2 chapter 2

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

ii.

I PITY YOU

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

"Rafaela said you have to rest a lot."

Harley just nodded his head as Harith helped him move over to the bed. It was a challenge getting him to eat and take a bath. He refused to eat the food Harith had given, and, for some weird reason, he didn't want himself out of his dirty clothes. It soon occured to Harith that Harley didn't like going bare in front of him, and, reluctantly, he had to leave the mage in the bathroom alone in order to give him some privacy. Thank goodness nothing happened while Harley showered alone. Harith was afraid that he might slip due to fatigue.

Harley stopped all of a sudden when they got closer to the bed. He looked at it for a while, and Harith frowned when the mage doesn't seem like he wanted to go to sleep. "Harley, what's wrong? You need to sleep."

Harley looked at him and shook his head. Then, he pointed towards the floor.

Harith quickly understood what Harley was trying to say, and he gave the mage a gentle push from behind the back. "No, Harley, you don't sleep on the floor. You'll be sleeping on the bed. This isn't like that place anymore."

Harley seemed to hesitate and, again, he shook his head. He searched around for something. When he couldn't seem to find what he was looking for, he decided to grab Harith's hand instead and traced against his palm.

Is this really an order?

Harith's eyes widened, and he instantly pulled his hand away. He grabbed both of Harley's shoulders and forced him to look at him. "Harley, this is not like that place anymore. I am not ordering you, I just want you to get some rest. You have to stop treating me like I'm your master. I am not your master, understand? I'm not going to scold you if you make some kind of mistake."

Harley fidgeted a little and nodded. Slowly, he climbed over the bed, and Harith watched as he looked over his shoulder to see his reaction. When the mage noticed that he was still standing there, waiting for him to sleep, he moved to one corner of the bed and curled his body so that he took the least amount of space on the bed.

This was not how he wanted him to sleep.

"No, Harley," Harith said, letting out a sigh. He grabbed the mage's arm and tugged at it to get him to move. Harley was startled by the action, but he got up nonetheless to lay down properly. "When I say sleep on the bed, I didn't mean lie down like that. Just take as much space as you need, I'll sleep on the couch tonight. I don't know how long they made you sit in that cage, but I want to make you to get as comfortable as possible."

Harley blinked a few times before nodding. Harith gave him a small smile and pulled the blankets over his body. He waited a few minutes, and when he saw Harley's eyes started drooping, only then he went out of the room and headed downstairs. Just in case anything happens, he left the door open.

Harith blamed himself for what had happened to Harley. This was all his fault. He should've just followed the mage the moment he said that he was going alone. He knew that Harley was capable of handling things himself, but why did he not thought of anything bad that could happen? Looking at Harley now, he regretted every moment for not volunteering to follow him. If he had accompanied Harley on his mission, maybe Harley wouldn't have turned into this... this obedient child.

Harith let out an exhausted sigh before laying on the couch. He stared at the ceiling for a while, thinking about Harley. What was he going to do with him? Rafaela said that this was only temporary, but how long does he have to wait until Harley gets his memories back? But what was mostly on his mind was; what have they done to him for him to act like that? He could only think of the possible bad things that had happened, and he quickly shook his head. He should wait for Harley to tell it himself. If he started thinking about it now, he was surely going to head over to the forest to let off some steam.

He turned to lay on his side and closed his eyes. He was about to fall into slumber, when he heard a soft thud. He opened his eyes and found Harley curling up into a ball on the floor. How the mage got here without making a sound, he had no idea. But, right now, this had to be stopped.

"Oh my god," Harith said, groaning. He pinched the bridge of his nose before motioning towards the mage. Harley perked his head up when he heard him, and Harith pulled him up by his arm. "Harley, what do you think you're doing? I told you already, you are not sleeping on the floor."

Harley was quiet as he allowed himself to be dragged back upstairs. Harith led him back to the bed and pointed at the bed, instructing him to sleep on top of it already. Harley just stared at it before looking at the floor. Harith rubbed his face in frustration.

"No, Harley, not the floor," he said, patting on the bed. "You're sleeping here, got it?"

Harith was about to leave the room, when he felt Harley tugging at the back of his clothes. He spun around, and he raised a brow when Harley pointed towards the bed.

"Yes, you're sleeping on it," Harith said. But when Harley shook his head and pointed to him, Harith felt confused instead. He watched as Harley pointed to him again before pointing towards the bed. Now, Harith understood what he meant. "You want me to sleep with you?"

Harley looked down and fiddled with his fingers. Slowly, he nodded his head.

Harith smiled. "All right."

Harley's face lightened up, and it was the first time a smile made its way to his face ever since he got here. The mage climbed over the bed and observed him, waiting for him to sleep on it too. He didn't have to wait long, because Harith joined him within seconds, and they both were now under the blankets, sleeping next to each other.

Harith turned to the side and found Harley's back against him. He wanted to move closer and hug the mage like he would always do, but after remembering how Harley had tensed when he had embraced him, he didn't want to end up making the mage uncomfortable. So he decided that maybe it was best if he asks first.

"Harley?" he called, and the mage turned to the other side to look at him. "Is it okay if I hug you?"

Harley examined his face for a while. Then, he nodded his head. Harith could sense the mage's reluctance when he scooted closer, and he felt his body tense when he held him. But, after a few seconds, Harley's body relaxed, and Harith proceeded with tightening his embrace.

Harith couldn't help but still feel guilty that this happened to the mage. Nonetheless, he could only hope for the best tomorrow. His voice was soft when he spoke, "Goodnight, Harley."

He felt Harley bob his head.

— ❅ —

Harith slowly opened his eyes, and he was surprised to find himself not holding Harley anymore. He tilted his head a little and found said mage all curled up at the bottom corner of the bed. He moved into a sitting position and sighed. Why was Harley doing this to himself again? Surely, sleeping like that couldn't be comfortable.

He had no plans on waking Harley up, but he would do it just to get the mage to sleep properly. He shook Harley's shoulder a little, only to get a startled reaction. The next thing he knew, Harley had rolled off the bed, his body landing on the floor with a thump.

"Harley, are you okay?" Harith asked worriedly. The mage slowly pushed himself up and nodded his head. Harith wasn't buying any of it though. "Harley, it's okay to admit when you're hurt. And why were you sleeping like that? I told you to take as much space as possible."

Harley used a hand to rub his elbow while he shook his head. He then slowly got up, and Harith noticed how he wrapped a hand over his stomach. And, with his enhanced hearing, he could hear a low growl emitting from it.

"Are you hungry?" Harith asked. Harley lowered his head and played with his fingers. He took it as a sign that he was. "Come on, I'll go cook us something to eat."

Harley was surprised by his sentence, and Harith could guess that he wasn't given much food back when he was captured. He didn't need to see this to know though. Just by looking at the mage's body, he could already tell that they barely give him anything to eat.

"But, before that," Harith walked over to his dresser and started searching in the drawers. He took out a notebook and pen before giving it to Harley. The mage accepted it with a confused look, and Harith couldn't help but smile at his expression. "Use that if you want to tell me something. Since you can't talk at the moment, this should help us communicate."

Harley stared at the notebook in awe before giving him a grin.

Harith led Harley downstairs and asked him to just wait at the dining table. Usually, Harley was the one that cooks them both breakfast. But, since he just returned from his captivity, there was no way Harith was going to let him do any of the house chores. All the mage needed was rest, and he wanted him to relax from the all the things that had happened to him.

As Harith cooked them both some scrambled eggs, he noticed Harley peering from behind him. The mage watched in silence as he cooked, and Harith had to hold back a laugh when Harley's face was all curious. This was the exact opposite from his Harley. The usual Harley would know a lot of things, but this one—he was like an inquisitive child. Harith missed Harley being the all know-it-all, but this Harley was fun to watch too.

He served them both scrambled eggs, and he observed as Harley stare at his food for a while before looking at him. Harith was about to feed himself some food, but he paused midway when he noticed Harley staring at him. It was as if he was seeking approval again.

"Harley, you have to stop looking at me as if you're asking permission. You can do whatever you want," Harith said, frowning. "I told you many times, this isn't like that place before."

Harley fidgeted a little on his chair before proceeding to grab the pen Harith had given him. He started writing down something, and Harith had to look over the table to see what he was writing.

Is this really an order?

Harith glowered at the words written on the paper. This was the exact same question Harley asked last night before climbing on the bed. For some weird reason, Harley was always assuming that his words were a lie and an order.

"Why?" Harith asked, and Harley's face perked up at his words. Harith repeated, "Why do you keep asking if this is a real order?"

Harley lowered his head before writing again. Harith waited for a while, and he looked what Harley had written when the mage showed him the paper.

They would sometimes lie.

Harith's face instantly turned solemn. He knew that 'they' referred to Harley's captors, but he had trouble trying to understand what he was trying to say. "What do you mean, Harley?"

The mage wrote something again.

They would ask me to do something, and then they would say they don't want me to do it.

Harith watched as Harley's hand trembled a little as he held the pen.

They will say I disobeyed them, and then they will—

Harley stopped writing and stared at the paper in front of him. Slowly, his eyes drifted to his bandaged arm, and Harith knew what was implied.

They would hurt him after that.

"Hey," Harith called, placing a hand on top of Harley's. Harley winced a little at his touch, but he didn't pull away. Harith continued, "Harley, I will never do something like that. When I insist you to do something, it's because I want you to do it—for your sake. Trust me, the last thing I want is for you to get hurt. Again, I'm sorry that all of this happened to you. From now on, I'll protect you, okay?"

Harley looked like he was taken aback by his words, judging by how wide his eyes had grown. The mage then looked down thoughtfully before writing something again.

Thank you.

— ❅ —

"Since you won't be training for a while, how about you hang out at the cafeteria or something?"

Harith watched as Harley shook his head and pointed to him. Harith had insisted him to sit somewhere where it wouldn't be boring, but it seemed that Harley was determined on following him to the training room. It wasn't as if Harith had anything against him coming along, but the training room could get a little dangerous when he is instructed to use his full power.

Right now, Harley was in his casual clothes—something he would wear at home. Harith usually hated it whenever he wears something that reveals his arms or legs—which is why he prefers him wearing his magician clothes—but since Harley had chosen these clothes to wear, he would just allow it.

Harith looked at the mage and found his face determined. He sighed and smiled. "Fine. But you have to promise me to just sit at the sitting area. I don't want you near me when I use my powers, okay?"

Harley looked at him thoughtfully for a while before nodding.

Harith showed Harley where the sitting area was at. He observed as the mage had his eyes widened, his head turning to each side every few seconds. It seemed that Harley was awestruck with the place, and Harith felt like chuckling at his reaction—because he had no idea what was so interesting about the training room.

"Now, you sit here while I train, okay?" Harith said and started heading towards the battle area. When he heard footsteps padding across the floor, he sighed and turned around. He found Harley following exactly from behind him. "Harley, you have to stay there. I don't want you to get hurt."

Harley lifted the notebook he gave earlier and started writing on it. Then, he flipped it around so that Harith could see what was written.

Leave?

"No, I'm not leaving you. I'll be right over there. See?" Harith pointed towards the battle area not far from the sitting area Harley was supposed to stay. Harley looked at him as if he was searching for confirmation, and Harith smiled reassuringly at him. "Yes, it's right over there. I'm not going to leave you. I promise."

Harley lowered his head and nodded. Reluctantly, he started heading back to the sitting area. Harith stole a glance behind him and found Harley's eyes onto him. It looked like Harley was going to stare at him in case he wasn't true to his word. Either way, Harith doesn't mind. Usually, Harley loves watching him train—though, the mage never admits that—so he guessed that it became a habit even though he couldn't remember.

— ❅ —

It took him a few hours, but, finally, Harith was done with his training. He started motioning towards the sitting area, and he was surprised to find Harley still looking at him. The mage has his knees drawn to his chest, and his face propped over his knees. He thought that the mage might have fallen asleep while waiting—since it wasn't like he had enough rest before this—but his eyes were still glued onto him. But when Harith approached closer to him, he realised that Harley was somewhat trapped in a daze. His eyes were staring at him, but not directly at him. Harith wanted him to return to his senses by waving a hand in front of him, but it seemed he wouldn't snap out of it.

"Harley?" Harith called, waving a hand in front of the mage. There was no response. Harley continued to stare at him with those empty eyes. Harith decided to shake him by the shoulder. "Harley, are you–"

Harley finally snapped out of his stupor when he shook him. Though, the action made him jolt. The Mage Genius blinked a few times at him before realising that he had finished training.

"You all right?" Harith asked, and Harley responded with a nod of his head. There was a faint smile on the mage's lips, but Harith couldn't help but notice that it looked forced. It made him frown. "I was planning to bring you to the city, but if you're tired, we can–"

Harley shook his head and stood up. He picked up his notebook and pen before heading towards the door.

"Harley, wait," Harith said, grabbing the mage's arm. He made sure that his hold was gentle, since his arm was still wrapped in bandages. The mage stopped and turned around to look at him. "We don't have to go if you don't want to. I know you're still tired from all of this. We can just sit at home and watch a movie."

Harley stared at his face for a while before shaking his head. He took out his notebook and started scribbling onto it.

We can go.

Harith lifted his head to look at him. "You sure?"

Harley nodded.

"If you want, then let's go," Harith said, leading the way to the city. "But the moment you feel tired, tell me, okay?"

Harith made sure to keep an eye out on Harley's body language, just in case he was tired but won't admit it. Harley seemed to be walking fine despite his legs still covered in wounds. The mage kept looking around the city, his face wonderstruck as his eyes landed onto the people and the stalls around.

"Harith! Harley!"

Harith turned his head to the side and found Claude and Kimmy approaching him. The two of them looked like they were walking around. Well, it was only natural that they would want to spend time together, since today was their day off from training.

"Hey, I didn't know you would be out here," Kimmy greeted, a smile making its way to her lips. She then glanced to the side to look at Harley. "Are you okay now? Did Rafaela help you heal some of your wounds?"

Harley looked down at his bandaged arm and nodded. Harith noticed how the mage moved closer to him when Kimmy and Claude started to examine him.

"Well, at least he's all right now," Kimmy said, her smile slowly fading. She then focused onto Harith. "Is there any luck that his memories are going to return?"

"Rafaela said that we need something to trigger his memories, but she's not sure what's going to trigger it," Harith said, frowning. "I guess we'll just have to wait until it triggers itself."

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll remember soon," Claude commented, giving Harith a pat on the shoulder. His eyes then darted between Harith and Harley. "Anyway, what brings you two here?"

"I just want Harley to stretch his legs. God only knows how long they kept him in that cage," Harith said, his voice low. He gave Harley a side glance and found the mage fidgeting nervously. "I guess we'll get going now. We're just going to see whatever is here."

"Let's go together then!" Claude said, a wide grin on his face. He then intertwined his arm with Harith. "The more the merrier."

Without Claude and Kimmy noticing, Harith gave Harley a questioning look. He would ask Kimmy and Claude to go somewhere else if they were making Harley uncomfortable. But when Harley responded with a small nod of his head, he smiled and let them join them.

Harith made sure that Harley wasn't standing in between Kimmy and Claude, since he looked really anxious whenever the two of them tries to get near to him. Meanwhile, the two marksmen rambled about Valir starting a fire with Ruby at the park to impress some kids, only to burn down the whole playground. No one was hurt, but they both got scolded by Alucard and some other heroes. Harith wasn't surprised that this happened. It wasn't like this was the first time. Sometimes, his friends take things to the next level.

"You should've seen Valir's face. He turned as white as a sheet the moment Aurora arrives," Kimmy said, trying her best to hold back a laugh. She turned her face to the side. "Some even said that he– wait, where's Harley?"

Harith stopped and looked to the side, only to find said mage gone. He started glancing around, but found no signs of the mage. There were only random people passing by, and Harith could feel his heart beating faster when he couldn't find Harley.

"Harith, whatever you do, stay calm," Claude said slowly, his tone sounding like a mother who was trying to prevent her child from panicking. "I'm sure he's just–"

"Harley!" Harith called, his eyes scanning the crowd. There was still no sight of him. "Harley, where are you?!"

"Damn it, this is not good," Kimmy muttered, her eyes looking around. "Harley!"

"Harley!" Claude called, his hands cupping around his mouth. "Oi, Harley!"

This was bad. Harith could feel his magic slowly starting to stir inside him, and if he doesn't find the mage now, he was surely going to end up hurting a few people. He was usually good at controlling his magic, but the moment he starts panicking like this, it feels like all of his self-control was gone.

Suddenly, Harith felt a tug at his clothes, and he spun around to see who it was. Words couldn't tell how relieved he was when he saw Harley, who was smiling as he pointed towards a cat. However, instead of looking at where the mage was pointing, he grabbed both of his shoulders, making Harley drop his notebook and pen.

"Where the hell were you?!" Harith couldn't help but shout, making Harley flinch. He gave the mage's shoulders a tight squeeze. "Do you have any idea how worried I was? What were you doing? Why did you disappear like that–"

He stopped the moment he saw Harley's eyes widening in fear. Quickly, Harith released him, and he watched as the mage slowly took a step back, his body trembling a little. It instantly filled him with regret, and he was about to apologise, but he froze when Harley started kneeling on the ground, his head lowered.

"What–" Harith couldn't find the right words at the moment. He waited for a few seconds, but Harley continued to kneel in front of him. "Harley, what are you doing?"

Harley slowly lifted his head and blinked a few times. Then, he looked around before grabbing his notebook. He started writing on it, and Harith took a step closer to see what he was saying.

Punish?

Kimmy gasped when she saw the words written, and Claude just had his eyes widened. Harley just looked up at him in anticipation, as if he was waiting for him to hit him. Harith couldn't believe it. He knew that they did something to Harley that made him very obedient, but he didn't expect for him to end up like this.

He really needed to be more careful with how he acts around him.

"I'm sorry," Harith said, his voice quiet. He dropped to his knees and bent over to hug the mage. He felt Harley tense under his hold, but he didn't have to wait long before Harley returns the hug. "I'm so sorry for yelling at you. It's just– you almost gave me a heart attack, you know?"

Harley pulled away and stared at his face. He then started writing something on his notebook and lifted the thing in front of him.

Sorry.

"No, it's not your fault. I should have seen where you were going," Harith said, an apologetic look on his face. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Slowly, he forced himself to smile a little. "Now, what were you going to show me again?"

Harley smiled and pointed to the direction where he showed him a few minutes ago. Harith looked at where he was pointing and found a cat all snuggled up against a wall of a building. Harley then motioned towards the cat and started rubbing its ears. Harith, Kimmy and Claude followed him, and they all watched in content as the cat merely rubbed his head against Harley's hand.

"Hey, Harith?" Kimmy suddenly whispered, and he turned his head to the side to look at her. Her voice was low, as if she didn't want Harley to hear her. Harith stole a glance at Harley and found him currently distracted with the cat. He focused back onto the marksman mage. "Try not to yell at him next time, okay? When you raised your voice at him just now... he looked terrified."

"I know," Harith responded, his voice almost inaudible. He looked at Harley again. "I'll remember not to do it again."