Chapter 8: [The Monster]

Rex was on edge. He was utterly terrified. The whole situation, the debating, the fghts, everything. He felt like pulling his own fur out at just the thought of being arrested for a wrongful crime that he was never even present for. He began to feel that he was better off in the prison where he was found, because there he at least was alive. Now, he fears his own death and the annilation of his own comrads, which was slowly eating away at his mind and driving him mad.

Gajeel noticed Rex's, change of state, and quickly took note of it.

shina looked up at jaden and said wiht a smile "no, i dident say anything"

Cory looks confused "You left a note? I didnt see it. Shina where did you go anyway i was so worried"

"Sorry Jaden. But no one is to touch me while the Watcher is active. And for now... I need its comfort. Only for now. As for coming back... let's get through this first." Echo sighed again, slowly looking around at everyone. The eyes seemed to spurt up randomly, like little fountains.

"So you all plan to turn yourselves in?"

Cobra glanced at Willow from his position

(Intelligence)"How Rude."

Rage started laughing

"I guess she doesn't want to be bothered"

Jaden looked at Echo and nodded "Okay okay, fine" Jaden smiled happily then looked at Shina "I can still tell when your lying silly, I can read you like a book" Jaden said with a laugh

Willow stumbled over to the group, stopping once she got behind Asuya and Echo. She struggled to keep herself standing but she knew she had to. She didn't want Asuya to know...Not yet. Asuya kept her hard glare on Jaden but lowered her weapon before it turned back into blood.

"It's a good thing we're not with you guys...No way in hell are we going to prison...Although.." She smiled.

"It'd be nice to see them try and keep us there..."

Shinyo looks at Jaden and figured it best to make sure he doesn't start more shit with the Sisters and walked to them saying, "Yes, that is the general idea. Though the debate is from how what if Kale decideds to just kill us right then and there."

While Echo listened, and made silent notice of Jaden's darkness and Willow's condition. How unfortunate...

Ancilla's voice appeared in Jaden's head. although it was serious, it was far form malicious or demonic. The high-pitched, girly voice was back, even around him.

"Jaden... would you care to talk?"

Kiru shook her head at Echo's question, "I have no intention of turning myself in.. and I have ways to get myself in the clear." Her eyes moved to Willow, "You seem in bad shape.."

shina looked at cory and said "you dident see it??....." she sighed and said to cory agen "i had to go do somthing" she than looked over at jaden and said "i will tell you later"

B.U.N.N.Y popped out.
"I am not detecting anyone other than us in the other. However, it is my belief that they might have cloaks, considering that multiple members of our group possess the ability to sense danger."

"Guys!" Harmony's voice was louder than usual. She was sick of hiding in the background. She was sick of letting the others make the decisions. Even if the others didn't reach their decision today, she had made hers. She would no longer be a bystander. Black scales started to pop up, but she restrained them so that only a few remained.
"If we turn ourselves in, then everything we did ever since leaving the city would have been for nothing. We would be relinquishing everything that we've accomplished since then." She looked at all of them.
"Friendships, relationships...there's so much we've found in each other since then...and you just want to let all of it go?"

Jaden looked at Asuya then crossed his arms "If we go there we are gonna be executed as soon as we are cuffed" Jaden could see Sasha was angry and he knelt down slightly, giving her a hug "Im sorry for ignoring you Sasha"
Jaden nodded in agreement with harmony before freezing and speaking in his head "Ancilla? what would you like to talk about?" Jaden asked curiously

"Tch...I'm fucking fine...As for Kale, that walking salad bowl can't kill me...I can't...d.." Before she could finish her sentence, she dropped to her knees and began coughing again. This time, she had gotten to the point where she threw up blood. Tears fell from her face.

"DAMN IT!" She slammed her fist into the ground. Asuya turned and looked at her, then ran to her.

"Mary? MARY?! What's wrong? Are you sick?" She tried to grab Willow but she was only met with a hard shove.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" Willow suddenly stood up, coughing again, with blood trickling down her chin.

"I...I'm fine...Just sick...Just a little sick...Is all..." She dropped to one knee before standing up again.

The team could hear something on comms, as if someone was listening in to everything that was going on.

Sasha hugged back Jaden, squeezing him tightly and not letting go. "We're gonna play a bit later today, okay?" She whispers to him as she giggles.

shina looked at every one cifused and said to them "what the hell is going on?"

Jaden watched Willow and his hands glowed softly "Woah, willow relax, you need to be healed"
Jadne made a slight nod to shina, hearing what she said, shivering when hearing what sasha had to say

"Well, I think you'd like to know Echo specifically asked me not to kill you. Mind you, she was rather casual about the ordeal, but she always is." Although Jaden couldn't see Ancilla, he could literally feel her rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"That being said, I would still like to make sure you don't kill everyone here. Because if you do... well. You don't want to deal with me. So I'm here to help you get that ridiculous dark aura in check."

~~~

"Death. Decay. The eating away of nothingness." Echo only turned her head slightly, watching Willow out of the corner of her vision.

"Leave here, without using those damn shrouds. Spend some time with Asuya. You do not have much of it left."

Juuna just ented the building gainwhen i heard Harmony speak. Her words enspired him . SUre hethey were not his friends yet but she had th spirit to fight.It gave him hope. It was somehing he needed.

Shinyo turned to Harmony and walked to her with his aura changing slightly from a deep blue to a mute grey saying, "It is true we made many friends and did many things as a team. I have learned much from this team since my arrival 6 years ago. I wish there was an alternate route we could take. But many of those bonds have been crushed in one way or another. I doubt we could get confessions from them and even if we did, Kale hates Spirit Force enough that he'd bend the truth to rally our deaths as a "Worthy Cause." However if we turn ourselves in without a problem, then he will stop this and we can save your families. I am sorry Harmony, but we are not really left with many options here..."

Kiru moved closer to the two sisters, sighing and regretting what she was about to say, "I fixed echo's sight... I could probably heal you too if you want.."

"I sort of can't be arrested, as I have been hired from the government before and have a free liscence to kill, but; I honestly do not wish for us to be arrested regardless. I agree here with Harmony. No civilians will die if we don't turn ourselves in. As long as we stay away from them, there hell, if anyone dies it'll be on the hands of the hunters, which then we can turn the legal tide against them. The logic behind the hunters themselves and Kale is flawed in so many ways it's laughable, but still...it will be near impossible to overcome in our dismantled state. We have yet to even remotely learn how to work as a team."


Rex continued to cry softly, sniffling between his sentences. "I know but, this whole thing is just....it's just a lose lose situation. I'm just so scared. Even with this whole new power shit I honestly doubt I can still defend myself against the likes of Kale."