"Pandora's Box"

'-naochie03-': I'm so SORRY! I was inactive for more than a 'few' weeks. I was grounded, to sum it up. Lame excuse I know, but they confiscated EVERYTHING! Every little gadget that I needed to keep me SANE! Anyways, here it is! Hope you like it!

Summary: He sees her. But she cannot see him. He was with her half of her life, but she doesn't know. Strangely, an accident brought her life into chaos. And he knew he'd do anything to see her smile again. CxR. R & R.

Die – Normal POV

"Die"- Talking


"Pandora's Box"

Chapter One: Anemones

Dull mornings and lonely nights

I'll walk the days with you

Let you live, laugh and see the bright lights

I'll keep my promise, I'll really do

-Stanza I

Anemones.

White anemones.

Freshly bought and nicely wrapped in a pastel pink paper, he slowly made his way towards the front desk.

"Ah, Mr. Daemon isn't it?" the nurse kindly smiled at him, despite his odd appearance. The young man, around the youthful age of 17 or 18, meekly nodded with a small smile of his own.

"Room 201, 5th floor", she reminded him as she jotted down his name in the logbook.

He nodded again as he briskly walked towards his destination. His messy violet hair, which reached near to his waist, swayed as he hurried to the elevator.

Ding.

4th floor.

The queer haired teen sighed impatiently and nervously. He watched long and hard at the number of floors on the top.

The doors opened and entered a young blonde woman with a small child. She smiled at the young man out of politeness. She pressed '8th floor'.

Ding.

Curiously, the bright-eyed child stared at the man's unique, and not to mention rare, hair color. He giggled and tugged his mother's skirt. "Mama, look at that funny man's hair color! Its violet! Why is it so? Why not brown or yellow like the others?"

Embarrassed, the woman turned to her son. "Now, now…It isn't very nice to talk about other people", she scolded lowly to shush him up. The poor boy's expression quickly became crestfallen. "But...But M-mama!"

"Hush now."

Quietly listening to the pair, blood rushed to the young man's cheeks. Somewhat feeling sorry for the kid, he shyly smiled at his sad stare. "W-weird color right?" he pointed at his controversial hair.

To which, the boy's response was the pouting and trembling of his lower lip. The teen smiled at him encouragingly. "The young man is asking you a question sweetie", his mother told him gently. Timidly, the disappointed child peeked from the back of his mother.

The teen smiled again.

"Yes, it's pretty weird", the kid grinned suddenly. His mother, had shock evident on her face. She reprimanded him in a barely heard voice. But it was clear that her voice held humiliation and agitation.

"No, no…It's okay. It's kind of normal for me already" the teen interrupted, pitying the kid. "If you say so…But still…" the mother lightly nudged her son. Shamefacedly, the kid raised his head. "I'm sorry for being so rude…" he trailed off.

"It's okay."

After a few minutes of silence, the young mother noticed the bouquet of flowers he was holding. "Visiting someone?" she smiled.

Ding. 5th floor, finally. Pausing, he turned to the blonde.

He smiled again, "Yes, a friend", and made his way out.

-------- -------- -------- -------- ---------

Room 201.

Lifeless white walls matched with a white metal bed, a bedside table, a chair for the visitor, and a single bar-grilled window.

It was so…so…dull.

Very unfitting for a…hospital. It somewhat resembled an asylum or a prison. It was very unhealthy.

Sighing, the violet haired guy made his way toward the bedside table noiselessly. He then removed the flowers and placed them unto the vase, adding a little bit life to the room.

Seeing that there was nothing else to be done, he proceeded to do his usual routine. He dragged the chair, making as little noise as possible, right next to the bed and sat on it. His unusual crimson colored eyes scanned the person sleeping next to him.

Rich, silky honey-blonde hair was messily drawled out on the pillow. Pale complexion, having no color at all…Closed eyes paired with heavy eye bags…healing bruises and patched up nasty cuts…Her lips were chalky and bloodless…

It was hard for his eyes to look away, but he managed. Glancing down her body, he swallowed back the guilt and the remorse he had. The girl's neck had a couple of scratches and her right arm and left leg were both in a cast. He remembered what those limbs looked like before they were casted.

Her right arm was twisted in a gruesome angle, while her left leg was bent in a harrowing way. More than a few broken ribs were identified. Her legs were full of marks; some were recovering, leaving scars. But the others were hard to remove. Through the thin hospital clothes she wore, he eyed at the ugly wound that was mending itself.

God help him. If only he could have saved her in time…If only…

Shaking his head to get rid of such gloomy thoughts, he forced out a weak smile at the fragile figure next to him.

Gingerly, he took her good hand and stroked it affectionately.

"Rosette", he whispered. "It's me Chrno."

To be honest, he kind of felt stupid for talking to a person who was in a state of comatose. But nevertheless, the doctor suggested doing this method. It might help her 'wake up', as he put it.

So devotedly, he came to visit her every single day of the week.

"Hey Rosette", he began in a clear voice, "do you remember the time when we were paired up as lab partners back in…the ninth grade?"

Chrno chuckled lightly. "Yeah. We were suppose to mix some chemicals before. But seeing as how excited you were", he chuckled again, "you mixed all the chemicals that were laid on the table. Pouring one after another…" he lapsed into thought.

"I think you were competing with Anna at that time as to who would finish the experiment first", he tapped his chin thoughtfully. "We did finish first…but it wasn't entirely successful."

And then he laughed, completely forgetting the present situation he was in. "You were sent to Sister Kate afterwards, with an entirely soot covered face. But in the end, you were still triumphant…Well, after a 'friendly' talk both with Sister Kate again and Anna in her office."

And then, reality dawned him. The poor guy waited for her to speak up or to laugh with him, but as he took one swift glance of the unfortunate form next to him, he frowned.

"Oh Rosette", he sighed lamentably, "I do wish that you'd open your eyes."

He waited and stared at the unconscious face.

Chrno sighed again. "For me Rosette", he whispered desperately, "for me please."

Another uneventful moment passed. Still, nothing.

What was wrong with him? He asked her the same thing every single day. He begged.

Heaving a sigh, Chrno passed a hand through his hair. The violet haired teen said nothing more and just held her hand in comfortable silence.

----- ------ ----- ----- ----- -----

"Chrno…" a gentle voice called him.

Wait…whose voice was that? It seemed so entirely familiar to him. "Chrno…"

Cracking one crimson eye open, he found a small albino girl staring back at him with the same colored eyes. She seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief, the girl smiled at him.

"Hey…"he greeted groggily. Chrno sat up and yawned, still not letting go of the blonde's hands. Apparently, the snow-haired girl watched with sad eyes.

"Seems like you've fallen asleep", she began the conversation as she laid out some snacks on the bedside table. Chrno rubbed his eyes and nodded meekly.

"Did the doctor…?" she trailed off. Unhappily, he shook his head. "No developments. If that's what you're asking Azmaria."

"Oh."

They lapsed into silence. "By the way, did you eat already? You look tired, Chrno."

He was. He was of it all. He just wanted to crawl under the sheets of his bed and sleep. But he can't. This situation was slowly eating him away. The gods were really testing him. But he wasn't a superhero; he didn't have any magical powers or a trusty sidekick.

He was just human.

"Nah, I'm fine", he grinned. No, I'm not. As if on cue, his stomached betrayed him. It growled rather loudly. The small girl, called Azmaria, sighed worriedly and scanned his face.

Embarrassment flooded his cheeks. "Uhm…I can explain…"

Sympathetically, Azmaria touched his cheek. He shivered, her hand was so cold. "Chrno", she whispered, "you need to rest." And then she frowned.

"No, what about---"

"Listen to yourself", she argued quietly, "you know Rosette wouldn't want you this way either. Of all the people, you yourself would know what would she have said, right?"

Bingo.

She was right, in all the points. Chrno perfectly knew that Rosette would chew his head off with over exaggerated concern and worry, to top it off; she would have forced him to rest while lecturing him on the same topic.

"Yeah…You're right."

He gave on long worried glance at the wounded person upon the bed. Chrno bit his lip, murmured some words in her ear, and gave her hand one last squeeze before he let go.

It was more than painful for Azmaria to watch the whole scene. She felt like she needed to help those two, and not just because of that, but because they were both very dear to her heart.

"Don't worry Chrno, I'm sure things would turn out for the better", she gave a reassuring smile. With hopeful eyes, Chrno smiled back.

"I sure hope so, Azzy. I feel so…helpless. If I could only…turn back…the time…" he closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, "if only I was in time to save her…"

Azmaria tried to fight back the tears. She took one of his hands into both of her own and squeezed it encouragingly. "It…It wasn't your fault Chrno. Everything happens for a reason."

The look on his face was clear that he was nonplussed, but he let it slide. Chrno picked up his jacket and started for the door when Azmaria saw Rosette's fingers twitched.

"Chrno!" she called out excitedly. "Chrno! Look! It's Rosette!"

With his heart on his mouth, he rushed back in an alarmed pace and stood next to the shaken girl at the side of the bed.

Sure it was, the blonde's fingers twitched again.

Chrno didn't know what to feel. He just prayed silently. Though he could feel Azmaria trembling slightly on his side.

And then it happened.

Slowly, ocean-blue eyes opened.

They seemed to focus directly at Chrno's crimson ones.

He had to use all of his will power to stop his self from hugging the confused girl on the bed. But the next words she said made his world crumble.

Lips dry and quivering, she spoke in a feeble voice.

"Who are you?"


'-naochie03-': And done! Well, there you go! I know… a lot of questions, but sadly, you just have to wait for the upcoming chapters. I'll be focusing on this story for awhile, since I'm experiencing a writer's block on J.A.C. and W.H.C. So, sorry okay? Anyways, do review!

FINISHED: August 6, 2009

TIME FINISHED: 10: 40 PM

WHAT I'M WATCHING: NO RESERVATIONS…KUROSHITSUJI (-nosebleed-)