Chapter ten! Haha! So, if you expected Reika to die… Sorry! I have other plans for her.

Soul Eater not mine, Reika and Zephyr are, yada yada…

Seconds ticked onwards, and my question went unanswered. Everything felt slow, like the world had just stopped because I had "woken up," as some person had gushed. I still had no idea where I was, how I got here, and what was going on… It all made me dizzy.

I was staring upwards I guess, because aside from looking directly at some annoying light, I saw panels of what I guessed was a ceiling. Just inside my sight, at the very corner of my left eye, I saw a monitor, heard it's incessant beeping. It matched up with my heart beat… A heart monitor? Probably. In the right corner of my eye, there was a bag hanging on something, with a thin tube running down it. Inside the bag was a brilliantly red liquid… Blood? Well, that was my guess. Finally, there was this stench in the room… It was very unlike the horrid odor I had to endure during the mission. This one smelled of disinfectants; The stench of something overly clean. My final guess? I was in a hospital. Take that stupid questioning on my part.

My curiosity piqued my interest all the more. I wanted to know exactly where I was, and what my surroundings were. Unfortunately for me, that would have to wait for another time. When I attempted to life my head from the soft entity below it (a pillow, duh), a blinding pain jolted through my skull, snapping at my neck as well for attempting to bend it. With what I would say was a gasp and whimper combined, I let my head plop back into the pillow. It appeared even slight movement hurt me… How very unfortunate. This was not going to work well for me. I needed a pair of eyes and a set of lips willing to talk.

I could only guess that my wish had been granted, because I heard a shuffling nearby, followed by a stifled gasp. I'd almost forgotten that I'd heard someone get quiet from sobbing. It seemed unusually familiar, but I didn't dare move to check my suspicions. Instead, I decided to call to the entity, "Whoever's there… Come closer… Please…"

My voice was quieter than usual, and hoarse at that. It felt as though my body had been drained of all but enough energy to keep me living. Even this light, borderline incoherent voice put a strain on me. I focused on my breathing, ragged as it was. At least that was keeping me awake for the moment.

After a few long moments and some delayed footsteps, someone came into my view. They were only faintly familiar… Probably a problem that rose from how muggy my head felt. The person stared in horrific awe at my face, a gaze I could only match with a blank, tired look. I wasn't sure how long we stared at each other like that. I also wasn't sure what he happened to be thinking. All I wanted to know was who this person was, and where in the world I happened to be.

His lips began trembling noticeably. It was difficult to distinguish whether he was trying to speak, or whether he was about to burst into tears. Neither one immediately happened, and I was left only to look at the display of emotions on his face. He almost seemed too pained to speak, but after a few minutes, he finally managed to utter, "R-R-Reika…?"

He said it so softly, as if it were as fragile as my current state. The name of this person struck my mind instantly, and it hurt a little; Crona.

Trying to avoid as much speaking as possible, I gave him a weak smile. Honestly, I felt quite relieved. No endless questioning, like it would have been with Zephyr. But… That didn't mean that I was at a loss for questions.

Taking deep breaths, I began the excruciating task of trying to push myself into a sitting position. For a moment or two, Crona watched me, before he finally shook his head. "Reika, you need to relax… T-the nurse said your injuries were really b-bad…" Something about his tone said that this was an uneasy topic to him. It was a shame that I was going to be probing for answers.

Instead of lying down, I gave him a look, one that told him to help me sit up. He obviously hesitated, conflicted with listening to me or obeying the nurse. Unfortunately, luck was not on my side. Crona reached towards me, but instead of helping me up, he lightly pushed me back down with a shaky hand. I groaned defeatedly, closing my eyes. It couldn't be helped, I guess. Clearly he was the stronger of us right now.

Silence overtook the next five minutes, in which I allowed my body a chance to regain a tiny bit of energy. I was determined to get my questioning done, but even I knew rushing it could impose a problem. Crona merely watched me. He was probably expecting the questions to come, but, not knowing where to start, waited for me.

Finally, I opened my eyes, looking directly into Crona's. I had decided to make my first question simple; "Where… Where are we?"

He didn't hesitate to answering this question, but something about the tone of his voice made it feel a little… Off. As if he hadn't expected it. "We're at the DWMA infirmary… You needed medical treatment… Y-You almost died Reika…" His voice was meek, but I barely noticed it. I was mulling over his final sentence. Almost died… I guess wherever my mind had been was actually just the cusp of death, not true death. More obvious now that I was awake.

Still, my mouth ended up asking, "Almost died?" Crona nodded lightly, his eyes breaking contact with mine for just a moment. "Zephyr and I got you here while you were just barely breathing… Y-You're heart actually stopped beating once or twice… The doctor managed to bring you back and keep you alive…"

I guess that made enough sense. I accepted it with the lightest nod possible. It sent a jolt through my neck, but it was less painful than the one from earlier. I stared at him for a second, letting my mind catch up once again. The edges of my mouth began to twitch uneasily. I knew the next question I wanted to ask, but I was struggling to get the words out. Mouth unwilling to open, I attempted to relax. Crona seemed to be watching my movements carefully, trying to guess what I was attempting to do. I guess he could tell that I wanted to speak out again, because he asked in his usual, timid voice, "I-Is there something on your mind, Miss Reika?"

Part of me didn't want to say anything. It was disturbing, unnerving… It was pure scary. Another part of me needed to know it. Natural curiosity added to the fact that there was a huge hole in my knowledge of events lulled me…

Suddenly, my throat found the words. In a dry, almost nervous tone, I desperately asked Crona, "What happened back there Crona? I… I shouldn't be alive right now… What the heck happened?"

Bad choice on my part. My emotions had gotten the better of me in that moment, and the demanding tone made me a bit anxious, sending a wrenching pain into my stomach and throat. Not only that, but I had been unintentionally pushing myself up, and my arms were straining to keep my body up. With a groan and a whimper, I allowed my arms to give out, falling against the soft hospital bed again. My body seemed thankful to get to relax once more.

My eyes searched for Crona, and when they finally found him again, I felt ashamed of my questioning. His eyes were horrified, dark, almost empty. I must have missed something big while I was out. Though, I couldn't help but think that I would not be given my answer. Crona seemed traumatized by just my question alone. I gulped nervously, contemplating an apology. Poor kid didn't deserve this…

Something twisted inside of Crona, because, after lowering his head, he began speaking, quiet and void of emotion. "I remember getting knocked unconscious some time while you were fighting the doctor… Ragnarok got me up some time after that by pulling at my face… I heard Zephyr yelling your name, so I looked around… I won't forget what I saw…"

He began crying at this point, gripping tightly to the sheets on the side of my bed. "Y-You were a bloody mess Reika… There was b-blood coming from every part of your body… I couldn't tell i-if you were alive or…" Try as he might, he couldn't say that word, so he just continued. "The look in your eyes was dead… I-I lost it… Ragnarok got into his weapon form a-and I attacked from behind… Went right through his stomach… H-He let you go and you fell to the floor… I was sure you were… You know… By then…" His entire body was shaking, and his voice kept cracking. "T-These h-human things a-attacked me afterwards… I had to k-kill a b-bunch of them… Zephyr got free at some point… H-He went to the doctor… Strangled him… W-When he died, t-the others f-followed…" He paused for a straight minute, allowing himself a chance to breathe and cry freely. I just continued to watch him, trying to imagine the horrors he saw… The pain he must have felt. I tried to understand him. His emotions told a lot… With a sharp breath, he continued. "Zephyr was at your side before I was… He seemed to be completely stunned… I was the one who n-noticed you breathing still… It was hard to notice… But still… We called Lord Death, and he w-was able to send for help in n-no t-time…"

Finally, Crona collapsed, sobbing madly. He threw his hands over his face like a little girl would in the case of being lost. I let the entire story sink in, and more than once a chill slivered down my spine. If not for Crona… If not for Zephyr… Where in the world would I be…

Crona continuously apologized through his wails. It confused me greatly. Was he sorry that he saved me?... Okay, that was a dumb question. I knew why he was apologizing. He was blaming himself… Shaking awake more fuzz in my head, I let my arm weakly reach out, touch his shoulder. He barely had a chance to glance in my direction when I managed to tug him down to me, embracing him in a light hug. Okay, I'll admit, the initial thump of his body hitting mine hurt. A lot. But, aside from the pained grunt, I didn't care. He immediately tensed up, and his tears ended up soaking my shoulder.

"Relax Crona…" My voice was weaker than ever… I struggled to go on. "D… Don't apologize… You saved me… I'm… I'm grateful…"

With that said, I did something no one would ever expect from me. I lightly turned my head to look at him, and planted a light kiss on his cheek. Immediately, his face turned a dark shade of red, and he backed away, staring at me with wide eyes. My lips formed what I guess was another weak smile. My body hurt too much at this point. I'd been straining myself without paying attention to it. The pink stain by the foot of my bed indicated that I had opened one of my leg wounds . That was enough for now.

I'm not sure how long we stayed like that, but the nurse returned, Zephyr following. Immediately, he gave me a hug, struggling to contain his emotions. "Y-You're alive…" He sounded grateful. Genuinely. In fact, he looked at Crona, probably with a face that told him never to mention any of this outside of this room. He quickly returned his attention back to me as the nurse began tending to my leg, warning me to relax.

"I'm glad you're alive Reika… We all missed you…"

I couldn't help but strain myself to smile a little more. I was just happy…

It was good to be alive.

Well, that's the end of chapter ten! Sorry for the long wait everyone! Thank you for reading!