Subject Zero (COMPLETED)

Twenty-Two

Malakai

Kai fought a battle in his mind, against himself.

He had hated the position Seb was in, but he also hated the position he put Rosalyn in. The situation happened so fast, Kai barely registered what he had done. His hands had hurt her...

"Malakai, I told you, I'm okay."

He shook his head as he sat next to her on the couch. She had been reminding him that she was alright, but he couldn't believe what he had done. He wasn't easily convinced.

"I never—I never wanted to hurt you." he finally spoke after a few minutes of him not responding.

"I know—"

"But I did hurt you."

Rosalyn smiled. "Barely. Plus you healed me immediately afterwards, right?"

He had. He would release an amount of discomfort, not necessarily pain, onto Rosalyn. He needed a reaction from the soldiers in order for them to let Seb go. But he made sure he healed Rosalyn right after, hoping to prove to her that it was all an act. But no doubt she was terrified. It made Kai feel awful.

"That doesn't matter." he looked away, his face burning with shame. He would never want to inflict his painful powers on others. Only to keep Miriam in order, he'd guessed. But had he done the right thing? It saved Seb—right? It saved them all?

"Malakai," Rosalyn sighed. "You proved to me that you—care, for me. You care about me and that's something I think, I think I needed to see. Not just hear."

He looked up at her, his face still reddened. Maybe this was why Ingrid left the two of them here; they had some conversation to have after today's incident. But maybe Rosalyn was right. Maybe she needed to see the act, not just hear Malakai's comforting words. Maybe she needed more.

What a strange way to show he cared for her.

He nodded, finally, leaning back into the couch. They were both reassuring one another, and it was really getting nowhere. Maybe that meant forgiveness had been shared, and bonds tied back together.

They both sat on the couch in silence. Kai was exhausted after today's event, and Rosalyn was surely still shaken up. For some reason, he did not want to leave her side. Losing Seb was an excruciating thought, but he hadn't known how tight his chest felt at the thought of losing Rosalyn. She had become more than a soldier, more than one of his enemies. If anything, she was no longer those things.

"I mean, if I could use your 'I feel bad for you' as an excuse, you could do me a favor."

Kai laughed—a loud, probably ugly, laugh. After complete silence for a while, Kai was not expecting those words. He turned to look at her as his head rested on the cushion. "You're taking advantage of the situation, it seems?"

She nodded. "Maybe. Worth a try?"

Kai smiled. "Worth a try. What's up?"

He heard her breath hitch as she pushed herself up, turning to Kai as she sat cross-legged on the couch. "Can I—if you want to, that is, ask a few question about Benedict?"

Oh, Kai thought. He knew this would come sooner or later, but the thought of him telling someone about it felt odd. Sure, all the subjects talked about their personal experiences, even though they were together most of the time, but Kai had never shared with anyone else who didn't know Benedict.