SHIFT 2 - Purgatory

One's worst nightmare

It was dark. Nagisa groaned. Would he be allowed to see sunlight again? He wondered. His eye blinked. The bright white sphere shown perfectly framed within the window. He felt the heat of the large body curled up behind him on the bed. He wanted to close his eyes, to curl back into the protected embrace, but his body demanded attention. He had to pee.

Reaching out, he lifted the heavy arm from around his waist. Another set of hands quickly assisted him. He didn't say a word. He knew the others were close by. He had, once again, come back unconscious. Sliding his feet out from under the blankets there was a soft moan, then a hand caught his arm.

"Where are you going?" The bed squealed as the heavy body moved.

More figures shifted in the space of the room. Two blocked the doorway, both had arms folded over muscular chests. One had a scar cut deep across his face. Two other heads lifted from the side of the bed. A figure turned from the window. Yet the one he assumed would be here to greet him, wasn't.

"Who else is injured?" he asked, frowning.

Cami pinched Carter. They stood close to the window, but only Carter was framed in the glow. The blond vampire, turned his head to glare at his sister. Coldar and Collin sat near the foot of the bed. They had been asleep in a very awkward position. They had lifted their heads upon hearing Ryu question Nagisa.

Lucifer, a red healing line practically cutting his face in half, stood heside Mori at the door. They both glared at the boy in the bed. The air suddenly felt too cold for him. His breath caught. Could it be his hubris put into motion the one thing he feared above all else. He dove for the door.

Lucifer was too slow. He took the blow in the gut, but Mori... the vampire dragon had trained with the kid. He scooped Nagisa up, wrapping his arms around him so tightly that Nagisa could hardly breathe.

"She lives." He whispered into his ear. He said it once more, before he felt the slim body relax.

"Where? What?" Nagisa shook his head.

"It appears as if your grandfather bet on which ones would reach his castle. You were rather low on his list, but he knew who the most important person was in your life." Siris stood out in the hall. He cleaned a pair of glasses off on a cloth in his hand.

"Your mother was attacked, only after you entered the castle." He added in an alarmingly calm voice.

"Where is she?" Nagisa struggled in the strong arms. Mori held fast.

"With the witches, of course." He intoned.

"Let. Me. GO!" Nagisa yelled the final word. As he did so, his arms came up slamming his head back into the refined elegant face of his brother.

Mori stumbled back. Before he could recover, Nagisa was running.

"Damn it, you had one job!" Carter yelled, as he bolted out of the door.

"So did the dragon" Siris pointed out.

Nagisa heard none of this. His fear, his nightmare, was that of any young boy... the death of his mother. For him, it was far worse than just his mother. She was his best friend, confidant, teacher and protector. He vowed to be her guardian! He was so far away when she needed him the most.

The hall seemed to go on forever as he ran. He spun around a corner. Of course this was Aradia's own palace. She could make it into anything she wished. He may never find his mother if he kept at it this way. He cursed under his breath. The stupid naivety he had that night.

Lily's dead face upon the monster had been to slow Marcus down. Reginald hadn't been Nagisa's fear to over come. That was Farady's. Even as he ran, the teen understood the closeness she had with their father. She was his first defender. Who knew what he had in store for Lucifer. That blood red line slicing from his left eyebrow, angling down across his nose to the right side of his chin, indicated that he faced something meant to end him.