"The wound is not too deep, but to compensate for the blood loss, we performed blood transfusion."

"What about discharge?" Kyoko asked.

"He can be discharged, come for follow up incase dizziness and malaise and take care of the dressing of the wound."
The doctor explained to Kyoko and Seto, who arrived a bit later after receiving an anxious phone call from Kyoko.

He put his hand on Kyoko's shoulder trying to reassure him. "You have a talk with Arnold, I will take care of the other procedure."

Mumbling a quiet thank you, he headed inside the ward, only to see a nurse blushing and giving Arnold occasional side glances. His worry was overwhelmed by jealousy and he cleared his throat.

Arnold, who was wearing an uninterested and annoyed expression, suddenly beamed at Kyoko.

"Here. Here." He excitedly patted the visitor seat besides him, only to wince in pain caused by his wound.

"Even a needle wound can be disastrous if one is careless." Kyoko lectured as he got to his side.

"Don't scold a sick person." He hugged Kyoko's waist and nuzzled his face on his bosom.

"Let me handle him, if anything happens I will call."
Kyoko subtly signalled the nurse to scram, ruffling Arnold's hair.

"Darlinggg your pheromones are seeping out, you jealous?" Arnold looked upwards, meeting the eyes of Kyoko.

The other party looked away and feigned ignorance to what he had just said. "Does it hurt a lot?"

"Hmm?"

"Your wound."

"It's not a big deal."

"I am sorry, it's because of that person.... you were with me, you got hurt."

Kyoko's eyes brimmed with tears, because of his selfishness Arnold got hurt. In his eyes, it was all his fault.

"The concept of a fated mate, I always hated that. Never could I come to terms with it."

Arnold announced suddenly and Kyoko could feel his heart sinking down his stomach.

He was even reminded of their first date, when he had excitedly rambled to Arnold about how he always wanted to meet his fated mate and how much he wanted to be with them. Arnold too had listened to his childish wishes and dreams, as Kyoko's eyes at that moment had sparkled so brightly that all of Arnold's galaxies could fit inside them, but rather than those stars in the sky Arnold would prefer to stare at Kyoko and Kyoko only.

But it was all breaking and crumbling down, his dreams and their starry sky.

Why after all this time? Am I not worthy? Is it because he got hurt in my stead?

Negative thoughts flooded inside Kyoko, losing himself in those never ending assumptions but he couldn't utter a word. He didn't have it in him to speak up; instead he just tightened his grip on Arnold, hoping that his internal plea would get through him.

On the other hand, Arnold continued.

"My mother who was an alpha married my beta father, for family relations and when she found her fated mate, without a thought she abandoned her children and her family. My father who had devoted all of his love to my mother couldn't bear it and being the only child out of three who was born an alpha, he pushed all of his pain on me. I was only 4 at the time. Maybe he saw her reflection in me, he directed all his hatred into making me more miserable. Since then, I resented my mother whole-heartedly as much as I resented the feeble concept of fated mates."

Even though it would have been considered a rather sad childhood, neither Arnold's voice nor his face showed any emotions as he concluded his story.

Kyoko finally let out a sob as tears fell down his cheeks uncontrollably.

"I didn't say that you make you cry. I am saying this because I want you to know more about me. The reason I want you to come with me to the Capital of Emerald, isn't because I hate Sethia, I also want you to see the place I grew up in, just like I know yours." Arnold pulled Kyoko on his lap, wiping off the tears from the latter's cheeks.

"So.. you.. you are not brea-breaking up with me?" Kyoko managed to form a sentence through his sniffles and hitches.

"Where did you get that idea from?"

"You hate fated mates and you got hurt because of me." Kyoko once again burst into tears, he was never the pessimistic type. Even during his brother's accident and his diagnosis, he had pulled Seto out of it with a smile on his face, supporting him with his cheering words, all solely for Seto's sake. But what was the point of acting strong and holding onto his pride if Arnold was going to disappear from his grasp too.

"That was before meeting you. I never thought, I would be able to understand my mother as much I do now. If she was also pursuing the happiness I have now, then she was at no fault. I would have done the same."
He cupped Kyoko's cheeks and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"You mean it?"

Capturing Kyoko's lips and dancing with them with his own, his face broke into a smile. "I mean it."

Kyoko chuckled, and he wrapped his hands around Arnold's neck as the latter's hand snaked around his waist, their hot breath brushed against each other, with hazy eyes Kyoko inched forward brushing his lips on Arnold's. Just when they were going in for another kiss the door flung open.

"We can go now! Oh- you can stay if you guys want." Seto closed the door, leaving the frustrated couple inside.