Lui était très inquiet pour Lane. Il avait peur de ce qui lui était arrivé. Il ne savait même pas si il était encore vivant. Du sang, une mue de serpent, et rien. Il n'y avait plus personne dans l'appartement/maison. "Il faut le retrouver..."

Free croisa les bras, "Peut-être qu'il est mort. Qui sait ?"

"Non, il ne l'est sûrement pas...! Il doit être vivant...! Quelque part..." Dit Lui en baissant les yeux et en ne croyant pas que Lane est mort. Il serra les poings et ferma les yeux. Il ne peut pas l'avoir perdu. C'est juste...Trop tôt... Trop injuste... C'est juste de l'incompréhension. Tout les problèmes s'accumulent sans lui donner un moment de répits. 

"Et si tu le laissais de côté." Dit Free en l'approchant. "Il ne sert à rien de s'ennuyer à penser à une personne qui est morte. Si elle n'est plus là..." Il haussa les épaules. "C'est tout. Tu ne peux plus rien faire pour elle."

"Il n'est pas mort..." 

"Tu te persuades de ça!" lui dit Free, car il savait que son ex était têtu. Et quand il avait une idée en tête, c'était dur de lui prouver le contraire. Il faut une preuve, un garanti, lui montrer la réalité. Mais si Lane est déjà dévoré, Free ne pourrait pas lui montrer. Il croisa les bras en regardant Lui. "Arrête de t'inquiéter."

Lui prend son téléphone et tape le numéro de Shu, "Il faut que je sache-"

Free lui prit le téléphone et l'éteignit. Il regarda ensuite Lui. "Refroidis ta tête un peu. Tu t'inquiètes pour quelqu'un que tu connais que depuis quelques jours."

"Tu ne comprends pas, c'est que..." Lui avait dur à trouver ses mots. 

Free s'approcha de Lui et se tint à quelques centimètres. Il prit une expression moins dure et lui dit doucement, "Tu préfères perdre ton temps avec lui, à moi ?"

"Non, mais..." Lui se mordit la lèvre et regarda ailleurs. 

Free posa sa main sur la joue de Lui et le regarda. Shirosagi le regarda aussi un peu, et pouvait voir ce regard plein de confiance et de sérénité. "Tu te fais du soucis pour rien. Calme-toi." Il lui caressa les cheveux. 

"J'ai peur pour Lane..." Dit Lui en baissant les yeux. Il sentit l'hérisson sur lui. "Et je ne suis pas le seul...Je veux juste le retrouver..."

"Je comprends mais..." Il s'approcha du visage de Lui. "Mais si on profitait d'un petit moment tout les deux..." Il dit et son souffle arriva vers les lèvres de Lui. 

Lui ferma les yeux doucement et sentit le blond l'embrasser. Il savait qu'en répondant, il trahirait Lane mais... La sensation de Free qui l'embrassait n'était pas nouveau pour lui. Il savait que son corps était trop habitué à Free pour ne pas répondre. Il a donc accepté le baiser et a répondu. 

...

Pourquoi était-ce tout de même déchirant ? Peut-être qu'il ressentait quelque chose pour Lane...Qui le faisait culpabilisé...

Après le baiser, Lui reprit le téléphone à Free. "Je dois retrouver Lane et..." Il regarda le blond. "Je veux que tu m'aides?"

"Pourquoi penses-tu que je t'aiderais à sauver Lane si il n'est pas mort ?" Free leva un sourcil d'interrogation. 

Lui durcit son regard, "Peu importe que tu viennes ou pas. Si tu ne viens pas, eh bien, c'est tout. Je risquerai de mourir encore plus vite. Ce n'est rien de grave." Il commença à partir de la maison avec l'hérisson en main. 

Free dû avoir quelques secondes pour réagir, et puis courut après Lui. "Attends! Je viens aussi!" Lui le regarda du coin de l'œil avec un sourire. "Je viens. Mais pas pour Lane, c'est pour toi." Free croisa les bras. 

Lui sourit, "Merci." Il prit son téléphone et contacta Shu. Celui-ci ne répondit pas. "Il doit être dans les entrepôts."

"Tu penses ?"

"C'est le meilleur endroit pour les gens qui se cachent."

"Lugubre." Free sourit un peu.

"Mais ça ne nous arrêtera pas." Lui sourit.

DU COTE DE LANE ET SHU

Lane était enchainé, et se réveillait doucement. Il avait mal à la tête. C'était horrible... Il a ouvert un peu les yeux avec une grimace sur le visage, et c'était très net. "Qu'est-ce qu'il se passe ?" Il demanda en essayant de s'habituer à la lumière. Il cligna des yeux plusieurs fois et regarda autour. 

Il n'y avait personne. 

Rien. 

Il était seul. 

Il essaya de se défaire des liens, mais c'était trop dur. 

Merde, se dit-il. 

Il pensa directement à Lui et son hérisson. Il espérait qu'ils aillent bien. 

"Enfin réveillé." Dit une voix grave. Lane regarda et vit l'esprit du serpent. "Les humains sont faibles, tu me l'a prouvé." Lane ne dit rien. Le serpent grogna et alla rapidement devant Valhalla. "Je me demande si tu attends un héros."

"Il ne viendra pas." Dit Lane en parlant de Lui. 

Le serpent passa sa langue rapidement, "Il le fera. Il viendra pour te sauver et j'en profiterai."

"Il n'est pas si idiot pour tomber dans ton piège."

"Il ferait tout pour protéger son nouveau petit ami. Il a mauvais goût, ha ha!" Lane grogna. Le serpent s'éloigna un peu. "Bien, je vais préparer son arrivée. Peut-être que je pourrais lui faire un beau spectacle." Lane leva un sourcil. "En lui montrant son petit ami décapité et mort."

Lane ne dit rien, mais serra les dents. Allait-il mourir ? Déjà ? Enfin, sans un adieux à son hérisson et son amour... "Tu es malade." Il dit.

Le serpent le fixa et ouvrit la gueule, "Ce n'est pas quelque chose de grand pour moi de faire ça. Mais arrêtons de parler de ça." Il partit. "Je dois me préparer pour manger."

Lane ferma les yeux et grogna en essayant de se libérer. 

"Ca ne sert à rien de faire ça." Lane regarda et vit Shu. Il était assis, adossé contre le mur et le regardait calmement. 

"Pourquoi fais-tu ça ?" Demanda Lane. "Tu ne peux pas être aussi cruel!"

"Je ne le suis pas." Shu baissa les yeux. "Je veux que tout soit en paix."

"Alors libère-moi! Et aide-moi à tuer ce serpent qui veut notre mort!"

"Il ne tuera que Lui, c'est tout." Dit Shu avec le regard bas. 

"Tu ne le veux pas vraiment, j'en suis sûr! Personne ne le veut!"

Shu trembla et se souvient, "Lui m'a fait la cicatrice. Il a essayé de m'exclure du monde du beyblade, de m'éjecter. Il a brisé Spryzen. Je suis devenu dépressif et c'est à cause de lui que je suis devenu Red Eye puis Spryzen." 

"C'était il y a quelques années! Il a changé!"

"Qu'est-ce que tu en sais ?" Shu le regarda. 

Lane fixa le sol et soupira, "Même si on le voit agressif et mauvais, comme certains me voient, je sais qu'au fond, c'est une bonne personne. Quand on est jeune, on ne fait que des erreurs. On ne connait pas encore le sens de la vie, et tout ce que la vie nous apporte. Lui... Je pense qu'il a peut-être vécu des mauvaises choses pour agir de la sorte. On ne peut pas être tout gentil quand on a vécu un passé douloureux..."

"Peut-être que Lui a bien vécu, en compagnie de Free." Dit simplement Shu. 

"Free n'était pas bien, à ce qui parait. Lui a souffert en même temps de violence de sa part, d'abus."

"Oui, sans doute."

"Mais il n'y a sûrement pas que Free qui lui ait pourri la vie."

"Tu penses?"

"Ses parents. Il n'a pas encore eu l'occasion de m'en parler mais..." Lane réfléchit quelques instants. "Peut-être qu'ils étaient très durs avec lui."

"Comme ?"

"Je ne sais pas, mais ses parents lui ont peut-être refusé certaines choses qui étaient essentielles à une vie sociale et paisible."

"Lui est un loser et un connard." Shu croisa les bras. 

"Qu'il le soit ou pas, ça ne nous empêche pas de lui donner de l'attention et...De l'aimer." Lane dit avec un petit sourire. Shu se tut et ne dit rien. "J'ai raison, hein ?"

Shu ferma un peu les yeux, "Peut-être."

"Donc si toi aussi, tu tiens à lui, libère-moi au plus vite!"

Shu se mordit la lèvre et hésita. Il se leva et marcha lentement vers Lane. Faisait-il le bon choix ? Libérer Lane ? Aider Lui à survivre ? 

Quand il n'était plus qu'à quelques mètres, le serpent réapparut en deux secondes. 

Shu se paralysa et s'arrêta directement. 

Le serpent le regarda, "Que fais-tu, Shu ? Une sale bêtise ?"

"Hein? Non non...!" Shu eut peur d'un coup. Il était mort maintenant...C'est ce qu'il se dit. 

"Réfléchis, pense à ce que je t'ai dit." Le serpent le fixa. "Il ne reste plus beaucoup de temps avant que tu ne retrouves ta vie d'avant. Tu auras de nouveau ta liberté. la seule condition est que tu m'obéisses pour tuer ton ami. Après ça, je te laisserai continuer ta vie en paix."

"C'est que..." Shu commença bas. Il serra les poings et les dents. "Je..." Il ferma les yeux fermement. "Je ne peux pas tuer Lui! Je l'aime trop !" Il dit en fixant directement le serpent avec un regard haineux. "Je ne peux plus continuer à suivre des ordres d'une telle ordure comme toi! C'est insoutenable! Je..." Il ferma les yeux pour grogner un peu et crier. Il cria pour se libérer de la colère qui l'envahissait. "C'est fini! Je ne peux pas continuer ainsi! A faire souffrir les gens que j'aime! Je ne veux pas revivre..." Il regarda ses mains avec des larmes aux yeux. "Je ne peux pas recommencer comme quand j'étais possédé. J'ai déjà assez trahis mes amis pour ça." Il serra ses mains en poings et les regarda. "Mes amis.... Ils comptent tous sur moi pour ne pas choisir un mauvais chemin encore une fois..." Il s'imagina leurs visages en tête. "Valt... Fubuki... Rantaro...Wakiya... Ken... Daigo... Tout le monde... Et... Lui..." Il grogna. "Je peux pas supporter l'idée de les indigner encore une fois." Il regarda le serpent. "Si je meurs aujourd'hui, je veux mourir en prenant la sage décision, et non en me faisant un pêché de plus."

Le serpent ouvrit sa gueule, "Quel magnifique discours, Shu Kurenai. Tu as donc décidé ta place... Dans mon estomac !" Il dit fort en se lançant sur Shu rapidement. 

"Shu...!" Cria Lane en haletant.

Shu ferma les yeux et se laisse dévorer. "Je ne regrette pas... J'ai pris la décision qui m'était la plus juste... J'espère juste que Lui survivra... C'est tout ce qui compte après tout...." 

Le serpent eut finit de le dévorer, et lui et Lane entendirent un cri. Ils regardèrent tout les deux. 

Lui était arrivé avec le hérisson et Free. "Comment oses-tu...!?" Cria Lui. 

"Tiens, voilà ma chère proie." Le serpent passa sa langue, "Je vais aspirer ton âme et dévorer ton corps. Ce sera un vrai régale."

"Lui! Pars d'ici immédiatement!" Cria Lane. 

"Hein ?" Lui le regarda, et puis durcit son regard. "Hors de question de te laisser là! Je ne te laisserai pas avec un serpent!"

"Aucun de nous ne veut ta mort!" lui cria Lane. "Arrête d'être têtu!"

"Tu es têtu aussi! Je ne te laisserai pas ici ! Regarde toi! Je vais te sortir de ces chaines."

"Ca va, je me débrouillerai!"

"Pas sans mon aide ou celle de ton hérisson." Lui croisa les bras. Le hérisson haussa ses épines en faisant un cri, et en regardant Lane depuis l'épaule de Lui. 

Lane soupira, "Je ne veux pas que vous mourriez tout les deux." Il mit sa tête en arrière. "Je me sentirais trop triste."

"C'est pareil pour nous." Dit Lui en croisant les bras. 

Lane soupira, "Je le sais."

"Lui! Attention!" Cria Free en tenant le bras de Lui, et en le tirant vers lui. Shirosagi a été tenu contre la poitrine du blond, et a vu la gueule du serpent passer à quelques centimètres de lui. 

Lui a ouvert grand les yeux, et c'est accroché à Free instinctivement.

"Il faut te mettre en sécurité." Dit Free en tenant Lui près de lui. Il vient de lui éviter la mort. Le serpent avait bondi sur Lui pour le dévorer, mais le blond a vite réagi pour sauver son partenaire. 

"On sauve tout le monde!" Cria Lui.

"Non! Tu dois sortir!" Dit Free avec un ton haut. 

Lui fronça les sourcils et lui grogna, "Je ne partirai pas! Je ne peux pas permettre plus de morts!"

"Il y en aura encore une, et ce sera la mort de ce serpent! Mais on doit être sûr que tu sois en sécurité!"

Lui réfutât, et pendant que les deux commençaient à se disputer. Le serpent les a attaqués. Les deux ont évité les attaques à chaque fois, souvent in extremis. 

Pendant ce temps, l'hérisson avait sauté de Lui pour aller rejoindre Lane. Le hérisson avait fouillé dans la poche de Lui pour prendre un petit bout métallique. Il est allé près de son maitre et lui tendit. Lane le vit et lui sourit, "Merci, mon ami." Le hérisson fit une face mignonne. Lane essaya de trouver la serrure du cadenas. Il trouva le trou et inséra le bout de métal dedans. Ca faisait office de clé. Il réussit à ouvrir le cadenas, et se libéra des chaines. 

Il fut soulager de s'être libérer mais... Il regarda vers une scène qui l'a choqué. Et pas seulement lui. 

Lui aussi a ouvert grand ses yeux. Il se demanda si c'était un film d'horreur. Il a vu Free se faire transpercer par ses gueules de serpent, plutôt ses énormes crocs pointus. "FREE!!"

Free a craché du sang et a fermé les yeux, "Lui.... Pars d'ici..." Il cracha du sang, beaucoup. 

"Un de moins."

"Je suis désolé..." Il dit avant de se faire avaler tout cru, comme Shu. 

Lui avait très peur. Ce n'était pas comme l'autre serpent plus jeune. Ici, ça ne rigolait pas. Il ne voulait pas avoir peur, c'était pour les faibles. Mais il ne pouvait pas s'en empêcher. Son corps était paralysé. Shu, Free... Morts... Il regarda vers Lane qui s'était libéré. Il ne voulait pas qu'il meurt aussi. 

"Tu es seul maintenant." Dit le serpent en s'approchant de Lui. "Tu n'as plus personne pour te protéger, tu es fini." 

"Non!" Cria Lane en courant et en se mettant devant lui. "Il faudra me passer d'abord!"

Le serpent rigola, "Tu es bien idiot aussi." 

Tout est allé vite pour Lui. Il le vit clairement... C'était comme si le destin avait décidé. Comme si il ne pouvait rien faire... Son corps, à ce moment-là, ne bougeait plus. Il ne contrôlait plus rien...

Il a regardé sur le sol...

Le hérisson... Une flaque de sang coulait autour de lui. Il était sans doute...mort...

"Non...." Murmura Lui. Il regarda vers Lane et se paralysa. Même si c'était presque impossible à voir, il pleurait. Lui Shirosagi pleurait de la perte d'autant d'êtres chers. "Lane..." 

Son corps était allongé au sol, avec du sang. Mort aussi...

"Ha ha ha! Il n'y a plus personne pour toi.... PERSONNNE!" Le serpent ouvrit grand sa gueule pour dévorer Lui. "Il n'y a plus d'espoir pour toi."

Lui ferma les yeux et pleura. La dernière chose qu'il sentit, c'est son âme se faire aspirer. Il a ouvert les yeux et la dernière chose qu'il a vu...Est cette gueule le dévorer... 

RETOUR A LA REALITE

"AAAAAAAHHH!!!" Lui se réveilla en sursaut, et tapa sur le réveil qui sonnait en même temps. Le réveil est tombé par terre, et a commencé à beuger en même temps. Lui ouvrit grand les yeux et respira assez agité. Il mit sa main sur son visage et essaya de se calmer.

Qu'est-ce qu'il venait de se passer ? Qu'est-ce que c'était que ce bordel ? 

"Tu as fais un cauchemar ?" Demanda une personne en entrant avec un plateau en main, et en le regardant. "Ton réveil a fait du bruit, pas comme d'habitude."

Lui tourna son regard vers la personne, "Lane." Il dit en se calmant de voir son petit ami. 

Le garçon aux yeux jaunes lui sourit chaleureusement, "C'est bien ça, n'est-ce pas ?" Il alla près de lui et déposa le plateau sur le lit. Il s'assit et regarda Lui qui avait une tête fatiguée. Il sourit. " Ta nuit a dû être mouvementée."

Lui le regarda et alla près de lui pour le serrer dans ses bras, et se reposer sur lui. "J'ai cru que tu étais mort... C'était affreux..."

Lane passa sa main dans les cheveux de Lui, "Un vilain cauchemar." 

"Tout le monde mourrait." Lui trembla et ferma les yeux. "Je ne veux pas ça..."

"Je le sais, mais qui le veut après tout ?"

"Je sais que ça parait idiot, mais les ennemis étaient des serpents." Lui regarda Lane. "Je te l'avais dit pourtant."

Lane le regarda en essayant de comprendre, et quand il le fit, il rigola un peu. "Ah oui, c'est vrai. On a été visité un zoo de reptiles hier, et tu n'aimais pas voir les serpents tout autour de toi." Il serra Lui. "Mais c'est un cauchemar que tu as fais, alors il n'y a pas de quoi t'inquiéter. Rien de tout ce qui s'est passé n'était réel."

Lui le regarda et lui sourit, "C'est bien mieux que ça ait été irréel. Je veux rester avec toi."

Lane lui sourit, "On est très bien tout les deux."

L'hérisson apparut de la fourrure de Lane et protesta. 

Lui rigola, "Je pense que c'est mieux de dire trois, quelqu'un se sent exclus."

Lane sourit en caressant son hérisson. Il regarda ensuite Lui, "Tu devrais manger pour reprendre des forces, et oublier ce mauvais rêve.

"C'est décidé, les serpents ne sont pas mon truc." Lui rigola en buvant la tasse de café. 

Lane sourit juste en le regardant déjeuner. 

TRANSLATION ENGLISH

Lui was very worried about Lane. He was afraid of what had happened to him. He didn't even know if he was still alive. Blood, a snake shed, and nothing. There was no one left in the apartment/house. "We have to find him..."

Free crossed his arms, "Maybe he's dead. Who knows?"

"No, he's probably not...! He must be alive...! Somewhere..." Said Lui as he looked down and didn't believe Lane was dead. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes. He couldn't have lost him. It's just...too soon... Too unfair... It's just not understanding. All the problems are piling up without giving him a moment's respite.

"How about you leave it alone." Said Free as he approached her. "There's no point in bothering to think about someone who's dead. If she's not here anymore..." He shrugged. "That's all. There's nothing more you can do for her."

"He's not dead..."

"You convince yourself of that!" said Free to him, because he knew his ex was stubborn. And when he had an idea in his head, it was hard to prove him wrong. You need proof, a guarantee, to show him the reality. But if Lane was already consumed, Free couldn't show him. He crossed his arms, looking at Lui. "Stop worrying."

Lui took his phone and punched in Shu's number, "I need to know-"

Free took the phone from him and turned it off. He then looked at Lui. "Cool your head a little. You're worried about someone you've only known for a few days."

"You don't understand, it's just..." Lui was having a hard time finding his words.

Free approached Lui and stood a few inches away. He took on a softer expression and said softly, "You'd rather waste your time with him, than me?"

"No, but..." Lui bit his lip and looked away.

Free put his hand on Lui's cheek and looked at him. Shirosagi also looked at him a little, and could see that look of confidence and serenity. "You're worrying about nothing. Calm down." He stroked his hair.

"I'm afraid for Lane..." Said Lui as he lowered his eyes. He felt the hedgehog on him. "And I'm not the only one...I just want him back..."

"I understand but..." He moved closer to Lui's face. "But how about we just enjoy a little time together..." He said and his breath came towards Lui's lips.

Lui closed his eyes slowly and felt the blond kiss him. He knew that by answering, he would betray Lane but... The sensation of Free kissing him was not new to him. He knew his body was too used to Free not to respond. So he accepted the kiss and responded.

...

Why was it still heartbreaking? Maybe he felt something for Lane...that made him feel guilty...

After the kiss, Lui took the phone back from Free. "I need to find Lane and..." He looked at the blonde. "I want you to help me?"

"Why do you think I would help you save Lane if he's not dead?" Free raised a questioning eyebrow.

Lui hardened his gaze, "It doesn't matter if you come or not. If you don't come, well, that's it. I might die even faster. It's no big deal." He started to leave the house with the hedgehog in hand.

Free had to have a few seconds to react, and then ran after Lui. "Wait! I'm coming too!" Lui looked at him out of the corner of his eye with a smile. "I'm coming. But not for Lane, it's for you." Free crossed his arms.

Lui smiled, "Thanks." He picked up his phone and contacted Shu. Shu did not answer. "He must be in the warehouse."

"You think?"

"That's the best place for people to hide."

"Gloomy." Free smiled a little.

"But that won't stop us." He smiles.

FROM LANE AND SHU'S SIDE

Lane was chained up, waking up slowly. He had a headache. It was horrible... He opened his eyes a little with a grimace on his face, and it was very sharp. "What's going on?" He asked as he tried to get used to the light. He blinked a few times and looked around.

There was no one there.

Nothing.

He was alone.

He tried to untie himself, but it was too hard.

Shit, he thought.

He thought directly of Lui and his hedgehog. He hoped they were okay.

"Finally awake." Said a deep voice. Lane looked over and saw the spirit of the snake. "Humans are weak, you proved that to me." Lane said nothing. The snake growled and quickly went in front of Valhalla. "I wonder if you are waiting for a hero."

"He won't come." Said Lane, referring to Lui.

The snake passed his tongue quickly, "He will. He'll come to save you and I'll enjoy it."

"He's not so stupid to fall into your trap."

"He would do anything to protect his new boyfriend. He has bad taste, ha ha!" Lane growled. The snake moved away a little. "Well, I'll go prepare for his arrival. Maybe I can put on a good show for him." Lane raised an eyebrow. "By showing him his dead, decapitated boyfriend."

Lane said nothing, but gritted his teeth. Was he going to die? Already? Finally, without a goodbye to his hedgehog and his love... "You're sick." He said.

The snake stared at him and opened its mouth, "It's not something great for me to do. But let's stop talking about it." He left. "I have to get ready to eat."

Lane closed his eyes and grunted as he tried to free himself.

"There's no point in doing this." Lane looked over and saw Shu. He was sitting, leaning against the wall and looking at him calmly.

"Why are you doing this?" Lane asked. "You can't be that cruel!"

"I'm not." Shu lowered his eyes. "I want everything to be at peace."

"Then set me free! And help me kill this snake that wants us dead!"

"It will only kill Lui, that's all." Said Shu with a low look.

"You don't really want it, I'm sure! No one wants it!"

Shu trembled and remembered, "Lui scarred me. He tried to exclude me from the beyblade world, to eject me. He broke Spryzen. I became depressed and it was because of him that I became Red Eye and then Spryzen."

"That was a few years ago! He changed!"

"What do you know?" Shu looked at him.

Lane stared at the floor and sighed, "Even though he comes across as aggressive and bad, like some people see me, I know that deep down he's a good person. When you're young, you only make mistakes. We don't know the meaning of life yet, and all that life brings us. Lui... I think maybe he has been through some bad things to do that. You can't be all nice when you've been through a painful past..."

"Maybe Lui has lived well, in Free's company." Said Shu simply.

"Free wasn't well, from the looks of it. Lui suffered at the same time from violence on her part, from abuse."

"Yes, no doubt."

"But surely it wasn't just Free who ruined his life."

"You think?"

"His parents. He hasn't had a chance to tell me about them yet, but..." Lane thought for a few moments. "Maybe they were really hard on him."

"Like?"

"I don't know, but maybe his parents denied him certain things that were essential to a peaceful, social life."

"He's a loser and an asshole." Shu crossed his arms.

"Whether he is or not, it doesn't stop us from giving him attention and...loving him." Lane said with a small smile. Shu fell silent and said nothing. "I'm right, right?"

Shu closed his eyes a little, "Maybe."

"So if you care about him too, release me as soon as possible!"

Shu bit his lip and hesitated. He stood up and walked slowly toward Lane. Was he doing the right thing? Free Lane? Helping Lui survive?

When he was only a few feet away, the snake reappeared in two seconds.

Shu froze and stopped dead in his tracks.

The snake looked at him, "What are you doing, Shu? A dirty trick?"

"Huh? No no...!" Shu was scared all of a sudden. He was dead now...That's what he told himself.

"Think about it, think about what I said." The snake stared at him. "It's not long before you're back to your old life. You will have your freedom again. The only condition is that you obey me to kill your friend. After that, I will let you go on with your life in peace."

"That's..." Shu began low. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "I..." He closed his eyes tightly. "I can't kill Lui! I love him too much!" He said as he stared directly at the snake with a hateful look. "I can't continue to follow orders from such a scum like you! This is unbearable! I..." He closed his eyes to growl a little and scream. He shouted to free himself from the anger that was overwhelming him. "This is the end! I can't go on like this! Hurting the people I love! I don't want to live again..." He looked at his hands with tears in his eyes. "I can't go back to the way I was when I was possessed. I've already betrayed my friends enough for that." He clenched his hands into fists and looked at them. "My friends.... They're all counting on me not to choose the wrong path again..." He pictured their faces in his mind. "Valt... Fubuki... Rantaro...Wakiya... Ken... Daigo... Everyone... And... Lui..." He growled. "I can't bear the thought of indigning them again." He looked at the snake. "If I die today, I want to die making the wise decision, not making myself one more sin."

The snake opened its mouth, "What a wonderful speech, Shu Kurenai. So you have decided your place... In my stomach!" He said loudly as he launched himself at Shu quickly.

"Shu...!" Lane shouted as he gasped.

Shu closed his eyes and let himself be devoured. "I don't regret it... I made the decision that was right for me... I just hope Lui survives... That's all that matters after all...."

The snake finished eating him, and he and Lane heard a scream. They both looked up.

Lui had arrived with the hedgehog and Free. "How dare you...!" Lui shouted.

"Here is my dear prey." The snake flicked its tongue, "I will suck out your soul and devour your body. It will be a real treat."

"Lui! Get out of here now!" Lane shouted.

"Huh?" Lui looked at him, and then hardened his gaze. "No way am I leaving you here! I'm not leaving you with a snake!"

"None of us want you dead!" shouted Lane at him. "Stop being stubborn!"

"You're being stubborn too! I won't leave you here! Look at you! I'm going to get you out of these chains."

"It's okay, I'll manage!"

"Not without my help or your hedgehog's." Lui crossed his arms. The hedgehog shrugged his spines off with a squeal, looking up at Lane from Lui's shoulder.

Lane sighed, "I don't want you both to die." He put his head back. "I'd feel too sad."

"It's the same for us." Lui said, crossing his arms.

Lane sighed, "I know that."

"Lui! Watch out!" Free shouted as he held Lui's arm, pulling him towards him. Shirosagi was held against the blonde's chest, and saw the snake's mouth pass inches away from him.

Lui opened his eyes wide, and clung to Free instinctively.

"We need to get you to safety." Said Free as he held Lui close. He just saved him from death. The snake had leapt on Lui to devour him, but the blond quickly reacted to save his partner.

"We save everyone!" Lui shouted.

"No! You have to get out!" Said Free with a high tone.

Lui frowned and growled at him, "I'm not leaving! I can't allow any more deaths!"

"There will be one more, and it will be the death of that snake! But we have to make sure you are safe!"

Lui refuted, and as the two began to argue. The snake attacked them. Both avoided the attacks each time, often in extremis.

Meanwhile, the hedgehog had jumped out of Lui to join Lane. The hedgehog had reached into Lui's pocket to grab a small piece of metal. He went over to his master and handed it to him. Lane saw him and smiled, "Thank you, friend." The hedgehog made a cute face. Lane tried to find the lock on the padlock. He found the hole and inserted the piece of metal into it. It acted as a key. He managed to open the lock, and freed himself from the chains.

He was relieved to be free but... He looked towards a scene that shocked him. And not only him.

Lui too opened his eyes wide. He wondered if it was a horror movie. He saw Free being speared by its snake-like jaws, rather its huge sharp fangs. "FREE!!!"

Free spat out blood and closed his eyes, "Lui.... Get out of here..." He spat blood, a lot of it.

"One down."

"I'm sorry..." He said before he was swallowed whole, like Shu.

Lui was very scared. This wasn't like the other younger snake. Here, it was no laughing matter. He didn't want to be afraid, it was for the weak. But he couldn't help it. His body was paralyzed. Shu, Free... Dead... He looked toward Lane who had broken free. He didn't want him to die too.

"You're on your own now." Said the snake as it approached Lui. "You have no one to protect you anymore, you're done."

"No!" Lane shouted as she ran and stood in front of Lui. "You'll have to get past me first!"

The snake laughed, "You're pretty dumb too."

Everything went fast for Lui. He saw it clearly... It was as if fate had decided. As if there was nothing he could do... His body, at that moment, was not moving. He had no control over anything...

He looked at the ground...

The hedgehog... A puddle of blood was flowing around him. He was probably...dead...

"No...." Lui muttered. He looked toward Lane and froze. Even though it was almost impossible to see, he was crying. Lui Shirosagi was crying over the loss of so many loved ones. "Lane..."

His body was lying on the ground, with blood. Dead too...

"Ha ha ha! There's no one left for you.... NO ONE!" The snake opened its mouth wide to devour Lui. "There is no hope for you anymore."

Lui closed his eyes and cried. The last thing he felt was his soul being sucked out. He opened his eyes and the last thing he saw...was that mouth devouring him...

BACK TO REALITY

"AAAAAAAHHH!!!" Lui woke up with a start, and tapped on the alarm clock that was ringing at the same time. The alarm clock fell to the floor, and started bellowing at the same time. Lui opened his eyes wide and breathed in quite agitated. He put his hand over his face and tried to calm himself down.

What had just happened? What the hell was that all about?

"Did you have a nightmare?" Asked a person as he walked in with a tray in hand, looking at him. "Your awakening made a noise, not like usual."

Lui turned his gaze to the person, "Lane." He said as he calmed down to see his boyfriend.

The yellow-eyed boy smiled warmly at him, "That's right, isn't it?" He went next to Lui and placed the tray on the bed. He sat down and looked at Lui who had a tired face. He smiled, "Your night must have been eventful."

Lui looked at him and went next to him to hug him, and rest on him. "I thought you were dead... It was awful..."

Lane ran his hand through Lui's hair, "A nasty nightmare."

"Everyone would die." Lui shivered and closed his eyes. "I don't want that..."

"I know you don't, but who does after all?"

"I know it sounds silly, but the enemies were snakes." Lui looked at Lane. "I told you so though."

Lane looked at him trying to figure it out, and when he did, he laughed a little. "Oh yeah, that's right. We went to a reptile zoo yesterday, and you didn't like seeing the snakes all around you." He squeezed Lui. "But it was a nightmare you had, so there's nothing to worry about. None of what happened was real."

Lui looked at him and smiled, "It's much better that it was unreal. I want to stay with you."

Lane smiled at him, "We're both fine."

The hedgehog appeared from Lane's fur and protested.

Lui laughed, "I think it's better to say three, someone feels left out."

Lane smiled as he petted his hedgehog. He then looked at Lui, "You should eat to get your strength back, and forget about that bad dream.

"That's decided, snakes are not my thing." Lui laughed as he drank the cup of coffee.

Lane smiled just watching him eat.