ripped from the pages - chapter 3

"i couldn't find raki anywhere. did you have any luck?" said icy worried. paper shook his head and icy sighed. neither on of them had found raki in his hiding spots, and they had no clue where he could have gone.

"this is bad. he'd never run off too far unless he wasn't watching where he was going. it's almost nightfall and i don't want him to be frozen and alone out there." icy said laying on the table. he didn't know what could happen during the night since he never really stay out late. he do know the dangers that lurk in the darkness though.

"don't worry so much. raki's a growing boy and he can take care of himself. if anything, he'll find somewhere to stay the night and be home by tomorrow." said paper.

"i still don't feel good just leaving him out there. he is our brother and all."

"search again going further in the woods?"

"on ivalice's turf? i suppose so. he lives nearby so maybe he's seen raki."

"alright then, but wouldn't it be bad with just the two of us? freaky things are in that forest. wolves, bugs, unknown things..."paper trailed off.

"sounds like a camping trip." ichiro said coming into the room. "i wouldn't mind going looking for raki with you guys."

"okay then ichiro take my place. i'll keep watch on the kids this time." said icy.

"scared?" said paper to icy.

"scared of ivalice? no. scared of getting attacked in the dead of night? hell yes." just then tex came in the room. "hm...hey i wonder." icy said running off.

"wonder....?" both ichiro and paper said while icy came back into the room with a bag. "what are you do doing?" they both said together.

"you'll see." said icy taking a handful of dust out of the bag then throwing it on tex. "if a dog can protect, then a dog ace can do the same thing but better."

"and also be your lab rat." said paper smirking in amusement.

"better animals than humans, right? i'm not a madman."

"course you aren't. you're a mad boy who would use just about anything to expand your curious side of science and magic and everything else in the f*****g world, but that's what makes your make you my brother"

"don't start with me paper. you know you can't beat me when i'm pissed off." icy warned but paper didn't listened.

"did i ever tell you guys about how icy met Lucifer and how reks was born? do you wanna know the story behind it?" paper teased.

"ruf tyna oui pnehk ib lucifer ynuiht sa!"(1) icy yelled at paper standing.

"e's hud dra uha fru ryt caq fedr y tasuh."(2) paper responded back. before another second pasted, three blurs sped across the room at lighting fast speed: icy, on paper with his hand around paper's neck, paper, clawing at icy, and then reks trying to pull them apart.

"hey, father! uncle! control yourselves!" reks yells trying his best to pull them apart and failing. soon ichiro rushed over to help pull them apart as well. paper was held back by paper while reks struggled to keep icy away from paper.

"i'm okay ichi. go help reks out." paper said after calming down. ichiro nodded and helped reks take icy out the room.

"that was scary." said kamichi who just walked in the kitchen from the other way.

"yeah. i'll agree there. speaking of which here they come now." said paper as the other three came back in.

"i hate you right now paper. moving on..." icy was pointing at the now human tex. "what are we gonna do with him? he's not responding, much less talking."

"maybe he's broken. you broke tex. poor dog. he was so young." paper faked sobbed.

"...you need therapy sessions. tex if you can understand us say something." icy said snapping his finger in front of tex's face.

"...that dog food is horrible and the table straps kamichi gives me when paper cook is far worse." tex finally said while getting up to stand.

"ah, shh... they don't know that." said kamichi

"now i remember why i hate dogs. they're ungrateful to the people that can keep them alive." said paper rolling his eyes.

"i'll agree there." said icy. "that's why i prefer cats; isn't that right midnight?" said icy holding a black cat. the said cat meowed a response and icy just smiled.

"well anyway, we'll be heading out now. it's pretty dark and with tex here as a human sacrifice, we'll be just fine." paper grinned.

"oh sure, paper. let me take the fall for team while you run with ichiro. humph." said tex frowning.

"he was kidding. later guys." said ichi pushing paper and tex outside. icy, reks, and kamichi waved goodbye then went about their own businesses. unfortunately the night was going to much more alive when two figures started heading toward the door of the magic shop. icy never noticed them as he sat on the couch and fell into a light slumber.

Author's Note

(1)how dare you bring up lucifer around me
(2)i'm not the one who had sex with a demon