He didn't know how long it had been but suddenly Tsubasa heard the door to the cell open and someone moved towards them. Tsubasa panicked
"Don't touch him…" Tsubasa murmured frantically and he tried to move Natsume away from that person. "Don't touch him…"
"Tsubasa?"
Immediately Tsubasa froze as he recognized the voice.
"It's okay. I won't do anything." The voice said gently.
Tsubasa looked up. More tears welled up into his eyes as he saw Narumi stand before him.
"Narumi…" Tsubasa whispered relief evident in his voice. Narumi reached down and hugged Tsubasa wishing he could take all the hurt from him.
After some time Narumi let go and looked at Natsume. Fury filled him as he saw all the wounds on the little boy's body. Narumi stroked Natsume's hair and then began to lift him as Subaru ran into the cell, quickly eyeing the situation he said, "Wait!"
Narumi put Natsume down again and gave Subaru some space. Frowning he checked Natsume's temperature, not pleased with how high it was. He was moving on when something startled him, he listened closely. Natsume's breathing was coming in small gasps.
"Something is wrong with his lungs…" Subaru looked worried and then looked at Tsubasa hoping to get some answers.
Tsubasa looked down at Natsume, "He has a couple of broken ribs… They… They gave him some sort of drug. One of the side effects was lung failure."
Subaru had begun checking Natsume's ribs as soon as Tsubasa had said it, but now he stopped. "What kind of drug?"
"I don't know… It was causing him pain."
"You said one of the side effects. Are there others?" Subaru asked.
"Dizziness, pain and numbness but there were others that he didn't tell me."
Subaru gritted his teeth and held his hands over Natsume's lungs. It wasn't much but they could hear Natsume's breathing get a little better. Subaru lowered his hands and quickly started unbuttoning Natsume's shirt. He looked at Tsubasa when he saw the bandage around Natsume's chest. But Tsubasa's eyes were somewhere far away so Subaru began unwrapping the bandage. His and Narumi's fury climbing higher as all the bruises, cuts and whip marks began to show. Narumi banged his fist into the floor.
Subaru's fingers quickly checked Natsume's ribs and then bound them tightly up again with some fresh bandage he found in the first aid kit. Then he hoisted Natsume up into his arms and turned towards Narumi and Tsubasa.
"Let's get out of here."
Narumi nodded and pulled Tsubasa to his feet. Narumi steadied Tsubasa as he started to wobble the exhaustion finally showing itself.
They made towards the exit stopping occasionally when Natsume's breathing became uneven. Then Subaru would quickly hold his hand over Natsume's chest and they would go again. The longer they walked, the more Narumi seemed to carry of Tsubasa's weight. He was gradually becoming more worried for him.
"Are you okay Tsubasa?" Narumi asked him.
Subaru immediately halted sensing his mistake; he hadn't checked Tsubasa at all.
"I'm fine." Tsubasa said quietly.
But Subaru handed Natsume to Narumi and checked Tsubasa. Luckily nothing seemed seriously wrong with him.
"Subaru!" He heard Narumi shout. He turned around and ran towards him checking Natsume. His breathing was coming in gasps again. Subaru quickly laid his hand over Natsume's chest wondering how Natsume had managed to survive and keep breathing before he got there. Then he felt something. He put his hand inside Natsume's shirt and grabbed hold of the necklace there. He pulled it out into the light where he could see it. Subaru looked at it in amazement.
"Where did you get this…?" Subaru whispered immediately realizing it was his alice in the stone.
Narumi saw the slight confused look on Subaru's face and said, "Yuka must have given the stone you gave her to Kaoru. And then she passed it on to Natsume." Slight sadness mingled into his voice.
Subaru nodded, "I guess he needs it." Then he slowly filled the alice stone with more power since it was wearing out. When he let the stone go it was bigger than before and its light shined brighter. "Let's go."
Subaru let Narumi carry Natsume because he knew that the necklace would keep him alive. He himself went over to Tsubasa and pulled his arm over his shoulder. They made their way out of the building where all the other teachers who had come with them were waiting. They informed Narumi and Subaru that the boss had disappeared.
Sakurano ran up to Subaru.
"Sakurano. Can you teleport me, Natsume and Tsubasa to the academy hospital?" Subaru asked him. Sakurano nodded and took Natsume from Narumi. Sakurano frowned and looked questionably at Subaru when he noticed the stone on Natsume's chest.
Subaru shrugged, "Yuka, Kaoru, Natsume."
Sakurano nodded and transported them to the academies hospital when he felt both Tsubasa and Subaru grab onto him.
The nurses in the room shrieked when Subaru, Sakurano, Tsubasa and Natsume suddenly appeared in the room. But they were quick to get over the shock, having tried it many times before. One of the nurses ran up to Sakurano checking quickly if Natsume was alive then she led them out of the room. Followed by Subaru who was still holding Tsubasa up.
Sakurano laid Natsume onto one of the beds in the room and then transported back to the building Natsume and Tsubasa had been held in knowing there was nothing he could do at the hospital.
Subaru gently lowered Tsubasa onto the bed next to Natsume's knowing that he wouldn't want to leave Natsume's side after all they had been through. Him and the nurses quickly started treating all of Natsume's wounds and tried to figure out what sort of drug they had given Natsume to figure out if he needed some sort of antidote.
Tsubasa who had been sitting on the bed and overlooking what they were doing know fell back onto the bed unconscious as the exhaustion quickly overwhelmed him. One of the nurses came over to him and checked him. She took care of his injuries.