The ceiling was white.
Something warmer. Cream-colored, maybe. The kind of white that was supposed to be soothing, supposed to make you feel like everything was going to be okay.
Hoshimi stared at it for a long time.
His body felt...heavy. Like someone had replaced his bones with lead and his blood with something thicker, slower. His thoughts moved through molasses, each one requiring effort that should have been automatic.
[Where am I?]
The room was unfamiliar. Not his dorm. Not the safehouse. Somewhere else, somewhere with cream-colored walls and soft lighting and the faint, antiseptic smell of a medical facility that was trying very hard not to feel like one.
Machines beeped. Soft. Rhythmic. In time with his heartbeat.
"How long?"
He tried to move his hand. It responded, but slowly, the fingers curling against sheets that were too soft, too clean. His arm was bandaged. His chest was bandaged. He could feel the wrappings beneath the thin hospital gown, tight against his skin, holding him together.
"What happened?"
The memories came back in fragments.
Someone was holding his hand.
He turned his head. The movement took more effort than it should have, his neck stiff, his muscles atrophied from disuse. But he managed it.
Kira.
She was slumped forward, her upper body resting on the edge of his bed, her face buried in her arms. Her dirty brown hair was splayed across the white sheets like a stain, tangled and unwashed. Her breathing was slow, steady, the rhythm of someone who had finally collapsed after fighting sleep for too long.
Her fingers were still curled around his.
She looked smaller than he remembered.
The dark circles under her eyes were deeper, the hollows of her cheeks more pronounced. She'd lost weight. He could see it in the sharpness of her jaw, the prominence of her wrists where they emerged from sleeves that were too big for her.
"How long have you been here?"
His voice came out as a croak. Rusty from disuse. His throat was dry, his lips cracked, and the sound of it was enough to stir her.
Kira's eyes fluttered open slowly. The clouded lapis of her irises was dull, unfocused at first, still caught somewhere between sleep and waking.
Then she saw him.
Her face crumpled.
"Ah-"
She couldn't get the words out. Her mouth opened and closed, opened and closed, but no sound came except a small, wounded noise that was almost a whimper. Tears welled in her eyes, spilled over, traced paths down cheeks that were already blotchy and red.
"H-Hoshimi-"
"Hey." His voice was still rough. Still barely there. But he managed to curl his fingers around hers, to squeeze. "I'm awake."
"You were asleep for a week," she sobbed. "I really thought something bad happened, I slept here every night, ju-just waiting for you."
"Kira."
She looked up.
"Thanks."
"I know." She sniffled. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for crying. I promised myself I wouldn't cry. I promised-"
"It's okay."
"I just-" She wiped her eyes with her free hand, a futile gesture that only smeared the tears around. "I was so scared. Everyone was-"
"I'm awake."
"You said that already."
"I know, I'm sorry for making you worried."
She smiled. It was a small thing, fragile, barely there. But it was real.
"I should go get the Vice Principal. She asked me to come get her if you woke up. She'll-" Kira started to rise, but her legs wobbled. She'd been sitting in that position too long. Her muscles had cramped, gone stiff from disuse and worry.
"Wait." Hoshimi's grip on her hand tightened. "Stay. Just for a moment. She'll come eventually."
"Heh." Kira settled back into her chair. Her hand stayed in his. "Okay. Just for a moment."
They sat in silence.
The heart monitor beeped. The fluorescent lights hummed. Outside the window, the city was waking up, gray morning light filtering through blinds that had seen better days.
Kira's breathing slowed. Her tears dried. Her grip on his hand remained.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"For what?"
"For waking up."
"I didn't do anything, I should be thanking you for waiting."
The door opened.
Reina stood in the doorway, her ginger hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, her gold eyes ringed with dark circles like usual. She wore civilian clothes, a simple sweater and jeans, no uniform, no insignia.
Her lips curved.
"I knew you would wake up, but you took wayyy longer than I thought, come on, I think you should wake up earlier next time."
"Miss Reina, that's not something I can control."
She crossed the room in three strides. Her hand found his face, her palm warm against his cheek, her thumb tracing the hollow beneath his eye. Her touch was gentle.
"Aanyways." Her voice cracked. Just slightly. Just enough. " A whole week of you taking your sweet little nap. A whole week. I had to fill out so much paperwork. Do you know how much paperwork is involved when a high-value asset goes into a coma? So much. An unreasonable amount. I'm going to bill you for my therapy."
"I'll pay you back."
"I'm giving you an allowance." She pulled up a chair and sat beside him. "You're paying me back with my own money, in fact you don't even need to pay me anymore."
"How nice of you."
"You." She glanced at Kira. "Give us a minute?"
Kira nodded, reluctantly releasing Hoshimi's hand. She stood, her legs still unsteady, and shuffled toward the door. "I'll go get some water. And food. You should- you should eat something, Hoshimi. When you're ready. If you want to. No pressure."
"I will. Thank you, Kira."
She smiled, that same fragile expression, and slipped out the door.
The room was quiet.
Reina leaned back in her chair, her gold eyes sweeping over him with clinical precision. "You look terrible."
"I feel terrible."
"Good. At the very least, it means you're alive." She reached into her pocket, pulled out an unlit cigarette, and tucked it behind her ear with practiced efficiency. "The doctors said you'd make a full recovery. Some scarring. A few lingering aches. Nothing permanent, except-" She paused.
"Except what?"
"Your back. The slash wound. It healed, but the scar tissue is... rather extensive. They said it'll fade, but it'll never fully disappear." Her lips curved. "It looks badass, by the way. Insane backstory potential, the moment you take your shirt off, you'll gain a 100 aura points."
Hoshimi stared at her.
"You're joking."
"Obviously." She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, her expression shifting into something more serious. "The bomber. We caught him. American, obviously, who would've thought? Name's Bradley. Ex-military, dishonorable discharge, had a grudge against witches after his sister was killed in a rogue attack about ten years ago. He'd been planning something big for a while. The contract on you was just the excuse he needed."
"Is he in custody?"
"He's dead."
The word hung in the air.
"Kamikazed himself," Reina continued. "When we cornered him, he triggered some kind of explosive device implanted in his chest. Took out half a city block."
"And the other rogues? The ones who were hunting me?"
"Apprehended or eliminated." Reina's voice was flat, professional. "The Chinese contractor, Wei, escaped during the confusion. We're trying to track him now."
"And the government? The people who sent them?"
"Officially? The governments of China and South Korea deny any involvement. They're calling it a 'rogue operation' by 'unsanctioned elements.' Unofficially..." She shrugged. "We're lucky that there isn't a full out war between us and them, the government is planning to let the others go with a slap on the wrist, or maybe a fine."
"When can I leave?"
"When the doctors clear you. But." She held up a finger. "You're on medical leave for at least another week. No patrols. No training. No heroics. You rest, you recover, and you let the rest of us handle things for a while."
"That's going to be difficult."
"I know. That's why I'm ordering you to do it."
"Fine."
She stopped. Took a breath. Forced her voice back to steadiness.
"Just- just take care of yourself. For me. Please."
Hoshimi looked at her. At the dark circles under her eyes. At the gray that was beginning to show at her temples. At the way her hands, those steady hands that had never once trembled, were shaking in her lap.
"I'll try."