Reality is Insanity

Yes! I made it! I promised you a new chapter by this week and I made it! Sure there’s only an hour left till Monday, but I don’t care, I still made it! I’m sure you guys have been anxious about this story since my computers little mishap, but I am back and I’d like to thank everyone for their support. I return to you with the longest chapter yet for this story and there will be nice little things in it to make up for my absence ^-^ But, before we get to that, I have some reviews to answer.

Nastyscarythingunderthebed: Lol I’m glad my advice helped and thank you so much for praying for my computer! It needed all the help it could get. Yes, I was sad about it being down, but mostly pissed off. But in other news I’m glad you like Kael. He’s such a sweet and fun loving guy. I’m also happy you liked the kidnapping scene with Ronan. I’m just sad I didn’t get to describe him fully, though who knows, there still might be a chance to *innocent whistle* Yeah, I’m sure Juniper would have been more than happy to get molesting rights, but Kael beat him to it >:D Thanks for the review and hopefully I’ll be getting back on track here soon!

Aisha: Awe don’t sniff. My computer is back up and running again so all is well! Hope it wasn’t too long of a wait and I’m glad you like the new addition too. ^-^

Sveta: Awe, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to almost make you late for school ^-^’ But that does serve you right for cruising that early, but I’m glad to see that kind of dedication XD. Haha I’m glad you love Kael, and don’t get him wrong, he is honorable…to a certain point, but then he is the rest of what you said. Woot! I’m happy Joshua getting sick was descriptive enough, I wanted you guys to get just how horrible it was for him, poor kid *pats Joshua’s head* Good guess on why he got sick, you’ll just have to wait and see if you’re right XP And awe, yes, when will the man behind all of this entire and explain his actions? Nobody knows…well, I know, but I’m keeping my lips shut about it. Wow you like “Drowning in Crimson” too? Thanks, I’m flattered ^-^ And thanks for the wonderful review.

Jacob Ryder: …let me get this straight. You love my story enough to sell your soul, but you hate two of the main characters enough to wish for their deaths?....you confuse me, sir, but to each their own, I suppose. And yes, yes, I know you miss Bird, but he has a very good reason for being gone so long. Also, here, you can have this back *Takes soul back from Satan and gives it back to you* Thanks for the sweet sentiment, but I’d rather you be around to keep reading than a lifeless husk. ^-^

Mino: Lol, spunky, that made me laugh for some reason. I’m sorry your brain is fried, but hopefully you did well on your exams! Thanks for the luck, and apparently it worked since my computer is better now ^-^

Anon: …sehr gute! To you too…whatever that means…thanks for the review! *is confused*

ShadowleAngel: Hehe at least someone likes their pervertedness. I’m glad I’m making the characters blend well for you (and you might be right about Juniper, but give Kael time to show you what he can really do XD) Hopefully your computer got better like mine did. Working, healthy computers make everyone happy ^-^

Madlodger: Wow I’m honored, madlodger, thank you for writing my writing. *pretends to receive an award* And I’d like to thank my mother, for raising me and giving me access to the computer where I can write and get access to yaoi to inspire me. I’d like to thank the readers who keep me going and I’d like to thank my characters for being my willing slaves and doing what I want XD

Peeps: Thanks peeps, I’m glad you’re liking the story so far. I try it keep it odd and off the wall so everyone is surprised with what happens, also trying to keep up the humor with it. I’m trying to continue as fast as I can ^-^

Elemacarriel: And the award for most dramatic no goes to elemacarriel. *Darth Vader stomps out of the room in a huff* ….crybaby. No worries, elemacarriel, everything is up and running again so you can like this story some more.

Okay, so I’m sure you guys don’t want me to blab anymore so off you go.

******************************************

“Will you two stop horsing around!?” Juniper’s voice echoed across the field of long grass.

“Awe, leave ‘em alone, Juniper. At least this way they’re both occupied,” Joshua told him, walking beside the man. Both watched as Lliamy and Kael ran by, the cat man chasing the young girl.

Lliamy was laughing as she ran from her chaser and Kael was belting out a fake maniacal laughter.

“Ugh I forgot how much of a child he acts like,” Juniper said, shaking his head as he adjusted the long, silver staff that was leaning against his shoulder.

“Kael is nice, a little out there maybe, but nice,” the boy remarked, trying his best to wade through the waist length grass.

“You only think that because you’ve just met him, you wait and see,” the man told Joshua and the boy just shrugged.

“He saved me, so he’s all right in my book,” he said.

“Speaking of that, what happened to you?” Juniper suddenly asked.

Joshua looked up at him with a curious expression.

“What do you mean what happened to me?” he asked.

“Back on the train. We got Kael’s side of the story on how he saved you from the Bounty Hunter, but you never said what happened before that,” Juniper elaborated, looking at the boy out of the corner of his eye. “Why did you leave the compartment?”

Joshua was silent for a moment before shrugging.

“I felt a little sick so I stepped out to go find a bathroom,” he answered as casually as he could.

“Yes, Lliamy said you weren’t feeling well,” Juniper confirmed.

“Then why did you ask?” the boy questioned in confusion.

“Just making sure it was true,” Juniper replied and before Joshua could snap at him the man asked, “So what kind of sickness was it? You seem fine now.”

“I’m not sure,” Joshua muttered. “I just felt nauseous and a little woozy that’s all.” The boy deliberately left out the screaming, laughing, crying and other noises he had heard. Joshua wasn’t sure, but he assumed hearing voices in your head wasn’t good, even by Nisis standards and he didn’t want Juniper thinking he was crazy.

The man beside him stared at the boy for a moment before looking forward once more. There was silence between them as Lliamy and Kael continued to play and goof around.

The boy didn’t know why, but the look Juniper had given him sent bad chills up his spine.

***************

“Wow…this is amazing,” Joshua breathed in astonishment as they came to the edge of the town, stopping right on the boundary.

Buildings of all shapes and sizes rose up from the ground. Some buildings looked normal while other were bent and rigid. Square stones were perfectly laid across the ground, stretching through every twist and turn the town had.

“Believe me, Mirage Town isn’t that great,” Juniper said as he turned around. “Get over here you two! Enough games!” the man yelled at their other two companions.

Kael quickly came trotting up to them with a giggling Lliamy on his back.

“All right, all right, no need to yell, Junip,” the cat man told Juniper with a grin.

“Just come on already and don’t call me Junip,” the man said as he began walking away and the other three followed him into the town.

“So can this place really disappear and reappear in different places?” Joshua asked, taking in the scenery. The thought of an entire city vanishing completely was hard to picture, but so had everything else Joshua had seen.

“Yes, that’s why it’s hard to find most of the time,” Juniper replied.

“Yeah, the citizens have to be careful when they go out. Sometimes, if they wander about, the town will disappear without them and they’ll have to go find it, which usually takes a very long time,” Kael snickered.

“Losing one of your possessions is angering, I can’t think how losing your whole town would feel,” Lliamy said, holding on tightly to the cat man’s shoulders.

“I’d call that a feeling of embarrassment,” Joshua said with a chuckle.

“And feeling like a moron,” Kael added.

“Well, those two go hand in hand I believe,” Juniper piped up from the front. The man then suddenly stopped at the end of a building and everyone followed suit.

“What’s wrong, Juniper?” Lliamy asked curiously as they watched Juniper peek around the corner of the building.

“We’re going to have to cut through the market place to get to our destination and it appears it’s rather crowded today,” the man answered.

Joshua walked up beside him and peered over to the place Juniper was looking. The boy’s eyes widened as he saw a giant mob of people mingling around the street.

“Holy crap! It’s like a solid wall of people!” he exclaimed.

Kael whistled as he also took a look.

“Must be good pickings today,” he said.

“Do we really have to go through there?” Lliamy asked, moving her arms so they were around the feline’s neck.

“Yep, we do, you guys see that tower off in the distance?” Juniper questioned, pointing slightly upward.

“You mean the one with what looks like a crescent moon on the top?” Joshua asked curiously.

“That’s the one,” the man answered.

Past the market and rising above all the other buildings was an extremely tall stone tower. A golden crescent shaped moon was set at the top that glinted in the suns light.

“Now, we want to get through the crowd without losing each other and without drawing attention, which will be hard with you,” Juniper said to Joshua, flicking the boy’s ear.

“Ow, yes, yes, I know. I stick out like a sore thumb,” Joshua huffed, rubbing his ear with a scowl.

“Yeah, we really need to get him new clothes, Juniper,” Kael said.

“I know and we will once I’m sure we actually will need them,” Juniper told him.

“How come we can’t draw attention to ourselves and Joshwa has to get new clothes? I like his clothes,” Lliamy asked curiously, earning her a smile from the boy.

“Because, dumby, there’s a lot more Bounty Hunters where that other one came from and they’d love nothing more than to get their hands on our little friend,” Juniper answered and chuckled when the boy shuddered.

“And I’d rather not be sold,” Joshua muttered.

“But, first, we’ll have to see if we even need to bother with clothes and in order to do that we must press on,” Juniper told them. “Kael, you keep tight hold of the little brat and stay on the other side of Joshua,” the man directed the other into place.

Kael shifted Lliamy a bit to make sure she was securely on his back before stepping beside the boy.

Juniper tightened his grip on Kael’s staff before draping the other arm over Joshua’s shoulders.

The boy stiffened a little, but didn’t say anything, knowing it was to make sure they didn’t get separated.

“Is everyone ready?” the man asked.

“Ready,” the other three companions chorused.

“If any of us get lost remember to keep heading to the tower. That’s where we’ll all meet up,” Juniper instructed and waited for the others to nod in conformation. “Right, let’s go then.”

With that the group made their way into the bustling crowd. Joshua was thankful for the arm around him as he was bumped and pushed around almost immediately. The boy then jumped when something furry wrapped around his wrist. He looked down to see Kael’s tail was the culprit and when Joshua glanced up the cat man gave a small grin. The boy smiled back and gently held onto the furry appendage for security.

After several minutes of pushing their way through the mob - and more than once Juniper or Kael had to bat away aggressive vendors - the group came out the other side.

“Oi I thought we weren’t ever going to get out of there,” Joshua sighed in relief, the open space a welcomed friend.

“Yeah, that was scary,” Lliamy agreed, turning her head to look back at the crowd.

“Hey, don’t sweat it you two, it’s not like we were going to let anything happen to you,” Kael told them as he crouched down and let the girl off his back, and released Joshua’s wrist at the same time.

“Besides most of those people were pushovers. Not much harm could come from them,” Juniper added with a pat to Joshua’s shoulder. “All right, let’s get a move on. Who knows if the bastard decided to close early or not,” Juniper then told them as he let go of the boy and handed Kael back his staff.

“Close early? Does he have a store or something?” Lliamy asked curiously as the group began to move towards their destination.

“Not exactly, a lot of people come to see him so he makes his services open to the public whenever he feels,” Juniper replied.

“Much like a certain person we all know,” Kael said and slapped Juniper on the back.

The man grunted from the sudden hit and glowered at the other.

“Hey, I have good reasons for that. His problems a trickle compared to mine when it comes to aggravating people,” Juniper snapped.

“What is this guy’s name, anyways?” Joshua quickly asked before Kael could give a comeback. “You never told us.”

Juniper looked down at him in surprise.

“I didn’t?” he asked and Joshua and Lliamy shook their heads. “Hmm must have slipped my mind then. Well, anyways, his name is Trukint and he’ll be the most profit hungry man you’ll ever meet, so be wary,” Juniper told the two.

“Ah, Trukint. Gotta love a man that has his priorities straight,” Kael chuckled.

Joshua and Lliamy glanced at each other, neither of them knowing what to expect from that bit of information. *I just hope he doesn’t try to turn my situation into a profit opportunity.* the boy thought.

***************

“You have got to be kidding me!” Juniper yelled and Kael had to hold the man back so he didn’t lash out at something, or more importantly someone.

Joshua and Lliamy stared at the door to the outrageously tall tower. On its wooden surface a piece of paper was taped to it.

“Not here, out item hunting, will be back later,” the girl read. “Well, that’s short and to the point,” Lliamy said, turning to the boy.

“Yeah, so I guess we’ll have to try later,” Joshua sighed, disheartened by the news.

Lliamy frowned and felt bad for her friend. She wanted to say something comforting, but before she could a fist flew over their heads and hit the door. Both Joshua and Lliamy jumped and gave a surprised cry.

“I know you’re in there, Trukint!!!! Open this door!!!” Juniper yelled at the top of his lungs. He pounded the door relentlessly with his fist, threatening to break it down.

“Juniper, calm down! What the hell’s the matter with you!?” Kael exclaimed as he put his staff around the other man and held him back.

Juniper took a few minutes to take deep, calming breaths until his fury waned. When he had relaxed fully he got away from Kael and straightened his clothes, acting like nothing had happened.

“Sorry, I just want to get this over with as soon as possible and traveling all day only to find he isn’t here just pisses me off,” Juniper grumbled irritably.

“How do you think I feel?” Joshua asked, the man’s words hitting a bit of a nerve. “It’s my life that’s on the line. If anyone should be throwing a hissy fit it should be me!” the boy snapped, crossing his arms and glowering.

All three stared at him in surprise. Kael was the first to nod his head and draped an arm over the boy’s shoulders.

“He does have a point. Shame on you, Junip,” Kael mock scolded, earning him a glare. The cat man just ignored it as he looked down at the boy. “Buck up, Joshua, we’re not forgetting that this is about getting your answers. It’ll just be a little delayed,” Kael assured him with a warm smile.

Joshua stared up into the soft, comforting green eyes. He then looked away and gave a small nod.

“So, what are we going to do now?” Lliamy asked as the silence stretched on.

“The only thing we can do. Go find someplace to stay the night,” Juniper replied, scratching the back of his head.

At that Kael looked up and gave a wide grin.

“Great. I know a nice, cozy inn we can go to,” he offered, though the others were a bit wary of his smile.

*************************

The room was loud with much talking, laughing, and music. People bustled around the any space there was, crowding each other. The air was heavy with smoke and alcohol, making it hard to breath.

“You call this nice and cozy!?” Joshua yelled over the music.

Kael simply grinned at the boy and ruffled his hair.

“Don’t worry! This is just the party area!” he shouted back.

“I should have known you’d pick this place!” Juniper hollered, but surprisingly didn’t look agitated by the choice.

Joshua was about to suggest they go to a different inn when something suddenly pressed against his shoulder. He turned his head to see Lliamy leaning into him. She was covering her ears and had her eyes shut tight.

“Lliamy, what’s the matter!?” Joshua asked worriedly, wishing he didn’t have to compete with the music.

“It’s too loud in here! It hurts!” the girl whimpered. She pressed into Joshua further, looking for comfort.

The boy quickly wrapped an arm around Lliamy and held her to him. Joshua looked up to the other two to see Kael also had a worried expression. Juniper, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care one bit.

“Come on you two, this way!” Kael told them, slipping in behind them. With a hand behind them he maneuvered Joshua and Lliamy through the crowd, using his staff to move people out of the way.

Juniper casually followed, sending some flirting smirks to pretty boys and men along the way.

Soon the group came to a big, wooden door and Kael pushed it open. He then hurriedly ushered the young ones inside.

When all of them were in the new room Juniper closed the door. The second it was shut all the noise and music was immediately cut off, leaving the room silent.

“Whoa,” Joshua uttered in awe, rubbing his ear from the dull ring that danced in his ear canal. “You okay now, Lliamy?” he asked the girl he was still holding.

Lliamy nodded and relaxed, but didn’t move away from Joshua.

“Yes, much better,” she mumbled.

“Sorry, guess we should have gone through one of the other entrances,” Kael said with a sheepish smile, gently patting Lliamy’s head.

“You think? Come on, let’s go get a table,” Juniper muttered and started walking away.

As the others followed Joshua took the time to glance around at their new, quieter, environment. He was surprised to find it look like a nice restaurant. Lush, blue carpet spread across the floor and the tables and chairs were all made of wood and the chairs had soft looking red cushions on them. A bar was set on one side of the room with a few people sitting at it being attended by the bartender. All in all it was the complete opposite of where they had just come from. Joshua couldn’t believe they were in the same building.

“This looks like a good table,” Juniper said, bringing the boy back from his observations.

Juniper and Kael both pulled up chairs to a round table, big enough to fit all of them at it. The cat man had to lean his staff against the table to keep it out of the way.

Joshua helped Lliamy into a chair beside Kael. He was worried that the girl still seemed to be in pain.

“Are you still not feeling good?” Joshua asked as he took the seat between Lliamy and Juniper.

“My head is going thumpy thump,” the girl murmured, putting her head down on the table and making a low whine.

“Awe, I’m sorry, little one. I didn’t think the music was going to be too much for you,” Kael apologized, rubbing her back comfortingly.

“Well, it was rather deafening and I’m sure she’s never been in that kind of place before,” Joshua said and turned to Juniper when the man laughed.

“Deafening? You wouldn’t even know how loud that music was,” he scoffed.

Joshua raised an eyebrow and stared at him oddly.

“What do you mean?” the boy asked.

“What I mean is this,” Juniper said and leaned towards the boy.

Joshua jumped when Juniper’s fingers ran through his hair then stopped at his ear, fingertips caressing ever so slightly.

“You have human hearing. The rest of us can hear probably three to five times better than you. So, you couldn’t possibly know what it was like,” the man told Joshua, leaning far too close.

Joshua frowned and pushed his hand away.

“Even so, I know that the music hurt Lliamy and that’s all that matters,” he snapped.

“Juniper, stop picking fights,” Kael chided before the man could retort. “So Joshua has inferior human hearing, that’s no reason to rag on him about it.”

Joshua wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or not. But the boy was glad Kael had stopped Juniper’s jabs.

The man simply shrugged as he stood up, the legs of the chair scraping against the floor as he did so.

“Fine, spoil my fun,” he said and made a rude hand gesture to the feline. “I’ll go secure us some rooms for the night. You guys just sit tight and get some menus or something,” Juniper instructed.

“Yeah, yeah, just make sure that stick up your butt doesn’t get up any further,” Kael told him, returning the gesture with a smirk.

Juniper just rolled his eyes and turned to leave. But before he did he rested a hand on Joshua’s shoulder, making the boy look up at him questioningly.

“And I really do mean sit tight this time,” Juniper said, his voice low and stern. The look in his eyes left no room for argument.

Joshua held his gaze before making himself look away, the stare starting to freak him out. The boy gave a small nod to show that he understood. If he did wander away again there was no guarantee he’d be saved if he got in trouble again. That was a risk Joshua didn’t want to take.

Juniper also nodded and gave Joshua’s shoulder a squeeze. The hand then slid off the boy’s shoulder as Juniper walked off to go check in.

“What was that all about?” Kael asked once the other man was gone.

“Juniper doesn’t want me getting abducted again. That’s all,” Joshua mumbled. “Though I still believe it wasn’t my fault with Roden,” he then said stubbornly.

“Of course not. If he didn’t tell you about guys like Roden then there was no reason to think you were going to be kidnapped,” Kael agreed. “But now you know so you’ll be more careful.”

A soft groan suddenly came from Lliamy and the other two looked down at her. The girl hadn’t moved the entire time they had been there.

“Are you still not feeling good, sweetie?” Kael asked in concern. He stroked her hair as the girl nodded.

“Can we give her anything like aspirin or tylenol?” Joshua asked, wanting to help Lliamy in some way.

Kael looked at him and his expression showed he had no idea what the boy was talking about.

“Aspirin? Tylenol? What are those?” he questioned.

Joshua sighed, knowing he should have guessed they didn’t have medication like those.

“They’re pain killers. Do we have anything we can give her to make her feel better?” Joshua rephrased.

“Oh, why didn’t you just say so? Jeeze, throwing weird words at me,” Kael said, shaking his head. “Well, I don’t have anything on me, but maybe we can get her something.” The feline lifted his hand and signaled to a near by waitress.

“Hello, welcome to our humble establishment,” the woman greeted them cheerfully. She placed some menus down on the table in front of the companions.

Joshua tried hard not to stare, but it was easier said then done.

Their waitress was very pretty, but the fin like ears sprouting from either side of her head was very distracting. Her skin was pure white and Joshua had a suspension that it was actually very short fur. Trailing along behind the woman was a long white tail that had the same fins at the end as her ears.

“Is there something wrong, sir?” the woman suddenly asked.

Joshua jumped when he realized the question was directed at him and that he had been caught staring.

“Er. N-no, nothings wrong ma’am,” he stuttered, feeling his face become warm with embarrassment. The boy then yelped as Kael reached over Lliamy and pushed Joshua’s head to the table surface.

“Don’t mind him. Long days travel and all. Kinda makes the kid go spacey,” the man said, grinning at the waitress while Joshua squirmed under the restraint.

“Oh, I understand. Traveling can be rather harsh,” the woman agreed with a smile. “So I’ll let you all look over the items on the menu and come back when you’re ready,” she then said and began to move away.

“Oh, actually, Miss, can I ask you something?” Kael inquired before she could leave.

“Of course, that’s what I’m here for,” the woman told him.

“Do you have anything that could help our little friend here?” the feline asked, removing his hand from Joshua’s head and moving it to Lliamy’s to stroke her hair. “She has a headache.”

With the weight off his head, Joshua was able to sit back up. He glared at Kael as he rubbed his forehead where a red spot had appeared.

Meanwhile the waitress drew closer to take a look at Lliamy.

“Oh, you must have went through the dance area, didn’t you?” she guessed, moving some of the girl’s curls to look at her face.

“Yeah, that’s right. I didn’t think it was going to be too much for her, but apparently I was wrong,” Kael told her.

“Well, it can be for some,” the waitress said as she straightened up. “Don’t worry, I have just the thing that can help her!” the woman announced happily and dashed off.

“Did you hear that, Lliamy? She’s going to get you something for your headache,” Kael said soothingly when the woman was gone.

Only a groan came from the girl as an answer.

“Well, that’s good. But was it really necessary to slam my head against the table?” Joshua huffed, feeling his forehead pulse slightly.

“Sorry, but I had to stop you from gawking like an idiot,” Kael said calmly.

Joshua reddened and glowered at the feline.

“It’s not my fault. I’ve never seen someone like her before. Until now the only really non looking human humanoid I’ve spoken to was you. It just…caught me by surprise,” the boy said, trying to find the right word.

“Even so, let this be the last time. The greatest way to attract attention to yourself is acting like you don’t belong. You want to blend in as much as possible until we get you home. Just keep that in mind,” Kael advised him.

“Yeah, I will,” Joshua said, absently rubbing his head again.

The feline looked at Joshua out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly he leaned over Lliamy and placed a hand behind Joshua’s neck, pulling him closer.

“I’m sorry; I really didn’t mean to hurt you,” he said lowly, his voice almost a soft purr.

Joshua blinked in surprise then jumped as a moist tongue ran across his forehead, caressing the spot that had been injured. In a flash Joshua yanked the hand away and jerked back.

“Eww, Kael!” the boy exclaimed, wiping the saliva off him.

Kael laughed at Joshua’s reaction.

“Jumpy little guy, aren’t you?” he asked with a chuckle. “Never been licked by a cat before?” Kael then questioned, sticking out his tongue teasingly.

“Yeah, I have, but only real cats, not cat like men!” Joshua said hotly, continuing to rub his forehead. *Gah it’s like I can still feel his tongue!*

Kael just snickered, having fun with the freaked out boy.

“Awe, looks like I’ll have to get you used to it then,” he teased.

Joshua narrowed his eyes at him.

“You most certainly will not.”

The feline was about to make a witty retort when he saw their waitress coming back.

“We’ll see,” he said instead.

When the waitress returned she set a glass down at the table. Both Kael and Joshua stared at it oddly. The contents inside the glass were a less than appetizing looking dark green.

“Here we are. This should get rid of the poor little things headache in no time!” the woman said with a big smile.

“What is it exactly?” Joshua asked slowly, watching a bubble crawl along the glass and pop when it reached the surface.

“A special blend of herbs my grandma taught me,” the waitress replied. “I know it may not look nice, but it really works,” she then assured them, seeing their skeptical expressions.

“Well, only one way to see,” Kael said as he turned slightly and gripped Lliamy’s shoulders. “Come on, little one, we have something for your thumpy head,” he told her.

Lliamy groaned miserably, not wanting to be moved. But the girl let herself be lifted then cradled in the crook of one of Kael’s arms.

The cat man then took the glass in his other hand and picked it up. He gently placed the rim of it against Lliamy’s lips and waited for her to open her mouth before tipping the glass.

When the green substance touched the girl’s lips her eyes suddenly widened, either in surprise or shock, but they just as quickly closed again. Lliamy slowly sipped the liquid with no complaints or resistance.

When Kael thought she had enough he took the glass away and placed it on the table. Then he, Joshua and the waitress stared at her expectantly.

“Any better, Lliamy?” Joshua asked after a lengthy silence.

The girl remained motionless, seemingly not hearing the boy. Suddenly Lliamy’s eyes blinked open and she sat up, away from Kael’s comforting arms. She looked between the two of them a bit. Then, to their surprise she smiled widely and clapped her hands.

“So what are we eating?” she asked happily.

Joshua and Kael’s mouths dropped open and the waitress just giggled.

“See, I told you,” she said.

“Is your headache really gone, Lliamy?” Joshua asked in disbelief.

The girl smiled and nodded.

“Yep, all better now, Joshwa. My head isn’t thumpy thumping anymore,” Lliamy told him.

Kael continued to stare at her then picked the glass back up and looked at it.

“Well, pull my tail and call me furless. It really works.” Kael then turned and grinned up at the waitress. “You’re going to have to give me the recipe for this. This would be the best thing for next day hangovers,” he told her.

The woman laughed and nodded.

“That’s basically what we sell it for. It’s a big money maker, but just because your little friend really seemed to need it it’s on the house, stud,” she said and gave Kael a wink at the ‘stud’ part.

Kael grinned playfully as he set the glass back down.

“Well, thanks my divine little waitress,” he purred.

The waitress couldn’t help but giggle again and turned to leave.

“Just make sure she drinks all of it, just in case. I’ll be back when you guys decide on what you want,” she told them then left to go wait on another customer.

“Wow, I guess we lucked out getting her for a waitress,” Joshua said, sliding the glass back to Lliamy so she could finish it.

“I’ll say,” Kael agreed as he watched the woman walk away.

Joshua shook his head as he reached out for a menu, but the one he was going for was suddenly snatched up.

“Hey!” the boy exclaimed and looked up to see Juniper was the culprit.

“Too slow,” the man chuckled and ruffled Joshua’s hair before sitting down.

Joshua glared at him then tried to grab the menu back, but Juniper kept it out of reach.

“So how went the room getting?” Kael asked as the two continued their keep away game.

“Could have been worse,” Juniper replied, not halting in keeping the menu away from Joshua. As the boy leaned over him Juniper took the chance to lick an exposed ear.

“Gah!” Joshua cried out and sat back in his chair so fast it almost tipped over. “Enough with the licking!” he growled and scowled at Lliamy when she giggled at him.

Ignoring Joshua’s outrage, Juniper reached into his pocket and extracted two pairs of keys.

“They only had two rooms left so we’re going to have to share,” he explained. Juniper then tossed one set to Joshua, who almost dropped it in his surprise. “Since I know you’d rather jump out a window then share a room with me or Kael you and Lliamy will take the first room,” he told Joshua.

The boy blinked down at the keys then nodded and pocketed them.

“Thanks for your consideration,” he said semi sarcastically.

“Yay! We get to share!” Lliamy exclaimed. “Joshwa is fun to sleep with, he’s nice and warm,” she said and leaned against the boy’s shoulder.

Joshua smiled at her and thought it was much better to be sharing a room with her than the other two.

“I’m sure he is,” both Juniper and Kael said in unison, making Joshua redden and glower at them.

“So, did you guys decide on anything while I was gone?” Juniper asked as he opened the menu.

“No, we haven’t even looked at them yet. We were dealing with poor little Lliamy’s headache first,” Kael replied as he grabbed a menu and handed the girl the other one.

Juniper grunted an acknowledgment as he looked over his options.

Joshua looked at his three companions as they all read over the menus, but there were only three, leaving him out.

“Uh, guys, I’d like to see what there is too, ya know,” he huffed.

Kael glanced over the top of his menu, seeing the boy was being left out.

“Huh, I guess since Juniper wasn’t here she thought there was only three of us,” he said.

“Oh, you can share with me, Joshwa,” Lliamy offered. Not wanting her friend to be unable to eat.

Joshua smiled and began scooting over to her.

“Thanks Llia-ack!” the boy yelped as an arm suddenly came around his neck, jerking him back.

“Actually, I think it’d be better if you shared with me,” Juniper said, keeping a tight hold on the struggling boy, but never lifting his eyes from the menu.

“And why is that?” Joshua snapped as he continued to try and wiggle away.

Juniper pulled the boy closer until his ear was near the man’s mouth. Joshua now barely in his chair.

“I’m assuming you’ll hardly know what any of our food is and will want a good explanation before you try eating it. Do you really think the girl would give a suitable description?” the man asked. “I’m sure she can hardly read as it is,” Juniper pointed out.

Joshua stopped struggling enough to study Lliamy. Sure enough she seemed to be having a hard time with the menu and was getting help from Kael here and there. The boy sighed as he concluded the man was right.

“All right, fine, we’ll share a freakin’ menu,” he grumbled. “Now let me up!” Joshua snapped.

Juniper slid his arm off Joshua and waited for the boy to scoot his chair closer. Once they were side by side the man leaned toward him and put his arm back around Joshua so they could both see the menu.

Joshua stared warily at the arm.

“Do you have to have that there?” he asked, practically glaring at the limb.

“If you want both of us to look at this evenly,” Juniper replied simply.

Joshua sighed and rolled his eyes. He knew he wasn’t going to get the man to remove it so he let it alone for the time being. The boy distracted himself by looking over their food options. He was incredibly hungry and wanted something to eat. Seeing as how his breakfast had been tossed up and they didn’t have lunch he was up for pretty much anything. But after looking over the menu he soon found that Juniper was right; he hardly knew what anything was.

“Homculets, spakerks, dried robters? Holy crap, none of these even sound like food,” he said, making a face.

“Told you,” Juniper said smugly. “I’ll help you out. Are you allergic to anything?” he first asked.

“Um, well, not in my world, but I have no idea about anything here,” Joshua replied, not taking that into account before.

“Hmmm, no allergies leave a lot of these open, but we’ll knock off a few just be safe,” Juniper said, ticking off some items in his head. “What are some of your favorite foods back in your world?” he then questioned.

“Normal things like, pizza, hamburgers, fries, chicken…my mom’s spaghetti,” he mumbled the last part. He was really starting to miss his mother’s cooking now that he was faced with all these weird foods.

“Some of those ring a bell to me. Why don’t we get this for you?” he suggested, pointing at an item.

“Fried kralik sandwich…? Do I even want to know what a kralik is?” he asked warily.

“It’s an animal used in most of our foods,” Juniper explained. “Think of it like the animal you humans use for your hamburgers, the mooing one.”

“You mean a cow?” Joshua asked.

“Exactly. So you want to get that?” Juniper questioned.

Joshua was hesitant, not sure if he wanted to try this ‘kralik’ or not.

After awhile Juniper sighed and rolled his eyes.

“It’s not going to freaking bite you, I swear,” he said impatiently.

“All right, all right, I’ll get the kralik thing,” Joshua told him.

“Okay, good, see that wasn’t so hard,” Juniper said, patting the boy’s chest.

Joshua didn’t reply, but tried to move away instead. But he soon found Juniper’s arm was still holding him to the man.

“Uh, you can let me go now,” Joshua told him.

The boy waited but Juniper neither said anything or moved to release him. Joshua tried to pull away a few more times, but to no avail. *Damn, freaking, jerk,* the boy thought. After a bit of struggling Joshua gave up. He saw there was no way to get away and he decided to wait till the man graciously let him go.

Joshua begrudgingly sat still, pressed against Juniper’s side. After awhile the boy noticed an odd smell. It wasn’t bad, but odd. It was a smoky scent, but didn’t smell like cigarette or cigar smoke. After further inhaling Joshua concluded it was coming from Juniper.

“Do you smoke?” Joshua asked, taking in a deeper whiff of the smell.

“Yes, do you have a problem with that?” Juniper asked, eyes not straying from the menu, but a slight smirk curved his mouth.

“No, it just smells…weird,” he replied. “I’m guessing you guys don’t smoke cigarettes and stuff like we do.”

“Oh, we do, we do. I just prefer a pipe to that and a specific type of plant,” Juniper replied.

“Oh…” was all the boy said. Joshua continued to sit there, getting a bit bored. *How long does it take him to pick something?* he thought. He was just about to make another attempt to move away when he realized Juniper’s fingers weren’t being idle.

One of the digits was making small circles against the boy’s skin between his collar bones. It was so soft Joshua almost didn’t feel it at first.

“Juniper…” Joshua growled warningly.

The man pretended not to hear the boy as more of the fingers joined the first. Ever so slowly the fingers slipped underneath the collar of Joshua’s shirt.

“Juniper!” Joshua snapped, trying to keep his voice low. He smacked the fingers that were traveling underneath the cloth. The invaders withdrew and a deep chuckle came from their owner.

“Sorry, they seem to have a mind of their own,” the man apologized, but Joshua wasn’t going to believe for a second that he was sincere.

“Yeah, whatever, now get off me before I punch you again,” Joshua growled, wanting to get away from Juniper and his exploring hands.

“As you wish,” Juniper said and slowly his arm slipped from around the boy’s shoulders. But before it completely left Junipers’ hand stopped on Joshua’s neck.

“What are you…?” Joshua trailed off as Juniper’s fingers began massaging the boy’s throat. They ran up and down Joshua’s skin, putting just the right amount of pressure.

A pleasant tingling sensation spread through Joshua before he started to relax under the ministrations. His eyelids drooped just a bit, but the boy fought to keep them open, knowing that the man causing this would be quick to take advantage of a vulnerable state.

“Juniper, knock it…” Joshua’s words died again as the fingers trailed up to a spot just below the boy’s ear. Joshua shuddered and his eyes closed all the way, the feeling of that spot being far too good. *Hmmm underneath the ear? One weak spot found,* Juniper chuckled to himself.

Juniper applied just a bit more pressure and smirked when his ears picked up the slightest of moans from the boy. With Joshua so relaxed the man was able to move his head just enough so it was resting against Juniper’s shoulder, the fur around his vest making an excellent cushion.

With his head moved Joshua’s body followed and pressed against the man’s side just a bit. The heat from Juniper’s body was making the boy more relaxed and Joshua found himself pressing against the man further to gather more of that pleasant heat.

“Hey, you two love birds done deciding or what?” Kael’s teasing voice suddenly asked.

With just that the haze around Joshua’s mind shattered and he bolted upright. His face flamed when he realized what just happened and he smacked the hand off his neck.

“You fucking manipulative asshole!” Joshua yelled and socked Juniper in the arm as hard as he could. He then scooted his seat back into place while Juniper nursed his aching arm.

Lliamy blinked in confusion and made sure a fuming Joshua was okay while Kael laughed his ass off.

“Looks like Juniper’s fingers worked their magic once again,” he snickered, earning him a deadly glare from both Joshua and Juniper.

“Bastard,” Juniper grumbled and a thump came from under the table and the feline jumped.

“Ow! What the hell was that for!?” Kael demanded his ears went flat against his head as he raised his leg up and rubbed his ankle through his boot.

“You just pray I don’t get you back later,” Juniper growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

“I should be saying that to you!” Joshua interrupted, making both men look at him. “What the hell happened to our agreement?” he asked through clenched teeth, scowling darkly at Juniper.

“You said not to try and get into your pants again. I was nowhere near your pants,” the man pointed out casually, crossing his arms.

Joshua’s jaw dropped before he bristled in fury.

“You know exactly what that means you son of a-”

“U-um excuse me,” a voice nervously interrupted the boy.

The four companions looked up to see that their waitress had returned and she looked less than enthused about getting into their fight.

“Not to butt in, but are you guys ready to order?” she inquired, hoping they wouldn’t turn on her.

“Yes, I believe we are,” Kael said, just as anxious for things to settle down.

The woman smiled in relief as she lifted a pad of paper to write down their orders. They each took a turn telling the waitress what they wanted, Joshua and Juniper sounding very irritable while doing so.

“All right, all done with that. Can I get you guys anything to drink while you’re waiting for your food?” the waitress then asked.

“Four beers, please,” Kael said with a wide grin.

Joshua and Lliamy both blinked at him in surprise.

“Uh, Kael, I’m not so sure about your guys drinking ages are, but I don’t think we can have that,” Joshua said, pointing at himself and Lliamy. Joshua wasn’t really against drinking. He had been known to accept alcohol whenever Ellie’s older brothers offered, but any intoxication while Juniper was around was a big no-no in Joshua’s book.

Kael raised an eyebrow and looked at him oddly. The feline then burst into laughter.

“Who said it was for you?” he asked. “They’re all for me,” Kael told them with a grin.

“Four just for you?” Lliamy asked in amazement.

“I see you haven’t changed a bit,” Juniper said, a smile playing on his lips. “Still the same drunkard as ever.”

“Damn straight,” Kael replied.

The waitress wrote his order down then turned to Juniper.

“Anything for you, sir?” she asked.

“I’ll just have a glass of aged welser,” the man told her, closing his menu.

“Okay, and you?” she asked Joshua.

Not knowing if they had anything normal for him like soda he simply said,

“Water will be fine.”

The waitress scribbled it down then turned to Lliamy who was last.

“And for you, miss?” she asked sweetly.

“Can I have some maomu?” Lliamy asked.

The waitress smiled as she wrote it down.

“Why of course you can,” she said. “All right, I shall bring you your drinks shortly and put in your orders,” she informed them as she gathered the menus.

As she walked away Joshua turned to Lliamy.

“What’s maomu?” he asked her curiously.

“A really nummy juice,” she told him, smiling just thinking about it. “Want to try some when I get it?” she offered.

“Sure, why the hell not?” Joshua agreed with a smile. “How often would I get the chance to try different foods from a different world?” he said.

“Unless you plan to make it a frequent event, not often,” Kael said before turning to Juniper. “So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” he asked.

Juniper glared at him a little more before sighing.

“What else? Go back to Trukint’s and see if the bastard is there,” the man answered. “We’ll have to get what info we need in order to know what to do next,” he then said.

Joshua had been trying not to think of the answer to his question, but now that it had been brought up doubt swelled within him. What if he was dead? What would he do then? *I was hit by a truck…how much hope can I have that I survived it?* he thought.

The boy was brought out of his thoughts when he felt hands on his arm. He looked over to see Lliamy looking up at him worriedly.

“Why does Joshwa look sad?” she asked in concern.

“Yeah, why the sudden long face?” Kael asked and Joshua saw that all three of them were staring at him.

The boy looked away from their gazes, but his question didn’t want to stay bottled up.

“What…what am I going to do if I’m dead?” Joshua asked softly. “If I’m stuck here and can’t go home, what am I going to do?”

There was silence after his question was voiced. What answer could there be to make the boy feel better? Was there even such an answer?

“Well, I certainly hope you don’t plan to mope about it the rest of your life,” Juniper finally spoke up. “The best thing you could do is forget your old life and try to make a new one here.”

“Juniper!” Kael hissed, not thinking that was the best thing to say to Joshua.

“What? You want me to lie to him and tell him everything is going to work out just fine?” Juniper asked icily. “All of us know that’s less than likely to happen,” he snapped and Kael bit his lip as he sat back. Not able to come up with a retort.

After seeing there would be no more comments from Kael, Juniper turned back to Joshua.

“Joshua, I know this is something you won’t want to hear, but if you’re dead in your world then your dead, that’s all there is to it. There will be no if’s or maybe’s. There will be no way for you to go home if your Earth body is killed. The only thing you can do at that point is to move on and forget everything that you once knew or had. Make a new life here in Nisis and go with it. That’s all the advice I can give you,” Juniper told him solemnly.

Joshua took in his words as he stared down at his lap. *Forget about everything?* Joshua ran his fingers over the blue material of his sweat band. *Forget about Mom, Lilah…even Ellie?* The boy had to close his eyes as he felt them glaze over with tears. *How could I forget about them? I-I can’t do that. I can’t forget about them. I won’t do that!*

Lliamy bit her lip as she saw her friend distressed. Not knowing what else to do she reached out her arms and pulled Joshua to her.

Joshua did not resist and let the girl wrap him in her arms. He could feel a couple tears escape and roll down his face. The boy quickly pressed his face into Lliamy’s shoulder to cover them up, not wanting them to see him cry like a wuss.

The girl stroked his hair comfortingly then looked up and glared at Juniper.

“You’re a big meanie,” she said, wanting to hit the man for upsetting her friend.

“Yeah, was that really necessary, Juniper?” Kael asked in a whisper.

Juniper crossed his arms and closed his eyes, not liking being made the bad guy.

“Yes, I believe it was. Forgive me for not sugarcoating it so it’d be easier for him to swallow,” the man snapped.

“And I’m glad he didn’t…”

Everyone looked over in surprise at Joshua. The boy pulled away from Lliamy and took a deep breath as he wiped at his eyes.

“You’re glad he said all those mean things?” Lliamy asked in confusion.

“Well, no, of course not, but I appreciate that he’s not getting my hopes up,” Joshua answered. “I’d be even more devastated if he did and everything turned out for the worst,” he explained. He then turned to the said man. “But even if I can’t go home I won’t forget about those I care about. I’ll never do that.”

Juniper nodded, understanding that.

“See at least he got what I was trying to do,” Juniper said, patting his shoulder.

Joshua stared at the hand like it was diseased before batting it away.

“Even so you have no touching rights,” he said, still not completely forgiving of before.

“Heh, gonna have to work a little harder on him before you get anywhere, Junip,” Kael teased.

Another thump and a yelp greeted the waitress as she returned. She looked curiously at a whimpering Kael.

“Are you all right, sir?” she asked.

“He’s just fine. He’s just suffering from a case of not knowing when to keep his mouth shut,” Juniper grunted.

“Er, well, here’s your drinks,” the waitress said and she took glasses from a tray and placed them in front of each person. “Your food shall be out soon. Need anything else just ask,” she told them and took Lliamy’s empty, green stained glass before leaving.

“Oi, well, with all violence and bad thoughts aside. Let’s spend the rest of this day enjoying ourselves,” Kael said and raised one of his glass mugs.

Thinking this to be a good idea everyone took up their own drinks.

“Cheers!” they all chorused and the clinking of glass rang throughout the room.

**********************

After the food arrived it was quickly devoured by the hungry travelers. Empty plates and bowls littered the table except for one side. On Kael’s side his entire part of the table was filled with empty beer mugs.

“Whoo! Hey, Miss! Can I get a couple more beers!” the intoxicated feline yelled across the room. His cheeks were a rosy red and one of his ears couldn’t seem to stay up on its own and became lopsided. With each drink the man was becoming more carefree in speech and actions.

“Um, don’t you think you’ve had enough, Kael?” Joshua asked uncertainly. More beer wasn’t something the cat man needed.

“Nonsense! There’s never enough when it comes to beer,” Kael told him with a lopsided grin. It then became a sly smirk as he stared at Joshua. “I also can’t get enough of staring at you, cutie,” he said with a wink.

Joshua jumped and stared at the feline with wide eyes.

“W-What?”

“Juniper got so lucky snagging a pretty boy like you,” Kael continued. “When I first met you I wanted to do so many things to you. I was really hoping you’d invite me to your compartment after I saved you. Thank me and all,” he said, now leering at the boy.

Joshua’s face was now the color of a ripe tomato. The back of his neck prickled and he was fighting the urge to run, seeing as how the man would probably chase him at this point anyways.

“Kael, behave,” Juniper quipped, batting the feline’s head with a discarded plate.

“Ow! Always ruining my fun,” he grumbled, shrinking away from the threatening plate.

“Is this how all people are when they’re drunk?” Lliamy asked, poking Kael’s shoulder and watching him wobble.

“Most, yes, but you two should probably go up to your room before he gets worse,” Juniper advised. “Especially to save your skin,” he said to Joshua. “He’ll probably lunge across the table at you after putting a few more away,” Juniper told him as he sipped at his second glass of welser, which Joshua came to understand was like wine.

Joshua’s mouth fell open and he looked from Juniper, to Kael, who was starting to leer at him again.

“He-He wouldn’t really do that, would he?” Joshua asked.

“It’s happened before,” Juniper replied.

At those words Joshua abruptly stood up, almost knocking his chair over.

“Oooookay, sleep sounds really good right now,” he said.

Juniper chuckled as Lliamy yawned.

“Actually, sleep does sound good,” she said tiredly, also getting up.

“All right, I’ll show you guys to your room,” Juniper offered as he stood up. “You stay here and be good,” he then said, pointing at Kael.

“I’m always good,” Kael told him and licked the tip of Juniper’s finger.

Juniper just rolled his eyes as he began to take the two others away, but stopped and went back.

“And I’m taking this so you don’t do anything like back in, Kodion,” he said, grabbing Kael’s staff.

Kael didn’t even seem to notice as their waitress came back with a tray full of more mugs.

Juniper shook his head as he walked off.

“Come on you two,” he said to Joshua and Lliamy.

They obediently followed and Joshua cast one last glance back at Kael, who was chugging more alcohol.

“I have never seen one person drink so much,” he muttered.

“Believe me, he’s just getting started,” Juniper told him.

Juniper lead the two up out of the nice, restaurant scene and out into a room that looked like a lobby for a hotel. A man behind the large counter smiled and waved as they walked by.

“I hope you enjoy your rooms,” he called to them and Juniper just nodded at the man.

They reached a staircase and began to ascend. When they came to a landing with many doors going down a long hallway, Juniper turned and went up a second flight of stairs.

“We’re on the third floor,” he said over his shoulder.

Once they reached it the companions walked through the hallway until their guide stopped in front of a doorway.

“This will be your room,” he said, pointing at a door that had the number twenty-five on it. “Me and Kael will be right next door so if you need anything during the night just come over,” he told them. “But we’ll most likely be downstairs most of the night so if we’re not in the room look down there.”

Both Joshua and Lliamy nodded in confirmation. As Joshua reached into his pocket for his keys Juniper walked over to the door next to them.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go put this away so Kael doesn’t hurt anyone with it,” Juniper said, gesturing to the silver staff. The man then sighed. “I am not looking forward to babysitting that overgrown furball,” he mumbled as he got his own keys out and unlocked the room, disappearing inside.

“Do you think Kael will lunge at Juniper, like he said he would at you?” Lliamy asked as Joshua worked on opening the door.

“You know, I really wouldn’t doubt it,” the boy replied as he unlocked the door and swung it open.

“Well, it doesn’t look too shabby,” Joshua praised as they walked inside.

“Yay! Another big bed!” Lliamy exclaimed and ran over and jumped onto their bed.

“Doesn’t take much to make you happy,” Joshua chuckled as he closed the door. “So only one bed, huh?” he noted as he went further inside.

There was a queen sized bed up against one wall and a window was close by. A closet was in another wall and there was another door. After inspection, Joshua found it to be a small bathroom with only a sink, toilet and shower stall.

“Well, looks like we have all the necessities,” Joshua said as he walked back to the bed that was being bounced on by the young girl.

“Yay! I like this room!” she exclaimed happily. “And we have it all to ourselves!”

“Heh, yep that we do,” Joshua said. His eye was then caught by the window. He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw sunlight filtering through. The boy walked over to it and checked his watch. “It’s almost eight and the suns are still up. Jeeze, how are we supposed to sleep with this?” he questioned.

“Easy! Close the! Curtains!” Lliamy told him between jumps.

Joshua stared at her disbelievingly.

“I doubt closing the curtains will be enough,” he told her.

The girl frowned as she bounced.

“Just. Do it. Trust me!” she persisted.

Joshua sighed and decided to give in. He grabbed the curtains that were hanging on either side of the window and let them fall over the glass.

“Ah!” Joshua cried out as the room went pitch black.

There was a giggle as the bed squeaked. A thump was soon followed and footsteps ran across the room. A second later soft light filled the room and Lliamy laughed from her spot at the light switch.

“Told you so! You gotta trust me on these things more,” she told him.

“Yeah, I guess I do,” Joshua agreed, opening and closing the curtains a few more times to test it out before leaving it alone. “That’s really cool, I wonder how they designed something like that,” he said, looking back at the interesting curtains.

“Well, we have to have something to keep out the suns when we don’t want them,” Lliamy told him matter-of-factly as she skipped back over to the bed.

Joshua chuckled then suddenly yawned. *Sheesh only eight and I’m already tired?* he wondered. But with the days events he couldn’t really blame his body. The sickness episode was what really did it for him. Joshua still wondered why that had happened, but since he had no idea how to find out he just hoped it didn’t happen again.

“Too bad we don’t have any night clothes to sleep in,” he commented as he walked over to the bed.

“Yeah, but its okay. Dresses are fine to sleep in,” Lliamy said as she unbuckled her shoes and slipped them off.

“Heh for you, but I’m in jeans. These things constrict like crazy,” Joshua told her as he sat down beside her. “If I knew I’d be hurled into another world I would have worn something more comfortable,” he joked as he took off his sneakers and put them near the end of the bed next to the girls.

“Keep that in mind for next time,” Lliamy giggled as she untied her fingerless gloves and took them off.

“Oi don’t say that. I never want there to be a next time,” Joshua said as he took off all of his other accessories and placed them on the nightstand that was next to the bed. “So, do you want to sleep next to the wall or on the outside?” he then asked her.

“Wall!” Lliamy exclaimed and jumped towards the wall after throwing her gloves to the nightstand.

“Be vaguer why don’t you?” Joshua chuckled as he stood up. He walked over to the light switch and made sure he knew the path before turning off the light. The boy carefully made his way back to the bed, the darkness almost suffocating.

“Sheesh, those curtains work almost a little too we-ah!” Joshua yelped as he met the bed a little sooner than expected and fell to the bouncy mattress.

“Welcome back,” Lliamy giggled.

“Thanks,” Joshua said sarcastically as he crawled to the head of the bed and, with Lliamy’s help, was able to get under the covers.

Once the two were settled the room grew quiet and still.

“Joshwa?” Lliamy asked after awhile, making the boy jump slightly at the sudden disturbance.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think we’ll be able to see that guy tomorrow?” she asked him.

“God, I hope so. This waiting is seriously turning my stomach into knots,” Joshua replied.

There was a slight pause before Lliamy spoke again.

“Um, what if you…can’t go home? What’s going to happen?” the girl asked.

Joshua wondered why she was asking what he had before. It wasn’t like he came up with an answer in just a few hours.

“I really don’t want to think about it, Lliamy. Never seeing my friends or family again is something that…I just really don’t want to consider until I know,” he told her.

“Okay…Joshwa?” Lliamy said timidly.

“What?”

“If-If you can’t go home, I’ll be your friend.” The bed creaked and Joshua suddenly found the girl pressed against his front, curling up into him. “Maybe…maybe we can be each other’s family. I can be your sister,” Lliamy said softly.

Joshua was silent for a moment before laying an arm over the girl and holding her to him.

“Yeah, I’d like that, Lliamy,” he told her.

If Joshua couldn’t go home then he was comforted by the fact that he wouldn’t be completely alone. At least that would dull the pain, if only a little.

************************

“Now I remember why I hate you getting drunk,” Juniper grumbled as he lugged a heavily intoxicated Kael up the stairs.

“Heh, ya knows ya love me,” Kael chuckled, leaning almost all his body weight on Juniper for support as he tried to get up the stairs.

“Damn whoever made you so tall,” the man cursed, their difference in height being his disadvantage.

“You talkin’ about mys momma?” Kael growled, his tail trying to lash, only ending up in drooping and dragging along the floor behind him.

“No, I’m not talking about your ‘momma’,” Juniper told him as they made it to the landing. “About freaking time.”

Juniper hauled the feline to their door and tried to balance him as the man took out the keys. After opening the door he hurriedly went to the bed and dropped Kael onto it.

“You are way more trouble than your worth,” Juniper mumbled as he went back and closed the door.

“Whoa, the room is spinnen,” Kael said as Juniper walked back over to him.

“No, that would be your small brain drowning in all the booze you drank,” the man snapped as he worked on getting the cat man’s boots off.

“Oh…okay.”

Juniper rolled his eyes as he got the footwear off then worked on unbuttoning Kael’s long, white jacket.

“Jeeze, I don’t see why you insist on wearing this thing,” Juniper said as he went to button after button. “Such a hassle. Okay, now sit up,” he commanded.

Kael slowly tried to sit up and Juniper ended up helping him.

The man then worked on slipping the clothing off Kael and pushed him over so he could pull it out from under him, leaving Kael in a dark red shirt that hung off his shoulders and had a green gem in the collar. Juniper went and hung the jacket up in the closet.

“You stay there. I’m going to go get a wet rag to wipe up the beer you spilled on yourself,” Juniper told him then went into the bathroom.

The man grabbed a handy rag and wetted it in the sink before going back into the room. Juniper raised an eyebrow when he saw that Kael had disappeared, the bed standing empty.

“All right, where’d you go?” he asked, glancing around.

He only had the warning of a presence behind him before arms wrapped around him. Juniper looked over as a face nuzzled his neck, hot breath dancing across his skin.

“Junip, I really missed you,” Kael murmured into the pale flesh, lips tasting its saltiness.

“Kael, you knew I’d come up some day,” Juniper told him, leaning his head to the side ever so slightly to allow more access.

“So? That didn’t make it easier,” Kael said, nipping the delicate skin slightly. “I’ve missed being with you.” Mischievous hands played with the zipper to Juniper’s vest and slowly started to pull it down. The further it went the more skin was revealed. “Missed your hot skin. Hot temper. I’ve missed everything.”

The vest fell to the ground and pooled around their feet, easily forgotten.

Kael turned Juniper around and gripped the man’s upper arms. Bright green eyes stared into deep black ones.

“Did you miss me?” Kael asked.

Juniper scoffed and brought his hands up to cup Kael’s alcohol reddened face.

“Possibly, you over grown hairball,” he answered with a smirk.

The feline returned it and his grip tightened on Juniper’s arms.

“Good.” Kael pulled the smaller man to him and crushed their lips together.

Mouths worked furiously against each other and tongues soon joined in a fight for dominance. The two began a slow trail towards the bed as hands roamed over heated skin, touching everything and anything they could.

Kael’s shirt soon fell to the floor as both worked together to get it off. They got to the bed and the feline pushed the other man roughly down onto it. He stared down at the smirking man with hungry eyes before crawling up the length of Juniper’s body and capturing his lips in a kiss again. Kael shoved his tongue into the man’s mouth and assaulted the cavern relentlessly before pulling away and nipping a bottom lip harshly.

Juniper gave a sultry chuckle as Kael moved down to feast on his throat.

“The one thing I like about you getting drunk is that it makes you extra feisty,” he said, moving his hands to Kael’s back and running his nails down the expanse of skin, leaving thin, red lines.

Kael growled against the skin and bit down hard, making the man under him groan. He then moved down to Juniper’s chest and instantly enveloped a nipple into his mouth.

Juniper sucked in his breath at the sudden moist warmth. Letting his head fall back as fingers pinched and worked the twin nub. He could feel the other hand busily trying to undo his belt. For being drunk, Kael sure was skilled as the buckle relented and the belt fell away, leaving Juniper’s zipper vulnerable to attack.

The feline detached his mouth from the now hardened pebble of flesh. He nipped it with a fang and immediately soothed it by lavishing his tongue against it. Trailing back up Juniper’s body, Kael attacked the pale throat once more.

*Finally, it’s been so long,* Juniper thought as he grinded his hips up into Kael’s, wanting more. He buried his fingers into shiny, reddish locks as long legs wrapped around the feline’s hips.

“You better ride me so hard I can’t think straight for a week,” Juniper hissed hotly into a furry ear.

Kael moaned and bite down again as he grounded Juniper’s pelvis down into the mattress several times, extracting lusty moans from both of them.

“You’re damn straight…I…will…” Kael didn’t finish his words and suddenly went slack on top of Juniper.

“Kael….Kael?” Juniper said to him and when there was no response he placed his hands on the feline’s shoulders and shook him. “Kael!”

A light snoring tickled his ear and Juniper’s mouth dropped open in disbelief.

“You have got to be kidding me! Kael, wake the hell up and finish what you started!!!” Juniper shouted angrily and punctured the feline’s skin with his nails, causing blood to bubble up and trickle down the shoulders. It didn’t even get Kael to stir.

“I don’t believe this,” Juniper grumbled when he saw it was no use and laid his head back. “First, you ruin my chances of getting the boy and now this! You are going to pay for this, and dearly,” he said as he pushed the sleeping cat man off him so he rolled over to lie beside the man.

Juniper sat up and muttered angrily to himself as he rubbed the bite marks on his neck. He looked down at Kael, trying to concoct a plan to get back at him. Suddenly Juniper blinked when a thought struck him. A wide, evil smirk spread across his face.

“Oh, this is going to be fun…”

================================Ch. 7 End

Hehe well, I know it was two fake outs, but some at least it’s some slashy action for your enjoyment. And what is Juniper going to do? *Le gasp* I’d fear for Kael. I know, I know, no answer to the big death question as of yet, but I felt this would be a good chance for the character’s to bond a bit more, seeing as how they have a new addition and none of them have know each other for that long (with the exception of Juniper X Kael, but that’s different). So, definitely things will get moving along in the next chapter. Ooooh do I have big plans for the next chapter >:D Well, until then I shall remind you to go check out my new story “Dream Symphony” since I plan on updating that next. See yeah next time!