Over the next few days, Aryan would drift in and out of conciousness, but he was never really there. He would open his eyes, but he didn't respond. His mind was elsewhere, somewhere dark. He was always alone, his neck feeling like it was on fire, and no matter what he did, he could never soothe it, or figure out where he was. There were voices, memories, pain.
There was always one person he could see, but just barely. A woman with long white hair. His sister. She was standing with her back to him, and he would try to go to her, to make sure she was okay. But every time he tried to reach her, she would vanish, reappearing behind him. He would look at her, only to see that it wasn't her. Not Yuki. It didn't matter how much she looked like her, it wasn't Yuki.
Aryan's eyes opened slowly, not comprehending where he was for a second, the ceiling unfamiliar, scents of bleach and steril solution, mixed with the scents of his family flooding his senses. He was in the infirmary. He shifted his eyes downward, something golden on his chest catching his eye. It was Medusa, and the snake lifted her head as she felt her master move, her tongue flicking out silently.
"Massster." She hissed.
Aryan stroked her head lightly, not saying anything. There was little to say, really. He could vaugely remember Yuki devouring him, but he remembered little else. He could only surmise that Helen had saved him, it was the only way he would still be alive, honestly. He shifted his head to right, catching sight of Zero. The Kuragari was asleep.
"He'sss been keeping an eye on you when your mother wasss gone." The familiar said softly.
Zero stirred, his chest rising slowly. His face contorted into one of pain, but there was no physical pain to be had. His dreams, they all drifted to a woman, her hair long, white as snow, and her eyes. It was her eyes that always stilled his breath, caused him to feel as if he couldn't breathe, that he was suffocating. His heart felt that it was pulling from his arteries, trying to burst from his chest and just bleed for her. And it was. It ached every moment she was gone, and when she reappeared...it broke his heart even more. She didn't recognize him, her family. She recognized none of them. What did they do to her?
His eyes opened slowly, the light flooding his senses. There were words being spoken, but it took him a moment to clear his senses, and glanced towards the bed that Aryan occupied, the von Nacht woken from his deep sleep. A sigh of relief escaped Zero as he straightened his posture, popping his back in the process as he stretched. He took a deep breath, releasing it as he turned towards Aryan. "How are you feeling Aryan? You've been out a few days," he spoke, concern genuinely laced in his voice.
Aryan's eyes slid over to Zero again as his cousin spoke. There was certainly more life in them than there had been, but it still was not quite up to his usual standard. He grimaced slightly, moving various parts of his body before rolling his head around and sighing.
"If I knew what it felt like to be crushed by a compactor and then re-inflated, I would think I feel something like that. But I would not know, so I believe I simply hurt." It wasn't really so much physical pain as it was simply being sore from not having moved for three days.
"Was anyone else hurt?"
Zero sighed. That perhaps would be considered normal if that is how Aryan felt. Yuki did take a lot of blood from him, bringing him almost to the brink of death, and Zero clutched the arms of the chair tightly. He should have done something, anything, to at least save Aryan. If he couldn't save Yuki, he should have at least saved his cousin. Aryan's question brought him out of his thoughts as he turned to face him again. He sighed softly through his nose, racking his hand through his hair as he thought about the words to tell him.
"No," he finally stated, the word being drawn out in the process. "Everyone else made it out okay, but you were the one who was hit the worst," he replied. He fell silent after that. What else could he tell him? That he failed to protect Yuki, to protect him, to protect his family? He finally slumped into his chair as he closed his eyes softly.
It was Aryan's turn to sigh, Medusa slithering off of his chest as he sat up. He winced as he did so, though he otherwise made no sign of discomfort. He regarded his cousin silently once more. It was good to know that no one else was hurt, however...
Not everyone was dealing with physical pain. "I suppose it would do little good to tell you that you're being an idiot. What happened to me was not your fault. I was the one who made the decision to save you. Besides, now we know exactly how she's going to act. That gives us more information on how to get her back."
Zero scoffed silently. Perhaps he was being an idiot, but that meant nothing to him. He had failed, that was all there was to it. "You wouldn't have had to make that decision if I had acted, and for that I apologize," he spoke, opening his eyes once more as he silently regarded his cousin. He then cracked a small, broken, smile, one that he could barely muster enough energy for. It was true, they had a bit of more information now as to how Yuki was going to act around them. She wasn't going to recognize them, and that meant that she wasn't going to hold back on hurting them.
"You're right, we do. And we won't fail at getting her back the next time," he continued, his voice laced with resolve. And he wouldn't hesitate to save her this time.
Zero's tone alone produced what could be considered Aryan's normal smirk.
"Good, because I won't be saving you next time."
There was always one person he could see, but just barely. A woman with long white hair. His sister. She was standing with her back to him, and he would try to go to her, to make sure she was okay. But every time he tried to reach her, she would vanish, reappearing behind him. He would look at her, only to see that it wasn't her. Not Yuki. It didn't matter how much she looked like her, it wasn't Yuki.
Aryan's eyes opened slowly, not comprehending where he was for a second, the ceiling unfamiliar, scents of bleach and steril solution, mixed with the scents of his family flooding his senses. He was in the infirmary. He shifted his eyes downward, something golden on his chest catching his eye. It was Medusa, and the snake lifted her head as she felt her master move, her tongue flicking out silently.
"Massster." She hissed.
Aryan stroked her head lightly, not saying anything. There was little to say, really. He could vaugely remember Yuki devouring him, but he remembered little else. He could only surmise that Helen had saved him, it was the only way he would still be alive, honestly. He shifted his head to right, catching sight of Zero. The Kuragari was asleep.
"He'sss been keeping an eye on you when your mother wasss gone." The familiar said softly.
Zero stirred, his chest rising slowly. His face contorted into one of pain, but there was no physical pain to be had. His dreams, they all drifted to a woman, her hair long, white as snow, and her eyes. It was her eyes that always stilled his breath, caused him to feel as if he couldn't breathe, that he was suffocating. His heart felt that it was pulling from his arteries, trying to burst from his chest and just bleed for her. And it was. It ached every moment she was gone, and when she reappeared...it broke his heart even more. She didn't recognize him, her family. She recognized none of them. What did they do to her?
His eyes opened slowly, the light flooding his senses. There were words being spoken, but it took him a moment to clear his senses, and glanced towards the bed that Aryan occupied, the von Nacht woken from his deep sleep. A sigh of relief escaped Zero as he straightened his posture, popping his back in the process as he stretched. He took a deep breath, releasing it as he turned towards Aryan. "How are you feeling Aryan? You've been out a few days," he spoke, concern genuinely laced in his voice.
Aryan's eyes slid over to Zero again as his cousin spoke. There was certainly more life in them than there had been, but it still was not quite up to his usual standard. He grimaced slightly, moving various parts of his body before rolling his head around and sighing.
"If I knew what it felt like to be crushed by a compactor and then re-inflated, I would think I feel something like that. But I would not know, so I believe I simply hurt." It wasn't really so much physical pain as it was simply being sore from not having moved for three days.
"Was anyone else hurt?"
Zero sighed. That perhaps would be considered normal if that is how Aryan felt. Yuki did take a lot of blood from him, bringing him almost to the brink of death, and Zero clutched the arms of the chair tightly. He should have done something, anything, to at least save Aryan. If he couldn't save Yuki, he should have at least saved his cousin. Aryan's question brought him out of his thoughts as he turned to face him again. He sighed softly through his nose, racking his hand through his hair as he thought about the words to tell him.
"No," he finally stated, the word being drawn out in the process. "Everyone else made it out okay, but you were the one who was hit the worst," he replied. He fell silent after that. What else could he tell him? That he failed to protect Yuki, to protect him, to protect his family? He finally slumped into his chair as he closed his eyes softly.
It was Aryan's turn to sigh, Medusa slithering off of his chest as he sat up. He winced as he did so, though he otherwise made no sign of discomfort. He regarded his cousin silently once more. It was good to know that no one else was hurt, however...
Not everyone was dealing with physical pain. "I suppose it would do little good to tell you that you're being an idiot. What happened to me was not your fault. I was the one who made the decision to save you. Besides, now we know exactly how she's going to act. That gives us more information on how to get her back."
Zero scoffed silently. Perhaps he was being an idiot, but that meant nothing to him. He had failed, that was all there was to it. "You wouldn't have had to make that decision if I had acted, and for that I apologize," he spoke, opening his eyes once more as he silently regarded his cousin. He then cracked a small, broken, smile, one that he could barely muster enough energy for. It was true, they had a bit of more information now as to how Yuki was going to act around them. She wasn't going to recognize them, and that meant that she wasn't going to hold back on hurting them.
"You're right, we do. And we won't fail at getting her back the next time," he continued, his voice laced with resolve. And he wouldn't hesitate to save her this time.
Zero's tone alone produced what could be considered Aryan's normal smirk.
"Good, because I won't be saving you next time."