Yukio and You had managed to carry his unconscious body home without falling to anyone's unnecessary notice and had placed Hoseok on your bed where he remained as you both struggled on what to do with him and how could you possibly help him.

After some minutes of a chaotic discussion, you had concluded that you should try applying some medicine to the part of his skin that looked badly wounded for taking him to the hospital was risky because he was not a human, however that try of yours had proven futile as the moment you put medicine on him, it would evaporate before your eyes like water touching fire.

Yukio had suggested giving a call to her grandmother after that and so she had done, having a fifteen-minute conversation with the old woman who instructed you the best as she could through the speaker. "The seal is the only source that gives him energy, it's his only source of energy and when in case of injury, the person whom he has a seal with, should be the one to pass their energy to the fox spirit and feed him with their energy and he shall recover quickly." The old granny had explained before questioning her Yukio why was she asking of such a thing. A question that had her move out of the room in order to proceed with her talk and give her any excuses, leaving you alone with him.

You stood in silence observing Hoseok for a bit because even though you had heard the granny's words, you had no idea how to give him energy. He was the one that would come eat your flames whenever your seal was to be awakened but you had no idea how to awaken that on your own will if such a thing was possible, to begin with.

"Can't you just...wake up tell me what to do and get unconscious again?" You spoke to him as you climbed on your bed and carefully sat next to him but obviously, you took no response from him and that made you leave a deep exhale to escape from your lips.

"Okay, okay. I can try. I can do it." You encouraged yourself despite the fact that you had no idea what you were gonna do or how you were gonna do it, but you recalled that one time when you had woken up with him floating in the air and some objects flying in circles above your head. Of course, that was not something you could do, however, he seemed rather concentrated back then and maybe you should concentrate too.

You placed your hands above his body as if you were some kind of magician and tried your best to not be pessimistic. You let your eyes fall close and for a while fought your negative thoughts until all that was in your head was his name that was swirling round and round. It didn't take long for a sensation of warmth to take over your chest, slightly growing and growing the more you tried to connect yourself with him in your mind, to the point that it grew to be so overwhelming that was taking your breath away.

You left your palms touching his chest as you gasped for air, continuing to not break out of the trace you had somehow put yourself in. Your eyes were shut but they no longer looked calm as your face started displaying the struggle that the energy you had awoken was giving you. Your breathing became unstable and your skin started feeling as if it was caught on fire, a sensation similar to the one you get when the seal is awakened but this time it was all over your skin.

The thought that you were about to burn to the pulp, passed your mind for only the scent of ashes was missing because inside you sure had found yourself surrounded by flames that were too strong for you to control. Yet the very moment that you found yourself in the claws of fear and inhaled the last breath, ready to be devoured by that monstrous energy, a simple touch saved you from that conclusion. A simple touch of his hand that softly took hold of yours that was resting on his chest and while his eyes remained closed, it felt like he was drawing from you, all the warmth that had overtaken you.

You felt the energy getting drawn out of you like a siring that extracts blood, the heat fading away and gifting you a fresh and relieving feeling instead. Your face fell calm while in the process and you found yourself able to open your eyes again, only to witness Hoseok's body healing before your eyes, bit by bit.

His tails started appearing again, and his burned skin and fur started getting renewed in a way that had you speechless observing the process for it sure was too much for a human brain to accept and comprehend. Nonetheless, it was reality. One more his existence alone had proven to you that truth is not always real and what someone hangs on as a fact, can end up being as nothing more than a narrow view created by the lack of knowledge someone had on something.

A soft sound escaped his lips after a while, as his grip on your hand became tighter, making you call his name once or two and lean a bit closer to him, only to finally witness him opening his eyes and meeting yours. You stared at him for a bit as for some reason that simple act of his, had hit you like an arrow in your heart and your mind had taken you to the image of the pass that the goddess had let you see earlier. That girl that looked so much like you, grieving on his grave, how much she would have liked, seeing his eyes reopen before her like this. How much would she have wished to witness him recovering as he did right now before her eyes? How sad was it that you realized well that she never had this feeling of relief and happiness for she was not in the situation you were in right now?

"Why are you looking at me like that? You missed me ?" Hoseok uttered those playful words with a soft smile on his lips for he didn't really believe that you would worry for him. On the contrary, actually, his death would most likely benefit you because if one of you was to die, the seal would be broken and you were to be free.

"No, I didn't miss you...but a part of me...a part I don't even know if it's really mine...is grateful that you are well." Tears dwelled in your eyes unconsciously and he didn't hide his surprise on his face for he wasn't expecting such an expression full of emotions and that gaze of relief to ever come from you and be directed towards him.

"Y/N...are you alright?" He ended up questioning you as you wiped your tears away quickly and he pushed his body into a seating position, letting go of your hand.

"Do I look alright to you? You get me facing crazy entities that are trying to kill me and my best friend and that's all you ask?! How am I supposed to not be faced anyways, I am human you know! And you go out there being reckless and getting hurt and-...and-" You stormed off at him until you felt your emotions choking your words, which made you just end up giving him a hurt and angered expression that he couldn't fully comprehend the reason behind it at that very moment.

"There there, you scaredy-cat. There's no need to be this shaken. I would never let anything bad happen to you. You are my seal, I need you." He admitted rather bluntly as he gave you a bright smile and reached his hand out to you, patting your head.

"If I didn't know better I would almost think that you got worried about me."He added in a teasing tone however instead of a denying response which he was expecting, you just lowered your eyes and hesitantly nodded your head, making his hand freeze in mid-air, for he found it difficult to believe that.

And that was why Hoseok ended up laughing instead, before claiming that his joking attitude had started rubbing on you and you just told him to shut up and lay down again so he could take proper rest. Strangely he had obeyed your order and had taken hold of your hand and placed it on top of his chest, solving the curiosity he sensed in your gaze about his action. "I am still in need of energy so if you don't mind, stay like this till your seal awakens. After I eat those flames, I will be able to vanish again and leave you to your privacy. I promise."

He gave you his word as he guessed that you wanted to complain for you parted your lips for a moment to say something but said nothing. However, a complaint was not what would have escaped your lips if you were to actually have spoken the words that were truly going on your mind.

Yet maybe it was better that you hadn't spoken for you weren't sure if those thoughts were truly yours or you were being emotionally affected by the feelings of that girl from his past. Emotions which you felt as if they once belonged to you truly. Feelings and an experience that was proving hard to shake to the point that they almost felt imprinted in your being.

But that girl was not you. That girl had your face but you never lived all that, never felt all that nor did you ever love anyone the way she loved him. Her life was not yours and you were never here for it made no sense to be anything contrary to that. Yet at that very moment, you couldn't help but recognize the feeling of care you were harvesting inside you for him. Born from you or not, it was there and there was no point in denying it.

This annoying, troublesome, rude and trickster spirit was someone you would like to see unharmed. And maybe he was also someone you would like having around, more than you would ever allow yourself to admit.

"I never in my life thought I would end up becoming a  portable power bank. The things you make me do, seriously-" You complained, changing the subject in order to run from your own thoughts.

"I allow you to be things you would otherwise never have been. Sounds like something you should thank me for, my lady." He chuckled as his eyes fell closed, his hands still holding yours softly and warmly.

"Shut up and charge, you run-down old spirit!"

" I may be not in my best condition but mind your tongue dear for I will be fully energetic soon enough and you might end up regretting your disrespectful behaviour." He opened only his right eye and gave you a look as he spoke and you rolled your eyes on him and turned your head from the other side.

What a stack-up authoritative spirit he remained. As annoying as ever, yet while he wasn't able to look at your face, a smile had crept on your lips. A smile of enjoyment and joy that you never thought he would ever be able to draw out of you.

That sly fox that had caged your hand in between his and was carefully taking off your body warmth almost felt, entertaining, comforting and the most bizarre of them all. Welcoming.

---To be continued...