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I rushed to Lillith's side. "Sh, don't worry, you're alright now," I cooed softly in her ear. "Try to hold that down, you need it," I pleaded. The edges of her eyes were damp, so I held out my jacket sleeve and dried them. I noticed now her torn shirt, all bloody and in pieces. I took off my own and placed it over her. "You deserve to live more than he ever would, dear Lillith."

That did it. I lunged at Thomas, knocking him four feet away from Lillith. I snarled under my breath at the filth beneath my feet who had dared speak that way of a man he'd never known. He was knocked out a bit, which I knew wouldn't last, so I took advantage by pressing my heel into his chest. "Don't you ever say that again," I spat. He jumped from under me.

The girl tumbled to the ground, her back hitting the brick wall of a nearby building. I meerly stared at her, waiting for her to fall apart and cry again. She refused. "Maybe you should just leave if you regret healing her!"

I held every bit of pain in and worked my way up to standing. I pounced one more time, but this time he dodged it and left me tumbling into the street. My head was bleeding, and probably other places, too. I could see Alphonse looking at what was occuring, probably about to step in. "I don't need your help," I growled under my breath. I got up and lunged at Tommy, this time hitting him and sending him flying into the road. But I didn't stop. I pounced at him only to be dodged. It was like a game of tag, only a bit more dangerous.

"That would make her happy, wouldn't it, to see you die!" I snarled, pouncing at her. "How can I ignore the one who wishes for your death? If she wants a fight she'll have it!" My blood surged, running laps throughout my limbs. I had almost said something like, she started it!, but saw that to be juvenile and unfit.

"It's fine, Lillith, I've got this," I said. Without a moments notice I was on top of the building behind me. The midnight wind cut like glass on my bare arms. The pony-tail which had held up through it all finally snapped, the little rubber band was nothing anymore. I looked onto the horizon, wondering how long it would be before one of them came after me. I couldn't let them find me. I jumped to the next building, giving myself three moments of flight before once again finding my feet on the cement. Nothing mattered in those instances where I was airborne, I realized. I did it again, releasing enough strength to make it past two buildings. It was a revelation. I was free to do anything, if that was what I chose. To run away from it all and let myself take no particular route until I found eternal happiness. Or I could jump from this building now and seek out my sister and Asher, and Alexia, who would all probably be angry with me out of natural instincts that come from seeing someone jump off a building. I crouched and lunged to the ground. Eternal happiness could wait, I was on a mission.

I crouched then jumped up and snatched her from her perch, throwing her over my shoulder. "Never taking you for a drink again," I said, swooping down onto the pavement. Usually I would let her down from where she dangled, but instead I decided it safer for her to let me do the walking. "Did you just bite my ear?" She was giggling insesantly, having a sort of frenzy. I looked at the street signs, hoping this wouldn't take too long.

Lillith had had enough of this, from the look on her face. "Thomas, I'm warning you. Stand. Down. You have no right to say that, after she was the one that went through the trouble to kill someone to save my life. She's a /child/, Tommy. Not a soldier. If anyone sound have been out hunting, it should have been you, not her." Lillith points out as she forces herself to stand up. "Instead, you sat here and talked to me, keeping me from blacking out. Still just as admirable, but honestly, I would have felt better if you had brought me the blood instead of that poor child." She shakes her head. "Has this war changed you that much, Tommy? That you would rather her fell no guilt whatsoever over killing someone, a person who had a family, and children, as oppossed to saving one person who has nothing left to cling to?" She was crying openly now. "Tommy, have I lost you so much to this war?"

"Well, it's a little late for that, Tommy." Lillith said as she grabbed her left side with her right hand. "I've been hurting every day since I thought you had been killed in front of my very own eyes. I lost my innocence that day, on a level I never thought was possible." She sighs and starts to fall to the ground, her legs still too weak to support her for long. "And now she's lost hers. I would rather die than see another young one lose thier innocence to death. Death should be for the old, who are ready and welcome the cool embrace of the reaper. Not for children."

"Well what if she's not with Dawn? Ever consider that? What am I saying, how could you consider anything after immersing yourself in an everlasting pool of alcohol." I kissed her back, quickly so not to torture myself, which didn't work. I found myself indulging in the taste of her lips. I finally pulled away. I moaned, she was making it so hard for me to think seriously.

"Anyone who wishes to stay innocent should flee the city before the real war begins. And that's exactly what you will do!"

"First of all it wasn't a pool, maybe a puddle but that's about it." I turned around so I was facing Asher. I took his hand in mine and pulled him forward. "If she's not with Dawn then she's probably a gonner by now. But if you think about it, Dawn is a good person. If she were to harm anyone who was innocent and didn't deserve to die then she would be an utter mess. I couldn't imagine what could be going on through her mind if she went threw with it. I mean, she could take this intense emotions in a variety of ways. She could run or hide or resort to violence with anyone who gave her a hard time about it." I stopped. I never wanted to see her be a mess or in any pain what so ever. Yet, I was here with Asher, the man she loved. What would I do if she had kissed the one I loved...what? I stopped dead in my tracks as my mind went over and over what had happened over the past few hours. I looked to Asher and glanced around. One more kiss. One last kiss. That would be all, then everything that I had felt about him would have to be silenced or put on hold. I know it might hurt to do something like this but it was something i had to do. I threw myself at Asher and pushed my lips harshly but passionately against his. I clenched my eyes closed tightly and fought back any tears that were going to come my way.

Alphonse sighs as first Dawn, then Lillith decide to just go their own way. "Damn this city to hell. And the rest of you with it; I've had enough." Why was he running around a dangerous place trying to save those who wanted no help from him? He had no ties here more important than Mallory and the boy would be leaving as soon as Lance could be spared from this fruitless effort. Alphonse starts walking. Now York they'd said, hadn't they? He had friends there. He could get some funds transferred and some favors called in. Perhaps he could even have things nicely set up before those two even arrived. Separate living situations; he was certain neither he nor Lance really wanted to be any less than a twenty minute drive away from each other.

((I'm removing Alphonse from the game. From here out, he leaves Tamatha and moves to New York.))