It's a few days since the battle of Castle Rend was won. Before the sun comes up, Delilah wakes and decided to get some fresh air. Nursing away the dull ache in her head with some spiked black coffee, and is surprised when she exits the keep: a few inches of snow covers the ground in a soft white glow, and a light fog sits in among the trees.

Hikaru huddles in his coat shivering.

"I don't like cold Delilah."

She jumps at his voice, not noticing him initially from the fogginess in her temples. "You're up early... Yeah. Yeah it is mighty cold, ain't it?"

"What are you doing out here this early?"

She notices his shivering and shyly moves closer. She leans against him to warm him. "It's nice when there's not so much... activity in the keep. Not so much noise. What about you?"

"Trying not to get a drink. The cold air helps clear my head."

She nods and is quiet for a while, watching the fog shift in the trees. "I'm glad we were able to destroy Hitokira. Him and the others..." She still has flashes of a memory seeing Cyrus, but she never was able to confirm it. She shakes the thought away. "A-and I'm glad you're safe."

"You were the one gave all us another heart attack.."

She looks flustered, her ears turning red. She seems to sink into her scarf, and takes a sip of her coffee.

"I'm just glad you aren't dead, Delilah."

"I don't know what happened. I just remember a pain in my head. It went dark. And..." she mumbles rather quietly, "Then your voice. I didn't even realize..." She trails off. "I'm sorry I scared you. Again."

"You're alive Delilah. That's what matters. But then there was... ahem... yeah you're alive." He also turns bright red.

She blushes too, and takes another sip of her coffee. "Y-yeah."

"H-hey," she stutters a bit, fiddling with her cup. "You're... That..."

"Delilah? You alright?"

She blushes more and sinks a bit further into the scarf. "Yeah. I... Sorry I was so surprised. That night, I mean. There was just a--a lot goin' on."

"What do you..?" he isn't following very well.

She looks at him for moment. Frustrated at herself for feeling so ridiculous and flustered about it all. There really were too many new things bouncing around in her head lately. She gives him a quick kiss, then looks beet red. She glances away and takes another long drink of her coffee.

He flushes and stammers, "Whh-wh-wh-what was th-that for?!"

"I-I-I didn't want ya thinkin' I was avoidin' ya after that! O-or upset at ya, ya numnut..." she grumbles.

"I-i-i- I d-don't- i!" He grabs her coffee and guzzles it to avoid speaking.

"You w-w-were as frantic a-as a fox in hen house durin' that fight, and you--" she's shocked when he snatches her coffee. "No! Karu, don't--!!"

She gets a funny look on her face. The coffee had a funny taste to it, like some kind of acidic bitter note. It makes his throat tingle and hoarse almost instantly.

He coughs and splutters like the first time he'd ever smoked a cigarette. "what in Tarj's name?!" His voice is scratchy and wheezy. Within less than a minute, it's hard to form words--his vocal cords are too relaxed. The sounds have a hard time coming out of his throat without being forced.

She looks embarrassed, and snatches her cup back. "I-it had some... grimnettle in it..." She gets a worried look on her face.

His face is incredulous. Why? It says.

Delilah wrings her hands, backing against the wall. Seeing his expression, she seems to be having a hard time finding what to say.

Hikaru begins to feel dizzy and his limbs go numb. He feels his heart laboring hard in his chest and pumping slower... And slower.. until he looks up and falls over.

His breathing becomes shallow, then nonexistent. Then stops completely.

Delilah's eyes go wide with shock. "H-Hikaru?! HIKARU!" Her head spins as time seems to slow down. She tosses her things aside and leaps next to him in the snow, listening for his breath, his heartbeat. She becomes frantic.

She looks around. The grounds are relatively quiet today, and no one else seems awake yet. She yells loudly for any of the others, her voice cracking and scared. It can't quite reach full volume either, because of what she drank.

She has a crazy thought, but looking over Hikaru's body doesn't see his rifle. "RYUU!! WHERE ARE YOU, DUMBASS! Why aren't you WITH him!?"

Delilah grabs her hair and chokes out a sob. "Okokok, uh.. Uh!!" She slaps her head trying to clear it and focus. She stares at his un-moving body, wide-eyed.

She clambers up over him and interlocks her fingers, trying to give him chest compressions. She'd seen it done once, when her grandfather passed. She was young then, but the memory of it was buried in her. She hated that memory. And she had no idea if she was doing it right.

She does it several times, her own heart beating almost out of her chest. She tips his head back, pinching his nose and placing her mouth over his. Trying to steady her shaking breath, she watches his chest rise, then fall again.

She goes back to chest compressions. "Come on, come on Hikaru!! Don't die! P-please! Somebody!! RYUU!"

Delilah's voice feels more and more hoarse the more she calls out for help. Switching between breaths and compressions, she yells again desperately. "RYUU!! DAMMIT! Where are you!?"

Hikaru continues to remain limp.

She fights back tears. "You idiot! W-why'd you take my drink!?" She breathes down into his mouth again, mumbling frantic prayers to every god, new and old, that she can think of.

Ryuu walks by the room when he hears Delilah shout his name. Immediately, he chokes bursting into the room, his eyes a-fire and crackling with energy. "What in the HELL is going on here!?"

She is both awash with relief and fury when she sees Ryuu. "HE'S NOT BREATHING, DUMBASS! HELP ME!"

"Tch, fine!" Ryuu lets out a sudden burst of lightning, engulfing Hikaru in electricity.

"You stupid ass! You're lucky I was here! Jeez, come out of your crap already!" He shocks Hikaru again. His body jolts with the electrical current.

Delilah is sitting, slumped against the wall in the slushy snow, her hands over her mouth. She holds her breath, fervently praying.

"Dammit, Hikaru!! Get," * kzzzzt * "out," * kzzzzt * "of your," * kzzzzt * "CRAP!" * kzzzzt *

She watches his body jolt with the current and whimpers.

His heart finally restarts. He coughs a few times and breathes but stays unconscious. 

"FINALLY!" Ryuu looks down at an unconscious Hikaru. He is silent for a long while, then utters, "Ass....You're not supposed to die on me yet. Tch!" With that, Ryuu walks over to Delilah. "You can stop bawling now. He's alive n stuff."

She looks like she wants to cry but bites it back. "I'm fine, stupid. H-help me get him inside to his room before he freezes to death next. Please?"

"Tch. Whatever. Let's go." With that, he uncharacteristically holds out his hand, and helps Delilah up to her feet.

She stands with his help, wet and shivering. She hadn't noticed it before, being too preoccupied. Hurrying over to Hikaru she helps Ryuu carry him back inside. Once done, she looks sheepishly at the rifle sprite. "H-hey. Thanks. He'd be dead if it weren't for you."

"Yeeeeaaaah, whatever, you know? He better not do it again. If he does, I'll kill him." Ryuu sniffs loudly, jamming his hands in his pockets, and scowling.

She nods, rather surprised at his sincerity. "Y-yeah. For sure."

Once Ryuu leaves, Delilah slowly sinks down in a chair in shock. That was... Horrifying. A thousand times worse than when he had his seizure almost two years ago. She still felt a lingering guilt from that, but this... If Ryuu hadn't been here...

She clenches her fists tightly, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. 'N-no. He's alive.' She gets up, approaching him, and tentatively puts a hand on him. Almost to force herself to believe he's breathing again, if her eyes are playing tricks.

Delilah grimaces, seeing how sopping wet his coat is. "Crap... You'll die anyway at this rate. Tarj, I'm such a fool... I shoulda just left ya well enough alone, I'm just trouble..." She gingerly sets him upright, tugging off his trench coat. His undershirt is dry enough, so she wraps him in every blanket she can find.

Leaving only briefly to get changed herself, bring in some broth from the kitchen and--to her retched shame--taking some more grimnettle to dull the pain she's feeling, she sits guard next to his bed through the night.

Hikaru slowly goes from unconscious to moving around little, then makes fitful noises. Eventually he opens his eyes but he doesn't look like he's seeing anything. After more time he really opens his eyes. He looks tired and weary.

Delilah, who was working on weaving something together, notices. She slowly sets it down. Her mouth is dry and she has a hard time forming the words. "H-hey there, Hikaru."
"Can... You hear me okay? Can you see me?" She's trying really hard not to let the nervousness show. She'd worried all night if something--the drugs, the cold, the electricity--would have hurt him worse.

He tries to speak but can't. He looks at her which seems to take a very large amount of work and blinks very deliberately.

Her heart is a tight lump in her throat. She reaches over and takes his hand, gently squeezing it.

Delilah feels his hands tremble a little but deliberately. She bites her lip trying not to cry. Her voice wavers more, aching with sincerity. "I-I... I'm so, s-s-so sorry, Hikaru..."

He closes his eyes slowly shut and open. But there is no malice.

She sniffles slightly, squeezing his hand tighter. She lifts it, kisses it, and holds it, resting it against her forehead.

He closes his eyes and his breathing becomes more like he's sleeping again. She lets out a soft sob and sits for some time, quietly beside him.

***

When he comes to again, she is sitting, head bowed and nodding off beside him. There is a bowl of porridge and a pot of tea at the table; warm only because she goes to refresh it every hour or so.

He opens his eyes. "De-Delilah?"

She jolts up a little at his voice, groggy eyed. "O-oh! H-hey! I'm here." She looks tentative and worried.

"Why do my ribs hurt?"

She mumbles quietly. "Your... Your heart stopped. Ryuu and I tried to... Tried to start it again... You probably shouldn't move much yet. Do... Do you remember...anythin'?" She pours a small sake cup of tea and lifts it to his mouth.

He drinks it slowly his lips trembling. "I remember drinking your coffee but not much past that."

Delilah sets the cup down when he's done and starts to spoon feed him porridge. She looks pensive and worried still, but doesn't say anything about the coffee.

"Why did my heart stop? It wasn't the.." he looks away shyly and his face flushes a little.

She gently nudges his face back and gives him another spoonful. "N-no, it wasn't that. Well, it... I guess it did fluster you enough to take my coffee. I'm sorry to have surprised you like that. I-I probably shouldn't have been so... uh..." She blushes, her freckles standing out.

"I ... Didn't dislike it.. I just... Don't know how to..."

She looks away shyly with a flustered pout. "Well! Y-you did it first! I didn't know... either."

"I.. was afraid you would die. I needed you to.. Know."

She quiets, giving him a sidelong glance. Her expression softens.

"What if you had died... And I couldn't ever show you.." a tear appears at the corner of his eye unbidden, his current state making it impossible for him to hold back. But the effort tires him. He seems like he needs to rest.

Her stomach floods with butterflies and she nods a little, giving him another sip of tea.

"I'll keep getting stronger so I stop scaring you so much." She gives a soft chuckle. "And... I... I guess we..." Her cheeks redden again as she mumbles. "...I'll give you a proper one sometime we ain't fightin' or sick or dyin' all over the place."

She moves to adjust him on the bed so he doesn't get sore, and notices he has already fallen into a deep sleep.

Delilah relaxes, fixing his blankets. She wonders if he heard her after all. Caressing his hair and ears for a few minutes, she finally retires to a softer chair in the corner. Wrapping a blanket around herself, she tucks her legs to her chest and falls asleep as well.