The Zodiac Signs - Time And Space

Chapter 24 - Angel V.S. Arrow

There's a bit of blood mentioned in this chapter, but not very much. I'll still add a summary at the very end though, just to be sure no one us triggered

[Nov 30, 2023 - Dec 12, 2023]

Virgo's POV
Song: My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark By Fall Out Boy

I held Capricorn, making sure she felt safe. After a little while longer, I realized Leo had been gone for quite a while.

"Uh, hey, Nurse Columba?" I spoke up. "Hm? Yes, Virgo?" She turned her head slightly and glanced at me. "How... long has Leo been gone?" I asked her. She was quiet for a bit, seemingly trying to figure out how long it actually been.

"It's been around... 10 or maybe even 15 minutes by now." Capricorn's soft voice rang out. "Hmm, well, I suppose you both could go check on him if you want. I'll keep an eye on Sagittarius." Nurse Columba smiled at us. Capricorn gave me a bit of a nervous look, but I saw determination in her eyes as well. I nodded and turned to Nurse Columba. "Alright." I let go of Capricorn and stood up. She stood up shortly after. We walked over to the door, and I walked out, waiting patiently for Capricorn. She took a step forward but then turned back to look at Sagittarius. She looked at him for a few seconds before he suddenly sat up in the bed in a startle!

He was panting, and he looked like he had just had a nightmare. "Where... where am I?" He looked around Nurse Columba's office.

"You're in the Nurse's Office." Capricorn responded, walking over to him. I followed soon after. "Now, what happened back there?! You fainted, and you scared me!" She glared at him, looking mad at him for fainting out of the blue, but worried because he fainted.

"I don't know what happened. I just suddenly felt strange, and then I felt a pain in my back." Sagittarius put his hand on his back as he spoke.

"What kind of pain?" Nurse Columba sighed, getting up from the seat she fell in before. It looked like she had jumped back from the shock of just seeing Sagittarius wake up out of nowhere.

"I dunno. It was pretty painful, though." Sagittarius sighed, taking his hand off of his back. I glanced at his hand and noticed something red on it. I think Capricorn noticed it too as she looked down at his hand as I did. "Sagittarius. Is that... blood?" She asked him in a stern yet worried tone.

Sagittarius picked his hand up and looked at it. He looked shocked and confused. "Huh. I guess it is?" He tilted his head to the side, looking confused.

"Let me look at your back. There's most likely something causing that blood." Nurse Columba approached Sagittarius. He nodded in response to the question, and Nurse Columba examined his back. She looked confused at first and then surprised.

"Is this... an arrow?" She asked, seemingly more to herself than anyone else. This caught everyone in the room off guard. "An arrow? But... how?" Capricorn walked over to Nurse Columba to look at Sagittarius' back. "My God, it is..." She sounded concerned. This worried me a little, and I could tell from the expression on Sagittarius' face that he was beginning to get worried too. "M-maybe, we can pull it out?" I suggested, hoping it would work.

"Yeah, but when an arrow is stuck in the wood of a target, it's hard to get out. This may be even harder being skin." Sagittarius told us. "He's right." Nurse Columba spoke up. "It needs to be pulled out a certain way so we don't cause any more damage than the arrow has already done." She explained.

"I have steady hands. I could help with that if you'd like me too." I suggested. "Good." Nurse Columba nodded. She then turned her attention back to Sagittarius. "Do you feel any pain in your spine or anything?" She asked him.

"No. It's like right beside it, though." He told her. "Hmm, well, it doesn't seem like it should be too much damage." Nurse Columba began. "But, in the end, it will rely on just how steady Virgo's hands are." She glanced at me. Soon, I felt everyone in the room staring at me. "Erm... I'll-I'll do my best." I stammered a little as I walked over to his back and saw the arrow. I took a deep breath and calmed myself. I then grasped what I could see of the arrow and took another deep breath. "You're-you're not feeling any additional pain, are you, Sagittarius?" I carefully asked him. "Nah, you're fine. I actually have a high tolerance for pain." He told me. I took a sigh of relief. "Okay. All I've gotta do is pull this arrow out of his back. I can do that." I began talking to myself. "Right?" I muttered.

"Of course you can, V." I felt hands touch my shoulders and heard Capricorn's soft voice. I glanced over my shoulder to see her. "Just worry about the arrow and have faith in yourself." She told me. I took another deep breath and focused on the arrow. I steadied my hands and then began to pull.

Soon after, I fell back a little and saw a bloodied arrow in my hands. I managed to pull the arrow out. It worked!

"I did it!" I smiled widely. I then turned my attention to Sagittarius. "Are you okay? I didn't cause you any more pain, did I?" I asked him. "You're fine." Sagittarius turned his head to face me. He had a neutral expression that quickly changed into a smile. "I have a newfound respect for you." He lightly hit my arm. "Thank you?" I chuckled a little. "Well, I'm glad everything worked out." Capricorn took a sigh of relief as she adjusted her glasses slightly. "Yes. Now I've just gotta check for any infections or other injuries on you." Nurse Columba walked over to Sagittarius and did just that. She then wrapped up Sagittarius' back once she was sure that was the only thing wrong with him. "Now, you two go and fetch Leo. He'll be happy knowing his friend is safe." She told Capricorn and I. "Wait, where is Leo?" Sagittarius asked us. "He went to go and get his crown, but he's been gone for... around 20 or maybe even 25 minutes now." Capricorn told him.

"Then we've gotta find him!" Sagittarius got off of the bed he was sitting on as his feet wobbled a little. "No, you're staying here." Capricorn walked over to him and made him sit back down on the bed. "But -"

"No buts. You're staying." Capricorn stubbornly looked him in the eye. "No. I'm looking for my best friend!" Sagittarius stood back on the floor, being just as stubborn as Capricorn was. "Stop being so stubborn!" Capricorn narrowed her eyes at him. "You're the stubborn one!" He countered back.

"How about Sagittarius comes with us, but if he can't handle it, he'll come back here and rest? How does that sound?" I got in between them, hoping to come to a good conclusion.

"Fine." They both said in unison. I sighed in relief. "Then let's go then." I turned and led them both out of the room.

"So," Sagittarius suddenly spoke up. "Where exactly is Leo?" He asked us. "He should be not too far from here." I told him. "Yeah, he dropped his crown around -" Shock filled Capricorn's face as she suddenly stopped talking. I followed her gaze and gasped. "What? What's goin-" Sagittarius didn't even finish speaking as he followed our gaze. An ominous silence engulfed the three of us.

Leo was lying on the ground.

And he wasn't moving...

Summary: Virgo and Capricorn are alone in Nurse Columba's office when they notice that Leo has been gone for a while. They were about to go leave to find him when Sagittarius suddenly woke up with an arrow in his back! Virgo removed the arrow for him and the three left to find Leo. However... they found him passed out and lying on the ground. And he wasn't making any movements at all.