A Series of One-Shots

Fire and Wind: Darkness

Red. Red and black and white. Surrounding me with pain. Burning pain from everywhere. A seemingly endless waterfall of warm liquid flowed from my mouth. It was impossible to scream, lungs on fire and throat filled with something that wasn't supposed to be there.

Ears ringing with a neverending white noise, then deafening silence. Blind to the world, only the void I could see. Too numb, too dull to move. Frigid coldness ran through me before

nothing.

----

I could tell I was awake. I did not open my eyes; I was too frail. I listened. Listened to the beeps of my heart, the birds chirping, the soft breathing of a sleeping person beside me. I opened my eyes, silently desperate to see that person but instead was blinded by the sun. I blinked rapidly, ridding the white spots and bleariness from my vision.

White and gray was what accompanied my sight as I squinted at the hospital ceiling. My eyes drooped down to messy brown hair and figure dressed in red, arms cradling their head in a peaceful sleep. I scanned my surroundings, spotting two other people occupying the room. My lips quirked in a small smile, pathetic yet strong.

A shuddering, deep breath cleared my lung, and I pushed myself up against the bed. The person next to me shifted alongside me, and his blue eyes opened sleepily. I grinned as I stared into the confused face of my brother. He looked at me with the same groggy expression for a few moments, before it lit up in comprehension.

He jumped to wrap me in his embrace, but halted, concern evident on his face. I lifted my arms from my side, achingly sore and painful, yet filled with compassion as my brother wrapped his arms around me. He felt warm compared to the thin sheets covering my legs, and his heartbeat thumped leisurely against my chest.

The embrace with broken when a groan was emitted from my left, and we pulled away, hands lingering on each other. I smiled as I watched the two females stir from their slumber, messy hair tangled and a thin line of drool dribbling down their chin. They immediately perked up when their they spotted me awake, rushing over to me.

"Sleep well, your highnesses?"

I grinned when they scowled and scoffed.

"Barak, we thought you almost died. Don't you dare act so casual when you're laying in a hospital bed."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, your excellence."

I watched as the the Queen herself, Crisiant, face-palmed at my mock obliviousness. The other female, Princess Brionne of Niut, playfully smirked. I heard a huff come out of my brother, Hayden, in faux exasperation.

I spread my arms wide, and was met with three pairs of arms encompassing my torso. I beamed at the warmth and love that surrounded my in that moment before one by one they slowly pulled away.

"So...what happened? I remember fighting the crazy guy, a- a demon or something. He wanted world domination or revenge for his love or something, and we tried to stop him. We even got the help of the Goddess Antropes and the God Sephtis to take him down but he was super strong.

"I remember getting thrown at the ground? Or maybe something was thrown at me. I can't remember clearly. It hurt like Hell though."

I crinkled my nose in thought, my questioning gaze snapping up to Crisiant in search of answers. She grimaced, staring down at the floor guiltily. I felt as though my stomach flopped around inside me as I awaited the answer.

"A pretty big rock was thrown at you, and you almost tumbled over the edge. Manitopyes managed to catch you, but you were pretty much out cold. Luckily, only your leg was broken. Still scared us that you had fallen unconscious that easily.

"Managed to take down the guy but you were in a pretty bad shape. Obviously you would have survived. You were basically out of all of your energy though."

I smiled, glad it was just their concern and not a fatal injury that I had to be worried about. I looked down at the cast that enveloped my right leg, surprised I hadn't noticed it in the first place. Guess it was the painkillers and aftermath.

"Hey, now that you took down the guy, how much work will it take to have the damage dealt to the kingdom rebuilt."

The grimace on their faces told me everything.

I sighed, ready for the onslaught of labor and even more pain that was soon to come. It was probably going to take a long time to-

"Oh Hell no."

I blinked, confused as I stared at the glare directed at me from Brionne.

"You are not going to be working while you're hurt with a broken leg. There's probably going to be a lot to do, but that doesn't mean you have to get involved. If I work with them, we'll probably be able to get it done. It's good experience for me and you'll get to recover."

I opened my mouth to retort, but a quick hand silenced me.

"I know, you've been through much worse than just a broken leg. Now then, unlike those other times, you're going to just recover and nothing else. Am I understood?"

I nodded in defeat.

She smirked in triumph, and we all shared a laugh.

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I know, it's short but I can't really pull up any inspiration right now.