I honestly have no idea where this came from or why I suddenly had the urge to write it, but here you guys go!

~

Chase heaved himself onto the roof of Falte's house, using his momentum to roll upward slightly so he didn't fall backward. He sat up and steadied himself by placing his hands on the tiles beside him, folding his legs under him and blowing loose strands of hair out of his eyes. The ponytail he'd pulled his hair into wasn't doing much good, but he didn't trust himself to use both hands to redo it. 

Slowly, he shifted to where he was on his hands and knees and began crawling forward. He reminded himself that he was looking for something that even resembled a hole as he inched along the roof gradually. He wasn't afraid of heights, but he was a little unsettled by being up on a roof without anything to protect him. 

But he didn't tell Falte that. No one else was willing (or able) to get onto the roof and check for any damage from the sudden and crazy storm that had hit last night. Thankfully no trees had fallen, but there were many branches that had blown onto the roof. 

It was even more unsettling that the roof was slick with excess water, but Chase kept his mouth pressed into a line and continued crawling upward. 

"Everything all right up there?" Falte's voice called from down below. 

"Yeah," Chase said back, tilting his head backward to project his voice so Falte could hear him. He was climbing up the side of the slanted roof, and although it wasn't steep, he didn't trust the wet tiles to hold him if he moved even a little bit out of the ordinary. "I don't see anything so far, other than sticks and leaves." 

He leaned sideways onto his left hand and swiped away a few fallen branches with his right, digging the toes of his shoes into the tiles under him so he didn't slide backward and fall off. A few of the tiles were loose, but Chase figured that they were probably like that from age, not the storm. 

Gradually, Chase eased himself sideways and pressed his feet against the chimney, which was now behind him. He hid a sigh of relief as he realized that if he slid backwards, he wouldn't slide off - the chimney would catch him. 

But he still had the other side of the chimney to check. 

Blowing out the deep breath he'd just taken, he inched his way sideways until the chimney wasn't below his feet anymore. He dug his toes back into the tiles, clenching his fingers slightly though he knew it wouldn't do much good. 

He searched the roof for holes or leaks as he moved slowly sideways, keeping his hands and feet in sync as he let his eyes dart over the roof in front and beside him. He could feel his heart rattling against his chest, but he ignored it.

Maybe he was afraid of heights. 

After another few minutes of looking, Chase confirmed that there were no holes on this side of the roof and began shuffling sideways again. Once, just before he reached the chimney, his foot slid on a wet tile, and he skidded backward for a heart-wrenching moment - before he clapped his other foot against the chimney and managed to still himself.

Gasping, Chase sat there for a few moments, trying to regain control of his thudding heart. 

"You okay?" Falte's voice called again, this time etched with concern at the sudden scrambling sound that Chase had made. 

"Yeah, I'm good," Chase said back, pressing his back against the brick chimney and tucking a loose strand of his hair behind his ear. He blew out another long breath and began advancing sideways again to where the ladder was positioned. 

When the chimney wasn't behind him anymore, Chase made sure to carefully lay his feet wherever he needed, keeping his hands in sync. But he was beginning to realize that his hands were covered in water and wet dirt, so holding on wasn't much of an option. Even his shoes were squeaking with the effort of holding him up against the roof. 

Chase quickly peeked over his shoulder and found that the ladder was right where he was. Turning his head sharply to keep from looking at the ground, he slowly, slowly slid backward toward the edge of the roof. 

This part is always fun, he thought sarcastically, taking a deep breath and preparing himself to let his feet dangle off the edge to find the ladder's step. 

For a terrifying moment, he slid more than he'd intended and both feet hung helpless off the roof as he scrambled to keep himself from skidding any farther. Thankfully, the toes of his shoes caught on the step of the ladder, and he leaned backward with a sigh of relief to step down onto the next rung. 

But he didn't realize that his feet were on the edge of the ladder, and when he put his weight into his legs, the ladder didn't hold him.

It tipped backward. 

Chase heard Falte shout in unison with him, and his heart leapt to his throat as the sensation of falling flipped his stomach. The cloudy sky rolled downward in front of his eyes as he fell, his arms flying out though he knew he couldn't catch himself. 

His feet left the step of the ladder, and for a few horrifying moments, Chase was airborne. 

Brightness and pain exploded like a gunfire in the back of his head, and then there was numbing darkness. 

~

Chase felt weightless, like his body was detached from the world and floating in an endless void. He couldn't open his eyes, nor could he wrap his mind around what was going on. His head felt clogged and heavy, like someone had dumped water in his ears and flooded his brain. There was a strange ringing in his ears, but it was faint and distant because of the plugged up feeling in his head.  

Slowly, the ringing subsided, but the waterlogged sensation remained. His head began to swim, his body feeling like autumn leaves that would break off in the wind any time. Gradually, Chase began to realize that his head was throbbing, and the pain was like a hammer driving a nail into his skull. 

And - voices.

He couldn't make out the exact words, but he could hear the distinct murmur of a few someone's speaking near him. There were four voices, two male and two female. He wasn't sure if they were talking to him or if they were conversing among themselves, but he didn't really want to try to listen, because the pain in his head was worsening with each second. 

Even though his eyes were closed, he could tell he was in a room with a bright light. The pain was beginning to stab beneath his eyes, and he suddenly realized he was lying on his back. What he was laid on, he wasn't sure, but it wasn't as hard as the concrete he'd fallen onto. 

I fell, he remembered, drawing in a sharp breath and silenced the voices around him. 

And when they spoke again, he could hear them much more clearly than he would have liked. 

"Chase?" the first voice said, undoubtedly Shintaro. He sounded impatient and worried, and a moment later, Shintaro laid his hand on Chase's forearm. 

"Are you alright?" another voice said, this one small, female, and worried. It was definitely Abby, judging on the pitch of her tone. 

"Someone turn off the lights," Shintaro commanded, and Chase heard someone shuffle around hurriedly, and then the bright light vanished.

Slowly, Chase forced his eyes open, although it sent searing pain through his temples and into the back of his head. He was lying on the couch in the living room, and his clothes were still a little damp from the roof - which meant he hadn't been out for long. Shintaro, Falte, Abby, and Linda were all sitting beside the couch, their faces full of anxious worry and relief as Chase turned his head slightly to peer at them. 

Abby jumped up quickly, making Chase's head swim just by watching her. "I'll get you some water," she said quietly and hurriedly, turning around and rushing away.

"How do you feel?" Linda asked gently, tilting her head slightly at him. She didn't exactly look settled, but the relief wasn't exactly obvious on her face. Chase decided not to take that to offense - she didn't show her emotions much. 

"Like my brain is going to fall out of my ears," Chase said, or tried to - it came out more like a mumble or a groan. He realized that speaking hurt and closed his mouth over the chuckle at his own joke, wincing. 

Kai suddenly appeared, sliding into Chase's view in the weirdest way. His face was screwed up in concern and eager relief as he skidded toward the couch in the socks he was undoubtedly wearing. 

If laughing hadn't hurt Chase, he would have fallen off the couch in fits of giggles because of how weird Kai had looked. 

Kai quickly knelt down beside the couch, drawing a breath of relief as he saw that Chase was looking up at him. "You're awake," he sighed. "You idiot. How did you manage to fall of the ladder that was eight feet off the ground and get a concussion?" 

Chase laughed and then winced, gritting his teeth. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I guess I just landed exactly right on my head." 

"And on concrete," Falte added worriedly. 

"How long...?" Chase started.

Abby walked out of the kitchen with a glass of water and lowered herself beside the couch again. "Only fifteen minutes, maybe twenty. You really scared us though, because you were unresponsive." 

"Nearly gave Shintaro a heart attack," Linda said with a smirk and a glance at Shintaro, who scowled at her as she teased him. "He was shaking you like a rag-doll for five of those minutes, until Falte made him stop and told him to think logically." 

"I was-" Shintaro tried, then cut himself off and tried again. "He wasn't- Hrgh." He gave up and huffed his annoyance, looking away from Linda. 

"Can you sit up?" Abby ventured, tilting her head at him. 

After a while, Chase had drank some water and laid back down, closing his eyes against the throbbing pain that was hammering into his skull. Shintaro had commanded him not to get up on the roof again, ever, and Chase had readily agreed. Everyone had checked in on him, and he eventually got exhausted.

The pain slowly subsided into a dreamless sleep. 

~

(Sorry the ending his kinda choppy, but I didn't really know how else to end it XD)