Silent Stardust of the Moon

Chapter 44: Shadows vs Flames

"AAAUUGHHH!" Nemuru screamed as a streak of fire burned across her back. Her skin burned as blood trickled down her back. She fell to her knees as she glared at the bastard who struck her in the back. Seeing his smug face just pisses her off! How the hell did this even happen?! One minute she and Kakyoin were in that awkward situation, the next she's fighting with an enemy Stand user! How the hell did it come to this?!

A few hours ago

For the past couple of days now Kakyoin had been resting up in the hospital. Though he was worried that if he stays here any longer he wouldn't be able to catch up with the others. One the other hand, he was thoroughly enjoying his time as Nemuru had been very attentive to him. Whenever he needed something or had to go outside for air, she would be on it in a heartbeat. He'll admit, having a beautiful girl like her tend to him like this was incredible, but he was worried that she wasn't taking time for herself as well.

Meanwhile, Nemuru was really hoping that Kakyoin wasn't being weirded out by her sudden change in behaviour. She wasn't normally this...eh, nice(?). But she wanted to show her thanks to him when he saved her from that water Stand, so she did what she could to make sure he was comfortable. Making sure he was warm, ate well, got some air, converse with him, and make sure that his eyes were healing correctly. As the days passed, Nemuru had been slowly realising that strange feelings have been developing within her.

These past few days, Nemuru had been so calm and at peace just by being with him. She had never felt this way before in a long time. She had only felt like this when her... ...Her parents were still around. Her father, a strong, intimidating man with a kind heart who would do anything for his family. Her mother, a kind, loving woman but held enough fire to tell people off to keep them from hurting her child. They were amazing people and had raised her with love.

Nemuru was utterly destroyed when her parents were violently taken away from her... Initially, she couldn't care less about him and wouldn't hesitate to put him down. But after taking Hikari's advice, and that incident at the pool in Singapore, made her think differently about him. His kindness, righteousness, and loyalty had charmed her. Nemuru wondered if she had developed feelings for him since their fight with Death Thirteen. Maybe even since Singapore. Sure, she liked him...but she wasn't sure if it was just some high school crush. Nemuru had contemplated about telling and/or asking Kakyoin how he thought of her but she was afraid he would take it as a joke and would just say that he liked her as a friend.

Nemuru made herself feel disappointed when she thought this. It would probably be best if she just kept that to herself. Currently, Nemuru had incidentally fallen asleep by Kakyoin's bedside and he knew this when he felt a patch of hair near his hand. He gave a faint blush as he carefully moved his hand and placed it on top of her head. Kakyoin laid on his bed as he enjoyed the comfortable silence. 'I'm glad Nemuru's stayed here with me. If she hadn't, I don't know what I'd be doing right now.' Unfortunately, his peaceful moment with his crush was sadly interrupted when a knock came through the door. The sudden noise had startled the dark-purple haired girl as she woke up with a jolt. "I'm awake!"

A doctor and a nurse came into the room with kind smiles. "Rise and shine, sir, Mr. Kakyoin. Are you feeling any better today?" Kakyoin sat up from his bed as he sighed. "To be perfectly honest, this new way of life isn't exactly agreeing with me. I'm feeling a little on edge." He tells the nurse.

"And have you had any discomfort?" The nurse asked.

Nemuru shook her head. "No, he hasn't actually. The painkillers must be working."

"Good. Excellent news." The nurse says as she and the doctor walked over to them. They had something important to tell them. "We're thrilled that you're feeling better." The doctor says.