I haven't realized how frail Amata has gotten and how much weight he's lost. As Nurse Rachael and another nurse help him to sit up and get him to the edge of the bed, I can clearly see how skinny he is. His arms and legs appear to have no muscle, his ribs can be seen even through the hospital gown, his cheek bones are more prominent than ever. He looks like a skeleton, and he's almost unrecognizable.

Nurse Rachael brings over a walker and sets it in front of Amata, so that he has something to put his weight on when he stands up. "Let's start with some simple leg exercises. Put your right leg straight out in front of you and lift it ten times."

He obeys. It seems kind of hard for him to do since his leg muscles have atrophied, but he tries as best as he can. When he finishes the right leg, she orders him to do the same thing on the left side. Again, he obeys.

I lean against the wall and watch everything. I can't even imagine how much pain he must be in. Amata clenches his jaw as he does the exercises, and his hand grips the IV rack tightly. When he finally finishes, he takes a deep breath.

"Now both legs."

He raises his legs ten times, but on the last time, Nurse Rachael tells him to hold them up for ten seconds.

After several more exercises, Nurse Rachael asks, "Now, are you ready to stand?"

Amata bites his lip, but nods anyway. "Yeah. I'm ready."

The nurses grab him by the arms as he holds on to the walker. "On the count of three, you're going to stand up. Okay? One, two, three!"

They help him to his feet. He's really wobbly and I can tell he's biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from screaming in pain. The nurses help hold him up.

"Awesome! You're doing great! We're gonna walk now, okay?" Nurse Rachael explains.

Amata looks over at me, clearly uncomfortable.

"Do you want Mikono to help?" the other nurse asks him.

"W-what? Uh, okay. Sure."

She waves for me to come over, so I obey.

"Okay. All you have to do is take him by the hands and just lead him forward. We'll support him on the sides, but you'll help guide him. Sound alright?"

I nod. "Okay. I can do that." I take Amata's clammy hands. They tremble, but my touch calms him down a bit.

"Ready?" I say.

He looks down at his feet. "Yeah. I'm ready."

I take a step backwards and allow him to place his left foot forward. I step again and he moves towards me. "That's it! You got it!" Another step from me, another step from him. He's shaky, but walking. The nurses let go, so that I'm the only one holding on to him. Another step, and another step. We move around the room slowly, taking it one foot at a time. "You're doing it, Amata! You're walking!"

I spoke too soon. He stumbles over his feet and I just manage to catch him. "Easy. Easy. I got you." He puts his arms around me for support as the nurses grab him and help him back to the edge of the bed.

"Great job today!" the other nurse says a little too cheerily. "Tomorrow, we'll do some more exercises!"

Amata groans. "Oh boy. I can't wait."

They walk out and I help him get back in bed. I strap down his ankles so he won't fly away at all and I fix the blankets, so he'll be warm. "Comfy?"

"Yeah. I guess." He rests his head on the pillows and stares at the ceiling.

"Well, you did good today. I'm proud of you."

He just sighs. "How'd we get in this mess? I never thought in a million years I would have to learn how to walk again."

I sit on the bed. "Hey. If we start talking about this again, we're both just gonna get upset about it. Try to relax and take it easy. This'll be over soon. You'll see. For now, just focus on getting better and eating something. Seriously, have you seen yourself lately? You need to gain some weight back! You're as skinny as a twig!"

He sighs. "I know. But I'm just not that hungry-"

I interrupt him and speak firmly, "Look, I know you feel like crap. If I were you, I probably wouldn't want to eat anything either. But if you don't then you'll never get healthy again. We need to get you back in shape."

He looks at me funny. "Since when do you talk like that? That's not like you."

I look away. "Sorry. I'm just frustrated. That's all."

Yeah, I'm frustrated, but I'm also angry, conflicted, and worried. What do I do about Mykage? How do I help Amata get better? What do I do about Kagura? Are there answers to the questions I still have? My mind is going crazy trying to figure everything out.

I notice that Amata is staring off into space. Is he thinking about the same things I am? Is he also confused and worried like I am? I wouldn't be surprised. So much has happened lately, and it's a lot to process. The events of these past couple of weeks are probably going to change him, if they haven't already. They've probably changed me too.

"You okay?" I ask, breaking him out of his daze.

He blinks and looks at me, suddenly jolted back into reality. "Yeah. I'm good."

I sigh. "You had that blank look on your face, like you were thinking about something that was wrong."

"Oh. Uh, no. I'm fine," he says. He closes his eyes and sighs. "I just wanna sleep."

I give a small grin. "Alright, sleepyhead," I joke.

Amata falls asleep, so I sit with him for a little while until Ms. Suomi comes in. My stomach sinks.

"Mikono? Will you come with me please? We need to talk about something."

Oh no! What do I do? Does she finally know about what's been happening between me and Amata? Has she told everyone else? Are we going to be expelled out of the academy? My heart races.

"Uh, sure. O-okay." I reluctantly get up and follow Ms. Suomi out of the hospital and into a car that waits for us outside. We are silent for the whole ride. Even when we board the boat we make no conversation between us. Finally, we reach Chairman Crea's main office. I know that whatever they want to talk to me about, it's serious if I'm being taken directly to Crea and maybe even Fudo.

When we walk in, I see Crea sitting behind her desk, Commander Donar pacing around, and someone else who I certainly did not expect to see, is sitting on the couch: Cayenne.

"C-Cayenne?!" I stutter. "W-what are you doing here? What's going on? What do you need to talk to me about?"

Donar stops pacing and turns to me as my brother stands up. Their faces are hard and stony.

"Mikono," Cayenne starts. "Good. You're here."

I run to him. "What is the meaning of this? Why are we here? What is going on?"

"Mikono, just relax." Even though he tries to comfort me, his voice wavers slightly.

"Sit down, Mikono," Crea says firmly as she walks over to the couch and sits down along with Donar and Suomi.

I sit down too, but my brother doesn't. He's too on edge to sit.

"Have any weird things been happening lately?" Crea asks, her voice hard as stone.

I stiffen. "Weird things? W-what do you mean 'weird things'?"

"Any odd dreams, or visitors?"

I bite my lip. Do they know about Mykage and my weird dreams? Do they know about Amata's dreams? Do they know all about my real past life and what happened 12,000 years ago?

"Uh, what sort of dreams and visitors? Why are you asking me this?"

Cayenne eyes me. "Mikono, don't lie. I've had visions, so I'll know if there's something you're not telling us."

My eyes widen. "V-visions? What visions? Cayenne, what have you seen? Is this why I'm here?"

He sighs. "I had a vision the other day. Some strange guy with white feathery hair came into Amata's hospital room."

A small gasp escapes my lips and everyone immediately notices.

"Mikono? Do you know something about this?" Donar asks. "You won't be in trouble if you do, but just tell us the truth."

My hands shake. I need to tell them, even though I don't want to. I take a deep breath before explaining everything: The weird dreams that me and Amata have been having, the flower petals, Mykage, Kagura, our real past lives and what actually happened all those years ago. The words just flow endlessly out of my mouth, however, I don't say anything about the romance. I leave any hints of our relationship out of my explanation. Romance is forbidden after all, and the last thing I need is to be punished for being in love with Amata.

When I finally finish, I heave a sigh of relief and lean back on the couch. Everything that's been bottled up inside has been let out. A lot of my secrets are out in the open, and the huge burden on my shoulders has lifted. I've told the staff everything. Well, almost everything. Now, how are they going to react?

Donar and Suomi sit with shocked expressions on their faces, whereas Crea remains calm and my brother looks ready to punch a wall.

"Damn it!" Cayenne booms. "That bastard Mykage needs to be stopped!"

I purse my lips. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner. I was just scared. I didn't know what you would do if I told you. So I just kept it to myself, and Amata."

Cayenne grabs me by the arm and hoists me up so he can look me in the eye. I feel his gaze burning into me. "You would rather confide in him than your own brother?!"

I try to look away. "I'm sorry!" I plead. "But Amata is just a little more understanding..." I trail off.

"Cayenne!" Donar scolds. "That's enough!"

My brother lets go of my arm and I stumble backward. My heart is pounding in my ears.

"I'm sorry," he says. "I didn't mean to yell at you. I understand how you felt. I'm just a little frustrated."

I look my brother in the eye. "It's okay."

"So if you're Sylvie- I mean, Silvia, and Amata is Apollo, then how is Kagura Apollo as well?" Suomi questions. "It doesn't make sense. Can there be two people that share a past life?"

"If Amata is indeed the reincarnation of Apollon, then it would make sense why him and Mikono have such a strong connection, isn't that right Ms. Suzushiro?" Crea says.

All eyes turn on me and I gulp. Is she talking about our relationship?

"W-what do you mean a 'strong connection'?" I stutter.

"Admit it. You like the guy," Cayenne says. "You like Amata, don't you?"

My whole body stiffens in fear. This is it. My cover is blown. They know now. All I have to do is confirm it, and then I'm done for. I could be suspended, or even worse, expelled. Who knows? What punishment awaits me? Am I left with any choice about what to tell them? If I lie and say that I have no romantic feelings for Amata, they'll probably just see right through me and I'll really be in for it. But if I tell the truth, then...

Tears form in my eyes. Great. I'm crying again. "I'm sorry. I can't help it. I-I-I'm in love with him!" I manage to say. "I love him and he loves me! We've been close now for a little less than a week. He admitted it first on the night he woke up from the coma. I didn't return my feelings for him until the day after, when the incident happened and Mykage tried to kill him." I take a deep breath before continuing, "We even kissed." That seems to startle everyone, especially my brother. "Can you blame us though? After all that's happened, I realized that I needed someone to confide in, and he needed someone to help him get through the recent events. I don't care if he is in fact my love from 12,000 years ago. I love him for who he is now, and he feels the same way about me. Our current selves are attracted to each other, not Apollo and Silvia. I never noticed it until now, but I've always felt a strange bond to him even from the moment we first met. If you wanna go ahead and expel me, then just do it. My power is useless in battle anyway, so you don't need a love-sick, hormonal, emotional, weak Element like me in your ranks, but let Amata stay. Once he's fully recovered, let him go back into training so he can get stronger and defeat Mykage. If you're going to punish me, then just get it over with."

Everyone just stares at me, shocked and speechless. They didn't expect me to say anything like that.

I shake my head to clear it. "I'm sorry everyone," I mutter. "I truly am." I hang my head and look at the floor.

I almost jump out of my skin when I feel a hand on my shoulder. It's Cayenne.

"Oh Mikono..." he sighs. "What am I gonna do with you?"

"It's alright, Mikono," Ms. Suomi says gently. "We're not going to expel you."

My eyes widen and I look over at her. "R-really? You're not? But I broke the rules!"

"I guess it's only natural to-" She swallows. It must be weird for her to say that any sort of romance is even slightly acceptable. She's normally very strict when it comes to love. "It's only natural to develop some sort of feelings in this situation."

Donar narrows his eyes. "Are you kidding? This is bad. Any sort of feelings for each other can get out of hand. How are you not that upset by it?! Romance is prohibited for a damn good reason!"

Crea bolts up off the couch. "Do you not remember what happened nine years ago?! It's because of love that two of our Elements were lost and Donar ended up the way he did!"

Donar flinches at her words.

"Mikono..." My brother removes his hand from my shoulder. He opens his mouth to say something, but before any words can come out of his mouth, someone speaks.

"And so, love triumphs over everything," a voice booms.

We all turn to see Commander Fudo standing over us. When did he even get here?!

"Love is like a doughnut. A doughnut is made from ingredients, two of which include flour and milk. You cannot have one without the other. Just flour will not make a full doughnut, and milk alone will not make a full doughnut either. Without the other ingredient, the doughnut will fall apart and fail to be a doughnut. However, if you put both together, along with other ingredients, you will have a fluffy, fried piece of deliciousness. Love works exactly the same way."

We all just stare at him blankly. "I don't get it," Suomi says. "How does that relate to love? Oh never mind. Don't answer that."

"Ms. Suzushiro, my dear. Your feelings for Amata are only natural, and as I told you not too long ago, love can either create or destroy. In this case, your relationship takes on a greater meaning."

"What?" Cayenne stands there dumbfounded. "What do you mean 'as I told you not too long ago'?"

"Commander, you knew about this? And you didn't tell us?" Crea demands.

"He's known for a while," I speak up. "He knew before me and Amata knew it ourselves."

Fudo dips his head in approval. "Indeed."

We stay there in silence for a while. I'm not sure how much time passes by, but it feels like hours. No one knows what to say or what to do. The contradictions and conflicts seem to grow as I think about them more and more. What do we do?

After several minutes of utter silence, Crea dismisses me and I flee her office. My legs carry me straight to the boat. As I make the commute back to the hospital, I start to wonder how many times I've traveled back and forth between there and here. Once I arrive at Amata's room, the sight that greets me is not what I expected.

A rolling table with a food tray is standing right at the foot of the bed, as if it was set up and then pushed out of the way. The blankets from the bed are on the floor, and Amata is no where to be seen. I look around desperately and call his name. It's then that I hear sounds coming from the private bathroom in his hospital room. The door is closed.

I run over and press my ear to the door, listening. "Amata? Are you in there?" I call. "It's me. Are you alright?"

My words are answered with a strange coughing sound and I hear something like liquid, splash. My stomach sinks. I think I know what Amata is doing.

I realize that the door isn't locked and I open it a little. "Amata? Can I come in?" I peer into the room. He is on the ground, hunched over the toilet. Sweat beads on his face and he's shivering. I immediately run to him and crouch down.

"Oh my God! What happened to you?" I ask worriedly. I start to gag from the smell, but I force myself to hold it in. We don't need two people puking.

"I don't know. I-I had to-" His teeth chatter. He must have the chills. "I scrambled out of bed and crawled into the bathroom."

I wrap my arm around his shoulders and pull him in close to warm him up, although he's sweating and my clothes get soaked. "It's okay. I'm gonna get a nurse to clean you up."