The moment Aira opened her eyes, she felt like she's dying in pain, in hunger, in thirst and in soreness. She just felt like dying, period.
Dahil sa sakit ng buo niyang katawan, lalo na sa bandang may leeg niya, hindi na muna siya gumalaw. She stayed still on bed while she's recalling the things she remembered before she past out.
Naalala niya ang labanan, naalala niya si Lumina then Harper. Oh gods, si Harper.
She suddenly sit up ng pumasok sa isipan niya ang huling hininga ni Harper. Pero dahil sa ginawa niyang magupo, nahilo siya and she almost puke.
She opened her mouth to call someone and asked them about Harper but no words came out of her lips.
Baka nagkamali lang ako ng nakita. Sana nagkamali ako.
She tried opening her mouth again but it's so dry it felt like she's swallowing sandpaper. She reached for her bedside table where she always put a pitcher of water but when she extended her arms, wala siyang nahagilap. That's when she realized na wala na doon ang bedside table niya. When she looked at her surrounding, her eyes widen when she founs out that she's not in her room anymore.
Nasaan ako?
Her heart drummed in panic at kung ano-ano na ang pumasok sa isip niya, pero bago pa siya makareact, nahagip ng mga mata niya ang isang pamilya na bulto and she gasped in surprise.
A few feet in front of her was her counsin Daniel, sleeping on a couch. Narinig siguro nito ang singhap niya dahil bigla itong napatayo and with his sleepy eyes, he scan the surroundings as though he expected someone to attack him.
When his gaze landed on her, his eyes widen. "Ai." He breathes then with his long, quick strides, he went to her side then hugged her tight.
"D-Dan..." Her voice broke as tears gathered in her eyes. She missed her counsins so much.
Daniel's arms tighten around her and they hugged like that for a couple of seconds. When her cousin let her go, agad itong naglaho sa harapan niya and when he returned, may dala na itong pagkain at tubig.
"Eat, you need it." Sabay subo nito ng keso sa kaniya.
Aira immediately opened her mouth and ate all the food Daniel feed her. Hindi pa niya nauubos ang pagkain ng biglang bumukas ang pinto at pumasok si Castro pati na si Hawthorn.
She blinked in surprise when she saw her other counsin. "Anong ginagawa mo dito?"
Sinamaan siya ng tingin ni Castro kaya napakurap siya ng ilang beses. Among all her counsins, si Castro ang pinakakalmado kahit na Fire Fae ito. So him being annoyed with her doesn't make any sense.
"Hawthorn brought us her because we thought you died."
As if on cue, her memories flooded her mine, making her remember what happened next after Harper.
She remembered bit and pieces of Sinister's presence trying to come out. She remembered turning into a wolf which up to now still baffled her. She remembered the fight, the killings and blood then came darkness.
The darkness that consume her was nothing she have ever felt before. It felt hollow yet heavy. Weak yet strong. The empytiness felt so huge that she can't escape it no matter how much she fought it. Then she remembered hearing voices. She remembered Night as though he was speaking just right besides her ears.
His words were clear and he sounded in pain. She can't recollect all the words he said to her but she remembered parts of it.
"How can you be so stupid?" Castro barked and Daniel nooded as though he was thinking the same thing.
"What did I do?"
Castro narrowed his eyes at her, his anger evident. "Why did you not tell us you were in danger?"
Nagbaba siya ng tingin lalo nan g makita niyang sinamaan rin siya ng tingin ni Daniel. Hawthorn on the other hand just sat there and gave her a playful wink.
"We thought you were in Eerieland studying." Matigas na tugon ni Castro and she winced. "Tapos malalaman na lang namin sa ibang tao that you're in the brink of death."
"You could have told us that someone wants you dead so we could have hunt for them and killed them ourselves." Daniel hissed in annoyance but he did not stop feeding her.
"And to top it all, ilang buwan naka pa lang nagtatago sa kanila. Hindi mo man lang sinabi samin." Dagdag ng pinsan niya na hindi na mahitsura ang mukha sa galit. But unlike her other cousin Sin, none of them exploded, thank the goddess for that. Fortunately, none of them were breathing fire at the moment.
Nang hindi siya sumagot, Daniel stopped feeding her and he gave her his best big brother glare which made her swallow hard. Daniel rarely used his age against them, heck sa lahat ng pinsan niya, ito ang pinakahindi strict. Kabaliktaran ito ni Sin. Kaya naman kapag ginagamit nito ang galit nito, natatakot talaga sila ni Maya na siyang pinsan rin niya.
"Aira." May babalang tugon ni Daniel.
Ilang beses pa siyang napalunok lang bago nakasagot. She opened her mouth but she closed it then she opened it again.
"I don't.... want to burden you." Agad nag-iba ang ekspresyon ng mukha ni Daniel kakasimula pa lang niya sa sasabihin. "You already have so many responsibilities. The Kingdom, Han and Roll's situation. Even Rose's. Tapos kakatapos lang ng digmaan sa Kaharian ni Sin, nasundan naman ng gulo sa Kaharian mo. Then you also have Nikolai to worry about. Ayaw ko lang dagdagan ang problema ninyo. And I thought... well I thought I can solve it on my own without bothering you. I thought it would be easy..." Pahina ng pahina ang boses niya hanggang sa naging bulong na lang ang huling salita.
It was the truth. She did not want to bother them. They have been through too much already. She was just scared that if she asked for their help, baka puntiryahin ng mga mangkukulam ang Bastione. She was afraid that if that happens, then the people there will blame her for whatever lose will happen then they might forbid her to go back and she might not see her counsins again. She can't have that so she tried to solve it all on her own. And when Night offered to help, she thought its strategical to accept his help, its like hitting two birds with one stone.
"That's bullshit." Daniel raised his voice kaya napatalon siya. "Aira, we are family." He said it while staring straight into her eyes. "It will never be a burden for us to help you just like we know you will always help us too. So for you to hold back something like this felt like a betrayal." Nag-iwas siya ng tingin dahil ramdam niya ang nagbabadya niyang mga luha.
"You did not trust us enough to protect you. Did you honestly thought we will just sit around while you're running for your life? Did you not understand that we protect our own?"
A tear fell from her eyes and she quickly wiped it away. But then another one fell then another one hanggang sa hindi na niya napigilan ang sarili at napahikbi siya.
Daniel held her chin then he lift it up and made her looked at him. "Bakit hindi ka humingi ng tulong Aira?"
Daniel truly knew her well because he knew she was hiding something.
"And don't lie this time."
She tried to calm down but more tears just kept on falling.
"I..." She sniffed. Then she sobbed. "I was scared... I did not t-tell you because I did not want you to start a w-war for me. I don't want people to die under your c-command especially if I knew they don't want to d-die for me. I just..."
"So you left. You ran away."
"I just needed to breathe, Bastione always made me feel like I did not belong."
Daniel stiffened and he growled. "Who made you feel that?"
Nang hindi siya sumagot, he asked again. "Tell me and I'll make them pay."
"I'm a witch Daniel. I'm not a Fae, of course people won't make me feel like I fit there."
Nagsing-abot ang kilay ni Daniel, pati si Castro hindi na rin mahitsura ang mukha.
"We have fought battles to protect our people. I bleed for our Kingdom, the least they could do is honor and respect the people we love."
Nag hindi pa rin siya sumagot, mas lalo lang nairita si Daniel.
"When we come back, I will personally talk to them." Panic started brewing in her chest again. Mukhang galit talaga si Daniel. Her cousin hated mingling with society lalo pa at lumaki itong Dorty Blood. So for him to offer to talk with them really means he's pissed off big time.
"I will speak to them one by one if necessary –"
"You don't have to." What she meant by this is that she did not want the people in their Kingdom to feel like she's threatening them with their own Kings just to be accepted. That's a low point even for her. Pero mukhang iba ang nakuhang kahulugan ni Daniel because he scowled.
"You're staying." He did not asked her, more like stated it.
She opened her mouth to say 'no'. Of course she wanted to go home and see her cousins again but the word died down right before it was even uttered.
"Are you staying because of him? Are you –" Naputol ang sasabihin ni Daniel dahil biglang bumukas ang pintuan then Night came in.
Hindi pa niya natitignan ng maayos ang hitsura ni Night ng bigla itong lumapit sa kaniya. He gripped her hands, searching for her pulse there. Then the palmed her forehead, he inspected her head then next her neck. When he was satisfied with what he saw, he stared at her. He was breathing heavily as though he run a marathon to get to her.
His eyes were red na para bang nasagitna suya ng pagtulog when someone wake him up. He looked really rugged like ha haven't been showering for a week. He even have a beard that was unkept and his hair is messy too.
"Don't." He huffed. "Don't do that again." He glared at her as though she have done something wrong.
She opened her mouth to answer him when she remembered the words she heard form him when she was unconscious and she blushed.
Castro groaned on the background then she heard him mutter about them leaving pero wala na sa kanila ang atensyon niya.
She was staring at Night and she can't help but feel giddy and sad at the same time. Daniel must have noticed that the two of them needed to talk in private because he stood.
"We need to leave now." Daniel informed her and all she could do was nod.
"I need to go back to Tori. And I also need to talk to Sin." Napangiwi si Aira dahil parang alam na niya kung ano ang pag-uusapan ng dalawa and she's sure that sooner rather than later, Sin would be breathing fiure on her neck dahil sa ginawa niya.
"Can we kept this betweem u –"
"No." Matigas na sagot ni Daniel kahit hindi pa man siya tapos magtanong.
"They need to know."
Tumango na laman siya because she understand her cousin. But that didn't mean she;s happy about it.
"I will not leave you here Ai if you won't promise that you will tell us if you're in danger again."
"She won't be in danger under my protection." Night interrupted pero hindi ito pinansin ng pinsan niya na siyang ikinairita ng taong lobo.
"I promise." Aira quicky promise para makaalis na si Daniel bago pa sila mag-away ni Night.
Tumango si Daniel and he higged her again. Before Daniel went outside, he faced Night and they both stared into each other's eyes while assessing each other's strength and weaknesses.
"Endanger her in any form and the whole Fire and Water Kingdom will fucking will you. Hurt even a strand of her hair and I will kill you." Daniel's voice was low, rough and dangerous and Aira swallowed in nervousness.
She expected the two of them to start punching each other but thankfully Night only narrowed his eyes. "You don't need to worry. I vow to protect her with my last breathe."
Kung kanina hindi magkamayaw ang puso niya sa nervous, ngayon naman hindi ito mapakali dahil sa kilig at takot.
Daniel must have been satisfied with Night's answer because he turned to Aira once again then he nodded at her before he closed the door.
Nang sila na lang dalawa ang naiwan sa kwarto, hindi siya mapakali. She reached for the plate that Daniel left in her bed. She was about to continue eating ng agawin ni Night ang plato mula sa mga kamay niya at ito mismo ang nagsubo sa kaniya.
He feed her quietly while she tried to silence her messy thoughts. Nang hindi na niya makayanan ang katahimikan, she asked "Ilang araw akong walang malay?"
"A month and a half."
Nabulonan siya sa kinakaining prutas dahil sa sagot nito. "A month..."
"And a half." Pagtatapos ni Night sa sasabihin niya ng mawala ang boses niya.
So that's why Daniel and Castro were so pissed.
Magtatanong na sana siya kung bakit siya nawalan ng malay ng ganon katagal ng bigla niyang maramdaman ang presensya ni Sinister.
Then she remembered everything that happened. "Si Lumina, si L-Lander and Harp..."
Hindi pa niya natatapos ang sasabihin niya, agad na siyang naluha. Night saw the sadness and distress in her eyes and he reach for her.
The way he extended his arms to grab her felt so intimate. His movements were determine and most of all its confident and sure. Nang maramdaman niya ang yakap ni Night, mas isiniksik pa niya ang sarili sa braso nito. She buried her face in his chest while she was sobbing and wiping her tears weakly.
"It's all over now, no one's going to hurt you. I won't let them."
Night's words melted her heart but the sorrow remains.
"What happened?" Her words were barely a whisper. She was afraid to know the trith but at the same time, she owed it to those who sacrifice theirselves to know what really happened.
Ilang minutong natahimik si Night bago siya sumagot. "There was an attack." He answered then he stopped.
Akala ni Aira na hindi na siya magsasalita pa dahil tumigil ito but then he continued. "Matagal nang nakaplano ang pag-atake nila at nang umalis tayo para bawiin ang Night Howler, it gave them the perfect opportunity to move dahil kalahati lang ng mga pack members ko ang naiwan para magbantay."
For some reason, Aira can't help but feel like this was partly her fault. "I'm sorry." Umalis siya sa yakap ni Night at hinarap ito. "I'm so sorry Night, kung hindi ako nagpumilit na gawin ang plano ko hindi sana –"
"Hindi sana natin nababawi ang Night Howler." Pagtatapos ni Night sa sasabihin sana niya.
"But we lost your men because half of them went to help us."
"We lost our people because Lander attaked us, Aira not because of your ambush plan."
May diin ang bawat salita niya kaya napatikom ng bibig si Aira.
Night's jaw clenched and his eyes held anger but also despair and Aira felt like an idiot for not noticing the misery in his voice.
"N-Night..." She reached for his cheeks and cupped it. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault –"
"I'm sorry for you loss."
Night stiffened but then it was as though something inside him snapped because he started to relax in her hold. He closed his eyes and leaned his face into her hand even more, then he exhaled loudly na para bang ngayon lang ulit siya nakahinga kaya kailangan niyang sulitin.
"I..." Night swallowed hard. "I could have prevented it... I could have saved them."
Isang tingin pa lang sa hitsura ni Night at alam na niyang pasan nito ang lahat ng problema ng pack nila. She can see the worry lines in his forehead and she knew that it was because of the men he lost. Night value his people's live above all else and to see them die right before his eyes haunt him. And she can see na hindi lang siya nasaktan sa ginawa ng kapatid niya, he's haunted by it. By the pain, by the regrets, by his guilt, by the sheer knowledge that he could have prevented it if only he knew.
Night's eyes watered but he immediately looked away from her. She wanted to say something to help him feel like everything would be alright pero hindi niya alam kung ano ang sasabihin. So she did what she does best, she hugged him.