Chapter 23

A/N: Hullo everyone! And welcome back to my story I hope you will enjoy the new chapter!

It's somewhat short, but I hope you'll like it anyways :)

No warnings this time :D

Maria: Yeah, I'm afraid you'll just have to stick with the story and see how it develops – Sorry ;)

Please, don't forget to R&R ! :)

= 23 =

= 23 =

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= 23 =

"Envoy… hear my call. Answer me!". "Astral… hear me and return to us". "Envoy… Astral… come to us! Return to your origin! Return! We must speak with you… Do not delay… Come!".

With a gasp, Astral opened his eyes and placed a hand at one of his temples, looking almost pained. Beside him, Yuma turned his head to look at him, putting his phone away on the bedside hospital table.

"Hey, Astral. Are you alright? You don't look too good" he asked, worried. "I… I heard voices. They were… calling for me" the alien replied, shivering slightly as if cold. "Voices? That doesn't sound right… You must have been dreaming" Yuma commented. "I do not dream" Astral commented, now turning his head to meet Yumas eyes.

"How do you know? Maybe that's another human trait you're picking up, after having become seemingly permanently solid" the young man responded. "That thought is quite disconcerting" Astral commented, crossing his arms over his chest in his familiar fashion, looking thoughtful. In a way, he hoped Yuma was right. That the voices had been nothing but a dream. But something just told him, that wasn't the case.

Yuma sighed. "Come on Astral… Don't worry about it. It's probably nothing" he said, then yawned loudly. "I think I'm gonna head to the bathroom, and then catch a bit of shut-eye" he added and moved to leave the bed. "Do you require any assistance?" Astral asked, momentarily forgetting about his own worries, in favor of aiding his beloved.

"I… could use an arm to reach for if I need it" he responded and Astral was immediately out of bed. "You have it" he replied, and Yuma send him a small smile. "Thanks… I know Lizzy has requested I move on my own as much as possible, but having a bit of a safety plan doesn't hurt anyone" he said, before slowly getting out of bed and rising, hand on Astrals offered arm as he found his footing.

Whilst Yuma went about his business in the bathroom, Astral waited outside, looking thoughtful. Those voices had been familiar. He was certain he'd heard them before. They had called him envoy, and Astral as well. Had asked him to return to somewhere. Could it truly be, that they were nothing but a dream? They had seemed so real, almost commanding, as though they were given him orders which they expected him to follow. But why? Who were they? Were they anything at all?

"Ehh, Astral? Ehm hello? Over here!". Astral lifted his head, meeting Yumas red eyes. "Wow, you're really far away huh?" the human commented, sighing softly. "Still thinking of that weird dream of yours?" he then said and Astral diverted his eyes.

"It's okay Astral… I know how powerful dreams can feel. I've… tried something like it, myself, before. But you have to let it go. Otherwise, you'll never be able to live fully, understand?" Yuma continued. Now, it was Astrals turn to sigh. "Very well Yuma. I shall try" he replied, before offering Yuma an arm to lean on once more.

Yuma ignored it, in favor of grabbing Astrals hand tightly with his own and then sending his partner another smile. "It's gonna be okay Astral… Let's get back to bed" he said and Astral nodded, though he wasn't certain he agreed with his other half…

"Astral… we want you to come back… Return here, now!". "We summon you, Envoy! As we agreed, you MUST come back to us!". "Do not make us use force. Return to our world. Do NOT delay!". "COME, ENVOY!".

"Stop it!" Astral cried out, shooting up in the bed, panting rapidly. With a moan, he placed a hand over his eyes, moving until he could swing his legs over the edge of the bed, hand grasping the sheets tightly, back turned to Yuma.

Those voices… They were so familiar! Who… "Ah!" he gasped, shocked "Eliphas, Enna!". He knew now. Where he'd heard the voices before. In Astral World. But it had been so long since he's spoken to them, he'd almost forgotten what they sounded like.

Suddenly, he doubled over, crying out in pain, and crossed his arms over his chest, as if he was trying to keep himself together.

"Astral!" he heard Yuma gasp behind him and moments later, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Astral, what's wrong?! You're in pain! I can feel it! Talk to me, Astral!". "Yu… Yuma!" Astral moaned, turning his head to glance at the other, though it only lasted for a moment, before he moaned in pain again and nearly fell to the floor, only remaining on the bedside because Yuma had taken as firm a grip around his arm as he could.

"What's happening Astral?! What's wrong?!" the young man asked, fear and worry mixing in his voice. "Eliphas, Enna! They are calling me back! Astral World is summoning me! I MUST go Yuma!" the blue alien replied, breathing rapidly, bordering hyperventilating.

Moving up beside him, Yuma placed a hand on Astrals back and the other on his thigh, eyes constantly locked on him. "You can't, Astral! You're too weak to journey there right now, especially alone! And I'm still hospitalized, barely capable of standing on my own yet, so there's no way I can come with you" he said, looking worried.

"I have to, Yuma! It was part of the deal we made, that allowed me to come with you back to Earth, that I answer instantly if ever they summoned me back! They are calling me! I… I can't ignore them!" Astral replied, but Yuma shook his head. "You have to Astral! With both of us in these states, there's no way we can go! Can't you tell them that you'll come as soon as you're better?" he said.

Astral groaned. "They… they're calling me! I can feel myself being pulled towards them!" he said, shivering in his struggle to resist the summons. Yuma was right. If he was to go to Astral world, with things as they were right now, he'd have to go alone, and separating from Yuma when his other half was still severely weakened, even if he was no longer in mortal danger, was against everything Astral believed in.

Not to mention that with his own weakness, which was caused by how ill Yuma was, combined with all of the strange things that was going on with himself right now, he didn't much feel like facing the two Astralians, one of which was the will of Astral World itself, as well as its strongest guardian, after Astral had left to remain with Yuma, and the other the leader of the Astralian people.

No. His other half was right. He had to ignore them, at least for now. He didn't want to go to Astral World alone. He wanted, needed, Yuma to come with him. He needed his support, to face them in his current… unusual, circumstances.

"Astral!" Yuma called, and the blue being focused on his partner once more. "You… you are right, Yuma" he said, voice strained. "I must… try… and reach them. I cannot go there… without you".

Yuma nodded. "Do you need anything from me that might help you in doing so?" he asked. Astral shook his head. "Just… your presence… Let me know that… you are here" he replied, and Yuma nodded, taking Astrals hand and squeezing it tightly. "You've got it!" he said and with that, Astral closed his eyes, reaching out with his mind and presence, towards those voices who had called him.

After a few minutes, he gasped and opened his eyes again, panting rapidly, shaking more than before. "I… I cannot… reach them. I tried to convey that we needed time… But I do not know… if they heard me… I never… got an answer" he said, making Yuma frown.

"Sounds kind of bad" he responded quietly, but seeing Astrals state, he soon focused on him again. "Don't worry about it… As always, I'm here for you, if they try something again. It can't be that serious when they aren't even open to hearing back from you, right?" he asked and Astral swallowed.

"I certainly hope not" he replied, worried now, of what the reason for them summoning him might in truth be. It couldn't be because Astral World was under attack. If that was the case, he would have felt it and known for sure. Had that been the case, him and Yuma, he was certain, would have gone to their aid immediately, even without them having to summon him first.

But what then, could be the cause?...

The following two days, the calling continued, with shorter and shorter intervals in between. Astrals continued resistance to heed the call, was draining him far more than he'd thought it would, both mentally and physically. And that in turn, was affecting Yuma too. The condition of the young man was worsening once more, which concerned both the doctor and his nurses. They did not understand why the changes were occurring, and so they ran several tests on him, just like when he'd been in the ICU.

Astrals guilt gnawed at him without mercy, upon seeing that he was, once more, the cause of such pain and discomfort for his beloved Yuma. And yet the alien still could not bring himself to go to Astral World, without his other half.

When, in the middle of the night between the second and the third day, Astral once more woke up gasping, he finally snapped. "NO!" he cried out, jumping out of the bed and then instantly collapsing to the floor, arms flung around himself, as his body continuously shook under the strain.

"COME TO US!" the voices resounded in his head, even when he was no longer asleep, and he moaned loudly in pain, pressing the palms of his hands against his temples, face a grimace of agony.

Yuma heard him and weakly, he sat up in the bed, supporting himself against it with his hands, as he attempted to spot his partner. When he saw him, on the floor and in pain, he gasped and attempted to get to him, though it was a struggle for him to get out of bed.

Despite this, he still somehow managed it and once he did, he fell to his knees in front of Astral, placing his hands on the others thighs. "As…tral" he groaned weakly "What's… wrong?".

"I have to go… I have to go Yuma! I must go to them! NOW!" Astral replied, voice strained with pain and still shaking. "No… we… we can't Astral… I can't just… disappear, from the hospital. They'll… worry… And a search… will be initiated… I just… can't" his other half replied and Astral cried out in pain again, voice louder, nearing a scream. Agony. It was pure agony. And he couldn't handle it.

"I… I'm sorry Yuma… I… can't… I can't fight their call… any longer… I'm sorry" he moaned and suddenly, a portal appeared behind him out of nowhere, similar to the one that had transported Yuma and the others to Astral world in the past. Then Astral was enveloped in a yellow light-aura and Yuma knew that in moments, the alien would be pulled away from him, and his instincts made him move unconsciously.

Throwing his arms around Astrals waist, the aura then encircled Yuma as well and the next second, they were pulled in to the strange portal, travelling through space once more, to the place of Astrals origin…