I continued to hold my dear friend in my arms. Not once had I thought that I would see him so helpless and possibly near death. That's why I had joined Iyada. Yes, I had gone into Sora's head that day but I had only thought that to be normal. Roaming through his thoughts and uncovering two different secrets, one of which I still keep to myself. But it is that secret which gave me that extra push that I needed to get into this group of assassins, I remember that he freaked out a bit when I asked him what Iyada was. His atempt to lie about it was highly amusing as well, he could never lie. Not to me or his mother at least. When I went to his aunt to request that I be a part of this team she was skeptical at first because I really had no reason what so ever to join. Believe it or not I did. My reason... is to protect the one I hold dear. And I failed him.

Sora still thinks I had no choice, but to go with team because I had uncovered a secret group within the government and I choose to still let him believe that. Seriously now, wish I hadn't played all those games with him. I love him more than I can even say in words and I always have. Originally it was because I wanted him to admit it first, he knows he can say anything to me yet he's still afraid of what I may do. One things for sure, I will not deny him...

The body in my arms shifts and I hear a gurgled and low moan. I hold him closer so he could feel my body heat. If remember correctly, my mother said that when someone was hypothermic not to let them sleep for more than two hours at a time. I glance at the clock, one more hour and I'll have to wake him up. Why? Why can't I just tell him myself? Because I'm afraid too, that's why. We both love each other, but what happens if it doesn't work out? I used to not worry about such things, but I guess joining Iyada changed the way I looked at the world. Now I look at all the possibilities including the worse case scenario.

"Three years..." I whisper, setting my purple gaze on the other boy. "Three years ago I wasn't here with you when I should have been..."

Three years back started his neverending nightmare. Not long after his 12th birthday his Uncle Jim passed away in a car accedent. Then I left with my parents for Germeny soon after, leaving him alone. Well he wasn't alone persay, he still had his mother and sister, but that didn't seem to last. On his 13th birthday he had called me and was in tears. Apparently his grandmother was being a total bitch to him again. She's hated him since he was born, said that he was nothing but a trophy of his mother being a slut. Isn't that a bit extream? I mean it's not Sora's fault. But one thing was certain, that his grandfather loved him. It was Sora's birthday and his grandmother gave Rachel a gold locket and didn't give him anything, but glares and insults. He stayed hidden in his room until his mom call him down for cake. When he went into the kitchen his birthday cake was on the floor and his grandmother told him to eat it like that because it was dirty, just like him. Sora just left the house at that point and went to Grandpa Jake's bar where he saw his granfather and mine chatting. Seeing how upset he was Grandpa closed the bar and called me. I talked with Sora for about two hours while he was at the bar and when he told me that he had to get back because the sun was going down, I knew that he didn't want to go home. Since his grandfather was giving him a ride it only took him 10-15 minutes to get back. So I called him at his house 20 minutes after he left the bar. We talked more and he seemed to calm down until he heard yelling from downstairs. Then he saw his little sister throw the necklace that she was given at their grandmother and told her off. Rache was never one to stand for someone hating her older brother and neither was I, that's when I decided to tell my mother I wanted to go home. But then in November another piece of his world came crashing down...

There is still no way to convince him that he's not to blame for what happened. Sora couldn't help getting sick that day and I wish I could have gotten back in time to prevent this as well. So I guess I'm partly to blame too. The news of the violent rape and murder of his sister crushed us all. And another piece of Sora's spirit was shattered... I was there for her funural, but there was nothing I could say that would ease his pain and then his mother tried to kill him. Another piece of him gone. He tries and tries, but everything just keeps giving him pain. It seems like something or someone wants him to go through this continueous torment.

"Tracey?"

I was so deep in thought I almost didn't hear my friend's raspy voice. "How do you feel?"

"Cold..."

"You're hypothermic." I say softly, "I'm going to get you something hot to drink. You understand 'drinking', right?"

"Yeah..."

"Good. Stay put and please don't go back to sleep." I see him nod slightly then I remove my self from the bed and witness him moving over to the spot where I had just been. Taking in that last look I went to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate.

My mother said it was a known fact that when someone has hypothermia it is plossible that they may not know drinking as a concept. It was a good thing she's a doctor. I put the water on to boil and prepare a mug with the choco powder. "He woke up on his own..." I say under my breath. Not that I was angry about it, but concerned. When Sora has an illness of any kind he usually needs to be woken up. A nightmare perhaps? Or curious to know where he was.

The kettle whistled and I quickly took it off the burner. I hate that whistling. I make the drink then proceed back to my room. "Sora, you-" I stopped mid sentence due to that Sora was nowhere in sight. I placed the mug down on the nightstand and pulled back the blankets on my bed. My eyes widened when I gazed upon a good some of blood. "This is way too much if he just got sick... Sora?!" I got no response in words but I felt a gentle breeze fill my room. I shifted my attention to my window, which was open. Carefully I approach it, looking down to the backyard I see someone lying amongst the snow covered grass. "Sora!"

That wasn't going to help his hypothermia. I took off as quickly as I could and exited through the back door. I was at his side within seconds and I noticed that the sweatshirt I had placed him in was missing, plus the snow was red not mention his back was wet. Not from the snow, but from blood. I lifted the boy into my arms like I had previously in the night, but as much concern I did have for him at this moment something else caught my attention. On the ground were a number of black feathers. "What the..."

The next morning I held him in my arms even closer than I had done earlier. I woke him up every two hours and took his temp everytime I did so. He still wasn't completely well, but he was doing better. He looked at me with tired sapphire eyes, but I couldn't let him go back to sleep for another 45 minutes.

"Tracey, what's the matter?" his voice was still a somewhat raspy.

"I'm just thinking. Do you remember what happened last night?"

"On the mission? Yeah, a little."

"After that. You woke up last night, then I went to get you something warm to drink. But when-"

"No!"

"Sora?"

His breathing became ragged and he was shaking a bit more than he had been. "I-I don't remember...."

Seeing his discomfort I decided against going in his head. Chances are in his state right now he would have thrown me out and I won't press the issue. But it still makes no sense. The blood, the feathers, how he got outside. It didn't make any sense at all. If he was hurt, wouldn't he have screamed or something? What the hell's going on?

"Trace..."

"Hm?"

"Are you mad?" the questioned souned like he was ashamed.

"No, if you don't remember, you don't remember."

"I-I'm kinda hungry..."

"Okay. I'll get you some soup." I was almost hesitant to get out of the bed. What if that happened again? But I did respect his wishes and got up and once again went to the kitchen. I make haste in preparing his food, no time for fancy stuff like Jason would do. Canned soup is quick and simple and the sooner I got this done, the sooner I would be back at his side.

Minutes later the food was done and ready to eat. I made my way back down to my room again witnessing an interesting sight. Sora sat on the mattress curled up in a tiny ball.

"Make it go away..." he sobbed.

"Sora?" I took a few steps towards him, placing the bowl of food in the nightstand. "Make what go away? What's the matter?"

"It hurts..."

I sat on the bed, pulling the other boy into an embrace. His trembling became nothing more than a simple shiver. "What hurts? Sora, tell me."

"My right shoulder blade..."

"Your shoulder blade?" I rubbed his back in a soothing manner, then my eyes went wide as I made a connection. His birthmark...