Cold Roses

"No one can confidently say they will be living tomorrow."

Chapter Three

It had to be about a week after school had started that Kuronue called me in the middle of class. Over the school's speaker system, I was paiged from the Night Class's studies — which were really more of hang-out sessions than actual studies these days (after seven years, one would think we all would have graduated; but we all really just stuck around for appearances anyway, so what was the difference?) — to take an urgent phone call. I picked myself up from my desk, wondering who it could be that wouldn't have my cell number. That, right away, ruled out my mother — ever since she wrapped her head around the mere idea of texting, she sent me three or four every evening, then again at midnight, and in the morning before I went to bed. Which was strange, I decided, drawing the device out of my pocket as I exited the room. No new alerts...

I turned, opening the door, to watch Katsura playing with Aidou (the worst combination in the history of the world, I swear) who lifted the younger boy above his head, spinning dangerous circles with him. Katsura was laughing manically; I took me a few seconds to calm down and take a breath. "Katsura, stay here with Takuma, alright?"

Suddenly, Aidou ceased his spinning. Not only Katsura, but the whole Night Class, stared at me curiously in silence. "Where're you goin'?"

"I've got to go take a phone call; that's all."

The dark-haired boy shrugged. "Kay. See you when you get back. Love you, Daddy."

I smiled, watching the faces of several of my friends light up at my reply. "Love you, too." It was definitely not common at all to hear me express my feelings in front of so many people that I wasn't intimately close with; so no doubt, they all fixed gazes of awe on their youngest classmate.

Katsura grinned, giving me the permission I needed to leave the room, shutting the door firmly behind me. My pace was deadly quick as I made my way through winding corridors and dimly lit halls. Once upon a time, I had found humour in the fact that this place was built like a maze; now it was really getting on my nerves. It felt like it was taking too long... I wouldn't get there in time to take the call... But, I found my way soon enough, walking into the Headmaster's office without knocking or excusing myself.

"Ahh, Shiki-kun! Your father's on the phone, he says it's really important!" Headmaster Cross held the phone out to me, and I was almost afraid to take it; though when I did, I did it quickly.

What does that bastard think he's doing still living? I wondered; and on top of everything else, why would he call me? Why would Headmaster Cross even think about actually calling me down to talk to him?

"Hello?"

"Senri!"

I heaved a sigh. Okay, it wasn't Rido. It was Kuronue — I made a mental note to correct the Headmaster in the most violent way possible after this call. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Senri, it's your mother. She's been running a high fever for the past few days now, and just this morning she tried to get out of bed and collapsed. She's very ill, Senri. I don't think there's much anyone can do for her. Fuyuki and I were fighting about it... he left. I'm alone here and..." He took a breath, sounding almost frantic. "I don't know what to do. I've arranged to have her hospitalized."

The words wrang through my head, echoing, resounding, growing louder and louder by the second. The blood was rushing in my ears, pounding so hard that I couldn't hear anything. Biting my lip, I let the phone drop from my hand as all the muscles in my body just seemed to release. I let myself fall to sit on the floor. This really wasn't happening. My mother was sick, possibly dying, and I was miles away at school, where I couldn't even go see her! Gods, what was this luck? I hadn't been hit with something like this in seven years. Seven whole years and nothing bad had happened. How did these things manage to happen to me? Why was it that I seemed to follow a string of circumstances with only the desire to make me as miserable as possible?

Eventually, I pulled myself back to class, throwing myself down in my seat in a haze of weary disbelief. Takuma was at my side immediately to ask me what was wrong, and I explained everything to him in a hushed voice to keep the others from hearing how frantic I was getting. I wanted to hide myself from them, but when Takuma opened his arms to me, I couldn't stop myself from toppling over onto him, letting him embrace me tightly as I cried into his shoulder. Katsura, worried by my tears, came over from a game of chess with Kain and wrapped thin arms around my back. It startled me, but I allowed him to come in between Takuma and I, completing the hug indefinitely.

I wouldn't tell Katsura about my mother's illness until she was moved to a larger hospital, not too far away, and I took him to visit her. When we arrived, she wasn't taking visitors — I saw her briefly, covered in wires for monitering, and using a machine to breathe for her. I thought back to when Takuma and I were looking down on Katsura for the first time, his body covered much the same way as Mother's. The only difference was that her blood wasn't fighting to fend off the illness. She wouldn't magically develop an immunity and somehow live. It just didn't happen for Aristocrats the way it did with Purebloods.

Only a few days after that, Shiki Naoko lapsed into a coma, her illness getting worse as the days pressed on...

And then, after a total of ten days since the first call I recieved, Shiki Naoko died.

xXXx

"Senri," Takuma whispered as he entered our darkened dorm room. I hadn't left it in about three days since my mother's death, and needless to say, Takuma was beginning to worry. I didn't blame him — he and Katsura hadn't even been allowed in to see me in those three days, having me snap at anyone who had the balls enough to open the door. I felt empty — just cold and lifeless as if I were carved from ivory. It was too much for me to live with, my only parent having left the world... What's more, I hadn't even been able to be there with her, to ease her pain and suffering... to give her the blood she needed to survive. I had failed her... It was my fault she was dead. Takuma most likely sensed those feelings on me and decided it was time to intervene. "Senri, are you awake?"

I sat in one of the leather arm chairs, having pulled it up to the window, and now I stared out into the world of day, lifelessly, pretending that I didn't feel the pain. I turned my head slightly, unwilling to admit that I was so happy to hear that voice again... My answer was a strained reply, my voice hoarse from the first fourty-eight hours of crying helplessly, and the following twenty-four of silence. "What're you doing here? I thought I told you to leave me alone."

"Look, this isn't healthy, Senri." The door clicked shut and Takuma joined me by the window. "I know; words can't describe what you feel for your mother right now — don't forget, I've been through this. But you need to pull yourself together. There are so many ways that you could be dealing with this right now, and this really isn't the best."

"What does it matter...?" I asked, turning away from him again. The sunlight was blinding to my eyes, which were adapted for dark nights.

Takuma sighed, shutting the curtains and standing in front of me. "It does matter, Senri, whether you want to believe it or not. Would you think about the people around you — think about Katsura."

I scoffed, shutting my eyes to avoid looking at him. How could he say these things to me? "That's so very mature of you, Takuma. Bringing the child into this."

"Like it or not, he is a part of this. He misses you; he doesn't understand why you're treating us the way you have been, so you need to let go of you mother, at least for him. She'll be fine in the Afterlife without you — she'll be happy there."

I listened to Takuma and let him finish, considering his words. "There's no such thing as an Afterlife, Takuma. When you're dead, you're dead; that's all there is to it."

Takuma was obviously growing exasperated with my unwillingness to let go of my side of this argument. He balled his hands into fists, taking a deep breath. "Look, we're going to start planning her funeral with or without you. If you want to help, come with me to the funeral home."

I paused for a minute, staring past Takuma. I still didn't want to accept her death... But, I wanted to help. Maybe the pain would lessen if I did. I was already well aware that it would never go away; that was something Takuma always told me on the subject of death. So, I nodded, taking Takuma's hand and allowing him to pull me to my feet. He held me, cradled me in his warmth and told me everything would be okay. And even with such a tragedy only three days passed, I believed him.