Smoker shifts, moving closer carefully, but this time he stays his hand. "___... It's going to be okay." He says calmly. "This isn't your fault." You back further away, staring at the blood covering your hands before looking up at Smoker, tears trailing down you face.

"How can you tell me this isn't my fault. You now damn well it is...I'm a monster." You sob, trying to wipe some of the blood off of your hands, but it had already dried, staining your skin. "This is all my fault...it's all my fault..."

"___..." He frowns helplessly, trying to reach for you again.

"Ace... Ace!" Calls make him look over as the Yakuza appear, most rushing to Ace and looking him over.

"He's... He's gone pop..." Marco looks up at Newgate. The older man observes the situation before coming over and picking you up.

"Then... Prepare for a funeral tonight." He murmurs lightly, holding you like a child. "Come along now."

"I-I didn't mean to. I swear. I..." You sob, not sure if you wanted to lean against him or try to escape him. "I didn't want anyone to get hurt...I didn't want to hurt anyone...I'm so sorry..."

"Shh... I cannot be mad or blame you for any of this." He breathes, but tears were escaping his eyes. "Just like he wouldn't it." You continue to cry, not even noticing that you were back at the house.

"I can't be here...I'll hurt someone else. I'm a danger. I can't...I need to go." You mumble, trying to escape the man's hold on you.

"Stop ___, you're not going anywhere like that. The cops will trouble you. You need time to calm down." He says, keeping a firm hold on you. You stop fighting against him, your brain refusing to do anything now. Tears still dripped down your cheeks, but you felt completely emotionless.

"Okay..." He sighs quietly setting you down.

"Take her to get cleaned up, and dressed." He says to one of the maids softly. She nods before taking your hand and leading you off to the bathroom. You follow behind the maid, moving almost robotically as she helps you shower. You watch the dried blood as it gets washed from your skin, swirling down the drain. The maid assists you with getting dressed again, saying something you didn't catch before leading you back to the living room. You didn't really want to be here though, your eyes scanning the room tiredly. The living room was silent, many grieving.

"... Remember when we first brought him home? He was so depressed about leaving ___ that he just sat at that window pouting. So Marco had to go on the other side and play peek a boo with him." One says.

"That lasted for hours before I got him to smile." Marco agrees. You sit down on one of the chairs in the living room. Eyes staring blankly around the room as you listened to whoever was talking. A shock of pain goes through you when you are once again reminded that you are alone again. You had finally found family, only to have it violently ripped away from you by your own hands. Looking over at the blond man that had spoken, you wonder if there was anything you could say, anything you could do, but come up empty. The memories shared were happy ones, often some involved you somehow as if you had been there a few times. A few times, a small smile had come to your face, only to have it disappear a few seconds later when you were reminded of why the stories were being shared. How any of the people in the room could even stomach you being here left you confused. A thought comes to your mind as you glance around the room. Where was Smoker? The last time you had seen him, you had been screaming at him. Maybe he had left? That was probably best.

"Hey, ___." Marco's hand comes over your shoulder, making you look at him. "Ace loved you, and so did Rouge. You're family to us regardless what has happened.... We know it's hard. Many of us have blacked out before too." He nods around him, receiving a few guilty nods in response. "I know you're going to blame yourself no matter what we say. Just know, you're always welcome here." You give him a weak smile, nodding.

"Okay...Thank you." He offers a smile.

"Go ahead and go sleep in his room, try to relax." He pats your head.

"Okay..." You nod again, standing from the chair and walking down the hallway Ace had lead you down earlier to his room. Opening the door, you step into the room, eyes going to some of the pictures he had shown you. Your eyes drift over them sadly before you walk across the room, sitting on the bed. Laying down, you curl up in a ball, wrapping yourself in the blankets on the bed.

"___..." Smoker says in the doorway, "Want me to get you anything?" He asks lightly.

"No..." You murmur, shaking your head slightly. "I don't need anything." Your eyes go the doorway where he stood, watching him. "I thought you left."

"I was just giving you some space..." He breathes. "I'm still here for you ___." Your eyes go to the ceiling, sighing lightly.

"Should you be though? Who knows, if you let down your guard I could slaughter you and not even know what I'm doing." He frowns softly.

"___... You... You will overcome this, you're stronger than what you can be... I'm going to wait with you while you figure this all out."

"Will I?" You murmur, "I'm no better than any of the monsters that you hunt. I killed an innocent person Smoker. Someone I cared about. Family. And I still have no clue how to control this..." He comes in, kneeling beside the bed.

"I know the guilt you're feeling, and your uncertainty... I'm here for you." He carefully grasps your hand. "Don't be afraid, I'm with you." You look up at him, giving a weak smile.

"Okay." Squeezing his hand lightly, you look over his face, trying to remember it. You didn't want to hurt him too. You didn't want to hurt anyone and the best way to do that was to get as far away as possible from everyone. Just as soon as no one would notice that you left.

He offers a small smile.

"We're going to get through this. Take your time." He breathes, standing up and kissing your forehead. "Get some rest." He adds before going out. You wait for the door to shut before sitting up quickly. Someone had brought your bag into the room, and you thanked them silently, grabbing your bag and going over to the window. Sliding it open, you look down at the ground before glancing back at the door.

"I'm sorry..." You murmur, before climbing out of the window and starting off in a random direction.

It had gotten dark a little while ago, but you only just noticed it as you looked up at the sky, finding the moon already splashing light over the trees you were walking through. You had no idea where you were, or where you were headed. You just knew you had to get far away. A large tree catches your eye, making you walk over to it and sit down to catch your breath and take a drink of water.

"I thought I smelt a shifter. What are you doing out here alone?" A familiar voice rumbles overhead. You flinch, looking over and spotting Law. A soft sigh leaves your lips, eyes going back to the moon.

"I messed up..." You murmur. "I did exactly what you said I would. I lost control..."

He blinks, landing beside you.

"Is Smoker okay?" He asks carefully, and for a moment, you sense that you're in danger.

"He's fine." You say, eyes going to the man. "It wasn't him. It was my brother. Only a few hours after meeting him for the first time since we were six. So, I decided to leave so I couldn't hurt anyone else." He frowns lightly, sitting beside you.

"When I first got changed... I snuck out of the psyche ward and went home... No sooner I got there, I blacked out... And when I came too... My family was gone." He confesses quietly.

Looking over at him, a small frown comes to your lips.

"I'm sorry to hear about that." You tell him. "How do you deal with it. The guilt? Does it ever go away?"

"No... But... It's gotten easier..." He offers a smile. "I try to make up for what I've done, and live how they would want me to... Though let's be honest, sometimes it's okay to be bad. As long as we learn from our losses and our mistakes."

"I see. I guess you're right." You say, fiddling with your fingers. "What about being on your own? What's that like?"

"It... It's not fun, nor recommended. Especially if you still don't have control." He leans back on the tree. "My main problem is, I like moving around fast. No one can keep up though. So I really like running into familiar faces every now and then." He shrugs.

"Oh." Frowning a little, you look at the ground. "If I don't have control though, I could end up hurting who I'm with...,

"Not if they can keep you calm and put you at ease. Besides, Smoker and I have been facing all kinds of creatures since that day. I think we can pin you down if we have to." He offers a smile.

"Well, I left. I don't know if I can go back. Hell, I don't even know if he is still there..." You murmur. "I couldn't live with myself if I hurt him..."

"Oh, he'll find you." He chuckles lightly. "That's why he's a good hunter." You smile a little.

"Well, if he does, then I guess that's that. If he's even looking for me...I'm pretty sure running out was a good suggestion to leave me alone."

"Smoker cares about you ___, I'm sure he's looking for you right now, worried about you." He hums. "Are you hungry?" You stomach growls at that, making you chuckle with a light blush.

"Yeah. I haven't eaten since this morning." You tell him, opening your bag. "And Smoker's bag was the one that we kept the food in..."

"Alright, I can smell a little place nearby ran by creatures like us." He stands up.

"Really? There are places like that?" You question, standing with him and picking up your bag.

"Yep, havens from humans," He chuckles leading the way.

"Oh, nice." You smile a little, following him. "Are there many places like that? Where people like us live normally?"

"Nope, most are solitary and out of the way, safer for us." He shrugs, guiding deeper into the forest. "Safer for humans too, since some are traps for them."

"Oh, I guess that does make sense." You nod. Soon you both come to a lone ramen stand that stood next to a large lake.

"Here we are." He hums, ducking in and sitting down at the counter. You stand outside for a few seconds, looking at the small stand, before following him inside and taking a seat next to him at the counter.

"It's a cute place."

"Thank you!" The chef chimes, making you blink at the long-nosed kappa. "I am Usopp! The best ramen chef in all the lands." Law just blinks at him before ordering. You laugh a little, ordering for yourself and resting your chin in your palm with a quiet sigh.

"Thank you by the way."

"Why are you thanking me?" Law huffs in confusion

"Well, you easily could have kept walking when you saw me earlier." You shrug. "And...as much as I thought I wanted to be alone, I'm glad that I'm not."

"... I just, don't think you should be alone right now." He shrugs

"Well, I thank you for that." A bowl is set down if front of each of you, filled with ramen. "Smells good."

"Enjoy it!" The Kappa grins. Law's ramen didn't really look like noodles, more like veins in a bloody broth.

"That...looks terrifying." You murmur, taking a bite of your own ramen. "But fitting I guess."

"If I had something like yours it would make me sick. Trust me, I tried." He sighs lightly.

"Right." You hum, going back to your bowl. The two of you eat quietly, you pushing your bowl away once you're done. "Really good."

"I told ya! I'm the best!" The kappa boasts proudly.

"It is better than what I'm used to." Law murmurs in thought. You smile a little, grabbing your wallet from your bag.

"How much do I owe you?"

"Money? No, I don't need human cash!" The Kappa laughs. Law touches your shoulder before placing familiar looking coins down.

"Oh, I've seen those before..." You murmur, recalling the small coins from the shop you and Smoker had visited. "Where do you get those?"

"Monster favors." The kappa answers.

"It's underground currency basically." Law shrugs.

"Oh, interesting." Picking up one of the coins, you flip it between your fingers curiously before setting it back down on the table. "I guess I need to figure out a way to get some of those..."

"Give her the change." Law decides, standing up. The Kappa nods before giving you a few smaller, more colorful coins.

"Pretty. Thank you." You hum, giving him a small smile and getting up to follow Law. Law leads you back out, pausing with a slight stagger, you blink at him before feeling a bit light headed. You reach out, using a tree to keep yourself upright as your head swam. "I feel weird..."

"That was weird... Can you walk?" He looks around, touching your arm.

"Y-yeah." You nod, letting the dizziness wear off before pushing off the tree. "That was really weird. Think it had something to do with the food?"

"No... But the stand is gone..." He looks around frowning heavily. You look around, blinking in shock.

"Are we even in the same place as before?"

"... Maybe... Just be-" He suddenly fades away, and you're left alone.

"W-what's going on? Law!" You yell, looking around you in confusion. "I swear if you're trying to play some trick on me...this...this really isn't the time to do that! Law! Where did you go?"

"___!?" Smoker's voice echoes around you.

"Smoker?" You look around, uncertain as to where it had come from. "Where are you?" He appears, out of breath.

"I finally found you. Come on, let's get you out of..." He reaches for you, but there's a slight cracking noise, frost, and ice growing on him, before completely stilling and shattering.

You freeze, hand halfway outstretched to grasp his and you watch him crumble to the ground.

"I...no....no I can't lose you too." You mumble, stepping forward. "Why...what happened?"

"___!" Law's voice pierces your mind, and you're shaken back into reality.

"I...what?" You look around, tears dropping down your cheeks. "Where's Smoker? He...he was...." Glancing up at Law, you stare at him in confusion. "Where were you? Why...why did you leave?" He shakes his head, wiping your cheeks.

"We both got caught in it." He says, holding up two odd little leaves.

"What are those?" You frown, "Got caught in what?"

"Tanuki trap, they create illusions, sometimes they're true, some are not related to anything... Are you okay?" Law asks you worriedly.

"They can be true..." You look at the spot where Smoker had crumbled, still feeling a slight chill run down your spine. "We need to go find Smoker. I need to go back. I have to make sure he's okay."

"Alright, calm down. We'll find him." He breathes straightening up. "Let's go."

"I don't even know where to look..." You mumble. "I sorta just took off. I have no clue where he would go to look for me. Or even which direction I went in when I left." He just smiles,

"We'll find him. Or he'll find you." He assures. You wring your fingers together worriedly, the scene of him freezing and breaking apart playing over in your head.

"O-okay." He touches your arm before guiding you back toward the road. It was silent the way back. You follow Law, your mind wandering over so many things you can't really keep track of any of them. It was almost eerily silent around the two of you, even the normal crunching of leaves and grass not meeting your ears.

"... What will you do when you see him again?" He suddenly breaks the silence.

"I...I don't know." You say, looking over at him. "Apologize for leaving maybe."

"If... If you didn't have an illusion of him. Do you think you still would be looking for him at some point?" He inquires.

"I think so." You answer. "I...I don't want to hurt him. But I think you're right. He keeps me calm, so I don't think I could." He stops and turns to you.

"I like you ___... But I owe Smoker a lot. I think you should start thinking about where you are. You're either by his side or not. Don't worry him like this. I can't guarantee if things will get better or worse.... But I can guarantee you, he'll stick with you through the worst. The question is if you'd do the same for him." You chew on your lip in thought, nodding at him.

"I know. And...I would. I know now that I would stick with him. Being away just doesn't feel right."

"Alright... As long as we're clear." He nods back, before continuing on. You both reach the road and he turns to start down it but stops, looking around. "So we are being followed...."

"What?" You blink looking around. "Why do you say that?"

"Sorry... I should've realized it sooner, but it's been following me so often... This scent..." He breathes, stepping closer to you.

"What...or who do you think it could be?" You question, lowering your voice slightly.

"No idea it's not human.... But... There's no reason for anything to stalk me this long unless..." He frowns more. "It's a hunter..."

"But I thought that hunters were human. Or well I guess I assumed as much. What sort of creature would want to hunt others?"

"I'm not entirely sure, maybe one that's been betrayed by its own..." He shrugs.

"I see." You frown a bit. "If it's been following you...why hasn't it tried to attack you I wonder..."

"Because I recently figured out just how to kill him." A low voice answers. You jump, turning around to find an incredibly tall man behind you. Stumbling a bit, you grab onto Law's wrist.

"What do we do?" Law frowns, moving you behind himself.

"Try to stay calm. It will be bad for both of us if you panic." He says calmly.

"It's already bad for you..." The man says simply.

"O-okay." You murmur, watching the other man warily and trying to figure out an escape plan for the two of you. The hunter takes a step forward and Law becomes defensive, watching warily.

"You will not leave here." The hunter rumbles, frost and ice climbing up his arm.

You watch in horror, the chill that started to seep into the air reminding you of the illusion from earlier.

"Law...we need to leave..."

"Too late." The hunter breathes, and you feel cold climbing up your legs. Law jerks slightly, looking down at his frozen legs as well.

".... Fuck me...." He hisses under his breath. You tug at the ice wrapped around your legs, a shaky breath leaving your lips when you don't move.

"What do we do?"

"Stay calm." Law murmurs trying to move his legs, making the ice crack slightly. The hunter comes forward, arm becoming an ice spike. He raises his arm but there's a gunshot and ice explodes from the hunter's head, making him stagger back, a hole in his ice head.

"I don't know what the hell you are. But if you take another step closer to them. I'm gonna kill ya." A familiar rumble sounds and Law smirks a bit.

"Your timing is finally improving," He comments.

"Shut it."

"No." You shake your head. "No no no. Smoker you have to leave. Please!" You tug harder at the ice wrapped around your legs, leaning down to try to break it off in pieces. "Law...the illusion from earlier. This is it...I'm almost positive." Law blink before frowning and trying to free you both. Smoker moves in front of you both, passing Law his knife. The vampire swiftly starts stabbing at the ice.

"Why are you here hunter?" The man rumbles.

"They're friends, I'm not going to let you kill them." Smoker answers simply.

"Smoker please..." You plead, the ice starting to break away in chunks now that the other hunter was distracted.

"I'm not backing down until you're safe." He responds. Law grits his teeth, arms blurring, ice chips flying everywhere now.

"Then you can go first." The hunter suddenly lunges forward. Smoker shoots off his arms swiftly. The hunter suddenly twists, knee colliding into Smoker's chest, ice spike piercing through him. Smoker coughs, shakily pointing his magnum at the hunter's forehead and pulling the trigger, blowing off the iceman's head. The hunter tears away, staggering back as his head tries to reshape. Smoker falls back, trying to sit up.

"No... No Smoker..." Law breathes.

"No..." You choke out, finally freeing yourself from the ice to run over to his side. "No. Please no." Tears drip down your face, hands shaking as you try to stop the blood that was pouring from his chest. "Don't leave me. Please don't leave me." He tries to take in a breath, looking up at you with glazing eyes, he cups your cheek, bringing your face closer weakly.

"This... Isn't your... Fault either..." He manages softly.

"Please...I..." You lean your forehead against his, "I love you, don't leave me all alone..."

He blinks, softening up before kissing you gently, but you could taste blood.

"Stay strong..." You choke on another sob, as you feel his hand on your cheek go limp.

"Why? How could I without you?" You cry into his chest, anger starting to course through you. "Every time I get even the smallest glimpse of happiness, somebody takes it away." You growl, laying Smoker's head on the ground softly before standing and turning to face the other hunter. His head hadn't fully reformed you, but the one eye that had didn't hold any sympathy or guilt. "You bastard!" You scream, feeling yourself shift. A snarl leaves your lips, leaving you clueless as to what you were, but feeling deadly nonetheless as you leaped at the man's throat, biting down.

A loud crunching invaded your ears as ice races up your legs, though you easily broke free of it, ripping at the man with every opening you found. Then, amongst the ice a coldness, your fangs strike blood, and warmth followed suit. As if the ice had forsaken the hunter all at once. You rip at the spot harshly, blood covering you again until the ice stops covering you and the hunter goes limp on the ground. You breathe heavily, a low rumbling growl leaving your chest as you look the hunter over, finding his eyes glazed and blood pouring onto the ground. Stepping away, you shift back turning to look at Smoker again. Kneeling next to him, you brush his hair from his face softly. "I'm so sorry..."