Gareki wandered aimlessly around the halls of the second ship, trying to find something to occupy his time. Normally, he would be with Nai, making sure the kid didn't get into any trouble. Probably teasing him a little, but largely ensuring those freaks at Kafka didn't manage to get to him, again. That was what Gareki would normally be doing. However, there was a slight change in the environment that made it nearly impossible for him to actually do this. That change happened to be named Karoku and happened to have regained all his memories. It wasn't that Gareki was jealous. There was nothing to be jealous about. He used Nai to get him out of the slums. Now that he was here with Circus, there was no reason for Gareki to be seeking out Nai. There was no reason for him to be watching over the stupid animal like he had to before. Nai was just a means to an end.

Only, there was a sense of loneliness that came along with Karoku's recovery. Maybe loneliness was too strong of a word. Boredom was probably better suited for what Gareki was feeling at the moment. He had come to rely on Nai for entertainment. And now that Nai had Karoku, he no longer needed Gareki.

"Gareki!" an annoying and familiar voice called from down the hall. Gareki stepped to the side just as Yogi was ready to glomp him. The idiot landed with a cry on the floor, a tangled heap of limbs. "Why are you so mean?" he asked, crocodile tears streaming down his face. Gareki smirked.

"I wouldn't be if you actually acted your age," he said before continuing his trek down the halls.

"You should try to get in touch with your inner child. Though, for you, I suppose it wouldn't really be inner," Yoga said, jogging to catch up with Gareki.

"I don't feel like messing with you right now. I'm going to see Nai," Gareki grumbled. Yogi's face lit up.

"Oh, he's with Karoku at the moment." Gareki huffed. Of course Nai was. Now that Gareki thought about it, he was almost always with Karoku. It was getting annoying. "I'm sure Nai would like to play with you though," Yogi said, seeing Gareki's look of annoyance.

"I don't want to play with the stupid animal. I'm just bored and need something to mess with," Gareki grumbled.

"Whatever you say," Yogi said with a shrug. He skipped off down the hall, leaving Gareki to finish up his seemingly endless journey.

oOoOoOo

When Gareki finally did manage to find Nai and Karoku, he wasn't surprised to see Karoku patiently listening to Nai talk about something that probably didn't make any sense to anyone with a normal brain. He paused at the door, wondering if he should go in.

"Gareki!" Nai cried out happily, standing up and hopping towards Gareki. "Are you here to play with us?" he asked. Gareki was about to make some sarcastic retort when he noticed Karoku giving him a dirty look. A glare that made it clear that Karoku didn't trust Gareki with Nai.

The man wasn't completely off base with his feelings. Gareki had originally planned to use Nai, knowing that his naiveté would cause the kid to basically do anything Gareki said. But now, it wasn't needed. Gareki had changed and was no longer using Nai like he once had. But Gareki had a feeling that Karoku thought he was too violent towards Nai. Karoku was afraid that Gareki would destroy Nai's innocence or something like that. But someone had to!

Maybe in that forest Nai could continue living like an animal, blissfully unaware of pain and suffering. But now he was in the world of the humans. He would get eaten alive if he continued to think like some lost puppy. Honestly, Gareki was surprised Nai didn't run into trouble sooner on his quest to find Karoku. And, even though there appeared to be two Karoku's running around, one that was good and one that was evil, he was still wary to trust the one on the ship. Something seemed odd about the whole thing, and Gareki wasn't willing to count out the possibility that this Karoku was in on it. Karoku may be completely innocent, but Kafka had ways of infiltrating everything through the simplest of means. It wasn't a far stretch to picture them implanting some sort of tracking device into Karoku or something. Then there was the fact that they apparently managed to transport Nai, Karoku, and Gareki to the middle of nowhere through a cell phone. So, while Karoku didn't trust Gareki not to hurt Nai, Gareki had the same reservations towards Karoku. Gareki had had enough of Karoku's glares and dirty looks, he was going to end this.

"What is your problem with me?" Gareki snapped. Nai stopped talking and looked at him.

"Gareki?" he asked uncertainly. But, Gareki was on a roll.

"Ever since I got here, you've been nothing but cold and spiteful towards me. I'm tire of it." Gareki shouted. Karoku stood up.

"I just don't trust you. I know nothing about you and therefore, you could try to hurt Nai," Karoku said.

"No, Gareki's nice. He wouldn't try to hurt me," Nai said weakly.

"Well how about you. I don't know anything about your past. What if you're the evil one here, not me?" Gareki snapped, ignoring Nai's protests. Karoku narrowed his eyes.

"I don't have to defend myself to you," he said in a low voice. Gareki clenched his fists, trying to calm his anger. This wasn't going to get him anywhere. If he wanted to show that he could be trusted, shouting his defense wasn't the best way to go about that. Then again, why did Gareki have to defend himself against Karoku? Why did he even care? Nai clearly chose Karoku, only cared about Karoku. There was nothing else for Gareki to do here. He didn't even know why he bothered. He turned to leave, there was nothing left for him here.

"Don't run away from me," Karoku growled in a low voice. Gareki whirled around and glared at the man.

"I know when I'm not welcome somewhere. And I'll be damned if I force myself to stay here and listen to you judge me for the way I live," Gareki said. Nai stood up and tugged on Gareki's jacket.

"I like Gareki. I want Gareki to stay," he said quietly. Gareki almost relented right there. There was very little he could deny Nai. He definitely had a soft spot for the animal. But, Nai wouldn't side against Karoku, Gareki knew that. He also didn't want to force Nai to choose between the two. Partially because he didn't want to make Nai do something like that. But also because he didn't want to hear Nai choose Karoku. If Nai chose Karoku, then it would be painful and Gareki wasn't sure he wanted to listen to Nai reject him. So, he did the only thing he was good at, run away before he got hurt. Nai tugged on Gareki's sleeve again.

"I like Gareki. I don't want Gareki to leave," he said. Gareki looked at Karoku, trying to decide if the man was willing to put aside their differing opinions for the sake of Nai. He turned his head and sighed. Gareki took that as a temporary truce and turned away from the door.

"We should play hide and seek. Gareki's good at that game," Nai said, seeming to have forgotten the previous argument between Karoku and Gareki. Maybe he didn't forget it at all, maybe he just wanted to diffuse some of the tension in the room. Whatever the case, Gareki was glad that Nai still seemed to be attached to him. It was a good feeling to have.

"Fine, we can play hide and seek. Just don't leave the ship like the last time," Gareki sighed. He secretly loved playing with Nai. It did help him feel a bit like a careless kid. Maybe it was Nai that did that to him. "Does that sound alright to you?" Gareki asked, turning towards Karoku. The man stood up and sighed.

"I'll count. You hide," he said. Nai smiled and let out a cheer.

"Alright. Gareki and I will hide really well so it takes you a long time to find us," Nai said. He grabbed Gareki's hand and started walking towards the door. He didn't make it very far before his hands went up to his ears and he fell down on the ground.

"Nai!" Gareki cried, following the boy to the ground and catching him before his head hit the ground. Karoku was by his side in an instant.

"Nai, what's wrong?" he asked.

"You idiot, he can't hear you when he's like this," Gareki cried. Karoku glared at him but didn't pick a fight. Instead, he gently moved Nai off of Gareki and onto him. Nai was writhing on the floor in intense pain and Gareki wondered if he should go get help. He decided that was the best thing to do, since he wasn't really any use otherwise.

"I'm going to find someone," he said, making his way to the door. But, he didn't make it to the door. Instead, a bright light consumed the room and Gareki knew what was happening before it even happened. They were being transported to another place. This was likely Kafka's doing and Gareki just wanted to scream. Why couldn't these people just leave Nai alone?

He felt the ground leave from underneath his feet and gave a cry of surprise as he felt himself falling through space. His eyes were squeezed shut and didn't appear to want to open, so he couldn't know if Karoku and Nai had fallen with him. It was very terrifying as he struggled to regain control of his senses. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Gareki's body managed to find the ground. He hit the rocky and cold ground with a thud. The air was knocked from his lungs and for a few minutes, Gareki struggled to make his lungs work. When he finally did manage to pull himself together, he dragged himself to his hands and knees and opened his eyes.