– “... I'm color blind you see,”

Well, that answered his question of why she asked Dan about colours. Colour blind, huh? Damien couldn't really understand how that would affect her in life, but that tiny bit of information made it clear enough. So, she found herself to be an outcast? Another thing that did not fit in Damien's dictionary. But that was just him and his obsession with being different, not conforming to the norm. He would always find it strange, weird, whenever people would think that whenever you dress, act or just be different in general. You stand out, which automatically thought was a bad thing? As if they were afraid of judgement?

Dan slightly turned his head to Rin, as she repeated something. Though he couldn't really hear it fully.

- “Does that mean that you are different colors as well?”

“Well... sort of.” Dan began. Finding a way of explaining what colours he was wearing. “I am currently wearing dark tinted, blueish colours, though my vest is brown.” To make sure she knew what vest he was talking about, Damien pointing to the brown, sleeveless vest he wore over his longer, blue shirt. “Some pieces of my outfit are black, or white. But that's all I can explain without getting to confused myself.” He let out a soft chuckle, that not getting confused was a lie. He already was. Explaining wasn't his greatest trait to be honest, even if Rin said she understood what he meant by 'Colours make a person or object unique.'.

“So, 'bout that colour blindness of yours. Does that mean you can only see in black and white? Or...” Dan felt very stupid asking that question. Rin had already explained that she did not understand what colours were. So of course she saw the world through black and white. “Never mind, I guess it isn't something you want to talk about.” Damien looked sideways at the girl, was she asleep? “Guess I'm not the only one who needs rest, huh?” He smiled softly, gently pushing his head against the wall as well.

Rin laughed softly as her eyes were still closed.

“I'm fine with talking about it, I guess. It's not like there is anyone around here to bully me about it. You don't seem the type.” she smiled as she let out a small sigh. “I guess you could say it's black, white and gray... Though maybe your shades are different, but that's besides the point. Everything has been jumbled around in my head since I was young. My Aunt raised me and tried her hardest to explain, but she didn't exactly have a... Way with words.”

She listened as Dan also leaned back on the wall.

“Guess I'm not the only one who needs rest, huh?” he had also said.

“Heh, sleep would be nice, but since were out in the open it might not be the smartest option. Rest will have to do for now.” she slumped down further.

So many things roamed her mind, some of the more obvious being the crystal and survival. The less obvious being; How was Fuu doing? Would she and Dan be friends? Was her Aunt alive? … Were her Mother and Father okay when they moved over to Britain? Was the whole world in this shock? There was another thing on her mind though....

“So... Since you asked me, how old are you?” she tried to keep all annoyance out of her tone from the thought of her age. “Your probably like fifty!”

She knew she was exasperating, but maybe he would get annoyed at the question like she did? That wasn't likely, he seemed calm. She wasn't going to tell him that he looked about twenty! Fifty it was. She tried not to laugh at her thoughts.

Rin reached up to the bows holding her hair up and pulled them out, letting the long hair go slack. Running her hands through her hair was the best she could to to manage it at that moment. Her hair most likely looked horrible but in a crisis like Mount Fuji exploding, there wasn't a need to worry about that at the second.

Sav woke up feeling like he had died and gone to hell. Standing up, he noticed the "tree" was gone. I guess she was right, her time in the world has come to an end. Wait, why am I taking about a tree like it was a person? Oh, I know why; she bloody talked! Shaking his head, Sav continued walking east, and saw a body of water in the distance. The ocean was about 10 miles away. He couldn't believe how insane he was. A bloody talking tree! How hard did he hit his head? Harder than he thought, alright.

As he continued walking among the ash, he noticed the landscape that must have been beautiful was now destroyed. Such a shame, too. I would have loved to live here. Sav continued walking, and soon made it to the beach, hours later. Stepping onto the warm sand, Sav couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful the ocean looked, even if it was filled with ash. The sun was setting on the ocean, casting all sorts of colors onto the grey waters. He sighed, and finally relaxed for once. Continuing the length of the beach, he walked until he found a run down shack. Deciding to enter it, he found it empty. Finding a suitable place to lie down, Sav curled up in a ball, and slept.

Dan chuckled silently. Not the type to bully someone, huh? “You never know, I could always have a change of heart. But, no. I can't imagine why someone would bully you for being color-blind, it's kind of ridiculous if you ask me.” He refrained from talking for a moment, his ears open to listen to Rin speaking her mind. To him, it sounded as if it was a real problem. Being color-blind that is. Damien couldn't imagine why it would be a problem, it was always better then being blind. Actually, no. Not being able to see any kind of color, makes your life pretty grim. At least when you are blind you don't see anything. Negative thoughts Dan. He slowly shook his head, scolding himself for thinking in a negative sense.

For a while it seemed, quiet. Both did not speak a word, which was okay. But Dan could barely get a moment to doze off into Dreamland. Rin hadn't forgotten about his question earlier. And now she tried to step on his toes by asking his age. And exaggerating about her guess. But Dan wasn't at all angered or irritated. Instead, he bursted out in a barrage of laughter. “Fif... fifty you say? WAHAHAHA!” Humor, one of human's best medicine. And Dan was no exception to this, so it took a while for him to settle down before answering her question. “I'm. Not. Fifty. Hahaha!” The boy cleared his throat, the big grin on his face turning back to that serious expression he had before. “Well, you made me laugh, so I'll just answer your question in return. I'm Twenty-two. But your guess wasn't that far off. Haha!”

Damien wiped some tears of laughter from underneath his eyes, turning his vision to Rin. Who had removed the bows on her head, making her long blue hair fall down. Dan tried his best not to let his jaw drop, and to make sure he held his left index finger underneath his chin. Cute. He immediately turned his head away from Rin. Dan faked a cough, he didn't want to admit it. But he just found Rin... attractive, for some reason. “So, eh... you lived in this shrine? Or what's left of it...” Damien looked around himself. It was kind of sad, even though they are part of nature. Natural disasters caused nothing but destruction.

As some said, laughter is contagious, so when Dan began to laugh, Rin also found small tears of joy forming in her eyes. She giggled along with his explosion of laughter. It was good that they had lightened up a tad. In a odd way, she had a feeling that she always wanted to make him laugh like that.

“Well, you made me laugh, so I'll just answer your question in return. I'm Twenty-two. But your guess wasn't that far off. Haha!” he seemed a little more serious, which made her a little sad. It was good that he was twenty-two though. They weren't that far off. Only around two to three years.

She watched as he wiped tears from his eyes and turn his head to watch her take down her hair. His pupils dilated a bit and he turned his head to cough. The girl was about to ask if he was okay but he changed the subject. “So, eh... you lived in this shrine? Or what's left of it...”

That made her mind go a bit blank. It was true she lived there... Or had lived there. Maybe whenever the eruption business was over with, she could get to working on re-building the shrine.

“Yeah. I moved in about two years ago, after I finished high school. I didn't know what to do and I didn't want my Aunt to support me anymore so I moved over here. I began working for the elder women here. They let me live here and they taught me how to cook and helped with laundry and such. They didn't even pick on me for my height.” she short a fake and weak glare at him. “All in all, I will miss the ladies here. I will miss the old trees I used to fall asleep in and the way Anoko-san would hit me with a broom whenever I did a prayer wrong. It was always fun. Hectic but fun.”

Such sweet memories were intertwined in the now broken down shrine. She didn't wish to forget about them, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to move on. She had to if she was going to survive.

Ribbing her eyes gently, she noticed just how tired her body was. Sore legs and arms, aching head, stinging wounds and oddly itching bruises. Slumping down further, she rested her head on Dan's shoulder.

“I'm sorry, I'm really tired. You make a good pillow though.” she whispered with a sleepy smile.

She had been comfortable for a while, resting on Dan's shoulder. It never really occurred to her that this was a man she had just met, a man she really didn't know about. The odd thing was, she was completely okay with being around Damien. It was like she had known him for a long time, like he wasn't a stranger.

“Say, Rin. Not to ruin the moment but, you do know we have to get a move on sooner or later.” He said, making Rin blush madly on spot. It had been a moment!? She just thought she had been leaning on him, using him as a pillow... Right? Now that she thought about it, they could have easily looked like they were having a moment. “I mean... take your time. Whenever you feel fit to move again, we'll try and figure out where to go.”

She laughed nervously, scooted away from him and stood up weakly, wincing a tad. Taking her ribbons she started to put her hair back up in their regular perky ponytails. “U-Uhm, sorry. I was just tired and I don't usually think when I'm tired I guess. I-I mean... Well, where do you think we should head?”

She bit her lip. Nervous and jumpy Rin wasn't sure if she should be comfortable at this moment... She was quite embarrassed instead. Who did that though? Just start falling asleep on a stranger. It was obvious he didn't like it so he pointed it out, right? She felt embarrassed that she had made him uncomfortable.

“M-Maybe we should go the way that Fuu went, or we could head the opposite way.” she hummed nervously. Great, she was going to start rambling again. “Heading toward Mount Fuji wouldn't be smart, would it? I mean, it's really hot up there and I, uhm, feel uncomfortable near heat.”

It was true, ever since she had woken up with the crystal, it almost seemed like she would melt if she got too close to something hot. She started to hate the image of molten lava. Gnawing on her lip, she fiddled with her fingers. Looking around she noticed that he had finished his water and nudged her half-full one toward him. “Y-You can have it. I don't feel the need for water right now.”

Rin wished she could slap her hand to her head at that moment.

Dan had told he that he too did not wish to go near Mt. Fuji, for it was too hot for him as well. He then suggested that they go ahead and follow where Fuu left off to and get to the ocean. She nodded as he stood.

“Anywho, don't feel bad for feeling tired. I don't mind serving as your pillow, should you need one again. Haha!” Dan laughed, making Rin's blush lightly coat her cheeks. “Let's get a move on then. We got quite the walk ahead of us.”

"Yeah." she nodded and followed after his steps, jumping over any rubble or fallen wall that she could. Only once or twice did she ever look back, and that was near the begining of their journey. She peered at the broken shrine and sighed. She would find it again some day, she was sure.

"How far do you think the ocean is? I mean, I never really went so I wouldn't know." she asked, her blush having died down.

While she let Damien process what she said, she wondered how Fuu was. Would she be mad that Damien and her were going to try and find her? She had said that she didn't like or trust the man, which Rin didn't completely get. How would you ever get to have new friends if you judged right from the start? Though she also admitted that the caution Fuu took was very smart and in seperate terms, things could have been different. Dan though, wasn't a bad man. At least, what she knew of him. Sure he asked her age and acknowedged her small height, but he was fine in her books. Nice, funny, smart. Everything Rin thought she wasn't.

Looking over at the man a few steps in front of her, she blushed lightly and noted that he was also very cute.

What am I thinking? She groaned to herself, playing with the ends of her 'blue' hair. She continued with scolding herself, We are in the middle of a crisis, no oggling cute guys!

– "How far do you think the ocean is? I mean, I never really went so I wouldn't know."

“Dunno,” Damien said, carefully climbing over a slightly larger pile of rubble before continuing. “I never really had any business at or near the ocean. So.. I guess ya could say this would be my first time seeing it up close.” He shook his head slightly, now it sounded as if he didn't even know where he was going. Though not knowing where something is located, and never having seen something. Were two different subjects for Dan. “If we just follow this straight road though, we'll reach it eventually.” He pointed down the road they were walking, or... what little was left visible of it. Most streets were covered in large rock piles, but Dan definitely knew this was the correct way to the ocean.

He jumped off of the rock pile, landing a just a few inches away from Rin. “Whoa! Almost pancaked you there, haha! We can't have that, it'd make you shorter then you already are.” Realizing he made a comment about her height, he slid a few inches away from the blue haired girl. Didn't want to get another head whacking ya know? So, he just tried to change the subject, hoping Rin wouldn't have heard Damien's comment about her height. “So... what do you plan on doing? Whenever things are back to normal I mean.”

Letting Rin answer his question, Dan led the both of them to the ocean. And after some time they were finally nearing the beach, or at least Dan thought it was a beach. It had sand, and sand means that it's a beach. Though that didn't make much sense of course...

Fuu waited and was momentarily graced with the sound of plastic rolling across the gritty ground toward her. Fuu knelt as the sound grew closer, but was suddenly aware the sound had stopped before it reached her, then the sound seemed to start backwards, rolling further away. Confused, she looked up toward where she could sense Omi standing, a brow arched in question. There was a silence, and a sense of confusion in the air--if it was her own or his--it was hard to tell. Perhaps they were on a slope? Or a breeze took it? But she could feel no movement of air. Fuu had the question formed on her tongue--but wasn't quick enough to ask it before the sound of the rolling, haltingly came toward her again. This time, something bumped her shoe. Somewhat cautiously, she "stared" at it, fingers giving a slight nervous twitch as they hovered over it. What if it was a bomb?

The wind picked up then--this time from in front of her, blowing warmly against her cheeks and tossing her twin ponytails behind her. A sound like raspy laughter seemed to follow it, before it died out. She frowned, and grabbed at whatever was at her feet. It made a familiar, crinkling of plastic under her pressure, giving her an instant feeling of relief. She stood with the bottle in her hand, shaking it and finding it full before she deftly twisted off the cap. She was again pleased to find the seal unbroken and had some resistance before she gingerly took a sip. Fuu savored the clean taste as it washed away the sandy sensation that she hadn't even realized was in her mouth. Ash. That's what it was. She took another small sip, and another thirstily before forcing herself to stop and close it. She wasn't sure how long she might need this water. When she would find more. She gave it another shake, judging it to be about 3/4th full and resourcefully knotted it into the long folds of her cloak. She "eyed" Omi, aware of him again and shifting herself slightly, curiously closer to him.

"I'm Fuu." She said in her soft, melodic voice. "Thank you--for the water." She paused, running her tongue over her bleeding lip. She absently wiped her wrist across the wound, attempting to stave off some of the dripping. She had to look a mess. Not that it mattered in a situation like this. Not that it ever mattered really--she couldn't see it. Though, she had been told more than once that when she wasn't bleeding, bruised and burned--she wasn't half bad to look at. For a moment, she wondered what Omi looked like. From his gentle voice, she imagined he would have soft hands, and soft skin. Though as to why--she couldn't say. From what she could sense in the space he took up--he was most definitely taller than her. At least by a head. And a rounded nose maybe? Curiously, Fuu took another cautious step toward him. The wind came from behind her then, warm, and hissing playfully through the sand,

"He doesn't bite."

Fuu's head shot around, "looking" over her shoulder. She could have sworn that voice came from behind her. Nervously, she gripped her metal pole again. But she could only hear the wind in her ears. No breathing. No telltale signs of someone caught sneaking up behind her. Reluctantly, she "looked" back to Omi and gave a small, weary smile. Her bangs fluttered in the breeze that continued to softly carry from behind her. "Sorry--all this just has me a little jumpy. I thought I heard someone behind me--but it seems i'm hearing things." She explained, not wanting to startle him. She paused, and eased her pole back to the sand with a muffled thunk. "You said--there was another person with you? Won't he be upset that you've given me the water?" She asked softly.

Resobaly careful Fuu eventually took the gift Omi had offered. He nodded his head, and glanced over to Sai. He wanted to make sure he was still there. Omi glanced back to Fuu as she introduced herself as such. He once again nodded his head taking note of the name. While she was busy hydrating herself Omi winced as he felt around his ribs. It appeared that only one was indeed broken. The others were bruised most likely. He'd live but he would be sore in the morning. Omi hoped nothing had damaged his spine. If he had suffered damage in the cavity that his spine was in he would have to take it slow. He looked back up feeling slightly sick to his stomach after touching his ribcage. Omi wasn't immune to pain. The amount he had felt left him slightly nauseated.

Fuu was close now. It was likely Omi had gained some form of trust for now. Nothing too great but atleast Omi was on a first name basis with two people after all of this was said and done. He still apreciated the small amount of trust he was allowed to carry. Omi wasn't one to abuse someones trust.

She looked over her shoulder slowly, and then explained to Omi that she too had been hearing things, adding a small weary smile. Omi nodded and too gave a tired smile, and spoke up just for good measure. "Your not the only one." Omi spoke while deep in thought. He stared off for a few seconds until she spoke again with that entrancing voice of hers.

Omi shook his head softly. "Sai wouldn't mind, I have enough for him and someone else if the situation presents itself. Omi, after recently drinking from the damaged hydrant, was significantly hydrated. After a while he realized his eyes didn't hurt quite much anymore. The smoke that had usually assailed his eyes was no longer present. The air was clear now for some strange reason. He coughed for a few moments which nearly caused him to double over in pain. C'mon Omi its only a cracked rib. Tough it out. The voice advised.

He looked back up and spoke up. "I know its too soon to ask but would you like some company. I'm sure Sai wouldn't mind and I sure don't mind." Omi offered.

"You're not the only one." Omi spoke while seeming deep in thought. Fuu tipped her head slightly. Was he hearing voices? Was he insane? Were they both? It seemed his friend according to Omi, wouldn't mind his giving her the water.

That was when he began to cough. Thick, raspy coughs that made Fuu jump at first before she recognized the sound. They sounded painful, and slightly gurgling. His breathing seemed ragged. And now that she was closer, she could smell blood thick in the air around him. Was he severely injured? After a moment of wheezing, and shuffling, Omi seemed to recover some, and spoke again,

"I know it's too soon to ask, but would you like some company? I'm sure Sai wouldn't mind, and I sure don't mind." Omi offered.

Company? Fuu had crept until she was about an arms width from the man. Curiosity having drawn her there--with a little push from the wind behind her. She leaned on the pole a little, thinking this over. Omi seemed decent enough. Apparently, bleeding heavily and still willing to give a strange girl with a metal pipe his water...yes, he would do. But she had no knowledge of this Sai he had mentioned. What sort of person was he? Omi seemed to think he was alright--but then again--like Rin, he seemed almost overly willing to trust. To take perfect strangers and their possible strangeness in, rather than bear the new wilderness of a world they suddenly found themselves in alone.

"Well...perhaps. For a little while..."She agreed hesitantly. "But first--you ought to sit down a moment. From the sound of that cough--you have internal injuries. You shouldn't push yourself too hard." Her voice became notably gentler, where a certain coldness has been before. It was still there--mind--but not nearly as sharp. "Where are you bleeding from? Can you tell?" She asked.

"Well...perhaps. For a little while..."She agreed hesitantly. "But first--you ought to sit down a moment. From the sound of that cough--you have internal injuries. You shouldn't push yourself too hard." Her voice became notably gentler, where a certain coldness has been before. It was still there--mind--but not nearly as sharp. "Where are you bleeding from? Can you tell?" She asked.

"Internally wise I'm not sure if there is any bleeding going on. I have a cracked rib, maybe two. The break wasn't too bad. Any wounds on the outside have pretty much stopped bleeding for now. Just a few bruises and cuts here and there... No need to worry" Omi said as he took a seat on a piece of rubble. He wasn't in life threatening shape, he continued to beathe in the fresh air slowly. Omi had only been coughing due to the ashen air. He was feeling better now but getting the smog out of his lungs required him to cough. Taking it easy wouldn't be much of an option at this point.

"I was just coughing because of the smoke. I'm sure there are others that need help more than I do." Omi spoke solemnly.

Careful Omi, everyone may not deserve the help you wish to give. The voice warned.

Everyone deserves a helping hand Omi thought back. The fact was that it wasn't everyone out for themselves. People needed to band together. While Omi couldn't assist everyone a great deal, he still believed strongly that everyone wasn't evil in nature. The sheer fact that Fuu hadn't clocked him when she was within swinging range meant that she could be trusted. There could be worse outcomes. Plus the chances of someone going on a killing spree in a leveled city was highly unlikely. People were more concerned with keeping themselves alive rather than taking the life of another. Omi had little to worry about.

"How are you holding up?" Omi sincerely.

Fuu listened carefully as Omi explained his injuries. Mentally noting each one as he brushed them aside. When she heard him sit, she cautiously crouched beside him--though still kept an arms length from him, hugging her knees. Like a cat deciding if it could trust a stranger.Behind her, her cloak fluttered a bit in the cool ocean breeze as she crouched, she could feel it pulling as it moved, and eventually, she felt her hood slip from her head to rest across her shoulder as well. But, the breeze felt good. Salty and fresh. She too found herself coughing a little as the fresher air hit her lungs. It felt almost well timed;

"How are you holding up?" Omi asked her sincerely, rousing her from her thoughts. She turned her face to him, leaning her cheek left cheek on her knee. This question almost made her want to laugh. Here he was, falling apart physically, asking how she was. But, it also made her realize that--she hadn't much taken stock of herself, and how she felt about this whole thing. She didn't want to--really. It was all so--overwhelming. So, she'd emotionally checked out. It was easier. Less painful. Fuu sighed deeply, trying to calm the whirlwind of emotion that threatened to loose after such a simple question. She "looked" out across the ocean, feeling the wind pick up, howling in an almost mournful way across the water.

"I'm--alive," she paused, resisting the urge to say, 'when I shouldn't be' before she continued cooly, "I'm mainly uninjured. I'm holding up as well as to be expected, i suppose..given the circumstances..." But his question had loosed something in her. Something that was evident in her voice--but barely--a small waver of uncertainty. Of grief. That Fuu refused to let loose. Instead, she slowly began to bury these feelings, replacing them with practicalities. Tears did not aide in survival. Whining did not find food or shelter. Complaining did not bury those lost forever to sleep. These were not things for now. She swallowed dryly, tempted to have another sip of her precious water before ultimately ignoring the urge.

"Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself? You're one of the worse off survivors that I have come across...and I may not look it--but I'm sure I'm one of the lucky ones."

She knelt down next to him as Omi sat down. Her hood came down revealing her hair and more features of her face. He realized he was straing for a few moments before he looked away. Sometimes being too observant was a bad thing. He looked at the ground for a few moments as she spoke. She expressed that Omi had been one of the more injured survivors. He managed a sad smile as she said that. When she said she was ok Omi was still slightly concerned. He was usually concerned for anything that was in any forms of pain. Slight or major.

"So long as I'm breathing and I'm able to walk I have no need to worry... Believe it or not this isn't my first broken rib." Omi offered a small reassurance, layed with a dark memory in his past. He wasn't losing blood anymore, but he felt as if he could clean the gash on the left side of his torso, but clean water wasn't a luxury he would have. He kept the gash to himself for now. He could reopen the wound if he tried to run in any given situation. Omi had no need to run so long as he was near the shore. He didn't need to worry about collapsing buildings. The worst seemed to be behind him. Omi also didn't feel it necessary to mention it had been a car that had messed him up initially. Most people would walk away from two accidents back to back.

What Omi still was distracted by was the smell of the ocean. He could still hear the waves washing against the shore. The chaos that swirlled under the surface. The calm before the storm. He shook his head again trying not to get distracted again. Omi didn't have many emotional attachments in the city. A few friends the thought of them all buried under rubble tugged at his heart. He had no family. Now that the city was in ruin the paper trail that lead to his real family was likely buried with the damaged buildings.

He looked around. "I won't slow you down." Omi said with a determined look.

"My left leg is a little sore but I can move just fine."

Rin and Dan had walked for quite a while, nothing coming to the eye that yelled out 'Beach Over Here!'. Not that much could after the eruption, but some sort of sign would have been nice on her color blind eyes. While looking for anything, she would stumble around debris a few times but other then that, her walking was fine. Dan on the other hand had decided to walk up a ledge and when he jumped down, he had come close in landing on her.

“Whoa! Almost pancaked you there, haha! We can't have that, it'd make you shorter then you already are.” He laughed, but when he realized that he had just called her short, he inched away from her a bit. Trying to recover, he changed the subject. “So... what do you plan on doing? Whenever things are back to normal I mean.”

Rin was itching to reach out and attack him, but knowing it wasn't the right time, she answered the later question through clenched teeth. “I'm going to try and find the shrine... Maybe re-build it. I would miss it too much. Though, that is if things ever go back to normal.”

She swore she would get him back for that slip up.

By then, they had come across the beach. Rin looked further down and noticed a small patch of moving gray, which she assumed was water. At that time though, Rin wasn't concerned with that. She was ready to take Dan down. She waited for him to get a few steps ahead of her and she pounced. Jumping forward, she tackled him onto the sand and gave a good knock to the head. “That's what you get for calling me small!”

Rolling away, she turned back at him with a smile and continued on innocently, “What do you plan to do after all of this? If it does ever end.”

I won't be taken down by my height, I am too amazing! She chuckled evilly in her head, overdosing in her pride.

Rin giggled at the beginning of his answer. Getting her back? Yeah right! She was the master! The later parts of his answer made her frown a bit.

“Who knows, maybe I'll end up staying here anyway. Or... by that time, I've already died from hunger or thirst. It's not like anyone would miss me, especially now.” he had said, which made Rin almost hit him again. “But, that seems very unlikely. For the sake of survival, I'll survive.”

Of course he would survive! Rin wouldn't have it any other way.

“Let's go, I heard a couple of voices over... there.” Dan held out a hand for her to get up. She took a hold of it and allowed herself to get up with his help. Before he could turn away from her, she squeezed his hand tighter and locked eyes with his. Nothing but serious emotions flowing through her gray eyes.

“Dan, I am completely sure someone would miss you. I'm not sure of your family situation, but one things for sure, no one out there would not have someone missing them. I barely know you but I would miss you.” she stared at him, nothing but the truth coming from her mouth. “Hell, you can stick around with me after this, if you wish. It would give you time to get me back, ne?”

With one last squeeze to his hand, she gave him a soft smile and headed the direction of said 'voices'.

Hopefully Fuu had found some other surviors and she was okay. Rin even hoped that one of the voices Dan heard would be the girl. Dan was good company and she was perfectly fine just with him, but it wasn't a sin to hope there was more life around the town. Who knew how many people had past in the eruption. Looking back to Dan, she called for him over her shoulder.

"You coming? Don't make me come back there and get more sand in that mouth of yours." she laughed.

For a while Rin was sure Dan had just been hearing things until she too heard small voices.

"My left leg is a little sore but I can move just fine." It was a whisper of a voice, but she had heard it and that was enough. The good thing was that it was close and that the person speaking was telling someone else that information. That meant it there would be another person... Or this human had a split personality? Whoever it was, Rin was happy to hear more voices.

She turned back to Dan and joked, “I can hear it, you aren't crazy after all.”

The wind around there was strong, just like when she was Fuu. That didn't mean much but there was always hope.

Running closer she spotted something. Well, more like three somethings. Heads to be exact. Her eyes glowed happily at the sight and when she squinted she noticed two were male and the other was female. Blinking furiously in the wind she zeroed in on the girl. Gray-shaded hair and familiar clothing. It was.. Fuu? It was Fuu!

She let out a laugh and clapped her hand once before taking of in a faster run. She got close enough to them and stopped only a few feet away.

“Fuu!” she laughed softly, careful because she knew of Fuu's delicate ears. Looking over to her side, there was a man with light gray hair that parted in the middle of his forehead, wearing tattered clothing. He looked about nine-teen or twenty. The man standing farther behind them had a white-ish color hair. He seemed very... Light? If she could even say that, not knowing full well what 'Light' actually was.

Now she wondered how things would go with Dan and Fuu this time. Hopefully she would give him a chance?

Now that she thought about it, Rin realized that she hoped for quite a bit of things. Hopefully, all that hope was doing them good.

"So long as I'm breathing and I'm able to walk I have no need to worry... Believe it or not this isn't my first broken rib." Omi offered as a response. Fuu nodded, absorbing this information. There was a long pause then, allowing Fuu to take a moment to inhale deeply, calming her frayed nerves. The sound of the waves, and the wind hissing across and through debris was somewhat reassuring. Omi too seemed absorbed by something--but as to what, she couldn't say. Maybe he could see something beautiful in the tattered world around them. Maybe even the tatters were beautiful, in their own way. She would never know.

"I won't slow you down." Omi said suddenly, sounding determined. "My left leg is a little sore but I can move just fine." Fuu gave him a small, almost apologetic smile. If anyone would slow someone down--it was her. Granted, she did better than most in her position would. She had a sort of sense for when things were closer to her. Her hearing was near-perfect as well. (If not bizarrely acute.) But, it still probably took her more time than those who could see to navigate this jungle of a world now. She thought of this all in silence, trying to decide if it was worth telling him when a laugh, tinkling and familiar--like icicles musically clinking in frozen trees--wafted from her left.

The girl turned her face toward the voice that followed, “Fuu!” Rin laughed. Fuu winced, sensing that Rin had dragged the boy called Damien with her. She could hear his heavy, loping footfalls clearly. An irritated expression fluttered briefly across her usually soft features.

Fuu was on her feet so quickly that it seemed a whirlwind of air pushed from beneath her, making her hover inches above the ground before she was firmly grounded. In fact, it felt that way to her. It happened so fast that she supposed it was just her tension that made it seem as if she had left the ground and stayed, even momentarily airborne. Or maybe she was lightheaded. With an annoyed sounding, huff, Fuu hefted her metal pole in both hands--looking very much on guard. Ignoring the odd moment she had just had. Fuu faced Rin's direction, metal pole in both hands in a ready position. Over her shoulder she "looked" to Omi,

"The girl is harmless enough," She said to him softly, by way of explanation, nodding toward the approaching pair. "The boy--there's something I don't trust about him..." Fuu turned back toward the pair, "eyeing" them warily. What could they want now? Surely, it wasn't a coincidence that they followed after her. She chewed nervously on her lip, waiting. Omi was kindhearted though, and that partly worried her as well. If he offered Rin to tag along--fine. But if Damien stayed, she would go. Simple enough.

Omi got to his feet when he saw two figured aproaching. Fuu did the same, even coming off of the ground for a few moments. This perplexed Omi for a few moments. First the stones, next the voices, then the strange occurances with water. On top of that he just added another strange occurance to the growing list. Omi took note of Fuu's annoyed huff. Perhaps she had encountered the two figures before? Afterall the smaller Feminine one did know Fuu's name apparantly. The masculine figure didn't speak however.

"The girl is harmless enough," She said to him softly, by way of explanation, nodding toward the approaching pair. "The boy--there's something I don't trust about him..." Fuu turned back toward the pair. Though Omi didn't exactly know what to make of the situation he silently gulped. He wasn't getting good vibes from the pair, either of them. The voice hissed in disapproval directed at the woman that knew Fuu. Omi felt a small chill touch his cheek, he shook off the feeling.

Careful, you shouldn't stay much longer... The voice urged. Omi nodded quickly. Whether or not she would like to stay with the two figures approaching he didn't know. All Omi knew was that if Fuu didn't trust the man Omi would be careful. On top of that he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that the voice was right. He rubbed his right arm and spoke quietly to Fuu before the two survivors reached them.

"I'll take your word for it." Omi spoke under his breath. Fuu had good hearing, for she knew that people were approaching before Omi did. The presence in Omi's mind seemed to cringe as the two appraoched. Why exactly Omi didn't know. Deep down the idea seemed to work its way into his mind. Water freezes Omi. What that meant Omi didn't exactly know. Deep down the gears were starting to turn. He was at the start of understanding. He wasn't ready. Not at all.

Rin's eyes narrowed.

Why was everyone so mean to each other!? Fuu and the other boy were standing thee, looking like they were about to attack Dan and quite frankly, that wasn't okay with her.

“Stop!” Rin yelled as she looked behind her to see Damien walking away. “Fuu, I thought you would at least try. You were right, I can't trust everybody!”

She don't know why she was so angry, it felt like she was going cold though, colder than before. Looking over at the taller male, something deep inside her mind begged her to reach out and just grab him. The girl wondered what would happen. She had a feeling that it would make her feel bad after all her rage was over, so with a huff she turned from them.

Before leaving, she flicked her head over at the 'light' haired boy and sighed. She called out, “Hi, my name's Rin. It was nice to... See you? I have to go with my friend now so... I'm sorry!”

With that, she jumped over ruble as best as she could to catch up to Dan. She landed beside him with a huff.

“I won't leave you.” she told him suddenly. “Even if you want me gone, I shall be like a leech that can't be stopped by salt!”

Smiling at him, she could tell his feelings were hurt.

“Well, everyone has some good in them, it just takes looking a little deeper. I guess Fuu doesn't understand this. I do though!” she tried to brighten him up. “How about this, I promise not to leave you because your an amazing person that deserves to have company. Though, I am sort of annoying... Eh whatever. Oh, and I don't break promises.”