Chapter 26
Aya's eyes snapped open. He craned his neck, looking over to see Yohji fast asleep at his bedside, clutching his hand tightly. He supposed it was the death grip Yohji had on him that had woken him.
His body felt…wrong. It was like his skin was crawling and warm, and every pore felt like it had a needle stuck in it. He forced himself to sit up despite the agony that ripped through his body.
"Yohji?" Aya called in a hoarse voice, his throat feeling like sandpaper.
Yohji all but fell over with surprise as he woke, but quickly recovered and started checking Aya over for injuries.
"How do you feel?" Yohji asked, catching his face in his hands and staring into his eyes. He couldn't lie with Yohji looking so sad and desperate.
"Like hell," Aya admitted, sagging back down onto the bed against his will.
"What happened?" Aya looked around, something had to have happened to him for him to feel so sick…Aya's eyes widened as he remembered what Schuldig and Crawford had done to him. He grit his teeth against he memory. It was too much! And Schuldig was right, Yohji was pitying him right now.
"I…Uh," Yohji looked away for a moment.
"After you came for me, what happened," Aya clarified.
"Kyriel saved your life, but he was too weak to fully heal you without killing himself, so Gabriel stopped him partway through…Kyriel said you would be up to full strength in a few days," Yohji gathered him up into his arms and clutched him tight.
"You scared the shit out of me! I thought I was going to lose you!" Yohji admitted, and Aya could feel the tears against his shoulder.
"I thought I was dead," Aya admitted. He'd actually felt his soul slipping away, but then felt like something had grabbed it as it had left, caged it. He'd never admit it, but he'd been terrified regardless of the light he had felt coming off of his captor. He hadn't trusted that light even though it had felt so familiar.
He wondered if Kyriel knew just how full of light and warmth he was. Probably not, the Seraph seemed to see himself as some sort of monster.
"I think you might've been dead for a minute, but Kyriel brought you back. I swear it felt like you weren't breathing when I went through the portal!"
"A few days?" Aya suddenly sat back, it just sinking in. He was going to be useless for days?
"Thought you'd like that part," Yohji snorted.
"But when you get your strength back you'll be stronger than before, so that's a plus," Yohji leaned in and kissed him soundly. It felt so good to finally be back with his lover. He'd longed for Yohji's touch to wipe away Schuldig's and Crawford's.
"Is Kyriel alright?" He hadn't failed in keeping Kyriel safe, at least. Schwarz had left him alone when they'd grabbed Aya.
"Well, one of his wings is still kind of mangled, and he's really weak, but he's alive."
"When did his wing get mangled?" Aya asked, frowning. He suddenly remembered Kyriel crumpling to the ground when he'd been grabbed. Had he broken it when…
"When you were taken," Yohji said, as though he'd read his thoughts.
"It was almost a fatal wound, but Tarlen and Gabriel held him together. He can't fly though, well, he can barely walk, either, so he's staying in bed. Silver threatened to tie him down, so he's behaving," Yohji snorted at the last part. There were so many stubborn people on both teams, it was ridiculous. And he'd never have pegged Kyriel as a stubborn one until he had seen the man injured.
"I should thank him," Aya forced himself to move toward the edge of the bed. He had to get up. He wasn't good at expressing gratitude, but if Kyriel hadn't stepped in then he would've lost the only things in his life that meant anything at all. Aya-Chan and Yohji. How would his sister have gone on without him? Pregnant as she was. And Yohji, they hadn't had enough time together since they'd admitted their love to one another. He didn't want it to end yet.
"You need to lay back down, you stubborn ass!" Yohji growled, moving to shove him back down onto the bed.
"With or without your help, I am going to see him, Yohji," Aya warned, glaring at him.
"Fine, fuck! Whatever! Just give me a minute!" Yohji griped, getting up. He grabbed one of Aya's arms and slung it over his shoulder, wrapping his arm around the swordsman's waist, hefting him to his feet.
Aya was barely standing at all. He was just glad Yohji was strong enough to support his weight and smart enough to keep his mouth shut about it…for now anyway.
Aya winced at the pain that seared through his shoulder blades. It felt like someone had driven a knife through them from the inside! He didn't remember Schuldig and Crawford doing anything to his back!