2 days later.
Ruka and Natsume were walking home towards the dorms. It was evening and the moon had just risen.
"I still think you should have stayed a little longer in the hospital Natsume." Ruka argued.
"You're right I should. I never got the chance to kill that doctor." Natsume replied.
Ruka frowned at him.
"I mean it seriously. You shouldn't even be walking. Your wounds haven't healed completely yet and what if Persona wants you to do a mission or something?" Ruka asked terrified wondering if it was ok for him to bring that topic up.
Natsume smiled at him, "I'll be fine. Don't worry."
"But-" Ruka frowned.
Natsume pulled Ruka's cheeks out to either side, "I'll be fine. Don't make that face." He ordered. Ruka looked reluctant but still managed a smile so they could keep on walking. His thoughts were still in doubt though.
"Can you sleep with me tonight Natsume?" Ruka asked so that he could keep an eye on him and hide him from Persona.
Natsume looked back and stared at him trying to discover the reason for him asking. Ruka had put on the best 'I'm scared expression', "Okay." He agreed.
"Thanks."
They walked in silence to Natsume's room to get his pajamas. Natsume unlocked the door and went to the drawer. He pulled out a black set of pajamas and walked over to Ruka. He was looking at a picture of himself, Natsume, Aoi and Natsume's dad.
"This sure was a long time ago." Ruka said nostalgically.
Natsume clenched his fists. "…Yeah. Let's go." He walked towards the door.
Ruka stared at him, "We'll get her back Natsume. One day we'll all go home together." Natsume just nodded and went out the door Ruka followed him.
Then they walked back towards Ruka's three star room. It was 10 o'clock already so they decided to get ready for bed. Ruka went into the bathroom to change and Natsume used the bedroom. Ruka was just finished when he heard a cough from the bedroom.
Ruka ran out of the bathroom, "Are you okay Natsume?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Natsume said and turned towards Ruka, his shirt was still unbuttoned. Ruka saw his muscular torso and the bandage wrapped around his stomach. Natsume started buttoning his shirt and Ruka tore his gaze from the bandage.
Then they laid down in opposite sides of the bed. Natsume closed his eyes. They laid in silence for a couple of minutes. Ruka stared at Natsume. He looked so peaceful lying there like all stress had just been blown off his face the minute he closed his eyes. Ruka felt tears run down his cheeks, he sniffled.
"Why're you crying?" Natsume asked and opened his eyes to look at him. In that minute it was like all stress, pain and suffering returned to his face.
"It's so unfair." Ruka said, "You never did anything wrong. It shouldn't be like this."
"It's fine Ruka, there's nothing we can do about it." Natsume muttered.
"No, it's not fine! You're hurt."
Natsume reached out and stoked the tears off his face. "It's not that bad. Don't cry."
"It is bad! You could have died this time if Narumi hadn't gotten you to the hospital quick enough. Next time you really could die!" Ruka cried harder making Natsume try harder to stroke all the tears away at last he gave up.
"Shh… stop crying. It's going to be fine."
"But what if it isn't? I don't want you to die Natsume." Ruka said his voice muffled by his crying.
"I won't." Natsume said sounding confident, but under his façade he was already beginning to doubt his survival till gradation. He had promised himself that no one could know about him having the forth type of Alice, speciously Ruka. If Ruka knew then he would first of all worry all the time and second of all he would probably try harder to get Natsume out of the DA class, even if it means taking his place. Natsume didn't want that to happen. Natsume looked at Ruka he had finally stopped crying and was wiping his face with his hands.
I'll never let anything happen to you. No matter how much I get hurt I can't let anything happen to you. I can't bear having more people die or get hurt around me. – Natsume thought.
"We'll go home together Natsume. Definitely." Ruka muttered exhausted from crying. His head slid down onto the pillow and he grabbed Natsume's hand.
"Natsume…" Ruka muttered as his eyes closed and he fell to sleep, much to Natsume's relief.
Natsume massaged his stomach as his wound started throbbing quietly. He laid on his back and stared into the ceiling. Ruka began snoring lightly beside him, his hand still hanging on to Natsume's. Natsume sighed wearily.
What should I do? Everyday I feel the effect of my Alice. If it's already this bad then how am I going to survive the next 10 years? The missions are growing worse as I grow better at fighting, and I can't hide them from Ruka anymore because most of them last a week or something like that. I said to Ruka I wouldn't die but what point is there in living other than protecting everyone. What point do I have? Saving Aoi? Ruka? Everyone else? But if I succeed in doing that then what is left of me? I can take it for now; this nightmare I'm living must have an end somewhere even though I can't see it…
He coughed for gods knows what time today. The taste of blood filled his mouth. He muffled the coughs with his sleeve because he didn't want to wake Ruka. The familiar warmth of blood seeped through his sleeve.
Damn…
His chest hurt and he breathed deeply to reduce the pain it was causing. His wound had also started hurting so he reached out to the bedside table and grabbed the pill bottle with painkillers he had put there before they went to sleep. He swallowed a couple of them and waited for about 20 minutes in pain before they began to work. A sort of numbness filled his system slowly working it's way all over his body.
Natsume eyes closed as exhaustion and the pills overwhelmed him.
I'll fight it as long as I can…
A hand grabbed his shoulder. Natsume rolled out of bed thinking it was an enemy; much to his surprise it was Ruka. Natsume heart raced in his chest from the shock. He was sitting on his knees on the floor beside the bed.
"Sorry." Ruka apologized and held a hand out to Natsume to help him up.
"It wasn't your fault."
"You were surprisingly long time in waking up, that's not like you. Did you take any pills before you went to sleep?" Ruka asked curiously.
Natsume sighed, "Yeah a couple. What time is it?"
"There's an hour till school. Do you want to go?"
"Yeah, might as well."
"Okay. Just say if it's too much."
Natsume headed towards the door, "I'm going to my room to change."
"Yeah see you." Ruka said and went to his own drawer.
Natsume closed the door behind him and went down the hall. He stopped outside his door and unlocked it. He went inside.
Natsume was on his way over to the drawer as he felt a hand wrap around his face and hold a cloth to his mouth.
Shit!
Natsume recognized that it was Persona's hand just before he lost consciousness.
He had just been to Natsume's room the first thing he noticed was Natsume's necklace flung carelessly on the floor. Natsume never took the necklace off so it bothered him. He picked it up and ran outside to look for him.
Ruka ran up to Narumi.
"He's taken him!" Ruka panicked, he was panting from running the whole way there.
"What are you talking about Ruka?" Narumi asked worried that something had happened to Natsume again.
"Natsume's gone I've looked everywhere, but I can't find him. I think Persona has him!" Ruka shouted with tears running down his cheeks.
"Shh… Calm down. You can't let everyone hear you." Narumi walked down the hall to an empty classroom. "Let's go in here."
"I shouldn't have let him go." Ruka began after he'd gone inside the classroom, "He was just going to get ready for school but he never came back."
"I don't get what-" Narumi remembered when Natsume had just woken up:
"No more than a couple of hours. The sun is rising."
"Hn… Has he been here?" Natsume asked, meaning Persona.
"No, why should he?" Narumi asked confused.
"Never mind…"
Shit Persona must have said something to him when the flames surrounded me. Why didn't I realize this before? I'm such an idiot! – Narumi thought.
"Natsume's wounds haven't healed yet, he'll open them if he does anything physically straining." Ruka said worried. He had calmed down a lot from when they first started to talk till now.
"Don't worry Ruka I'm sure Natsume will be all right. You need to go to class. I'll look into things in the meantime."
"But-"
"I'll tell you as soon as I find him, I promise. But now you have to go to school." Narumi smiled.
Ruka reluctantly went out the door. If he hurried then he could be there in time for the second lesson.
Please don't hurt him before I get there Persona! Couldn't you have waited until his wounds had healed till you did something to him? Wait for me Natsume! – Narumi thought as he ran towards the headquarters to speak with Persona.
With Natsume
Natsume woke up. He immediately felt the cold stone floor against his naked back. They had apparently removed his shirt; luckily his bandage was still on. He still felt a little groggy from the medicine on the cloth, but he still managed to sit up. Natsume recognized that place as one of the cells under the academy. It was a square room made of rock walls and one wall of bars. Natsume tried using his Alice but the barrier around the cell was to thick for him to penetrate.
His breath could be seen as fog in the air that's how cold it was. Natsume started shaking unfamiliar with the cold because his Alice used to warm him up all the time. Now the barrier was up his Alice was completely canceled.
Couldn't you at least have waited a couple of days more so my wounds could heal before you decided to punish me? – Natsume thought bitterly.
"Ahh. Natsume you're awake. Finally." Persona stepped out from the shadows.
"What do you want?"
"To play a game." Persona smirked.
With Narumi
Where are you Natsume? Where are you Persona? Come on! – Narumi thought.
Narumi ran from the headquarters, he had almost searched the whole place before he decided that Natsume wasn't there, Persona wasn't in his office either.
Narumi ran towards the northern forest, it was there he found them the last time. He ran around in circles shouting for Natsume and searching.
Damn, it's already been too long. There's gone 3 hours from when I started searching for Natsume, they could be everywhere by now and Natsume could be lying hurt somewhere! I need to find him! He saved my life!
Suddenly Narumi stopped Persona was in the clearing just in front of him. There was no sign of Natsume and Persona was turned towards Persona smirking at him. Narumi started walking he hesitated a little because he didn't know what Persona wanted, but this was the only way to find Natsume.
"Narumi, there you are. I was wondering when you would find me." Persona said.
Narumi stopped inside the clearing, "What have you done to Natsume?"
"I grow awfully bored sometimes you see, and today is just one of those days. So I decided to play a little game of hide and seek." Persona told.
Narumi looked dumbstruck at him, "What are you talking about?"
Persona sighed, "You see I hide something and you seek for it. In this case the item is Natsume."
"Human lives aren't something you play with!" Narumi protested.
"They are if they belong to me."
"Natsume doesn't belong to you."
"Oh, really the who does he belong to? Surely not you?" Persona laughed.
"Natsume doesn't belong to anyone."
"I thought we settled this last time. I made my mark on him so technically he's mine."
Narumi remembered the cross mark Persona slit in Natsume's skin.
Persona smiled at Narumi's troubled face, "I thought I would make it so that instead of Natsume saving you, you were going to save Natsume. Though Natsume was the one in the most danger last time and sadly this time too."
"What are you talking about?" Narumi asked confused.
"Oh right maybe you shouldn't use so much of Natsume's time talking with me after all he is dying. You see I gave him poison." Persona threw something at the feet of Narumi, "There is the antidote and a key. He dies within 6 hours so he should have about… 3 hours left. You should hurry though, it's a very painful poison."
"What! You son of a-" Narumi restrained himself and asked instead, "Do I get any clues?"
"It's cold." With that persona walked deeper into the forest and soon disappeared from view.
Hold on Natsume I'm coming. – Narumi thought.