A/n: I apologize for the lack of updates. Lately, I've been feeling a bit uninspired to write. Screw school for making me feel so burnout! But anyway, I'm back and ready to write! So, I hope you enjoy this long-awaited next chapter of From the Ashes!

Five began to pace back and forth in frustration across the alleyway, frustrated that the rest of his siblings couldn't meet a simple deadline so they could go home. Internally, he was fighting to keep himself calm, but all the hard work he did to get them here felt utterly pointless. "Now, what do we do?" Luther asked, resting his head in his hands as he leaned against the dumpster.

"NOW NOTHING, ALRIGHT LUTHER? MAKE YOUR PEACE WITH GOD!" Five shouted, continuing his angry pace. "What about Dusk, Vanya, and Allison?" Luther questioned. "Screw them! They should've been here!" Five scoffed, kicking at a few stray pieces of cardboard. Klaus slowly sat up, his head still pounding like mad after throwing up his ghost brother. He still had little idea of what was going on. But judging from how Five was acting, he knew they screwed up big time.

"What about Diego? He's quite a responsible young man, no?" He groaned, gagging at the bitter taste of his own vomit. "Screw Diego! Screw everybody! I was better off on my own in the apocalypse. You know what? It's every sibling for himself now!" Five turned sharply on his heel, heading to the back entrance of Elliott's shop, the door slamming shut behind him. "Did Five just... get meaner?" Klaus whimpered, looking down at the ground. 

Luther looked at his brother, telling him to check on Dusk and Allison before following Five inside the shop. The fourth Hargreeves sibling slowly stood up, his legs wobbling with every step. Moving a piece of his hair to the side, he met Ben's eyes as he still lay in the putrid liquid. "And you... have had your possession privileges revoked!" Klaus barely whispered. "I regret nothing..." Ben said tiredly, watching as Klaus walked down of the alley.

"Just stay out of me!" Klaus's voice echoed into the alleyway. "I regret nothing!" Ben repeated.

~~~~~~~~

"Dusky, you sure you want another shot of whiskey? This is like your third shot," Jack began to worry as Dusk slid her glass toward him. "Might as well celebrate my pity party with another drink," She mumbled. Victoria and Jack looked at each other, communicating almost telepathically about Dusk. They both began to wonder if she was going to be okay. Although, the answer seemed perfectly clear.

"I think you've had enough to drink, Dusk," Jack refused, taking the glass and resting it on the counter behind him. The raven spoke not a word but buried her head in her hands, sniffling as she remembered all the fun times she and Klaus had together. The lyrics to her song dedicated to Klaus played in her head, and she softly mumbled them the longer she thought of the only man she truly loved.

"I never knew, I never knew
You could hold moonlight in your hands
'Til the night I held you
You are my moonlight
Moonlight,"

The bar door opened, making the three friends look up and notice the newest customer. And surprise surprise, it was Klaus. "Hey, Dusky! I've been looking everywhere for you," He sighed with relief, hugging her from behind her hunched figure. But instead of returning that hug, Dusk turned her head to the other side, trying to block out his voice. Klaus was stunned. He had never seen her look so depressed in his life. Sure, everyone had their darkest moments. But to him, she seemed like a kind girl, but also the girl who wouldn't hesitate to sucker punch somebody who deserved it.

"You okay?" He asked, gently shaking her shoulder, still not getting a response from her. He looked over at Victoria and Jack, who said nothing but gave the dirtiest glares he had ever seen. He had no idea what was wrong, but he intended to figure out what it was. "Dusky? You can tell me what's going on. Did someone hurt you?" He asked, taking a seat on the stool next to her. "She doesn't want to be bothered, boy! Can't you see that?" Jack growled, grinding his teeth.

Well, excuse me, jackass. "Hey, you!" Another voice called out, a voice that sounded all too familiar. Klaus looked over his shoulder, his eyes widening as he recognized the person talking to him. It was Buck from the outskirts of Dallas, and he did not look happy. "You got some nerve thinking you can show your face around the city after you stole my truck!" He angrily spoke, walking in his direction.

"Technically, I borrowed it! But you got it back, so what's the big deal?" Klaus bit back. "The big deal is we have some unsettled business. I'm going to make you pay," Without warning, Buck punched Klaus squared in the face, knocking him onto the floor. Quicker than lightning, the sadness Dusk had inside her faded away and replaced with pure rage.

Buck continued to punch Klaus, knocking him back to the ground as he tried to stand up and fight back. And with every blow, Dusk's inner demon came out of its shell. And without hesitation, She leaped from her seat and pounced on Buck from behind, her hands clasped around his neck. Buck began to scream in agony as his flesh began to burn the longer she kept her grasp, and it wasn't until the majority of his neck was seared that she let go and helped Klaus to his feet. She was still heartbroken, but she still cared for him and his safety.

"What in tarnation is going on?" The bar manager asked, his eyes widening at the sight. "Vic, call the cops! Jack, grab them!" he shouted, his gaze shifting to Dusk and Klaus. But both Victoria and Jack couldn't move. How in the world did she do that? Victoria wondered the longer she stared at the raven. "Dammit! I said call the cops!" The manager repeated, storming over to the two employees. He harshly grabbed Victoria's wrist and began to drag her to the wall phone. But thanks to her quick thinking, she kicked him right where the sun didn't shine and broke his arm completely in half. "No one drags me, asshole," She muttered, quickly running over to Dusk and Klaus. "Come on! We need to go!" She said hurriedly just as the manager rose to his feet.

Klaus, Dusk, & Victoria rushed out of the bar just as the cops pulled up to the front of the bar. A crowd began to gather, and Dusk and Klaus pushed past them, hoping they wouldn't get caught. "Where's Victoria?" Dusk asked once she noticed that the redhead was no longer with them. Klaus slightly shrugged, reminding her that they needed to keep running. Out of the corner of her eye, Dusk saw the redhead running down the opposite end of the street before hiding in the corner of an alleyway. Dusk gave her a worrying glance, but Victoria gave a thumbs up, telling her friend that she would be alright and that they should keep going.

~~~~~~~

"I-I think we're safe!" Klaus panted, his back pressed against the wall of a random house. "Hopefully. I don't think I've ever run that fast in my life," Dusk agreed. The two took a moment to catch their breath, nightfall had come, and the sky was slowly turning a dark purple. The lights from the nearby houses turned on, and the two of them looked around, hoping that nobody was suspecting them of anything crazy.

But to their luck, the only people who noticed them were a few passersby's coming home from work. "Are you doing alright? Back at the bar, you seemed a little down," he questioned. There was no way Dusk could tell him the real reason she was crying, as she didn't want to get in the way of his happiness if he really was in love with that girl.

"James was giving me and Mary a hard time when I got back to the house. She told me to get out and get some air while she took care of him. I guess every parent has those moments when they can't calm their kids down," She lied, hoping Klaus would believe her. He slightly nodded, trying to imagine if their father and Grace had those moments when they were babies.

"We need to find Allison," Klaus muttered, remembering what Luther had asked him to do. "Well, do you know where she is?" the raven inquired. "Her house is about a block away. I hope she's okay," the two stepped out of the bushes and back onto the sidewalk, their pace becoming increasingly faster as time ticked by. A few minutes later, they finally reached the house, knocking on the wood and glass-paneled door.

Someone peeked through the curtain and soon opened the door, revealing it to be Ray, Allison's husband. "Hey, Ray-Ray. I'm so sorry it's late, but, uh-" "Klaus, now is not a good time. And who is that?" Ray interrupted, looking in Dusk's direction as she waved to him. Before anybody could respond, Allison poked her head into the hallway, hearing the familiar voices. Klaus and Dusk saw their sister and immediately rushed in, embracing her.

"Thank god you guys are okay. We were starting to worry about you guys!" Klaus muffled. "I was worried about you guys too," Allison replied. When the siblings pulled apart, the raven and junkie noticed blood on her shirt and face, wondering what happened. But before they could ask any questions, Dusk gasped at the sight of a dead Swedish man sitting on the couch. One of his eyes was missing, and it appeared he had been choked to death.

"Oh, I see. This is one of those nights, huh?" Klaus bent over, getting a good look at the body as he pondered what they were going to do to get rid of him. Disposing of bodies was not something any of them had experience with. After a moment, Klaus stood up straight before looking back at the rest of them.

"So, are we burning or burying?"