Something blurry was standing over Kai when he opened his eyes. Whatever it was jumped and moved back, away from his view. He groaned and closed his eyes again, then winced as soft fingers touched his throbbing shoulder. They moved in a motion that told Kai they were wiping something - probably blood - off of the wound.

Kai realized that he was laying on something soft, and that there was a blanket stretched over his body. He opened his eyes again and struggled to sit up using his right arm. When he finally succeeded, he realized that he was laying in Thorn's bed. He jolted slightly and looked to his left.

Linda was standing beside the bed with her hands behind her back. She smiled as he blinked at her. "Good afternoon," she said softly. Kai noted that there was still a hint of worry in her voice. "You've been asleep for almost half a day." She reached forward and brushed Kai's hair out of his eyes for him.

"I... have?" he murmured. "Really?" He looked around the room as Linda nodded. It did seem like a while since the battle between Thorn and Linda.

When Kai looked down and behind Linda, he saw that Thorn was stretched on the blankets that had been laid on the floor for Kai. His face was scrunched up in pain as he slept. His fingers kept twitching, and he shifted positions every few minutes.

"What did you do to him?" Kai asked Linda, looking back up at her curiously.

She looked behind her briefly, then turned back to him. "I'm keeping him unconscious. It's... tiring, but it's what I should do. He's dangerous." She paused and looked back at Thorn.

"It's tiring?" Kai said, shifting his position. "You don't have to..."

"Yes, I do," Linda told him, holding up her finger. "There's something going on in his head that I can't quite understand, so I'm keeping him asleep."

Kai tipped his head at the unconscious man behind Linda. "What's going on?"

Linda seemed to pout. "I just told you that it's hard to understand. Torment is mostly what's making him look in pain. He's struggling against something."

"I have a feeling I know what..." Kai murmured, quiet enough to a point where she didn't hear him.

Was Luke fighting against Thorn, now that the spirit was weakened from Linda? What was going on in Thorn's head?

Linda suddenly crumpled forward onto the bed, reaching up and touching her forehead.

"What?" Kai said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"He's fighting to wake up..." she murmured. "It's getting hard to-!" She yelped abruptly, and at the same time, behind her, Thorn jolted awake.

He jumped to his feet then staggered to the left. He didn't catch his footing and slammed into the wall, knocking a book off one of the shelves. His hands flew up and clutched the sides of his head. His mouth opened, and he let out a scream of agony. During that scream, he lurched forward and fell to his knees. His hands left his head and wrapped around his torso, as though something was stabbing him.

Linda jumped off the bed and whipped around, followed closely by Kai. The younger boy felt a rush of dizziness, but stayed upright. He didn't dare look down at his shoulder.

"What's happening?" Kai said to Linda.

She shook her head. "I'm not sure. He just... is in pain, apparently. Physically and mentally." She touched her temple gently.

Thorn threw back his head and screamed even louder. At the same time, something seemed to tangle around him. It didn't look like a solid, but it was swirling and almost making a hissing sound.

Kai took a step back. Whatever it was, it was painful. It hurt when it got too close to Kai, and it felt like he was being sucked in.

But soon the shadow left Thorn's body and dissolved in a puff of smoke. The hissing got louder before it disappeared, almost as if it was mad.

Linda groaned and touched her head again, while Kai fell back into a sitting position on the bed.

Thorn was sitting leaning forward on his knees, gasping for air. His eyes were wide, but there was something off about them. Kai realized with a start that they were green, not red. His demeanor had changed, too. He seemed confused, hurt, and scared.

Linda's eyes widened as well, and she rushed forward. She knelt down beside Thorn, and her hands hovered over his back like she was unsure of what to do. "Hey!" she said. "Are you alright?"

Kai stood up again and and stumbled over to Thorn. "What's going on?" he said to Linda.

"He's... different," she whispered. "His mind... it's not Thorn's." She finally touched his back.

Thorn yelped and sat up suddenly. His arms were still around his middle, but he anxiously glanced around the room. He took one look at Kai and scrambled back into the wall.

"What?" Kai said, tossing up his good arm. "Am I super horrifying?"

"I'm sorry," Thorn whispered. "I'm so sorry, both of you..." He scooted farther away from Linda's hand. "Stop, I don't deserve your kindness..."

"It wasn't you," Linda snapped at him. "It was Thorn. Thorn was inside you, making you do all those things. Did you try to stop him?"

"Y-Yes..." Thorn murmured.

"Good, you put up a fight," Linda said. "That means you didn't try to hurt anyone. In fact, you tried not to. That makes it even more of Thorn's fault." She touched his shoulder, and he didn't flinch away. 

Kai was too confused to comprehend what was going on. He couldn't read minds like Linda could, so he couldn't see what was going on in Thorn's head. "Linda, what's going on?" He scooted forward, and Thorn gave him a sorry look. "Why is he looking at me like that?" 

Linda turned her eyes to him. She didn't answer him for a moment, and Kai was getting a little uncomfortable. "Thorn is gone, Kai." 

That was all it took for Kai to understand what had happened. Thorn's spirit had left Luke's body. Luke, Shintaro's best friend, was finally free. He had control over his body, his actions. He didn't have to watch as Thorn ruined his best friend's life. He didn't have to try to take over his body anymore. He could do as he pleased. 

Kai found himself smiling at Luke. He couldn't find the words to say, so he relaxed his body and sighed, relieved. Finally, he found his voice. "Welcome back, Luke. Even though I never knew you," he added to lighten the mood. 

Luke smiled back. "Thank you, Kai. It's great to be back in control, to have my own thoughts." He looked down at his hands and sighed. "It's a little confusing, though. I haven't been able to make my own decisions or think for myself since I was young." 

Suddenly, the door behind them all slammed open, startling every one of them. Kai looked to the doorway and found Shintaro standing there, his face startled, relieved, happy, and confused all at the same time. 

Shintaro's eyes met Luke's, and both friends seemed to melt. Luke's shoulders slumped in either sadness or relief, Kai couldn't tell, and Shintaro's whole body lurched forward. He dashed forward and dropped onto his knees. His hands flew up and grabbed Luke's shoulders. 

"Luke," Shintaro breathed. "You're alright." 

~ 

Here you go. This is chapter seventeen. I LOVED writing this. The anticipation. The longing. The cuteness. 

LUKE. He's here!! I've drawn him, but I won't be able to post him until tomorrow. Sorry!! He basically looks like Thorn, except his hair isn't slicked back, instead falling forward. I personally like Luke! 

Hope you all enjoyed!!! :) 

Peace!!!~~