A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Internally, she felt her stomach knot and tighten. Her skin felt cold, and her head ached with concern. Slowly, she sat straight up on the seat before she reached for the door to her right. (D/n) unlocked the car doors, and she stepped out onto the paved path leading to the entrance. The door closed behind her steadily, and when it closed all the way, she was tempted to open it again.

Barely, she registered her father coming around and carefully opening the front passenger door. He lifted her mother out and closed the door with his back before he began to head towards the home. "Come on, (f/n). Inside is better than the open, especially at this time." His words didn't make her move any faster. If anything, they only caused her to glance behind her instinctively.

Through the darkness, she couldn't see much, but she could distinguish enough that there was no one standing at the entrance to the funeral home. The gates were open, but no one was there. It was quiet, and the silence wasn't unnatural. There was the faint rustle of tree leaves in a light breeze, and that was it. Nothing unordinary jumped out of a nearby tree to greet her.

That's how it had been before the tunnels. After that, things jumping out of trees, attacking her in the dead of night, tormenting her when she was awake and asleep ... All of that became the norm, and she knew that she couldn't relax and settle back into that. The inside of her home awaited her, and what she found there would determine what came next.

When her father called her again, she turned back around and decreased the distance between them. Soon enough, there was the distinctive click of the door unlocking. Her father went in first so that he could tend to her mother. She came in after, and she closed and locked the front door. That wouldn't do much against the other creature, but it was something. Even buying a second of time could mean a lot when it came to Ether's species.

Something ... Her father said something, but she didn't register what. Instead, her eyes looked up the stairs leading to their home on top of the funeral home. (D/n) didn't call his daughter again; he knew what she was thinking about. The human male, though, did advise, "(F/n), I know that it won't do much, but take a flashlight. Or, just stay down here with your mother and I. You don't need to head up there now."

"I do. You know that." She briefly looked to him and gave a small, bitter smile. "Otherwise, both of us won't get any sleep here. Both of us need to know whether one of them is in here. I want to know what happened, but," she forced a reassuring smile upon her lips, "I'll take a flashlight. Look after mom. She needs it more than I do right now."

"Fine." He gave out a sigh. "But if something goes wrong, I'll stay down here with her. You run. I'll have the car ready and waiting to get you both out of here. I won't leave until I know that all three of you are safe."

"Yeah." She smiled and glanced to her mother's midsection slightly before she concentrated back on the steps. (F/n), though, averted her attention once more to the front desk. Going behind it, she grabbed the flashlight back there and began to head up the stairs. One at a time. Step by step. Breathe.

Inhaling and exhaling slowly, she managed to reach the middle of the stairs. The flashlight was on, and its light illuminated the path in front of her. She heard herself gulp at one point, and she took a moment to pause. Breathe. (F/n) repeated the word in her head, and she noticed that her right hand was shaking a little; she ignored it. Once she knew what had happened back in the factory, her hand might stop shaking.

Now at the top of the stairs, her eyes locked onto her room door. Another gulp emitted from her. The door was closed. No light came from underneath the door. Then again, she didn't expect it to. She heard no movement ... at least not yet anyway. Across the floor, she moved as though she was that fated person in a horror movie to open the ominous door; she only hoped that she wouldn't be dead once she did open it.

Maybe, it was smarter to wait in the hall and call out to Ether. Her steps stopped completely. Yes, that would be better. The nerves in her body were getting too much control, and she needed to calm down. Inhaling and exhaling again slowly, she parted her lips. No words came out. Call to him. Still nothing. Why was it so hard to speak?

Lips trembling, she found that she couldn't utter anything to draw attention to herself. What if it was ... him and not Ether? She didn't want that door to open and find her future to be short and even more horrendous than Ether ever had been. At least with Ether, he was beginning to show more control over his desires, and he also cared ... as odd as that sounded. He wouldn't kill her; he wouldn't kill her family unless she broke the one deal with him, which she wouldn't, especially since she couldn't find it in herself to kill him anymore.

So lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice how her right hand was loosening its grip around the flashlight. One by one, her fingers pulled away. Her hand relaxed, and gravity played its part. The object impacted the ground below softly, but it rang loud in her eats. Barely, her (e/c) optics peered down to it, and she shakily diverted her eyes back to her room door.

That's when she heard them: soft footfalls. Her heartbeat increased. She knew that she wasn't imagining the sound; she couldn't be. They were coming towards the door before they stopped. The doorknob turned, and it opened steadily. Darkness came out, but a left hand did as well. Long nails rested on metal, and bare, very pale feet emerged too.

Sometimes, he would wear shoes. Other times, he wouldn't. It very well could be him, but it also could be Ether. Scared and heart beating fast, she shifted her eyes up. When they landed on the black hoodie and not a dark blue button-up, she grew hopeful, but the other creature could've changed. It wasn't until she saw his face that she released a breath that she didn't know she was holding in. His pale ghost-white lips, small hero nose, round face and very pale blue eyes with very pale grey pupils were all his and his alone. His hair was a little different and shorter in places, but it still was him.

Would she have been happier if neither of the creatures had been in her home? Yes. Probably. But, she remained relieved and glad that it wasn't the other creature. Instead, it was Ether. Ether was in front of her. It was as though her mind and body couldn't process that information well, and she collapsed to her knees next to the flashlight.

A grin formed on his lips, and he started to walk towards her. "I'm surprised that it took you three so long. I even had gone ahead and cleaned up the factory of any blood." He giggled. "Good thing no one had raided the stores in Dunnuuna entirely. Thankfully, no one had decided to show up at the factory while I was gone either." His shoulders shrugged. "But if they did, we'll probably hear about something on the news. Then, I'll take care of it." She barely acknowledged what he said, even if he just implied killing someone or multiple people, and his grin started to relax on his lips.

Standing in front of her, he decided to crouch down. "(F/n)." She looked up to him, and he rested a hand on top of her head. It was his right one, and he affectionately ruffled her (h/c) hair. "It's alright now. He's gone." For a moment, a proud sadistic gleam crossed his eyes before it vanished and a soft giggle parted from him. "Sorry that I didn't bring his head for darts ... I kind of got carried away with the cleaning ..." Ether trailed off and released a few giggles.

His attention, however, snapped back to (f/n), and she winced a little at the swift movement, but she didn't release her grip. Her hands were clasped around his right wrist, and she held his hand against her head. "... Thank you." Ether paused completely. (F/n)'s voice was ... gentle ... towards him. The sound was beyond sweet to his ears.

Gradually, her eyes met his entirely. She lowered his hand from her head, but her hands stayed around his. His brows furrowed. He was expecting her to be relieved about the news, but he wasn't expecting this reaction; he was still alive after all. "For killing him. For saying that you would and for holding up to that." Slightly, a small laugh of her own left her, and he thought that his heart might stop at the serene sound. Joy. That's what he felt. Pure, unadulterated joy. "And, for not letting him kill my mother or sibling. For letting them all live and continue to live."

Not being able to hold himself back, he pulled her towards him and encircled her in a hug. His left nails were against her back in the process, but he would move them if she shifted while in his grasp. He had no desire to threaten her now. Ether placed his right hand on the back of her head, and he had her pressed up against his chest. Thankfully, he had changed hoodies when he had arrived at the funeral home. "Don't give me all of the credit. You saved them too. But," he lowered his lips to her right ear and whispered, "I'm just happy that you're alive and well."

Very slightly, a small smile touched her lips, and her hands reached up to his hoodie. She still didn't love him, but she wasn't mad that he was back. In fact, she was surprisingly calm in his arms, and those feelings that missed him were satisfied. "Yeah, I'm happy to be alive too."

Above her, a soft chuckle part from his lips, and the sound caused her to relax against him more. "Yeah, I thought so." She felt him lean down, and he placed a kiss on top of her head, happy to be by her side again. "And, I'll protect you and make sure that you live for as long as I'm alive, my pink flower."