It's been seven days. Seven days of crying. Seven days of waiting. Seven days of Amata fighting for his life. He's barely hanging on. I'm scared that he could slip away any day. What will I do without him? He's my friend, and I can trust him more than I've ever trusted anyone before. I don't want to lose him. Everyone is starting to lose hope, but I keep praying. It's my hope that keeps me at Amata's bedside.

I've barely been to class this whole time, but surprisingly, Ms. Suomi and even Commander Donar have let me off the hook. Crea and Fudo most likely know about my absence, and I hope they don't scold me the next time I return to the Academy.

Even though the door is closed, I can hear the sounds of the hospital: voices talking, machines beeping, phones ringing, nurses and doctors walking up and down the hallway. Even at night this place is bustling with activity.

I get up and decide to get something to drink. Reluctantly, I leave the room and head towards the waiting room. They oughta have some cold drinks there.

When I get to there, I can see that there's no one around except the receptionist at the desk. A few tables are set up near the gift shop off to the side and vending machines with snacks and drinks sit close to there as well. I put some money in one and a bottle of soda is dispensed. I pop off the cap before taking a big swig. The bubbles tickle my mouth.

I sit at one of the tables, alone, sipping my carbonated beverage. The silence of the waiting room is soothing and calming after having to listen to chaotic noise all day. It's still odd though. I normally see the place filled with people anytime I come here. Now, the only thing I can hear is the clacking of the bottle cap as I play with it and try to spin it on the table like one of those toy tops.

I sit there for what feels like hours until I finally finish my soda. The caffeine helps to keep me a little more awake. I then get up and toss the bottle into the recycling, but I keep the bottle cap in case I want to play with it again. It's not a terrible way to keep yourself occupied.

When I return to Amata's room, I sit in one of the cushioned chairs and clasp his cold, tubed hand yet again. It looks white as snow compared to my slightly peachier and healthier complexion. I smooth his orange, disheveled hair back and out of his face as the army of machines sustaining him works intensely around us. It's so hard to believe that this is the same, sensitive, kind boy I met in the theaters. It's hard to believe that this is the same Amata that has fought alongside me and the other Elements; the one who has saved us from disaster so many times. I want to see his smile again. That handsome smile that always seems to fill me up with happiness. Will I ever see it again? Will I ever know the feeling of being held in his arms again? Will I ever see those sparkling, violet eyes that are always so warm and comforting? Will I ever hear his voice again? That boy who has become my closest friend in the world has been replaced with nothing more than an empty shell.

"Are you still in there? Can you hear me? If you can, I want you to know something." I squeeze his hand tightly and talk to him, as if he's listening. "This may be hard for you, but if you really wanna go, you can." I choke up. It's hard for me to say this. "If you wanna die, then go ahead. There's nothing any of us can do to stop you. It's okay." I lean over and kiss his forehead before whispering to him sadly, "It's okay. You can let go. But, if you do wanna stay, then I beg you to fight as hard as you possibly can! You better fight like hell!" Snot and tears begin to stream out. "Why couldn't my elemental power have been Healing or something? I could've healed you and everything would've been alright! Why does my power have to be so useless?! We wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for me!" I pause. "Look, I don't want you to leave. I don't want you to die on me, but if that's what you want, then fine."

I shake my head. "No, what am I saying?! You better come back to us! You can't die! Forget everything I just said! Fight this! Just open your eyes! Please! I can't wait any longer! It's killing me to watch you like this! Please... Open your eyes, Amata. Open your eyes..."

It's all your fault, Mikono. You stupid little girl, a voice in my head tells me. It's all your fault. It's all your fault.

"Shut up," I say aloud, even though it's only my own thoughts saying these things and not an actual person. But I feel that if I can tell the voice to go away, it will.

"Shut up," I say again.

It's all your fault.

"No! No!"

It's all your fault.

Shush pats my shoulder with his ear, but I just shove him back up into my bun. I bury my face into Amata's chest. "I'm sorry," I cry. "I'm so sorry, Amata. It's all my fault." The tears drip onto him and they soak into his hospital gown. "I'm sorry! This is all my fault! I did this to you! I did this! You're going to die because of me!"

I feel his fingers start to twitch and curl around my hand, so I jerk my head up. "Amata?! Are you awake?!" I move in closer and place my other hand on his cheek. "Amata?! Please! Wake up! Come on! You can do it!" My fingers brush over his face, tracing all his facial features, waiting for a single twitch or sign to show he's awake. "Come on! Please!"

His hand goes limp and falls out of mine. "No! No! Come on! Wake up! Don't do this to me!"

Nothing.

I wrap my arms around him, holding him in a big embrace. My tears smear against his skin and my mouth is only millimeters away from his ear. "Why?" I whisper into it. "Why? Don't do this. I need you. I'd rather die than live without you."

Still nothing.

After a few minutes of just hugging him, I stand up and walk over to the window. "Damn it." My fists make their way to the hard glass. There's a small thud as I hit it. I pound on the window again. "Damn it! WHY?!" My bottom lip quivers and I start to rant. "WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN?!! THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!!!" I rest my head against the glass and look down outside, watching the specks of people move around the city sidewalks and streets. What I wouldn't give to be one of them right now. I hit the window one more time, but not nearly as hard. "Damn it..."

For some reason, my stomach twists. The air changes. Why? It almost feels like there's a presence now, like there's someone in the room with me. Out of instinct, I turn around.

He looks no different than before, except for the fact that his eyes are open, and they're staring, fixated on me.

"Oh my God!" I run over to the bed. "Amata!"

His eyes just stare at me. Cold. Dead. Zombie-like. Lifeless. No light in them whatsoever. His gaze sends a shiver down my spine.

"Amata! Can you hear me?"

No repsonse. What is happening?

I grab his hands. "It's me! Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you understand what I'm saying."

Nothing. His stare bores into me, and there are no other signs of life.

"Come on! Please!"

I move in, even closer. His eyes just follow my movements blankly. "Amata, you're scaring me! Please! Do something!" I don't know if I should call for help or not.

I try waving a hand in front of his face, hoping to snap him out of his daze. His eyes follow my hand, but nothing else happens.

My heart pounds and my stomach lurches. "Amata! Come on! Please! You're frightening me! I need you!"

And then, as if something has suddenly come over him and jolted him back to reality, I watch the light in his eyes gradually fade in. He turns his gaze away from me to look around the room before looking back to me. He starts gasping for air and the heart monitor beeps faster. His eyes widen, filled with confusion and fear.

"Amata!" The tears stream down my face even more and I hold his hands a little tighter. "Oh thank God! Amata, can you hear me?!"

He pulls his hands away from mine and starts choking on the tubes. I can't imagine how frightened he is. The monitor gets faster and faster. I'm afraid his flying ability will activate.

"Easy! Just calm down!"

He doesn't seem to recognize me and he doesn't listen. Instead, he just paws at the ventilator tubes in his mouth, but his coordination is off and he keeps missing as he chokes even more on them.

"Amata! It's okay!"

He looks around the room desperately, his heart racing. He doesn't know where he is and who he's with. His breathing quickens as he panics.

"HELP!" I cry out. "SOMEONE! HELP!"

Nurses and doctors immediately rush in and surround Amata. I can't see what they're doing, but before I know it, I'm being whisked out of the room. I have to wait outside.

He's alive! I say to myself. He's awake! I feel so overjoyed that I want to cry with happiness.

After a few long minutes, someone opens the door and allows me to step back in.

I can tell he puked, because the garbage pail is in a different place than before. It's closer to the bed, and the smell immediately finds its way to my nostrils.

I notice that the tubes from his mouth and nose are gone. Instead, he's sitting up in bed with an oxygen mask. He keeps trying to rip it off, but a nurse stops him from doing so. The medical staff tries their best to calm him down. My heart breaks for him. He doesn't know what's going on.

"Amata!" I run over and try taking his face in my hands, but he smacks my arms away. "It's okay! Calm down! You're safe now!"

He tries to swing his legs over the bed and get up, but the doctors restrain him. "You can't get up," one of them says to him. "You have to stay in bed." Amata tries wriggling out of their grasp, but it's no use. He's too weak, and it looks like he might scream or cry. His arms flail, making an effort to swat these "strange people" away from him. I try reaching for him again, but he aims his hand at my arm, to slap it away. He misses, and he slaps my face instead. The pain immediately explodes in my left cheek.

"Are you okay?" Doctor Tachibana asks me.

I hold a hand over the stricken area of my face. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Is it normal for this to happen? For him to not recognize me?"

He nods. "Yes. It is normal for coma patients to be confused and disoriented when they first wake up. They don't always remember everything. It may take him a few days before his memory returns to normal and he's able to recall certain things again. So if he doesn't remember who is best friend is or how to write, anything along those lines, it's only temporary. He should be fine." He bites his lip. "It is odd, though. I honestly didn't expect him to wake up, and I didn't expect it to be this soon, either."

My eyes widen. What?! I look over at Amata. Despite the fact that he looks extremely scared and confused, he seems functional. It's almost like a miracle.

I look at the palms of my hands. My ability is to connect people, including the dead. Like on that night of the Training of the Grave...

...Connecting the dead...

Did my power bring back Amata...? Am I not so useless after all?

I shake my head to clear it as I watch Amata continue to struggle. He attempts to rip out the IV and the electrodes, but fails.

"Amata, you need to calm down," a nurse says gently, but firmly. "We're not going to hurt you. We want to help, but we can't help you until you cooperate."

He stops flailing a little. Finally, I'm able to touch his face and take his hand. He flinches, but accepts me, and his eyes water. He's absolutely petrified. "It's okay. You're okay. See? No one's here to harm you."

He feels my face, trying to process all my facial features and figure out who I am. My hands move to his cheeks and I take his face in my hands. His breathing slows to a more normal pace.

"Amata, it's me!" I lean in closer. "It's me, Mikono! We're in the hospital. You're safe now."

I can see through the clear oxygen mask that he mouths my name. "Mikono..." He mouths it a few times, attempting to jog his memory. "Mi...ko...no... Mikono...?"

"You remember now? I'm Mikono. And you're Amata."

He mouths his own name a few times, then repeats mine, before he shakes his head and freaks out again. I dodge a blow to the head.

"Ms. Suzushiro, you should probably stand back," Doctor Tachibana says.

"No. Let me try one more time. Hold his arms."

Two nurses hold his wrists, preventing him from being able to hit me. I touch a hand to his face. He flinches and forces out a muffled, inhuman yelp. His vocal chords haven't been used in days, so it seems like it's hard for him to make any noise.

With my hand caressing his cheek, I say gently, "It's okay. You're okay. I'm not going to hurt you. Do you remember me?"

He relaxes and the medical staff releases his limbs. The heart monitor slows down as I see recognition start to fall across his face. He feels my hair, my cheek bones, my nose, my shoulders, still questioning what's happening.

"It's me. You're okay. You're okay now. Everything's gonna be alright. It's okay, Amata."

He gestures to himself. "Am...a...ta...? Amata...?"

"That's right." I point to him. "You are Amata." Then I point to myself. "I am Mikono. Remember?"

He copies my gestures and repeats our names. "Am...a...ta...? Mi...ko...no...?"

"Yes. That's it."

His eyes water and his lip quivers as he lets out shaky breaths. "Mikono...?" he mouths again.

And then the tears fall. He breaks down crying, so I wrap my arms around him and he sobs into my chest. It only takes a couple of seconds for myself to start sobbing too. "It-it's okay. I got you," I say. "I got you. You're safe now."

"We should give you some privacy," Doctor Tachibana says and everyone walks out, leaving us alone.

"Oh my God! You're alive!" I sob. "Oh Amata! You're alive! I-I thought-I thought you were gonna die! I thought you were gonna die! Don't ever do this to me again!" My body shudders as I let my emotions loose. My lungs burn, but I don't stop. I cry like a baby, bawling my head off. I cry so hard I start to hiccup to the point where I can't stop. All the pressure, anxiety, anger, sadness, is flooding out of me. I cry and cry. I can't even describe the relief that fills me up inside. Amata's awake. He's alive.

Amata shudders, too. And then he tilts his head back and lets out cries of pain, each scream louder than the last. His vocal chords are weak and the mask muffles everything, making his wailing sound even more painful and strained.

"It's okay," I try to comfort him between his wails. "It's alright. You're okay. You're okay now." I say the words over and over again. His cries are loud enough to wake the entire hospital. Then again, my sobbing is pretty loud too, but no where near as much as his.

Amata rests his forehead against my chest as his screaming starts to turn into small whimpers. I wipe away his tears with my hand and say to him gently, "It's okay. You're safe now. You're okay."

He looks up at me and tries to say something, but it is muffled by the oxygen mask. He reaches to rip it off his face, but I beat him to it and pull it down for him.

"Mi-Mikono..." His voice is hoarse, and he's talking through his tears. "Y-Your name is Mikono! It-it's really you! Oh my G-God!" He sobs even more as his hand finds it's way to my good cheek. "Y-you're so beautiful!"

"Amata..." My face flushes.

"You're beautiful! I get t-to see your beautiful face again! Oh my God. I-I- Oh Mikono!" He sobs even harder.

I wrap my arms around him. "I can't believe it! You're alive! You're alive. You're alive..." I feel his arms around me, returning my embrace. "I never gave up on you, and I never lost hope."

We stay there hugging each other for a little while. I feel Amata's tears soak into my clothes as he trembles in my arms.

Finally, the both of us are able to calm down to the point where we can talk. I help him lie back down.

"We-we were in a b-battle, right? D-did we win?" Amata croaks.

I nod and answer, leaving out the fact that the battle was several days ago. "We won. You did it."

"I did?" Amata reaches up, his arm shaking, and wipes away a leftover tear on my bad cheek, but his touch stings. My cheek still hurts. He notices that I wince.

"Did-did I do that?" he asks, concerned. "Oh God. I'm-I'm sorry. I didn't m-mean to slap you. Oh no." He covers his mouth with his hand. "Oh God. I hurt you."

"Amata, I'm fine."

"No. I hurt you. I-I promised myself that-that I never wanted to hurt you in a-any way. H-how could I do that to you? I'm sorry."

I dry my raw cheek carefully, wiping away any tears without disturbing the area too badly. "It's okay. I'm fine. Really. It's not that bad." I bury myself into his chest. "I'm the one who's sorry. It's all my fault! This never should've happened! You're in here because of me!"

I feel a shaky hand rest on my shoulder as he fights to talk. "W-what are you t-t-talking about? N-none of this is your f-fault."

I look up at him again. His lips try to form words, but no sound comes out. He just ends up gasping for air.

"Shh. Easy." I lightly press a finger to his mouth. "Don't talk."

He doesn't listen. "D-don't blame yourself. Th-these things happen, I guess..." He trails off, a faraway look in his eyes.

I think back to how he told me about his mother, how he thought she abandoned him. He thought it was all his fault. Does he think any differently about that situation now? Is that another thing that was just a fact of life and happened?

Another question comes to mind and I ask it, even though I know he shouldn't be talking.

"Amata? Why did you decide to go fight, even though you were injured and it meant putting your life at risk? I mean, you almost died out there."

His eyelids droop as he thinks for a second.

"W-well, after completing the Training of the Grave, I-I realized that I could deflect Kagura's reversal power, so I wanted to fight. I knew I could fight him off." He takes a deep, ragged breath. "A-and, I also wanted to protect you. A-after what happened a few days ago, I c-couldn't let that happen again."

I shake my head and give a small chuckle. "You idiot. Risking your life for me? I would've been alright, you know."

He bites his lip and changes the subject. "H-how long have I been out?"

I sit up completely and look him in the eyes sadly.

"W-why are you looking at m-me like that? Mikono?"

"Amata, you've been in a coma for seven days," I tell him. "I started to think you weren't going to wake up again!"

His eyes widen in disbelief and he chokes out, "Seven days?! Oh God..." He looks around the room, taking in his surroundings. "W-we're in the hospital?" He looks at the machines around him, still making their usual beeping, whirring, and clicking sounds. I can tell he's uncomfortable around them.

"Yeah. We're in the Intensive Care Unit. You really took a beating out there in Aquarion." I feel the tears coming back. "You really scared us. I thought I was gonna lose you."

"Really?" his voice cracks.

My bottom lip quivers. "Uh huh. I don't know what I would do if you left me!"

His eyes get a little watery, but he blinks the tears away. "I'm okay now. I'm-I'm alright. I'm alive."

"Do you remember what you said to me before you lost consciousness in the launch room?"

He looks at me blankly for a moment. "No."

"Really? What's the last thing you remember?"

"Th-the last thing I r-remember is..." He trails off. "I don't even know w-what the last thing I remember is. I-I guess, I remember the Infinity Punch, a-and then, the whole world j-just started spinning. It all went blurry and muffled. A-and after that, blackness."

"Is that it?"

"I-I think so." His eyes squeeze shut as he tries to think harder, but I gently touch his cheek and he stops.

"Amata, don't hurt yourself trying to remember. It's okay if you don't. I'll tell you," I say. "In the launch room, you said 'goodbye'. But I refused to believe that that was the end. I didn't want to believe that it was really 'goodbye'."

"W-well, it wasn't," he says with a slight smile. "I'm here, aren't I?"

I nod. "You also were about to tell me something else, but you lost consciousness while you were in the middle of your sentence. You don't remember that either?"

"No. Not really. It's all a blank."

"Oh." My insides sink a little. I was hoping I could finally know what he wanted to say to me.

"Hold my hand."

"What?" I look at him, surprised.

He swallows. "I want you to h-hold my hand. Please?" He reaches for me.

I nod. "Okay."

I clutch his hand close to my chest. Just the feeling of holding his hand, now finally full of life, makes me feel stronger. I love his hand, and I want to hold it forever.

"We'll get through this," I tell him gently. "You'll see."

His hand goes limp a few times as he starts to drift into unconsciousness, but I squeeze it to keep him awake. His breaths are labored and it looks like he's in pain. With his other hand, he grips the bed sheets. His rib must be bothering him, or perhaps it's something else?

"Do you want me to get a nurse in here?"

"No! D-don't call anyone!" He sounds desperate.

I shake my head. "But you're hurting."

He squeezes my hand as tight as he possibly can. "Please. I don't want you to leave me again!" He moves over on the bed so it's easier to reach me, but he ends up screaming in pain. His eyes squeeze shut and he clenches his jaw. He squeezes my hand so hard that his knuckles turn white.

"I wouldn't move if I were you. You have a broken rib, among other injuries."

After a few seconds, he relaxes a little.

"I'm getting a nurse," I say a little reluctantly. I don't want Amata to sleep again, but I know I have to do the right thing and help him.

I realize that there's a red "CALL" button attached to the bed. I reach for it, but his other hand grabs it first. "No!" he begs. "Don't." His voice is getting hoarser and more strained by the second.

I snatch it away. "Trust me." Then I press it.

A few moments later, Nurse Rachael walks in. "Is there anything I can help you with?" she says.

"I think he needs a little-"

Amata cuts me off. "No! I'm f-fine!" He winces in pain.

"I'll be right back," she says and hurries out the door.

"Why?" he manages to say.

I stroke his hair again and brush a lock out of his face. "Because I don't want you to lie here in pain. I can't watch you go through that."

He takes another struggled breath. "But, I don't w-want you to leave me."

I feel a little confused. "What are you talking about? I'll be right here the whole time. I'm not gonna leave until you're awake; and even then I'm going to stay after you come to. I've stayed here this long already. Besides, aren't you sick of me being at your bedside all this time?"

He gives a small, forced grin. "I could never get sick of you. And th-that's not what I meant, a-about you leaving me." He reaches for me, so I lean in, allowing him to caress my face. My heart races. What is this strange feeling? I feel really connected to him right now, but why? Do I have feelings for him just like he might have for me? His touch makes me feel good, and I want more.

Nurse Rachael returns holding a scary looking syringe. I gulp at the sight of it. She walks towards the IV rack and sticks it in one of the tubes. "This oughta help." She presses the plunger and the painkillers start to make their way to Amata's bloodstream. After the liquid is totally dispensed, the nurse attempts to place the mask over his face again, but he refuses and pushes her hand away.

"Wait," he croaks. "I wanna tell Mikono somethin'." The painkillers are already kicking in and his speech is slurred.

She frowns a little. "Well, hurry up and say what you have to say. The drugs won't wait, you know."

I can see his eyelids drooping, but he fights to stay awake just a few seconds longer.

"Mikono, p-promise me that-that you'll be here w-when I wake up. Promise?"

I nod. "I promise."

"And I-I-I-" It takes him a few times to finally get the words out. "I love you."

I feel his hand go limp in mine and his eyes shut as he passes out. Nurse Rachael places the oxygen mask over his face. "Aw. He really loves you, doesn't he? And you care just as much about him. Isn't that right?"

"W-what?!" I stammer. "I-it's not like that!"

She chuckles. "Honey, if you didn't care this much about him, you wouldn't have stayed with him day and night like this." Then she walks out, leaving me alone to think about what Amata just said.

I feel the hot blood rush to my cheeks. I knew this would come eventually. Reading his note that he wrote prepared me for this moment when he would finally tell me in person.

I stand up and pace around the room. Why do I feel so awkward, and yet so happy? Romance is banned and my past life is limiting me from any relationships as well.

I love you. The words ring in my ears. Is that what he had tried to tell me in the launch room?

"Mi-Mikono. I-I lo-"

I love you. That's what he was trying to say. I love you.

I don't know why, but I take his handwritten note off the white board again and skim through it. Instead of his words filling me up with sadness, this time, his note brings me nothing but a warm feeling in my chest. My heart flutters and my stomach churns with joyful butterflies.

I look over at Amata again. "You love me?" I question aloud. "You really feel that way?"

For some odd reason, a smile creeps across my face, and for the first time in over a week, I feel genuinely happy.