A/N: Chapters start to get a little darker. (also I am posting 3 chapters in a row-I forgot to update them here after doing so on Ao3).
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Nanu might have insisted upon going back to the police station on route 17 if the nurses hadn't given him something to dull the pain of his injury. Unfortunately, Nanu hadn't had the time or the energy to tell them not to give him enough to knock him out. When one was injured, that sort of coherent conversation didn't always occur. So Nanu had unwillingly fallen asleep, though he supposed being unconscious while being treated for the bite wound would be best. He might have otherwise cursed up a storm, and that wouldn't have been very kahuna-like of him.
But at the same time…after an attack like that…Nanu would have preferred the pain. Would have preferred the potential curses he might say in order to remain awake, as dreaming after something like that was never a good thing. Attacks like those tended to bring forth unpleasant memories, which surfaced as nightmares. A specific nightmare, in fact, was drawn forth, which happened to be one of Nanu's worst memories. As always, the scene began in as a somber, stormy night, when Nanu and two others managed to track down a creature they had been after for weeks.
Try as Nanu might, his subconscious never allowed him to escape the nightmare, no matter how hard his body tried to wake him up. So he was forced to relieve the vivid scene, never able to do a damn thing to change the outcome. And this particular time was worse, ensuring that when Nanu did wake up, he would likely stay awake for days in fear of it creeping up on him again.
-x-x-x-
A flash of lightning through sheets of rain lit the area briefly. The pouring rain did nothing for the three of them. It made it harder to see, which made this mission far more dangerous than Nanu or Looker could have ever anticipated. And their Faller, a sweet young woman, had been separated from them when a landslide occurred due to the rain. Both of them managed to avoid any serious harm, because some local Pokémon had seen them, and had assisted them out of danger.
The Faller wasn't so lucky. She had slipped down the slope, miraculous uninjured, but not for long, as something had found her before Nanu or Looker could get to her. Neither man thought the creature looming up behind the Faller was a Pokémon. It looked too monstrous to be one.
'What is that?' Looker seemed frozen in place, hesitating. 'Do you think we really need to kill it?'
Nanu made as if to go to the Faller, but he slipped on the surface beneath him, going down hard on his back, nearly knocking the back of his head in the process. Nanu twisted to the side with a harsh gasp, shaking at the agony flaring up his back, only to go completely still when a tortured scream pierced the night. Nanu looked up sharply and the moment he realized the creature had grabbed the Faller, forcibly pushed himself up, despite the pain racing up his back, and started to run.
Running.
Always running.
Always trying to prevent what would always happen, no matter how fast Nanu ran. To always see the fear in her eyes, before the creature began to tear into her with sharp fangs and claws. Torn ground that made it hard to navigate, slowing the possibility of a rescue.
It came back to the hesitation Looker had had in that moment.
It always did.
And as usual, the flashes of blood and tears and the loud snarls intermixed, and Nanu had to make a split second decision when the creature moved.
Save one of them.
Nanu had chosen Looker, because the younger man was the closest, and the easiest to drag out of the way of the thrashing creature. But Nanu would never forget the look of betrayal in the Faller's eyes. That he hadn't gone to save her instead, when she was in mortal danger, within the clutches of a creature slowly rending her flesh bit by bit.
"You'll pay for this."
A hand seemed to lightly trace Nanu's bandaged forearm. Nanu shifted in his sleep, still caught within the confines of the nightmare. Those words…Nanu couldn't ever recall hearing those words being said by the Faller from eight and a half years ago, so Nanu passed it off as something he made up in his own mind. It had to be merely something thought up to match her expression when the creature dragged her off, still screaming in agony.
The nightmare changed abruptly, not ending how it usually did. Instead, it went abruptly dark, and gleaming eyes, along with a crooked smile looked at him. Something shifted around in the dark, and then, clear as if someone had been standing right next to him, a voice spoke. It was the Faller from so long ago, her voice short of breath but full of venom and malice.
"You'll pay for this, Nanu. Your partner, too. Even if it takes me years upon years…you both will know my pain."
Fingertips dug harshly into Nanu's injured forearm, and the flare of agony from the wound was enough to wake him up.
-x-x-x-
With a harsh exhalation Nanu jerked himself out of the nightmare, his heart hammering in his chest as he shakily pulled himself up into a seated position. Nanu placed his left hand protectively over his injured right forearm. Entire body tense, Nanu surveyed the immediate area as if he would find someone right there, whispering in his ear. But there was no one. He was alone. But that didn't make things any better, as the fog hadn't quite cleared, and Nanu still wasn't quite sure whether or not he was going to be under attack in the immediate future.
Nanu took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his breathing. It helped, marginally, and he began to piece things together as he sat there on a bed, in an unfamiliar room. The soreness of his arm, though not as bad as it could have been, made Nanu focus on it as he lifted his hand to peer down at it. There was blood dotting through the bandages. He was injured? How? Nanu closed his eyes and let out another, slower breath.
That was right.
He'd been bitten by the wild Persian, and he had been taken to the Pokémon Center by Guzma. Nanu carefully touched his bandaged forearm, and knew, without needing to ask anyone, that there had had to be stitches. He could tell by the tug of the skin beneath the bandages, though some had torn free. Had he grabbed the limb in his sleep, tearing those stiches? It was a better idea than someone Nanu thought to be dead and gone appearing in the room to torment him after all these years. Nanu glanced at the palm of his left hand and felt little relief over the blood that was there. He had touched the bandages after he'd woken up, so he was still at a loss of whether he had torn the stiches himself or not.
Nanu rested his arm on his lap, and with another slow breath in and out, began to try and get his heartrate back under control. It wasn't good for his body for so much panic to be welling within it. He wasn't being attacked, obviously, and the words, that had sounded almost too clear for the nightmare, had just been that. Part of the nightmare. No one from his past had reached out to grab him. The voice…the words…they were likely something to do with the guilt of surviving an attack by the creature. Neither Looker nor Nanu had been able to find where the creature had gone off to, taking with it the wounded and dying Faller.
"Just a dream." Nanu murmured to himself as he wiped his left hand on the sheets absently before he ran it through his hair. Nanu felt that he had to be imagining things from the pain, and of tearing the stitches in his sleep. He soon noted that he was in a windowless room. There would have been alarm raised if someone had gone into his room. Nanu dropped his hand from his hair to his lap and gave his head a shake. He supposed he ought to be grateful that Guzma had made certain that he had gotten to the Pokémon Center. Nanu didn't want to think of the reaction he would have had should he have woken up bleeding in the rain. It would have been…too much.
Nanu closed his eyes. It disturbed him greatly that he couldn't remember much of the journey to the building, apart from bits and pieces. Those pieces being the shiny Meowth meowing in concern as Nanu's Persian urged him along whenever he came to an unsteady stop. Nanu frowned, furrowing his brow. He recalled Guzma's steady stream of insults and teasing, but even as disoriented and hurt as Nanu had been, Nanu didn't miss the concern beneath the bluster.
The door to the room opened and it caused Nanu to turn his head. The nightmare was pushed to the back of his mind when he saw an Alolan Persian poking its head into the room.
The Pokémon noticed Nanu's gaze on it and, once it was inside the room, gave the door a shove of its body to close it. The Persian let out a huff and approached the bed, eying Nanu knowingly.
"You've gotten better at opening doors lately." Nanu's thoughts were still a little muddled, but he didn't miss the look on his Pokémon's face. "And yes, I had another of those…nightmares." Nanu was relieved to see that his Persian was walking without a limp, "Guess you're doing better, in any case. It looked like it had to hurt, being thrown against those rocks like that."
Persian squeezed its eyes shut and let out a purr of pleasure. It was clearly pleased that its trainer was awake and aware once more. The Persian hopped up onto the bed to rest itself against Nanu, careful not to bump his injured right arm, but close enough to curl against Nanu's right side to press its cheek against Nanu's. A low growl of concern emitted from the feline, both from the idea of its trainer having a nightmare, and because it noticed that Nanu suddenly tensed up. With another, understanding growl, Persian moved to rest its head on Nanu's lap near his hand, giving the limb a careful lick. Persian gave another swipe of its tongue when it saw the blood, and turned its round head to fix a concerned expression on Nanu.
"Sorry, knee jerk reaction." Nanu reached over with his left hand to stroke the soft fur on Persian's head. "That wild Persian got close to the back of my neck and throat with its teeth."
Persian let out a growl over the very thought and reached one paw over Nanu's lap as if trying to cover its trainer with its body for protection. Persian again looked from the blood seeping through the bandage to its trainer.
"I'll be fine. The nurse can re-stitch it, or I can, when my hand is steadier." Seeing another look thrown his way, Nanu added, "I used the gun to ward the wild Perisan off." The red eyed officer heard an inquiring sound and caught sight of a gleaming eye that peeked up at him. Nanu smiled faintly at his Pokémon. "It wasn't loaded. Wouldn't have hurt that wild Persian anyway. Not like…back then." Nanu saw the Persian shift as it looked across the room to where Nanu's gun was. Nanu let out a sigh and patted Persian's head. "If it'd make you feel better, put it in one of the drawers of this nightstand."
Persian let out a worried chuff and did as its trainer suggested, though Nanu had to reach out with his left hand to open the drawer for Persian.
"Guess drawers are still tricky for you than when you were a Meowth." Nanu watched Persian give him an unamused look before it gently set the gun inside the drawer.
The Persian raised a paw and pushed the drawer shut, tilting its head to give Nanu a pleased look.
"Quite the feat." Nanu said dryly. "Well done."
Persian rolled its eyes at its trainer's teasing, and then hopped right back onto the bed, this time curling against Nanu's left side. Persian trapped Nanu's arm against his side.
"I'm not anywhere near the mood I was in before all those years ago. You know that, right?" Nanu quietly asked Persian, as the feline Pokémon urged him to go from a seated position to lying down. "I'm not going to do anything stupid."
Persian pointedly looked at Nanu's wounded arm, the bandages darkening with blood where the bite marks were, and then back to its trainer's face.
"I didn't bite myself. I may have torn some stiches in my sleep."
Persian gave a shake of its head, and, once Nanu was on his back, started to groom itself and then Nanu, ignoring the token of protest its trainer made.
Nanu gave in pretty quickly, as he was apt to do with Persian, and instead turned his head to press his face against soft fur. Nanu was about to doze off to the low rumble of a purr when the door to the room opened again.
"You dead, old man? No one's telling me shit."
Guzma.
Nanu wasn't sure why it made him feel a little less worthless when Guzma's tone seemed to indicate worry, despite the words. Nanu wasn't used to having someone worry over him, or his health, apart from Acerola, and sometimes the other kahunas.
"Well, it looks like you're still breathing." Guzma could be heard walking closer to the bed. "You always sleep with your cats?"
Nanu couldn't be entirely certain but it almost sounded as if Guzma were jealous of Persian resting alongside him.
"You're bleeding." Guzma's voice held a bit of a waiver. "What the hell? I thought they would have already stitched you up." Heavy footsteps could be heard, and then Guzma shouting something out of the room. Footsteps returned, and this time, the quiet murmur of a nurse could be heard.
Persian pressed its face close to Nanu's when the bandages were removed, and some of the stiches were reset.
Nanu managed to keep completely silent, apart from a twitch or two, but his feigned sleep seemed to fool the nurse. The moment his arm was bandaged again, Guzma scared the nurse out of the room, and shut the door. Nanu wondered what was going on in Guzma's mind and it caused Nanu to briefly think about the potential of jealousy over Persian sleeping on the bed with him. Nanu was going to dismiss the idea altogether when the bed suddenly dipped, and a warm body pressed up against his right side. Nanu was not at all expecting this close of contact with the younger punk, as Nanu was still not entirely certain what he thought about their interactions thus far. Nanu was unprepared for Guzma's breath to spill over the side of his neck as the leader of Team Skull whispered in his ear.
"You suck at pretending to be asleep."
Nanu opened his eyes at that. Instead of being able to respond in any way to Guzma's words, however, Nanu ended up wincing faintly when Guzma dug a hand into his hair to turn his head to the side. Nanu had half a moment to wonder if Guzma had just been waiting for him to wake up to give him a beat down. Nanu studied the younger man's face, which was a little too close for comfort.
"You look confused." Guzma said after a moment, cocking his head to the side so he was in line with Nanu. "Did one of the nurses give you the good stuff?"
"Whatever it was, it's enough to take the edge off the pain." Nanu responded. To himself, Nanu thought it hadn't been enough to prevent the nightmares from surfacing.
"But enough to muddle you." Guzma sounded amused. "Good."
"How is being muddled at all good? I feel terrible." Nanu replied with another grimace. "And stop jostling my arm. There are stitches, and as you saw, they had to re-stitch some of them."
"Damn cat got you good." Guzma commented, hand going to cup the back of Nanu's head.
"Are you finished?" Nanu deadpanned.
"Not yet." Guzma hesitated, before he gripped the hair in his hand tight and leaned in to press his lips firmly against Nanu's.
Nanu let out a faint breath of surprise, and Guzma's hand tightened, bringing him closer. Well, that was unexpected, but what was also unexpected was the way that Guzma was going in for the kill, like he and Nanu had already kissed more than the few times they actually had. Nanu closed his eyes, too tired to fight, and not really even wanting to. He just had little to no energy to actually return the kiss.
Guzma drew back after some time had passed and grinned.
"That it?" Nanu decided to ask with a raised brow. "I could use some more sleep if it is."
"Dour asshole." Guzma shot back, though he didn't seem to be overly offended.
Nanu merely kept his brow raised, waiting. He probably shouldn't have said anything, because Guzma was suddenly half flopped over him, having moved Nanu's injured right arm out of the way. The red eyed officer stilled when Guzma rested his chin on his shoulder. Nanu shifted uncomfortably, before he let out a sigh and carefully ruffled the white hair with his right hand, avoiding the oversized sunglasses, before his fingers dipped down to where the hair was black. The motion pulled on the stiches a bit, but it was worth it for the faint embarrassment on Guzma's face when the punk jerked away from him.
"Quit touchin' my hair, old man." Guzma bristled.
"It is soft, like Persian's." Nanu said quietly, amused at the flush that crossed Guzma's features.
"Whatever." Guzma grumbled. "And what did the nurses say?"
"I'll live, if that's what you're wondering." Nanu said with the barest hint of a smirk. He didn't recall hearing his prognosis, but Nanu knew enough to know that he would be fine, and would likely just scar. "It'll take more than a bite to kill me. Most I'll have to be careful of is to not let the stiches tear again."
"Guess you're hard to take down, huh?" Guzma snorted. "I didn't want a wild Pokémon to do you in anyway, when I haven't even gotten the chance to beat you down yet."
"Oh? And when is this going to happen?" Nanu asked, feigning interest. He highly doubted this so-called beat down was ever going to occur. It was far more likely that at some point, one of them would get fed up with the other's hesitation and make a move. Nanu had seen the way that Guzma had looked at him. Nanu also knew that Guzma had to have known there was some interest beneath Nanu's indifference. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that clothes could go flying at some point in the future, as baffling an idea it was. But there wasn't likely to be any violence apart from perhaps grappling to get said clothes off. Nanu couldn't help but shiver over the idea, and tucked the thought far away. He couldn't be thinking about that right now.
"Just wait, it'll happen before you know it." Guzma said, puffing up importantly as he crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't seem aware of Nanu's thoughts. "Team Skull's leader needs to follow through on his threats, you know."
"Sure you do. So why don't you trash the station while I'm gone?" Nanu asked vaguely, settling on something safe that didn't involve Guzma being alone with him. "I wouldn't be around to stop you lot from doing whatever you wanted if I'm not there."
"That's an idea. But no, your Meowth would probably beat the crap out of some of the other punks." Guzma shook his head. "I figured once you're outta here and back at the station, we could have a little chat about one of the ways that you've been interfering with Team Skull."
"Why don't we have that chat now? It's not like I can do anything about it if you want to beat me up." Nanu said in a dead sort of voice. Before he had become kahuna, Nanu almost would have welcomed the violence, to take his mind off of other things. But after the nightmare he'd had…perhaps he shouldn't be encouraging someone to attack him. Nanu let out a muffled sound of surprise when Guzma leaned over and kissed him again, roughly this time and with a hint of a bite. Nanu grabbed a handful of Guzma's jacket and tugged him closer, desperate in that moment for something to chase away the images in his head. Guzma grumbled into the kiss, but allowed Nanu to reach up and dig his hand into his hair.
"Do you want to talk or not?" Nanu managed to breathe against Guzma's lips. Narrowed eyes met red ones, and Guzma shook his head as he went in for another kiss. Nanu didn't know what he had said or done for this sudden amount of attention that Guzma was piling onto him. Nanu did notice that Persian had hoped off the bed to give them some space, and really, Nanu had not at all expected for the younger punk to go ahead and straddle him mid-kiss.
What the hell?
Guzma broke off the kiss and, breathing hard from exertion, glared down at Nanu as his hands went to his shoulders.
Nanu was quiet, his breathing also a little quick, but he would rather be out of breath from a kiss than a nightmare.
"Driving me crazy, old man." Guzma growled unhappily.
"Oh? And how am I doing that?" Nanu was rather grateful for the sheets over his lap. He was a little embarrassed that his damn body was trying to react to the sudden situation, and it made him feel pathetic that it didn't take much to turn him on. Clearly, he hadn't been with another person for a long time, but that was only because Nanu didn't want to let anyone get too close and see his bad side when things went south.
Like after waking up from a nightmare and going days without sleep. If Nanu could have, he would have been drinking right now, in an attempt to chase away memories of the past.
"You're not messing with me, are you?" Guzma asked crossly, hands resting against Nanu's shoulders heavily. "Or do you get it?"
"I'm not messing with you." Nanu said quietly, aware of the fact that in his weakened condition, he wouldn't be able to get Guzma off of him. "I just don't understand, is all. Why me?"
"You know, for a cop and a kahuna, you don't seem to have a high opinion of yourself." Guzma pointed out.
"Why should I?" Nanu thought back to the nightmare and to the past where he couldn't protect the Faller. Nanu's entire life had shattered after that, and even after picking up the pieces, he couldn't work up the energy to do much more than was necessary after that point. He only did things for others out of a sense of obligation, when he worked up the energy to actually do something. Other than that, he just took care of the Meowth at the station, since they didn't give a shit who Nanu was or what his past was. "It isn't like anyone cares what I do, so long as I do my duties as a kahuna now and again and make sure that you and the other punks don't blow something up."
"Damn, you're such a depressing bastard." Guzma maneuvered off of Nanu with a sigh of exasperation, and sat down on the bed next to him, staring down at Nanu with a frown. "I ain't gonna beat you down right now when you're already down, old man. It wouldn't be any fun if you can't fight back."
"If you're not going to pick a fight with me right now, then I'd like to get some rest." Nanu said tonelessly, really hoping that Guzma didn't take the sheets off of him. It would be awkward to explain. "I could have my Honchkrow let you know when I'm back."
"I'll know when you're back at the station." Guzma said cryptically, offering a confident grin when Nanu gave him a curious look.
"Oh? And how is that?" Nanu didn't think the younger punk had any psychic type Pokémon.
"The atmosphere of the area gets gloomier when you're there." Guzma said, straight faced. "Gotta cheer up sometime so the rain doesn't come pouring through the ceiling into the station with all that gloom floating around you."
"I'm going back to sleep." Nanu promptly closed his eyes. He shouldn't have been surprised by Guzma's words, but there was a small part of him that wondered if he really did give off some unseen doom and gloom vibe. He'd seen enough shit in his past that there was likely a permanent dark cloud over his head, weighing him down. It wasn't like Guzma was saying it to be mean, however. The younger punk likely didn't realize that the words struck Nanu a little too hard.
"You better be ready the next time I see you." Guzma said, a taunting tone back in his voice.
Nanu's eyes flew open when one of Guzma's hands went beneath the sheets and rested over him, giving him a light squeeze through clothing.
Well…that was unexpected.
"Maybe next time we'll do somethin' about this, after we have that talk." Guzma's hand gave another press, causing Nanu to shift. "I know you want me. You just trying to deny it, huh? Think you're too old for me?"
"Something like that." Nanu admitted quietly. "And don't forget the first time I kissed you was likely not the best time to do so." Meaning Nanu shouldn't have kissed Guzma when he was having some flashbacks of a past Nanu didn't know much of.
"Tch. I meant after that, Nanu."
The red eyed officer was relieved when Guzma finally moved his hand away. Were Nanu in better shape, he might have done something about it once Guzma left him, but instead, Nanu was sure he was going to stare at the ceiling instead and wonder what his life was coming to. It didn't come as a surprise to him that Guzma was…interested in him. Not after their repeated interactions. But still, Nanu was having a hard time wrapping his mind around the idea. He didn't want to do anything he might later regret.
"And there you go again, thinking too much." Guzma broke into Nanu's thoughts with a snort of derision. "I can make my own decisions, you know. And just to let you know, I don't give a shit how old you are." Guzma slid off the bed at that, and headed for the door. "Oh, and I gave one of the nurses that baby Meowth to look after 'till you get outta bed. Not gonna take it with me to Po Town."
"I'm sure the baby Meowth would be fine. It likes you." Nanu commented, though he felt a little better, oddly enough, to hear that the age difference didn't seem to bother Guzma in the least bit. If the two of them chose to do anything about…whatever the hell was going on between them. "I'm sure Meowth would stick with you and not go wandering off."
"Told you before that I didn't want it to be around fighting." Guzma said, sounding a little awkward over the idea of a Meowth liking him of all people. "Though maybe I should take it with me, just in case another damn cat attacks you on your way back to the station."
"I'll have Honchkrow take me back." Nanu replied with a faint shrug.
"You do that." Guzma snorted in reply. "Wouldn't want to come across a body in the rain."
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out." Nanu drawled, hiding his discomfort of the image that sprang to mind at Guzma's words. Nanu knew that Guzma could take care of himself, and all Nanu had to do right now was to get some rest and allow his injury to mend. He was going to try and not think about Guzma implying something of a sexual nature the next time they were face to face. It boggled Nanu's mind that Guzma would even bother with him in the first place, when there were other people closer to Guzma's age in Alola. Not to mention they were likely not a cop. "And don't you get attacked on your way back. I think the nurses could do without having to treat someone else that isn't a Pokémon."
"Nanu, you seriously need to lighten up. I know you're a dark type trainer and all, but it's kinda a bit much sometimes, don't you think?" The door opened and slammed shut, signaling Guzma's departure.
Nanu half smiled at the incredulous tone that Guzma had had. Nanu couldn't help it, being sarcastic and apathetic. If he cared too much, it would also hurt too much. It was better to stay detached and uninvolved. Nanu let out a sigh as a thought occurred to him. It appeared as though becoming attached to Guzma was unavoidable, as Nanu was fairly certain that any talk he and Guzma would have in the near future would not involve Team Skull. Not for long, if at all. And Nanu knew, from Guzma's words, that the younger punk was interested in more than just the occasional kiss from him.
"I think I'm getting too old for any sort of relationship, Persian." Nanu pressed his face against his Pokémon, not saying anything in return to Persian's confused meow. Now that Nanu had thought it, he was sure that was what was happening. The idea of any kind of relationship with Guzma seemed baffling, but it was something that Nanu didn't want to think about at the moment. But soon, he would have to, whether he wanted to or not, though preferably when he wasn't hurting and not thinking very clearly. Nanu didn't want to make any rash decisions, nor did he want to encourage Guzma, until he had some more time to himself to think.
As it turned out, Nanu was correct about not speaking with Guzma about Team Skull the next time they met. The topic that was landed on was all because Nanu had had the damn nightmare again, though this time, mercifully, the nightmare hadn't had the voice of the Faller enter it. The nightmare was still bad, as it always was, whether or not there were voices from the past speaking in Nanu's dreams. It was just really unfortunate that Guzma had chosen to come speak to him when he did. Nanu hadn't slept in days, and unlike when he'd been in the Pokémon Center, he had access to alcohol in the station. Since sleep had continued to elude him, Nanu was desperate enough to try and drink the visions of the past away.
The resulting confrontation was not something Nanu could have anticipated, considering the reports he'd received now and again of alcohol being smuggled into Po Town.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
A/N:I am making some assumptions about the post game of Sun/Moon, and therefore I only have the English translation of things to go off of. And bits from Tumblr, where some people point out that in the past, the UB Nanu and the others had gone after was a Guzzlord. So that's what I'm going with for the purposes of this fic, since it being that UB actually works well for later on in this fic plot-wise ( the game itself it was vague during the UB side quest, over which UB it was-just that they'd gone after a creature. I don't know if anyone has the source of where the Guzzlord stuff had come from, just out of curiosity).
Edit: Found out it was Guzzlord, so it is good to have that confirmation.
Also, as shown at the end of this chapter, Nanu is going to be drunk for a little of chapter 9 and there will be references to attempted suicide in the past as well (in ch 9, not 8), in case that will make anyone uncomfortable. And then the year and a half time skip that happens at the tail of chapter 9 will bring it to ten years later after the incident in the past (as in this chapter, Nanu indicates it had been 8 and a half years)