"You sure you're fine with holding the fort for lunch? I mean, I appreciate the respite, but don't you got friends to hang out with or something?"

Setting a box of bandages upon one of the infirmary's shelves, Elya Yalfre turned to the school nurse - an Imp woman- and shook her head, her long alabaster waving as she did so.

"It's okay, Miss Keating. I don't have any friends," she said simply, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

Mother wouldn't approve if she did.

The nurse sighed and scratched the back of her head.

"Alright. Just make sure old Martha doesn't catch you in here, yeah? I'm not supposed to use students as helpers, and if that battle-axe catches you, it'll be my ass."

"Don't worry. I'll be fine."

With a friendly wave, the nurse grabbed her bag and stepped out of the infirmary, leaving the young Fallen alone. Taking a deep breath, she turned sharply on her heel, grabbed a broom that leaned against the wall, and began to clean.

Elya didn't like spending any more time with her classmates than she needed to. They were loud - unbearably so - and they constantly seemed to be at each other's throats, fighting in the hallways or courtyards at every opportunity. No, she preferred to spend time by herself, and there was no better place for alone time than the infirmary.

While the rest of her peers ate lunch in the canteen or ganged around outside, she spent her time cleaning and rearranging the medical cabinets, ensuring that everything was in its rightful place. Once that was done, she washed the windows, wiped down the nurse's desk, changed the bedding and swapped out the stationary.

Mother taught her to be diligent.

Finally, with everything in order, Elya grabbed a medical journal from Nurse Keating's desk and sat herself down upon one of the beds. Drawing the curtain, she flipped it open and began to read.

Some people escaped the humdrum of daily life through historical fiction.

Others read fantasy books to escape their world altogether.

Elya Yalfre liked to lose herself in the world of medicine. She couldn't fathom why, but there was something about physical maladies and the processes through which one heals them that absolutely fascinated her, and she could spend hours upon hours reading about it. Teratomas, conjunctivitis, haemorrhaging; even the words interested her.

Mother didn't allow fantasy books in the house. She said they were for the weak-willed.

Thanks to the kindness of Nurse Keating, B.I.D.'s infirmary had become a private haven of learning for the Fallen, her one true sanctuary of peace in this-

"Hello? Nurse? You in?" hollered a sudden voice from outside, accompanied by the sound of someone hammering on the door.

Snapping the book shut, Elya's eyes opened wide behind her bangs. She stilled her breathing as the shouting continue.

"I need some help here. Hello?"

Silently, the Fallen held her breath and waited. Hopefully they'd go away soon...

A moment of silence passed, and for a moment, she thought she was in the clear, until she heard whoever it was clear their throat and grab the door handle.

"Guess I'll let myself in..."

Elya gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, silently dying on the inside. Sequestered behind the curtain, she could only listen as the intruder stumbled into the infirmary. Their breathing was uneven, and they were groaning with pain.

"Nurse, you here? I, uh... I took a knock to the head, I think... Bleeding a little, too..." the rasped, staggering around the office.

She heard them rifle through one of her carefully-arranged medical cabinets.

"Bandages, bandages... ugh..."

All of a sudden, something heavy thumped against the floor. It was only after a few moments of silence that Elya realised that they had collapsed. Eyes wide with shock, she set the medical journal aside and hopped off the bed, tearing the curtain aside as her wings flapped nervously behind her.

The was a boy lying face-down on the floor. He was shorter than her, and oddly enough, his skin was blue and he had both wings and a tail. An Incubus, she dimly remembered.

There was one in her class. What was his name again...?

That wasn't all. The boy's uniform was in a terrible state; smudged with dirt and blood, torn in some places and unkempt. Blood was pooling on the floor beneath him.

"Oh no..." Elya gasped, getting onto her knees next to him.

Her social anxiety kept her from doing a lot, but it was times like these where it would be overridden by her need to heal. Forcing her arms beneath the wounded Incubus, she heaved him up onto the bed, rolling him over onto his back.

He was a handsome young lad, she realised much to her own embarrassment. It was a shame that his visage was marred by a black eye, two bloodied nostrils and a busted lip. His knuckles were bruised, and dried blood lurked beneath his fingernails, informing Elya that the boy had been in a fight, likely a highly unfair one, going by the sheer amount of cuts and bruises he bore.

Taking a shaky breath, the Fallen grabbed a few supplies from the medical cabinet. Dipping a ball of cotton wool into some antiseptic, she leaned in close and began to clean a cut on his cheek.

His eyes snapped open. They were a brilliant amber colour that paralysed Elya in place.

"Oh hello," he stated casually, completely at ease with her face being an inch from his own.

She screamed and staggered back, nearly slipping on the bloody floor. The Incubus rose and stretched out a hand, as if Elya was the one in need and not him.

"Y- Y- Y- You're awake!" she squeaked, holding the first aid kit protectively before her.

Wincing, he lightly touched his forehead.

"Must've passed out... sorry about that. Is the nurse in?" he asked, peering around the infirmary.

She shook her head.

"Ah..."

He stared at the first aid kit and smiled.

"I'm guessing you're her little helper, huh?"

She nodded.

Mother taught her to be helpful.

"Not big on talking?"

She shook her head.

Mother said that good girls kept their mouths shut.

"Yeah, I get that. Hope you don't mind me talking, then. Only thing distracting me from the pain right now, to be honest," he sighed, wincing once more.

Elya's eyes softened.

"Is it bad?" she asked in a small voice.

"Pretty bad."

She had never treated somebody by herself before, but Nurse Keating always said she had potential. Besides, she had all the theoretical knowledge she needed; it was about time the Fallen got some practice in.

Grabbing the nurse's clipboard, she clicked a pen and looked the Incubus up and down.

"What's your name?" she asked in what she hoped was a formal tone.

Elya cleared her throat.

"F- For the report sheet."

The Incubus nodded understandingly.

"Cobalt Trayer. I think we're in the same core class, actually," he said, scratching the back of his head.

Trayer? As in the movie actor Jezebel Trayer? Elya had lost track of how many nights she spend watching those sappy romance movies from between her fingers, with the volume down low so nobody in the house heard her.

Mother said that only whores watched romance movies.

"I think we are. M- My name is Elya. Elya Yalfre."

He laughed.

"Rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it?"

Rather than answer him, the Fallen just nodded sheepishly and took up her tools once more. Cobalt tensed under her every touch, hissing through his teeth as she dabbed at his wounds. Producing a few bandages from a small pouch she kept strapped to her thigh, Elya carefully bound each of his cuts, taking care not to hurt him in the process.

"You're good at this," commented Cobalt, holding a wad of tissues to his nose.

"Mmhm," came Elya's quiet reply as she hunkered down.

His trousers were ripped, revealing a pair of bright-red skinned knees. He flinched as she cleaned the blood away, but what came out of his mouth was a quiet laugh.

"Yeah, they beat me pretty bad. But I like to think I gave as good as I got," he sighed, fluttering his wings.

"Who did this to you?" Elya asked, tossing bloodied cotton balls into a biohazard bin.

"Durnall and his cronies."

"Why?"

"No reason, I think. He just likes throwing his weight around."

Durnall was a fairly burly Oni boy, known for his brash attitude and violent temperament. Elya would often see him through the infirmary windows, getting into fights with whomever he could get his hands on. He was one of the reasons she didn't like going outside during lunch; in case he decided to pick on her.

Mother said that girls should be able to fight without mercy.

The minutes ambled on in comfortable silence as Elya continued her tender ministrations, carefully cleaning, disinfecting and binding each of Cobalt's many, many injuries. The Incubus just sat and watched her work with a smile on his face, looking unusually upbeat despite his wounds. As the Fallen worked, she noticed patches of blood soaked into the Incubus' shirt.

"Are you hurt... u- underneath...?" she asked, pointing to one of the damp patches.

Cobalt's eyes widened, as if he himself was unsure of this fact.

"Ah, might be. Hold on a minute..."

He pulled off his tie and placed it carefully on the bed beside him. It was an odd thing for a student to wear, as it didn't appear to be the same navy tie that was a part of the student uniform. The tie was dark grey in colour, with diagonal red lines.

"Oof. Dunno how I missed these."

Elya looked over at Cobalt, and nearly fainted.

He had casually pulled his shirt off, revealing a few contusions on his chest, as well as a small cut on his right pectoral. The Fallen stared, frozen in place, eyes bulging behind her alabaster bangs. She had never seen anybody shirtless before, never mind a boy. He just sat there with a calm smile on his face, idly coiling and unfurling his tail.

"Y- Y- Y- You-!" guttered Elya, pointing a quivering finger at him.

"These? Um... I think I remember Durnall getting a few good hits in at my chest. Nothing broken, though. I think," he replied absentmindedly, prodding his bruises.

She couldn't get anything resembling a coherent sentence out. Elya just stood there and gawked, entranced by the half-naked Incubus. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, and she was beginning to feel light headed.

"Elya, you okay? You're looking a little pale."

The Fallen staggered back onto one foot. Her wings quivered, causing her cartilage feathers to rattle.

Mother said only whores looked at the bare skin of others.

Her foot caught on the leg of the bed, causing her to topple backwards. As quick as a flash, Cobalt rushed forward and caught the Fallen, dropping to one knee as she fell into his arms. Feeling his bare flesh against her own skin only caused Elya to freak out further.

Mother told her not to get too close to anybody.

Frowning, the Incubus brushed her hair aside and pressed his hand against her forehead. It was pleasantly cool.

"Hm... You don't seem to be sick or anything..." he mused, pulling his hand away.

He looked directly at Elya and smiled sweetly.

"Oh wow. You've got some really nice eyes."

"Wh- What...?" she squeaked, her entire body paralysed with shock.

"I didn't see them through your hair, but... wow. Never seen green like that," laughed Cobalt, helping Elya back to her feet.

Mother told her to grow her hair to hide her face.

"U- Um...!" stammered Elya, feeling completely out of her depth.

She felt all kinds of emotions hit her at once. Unable to process it all, Elya just shook her head and began to treat the cut on Cobalt's chest, much to his bemusement. Working so close to him, however, began to have adverse effects on the Fallen. Her breathing grew laboured, and as she wiped his skin clean, she found her hands lingering where they shouldn't.

Mother said only whores let themselves feel this way.

Swallowing her feelings, Elya produced a bandage and bound the wind, before she backed away as quick as she could, nearly tripping over the nurse's desk as she did so.

"Heh, you should become a surgeon," Cobalt commented, looking genuinely impressed.

"I- I don't like knives..." she replied, fiddling with a long strand of hair.

Mother said girls should always have a blade to hand.

"Still... thanks for this, Elya," continued the Incubus, pulling his shirt back on.

Her heart squeezed whenever he said her name. What was wrong with her?

Once he was clothed and his tie was back where it belonged, Cobalt hopped off the bed and strode over to Elya, who gave a little peep of surprise as he approached. With a smile, he offered his hand.

"I don't really have any friends, so I was wondering if maybe you'd want to hang out some time?" he asked, cocking his head.

Mother said only whores had-

"I'm not being too forward, am I?"

Mother said-

"It's just... I think we'd make a good team, you know?"

But Mother-!

"Elya?"

"YES!" the Fallen suddenly screamed, grabbing the Incubus with both hands.

Cobalt's eyes widened at her sudden outburst, but he simply laughed it off and shook her hands. With a charming smile, he smoothed down his wrecked uniform and began to make for the door.

"Awesome. I'll talk to you at homeroom then, okay? This is gonna be fun!"

With a wave, he slipped out of the door, leaving Elya alone once more. Swallowing hard, the Fallen staggered over to the bed and lay down, clutching the medical journal close to her heart, which pulsed and pounded faster than it had ever beat before.

She took a sharp breath. What would Mother think of her...?

Shaking her head, Elya squeezed her eyes shut and kicked her legs excitedly.

"I'm sorry Mother... I think I'm in love...!"

 

~~~~~

 

Elya's eyes slowly peeled open. Why that dream? Why now?

It was such a long time ago... That fateful day when Cobalt stumbled into her midst, bruised and bleeding with a smile on his face. Her whole life, Elya had been suppressing her own wants and needs for the sake of someone else; it just felt so good to finally let her feelings loose. The moment Cobalt held her in his arms, she knew that was what she wanted.

To be with him.

He treated her like an equal, and always met her with a smile. Even when she overstepped her bounds and followed him around the campus, Cobalt would never get angry. He was Elya's first friend, and her first love.

But... she couldn't help but feel that he was in some way... different, back then... More confident, more carefree... More... passionate...

"What happened...?" she murmured aloud, staring at the stars through the hole in the ceiling.

As soon as she spoke, the excruciating pain in her stomach returned, causing the Fallen to scream in pain. The bullet had caused considerable damage, and though the hospital managed to remove it, stop the bleeding and stitch the wound, it still hurt like all Hell.

Rolling off the damp mattress, Elya clutched her stomach and slowly crawled towards a dusty cabinet, where Immoderata lay watching.

WHAT WOULD MOTHER SAY?

"Mother's dead..." guttered the Fallen, struggling to catch her breath.

ROTTING OUT BACK.

"Rotting out back..."

Taking a deep, painful breath, Elya reached up and took the dagger in her hands. Almost immediately, the pain ebbed away, allowing her to stand up straight. Clutching Immoderata tightly, she ran her finger along the edge.

YOU CAN'T DO THIS ALONE. YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ALONE.

She swallowed hard, feeling her freedom drain away.

"I know..."

Stowing the blade within her coat, she lurched over to the window and gazed out through the shattered pain, watching as the night wind whistled through the trees.

"Wait for me, my love..." she breathed.

She felt a cold tear trickle down her cheek.

"Please..."