Purotekuta

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

I walk through the front doors of the dorm house and see everyone waiting in the common room for our return. Kane shoots up from where he was sitting and rushes over to us. He looks me up and down, taking in everything that he sees in front of him. His eyes shoot up to mine once he's finished, a look of sorrow lurking in his eyes.
          "Hajime, please tell me Akio's alright." I nod, not saying a word to him. He lets out a sigh of relief, a smile returning to his face. I avert my eyes and start walking toward our dorm room. Nobody follows me, and nobody objects. They all saw what happened, or at least some of it. They won't say anything. I push through the doors to our room and head for the bed, placing Akio down gently and covering him in his favorite blanket. His breathing is the light and shallow breathing of rest, but I still worry. What if he never wakes up? What if I lose him? What if he is permanently injured? I am filled with guilt at the thoughts swirling around my mind, so I climb into bed next to Akio, wrapping my arms around him and hugging him close, afraid to lose him. I can lose anyone else except for him. I lay there for a while, just staring at him with the idea in my head that if I look away he will disappear. As I lay there, I think back on the beginning of my adventure here, specifically Amai; that kid who ran into me before the exam started. I just can't seem to shake the fact that I wasn't hearing the whole story when he told me what was wrong. Now that I think about it, there was something off about the aura surrounding that kid chasing Amai. I didn't realize it at the time, but his aura felt like a grown man who was trying to kill, rather than a young boy who was trying to bully. I have a flashback of the KKS incident, but it focuses on only one villain that nobody noticed. It was a guy whose features kept constantly shifting and changing. Shapeshifting! Of course! How is Amai connected to him? Maybe he was captured, or something. I need to bring this to Mr. Kaze, but not now. Right now, I need to be at Akio's side and protect him.

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I must have fallen asleep because when I wake up I find Akio sitting on the edge of the bed. I shoot up out of bed and clutch onto him tightly, my heart beating fast in my chest. Akio is surprised by my sudden outburst, tensing up but quickly relaxing once he realizes what's going on. I am clutching him from behind, and he places his hand on the one wrapped around his chest and squeezes softly. Akio lets out a long, slow sigh, relaxing his body in my arms. He moves to get up but I hold him tighter, not letting him get out of bed.
          "Hajime, I need to get up." He looks over his shoulder, smiling down at me. I shake my head and haul him back into bed, lying him down. He doesn't fight me as I cover him in his favorite blanket. "You really don't have to, Hajime." I shake my head again and lie down next to him, clutching him in my arms. I'm sorry, Akio. I didn't mean to hurt you like that. I haven't spoken since the last time Akio and I spoke, and I found it near impossible to speak to Kane when I came home with Akio last night, so I try my best to muster up enough strength to say at least one word.
          "Rest..." Akio hears my voice and immediately stops struggling. He can tell that I haven't spoken and that it is hard for me to speak.
          "Okay, Hajime." Akio gets comfortable and curls up into a ball. I just lie there, clutching Akio tightly in my arms, just staring. No matter how hard I try, I can't shake Amai from my mind. Something is just off about that whole scene, and I can't 100% figure it out. I don't want to fall asleep again, but Akio needs rest. I hear his breathing slow into the steady, even breaths of sleep. It's 7:00, which is about the time we normally wake up, but Akio falls asleep almost the instant he rests his head on the pillow. Time seemingly goes by in an instant, because the next thing I know It is noon, and Akio is stirring in my arms. He slowly opens his eyes and sits up. I unwrap my arms from around him and sit next to him on the edge of the bed. I want to say something, but it's still hard. It's easier than it was yesterday, but it's still a little difficult. I take a deep breath and speak.
          "Are you hungry?" My voice is strained, but the words get through. Akio looks over at me and smiles.
          "A little, I guess." I smile back and get up off the bed. It takes all my strength not to drag him along with me, but I manage. I make my way over to the kitchen to start making lunch. Akio walks out of the room after me and sits down on the couch. He pulls out a book that I recognize from the shelves in our room and starts reading. I hope I'm able to talk right tomorrow. I can't live without being able to speak. I'm standing in front of the stove when I hear Akio's voice come from the couch. "Hey, Hajime" I grunt, still unable to speak correctly. He sighs and closes his book. He comes up to me and takes my shoulders, turning me to face him. He searches my eyes for something but finds only worry and darkness. He pulls me forward and embraces me tightly. I am startled by this sudden outburst, but I'm glad he's not mad at me anymore. "I'm sorry, Hajime. I didn't mean for that to happen and I certainly didn't want this to happen to you." I wrap my arms around him and hold him close. His words take away some of the mental pressure on my voice.
          "Thank you, Akio." Akio's aura completely changes at the sound of my voice as he lets go of me, letting me focus my attention on the stove once more. "You mean more to me than you know." Akio looks up at me, a wide smile on his face.
          "I could say the same, Hajime." I am filled with a feeling of complete and utter delight, but the fear and need to protect has grown significantly. I won't let anything happen to you, Akio. I promise.