that was the case, he might need medical help or, at the very least, assistance in returning to his sister. Forcing himself to remain nonchalant he pulled open the door.

Tashira leapt in front of him and pointed to Lucian’s black and silver bike leaning against the side of the house. "Take that and make him come home. He’ll listen to you."

"Why can’t you do it? I have to get going," Dominic contested; hoping to avoid what he knew was coming.

"This is the least you can do. If you’re going to leave, you can at least make sure that he’s going to be all right before you go," the other youth asserted as she pushed Dominic out the door. "I told you that if anything happened to him, I would hold you responsible. He may no longer be your partner, but he treated you like a brother all this time and I’ll be damned if you’re going to toss that away like some cheap piece of trash. At least this way, you can end your relationship on reasonable terms instead of just a curt goodbye."

"Why does it matter so much to you?"

"Luce is my brother and I love him with all my heart. I do not tolerate anyone who hurts him, Dominic. You hurt him today, maybe not physically, but something else deep down inside of him. And you are going to make it up to him. Now go!"

Dominic knew he was beaten. Whatever happened tonight had been his fault for allowing this to go on for so long. Now Lucian had acquired a taste for this style of life. Taking it away from him was the same as forcing a narcotics abuser through withdrawal. He had hurt him. But he was going to fix things this time. Once he sent him home, he would finally be able to ease his guilt-ridden conscience. He could leave without feeling this wrenching emptiness eating him alive.

Then, he could go back to living his life as he had done before he had met up with the younger boy. Back then, everything had been so much simpler. There hadn’t been any need to constantly consider the repercussions of his actions. Everything had been so clean cut and direct. It was time that he returned to that consistency, returned to a life that didn’t make him regret what he had done with his life. He was tired of feeling so weak. He wanted to be Wolf again, no matter what the consequences might be. Wolf didn’t concern himself with formalities and the like. He was untouchable, the purest creature alive. Nobody could hurt him. Nor could he hurt anyone else. Wolf provided his only means of escape.

"Fine!" yelled Dominic as he settled himself on the bicycle. "But understand this, your brother is not my problem, Tashira. I am his." With those words, he directed the bike toward the street and pedaled out of Tashira’s sight.

Pulling his bicycle to a stop, Dominic drove around the area that had shown up on the ID, searching either for a pay phone or a totaled vehicle. He had been circling the area for the last half-hour and had found absolutely nothing. He was becoming both scared and agitated. Where had Lucian called him from if he wasn’t here? He hadn’t sounded like he could get too far on the phone. The voice had seemed too lethargic and intoxicated to barely retain consciousness. So where was he?

"Why the hell did I even bother to come all the way out here? I should let the moron find his own way back? " fumed the sun guardian as he examined the area for the umpteenth time. He felt so completely helpless and lost. Why was he putting so much effort into this? Sure, he wanted to quell the nagging voice in his head that insisted that he clean up the mess he had made, but there was something more to it. It was not like him to devote such energy to anyone. The only person he would even have thought to do something like this for would have to have been Nadia. Yet here he was standing on an abandoned road in the pitch-black hours just before twilight, vainly trying to locate the boy who spent his every waking moment plotting new ways to drive him crazy. This was ludicrous!

Dominic made his final rounds of the section as his eyes fell upon a car that had crashed into a telephone pole at the far end of the street. He angrily slammed his feet down on the pedals as he came to a screeching halt beside it. It had glass all over the front seats and was dented badly in the front, which had one headlight that was totally shattered. On the shotgun side, lay an empty bottle of what appeared to be cheap liquor. The alcoholic aroma floated from the vehicle, unsettling the youth’s stomach as it brought with it the realization that Lucian had been drunk when he crashed. That accounted for the horrendous condition that the car was now in.

Infuriated at the stupidity of the boy, he beat his hand against the cracked windshield of the car, causing thin spidery splits to form across the transparent surface. A few more shards of glass hissed and then rained down upon the front of the car. Bending down to look for signs that the younger teenager had been seriously injured in the accident, he noticed that Lucian had left his keys in the ignition. Dominic yanked them out of the slot as something else crossed his eyes. There were dark liquid-like stains on the glass surrounding the steering wheel. On the wheel itself, there were more smudges of red. He examined his hand to check to see if he had cut himself during his assault on the broken windshield. Yet, there was no cut or anything to indicate loss of blood. If it wasn’t his, then whose was.... Without warning, his mind started racing and his pulse quickened. Where was Lucian? He really wanted to find him right now. The violet-eyed youth raised his head out of the car and began to check his surroundings, somewhat frenetically. He scrambled away from the car and softly called out the red-haired youth’s name. When he received no answer, he began to increase his volume until it had reached a full-blown roar.

His amethystine eyes flashed rapidly, vainly searching for some sign of his ex-partner. Lucian had to be around here somewhere. How else could he have called Tashira? Maybe, he had just lied down by the side of the road a little ways down. Suddenly terrified, he raced down the road, searching each of the curbs for any evidence that might indicate that Lucian had been there. Still finding nothing, he continued his call, hearing it break in his voice as the fear took over. He was scared, truly scared. Why wasn’t Lucian around here? Why wasn’t he answering him?

"Ambrose!" he released another plaintive scream. "Ambrose, answer me! I know you’re here. Please answer me!" His mind was alive with dire possibilities as to the whereabouts of the other youth. What if he was hurt even worse than he had sounded on the phone? What if he was unconscious? What if he was.... Dominic didn’t even want to finish that thought. This was his fault, all his fault. It was just like Aiden.

"AMBROSE!" His pitiful cry tore through the night, sending a shiver up him back at the sheer destitution in his tone. Then, inspiration struck him. Lucian had mentioned that the amulets could be used to detect other Guardians. Maybe, it would work for him. Dominic reached his hand into his shirt and pulled out the sun medallion. It glowed an intense orange hue, as the golden spikes around it seemed to come alive and burn with a synthetic light. He continued to travel down the road, calling out for the red-haired twin, as his amulet became brighter as he approached one particular ditch.

He heard a noise behind him and whirled around, as a stiff growl rose in his throat. The topaz sun seemed to scald his skin with its radiant heat as he waited to see who was sneaking up on him at a time like this. If it was a Chimera, they were going to get hurt. He was not in good humor right now.

"What are you doing here, Nick? Don’t you have to get going? Don’t have time to concern yourself with us, right?" laughed a bitter voice that sounded laced with a bit of hysteria.

"Ambrose!" Dominic gasped in relief as he spied the red-haired boy out of the corner of his eyes. He was barely able to see him due to all the wind waving his untamed bangs in front of his face. Lucian stumbled toward him, blood dripping from a deep cut on his forehead. His crimson eyes were downcast and he refused to look up at the older boy as he leaned his sore body upon one of the road rails. Content that the younger youth was in stable condition for the moment, Dominic let his fury get the best of him. "Ambrose, I truly hate you! Where the hell have you been?" he snarled, failing to realize the weight of the words flying from within him like a flock of headstrong birds into a closed window.

"What? Were you worried about poor helpless Lucian? I feel touched," bit the redhead as he slumped on the edge and raised an object that he had been clutching in his hand. Dominic saw a glint of tinted green glass and realized that the object in Lucian’s possession was another vessel of alcohol.

"Are you drunk Ambrose?" he asked bluntly making a move to approach the other boy. The answer was obvious but he had to make sure that Lucian realized his situation as well. People could often be unpredictable under the influence of alcohol. He had to check and see if the teenager was still in his right mind.

Lucian chuckled coldly and poured some of the liquid from the half-empty bottle into his throat. He leaned back his head, closing his eyes idly as he breathed out slowly. Then he showed Dominic how completely deviant from his normal mindset he was as he hurled the nearly drained bottle at the older boy. Dominic leapt back in surprise, watching the bottle splinter into pieces as it hit the ground inches from his feet, almost nicking his arm in its flight. Shards of glass sprayed into the air, some grazing Dominic’s skin when he failed to back away quick enough. He stared in disbelief as tiny rivers of blood meandered down his arm and sailed toward the ground in minuscule drops.

"No," the red-haired boy stated under his breath as he opened his garnet eyes and languidly focused them on the older youth. "Why do you ask?"

Dominic was livid. Lucian was outright attacking him. He could have killed him with that bottle. It was time to nip this in the bud before Lucian ended up doing some major damage. "This is stupid! Why the hell are you doing this? What would your sister do if something happened to you? And that ludicrous Kathryn? How would she handle it if you were to kill yourself?" Dominic berated, lunging at Lucian and grabbing his shoulders so that he was pinned to the side of the rail. He was so angry that he didn’t even notice that his fingers were causing more dark bruises to develop on the flesh of his companion’s pale arms.

"Like you even care," Lucian muttered as he rolled his eyes at Dominic’s denouncements. "You’re just going to leave us anyway."

"Idiot! Don’t you even care about how others feel? After all that bullshit you feed me about thinking of others, you have the nerve to pull this crap!"

"Screw you! You never listen to me! All my words just go in one ear and out the other. So don’t even try to play the guilt trip on me! Now why don’t you just leave like you said you were going to," the other boy retorted with amazing eloquence despite his obvious intoxication. His eyes narrowed on the form of the violet-eyed youth ensnaring him within his grip. Dominic was pressing himself so close that Lucian could feel his flowing blood trickling on his shirt. Lucian glared at him, his red orbs surrounded by a scarlet haze and a tinge of desperation and anger. "God why am I even telling you this? You don’t even care! Why’d you bother to come out here? Want to make sure I didn’t screw anything else up with my inherent stupidity?"

"Ambrose! Grow up! I’m sick of playing these useless games with you! How dare you have the audacity to get drunk like a common pathetic teenager? I had figured you had more sense than that!"

"Oh really! Excuse me if my life’s taught me that many of life’s problems can be solved with a little liquor! I’m sure you never have had to turn to some other substance to quell your uneasiness, have you Nicky?"

"Do you even know how stupid you sound? God Ambrose, what’s come over you tonight? Even being drunk couldn’t make you this hostile," persisted Dominic as he tightened his hold on the other youth’s arms and glared into his bleary dark crimson eyes. He hated that disillusioned gaze. It was full of suffering and madness. What made him even more upset was the fact that he had put that look on his companion’s face. He had driven him to this. Why couldn’t he have left sooner before this could happen? Why had he chosen to indulge his only his wishes? He should have known that it would have a negative effect on those around him. Dominic knew that had been selfish and now Lucian was paying for this mistake.

A shaking cough drew his attention back to the boy who was trapped against the metal railing. Lucian was saying something in a thick whisper. "Maybe it’s not just the drink. Maybe it’s the fact that I went through the all the trouble of wheedling you into joining our motley crew and actually devoting my precious trust to someone outside my family only to have it thrown back in my face. Maybe it’s the fact that you have your head shoved too far up your ass to realize that you do need help and that your help can benefit others. So what do you think, Nicky?" snapped Lucian as he suddenly shoved Dominic backward with a sudden jerk from the rail.

"Ambrose! If I have to kick your ass to make you regain you senses, believe me I will!" warned Dominic, catching himself before landing in the dirt.

The red-eyed youth ignored him and slid his back down the railing until he was sitting on the ground, his shirt now slick with Dominic’s blood. "OH GREAT! Now you want to hit me? Well, you know what? I don’t care. I don’t feel like fighting with you right now. So if you want to go at it, come on! Hit me! Go ahead! See if I give a damn what you do anymore! You’re life is your own, right?" growled the younger boy as he rested his forehead in the palm of his hand, balancing his elbow on his knee.

Dominic loomed over the insane youth at his feet, looking down at him in muted sorrow. "I’m not going to hit you, Ambrose. Come on; let me take you back to Tashira. You look awful."

Lucian’s eyes glistened with a psychotic frenzy as the dark-haired boy offered him his hand. He slapped it away and set himself into a springing position as he scowled at Dominic. "You’re really not going to hit me?"

"No," grumbled Dominic as he rubbed the spot where Lucian had hit his hand. It stung like hell. Some part of him wanted to take Lucian up on his offer and beat the stuffing out of him for daring to attack him when he was trying to help. But his more logical side argued against it, insisting that such an action would only fuel the drunken boy’s wrath. Lucian was not in full control of his actions right now. He was dealing with some heavy liquor ingestion and could not be considered accountable for most of the things he was doing. Dominic understood that he would just have to accept Lucian’s behavior for the time being. At least until he could incapacitate him long enough to get him back to Tashira.

"Really?" Lucian repeated, seeming to brighten at the notion. "You’re missing your big chance."

"I’m not going to hurt you anymore."

The smile twisted into a sadistic sneer as Lucian laughed in a scathing tone. "Well, that’s too bad because I’m sure as hell going to get a piece of you!" he hollered, lunging into Dominic and throwing him to the ground. Before Dominic could recover, he began to beat him mercilessly on the chest, hitting him so hard that Dominic was wheezing from lack of air. Possessed by some unknown anger, Lucian stuck the older boy again and again; each hit leaving throbbing bruises on Dominic’s flesh.

Dominic moaned in pain but he did not fight back. He couldn’t fight back. Something about the way Lucian was attacking him told him that this was more than just being drunk, Lucian was truly furious with him. He needed to get that ire out of his system. If he fought back, then Lucian would just get even more messed up and might even flee. It was better to take this beating. Part of him even felt that he deserved it for what he had indirectly put the redhead through. He had snapped something in Lucian and it was time that he dealt with the aftermath of his poor decision.

This was definitely a change to the usual pattern of things. Instead of him taking a few whacks at the younger boy, Lucian was doing a fair job of beating the crap out of him for once. The twisted thing was that Lucian appeared to be enjoying it as his eyes flared with their passionate red flames.

Apparently incensed that his actions weren’t yielding any sort of reaction from Dominic, Lucian switched tactics, changing his savage fists into curled claws which tore at the older youth’s shirt, scraping the skin underneath the cloth and leaving angry welts across the muscular torso. He slashed at Dominic again and again and again as Dominic began to notice the faint noises that were forcing their way from his mouth.

"I hate you! I hate you! What have you done to me? Everything was fine. It was all under control. And then you had to ruin everything! I can’t stand you! I hope you die!" Lucian panted as he focused most of his energy on causing his companion as much pain as possible. Then his scratching fingers weakened and slid down Dominic’s chest, clutching at the cloth in a kneading fashion. He lowered his head and sobbed against Dominic, tears soaking through the rumpled shirt as he mewled softly. "So why do I still want you to stay? Why do I need you? Tell me!"

"I don’t know," Dominic responded in a husky sough. "I can’t answer that for you, Ambrose. All I can guess is that maybe it’s your addiction causing you to feel like this."

"It’s not that, not anymore. It’s something else. I don’t even know what it is anymore," Lucian whimpered, crying even harder as he buried his face in the other’s folds of clothing.

Dominic didn’t know what to do now. His companion wasn’t acting normal. He wasn’t acting drunk. He was acting like a child, ranting and raving one minute and then sobbing and moaning the next. This was completely foreign to him. He was used to people sticking to one emotion, whether it was rage or whether it was sadness. It was supposed to be just one at a time. Not to mention, that Lucian was the last person to ever be acting like this. He had only seen him cry once and that had been when he had hit him. Why was Lucian crying now?

Raising his head, Lucian stared down at the older boy, the madness gone from his bloodshot eyes. He could see the fearsome bruises blossoming under his thin white fabric. Even fainter against the clothing were the red marks that his nails had left on Dominic’s tender flesh. "I’m sorry. Oh god, I’m so sorry Nicky," he wailed in great hiccuping sobs as he crawled off the dark-haired youth and moved away from him. As Dominic sat up, wincing at the soreness on his torso, Lucian drew his knees close to his chest and rested his forehead against them, hiding his face from Dominic.

Not knowing what else to do, Dominic refrained from trying to touch him and felt at the bruises on his chest. Everything hurt and pain radiated across the entire span of his upper body. There was now no doubt in his mind that Lucian could fight just as well as he could if angry enough. The older boy grit his teeth as he climbed to his feet, the action having an aching affect on one of his ribs. Forcing back any other cries, he looked over at Lucian, his eyes downcast.

"Don’t worry about it right now. I promised Tashira that I would get you back home. I’m sure that I can give you a ride on the bike. Then you can rest up until the alcohol is out of your system," he uttered as pleasantly as he could.

"No," whispered the redhead from behind his knees.

"What are you talking about?"

"I don’t want to go home!" Lucian growled as he shook his head emphatically. "I just want to go some place where I can think."

Dominic didn’t understand why but he suddenly felt the need to make the drunken teenager feel better. He didn’t like seeing him so crushed. Maybe, there was some way he could help. Lucian had said that he wanted to go somewhere to think. Well, he knew of one place that was good for such a purpose. He had gone there many times as Wolf. It was especially appealing because of the way the moonlight seemed to illuminate the grassy field, making it into a silver rolling sea. The place had always soothed him whenever he was feeling down. Perhaps, it would be the ideal location for Lucian to sober himself up.

"I know a place," he suggested as Lucian lifted his head just a touch from his knees to hear him better. "Do you want me to show you?"

"You’re not going to trick me and take me home, are you?" the younger boy questioned, straightening up and uncurling his legs on the ground.

"No, I promise. Do you trust me?"

"Yes."