Darkness and Light (Emily/Open)

[Ryuu]

*BEEP BEEP BEEP* That was the only sound heard in the stark white room, as rain combined with wind battered against the window, drops of water running down the glass pane. A lone figure was lying down on the bed inside the room, not moving. Ryuu laid unconscious on the bed, an IV hooked up to his left index finger, as ghostly green waves could be seen on the monitors located beside his bed, the only sign that Ryuu was still here, alive. A nasal cannula was hooked up to him, helping him as his chest rose up and down slowly as he breathed. The night before nearly ended up killing him, sending him to the hospital as a patient for a second time. He had a shallow stab wound to his chest, the blood loss from it immense, and though the doctors managed to perform a successful surgery on him closing the wound up and restore the amount of blood he had lost, they could not completely erase every physical sign of the attack and injury.

Ryuu would have a permanent scar from the wound on his chest from now on. That was a small price to pay though, for the memories of the attack would not be so easily forgotten or erased from Ryuu's memory. Though it did bring up the question, why? Why was Ryuu attacked like this? What did Ryuu do to deserve such a brutal attack on his life? One may never know... For now though, Ryuu's dreams was filled with never ending darkness, his black hair naturally falling over his closed eyes, as he breathed lightly, lying still. It was raining when he had visited Emily in the hospital a few days ago. It was raining today too...

[seishounohana]

Emily had fallen into a light nap on Ryuu's bedside. Apparently, she had been working here part-time as a Nurse Aid every night. Working four hours a day gave her a bit of money, plus a great amount of work experience that would really go well when she graduates from college. She was not allowed to disperse medications, but she did some of the dirtier jobs like cleaning after patients. It was earlier that evening when she saw Ryuu's chart during the endorsements. She wasn't given him to take care of for the evening, due to conflict of interest.

It was raining, again.

She was facing the monitor, watching it as it beeped before she fell asleep. Ryuu was alright, and that was a good thing. He got a stab wound though, and Emily wondered what had happened.

Should Ryuu stir, Emily would quickly wake up.

For now, it was a quiet event.

Interestingly, Emily didn't notice that her hand was touching Ryuu's.

[Ryuu]

Wake up... I have to wake up... If I don't wake up, I'll lose the ability to open my eyes again... And I'll never see her again... Slowly Ryuu's eyes opened, as he stared up at the stark white ceiling, his vision slightly blurred. He slowly turned his head to his left, as he looked out the window, watching the rain fall for a few minutes, before turning his head the other way, and saw Emily had fallen asleep beside his bed. "...Emily..." Ryuu said softly, not noticing at the moment that her hand was touching his, he was still slightly conked out from the anesthesia. He shifted slightly, wincing in pain as he noticed his bare chest was wrapped in bandages, covering his wound. Besides the bandages, Ryuu had no other clothing on his upper body, the only thing covering him was the bed sheets. Should she look at him, he would give her a gentle smile, though his vision was still blurry.

"Are you okay? You should take a rest, I'm not going anywhere," He said softly, a bit of humor to lighten the mood, "It's not like I'm going to just get up and run away." He then finally noticed her hand was touching his, as he blushed slightly from the contact, and slowly shifted his hand over away from hers. With Emi having left him with no notice whatsoever, Ryuu's heart had been broken, and thus, he wouldn't let his heart get attached to anyone. Though with Emily, it seemed to be different, like his heart was once again, becoming attached to someone, to her. Though he flatly tried to deny this, insisting to himself it was only due to the fact he had made a promise to protect Emily, and thus, wouldn't let anyone hurt her. "How long... were you here with me?" He asked, looking at her with concern, it was funny, he was worried about her health, and yet, he was the one in the hospital this time.

[seishounohana]

Emily felt some movement nearby, and she wasn't really sleeping so deeply. Could it be that Ryuu was awake? Her eyes slowly opened, eyes focusing before her ears heard her name. It then snapped open as she suddenly sat upright. "Hey, you're awake! I saw your chart. Are you okay?"

... apparently the two said the "Are you okay?" part together, which made Emily laugh a bit. "Yeah, you're not going anywhere. I'm fine. Just a little sleepy from work, I've been here all night. I should've been the one asking you questions though."

She looked away slightly, as she felt Ryuu move his hand away from hers, and she did the same, pulling it away from the bed. "Eh, so like I said earlier -- I saw your chart and it said you got stabbed. What happened?"

Things were getting quite out of hand: first her, now Ryuu. What was going on? Who was behind all this? There was concern in her tone, and a bit of light curiosity as everything happening now was shrouded in mystery.

Was someone targeting them? Hopefully not.

[Ryuu]

"Hey, you're awake! I saw your chart. Are you okay?" Ryuu turned his head to look over at Emily, before smiling gently, the two of them had asked the other if they were okay simultaneously, as Emily laughed a bit, he would've laughed too, except it hurt to laugh, literally. "Fabulous." He lied, even though it was pretty obvious he wasn't all that great, and he wasn't going anywhere any time soon. His eyes softened when she told him she was fine, she was just a little sleepy from work, having been here all night long, and she should be the one asking him questions, instead of him asking her questions. He then noticed his hand touching hers, and immediately moved his hand away, blushing slightly as Emily looked away, pulling her hand away from the bed. "Eh, so like I said earlier -- I saw your chart and it said you got stabbed. What happened?" His smile dropping like a single drop of rain, Ryuu took a minute to think, he heard the concern and light curiosity in Emily's voice, before answering.

"Gabriel," Ryuu said simply, a sad look on his face, "He stabbed me when I stayed back in the haunted prison, Alcatraz. Reckless, I know, staying back in the prison after hours, but I wanted to see if the rumors of it being haunted were true. Instead, I get stabbed." Ryuu's hair covered his eyes, hiding his eyes from Emily, but it was evident that he was saddened by this. "I want to believe Gabriel didn't do it, that he didn't stab me, and I really do think it wasn't Gabriel, but an alter ego, who used Gabriel's body to attack me with an electrically charged pipe before stabbing me with it." Ryuu lifted his head up slightly, and looked at Emily. "Emily, Gabriel could use electricity as his Qi. I saw it with my own eyes. Maybe it wasn't Gabriel that attacked you, but his alter ego that gave you those electricity burns a couple weeks ago." Ryuu sighed sadly, his expression down-cast. Gabriel... why...? "I wanted to believe Gabriel didn't do all this... But it's hard to ignore evidence when you see it right in front of your face."

[seishounohana]

Emily's face grew with worry. Man, stab wounds aren't funny. But Ryuu's revelation was a bit surprising. It was Gabriel? And her had an alter-ego?

... and come to think of it, Emily did get drunk that night with Gabriel. Emily's smile faded as her head dropped to stare at the floor. Deep in thought as always. She let her hair loose from it's bun, the fragrance of her hair slightly dispersing into the area around her. "An alternate Ego."

She got lost in her thoughts as several pieces came into view, making the puzzle seem more complete. Emily looked up at Ryuu, her white now-wavy hair framing her face. "... I think I remember a few things that had happened at-- Ah!"

Emily's brain then decided to hurt. Ow! That wasn't even funny. Her brain was trying to sort out memories, and retaliated with a mild headache. It made her wince and clutch her head slightly in pain. "... I think I remember what happened. But I'll tell you more about it when you get better." An excuse, to let her brain calm down a bit. "I will promise you this... though. It wasn't Gabriel you met there. Yes, he has an alter ego."

"Just like me. Urgh, Kari... you make things so complicated for me." Emily took a deep breath before sitting up straight, giving a smile. The headache was there, but it was manageable at this point. "I'll stay here for the night and keep watch. They told me you can be discharged within the next two days."

[Ryuu]

Ryuu could tell Emily was worried and surprised at his revelation, and he honestly couldn't blame her. Even he didn't think Gabriel would do such a thing, and he still did believe that, but was more sure than ever that it was indeed, Gabriel's alter ego. He could smell the fragrance from Emily's hair disperse slightly into the air around her as she let her hair loose from the bun she had it before, her smile had faded when she looked down at the floor, deep in thought as always. Ryuu took that time to close his eyes briefly, before opening them, and saw Emily look at him, her white now-wavy hair framing her face, as Ryuu looked at her curiously. "... I think I remember a few things that had happened at-- Ah!" "Emily...!" Ryuu exclaimed, attempting to sit up the moment he saw her wince and clutch her head, only to end up crying out in pain himself from his wound, resulting in him flopping back down on his bed, clutching at his chest in pain. "Are you... okay?" He managed to say as he fought through the sudden stab of pain.

She then told him she remembered what happened, but would tell him when he got better. "I will promise you this... though. It wasn't Gabriel you met there. Yes, he has an alter ego." "I knew it..." Ryuu said quietly, sighing, as the pain slowly subsided. He heard Emily take a deep breath before sitting up straight, giving him a smile, as he smiled back weakly at her, his eyes conveying his emotions more than his expression. "I'll stay here for the night and keep watch. They told me you can be discharged within the next two days." "That's good," He replied softly, his eyes gentle, "It's great to visit and see you here and all, but I wouldn't want to make a habit out of it. Are you sure you're okay with staying here with me for the night? I won't run away, I swear." He even raised his right arm slightly, like he was being sworn into court. "What I don't understood though, is why Gabriel's alter ego attacked both of us in the first place. What could we have possibly done to be attacked like this?"

[seishounohana]

Emily was trying to restrict her breathing to slow, even breaths to calm her mind down. Which was a particularly tasking thing to do. On the point of Gabriel though, she aought to talk to him about this soon. This was something that shouldn't be, and yet -- still happening. Betrayal was an ugly thing, and Emily wondered how "Unfettered" would've handled this if he was here.

One thing was for sure though, she may have to step up one way or another. "You won't run away, if you can run anyways." Emily laughed, "Your wound restricts your breathing, and if you move too much too quickly your stitches will open and you'll end up bleeding again. And It's fine for me to stay here... there's not a lot waiting for me back home anyways."

Emily sighed, before Ryuu opened up the topic of Gabriel's alter ego's motive. "Alter egos are... a strange part of the psyche. I can't really say. Personally, I'd think we could be some threat or something."

[Ryuu]

"I'll say..." Ryuu muttered softly as Emily laughed, "It hurts to move, even slightly. First a dislocated elbow, now a stab wound. What's next? A concussion? Will I survive long enough to even graduate at this rate?" Ryuu laughed quietly, though the smile on his face fell like a single drop of rain as Emily told him it was fine for her to stay here, since she didn't have a lot waiting for her at home anyways. Slowly stretching his hand out, he took a hold of Emily's hand that was closest to him, gripping it tightly, well, as tightly as he could manage without sending a stab of pain through his chest. "Then stay here with me... And keep me company..." He said quietly, smiling at her. He heard her sigh as he brought up the topic of the motive behind the attacks Gabriel's alter ego inflicted on both of them.

"Alter egos are... a strange part of the psyche. I can't really say. Personally, I'd think we could be some threat or something." "Yes, I have to agree. Any number of possible circumstances could create one, though I'd have to say a traumatic event is more than... Wait, we? You have an alter ego too?" Ryuu exclaimed, his eyes flashing in surprise, his hand still holding her hand, despite the fact he was surprised to learn this, he seemed to unconsciously refuse to let go. After this fact started to slowly sink in, Ryuu's eyes relaxed, turning back to calm, as he looked out the window, before turning back to face Emily, his eyes softening slightly. "This doesn't change what I think of you," He said simply, breaking the silence, as he squeezed her hand slightly, "You're still the same Emily I met back then, and you always will be."

(OOC: Lol, Kodak moment much? XD)

[seishounohana]

Ryuu was being sarcastic as always, a rather amusing trait that Emily got used to at least. She laughed along with him until he stopped and took her hand. If he had better vision he could've seen the blush on Emily's face. Normally she'd immediately pull away, but she merely dismissed this as a friendly gesture and just gave a small smile. Her other hand went over Ryuu's own and she said, "Just get well for me, alright?" she then slightly panicked when she realized what she said, "W-well, as a friend of course... and it'd be horrible if I let a patient at my hospital get worse instead of getting better."

She laughed nervously, stopping as Ryuu asked about her having an alter ego. Her smile disappeared. Guess she had dug her own grave at this. "I do. I've fortunately able to restrict her influence in me to when I'm drunk or..." She paused, slightly embarrassed on the last one. "... or when I'm high on sugar."

She tried to smile though, "I was drug dependent before, because I had bipolar disorder and couldn't really cope with my own monsters. It was only last year that I decided to go clean. Not like I took morphine and stuff, but my prescription drugs were quite addictive."

She shrugged. There went part of her past. Drug use wasn't exactly a very nice thing, and surely Ryuu's impression on Emily could've changed but..."This doesn't change what I think of you," Emily's eyes opened. What did he say? "You're still the same Emily I met back then, and you always will be."

Oh.

... "Thanks." She said, smiling. "That means a lot to me." She then stood, still holding Ryuu's hand tightly. Emily leaned over, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "It really does."

Just what was happening to the both of them? We can blame it on Lloyd and Marianne.

[Ryuu]

"I make no promises," Ryuu replied, blushing slightly when Emily gave him a small smile and placed her other hand over his own, since his vision was still blurry, he didn't see the blush that appeared on Emily's face when he had taken her hand into his own, "But I appreciate your concern. I just need to rest, that's all. And that would suck if one of the patients in your hospital became worse instead of better." Ryuu averted his gaze as he heard Emily laugh nervously, but stopped the minute he asked her about her alter ego, as her smile disappeared instantly. "I do. I've fortunately able to restrict her influence in me to when I'm drunk or... Or when I'm high on sugar." Ryuu continued to look calmly at her, as she continued to explain that she had been drug dependent due to the fact she had bipolar disorder, and couldn't handle what was happening to her, and it was only last year she had gone clean, she didn't take morphine or anything of the sort, but the drugs she had taken were addictive.

Taking this all in, despite knowing all this, this didn't change a single thing. Ryuu saw Emily's eyes open as he told her this, and he meant every word of it. "It's the truth," He said simply, "And I meant every word of it. But you're welcome." He then saw her stand, still holding onto his hand tightly, before leaning over, and kissing him on the cheek. Ryuu's eyes flashed in surprise, as he blushed slightly. Their faces were still in close proximity, Ryuu could see Emily's green eyes, likewise, she could see his gray eyes. Sitting up slightly, careful not to re-open his wound, like his body was moving on its own, Ryuu leaned forward slightly, and placed a gentle kiss on Emily's lips. He didn't quite understand what he was thinking at the moment, or what was happening to him. Maybe it was the anesthesia, but either way, this one moment seemed to last forever, like time had stood still. He was going to very confused after all this, that's for sure.

[seishounohana]

And then, he kissed her.

Emily wasn't sure how to react. A boy she considered to be a really close friend was kissing her; should she pull back and apologize or let it be? The human heart is a fickle thing, and Emily knew that well. Why wasn't she resisting, or even feeling any anger? She welcomed it, in fact, returning it to Ryuu.

It felt like forever, and Emily was confused. She hadn't felt this sort of things before. Like --

Her eyes were closing, but she pried them open and pulled herself away from the kiss. Her face was red as she sat again by her chair, looking away. "I- ... I-I'm sorry, I mean..."

Why did he kiss her? Why her, of all people? Didn't the have a girlfriend and all? She didn't know how to say it, nor did she know what had happened between Emi and Ryuu. All she knew was that they were still together, a fact that probably was long done and over.

[Ryuu]

He kissed her. Even he found that hard to believe. He expected her to pull away immediately, even slap him. What he was not expecting, was Emily returning his kiss. His mind had emotions running at a mile a minute, but he was mostly confused. He considered Emily a really close friend, what was happening!? He saw Emily's eyes start to close, but just as quick, her eyes opened as she pulled away from the kiss, as Ryuu laid back down on his pillow, blushing just as furiously as Emily was as she sat by her chair once more, facing away from him. "I- ... I-I'm sorry, I mean..." "I... I'm sorry," Ryuu began, facing away from Emily, staring out the window, as his blush began to fade a bit, "I... Ever since Emi left and went back to Japan without any notice, my heart had been broken and was left in a state of confusion. I promised myself I wouldn't let my heart get attached to anyone ever again."

Ryuu continued to face away from Emily, watching the rain fall. "Even I don't quite understand why I did what I did," He said, as he turned to face Emily, a sad smile on his face, "I'll understand if you hate me for what I did. I'm sorry Emily..." He couldn't explain why he did what he did, not yet anyways. He had no idea he liked Emily, his heart had become attached to her. He turned his head away from her once more, watching the rain fall, just like what he thought to be, their friendship with each other. He had kissed her, without a moment's hesitation. And to add to his state of confusion, she had kissed him back. But he did know one thing for sure. He would still protect and watch out for her, no matter what.

[seishounohana]

Ah, so he and Emi weren't together now. That was understandable, and in a way Emily had thought that Ryuu might've thought of her as Emi for that moment at least. Then again, she never really knew how Emi treated Ryuu - so she really couldn't see the connection, but she decided to not further her thoughts. Things like this were harder to understand than the sciences. "I understand, it's alright." She smiled, before looking at Ryuu. "A kiss is just a kiss, right? Right?" Asking twice, sort of asking herself the same question mentally.

She did like "Unfettered". What is with this and Ryuu? She, herself, was quite confused with her own state of mind. She smiled once more and looked away, "Promise me one thing though," she said. "Will you promise me you won't fall in love with me?"

There were many reasons as to why. First of which were her own confused feelings for him, and her belief to be in love with "Unfettered"; second of these were her duties as a leading member of a gang, which was a dangerous thing. Emily would be put into many dangerous and potentially lethal situations.

If anything, getting herself hurt would be enough. Sacrifice wasn't a namesake, but rather... a thing she felt was necessary. Others first, before self.

[Ryuu]

If Ryuu wasn't filled with relief right now, he swore he could've kissed Emily right now. But then that would be a terrible move on his part. "Right." He replied, returning her smile with one of his own as he looked at her, though it seemed slightly strange she said the word right twice. He was still confused, but at least he knew they were still really close friends. That was all that mattered to him right now. "Promise me one thing though," Ryuu turned his head to face her, having been staring out the window at the rain just now, to calm his mind down, "Will you promise me you won't fall in love with me?" Ryuu laughed the strange remark off. "We're really close friends who watched each others backs Emily, and besides, you're my superior in Militia. No offense, but I'd have to think you'd be the last person I'd fall in love with."

Despite this though, Ryuu was still really confused about his feelings for Emily. He would always protect her, that wasn't going to change anytime soon, and he promised himself that he would not let his heart get attached to anyone anymore. And besides, he was in a gang. Potentially fatal situations worse than getting stabbed could arise, and the last thing Ryuu needed was his opponent knowing that he was attached to someone deeply. In a way, it was a good thing Emi left to go back to Japan. At least this way, she wouldn't get hurt, and Ryuu could fight without worrying about her, which was worth the pain of having his heart broken. If only Ryuu knew keeping that promise would be harder than he thought, not just for him only. "You better get some rest," Ryuu said, his mind for the most part, calmed down, as he smiled reassuringly at her, "I can't have you collapsing on me, even if you're staying here with me for the whole night."