Aru woke up and opened her eyes before immediately closing them.

1. She was afraid she'd have to see that ugly face again.

2. The room was white.

Aru opened her eyes again, drinking in the room that surrounded her. White walls. Windows. And that abstract painting.

Aru sat up when she realised. There was no doubt about it.

The room she woke up to after getting brainwashed.

She started hyperventilating. Fear creeped up into her mind and brain. Her stomach started swirling in anxiousness.

Did she still have memories? Hell if she'd know. Her fingers curled around the blanket.

The door opened.

Aru's head snapped to the door. Who was it?

Thankfully, only Mini and Brynne entered the room.

"I know what you're thinking. You didn't lose your memories. Who can you remember?" Mini asked.

"Uh," Aru thought. "Aiden, you, Brynne, Boo, Julia and Kyle-"

Mini smiled. "See?"

"Hey," Brynne smiled. "The last time I saw you, you looked pretty banged up. You feeling alright?"

Aru smiled weakly. "All good."

"She is not all good," Mini butted in. "He poisoned you. Mercury poisoning. After that CNCI, some of your white blood cells were destroyed, which is why directly after ingesting mercury, you collapsed. Usually, you'd probably be able to go on for 5 more minutes before collapsing."

Aru nodded, breathing slowly.

"I suggest keeping away from poison," Brynne joked.

"Really? No shit!" Aru mimed mind explosion.

"So," Mini started. "Aiden causing you trouble?"

"No, why would he?"

"I told you!" Brynne said. "He's my best friend."

"Okay," Aru blinked. "So?"

"Well," Mini smiled. "He kind of kicked down the door to find you. He interrogated for you. He almost killed for you. What do you think?"

"Very heroic," Aru deadpanned before realising what she said. "Wait really?"

Brynne smirked. "I think-"

"No, shush," Aru held up a hand. "This is already too much to ingest this morning. I don't remember all that. I remember-"

Aru stopped.

"Hm?" Mini said, amused.

"Oooooooh," Brynne cooed.

"Shut up."

"No," Brynne poked her side repeatedly. "Tell usssss."

"No!"

"Queen?" Someone asked outside the door.

"Queen?" Aru asked.

"Um," Mini fiddled with her fingers. "I'll go take care of that."

She got up to leave but Aru held her back. "Who's that, Min?"

"No one important."

"I'm not important?" The person asked outside the door.

Aru and Brynne exchanged looks before pulling Mini back, pushing her into the chair and answering the door despite Mini screaming no.

A boy, their age, with dark brown hair and a strange birthmark on his forehead looked at them with two bouquets of flowers and a 'get well soon' card. Along with painfully blinding clothes.

"I'm looking for Doctor Yami-"

"Who the fuck are you?" Brynne barked out.

"Her boyfriend."

"Nooooo," Mini said, inside the room.

"Her what?" Aru looked at Mini. "What does this mean?"

"Detective," the boy said. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Rudra, but call me Rudy. My cousin is investigating the case with you. Both of them told me to get you something so..."

Rudy held out a bouquet with the card. "Here."

Aru looked at him weirdly and took it. "Thank you?"

"Yep. In case you didn't notice, by the way, Aiden's my cousin."

"Good for you?"

"So, I think we should be friends."

"I-" Aru forced herself to smile. "Yeah. I'm Aru Shah and you're Rudra. Cool. I'll see you around."

"Indeed."

"Hey, don't just leave!" Mini called. "Both of you, get back here right now."

Aru and Brynne exchanged a look once again, and bolted out of the clinic.

————

When Aru got back to the hotel, she held a cone of ice cream in her hand and the gift from earlier. It was late.

Aiden sat on the chair, sipping tea as usual. He looked tense, but Aru couldn't tell. His jaw was bandaged.

Aru stepped in and took off her shoes. The sound startled him and he got up quickly, looking in her direction. Aru halted her movements, as if she was caught red handed.

They looked at each other for a minute.

Aiden started walking toward her, and for a moment, she got scared. What was going to happen?

She considered all possibilities except a hug.

He was warm. He smelled like fresh laundry and spices, and all of that made her feel comfortable.

Aiden held on for a few minutes before letting go. "You should've told me when you were getting discharged."

"Brynne dropped me off. I'm fine."

"You were poisoned. For the second time."

"I'm Foudre. I was brainwashed and I'm alive. I'm fine."

"You are not fine," Aiden looked her in the eyes. "You are okay. Not fine."

"Same thing," Aru took his hand and shoved the ice cream into it. "That's for you. For saving me."

Aru shifted past, setting down the bouquet and card. "I met your cousin today."

"I'm sorry in advance for the trouble."

Aru's eyebrows furrowed. "I think he was pretty nice. A bit weird and not stylish at all, but hey, so am I."

"You aren't nice but neither is he," Aiden said, looking at his ice cream. "Vanilla?"

"Brynne said you take too long to choose an ice cream flavour so I just got vanilla. Eat up," Aru looked back at him, taking off her coat and placing it on the chair.

"Your birthday's February 15th, right?"

Her eyebrows shot up. "You remember?"

"It's coming up."

"Please," Aru rolled her eyes. "It's December 26th. It's not that close."

Aiden sat back on the sofa. Aru then realised she was still standing.

"What happened to your jaw?"

Aiden's hand instinctively went up to his jaw. "It's nothing."

"If I'm not fine, you definitely aren't," Aru walked to him. "What did Mini say to that?"

"It's not broken."

"That's it?"

"And it hurts."

Aiden pushed a cup of coffee to her. "I made this for you, by the way."

Aru looked from his jaw to the coffee and back again. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"No."

Aru raised her eyebrows. "Did you actually go see Mini for this?"

"No." Aiden sighed.

"Take off the bandage."

"But it hurts-"

"I said take off the bandage," Aru repeated, sternly. He made no move so she took it off herself. He yelled in pain.

"Ew."

"Excuse me?"

Aru touched the wound softly. "Let's go to Mini."

"No."

"Come on."

"No."

"Don't make me patch you up myself."

"...No."

Aru patched him up anyway.

heheheheheheehehheehheheheheheh

how are y'all doing bc I self destructed after writing this

how was the chapter?

-Loife xx