Self-Fulfilling Nightmare

Aimee shook mentally. It was as if he was responding to her thoughts. It was ominous in a way, but at the same time it made the emotion she couldn't place well inside her again. The contact sending chills of excitement all over her. The joy was overwhelming, and had no outlet. Instead it began to drive her a bit mad. He didn't seem to care about anything she had done. Not because of morals, or idea's, or a loop-hole to any sort of rule. It was simply because he felt something for her. Why did I have to do what I did. She thought despairingly. There was no way she could let this happen is there? It would be greedy to drag down someone like this with her. That's the same reason she never returned to Sora. No. It was different wasn't it. The feeling was the same, and yet entirely different. Aimee felt a great tear inside of her. She had nothing to do but dwell on this, and still she couldn't possibly know what do to. Would she abandon another person simply because they got too close. A life like that seemed far too lonely. She couldn't possibly give up what she had right now, and yet she could stand the thought of harming Saren.

Saren stood up, looking down on Aimee again. He wanted to talk to her, and for her to respond. There had to be some way to wake her up, right? "I-I'm gonna go see if there's a way to wake you up. S-see you in a moment, Aimee..." Wiping his eye, Saren walked out of the room, already missing Aimee's presence. With all the recent events, it was almost like he NEEDED to be with her. He felt like they were more than friends, but it was like he didn't want to admit it. What WERE they? Best friends? No, that title belonged to this 'Sora' girl. What else was there...? He put his feelings aside, and walked up to the nearest doctor, speaking quietly. "E-excuse me, is there any way you could wake my friend Aimee up? I-if it's not any trouble..." Twiddling his thumbs, Saren looked away, a bit embarrassed. It must have been so rude to bother the staff with such a pointless problem. They had much better things to do, right?

Aimee lifted a hand as Saren was leaving. "W-..." Wait! She tried to speak, not even managing the whisper from earlier. She wanted to yell in frustration, but even that was taken away. To think someone cried for HER. It was something new, and gave her an uncomfortable happiness. It was settled. She couldn't possibly let go of something like this. Lord Death could fix her right? Then everything would be the way it should be? No. There would always be a stain of evil intent. Even before the madness she killed her parents, and devoured their souls. Aimee gave a whimper, wanting to grasp the feeling from moments ago that had been shot down when she remembered she wasn't human. Slowly, her eyes flutter open, and she trembles to sit upright to no avail. Had anything ever been this aggravating?

~~~

The woman giggled lightly at Saren's display. "Still on the friend bit?~" She cooed, signifying that word travels fast in a hospital. Walking to the door, she pulls off the files attached to it, and begins to skim over the important bits. "Looks like what they used to stop the bleeding while they closed up that cut numbed her up pretty bad. She was asleep when you brought her in, so she may still be, but if she's awake she could be unable to move. She should have been put of be by now, but it's impossible to tell except on a case-by-case basis. Give it an hour, and if she still isn't moving we'll check up on her, okay?" She explained, dodging in, and out of a comforting, and professional tone. With those words, she turned to continue her work.

Saren looked down in disappointment. He didn't want to wait another hour, or any amount of time. He wanted Aimee to be awake NOW, but there was no point in pushing the staff more, was there? He walked back into the room, noticing Aimee's eyes were open. I-Is she awake!? Quickly rushing over, Saren stood next to the hospital bed, filled with excitement. "A-Aimee? You okay?" He almost couldn't contain his joy, like a child on the night of Christmas eve. She was finally awake! Maybe he could talk to her? "L-let me help you up!" Saren quickly sat Aimee up, trying his best to be gentle. Sh-she must be pretty frail... He couldn't let his excitement get out of control. They WERE in the hospital, after all. He mustn't draw too much attention to himself!

Aimee relaxed a bit into Saren's support, finally coming to the position she had aimed for. "Fine." She finally managed in a meek toned crackling voice. She poured her will into speaking, finding most of her faculties had not yet returned. "I-I sorry. I was awake while you were speaking." She spoke minding to be good, and proper. It was best that he knew probably. "Y-you meant it? Y-you did... right?" She asked, having to be sure it wasn't an elaborate means to hurt her. In spite of all her feelings, she knew that this boy was nearly a stranger. Even though she felt a strong bond, she wasn't so foolish as not to realize how quickly it formed. "I-It's okay if you didn't. I'll understand if you were simply trying to keep me from expiring." She would continue in a disconnected tone. It was easier to handle things from this emotional distance. She needed to be clear headed.

Yet again, Saren blushed in embarrassment. Sh-she heard all that...? He almost turned away, but he had to look Aimee in the eye to ensure honesty. "Y-yeah, I meant every single word of it. I-I'm sorry if I was acting too emotional! I-I just had to get it out..." Why did he speak so openly about his feelings? What drove him to do that? He liked the feeling he was conveying, but why was he having them? What even WERE the feelings? "I-I mean...y-you didn't mind, right...?" Saren still couldn't quite place whether it was bad or good that Aimee heard what he said. He grew increasingly more paranoid within the span of a couple seconds. What if she hated being told things like that!? What if she stopped being his friend after this!? No, that couldn't happen, could it?!

Aimee jumped slightly at the perceived aversion. "N-no! It's not like that. It's just that I've never had someone say something like that before. I-I wanted to be sure." About what? She wondered to herself, and unconsciously averted her eye's from Saren. She brought her hand to the gauze on her neck, and wondered for a moment how bad the scar would be, and what she would tell people when they asked about it. "It's how I met someone that-... The word. It was exciting, and yet terrifying. She couldn't possibly think it, much less speak it. Even more, she was afraid to ask Saren for anymore about it. What if the answer was something she couldn't live with. Curling her fingers into her un-numbing palm, she wonders what she could do next. She had never been stuck on a feeling like this. There had always been an answer. Always somewhere to go.

Saren saw that Aimee averted her eyes, and he followed suit. He was glad she found his words touching, but he was still embarrassed. "I-I'm glad that you were listening. Th-those words were meant for you..." He lifted his hand and put on Aimee's again, feeling the same sensation from before. What was it, though? What was driving him to do these, no, ALL actions in the past hours? What was he feeling? It was more than happiness and content, and it gave him such a feeling of completeness. He looked into Aimee's eyes for a few moments, staying silent. He could feel a temptation getting a grasp on him, but what was the temptation? "U-uhm..." He couldn't help but stare at Aimee, admiring her beauty. Wait, beauty!?! What was he thinking?! He felt a nagging sensation within himself trying to get him to stop, but he couldn't fight it. Sh-she's so beautiful...

Aimee felt another jolt from the touch, sending chills up her pale skin. Aimee's face turned back to Saren, her eyes inching up to finally meet his again. Her core worked through insane palpitations that left her pale all the same. S-so close. She managed to spare the will to think for a brief moment, just in time, as her mental state was left to crumble at the hands of Saren's gaze. Her shreds of thought tumbled through why she was left so completely disarmed by the boy, yet found nothing. Her jaw hung only slightly agape in wonderment, allowing her lips to part just barely. "Y-yes?" She finally got through in a meek tone.

Love. That was the word Saren was looking for. That's what he was feeling. That's what drove him to do all those things. It finally clicked in his head what he felt. He loved Aimee, and he couldn't deny it anymore. This moment with Aimee finally let him realize his emotions. He didn't think of Aimee as 'just a friend'. She mattered more to him than that. This final thought almost led him to a breakdown, but he retained an unexpected solace. "I-I..." Saren took a deep breath, his face beet red. He really meant this, and he wanted it to be taken honestly. "...I love you..." This feeling was out of control, but it was better that way. Closing his eyes, Saren slowly moved toward Aimee, kissing her. Fear of contact didn't mean anything anymore. All that mattered to Saren was love. Th-this is the right thing to do...

Aimee's skin transitioned from pink, and into red as Saren drew close to her. Is he going to-!? The thought fell short of passing as it was realized plausible. Instinct told her to draw back, but even had she tried, she had no strength for even that. Any resistance in his wake was dissolved the moment he made contact her. Her eyes fluttered shut again, as she felt full complacency in the moment. Love? She though to herself with a quake of fear, or maybe relief as it left her. I-If he's not afraid, then neither am I. She resolved before finally melting into the kiss completely.

Saren's flare of emotion suddenly turned from love to paranoia. W-what am I doing!?! I-I'm coming on too fiercely, aren't I? She's only playing along to make me feel better... He quickly pulled himself away, looking to the far side of the room. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to come on like that! I-I just...I felt like...oh, wow, I just...I had to tell you my feelings, and this just seemed like the perfect time. I-I'm sorry I did that!" He ran his hands over his face, almost feeling ashamed for what he had done. He meant every second of it, but was it REALLY the right thing to do? I must have hurt her. We won't be friends after this. We'll stop seeing eachother. It's all my fault. I did this. He thought to himself, letting his paranoia and fear get the best of him. What if everything he did was wrong? What if he made the wrong choices?

Aimee's mind began to panic weakly. Had she done something wrong? It had only begun right? So, why did they have to stop? The thoughts quickly came to a grinding halt, her composure taking a stand again as she pieced together what he was saying. "N-no! You've got it wrong! I-I've... Well, been thinking the same thing. J-just... a little scared was all." She said, averting her eye's again, her hand curling into the sheets where Saren's hand was. T-this isn't a game... It isn't. She assured, praying his feelings were as genuine as hers. Then again, if they were, what could she do with it?

Saren perked up at Aimee's words. She really DID feel the same way! This joy he felt almost gave him a couple tears, but he decided against it. Squeezing Aimee's hand gently, he grew a faint smile. "R-really? You've been thinking the same thing? Th-that's...wonderful. I-I'm...glad that...we love each other..." There was that word again. 'Love'. What did I really mean? He knew it was when people had a relationship stronger than simple 'friends' or 'best friends', but what exactly was it? Were they going to be in a relationship now? How would that work? They were separated by the duties of the DWMA, but perhaps there could be a way to be with Aimee and not leave the DWMA? These thoughts quickly vanished, Saren finally being reminded of Aimee's presence. "S-so...th-that kiss was...a-amazing..." His blush never faltered, almost as if it was permanent.

Considering that was Aimee's first, she would have to agree despite lack of knowing. The word accompanied with the feeling it gave her seemed to send a shock through her system every time it passed through Saren's lips. She couldn't even be sure that her parent's did. They went out of their way to avoid the word for reasons she still couldn't hope to fathom. Her fingers snaked in between Saren's, as she sought leverage to hold herself up against her thoughts of the future. What could Lord Death even do for her. They wouldn't be killing all of these people if they could just fix them would they? If there was a way out of being a dark weapon did she even deserve it? It didn't matter. Saren made her happy, and the promise of a normal life with him, and Sora was worth any risk now. "Y-yeah... It kinda was." She responded as she found her was back to real life.

Saren's thoughts wandered to ideas he never though he'd have. He had so many questions! What would they call themselves now? Were they in a relationship? Would Aimee be comfortable with that? Would HE be comfortable with that? "U-Uhm...so..." Maybe he should wait later for this? No, this had to be addressed now. Their bond couldn't be shrouded in mystery anymore. "A-are we like...b-boyfriend and girlfriend now? I-it's fine if you don't want to be! I completely understand!" Even if Aimee didn't want to be together, Saren would still try his best to get her to Lord Death. He would do anything for a person he loved, even if they weren't in a 'relationship'.

Aimee felt a chill again. More words that she wasn't used to yet. "W-what are title's?" She asked, and moved her eyes back to the sheets. This was unbearable. Just tonight she was trying to kill herself, and now this. She needed a chance to breath, but knew that this was something that needed to be clarified, or it would simply bother them both. "I-I mean, you-!... And I do too..." Aimee tried all of her will for the purpose of using the word. She clenched more tightly onto his hand, and forced her eyes closed. "That is to say that-... That I love you too!" She finally spat out. She could relax. It was out now, and she could relax into the feeling with none of it's anxiety. That is, until moments later when what she was to do with the knowledge sprang up again. Focus! She demanded of herself. "I-I want you to-. To be my... S-significant other." She managed, praying that she had made the right choice of words. With a bit of relaxation, she leans into Saren's shoulder, her eyes still closed.

Saren took note at Aimee's obvious discomfort while explaining their relationship. He felt bad for forcing her to do that, but that still needed to be explained.  Now it was his turn to be embarrassed. Saren shivered at the contact, finding himself entranced. He finally calmed down, letting his fear get back to him. They were together now, but touching was still bothersome. Perhaps talking could quell his fear? "U-uhm...so...h-how are we going to get you into Death City? D-do we wait for you to recover from your injury...?" He knew this subject would be even more uncomfortable than the conversation about their relationship, but this NEEDED to be talked about. How were they going to sneak her in? What kind of plan would they devise? They wouldn't have to fight any students, right...?

"Maybe we don't need to have a plan." Aimee muttered in a tired tone. Every part of her was aching from this experience. She wanted to sleep. Sleep, and get the trip to the DWMA over with. The suspense of how she would fair drove her into a deep-set agony. "There was a witch a couple of decades ago. She was able to simply walk up to the DWMA, and request an audience. I-I'm no witch... I should be able to... I hope." She admitted it was a fat chance, and that times had changed. Still, it was better than being caught sneaking around right? Her weary thoughts drifted to Sora again. It was good to think that she could finally see her friend again. Like a great pressure had been removed. It was all thanks to Saren. He had done so much in so little time. Not only that, but he wanted her as his significant other. That meant that she was most important to him in this world, right? The idea gave her a race of warmth to her face, but it was the good kind, assuming such a thing existed. She was brought back by the prospect of death. She didn't want to die at all. Maybe it wasn't a good idea for her to die at all. She had found her first reason to live in such a long time. Her reckless heart was struck timid.