When your day is long

And the night

The night is yours alone

When you're sure you've had enough

Of this life

Well hang on

Don't let yourself go

'Cause everybody cries

And everybody hurts sometimes

Sometimes everything is wrong

Now it's time to sing along

When your day is night alone (hold on)

(Hold on) if you feel like letting go (hold on)

If you think you've had too much

Of this life

Well, hang on

'Cause everybody hurts

Take comfort in your friends

Everybody hurts

Don't throw your hand

Oh, no

Don't throw your hand

If you feel like you're alone

No, no, no, you're not alone

If you're on your own

In this life

The days and nights are long

When you think you've had too much

Of this life

To hang on

Well, everybody hurts sometimes

Everybody cries

And everybody hurts sometimes

And everybody hurts sometimes

So, hold on, hold on

Hold on, hold on

Hold on, hold on

Hold on, hold on

Everybody hurts

You are not alone

By R.E.M.

Chapter 11: Everybody Hurts

Hitomi allowed her tense body to relax in Folken's embrace. His simple act of kindness had done more to calm her mind than anything else. She inhaled his scent deeply, he still carried a faint aroma that reminded her of Gaea. Her arms found their way to encircle him, her hands holding on tightly. "Thank you…" she whispered.

"You're welcome to stay the night, if you wish." Folken proposed, not yet ready to end the embrace. Hitomi considered his offer, taking into consideration the pros and cons of staying. The only major issue she could think of was it would be a longer commute to school in the morning. Perhaps this was something she needed, a night away from her broken home. To not be reminded of all that she had lost.

Deciding that she had nothing to lose by staying the night, she agreed to his offer. She rested her head against his firm chest and basked in his calming aura. It was strange to her that something so simple as a comforting embrace was able to wash away her pain and sorrow.

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Dilandau returned to his room, which had already been rearranged for his stay. He changed out of his school uniform and into the black and crimson tatewaku yukata that had been laid out for him. After tying the matching kakuobi he stepped out onto the engawa off his room. The sun had begun to set behind the canopy of the surrounding trees, painting the sky above with hues of golden amber with hints of indigo.

He took a seat on the cushioned muji chair, reclining to stare aimlessly up at the darkening sky. Despite his peaceful surroundings, he still found himself feeling agitated. His agitation only further intensified as he recollected his meeting with Folken earlier in the day.

Folken was seated at the dark lacquered chabudai, reviewing some paperwork. "I warned you to leave her alone, Dilandau." his eyes remaining focused on the open book before him.

Dilandau rolled his eyes before making his way over to the open window. "I will do as I please." He grumbled as folded his arms across his chest. This is a waste of time, he thought angrily, I don't owe him an explanation. "Besides, I didn't harm her as you requested."

Folken closed the book before him and set it aside. "You should have let her be. You had no reason to interfere in her livelihood." His warm mahogany eyes narrowed as he observed the silver haired boy become noticeably more agitated. "What were you hoping to achieve?"

"It's none of your damn business!" Dilandau suddenly burst out angrily. "I had my reasons! Just leave it at that!" He closed his fists tightly, trying to resist the urge to punch a hole through the wall. He clenched his jaw as he tried to prevent his anger from spiraling out of control.

He hated to admit it, but Folken had been right. He should have let her be. He should have just stayed at the ryokan. His life would have remained less complicated if he had just heeded his warning. Instead he selfishly chose to fulfill his own personal desires, which had completely backfired on him. He couldn't understand why he didn't feel any gratification after breaking her last shred of hope. Instead he found himself feeling devoid of his anticipated satisfaction.

She must have done something to him to cause a change within himself. He felt certain that she was to blame. He used to be so sure of himself, never questioning his actions or motivations. But now, he didn't know what to think or believe. He barely knew who he was anymore.

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Hitomi had returned to her room after spending dinner with Folken. It felt refreshing to finally have someone whom she could talk to that didn't require her to tiptoe around the truth. It was as if he had lifted an overburdensome weight off her shoulders. As wonderful as it was to have someone who understood her on a deeper level, it still couldn't completely alleviate the pain and sorrow still lurking in her heart.

As she made her way over to her futon, which had been prepared for her, she began to undress. She took off her blazer and hung it up in the closet before undoing her red bowtie, which she tucked into the breast pocket of the blazer. She knelt down at the foot of her futon and picked up the tray containing bathing supplies and a neatly folded yukata. She then made her way to the private bathing room adjoined to her room.

A long soak in the tub is just what she needed. The soothing hot water relaxed and eased her tired body. She gingerly raised a hand above the surface of the water, bringing a finger to trace the nearly healed scar on one of her wrists. The scars would be her badge of shame, her constant reminder of how she lost complete control of her life. "How could I have been so foolish?" she wondered aloud. "All because of a stupid boy…"

She leaned her head back and stared blankly up at the ceiling. It still hurt to think about, to think that Van could have moved on with his life so quickly. Her mind was an unending battlefield, fighting between logical and emotional reasoning. She had tried to think about the situation logically, Van was a king and as a king had certain duties to fulfill. It wasn't outlandish to think that he would have to marry and produce heirs to his throne.

Her broken heart always seemed to triumph over logic as she relieved the pain of witnessing him express his love to another. She could feel herself being dragged down into the dark abyss that was her mind, being surrounded by her feelings of inadequacies. She wanted to swim to the surface, to break away from the pain that weighed her down, but it seemed an impossible task. Van was her first love, the first boy she had had the courage to utter those three powerful words to, "I love you."

She gave her head a little shake, trying to physically shake out the unwanted thoughts plaguing her mind. The bath seemed to have failed her, she concluded. It couldn't wash away her sorrows. Sighing heavily, she left the warm waters of the tub to dry herself off before changing into the indigo and white tatewaku yukata she had been provided.

She gazed at the futon for a moment debating whether she should just turn in for the night. Her mind however was too wound up and she knew that if she tried to go to sleep she would just end up laying there wide awake staring at the ceiling. Her eyes wandered from the futon to the shoji door that led to the engawa, maybe I just need some fresh air, she thought before making the decision to step out of her room.

The sun had long since set, leaving the moon to be the night sky's source of light. Hitomi inhaled cool night air deeply. The sprawling ryokan was like a little piece of paradise on earth. The lit paper lanterns lining the open courtyard gave an otherworldly feeling. Finding herself entranced by the majestic atmosphere, she decided to go for an evening stroll around the courtyard.

The peaceful atmosphere would not last long. It was abruptly distubed by the sound of ceramic shattering on the stone pathway before her. Curious, Hitomi made a cautious approach figuring it was just a clumsy guest. To her surprise, she found Dilandau reclined in his chair with a dazed look upon his face. She knelt down to pick up the pieces and caught a whiff of sake.

"Why…" she heard him groan, "Why is it always you…" he rolled his head to glare at her.

"Excuse me?" Her brows furrowed together.

"You... you've ruin'd everything…" his words had slurred together. He held up the bottle of sake and went to refill his non-existent cup. He stared at his empty hand confused, wondering where his cup had disappeared to.

"Excuse me?"

Dilandau took a swig from the bottle, "You heard me onna. You… you ruin everything…"

Hitomi felt her ire begin to rise at his accusation. He had some gall to even think of blaming her for anything. "You're one to talk!" She snapped back, throwing the broken pieces of his ochoko in his direction. "My life was already shit and you just had to go ahead and make everything worse! You're the one that found me, not the other way around!" He let out a chuckle before taking another swig from the bottle. "What's so funny?" Hitomi growled. She was fed up with his attitude and had very little patience for his drunken demeanor.

"So you would've rathered lived in ignorance? Believin' that pathetic piece o' shit was gonna come save you?" He laughed maniacally before leaning towards her, "Onna, I did you a favour." he held the sake bottle out, offering her a drink.

Hitomi knocked his hand away. She was so livid and furious with him. "A-a favour?! I tried to kill myself because of you!"

"And for some reason I saved you…" He took a large swig of the sake and leaned back in his chair. He still couldn't understand why he did it, what possessed him to act so valiantly. "I don't know why…" he brought his gaze to meet hers, "Onna, tell me why I did it…"

Hitomi was taken aback and rendered speechless by the sullen look in his eyes. His pained expression was reminiscent of the one she had observed in her dream. She tore her gaze away from him and moved to seat herself on the ledge of the engawa. "I don't know, to prolong my suffering?" she mumbled, her eyes finding their way to her exposed wrists.

"Nah… I'd had my fun… we'ere even onna…" he closed his eyes, all this thinking was making his head spin again. He longed for a clear cut answer. "Onna... use your witch powers and tell me."

Hitomi glanced over her shoulder and raised a brow, "Witch powers?" she repeated, uncertain if she heard him correctly.

"Yea… you're the Moon Witch… use your witch powers." She rolled her eyes at how ill-informed he had been about her abilities. She most certainly was not a witch, but she supposed she could understand how he may have come to that conclusion.

"I can't," she eventually replied, looking away from him. "I gave up on divination a long time ago."

"C'mon… just do it already... I need to know…" he whined.

She clenched her fists at his demand. That was precisely why she had given up on it. She had been too accurate, she had been forced to see things she didn't want to see and those images haunted her. The idea of looking into his past sent a chill up her spine. Folken hadn't disclosed much to her, but she could only imagine the things he must have been put through as one of Ziabach's experiments.

She slumped forward, resting her head in her hands. "It's not that simple… and besides, it's been so long that I don't think I even can do that anymore." It wasn't a complete lie, she had told herself. It hadn't been since the war that she had used her ability, she couldn't be sure if she still had it.

Dilandau sighed loudly, "Fuck, Folken was right… fuck… I hate it when he's right…" He brought the bottle to his lips and went to take another swig of the sake. However his thirst would remain unquenched as all that had been left was a single drop. He looked at the bottle with disappointment upon his realization it was empty.

Curious, Hitomi inquired what Folken had told him. "I dunno… somethin' about me feelin' guilt or remorse or some bullshit like that… I don't feel those… or at least I didn't before…" he frowned as the pain in his head seemed to return. He had tried to numb it with the sake earlier in the night, but it appeared to be lacking that ability now.

The anguish in his tone caught Hitomi's attention, compelling her to turn towards Dilandau. He looked utterly broken and defeated, a sight she had never imagined she would witness. Maybe Folken was right... Her eyes focused on him, studying him. If Celena's purpose was to keep his emotions at bay then… then he really doesn't know what it's like to feel remorse and guilt… Hitomi felt her head begin to spin with her sudden revelation. It felt unusual for her to see this once fearsome foe appear so vulnerable.

"Onna...make it stop…" the bottle tumbled from his fingers, landing with a thud on the wooden floor. He brought both hands up to his head, running his fingers through his silky silver locks of hair. The onslaught of emotions he was finding himself experiencing were becoming overwhelming. He needed something, anything, to put an end to it.

"Could you stop calling me that? I have a name you know." she reached over to pick up the empty sake bottle before it could roll away and over the ledge. She found it particularly irritating as he was well aware of her name and instead chose to simply refer to her as onna.

"Fiiiiiine…" he exhaled, "Make it stop, Hitomi…" She was caught off guard hearing him call her by her name. She didn't expect him to so willingly use it.

"I can't…" she finally answered, slowly bringing her gaze back to him. He hadn't moved much, still reclined in his seat appearing to be on the brink of falling asleep or perhaps blacking out. She sighed quietly to herself, not understanding why she had the sudden urge to show him some semblance of kindness. She rose from where she sat and sauntered over to his side. "Come on, let's get you to bed before you pass out." She held out her hand, offering to help him stand.

His crimson eyes peaked open and stared blankly at her open hand. He frowned, displeased that she thought he was incapable of standing on his own. He was the great Dilandau Albatou afterall. Ignoring her offer, he attempted to stand on his own. It would be a decision he would quickly regret. The sudden burst of energy he had expelled to bring himself to stand proved to be a little too much. The world around him seemed to spin unnecessarily fast, making it nearly impossible for him to maintain his balance.

Hitomi let out a sharp gasp and instinctively reached out to grasp him by his forearm, preventing him from stumbling backwards and falling off the engawa. She gripped his arm tightly and yanked him forward. In her panic, she used a little too much effort as he came stumbling forward, crashing into herself. She used all the strength she had to prevent them from both falling over.

The force of the collision nearly knocked the wind out of Dilandau's lungs, causing him to rest himself in her arms. He was forced to close his eyes to prevent the world around him from spinning and to regain some composure. The sake had hit and it had hit him hard. "uhhh..Dilandau…" Hitomi mumbled into his chest as she struggled to keep them both from falling over.

"mmhmm?"

Hitomi felt her cheeks begin to flush as she felt him tighten his grip on her. "Uhh….let's get you to bed, okay?" she tried to gently push him backwards to give herself some room to breathe. He loosened his hold and mumbled something akin to an agreement. She put her arm around his back for support and to better direct him back into his room.

Each step seemed to take longer than it should have with how inebriated Dilandau appeared to be. "We're almost there, just a few more steps…" The finish line was within sight. Once they had made it to the futon, Hitomi was faced with the next ordeal of getting him into bed. It would have been simpler if his room had contained a western style bed instead of a futon, she had determined.

As tempting as it would have been to simply let gravity do its job, Hitomi couldn't bring herself to be that cruel to him. "Okay, I'm going to need your help here," She told him as she braced his body. Dilandau mumbled some nonsensical words and slowly knelt down with the aid of Hitomi. Once he had felt his knees touch the tatami floor, he proceeded to crawl in under the kakebuton.

"That was easier than I expected," Hitomi thought aloud as she tried to straighten out his cover. His eyes had closed the moment his head hit the pillow. She found it was strange to see him appear so calm and peaceful. Feeling satisfied with her accomplishment, Hitomi leaned over to turn off the light.

"Dunn... wanna…" Dilandau moaned in his sleep, which startled her. She paused, keeping her fingers on the light switch. When she didn't hear him after a few silent moments, she proceeded with turning off the light. "...alone…" He moaned as he rolled over onto his side.

"Di-Dilandau?" Hitomi asked in a whisper, wondering if he was awake or asleep. Is he talking to me or just dreaming? Silence filled the air, only the sounds of their breaths could be heard. She watched as his brows furrowed, he must be having a bad dream… I should go… yea, definitely should go...

As she prepared to stand up, she felt his hand grip onto her own. She tried to pry her hand away, but it only seemed to encourage him to hold on tighter. Well this is just great… she sarcastically thought to herself before she felt him pull her hand closer to himself.

The abrupt movement nearly knocked her off balance. Her quick reflexes were all that prevented her from falling onto him. Well… this isn't awkward at all…and how can he have such a tight grip in his sleep?! She shifted her body to lay down on the floor next to his futon. She had come to terms with her temporary fate. She would have to stay put until he decided to relinquish her hand.

As she stared up at the ceiling, she wondered how the night ended up the way it did. This certainly wasn't the way she had envisioned her day going. She gave her hand a gentle tug, testing to see if Dilandau still had his death grip on her. She promptly got her answer when she felt her hand barely budge. She turned her head to face him, looking at him contemplatively. She felt torn, not knowing what to do. Guess I'll stay for a little while longer… He'll have to let go eventually…

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A/N: Well this is not how I had things planned, lol! But I didn't have a solid plan to begin with for this chapter. But overall I think I'm happy with the outcome. Next chapter will have lots of new content! I'm getting really excited about what's coming up next!