Disclaimer: Full Moon Wo Sagashite and its characters belong to Arina Tanemura.
A/N: I joined this 30angsts community on LJ and thought I would post my Izumi/Meroko themes up here. As the community demands, all the chapters will indeed be angsty.
My heart stopped pumping
But my blood is still alive.
--Cat Faces by Ugly Casanova
Theme: Killing for the Sake of Killing
The Hospital Bed
Only a few weeks ago was she born again, bursting from an egg, alive, restless, breathless, curious to know her name and her whereabouts and of the dull throb in her wrists. Only a few days ago did she meet this man, Izumi. She knew she loved him right away; he was beautiful and she loves beautiful things. And from now on, until forever, they are to be together. Partners. And Meroko can scarcely believe her good luck - forever has just begun.
She has told him that she likes him already and she repeats it often, sometimes loudly, sometimes softly, but always with the same sincerity. He usually gives her no reply, which is fine: you can't rush love, after all. She told him once again this morning and this time, he made a response, though it was not the one she had hoped for.
"You won't later this evening."
And now Meroko is behind him, her hands tightly gripping her skirt, slender fingers lost in the fabric. They are shinigami and this is their first mission. She has entertained herself with romantic, tragic, beautiful fantasies of this moment for the entire duration of her training. As she watches his long, deft fingers draw a chalk circle on the wall of this hospital, she thinks that this is already more exciting than what she had imagined. He casts a spell too quickly for her to catch and as usual, she is full of admiration for her partner. The wall ripples like water and he sinks through without effort, trusting her to follow - which she does without thought.
"Where is he, Izumi?" She asks, barely able to conceal her excitement. Her eyes fall upon the wicked scythe that has just appeared in his hand without ceremony or warning and he silences her with a glare, nodding toward the center of the room.
The child in the hospital bed is dwarfed by the machinery and the tubes entering and leaving his frail body. He can't be older than seven, but Meroko didn't read the file. His breathing is slow and laboured with a wheeze on every exhale so loud that it seems like his soul is already trying to escape. The room is illuminated by one weak light hanging over his head, casting a halo over his lank hair and lending a jaundiced tone to his papery skin. Suddenly, this is not as glamorous as she had thought it would be.
Slowly, the boy turns his head toward them, the motions of his neck halting and starting as if collecting energy to finish the action. He does not open his eyes and Meroko reaches a hand toward him that Izumi stops with firm fingers around her thin wrist.
"Why do we do this?" She asks in a whisper, though it is doubtful the boy can hear her.
"Do you think he wants to live?"