Porphyric Hemophilia
Chapter 2
Naru was slowly waking up.
She yawned for a second, and then slowly opened her eyes. Her mind was still caught between sleep and consciousness. The world remained as a single blur, soon to clear and sharpen itself as she slowly blinked.
Curiously, all Naru could see above her was a clear blue sky. The sunlight carefully warmed her, while a gentle breeze caressed Naru's skin. Despite the odd moment of comfort, Naru could not help but suddenly realize where she was. All of this certainly did not seem right. If Naru recalled correctly, she was at the Hinata Apartments. Unless something was completely off, or if she was sleeping outside all of a sudden, Naru had reason to suspect something was going on.
Either that or she had launched Keitaro out of her room the night before and was peering up through the hole the three-time ronin had exited through.
The moment the thought of Keitaro entered her mind, Naru suddenly saw his face hovering over her. He looked at her, a kind smile on his face, as usual. For a split second, Naru felt herself blush. No doubt, Keitaro would find it…bizarre…that she was sleeping outside the inn.
A cruel thought suddenly crossed the tempered and conditioned part of Naru's mind. What was Keitaro doing watching her sleep? Better yet, why was he doing that? If the pervert even dared to do anything to her while she was sleeping…
But of course, that was the one part of Naru. On the other, Naru could not help but welcome the sight of Keitaro. On a certainly more positive outlook, Naru noticed Keitaro's expression – a caring smile and pair of eyes as warm and loving as the sunlight washing over her. There was something about the way Keitaro looked at her. His smile told Naru he was caring, but was also quite nervous. But in addition, there was something both heart-warming and sorrowed.
Naru wondered about that for a second. What would Keitaro possibly be so sad about?
For that, Naru knew Keitaro could not have done anything perverted this time, as much as her pre-developed instinct would have wanted to say otherwise. And especially for that, she wanted to talk to him more than ever. For a moment, Naru wondered if this was a dream – her, lying out in the sunlight with Keitaro so close to her. There was something about it, something that just seemed right.
If so, was it one of those dreams? Naru smiled at the thought – it was something even she wasn't willing to fully admit she enjoyed once a while. She tried to open her mouth to greet Keitaro.
But she could not.
Naru tried to open her mouth, but realized there was something keeping it shut. Someone had tied something around her mouth. Naru tried to remove it with her hands. She then realized her hands were bound tightly at her side. She tried to move, but all of her limbs were tied up and secured.
Naru tried to scream, but her cry was muffled. She looked up at Keitaro, staring back into his sorrowed eyes. Did he do this to her? What was going on? Keitaro looked up across from him. Naru then saw Kitsune's face.
Thank goodness! Naru thought, knowing that her foxy best friend was here. If Kitsune could help untie her, Naru was going to either get one hell of an explanation from Keitaro, or simply launch him into orbit.
Kitsune, however, did not help, despite Naru's muffled cries for help. She merely looked on, her eyes wearing a similar look of sadness as she looked at Naru. More faces came into Naru's sight – Shinobu, Motoko, Su, and Haruka.
Shinobu cowered slightly behind Motoko. She was saddened just like Keitaro and Kitsune, but in particular, she was frightened. What would Shinobu be so scared of? The younger girl may have always been as she was, but this time, Shinobu was wearing a look of genuine horror mixed between tears as she looked at Naru. Shinobu eventually broke eye contact and looked away.
Motoko was different. There was a noticeable glance of regret in her eyes, but there was also something greater that was resolute and adamant behind it. Motoko's hands were tightly clasped around the hilt of her katana, as though she was ready to unsheathe and strike in a moment's notice. There was something else about her eyes, something that sent a jolt of fear up Naru's spine. Her iron stare was untrusting and cold as she watched Naru.
Su was often energetic and bouncing off the walls. The young princess of Molmol was always like that, and it was a type of energy that – despite being easily on the upper fringes of annoyance – was welcoming and friendly, at least. This time, Su looked at Naru with a pair of serious and certainly unwelcoming eyes. Like Shinobu, Su eventually broke eye contact and looked away.
Haruka's expression could have been considered the same as usual. She was always calm and collected, and not easily fazed. Those same qualities appeared in her, but Naru could not help but swear there was something else behind her eyes. There was something serious, something that unnerved Naru greatly as Haruka looked at her.
What's going on? Naru thought, as she tried to move once more. What are they doing? Why aren't they helping me?
Naru cried for help, looking from each sets of eyes to the other. If she could, she would have begged, even, to get help. But still, they did nothing, save for maintaining their unfriendly and unnerving glares.
Haruka opened her mouth and spoke while motioning her hand. Strangely, Naru could not hear what she was saying. Her voice was muffled and faded. The others then walked off. Naru tried to sit up and see where they were going to, but her bindings prevented her from moving too far. In doing so, however, Naru then realized she was lying on top of a simple wooden plank. Something definitely seemed wrong.
Naru struggled, trying to break free and get some answers, but she stopped as soon as she realized she was moving. The wooden plank was lowering into the ground, with her on it. Foot by foot, Naru was lowered underground, watching helplessly as the four walls of black dirt began to grow and tower over her.
Suddenly, something fell on Naru's face. She shook her head, shaking off whatever it was that dropped on her. It was dark in colour, but was dry and loosely compacted. Naru then realized it was dirt. She began to panic. Something was very, very wrong. Overhead, Naru spotted a brief glimpse of a shovel. Almost immediately after, another pile of dirt fell on top of her.
And then another, and another, and another.
A horrifying thought suddenly crossed by Naru. She knew why she was here, lowered into the ground and tied up. Her closest friends and family were burying her. This place she was in – it was her grave.
Naru tried to scream. She cried out, desperately calling for them to stop. Sadly, Naru's cries fell on deaf ears. Everybody above continued to pile the dirt and mud on top of Naru. She tried again and again to break free from her bonds, all the while, the dirt slowly settled on top of her.
Eventually, Naru found she was almost unable to move. What little motions Naru could muster did nothing under the mass of dirt she was being buried under. By now, her body was completely covered. Naru cried out again and again, screaming for mercy, screaming for them to stop – but yet, the residents of the Hinata Apartments continued to shovel the dirt into her grave.
Looking up, Naru saw the clear blue sky above her. It was the last thing she would see before a handful of dirt fell over top of her face, followed by several others, leaving Naru in a suffocating darkness.
Naru woke up.
The moment her eyes opened, she sat up in her futon. She reached her hands out and felt around her body. Naru was no longer bound. Looking around, she recognized the area. She was in her room. No, she wasn't outside or lying in a freshly dug grave. Naru was here – in her room, in her futon amongst her sheets and her blanket.
Naru ran a hand through her hair. She was drenched in cold sweat. Her heart rapidly beat inside her chest while her hands shook uncontrollably. Goosebumps formed along the surface of her skin as Naru recollected her nightmare. It had looked and felt so real. Naru could still feel the dry texture of the dirt as it slowly buried her.
Naru tried to push the nightmare from out of her mind. She tried hard to forget it, but as hard as she would, the nightmare only returned to her in greater force. Naru moved her limbs again, reminding herself that she was not tied up as she was from her nightmare. A slight chill passed over the seventeen year old girl – a reminder of the panic that settled in the moment she was lowered and buried. In particular, Naru was being buried by her closest friends, the people she considered her real family.
What did it mean? Why was it happening? Naru tried to find reasons – anything for why the other residents looked upon her like that, or why they would be doing that to her.
After a fruitless moment of thought, Naru was forced to rest herself. She was suddenly not feeling all too well. Her head ached painfully and the affects of dizziness began to take its toll. Clutching the sides of her head, Naru resisted the urge to cry. She was feeling sick – or worse. Looking down at her hands, she realized how pale and clammy her skin looked. The way her head churned and the sickly feel of cold and damp sweat seemed uncomfortably familiar.
Was she sick? If anything, Naru was sure of that. Why else would she be feeling and looking so terrible, or perhaps even being the victim of strange nightmares? She was running around outside in cold weather with nothing but a light jacket, after all. Naru had to have gotten a cold, at least. But if so, why did her head hurt so much? Was it supposed to hurt like this?
"Narusegawa?" a quiet and familiar voice whispered at her door.
Her door opened slightly and a head peeked into Naru's room. Naru tried to steady herself, but it was difficult to do so with her head feeling as though it was split open. Her door opened further and somebody entered Naru's room. As soon as she caught sight of the person's face, her dream suddenly flashed once again.
"…Keitaro?" Naru's voice was barely a whisper.
Keitaro came close, dropping to a knee right next to Naru's futon. He was nervous, perhaps at the thought of being this close to Naru and in her room, but he smiled kindly. If anything, Keitaro had to have been concerned. Deep down, Naru had to admit, it was naturally him.
"Are you…okay?" he asked rather timidly.
"I'm fine, Keitaro." Naru straightened herself out for a second and tried to get up. She wanted to prove she was okay, at least.
Suddenly, she felt her strength drain. Her head ached once again, throbbing and pulsating with greater force the longer she tried to stay up. She clutched the sides of her head, trying desperately to steady herself. She could feel herself sway, and eventually, fall.
"Narusegawa!"
Keitaro's hands held onto her and pulled her towards him. His hands…they were so…warm. It wasn't an overbearing type of warm, but something kinder and gentler – something that felt closer to that of an embrace. Naru closed her eyes for a moment, almost accidentally, as her head rested against Keitaro's chest.
Seconds later, she realized what was going on. Keitaro was too close to her. A part of her jolted, cried out for action. The pervert could be coping a feel, or worse, was planning on doing more, now that Naru was weakened. By instinct, Naru slowly balled her fist, ready to launch the ronin into orbit, as usual.
Strangely, it never came.
Keitaro placed his hand on Naru's forehead. She could feel herself blush scarlet as she felt that same warm hand on her head. She screamed and wanted to do something, but her usual response never came. Why were Keitaro's hands so…comforting?
And why was she so powerless in them?
"You're burning up, Narusegawa, you're still sick" Keitaro said as he carefully laid Naru back into her futon.
"…Keitaro?" Naru tried to speak, but she hushed by Keitaro.
"You should rest, Narusegawa. Don't worry, everything going to be fine. I'll be back in a bit, okay? I just wanted to check up on you."
With that, Keitaro got up and slowly exited Naru's room. All the while Naru stared at the door, and eventually turned over on her side.
For a moment, Naru had felt so vulnerable and powerless. In a way, she was. Of course she felt tired and drained of her strength. Keitaro said she was burning up. Her temperature must have been abnormal – therefore, it all pointed directly to her being sick. Of course, she obviously wouldn't be at peak strength. Otherwise she would have felt the opposite of vulnerable and powerless.
But of course, Keitaro – despite being the pervert he was – wouldn't dare do anything to her while she was sick. Naru felt the vulnerability in regards to that, but Keitaro wouldn't do it. She was sick, after all. Keitaro would have to have some sort of disgusting fetish if he was to still do it, Naru concluded.
All in all, everything was fine.
I'm okay Naru said to herself mentally, and repeated it again and again.
I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm…
Naru suddenly paused. She was reminded of that same feeling of warmth she found in Keitaro's arms. For a second, Naru wondered about other things, and wondered how much longer she could have stayed there for.
Was she really okay?
But something else interrupted it. Naru could remember Keitaro's face – in particular, his smile, a nervous, but kind type. Keitaro's smile looked awfully similar to the one he was wearing in Naru's dream – mere seconds before she realized what was happening.
Images of the dream quickly flashed through Naru's mind. The appearance of Keitaro, the discovery she was tied up, the eventual appearance of the other residents, and the burial…
An eerie chill passed through Naru. Again, she wondered what it had meant. Why was it happening? What was going on? The more Naru thought about it, the murkier her dream became, and the facts slowly began to fall out of coherence.
Closing her eyes, Naru cleared her mind and did as Keitaro suggested – get some rest. Moments later, she drifted off into a tired, weary, and dreamless sleep.
- - -
Keitaro gently closed Naru's door. He took a step backwards, and wondered if he should have said more. He then realized he didn't even come close to touching the subject of what happened last night.
He turned and leaned back against the section of wall next to Naru's door. Again and again, he asked himself if he should have said more.
Keitaro thought about it for a moment. No, he could have easily said more. It would have been harder not to say anything, especially after what had happened the night before.
An awkward shiver crept up Keitaro's back and along his limbs – the ones he would get when he remembers the most horrifying of memories. A feeling of fear and panic returned to Keitaro, as he remembered what he had seen that night.
He thought back to Naru and the length of time he had known her. She was strong – Keitaro knew that all too well – and was as proud and capable as she was absolutely gorgeous and beautiful. Temper and devastating punch aside, in the back of Keitaro's mind, Naru Narusegawa was an angel from heaven. She was a person who could do no wrong, and could have no wrong done onto her, as Keitaro sometimes seen it.
That view was horribly skewed that night. The way Naru was lying in the snow, her eyes wide and dilated with fear, her mouth agape in a scream nobody would hear. As bad as it was seeing Naru like that, it only got worse.
There wasn't a way for Keitaro to remove it from memory. Even thinking of it brought the memory back in full force. He held his mouth, resisting the urge to vomit. On that night, as Naru laid motionless on the ground, the snow underneath her was stained red with her own blood, fresh from a wound on her neck.
To see Naru hurt like that twisted Keitaro's stomach and left a sick feeling behind.
"Hey, Keitaro, are you there?" a familiar voice asked.
Kitsune came around the corner and stopped and leaned against the wall just opposite of Keitaro.
"So…how is she?" she whispered, keeping her voice down.
"Her temperature's off quite a bit. I think it's a high fever," Keitaro replied, explaining what he knew. "She's also pretty exhausted. She was barely able to sit up."
So far, Keitaro had no idea how long Naru was lying out in the snow that night, but that must have been the reason for her state. But, illness aside, there was something even bigger that still bothered Keitaro, and would do so much more than Naru's fever.
"Is there any news from the police?" Keitaro asked.
Kitsune sadly shook her head.
"Nothing. Haruka's still talking to them about it, but so far, they don't have a lead, suspect, motive – absolutely nothing."
The lack of information had greatly disturbed Keitaro, along with the residents. In a way, he couldn't believe it. How could the police have absolutely nothing?
The more Keitaro thought about it, however, the more he was disturbed by what may have potentially happened. He was fully aware of how strong Naru was. Aside from accidentally walking in on her changing or naked, Keitaro suspected Naru could just as easily unleash her full fury on any thug stupid enough to attack her.
But if that was so, then how could it happen? The mental images of Naru on that night came back to Keitaro once again. Just who on Earth attacked Naru? Why did they do it, especially to her?
"Hey, Keitaro, I've got a question for you" Kitsune asked. Her tone of voice suggested she was changing the subject slightly. "Well, it's actually about you. What happened to you last night?"
Keitaro eyed Kitsune curiously.
"What do you mean?"
"What were you doing last night? I mean, you ran away from the inn, we panic, everybody goes out to try and find you, and then this? What was going on?"
Sweat began to form and roll awkwardly down Keitaro's back. Amidst the chaos brought upon by what happened to Naru, almost everybody had forgotten about what happened with Keitaro that same night.
"…it was about the prep exam, Kitsune. I failed, and…well…" Keitaro struggled to find his words for a second. "I felt I didn't have a chance, and…I just…ran."
"All because of a test? You ran away because of the test?"
"I felt I couldn't do it, like I had no chance at all. It felt like it was only a dream, and that was all it was going to be," Keitaro continued, walking through step-by-step what was going through his mind that night. "I …guess I wanted to spare myself the frustration of failing again. I also didn't want to have Narusegawa wait and hold herself back for me if I really failed. But…"
As Keitaro stalled, trying to find the right words, Kitsune interrupted and finished the rest of his sentence.
"But, you didn't want to face her or all of us about that, right?"
"…yes."
Kitsune sighed, somewhat out of annoyance. Now that Keitaro thought about it, it now made sense. Keitaro understood why, and he had to admit – running away was a stupid idea. It didn't surprise Keitaro all that much. Somehow, no matter the situation or what he could potentially do, there was always a chance of him doing something completely stupid.
That feeling of realization felt all too familiar for Keitaro. In particular, he had felt that last night.
"…I was getting second thoughts about it later that night," Keitaro continued. "While I was out, I…stopped by Todai for awhile."
"Todai? Why'd you go there?" Kitsune asked.
As Keitaro remembered, he took a breath and continued.
"I wanted to apologize, and it felt like I needed to be at Todai to do that."
"Apologize? For what?"
"…everyone. To Shinobu and to Seta, since they told me never to give up hope for Todai; to my parents, for how much of their time I wasted; to Granny, because I was going to leave the inn without a manager; to Mutsumi, since she won't have the same study group ever again, and to…"
Pausing yet again, Keitaro remembered the last person he had wanted to apologize to in particular that night. No, not just one, but perhaps two individuals Keitaro truly wanted to say sorry to.
"…I really wanted to say sorry to my promised girl…and to Narusegawa," Keitaro finally said. "Because I wasn't going to make it into Todai with them."
Of course – Keitaro's mind and heart had settled on whom it was he truly needed to apologize to. Above everything else, it was her - there was Naru Narusegawa. For a moment, Keitaro wandered back to that night and wondered yet again if he should place her in the same category as his promised girl. Come to think about it, was Naru actually her? There were days it seemed likely and days where it did not, but the thought was always there.
Naru had a place carefully reserved in Keitaro's heart. She had stuck by him for so long, put up with him for so long, and despite the rugged animosity between the two, they were at least able to coexist with each other.
So in particular, Keitaro needed to apologize to her.
"I see," Kitsune replied, her tone sombre and understanding. "But what happened after that?"
"…well, when I was there, I started thinking," Keitaro said. "About everything Narusegawa had done and said with me – how she had stuck by me and made me better, told me to never give up, to keep working, to keep studying. I was thinking about all that, and it suddenly occurred to me."
Keitaro then smiled, for perhaps the first time in a while, given the recent events.
"It was just a mock exam. It wasn't the real thing. Sure I failed it, but it just means I need to work harder. And, I now know what I need to focus on for when the real test comes up."
The answer was so simple, but despite that, Keitaro stood with a sense of renewed hope. That same feeling of hope he had felt that night when the revelation came to him had returned, and Keitaro could not help but feel better and at peace.
"So, in short, you overreacted about it when you shouldn't have?" Unlike Keitaro, Kitsune was less pleased, but rather, a mix of shocked and confused.
"…yeah, that was it. I was at Todai when I realized that, and then I decided to go back home and face everything. But, as I was going home…I…I found her."
As much hope as Keitaro's revelation presented for him, he couldn't help but feel very depressed about it. From there, it wasn't about Todai, the entrance exam, or about himself, but something else the struck harder and closer to home.
"…if I realized it sooner…" Keitaro's voice was quiet and barely a whisper, but shrouded in guilt. "…none of this would have happened."
"…Keitaro…"
"If I never overreacted about the exam, I wouldn't have run away, and Narusegawa wouldn't have come looking for me. If she never tried to find me, then she wouldn't have been…"
Keitaro couldn't finish the rest. Deep down, he knew how it was. It was his fault Naru was attacked that night.
"Listen, Keitaro," Kitsune said, trying to console Keitaro. She reached forward and put her hands on his shoulders. "Don't think like that. It was bad that it happened, yes, but you don't have to make it worse by blaming it on yourself."
Kitsune then smiled.
"And besides, Naru's a strong girl – we both know that. She'll be fine, and whatever happened that night, she'll probably shrug it off and be back to studying and throwing punches within a day or two."
"…I guess…"
"Trust me," Kitsune said again, as she removed her hands. "Naru will be fine, and so will you. Everything will be okay."
Keitaro took a moment to take in what Kitsune had said. In a way, she was right. No doubt, Naru should be fine. Again and again, he knew how strong she was. The feeling of guilt still lingered. In his heart, Keitaro still felt he was to blame for what had happened. Despite that, he accepted Kitsune's words. Everything was going to be okay.
"And hey, look on the bright side." Kitsune leaned back against the wall, smiling once again. "At least the weather's getting better. The snow's pretty much all melted."
If anything, Kitsune had a point. The freak weather was still unexplainable, but it was a relief that it was just a random, one-day occurrence.
Suddenly, a door opened. Keitaro looked around, and realized it was Naru's door. Out of it came a tired, dishevelled, yet conscious, Narusegawa. She struggled for a moment as she walked, but was mostly okay.
"Narusegawa, shouldn't you be resting?" Keitaro asked.
"…I need to use the washroom" Naru slurred as she held onto the doorframe for support.
"Don't worry, I'll help you get there" Kitsune said as she grabbed hold of Naru's arm and helped her along.
"I-I'll help as well!" Keitaro added, only to realize what he had just said and what it possibly meant.
"Oh, you were going to peep on me, weren't you, you little pervert? Be thankful I'm too tired to throw a punch…" Naru's voice may have been reduced to a tired drawl, but it still carried the same intensity she normally had.
Keitaro slowly backed away, smiling awkwardly and trying to think of an apology. All the while, Kitsune laughed as she helped Naru towards the washroom.
There was something about the scene that made Keitaro feel a whole lot better. It was the sheer…normality of it. It was just as Kitsune said – 'everything will be okay.'
The more Keitaro thought about it, he accepted it. He was beginning to feel it as well. Everything really was going to be okay.
- - -
Note:
Egad...sure took my sweet time, didn't I?
I'll say right now that my original plans to use my summer for writing turned out to be way too optimistic. I've found that I've been more stressed and encountered more difficulties writing over my summer than I initially did during my school year. Therefore, progress for most of my stories has been almost nonexistent as of late.
But, I grind through it and hope to get something, at least. And here it is.
To be fair, I may have accidentally put this one on the backburner, actually. My commitments were on other stories, but since I've just scrapped Without Fate and found writing for Motion and Eve of Fate to be increasingly difficult, I began working a bit more on this one. For the longest time, I actually had at least half the chapter written and with a fair idea of what was going to happen next.
But, dialogue and general ability to write kept me from writing for the longest time. It took a hell of a long time to get this chapter finished and to what I wanted it to be like. I actually had an extended bit for the end of the chapter, but I've decided to leave that one until later into the story.
The idea for this chapter is pretty simple – it's the initial stages of what's going to continue along for Naru. It's mostly setup material, and the next chapter will likely be more of it. It's too bad, since I have better ideas for what will actually happen when she turns. I'm still working on ideas of what will happen, but I have general ideas, and I'll work and play around with them. But, things will be getting rather interesting for Naru in the near future, mark my words.
So, until next update…whenever the hell that will be.
Oh, and it's shameless advertising, I know, but if you're looking for a place to discuss fanfiction and various other anime, gaming, or writing topics, check out Unlimited Fan-Works at http:// unlimitedfanworks . spreebb . com (no spaces, or just check my profile for the link). It's a forum being run by fellow Love Hina author, Zenithos and a few others, and it's a little short on activity at the moment and will require a bit of growth.
So, feel free to drop by if you're interested. With some active topics and discussion, it may help a lot with some of us. Don't underestimate the power of community, especially for fanfiction. It may help some of us, actually.
Other than that, have a great day, and I hope to deliver more vampire!Naru as soon as possible, or at least update something else over my summer.