Hey people. I should be writing the next chapter in one of my many ongoing fics. Actually, I should be doing homework, or looking at colleges, or any multitude of other, much more important things. This is stress writing though, so I'm just going to let it work it's way through my course. Can't promise it'll be all that good because of that, but hopefully you'll get some enjoyment out of my self-therapy.

This is probably going to be a four part little series, with a chapter for each of the main four. I was originally just going to do Husky, but as I wrote this I though it might be interesting to see some of how the others lived in between they'd gotten their animas and met up with the gang.

Focusing on the Denial

Myrrha didn't know what to do. He'd stopped trying to break the small container he was in over an hour ago. His hands were still raw from the constant banging and scratching he'd done, and the water stung at all the fresh sores. He couldn't see a thing, and could barely move, his body curled up in on itself now as he tried desperately to fight off the increasing claustrophobia.

He didn't like being trapped. It kept bringing him back to those tunnels that he'd wandered through aimlessly for almost three days. He'd really thought he was going to die there, and couldn't help but wonder if he'd end up facing that fate locked in a clay jar instead.

When the lid was finally pulled off the top, he didn't even acknowledge it at first, until the voices started to hit him under the water. Slowly, his body still aching all over, he started to turn himself into a fit position to pull himself out of the case. Once he broke the surface, he caught sight of a man he had never seen before, as well as the one who'd stuffed him into that jar in the first place.

"I don't believe it, a genuine mermaid…" the man he'd never seen before said in astonishment, and Myrrha just stared at him blankly, looking like he didn't even understand the words he was saying. The boy still had no idea what country he was even in, but a sinking feeling told him that it didn't really matter. The whole reason he'd decided to run so far away was happening anyway, and his brain was still too shocked to do anything about it.

"So I take it you're interested?" the fisherman who'd caught him asked, and the other nodded feverishly. The silver boy's arms were sore from his attempts at escaping, and reluctantly he allowed himself to sink back into the jar just slightly, still keeping his head above the water to give them a break.

"Of course, of course. Can it speak?" the man asked, and the fisherman shrugged slightly, glancing over at him.

"I don't know, it hasn't said a word since I'd caught it," he answered, and both looked towards Myrrha expectantly, wondering if he would say anything. The boy didn't make any movement to show that he'd even heard them, let alone would answer. He just stared ahead blankly, not even noticing that he'd been called an it.

"Hm, well, either way, it'll make an excellent addition. Bring it inside," the man said, and the fisherman nodded excitedly before turning back towards Myrrha, the lid to the jar in his hands. The fish boy's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at the thought of being forced back inside that tiny, dark place, and started trying to pull himself out of the water.

"Oh no you don't! You're not trying to escape again!" the fisherman yelled, trying to push Myrrha's head down underneath the surface. Panic instantly filled him at the attempt at being held underwater again, and he started struggling with all of his might. The silver boy kept fighting in clear desperation and fear, eventually ending up biting the man's hand. Hard.

He heard the fisherman scream, and the last thing he felt was the heavy clay lid slamming into the back of his head, effectively knocking the small boy out cold.

When he woke up, he wasn't sure how much later it was, but found himself still inside the large pot. The lid was off again though, but there was a searing pain starting in the back of his head where he'd been his. Pulling himself up, he saw with relief that the fisherman was gone, but the other man was still here. He didn't know really where 'here' was though, a strange little room, and it was only the two of them.

"Ah, it's good to see you've woken up, my mermaid. I don't know if you can understand me, but you're going to help me out quite a bit," the man said, and Myrrha didn't respond, ignoring being called a mermaid, and instead just looking about the room. The man kept talking, introducing himself as the ringmaster of a circus, and that he was going to be a star attraction, and all these things that the silver boy really didn't care about. No, he didn't pay any attention to any of those things, the only emotion on his face coming at his own discovery, when a small gasp escaped his lips, and he spoke for the first time in days.

"Earrings…" he said quietly, his hand rubbing the spot on his ear that used to have a small sapphire gem attached to it. Despite being barely above a whisper, it caused the ringmaster to stop right in the middle of his sentence and turn all of his previous scattered attention to the young boy.

"You can speak," he said in near astonishment, and Myrrha just nodded, a bit of his senses starting to return at his recent revelation. He had to get a hold of himself. He couldn't just do whatever this man wanted without any sort of fight.

"Where are they?" he asked, trying to ignore how positively pathetic he sounded. The ringmaster just stared at him, confusion clear on his face, and Myrrha decided to continue. He had obviously not actually heard what he'd said the first time around, but had just heard him saying something. "Where are my earrings?" He asked again, not entirely sure why he was so focused on that little fact with everything else that was happening to him.

If he just focused on the earrings, he could block the rest out, and pretend it wasn't happening. He just had to concentrate on something, anything, but what was really happening.

"Oh, those. I put them in a safe place, don't worry. If you're good and do as I say, then I might give them back to you," the ringmaster said, and Myrrha was silent after that. Of course, this man was smarter than he looked. He wanted to make sure he had something to hold over his head to keep him here, and those had been the only thing on him that he could of taken. Even understanding the motive, it didn't change the absolute fury that the silver boy let seep through his body at the action. It had to be anger, he couldn't let himself get upset or in despair.

"Well then, now that we know you can speak, why don't you tell me your name, mermaid?" the ringmaster asked, and Myrrha allowed the anger from his stolen possession to quickly transfer over to the mistake the mustached man had been making all night.

"Boy," he nearly growled, causing the ringmaster to once again stare at him in confusion, apparently not understanding what he meant.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" he asked.

"Boy. I am a boy, not a mermaid. A boy," he repeated, venom dripping from his every word. A clear expression of surprise passed over the older man's face, although he quickly tried to hide it and recover, nodding. Myrrha just ignored him, thinking about attempting to leave the water jug again. He really didn't want to get smashed in the head with a lid a second time though, and decided to wait just a little bit longer.

"Oh of course," the man said, coughing slightly. Myrrha just rolled his eyes, still trying to block out the severity of his situation. There had to be a way out if he just waited and played along for a bit. He just needed to get his earrings back, then he could make a run for it. He had no idea where he'd go after that, but anything had to be better than whatever form of slavery or mermaid show he was going to be forced into.

"Well, as I was saying, what is your name, boy?" he asked again, and Myrrha tried to not let the ringmaster see him freeze up. He still didn't know what country he was in, and even if he wasn't in Sailand anymore, his name was obviously foreign. He didn't want any more attention drawn to him than necessary.

He wasn't sure what made him think of the fake name, but it was already something he was used to being called anyway. It wasn't like it really mattered, he didn't care what this man called him, as long as it didn't hurt him in the long run, whatever that was going to be.

"Husky," he said quietly, and the ringmaster just nodded. Myrrha could already tell he wasn't being quite as nice to him once he found out he wasn't a true 'mermaid' but he could really care less. He just had to focus on the now, and figure out a way to get away. "Can I come out of here now?" he asked, once again surprising the older man. He gladly welcomed the irritation it caused. If he was angry, he could forget about how sore his body was, and how badly his hands and head still stung from his previous attempts at escape.

"Out? But you're part fish," the man said skeptically, and Myrrha just sighed. Bracing himself for the pain in his arms and hands so that the ringmaster wouldn't see it, he pulled himself out of the jug and allowed for the fish like tail to melt away into a pair of human legs. He was still wearing the outfit from when he'd escaped, but it was so worn now, it was almost impossible to tell what it was suppose to look like originally, let alone that it was of a foreign dress.

"I'm a fish anima," the boy explained calmly, trying to block out anything that might stir up unwanted memories. "not a mermaid. They're people with the power of animals, and we aren't stuck in just one form," he finished, the ringmaster watching his every move as he lowered himself from the clay pot before sitting on the floor in front of it and glaring up at the ringmaster on the other side of the room. If he didn't know this, then he probably wasn't in Sailand, so slavery is illegal. It didn't seem to make much difference though, seeing as he still couldn't leave without his earrings.

"I see…" the man said, obviously thinking of new ways to use the boy in his little circus sideshow. A large smile flashed across the man's face, and he walked over to place a hand on the small child's shoulder. "Well, I think that-" the ringmaster was sharply cut off when he managed to actually touch the child, who almost instantly pulled back from the touch, much too close to his neck for his liking, and slammed straight into the clay jug. The force caused the jar to wobble until it toppled over, shattering into huge shards and spilling water everywhere.

The silver child squeezed his eyes shut at the sound of the huge crash before trying to block out the mumbled curses from the now angered ringmaster.

"Why you little… Clean it up, and don't even think about trying to run away, I have guards on the lookout," the old man demanded, and Myrrha just opened his eyes to glare at the man. He didn't seem to care though, simply scowling to himself before starting to walk out of the small, wet and pottery shard filled room.

"A fish anima or whatever you called it, I don't really care what the correct term is. You'll make a perfect mermaid, and that's what you'll play," he growled. Myrrha simply turned away from his retreating form and started to carefully pick up the larger pieces of his smashed container, ignoring the continued mumblings about a perfect mermaid princess.

Once he was alone, Myrrha tried to think of where that stupid ringmaster could have hidden his earrings. He wasn't even really sure where he was at the moment though, and he had said there were guards. It wouldn't be worth it to try and sneak around just to get caught and punished. He'd eventually be shown the layout of the circus, and then he could work on an escape plan.

The silver boy hissed as one of the shards cut into his hand, his mind having wandered slightly as he cleaned. Sticking the cut in his mouth, he glared at the pile of wet clay pieces that he'd already picked up. Using his good hand, he grabbed some sort of stuffed animal lying off to the side of the room, why he didn't know, and began pushing the rest into the pile. The water was still everywhere, but the ringmaster hadn't given him anything to clean that up with, and he'd specifically told him not to leave.

Pulling his hand away, he stared at the cut. It wasn't bleeding as bad, and the silver boy sighed before leaning against one of the walls. There wasn't exactly a bed or anything in there, but he pulled over another one of the stuffed animals to use as a makeshift pillow. It was definitely better than anything he'd been using recently.

Frowning, he tried to push any of those thoughts from his mind. He had to focus on the future now, no time to drabble in the past. Not if he wanted to keep himself from spiraling into some sort of deep depression, that is.

It'd be fine. It couldn't be that hard to escape from a bunch of circus freaks. He just had to get his earrings and make a run for it, it would be easy.

Slowly, the silver boy started to fall asleep. His head and hands were still throbbing, and his entire body ached, the hard wooden floor doing absolutely nothing to help that. He simply pushed all of that from his thoughts, not letting himself get sucked into his own mind. It was confusing and terrified in there, and he couldn't let others see that, even if he was alone.

That night, the child now known as Husky awoke, wide eyed and terrified as the events that had brought him there replayed in his head over and over again. It wouldn't be the last time, and it certainly wasn't the first.

Hurray, finished. I hope you liked this. Like I said before, probably going to do a chapter for each of the others, even though I really shouldn't with everything else I have to do. Ah well, I'll get it all done eventually, and I really needed something to help me relax. Yes, writing about children in high anxiety situations helps me relax. Go figure.

Thanks for reading, reviews are very much appreciated.