"The human will make a full recovery. His nose and wrist were broken, and it'll take around two weeks with therapy to heal. Lucas, on the other hand, is in a more critical situation. His windpipe was crushed, and while we are doing everything we can for him, we aren't too hopeful. If I were you, I'd begin saying your goodbyes and making the necessary arrangements," the doctor said in a monotone voice. I nearly corrected him on the fact that the human's name was Nathan, but now wouldn't have been the best of times. Too fast, too soon.

"Thank you. We'll get on that right away," Basilisk smiled, keeping her composure. It didn't take an empath to understand that the events of the last two weeks were taking a toll on her, but at the same time, she did a pretty good job hiding the fact that she was.

The doctor nodded and walked into another patient's room. Everyone filed into Lucas's room. Except me. I never knew Lucas well enough to feel bad about him now, so I visited Nathan instead.

He was sitting in his hospital bed, examining the cast on his wrist. "How's Lucas," he asked as he felt the material of the cast. He didn't make any eye contact with me.

"He's not doing well. The doctors aren't hopeful," I responded, hesitant to step into the room.

His shoulders slumped, "Great." I could tell he was playing the same game Basilisk was playing, but I couldn't tell who it was for. Me or himself?

"They're saying their goodbyes now if you want to-"

He held up his good hand, "I can't. The doctor said I had to hang around here for a bit longer. Something about therapy," He looked at me. "When were you going to tell me?"

I broke eye contact, "I don't know… I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter," he muttered, sounding defeated.

"Are you okay?" I asked, taking a step closer to him.

"Does it look like I'm okay?!" he suddenly snapped. "I got my fucking ass handed to me by some dude wearing armor, and because I was so hesitant, Lucas is going to die! So, yes, Violet, I feel absolutely fan-fucking-tastic!"

His outburst startled me, and I jumped back. I had never expected to ever see him this angry. Was I being lied to again? I wanted to leave, but I couldn't. Even if he was angry, something drew me back into him. I can't quite place what it is, but I would be lying if I said it didn't worry me.

He glanced up at me, "Sorry, Violet. I think I just need some alone time right now."

I agreed against my better judgment and waited outside his room for Arceus, knows how long. When he finally came up, he looked surprised to see me, which caused a thought to cross my mind. What if I am moving too fast, and if so, am I making him uncomfortable? Arceus, I really hope I wasn't.

Being the first to respond to his call for help awakened something in me. I had broken away from the firefight we were engaged in to rush downstairs for him. I was terrified that I would lose him, although I suppose he isn't mine. It just feels right to say. When I did see him, that fear didn't dissipate. It was only made more significant.

There I saw him, lying beside Lucas with his arm drooping over him to shield him from whatever attacked them. It was at that moment that I realized something. Even in that broken and bloodied state, I found him in, he was trying to protect another. I finally accepted that this was the Guardian, and since then, I've felt wrong being away from him.

"You're still here? Did you spend the entire hour out here?" he asked. I nodded, to which he shook his head, "You really don't need to do that, but I suppose I should be grateful you are here."

He glanced uneasily at the door leading to Lucas, and I understood, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, no, I just need some time to… think. You go and pay your respects first," he said, avoiding my gaze.

"I understand," I smiled and stepped into Lucas's room. As soon as the door shut behind me, I sighed. I didn't have the heart to tell Nathan I didn't want to do this. It's not that I didn't care. It's just that I don't know Lucas. Neither does he, but he isn't supposed to be an eternal enemy of Lucas's people.

I stepped closer to Lucas, who lay motionless in the same bland hospital bed Nathan was in. He was so static that the only indicator he was alive was the heart rate monitor next to him. Now that I think of it, this room is just as dull, if not blander, than the other one. At least Nathan's room had a boring picture hanging on the wall. The only thing of color in this room was Lucas himself.

Speaking of Lucas, he was in terrible shape. In my panic to protect Nathan, I guess I failed to take a close look at Lucas. Through all the fur, you can tell that he was terribly bruised. On his neck, he had several stitches. Even if I was supposed to hate his kind, I couldn't help but feel saddened. A tear escaped my eye before I swallowed back the sadness.

"I didn't expect to see you here," Lucas said hoarsely, which startled me.

I sighed, "I didn't expect to see me here either, but Nathan needed some more time."

"You don't need to hide away anymore," he tried to say softly.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded. He smiled and tried to take a deep breath. I cringed at the noise. "What? You aren't going to respond to that?" I faced away from him, and before I could walk away, he grabbed my arm.

"You must protect him. I see now that your fate is intertwined with his. Protect him and never let go."

I pulled my arm from his grasp and headed for the door. Before I left, though, I turned to look at him one last time, "I'm sorry that I never treated you right. I may not have known you well, but I knew enough to respect you."

As I left the room, the sound of that heart rate monitor followed me. Even as Nathan took my place in the room, I could still hear it. With every rhythmic beat of his heart, I felt a pit grow in me. One that grew larger with each passing second.

Lucas was right. I did hide too much of myself away from Nathan if that was what he meant, but it all is for a good reason. If he knew what I had done, he'd want nothing to do with me. Then again, I hid that I was a zoroark from him, and he strangely doesn't seem bothered knowing the truth. Maybe I am overreacting?

After a few minutes, Nathan slowly slipped out of Lucas's room with a grim look. It didn't take a genius to understand what had happened, nor that it deeply affected him. I reached out to comfort him, but he gently brushed me aside and walked past me. He came back flanked by a lot of medical staff who frantically rushed into Lucas's room.

After watching the door shut, Nathan finally spoke, "Do you know a place where I can get a drink?"

"There's a bar across the street, but I don't know if-"

"Take me to it," he cut me off.

"But I don't know if we'd get in trouble," I explained.

He held up his hand, "Respectfully, I don't give a damn whether or not I get in trouble. I just want, no, NEED a drink right now."

I sighed, "Follow me. I guess I could use something similar as well."

As I led him outside, we bumped into Tommy, who looked relieved to see Nathan. After getting closer to us and having the chance to study his face, the color on his face quickly drained. He shook it off as fast as possible and tried to return to a look of relief. I wanted to ask him about it, but not in front of Nathan.

"Where are you guys going? Didn't you hear-"

"We are heading to get a drink," I quickly said, cutting him off.

He made a strange face, then spoke, "I hear that. We could all use a drink after the last two weeks. I'll let Basilisk know and cover for you if need be," he then pushed past us and headed off in the direction of the medical wing.

I couldn't help but be surprised at Tommy's sudden change. I don't quite speak for Nathan, but I've known nothing but cruelty from him for the last two weeks. To suddenly be treated with kindness came as a complete and utter shock.

"You know you didn't have to protect me like that," Nathan said suddenly. I looked over at him, and I could understand what had scared Tommy. I could see a burning hatred behind his deep blue eyes and wear and despair.

I tried shaking off any uneasiness that I felt and smiled, "And you don't need to defend yourself on your own," I saw the hatred subside, and he even smiled a bit.

"Thanks. It means a lot, especially now," he smiled, faded a bit, and looked away, "But that's something to talk about once I'm a few drinks in."

I brought him outside the facility, where he again gawked in amazement at the sight of the city. He lost himself in awe, and all those emotions he had been holding onto washed away. The sight of him like that made me happy.

"What? They didn't have any skyscrapers from where you came from?" I teased.

"They did, but none were this big!" he exclaimed with the giddiness of a child.

"Later tonight, I can show you a better view of the city," I purposed, to which he nodded eagerly.

I then brought him into the bar called The Bar of the Republic. One of the few places in the city openly welcomed pokémon to sit and drink alongside humans, but that didn't mean I didn't get a few strange looks as we walked in. Much to my relief, there were other pokémon at the bar.

The bar itself wasn't too unique. Like many of the small bars I've been to, it has that rustic look. Various items were proudly hung on the walls to try and decorate the place. There were even a few televisions broadcasting something about sports, politics, and some old-looking sitcom. A couple of tables populated the floor away from the actual bar.

We took a seat and waited for the bartender to come by. While we sat there, I took another look at Nathan. His childlike excitement had dissipated and was again replaced with that solemn look, thankfully lacking any hatred. When the bartender came over, I ordered some red wine, and Nathan ordered a beer, which surprised me, but to each their own. Once the drinks came, I tried talking to him.

"So, you big on drinking?" I questioned, taking a sip from the wine. I have always enjoyed wine and its rich history, associated with blood and enjoyed by nobility. Perhaps that's my bloodline speaking, but I struggle to enjoy any other drink even at that.

"I thought I was," he mumbled, holding the beer bottle with a sour face.

"Don't like the beer?"

"No, it just…" he trailed off, "Nothing. Just give me a couple, and I can drink it." A few minutes had passed, and he had still yet to touch his drink. Although, his sour expression morphed into one of intense guilt and sadness.

"Are you okay?" I asked, placing my hand on his shoulder.

He started to laugh, "You know what's funny? I waited nearly twenty-one years for someone to say that to me. Twenty-one fucking years!"

"What do you mean?"

"Back home, I didn't have a home, and I didn't have a family. In the grand scheme of our great social structure, I sat comfortably at the bottom of that list. I can't tell you how many times I was treated like shit or like I was invisible. It fucking sucked!"

He was beginning to raise his voice and was drawing attention to us, so I quickly dragged him out of the bar and into an alley next to the bar. He didn't protest, and he brought his beer with him. The moment we stopped, and I looked at him, that hatred came back, and he smashed the beer against the side of a brick wall and screamed.

His outburst startled me to the point where I jumped back, but what shocked me was how quickly it went away. Within moments, all that anger disappeared, and he fell to his knees and began to sob. I stood there completely lost at what to do, so I let instinct take over. I kneeled down next to him and wrapped him in a hug. He eagerly accepted and began to cry into my shoulder.

"This was supposed to be a fresh start," he whispered, "I fucked it."

"No, you didn't," I tried consoling.

"I killed him. I killed Lucas. I couldn't save him in time. I fucked up. I failed him."

I pulled back and looked him dead in the eye, and in my most serious voice, I said, "No, you didn't. You absolutely did not. You know that Lucas didn't think that just as well as I do. Hell, if everyone in the squad could give you a medal, they would."

"He's still dead. I did nothing to save him," he replied after some contemplation.

"You gave him a fighting chance and, on top of that, managed to fight off the Fallen Knight. There's a good chance we'd all be dead if you didn't do whatever you did," I rebuked. "So, get those thoughts out of your head."

He recoiled from me, "Who?" Any hint of sadness quickly disappeared.

"In and out of consciousness, you keep talking about a man clad in black armor with an evil red eye. The only thing that matches that description would be the Fallen Knight," I explained.

His face darkened quite a bit, "When I got down there, he had Lucas cornered. Lucas began to say something about a "she," and he absolutely lost it. He gripped him by the throat and slowly squeezed the life out of him. I tried to save him, and he nearly killed. I'm only alive because…" he looked at me, "This energy came from my palm and threw him into the wall behind him."

"You did what?!" I shouted, barely able to contain my excitement.

He looked startled by my energy and took a moment to collect himself, "I… I guess I shot some energy from my palm at him." I wrapped him into a bear hug and barely resisted the urge just to outright kiss him.

It was him! Without a doubt, it was him! Everything that I had gone through was finally validated. There were no more moments of feeling like I had my life built on some cruel lie. It was real, and now I could finally feel at home. No more running. No more running.

I loosened my grip on him, and he pulled back with a bewildered look. "What did I do?"

"More than you could possibly know," I responded while pulling him back into another hug. After a minute, I pulled away, "As much as I'd like to stay in this alleyway, we should probably head back."

He had a sullen look upon hearing this but agreed to return anyway. When we got back and returned to our area, we found Aurora sitting alone in the briefing room. It was clear to both of us that she was weeping. I wanted to walk away and pretend I saw nothing, but Nathan stopped me, or rather, what he said stopped me.

"I made a promise," he muttered. He opened the door to the briefing room and gestured for me to come in with him. I shook my head, made up some excuse about something else I had to do, and walked away.

I went into my side of the dorms and shut the door behind me. I quickly scanned the room to see if anyone was there, and once I was satisfied, a great wave of anger and jealousy came over me. I was damn near feral with how I was acting. I clawed at the air, threw furniture, and yelled.

It didn't take long for me to catch myself and realize what I was doing. I was throwing a temper tantrum over nothing and being territorial over someone that wasn't mine. I don't even understand why I feel like this. I was never this emotional or possessive over Arthur. We were together for three years before I figured out the truth.

The more I thought about Arthur, though, a wave of sadness crept over me. I didn't miss him. Not in the slightest, but what I did to him wasn't fair either. From what I've seen, Nathan is such a pure person. If fate exists and is true, he'll be with someone who can't bring light to the world like he does.

What am I even saying? I don't even know if he is as pure as I say. I wish I could understand what was happening to me! Why is everything I feel towards him so strong, and why can't I make sense of any of this anymore… I wonder if he feels the same way.