Forever Alone Chapter Six- Confused and Alone

Rakan sat against a tree for what seemed like ages, feeling worse than ever before. He felt so dreadfully lonely and isolated, and wished Kasa hadn't left in such a rush. Why did it matter if he was with the Organization? What did Kasa know about it, anyway? Confused, he could only try to figure it out, but no answer ever came to mind. Why did Kasa hate the Organization so much? Kasa had been right: he had been kind to Rakan, and he hadn't even told him his real name.

Rakan pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them as he locked his arms around them. Glaring straight ahead, he wished he had stopped Kasa from wandering off. If the people who had destroyed his house were still out there...he was in danger.

He jumped to his feet and looked around, trying to remember what way Kasa had gone. Finally finding the trail, he darted through it, calling out Kasa's name. He had to find him and make sure he was all right, that he wasn't hurt and that no one was after him. Kasa probably wanted nothing more to do with him, but he wasn't going to give up until he knew he was safe. No one had been that kind to him in a long, long time, and he wasn't going to let that person get put into unneccesary danger if he could help it.

"Kasa," he called, looking around hurriedly. "Kasa, where are you? Can you hear me?" He frowned slowly. Would Kasa even answer him if he heard him? Or was he too angry and upset to do so? He could still remember the defeated expression on Kasa's face, the deflated, dull look in his eyes. It still made him shiver as he thought about it.

There was the sound of gunshots, not far off. Fear and dread clutched at his heart, and he darted off in that direction, praying that Kasa wasn't there. If he was there, he hoped that he was okay and unharmed. He hoped the Organization wasn't shooting at him. If they were, he would only be able to do so much for him.

If Kasa was even still alive when he got there. The Organization liked to be quick about their work, and leave the victim lying there, all alone. He shivered, getting a mental image of Kasa's lifeless body lying on the ground, his sightless, dull, glazed eyes staring up at the sky emotionlessly. The image was too horrible to imagine, and he dreaded thinking about it being real.

'Hold on,' he thought as he ran in the direction the gunfire was taking place in. 'I'm coming.'

He heard Kasa's voice shout out as the gunfire continued, and his eyes widened tremendously. 'No...' he thought frantically, begging his feet to move faster. "Hold on, I'm coming!" he cried, hoping Kasa would hear him. He had never felt such fear, such dread, as he felt now, and it was all so confusing to him. He had never been worried about anyone before, not since his family had died, but now he just wanted to get to Kasa as soon as possible. It was such a strange feeling, this fear, this worry, this dread. But it kept him moving.

He bound through the trees and came to a sudden halt at what lay before him. Kasa was standing behind a tree with two guns in his hands, a determined expression on his face. Rakan couldn't believe what he was seeing. Kasa turned and fired off a few quick shots in the direction the other gunfire was coming from, and then darted back behind the tree.

"...Kasa?" Rakan whispered in disbelief. Kasa stiffened at the sound of his voice, and looked at him slowly, his eyes narrowed, bright with only hatred and determination. "Are you okay?"

"Why do you care?" Kasa snorted, and then turned and fired off a few more shots, before he returned to the safety behind the thick tree.

"Kasa, please, can't we talk about-"

"No," Kasa cut in sharply. "End of discussion. Leave. I'm busy here."

"Why...?"

"What are you asking? Why the discussion's over, why I'm telling you to leave, or why I'm busy?" He seemed uninterested either way, firing off a few more shots.

"Kasa-"

"Let me answer all of them. The discussion is over because you're one of them, you lied to me and couldn't even tell me your real name. Why should I talk to someone who lies all the time? I'm telling you to leave because the discussion is over and I'm not talking to you. And I'm busy because, hello, I'm in a gun fight." He fired more shots and darted back behind the tree as the other side fired back.

"Kasa, please, you don't understand-"

"No, YOU don't understand!" Kasa growled, glaring at him. "You let them take your name, your life...and for what, huh? So you could kill for them and do what they want you to do? So you can be stripped of your humanity and forced into harsh labor and training?" He let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "I thought you were different, Rakan." He put so much emphasis on 'Rakan'. Rakan flinched.

"I am," he tried weakly. "Please, just listen to what I have to say, Kasa. I never wanted to be in the-"

Kasa snorted, cutting him off. "Yeah, sure, that's what they ALL say. But yet you let them..." he trailed off, shaking his head. "You know what? I don't care anymore. Just go away. Go away and leave me alone. I wish I had never met you."

Rakan flinched and stepped back, as if he had been hit. Why did those simple words hurt so much? What kind of power did they hold that they could do this to him? "Kasa..."

"Go!" Kasa suddenly lurched forward and hit the ground hard, dropping both of his guns as he did so. Rakan winced, slightly puzzled, but then saw the blood covering his back. One of the bullets had gone through the tree and hit him.

"Kasa!" he cried, jumping forward to kneel next to him. Kasa's breaths were heavy and labored, blood pumping from the wound. Rakan put his hands over the wound, his eyes wide and full of fear, though he was still confused as to why.

Kasa let out a breathless laugh. "They...finally...aimed it right. About...damn time. Took them...long enough," he panted, his face growing oddly pale.

"Don't talk," Rakan murmured. "Hold still."

Footsteps announced the approaching shooters. Rakan stiffened. Kasa's hand suddenly shot out and grabbed his arm. "Don't...let them...take me back..." he choked out with a gasp of air.

Rakan frowned. "What do you mean?" he whispered, confused.

"Let...me die. Don't...let them...take me."

"I won't let you die," Rakan said, shaking his head. "No way." Kasa had been too kind to have his life end now. Rakan wouldn't stand by and let that happen. He would do whatever he could to save him.

"I...won't go...back."

"Back?"

Two men, dressed in gray cloaks and hoods, came and put their guns down as they settled around Kasa. One of them pulled out a stunning device. Rakan's eyes widened and he put himself in front of Kasa protectively.

"What are you doing?" he hissed.

"Fighter 1129 has finally been caught," the one with the stunning device said. "Move aside, Rakan."

Rakan frowned. "How do you know my name?"

"We know everyone's name. We're under strict instructions to bring Fighter 1129 back."

"I...won't go," Kasa hissed through clenched teeth. "Won't...go back. You'll...have to...kill me first."

"Always defiant," the second sighed. "Go ahead, stun him."

The one with the stunning device moved to do so, but Rakan slapped his hand away. "Don't touch him," he growled.

"So you want him to die," the first said, nodding his head. "Well, okay then."

"No," Rakan said. "I don't want him to die. But I don't want you to hurt him."

"We won't hurt him," they laughed. "We're just going to stun him to take him with us. You can come too, if you'd like."

"Don't...let them," Kasa breathed, his voice fainter than before, his breaths uneven and labored. "I'd...rather...die."

"I won't let you die," Rakan said again, shaking his head.

The guy with the stunning device grunted something incoherent, and then shoved Rakan out of the way, pressing the device into Kasa's side as he pressed a button. Kasa flinched and twitched for a moment, letting out a spluttering gasp, before he went still. Rakan stared.

"...Kasa...?" he whispered. "Kasa?" He glared at the two. "What did you do to him?"

"We stunned him," the second said. "Now we have to fix his back, or he'll die." And they set to work, forcing Rakan back and away from the prone figure on the ground.

Dazed, Rakan could only watch, feeling confused and alone.