Arya woke in a hospital room, confused until the memories started coming back to her.
"Hey, nice to see you awake." Haru's voice was soft beside her, his hand clasping hers gently.
"Hey.."
He scooted his chair closer. "You need anything?"
She shook her head slowly, "How is he?"
"Stable. Do you know why the killer changed his m.o.? Usually he only took women and left the men dead at the kidnapping scene."
She shook her head again before quietly suggesting, "Maybe he looked like a good screamer."
Haru winced and averted his eyes. "Wish I had gotten to kill the bastard."
"Me too.."
The younger man rubbed her hand. "Go back to sleep."
She nodded, slowly closing her eyes and drifting off.
The next time she woke, her eyes darted around quickly for a moment until she realized she was safe.
Kaien moved into view, his face downcast.
"Hey," Arya whispered.
He bowed low. "I'm sorry I didn't arrive sooner."
"It's alright."
He shook his head. "No, it's not. You almost died because I was too slow."
"You can't blame yourself for that. You saved us, that's the important thing."
"Can't help it. You're like a sister to me. Protecting you is my duty."
She gave a small smile. "Thanks for helping us."
He gave her a faint smile, moving to the bed. "You'll be happy to learn you will be released tomorrow. You'll be on leave a while though."
"What about Toya?"
He flinches, staring pointedly at the end of the bed and doesn't answer.
She sighed, "Just tell me."
"He's in ICU. Critical condition. He caught some kind of infection which developed into pneumonia. He already had a chest tube for his collapsed lung, but now he's on a ventilator."
Arya nodded slowly.
"Keisuke says it could go either way right now.." Kaien slumped into the empty chair.
She sighed, wishing she could magically heal her boyfriend.
Kaien remained silent all night, staring at the floor.
The next morning, Keisuke entered and examined her, then told her she could dress. He glanced at the passed out Kaien worriedly.
She went to the bathroom to change then headed out to find Tomoya's room. She entered slowly, looking at him worriedly.
He was pale, the ventilator tube forcing air into his lungs. He was covered in bandages, his eyes closed in drugged sleep.
She gently took his hand, wishing he would wake.
Suddenly the heart monitor began flashing as his rate became unstable. He began to seize, gasping for air around the tube. An alarm began to wail.
Arya's eyes filled with tears and she prayed something could save him. She wanted more than anything to be able to help him.
Suddenly, a pink light poured from her hand into him.
The alarm ceased, the heart monitor showing a steady heartbeat. He stopped gasping, his eyes fluttering open slowly.
She stared at her hands in a mix of confusion and shock. She finally noticed he was conscious and gave him a small smile, trying not to panic.
He weakly squeezed her hand while trying to remove the tube.
"Let me get the doctor to help, alright?" She pressed the call button.
His eyes blinked and he nodded slowly.
Keisuke rushed in, his eyes going wide. He quickly removed the tube, not commenting on the situation. With a bow, he departed quickly.
Arya was quiet, beginning to wonder if she really saw the light or if she imagined it.
"Are-Are you alright?" Tomoya's voice was raspy and he swallowed painfully.
"I.. I don't know," she admitted. "Swear you won't think I'm crazy?"
"I'd never think that."
"Your heart rate dropped and the alarms went off.. And I wanted more than anything to save you.. and this pink light appeared from my hand and you got better.." She shook her head, "I sound crazy.."
He looked thoughtful. "So it is true.."
She looked confused, "What's true?"
"You're a changeling. Maybe now I won't be written off by my superiors."
"A.. what? What are you talking about?"
He sighed and sat up. "You're a Fae raised human."
She still looked confused, "Ok, say that's true.. How do you know?"
He winced and said something under his breath.
She just stared at him still confused.
He took a deep breath. "I'm a hunter. I oversee rogue Fae."
She continued to stare, unsure what to say.
He went silent, fear radiating off him in a wave.
"So.. what does this all mean exactly?" She finally put words together.
"It doesn't have to mean anything. You're not in trouble." He stared down at his hands.
"How did you know what I was?"
"Didn't. Suspected, but when nothing happened..my superiors were unhappy and thought I was wasting time. My partner visited last month to tell me I might be reassigned."
She nodded slowly and took a deep breath, moving to sit down.
"Say something. Anything. Yell if you want." He watched her anxiously.
"I'm a mix between a thousand questions and just so shocked I don't know where to start."
"Well you haven't killed me yet, so that's a start at least."
"So.. are you really a cop and a .. hunter? Or is the cop thing a cover?"
"Yes and no. Hunters are the cops of the unseen world. I did go through the academy."
"And your brothers.. are they hunters too?"
He nodded slowly. "Well, not Yuuto. He is a teacher. He knows the truth though."
"Why did you not tell me?"
"Would you have believed me? I'm a hunter of supernatural creatures. By the way, you are one and don't know it. You would have called the white coats or IA."
She chuckled slightly, "Okay, you have a bit of a point there.."
"Do you hate me now?"
She shook her head, "No. I guess part of me is kind of hurt. You were hiding things from me, but like you said, I might have thought you were crazy."
He exhaled softly. "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you but.." He trailed off and studied the blanket.
"So.. I'm a Fae. What does that mean exactly? What can I do?"
"Heal people. You're unable to be turned. You probably have a wicked temper now, so try not to blow anything up."
"And you don't mind that I'm Fae?"
"It doesn't define you. I fell for you. Not your name, not anything but your beautiful spirit."
She gave him a small smile. "I think I need a bit of time to process things, so I'm going to head home for now. But I do love you and will see you soon."
"Sure you're not just being polite and really breaking up with me?"
"I'm sure I'm not breaking up with you."
He gave her a faint smile. "It's okay if you do. I can handle it."
She rolled her eyes and went over to him, pulling him in for a kiss. "I love you. I just need some time to process things."
"Alright." He returned the kiss, but his eyes were dark. "Be careful going home. Now that your abilities have awakened, there's more out there than just criminals."
She nodded and slipped out of the room, exiting the hospital and starting toward her apartment.
Two sets of eyes followed her movement, hidden in the dark.
She made her way to her apartment building, going to the elevator and waiting for it to come down. Her mind was racing still, not knowing what to think about everything.
There was movement out of the corner of her eye.
She turned quickly to look, her hand going to her pistol out of habit.
Nothing was visible.
The elevator finally made its way down and she entered, pressing the button to her floor.
The ride up was uneventful.
She got out and went to unlock her door, giving one final look around the hallway before slipping in and locking the door.
Her balcony door was ajar, the drapes fluttering in the wind.
She frowned, not knowing how someone could get up to her balcony. She took out her pistol and began checking the rooms just in case.