~KAI~
"Unicorn."
"That is not a unicorn, Midnight." I grinned, trying not to laugh at the four-legged stick drawing Midnight was working on with an extra stick pointing out from the apparent unicorn's head.
She blinked, looking back down at her drawing. She glanced over to my sketchbook, leaning over to see my sketch of a unicorn. She frowned.
"Mine's prettier," she mumbled.
I laughed, unable to take her cuteness as she continued to pout. "Yes, it is, Midnight."
"You're laughing," she pointed out.
"At your cuteness. You're cute when you sulk," I admitted.
"Sure..." she mumbled.
I noticed her eyes linger on her unicorn image, noticing her sudden change in mood. I stopped laughing, reaching down to lift her head. "Hey. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," I apologized.
It had been two weeks already and Makoto was still dormant. Her other spirits had started taking control occasionally, but by the time any of our spirits got an opportunity to talk to them, they went back to sleep— Midnight taking over once more.
Midnight explained the same had occurred back in the facility, but they couldn't help it. Mako was their host and without her, they too felt the immense loneliness Midnight had described to Daniel, Ryder and myself.
The guys and I agreed Midnight's emotions would be up and down which was normal. I just didn't like seeing her sad, just like the others.
"I'm not mad. I'm confused," she confessed, lifting her midnight blue eyes to stare at my amber ones.
"Confused?" I questioned.
She nodded.
"What are you confused about?" I asked. I could see her hesitation as she bit her lip.
I took the sketchbooks and placed them on the clear part of the nightstand, next to their limited edition unicorn figurine collection before I made my way to the other side of the bed and sat next to her.
I could see a hint of a smile at the gesture, noticing Midnight liked it better when we sat next to her rather than stood next to the bed or further away.
"I...well…um. I like EliaseAnne, right?" she began, clarifying.
I blinked in confusion, but nodded. "Yes. I know you like EliaseAnne. It makes sense. You're like her counterpart. Why do you need clarification?" I asked.
I could see her face flush while her fingers fidgeted with one another. "I'm not allowed to like anyone else, right?" she mumbled.
"What? What do you mean you're not allowed?" I questioned.
"Like...I'm dedicated to only Elias and EliaseAnne, right? I can't be interested in the others...like you or Ryder...or even the angel," she whispered, her cheeks growing redder at the mention of Daniel who I knew had made progress with her during their nightly walks.
I'd been making my way to check on Midnight, but noticed her room was empty and the wheelchair was missing. It only took a second to use my gift and see her with Daniel down in the courtyard past the maze.
Since they spent most of the night there and hadn't killed one another off, I assumed everything had gone better than even Daniel expected. The way Midnight's cheeks flushed and her curious behavior made me realize she may be falling for Daniel.
"Midnight. You're not only exclusive to EliaseAnne or Elias. I guess you can say it’s easier for us to have our designated partners, but if for example, Stryker wanted to kiss Makoto, it wouldn't be wrong," I explained.
"They already...uh...never mind." She glanced away.
I lifted my eyebrow at her. "They had sex, didn't they?" I might as well be straight up with Midnight, thinking it was extra cute of her to be so shy when talking about relationships and sex.
"Ya..." Midnight replied, still looking away.
"Then you shouldn't worry about it. You're not bound to just one of us. You, Makoto and the others are in one body and are with all of us. If you end up wanting to kiss someone else or do more intimate things, you can. Follow your heart and I know you're still new to being a spirit, but you guys don't need to be bound to human morals," I reminded.
She nodded, returning to stare at me before her eyes lowered to my lips.
From the calculating look in her eyes to the way she bit one side of her lip, gave me enough confidence to know what she wanted to try.
I didn't hesitate, my hand brushing off a strand of hair that had fallen from its spot behind her ear before I lowered my lips to hers. It was a simple kiss, not fast or super slow. I allowed my lips to linger on hers, waiting for her to tense up or move away, but she stood her ground.
I released her lips, opening my eyes to see her dark blue ones and flushed cheeks.
"See. Nothing bad happened," I joked.
She smiled. "Poke."
"Ah!" I flinched at the sharp sensation to my side. I fell to the side, being overdramatic at the orange pencil that poked me.
"Midnight! I'm gonna die," I accused, sighing in agony.
She rolled her eyes. "Meh." She shrugged her shoulders.
"MEH? You’re supposed to have pity for me!" I exaggerated. I felt something hit me on the side, causing me to fall off the bed. "AH!"
Midnight yawned. "I'm sleepy."
I scurried off the floor to see what had pushed me off and my eyes grew wide— noticing Midnight had used her leg, but her multiple markings weren't glowing.
"Midnight," I said in a stern voice, catching her attention and she met my stunned gaze.
She followed the direction of where I was staring at, realizing she'd used her left leg. "Did...I...do that?" Her voice trembled.
"Midnight, can you move it?" I asked.
She tried, her face showing her effort and concentration, but her leg stayed where it was. "No." She frowned, her shoulders sulking.
I stood up, lifting her leg up and doing some rotational movements that Daniel and Kade had taught us.
"Who was here earlier? Before I came," I asked.
"Daniel."
"Did he do anything different?"
She sat there for a moment in deep thought.
"Well...he did something where his eyes were deep gold. I was half asleep and I honestly thought it was a figment of my imagination, but I thought I felt something in my legs. Or at least my toes," Midnight confessed.
I nodded, continuing the stretches till I noticed Midnight yawn again. She rubbed her eyes, her head beginning to nod forward.
"I think it's time for a nap." I lowered her leg before placing the light blanket on her legs.
"I'm not sleepy," she argued.
"Uh huh," I countered, helping her lay back.
"I don't want to sleep," Midnight expressed; a hint of fear in her voice.
I frowned. "Why?"
"Dreams… nightmares sometimes."
"For how long?"
"A few days."
"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked. I knew Makoto had nightmares from time to time, the frequency of them decreased dramatically since the first exam incident.
"No," she mumbled.
"Okay. If you ever want to talk about it, you can ask any of us, okay?" I reassured her. I needed to make sure she knew we'd be here to talk if she continued having nightmares.
She nodded, closing her eyes.
I gathered the art supplies quietly, before checking to see if Midnight had fallen asleep. I smiled at her peaceful expression, the scene that just occurred running through my mind.
"I need to talk to Daniel," I mumbled.
"Why do you need to talk to me?"
I turned my head to see Daniel walk through the curtain, his eyes landing on Midnight who hadn't even stirred from Daniel's arrival. I noticed the change in his eyes— a hint of passion flickered in those golden orbs which cued me in that they had progressed significantly from a few weeks earlier where they couldn't be in the same room.
"Midnight was able to use her leg for a split second," I confessed.
Daniel turned to me, eyes growing wide in astonishment. "What?"
"She kicked me off the bed by accident."
"Was she able to move it after?" he questioned.
I shook my head. "No. But she had enough force to push me off the bed and I made sure to check if she used magic. She didn't," I affirmed.
He nodded, moving the blanket slowly. He cautiously placed his hand on her left leg, the one that had somehow managed to knock me off the bed. His eyes began to glow a dark gold. I retreated and took a position in the corner of the room.
When Daniel used his gift, you had to distance yourself or the sensations and feelings he experienced affected all those around him.
He'd worked on it significantly to lower the radius of those affected, but being in a closed off room like this there wasn't much he could do to prevent it. He didn't mind me distancing myself, well aware of my reasoning as he continued to analyze Midnight's leg.
He looked to Midnight who looked to be in deep sleep. He lifted his finger, slowly trailing it down her leg. She didn't move, seeming unbothered by the sensation.
Daniel took a deep breath before he tried again; the markings on his shoulder blades began to glow a dark gold with hints of white.
His finger traced down her leg slowly, till Midnight flinched. Daniel paused, his eyes meeting my shocked ones as we both looked at Midnight who mumbled something incoherent before she relaxed.
We let a few seconds pass, listening to her soft inhales and exhales before Daniel continued; Midnight flinching two more times before Daniel pulled away.
He withdrew his power, taking a deep breath and opening his eyes; the dark gold glow faded as his eyes returned to their normal vibrant gold.
He walked up to the head of the bed, eyeing Midnight. She stirred, opening her eyes for a moment.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" he whispered, his voice low but loud enough for me to hear his concern.
She blinked, shaking her head. "Weird tingle," she confessed.
"Where?"
"Leg...left..." she whispered, her eyes fighting to stay open.
Daniel gently brushed her cheek a soft smile on his lips. "It's nothing. Go back to sleep," he urged.
"Going?" she asked.
"No, I'll be here."
"Okay," she whispered, allowing her eyes to close before falling back to sleep.
I grinned, watching Daniel's fingers brush her hair from her face. "You’re falling in love with her."
He blinked, looking at me with a hint of surprise— as if forgetting that I was even there.
"I'm...not," he argued, his face beginning to flush.
"You are too. And angels aren't supposed to lie," I reminded.
He blushed, looking away. "Your shift is done," he mumbled, turning around to check the monitors.
"Aww. Don't worry. Your secret’s safe with me," I teased.
"I hate you. And this doesn't count as a damn favor! I have too many still," Daniel complained, causing me to chuckle.
"Fine, fine." I brushed off his comment, taking another look at Midnight before my face grew serious.
"She can get her function in her legs back?" I questioned.
He crossed his arms, sighing deeply before he walked toward me and leaned against the wall for support. Using his gift took a tremendous amount of energy, but he had definitely gotten stronger because normally he'd pass out immediately after using it.
"She can. But I need to find who the other person was. My only fear is if I use too much of my gift, it will overstimulate her senses and only cause Midnight and Mako pain. I need to know the exact amount to use or if he or she was healed by an Archangel or another type of angel spirit," Daniel explained.
"Did the files hint at an angel? Could it have been a fairy spirit like Karen?" I proposed.
"I doubt a fairy would have that much energy to heal an individual’s ability to walk. From the reports of the other two victims, it was pretty bad. Humans would have given up entirely. They also had high magic calibers like Makoto so that could have helped as well," Daniel explained.
We stood in silence, each of us trying to figure out a solution to finding out who this individual was. I sighed before yawning. Daniel pulled out his black-rimmed glasses from his front dress shirt pocket, sliding them on his face before looking at me.
"Go rest. I'll take over," Daniel reassured me.
"I'm only taking your suggestion cause I'm actually tired and want to be refreshed to help Midnight tomorrow. She's working on her drawing skills," I pointed out, pulling out her illustration.
Daniel eyed it, lifting his glasses up as if they weren't working. "What is that?"
"A unicorn. You see, that's a horn." I pointed to the stick horn.
He nodded, smiling. "It's good."
"Yup. You're totally smitten for Midnight too. I'm so telling the others."
"Fuck off."
"Don't use your scary tone on me. Gives me shivers. And I'll look into what we talked about," I reassured him.
"Are you going to use your favors?"
"Maybe." I shrugged.
"Keep me posted then," Daniel noted.
"I'll get the information you need in three days max. I have a guess, but such a hassle," I complained.
"It's worth it," Daniel replied.
"I know," I agreed.
"Goodnight, Kai...and thanks." Daniel gave me a small smile while he fixed his glasses.
"We're friends remember. We'll work this out," I acknowledged, waving goodbye before I yawned again.
"See ya."
"Don't snuggle with Midnight," I teased.
"Fuck you," he cursed.
I exited the room, making my way out of the medical center. I sighed, the cool breeze seeping out of the open window in the large castle hall.
I put my hand in my pocket, trying to get my phone out, but froze. I pulled out the pink rose mirror, flipping it open to see my exhausted amber eyes and my ginger hair that had grown longer than my usual hairstyle. I could literally tie it into a ponytail. I need a fucking haircut.
"I think Midnight likes it," Hinotori suggested.
Hmm.
I continued looking in the mirror, unable to ignore the urge to rub my thumb over the edges of the rose petal design.
I took a deep breath, placing it back into my pocket and pulling my phone out— 9:15 P.M. She'll still be up.
"You think she'll know who it is?" Hinotori asked.
Yes. I'm ninety percent sure.
"Then, let me handle it."
You sure?
"Yes. I’ll get us what we need."
Don't complain later when you suffer.
"I'll complain to Azriel," Hinotori reassured me.
Good. Time to get lectured.
~DANIEL~
I groaned, pulling my glasses off and placing them on the nightstand next to me, making sure I didn't disturb any of the unicorns placed neatly in order to form a rainbow. I noticed Midnight loved, colorful things, and wanted them in exact order compared to Makoto who had a different way of organizing.
In this case, Mako ordered them either by her favorite colors or if all the colors were available, lined them up in our usual stool order, Ryder being first of course after Elias had swapped their unicorns and Ryder had a little fit.
It was amusing to watch and Mako couldn't stop laughing at Ryder's displeased face.
I pinched my nose, taking a moment to close my eyes since they were beginning to burn from all the reading. I'd been researching and calculating a minimum and maximum magic level to use on Makoto to potentially heal her legs, but after hours of research and reviewing the lab reports from the two previous victims, I still didn't have enough material to safely try it on Midnight.
I knew my gift could restore her feeling and eventually with rest, her veins and blood flow would return to normal— making Mako's legs function with very little trouble, but again, the risk was too high.
I sat there with my eyes closed, listening to the clock on the wall tick away. I must have dozed off, awakening to a soft whimper followed by a sniff.
I opened my eyes, looking around to see if Nightmare was in the room. She'd been staying with Elias and Marcus from what Kai told me. I'd only been able to visit them once this week due to the shifts and my personal training.
I listened carefully, another muffled whimper echoed the quiet room. I turned to look at Mako, eyeing her carefully. Midnight preferred to sleep on her left side, saying it was more comfortable than on her back, so I wasn't able to see her face from where I sat.
I continued to stare till I noticed her shoulder lift; I heard another snivel followed by a sniff.
Is she crying?
"Mako?" I queried. The whimpering continued. I stood up and walked to her other side. I knelt down; tear-filled midnight blue eyes met mine.
"Midnight. What's wrong?" My hand brushed against her flushed cheek that was stained with tears.
She didn't reply, closing her eyes as she tried to hide under the covers.
"Midnight."
She continued to cry, her body trembled beneath the blanket. I frowned, standing up, pulling out my phone and pocket watch before placing them on the counter next to the charts.
"Midnight, you want me to hold you until you feel better?" I suggested.
She was quiet for a moment. Her head peeked out from the blanket and she nodded. She let go of the blanket, allowing me to slip under before I pulled her into my arms. She continued to cry, letting me comfort her by rubbing her back. I waited for her to calm before I spoke.
"Midnight?"
She was silent, her breathing slower than before. I pushed her hair back to see her sleeping face, cheeks stained with tears.
"Nightmare?" Azriel suggested.
I frowned, only now remembering that Kai had written a comment that she was having nightmares in the notes, but she wouldn't elaborate on it.
"Samuel."
I looked down as Midnight stirred, clearly talking in her sleep. I stayed still, not wanting to make any slight movement to wake her up. She stilled; her breathing slowed once more.
Who's Samuel?
"It sounds like an angel name," Azriel pointed out.
Maybe this Samuel was the one who made her hate angel spirits.
"It could be. We just have to wait till she’s comfortable enough to tell one of us," Azriel encouraged.
I nodded in approval, looking down at Midnight who was nestled against my chest. I relaxed, looking up at the ceiling as my thoughts drifted back to all that had happened these past weeks.
"You are falling in love with Midnight, aren't you?" Azriel whispered.
I didn't want to admit it. Not yet anyway. But I'd always been attracted to Midnight just as I was Makoto. She was different and appreciated life even when her life had revolved around nothing but bloodshed and death.
Even though on the surface I showed my distress at her hate for me, a small part of me wanted her to accept me...to love me just like the others. I knew she and EliaseAnne had strong chemistry and that would always be that way.
But I wondered if it would be weird for me to like Midnight too?
"It's not weird," Azriel replied.
Why not? Aren't we supposed to stick with our designated spirits? You know, Ryder with Rose, You and Hope, Hinotori and Lily, Lexi and Ryuu and Midnight and EliaseAnne. I can't start liking Midnight. Isn't that overstepping boundaries with EliaseAnne?
"Did anyone agree that they were exclusive?" Azriel questioned.
Um...no?
"Then it's perfectly fine. You can ask Makoto when she returns, but it should be perfectly acceptable and shouldn't be frowned upon," Azriel confirmed.
I'll keep that in mind.
Azriel gave me a mental nod, wishing me goodnight before he faded into his section of my mind. I continued to stare at the ceiling, wondering if I'd really fallen in love with Midnight too.
How would Makoto react to me liking Midnight? Would she be okay with it? And who was this Samuel person and what did he do to have such a negative impact on Midnight, even after all these cycles?
I allowed my eyes to close, feeling the exhaustion of using my gift earlier finally sinking in. Falling in love with Midnight...would she love me in return?