Forgiving Light

Chapter 27

"Stay with me," Dark mutters, his voice hollow.

I stop at the doorway, Nisha close to my feet. I look behind me to Dark, who's staring into the fire as usual.

"What?"

"Stay with me," he repeats. "I want company..."

I turn completely toward him. "Okay." I walk over and sit next to him.

Dark leans closer to me. I look down to him, and he's closed his eyes, breathing steadily. He looks more relaxed than yesterday at least. Actually, I think he's trying to relax. I hum a tune to help him. Nisha cuddles next to Dark, settling into the crook of his neck. Eventually, Dark falls into a peaceful sleep.

I stay for a while longer just because it's cozy, like staying by the fire on a cold winter day. After a while, I sense a dark presence nearby. I tense.

Miza, Black Mist's little girl minion, enters. She turns to me, and she grins. "There he is~," she hisses with glee. "You're onii-chan was looking for you, Dark."

I wrap my arms protectively around Dark. "Stay away from him," I snarl. "Don't you even dare to touch him in any way, shape, or form!"

Dark awakes sleepily. He sits up, not paying any attention to Miza while he makes himself wake up. This seems to irritate Miza. By the time he acknowledges her, she's about ready to explode.

"Miza, what do you want?" Dark demands, glaring at her intensely.

"Black Mist wants you to come," Miza states. "He says he's got a little something you might want to see." She smirks triumphantly. "So, what do you say? Are you gonna follow me or what?"

Dark gives no response for a while. Then, "I'm not going. Not at the moment, at least."

Miza chuckles. "Black Mist's very words were, 'Tell Dark to come right now or else'."

"Well, tell Nii-chan that I refuse to go at the moment."

Miza shrugs, uncaring. "Okay. I guess we probably won't be having more of those exhilarating fights anymore."

"I guess not." Dark lays back down and closes his eyes.

Miza flits away. Before she goes, though, I catch her smirk. I guess she could honestly care less. She's probably going to enjoy every second of this.

I close my eyes to search for them. Through the eyes of Black Mist's pet raven, I can see what's going on. Black Mist is sitting on the center of a bed, toying with some kind of purple substance in his hands. His eyes are closed, but they open when Miza flies in.

"I suppose that the fact that you came without Dark means that he refused, correct?" he states calmly.

Miza nods. "Sorry, but I couldn't get him to come. I guess he's still terrified of what you might do."

"Can't say that I blame him. He has every right to be scared." Black Mist sighs. He hold up the gas. "I'd hate to be the one who puts Dark in such pain, but if he doesn't want this back, I'm just gonna have to use it against him." He smirks, bringing the substance up to his mouth. He exposes his fangs and bites down hard.

My eyes snap open when I feel Dark tensing against me. I look down at him. His eyes are shut tight, his face his contorted in pain, and his breathing comes in short, rapid breaths. His hands clutch the blanket tightly.

I have absolutely no idea what to do. I can heal external pain, but this isn't external. I know enough to tell that this is internal, and I have absolutely no idea how to ease internal pain.

"Dark! Dark, wake up!" I grab him and shake him furiously. Despite my attempts, he can't seem to wake up. I can tell he's trying, though.

I call Astral mentally since he's pretty much the only one who knows how to stop this. He's here in no time.

"I know how to handle this," he says before I even explain to him what's going on. I guess he already knows since Dark and Astral are one and the same.

Astral touches Dark's forehead, and he slumps forward, resting his head against Dark's chest. They're both completely relaxed, and they stay like that for a few hours. Then, Astral opens his eyes, sighing in relief.

"The pain is numbed. He should sleep peacefully now. He and I both."

"Hey, when's the next training session?"

Astral rubs his temple gems. "Tomorrow afternoon. This will probably be the last training session. AFter that, it will only be a matter of training."

I nod in understanding, and Astral leaves. I go up to my room to get some sleep.

~.~.~

The next morning is Saturday. I go down to check on Dark. He's still either sleeping or in his trance. Or maybe he's just unconscious. I can't really tell with him.

I sneak out of the room quietly and go make myself some breakfast. After I eat, I lay out food and water for the kittens since they can't hunt yet. I watch as the older ones jump out the windows in search of their own food. They won't take any from me! I like their independence, though.

A song is being sung. It's resonating in my head, so I know it's Dark. I also know the song. "Kagome, Kagome" by Hatsune Miku and Megurine Luka. I didn't know that he knows this song so well! It's a really sad and spooky song. Definately not like thise spooky yet cheerful songs he used to sing.

Well, at least he's not being any trouble like Astral promised.

As the kittens eat, I go back to the back room. Dark lays on the chair, curled up with the blanket around him. He's awake apparently. He's staring into the fire again, mouthing the words to the song.

"Are you okay?" I ask tentatively.

Dark nods slowly. His eyes don't leave the fire.

"Are you sure?"

Another nod. I know he isn't okay, though. I can sense it.

I frown. "Dark, don't lie to me. You're not okay, and you know it."

Dark looks at me finally. He tries to talk, but he stops when a raspy sound emerges.

"I want to talk again," he says mentally, bluntly.

"I know a medicine that can heal your vocal cords," I offer. "I could make it for you."

Dark doesn't say anything. I sigh and go to the kitchen, where everything I need sits in wait. I mix the right amounts of the ingredients together and mash them into a thick paste. I pour cool water into the paste and stir it. I take the finished product to Dark.

Dark looks over to me blankly. He eyes the cup as I walk carefully over to him. I give him the medicine.

"Drink it," I instruct. "All in one gulp. It doesn't matter how bitter it tastes. If you want the best results, drink it all."

Dark takes the drink, and he grimaces when he catches the scent. He looks at me with an expression that says, "You can't be serious."

"Dark, if you want your voice back, you have to drink it."

Dark sighs, rolls his eyes, and drinks the medicine, nearly gagging. Despite that, he comsumes the entire glass and hands me the cup when he's done.

"Good. Now, you need to drink this once a day to heal your vocal cords quickly.

"It'll be quicker since my wounds heal faster than a normal human."

"Well, that's even better."