I looked over at Jae, blinking in the low light. I decided to try and get a small amount of sleep, even if it was only a matter of minutes.
I tossed and turned, I kept wanting to feel Archer's arms wrap around my waist as his soft, gentle voice reassured me that bad dreams would not haunt my head if I shut my eyes, because he would be there.
I whimpered and covered my face in my hands. I allowed the last remaining tears to fall so that I wouldn't have to burn my eyes anymore.
What if it hurt Archer every time I cried?
"Hiro."
I let out a low yelp and jumped up, rubbing my raw, dry eyes and looked over Jae the blurred figure which represented Jae.
She made her way to my side and grabbed my hand. "Did you dream about him?" I looked at her and my sore eyes cleared and I saw her clearly.
I gulped and looked away. "I—I don't know…" I replied quietly. I looked at my hands.
Jae frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
I looked over at her, I traced the gentle arc of her eyebrow and followed it down to her cheekbone. Her lashes followed my finger and confusion lit a bright fire in her gaze. Black brown hair fell in thin strands across her face and I brushed it away.
"Hiro," She said slowly. "What did you dream about?" Her gaze flew to mine in alarm.
"You," I said, and before she could reply, I had my lips on hers. Even if I knew exactly what I was doing, I needed to distract myself. And if it meant killing my heart and turning it cold, rough rock—so be it.
She opened her lips in surprise and I took that as an opportunity. She ended it and left me gasping—wanting more. To forget all this strain and hurt. If only for a night.
"H—Hirokazu—this isn't right. What about Archer—?"
"I could be dead tomorrow, I could be dead before this night ends." I grabbed her face and our gazes locked.
"Let me do this, please—I don't want to lie in bed and think about all the possibilities—about what he could be going through." I watched as Jae lifted her shirt up and over her head. Only her bra and pants remained.
"Thank you," I muttered before our lips connected once again.
My dreams were foggy and filled with black smoke, grey tinted faces weaved their way through at random.
First, it was my old trainer, the one who died on my behalf. Because I let the Mist go out of control. I blinked once and he raised an eyebrow.
"Are you prepared for anything?" He asked, his smudged in features watching me carefully for only a few more seconds before another took his place.
I stepped back in shock. "Councillor…Jeung?" I muttered.
He grinned and folded his arms, the authority still radiating off of him in invisible waves. "Hey, Hirokazu." He said, smirking and eyeing me carefully.
"W—what are you doing here?" I pushed out.
He rolled his eyes and pursed his lips. "Get a grip kid—you know why—" He looked over at something behind me, I didn't bother turning around. "The only thing you can't do before you leave tomorrow is die." He said, he tilted his head as I crouched in front of him.
A wave of pain overwhelmed me. I hadn't felt that sort of pain in a long time. Not since before I met Archer, and that was a while ago.
"Listen Hirokazu," Jeung began. I looked up at him, squinting through the tears. "You give those shit-heads hell, understand?" I nodded and he grinned in satisfaction.
"Good man." That was all he said before disappearing. I let out a low gasp and waited for the next person to arrive, with more encouragement.
"Hiro?"
I froze. "Mother?" I looked up, pushing through the pain and smiling up at her. "Is that actually you?"
She crouched down in front of me, grasping my face in her long fingers. "Just make me proud, even if you lose." I looked at her, but also through her. Seeing only a pure glowing white light.
"I miss you." I cried out, tears falling down, from the pain of all the loss and from the pain of my lungs collapsing inside of me.
"I miss you too." She replied. "But you've got to keep going, even when it seems impossible. Keep fighting till the end—My beautiful boy."
I gasped and sat up, everything I just dreamt returning in a pounding headache and waves of nausea. I tried to stand up, to reach for the door—even though I had no chance of getting to Archer.
I let out a shriek and sobbed into the crook of my elbow. Once Jae had come to her senses, I already knew that Archer was gone—a piece of him was missing.
"I have…to get…to…him…" I gasped out, reaching for the door again.
Jae pulled on clothes and rushed about trying to find the small medication that was left from the last time I saw Archer. She shoved it down my throat and after a few more seconds of agonising pain, so overwhelming that I couldn't breathe—just like the old days…
I stood up, yanked the clothes out of Jae's hands and got dressed immediately. As soon as I was done, I grabbed her wrist and dragged her out the door.
I didn't care that it was early morning, so early that the sun wasn't even close to rising.
I had to find Archer. I had to kill those damned Vaxxines who did whatever they did to him.
They would pay—all of them.