Voice of The Fates

The music stopped, everyone gaped at the sight. Natsumi, covered in blood stood staring, speechless, wide eyed. No one knew what to say, or what to do as they stared at the bloody black orb where Fuyuki once stood.

There it stood, a black orb veiled around what everyone assumed was Fuyuki. It inched forward slightly, causing Natsumi to shudder. She didn't know what to expect. All she knew was there was blood, lots of it, and now a black orb around her brother.

"F…Fuyuki?" she whispered, almost inaudible.

The orb began to open up at her voice. She could hear a faint whimper from behind it as it gradually became clearer.

Once the orb finally lifted, many were shocked to see a girl with orange hair holding tightly to Fuyuki's limp body, still breathing although faintly.

"Alisa?!" Keroro exclaimed. Thankfully none of the other humans could hear him.

"Fuyuki…he's injured…" Alisa replied as stoic as ever. She released her tight grip so Natsumi could see the cuts he'd received which could have been a lot worse if she hadn't been there. Even though he was badly wounded, Natsumi was thankful that he was still alive.

Everyone sprinted to Fuyuki's side as Alisa gently set him down. Natsumi held his head gently in one palm while her other was squeezing one of his hands.

"Fuyuki, please Fuyuki answer me…"

"N…nee-chan…" he wheezed. His voice was full of pain, every breathe stung him and was released as coarse groans.

"I'm here Fuyuki…" she replied, her voice was now hoarse as tears made their way to the surface. She inspected every inch of her injured brother, making note of each cut, each bruise, which wounds hurt the most and which bled.

Everyone that surrounded the siblings were ether looking away, pained at the sight or crying fits as they were held back by another. The only other person that dared enter the scene now was Kululu.

He inspected the poor boy's wounds, making sure not to move any part of him in case one of the many pekoponians notice a strange movement. He also had to make sure he didn't cause the boy any more pain than he already was in. Taking his hand, he laid it upon his wrist, inspecting his pulse rate.
"Ku ku, it's still pretty strong. If we get him back to my lab now he should be alright."

Natsumi stroked her brother's hair, tears streaming and gently raining down on his pained face. She nodded slightly to respond to Kululu who was now conversing with a grief stricken Momoka. She made out the words, 'helicopter' and 'quickly'.

Before she knew it, Paul was already back with a medical chopper ready to have Fuyuki hoisted into it and rushed back to the Hinata household. During the transfer and flight, no one could pry Natsumi away from her brother's side. No one knew what to say to her or what to do, so they let her tend to her brother. All the while, the others would occasionally glance over to Fuyuki or whisper sullen words.

Kululu had thought ahead and brought a void chamber box where he stuffed in medical supplies in case something like this happened. Fuyuki was strapped onto a hospital gurney with an IV imbedded into his arm. An oxygen mask was placed over his mouth and nose to help regulate his breathing and soothe his pain.

"Fuyuki!" a voice from below called out to them. As they were about to land, they saw Aki Hinata waving her hands frantically from the front yard. Kululu had made sure to call her during their flight back home and have her assist him medically.

The moment everyone got off the helicopter, Aki rushed Fuyuki down to the lab with Kululu. It was almost impossible to separate Natsumi from him, but Giroro managed it somehow. While Aki, Kululu and Mois tended to Fuyuki, Giroro kept Natsumi outside near his tent.

"Natsumi…"

She didn't answer. Instead, her eyes, those glazed amber pools betwixed with red, were focused onto the night sky. Giroro scooted closer, placing his hand gently on Natsumi's. He cringed slightly, closing his eyes, waiting for a negative response from her. But nothing happened. She sat there, unmoved, stoic as a statue. Giroro would have enjoyed the moment where their hands were touching, but this was no time to feel that pleasure.

"Listen Natsumi…it's not your fault…it's no one's fault…who could have ever predicted that wires and columns would collapse and-" he stopped speaking as he noticed his warrior princess shaking, tears streaming again. He face palmed, knowing he just made it worse. Who would ever want to rethink a tragedy they witnessed?

"I'm sorry! Please don't cry Natsumi…he'll be fine. He's always been fine, you know that. He may not be a soldier, but he's still a strong kid…"

"You couldn't protect your brother"

Natsumi looked at Giroro in shock, anger filled her veins as she played the words back in her head.

Giroro was confused, scared. He didn't know why Natsumi was so upset with him, he hadn't said anything bad. Before he could speak, he received a burning slap from her. He felt her rage boil through his skin as her hand made contact.

"How could you say that!? Do you think I didn't try!? I tried! I tried for years to keep him safe!"

He just stared in awe. He really didn't understand why she was mad. He hadn't said anything along those lines.

"What are you talking about Natsumi? Of course you tried! I didn't say you didn't, I was saying he'd be fine no matter what!"

Natsumi's rage dissolved, leaving her in shock. She felt horrible for hitting him, he was just trying to help. Was she hearing things? She must have been hearing things, he'd never say something so cruel…

"I…I'm so sorry…I…I guess I misheard you or…my mind must of made me think you said…never mind…I really am sorry Red…" she bawled, taking him into a tight hug.

"I-it's ok! R-really! Please don't cry anymore Natsumi…I can't stand it when you're this sad…" he whispered as he patter her back and went through her hand gently. He could tell she was trying to stop, she hiccupped every now and again between sobs. But she still held onto Giroro tightly, crying onto his shoulder.

"Remember that promise I made you?"

She nodded slowly, swallowing back her cries.

"Well I'm by your side, and I'll be by your side for as long as you need me. Whenever you need me, I'll be there. I'll do anything for you, to make sure you're happy, that you're never alone, that you're healthy and safe."

Natsumi let out a few more cries, but they came out in tiny laughs as Giroro finished his speech. She pulled away from the little red frog and looked him in the eyes, smiling weakly.

"Th-thank you…Giroro…you really are the greatest friend ever…"

The friend zone stung his spirit, but he wouldn't let her know. Instead, he folded his arms and acted like the tough guy he always pretended to be.

"You're not so bad your self…for a pekoponian."

"His pulse is racing!" Aki shouted.

"Mois-chan, get another needle of morphine!" Kululu ordered as he tried to calm the thrashing boy.

"Like, this won't hurt at all!" Mois retorted as she administered and injected the cool liquid pain killer into the boy's blood stream. In a matter of minutes, the heavy dose calmed him. Aki pulled over an anesthesia mask onto his mouth and nose now to help him fall back asleep.

Fuyuki's eyes darted around the room slowly, remembering everything that was going on. He was fighting the calling, soothing urge of sleep, but he failed. His eyes drooped and shut in a matter of seconds. Strangely though, he could still faintly hear the voices around him, and a few more.

"He's the one…"

"Are you sure? He doesn't look like much…too scrawny…"

"Hush! He can hear you!"

"And? We were sent to talk to him anyways, idiot…"

"Who are you?" Fuyuki called out, clearly confused by their presence. Although he wasn't awake, he could see his mother, Kululu, and Mois busily working on his wounds. Behind the scene, he could see two figures talking to themselves, staring directly at him.

They remained silent for a while, still staring. Fuyuki couldn't get himself to stand up, he could only see and talk. He felt strange, like he wasn't really there, like everything around him wasn't his. He felt like he didn't belong.

"Please! What's going on? Who are you?" he called out once more.

Once more, they remained silent. He stared at them, confused, scared. His sad look could break anyone, and apparently it was working it's way through one of the two people standing across him.

"Hey, don't you dare break right now!"

"Gh- but…he looks so sad! I can't just ignore someone that cute!" Fuyuki could make out this voice as a female now. He was glad they finally decided to answer.

"Who are you? Please, what's going on? Am I dead?"
The woman looked back at him with sadness. She shook her head, which made Fuyuki's heart flutter in glee. But the second figure stepped in, he was a bulky young male that had quite the mean aura.

He stood, towering over the women who was a good couple of inches shorter. Where her hair was bright as light, his was as shallow as night. The man looked rather beat up as he stepped closer into the surrounding light. He almost bumped into Aki, but as he walked over to the motionless boy, he fazed right through her.

Fuyuki was very intrigued now. But the male's scowl prevented him from playing detective and figuring out how he had fazed through his mother. The male was now towering above the boy. The stench that emanated from him made Fuyuki nauseous. He couldn't place it, but it was fowl, almost like he was rotten.

"Wha…who are you? Why can't I move?" Fuyuki began asking.

The male didn't answer, he just kept staring. It looked as though he was inspecting the boy. He glanced over every inch of him. Fuyuki could hear him snarl in disgust as he kept examining him. Then the snarls stopped, they were replaced with a silent cackle. A cackle that was almost too familiar.

Fuyuki's eyes bulged as he listened to the same cackling that haunted his dream. He wanted to run, he wanted his mother, his sister, anyone to be there and protect him. Yet he couldn't even move on his own, and they apparently couldn't see him.

"Wait! This is all a dream! If I just close my eyes, you'll dissapear!" he shouted. His eyes quickly shut tightly. There he lay, eyes shut, afraid to open them. When he gathered the courage to open them, he had wished he didn't.

His voice was stuck in his throat now. He wanted to scream, to cry out and run for his life. Instead, he just stared at the sight. The male's face was now closer to Fuyuki's. It wasn't what it was moments ago. The lights were all off. The images of his mother and Mois and Kululu were all gone, drowned in the darkness. All he could see, regrettably, was the male and the woman.

"What's wrong boy?!" seethed the male in a higher pitched voice. The skin from his body, his face had all deteriorated. Blood was dripping from his skull. The liquid, tarry, ooze slid onto Fuyuki's skin. He couldn't even speak. He was too afraid.

He now understood why the male reeked of rotten flesh, he was made of it. Remnants of dirty, dried flesh were clawed, ripped into shreds on the many spectacles of cracked bones. Gray hairs were tangled on top of his skull, a maggot was feasting upon his dried up, bloody, spine that had remnants of flesh. The spine held itself above the man's head like a scorpions tail. If he could, Fuyuki would have puked. Quickly, his eyes darted towards the woman, hoping that she wasn't as terrifying, as horrifyingly disgusting.

He saw worse…

The once beautiful young woman with bright, yellow hair was all muscle skin. She only had one eye still in place, red from the blood that could be seen flowing and oozing out of her semi intact veins. Her hair was the color of tar mixed with crimson blood. A sword perturbed from her chest, stricken through her heart. He could see it beat every now and again, moving the sword around, cutting away slowly at the muscles. Her lungs pounded, releasing gnashed up powdery, fragments of bone. Fuyuki's mouth was gaping at her appearance, he couldn't believe she even stood there.

She turned away from his sight, embarrassed, angry, sad. He would have felt bad if it weren't for the fear taking hold of him. The male noticed the woman retract herself and quickly slammed his palms against the boy, vanishing into him. Fuyuki screamed as loudly as he possibly could. He could feel the man moving around his insides, taking jabs and slicing his trachea. The more he screamed, the more it hurt him. He couldn't take it, he wanted it all to end. If they were going to kill him, he wanted them to do it quickly.

"Stop! Jay please stop!" screeched the woman. Her voice was no longer young nor feminine. It was now hoarse, old, mannish, and above all, monsterish. The man stopped, looking up at the woman. He cackled as he pulled out his claw like, boney fingers from the boy. Before he let the woman have her fun, he pulled at the boys hair and sneered into his ears, "If you would have died, you wouldn't be suffering boy!"

Before the woman could pull her counterpart from Fuyuki, the boy cried out, "Then kill me now! Please, just stop the torture!" tears streamed from his eyes. To their surprise, he was able to pull his arms up to his face, wiping at the warm trails of water.

"You weren't supposed to die. You have another seventy years on you, possibly more. Your injuries were nothing short of a fluke" the woman explained, kneeling next to Fuyuki. He couldn't look at her, he couldn't stand the sight, the stench of death that surrounded her.

"Then why?! Why has my birthday been a curse every year?! Why was I warned by some old woman that I'd die and horrible things would happen?!" he screamed out at her, making eye contact which he instantly regretted as he covered his eyes again.

The man interjected with his screeching voice, "That old crone is always right boy! You were never really going to die, she wasn't even talking to you in a way! You're such a pathetic little idiot!"

The man continued to cackle maliciously. If Fuyuki found Kululu's laugh terrifying, he would never think that ever again. Kululu's laugh would be calming, nurturing compared to this lunatic's.

"Ignore him. He's deranged. Our queen made him that way."

"Don't speak of the mother heathen!" he screeched.

She simply ignored his outburst. Fuyuki on the other hand couldn't, he was never going to get used to his terrifying voice.

"What do you mean I'm not supposed to die?! And what queen?! What is going on here?!" Fuyuki cried out. He couldn't stand having to constantly ask them for answers. He didn't want anything to do with them, yet he had to know.

"From this day forth, your accident will rebirth our queen. You were born as a gateway that will continue a reign of destruction…it may sound bad, it will be bad…I can't lie there. But you have no choice now. You have fulfilled your destined birth right, you shall no longer worry about your birthdays being hazardous to your health, that is if you can live to your next one. Your world has five hours before the gateway is completely opened. And before you decide to be reckless, killing yourself won't stop anything."

Fuyuki could only shiver as he began thinking about what he just heard. In just a few hours, his friends and family will be faced with whatever horrible beings because he couldn't keep himself safe. Would they be angry? Scared? Are they alright?

What about the monsters? Would they be just as horrifying as these two…? And who is this queen? Is there anyway to stop this?!

Suddenly, he heard a horrible screeching sound coming from behind him. His face quickly shot up in fear. He saw the man and woman, back in their human like forms staring back at him as they walked away backwards. The woman wore a grim expression, while the man smiled evilly. They last words he heard from his disgusting being were,

"Strike One"

Fuyuki shot up from his sleep, hyperventilating from the shock. He was back in his world, back in the medical room Kululu set up. There was no Mois, no mother, and no Kululu. He quickly sprang to his feet, but soon regretted it as the pain tinged throughout his body. His legs were very weak and his skin was very sore. He wanted to just lay there, fall asleep again and let the pain go away. But he had five hours to warn everyone…

No amount of pain was going to keep him from warning his family and friends. He spied an injection needle with morphine. Fuyuki remembered how quickly it's effect took on him when Kululu first injected him. Without another thought, he snatched the needle and injected it through the veins in his arm. The familiar cool liquid spread quickly throughout his body. He wanted to enjoy the feeling, but there was no time to be selfish.

Using the surrounding tables, Fuyuki balanced himself up. He could still feel the tightness in his chest and legs around the sewn up wounds, but they didn't hurt. Rather, they irritated him and felt annoying. But he knew beggars couldn't be choosers. Without another minute to lose, he took off sprinting through the house. Everywhere he looked, he couldn't find anyone. He was about to give into his lack of breathe from running until he noticed the front door was wide open.

Cautiously, he stepped outside. It was raining heavily for once. He wanted to enjoy the feeling, the smell of the air. But when he took a deep breathe, a familiar odor caught his attention, it sparked fear inside him. He looked around, but he couldn't see any specters of the night like in his dreams. Slowly, he crept around the corner of the front yard in hopes he'd at least find someone he knew.

"Fu..fuyki-kun?" he heard Momoka call out from behind him. He turned around, ready to rejoice at the sound of her voice.

"Nishi-"

His eyes bulged as he saw the scene in front of him. Blood was splattered on the watery ground. A beat up van was swerved into the neighbors yard, glass shards scattered and bloody. In the midst of a bloody puddle being slowly washed by the rain lay a girl. Fuyuki's family, friends, the aliens and the neighbors were surrounding her. Momoka strangely tried to keep him away from it.

She called out to some of the others who were surprised then shocked to see Fuyuki. They told him to go inside quickly before he hurt himself or opened a stitch. He wouldn't budge. He counted everyone he knew. Everyone, minus one.

"Where's Natsumi…?"

Everyone grew silent. He stood his ground, refusing to put it past him. Aki moved out of the way, defeated by her own son's glare. In the middle, he saw a girl sprawled out and beaten. Giroro was by her side, holding her hand and crying. He was calling out to her, telling her to stay alive, stay with him.

Fuyuki strode up behind the Corporal and gazed at the bloody mess. He looked over the girl. Her skin was pale, her eyes shut. He could see her barely breathing, barely moving. Her pink hair that used to be silky was now washed back, faded from the rain. Fuyuki leaned down beside Giroro, placing a hand on his shoulder. The Corporal was trying to stay strong, keep his cool, stop his warm tears. But he was just as broken inside as Fuyuki. There they stayed, next to a dead girl they knew as Natsumi Hinata.

Not my best signature of gore, but it'll get there~ Poor Fuyuki~
Anyways, please review~