10 Days (PG-13)

Nadia raised an eyebrow, tilting her head innocently to the side, but shrugged, deciding to let it go. She looked over at the girl, surveying her. She had intense eyes and long hair, and there was no denying she was beautiful, albeit tough and looking rebellious, but still beautiful. She then looked at the boy, feeling her face flush very slightly. He was handsome, what with his tousled hair and bad boy look. She quickly averted her eyes, clearing her throat and scratching the back of her neck, digging through her brain to think of a topic for conversation.

--

Lilith straightened, giving a small sigh of resignation and saying, "Since I can get rid of you, whatever. Fine. I'm . . . I'm Lilith."
She slowly let go of her wound, offering him a small, pale hand to shake.

Rune sighed,"Maybe we should all try and find those stupid books. Maybe they hid them in plain sight?" He studied to other girl for a moment, she was pretty, no use in denying that. He didn't have time though, they had ten days, they would probably just both end up in the books, no use in hurting her too.

Flower nodded,"I actually agree with you, which surprises me."

--

Light smiled, glad she might actually let him follow her, if she had said no, he wouldn't have. He shook her hand gently."So what;re you doing out here?"

--

Blaze looked a little alarmed as the girl looked to be in pain,"Alright... Are you okay?" She asked this quietly, still nervous, but feeling less nervous since the girl seemed more like her.

--

"Oohhh, powerful too! What don't you have?" She giggled and followed him through the house, glancing around leisurely to find the book.

--

Rue nodded,"Well, we have to find our books. For Tri and I, it would be Fae's book and for you, it would be Fiery's book. Do you remember what yours looked like? It should have been a bookshelf in a dream and you touched a gemstone, the same gemstone that is now on your chest."

Nadia's face lit up, "You think so? Oh, oh! Maybe it's in that bush!"
With a sudden burst of energy, Nadia bounded over to a bush at the bottom of a tall tree. She lent over it, with more force than expected, falling onto her head and taking the poor bush over with her, slamming into the tree trunk. She squeaked in pain, rubbing her head and attempting to pluck brambles out of her arm, wincing.
"They're not in this bush," she said sadly.

--

Lilith's face dawned with recognition as she remembered why she was there in the first place, "Oh, um, I'm looking for something. Have you seen a black book anywhere?"

--

Arson had strayed away from wooded areas, finding himself on the streets of some town. He roamed the sidewalks, spotting a boy not so far away. (Alex. I have no other idea how to connect them. xD)

The pain passed and Heart nodded, "Fine. Just fine." She was certain it was an obvious lie as she started to move out of the way of other people. She wanted to see the damage, but now was not the time, nor place.

---

Colt replied as he laid his hand on the black book of Shadow, "Namely, mercy."

---

From some remote area of the Voids' base, a shout could be heard moments after Colt's comment, "He's using my material! Excuse me while I kill him!"

---

Ryo answered, "Vaguely..."

---

Alex glanced at the young man as he walked onto the sidewalk. This was the mind he had felt, he was certain. He backed off cautiously, but headed towards him with the flow of traffic.

"Not that I know of, have you by any chance seen a white book, kind of glows with light energy?" Light asked her, thinking she probably was like him, and he grimaced as the crystal branched into his left shoulder now as well as having already been residential in his left shoulder.


--


Rune rolled his eyes and laughed,"Well, I guess it wouldn't be that much in plain sight, and Voids would probably already be here if we were that close."


--


Blaze began to follow her, grabbing a few of the dryer items from the puddle.


--


"That is not a bad thing to be lacking in. Mercy makes people weak when they need to be strong."Y Yami looked down at the book that had transformed her and didn't know if she felt a small bit of regret or joy at her new power.


--


Rue nodded, "Well, you need to find that book again, and if you don't in ten days time since you had the dream, you will be locked into the book until someone finds that book, in which case, you will be set free."

Colt smiled as he reopened the portal with the book in his hand. He asked, "You were going to look for this one, weren't you? Shame isn't it now that you know where it is. You could have been free in less than a day." His words were meant to shatter any emotion she felt towards him.

---

Ryo nodded, the dream coming back to him slowly in small fractions of its original self. He sighed, wishing he had been calmer about the situation.

---

Heart sat down on a bench, catching her breath quickly.

Lilith looked at him, attempting to contain her surprise. She cleared her throat, running a hand over chest, able to feel that gem even when covered by her layers of clothing, "Can't s-say that I have."

--

Nadia stood up, looking dejected and saying, "Well, I, I tried! Your turn, Runey! You go try and find something!"
She strode over to him, attempting to push his tall frame for emphasis.

--

Arson looked back, to see that same guy he'd made eye contact with moments before was now following him. He stopped and crossed the bustling street to test his theory.

Rune was taken back on the name, and started laughing as she tried to push him and he didn't even budge."If we could find more like us, we could use our skills together and get closer to finding the books, Nadi-e."


--


Yami rolled her eyes,"So tough, what a pity. To bad that I really don't care about finding the book. And you've missed a very important factor, I wouldn't have been free since 1, I choose to be a Void, and 2, if I weren't, I wouldn't be here to move the book."


--


Light nodded,"Don't think I'm weird but, uh, do you gemstone in your chest?" He blushed, really hoping she did and he didn't look like a fool or perfvert for saying that.


--


Rue smiled gently, feeling sorry for him,"Don't worry, you have us now. We'll find it." She didn't add the last part of her sentence,I hope.


--


Blaze sat beside her,"So, what is actually wrong?"

A look of sudden realization dawned on Nadia's face, her big blue eyes lighting up as she gasped, "You're right! If we find more people, we can all work together! Come on!"
She grabbed at Rune and Flower's hand with her much smaller ones, attempting to drag them with her to find more people. As she tried her hardest, she couldn't help but blush at the nickname he'd given her.

--

Lilith's face flushed a dark crimson, her eyes popping open in shock. She wasn't sure if she had made it obvious, or if he'd been staring, "Uh. Yes. Yes I do. Do . . . do you?"

Alex rolled his eyes, and tossed his mind at the boy, "Oh, stop acting like you don't notice already. Who else would be interested in you in broad daylight?"

---

Colt smirked, "Of course you don't care. A couple thousand years waiting around for the same thing to happen might change that of course. But who am I to judge that? I've only been around for that long." He leaned in, saying, "I told you I was no gentleman, Yami. And I'm certainly not human anymore either. Once this ends, when it ends at the end of eternity, we all die. All of the Voids cease to exist. Because he dies, our only tie to this world." He leaned back and gestured to the area around them.

With his grin, he went on, "It's the only reason we actually listen to him. If they find those books, we die. And those past lives will make it all the worse when it happens."

---

Ryo nodded. Any efforts he was going to try and make to try and look brave had probably failed him by now, for now at least. He sighed, wondering why this had happened to him.

---

Heart, hardly hearing the words, pulled her sleeve up cautiously. In place of skin, green crystalline glimmered in the sunlight on her shoulder. She gripped her right hand, making sure she still had full control of herself, but quickly dropped the sleeve after to hide it again.

"And if you're that old, death will probably be a welcome friend, more a gift than anything to hurt you. I understand that on a level, I never wanted to live for a very long amount of time, but I couldn't have been stuck in a book. I refuse to be caged in a book as people are in life. At least with this choice, there is an added bonus of power." Yami decided she had said to much now and decided to shut up. There was no point in talking to him, there wasn't a point in talking to anyone. Even if people understood, no one ever cared, thats how life is.

--

"Rue, we need to keep moving, we need to find the books and make sure no Void may be after us." Tri warned his mate, looking at the boy.

"Of course, by the way, my name is Rue and this is Tri. Your name is?" Rue asked him, smiling at him once more.

--

"You have a gemstone too? Wow... I'm so confused about this... Why us? It doesn't make any sense.." Blaze's face scrunched up in annoyance.

--

Flower had the strength that didn't match her petite form, as of course, she was a bear if she cared the shift.

Rune laughed"You expect me to go into society while sober? I dont think so.

--

Light nodded, unbuttoning his shirt to show her the white crystal that took up his shoulders and the gemstone in his chest.

Nadia let go, nearly losing her balance in the process. She huffed, crossing her arms and looking at the both of them with wide, innocent eyes, "Pleeease?"

--

Lilith felt her face flush darker, if possible, at the sight of him unbuttoning his shirt and his bare chest. She cleared her throat, averting eye contact and managing a steady, "W-Well. Wow, that's a nice, a gemstone. I have one, but I, uh, I don't think I should show you."
Pull yourself together, dumb*ss! He doesn't mean a thing to you. Don't let your emotions get in the way. Block them out. Block him out, she thought to herself.

--

Arson jumped nearly a foot in the air, catching himself against a building. That boy had just spoken to his mind. To his mind.
"What do you want from me?" he hissed from across the street.

Colt added his last remark, "Hmhm, you think I mean a mortal death. How cute. But after this long, do you really think that those six spirits are just going to let him die like some human, or do you think they're going to have their revenge?"

As he stepped through the portal, he muttered barely loud enough for her to hear, "The cycle will never end. Not for us. Not anymore."

---

Heart answered, "That's a pointless question. There's no point in asking why, because it is. The question right now is where next, because that's the only thing that matters at this point."

---

Cautiously, he answered, "Ryo."

---

Alex rolled his eyes, walking on without making eye contact. He asked, "How many telepaths have you met? What do you think I want? You and I have the same problem, only with different Books. So let's cut to the chase and move on."

((I read the Light bit, and I just thought, "Oh, why couldn't one of my charries be there because she used Howl's looks, and I've seen Howl without a shirt before. WHY?"))

Light looked alarmed for a moment,"No, it's fine, it's fine. I believe you, yea, you don't have to show me. That might be bad."

--

Rune searched his pocket and pulled out a little baggie filled with green,"This'll take the edge off of society. Good thing I always have something with me. This is loud, but meh, don't know if it'll do much. Probably just get cotton mouth." He packed a quick bowl and pulled out his trusty lighter and lit up. He grinned as he took a hit and held it for as long as he could before releasing a small cloud of smoke.

Flower just rolled her eyes, she was used to people doing drugs around her, she didn't care.

--

Yami didn't feel like asking, if he felt like completely explaining himself, he would. So therefore, he probably wouldn't.

--

Blaze nodded, getting her head back, "Sorry, still a little stressed, which I should straighten up. Don't have much time. Meh."

--

Rue smiled,"Well, Ryo, we need to be in the move. Do you have anywhere you think your book might be? We should probably head for civilization to get you some clothes first..."

Something boiled up in Nadia's blood and darn well exploded. Without thinking, she reached up, almost having to stand on the tips of her toes, and smacked the bowl out his hand, a look of fury overtaking her features. That is, until a few moments later, when her eyes got teary, gently grasping the offending hand she'd hit as apologies began to spew out of her mouth, "O-oh my God! I'm s-so sorr-sorry! I didn't m-mean to-to hit you-your hand!"

--

Lilith nodded her head in a swift moment, "Yeah, um. Uh. You have the light gem, right?"

--

"I'm looking for my sister. She can't do this on her own. Help me find her, I'll help you find the book," he said, hoping the boy would agree to his terms. Hey, two was better than one.

Colt stepped into the middle of the portal. Instead of another location, it opened in a room similar to the one that held the bookshelf. Colt looked around, images flashing up around him of new locations. Gripping the Book beneath his arm, he glanced between them quickly.

---

Heart replied, "Then we best figure which way we're heading. Problem is, we're probably only going to find one of our books before time runs out."

---

Ryo shook his head, answering, "No clue."

---

Alex shrugged, "It could work. Follow behind me, but do make it too obvious. If I can find a clear area, I might be able to find her." He wasn't going to argue about help.

He sighed,"You're lucky I take big hits and packed that bowl small so its cashed and I didn't waste it. Now, why are you doing this and why aren't you chill, man?" He looked down at her for a moment before bending down and reaching for his pipe.

--

"And I'm guessing you have the Shadow gem, correct? Just from your manner, thats what I'm guessing." Light smiled at her, being kind and gentle so she would feel safe.

--

Yami followed him, being careful not to step anywhere unless he did, she didn't feel like getting lost when she didn't know the full extent of her Void powers and wasn't sure if she could do the whole portal thing.

--

Blaze nodded and bit her lip,"Not unless we find others like us, maybe someone with the same gem as one of us, and if there is more than one person, maybe we could each find our own book. I don't know.."

--

Rue looked at Tri, who shrugged."We haven't been able to trace them, just train in case we are supposed to find them... We really should try harder to trace them before we dream."

He had guessed her gem spot on, but her manner? Lilith's face turned stoic, arms crossing under her bust, and in a very calm voice asked, "My manner? What's that supposed to mean?"

--

Nadia gulped down, feeling bashful, "It-It's not go-good for you. It does more hurt than it does h-help."

--

Arson nodded, walking a little ways, and crossing the street back over, making sure to tail behind him, not too noticeably.

Colt asked, the serious demeanor he had had moments ago vanishing back into his cocky normal self, "Where do you think, Yami?"

---

Heart shook her head, "It's pointless to worry about that. Not everyone is going to find those Books at the same time. Besides, what is a little wait if you helped someone else out?" She stood up, "Besides, we need to get a move on if we're going to find anything."

---

Ray looked up, and asked, "Did you hear something?"

Percy glanced at her out of curiosity, only to hear it himself. ((Tri, Rue & Ryo))

---

Alex stepped into a park. People walked by hurriedly as he found a spot out of the way. He asked the young man, "Is there a name I can look for?"

With that, Rune laughed. That was such a common misconception about weed."Cigarettes are so much more harmful. The only thing that might even be harmful about weed is the smoke, and if you don't smoke to much in a day, then its not harmful. Beer is also a h*ll of a lot more harmful. But weed is not even a drug, its a plant."

Flower nodded,"Sadly, he's right."

--

"Well, is there any buildings that are deemed unstable yet apparently are old enough that people refuse to tear them down? They usually won't even let people in them."Yami looked through the portals, seeing quick flashes and yet able to understand what she was seeing.

--

"Alright, so where do you want to look first?" Blaze stood up and closed her eyes, knowing she wouldn't find anything, but hoping that maybe she would feel a tug to somewhere. She didn't.

--

Rue nodded and stepped back behind the bush as she called out,"Ready Ryo?" Tri had already shifted again as he had after his last statement.

--

Light shook his head and smiled,"You remind me of the opposite energy than me, since I chose Light Bending, its just kind a small sense of energies."

((ooc: Hope thats okay, Chicky.))

"It does damage to your lungs, regardless. Not as much as cigarettes do, but still. People do very stupid things when they're high. It's expensive. It leads to harder drugs, that I hope you don't do. Why do you do weed, anyways?" Nadia shifted her weight on either foot as she spoke, feeling slightly embarrassed.

--

Lilith's eyes softened slightly, and she quietly said, "Oh. Well, then," she turned, "Let's just . . . let's go find those books."

--

Arson nodded his head, even though the boy couldn't see him from behind, "Nadia. Her name's Nadia. Short and small. Blue eyes. Brown hair. She's fifteen."

Rune chuckled, and when she said the last part, he shook his head."No no no, you're not going to try to make me get all emotional and tell you my whole story, my past, and my heart. Kid, that just ain't me. And only stupid people can't control themselves, you know what you're doing, people are still in control when they're high. Take me for example, noticed anything different? No, probably not. And I've got a small buzz right now, and, if you would have not dropped my fu- freaking... pipe then I could be stoned."

--

Light nodded,"Lets search for yours. Do you have any idea that you might want to try to see if we can find it?"

"I'm not going to try to make you confess to anything you don't want to," Nadia said softly, pity light in her voice, and a sudden sadness shining in her eyes as she continued, "You can find other things to do with yourself, more creative outlets for anger or stress or ways to have fun, than getting high or stoned."
She didn't like stoners. Her father could never get his cross faded a*s off of the couch to do anything, and her brother had made it very clear that she would never touch any kind of drug, or "plant", according to him. Drugs off all kinds and alcohol brands you'd never even heard of had taken over her father's life, and even if he only did weed, she couldn't find herself to be okay with it. And this was a stranger. She didn't even know why what he did mattered to her.

--

"If I could make sh*t fall out of the sky, I'd use that technique," Lilith deadpanned with a sigh, "But since I can't, we can try looking for it in the woods."

Ryo nodded, but his head titled to the side. He said, "There's someone over there."

---

Colt replied, "That's where we just where. Moving from obvious to obvious isn't going to work."

---

Alex opened his mind again. He was certain that a boy standing in the middle of an open area like this must look strange, but he would have to deal with it. Fortunately, the name was short and uncommon. It would be easy to pick it out in the middle of a crowd.

Finally, he touched a mind named Naida, catching the thoughts of her outside conversation. Forgetting to back out of Naida's mind, he spoke in both of their minds, but directed at Arson, "I found her. She's with a druggie."

---

Heart glanced around, replying, "With luck, somewhere where they might know where to look. We should try an asylum. We should try to find a Ruptured."

"What would a Ruptured be able to tell us. And I think there is one a mile or two from here. I may be wrong.." Blaze said, trying to remember.

--

Tri nodded and raised his equine head, his eyes taking on a glint as he stood in front of Rue, who rolled her white eyes at him, and nickered that he worried to much.

--

Yami rolled her eyes,"Hide it in plain site?"

--

Rune rolled his eyes, why the h*ll did people always overreact, he pushed her hands off of his, "Chill the [dolphin c:] out. Now come on, we need to start looking." His joking demeanor was gone and replaced by a slightly annoyed one.

Flower sighed,"We really do. Wait, who is that?"

Breeze was walking silently towards the small group, her gray hair and eyes staring off into the distance as her little fake wings fluttered in the small wind that swirled around her, as she walked she saw a small brick in her way and moved it with her mind so she didn't trip.

--

Light chuckled,"I'm good with that, lets go." He started off in a direction just kind of looking around, making sure he didn't skip over any places in his searching.