Hi, Everyone!

Long time no see! Long story short: my laptop charger broke just after last semester ended making it so I couldn't write, school has been kicking me black and blue, I've have been exhausted, bogged down with life basically since October, and I've been sick for the past week...It's been really hard to write, peeps. :.(

BUT here's a chapter for you and I'm still working on my other stories whenever I have time.

It's been a long time since I was last on and I'd love to hear from you! I could use a nice review or PM, life has been really hard lately and I feel like my writing is not as good as it was before, a kind word would mean a lot right now.

Enjoy!

One week.

It had been a week since the night at Castle Shelter.

He had dreamed it up.

It had to have been a dream, it had to.

He had not been eating enough and had imagined it all in some strange hunger induced dream after going to bed that night. Or a side effect of his medicine perhaps, he had read on the bottle that it should never be mixed with alcohol and while he had originally pledged to never allow himself to slip down that low, it hadn't lasted. Surely though there was a good reason for the warning label and it could very well have something to do with odd hallucinations or dreams, right?

He felt like he remembered hearing some such thing when they were being warned about the effects of drugs and alcohol on a mind and reflexes in training. In his mind he saw Dr. Gunderson slam her hand down on a metal desk to emphasis a point or to awake a soon-to-be very unfortunate classmate. She mentioned once while he'd been at her office hours that when she was bored she'd come up with new punishments for those who dared to fall asleep in her classes.

Not his favorite teacher, but a friend of his had really liked her tough teaching style.

Who though?

Who had liked this teacher?

He could hear a male voice, probably a teenager's, going over control quirks for a Neuben 5000 that he had just flew, the fastest ship model they had access to. Shiro could hear tinking of metal parts against each other and vaguely thought he remembered passing tools to whoever was talking, but he couldn't see the face. He grimaced in concentration, trying to focus on the voice of this teen. He had known this boy before... and he may still be alive somewhere.

A person he knew.

A person who knew him.

The real him, not this pulled apart version of the man he once was.

The real him.

The more he tried, the fuzzier the memories got, and his body tightened up the harder he tried to break through this mental fog. He slumped back against the foot of his bed with a sigh, tears pricking his eyes. He'd recalled this memory the night of Castle Shelter, but couldn't get it clear or remember who the boy was.

He bent forward and gripped his head in his hands. Why couldn't he remember?! In his dreams he relieved things he never wanted to again and could feel them lurking at the edges every second that the daylight held them tentatively at bay, yet somehow he couldn't manage to remember even simple things about his life a scant year ago. He gripped tighter, his fingers, flesh and metal, pushing in on his face, hair, and head.

He remembered his job since returning, mechanically going through the motions as if driven by muscle memory. He remembered the Garrison, he had worked for them after all, starting as soon as he'd graduated from their school. But his family, his friends...

It shouldn't be this hard, they were his memories. He knew they were there, his memories, those monsters hadn't taken them away since it seemed, to his captors, that their only value was the emotional pain they could cause him. He gritted his teeth, ghostly images blurring and blending together as he attempted to sort them out, to undo the damage that had been done.

He released his aching head and slumped back against his bed. It was all so dim and distant, he couldn't grasp it. A few tears trickled out of his eyes and then a few more, he didn't want to breathe for fear of losing the last semblance of control over himself. He needed air, but suddenly the room didn't hold any.

He staggered to his feet and over to one of the bedroom windows. With a shaking hand he shoved the heavy curtain out of the way and gazed out into the night outside. Air slowly started seeping into his lungs again and he gulped at it, the wave of emotion being pushed back into the sea. He rested his forehead against the cool glass and tried the see the blackened world below, so far below as he focused just on getting a flow of air.

A faint light caught his eye and he lifted his head to two golden lights staring through the dark directly into him. He ripped away from the window the instant he saw them, those eyes! He fled them, racing through the fog and images, body tightening as the blood pounded in his ears. They could tear him apart with hardly a thought, destroy any defences he threw up in their path, read into every emotion of his heart to torment him with.

He suddenly was struck in the knees by a padded thing and fell onto something white and warm. He rolled and it moved with him, wrapping without constricting. As much as he feared the eyes, he just couldn't bring himself to move. Like he had found a good hiding place and felt like if he moved then he would be found, but if he just stayed still and quiet, he would be overlooked.

-X-

He jerked and his eyes snapped open an instant before he landed, laying on the floor of his bedroom at the foot of his bed. He stared across at the blank wall, confused as to how he got there, then it all came slamming back. He flattened himself there, listening carefully to the rooms around him, his ragged pants sounding too loud in the empty silence as his eyes darted here and there frantically. His heart pounded loudly, but nothing pounced out from the shadows and the seconds ticked past.

He was alone.

Slowly he pushed the hair from his eyes and sat up. Light was coming in through the slight slit between the dark curtains that the last tenant had left up and Shrio started at the sight. Daylight? He turned his head and caught sight of the clock face, 8:35am.

He blinked, uncomprehending and had to do a double check to be sure his eyes were not fooling him.

8:36am.

He was supposed to be at work.

He was supposed to have been at work thirty-six minutes ago.

A cold shiver assaulted him as he stared at the clock that was quickly replaced by a flush that heated his face. He stood up and found that his legs were shaking. As he looked down at them, a hot rushing feeling came sliding up from his stomach. He instinctively knew that he wouldn't have time to make it to the toilet and grabbed the closest suitable thing, a tiny cardboard box.

Last night's small dinner of rice and stir fry vegetables, burning bile mixed with acid alcohol came flooding forth through his mouth and nose. He coughed and heaved, tears leaking out into the mix when he realized that he would have fallen to the floor completely if it hadn't been for the metal appendage. The stream finally stopped and his aching abs tried to help get some air back into him as he gasped over the edge of the box. He gagged reflexively and a trickle of liquid joined what was coating the bottom of the box. Then more, and again, until finally there was no more and he tried to breath in between dry heaves.

He pushed back and leaned against the side of his bed, head lolling back to gaze up at the light roof.

He thought of the teen and the other memories that were eluding him, and the yellow eyes. She was still controlling him, even here, where he was "safe". She had the power to destroy him, then and now it seemed, in body, mind and spirit. Maybe he'd never actually escaped at all, he thought dully, maybe he only thought he had. Maybe, he wasn't even really here now and was back in a five-by-ten where this was all just being done to his mind.

He shuddered, almost able to feel the waxy hand touch his face just before probing his mind, then forced himself up and lurched into the bathroom.

He turned on the sink and felt the cold water smooth over his hand. Even if it were all true and he was strapped down to a table and this was all in his mind, he should fight. He closed the cabinet mirror and even though he didn't look directly at the picture held by the frame, he could still see it in his peripherals.

The large amount of pale pink coloring in it reminded him of his dream, the white he had run into. The water changed to warm and he gently washed his face, feeling the warmth sink slowly into his skin. His memories were his, even if he could not read them yet. They were his memories, not hers.

His hand was shaking, but the metal limb cupping water with it was steady as ever and it reminded him again how...different he was now. He closed his eyes to the sight and washed his face, trying to ignore the touch of metal.

He didn't know how long he stood in there lost in thought, rushing water the only noise to bounce around in the whole apartment. When he did snap out of his thoughts, he walked back into the bedroom and called his boss.

He was very understanding and told Shiro to take the day off, "have a long weekend and rest." Shiro hung up the phone and lay back on the bed, staring up at the roof.

He had been given the whole day off which was not what he had wanted. He had called to explain why he would late. He didn't want to be here. It was too quiet and even though the sun was shining outside, he couldn't shake the weight of his lost memories.

-X-

His eyes opened and he immediately looked at the clock, 12:12pm.

He blinked, then lay his head back down. Have I really been asleep for that long? No dreams, no terrors upon awakening, it had been the best sleep he'd had for days. He stretched out his arms above his head and reached to the other side of the bed, lengthening his spine and cracking his stiff back. A slightly nauseating smell reached him and he wrinkled his nose as he turned to the source of it, a tiny cardboard box.

He sighed and reluctantly got dressed, he didn't want that box around in his apartment which meant he'd have a make a quick trip down to the dumpster. Black and gray, that was the vast majority of his clothes; minus his work uniform of gray, black, and tiny bits of orange and gold of course. So it was never hard to choose what to wear, he just grabbed whatever was closest and went with that.

Taking a flimsy take-out bag he closed the box and shoved it in the bag without looking, grimacing at he saw how discolored the outer layer of the box was. He tied up the bag and picked up his keys on the way out the front door, pausing only to lock the door firmly behind himself. He took the stairs down the three levels to the ground floor and let himself out the back door of the building, avoiding the small lobby area where he could hear some people talking.

He checked the darkened alleyway carefully before walking over to the red dumpster and he was just lifting the lid to deposit the bag when the scrabble of claws, heavy breathing, and quick footsteps came at him from around the front of the building. He spun and dropped the bag, his arms flashing up to defend himself even as he was body slammed by a big fluffy white panting thing.

He staggered back a step and found himself looking into the happy face of Junaberry. Quick licks rained down on his face before he could process what was happening and as his mind floundered for what to do, the dog was pulled away by a laughing Allura. He blinked at her and she smiled at him, again unperturbed by his odd actions.

"Not quite the way you thought you'd be seeing us again, I'm sure. How are you doing, Shiro?" He blinked again, trying to center himself even as he reeled in shock.

"No, I...How- how did you know where I live?"

"This where you live?" She asked in surprise, looking up at his building with an appraising eye. "I had no idea. Junaberry and I often walk by this building on our longer walks and I must say that I never thought anything of it." She looked back at him. "But I'm sure it is a nice place to live. Do you like it?"

"I- Yes, I guess. You often walk by here?"

"Oh yes, quite often. I'm surprised that you've never seen us."

"Me too." He confessed, realizing that he was smiling despite his scattered mind.

"Would you like to continue the walk with us, Shiro? We would greatly enjoy your company and it is such a nice day out."

He looked from her sparkling blue eyes down to the dog's deep brown ones and Junaberry took the opportunity to lean against his leg with a thump, pleading eyes trained up at his face.

"Sure. A walk sounds nice." Allura clapped her hands together and Junaberry wagged her tail excitedly.

"I had a feeling! Would you like to hold Janaberry's leash while we walk?" She stuck out the handle of the leash towards him, eyes shining.

"I certainly can if you'd like me to." She nodded slightly, as if pleased at his words and gave him the thick green leash handle.

"I would like that, thank you."

Junaberry watched the exchange happily and as soon a the leash was in his hand, she set off at a fast drag out of the alley back to the sun-filled street. Allura followed them a few seconds later, but he had little time to dwell on what might have kept her.

Today the grays of the buildings and street blocks seemed more white, not at all like how they were the last time he saw these two. He glanced at Allura, who appeared suddenly beside him, and looked forward again.

"Not a lot of people out right now, is there?" He said as they adjusted to each other's stride.

"You are right. Most of them are at work now, I believe."

"I'm normally at work this time too, so perhaps it's not that surprising after all." She reacted slightly and turned her head to look at him, concern in her eyes and voice.

"You are normally at work? Why are you not there now then?" Tell the truth, Takashi, but tread carefully.

"I wasn't feeling the best early this morning and my boss gave me the day off."

"That was kind of her." Allura replied cautiously, eyes scanning his face.

"Him, actually," He said with a slightly teasing tone. "And I feel fine now, fresh air really does wonders for the body." She smiled slightly but her face expression didn't really change and she continued looking at him for another few seconds.

"Yes, it can be." She finally said as she turned her head to face forward again. "Most people don't seem to understand the great healing properties of the outdoors, on the mind and spirit, as well as the body." He opened his mouth to ask her what she meant, but she suddenly turned back towards him with bright eyes.

"Have you eaten your midday meal yet?" He blinked in surprise at the topic change.

"No?"

"Good! Because I would like to buy it for you. There is a new restaurant that just opened that I have been wanting to try, but it is far more pleasurable to eat with company than by one's self and I think it would serve Junaberry well to be placed in a social setting for awhile. She's still getting used to being around people and relaxing into these types of simple social interactions."

"Uhh, sure. That sounds good." Her eyes sparkled and she clapped her hands together again.

"Excellent! I looked up where it is exactly just this morning and am confident I can find the way to it from here, follow me!" Shiro exchanged looks with Junaberry, who for all the world looked like she would happily go on this outing even if a meteor was about to crash into the square they were in and kill them all. He couldn't see how she of all creatures needed to relax more in socializing, he was probably in far greater need of it than her.

Still, Allura seemed to be well informed on the care and keeping of all kinds of living creatures and if she said that Junaberry needed to work on it, then maybe she did.

He shrugged, who was he to say Allura was wrong? She, in all likelihood, was right and he had no idea what he was talking about, it wouldn't be the first time that had happened. Junaberry started padding after Allura, forcing Shiro from his spiraling thoughts to a quick walk in order to keep up with the huge puffball.

It didn't take them long to find the restaurant and Shiro could see why Allura had wanted to try it. The place was an old fashioned teatime boutique that served all different kinds of tea services: old British tradition, Indian, old East European, old East Asia, old West European, Japanese, and the list went on. There was a general categories listing of where in the world different traditional originated, but if one wanted they could pick a more specific tradition from further divided listings.

His eyes spotted Japanese tea services from among this large list just as Allura stepped up to an attendant patiently waiting.

"I would very much like a British tea service for two guests please." The attendant nodded gracefully while picking up two small menus and asked them to follow to their table, not even batting an eye at Junaberry. The table was over in a corner beneath a pair of windows and as they sat the attendant showed Shiro where he could attach the dog's leash while they ate.

Allura promptly picked up the menu, eyes scanning the front before she turned to the attendant with a calm face.

"We would very much like a 'pot' of this 'traditional black tea' with all of the condiments that typically accompany it." The attendant simply nodded while Shiro tried to hide his laughter at her interesting word choices, deciding that she was not a native speaker. She chose to smile at him just that second and blinked once with a hint of confusion, then she smiled again. "You should chose the 'nibbles' that we get, they're on page two."

"Ri-right. Good idea." He picked up the menu and ordered the first set of 'nibbles' that his eyes landed on, but Allura nodded in approval at his choice as he ordered, as though she had thought that he'd been thinking about.

The attendant left with their order and a silence fell over them.

He didn't know what to say, how on Earth was he going to be able to explain why he hadn't come back to Castle Shelter that night?

He couldn't tell her it was because he thought he had imagined her and all of it, that sounded pathetic...or creepy. And he certainly didn't want to scare her off from ever talking to him again. She, Junaberry, and these weird encounters were the most invigorating things that had happened to him since he got back to Earth. He couldn't, wouldn't ruin that, not yet; not if he could help it. But he was trapped between a rock and a hard place, what would be a plausible explanation that would explain-

"So where do you work, Shiro?" He looked up to find an friendly smile on her face and interested eyes. "You had said earlier that you are normally at work around now, so where is work for you?"

He felt his brain momentary lock up, all thoughts leaving him as a horrible blankness covered his mind. Where did he work? Where did he live? Why was he- He felt something thump his leg and the fog lifted.

"Garrison HeadQuarters, I'm a teacher for piloting and navigational skills."

"You're a pilot and a teacher? How interesting! How many classes do you have?"

"Only a few. I'm just getting back into the swing of things so I have a light workload this year."

"Do you teach in person? Or through viewings?" He chuckled on the inside again at 'viewings' and couldn't help quirking a smile.

"Viewings. I'm not ready for face to face quite yet. I'm new to teaching and thankfully my supervisors were merciful enough not to throw me to the lions first thing." A profoundly disturbed look crossed her face.

"What do you mean? Why would they throw anyone to lions?" He blinked, surprised by her strong reaction.

"It's an expression, Allura. Nobody really gets thrown to hungry lions, it just means that someone is being put into a situation where they have little hope of making it out intact."

"What does that have to do with lions though? Surely they would only attack the evil ones?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"I've never heard of lions being that selective about their prey before. What do you mean by them only attacking evil ones?"

Her face suddenly reddened and she averted her eyes.

"Oh, of course; haha. Silly me! Forget what I just said, I got them confused with something else."

"O..k." She was clearly uncomfortable, or more accurately dying of embarrassment, so he cleared his throat. "How long have you worked at Castle Shelter for?"

She straightened up instantly and folded her hands, once again looking the picture of a composed dignitary.

"Not for very long, but it is noble work and I am pleased to be helping in such a way."

"What did you do before working there?"

Her eyes saddened slightly.

"I was looking for some old companions of mine that had gone missing." He opened his mouth, but she waved him off with a smile. "I don't mean to sound so dramatic, I found them and that is all that matters. It just took awhile and I was concerned for a time that it was too late, that concern was only tying me up and keeping me from seeing the situation clearly."

A real smile suddenly lit her face as she spotted their attendant wheeling a fancy cart over, laden with trays of food and the conversation ended there.

Shiro couldn't say that the cakes and other such small foods that had been ordered along with their tea were very filling, but they certainly were a tasty change of pace from the fare he had been eating since his release and he couldn't find any other fault with it.

The place had not been very crowded when they first arrived, but within a half an hour the place was filled with people. When it first started getting loud he felt himself slowly tensing up, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. However, the talking voices slowly morphed, from many conversations into the singular roar of a crowd bent on blood. His eyes drowned in a gray shadowy corner, the feel of sweat building and a harsh dryness in his mouth gripped him. He was there. People watching, his loud breaths, the heat-

Allura's voice punched through the noise and he looked up to find her pointing to some strange little fish that had been brought over with another dish.

"What do you think those could be, Shiro?" He blinked, jarred out of his surroundings by her voice.

They're fish. Come on, Shiro, she knows they're fish! What kind though?

"Well, they certainly look...interesting." Allura said hesitantly as she speared one with a fork before daintily cutting it with a knife and placing the piece in her mouth. Her eyes popped and she choked, spitting the bit into her napkin a second later.

"Ugh! That tasted worse than Ditarian Konies! Like I was eating a slice of raw Ki salt!"

He burst out laughing at her disgusted faces and he felt Junaberry's tail thump his leg as he did. Allura tried to recover her dignity by composing her face, but her mouth was still twitching and now her eyes sparkled challengingly.

"You laugh like it was a silly reaction, but I would demand that you to eat one and not do the same thing, Sir Shiro." He sobered at once, staring at her as seriously as he could manage while silently stabbed one of the small fish with his own fork.

Oiled salt filled his mouth, obliterating all other previous tastes and sought to crystallize what was left of him.

She burst out laughing just as he had a second ago and he nearly spit the darn thing out with his own welling laughs. This was ridiculous. She was, everything was and he laughed. He spat the bit out into his napkin.

"Well I pronounce these things inedible," She declared, setting down her fork on her napkin decisively. "What should we do with the rest of them?"

He frowned thoughtfully.

"Well, we can't throw them away, that would be wasteful." She nodded.

"But I don't think we could handle eating all the rest..." Shiro felt a heavy tail hit his leg and he got an idea. Shiro got a wonderful, awful idea.

He picked up a piece of fish and flicked it over the edge of the table to the dog waiting below. Allura gasped at him, mock horror written all over her face. In the same instant, both looked under the table to see if the dog still lived and Junaberry smiled back at them, no salt fish in sight. They straightened up slowly and stared at each other as if they had just seen an alien, too shocked at the concept that someone might actually enjoy those...things.

"Would it negatively impact Junaberry's health if we gave her the rest of the fish?" He finally managed to ask.

"No more than it would ours." She replied, smoothly sliding the other bit of fish off her plate to the wanting mouth under the table. The rest of the fish swiftly followed suit, when they were sure no one else was watching, of course.

She refused to let him pay for more than half of the bill since it had been her idea to have lunch there, but she had insisted on him continuing to hold Junaberry's leash as they left the restaurant together.

"I hope you enjoyed eating here. You are under no obligation to eat with me at this establishment again should you not wish to."

"Oh no, I enjoyed it. It's a nice place."

"Did you enjoy it, Junaberry?" Allura asked playfully, squatting down and ruffling the dog's ears with both hands.

Junaberry licked her face then deliberately touched noses with Allura.

"I don't think I've ever seen a dog do that before." Shiro commented as he watched the pair.

"She's quite smart and can do a lot of interesting tricks." Allura replied with a giggle as she was licked again.

"Like what?"

"Well, she can do all the normal ones and she can do 'nose kiss', 'hero', 'picture da-" Allura's eyes lit up and she spun to face Shiro with a huge smile while she clapped her hands. "I'll take a picture of you two and you can see!"

Shiro lifted his hands between them, trying to ward her off.

"Oh, no. I'm hardly picture worthy right now, Allura, and surely there would be a better way of showing her-"

"Oh nonsense!" Allura said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "You look wonderful and if we take a good picture then I can use it to help advertise the animals at the shelter."

"Why don't I take a picture of you and Junaberry?"

"My hair would get in the way and if we don't take the picture the mood may leave!" He looked down at Junaberry and she smiled up at him much as she had been all since they first saw each other.

Shiro crouched down in front of Junaberry so that they were basically eye level and she slowly sat, both staring at each other.

"Do you want to take a picture with me, Junaberry?" He asked in a defeated voice, knowing that he had no good reason to not be in the picture but still not really wanting to. Junaberry stared, then stretched out her neck and rested her big head on his left shoulder with a sigh. He blinked and after a second or so she pulled her head back, her tongue lolled out of a doggy smile.

"Good girl! Nose kiss!" Junaberry leaned forward and touched her wet nose to his, her breath smelling faintly of salty fish as her brown eyes stared into his. She was so mellow, so happy just to be here spending time with him. Was it odd for an animal to seem to care about somebody this much? Was it odd to suddenly never want to leave a dog? He had never had a dog and, in all honesty, had never thought about getting one.

"Wonderful, these turned out beautifully! Your dark and her light complement each other well and she looks so happy! I'm sure that this will work well in helping to find her a home."

He failed to see that Allura was watching him carefully, gauging the effect her words had on him. He was too preoccupied with the sudden horrifying thought of somebody adopting Junaberry and him never seeing her fluffy happy face again.

Junaberry gave his face a little lick and he stood up, clearing his throat into his gloved fist. She looked down to her phone the instant before he looked at her, him only seeing her typing something with a slight grin on her face.

"Allura." She looked up at him, her finger hovering over one final button. "Are dogs difficult to take care of?"

Her smile widened and she tapped the 'post' button.

-}{-

A dark room, illuminated only by the glow of a single computer screen. A faint whirring and continuous scratching sounds echoing around inside the four walls as the computer continued its search. A fan slowly hummed on and began its short rotations. The scratching stopped. A hand reached out, hitting the fan off button and bring it slowly to a stop. The whirring and scratching continued.

The computer made a chiming ring and the scratching stopped. It gave another ring and the light thudding sound of a small utensil hitting paper was almost completely lost in the loud scrambling of the user to get to the computer. Twin surfaces reflected the screen's light as the information displayed was processed, once, twice, and finally a third time. A smile materialized on the user's face and with a click the computer's screen switched to showing the signal's origin point.

"Got cha, Shiro."

A big Thank You to everyone who read, reviewed, favored, or followed this story!

Now I reply to my wonderful reviewers:

Guest : *blushing* Thank you so much!

Wolf of the demise : Love your name! I hope the chapter was worth waiting for, what did you think this time around?

Leave a review and next time I'll be talking to you!