dinohouse | [Mushverse: For Yuuki, possibly Gentarou and other KRC members]

I hadn't seen the attack coming. My mistake. I should have been keeping a better eye out, but I was late for school, and my headache was already at a dull roar. I could barely focus to keep my steps even and measured, I wasn't exactly keeping an eye out for Sakuta-s.... Aries.

He could have killed me if he'd wanted, so I guess it's some small comfort that I'm still alive, despite my slowly blackening eye, possibly broken arm, and the blood flowing pretty freely from what feels like a very nasty gash on the back of my head. Scattered other smaller injuries too, minor scrapes and bruises.

My vision is too blurry to focus, and I think if I try and stand I may be sick. Clutching my injured arm to my chest, I reach carefully for Nuggegyroika with my free hand, opening the box, the Tsunuggets hop out, hovering for a moment.

"Find Yuuki. Or Kisaragi. Please."

They float off, and I exhale shakily. I know I should try and stay alert and focused, because I probably have a concussion, by my eyes feel so heavy...

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I realize what I'm doing, and slowly release my death grip on the water bottle. I take one more sip before setting the bottle back down on the table, where I hopefully won't spill it everywhere.

She touches my cheek and I find myself leaning into that touch. I can't stop myself. The motion comes as naturally to me as breathing.

"I know I'll heal." A purposeful word choice, in contrast to the ones she used. Maybe she won't notice. I can't see myself getting better than I am, but my wounds will heal, in time, and maybe with one more jolt from the Medical Switch once Kisaragi can handle another.

He leans into me, and I gaze at him for a moment, wondering, because there's a feeling inside me of-

He speaks, and I lose the thread. Doesn't matter, I'll get it back later. I nod encouragingly. "Yes, you'll heal. Everything will get better."

Except he didn't say that.

...oh. Oh. Oh, I see, now. Kengo-kun is feeling useless, and stupid, and as if nothing he does is any good and he just gets beaten up while Gen-chan does all the fighting.

"Kengo-kun," I scold, teasingly, affectionately. It's about five percent scolding to ninety-five percent affection and teasing. "We can't just sit here doing nothing. I have some readings I need your help with!"

It's quite true. I really do need his opinion on this. There's an increase in certain types of radiation, and my research is turning up no clues whatsoever as to why.

I spring to my feet, then give him a brief, gentle hug from behind, resting my cheek on top of his head.

I dart into the little alcove and get the tablet I need him to look at.

I can't just sit here, even though I know I should. So when she darts off to find some small task for me to do that will, in her mind, boost my ego, I stand and follow her.

Or I attempt to.

I should be able to.

But I stagger as soon as I'm on my feet, and reach to steady myself, but I use my still tender arm, and wince so hard a small pained sound actually escapes my lips.

Useless.

I squeak when I hear him make that noise, and leave the tablet where it is.

My arm's around him. I don't actually remember passing through the space between the alcove and his side, but I think I need to be here for a while. With him. That's fine! I don't mind being with him at all. I like it!

I don't like the sounds he's making, though. The pain in his breathing. "Kengo-kun," I say softly. "Be careful, please. You're only human."

"Less than." I say quietly, bitterly. And then quickly shake my head, and try to brush on past those words.

Never meant to say them allow, didn't even think on them before I said them. Losing my edge, losing my ability to think before I speak. Or think rather than speak.

"I'll be fine." I will, after more healing. I'll be back to normal in no time. Back to my version of normal.

I need to stop thinking like this. Need to stop feeling sorry for myself. It's stupid, irrational, and not at all productive.

...that's it.

I ease him down to a more comfortable position again, and then I stand in front of him, my hands on my hips.

"Utahoshi Kengo-kun," I say sharply. "You're not less than human. You're wonderful. And if you think that being beaten up by someone with superpowers makes you pathetic and hopeless, then that's very, very silly and I won't have it!"

She sits me down, she puts her hands on her hips, and she tells me off sharply for feeling down about my shortcomings.

I'm not the wonderful one. She is.

I listen to her, try to take in her words. I'm sure if I were in a more rational state, I'd absorb her words and take them to heart, but I'm finding it more difficult to that than normal right now.

Still, I nod, and then bow my head slightly. "I'm sorry."

He's trying. I'll give him that, at least. He doesn't believe me, but he's trying, and he's... he's so gentle.

I wipe the heels of my hands across my eyes.

"Don't be sorry," I say, less sharply. "Meteor would've beaten up any of us except Gen-chan. It's just not your fault. That's all there is to it."

"He's not Meteor anymore." I state plainly, then frown. "He's Aries."

The weight of that sinks in. Finally. I wouldn't say I was close to Sakuta-san, but we did work together. He was smart, almost as smart as me, and - I thought - rational.

He was smart enough to give the Meteor driver to Nozama-san before he got in too deep. Because he knew. He knew what would most likely happen to him.

I look down at my hands, thoughts of myself and my own self pity gone, now that I've latched on to something more pressing. "This is bad."

He knows about us, know almost all our secrets. He knows about our base, and how to get to it, and he knows... he probably knows all our weak points to.

Like how the best way to get to me is to jump me when I'm alone. And to do it fast, so I don't have time to call the others. It wasn't just that I'm weak, it's that he knows things about us.

We let him in, we trusted him. And now...

I can't tell if Yuuki can read my thoughts on my face, sometimes she surprises me with how she can know just what I'm thinking.

"This is really bad."

Well, I suppose THIS is as good as any other distraction. But this is terrible, though. It's not good! It's not good at all!

"I know," I say softly. I manage a pained smile at him, and I find myself tucking a strand of hair back behind his ear just because it looks out of place. "It's awful. But whatever has caused this, Gen-chan will get onto it, and the rest of us will help, too. Ryuusei-kun will get better. And he'll apologise to you!"

I find myself leaning slightly toward her hand when she tucks a bit of my hair behind my ear. She's so kind, so good to me. I really don't deserve her as a friend most of the time.

"I don't need an apology." I sigh, close my eyes for a moment, bow my head. The worry feels like a heavy, physical thing.

"I need to make sure you're... e-everyone is safe."

[Mushverse: For Yuuki, possibly Gentarou and other KRC members]

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