018

     The sound of rain pattering against the glass threatens to lull me to sleep. I sit on the Augments quarters curled up against the windowsill, my knees tucked under my chin as I stare out over the city.

     I sense movement at my back, surprised as Ravi takes a seat next to me, stretching out his long legs as he presses his back to the window. 

     “How’re you holding up?” he murmurs.

     I lightly shrug my shoulders and bury my cheek into the fabric of my sweater, glancing back at him.

     “You?”
     “I don’t know.” Ravi exhales, running a hand through his hair.
     “What’re you doing up here?” he asks me after a brief pause. 

     I turn back to face the view, watching the raindrops pelt against the glass.

     “Needed somewhere to think.” 

     Out of the corner of my eye, I see him nod, clasping his hands in his lap in a relaxed state. 

     “Can I ask you something, Ravi?” my voice comes out barely above a whisper and I have to clear my throat. 
     “Anything.”
     “Anything?”
     “Sure.”

     I turn away from the window, hugging my knees closer to my chest.

     “What’s Augmenting like?”

     He doesn’t react immediately, just stares back at me with his hands still folded together. He stays that way for a few more seconds and I’m about to ask him if his system froze before his eyes falls to his lap, pursing his lips.

     “I’ve never had to describe it to anyone before,” his voice sounds soft and distant.
     “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. If it makes you uncomfortable, you-”
     “No, no. It’s okay. I want to tell you.” 

     He holds my gaze again and I see a flicker of blue, his head tilting to the side like he’s recalling a memory, the blank and calculating expression on his face a reminder to me that Ravi is no longer human. 

     “I..” he starts, “I remember it being cold. They strapped me down into this metal cradle with all these machines attached to it. I had to take off my shirt so they could get a final reading of my tissue for the skin grafting, so I was shivering like crazy,” Ravi says with a smirk and I can’t help but smile. 

     “The machines were really loud, too, I can tell you that. They kept whirring and spinning nonstop, I almost asked the assistant if she could get me some earplugs, and she was about to before-”

   He stops. The smirk completely falls from his lips and he looks from me to the floor, almost as if he’s forgotten what he wanted to say. 

     “The machines started to..to tear..into me..” 
Ravi catches my eye again and he parts his lips, his words still hanging in the air.

     “It hurts, doesn’t it?”

     He tenses up, his hands clasped together so tightly that I can see the tips of his fingers turning white. He nods. 

     “I felt weaker and weaker by the second. My vision was going dark, I couldn’t feel anything. There was this constant ringing in my ears before my hearing went out all together. The operators told me beforehand that they deactivate the sensory and motor cortexes before triggering it again to revamp the senses. That was the scariest part. I was just sitting there in darkness, not being able to hear, to see anything. Just floating..waiting. I was terrified that they wouldn’t be able to revive me, that I was going to be stuck there forever.” 
     “But, then I heard a voice. It was someone calling for me. Gradually, everything started coming back into focus, though it was muffled and fuzzy around the edges. I felt like I was breaking through the surface. It was Rebecca’s voice.”

     Ravi laughs softly with a shake of his head.

     “It was the prettiest sound I’ve ever heard,” he murmurs and taps his temple, “I have it saved up here and play it back from time to time,” 
     “God, she looked so beautiful up close, the way the light caught her hair just right and her smile once she realized that I was okay. I knew then that I had made the right decision, that I would be able to protect her.” 
     He catches me smiling.

     “It was worth it, then?”
     “Hell yeah.”

     I giggle. Ravi’s love never failed to amaze me.
     “Ken will be okay,” he adds softly after my laughter dies down.
     I find myself nodding, yet can’t help but wonder if Ken will be forever stuck in that limbo once Eos enters his system. 
     “I hope so.” 

~~

     I’m back in my apartment, tidying up some of my things to keep my mind and body occupied when I feel hands encircle my waist and I’m pulled back into someone’s chest.
     Ken’s lips brush my shoulder. I close my eyes and lean back into his touch and he hums, his fingers lingering on my hips.

     “AIRCE is holding a private banquet for us tonight. I invited the others, too.”
     “That sounds nice,” I sigh.

     Ken makes a sound of acknowledgement before he presses closer, his breath tickling my cheek.

     “Make sure you wear something nice, but that shouldn’t be too hard for you, hmm?”
     “Stop,” I tease through a smile.
     “Stop what?” he inquires softly, his voice dipping an octave lower and his lips ghost over my throat. I shiver, a quiet gasp leaving my lips and I hear him chuckle.
     “I’ll leave you to get ready,” he presses a kiss to the crown of my head before spinning me around in his arms.
     “See you tonight,” he murmurs.
     “See you tonight,” I echo, letting my hands slip through his fingers. 

~~

     Rebecca comes to my aid once again. She helps me into a loose, flowing red gown that’s cinched at the waist, even zipping me up since I’m still too stiff to do anything really on my own. 
     She’s quiet as the two of us get ready.

 
     "Mari?" she says suddenly as she runs a brush through my hair.
     "Hmm?"
     "Thank you,"

     I glance at her reflection through the mirror. She keeps moving the brush with a slow hand, her eyes trained on a section of hair she's started to braid.

 
     "For what?"
     "For everything."

     I playfully shove my elbow into her and she giggles, her face brightening up into the Rebecca I've known for years.

     "Use your words, youngling," I laugh. She shrugs with a small smile and goes back to her work.
     "It's hard to explain," she murmurs, "you know what I mean though, right?"
     She catches my eye in the mirror, pausing to rest a hand on my shoulder. Her expression is suddenly solemn, eyes shining. My stomach rolls.

     I nod. I do.

A/N: cries over that pic of Ravi. Look at him tho. Sorry for the weird formatting, I'm in Japan lol how's that for a surprise. Same time zone as vixx *heart attack* 

Next chapter will be up tonight! Thank you all for being so patient with me <3

xoxo Sahara