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A niggling voice, in the back of his head - are you really that gay?
It was small, but it brought back memories - vying for the top spot (currently occupied by mind-blowing pleasure).
It was what made him begin to cry, to break a little inside, even as it was being healed by the affection, the lust, the love that was being showered over him.

He was gay. Not as a man, maybe, but even as a woman? He used to be a woman. Aura's soul was Astrum's soul.
He was unnatural. This confermed it.

So even as he let himself go to the beautiful, complete feeling, he was still combating his own enstrangment.

But maybe, maybe since Baniru was Mu, and Astrum was Fu, maybe everything was alright.
He moaned, comfirming this. Nothing this good could be bad.


Ruli's blue lifted into action. "'Paired!" he giggled joyfully, and began swirlling through the dustmotes.
"Gotta take outta leada!" He pointed upward, to a single solitary spiderweb, shining in the warm sunshine.

"Bibibibeuuuuuuuuuw!" Millions of tiny flecks met their maker as the two planes played an intricate dance among the air and in two hands that were not lonely anymore.

Ruli was not confused.

Something was really angry at him, for going along with Baniru into the bathroom, and he didn't know what.
Was it because he was leaving his child alone, alone with another suicidal child?
Was it because he was nervous and inexperianced and wasn't really sure what that look on his best friend's face meant?
Was it fear?

Fear, or something like it, was shying him. His throat was constricting wildly - he found it hard to breathe - and he didn't know what the ******** he was doing!
The lust raged, but fear and an honorable sort of conscious were looking over his choices while his body was on autopilot.


Ruli gave Karma an eager grin, about to pronouce the death - the assured, certain death - of the enemy - when he saw Astrum and Baniru wandering very quickly toward the bathroom, with very strange looks on their faces.

Both looks frightened him, and he clammed up immediatly.

"Kahma, wheregoing, whatdoing?" He said quickly, hoping he made sense.
He was pointing one shining purple finger toward the hallway and the bathroom door.

"Astrum weird look. Baniru weird look." As was Ruli's wont, he pronounced everything carefully and slowly, to form a connection through words to his new excited friend.

"They captured by new enemy! That weird look!" Ruli said in a high voice of surprise, looking at Karma with purple eyes filled with worry. "We save!"

Astrum sighed a little, unsure, and yet dejected.

Ruli had run up to Astrum, a confused and worried look in his large, bug-like eyes. His arms were raised in such a way that Aura recognized, and Astrum wondered about acting on.

He settled for a compromise of kneeling down to Ruli's level, knees popping painfully. After all, Astrum was still dead on his feet from living on the streets.

Ruli threw his arms around Astrum's neck in a tight hug, his own sapped strength obviously returning. "You okay! We save."

Astrum must have looked pretty clueless, because Ruli tried to elaborate in his halting toddler's knowledge of grammer and vocabulary. "Baniru, you, sad hot looks." That was his level of description.

"We -" he made a motion of the hand he'd seen often, a quick back-and-forth between himself and Karma, who was flailing (and, frankly, frightening Ruli quite a lot) "- we think both you be capturd. Capture. Cap-"
He broke down a little, hiding in Astrum's embrace. Still aching and a little hungry and tired and scared - and very, very confused.

Astrum lifted Ruli up carefully, his little arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

It was both comforting and disturbing to know that Ruli's grip was far stronger than it had been a while ago.

He obliged, walking over. Ruli was getting heavy.
Or he was getting weaker.

Damn, how'd he get to be so weak?
Oh, no, nevermind. Ruli was getting sleepy, and Astrum could feel every little muscle untense against his sensitive bare chest.

"Yes, Mu?" He asked as a minute snore began to resonate from the little purple being, growing louder and louder, then quieter and quieter.


Ruli, however, wasn't asleep. Ruli wasn't awake, but he wasn't asleep.
He could hear Astrum, his voice kindly and a little ... husky? Husky was the word.

Ruli couldn't relax, things being this weird. This was a time to make sure nothing weird happened to any of them. Baniru, Karma, or Astrum.

His family, he hoped. Family, that hard word for him to grasp.

Astrum sighed, gratefully nodding.

Was that what it was, then, 'messing around'? He'd have to think on that later. He certainly felt as tired as the toddlers, now, and he'd take anything but a sewer at the moment.

Ruli he put carefully into Karma's crib - Karma, remember that name, Karma - and gave him a little goodnight kiss.

Then he turned back.
Then, suddenly, he was hugging her, all his emotions flowing through him at once, at one.

He was babbling stuff, and he wasn't really sure what. "I'msorrythankyousomuchIloveyouI'msorrythankyoufortakingusin -" in a long extended murmer.


Ruli felt himself slipping. Curled near a body was weird - Ruli had gotten so used to contact when sleeping that it was all he knew.

He snuggled up to Karma, and finally just let himself relax. Everything was safe. He was still confused a bit about everything, but he was obviously okay enough to go to sleep.

Asrafel had been given days of rest after having seen Elle, thankfully. Not only was he sore from the entire ordeal, there had been several reasons why the boy had been due for a nice, long rest.

Of course, a few days didn't seem like enough, but here he was at Baniru's apartment door, knocking softly on it. At least this time he felt a little more comfortable, knowing what he was in for.

"Helloooo~" He chimed softly, turning his head to hear if anyone was inside. "Baniru? Karma? Anyone hooome~?"

He had forgotten! Neither Baniru nor Karma had seen him since he had grown, this must have come as a surprise! How rude of him not to call and warn them first.. he flushed with shame and slunk inside, giving Karma a quick grin before looking around. He remembered this place, the one time he'd been in it; it had been a haven for him, and still held that fondness now.

Turning back to Baniru, he grinned sheepishly. "Forgive me, I had forgotten you haven't seen me since I grew! I hope you don't mind my sudden visit, I simply hadn't seen you and Karma in so long, and felt it was time to come say hello!"

"Why thank you!" Asrafel took up the offer, sitting down just as Karma toddled closer. He was only too happy to lean down and reach out for the small child, picking Karma up in his arms and resting him in his lap. He gave Karma a soft hug, and tapped the boys nose with the tip of his finger.

"Why hello Karma! Long time no see! You look so well, such a smart, growing boy you are." He bent closer, and his eyes met Karma's.

For a moment, as he searched the boys soul, his face contorted and he frowned.

"You poor thing, so young and already you have seen so much. Your soul is growing, but you are not. We shall change that."

These words he whispered, barely a breath of sound, and only Karma could hear it, though he probably wouldn't understand.