I awake to see sparkling violet eyes staring at me. They seem weary, but still smiling.

I sit up and look at Amata. Surprisingly, he's awake before me. He gives a small grin. "Good morning," he says faintly.

I smile back. "Wow. Feeling better, I see! How's your breathing?"

"Better, I guess. I mean, it still feels like I have a boulder sitting on my chest, but it's better than it was." He takes a deep breath.

"Well, it's some sort of improvement. I can't believe you're already up."

He nods. "Yeah. I-I had a nightmare, so I woke up. I couldn't go back to sleep, so I kinda just laid here and thought about stuff."

"What sort of stuff?"

"Well, I thought about my mother. I thought about Kagura. I mostly thought about you." The corner of his mouth pulls up into a small smirk. "You're adorable when you sleep, by the way. But you snore too much."

"W-what?! I don't snore!"

He chuckles. "Relax! I was just teasing! No need to get your panties in a knot!"

I puff out my cheeks in annoyance.

I notice that Amata is holding the two photographs Sazanka took of us. "How did you get those?! They were hanging up on the white board before!"

"Oh. The doctor had come in to check up on me while you were asleep. I asked him if I could see these. They're pretty cute pics! And you look more beautiful than ever in both of them."

My cheeks must be bright red by now. He hands the pictures to me and I place them on the table next to the bed.

"So what was your nightmare about?"

A nervous look falls across his face. He bites his lip. "I-I'm not sure if I wanna talk about it."

I place my hand on his cheek and he places his hand on top of mine. "It's okay. You can tell me anything."

He gives a trembling sigh and says, "It took place on the day that we fought in that battle against Kagura. I was trying to keep myself from blacking out inside Aquarion when he asked me if I wanted to die. I said 'no'. I told him that I would keep living for you, Mikono. I wanted to protect you. But I guess I gave him the wrong answer. Somehow, he killed you and Cayenne in the middle of the fight. I started to scream, and then-" He swallows. "Kagura threw me back into that coma. It scared the crap out of me. I didn't want to go back into it. It was painful while I was unconscious for those seven days. It was like I was trapped inside my own mind."

"Amata..." I can see the tears starting to form in his eyes.

"It's funny. After my little episode yesterday, I can suddenly remember."

"Remember?"

"I remember everything." His bottom lip quivers and his voice shakes. "Everything. I remember how you held me in your arms as I laid dying in the Vector launch room. I remember why I'm in here, the battle we fought in, who all of my friends and enemies are. I remember yesterday, how you tried so hard to keep me from dying again. All the sounds were muffled, so I couldn't hear you admit that you loved me yet, and everything was a little blurry, but I felt it. I could almost feel you saying those words."

"Really?"

He nods. "Mikono, the only thing that kept me from letting go of life was you. I may not have been able to think totally clearly while I was out cold in both the coma and yesterday, but I had this strange desire deep down, that I wanted to tell you I loved you. I wanted to be there for you. That's what kept me alive. Even though it got to the point where I couldn't remember your name, or what you looked like, or what your voice sounded like, I still dreamt of you. But I was ready to give up. I couldn't take the nightmares and the pain anymore. After a while, I wanted to just slip away..."

His eyes water even more and it looks like he might break at any second.

"And the pain." He pauses. "The pain. It was unbearable. It hurt so much. I couldn't move or do anything to fight it. And then there was the constant torture of reliving my worst fears, and having nightmares of the both of us suffering... I was so ready to die." He swallows, clearly trying his absolute best to hold back tears. "I wanted to die! I wanted so badly to just die; to have all my suffering end. I'll admit, as scared as I was, it felt good to let myself go."

"Let yourself go?"

"There was a point, I think it was more towards the end of the week, maybe a day or two before I finally woke up, where I just stopped trying. I let myself fall into something like a black void. It was so quiet and peaceful. No sound. No vision. Just nothingness. It was kinda like the same place during the Training of the Grave. I wanted to stay there forever. I didn't want to come back. Maybe death isn't that bad after all..."

Out of instinct, my hand grabs his quickly. "You didn't want to come back?" I squeeze his hand. "Why? How could you?"

He shakes his head. "But I didn't die. You helped me to wake up. Somehow, you gave me the strength I needed to come back. It was like I could hear your voice."

I smile a little at that part. So he did hear everything I tried to tell him.

He continues, "That voice sounded so desperate and sad. You talked to me every day. I know that. I can't remember everything you said to me, and I was only aware a couple of times, but I heard you. Even though I couldn't recognize who was talking and I thought you were a stranger, you managed to keep me from leaving." He squeezes my hand tightly, ready to start bawling at any second. "I was starting to forget everything. I couldn't remember who you were. You were just a strange entity haunting my dreams. A being that I seemed to have feelings for. Little by little, my memory faded. I forgot who I was or what it was like to be alive. As time went by, all the things you said started to turn to gibberish. But I forced myself to keep listening, until I let go. Thank you. Thank you for saving me!"

"Oh Amata..."

"I can't imagine what you had to go through. Now I know that I never wanna leave you like that again. You were my reason to fight; my reason to live. So, when I was knocked out in this last dream, I got so scared. The nightmare was so vivid, I thought I was actually gonna die..."

He breaks down and sobs, burying his face in his hands. His body shudders as he cries.

"I shouldn't even be alive right now! I should be dead!" The heart monitor beeps faster. "I'm supposed to be dead! I did this to myself! But I did it for you!"

He sits up and reaches for me, wrapping his arms around me as I pull him into my embrace. I feel him bury his face in the side of my neck. His tears smear against my skin and he's trembling in my arms. "It's okay," I say to him as he cries, running my fingers through his hair and rubbing his back in an attempt to soothe him. "I'm so sorry, Amata. It's gonna be okay."

"I didn't want you to see me cry like this," Amata says, his words muffled.

"It's okay to cry. Let it all out. I won't judge. Trust me. It's okay to get it out."

I recall the memory of talking with Andy while Amata was comatose. I had asked if he thought that Amata was feeling any pain. Now I know, maybe the physical pain wasn't as bad, but the emotional and mental trauma must have been overwhelming. Nurse Rachael was right. He really was fighting for his life. He suffered in silence for way too long.

He whimpers. "I should be dead. I should be dead. I was supposed to die. How am I alive? Why am I alive?" He chokes up.

"Ssshhh. Amata you're shaking!"

"I'm sorry." He's crying so much his speech has become slurred and interfered with tears. "I'm so sorry, Mikono!" He starts struggling for air and hiccuping. "All I wanted was to protect you!"

"You sacrificed your life for me! I wanna protect you, too."

I feel him hold me tighter, continuing to bury himself in the safety of my embrace. "You have no idea how much you mean to me," he says. "I need you. I love you so much! I LOVE YOU! I'll kill anyone who tries to take you away from me!"

"Amata, you're scaring me now."

He gasps for air. "I can't breathe- Help-"

"Ssssh. Easy. Breathe. In and out," I try instructing. I hum softly to him and continue to stroke his hair soothingly. "Just breathe. You're okay. You're alright. I got you."

He obeys my directions. Gradually, he starts to calm down and his breathing slows to a steady rate.

"You okay?"

"Yeah..." he breathes, the air warm against my skin.

"Do you wanna lie back down?"

I feel him shake his head. "Mm-mm. I don't wanna move. I want you to hold me like this, just a little while longer. And keep humming. Please?"

The corners of my mouth pull up into a small smile. "Fine."

We stay there in that position for several minutes. Amata doesn't move an inch. He just sits there holding me with his face in my neck, the wet tears soaking into my skin. I hum a soft, gentle tune, which seems to relax him a lot.

I stop humming and ask, "Hey. You didn't fall asleep, did you?"

"No..." he murmurs. "Can't I just stay like this forever?"

I sigh. "Unfortunately, no. Come on. You should lay down now."

Reluctantly, he pulls away and I help him back down onto the bedsheets. The oxygen tubes are crooked, so I fix them for him. Then I wipe the remainder of his tears with my sleeve before placing a hand on his chest. I lie down next to him and rest my head on his shoulder.

He closes his eyes. "Y-your hand is so-so warm."

"Just take it easy. Okay? You wanna watch some TV or something?"

His eyes open. "Th-there's a TV in here?"

I gesture up towards the point where the ceiling and the wall meet just in front of the foot of the bed. A small TV resides up there, waiting to be turned on. I've used it a couple times throughout the week.

"You never noticed it before?"

Amata looks at me, his eyes slightly narrowed. "If you haven't noticed, I've kinda been dying for the past week or so. Having a TV in my room is the last thing I'm worried about."

"Oh. Well, now you know. Anything specific you wanna see?"

He just shakes his head and closes his eyes again. "I don't care."

I grab the remote from the table nearby and click the television on. I surf a few channels until I find a movie. Not just any movie: "Skies of Aquaria".

"Amata look! They're playing our movie!"

"That's great..." he murmurs.

I cuddle next to him and throw the remote back on the table, but I look around the room carefully. Amata's eyes open and he notices my uneasiness.

"What are you looking for?" he asks.

"I'm just making sure there are no petals around." When I'm satisfied that Mykage hasn't sent his flower petals back, I relax. "I don't want that guy to mess with us again."

"I think we're okay."

"But Mykage's tried to kill you! I don't want you to get any more hurt than you already are."

"I'd rather him hurt me than you." He strokes my hair.

"You've suffered enough already! I can't let you go through any more pain!"

"But you are worth all this suffering. I'd do anything to keep you safe."

I remember our first date. Amata had said something similar that day when the statue fell on top of us. He wanted to protect me. He still wants to protect me. He will fight the universe for me, literally.

We watch the movie, although Amata seems to keep his eyes closed through most of it. Towards the second half of it, I hear someone knock on the door.

"Who is it?" I call, quickly scrambling off the bed so no one will notice that I've been cuddling with Amata.

"It's us!" Andy calls back. "You know, the super sexy and handsome dude, and the green-haired slut."

"What the hell did you call me?!" I hear Zessica say from out in the hallway.

I open the door. "Oh Andy," I laugh, but my happiness fades as I see what Andy is holding.

His arm is wrapped around a vase filled with flowers. Oh no. The petals. Great. Something Mykage can manipulate and torture us with. I feel like I'm going to be sick. Then again, they wouldn't have any idea not to bring flowers. I never told them about Mykage or his petals.

"Whoa! You alright? You're not still sick from yesterday, are you?" Andy asks.

I recall the memory of pounding on the door to the room and having to be carried back to the waiting room. I felt so upset and nauseous.

"Um, no. I'm good. Just-" I fake a yawn. "Just tired. That's all."

Zessica raises an eyebrow, but Andy doesn't question it.

"Geez! How much time can you possibly spend with Amata? You've been here all night again? Speaking of, how is my Diggin' Bro?" Andy steps into the room.

"Hey guys," Amata says. He notices the flowers and I can automatically tell he's uncomfortable, but he does his best to hide it.

"Thank God you're alright!" Andy sets the vase down on the table. "Just brought ya' a little 'Get Well' present. Dude, you've gotta stop scarin' us like that. We thought we'd lost you! What would I do if I didn't have anybody to help me dig to the girls' shower room?"

Zessica rolls her eyes. "Why do you insist on digging and spying on the girls? Seriously. It's getting old."

"Don't get him started." Amata gives a small, weak chuckle. "He'll make a big speech about it."

"I see you're feeling a little better. You doing okay?" Zess asks.

Amata puts a hand to his forehead. "Yeah. I guess. It sucks being in here."

"So, they let you guys in here?" I ask, directing the question at Zessica and Andy.

Andy scratches his head. "Yeah. After the doctors let you in, they figured that it wouldn't be fair to let only one person in. So this morning, they opened the room up to everyone." He pauses. "Man. Doesn't all this noise get annoying?"

"Noise?" Then I realize he's talking about the sounds coming from all of the machines. "Oh. I've kinda gotten used to it."

"You don't really notice it after a while," Amata chimes in. "The tubes and wires are way more annoying." He fixes the nasal cannula. "I feel like a science experiment."

Andy chuckles. "That's hospitals for ya'!" He looks up at the TV. "Hey! It's your favorite movie! 'Skies of Aquaria'!"

I nod. "Yeah. It happened to be on. We've been watching it for a little while." I lower my voice. "Although he's been sleeping through most of it. I can't really blame him though."

A few moments later, Nurse Rachael walks in with a food tray.

"Oh no. Not again," Amata groans. "Andy, please don't make any remarks."

But Andy doesn't listen. "Oooh! Gonna have a girl feed ya' again?"

Nurse Rachael moves the vase over on the table so she can set the tray down and wheels everything over to Amata's bed. "Try to eat more than just the pudding, please," she says before leaving the room.

"Do you need help?" I ask him.

"No. I'm fine, I think." He reaches with his right arm to press a button on the panel, so that way the back of the bed will lift him up into a sitting position. His fingers don't reach, and he seems out of breath just trying to move.

"Here. I got it." I press the button.

"I-I could've done that, you know."

I shake my head. "Sometimes your friends have to step in." I then take the lid off of a container of soup and hand him a spoon. He struggles to hold it thanks to the heart monitor clip on his finger. I notice the pills are different this time. I'm guessing the medical staff still thinks that it was a reaction to the meds that caused Amata to crash yesterday. "Eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"Man, you must be feeling pretty crappy if you don't want to eat!" Andy says. "Then again, after almost dying, I don't think I'd wanna eat either."

I take the straw and stick it into the juice box that sits on the tray. "Can you drink something at least?"

He reaches for the juice, but his arm is shaky, so I help guide his hand to it. "Y-you don't have to help me with everything."

I sigh. "Take your meds."

He nods reluctantly and obeys my orders.

"So, you've been spending a lot of time here, haven't you Mikono?" Zessica suddenly asks.

I turn to her and my stomach twists. "Huh?"

She eyes me and talks in a slightly taunting voice. "I mean, you really haven't gone back to the Academy much since his first night here. You're like, really attached to him. I can understand that you're his friend and you care about his well-being, but your reaction after you woke up in the waiting room was a little more concerned than an average friend."

"Woke up in the waiting room?" Amata asks, confused.

"Uh, y-yeah." I look at the floor. "I kinda freaked out yesterday when you passed out."

"Freaked out?"

"Yeah. She literally banged on the door to your room until she passed out. I had to carry her away," Andy says.

I shuffle my feet. "Let's not talk about it."

Amata reaches for my hand and he takes it, holding it tight. "Did you really bang on the door?"

"Well, the nurses and doctors locked me out. I kinda had a nervous breakdown. Will you eat something now?"

He takes a sip of juice as Zessica sits in a chair. "See? You kept pounding on the door, even though it would've done nothing. So what's going on?"

"W-what do you mean what's going on?"

Zessica narrows her eyes. "You're together, aren't you?"

I jump back a little. "No! It's not like that! It's complicated," I say.

Andy nudges Zessica. "What's wrong with you? Leave them alone."

"I-I-I have to use the bathroom," I say and I walk out.

I head towards the restrooms, but I don't actually enter. Instead, I pace around in front of the doors. I know I shouldn't tell anyone, but at the same time, I feel like I should tell someone. What do I do? Zess is my friend, and so is Andy. Can I really tell them all of this?

A few moments later, Andy comes up to me. "You know, if you really had to use the bathroom, you could've just used the one in Amata's room. Every hospital room has a private one."

I look away. Oops.

"Mikono, are you sure you're okay? You don't seem to be your usual self."

I bite my lip. Should I say anything?

He smirks a little. "You do have the hots for Amata!"

"Shhh! Not so loud!" That's not the main reason I've been acting different, but it still feels weird to know that someone can see what's going on between us.

"Are you? Cuz' it seems a little obvious."

"R-really?" I stutter. "Um, I mean, I like him as a friend. It's not, like, I love him or anything. After all, romance is banned." I don't think I'm convincing enough.

"Well, even if you were, I wouldn't mind. I admit, I have a huge crush on MIX, but I'm not afraid to say it in front of my friends."

I actually smile a little. "Okay. Maybe I do like him."

Andy smirks even more. "I knew it!" He whispers in my ear, "Just don't let him get his head stuck up your skirt again."

I laugh. The memory flashes in my mind.

"You know, standing outside of these bathrooms makes me have to go. I'll be in there for a few minutes. Why don't you head back to Amata's room and I'll meet you in there?"

I nod. "Okay."

I walk back to Amata's room, but before I can enter, Zessica comes running out. I quickly press myself against a wall so she doesn't notice me. Her face is streaked with tears. Was she crying? What happened?

Once she's gone, I suddenly feel my stomach twist. Is Amata alright? Did something bad happen? I immediately run into the room. "Amata!"

Amata is fine. He seems a little shocked and taken aback about something, but he's okay. He's not dying, again.

I sit on the edge of the bed. "Amata, what happened?"

He looks at me wide eyed. "Sh-she, she said..." He can't find the words.

"What? What happened with Zessica?"

He takes a deep breath before saying, "She told me that she loved me."