Chapter 6

Elijah opened his eyes slowly, Teara dabbed the sweat from his forehead, "hey sweetie," he smiled, "how you doing?"

"I'm fine how about you?"

Elijah licked his dry lips, "water,"

"Here," Nights appeared at Elijah's side, "sit up a bit," Nights helped Elijah sit up and held a cup of water up to his chapped lips. Elijah drank the water gratefully.

Nights pulled the cup away from Elijah, "don't drink it so fast Liy, you'll drown yourself."

"What does that mean?" Elijah didn't really care what it meant; he just wanted the water to come back.

"Just drink it slower," Nights put the cup to Elijah's lips again. Elijah drank as slowly as he could.

"That's better," Nights smiled.

When Elijah had finished the water, Nights fed him.

"There," Nights said when the bowl of soup was empty, "feel better?"

Elijah nodded.

"Yeah, but he still has a fever," Teara dabbed at Elijah's head again.

"I'm sure you can fix that up in no time sweetie," Elijah smiled.

The door of the medical wing opened.

"Hey baby," Nights looked down at his daughter, "you want to see Elijah? Okay." He lifted his daughter onto Elijah's bed.

"Hey baby," Elijah smiled at the small girl. Baby smacked Elijah's forehead, "ow, ow, that really hurt, what'd you do that for?"

"You did really mean things to my daddy," Baby said disapprovingly, "but then you saved my daddy and was really nice, so," she kissed his forehead, "I'm sorry for hitting you."

"Why did I ever doubt you're parenting skills, Nightlight?"

Nights laughed and put Baby back on the ground, "sorry about that."

"Hey, I deserved it," Elijah smiled. Nights smiled back.

The door slammed open. Elijah's head pounded, he moaned.

"Reala? What- wait, stop!"

Elijah was grabbed by the horn, and yanked violently off his bed. He hit the ground hard, he moaned again.

"Don't moan," Reala said fiercely, "you deserve it!" he looked up at his brother, "why is he here? Why isn't he still wasting away in the dungeon?"

Nights pulled Elijah out of Reala's grip and rested his head on his chest, cradling him in his arms, "because, I care about him!"

Elijah smiled. 'Care' was the greatest way Elijah knew that someone could use to express love.

"Well I don't!" Reala grabbed Elijah by the horn and pulled him out of Nights' arms.

"Stop hurting him Reala!" Nights shouted.

Elijah felt a burning pain in his chest, he clutched at it.

He couldn't breath.

"Elijah?" Nights held Elijah in his arms, "Elijah what's wrong? Teara what's wrong with him?"

Teara didn't know, she shook her head.

Elijah gasped, and past out.

"Teara," Nights looked at the healer fearfully, "is there any way you can see what happened?"

"I'll go get my Persona."

Teara looked at Elijah. With her Persona she could see his bones, muscles, and organs. "It looks like he had some sort of heart attack," she mused.

"What?" Nights said anxiously.

"Come and look."

Nights dawned his Persona and looked at Elijah's insides, "his heart doesn't even look like it's been fully developed."

"His lungs too," Teara put in.

"All his organs look premature," Nights looked Elijah up and down, "like he got a second hand body."

Teara and Nights looked at each other, perplexed.

"At least it's a body," Elijah sat up, "how come I don't have a Persona?"

Nights looked at Elijah anxiously, "are you okay?"

"Besides feeling like I just died a second time, peachy." He gave Nights a thumbs up, "oh and I feel like I'm guna throw up, and I'm super hot, and hungry and thirsty and tired… okay screw the peachy, I feel like crap," he flopped back down onto the bed, " I'm going to sleep now."

"Good night," Nights smiled.

"It's night?" Elijah made a show of being surprised.

"Just go to sleep."