Hey guys! Sorry, this is super late, and I feel really bad. This won't happen again! Just the holidays, and the fact that I share this machine with 3 other people. I'm getting a laptop sometime next week though! So expect updates galore! Onward! To the chapter!

Discoveries

Hino walked into Psychic Abilities class with Xerxes as usual the next day. She had worn a leather jacket today instead of her usual vest to cover up her new mark on her shoulder.

"I heard they fell off a bridge-"

"I heard Takeshi went crazy and dove right into a ditch-"

"I heard Lexi was yelling at him and he rammed into someone else on accident-"

Hino looked around at all the gossiping students curiously. Something was different.

"What are they talking about?" Hino asked her friend, confused.

Xerxes rolled her eyes as she leaned over to whisper a response in her friend's ear, "Lexi and Takeshi got into a car crash yesterday."

Hino's eyes widened in shock and concern, "Does anyone know what happened?"

Xerxes gestured to the class, each student was enthralled in a conversation or whispering fest.

"What do you think they're all whispering about? Nobody knows except the two who were actually there," Xerxes clarified, repressing the urge to vomit at her fellow classmates.

Hino nodded in understanding. She was about to say something else when Chancellor Izayoi walked in. All the students shut their mouths at the sight of her. Aki looked awful.

"Alright class," Aki started off, a little softer and more monotonous than usual, "Today is going to be a work day. You'll each grab a partner and discuss your power you wield with each other, and how you could fuse those powers together to accomplish different goals. I'll be at the front here if anybody needs me."

The class began the instructed activity as Aki slowly went to sit down at a desk. Hino observed the teacher with concern. The woman was obviously stressed and sleep deprived, dark purple surrounding the bottoms of her eyes, the rest of her skin pale as the white walls of an infirmary.

Hino turned to Xerxes, her partner for the class' activity, with a deeply worried look on her face, "Do you think she'll be okay?"

Xerxes looked at her teacher for a few seconds, watching her slowly take a sip of water from a plastic water bottle.

"She looks like hell, but it's Izayoi. She's been through worse. Much worse," Xerxes responded, confident in her teacher's resilience.

Hino nodded, accepting her friend's answer and returning her focus to the class activity, "So, how can we fuse levitation with stress relief?"

"I think our powers are a little more advanced than that. I'm sure you can do more than just make things levitate," Xerxes opinionated.

Hino gave a small huff before lifting a book with her powers and dropping it on Xerxes' head.

"OW! What was that for?" The bluenette questioned, aggravated.

Hino leaned in, "For exploiting me," she whispered.

Xerxes leaned in as well, "What? You're the Wind Sage, aren't you? You've got to be able to do more than just-"

"Enough."

Hino leaned back in her chair and averted eye contact with her friend. She grabbed a sheet of paper and started brainstorming ways of fusing levitating objects with pulling stress from people, ignoring any complaints Xerxes made.

Jeff, bored with the task dealt by the Chancellor – but most of all his girlfriend – searched the room for Hino. His eyes landed on her, observing her defensive, put-off state. He stood up and went over to her, ignoring Kheika's attempts at calling him back over to her.

She hadn't even noticed him until he had tapped her on the shoulder where her mark was. Upon contact, a flash went off inside both their heads. Another flash went off as they made eye contact, this one ringing with pain.

The pain was gone within seconds, replaced with confusion on both ends.

"Are you alright?" Jeff asked her, certain she had just experienced what he had.

"I'm… I don't know," she answered, perplexed.

"Walk with me," Jeff commanded as he gently pulled her up by her arm.

Hino made no attempt to get away from him and followed him into the hallway outside the classroom. He linked his arm with hers as they proceeded down the narrow corridor.

"How are you?" He started off.

Hino shrugged, "I've been alright-"

"No- How are you? I know I haven't been talking to you as much cause of Kheika and all," he gave, shame starting to present itself in his demeanor.

"So? You're not obligated to me. We barely know each other."

"Still," Jeff pressed as he moved in closer to her, "I care about you. A lot, actually."

Hino hesitated a moment before speaking, "Then how come you're with her?"

Jeff couldn't think of an answer. He stood there, looking at Hino and just realizing then how much hurt there was in her eyes. Even in such a state she was remarkably beautiful. Why was he with her? Why wasn't he with Hino?

"Jeff! Hino! Get back in the classroom!"

Hino took a step towards Jeff, searching for an answer from him. When none came, she turned and headed back to class, leaving him to stare after her in the middle of the empty hallway.

"Damn it…" He muttered to himself before following her back to the classroom.

Alexianna's eyes fluttered open to a blur of white. Her senses started to slowly come back to her, one by one, as she tried to figure out where she was.

"Where am I?" She murmured as she tried to sit up.

"Lex?" A masculine voice called.

The voice was familiar to her. It was comforting and gentle and… Slow.

Takeshi.

"Takeshi? Takeshi!" She cried as her eyes focused on his form, the blurriness dissipating.

She scrambled off her bed, the pain and soreness from her wounds finally deciding to take their toll. She did her best to ignore the pain and staggered over to the person she considered to be her boyfriend.

"Hey, Lex…" He greeted slower than usual.

She scanned his body, finding bruises and cuts everywhere she looked. His knee was in a brace, and his arm was wrapped up and in a sling.

"Look at you," she whispered, her eyes darting from injury to injury.

"It's not that bad…" He countered her as he struggled to sit up.

She took his good arm and helped him sit upright in his bed, wincing as a pain shot through her hand.

"Are you okay?" He asked in concern, as if she was the one in the sling and brace, unable to move.

"Am I okay? Have you seen yourself?"

"It's just a couple scrapes and bruises, nothing to fuss over…"

Alexianna rolled her eyes at him, "You don't need to act all tough and manly. Especially not right now."

"I'm not," he argued, "I'm completely fine! Look," he instructed as he lifted his good leg up and down a couple times, "See? Mobility. I'd go back to school right now if they'd let me!"

Alexianna couldn't help but smile at his determination, it was one of his best qualities, she deemed.

"You need to rest," she ordered, fixing his blankets up for him.

Takeshi grabbed her wrist with his good hand, "So do you." He patted a spot on his bed for her, shifting over a bit to make more room in the indicated area for her.

The French girl rolled her eyes, but hopped up on the bed anyways, "Fine."

Takeshi smiled softly as she climbed up next to him. He lifted the blanket for her to climb under with his good hand, which she wormed her way under. He put his good arm around her, more so protectively than romantically, and held her small frame close to him.

"I'm sorry."

Alexianna looked at him like he was the dumbest person in the world.

"What? This isn't your fault!" She argued.

"Yes it is," he shot back, guilt starting to swell inside of him.

"Takeshi, that mark numbed your arm because of how much pain it caused you. You couldn't help it," She pointed out.

"Still, I could've slammed the breaks, or… Something…"

Alexianna frowned at him, witnessing the guilt rise up in his features. She moved some of his long, black hair out of his face, leaving her hand to rest on his on cheek. He looked at her, trying to hide his guilt but failing. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find any words to express what he wanted to.

So he just kissed her instead.

She was completely caught off-guard by the kiss, but returned it none the less. It only lasted for a few moments, but the kiss was soft, gentle, sweet.

They pulled away, leaving Alexianna trembling slightly, "Wh-what was that for?"

Takeshi softly smiled and lightly kissed her forehead, "… Just, for being you."

Alexianna couldn't help but a smile a little at his comment as she was brought into an embrace.

"Time for your daily physicals- Oh my!" A nurse called as she entered the room to see the two teens together in each other's arms.

Alexianna groaned mentally, 'Perfect timing…'

Stephanie paced in between the beds in her dorm room, "What the hell is this?"

"It's a gift."

Stephanie whirled around to see her roommate – Grace – standing in the doorway of the bathroom, smiling in a devious nature at her.

"This?" Stephanie asked sceptically as she pointed to a black marking on her hand.

The marking was in the shape of a circle and had four dots in the middle of it, six dots outside the perimeter of the circle. The skin around it was red and tender, displaying copious amounts of pain being held there.

Grace gestured to her own marking on her thigh, "I have one too, see?"

Stephanie retreated a bit, observing Grace's mark before glancing back at her own, "They're gifts, you say?"

Grace smirked, "Oh yes."

Grace walked forward and positioned herself in front of the desk that belonged to their room. She focused on it and produced an orb of black energy within her hands, aiming at the piece of wooden furniture. Stephanie took a step back in shock and confusion before Grace released the orb. Pieces of wood went flying all about the room, crashing into the walls and landing everywhere.

"You see? It's a gift," Grace joyfully iterated.

Stephanie trembled under the blonde's gaze, "I-I can do that?"

Grace smiled at the girl, taking a few steps forward and taking the tanned girls marked hand, "And so much more. All you have to do, is trust it."

Grace rubbed Stephanie's mark with her thumb, causing the dark haired girl more pain than needed.

"Ah! Stop it!" Stephanie hissed.

"Hush!" Grace ordered.

Stephanie shut herself up as she watched Grace continue to rub her hand. The pain in her hand started to decline as a new sensation filled her, something along the lines of a dark, ominous feeling.

"What are you-"

Grace clamped her free hand over Stephanie's mouth, "This is for your own good. You'll thank me, soon enough."

Setsuka sat in her office, wincing at the blue marking on the inside of her wrist.

"Now of all times…"

A knock was heard at the door, followed by Ryuusei entering the room.

"I'm supposed to ask who's there and grant permission to enter first," she informed sarcastically.

Ryuusei shrugged as he took a seat in front of her desk.

"I see you've received your mark," he gestured to said mark.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," Setsuka bit.

Ryuusei took a closer look at the mark, "I'd say that's pretty fresh too."

Setsuka glared at Ryuusei, "Now what on earth would give you that idea?"

"At least you're holding up better than the Wind Sage."

"Can I help you with something? Or are you hell-bent on spectating my agony?"

Ryuusei leaned back in his chair, revealing a manila folder, "While you're enjoying your little hissy-fit over there, I'll explain why I'm here. This," He opened the folder and placed it on her desk, "is wrong."

Setsuka leaned over the folder as she held her wrist in pain, observing the file's contents.

"That's-"

"The Spirit Child, I know. Except it's not," He informed.

Setsuka looked at him with a frown on her face, perplexed, "Then who is it?"

Ryuusei produced another folder, containing another file that he showed his accomplice.

"Her."

"Her?"

"Her."

Setsuka hesitated, "Really?"

END

Sorry this was so late! Please forgive me! Review and try not to hate me!