Sonya rested in the large armchair outside the guest room. Her muscles ached with the effort exerted during their trip uphill to Johnny's summer villa, at one point during which they had been forced to carry Raiden by his legs and shoulders as an alternative to their cumbersome initial method. On top of that, Sonya had convinced her partner that they were better off cutting through the trees than following the winding road that ran alongside the hill towards Johnny's place, just in case a car drove by and they would have to explain why they were dragging an unconscious body, which now lay in the guest bedroom.

After they had laid Raiden to rest, Johnny and Sonya began to tend to their own wounds. Using a first aid kit Johnny kept on hand in case of a training accident, the two were able to clean themselves up and, on Sonya's insistence, bandage some of Raiden's lacerations as well. Now all they had to do, could do, was wait.

While they did so, Johnny came over to where Sonya was sitting and handed her a cup of coffee. She graciously accepted the gesture without a snide comment and sipped slowly as Johnny sat himself down near her on an ottoman nearby, holding his own cup but not drinking. From the look on his face, Sonya knew he was wondering if now would be a good time to check on their friend. It had been a little over an hour.

Sonya met his look with an expression of apprehension. Sighing, she took another sip of coffee before setting it down on the plate with which Johnny had provided her.

"Let's go," she said in a low voice, prompting Johnny to do the same with his own cup before following her to the guest room. She indicated for him to stay quiet as she cautiously opened the door. Poking her head around, she could see the light spot poking from underneath the dark covers that was Raiden's hair and shoulders. Their guest had not moved or changed his position from the way they left him in the bed over an hour ago.

She and Johnny walked quietly over to observe their fallen friend. It was approaching dark outside, and even though it was a bit difficult to make out each others' features in the dimming light, neither of them suggested turning on a lamp for fear of waking Raiden (although they were both hoping that was still possible at this point). Even in the dark, however, Sonya could still make out her ally's new appearance, burned into her memory earlier from the shock. Now his eyes and cheeks seemed hollow and sunken in from fatigue, made worse by wide cheekbones that jutted out in an almost skeletal fashion. And of course, neither Johnny nor Sonya felt comfortable mentioning how much smaller Raiden looked now.

They stood in silence for a minute or two, broken only by Johnny crossing his arms, causing the silk of his bath robe to fold and crinkle audibly. Again by his attentive expression, Sonya felt he was waiting for her to initiate something. She paused and looked back at Raiden. A thought occurred to her, and quickly she put a hand in front of Raiden's nose to check for breath of some sort. Nervous when she thought she didn't feel anything, she relaxed when a small brush of air hit the back of her hand. She stood back up and nodded towards Johnny, speaking quietly.

"Turn the light on."

Johnny immediately drew the string on the lamp on the nightstand next to the bed. The light bulb, however, from months or possibly even a year of little use, emitted a very weak light that barely made it through the shade, but in a way it was probably better. Except for the fact that it revealed Raiden had grown much paler.

The two of them stood awkwardly for another moment, Johnny glancing at Sonya nervously. She, too, was slightly unnerved; there was no plan for what was supposed to happen next.

"Let's just go," Johnny whispered, turning to make his way to the door. When he looked to see if Sonya would follow, though, he found her quietly trying to pull up an old chair from the corner of the room, not hovering over Raiden, but close enough to his side that she could keep a good eye on him.

Johnny watched her and would have probably done the same if there were another chair available. Instead, just standing near the doorway, he paused and tried to think of what to say next.

"What are we supposed to do now?" he asked, still talking at a low level.

Sonya looked at Raiden for a moment before answering. Finally she shrugged and looked back at Johnny. The light from the lamp illuminated half of her face, almost concealing her expression but for her resigned gaze.

"We wait."

Seeming a bit unsatisfied with the fact that that was probably the best answer he was going to get, Johnny lightly tapped the edge of the door frame with his fist before heading out to prepare something for when (…if) Raiden woke up.

He can sense, but not so much see, a grey light all around him. He feels he is alone, but he does not panic. An indefinite amount of time has passed, and he is powerless to change his environment.

Then a voice finds its way to him, echoing at first, with distinct words coming out a second later, startling him.

"There is still an opportunity, Raiden."

He tries to act, tries to respond, but he can't remember how to make words. He can only listen to whoever it is that is addressing him.

"You can still seize it while you have the chance. You are already at an advantage; your memory was not wiped in the transition to your current state."

Suddenly he realizes the voice is familiar; it is one of the last things he heard before he slipped out of consciousness. And now he can't reply. No one or anything has shown up; only a voice is keeping him company in this lonely room of grey.

"You have resources. You have allies. They will not let you down. But you will let them down if you do not fight your way out of this."

He finally registers the voice as belonging to the god that had been appointed to his former position. He wants to feel angry, but also knows that he must listen to what the stranger has to say.

As if reading his mind, the other one says, "You have one more chance, Raiden. It is up to you to take it."

…Yes. The word finally pops into his head, but he isn't sure the new Protector can hear it.

"It is not over, Raiden."

Just as he feels he can finally state something coherent, he can also sense everything start to slip away.

"Good-bye."

Just like that, the other is gone. The grey dissolves at a more rapid pace now.

He can start to smell tea…

The room was quiet. Sonya had not moved for the last hour, and on more than one occasion began to doze off before catching herself and jerking her head back upright. But sleep was a tricky foe to dodge, and soon her head was hanging again, her jaw slightly open, which was why she didn't initially see Raiden's eyes begin to flutter open.

His lids were still heavy with sleep, and he could only stare at the ceiling with eyes half open for another minute. He didn't even realize there was someone else in the room until he unintentionally let out a soft groan that snapped Sonya out of her tired stupor. Initially, she was too shocked and tired herself to see him clearly, but as her senses came back to her she could see his eyes in their half open state and his lips parted slightly. She tried not to move too quickly so as not to startle him, but in her excitement she placed a hand on the comforter where his arm rested, resulting in another small gasp from the one in the bed.

"Raiden?" she asked eagerly, almost forgetting to keep her voice low. As his strength and cognition returned to him slowly, Raiden was able to move his eyes in her direction. Both were instantly slightly surprised to see the other, Raiden because Sonya had a bandage on her cheek and shoulder, and Sonya because Raiden's eyes had changed to an icy, drained blue, which looked strange with his vaguely Japanese features. But she did not dwell on it.

"You hear me?" she asked for confirmation, surprising herself when she instinctively put a hand to his cheek to check for temperature, an unusually nurturing gesture coming from her. He was a bit hot, but that was probably just from being under the sheets for so long. Raiden didn't seem to notice, however. He just tried to move his head in what he hoped looked like a nod and shifted his gaze back to the ceiling.

"Just stay there," Sonya instructed, before mentally berating herself for saying it as though Raiden would be up and walking around like nothing was wrong. "Johnny'll be here in…"

"Party over here!" came the voice from the hallway that was as obnoxious as a whisper could get right before it could no longer be considered a whisper. Pushing the door with his backside as he entered the room, Johnny came in holding a tray with a bowl of soup and cup of tea. He looked like he was going to say something else when he turned around, only to be cut off by the look on Sonya's face. She held up a finger to her lips and stared at him intensely before redirecting her gaze to Raiden. Johnny looked at their friend's face, and with wide eyes as he realized Raiden had managed to wake up, he quickly placed the tray on the nightstand in order to get a better look.

"Holy crap!"

He observed Raiden for a moment before the latter managed to return his gaze, to which Johnny finally stated, "Hey, Ray. How's it going?"

The slightest hint of a smirk emerged on Raiden's face, much to Sonya and Johnny's relief.

"Gotcha something."

Johnny reached over to the tray and picked up the cup of tea. He waited as Sonya attempted to help Raiden sit a bit more upright, careful not to move him too quickly, his energy still low. But when Johnny tried handing Raiden the cup, the latter (much to their surprise) jerked his head to his side as an indication the drink was not welcome.

"It's too strong," Sonya explained. "Just get him some water."

Johnny seemed a bit offended that his gesture had been refused, but tried to look understanding as he placed the cup back on the tray and carried it back out to the kitchen. When he came back with the water, he stood on standby as Sonya gradually tried to slip some of it to Raiden. Still unable to speak, Raiden gesticulated that he wished to hold the cup himself. As he took the drink, hands shaking, Johnny and Sonya waited in case some of the water spilled. But their friend managed to down half of the cup without a problem.

Johnny placed the cup on the nightstand for him as Sonya helped him move back down.

"Are you gonna be alright for the night?" she asked with a concerned expression, pushing stray silver hairs away from his face.

Raiden nodded in response, his lids already drooping with weariness.

"Well," Sonya continued. "If you need anything, we'll be here. Get some rest. We'll talk in the morning."

With that she and Johnny made their way for the door, leaving the lamp on and checking back one last time before exiting. Raiden had already succumbed to his fatigue, now in a deep sleep but breathing much more evenly than before.

The lock clicked softly as Johnny slowly pulled the door closed. With Raiden okay for now, he looked to Sonya to ask about their next concern.

"…So, where're you gonna sleep?"

Even in her drowsy state, she found the question peculiar enough to raise an eyebrow inquisitively.

"What's my option?"

Johnny rubbed his chin and onto his face crept his trademark know-it-all smirk.

"You can take my room if you want."

Sonya gave him a snooty look, probably thinking he was trying to be funny.

"Where does that leave you?" she asked.

"I'll manage."

"Don't bother," she retorted, looking back to the living room. "I'll take the couch."

He knew she'd have taken the floor, if she had to. Johnny smirked again as he realized even under stress she was still willing to put up the tough-guy army routine. Though he didn't find a point in arguing over something like it this late.

He put his hands up in mock resignation and stepped around her. "Fine," he stated. "Have it your way."

As he walked off to his room, she made her way to the couch and crashed face first into the upholstery. She was starting to doze off when she heard footsteps coming back from the hallway, but before she could pick herself up she felt a bundle of fabric, which she soon realized was a comforter, being tossed onto her like she wasn't even there.

She looked up to find Johnny smiling down on her from the ground above the recess in the floor in which the living room was situated.

"Good night, lieutenant," he chided, giving her a mock salute as he turned to go back to his room. Fuming, Sonya fumbled with the sheet until she rested on her back and had it comfortably over most of her body. Without realizing it, she smiled as she snuggled into the soft designer sofa.

And then she frowned. Because as much as she hated to admit it, the couch was still a hell of a lot more comfortable than anything she'd had to deal with in the army.