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Anepou was standing on the path, just gazing at the sky, lost in thought. He was trying to think of a new inspiration for his projects, as he was feeling very uninspired with the project he had been working on. He hated that moment when motivation and inspiration went away. He knew he'd finish it later, but right now he was looking for something new to start on.

He glanced down, and saw what, in his brain, was a much younger kid walking down the path. When the kid knelt down, he blinked, confused, by the actions. Very quietly, he murmured "Odd kid..." But when the kid looked in his jacket and looked somewhat panicked, well, Ane had to control the urge to flee. That couldn't be good, and he didn't want ANYONE blaming him if something bad happened. But he managed to control it, and instead headed towards the kid. "Hey, are you alright? Where are your parents, kiddo?"

Japan...? That was a hell of a long way from Amityville. Why were this kid's parents all the way in the HUMAN world, of all places? He frowned at the whimper in the kid's jacket, and then recoiled in horror at the poor foxfire's condition. Not the foxfire, itself, but what horribleness had happened to it. He almost lost it at the kid, but then when the kid said he found it, he took a deep breath. It wasn't the kid's fault, he didn't do it, so Ane would not at all blame him. He closed his eyes for a long moment, then opened them again, staring at the poor foxfire.

"All right... Whoever did that was one sick, sick person. I have no idea who did it. I'm glad he got away from them." Melty... well it certainly FIT the poor, twisted bugger, but what a name. This kid had a weird sense of appropriateness, in Ane's mind. However, that was way low on the level of IMPORTANT, right now. Getting this poor Foxfire some help mattered more, because the last thing it deserved was to dissipate from it's wounds. He thought about it, hard, then said at last "I have no idea w..." The kid was cuddled against him. Ane froze for a second, his eyes wide. No one had handled him like this since he had gotten here, and before, it had only ever been his sister. His parents were much less familiar. Finally he continued his sentence. "why anyone would do this either. But I do know we need to get him some help. We're really close to the Amityville campus, kiddo. We can take him to see the nurse. She might give you a blood lolly while she looks at him?" Anepou had NO idea that the kid he was talking to was a fellow classmate, as he looked way too young, and thus had no idea he might actually be offending the other young man.

Ane took Shiki's hand, and then looked UTTERLY startled at his words about being a fellow first year. Wait this dude was a student? He looked like he was maybe 11 or 12 at most, more like 9 or 10! This was almost impossible to believe. Ane stuttered "Y... yeah, me too. First year, demon dorms..." He stared at the younger, but not as much younger as he thought, boy for a long moment, then shook his head, trying to refocus on what mattered. "Let's... get moving."

"You have others? Lucky. So far the only pets I have are... some fish. And some giant mounts..." His tone changed to uncomfortable a bit when discussing the fish and the mounts, as they brought up the uncomfortable memories of OtherHim. He pfooo'd a little, then smiled. "Well let's get Melty here to help."

Ah... NAMES. Yes those were good, and he hadn't given the other his name. "I am Anepou Sah, please feel free to call me Ane, though. It's easier." He frowned slightly, trying to remember what little his parents had taught him about the etiquette regarding Japanese names. Ah, right, the first name was the family name. "It is a pleasure to meet you, despite the difficult circumstances, Aoe-San."

"I am glad he calmed... Hopefully he isn't in pain." He wanted to find whoever had hurt the poor innocent baby, and do to them what they had done to Melty.

"I... sure?" He found himself being pulled along by the smaller fellow, and inwardly was rather impressed at how STRONG the boy was. He didn't think Bastia would ever be that strong. He frowned, slightly, at that thought, and pushed it away to refocus on what was going on. His braids bounced up and down as they moved through the halls, his brows gently raised. He found himself glad that they passed the stairs, because the temptation to go to his room if they passed it was strong, after the stress he was feeling over what had happened to Melty.

Ane blinked, startled, as he was pulled into the very clean room. Oh this was wonderful. Proof one could have lots of pets AND keep things clean? He needed this, because it was what he needed to be able to do, as well. He admired all the foxfires, and was about to try to pet one when he found a Foxfire being handed to him. "Jazz... Ah! Hello!" He couldn't not laugh as he was being licked by his newfound friend, who he cuddled close. He had to close his eyes, to prevent a tear from escaping at the completely kind, and in his mind random, gesture. "Thank you, Shiki. He's wonderful."

He managed to control his reaction and was smiling calmly by the time Shiki turned back around. "All right, let's get this foxfire the help he needs." He carefully carried Jazz in one arm, and used his free hand to open the door, since Shiki was now carrying two foxfires.

Ane snuggled Jazz close, happy to have his new companion. He paused, then asked "Are they leash trained, or would Jazz follow if I put him down for a minute? In case I need my hands, you see, at some point when out with him." He was not at all willing to lose Jazz, the pretty baby that he is, and the idea upset him. Instead, he was going to do everything in his power to make sure he learned what he needed to about caring for Foxfires.

"He seems very gentle, indeed... And I would love information on the foods and treats they like, so I can make sure to have a stock on hand." He tossed his head a little, to get a loose braid out of his eyes, as his hands were full between Jazz and Shiki's hand. "I don't want to be always having to borrow from you, after all, and if I have to go visit the family at home, it would be best for me to bring the supplies along."

When Shiki asked if Melty could be fixed, however, Ane's heart seized. He wasn't stupid, the level of damage done to the poor Foxfire was WAY too high for him to ever fully heal. He stopped moving, trying to think how to say this, and the next part of what Shiki half said made him close his eyes, pained at having to talk to the poor boy about this. Finally, he gently pulled his hand free from Shiki's, and turned to face the other lad. He put his hand on Shiki's shoulder, as comfortingly as he could, before speaking. "I don't know how fixed Melty will get. He's... pretty hurt. I am positive the nurse will do everything in her power to heal him, and get him to a point where he isn't in pain, but I... hate to say it, but I think some of the damage will be permanent." He paused, unsure for a moment, then pulled Shiki into a hug, because he couldn't say the other hard stuff without trying to comfort him, just like Ane would comfort Bastia if it was her. "And... I don't know why there are people like this out there, who do horrible things to gentle, innocent animals, but there are terrible and sick people." His eyes closed and he rested his head against Shiki's, trying to be as comforting as he could. "People like you and me, though, have to remember we're here to protect the innocents, and not let the horror of those people get to us. We have to stay strong, for the sake of our companions."

He remembered a similar conversation he'd had with his father, once, years ago, and it was how he was able to find the words to say to Shiki. After all, he knew bad things happened.

"Ah! That is wonderful to know. It will make things much easier at times when I need my hands." He looked very pleased at the information, as it would make taking his new friend on walkies much easier. He listened to all of the rest of the information, nodding slowly as he took it all in. "Ahh I did see the Pet Supplies store at the Maul, when I've been. I just hadn't a need for anything from there until recently." He paused, and laughed a little. "Until the two fish and the... um... I guess other fish showed up, I didn't go into it at all. I mostly was shopping at the Fabric store." He nodded, his braids bouncing in time with the motion.

He held Shiki, letting him cry as much as he needed to. It was one of the hardest lessons he'd ever learned, too, and he hated it. "It's not your fault, Shiki. At best, you might have been able to help him, but the awful truth is you probably couldn't have done much. The kind of people who do this stuff are often big and strong, and it's not uncommon for them to be in groups. In fact, you could have ended up badly hurt too." His heart twisted, and he shook off thoughts he didn't want to deal with right now. "Instead, as you say, we will do what we can. Melty will be healed to the best of the Nurse's ability, and he will live a happy life with you, because you love him. I can tell you wont judge him for what happened, or any accidents he might have because he can't totally prevent them, so even if we can't get him totally better... He'll still be living a happier life then he might otherwise have done."

He pulled back a little and looked straight into Shiki's eyes. "But this is important to remember. It's not your fault. No matter what anyone tells you, it's not your fault. Bad things happen to good people, and it's not their fault, nor is it the fault of those who try to help. You were there as soon as you possibly could be, and that's all ANYONE can expect of you. Including you."

Anepou was very startled when the tails were wrapped around him. Very few members of his family had tails long enough to do that sort of thing, and he'd never known anyone else who could, either, so it wasn't something he had ever experienced. He tensed for a second, then forced himself to relax, because he realized it was just something Shiki was doing to comfort himself. He simply held the other boy until Shiki was ready to pull free, and dug out a handkerchief from his pocket.

Sometimes his neatfreak ways paid off. Always having a handkerchief on hand was one of those ways.

"Exactly, I could tell you were the kind of person who doesn't judge based on what had happened to another person, and therefor Melty's in just the right hands." He sighed, thinking of the awful people that existed out there, and closed his eyes for a long moment, before smiling at Shiki again. "Shall we get moving to see the Nurse, then?"