Good evening.

Please enjoy.

Kai's POV

I was still shocked by the view in my reflection. But as soon as it appeared, it disappeared. I shook my head and came to the conclusion that now was no time for such things. I was probably just tired or something. I took the water and ran back to the cave where Aichi and Ren were waiting. I saw Aichi still sleeping and Ren was still looking through the newly found papers.

"Have you found something?" I asked, feeling more and more nervous about Aichi's fever. Ren looked up, since he probably didn't hear me return, and nodded in confirmation. I sighed in relief, this was really good news.

"Well, half of this is useless junk, but a few papers actually show us a few ways of healing and lucky for us it's mostly through some simple plants."

This was good. At least something works out according to plan. But I still wondered where Leon and Naoki are. Since I and Ren will do everything now to make Aichi healthy again, we would need them to reunite with the group. We aren't able to contact them and tell them that we're not heading to the Palace of Shadows just yet.

"So start talking, what do we need to do?" I asked, checking Aichi's temperature.

"There's a flower, which only grows on the west side of the forest, in other words, we have to change our path to the Palace of Shadows and search it there. It's very rare, but the healings effects are strong and quick. I think this is our best option, but if this doesn't work out we can still chose others plants, but Aichi just won't get healthy in a day. With the other flowers it will take at least a week."

"Our mission is clear then. We have to find that rare plant. We really don't have time to play doctors for Aichi for a whole week."

Ren nodded and I took Aichi on my back. We had to hurry, since there was not time to waste anymore. We followed the instructions, which Ren deducted from the papers. We were really lucky to find those, but that made me wonder. Was there living beings in this dimension? If there were medical records, wouldn't it mean there had to be life at some point?

"We're almost there. Look out for a blue flower, which resembles a rose, but with red thorns. The red thorns aren't very visible, so you better put your glasses on," Ren said, teasing me with his glasses comment.

I searched and searched, however I found nothing and the bright sunlight wasn't really any help. Ren was looking for it as well, but I noticed that it was slowly getting darker. Did we spend really that long on searching?

"I found it!" yelled Ren as he raised his hand with the needed healing flower. My face lit up as I saw Ren holding the cure we needed. It had taken us at least 4 hours after all. Time flies by when you do something like this. I sighed in relief and Ren and I soon found a nearby lake to rest and prepare the needed medicine for Aichi.

"What do we need to do with it?"

"Just let Suzugamori Ren do the job. However, there's a tiny problem, since we don't have a suitable bottle or something, one of us, and I'm referring to you, has to orally give it to him," Ren said with a bright smile. Wait, orally give? Is that guy serious?!

"You have to be kidding me," I replied, feeling like he's making a fool of me. He shook his head and then showed me the paper with the instructions and steps needed in order to fully use the potential of the healing flower. I couldn't say anything to that, now could I?

So I just sat down beside Aichi and watched the darkening skyline. The brilliant stars started to appear and I just silently observed them. It had only been a day, since we got stuck in here, in spite of that it still feels like an eternity. I glanced over at the sleeping Aichi. I was glad he was still peacefully resting, but there was so much I wanted to tell him. But I would if it would come that far that we were at the edge of death. I would tell him everything, from the beginning until the very end.

I knew it was wrong, but I felt my body coming closer and closer to Aichi's sleeping form. I wanted, just for a little while, to be close to him before we would return to Earth and no one else than his beloved Kourin would be this close to him again. I wrapped my arms around his slim body and breathed in his scent. It still hurt, even though all my efforts I wasn't able to stop the heart beating when I was near him and feeling his presence. He mumbled something, but I didn't care, I just held him tight and wished that it wouldn't have turned out this way.

"I'm done! Oh sorry, am I interrupting?" Ren asked as he returned with a boiling mixture, which didn't smell that great. I just growled at his question and released Aichi. He kneeled down and gave me the liquid which would heal Aichi from his fever.

"Ren, is this really necessary? I mean, he has a girlfriend after all."

"Hey, do you want him healthy or not?"

"Fine, fine," I said, noticing Ren grinning widely. I filled my mouth with the medicine, which tasted horrible by the way, and looked Aichi. I certainly wasn't expecting our first kiss to be under such circumstances.

I leaned in and held Aichi's head up so none of the rare mixture would go to a waste. Soon I was inches apart from his soft looking lips. Then I pressed my lips on his and opened my mouth slightly to let the medicine flow in. I had the urge to cry, this wasn't want I wanted. I didn't want to kiss Aichi by force. After several seconds I had to pull away. He successfully received the treatment, my morality and inner feelings wouldn't allow me to prolong the kiss, though it was my deepest desire at that moment.

"He should be fine now."

I sighed. I wasn't ready to be put into such pressure. I was never the type to dwell on something, but this was entirely different.

"Now we have to find Naoki and Leon," Ren exclaimed as he collected the things he used and threw away superfluous material. I wondered about those two as well. Did they run into someone like Ren and get challenged to a card fight? And if so, did they win or lose?

"Hey, Ren, why didn't you just refuse to fight Asaka? I mean, if you hadn't had fought, she wouldn't have disappeared, right?

"Kai, it was strange, really. It was exactly how you said it, I refused to fight Asaka, but something in this world forces you to fight. Asaka challenged me and I declined, but then my body was like a marionette under control. After I revealed my starting vanguard, I couldn't back off, because that would mean giving up and losing the game."

"But what if you would ha-"

"Kamui!"

REVIEW

A/N Well, I have been struggling with this chapter. But I hope you liked it anyway and will give me some feedback.