Hello! I know it's been a hella long time since last update, but I did spend time rereading my prev chaps to take down notes and whatnot XD

And again, I want to thank Ravenfeather613 and Sakura245 for reviewing! I really love you guys for sticking around, and I sincerely mean it.

Now...Pls enjoy this chap with your nice warm jumpers and tea~

The boy held his grip tightly on the cloak he wore, which was given to him by the generous man on his 'birthday'. He is at a complete and utter loss of what to do. He's struggling to keep himself from snapping and returning to what he used to be, and he does not want that to happen. Holding the fabric which he loved gave him a sense of false security, but even if the situation now was truly far from 'safe', at least feeling safe is better than having nothing at all.

The man was talking and walking just fine before, even managing to carry him down the street as well, yet in a blink of an eye, he turned from being a perfectly fine, caring one-armed man to a dying one on the streets. Each strained breath the man took, each bead of sweat that rolled down his jaw made the boy's thoughts more daunting and distressing.

The boy doesn't even know what to think anymore, his brain was already fully occupied by a huge cloud of tormenting thoughts.

He was clearly deliberately drowning himself in a torrent of gloom-ridden thoughts. 'He isn't going to get up. He isn't going to. We're going to die-' a brief flash of their bodies being carelessly dumped in a filthy alleyway amongst other rotting corpses crossed his mind, causing him to start shivering. 'P-please get up…tell m-me what's wrong…don't abandon me…Don't…LEAVE…ME!'

He wanted to stop thinking about all the bad feelings, all the despondent thoughts, but he doesn't know how to. All of this was so odd and new to him, but the man would always be there to support him. The man would crouch down in front of him, gaze at him endearingly and whisper words that would warm him up like a blanket, lulling him back to peace.

But the man couldn't do that now. He couldn't soothe his worries. Not with him half sprawled on the streets.

The boy felt completely and utterly useless that he can't do anything to help. And he knew that if the gang of drunkards came, he wouldn't even be able to protect the man. He felt so weak, desperately wished he was stronger, stronger than anyone else in the world so that he could protect the man from harm, like how the man protected, taught and took care of him.

"Hey…"

The boy could feel the gang approaching. 'Oh no…oh no…' Their muffled hollering was quickly getting louder and clearer, the clinking sound of metal being dragged was so heart wrenchingly painful to listen to, each clink sent a spasm to his neck.

"Hello? Is that man ok?..."

He could attempt killing all of them…he could take out a man with a metal bat, and then take that bat off him and work his way through the gang until none of them are left. Yes, he could do it.

But the man said to not kill. Or to steal or to snatch. No matter what. But he wouldn't mind if it was only once, right? Just this one time…he'll drench himself in blood again. He simply just wished to protect him.

"Hey boy! Where are you going!" The voice of a certain person that took notice of the two that had been completely oblivious and ignored by the boy finally decided that he's had enough of being ignored. The person reached out, grabbing the boy on the shoulder. He tugged the boy towards him and kept his grip tight, keeping the boy with him. He used his other hand to turn the boy around but failed as he literally jumped out of his skin and immediately sprung backwards, out of the person's reach.

The boy screamed out in surprise, and immediately his reflexes from his previous life kicked in, which he tried desperately to get rid of in the past, but somehow still stayed with him. "AHH!" –'They're already here they're already here…what do I do…THEy'Re GoINg tO kILL US-'

His muscles, now much more developed, convulsed at the other person's touch, haphazardly coiling back and fearfully turned his head to glare at the drunkards that had touched him. But instead of glaring at some drunk bastards, his harsh glare was set upon a stranger draped in a thick, grey coat, with sandy yellow hair and a set of peculiar blue eyes. Something in his brain clicked back to his more civilised ways when he realised the stranger held a perplexingly worried expression.

'Will he help us-' was the first hopeful thought that came into his mind. 'No no no…nobody from the underground will help…nobody…'

The stranger's gaze quickly darted down the dark alleyway where the gang of some violent drunkards were slithering out of. He knew they were bad news, and knowing that this is the underground, they won't hesitate to take advantage of a half-conscious, possibly sick man and a kid that's no older than ten.

"Hey, um, kid…we should quickly get your…father out of here…" He hesitated slightly trying to decipher their relationship, "Before they get here." He pointed out to strengthen the urgency that they get out of their quick.

The boy uncoiled himself from his protective position which he took on after being touched, and instead recomposed himself as best as he could before narrowing his eyes, looking at the other suspectingly. "Why should I trust you?" The boy whispered with an edge. "Sir." He quickly added, as to put into use what the man had taught him. He didn't quite catch onto the fact that the other just called his parental figure as his actual father.

The sandy-haired stranger was most definitely not ready for a kid like him to question trust; it's simply unnatural at such an age. Then again, he knew this was the underground and no one, not even a ruffled kid like the one before him can be too careful down in this filthy place. The stranger scratched his head and racked his brain for a persuasive explanation.

"I'm a doctor, you see, and I come from above." He insisted earnestly. "And your…father…definitely looks like he needs medical attention." He furrowed his brows as his trained eyes caught onto the man's lips which were turning a slightly mauve.

"…" 'Father?' This time he caught on, and his eyes widened a few fractions, retightening his grip on the dark green cloak. "You're f-from above?" He questioned again. 'Maybe Old man and this guy know each other…they're both from the surface…'

"Well-"

CLANG!

A very slurred voice erupted loudly from the alley way right after the huge clang. "Ohhhhhh bro, you feelin' like bea'ing some'ing uap raight now?" He asked, but more like demanded. His head dramatically snapped towards the small crowd of three's direction. "I spyyyy with my lil' eyeee…something w-worth bea'ting the hic cccrapp out OF!" At that, he whipped his dented and rusty pole violently at a wall, denting it even further. A spray of plaster flew from the wall, creating a small cloud of grey to ominously hover in the air.

The self-acclaimed doctor slowly stood up, as if not to induce any reason why the drunkards should attack them. Without hesitating, he wrapped slid an arm around the collapsed man's waist and gently tugged him up firmly. The sheer light-weighted-ness of the man startled him slightly as he pulled him up, causing him to stumble backwards. Despite the developed looks, he was as light as a feather compared to others that seem exactly like him, but then again, who knew how many layers of clothing he was wearing?

He quickly glanced down the alleyway just to make sure they haven't advanced, and thank the three walls they haven't. "Hey kid…" He whispered quietly, as to not startle the drunkards and send them off into a killing frenzy. "Let's go."

The boy had no choice to follow. He has no other choice. He's heard about doctors from his uncle before; about how expensive and rare they are, and how stuck up and selfish they could be with their customers, always demanding money. But he decided not to trust his uncle's judgements any longer, as his saviour has proven his uncle's ideas wrong enough times.

"Doctors help you get better." The man told him when his legs were painfully marred during a 'small' accident. "There's nothing to be afraid of, doctors are…pretty decent."

The boy remembered seeing a flash of pain, dejection and guilt cross the man's features at the mention of what doctors are like, but it disappeared just as instant as it appeared. It was as if the man used to know a doctor.

So without verbal complaint, he quickly gathering the groceries that were dropped and dubiously trailed behind the doctor which he decided to trust…but if he were to do anything bad…and even if he was a mere seven year old brat, he was going to find a way to kill the doctor - retrieve his ol' man and get him back home. How? He's only going to think about it when the time comes.

The three arrived in front of a small stall just around the corner of the street, selling fruit, vegetables and a bunch of others at a decent price, and grandpa sitting on a stool at the front smiled as he saw the familiar faces. The grandpa slowly rose up from his seat and grabbed his wooden cane, shuffling over towards them.

"Ho ho ho," He chuckled deeply, as if seeing a doctor carrying an unconscious man with a boy trailing behind was normal. "My dear nephew Deilan, you sure took your time with your walk."

After hearing the word 'nephew', the boy raised his head and stared curiously at the shop keeping grandpa. It was then he realised that this was the shop in which the man took him to all the time to buy produces, and the grandpa that was standing in front of him always told him to 'take his time' with all the money math. But he kept his face blank and simply stared. Part of his mind was still stuck in the maniacal phase he went through just then; still thinking about the gang, still thinking how useless he was back there, and if he tried smiling it would show as a demented half smiling, half lamenting frown-smile.

"Yeah…I'm sorry uncle, I sort of got side-tracked when I saw this guy slumped at the side of the road." The doctor's blue eyes twinkled and he gave a nervous smile and sighed. "I just had to help him, you know."

The corners of the grandpa's eyes creased, displaying that his smile was still there. "As kind as ever…and, ho ho ho, I see this young lad has finally collapsed. He's been looking a bit somnolent for the past week~" He continued airily. "And this cute kid is still following him around." He turned and nodded at the boy, who was still observantly staring at him.

The doctor, Deilan, still carrying the man, raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You know these two?" he asked. "And he's been in a tired condition for a week?" He lowered his eyebrows and forced them into a frown. "Good thing I found this person and not someone else, because I will make sure he gets his rest after this." He firmly stated.

"Ho ho ho, yes, they are regulars to this shop." The grandpa answered with slight mirth, then proceeded to shuffle slowly to the side, opening a way towards the front door of his abode. "Well then, you better get that lad inside. I'll go pack the store up and put on some jolly good tea." so, he opened the door with a steady push, then ushered them inside before walking off again with his cane to close his side stall. "Ho ho ho~"

Deilan, the doctor, carefully manoeuvred around the delicate shelves of memoires and photos and the small wooden dining table for four which also had a small display of framed sepia photographs. After finally making his way to the couch, he carefully laid the man down on it. The man's face was awfully pale and his breaths were barely registerable, it was almost as if he is having a super bad case of blood loss, maybe low blood pressure or even low blood sugar level. Whatever it is, he was going to find a way and bring him back to the healthy side. He was a doctor who worked with another younger doctor that could cure almost anyone.

The round rimmed glasses, the semi-long wavy brown hair that and the utterly mind chilling green eyes that could stare straight into your soul if he tried. That doctor was slightly odd in the head compared other doctors, but he would miracles on our patients, creating a cure when there was none, healing the sick with nearly nothing. For some reason, the person he was observing right now oddly reminded him of his younger companion, but he couldn't place a finger on what. Though he's pretty sure this was a coincidence.

The boy followed Deilan through the tall maze of upholstery and immediately ran to his old man's side, pinning his gaze on him, thinking that if he looked away the man would suddenly stop breathing completely. "S-sir…You can save him right?" He asked pleadingly, his gaze never leaving the minute rise and fall of the man's chest. "Right?" He finished with a whisper. He slid his smaller hand into his colder and paler one and hoped that the other with squeeze it, wake up and tell him that everything will be just fine. But the bigger hand stayed unmoving and frigid.

"Yes. He will get better." Deilan answered the boy's plea. "He's not that sick, and being a young man at his age, he will definitely recover." He gave a smile, not caring if the boy saw it or not.

"Promise?"

"Ok, I promise." He confirmed. He was a doctor after all, and one that came from above. He couldn't help but let a part of his mind ponder on one, slightly off topic matter. 'Such a sweet father and son relationship~…wait…they're related…right?'

-Deilan is an OC, so don't worry.

Pls FFR if you can, they make my entire day!

And love y'all for reading this! I hope next Chap won't take as long as this one to update!

- Bubblesssss

Ps. pls excuse any mistakes!

Pss. Thank you for sticking around!