A/N: Two words: College . Forgive me if there's any mistakes. Enjoy! ^^

*

A dense air rushed through her lungs, jolting her heart into an abrupt thump, wakening her bits of conscious that was still under the influence of dream. Like she hadn’t been out cold for days, her eyelids snapped open and her torso worked itself, springing into a sitting position like she wasn’t suppose to be resting in a comfortable bed under the layer of warmth blanket and clean clothes.

(In hindsight, she definitely wasn’t. She was supposed to be lying with the remains of truck she had accidentally crashed into a pole, in her dirty, bloodied clothes, under the watchful eyes of the moon.)

She looked around, her movement made it seems like she was a rusty wheel forced to function. Everything was white; the walls, the ceiling, the bed sheet. Even majority of her exposed skin was carefully wrapped in bandage, not mentioning spots of red seeping here and there. No sight of black metal nor human, and that should be good.

Now though with her adrenaline easing, her brain recognized the piercing pain on her shoulder and she gasped, feeling like it was about to detached itself from the rest of her bones. She curled her body inward, not even had the strength to clutch the pain away. It was a sensation she had never felt before and she would have mistaken the predators' claw still deep between her fleshes if she hadn't seen literally nothing sticking from it.

She must have been too focused on the overbearing pain that she didn’t realize the door to her room was slid open until a pair of hands gently led her to lay back down to the bed. A screech of chair being dragged filled the room, companying the labored breath of hers before there’s light taps on her sweaty forehead. She squinted to see Sana with a towel in hand, wiping off Tzuyu’s sweat with so much care as if she was going to crack if she were not careful enough.

“They told me the painkiller would wear off when you wake up and the pain would be extreme. So you should take it easy."

“S- Sana?” She croaked out groggily. She stared at the corner of the ceiling; not even a patch or a hole. It was smooth and well maintained. “Where are we?”

This felt like a dream. A rather evil, deceitful dream, where the bubbles would burst when Tzuyu was at the peak of her contentment.

(But then her gaze trailed down to Sana’s bluish print of palms on her neck and she almost cried and pathetically assured herself that this was certainly not a dream.)

Sana noticed where her gaze had landed and considerately pulled her lock of black hair to cover it. She cupped Tzuyu’s jaw so that she would meet her eyes and not any injuries she had earned on their last battle. She thumbed the roughness of cut on Tzuyu’s cheek; the stung from it was made up by the warm comfort radiating from Sana's touch and soft smile.

“We’ve been rescued by the military and now we’re at the safe zone. In the hospital wing of the military base, to be exact.”

“They still exist?” Tzuyu asked, failed to manage her surprise.

So those three voices were soldiers’…

“Yes.” Judging from the bitter tone, Tzuyu knew Sana too was having a mixed feeling about this discovery as well.

She was miffed, that for sure, with the fact that how the goddamn military or government or just anyone who was supposed to be in charge hadn’t put more effort in evacuating people, abandoning them like they were some kind of defective goods not worth saving. But at the same time, at last they did save them anyway, though the three months interval and the near-death experience before that was certainly not appreciated at all.

Tzuyu exhaled loudly and titled her head to watch the dripping liquid on the IV bag overhead. The liquid felt cold flowing along her arm.

Called her ungrateful but she couldn’t help but to get suspicious. The circumstances were rather odd, not to mention about the fact that they could find their location in the first place. Unless they weren’t the only one being picked up from the street, Tzuyu would keep a note of her suspicion until she got an answer.

“Well, at least you’re awake now.” Sana sighed, placing down the towel on the small round desk beside the bed and stood up to fetch a drink from across the room. She propped Tzuyu’s head up with her left hand carefully and helped her to drink, smiling a little when Tzuyu chucked it down in one go.

Tzuyu grunted as Sana settled her comfortably on her pillow, positioning another pillow on her back to angle her body in such a way the injured one would be up in the air. She felt helpless. The state she was in made her feel like a complete hassle.

“I hate being this weak.”

“You’re not weak!” Sana chastised like a mother to her child. She draped the blanket high until it reached her chest and plopped down heavily on the plastic chair, frowning at the attitude she was showing. “You just need some rest, that’s all.”

“I did nothing to deserve such luxury." Tzuyu mumbled, referring to how useless she was as her gaze once again found its way to Sana’s bruised neck. Sana in her inner cheek and lifted Tzuyu’s chin with her index finger.

“Don’t stare at it.”

“Why?”

“You’d get hurt if you do.”

“You are the one who is hurt.” Tzuyu argued. “And I couldn’t keep you safe like how I promised you to be and Momo- oh my gosh Momo, if she didn’t make it I- I will-“

“Sssstt.” Sana hushed her, clamming her palm against her trembling mouth. Tzuyu didn’t realize tears had welled up in her eyes until the image of Sana smiling kindly at her started to waver. She blinked it away at the same time Sana’s hand climbed up to rest on her forehead, as if she was cleansing all the bad thoughts swirling inside her brain.

“Momo is fine. She’s here with us.” Sana eliminated one out of many worries she had with her, sweeping her overgrown fringes to side. “And you’re bound in this bed, with more than thirty stitches and three broken bones because you give your all trying to save me. Don’t say it wasn’t enough because it was. I’m here, aren’t I?”

Tzuyu stayed mum. The guilt might deflate but it was still there, sitting persistently behind her fractured ribs. Sana noticed it and rose slightly to peck her in between her furrowed brows and squeezed her clasped hands that were on her stomach.

“Stop burdening yourself, really. I’m just glad we’re okay.” Sana insisted.

Before Tzuyu could respond, there were multiple knocks on the door. Sana turned around and gave whoever that was her assent to enter and coming inside was a female soldier, fully dressed in her camouflaged uniform and leather boots, with her upright stance and tight expression. She glanced at Tzuyu for a second, though she couldn’t be sure because the brim of her cap hid majority of her face, and turned to Sana.

“I’m sorry to interrupt.” Her husky voice somewhat ring a bell in Tzuyu’s ears. Tzuyu guessed she was one of the soldiers who had come and extracted them from the truck. “But the General wants to meet you and Ms. Chou,” She jutted her chin at Tzuyu. “To discuss about a few things.”

“But she’s just-“

“What few things?” It piqued Tzuyu’s interest, even when Sana’s glare was boring the side of her head.

“I’m in no place to explain it to you.” She replied impassively, like she was incapable to muster out any emotions. The female soldier stepped aside to let a nurse in, a wheelchair beside her. “But you’re allowed to refuse, however. He understands that your health should come first and you might not be in the condition to-“

“I’m not dying.” Tzuyu cut her off flatly. Sana rushed to her side when she was struggling to get up, and in the midst of the process to shift her from the bed to the wheelchair, the soldier, with a barely concealed amusement evident on her tone, said,

“Very well. My name is Myoui Mina and I shall wait for you outside and you to the meeting room. Please do take your time.” She then strode out of the room.

Tzuyu reclined on the wheelchair, groaning when her body felt sore all over. The nurse adjusted the IV bag and Sana took this as a chance to bend down to be on the same level as her. She didn’t look anywhere near happy, Tzuyu concluded from her meeting brows and downward tug on her lips.

“I don’t think you should move away from the bed this fast.”

“I’ll be able to handle it.” She shrugged and hissed. Even shrugging hurt a lot. If she was still this hurt even with her enhanced healing system, the she must have been wrecked quite more fatal than she had thought she was.

Sana narrowed her eyes at that, but fortunately for her the nurse cleared , making sure they were aware of her existence.

“I don’t like to meddle in a fight, a couple fight nonetheless, but should I wait outside until you guys finish or…?”

“We’re not a couple.” Both of them said simultaneously, flustered, and even more flustered at the coincidence.

“Right, sure.” The nurse said. She looked unconvinced. “You want to push the wheelchair or should I?”

“Let me.” Sana said and moved behind Tzuyu before adding, “And we are not a couple, Dahyun.”

“I heard you the first time.” Dahyun chuckled and opened the door for them. Mina who was waiting for them outside straightened up.

“Thanks Dahyun.” Mina nodded at the nurse. “This way.” She said and went ahead.

“First name basis with the nurse?” Tzuyu asked and Sana’s head was immediately beside hers so that she could hear her better.

“She’s the one who tend me.” Sana replied. Tzuyu smiled. She could just picture Sana staring up as she formed her answer without checking. “And I got bored easily. You know that.”

“She seems funny.” Tzuyu commented. Dahyun was like a total contrast compared to the stony-faced soldier in front of them.

“She’s not as scary as the others in this base, that's for sure.” Sana agreed. “But frankly speaking, Dahyun is just simply a dork."

Tzuyu laughed.

*

Tzuyu had never been to a military base before, though she had seen a handful of scenes in the movie and pictured one from books, the real thing was just too different than what she had thought one would be.

The hall was sufficiently lit and was buzzing with a variety of activities. The walls served more as a firm fortress than anything. Some soldiers were marching to the other end, some were conversing in a low volume, some were guarding a couple of rooms and some were looking so exhausted, especially the one with orange coat. They looked like they had spent days and nights experimenting on something. Or maybe they had.

Another thing that she had learnt as they made their way to where the meeting room was, was that this Myoui Mina had quite a reput