As Amy, Moon, and Shintaro approached the house with Ruby, Amy ran ahead, opened the door, and zipped inside, probably warning the others to make way and rushing down the hallway to find clean bandages or whatever else Ruby needed. Shintaro knew that he could heal her, but he wasn't sure how well. The wound looked dangerously deep, and Shintaro's healing could only go so far as to close it up. He wasn't sure if any other part of her was damaged, or if she was bleeding internally as well. 

But he had to try. 

Shintaro hurried into the house after Moon, kicking the door closed behind him. Moon stood to the wall, letting him pass through before her, probably so she didn't shock everyone in the living room if she walked in first. 

Amy had thrown Shintaro's blankets aside, clearing the couch for Ruby. She wasn't in the room, which meant she was probably getting supplies for the wound. Falte and Abby were standing over at the back left of the living room, both looking equally alarmed and concerned. Linda was immediately beside him, walking with him on her tiptoes to look over Ruby, and Shintaro could hear Gabriel bustling around the kitchen busily. Nanami was standing by the foot of the couch, holding a small book and looking confused and alarmed and worried. It was clear she remembered Ruby.

All of their expressions changed when Moon trailed in behind him. Abby's became frightened and slightly annoyed, Falte's changed to guarded anger, Linda's switched immediately to wary hatred, Nanami's quickly was replaced by terror. 

Shintaro immediately felt bad for Nanami, Moon being the one that murdered her father. He wondered if Moon remembered the little girl, trying bravely to fight against Moon when she had the chance. He also wondered if Moon was even a little sorry about what she'd done. 

But he didn't have time to pay attention to Moon's expression when she spotted Nanami standing by the couch. He rushed over and gently laid Ruby down on her back, and she groaned lowly in pain as he did so. 

Amy rushed back into the room, holding a clean T-Shirt, a rolled up bandage, and a first aid kit in her hands. She skidded to a stop beside Shintaro, who had gotten to his knees in front of the couch. "What do I do?" Amy asked frantically as Gabriel came out of the kitchen with a glass of water, probably for Ruby when she was awake enough to drink it.

"Nothing," Shintaro said sharply, keeping his eyes on Ruby. As he gently pulled the bloody shirt away from the wound in her stomach, Shintaro could feel his friends' worried eyes on him and Ruby. He tried not to pay much attention to them, focusing on the wound. 

It was a deep stab wound, puncturing probably three inches deep. Shintaro couldn't tell how old it was, but he could tell that she was close to losing too much blood. Her skin was pale and her breathing labored, and her body shook with slight tremors as she tensed in pain. 

Taking a deep breath, Shintaro channeled his magic through his arms and into his hands, letting the Light wash over the wound, cleansing it and sealing it as best it could. He held back a cringe as distant, fiery pain sliced through the exact spot on his torso, but thankfully it vanished just as quickly as it had come. 

That was one of the disadvantages of healing. You were sharing a bit of your magic with another being, healing them with a bit of your health. Which meant whatever pain the victim was in, you felt it for a time too. 

Ruby relaxed against the cushions, blowing a sigh of relief through her open mouth. Her face smoothed over in a newfound peace, and her hands released the part of the couch she'd been clutching in agony. She remained pale and shaky, but Shintaro figured there was nothing he could do about that. She just needed time to rest and get nutrients back into her body. 

Almost immediately, Moon was beside Shintaro, folding her legs under her and sitting protectively beside her younger sister. Her hand rested over Ruby's, her fingers curling around Ruby's palm gently. 

Shintaro jumped slightly when he felt a tiny hand fit into his left one, squeezing tightly against his own palm. Confused, he glanced sideways and found Nanami standing stiffly beside him with her right hand in his left hand, facing his shoulder and not daring to look at Moon. 

Turning, Shintaro lifted his other arm and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. He remembered how unsettled Nanami had been when Moon was being kept in the guest room, how Nanami wouldn't even go down the hallway without an adult with her.

Nanami pushed her forehead against Shintaro's chest, bringing her free arm up and clutching the neck of his shirt tightly. Her shoulders were trembling under his arm, and he gently lifted his hand to stroke her hair reassuringly. 

"It's alright, Nanami," he said quietly, just loud enough for only her to hear. "She's not going to hurt you. I won't let her, okay? You're safe." He continued to whisper in her ear reassuringly as Amy stood over Ruby, carefully cleaning the remainder of the wound and wrapping it with a bandage, with Moon's reluctant help. 

Finally, Nanami seemed calmed down. As he carefully got to his feet, she stepped away from him but didn't let go of his hand. She cast a glance over at Moon curiously, then quickly looked away. 

As Shintaro turned around, Falte moved over to him hesitantly, eyeing Moon nervously. He grabbed Shintaro by the arm and pulled him across the living room, dragging Nanami and him into the kitchen. 

"What happened?" he asked frantically when they were out of earshot. "Why is Ruby here? Who hurt her? Why is Moon helping her? Why does she seem weird now? Does she know Ruby? Why would she come here if she wanted to leave in the first place? Why isn't she with Brethren? What happened to Ruby?" 

Shintaro held up a hand to stop him before he asked any more questions, but it looked like Falte was done and now eagerly awaiting answers with a nervous expression. Nanami tipped her head curiously up at Shintaro, as if she wanted to know those things as well. 

"According to Moon," Shintaro explained, "several Darks attacked her town and injured her. Apparently, Moon was there when they ambushed, and she brought Ruby here. She never mentioned anything about the town or any survivors, but I will ask her later." 

"But why was Moon there?" Falte asked, mostly to himself, looking away from Shintaro with a thoughtful face. 

"She didn't tell me that either," Shintaro answered with a small shrug. "As of why Moon helped Ruby... Supposedly, Moon is Ruby's older sister." 

Falte looked back up at him abruptly, his face switching from confusion to disbelief to shock. When he frowned, a few lines appeared around his mouth. "Ruby is Moon's younger sister?" he repeated questioningly. 

"That's what Moon said," Shintaro said with a small sigh through his nose. "I should get back out there to keep an eye on Moon." He turned away and walked toward the living room, leaving Falte frowning in confusion behind him.

~

CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAPTER NINE!

EEK, poor NANAMI!!!

SHE MUST FEEL SO SCARED WITH MOON THERE!

SLKHDGKJHSKHAKJAHAAHH-

I'm sorry MY BABI-

I LOVE YOU-

I'm SORRY-

ACK-

Welp, thanks for reading! 

P3ac3!!~~~