A soft flat surface raced up under her. She lay on top of it content, unwilling to move at all with her eyes closed. She could vaguely feel something soft drapped over her. How wonderful everything felt. It was so peaceful. She thought she could hear some soft breathing to her left, but didn't think much of it.
After an eternity laying like this, the sound of footsteps on stone was heard in the distance. They came closer and closer, until they came right into the room. They paused for a moment, then they walked right past her. While her eyes were closed, she could sense faint flashes of sound coming from the footsteps. As she watched with wonder, she saw that the room was long with many beds set in an orderly pattern.
Eventually the footsteps stopped at the end of the room. Just before the last of the sound stopped, Viola caught a glimps of another man standing there, looking out the window. Then she could hear the two men talk in whispered voices. However, she could hear every word.
"Is he really still here?"
"Yes."
The other man spoke with a stern disapproval.
"I've been having food brought in here for him."
"Well, I shouldn't be so suprised. He almost had a repeat of his darkest hour."
There was a pause before the other man spoke.
"He should have learned by now that these things happen. Its better to just let go."
Viola's mind, which was working real slowly, finally recognized that it was Mordokai and Nil who was talking.
"Well, look at it this way. The fact that he didn't let go seemed to have saved her."
"We don't have any evidence that that actually did anything, Nil."
"My apologies. But you can't just throw it out entirely. Surely this needs some looking into."
"I already have Blue looking into it. However, we really won't have a chance to test it unless someone else gets remarkably close to death."
There was a further silence.
"Still, it is increadibly lucky that no one on our side had died. There were quite a few close calls, for sure. If she failed to kill Grim for another 30 seconds, then there would be for sure some casualties."
"Indeed. I asked Blue why we never suspected Grim as being the beacon, and he said that he never thought about it before either. Apparently its quite a torturous experience to have the magic of the beacon inside of you."
"I think Grim was relying extensively on his healing power to minimize the pain. That actually could have weakened him enough for them to bring him down if he was always using some of his power for the pain."
"Like I said, we can never know for sure."
There was another pause.
"Have you seen Lix? She seems to be taking it quite hard."
"Lix has to learn like Kurama. Holding onto attachments are more painful then they are pleasure. She's got to let go of her past and realize that that was a different Grim back then."
Viola however reacted with the word Kurama. Very slowly, she stirred. She heard a sharp intake of breath beside her.
"V-Viola? Are you awake?"
With it seeming like she was trying to lift up the fortress itself, Viola slowly opened her eyes.
"Viola! You are awake!"
She slowly turned her head to her left and saw Kurama sitting beside her. His expression was of a deep happiness. She struggled to make her mouth work, but eventually found the words.
"Ku...rama? Where...Where...?"
"Sshhh. Its okay. You're in the infirmary. Everything is going to be alright now."
She heard footsteps and looked over. Mordokai and Nil were approaching, looking at her.
"How do you feel?"
Viola blinked.
"Tired..."
Nil nodded.
"Thought so. It was extremely difficult trying to heal you."
Viola tried to smile.
"What, am I too much for you?"
She tried to make it off as a joke.
Mordokai's expression did not show any appreciation for the joke.
"Viola. Grim's blade stabbed you just below the heart. Just two inches higher and you would be dead."
Viola froze.
"...Oh..."
"You had us all nervous that you wouldn't make it. Your crystal completely lost its light and had nearly cracked in two. Barely a fraction of an inch remained between the crack and the other edge of your crystal."
Viola felt a sense of fear flood through her. She looked down and saw her crystal had been placed gently on top of her chest. There was no crack in it and it was faintly glowing, though not nearly as brightly as what it use to.
Kurama then spoke up.
"After awhile, it slowly began to fix itself and the crack disappeared. I wouldn't move from this spot until you woke up."
Viola looked up at him, then back at Mordokai and Nil.
"How long was I out?"
"Close to five days. The first two were the worst. If it wasn't for Penny carrying me up to you, I doubt I would've made it in time."
Viola blinked.
"Well... I'm sorry for giving you all a scare..."
"Don't think anything of it. You still saved the day after all. Speaking of which, we better get going."
Nil made his way to the door, but Mordokai remained, staring sternly at Viola and Kurama.
"Mordokai?"
Slowly, Mordokai turned and left with Nil.
Viola turned back to Kurama.
"5 days?"
"Yeah, you were pretty badly hurt."
"No, I mean, you were here by my bedside for 5 days?"
Kurama chuckled.
"Oh...heh...yeah."
Viola smiled, then slowly tried to get up. She didn't need Kurama's hands suddenly on her shoulders to tell her it was a bad idea. Pain lanced all up her left side. It was then that she realized she couldn't feel her left arm. She looked down quickly at it, making sure it was still there. It was.
"Nil said it might be numb for a while."
Viola nodded, then she squinted. It looked like something was in her left hand.
"Kurama, what's that? In my hand?"
Kurama slowly reached down and peeled her fingers away. Placed in her palm was Kurama's own crystal, glowly brightly. Viola stared at it in awe. Kurama smiled.
"Now you know why I couldn't leave your bedside for 5 days."
Viola looked back up at him, feeling her cheeks start to glow. Then she looked at the plain white garments that she was placed in. She then turned right back at Kurama.
"You watched, didn't you? You pervert!"
****************
Spoiler
A dark tunnel extended endlessly. A lone dark cloaked figure walked silently down them. A torch in his hand was all the light he could use to see. Finally, he approached a large wooden door. It was slightly rotten from the dampness of the tunnel. Slowly, the cloaked figure reached out and pushed the door open.
On the other side, a brilliantly decorated room met his sight. A well dressed man sat behind a desk, looking up.
"You're late."
"Had to be a set time for me to be late. You just demanded for me to come."
The man behind the desk looked up at the cloaked figure darkly.
"Indeed. Have a seat."
The cloaked man sat down.
"So, who's the target this time?"
"Always jumping to the point, are you?"
"I'd rather not waste my time with chit-chat. Anyways, I don't feel like doing anything for you anymore since you helped in your own bounty's escape."
"I told you. I don't want him assassinated anymore. The opportunity has passed."
"Well, I have to earn a living somehow or another. I still need to collect on that bounty."
The well dressed man reached down and pulled out a bag that clinked of coins. He then slid it across towards the cloaked man. The man looked inside breifly, before looking back up.
"Very well. I shall stop my pursuit of him."
"As you should. I don't not want anything to happen to my nephew."
"My word is my word. Now, who's the target this time?"
The well dressed man slid across a folder with some papers in it.
"A paladin. This one has set my plans back. It is expensive keeping that Academy opened, yet I can't do it with the public supporting them. The assassination on my nephew after they supposedly denied to send any protection to that festival was suppose to discredit them."
"And are you sure you want to shut them down? As I understand it, they stopped a demon invasion."
"An invasion that was started by one of their own. But the simple fact that they did stop them made them look like they're invincible. If this one dies, the supposed 'savior' of mankind. Then doubt will be easy to spread throughout the public."
The cloaked man opened the file. Surprise lit up his face as he recognized a drawing of the face of Viola looking back at him.
"Interesting. I remember her quite well. She was the one who stopped my initial assassination attempt."
"Well it seems you already have motivation in this job before hand, eh Recaiden? Do we have an agreement?"
Recaiden looked up and then shook the man's hand.
"We have an agreement. Don't worry King Lock."
He slowly made his way out of his chair.
"This 'Viola' will die. I can guarantee it."