Everything had happened too quickly. He had to do it. For his sake and the sake of his father. . .but what about her sake?
IV silently sat on a chair. His right eye had been carefully wrapped with a bandage where the burn was. A scar; a permanent reminder of his betrayal to her and himself. He hated himself for that very reason.
The clock above the waiting room ticked loudly, as if mocking his despairful situation. He scoffed and rolled his eyes as his gaze shifted elsewhere. Soon, the nurse came out of her appointed room. IV stood up and stared at the nurse impatiently, who seemed to have understood and nodded as she departed from the area, leaving him alone.
IV cautiously entered the room and spotted her body peacefully resting on the hospital bed, also covered in bandages like himself, however, with graver injuries. The fire of Hell had ruined her, wounded her, and almost scorched her to knelt beside her bed with grief in his visible dark red eye.
Why must've it been you? Why not me? He thought to himself in disgrace.
He slowly closed his eyes as sudden memories of his early childhood began to shoot across his mind like a rocket. A memory, among them all, seemingly moved in slow-motion as he held his breath. . .
It'd been a beautiful and sunny day at the park for Thomas Arclight and his family, filled with laughs and cheers and hungry stomachs. Thomas and Michael were playing ball while Christopher and Byron discussed about their usual scientific conversations when little Michael had accidentally kicked the ball too hard as it went flying over to the other side of a nearby tree, now rolling down the hill.
"I'll get it!" Thomas declared as his chase for the ball started.
"Just be careful, Thomas. Watch out for passing bikers." Byron warned his middle child as he wrote something on his clipboard.. Thomas just grinned in response as he ran.
"Hey, kid! Get out of the way before I-!" Shouted a hesitant voice to Thomas. He turned round and became stiff in his spot. Scared and unable to move, the biker was coming at him at full speeds and could not stop himself. It would've been too late if an unknown force had not intervene in his fate by forcefully pushing him onto the grass, and accidentally landing on top of him.
"H-Huh. . . ? What happened!? H -Hey! Get off me. . . Loser!" Thomas exclaimed with mixed emotions of confusion, surprise, and anger.
"How rude! That's how you say 'thank you' to someone who just saved your life from being ran over by a bicycle!?" Responded the voice of the young girl on him. She pushed him down again as she rose to her feet. Dusting herself and crossed her arms afterwards, pouting.
"Who me? ME!? I don't need a girl's help to be saved!" Thomas whined.
"So how come you just stood there like an idiot, hm?" She shot back, sticking her tongue out at him angrily.
Flustered from embarrassment, he looked away.
"You look cute when you blush!" She stated with a small giggle.
"I'm not cute!" He said.
"Yes, you are!"
"Am not!"
"Are, too!"
"Am not!"
"Keep telling yourself that, but I still think think you look cute~" She giggled even more.
"Stop!"
She stopped, but then smiled shortly.
"Hey, l saw you lose your ball. Let's look for it."
Thomas quickly snapped back to reality, and nodded, "I know where it is!"
Without warning, the girl snatched his hand as she lifted him up from the ground and forced him to run behind her, gripping his hand tightly. His eyes went wide at how fast they were moving until they eventually stopped by a clear creek where the girl pointed to a red round object.
"Is that your ball?"
"Yes!" Thomas said happily as he ran toward his ball, but soon realized that it was floating on the surface of the creek, discouraging his intent to reach out for it.
"Aw!"
"Don't worry, I have a plan!" The strange girl announced as she rolled up her dress' skirt and tied it into a knot above her knees. Thomas blinked at her strangely. What was she going to do? He wondered.
She slowly walked into the creek and approached the wet ball as she quickly retrieved it and threw it back at him. Thomas was caught off-guard by the advance, but managed to catch it on time.
"Thanks. . ." He said rather shyly.
"You're welcome! Wanna play catch?"
She suggested as she smiled at him innocently.
"Er-"
He was interrupted by her as she took the ball from his grip. Giggling, the girl fled with it as she turned and shouted. "Come and catch me if you can, loser!"
This angered Thomas as followed after her. "Give my ball back! And don't call me loser, either."
She just shrugged as she continued to run until she tripped over a rock, causing her fall forward and land on her knees. The ball once more escaped from Thomas as he appeared on the scene, stunned. He rushed to her and helped her get back on her feet. Her face was wet with tears and shob.
"It hurts!" She complained.
"Don't worry, I have a plan!" Thomas grinned sneakily as he held the girl's arm over his shoulder so he could get her to his father, who thankfully brought a first-aid kit.
After half an hour of a missing Thomas, Byron became worried as he decided to search for his lost son as he instructed Christopher to take care of Michael in his absence.
And so, Thomas dragged the girl as he sweat like a pig. After a few more drags, he began to get tired, but convinced himself to not stop while he was on the lookout for his dad.
"Thomas! Thomas Arclight! Where on earth are you!?" Called out a familiar voice to the young Arclight boy. It was his dad! He cheered.
"Dad! I'm over here with. . .a friend!" He immediately responded to the call.
The girl's eyes grew twice their size when he referred her with the word 'friend'.
After his dad placed a band aid on the girl's bruise on her knee, she gazed at Thomas and confused him with her sudden smile.
"Thomas, eh? That's a cute name~" She complimented him.
He lightly blushed.
"Stop!" He pleaded.
"Heh.~"
He then asked her a question that just occurred to him. "Now that you know my name, what is yours?"
Before she could answer his question, another voice disrupted their conversation.
"Rio! Riiiiooo! C'mon! Quit hiding! Ma and Pa are worried already!"
Rio jumped excitedly as if she hadn't been injured and replied back. "Ryouga! I'm here, dear brother."
A male about her age came forth from behind the bushes and with an annoyed face.
"Rio, just look at yourself! This is why you shouldn't run off like that."
Thomas was speechless for a moment before Ryouga turned to look at him as he nodded, "Thanks for everything, we owe you one."
"No, I owe you one." He said instead as he watched Rio leave with Ryouga.
"Wait!" He called out as he hurried toward them and glanced at Rio, extending his hand at her. "It was nice meeting you, Rio."
He was surprised when Rio unexpectedly hugged him and smiled kindly as she pulled away from him.
"It was nice meeting you too, Thomas!"
She responded cheerfully. "I hope we can meet again sometime soon!"
They were then gone as her soft words echoed in his head. I hope we do, Rio, I hope we do. He thought as he returned with his family that afternoon.
"Rio. . . Thank you. . ." Thomas softly murmured. He hoped she wasn't awake to see the shame on his face from his regretful decisions. He straightened his position, preparing himself to exit the room before Ryouga came.
He had enough problems already and did not need one more. He needed a miracle.