Everything went by in a blur. I remember the helicopter landing on the roof of a building and everyone scrambling to get Amata to the nearest hospital. They had laid him down on the seats and did everything they could possibly do to keep him alive. I stayed next to him, holding his hand until we arrived. Commander Donar carried a limp Amata in his arms, screaming "We need help now! Everyone out of the way!" People outside were leaping out of our path left and right. I noticed Donar left a trail of blood in his wake. But Donar didn't leave it, it was Amata's blood. He was bleeding out. When we made it inside I was forced to wait in the waiting room as Donar and Suomi rushed off with some medical staff to the OR.

I now walk outside. Shush is sitting on my shoulder. The events of yesterday replay in my head. Nothing seems real. It's as if it's all a dream. No. It's a nightmare, a bad nightmare that I hope I wake up from soon. But I can't wake up. This isn't a nightmare. It's reality.

I continue walking towards my destination, all of these thoughts swirling in my head. It's not very long before I reach the hospital. When I get inside, I see that there's a desk right by the entrance. A woman sits behind it.

"Excuse me," I say to her. "What room is Amata Sora in?"

The woman puts her glasses on and looks at her computer before answering, "He's in Room 105. It's right down the hall." She gestures with her finger towards a long corridor.

I nod my head. "Thank you."

I start walking in the direction she pointed. I feel scared for some reason, as if I'm going to walk into his room and be greeted with a horrible surprise.

It's okay. He's going to be fine, I tell myself. He'll pull through.

I arrive at the room. A metal plate is tacked up next to the door. It reads "SORA, AMATA", so I definitely know this is the room. But I don't go in right away. Instead, I peer through the door's window. I can't see much except for the foot of the bed and two cushioned chairs positioned nearby.

"Aren't you going in?" I hear a voice behind me say.

I whirl around and see green hair and a skimpy outfit. Shush starts to growl, but I tap a finger to his head and he runs back up into my bun.

"Zessica?" I exclaim. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I'm his friend too, you know," she says, almost exasperated. "Everyone else is coming later to see how he's doing."

"Oh. Okay," I sigh.

"So are you going in or what?" Zessica puts her hand on the door handle and twists it down before allowing me to step through into the room.

Amata lies on the bed, now dressed in a hospital gown and his eyes are closed. A couple of pillows prop his head up a little. He looks as pale as a ghost and fragile, as if he might break at the touch of a fingertip. His breaths seem shallow and the beeping of the heart monitor sets an eerie, but strangely peaceful tone to the room.

I walk towards the side of the bed. "Amata?" I whisper. "You awake?"

He doesn't move.

"He doesn't look like he's up for talking right now," Zessica says sarcastically as she sits down in one of the chairs.

I frown. She seems more annoyed at me than usual. What's wrong? Has yesterday affected her, too?

I take Amata's left hand and almost jump at how cold it is. Tubes run out of it into IV bags hanging on the rack nearby. One of them is for a blood transfusion and the other one consists of saline.

"You okay?" Zessica asks, noticing my jump.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm just, not used to his hand being this cold," I say.

I think back to two nights ago, when Neo-DEAVA was celebrating its anniversary, just before the attack. We did a screening of "Skies of Aquaria", the very movie that brought the two of us together, and I sat with Amata to watch it. He had grabbed my hand back then and I remember it being so warm, so comforting. Because he had grabbed my hand, his Anti-gravity ability activated and both of us flew into midair. It was then that he held me in his arms and we shared the moment together. I loved the comfort that moment gave me. I could've stayed in his arms forever. But that warmth has disappeared now and has left a painful coldness.

I pull the other chair up to the bed and sit, still holding his cold hand. I put it against my cheek to warm it and I feel the coolness sending shivers down my spine. I look at him. Even while he's sleeping, I can see the pain in his face.

When my brother's gun went flying, one of the bullets must've hit Amata. Two people shot within a few minutes of each other.

Zessica stares at me. She looks sad and upset. "You like him that much, don't you?" she says solemnly.

"Huh?" I look at her. "W-what'd ya mean?" It does seem a little obvious that Zessica has a crush on Amata, but I didn't know it was this bad. Perhaps that's why she seemed annoyed before. She's jealous. But then again, I can't blame her. I feel the exact same way whenever she's stealing him from me.

Suddenly, I start to feel fingers curl around my hand. I look to see Amata's hand lightly gripping mine. He moans a little, but doesn't wake up. I hold his hand a little tighter. "I'm right here," I say gently.

"Mikono..." he murmurs in his sleep, his lips barely even moving.

Zessica looks almost ready to cry. I can tell she's jealous. "I'm gonna go," she says. "I have something I need to do." Before I can say anything, she walks out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

I can't help but feel a little sorry for her, and even slightly guilty.

"Mikono..." He says my name again.

"Amata, I'm here," I say. "I'm right here."

"No, wait, please. Tell me where you're going," he keeps murmuring. "Don't leave me..."

He must be dreaming, but I still try to talk to him. "I'm not leaving. I'm not going anywhere."

He squeezes my hand. "Don't leave me..."