[Rin's POV.]
The door opened. No knock, no announcement.
Didn't need one.
I kept my eyes on the ceiling for a second longer. I'd already guessed who it was by the measured weight of her steps.
Sae.
Her presence filled the room in that quiet, effortless way only Solstice ever seemed capable of. She didn't say anything at first. Just stood there.
"You're late," I muttered.
She pulled the chair near the bed, sat. No fuss, no formality. Just the same old unshakable steel behind her silence.
"You look like hell," she said finally.
"You trained me. Your fault."
A faint breath — the closest thing to a laugh I'd get from her today.
I turned my head slightly to meet her gaze. "I remember everything."
"I figured."
"I can debrief. Now."
Her eyes narrowed, not unkindly. "You're still half-dead."
"I'm aware."
"Then act like it." She leaned back, eyes never leaving mine. "You don't need to be strong right now."
That part stung more than it should have. I didn't answer.
Sae let a moment pass. The silence said more than she ever would.
"You'll talk when you're cleared," she said. "Not before."
Not allowed. Cleared. That phrasing wasn't accidental. She wasn't here to interrogate me, she was here to keep me quiet.
"I take it Kael's the same?"
"Worse off than you," she admitted. "But he'll live."
I exhaled. Not relief — I already knew he'd survived. I just hadn't known what shape he was in.
She didn't offer more. No status reports. No real answers. Just enough to hold me in place.
Figures.
She stood without another word and walked to the door.
"You're not going to ask what happened out there?" I asked.
Hand on the handle, she stopped.
Her voice was low when she answered. "I don't think I want to hear it yet."
Then she left.
I was alone again. Just the beeping of the machines and the low hum of the hallway beyond the door.
I closed my eyes and let the memory creep back in. The sound of Kael shouting. The thing's limbs cutting through the dark. The way we barely made it out.
I didn't care about rest. I wanted answers. But I wasn't the only one keeping quiet, apparently.
And that… bothered me more than I expected.
[Kael's POV]
I kicked the blanket off again.
Felt like it was smothering me. Scratchy, stiff. Probably nice by normal hospital standards. I hated it.
I let my head fall back against the pillow and stared at the ceiling, breathing slow. One side of my ribs pinched when I moved, like something inside still wasn't settled right.
They'd said I'd live. Not much beyond that.
Not how long I'd be stuck here. Not when I'd see him.
I dragged a hand down my face. My palm was still scraped raw, covered in thin white bandages that pulled at the skin. My knuckles stung.
The silence stretched. Felt heavier than the blanket.
No voices outside the room. No footsteps. No "Kael, you absolute idiot, what were you thinking?" Not even a sarcastic one-liner through the door.
Nothing.
I hated that most.
Rin was alive. They'd told me that. Just… not much else. No details. No face. No voice.
And I hadn't asked. Not really.
I wanted to. The words had sat on my tongue half a dozen times when one of the nurses walked in. But they always caught in my throat.
I didn't want to hear the answer if it was bad.
I shut my eyes. Let the memory slip in again like it always did.
That thing's shadow stretching over him. The way it moved. Like nothing I'd ever fought. Small, yeah. But fast. Too fast. Strong. Every hit felt like it wanted to tear something out of me. It hurt. And it wouldn't die.
And then it was gone.
And we were both broken, bleeding, and the sky was too damn bright.
I gritted my teeth and pushed the memory away.
My arms ached. My legs felt like they'd been filled with sand. I couldn't even laugh properly. it sent needles through my lungs.
But I still wanted to see him.
Not to talk. Not to cry or whatever soft thing they probably expected people to do after something like that. Just to sit there. Make sure he was real.
He'd probably just stare back at me with that same look he always had when I did something stupid, like I was exhausting but impossible to get rid of.
I huffed out a half-laugh. It hurt. Worth it.
I'd find a way out of this bed soon. No one was going to stop me.
Not until I saw Rin.
The meds were wearing off. My body felt like glass, held together by gauze and luck. I didn't call the nurse. Let it ache.
Then I heard it. A soft knock. Didn't wait for a response.
"You're not dead, that's good."
Kaito, of course.
He slipped in with a tray balanced on one hand and a bottle of juice in the other. I blinked at him.
"What... are you doing here?"
"Checking in. I missed your whining."
He grinned, easy and bright, like always. But something in his eyes stuck. Like they hadn't slept properly either.
He pulled a stool beside my bed, plopped the tray down. Soup. Bread. Something citrus. Too warm for hospital food.
"I'm not hungry."
"Didn't ask. Eat anyway."
I poked the soup with the spoon. Steam rose. Smelled decent. Still didn't move.
He leaned back on the stool, arms crossed. "You scared the hell out of a lot of people, you know that?"
I shrugged. Or tried to. My shoulder pulled and I hissed.
"Yeah, well. Not like I planned it."
A pause.
"Rin's alive too," he said, quieter.
I nodded. "i know."
"You kids are stubborn."
I let the silence sit for a bit.
"You ever see something like that before?" I asked.
"No."
Quick. Too quick.
"But something close?" I pushed.
His jaw tensed once. Then he laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Eat your soup, Kael."
I squinted at him. "You're avoiding it."
"I'm prioritizing. You need to eat, rest, and walk again before you get to play monster detective."
That was new. I expected jokes. Not that clipped edge.
I let the subject drop. For now.
I took a spoonful. Burned my tongue.
Kaito leaned forward, pulled something from his pocket, a folded piece of paper. No markings. No name.
He slid it onto the table beside me. "When you're a little less broken, open that. Not before."
I looked at it, then back at him.
"Why?"
"Because I said so. And I outrank you."
He ruffled my hair gently, stood up with a quiet groan.
"I'll be back tomorrow. Try not to die again until then, alright?"
"No promises."
He snorted as he left. Door clicked shut.
I stared at the paper. Didn't touch it.
Not yet.