#nr18

Kade shot up from the nightmare, looking around in his room, gasping.  He pressed his hand against his chest feeling the erratic beat of his heart.  The dorm room was dark, nearly pitch black. He blinked a few times, waiting for his heartbeat to calm down before looking for his phone.

It vibrated, the light too bright for his eye, making him glare at it. 

With one hand he picked it up, unlocking it.  He blinked at the unfamiliar number as it went dead.  A moment later the voicemail came through.

He frowned.  No one leaves voicemails anymore, well no one that he knew.  So he opened it and listened to the hesitant voice on the other side.  For a moment he felt his blood running cold.  

That was not good.  That tone of voice, everything.  It made him furious.  

Quickly he sent a message to the number.  

“Show me your room”

Veir jumped when his phone buzzed. "Show my room..?" He frowned as he took a photo with the widest angle he could manage. And send it to him. 

Kade walked to the middle of his room, keeping his eyes on the picture that just came through.  He cleared his mind and just focused on the image of the room.  It was the first time he was going to try something like this.  

It was either going to really hurt and he’ll end up in a wall.  Or it’s still going to be really painful and he’ll end up in another dimension.  

Slowly he released his hold on his power letting the enormous amount of power rush through his body.  It filled him with bliss to be able to let go of everything.  The shadows let out a high pitched scream that echoed through his mind, but he just ignored it.  He had to stay focused on the image of the room.  Every single detail needed to be clear.  

The mostly white room, with the golden décor.  The neat and precise way that everything was placed.  The way the chairs stood and the desk.

He closed his eyes.  For a moment it felt like his body was being torn apart atom by atom.  This was even worse than before.  Power burned through him, touching every single nerve in his body, setting it on fire.  

Then he stepped forward, out of the shadows, into a bright light.  He breathed out.

"How…." Veir stuttered as shadows filled his room, before slowly pulling back in the form of a person.

Kade blinked a few times, looking around before his eyes found Veir and he smiled.  “Yo… Need a lift somewhere?” he asked, pulling his hand through his hair.  It was a real surprise that he actually managed this and did not end up in some random wall.

"I…. I'm sorry…" Veir muttered. "I didn't mean to cause trouble to you…" 

Kade just breathed out and sat down on the floor, looking around.  He felt more out of breath than usual.  

“It’s not trouble…  I was having a particularly nasty nightmare when you woke me up …  So it’s not that bad, I think I actually owe you for that” he said “I did not think that you’re room would look like this”

Shrugging Veir went down on the floor too, next to Kade. "Ask me that... it's disgusting…" 

“You need to see my place…” Kade said before he smothered a cough, tasting blood “It looks like the opposite side of the spectrum”

"Are you okay?" Veir looked at him carefully. "You don't seem so good, I can turn off the lights if you want?" 

“I’m okay…” Kade said, feeling a little lightheaded “So you want to get out of here?  Otherwise I just did a very interesting test run with my power…  That my friends back ”

"I'm...kinda locked up here...for...a few days... I don't know for how long." Veir muttered. "Remember the exam we were studying with Kaen? That's the result…" he pulled his hands through his now messy hair. 

A frown formed on Kade’s face and his eyes flashed for a moment.  He took a deep breath, to calm himself.  “Where do you want to go?” he asked “You either need to pick a place I’ve been or show me very detailed picture”

Veir nodded. "I usually go to Kaen's place...since others' families might want an explanation, but he's not picking up his phone, and I don't have Iya's number." 

“How about we just get out for now?” Kade asked before coughing again.  It felt like it was ripping through his chest in a painful manner, making it a little hard to breathe normally.

"Oh you're definitely not good…" Veir muttered. "Let me grab a few things, I think my jacket would fit you? Since you're here with only a t-shirt and it's freezing outside...We're nearly the same height…" he whispered to himself as he ran around the room and showed some things into his backpack. And came back with a thick green jacket to give Kade. 

Kade took the jacket as he got to his feet, pulling it on.  It felt better, but his body still felt like it had been torn apart before being stitched back together. 

“Thanks…” he said “That’s better.  You’ve got a place in mind?”

Veir nodded. "We can go in front of their apartment building, not inside since it would be super rude to just appear without a word…" 

Kade nodded and swallowed.  He felt drained and lightheaded.  “Let’s go before we get caught” he said, putting a hand on Veir’s shoulder “You ready?”

"Yeah. Ready." 

With a nod, Kade closed his eyes and teleported them to the front of Kaen and Iya’s apartment.  He stumbled as he stepped out of the teleportation.  The world around him dimmed for a moment and he tasted blood.  His heartbeat had become erratic again, his chest hurt.  

Veir caught Kade when he fell, "Oops…gotcha…" he mumbled, letting him sit down on the ground. 

A shiver ran through Kade.  “That was… unpleasant…” he gasped, one hand grasping his chest “Thanks for the help”

"You're the one helping me…" Veir muttered. "Please tell me you got Iya's number?"

Kade nodded and pulled out his phone.  His hand trembled as he handed it over to Veir.  “It should connect to where… ever she is…” he said as he started coughing again, wiping away the blood before Veir could see it.

"Just hold on, I'll handle this…" Veir muttered, as he called Iya. 

Iya's phone rang as Kaen went into the room, his eyes widened when he saw Kade's name on it. He quickly took the phone and closed the door behind him to not wake his sister up. 

"Hi." He answered. 

"Kaen? Dude why are you not opening your own phone?" Veir's shocked voice answered. 

"Its battery...wait? How do you have Kade's phone?" 

"Um... he's kind of with me here... we're in front of your house…" Veir said. "Are you home?" 

"Not at all!" Kaen frustratedly whispered. "We're stuck somewhere else…I'll call Naomi, wait here for a moment, she has our keys." And hang up the phone. 

Veir turned back to Kade. "They're not here, he said he's calling Naomi to help us." 

Kade nodded as he wiped a hand over his mouth.  It came away bloody again.  Well that was just great, more problems.  “Good…  Might… need her … help” he muttered.

Veir sat next to him, rubbing his back as he coughed, he took off his own jacket, wrapping it around Kade's shaking shoulders. "Is that better? We'll just wait for a little while." 

Kade slumped against Veir’s shoulder.  “Damn…” he muttered “I didn’t… think it’ll… be this bad”

"I'm so sorry…" Veir whispered. "I could've handled that... it's not like it's the first time...I'm sorry…" 

Kade shook his head slightly, it was the best he could manage without feeling like he was going to fall over.  “No…  Don’t” he said “You… can only… handle so much… before breaking…  I know… seen it”

Running footsteps approached them, "Is that pirate that I see?" Naomi's voice asked from above. "How did you manage to get into trouble again?" 

Kade lifted his head.  “Hey…” he said before he started coughing, each one ripping painfully through his chest, making his vision darken at the edges.  There was rushing in his ears, making it hard to hear anything.

"Oh no…" her happy tone disappeared in a second as she knelt next to Kade, putting her hand on his back as he coughed. "Let's help you out okay? We need to get inside." 

“Sorry…” Kade gasped between the coughing “Might have…  done something…   I shouldn’t… have…  made things… worse…”

"Shh... first, let's stop that coughing, so we can get you inside okay?" She said to him, "Just nod if you're okay with me doing it?" 

Kade nodded.  It was all he could manage to do.

"Okay, here we go my dear pirate…" Naomi muttered as she reached out with her power, clearing and opening Kade's airways and helping him breath healthily. "Is that better?" She asked with a smile.

Kade took a deep breath, just leaning against Veir, exhausted.  “Thanks….” he said, wiping away some of the blood “I’ll…be fine…”.

Veir leaned forward and picked Kade up gently. "There's no way you're walking all the way up." He said. He struggled for a slight second before he just easily started walking.

“Sorry…” Kade muttered against Veir’s shoulder, he barely had enough strength to lift his head “I…  messed up…”

Veir bit his lip, looking at his tired face. "None of it man...you just saved me from there, what can I be mad at you for?" 

“I’m…  Just…  Trouble…” Kade groaned as a wave of pain made his muscles tense up.

"You know I'm Kaen's friend right? That makes me immune to trouble magnets." Veir said with a smile. "Don't worry about anything." 

Kade let out a pained chuckle, but couldn’t manage to say anything else.

Naomi opened the door for them, carrying Veir's backpack inside with her. "Kaen said you two should stay here as long as you need" she said. 

Veir just went straight to Kaen's room, since he wasn't there Kade could use his bed. He gently lowered him to the bed, motioning Naomi to come there. 

Kade hissed in pain before swearing, closing his eyes for a moment as the world around him turned and tilted around him.  His vision kept on going in and out of focus.  It almost felt like he was in two places at once.

Following them, Naomi walked inside. "Now now...let's take care of you will we?" She asked as she brushed Kade's hair from his face. 

Kade’s breathing became strangled.  He could smell and taste blood.  His vision blurred and he could barely make Naomi out.

Naomi reached out to Kade. "Sorry, it can hurt…" she whispered, and quickly checked over his heart, sighing in relief when she didn't feel any new damage. "Looks like you're lucky... I'm gonna help you up in a second Alien." She said to Kade as she started healing the damaged parts she found.

Kade let out a relieved sigh.  He could feel Naomi’s power, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling through his body.  As soon the uncomfortable feeling disappeared, the pain started.  He knew that he had to keep still, but the continued pain was just too much.

It nearly took Naomi an hour before she was done, Kade thrashing nearly all the time. She pulled her hand away, taking a deep breath. "Here you go... Alien or something…" she said. "I'm out of nicknames, find yourself a new one." 

“Plushie… Princess…” Kade muttered weakly as his eyes flickered closed and he shivered.

"No, that's Iya obviously." She gave him a tired smile, pulling the blanket over him. 

Slowly Kade’s breathing evened out and he just slipped into a dreamless sleep.

Naomi slipped out of the room, "And? Kaen's friend, what's your deal?" She asked with a tired grin. 

Veir looked away, playing with his fingers. "I'm... I was needing help for a thing... Kaen knows." 

She shrugged as she put a note paper on the table. "You can call me whenever you need, since Iya's not here to baby you two, I'm taking the mission." She smiled at him. 

***

Kade slowly opened his eyes.  He felt weak, like he didn’t have the energy to even move.  His chest still hurt with every breath he took, but it was better than before.  At least he did not feel like he was being torn apart anymore.

The door opened slowly, and Veir's curly brown hair peeked out from the door. "Hey, you awake?" He asked softly. 

Groaning, Kade lifted his head slightly.  “Unless I’m having a very weird dream…  Yeah, I’m awake” he said “Sorry for passing out on you”

"No, it's not a problem…" Veir said, quickly walking in. "As I said, I'm immune to it. Are you alright?" 

“Yeah….  I think so” he said slowly “Is Naomi still here or did she already leave?”

"She's still here" Veir said, "Said she didn't have work until morning… so staying there to make sure you're alright" 

Kade nodded, before pressing his hand over his chest.  “How long before you have to go back home?” he asked as he slowly sat up.

"Umm…" Veir scratched the back of his head, thoughtful. "They locked the door on me… so no one will look until either I had to go back to school, or some guest comes… not all guests though…" 

A frown formed on Kade’s face, but then he just sighed.  “Right…” he said and slowly got to his feet.  For a moment the room turned slightly. 

"Just stay down please" Veir caught him, and helped him sit down on the bed. "I'll bring it if you need anything" 

“Help me to the living room…” Kade asked “Please…  I don’t want to stay here in the room”

"Oh… okay. Sorry" Veir nodded, helping him up again and throwing his arm around his shoulders. "Let's go then" 

Kade could feel himself going pale again.  “Slowly….” he groaned “The room is turning”

"Naomi already wanted to check you again" Veir muttered, slowing down on the walking. "What happened to you… you didn't look that bad when we last met" 

“Yeah well…” Kade started “To much school… and not enough sleep…  and don’t even get me started with all the other stuff that happened”

A sad expression flashed over Veir's face as they entered the living room. 

"Oh you…" Naomi jumped to her feet, "You really don't know how to lay back and rest don't you?" 

Kade smiled slightly.  “Yeah… I know, it’s a curse” he said, his legs still felt so shaky that he was glad Veir was there, other wise he wouldn’t be able to stay up “Thanks for coming”

"Let's get you laying down here instead" Veir helped him to the couch, "Man… it's really weird here without Kaen or Iya…" 

“Yeah… Pretty much” Kade muttered as he slowly sat down “How’re they doing…?”

Veir grinned, "They're fine" he said. "Kaen's even gotten stronger…" 

Kade sat back, closing his eyes.  “That’s…  Pretty impressive” he said “The kid was already damned strong before…”

"And how's it going for you?" Veir asked. 

“Exhausted…” Kade said with a shrug “When it’s not school, it’s practice and if it’s not that…  It’s  the training missions….  Sleep is a luxury at the moment”

"They started to send us go missions too" pulling at his hair, Veir nodded. 

“That sounds…  fun…” Kade said, before he shivered and pulled his legs up against his chest.

"Just let me take a look again" Naomi said, sitting up next to him and brushing his hair from his forehead. 

Kade leaned slightly towards her without realizing it.  “Alright…” he said “Cause…  I just realized I’ll have to… go back home again”.

"Shh… don't waste your energy to talking" she said as she reached out with her power and her energy started gently flowing to Kade. Healing him. 

He bit back a groan, shutting his eyes tightly.

"You're really not taking care of yourself…" Naomi tisked, ruffling his hair. "Please be more careful" 

“Sorry…” Kade muttered, “I’ll try…”

"Say that sorry to yourself" 

Kade snorted.  “I’ll do that the day that I can sleep without nightmares” he said.

"I'm giving you a bit of my energy" she said after a moment of thinking. "That should replenish some of the symptoms caused by sleep deprivation… and maybe helps you to sleep too" 

“There’s no need for that…” Kade said slowly.  Loud ringing sounded through the room and Kade jumped, letting out a yelp.

Veir looked up with a confused expression as Naomi kept Kade steady with holding his shoulders.  "It's really late…who's calling?…" he said. 

Kade started patting his pocket, grumbling under his breath, until he managed to find his phone.  For a moment he fumbled with it before answering.  

“Killian?” he asked, blinking surprised. 

 Naomi stopped doing whatever she was doing to help him for a moment to let him speak. 

Kade frowned as he listened to the other side of the phone.  He tilted his head, blinking.  “What do you mean…?” he said “Hold on, Kill…  Where are the other two?....  And Bell?”

He breathed out and just closed his eyes.  “Tell someone else…  Fine…  If it gets any worse call me… and I’ll be there”

"Umm... what's happening?" Veir asked hesitantly, "Is there a problem back your world?" 

Kade hung up and looked at Veir.  “Don’t worry about it” he said “They can handle it…"

"If you say so" Naomi said, "Lean back and let me work. And I do not start with no need for it nonsense" 

“It’s not nonsense” Kade said, as he slowly leaned back “It’s fine”

"If you're wondering… it's not going to affect me or anything" she said. "A well trained healer can really manage energy flow. I can probably get the amount I give you from a coffee, or a caffeine capsule or something" 

Kade blinked and shook his head.   “I don’t feel like it’s a good idea…” he said slowly “But, I’ll trust you on it”

"What do you mean not a good idea?" She asked. "I won't force you to do anything, our abilities are different in core…" 

“Not bad…  Just…  More energy is going to make me hyper” Kade said with a slight smile.

"Oh don't worry about it" she said. "it's not that kind of thing… and I wouldn't let you go crazy on me" 

A slight smile formed on Kade’s face before he nodded.  “Alright” he said and closed his eyes.

Naomi gave him a smile and started giving him part of her energy. Just like she used it for healing but not for healing this time. 

Kade’s shoulder relaxed slightly.  “That is a neat trick…” he said.

"Oh, thanks for your appreciation" Naomi poked his cheek after pulling away her hands. "Now just stay down" 

“That is not in my DNA to do” Kade said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I can see that" she nodded with a grin. "But… I promised to take care of you to two certain people. So you don't have a choice" 

Kade just closed his eyes.  “Yeah, yeah…  You sound like my friends back home…  Teaming up against me” he said.

"That would be teaming up for you" Veir shook his head with a laugh. 

“Oh please…” Kade muttered “I don’t like that…  It’s not fair…”

"You want me to call Iya?" Naomi frowned at him.

“Don’t…” Kade said quietly “I don’t want to cause more trouble”

"Okay, then just rest" she threw him a serious expression, saying that she would definitely call them if needed. 

***

Kade blinked up at the ceiling, he must have fallen asleep for a while.  His eyes flickered towards the window, noticing that it was getting dark.  He must have been more exhausted than he thought to sleep away almost an entire day.  Slowly he sat up.

"And you're sitting up again…" Naomi's tired voice sounded from just behind him.

Kade rubbed his hand over his eyes as he looked over at Naomi.  “You sound tired…  What’s wrong..  What happened?” he asked “I’m fine now…”

She was sitting on the other couch, "Just peachy…" she chuckled, rubbing her eyes. "Waited there, so you wouldn't get up" 

“Where’s Veir…?” Kade asked, his eyes flickered over the room, he could feel his heart beating a bit faster “Did he go home?”

"He did" she nodded, "Someone called… a lot of shouting from the phone…and he apologized and quickly left" 

Kade clenched his hands into fists, glaring at the ground.  “You should have woken me up” he said, “I could have helped”

Naomi gave him a flat look, "No, you couldn't" she said. "It would only make it worse, now are you really alright? Not lying aren't you?" 

“I’m not…  I’m fine” he said, glaring down at the ground, pulling his hands through his hair “I fucking hate this…”

"Will you let me check if there's something wrong again?" 

“You’re not going to let me go if I don’t say yes” Kade said, trying to keep his voice even “So do it”

"That's how you answer" Naomi nodded with a smile and walked over to him. She took his hand and reached out with her power.

Kade just clenched his jaw, pushing the frustration to the back of his mind.  This was not what he wanted.  It made him feel terrible and useless. 

"Do you need to go back home?" Naomi asked after a moment, "Will you be able to go back?" 

“I’ll have to go…” Kade said, taking a deep breath “I’m actually surprised that they haven’t called again to tell me to get back…  I’ll manage it”

"If you say so, Alien" she flicked his forehead. "I think you're fine for now, I don't feel anything strange" 

Kade nodded.  “Thanks for the help Chaos” he said and pulled out his phone again.  Before he could do anything it started ringing.  He blinked at it for a moment before answering.  “What’s wrong now?” he asked, before listening and sighed.  After a moment he hung up and glanced at Naomi “Looks like I have to go…”

"Already?" She blinked, "Make sure you have someone at the place you teleport to… if you just go and collapse again" 

“Hold on” Kade said and dialled another number on his phone and waited for a moment “Kill…  Call Vynal…  Shut up and listen to me….  Yes, I know, now call Vynal and tell him to get to my room…Bye”  He looked at Naomi “Happy?  Vynal is our healer”

"The one you told he was scary?" Naomi nodded, "If so, yeah I'm happy" 

“Yeah… That’s him” Kade said, “Hopefully he’ll be able to get there”

"That's good' she gave him a smile. "I'll say hi to Iya and Kaen for you, when they come back" 

Kade nodded and slowly got to his feet.  “Thanks…  For the help and everything” he said “And… tell Veir, I’m sorry I couldn’t help him more…”

"And make him feel more guilty?" Naomi shook her head, "I'll say you say hi" 

A slight smile formed on his face.  “Yeah…  You’re right, just tell him, Hi” he said and took a deep breath “I guess it’s time to goodbye”

She gave him a quick hug, "Good luck" she said. "Take care of yourself until we see you again. I don't want to have to heal a friend" 

Kade walked toward the middle of the room.  He took a deep breath and the room darkened.  His eyes filled with shadows and the faint line over his face started to glow slightly.  Slowly the darkness gathered around him.  He could feel his body being torn apart as he disappeared from the room, leaving a slight shadow on the floor of the apartment.  

Naomi watched him with a nervous expression before sinking down to the couch. She sat there for a little while before falling asleep. 

***

Kade wanted to scream, but he couldn’t find his voice.  He could feel himself being ripped apart before being put together again.  

The shadows retreated and Kade stumbled, arms caught him and gently lowered him to the ground.  It took a moment before his vision cleared and he was able to make out a figure in front of him.

“Killian..” he groaned.

Killian nodded.  “Damn...  Where the hell did you go, Kay?” he asked, helping Kade to sit up again.  

“Did you...  call Vynal?” Kade muttered, feeling his heart beating erratically against his chest, making it hard to breath.  

“I called him” Killian said “He’s on his way.  Don’t worry about that”

Kade groaned as a bolt of pain shot through his chest.  His vision went out of focus and he started coughing.  There was a taste of blood in his mouth.  

“Not... good...” he gasped.

Killian clenched his jaw.  “Easy now, Kay....  I just need you to breath alright” he said “What ever the hell you did this time....  Dammit why do you keep on doing this?”

Kade chuckled before he started coughing again, it ripped painfully through his chest.  

“Kay...  can you hear me?” Killian asked.  

Kade gasped, before he just slumped against Killian.  “Breath....  I can’t.... breath...” he gasped.  

The world around him went dark and the last thing he heard was Killian calling out his name.  

Killian looked down at Kade, as his friend went limp against him.  “Kade...?” he asked quietly “Kade.... no... no... no.... come on buddy, open your eyes”

He moved and gently letting Kade lay on the floor.  His friend had gone sheet white.  There was barely any movement in his chest, he was barely breathing, the small breaths were strangled and pained.

For a moment, Kade’s eyes flickered open.  “Hurts....” he gasped, his voice barely audible “Please.....”

The door banged open and Bell came rushing in.  

She froze for a moment when she saw Kade on the ground and Killian next to him.  

“What.... Kill.... What happened?” she asked, going down on her knees next to Kade “Where did you go...?”

Kade’s green eye flickered towards her before rolling back and closed.

Bell’s eyes went wide, brushing his hair back.  “Kay...” she whispered, “What... happened?”

Blood started dripping down Kade’s mouth and also from his nose.  

Killian cussed when Kade’s struggling breathing stopped.  Bell moved before Killian react.  She started the CPR, looking up at him.

“Call Vynal...” she said as she started the chest compressions “Tell him to hurry up...”

Killian nodded and pulled out his phone.  Before he could dial the number the door opened, and a small black hair guy stepped into the room.  The dark eyes focused on Kade immediately.  

Then he quickly walked towards them and knelt next to Kade.  “What happened to him?” he asked, glancing up at Killian and Bell.

The two shook their head.  

“We don’t know” Killian said.

Bell just stared at Kade, as she kept on doing the CPR.  She could feel her 

Vynal took Kade’s wrist and closed his eyes.  There was a gentle pulse and Vynal gasped, his eyes snapping open.  They glowed with power.  With his other hand he caught Bell’s wrist, stopping her CPR.  

Power flowed from Vynal to Kade.  Slowly he started healing damage in Kade’s body.  To him it felt like there were thousands of small rips and tears all through the shadow user’s body.  Even when he got his heart beating again, it was just a faint fluttering.  

Even after he healed all of the minor damages he kept on working on Kade’s heart.  It’s been too long since checked on the other guy.  

Slowly he felt Kade’s heart gaining its strength again.  

Only when he was sure that Kade was out of danger did he pull away.  

After a moment, Kade’s eyes flickered open.  

“Kay...?” Bell asked softly, brushing his hair back as she wiped the blood of his face.  

“Bella...” Kade muttered faintly.

Vynal tapped him on the shoulder and Kade’s eyes flickered towards him.  

“Who healed you?” the dark eyed healer asked “Because they did a really excellent job....”

Kade struggled to focus on him.  “Nao...” he muttered “A... friend...”

Vynal nodded.  “You need rest...” he said “Or else I’m booking you into the hospital...  for the weekend”

Killian laughed relieved at the annoyed look that flashed over Kade’s face.  “Thank you...  Niel...” he said “Thank you so much”

Bell wiped away the tears on her face.  She did not ever realize that she started crying.  

Kade pushed himself up slightly, and Bell just wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly to her chest.  

“Where did you go?” she asked with a whisper as she started crying again “Where did you go, Kay?  We couldn’t find you....  We were worried about you...  I was worried about you...”