Tsubasa wasn't sure how long he stood there, staring at the hunched, shaking figure of Dunamis. A strange chill, that had nothing to do with the wind on the cold hospital roof, snaked its way up his spine. He could hardly believe how much his friend had deteriorated. Behind him, he could hear the others' shocked gasps.

The once proud and haunty guardian had fallen to his knees. Dunamis had his hands pressed over his ears and his mouth was wide in a silent cry.

A silent cry that seemed to tear him apart.

Tsubasa watched as Dunamis's eyes slid closed, and the Jupiter blader swayed before sprawling across the concrete, unconscious.

...~*~...~*~...~*~...

Tsubasa was really getting sick of his friends always getting hurt.

First, there had been the pain of the Battle Bladers tournament at the hands of Ryuga. Then, just recently, Nemisis's disastrous revival. But it had been the World Tournament that had pained him the most.

Because it had been himself who had hurt his friends.

Or rather, his dark side.

He could feel it, a pair of scales balancing his two "halves". If he wasn't careful, the darkness would tip the scales and creep up again. But if he tried too hard to fight the shadows inside, the darkness would use his anger, his hatred, against him. So he kept his emotions in check and maintained a level of grudging acceptance.

But that didn't mean that his dark side stayed silent.

...~*~...~*~...~*~...

The wait was almost unbearable. Tsubasa and his friends milled around in the waiting room, waiting for the doctor to let them visit Dunamis.

Thankfully, Dunamis had been mostly unhurt. According to Dr. Kobayashi, he merely had a hoarse throat and a slight fever. But there was still the fact that he hadn't woken up yet. And of course there was scizophrenia to worry about.

The doctor's diagnosis had shaken them all. Tsubasa could tell by the way Gingka paced around the room and Modoka bit her lip worriedly. Yuu was in Titi's room, probably trying to comfort the distraught child, who was terrified at the possibility that Dunamis wouldn't wake up.

Tsubasa couldn't shake off the looming sense of foreboding. The uneasiness had wound itself into a tight, heavy coil in the pit of his stomach.

There was something all too familiar about the whole situation. Even though the doctors claimed Dunamis had schizophrenia, Tsubasa had a sneaking suspicion that it was something far more sinister.

Can you feel it?

Tsubasa stiffened as the dark power hissed in his ear. Instantly, the world froze, superimposed with a murky purple haze. His dark side appeared, eyes glowing scarlet and a wicked grin spreading across its face.

And the scales had tipped ever so lightly in the other's favor.

Can you feel its power? It is drowning him, binding him, kil-

"He's awake!"

Tsubasa snapped out of the darkness. The fog lifted, revealing Yuu running towards them, with shining eyes and a wide grin.

"Dunamis is awake! Come on, the doctor says we can go see him!"

With cries of relief, Gingka and Modoka scrambled after the Libra blader. Tsubasa leapt up from his seat hastily and hurried after them.

He shook off the dark power's words, dismissing them as snide taunts. The four pounded up the stairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator. But once they reached Dunamis's hallway, they slowed down to a walk.

"Do you think that he'll be alright?" It was Yuu.

Tsubasa shot a questioning glance towards the orange-haired boy. The Libra blader had stopped, head bowed and eyes shadowed. He finally looked up, his green eyes unusually serious.

Tsubasa felt a twinge of sadness. Yuu had always had such warm, cheerful eyes. But sometimes his eyes would hold such terrible grief. Because they had suffered losses. And he didn't want to lose another comrade.

"Everything will turn out fine." Gingka finally said, breaking the tense silence. The Pegasus blader turned away, walking down the hall with hands laced behind his head, feigning confidence. He paused and glanced back with a strange lopsided smile. "We always win, right guys?"

And Tsubasa knew that he also was doubtful. They all needed reassurance. Someone needed to be strong.

Or else everything would fall apart.

...~*~...~*~...~*~...

Through the open door, they could see that Titi was in the room already, half-sobbing as he hugged Dunamis.

"I was so worried! Please, don't ever disappear again!" Titi cried, burying his tear-stained face into the front of Dunamis's hospital clothes. The Jupiter blader smiled gently. But the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I'm sorry." The guardian whispered in a raspy voice, hesitantly wrapping his arms around the child. He looked up, startled, as Gingka, Modoka, Yuu, and Tsubasa filed in through the door.

"Dunamis! Thank goodness that you're okay." Modoka exclaimed. Tsubasa hung back as his friends rushed to talk with Dunamis.

They have their own way of finding reassurance...

Dunamis was slightly paler than Tsubasa remembered, and he had dark circles around his eyes. His features seemed more gaunt, almost strained. The Eagle blader's sharp eyes narrowed as he noticed that even though the Jupiter blader appeared to be talking easily with the others, his gaze continuously strayed to the side before snapping back to the conversation.

But a fear lurked in Dunamis's eyes, along with an indistinct reflection of pale-haired figure.

You can't save him. No one can.

Tsubasa tried to ignore the voice, even as the purple smog returned, shrouding everything in darkness.

He's already in too deep. It won't be long now. Soon...

"What is it? The dark power again?" Tsubasa demanded.

His dark side materialized beside him, chuckling gleefully.

No, it's something more ancient and more powerful- a curse that feeds on the heart.

"A curse?"

I wonder how many it has already killed? It mused, delighting in the Eagle blader's rising horror. It is passed down by lineage, I believe. It's been sleeping for a long time, but it still needs sustinence, even in slumber. Now that it's awake, the effects must be especially devastating.

It laughed, eyes flashing brighter. There's no point in trying to help him. He's as good as d-

With a growl, Tsubasa gathered his feelings of hope and friendship. A bright light exploded from him, shining on the dark power. His dark side howled with pain before disappearing. But it wasn't gone. It had merely retreated into the shadowy recesses of his mind.

It'll be back. It always returns.

Tsubasa blinked as the haze faded away. Though his time in the darkness had seemed so long, only a minute or so had passed in the real world.

His friends were still fussing over Dunamis and making sure that he was fine. Titi was still in the Jupiter blader's embrace. Everything was still alright.

But for how long?

Tsubasa felt the strange uneasiness rising in his throat. Everything was so delicate, balanced on a knife's edge. One wrong move would be all it took for the tension to be too much. And if Dunamis broke, Tsubasa wasn't sure if they could put the pieces back together.

...~*~...~*~...~*~...

A/N: Would you look at that? I actually updated! XD ...Anyway, sorry for the wait and the boring chapter. -.-'

Coming Soon (hopefully)-

Chapter Nine: Break