Fate of Pandora - Book II

High In The Mountains

A will-o-wisp wandered through the sky and entered at an open window. With a burst of light it expanded, revealing two humans and a small cat. The magical black cat with bright green eyes appeared worn out; she walked to the window and said before jumping out of the building,

"I'm tired. I'll be back by tomorrow..."

"Thank you for teleporting us back home," Ayame said, but the cat had left. She sighed as she looked at the empty window. She could never get used to it when Kairi did that, they were on the ninth floor after all. Nevertheless, her attention returned to Coalt and she gasped. He looked rather nauseated. She forgot that teleportation could be so turbulent. She left him leaning on the small center table in the living room to recover while she went to get a first-aid kit, clean towels, and water to tend his wounds.

"Just hold on a minute, it will be better soon," she reassured him.

"I-I'm fine..." The boy was recovering from the travel's aftereffect and sat up.

Ayame handed him a damp towel to clean his head and face from the blood while she checked his cut. She cleaned it and wrapped his head to stop the bleeding.

"This should do it. I'm no expert on this stuff, but I think disinfecting and protecting them with a bandage is a basic procedure." Once she was done, the girl felt satisfied with her work. "Does that feel okay, or too tight?"

The brunette massaged his head, feeling the bandage. It was wrapped firmly, but not constricting. "It's good. Thanks."

Ayame smiled, glad that she had managed to help. "Who would have thought that cut would bleed so much? I thought your head was cracked open," she tried to joke and make him feel a little better, but Coalt didn't smile. He looked serious and thoughtful.

"Are you all right, Coalt?" She wasn't asking about his head this time. It wasn't hard to guess that he was concerned about Kira.

The boy snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Ayame. With only a glance at her eyes, it was clear to him that she was well aware what was worrying him.

"At first that crazy trio was attacking us constantly. We were a threat to them. But now that the others are imprisoned in that other dimension, that bastard didn't even bother with the two of us." Now it made sense why they hadn't been attacked right after they came out of that portal. Kira had been focusing all his time searching for the box instead of attempting to kill them. "It's like we're nothing but a minor annoyance to him. He dismissed us so easily, and I just..."

Yes, Kira had showed them he could do new tricks, but all the ring bearers had grown stronger, too, and Coalt had believed that their strengths were even. But this latest battle at the park had shaken his confidence.

Ayame shared the same doubts. She took Coalt's hand and looked him in the eyes.

"Even if it looks bleak, all we can do is rely on one another and do our best. We can't give up till the very end because everyone is relying on us." Her words were echoing his earlier speech after their escape from the Gods' realm.

Coalt remembered those words very well. It was their chant to constantly remind each other to move forward. "Aya..." He surprised the girl as he pulled her to his chest and held her tight.

Ayame could feel that he was frightened through his embrace. Despite his constant attempt to hide his feelings, Coalt wasn't able to fool her. Besides, he wasn't the only one scared about their uncertain future - and Kira's presence was a reminder that they were alone, rushing against the clock and against a force stronger than them. Both longed for comfort and relied on each other like this; with Coalt's arms around her and Ayame's hands clinging on his shirt. They stood like that until Coalt took a deep breath and gently pushed Ayame away so he could stand up.