"Miss Opal! Mr. Nathaniel!" I brought my head up off of Nathaniel's shoulder at the unexpected voice echoing through the woods.

"Did you hear that?" I asked tiredly. Nathaniel nodded, causing a lock of his hair to brush against my cheek, but I was too exhausted to even care at this point. He slowly turned in a circle until a flickering light caught my eye. I pointed as excitedly as I could and yelled, "Look over there!"

"We're over here!" Nathaniel called loudly.

He then made his way quickly towards the light, doing his best not to jostle me. My ankle throbbed but I had finally gotten the pain under control. The light came closer and closer until a flustered Mr. Tremont came into view.

"There you are you... Miss Opal? What happened?" he asked worriedly, flitting over to us.

"She fell off a boulder and hurt her ankle. Are we far from the buses?"

"No, not far. Follow me."

We followed Mr. Tremont as he explained that the race had taken longer than expected. The last team had come out just as it was getting dark and the winners were announced shortly afterward. It was only then that they realized that we had gone missing. The teachers had all gone out in search of us while the students were loaded on the buses and given pizza.

I listened to Mr. Tremont's nervous chatter and rested my head back down on Nathaniel's shoulder, feeling unbelievably tired and oddly warm. The trees began to thin and I sighed with relief as a clearing came into sight. Three buses were parked on the far end with their lights turned on, illuminating a frazzled Principal Shermansky who was pacing back and forth.

As we entered the clearing the principal looked up and screeched, "Opal and Nathaniel! Where in heaven's name have you been?" She raced towards us and opened her mouth, probably to scold us, but then she blinked and seemed to realize for the first time that Nathaniel was carrying me. "Now what's this then?"

"Opal hurt herself, Principal. It was all..."

"My fault," I interrupted.

"Well, let her down, Nathaniel. Mr. Faraize has some medical training; he should be here in a moment."

She pulled out a little walkie-talkie and explained the situation to Mr. Faraize. He replied immediately that he was almost there. Nathaniel lowered my feet gently to the ground and I remained leaning against his back to keep my balance before easing myself into a sitting position, leaving my bad ankle stretched out in front of me.

"So, tell me what happened."

"Well, Principal, I..." Nathaniel started and again I cut him off.

"It was all my fault, Principal Shermansky. I'd never seen a squirrel before and I saw one climbing in the trees near the path; I got so excited that I followed it. It was so cute with its bushy tail and hopping from tree to tree; I couldn't help myself. Nathaniel kept telling me that we needed to stay on the path but I was too caught up in the moment."

"That's not..." Nathaniel tried to interrupt but I talked over him.

"By the time I lost sight of the squirrel I realized that I was completely lost. Nathaniel and I tried our best to find the path again but we just couldn't find our way out. Then I saw a large rock and thought if I climbed to the top maybe I'd see a way out of there. Nathaniel told me not to but I wouldn't listen. Isn't that right, Nathaniel?" I asked, glancing up at him.

"Well, yah, but..."

"I'm here!" Mr. Faraize burst out of the forest and came right up to us, dropping to his knees and studying me. "The left ankle?" he asked and I nodded.

"So, you fell off the rock and hurt your ankle," Principal Shermansky prompted.

"Yes. Nathaniel carried me for so long. I'm so sorry, Principal, please... YEOWCH!!!" I shrieked as Mr. Faraize yanked my tennis shoe off unceremoniously.

Instinctively I leaned forward, holding my hands around my ankle protectively as tears streamed down my cheeks in rivulets.

"Oh, apologies..." Mr. Faraize mumbled awkwardly.

Even as my body sang with pain, I registered in the back of my mind Nathaniel's presence as he knelt next to me.

"Opal, are you okay..."

"Mr. Faraize I thought you said you had training!" Principal Shermansky screeched at the same time as everyone else.

Sucking in a breath, I tuned everything out but the shrieking pain in my ankle. Slowly the pain dulled back to its usual throb and the stars disappeared from before my eyes. My gasps calmed to deep, controlled breaths, and I slowly leaned back.

"I'm okay," I gasped shakily.

"Sato!"

I felt my shoulders jerk in surprise, sending a fresh wave of pain through me, before looking over to see Dajan pushing his way through the doors of one of the greyhound buses. I saw one of the teachers reaching out as if he were trying to stop him, but the athletic basketball player dodged him easily and the greyhound bus doors snapped shut behind him as he dashed towards me.

"Dajan, all students are meant to stay on the buses until further notice," Principal Shermansky said angrily but he completely ignored her.

He dropped to his knees next to me, resting his large hands on my shoulders. It took all my self-control not to whimper at the weight on my bad shoulder.

"Are you okay, Sato? What happened?" Dajan asked. The worry in his expression was almost palpable and I tried to smile as I ignored the throbbing in my ankle.

"Please back up, Dajan. I'm trying to see how bad Opal has been injured," Mr. Faraize stated.

Dajan instantly backed up and I felt him settle down behind my shoulder. A small shiver went down my back as I felt one of his hands brush against my arm in a silent show of support.

"Let's try this again," Mr. Faraize said. This time Nathaniel put a hand on my injured shoulder and I bit my lip to keep from wincing.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Nathaniel asked coldly.

"Yes. I went to a year of veterinary school," Mr. Faraize said proudly and reached for my sock, peeling it away gently. I gasped as he pulled it off and then the cold night air hit my bare ankle.

All in unison I heard a collection of gasps and I looked down. Even in the poor light of night and Mr. Tremont's flashlight I could see that my ankle was swollen badly and a large purple bruise wrapped all the way around it.

"Is it broken?" the principal asked, looking a bit squeamish. I mutely shook my head, knowing exactly what a broken ankle felt like.

"It could be fractured though," Mr. Faraize reasoned while taking my ankle in his hands. As he prodded my ankle I clenched both my hands and teeth together, willing myself not to cry out in pain.

"Stop, you're hurting her!" Nathaniel yelled, reaching over me and covering my ankle with his own gentle hands.

Before I could react to that oddly intimate touch though, Dajan scooted forward and pressed his arm and shoulder behind my back so I didn't have to support myself, causing my mouth to snap shut from the shock.

"I can't tell; she should definitely get it x-rayed," Mr. Faraize said authoritatively.

Dajan and Nathaniel both looked affronted at his announcement, but I was just glad he had stopped poking me. Principal Shermansky stood with a heavy sigh.

"Well, then we'd best get you home. And don't worry about being punished, Opal. Just... don't tell your parents we let you get lost, okay?" she asked awkwardly. I nodded absently, still trying to keep from crying.

"Nathaniel, if you'll follow me we'll get you two situated on the bus."

Before I knew what was happening Nathaniel knelt down, placing one arm around my back and the other under my legs; and then he lifted me up, cradling me in his arms against his chest. My entire body warmed up and I gasped.

"Nathaniel, put me down. I can hop!" I insisted, completely embarrassed.

"No way," he replied sternly.

"Do you want me to carry you, Sato?" Dajan asked, towering over Nathaniel and me.

I looked up into his concerned expression and felt Nathaniel's arm tighten a bit around me. After processing the ridiculous choice I had been presented with though, I shook my head and reached out to gently pat Dajan's arm.

"Thank you, Dajan. But I'm okay," I said awkwardly, not loving this situation but not wanting Dajan to feel like he had somehow failed in his bodyguard duty.

Dajan nodded unhappily and Nathaniel turned, cutting off my view of him as he walked behind the principal to the middle bus. I squinted my eyes in the dim light and then sighed in relief when I recognized the number on the side.

"My bento boxes are in that bus," I mumbled off-handedly. Nathaniel tightened his grip on me slightly, making me blush.

"We'll get them when we get off. I'm going to have to walk sideways so you don't hit your ankle, but I promise I won't trip," he said firmly.

I nodded quickly, not looking up at him. After the exhale of air signaled that the bus doors had been opened, Nathaniel followed Principal Shermansky up the steps and stopped behind her, holding me at an angle so my ankle wouldn't hit anything.

"Alright everyone, I need the four people in the back row to move. We have an injured student that needs to lie down," she announced authoritatively.

"Sato!"

I looked past the principal's shoulder to see Troy and Jason standing up, giving me worried looks.

"I'm fine guys; I just sprained my ankle," I explained, trying to be soothing as I ignored the throbbing pain coming from my ankle.

"Go on then, dear," Principal Shermansky said after taking a seat in the first row. Nathaniel carefully walked down the aisle, making sure that my ankle was lifted well above everyone.

"Dang, Sato, how'd you do that?" Jason asked with a wince, looking at my ankle which looked a lot more gruesome in the bus lights.

"Fell off a boulder," I answered shortly as a wave of exhaustion hit me. It was a struggle to not give in to the temptation of leaning against Nathaniel's chest.

"Opal, are you alright?"

I blinked and looked over into Iris's surprised eyes. They wandered down to my ankle and she gasped in shock, placing a hand over her mouth and turning noticeably pale.

"I'm okay, Iris. It's not a big deal."

"You heard her Iris, she's fine. She's probably just being dramatic," Melody said coldly, folding her arms and glaring at me from her window seat.

"No, she's not, Melody. Can't you see her ankle?" Nathaniel retorted with a hard edge to his tone.

Her eyes widened and she turned away to look out the window while Iris sat back down shakily.

"It's not broken, is it?" she asked and I wondered why she was so upset. Perhaps she'd never seen an injury like this before.

"No, just sprained," I replied, but Nathaniel continued towards the back of the bus before Iris could respond. When we finally got there he laid me down across the four back seats.

"Is that alright? Your ankle isn't hurting too badly?"

I shook my head tiredly and closed my eyes. "I'm good," I sighed, settling into the seats gratefully.

My eyes popped open as I felt Nathaniel's now-familiar hands slip behind my shoulders and lift me up.

"What are you..." I started to ask when he sat down in the far seat and laid my head on his lap. I blinked rapidly in utter shock.

Oh no no no no, there is no way!

"Nathaniel you don't have to..." I started to say desperately when Nathaniel laid one of his hands against my mouth. Instantly I shut my mouth and stared up at him with a mixture of shock and confusion.

What is he doing? I thought in a miniature panic.

"Just stop talking," he ordered with a lopsided grin.

I nodded slightly and he lifted his hand away. Then he slipped his jacket off and draped it over my feet which were towards the window. I felt the bus jerk forward and the lights flipped off, leaving only the dim starlight to see by.

"I'm really sorry, Nathaniel," I whispered after the worst of the jolting was behind us and the bus was back on a paved road.

The gentle feeling of a warm hand stroking my bangs out of my eyes registered and they popped open automatically. Looking up, I saw Nathaniel smiling down kindly at me.

"Didn't I tell you to stop talking?" he asked quietly. I nodded mutely and Nathaniel chuckled, continuing to smooth my bangs from my forehead. "Why don't you go to sleep? I'll wake you up when we get home."

I nodded slowly and closed my eyes. I really don't deserve to have him take care of me like this, I thought guiltily. But the feel of his comforting hand stroking my forehead slowly caused me to drift into a deep sleep.

"Opal? Opal, we're here."

I blinked through foggy eyes as I tried to remember where I was. Nathaniel's voice finally registered in my mind and then my body seemed to scream at me, reminding me exactly what had happened. I groaned, rubbing my ribs delicately and shifting my ankle slightly. A stabbing pain ripped up my leg and I gasped, jerking into a sitting position.

"Woah, are you alright?" Nathaniel asked, placing a hand on my back.

"Mmmhmm," I moaned through tight lips before breathing out a long, controlled breath. Nathaniel stood and started to wrap his arms around me again.

"Oh, wait," I said and he frowned.

"Come on, Opal. You know you can't walk."

"Actually, I need to get my bento boxes," I reminded him while pointing to where I had stashed them. Nathaniel blinked but then smiled and turned to get them.

I directed him to where I had placed them and he put them on my lap before lifting me back into his arms. All the other students had already gotten off the bus so Nathaniel carried me out without any problems. As we got off the bus Nathaniel began walking purposefully towards the parking lot.

"Nathaniel! Nathaniel, what are you doing carrying that wimp? Put her down!"

Nathaniel turned and I saw Amber walking toward us furiously.

"Amber, I'm taking her home. Get a ride with Charlotte," he said shortly then turned back towards the parking lot.

"What?! No way! She can get home on her own; everyone knows she's just using you to get attention."

Nathaniel whipped around and I whimpered as my ankle knocked against his leg. I looked up and was stunned to see fiery anger burning in his eyes.

"Look at her, Amber. She's hurt and needs to be taken to the hospital."

"Oh, come on, she's faking!" Amber sneered, coming up quickly and slapping my ankle. It was so sudden that I couldn't keep from yelping in pain as tears flowed down my cheeks.

"Amber!" Nathaniel yelled angrily and she glared at me.

"Oh, stop it, there's nothing wrong with your foot!"

Suddenly Amber was lifted into the air. She shrieked in frustration, thrashing around in Dajan's strong grip.

"You've gone way too far this time, Amber. I'll deal with this, Nathaniel. You get Opal home," Dajan said with a cold fury in his eyes. I saw Nathaniel nod through my tears and he turned around slowly, walking away from the struggling Amber.

"I'm so sorry," I squeaked out, trying to ignore my throbbing ankle. Amber hadn't held back when she slapped me.

"Why do you keep saying that? You didn't do anything wrong."

"But because of me you got mad at Amber," I whispered guiltily, trying to ignore the flares of pain racing from my ankle and up my leg.

"She deserved it," Nathaniel growled with barely controlled rage in his voice. "I'm the one who should apologize. I didn't think she would actually do anything that cruel," Nathaniel sighed, guilt coming in to replace the rage.

I looked up at Nathaniel through tear-blurred eyes and was shocked to see him grimacing tightly, even as he held me gently in his arms. His expression held what almost looked like self-loathing and my heart plunged into my stomach at the thought that he may be feeling something like that because of me.

A desire to make him feel better overcame me. Not knowing what else to do, I took a deep breath and allowed my tense body to relax against Nathaniel's chest. As my cheek rested against Nathaniel's chest, I was shocked when I could feel his heartbeat pick up suddenly. I nearly lost my nerve, but I steeled myself and slowly brought my hand up to rest against Nathaniel's neck before squeezing him gently.

"Please don't blame yourself," I breathed against his chest to keep him from seeing my blush.

Nathaniel didn't respond in words, but I felt his arms around me tighten ever so slightly as he walked through the dark parking lot towards his car.

"I'm going to set you down now," Nathaniel informed me quietly, moving his head down so that his chin was brushing against the top of my head. "Just lean against the door and I'll help you in."

I nodded mutely, dropping my hand from his neck and gripping my bento boxes tighter. Obediently I leaned against the back door of his car while he opened the passenger side door. Nathaniel placed a gentle hand on my waist and half lifted, half guided me into the front seat. The feel of his gentle hand on my waist made my face warm up even more than it already was and I looked out of the window to try and hide it as Nathaniel quickly went around and got in the driver's side seat.

"Do you have your cellphone on you?" he asked gently as he started the car. I shook my head mutely, too exhausted to speak unless necessary. "That's okay. Do you have your Aunt's number memorized?" This time I nodded and he handed me his cell phone. "Let her know we're coming so she can meet us in the parking lot. Do you want me to come with you to the hospital?"

"No, I'll be okay," I said as I took the cellphone he offered me and forced myself to look into his eyes. "Thank you, Nathaniel. I don't deserve all your help."

"Of course you do. You're my partner; it's my job to take care of you."

I chuckled tiredly, my previous exhaustion returning as I called Auntie. After explaining the situation she promised to be waiting in the parking lot for me and I hung up.

"So... do you regret being my partner for the race?" Nathaniel asked hesitantly. I shook my head, smiling over at him.

"No. You were the best partner I could have asked for. I had a lot of fun. Thank you."

Nathaniel smiled sadly and turned into my parking lot. Auntie rushed up and opened my car door.

"Oh, sweetheart, are you okay? Let me see!"

"I'm fine, Auntie," I said, lifting my legs slowly and showing her my ankle. She hissed in shock.

"Oh, Opal! Nathaniel, will you carry her to my car?"

"Of course, Ms. Sato," he agreed immediately, coming around to our side.

"I can make it to your car on my own," I tried to argue but Nathaniel didn't even respond before picking me up.

To my shock, I actually found his arms a little familiar now as he carried me princess style towards Auntie's Civic. Realizing that there was no point in fighting, I just sighed and leaned against Nathaniel's warm chest as exhaustion threatened to bowl me over.

"Thank you so much for taking care of her, Nathaniel," Auntie said as he placed me with aching gentleness in her car's passenger seat.

"It's the least I could do, Ms. Sato. I can't help but feel like it was my fault."

"Don't be ridiculous, dear," she said kindly. "Well, have a good night," she called before jumping into the driver's seat and squealing out onto the road.

"Auntie, calm down. It's just a sprained ankle," I mumbled as we flew down the road.

"That does NOT look like 'just a sprained ankle', Opal. Now tell me exactly what happened." I gave her the rundown of the day from the time we got on the bus to how Nathaniel and I had gotten lost until I got hurt. "Oh, poor boy. He thinks it's his fault for you being so stubborn. You need to be more careful, Opal," Auntie scolded as we pulled into the hospital parking lot.

Thirty minutes later I was lying in a hospital bed waiting for the doctor to come back with his x-rays. He had taken some of both my ankle and my ribs. Auntie had nearly hyperventilated when she had seen the line of bruises up my leg, ribs, and shoulder.

I heard the click of a doorknob and looked up to see the doctor come in. He looked to be in his late forties or early fifties with a head full of graying hair and was studying his clipboard attentively. He looked up and smiled at Auntie and me.

"Alright, well, the good news is that neither your ribs nor ankle are broken."

Auntie sighed in relief but I waited, knowing that when the term 'good news' was used that usually meant there was also bad news.

"You did manage to bruise your ribs pretty good; those will just take time to heal. As for your ankle, it is a Grade 2 sprain. One of your ligaments tore almost all the way through but thankfully it held or else you would have needed surgery. I want you to keep your foot elevated above your heart for 72 hours with an ice pack and pain pills as you need them. You can move it around and stretch it but absolutely no putting any weight on it for those 72 hours," he instructed sternly and Auntie nodded. "After those three days, I want you to walk with crutches unless you are at home with your Aunt next to you. Don't force it."

"I'll make sure she's careful," Auntie promised. The doctor nodded and looked down at his clipboard with a frown. "Was there something else?" she asked worriedly and he nodded his head slowly.

"I took the liberty of requesting your records from your last doctor while the x-rays developed." I felt my eyes widen and I gripped the side of the bed hard. "Honestly, I've never seen anything like it. Your records are longer than anyone I've ever seen."

"What do you mean?" Auntie asked and I desperately searched my mind for a plausible explanation.

"Well, I have records of you breaking both your ankles within two years of each other. Two broken arm cases, three dislocated shoulders, a broken leg, a dislocated knee... Are you an athlete?"

"Yes! I was in competitive karate," I said; grasping at the line he had unknowingly thrown me.

"You never told me that," Auntie said with a frown and I shrugged awkwardly.

"I wasn't very good and I only did it because Father wanted me to. Plus, a lot of those were just me being clumsy."

"Hmm, I didn't realize karate was so brutal. Well, as your doctor I'm going to have to tell you to stop karate. You are going to have arthritis by the time you're thirty if you don't. And I want you to start taking calcium pills; bones shouldn't break that easily which means you might have a bone density issue."

"I'll handle it, Doctor. Is there anything else you would recommend?" Auntie asked while gripping my uninjured shoulder tightly.

"Stop falling down," he said jokingly and I forced myself to laugh; this wasn't the first time a doctor had told me that.

The doctor wrapped my ankle, explaining as he went so I would be able to do it at home, and then sent us on our way. Auntie was strangely silent as she drove me home, but I was too tired to think of a topic of conversation. The lights of the street lamps along the road began to blur together and I felt my eyes slowly begin to drift closed.

When Auntie pulled into the parking lot I jerked awake, groaning slightly as I realized that I had been sleeping with my forehead leaning against the window. Auntie whisked to my side and opened the door for me, offering me one of her delicate hands as leverage so I could raise myself into a standing position. I balanced on my right leg wearily as Auntie closed the door behind me and moved to the back passenger door.

"Would you like to lean on me or use your crutches, sweetheart?" she asked as she pulled the crutches the hospital had issued me from her back seat.

"I can use the crutches," I responded tiredly and she handed them to me with a frown.

"You shouldn't push yourself too much, sweetheart," Auntie said with obvious worry.

I attempted to give her a soothing smile, but after the early start to the day, all of the exercise of walking through the forest, having to relive some of my worst memories, and then getting injured, all I wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep. And not that I would ever tell Auntie, but I felt as comfortable walking with crutches as I did without, so I knew it would be faster to go to the apartment myself rather than let Auntie help me.

"I promise I'm alright, Auntie. I just really want to go to bed," I said before I turned and began making my way toward the apartment.

I forced a smile for her to try to keep her from worrying, and turned myself towards the apartment building. Auntie followed close behind me as I made steady progress towards the staircase but as I rounded the stairs I came to an abrupt stop. My eyes widened in disbelief as I took in the unexpected sight of Castiel sitting on the fourth step of the staircase, his hands on either side of his head while facing down towards the cement underneath the stairs.

"Castiel?" Auntie's voice from behind me asked in shock. 

His head jerked up, making instant eye contact with me. I couldn't even begin to describe the range of emotions that seemed to fly through his steel grey eyes illuminated by the outside lights of the apartments. After a second's hesitation, he stood up and walked down the stairs swiftly. Coming to a stop in front of me, his eyes wandered from the crutches down to my wrapped foot. He then flicked his gaze over to Auntie.

"Sorry to startle you, Ms. Sato. I heard that Opal got hurt and wanted to know if I could help. I feel a little responsible," he said with obvious remorse and I continued to blink mutely in shock.

"Responsible? Whatever for?" Auntie asked with as much surprise as I felt. 

Castiel sighed and rubbed his forehead absently with his hand. "I said something stupid that set off Nathaniel. They wouldn't have gotten lost if I hadn't riled him up," he admitted.  

The contriteness and frustration in his voice had me almost convinced that I was dreaming. However, before either Auntie or I could react Castiel stepped closer to me, snatching my crutches away with one hand while steadying me around my waist with his other arm. He handed the crutches to Auntie and then scooped me into his arms so quickly I couldn't even protest.

"I'll bring her up the stairs for you," he said, holding me against his chest tightly. 

I gulped loudly, looking over at Auntie desperately. She looked back at me with surprise but then a familiar twinkle entered her eyes and she smiled at me.

"That is very sweet of you, Castiel. Follow me, please," she requested as she carried my crutches up the stairs without looking back.

"I can do it myself," I managed to choke out, trying hard not to pay attention to Castiel's strong arms. One was under my knees and the other wrapped around my back and upper arm and came completely around so that his hand clamped onto my forearm just below my wrist, forcing my hand to rest against his chest right over his heart. The steady beat of his heart thrummed against my fingertips and it felt like its beat was transferring into my fingertips and creating harmony with my own racing heart palpitations.

"Don't be stupid, your aunt already took your crutches," Castiel said gruffly without looking at me. 

He followed Auntie, easily scaling the stairs while holding me at an angle so that my ankle was high above the stair banister. His heartbeat quickened ever so slightly before we reached the top of the stairs. My fingers twitched at the new rhythm but remained firmly in place, even though I was inwardly screaming at them to move.

Auntie had already opened the door by the time we caught up to her and she gestured for Castiel to follow her as she walked in and turned on the living room lights. Castiel walked through the doorway sideways, watching my ankle closely and wrapping his arms even tighter around me so that my ribs groaned from the strain. I bit my lip to keep from whimpering.

"The first door on the right is Opal's room," Auntie told Castiel, leaning my crutches against the couch and picking up two of the decorative pillows. "Follow me."  

Castiel nodded silently, causing a strand of his hair to brush against my forehead.

Auntie led us into my bedroom and I closed my eyes in embarrassment as I saw my pajamas dropped unceremoniously on the ground and my unmade bed from getting up early and making the bentos this morning. Castiel didn't say a word though as Auntie pushed my blanket down to the bottom of my bed and arranged the pillows for my knee and ankle to rest on.

"Right here for now, please," Auntie said. 

Castiel nodded once more, walking up to the edge of the bed and gently lowering me down.

As my head found my pillow Castiel slid his arm out from under me. When his fingers brushed against the small of my back I inhaled sharply and closed my eyes, trying to ignore the spikes of electricity that seemed to be running through my spines where his fingers had touched.

"Are you in pain, sweetheart," Auntie asked, stroking my cheek and sitting next to me. I opened my eyes to meet her worried gaze and smiled at her.

"I'm fine, Auntie. I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."

"It's no trouble at all. I'm going to call in at work tomorrow so I can spend the day pampering you, sound good?"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," she said stroking my cheek lovingly before glancing up at Castiel who was watching us without saying anything. "Thank you very much for carrying Opal up here for me, Castiel. I hope you weren't waiting for us for too long," Auntie said with a note of concern in her voice. I glanced up at Castiel, unsure of how to read his stony expression.

"I just wanted to make sure Opal was okay," Castiel responded politely to Auntie before meeting my gaze. "Do you need anything?" he asked without a hint of a smirk. 

I swallowed hard before shaking my head. He nodded in understanding then glanced at my nightstand where the sun fairy glass statue he had given to me was displayed proudly. His usual smirk finally came back and he lifted an eyebrow at me teasingly.

"So you did like it after all?" he asked playfully and I couldn't help but smile at him.

"Yes, I like it very much. Thank you," I replied quietly, feeling my eyes starting to sink as the pain medicine's drowsy side effect began kicking in again.

"I'll get going now. Sorry if I startled you, Ms. Sato," Castiel said with a nod to Auntie. She stood quickly from the bed and offered him a hand to shake.

"It was a pleasant surprise, Castiel. Can I get you a snack before you go?" 

Castiel shook his head no, glancing over at me one more time before leaving us both in my room. I heard the apartment door open and then close behind him and I blew out a large breath of pent-up air I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"Did Castiel give you that figurine, Opal?" Auntie asked after a moment of silence. I felt my cheeks flush with color as I nodded in the affirmative.

"We ran into each other on the beach and I bought him some food at the open market so he got me the fairy to pay me back," I explained, feeling my eyes drooping heavily.

"Poor sweetheart, you look exhausted. Don't you worry about a thing. You just rest up and I'll call Shin Woo and cancel your dance lessons for a couple of weeks."

"A couple?" I asked with disappointment and she laughed.

"We'll see how you're doing after a week; but you shouldn't push yourself, Opal." I nodded slowly and she kissed my forehead. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"I love you, Auntie," I whispered.

She smiled, stroking my hair once more before leaving me. Once I was alone in the dark though, all the memories of my previous doctor's visits and why they had been necessary began to flood my mind and I fell into a troubled sleep.