Sleepless

Ryu could sleep well the other days. But not after that. He felt like he was becoming something he wasn't and it got worse the night he heard voices from the other room. It wasn't just any voice but that caused by pain. 

Now that he was alone in his room, he could finally relax and sink into his bed. Old Ruo was standing beside him in utmost worry, wondering what Aldric would say if he saw his son in this condition. It was way past midnight. 

"Are you alright Young Master? Should I call Doctor Eliza? Or anyone?" 

"Not Eliza please, just no." Ryu exclaimed immediately.

 Eliza would not just treat him but taunt him too. She kept looking over at his dressed wound. It was only a minor injury but she seemed anxious since it was the first time she ever saw the young man get hurt. 

The voices from the other room kept soaring in volume. He wanted to check in but it would only disturb Darah even more. Ryu wanted to laugh at his pathetic condition, that he let some tiny girl stab him in the shoulder for revenge. Why did he even come to that conclusion!? He must've driven her so damn crazy that she had to raise her knife to want to kill him. He scoffed. She must be thankful that she's alive at least. 

Before Mrs Ruo was about to leave, she heard the voices again and so did Ryu. He looked at her with a frown. 

"Go check on her." He ordered sternly. The old lady nodded in concern and rushed to her room. To her surprise Darah was only watching a dream. She quickly went to her side and saw her, sweating and beating around her arms as if trying to escape someone.

"Miss Darah!" Mrs Ruo called out and held her arms together and saw the young woman break out of her sleep and look at her in tears. The old lady felt extremely awful for her condition but recalled what she did to Ryu. Maybe it was an accident.

"Are you Okay child?" The lady said, wiping her tears off with a nearby tissue. Darah nodded, composing herself. 

"I-I just saw a bad dream…" 

"It's alright dear." Mrs Ruo couldn't help but feel bad for her. She came closer and pulled her into a warm comforting hug which reminded Darah of her mother… Never had she wanted to see her so bad. 

"I'll get you your medicine and you'll fall asleep in an instant." The old lady smiled warmly as she went over towards the nearby dresser. She took the bottle and gave the prescribed amount to Darah. As the young woman was taking it, Mrs Ruo couldn't help but observe her frail frame. Was it just because it was dark or was she looking weaker than before? Mrs Ruo felt that the latter had gotten even more tired and exhausted. Maybe it was because she wasn't eating well…

______

Devin couldn't sleep the entire night. He wanted to know what happened after he left but didn't know how. He hoped things went well. There was no way it could've gone wrong.... Well many ways indeed but it wasn't wrong to keep hope. The only way to know was to go there directly. 

The next morning, Mrs Ruo was setting up the table for breakfast when she saw a familiar guest. She smiled and bowed to the young man who looked like he stopped by in a hurry. 

"Good Morning Master Devin. Care to join for breakfast?" The old lady asked in a motherly tone. 

"No I'm fine. I just dropped by to say hi to-" Devin saw his eyes wander over to a figure clad in a flowing black dress on the top of the stairs. His eyes met her large brown ones and he felt instant regret… This wasn't what he wanted to see. Why wasn't she at the guesthouse!? Why in Ryu's home! So she got caught! Darah widened her eyes before she tried to go back into her room but bumped into someone's chest. 

"Ow…" Ryu hissed at the pain and looked down to see the little dainty figure with a lost gaze. She was left with no words to say and kept looking at his wound which was dressed under his simple white shirt. He tried to say something but Darah came back to her senses and frantically ran to her room. She looked so pale…

Ryu sighed and walked towards the stair when he saw the unexpected visitor. With a monotonous expression, he walked down slowly, his hand sliding through the wooden railing. Devin was seated straight to him on the couch, legs crossed with a not too happy smile. 

"Didn't expect to see you now." Ryu said, casually walking to the opposite couch while he sat, resting his legs on the table. 

"Is that the first thing you should say when you see your friend?" Devin smirked, sipping his cup of coffee. Ryu smirked too, bringing his legs down as he leaned forward.

"Well then. Good morning Devin. Why did you help Darah Chen escape?" 

Devin almost spat his coffee hearing that. He was not expecting it. Did she tell him? But it was natural now that she was caught. He kept down the cup, preparing for the worst.