A/N: Sorry about the wait everyone. You might notice that I added chapter names to each chapter. I did this because, though I am extremely bad at naming things, it felt wrong for them not to have titles. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and the story as a whole.
Chapter 9: Resolutions
Roshaun, Nita and Kit had just seen Dairine black out. Roshaun felt very distraught being unable to find out what happened and fix it somehow. Nita and Kit were feeling the same thing to some extent, but they were also very concerned about Roshaun's well being. He had faded to the point where you could faintly see your hand through his abdomen if he stood in front of a light source.
Roshaun was lying on the ground working through his frustration as Nita and Kit watched him with concern when out of nowhere there was a large displacement of air. Startled, Nita stumbled back into Kit, knocking them both over and sending them sprawling on top of Roshaun.
"Get off of me! I am a King! How dare you violate my personal space! If I wasn't feeling so ill I—" Roshaun broke off his rant as soon as he saw what had appeared so suddenly. Nita saw his face break into an enormous grin as he got up. When she saw what he was looking at she realized that it was Roshaun's body. There was something disconcerting about seeing two Roshauns at the same time. Having one was certainly plenty.
"Finally. Looks like it came just in time, Roshaun. You weren't looking too hot up until now," Kit said as he helped Nita to her feet. "So how do we put you back together?"
"I think physical contact will suffice…" Roshaun replied distractedly. There was a look of awe on his face as he slowly reached out towards his body. As soon as he touched his body there was a blinding light that seemed to consume everything. Nita and Kit shielded their eyes with their hands but they still couldn't block the light. After a minute or so the light faded to the point where it was bearable. Nita and Kit both opened their eyes and saw only one Roshaun standing before them. He now had a solidarity that had been hadn't been there when they first found him. He started flexing his arms, testing them out to make sure they were in the same condition he left them in.
By the time he seemed to remember that Nita and Kit were still there it was as if all traces of his former bad mood had been erased. He even smiled at them. Smiled. The happiest expression he had ever given Nita was an amused smirk. This was a side of Roshaun she had never seen before and doubted that she would see any time in the near future.
Roshaun's exuberance died down a little as he remembered that he had his dignity to think about and tried to recreate his usual air of cool indifference but no matter how hard he tried there was still a little quark in the corner of his mouth that just refused to relax.
"How're you feeling Roshaun?" Kit asked. It obvious that Roshaun felt much better but no one ever died from double checking.
"Complete. The hollow feeling I had has totally disappeared." This wasn't completely true. There was still a strange empty loneliness in his mind that he could never quite fill on his own.
"Great!" Nita said. "Now let's get back home and find out how Dairine managed this." This statement immediately reminded them that Dairine had mysteriously passed out and they still had no idea what happened.
Coincidentally there was another explosion of sound that resulted in the appearance of Dairine. She was lying on the ground with her eyes closed and her hand gripping her shoulder. That look of pure joy surprisingly reappeared on Roshaun's face for a split second before Dairine's eyes opened. Dairine and Kit may have missed it, but Nita saw and smiled slightly to herself.
"Whoa, what are you guys doing here?" Dairine asked when she saw Kit and Nita. Then she looked around and her eyes instantly locked with Roshaun's. There was a huge mix of conflicting emotions that washed through her. Slowly she got up, never breaking eye contact and walked over to him. She stared for a few more seconds and then, seemingly out of nowhere, punched Roshaun in the shoulder as hard as she could. This shocked pretty much everyone but what was even more shocking was that right after she punched Roshaun she tackled him in a bear hug. By the look on Roshaun's face he obviously wasn't quite sure how to respond. Eventually he hugged her back and they just clung to each other for a minute. Nita, feeling awkward just watching, nudged kit in the arm with her elbow and motioned for them to give Roshaun and Dairine some privacy.
Dairine was normally in total control of her actions, but seeing Roshaun triggered some emotions that overrode all rational thought. Her first emotion was fury and it decided to make Roshaun hurt so he would have some idea how she had felt for the last few months. Her second emotions were relief and happiness that he was ok and that there was no longer a need to worry. Well, no more than usual anyway. All thoughts of the possible embarrassment for such a display of emotion flew out the window as she hugged him, trying to convince herself that he was really there.
As they sat there, Roshaun realized how much he missed the aggressive red head. He knew that her absence in his head was uncomfortable but he hadn't realized how much he'd come to like her being there. If this had happened when they first met he would have been appalled by the very idea of breathing the same air as such a commoner let alone sharing thoughts. Now, he discovered that this girl was anything but common and that he'd grown to respect and care for her without noticing until it was too late to stop it from happening. How much he cared for her was to be sorted out at another time but for now, he would just enjoy the fact that she was there with him.
Unfortunately the moment couldn't last because Dairine pulled away as she realized that she wasn't on planet Wellakh any longer.
"Wait a second, where am I? How did I get here?" she asked as she whipped her head back and forth trying to get her bearings.
"What do you mean? You're inside your own soul. Are you saying that you didn't come here one purpose?" Roshaun asked.
"No. I sent Taissan back to the palace right after…" Dairine stopped talking and put her hand back to her shoulder. It didn't take long to put two and two together. She was unconscious and the only reason she was there was because her metaphysical reality was stronger than the physical one at the moment. This was probably the place she went whenever she slept and dreamed and was likely not to remember anything when she woke up. If she woke up.
"I think I may be dying from blood loss. You, Nita and Kit need to get back to Wellakh and figure out what's going on. Now where did those two get to?" Dairine started to get up and walk away when Roshaun grabbed her arm. She turned back and saw an icy cold glare that she was hoping wasn't caused by her.
"Did you say 'dying from blood loss'?" he asked.
"Well, Taissan kind of threw a knife at me and it caught me off guard. Got me in the shoulder and must have been deeper than I thought," Dairine replied. "Anyway, where did Nita and Kit get to? Nita! There are more important things to deal with than making out with your new boyfriend!"
Dairine looked around expectantly and sure enough Nita and Kit came walking towards them with a remarkable lack of enthusiasm.
"Was that really necessary? You have no right to make such assumptions and scream them to the heavens like that!" Nita said with annoyance.
"Sure, whatever. That's not important right now. What's important is that you guys and Roshaun go make sure everything's going ok on Wellakh because I'm unconscious right now and can't get back. Now get a move on!" Dairine said as she made a shooing motion with her hands.
"Hold on, did you say—"Nita was cut off by Dairine pushing her towards the spell diagram Roshaun was setting up and saying, "Roshaun will explain later. Now you need to go!"
"You sure you'll be alright here by yourself?" Kit asked knowing that Nita was too irritated right then to ask herself.
"Well, considering the fact I'm technically always here alone, I imagine I'll be perfectly fine. I can do anything I want right?"
"Oh that reminds me! This is your kernel. Take care, runt," Nita said affectionately as she held the kernel out to her sister and quickly ruffled her hair, knowing that Dairine would hate it.
Dairine glared at her then took the kernel with a mischievous glint in her eye that made Nita glad she wouldn't be around when Dairine started using it.
Once Dairine stepped away from the spell diagram Nita, Kit and Roshaun started speaking the words that would send them back to Wellakh. The very last thing Nita saw was Dairine looking right back at her, completely confident that they would succeed. Nita just hoped that her confidence wasn't misplaced.
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Once they got back to the Palace, Kit was exhausted. And no, it wasn't from the transit, though that certainly didn't help. It was all the emotional stress he'd been through for the One knows how long he'd been in there. He and Roshaun may not be best friends or anything but he had been worried. He knew that dying was something that was a part of Life and he'd learned to accept that a long time ago. Nevertheless, understanding something didn't mean that he couldn't be hurt by it anymore. If anything it was worse because he had an in depth understanding of death. He was happy that they could save Roshaun even though Roshaun had been less than gracious. Now there was Dairine to worry about, which was even worse because he knew her a lot longer and they'd become somewhat close. He wasn't sure he could imagine a life without her annoyingly sharp presence and was positive that Nita couldn't.
As Kit and Nita trailed Roshaun through the Palace, they gawked at almost everything they saw. There were so many ornate decorations it was hard to take in all at once. Gold was obviously a popular color among the people here and it was could be found in any given room in several different shades. Kit could've sworn that he saw a servant sweeping the corridors with a broom that had golden bristles. He felt a bit intimidated and knew that Nita was having similar thoughts because she put her hand in his and squeezed it nervously as they were walking.
Roshaun had been quietly brooding during the whole trip so far and his mood showed little chance of improving up until they came across a woman who Kit could only assume was his mother. She had turned a corner and nearly ran into the three of them but as soon as she saw them she pulled Roshaun into a hug. Roshaun stood still for a minute then hugged her back hard. His mother openly cried while Roshaun's shoulders trembled slightly as he tried not to cry as well. After a moment she pulled back and looked him up and down.
"My dear boy, you're looking thin and you need nourishment. Come, you can eat while you introduce me to your friends," the Sun Queen said with a huge grin, wiping tears from her face.
"Mother, as much as I'd love to catch up we must find Dhairine. Something is wrong with her and we must find her immediately to remedy the situation," Roshaun said holding the Queen at the shoulders.
"Oh! How could I forget? She's here. When Taissan appeared in the middle of the Palace we knew she had found a way to save you but when she didn't come back for hours afterwards I sent out a search party and they found her unconscious on the ground covered in blood. They rushed her here and the medics have been caring for her ever since. We have very similar body structures so it was easy enough to find medicines that would prevent infection and keep her sedated enough to allow the medics to patch her back up. Would you like to see her?"
"Yes ma'am. Thank you for taking care of her," Nita nodded her head.
Roshaun's mother smiled and said, "No need to thank me. I have grown very fond of her and couldn't stand to let her be hurt. You are her sister I presume? And you must be her partner Kit."
"She's told you about us?" Kit asked.
"She has mentioned you both in passing, but she is always so focused on her training that we have not spoken as much as I would like. Roshaun, you must promise me that you will bring her over more often under more pleasant circumstances. If you do not keep in touch with friends you become a very lonely king and as your mother I will not stand for it."
Roshaun blushed furiously as Kit and Nita tried their best not to laugh but the Queen either ignored this and proceeded to walk down a hallway and open a door at the end. Inside Dairine was lying on a bed. She looked paler than usual but otherwise ok. She had what appeared to be a silk gown on and bandages were peeking from beneath the collar.
"The sedatives should wear off soon," the Queen said, "and once she awakens she will be well enough to return home. Please tell her that I am extremely grateful and owe the three of you so much for bringing my son home safely. You are always welcome here."
Roshaun's mother smiled and left them in the room and they all stood there staring at Dairine, just waiting for her to open her eyes. After a while Nita wasn't sure she could take the silence anymore. She was just about to say something to break the silence when Dairine's face scrunched up. She then rubbed her eyes and yawned as if she was just waking from an afternoon nap instead of an induced coma.
"Hey guys, I guess everything turned out ok," Dairine said as she tried to sit up and winced as pain shot up her arm. She could feel the stitches that were holding her skin together and was glad that someone found her and gave her the necessary medical attention.
"Are you feeling alright?" Nita asked with worry.
"My shoulder hurts like hell, but I'll live," Dairine replied.
"Dad is so going to kill me when he finds out I let you get hurt," Nita said shaking her head.
"You could always distract him from my injury by telling him about you and Kit," Dairine suggested with a deceptively innocent face.
"You think you can walk?" Kit cut in before Nita and Dairine could start arguing.
"Yeah, the drugs they gave me don't cause dizziness or anything. Do you guys see my clothes anywhere?"
"If they're still here, you probably shouldn't wear them. They probably got covered in blood and I'm not sure how Dad would handle seeing his daughter looking like something out of a horror movie," Nita said.
"You're probably right. These are pretty comfortable, let's just go now."
Dairine threw the sheets off of her got out of bed. Nita and Kit walked out the door first and Dairine started to follow.
Before she could go she heard Roshaun thinking, Don't leave yet.
Dairine stopped and turned around surprised to hear his thoughts in her head after such a long time. What's wrong? Dairine thought back.
I haven't actually thanked you yet.
It's ok. What are friends for? Dairine thought, mentally stumbling over the word 'friends.' She wasn't entirely sure how to describe their relationship, but friends didn't really seem to cover it.
During their silent conversation Roshaun had walked very close to Dairine. He was taller than her so she felt dwarfed as he looked down upon her, eyes blazing with some emotion that Dairine couldn't quite identify.
I believe that 'friends' would be poor word choice, don't you? Roshaun thought back.
Well, I don't suppose you have a better idea? Dairine thought feeling irritated.
Roshaun was now standing right in front of Dairine and leaning very close to her face. Their noses were almost touching and Dairine could feel his breathe on her face, making her heart beat erratically. She became overwhelmed with the outrageous desire to kiss him but before she could act upon it Roshaun abruptly pulled away and grinned at her as if he knew exactly what he'd done and enjoyed watching her suffer. She tried to hear what he was thinking but he had effectively closed off his thoughts.
Dairine was infuriated but she tried her best to keep her face neutral, wondering why she ever thought that saving him was a good idea.
"You will figure it out soon enough," Roshaun said aloud. Dairine wanted nothing more than to smack the smirk off his face but instead she decided to turn around and stomp out of the room while her dignity was still somewhat intact.
As Dairine walked out of the room Roshaun stared after her. He made a promise to himself that as long as he lived he would do everything in his power to remain by her side and ensure her safety and happiness even when she didn't want him there. With that in mind, Roshaun set off in search of Dairine, thinking of the never ending arguments he was sure to face while in her company and looking forward to every second of it.
A/N: This will be the last chapter if I don't write an epilogue. I'm not exactly sure how happy I am with how I ended this chapter, but I think it's time I wrapped the story up. I guess if people ask for one I'll write an epilogue but otherwise, this is it. I'd also appreciate an overall review, just discussing things I did well, what needed improvement, how you guys felt about my OC, etc. Thanks for staying with me till the end guys!
