Clarity's POV

I can see them but I'm not there.

The room is in panic, with Shiemi trying to call who I assume is the doctor, Yukio and Suguro are fighting, and Rin is yelling something at me. I strain to hear him, but fail. It feels like I'm watching a silent movie, where all the characters are right in front of you, but you can't talk back to them. I want to tell Rin I'm ok, but all my muscles feel stiff and weak. I yell and scream in my head, urging my body to react, but I can't.

I finally give up. Defeated, I let the darkness overtake me. I wonder if this is what it feels like to die. I suppose if I'm right, I'll never know.
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I wake up, gasping for air. The light momentarily blinds me, but after a few seconds my eyes adapt. I study the scenery around me, and gasp in surprise.

I am sitting on a dark wooden park bench in the middle of a sunlit garden. A fountain cascades water into a small pool in front of me, and green is everywhere. This reminded me of someone but I can't remember who. In fact, I don't remember anything at all. I shake my confused head and my dirty blonde hair falls into my face. I brush it away with a scowl, unsure of what to do.

I look around at all the interesting plants and finally my curiosity and I get up to explore. As I look around, roses, lilies and jasmines stare back, colors reflecting against the sun. It's almost magical, but something feels off. Like I'm being watched. After that, the shadows seem darker, more mysterious.

"Hello?" I call out, uncertain, "is anyone there?" I peek around a vine covered fence, when I hear a crackle above me. Leaves fall from the sky, and I look up, frightened. But instead I see a teenage boy, staring at me from above. He has short, light brown locks and the same colored- tail? The tail reminds me of someone, and I blush, though I'm not sure why. He smiles at me, still hanging upside down, then lifts himself gently down.

"Hey, angel," he says with a smile, causing me to unwillingly blush. "What's your name?"

I don't trust him or even know him, but my name won't give him any leverage, so I decide to answer. "Clarity, and might I ask the same of you?"

"Luke," he says, smirking, "Welcome to the Garden,"

He's wearing casual clothes, (a navy blue hoodie and worn jeans) and his hair is lightly tousled. Oddly enough, he's wearing a large red bow tie around his neck. I'm unsure if why he wears it, because it looks uncomfortable and mismatched among his casual clothing.

"Why do you wear that?" I ask as normally as possible, hoping it wouldn't attract any emotional feeling. I see fear in his eyes and know I was wrong. He looks away quickly, but I saw the tears gather in his eyes. Something's wrong. That's when I notice the scars. They trace along his neck and onto his face, only noticeable if you look for them. White marks of something terrible.

I look away from the marks, deciding I'd figure out about those later. "Where am I?" I ask instead, trying to change the topic. It doesn't seem to work.

He sighs dramatically and looks back at me. "Hell," He grins and the world goes dark.
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Rin's POV

"WAKE UP!!!" I scream, shaking her limp body, but her head just falls back. All I saw was a demon of pure darkness before she slumped down, lifeless. That wasn't the worst part, either. The dead keep their eyes open, but I wished they closed. All the things I once saw in her eyes, wonder, love, passion, are gone. All that's left is blankness.

"Rin! I've got Nee!" Shiemi exclaims, and I whirl around to see the little green guy on the blonde's shoulder.

"Thank the Angels!" I smile, glad she's here.

"Ok, Nee do your stuff!" She commands, and the little greenling nods. A rosy colored blossom sprouts from his belly, and Shiemi smiles in gratitude. She takes part of the blossom and chews on it for a second before spitting it out in her hand.

"Yuck!" I say, sticking out my tongue immaturely. She glares at me, and I glare back.

She spreads it on her cuts, and I turn my head in confusion. She didn't have any cuts a second ago! I look closer, and see new cuts slowly forming- slow enough to be almost unnoticeable, but quick enough to replace the ones the salve is healing-. It's disturbing me, because it's like the invisible man is tracing a knife on her.

I tap Shiemi's shoulder and she turns to me with an annoyed look. "What, Rin?" She asks, appearing bored. I point to the growing cuts, and I hear her gasp as she sees.

"What the heck?" She says, staring at the growing cuts. I agree with her. I've got no idea what's going on. I tentatively wave the air over her, wondering if there is an invisible man there. There isn't. Shiemi gives me a wierd look.

"Shiemi, is she ok?" I hear a gruff voice from behind, and whirl around to see Suguro staring at me. Oh, man. I forgot that they were all still here.

"Yeah, but look at this!" She says confused, pointing at the growing slices on Clarity's skin. His face pales and he gasps in bewilderment.

"We should probably go, so you guys can do your stuff," he mumbles, and me & Shiemi both blush. He gives us a weird look before face palming. Yes, that did sound wrong Suguro. He walks over to the others, still blushing and ushers them out of the room.

I laugh. "Well that couldn't have been more awkward," I say, still laughing.

"Umm... I'm still allowed in, right?" A young voice squeaks, and I leap around to see Atlantis standing in the doorway, her foot twisting nervously. I blush, though I'm unsure why.

"Uh, yeah! Of course!" I answer lamely, and she walks towards us, still unsure. She quickly jumps up the ladder and slips under the covers on the top bunk.

"Nite!" She says and after that she's silent. I turn back to Shiemi, and she just shrugs, then continues applying the salve, as if nothing happened. I return to watching her, and then something odd comes to mind.

"Hey, Shiemi? Where are we going to sleep?" I ask, wondering aloud. Neither of us seem like we're intent on leaving, and with her in this condition I'm not going anywhere.

"On the floor," she answers simply, as if it's obvious. I make a puppy face, because that's not where I was thinking.

"Can I sleep with Clarity?" I ask, casting a nervous glance at her still form. She needs someone to look after her, and I'm up to the job.

"Absolutely NOT!!!" She screeches, facing me angrily. I make a face at her and she sighs. "She's already having one baby, she doesn't need another." I glare at her. That's not at all what I meant.

"I'm not going to rape her for the last time! I'm not that kind of guy you dirty minded freaks!" I scream back at her, upset at her for even thinking that. She shrinks down, and I realize I've been a little short tempered with her.

She just shrugs before I can apologize and sighs tiredly. I glance over at the digital clock sitting on the desk and it says 1:30am. Holy crap, have we really been here that long?

"I've done all I can do with you here," she sighs again, and I frown.

"With me here?" I ask, slightly offended. What the heck am I doing wrong?

"The scars continue down her legs and up her torso, and I'm not taking off her shirt while you're here, ok?" She says, scolding me like she's my mom. I blush slightly, though. The idea of her stripping down is really awkward to think.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere, so just do it now. I won't look- I promise," I add when she gives me a 'heck no' look. She glares at me for a few seconds, but seeing I won't budge she finally gives in.

"Fine, but don't go pervy on me Rin," she grumbles, and she gestures for me to turn away. I turn and watch the wall as she continues treating Clarity's wounds. After a while, the wall begins to bore me, and my eyes strain to stay open. I look back over to the clock. 3:45. I let sleep consume me, all the light retreating along with it.
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I wake up, feeling just as tired as I did before. How early is it? 5:26. Argh. I'm still tired, but my body refuses to return to its peaceful state. I groan and walk over to Clarity, who looks fine, and I smile. The scars are still there, but I don't see new ones forming, which is good. I sit on the bed, careful not to make too much noise, and think of something to tell her, if she even hears. Like lightning it hits me. The song I heard her sing. I take a deep breath and let the words flow from my mouth.

"We slip into the water,
Our troubles streaming out to sea,
But as long as I'm with you,
My heart is truly free.
I've never felt this way before,
Where my life is truly my own,
And if I stay with you forever,
My heart can call this place home.
When I was stuck in darkness,
You showed me light,
We both started as stars,
But together we shine bright,"
I stop. This sounds exactly what our time together has been like. I smile at her peaceful sleeping form. I wonder if she knew about us, before we ever even met.

Suddenly something moves in the corner and I whirl around, prepared for the worst. But it's just a large book sitting on her desk, an open page wavering. I walk over to it curiously, wondering what it is. Once I'm at the desk, I gingerly pick up the thick, leather-bound book and stare at the page that is open.

At first glance, it's just a boring old page, but then I look closer, and see its marked Dark Magic. I gasp. Does she know? I keep reading, my eyes growing in horror as I realize why she's been acting so odd around me.

I glance over to her and whisper, "So that's what's on your mind," I walk over to her, and sit on the bed next to her. But something's wrong.

A darkness surrounds her, and her normally pale skin is nearly black.
(I am not racist, don't think like that :)

I gasp in horror and back away, my breath heavy. Her eyes are now open, but they are pitch black. Not with the darkness either. They're black with blood.
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Duh-duh-dun! Hope you liked it!

Anyway, a few people to follow are Haze__, Loope64, Shadowclanwarrior, Demon122 & SleepyManBB.

:) Lilly