Chapter 18: Recovered

In unison, they stirred.

In unison, their eyes opened, allowing the light above and the white of the room to fill their vision.

In unison, arms wrapped tightly around, heavy cries and prayers gracing their ear drums.

And in unison, they were unhappy.

Takabi sat up first, looking around the hospital room at the many pairs of eyes.

Rose, Porrelth, Saiya, Aqua, Frannie, Shine, Hailey and to his surprise, Zaku, crowded around with worried expressions. Looking down, he took a heavy whiff, drinking Nana's scent, his body relaxing against her weight.

Then came the memories. Lukas, the two Gems that appeared before them, and put them in the hospital.

Astar, and his striking resemblance to Riki.

He'd mention none of it for the time being.

He would open his mouth, licking his lips, and with hoarse words, state, "I need to go."

"Go," Nana choked up. She laughed in his chest, before looking him directly in his eyes. "You aren't going nowhere."

"But I can't just let them take Lukas!"

"Slow down, Lukas didn't do this by himself," Porrelth asked. He pulled up a chair between Kairas and Takabi's beds, sitting and crossing his arms. "Start explaining, detail for detail."

And so, Kairas did just that, despite his struggle to breathe from Jewel's embrace. Once he spoke of the Kult and the three Gems that appeared, it grew dead silent. Takabi gripped his sheets at the mention of Astar's name, but thankfully Kairas never said anything about his appearance.

Porrelth absorbed everything that was said, leaning back in his seat. Stroking his beard, he flicked his eyes between the boys, and asked them, "How do you both feel about all this?"

"Pissed off," They answered without hesitation.

"Been a while since you guys lost so poorly. Shocking, to say the least." He stood up. "Ah, well, can't do nothing but move forward for now. It's what makes experience, experience. You'll be ready next time," He said, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I'm hungry. Anyone want a sandwich?"

Aqua raised her hand, and followed him. Frannie sighed after they left and touched Takabi's shoulder. "Take it easy, teach."

"I'll try," He replied, watching as Frannie walked out. A pause in the room, and Shine followed after her. Zaku sat in a chair by the table near the window and crossed his arms. He watched Takabi closely, before leaning forward and saying quietly, "I'm glad… You're alright."

"How long was I out?"

Zaku raised his head, and said numbly, "A few days." His eyes looked dark. Bags on his face, brown jumpsuit loosely thrown on and zipped up to the center of his chest. Bandages were tied around his face, hiding his mouth and a bit of his throat, but his eyes remained completely exposed to be read.

He was hurting.

It pained him, knowing there was nothing he could have done to help.

"Do you want something to eat, Kai," Jewel asked him. He shook his head and smiled warmly at her.

"No, but thank you. I just need some rest is all. Body is pretty damn sore."

"Okay." She said sadly, holding his hand tightly. Another moment of silence, before Jewel choked up, "We thought you two wouldn't make it."

"Huh," They responded.

"Even if we did keel over, we'd come back."

Nana slapped Takabi, a massive crack and heavy wind sweeping through the room. Everyone's eyes went wide in shock, especially Takabi's. He held his red cheek, looking at her slowly. "You don't get it, do you! We're all here, we're all shaken now BECAUSE you could have actually died!"

"What do you…"

"None of your wounds would heal! We manually stitched you both up and have been sitting here without rest because we were worried sick!" She stood, face in his. "There wasn't a single hour that I didn't cry or vomit because of the thought of losing you forever! And then what?! I couldn't bear to live without you, and my mind can't handle you actually dying! Did you fucking forget when Kairas jammed his ice through your chest!"

She calmed down for a moment, watching him look at his blanket with a shamed face. "You're not invincible, so stop handling things like you are. Don't forget, my life depends on yours, you fucking moron." There was an unmatched fury in her tone, in her words, one Takabi had nothing but fear of.

Fear was not in his body now.

It was sadness. A strong feeling of shame at how careless he had been in the recent time. It came in full force, to the point he felt a tear run down his cheek. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, you better be."

Hailey watched the two, and couldn't agree with Nana more. Her words had no place though. Takabi had taken enough for now.

"Why weren't we healing naturally though? Even when we got our asses kicked by the first High Breed, our bodies slowly were putting themselves back to normal."

"Might have something to do with the Gems," Kairas said. "My back was broken until I activated mine. That's when I healed up fully."

"Really," Zaku chimed in. "Think it's possible their Gems cancel out your magic?"

"We don't heal with magic though. It's purely biological. Our healing factor is sped up by the Gems, but that's really it."

"Strange. I'll run it by Beowulf and see if we discover anything."

Nodding, the twins lay back in their beds, shutting their eyes, minds racing and mulling over the three they encountered, as well as Lukas and his whereabouts.

---------------------------------------

Frannie brushed her hair behind her ear. Her eyes watched on from the hospital rooftop, the sun beating down heavily overhead. Scarlivia was such a beautiful city, she couldn't help but marvel at it. A smile touched her face, genuinely, for the first time in a while and she cupped her hands over her chest.

That week played over in her head. She felt goosebumps on her skin, her heart skipped beats, and warmth between her legs. She hated how broken she felt, how that creature ruined her. Deep inside, she wanted to be cleansed, but seeing as how her only option was already taken, she felt doomed to deal with it all on her own.

"Are you okay," A voice asked her.

Frannie ignored it.

Shine watched her back, before walking over and placing her hand on the fence that was risen up over the ledge. "Dreulara. It's such an amazing place."

"Yeah," Frannie said dryly.

Shine looked at her, voice shaky, hands clammy. "Frannie, I-."

"Stow it," She cut her off. "I don't want a half assed apology."

"But I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for getting us into that mess."

Frannie grit her teeth, snapping her gaze angrily at Shine. "Is sorry going to erase what he did to me?! Is it going to give me back my virginity, that special thing that made me innocent?! That special, first time I wanted to give to someone else!?" She pushed her against the fence. "I had it stolen from me, Shine! I had my body played with, used, and tossed around just to make YOU give in! And guess what! You did! We both did!" She touched her throat.

"I can still feel Orion in my throat. Every day I want to vomit, every day I pray to God above I'm not pregnant by him! Killing him brought me no satisfaction, watching Takabi torture him for us did nothing for me!" She was crying hard. Her words hung in the air, Shine dissecting every one and drinking it in.

"What's worse, I have to watch you… YOU, who went through everything I did, maybe even more, walk around as if nothing happened and I don't get it!" She sobbed, dropping to her knees, arms wrapping around her waist and face buried in her stomach. "HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO LIVE WITH ALL OF THIS!!"

Shine was silent for a moment, before she lowered herself and hugged Frannie tightly. "I don't know." She answered. "I don't know at all, Frannie."

"Shine I… I don't want to live like this.."

"That's why I'm here, I guess. I'm here to help. Kairas and Takabi too." She pulled back, watching the blonde's face, stained with tears. "You can talk to us, any of us. You're not alone."

Frannie touched Shine's hands on her shoulders, nodding. "I'm sorry for how I've been…"

"I don't blame you. I don't. Everything was my fault and there's not a single day I don't wish I could take it all back." Shine averted her gaze, thoughts brewing in her mind before she looked at Frannie again. "I wish I could go back. I'd do anything to stop those days from happening to you."

"I know," Frannie replied. "I… I never thought something like that could actually happen. Aren't the good guys supposed to win in the end?"

Shine shook her head, brushing hair behind her right ear. "We're not good guys, or super heroes or anything like that. We're people who are fighting for the innocent, but none of us are. We all have blood on our hands, human or otherwise."

Frannie's mind thought back to the day they first met Hailey. She was the Kults' attempt at cloning Nana, and the first one to encounter her was Takabi. Broken beyond belief, he killed everyone in the mall, and beat Hailey within an inch of her life.

How does he do it? How can he go on living despite knowing what he's done and been through? Frannie looked at Shine closely. "Takabi… He's… So emotionally strong."

"And we can be too." Shine smiled softly at her. "It takes time, but it'll get better. Orion is gone. He can't hurt us anymore."

With a deep breath, they both stood, hugging tightly before turning to look over Scarlivia. "If I can ask," Shine started. "Who… Exactly did you want to be your first?"

"Between us," Frannie asked, glancing at her.

Shine held out her pinky. Frannie took hers and wrapped it tightly, before stating, "Takabi."

"EW!" She said, pulling her hand back, watching Frannie laugh. "WHY!?"

"He… Gave me a chance to be better? To be there for you when he easily could've said no. He's so willing to help everyone else, and he cares so much. He…" She paused a moment, collecting her thoughts and continuing, "He spared me the past. When Orion killed my parents that week, it really felt like I had nothing left. When I saw his face though, I couldn't help but smile and knew things were going to be alright. Not to mention how he looks so happy most of the time. Hell, you tried to get with him."

"ONLY because I didn't know he was my brother. Maybe we should put you in a ward, you're mental to want him."

"Well would that mean Nana and Hailey are mental?"

They exchanged glances, before nodding in agreement and giggly. Slowly, they held each other's hands, smiling at the sky above. "Being honest, and I'm sure you can tell, but I really fell for him. I did. So… I guess I'm content with just being in his life now."

"Then cling to that." She looked at Frannie, the two sharing a gaze before Shine said, "Make him your light and never let go. No matter what happens."