Whoa! Two parts in one day! I'm on a roll! 

~Maddy 

____________

Red smiled as he saw the bus stop in his view. He shifted the bag so it rested better on his shoulder and walked over to the small seating area.

He checked the sign and saw that the bus should be arriving any minute. The ginger then sat on one of the nearby benches and stuck his hand into the bag. The small branches of Apples 'hand ' wrapped around his fingers. He smiled and rubbed his skin against the body of the fruit.

He then fished around for his phone, soon pulling it out along with his earbuds. He put them into his ears and started the music. He put on songs that wouldn't make him sad, knowing that Blue would come out, and he didn't need that right now.

~~~○~~~

Barney sighed as he walked into the kitchen. Lots of people were in there, considering it was early morning.

He leaned against the island in the kitchen watching everyone. "Has anyone seen Red?" He asked softly but his voice rang throughout the space.

Everyone shared a nervous glance before Jess spoke up. "I haven't seen him since last night." She said softly, nervousness covered her voice.

"Yeah, we finished practice then he went to his room." Preston finished, his little bear ears twitching.

Barney sighed and pushed himself off the counter. "Then he escaped." He said calmly, heading out of the kitchen.

Everything went still as Barney walked out into the hallway. Jerome and Squid both followed him.

Barney opened his door and fished around his beside table for his gun. "Barney." The male grumbled and looked at the door, there Jerome and Squid stood.

"You can't go alone. So take us with you." Jerome said with a little harshness in his voice. Barney only smiled and let out a laugh.

"Yeah, cause someone covered with fur is sure going to blend in with people." Jerome only grunted and rolled his eyes. "And there is no way in hell that I'm taking any of you guys." He said referring to the whole facility.

"Well your not exactly going to blend in yourself." Squid stated. Barneys eye widened as he realized that he was right. "Here," Squid pulled out a walkie talkie from his belt. "This can reach signals throughout the whole state, so where ever Red is then I can tell you and you can come as well, if needed."

Barney wrapped his fingers around the device. "I don't know. . ." He mumbled.

"Please, I look most normal, versus Sparkles but I think I'm a little more prepared and skilled." Barney clenched his teeth.

"Fine, you leave now. Take your money and a gun. I want reports as soon as you have anything or once a day. Got it?" Barney growled looking up at the male.

Squid nodded and left the room. Jerome let out a low growl before leaving as well. Barney sighed before hooking the device in his belt.

~~~○~~~

"Look, I'm not happy working with you but this lab experiment escaping wasn't good." The male said as he walked down the corridor towards his office.

"How long ago did it escape?" Agent Shed asked. Zed hesitated slightly.

"He was 7 when he escaped. . . He would be 21 at this point. . ." He said softly as he opened his office door.

"That long?! Wow. . . You are bad." She said, standing right next to the ginger.

He felt something snap inside of him as he grabbed the collar of the females suit she was wearing. "Listen to me Shed. I don't need your help, I can do this by myself." He said coldly before letting her go and walking into his office.

"Well, considering that it's been years I doubt you-" Zed cut her off.

"I was assigned this task about two years ago, so it wasn't too long ago." He snapped at her.

"Still, that was two years ago." She said as she closed the door behind her.

"Doesn't matter. I almost have the exact location to where he is located. And it seemed to be some old army base underground." He said. Shed let out a small laugh, finding that ridiculous.

Zed flashed her a warning glare before sitting behind his desk.

~~~0~~~

Red sighed as he sat down on the bus, already paying the driver. He put his earbuds back in and let the music play. The bag sat on his lap and he knew Apple was still inside of it. Sitting down with his tail wrapped around his waist was uncomfortable  but he had to deal with it. 

He laid his head against the window of the bus as it started to move. Minutes passed and the buildings got smaller and smaller and the landscape started to be more visible. The song ended and Red decided to pull out his earbuds and let his thoughts take over. 

Once he stuck his phone back in his bag a thought trickled into his mind. He could have done this at any point in his life, and he never did. Red was suddenly swarmed with questions. Why didn't he?  It was so simple but then again, this was only the beginning and he would need more money later on. He sighed and leaned his head back onto the chair.  

~~~0~~~

Red smiled once he realized he was in the next town, it took all day to drive there and the ginger didn't mind cause now the city was a live with lights. This reminded him of Las Vegas, where his mother and father would always go for "business trips".  

He loved the lights and signs that flashed many different colors. This place had the colors but not the hotels, sure there were drunks and crazy people here but it didn't have that Vegas feel. 

The bus continued to roll along through the city. Red was surprised that he managed to stay awake through the night but then again, he was running away from people who would most likely kill him now, the thought sent shivers up his spine. 

Daybreak soon started to form and send its warm rays across the landscape. Large pine trees started to cut in and out of Reds vision as the world ran by. He yawned as the bus came to a stop. The driver told him and others that he needed gas, and that they could take a break. 

Red smiled and get off the bus. It was a small little pit stop area with as gas station and a few other restaurants and shops. Surprisingly this one seemed nice, compared to all the other stops around the world. 

The ginger walked into a shop and purchased two Gatorade bottles, a few packages of crackers and a pack of donuts. He was about to leave when something caught his eye. It was in the pet section of the store but Red ignored that fact. 

A small little top hat with a little gray ribbon tied around it sat upon one of the shelves. The ginger, acting on impulse, grabbed the hat and bought it. He quickly hopped back on the bus before it took off once more. 

He sat in one of the last rows of the bus, and quietly opened his bag. "Apple?" His partner said. Red pressed his finger up to his lips, telling him to stay quiet. 

He then grabbed the thing of crackers, opened it and gave it to the fruit, knowing that it was one of his favorite foods. Red smiled as he saw him sit down in the bag and start to eat. He then popped open the Gatorade bottle and took a sip. 

"Rawr!" A childish voice sounded near him, making the male zip up the bag quickly, nearly choking on his drink. He looked to his left and found a small girl around the age of five or six holding a little blue dinosaur. 

He flashed a small smile to her. "Hello." He said toward the girl. She smiled brightly. She also had ginger hair, being in to large ponytails on either side of her head. Her eyes were a bright green and her smile was bright. 

"Hi! Im Katie!" Red smiled at her excitement. "I like your nail polish." She said, looking at Red's hands. Confusion washed over Red as he looked down, then he felt his heart drop.  The  claws. 

He forgot to cover them up and now the little girl knew about them. He looked back at her and saw the plush in her hand and formed an idea. "Thanks but I'm trying to look more like a dinosaur." He said with a smile as lifted his hand.

The girl smiled. "I love dinosaurs!" Red let out a chuckle and looked up, seeing what he assumed to be her mother. 

"Come on, let's leave this young man alone sweet heart." She said calmly, mouthing in sorry to the ginger. 

"No, it's fine. She's really cute." He said flashing her a smile. Katie let out a sweet laugh. 

"Cute!" She said soon followed by a giggle. "Do you have a girlfriend?" She asked, her eyes wide and filled with innocents. 

"Katie. . ." Her mother warned. The male gave her a reassuring smile. 

"No, I don't but I. . . " Red was hesitant to say the next few words that popped into his mind.  "I think I have a crush on this one guy though." 

Katie seemed to light up. "Whoa, mommy he likes a boy. Is that okay?" Her mother sighed softly. 

"Yes, that is okay." She said, her face was flushed with embarrassment. 

"Can I like a girl?" She asked, bouncing around slightly. 

"If that's what you want sweet heart."  Once her mother said this, the girl started giggling and bouncing in one spot.

The mother smiled at Red, mouthing a quick 'thank you'. The male smiled back. 

Katie then went to go sit down in her seat, the bus getting ready to start up again. Red then  sat back and relaxed, looking out the window once more. Thoughts bounced around in his head but one stood out among the rest. 

Did he truly have feelings for Barney?