Tenkai Knights Fanfic!

Chapter 21: The Aftermath

⌌⊱⇱⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊰⌍•─────⋅☾ Ceylan and Guren☽⋅─────•⌎⊱⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⊶⊷⇲⊰⌏

Ceylan stared down at the lime parfait with a frown, watching it melt into the glass container. Maybe he should've just eaten it at the diner like he always had instead of insisting that it be delivered to his home. He let out a sigh, not even bothering to eat the little cherry on the top that he'd normally fight with Toxsa over. His appetite had long been gone.

He turned in his chair. The frown remained in his expression as he slowly faced his unconscious best friend who was lying in his bed.

Guren lay still on the soft mattress, the blue sheets contrasting against his red t-shirt. A comforter covered his lower half and he had a freshly cool washcloth placed on his forehead. If Guren's skin hadn't retained its warm shade of brown, Ceylan would've been convinced his friend was dead. The only sign of life the boy showed was the barely noticeable rising and falling of his chest.

After staring at him perpetually with wistful eyes, Ceylan stood up and kneeled beside the bed, a hand moving to hold Guren's wrist gently. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Hey there, Guren. It's me, Ceylan. I wanted to say...uh. Well, I wish you were awake right now. You always know what to do. I guess you got a little out of hand recently... and maybe it's my turn to take care of you. I just... I just wish I had an answer. It's crazy, y'know? I want you to open your eyes and help me fix everything, but I know you're probably hurting a lot and can't control how you feel, so you need the rest," he whispered as if Guren were listening, even though the boy did not stir even once. He hadn't moved at all, in fact. Not in the last eighteen hours that Ceylan had been looking after him.

Ceylan tried everything: using aromas of Guren's favorite foods, playing his favorite show on TV, and even singing off-key in hopes that pure annoyance would cause the boy to wake up. It hurt to admit that nothing had worked, not even a little.

He thought back to the night before— how he and the others parted ways without exchanging any words; the despair they felt was overwhelming, enough to make the entirety of the walk from Mr. White's shop to their houses nothing more than a deafening silence. Even as Chooki entered his house and placed Guren carefully on the bed in his room, all they did was make eye contact and nod at each other. Ceylan hadn't spoken to either Toxsa or Chooki yet, and even stayed home from school to look after Guren.

The sound of the front door opening pulled Ceylan back to the present. He realized his parents returned from work and figured he should go outside for a bit. He knew Guren would not want him to be holed up in his room, starved and miserable the way he had been.

After making sure the washcloth on Guren's forehead was cold enough, Ceylan let go of Guren's wrist and stood up, grabbing his bag. He went downstairs to the kitchen to grab some water for himself as he updated his parents on Guren's current condition.

"I'm gonna get some fresh air. Guren's still asleep. Look after him, will ya? And if he shows any sign of waking up, call me immediately. Please."

He watched as his parents nodded and assured him that Guren would be well taken care of in his absence. He ignored their comments about how their son was "growing up" and "becoming more responsible." He took a big swig out of the water bottle he had picked up and walked out the door. He mounted his bike, deciding he'd go for a ride through town to clear his head.

Ceylan pedaled through the streets, regulating his breathing as if he were meditating. The cool breeze felt nice on his skin and through the strands of his unbrushed hair. It was quiet out; the sun was about to set, all the townspeople were at home preparing dinner, and the street lights were glowing warmly.