Let me just announce something quickly. I don't plan on having many more chapters for this story; maybe three or four more? Now that school started, my updates will take a lot longer, so I want to deal with the least amount of stories possible. Anyway, I own nothing, and I hope you enjoy!
Fear. The one emotion that can completely possess someone, make them do things they would not ordinarily do. A person changes when they are when feeling this deep emotion. Your mind does not think as it normally does. Like a disease, fear does not simply vanish in a blink of an eye. You become infected with it, empowered by it. Fear was the one thing that Nagihiko Fujisaki was feeling as the plane gradually descended from the sky onto the runway.
It wasn't the first time Nagihiko had been to London, so he wasn't quite as excited as the exuberant girl sitting beside him. In fact, excitement seemed like the last thing to feel. London was one of the most famous cities in the world. However, Nagihiko's nerves were getting the best of him. When the plane began letting people off, a chill ran down Nagihiko's spine. His legs started shaking. London was the city he dreamed about; the city where everything could change. London was the final city Nagihiko could ever go to.
He looked out the window, admiring the city that his life would likely end in. He would never go home again. He would die in the city with a giant clock, a famous bridge, and many other famous landmarks.
"YAYA HAS ALWAYS WANTED TO GO TO LONDON!" Yaya exclaimed, hopping up and down. "SO EXCITED!"
"Yeah, it's such a pretty city." Amu admired, following Yaya and Nagihiko off of the plane. Her enthusiasm was considerably less than Yaya's. Nagihiko and Yaya stepped off the plane, with Amu and Tadase behind. Kukai and Rima followed them, with Utau and Ikuto, Tsukasa, and finally, Nagihiko's mother and Baaya. Nagihiko had not known about Tsukasa or Ikuto coming with them. Then again, Nagihiko didn't even know for a while his other friends were accompanying him also. It was a little odd, being in a foreign country with his principal, his mother and housekeeper, and all of his friends, especially given the initial reasons for going.
"Nagihiko-San, come with me. Baaya-San and I are going to check you into the hospital." His mother informed him. Nagihiko nodded, following his mother into a taxi. He gave a quick wave to his friends. The three of them climbed into the backseat, buckling quickly. Nagihiko cringed, the seat belt hurting his waist slightly. As the taxi started driving, there was silence. There was nothing needed to be said. Even Temari and Rhythm were keeping silent. Nagihiko leaned back in his chair, and looked out the window. The city of London swiftly passed the window, only getting quick glimpses. Double-decker buses and telephone booths stood out to him. It was very unique seeing the drivers of the cars drive on the right side.
"We have arrived." The taxi driver announced. Nagihiko's mother thanked him, and handed him pounds. Nagihiko had not realized that his mother converted the yen to pounds. Nagihiko followed his mother and Baaya into the hospital. To his surprise, the hospital was crowded.
"Why is it so crowded?" Nagihiko wondered, curiously looking at his mother.
"This hospital also acts as one of the best hospitals globally, for all medical reasons. It just happens to be the only hospital to have dealt with others like you." His mother explained. Nagihiko nodded slowly, as they waited on the long line to check in. He saw a plethora of people sitting around, clearly waiting to get hurt. There were a ton of people coughing and having casts on.
"Wow, this hospital is really good at multitasking!" Rhythm observed.
"Yeah…they literally deal with everything." Temari explained, pushing her ponytail to the front of her shoulder.
"That isn't the best thing though. It means I'm less of a priority, although I'm sure there are people with greater concerns than me," Nagihiko pointed out, sighing. "I'm sure there are people terminally ill, who have a few hours, opposed to me, who has…I don't even know." Nagihiko looked at the ground, and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I'm sorry for being so down. I must come off as so pessimistic."
"You have every right to be Nagi." Temari reassured. "It's okay." Nagihiko gave Temari a small smile. Finally, they arrived to the front of the line.
"Hello, I would like to set up an appointment for my son Fujisaki Nagihiko. As soon as possible would be preferred," Nagihiko's mother said.
"Let me check my database." The receptionist typed on her keyboard. "Yes, you are registered here. Since your son is registered as an imminent concern, Nagihiko will be given an appointment at two o'clock in the afternoon tomorrow." Nagihiko noticed the British accent, and despite everything, found it very amusing.
"Two o'clock tomorrow?!" Baaya exclaimed.
"That's outrageous! You said he's registered as an imminent concern!" Nagihiko's mother cried, close to a scream.
"Under most circumstances, you have to wait for weeks. So, consider yourself lucky you can come in less than twenty-four hours." Nagihiko noticed it was six o'clock in the evening, in London time. The receptionist glanced around briefly, and turned back to them. "In England, the next full moon will occur tomorrow night at seven o'clock. There isn't any tonight, don't worry." The receptionist handed Nagihiko a pill. "Chew this immediately, and you won't transform tonight. It only works for gibbous moons." Nagihiko looked at the receptionist, surprised she knew about the werewolves.
"Thank you." Nagihiko whispered. He put it in his mouth, and chewed on it. It had an awful taste, but Nagihiko neglected that. He followed his mother and Baaya into a taxi.
"We're heading back to the hotel now. Since I know you would rather be with your friends, you will be staying in the room with your friends. Baaya and I won't be far away." Nagihiko simply nodded. "Would you like to eat dinner?"
"No thanks…I'm not very hungry." Nagihiko admitted. Baaya and Nagihiko's mother exchanged worried glances.
They arrived outside of the hotel. Baaya handed Nagihiko a key card, and he headed upstairs to the room 989, his hotel room. When he got there, he found himself panting. Sweat was pouring down his face
"Nagi! You never sweat this much, even after a basketball game!" Rhythm exclaimed.
"Yeah…I don't know why, but walking down the hall, even with using an elevator, just seemed so…arduous." Nagihiko admitted.
"Someone hand me a dictionary…" Rhythm muttered. Temari rolled her eyes. Nagihiko inserted the key card, the light flashing green. Nagihiko pulled the door knob, and walked in, revealing the guardians and the Tsukiyomi siblings. All seven of them froze, looking up at him. Nagihiko's eyes narrowed. No one said anything for a solid minute.
"Well, this is awkward!" Kukai stood up, and playfully hit Nagihiko on the back. Nagihiko winced in pain, having difficulty concealing how much pain Kukai had unintentionally caused.
"Hey Nagi-Tan!~" Yaya greeted, hugging him tightly. Why were they grabbing him so vigorously?
"Hey guys…" Nagihiko greeted. Feeling extremely winded, Nagihiko sat down on the couch, sitting next to Tadase. Kukai sat next to Tadase and Utau, and next to Utau was Ikuto. Yaya twirled, and sat next to Rima on the other couch. "Where's Amakawa-San?"
"He's sleeping in another room…fortunately…" Ikuto muttered. There was another awkward silence.
"Does London have good candy?" Yaya wondered.
"I don't know." Rima muttered.
"Yaya wants the candy!" Yaya whined.
"You just had dinner!"
"Yeah, but it wasn't sweet enough, although the Fish and Chips were super-duper yummy!"
"Well Yaya, do you want to get obese? If so, candy is just what you're looking for!" Rima muttered sarcastically, with false enthusiasm.
"Yaya won't get fat from just a few candies." Yaya murmured.
"Just a few? Be realistic Yaya, you won't have just a few."
"Yaya will! Yaya promises."
"I don't care. In fact, you're annoying me. Get candy, or don't."
"But Yaya doesn't know where the candy store is!~" Yaya whined.
"Then go find it. I'm bored of this conversation." Rima crossed her arms over her legs, curling into a ball-like position. Everyone went silent.
"Hey Nagi, did you have dinner? The fish and chips were really good!" Amu said.
"I'm not very hungry, but thanks for offering." Nagihiko told her, smiling softly.
"Why are you smiling?" Everyone looked at the blonde petite girl. "It's evidently false. There's nothing to smile about. You are going to die. So, why smile when your life is crumbling apart?" Nagihiko's smile faded as soon as it came.
"Rima, shut up." Kukai growled. "Seriously."
"Why? I'm simply being honest." Rima stood up, her hair swinging to the side. Nagihiko couldn't help to notice his heart skip a beat, despite her acting extremely rude.
"Rima, the whole reason we're here is to make Nagi happy and help him!" Amu pointed out, despite Nagihiko being right there. He had figured so anyway.
"Well, that's stupid." Rima looked the other way. "There's nothing we can do for him, and we can't make him happy either. He is about to die."
"The hospital will be able to cure him!" Tadase pointed out. Rima clenched her fists.
"How can you all be so freaking naïve?! Some stupid hospital won't fix him. He's going to die, and no matter how freaking hard you try to ease it, it doesn't change reality!" Tears were vigorously falling down her cheeks. She sniffled. "That's just life!" Rima stormed out of the room.
"Rima, how dare-"
"Amu, don't," Nagihiko interrupted. A few tears slipped out of his eyes, but he clenched his fists. "She's wrong though. The hospitals, they can fix me. We can't lose all hope." However, Nagihiko knew that Rima was right. He knew that he was living on false, or, as they would say in Britain, rubbish hope. Everyone gave Nagihiko poignant smiles.
"What a bitch. How could she say something like that?!" Utau exclaimed. "I mean, whether it's true or not…"
"…Which it isn't!" Kukai added. Utau flashed him a glare.
"…Anyway, that doesn't give her the right to just make you upset for no reason!" Nagihiko looked at Utau, surprised by her defending him.
"I'm going to talk to her." Nagihiko announced, standing up.
"Nagi, is that a good idea?" Kukai wondered. "I mean, she's a downer, and you really don't need that…"
"It's okay. She's just upset." Nagihiko left the living room they were in, and walked into the girl's bedroom. He noticed Rima standing on the balcony. Her arms were placed onto the ledge. Nagihiko opened the door to the balcony, and walked beside her.
"The view is awfully pretty, isn't it? London is such a pretty city." Nagihiko said, looking into the view. Rima didn't say anything, and didn't make eye contact either. Nagihiko sighed, knowing she wouldn't talk for a bit. "That's Big Ben over there. It's the largest clock in the world. It's beautiful at night now, isn't it? The way it lights up in the night sky…"
"Why aren't you transforming now?" Rima wondered, still not looking at him. "You said you transform on gibbous moons."
"I was given a pill to prevent me from transforming tonight." Nagihiko explained.
"What did the doctor say?"
"I will be seeing the doctor tomorrow. I have an appointment for two in the afternoon." Nagihiko told her. "Just before the full moon." They both went silent.
"I'm sorry about what I said." Rima whispered quietly. "I guess I just…I-I…" Rima went silent.
"Don't worry about it." Nagihiko muttered bleakly.
"Do you ever feel like there is someone above, just trying to torture you? Like it's just trying to make your life as miserable as possible?" Rima thought aloud.
"Well, I'm actually an atheist." Nagihiko pointed out.
"Me too." Rima rested her face on her fists. "Everything that's happening to you, it just confirmed that. I just feel like nothing could get worse." Nagihiko looked at the ground.
"It could be worse. It always could be worse." Nagihiko muttered.
"What's worse than death?" Rima wondered.
"The death of someone I love."
"Well, welcome to my world." Nagihiko glanced up at Rima. He remembered when she first told him she loved him. He had been lying in bed, injured. He already had known his fate. "When I told you that, that day…you knew didn't you? You knew you were going to die." Nagihiko nodded slowly.
"I'm sorry…" Rima looked at him. "I should have never gotten you to fall in love with me."
"Nagi, I loved you before all of this. Ever since we transformed together. I guess I had a small thing for you before that, but that moment just made me realize how perfect you were. And now all of this…I realized how delicate you were. I realized that you really didn't have everything going for you." Rima put her hand on his cheek. "It just made you seem…mortal. I respected you, and…my feelings really grew." Words were inaudible coming from her mouth. Nagihiko gently wrapped his arms around her.
"I have too." Nagihiko whispered. "I always loved you. I wished we could have been something more. I mean, we sort of were together, but I wished that we could have been together, called each other a couple." Rima rested her head on his chest.
"We still can, maybe, if everything happens perfectly. You've already been hurt enough; you don't have to die."
"I don't want to." Nagihiko whispered. "Maybe it will work, whatever the doctors do to me."
"Hopefully." They separated.
"I should get some sleep. I haven't really been…sleeping well." Rima admitted.
"Of course." They both looked at each other, mesmerized by the other. Nagihiko's face reddened slightly. "Rima-Chan, I don't really know what will happen tomorrow, with the doctors or the transformation. However, I just want you to know, that I love you immensely, and I always will." He planted a kiss on her lips. Rima kissed him back, but it only lasted for a few seconds. Rima waved slightly, and walked inside.
Nagihiko stared at the setting of London. As much as the city was beautiful, he knew that he would always hate it. He detested the dreams that tormented him constantly, reminding him of his transformation. Would that be tomorrow? Nagihiko's legs shook. Did he even want to find out what would happen tomorrow? What would tomorrow bring? He only could think of destruction and death. These thoughts would never happen again. This could be the last night Nagihiko ever had. It was eleven o'clock. He looked down the balcony. He was on the ninth floor, so the drop was pretty far. He contemplated ending it now, saving himself from the further pain that would surely occur. It would be so much simpler, just to jump now. He already told Rima he loved her.
"Nagi, don't do it." Temari whispered. "You still have a chance at life. Don't end it now."
"Yeah!" Rhythm agreed. "The doctor can save you."
"No, they can't."
"You don't know that!" Rhythm reassured.
"Besides Nagi…what would happen to us?" Temari wondered. Nagihiko hesitated, knowing Temari was right. It soon occurred to him that his charas would be gone as well, after his death. He felt terrible for them.
"I'm so sorry guys." Nagihiko whispered. "You don't need to die."
"Nor do you!" Rhythm said. Nagihiko gave his chara the tiniest hint of a smile.
"Alright…I'll see what tomorrow brings." Nagihiko shuddered at the thought, before walking inside. Nagihiko walked to the boy's room, and decided to take a shower. He would at least attempt at sleep, even though it was highly unlikely it would happen. He turned the hot water on, and stepped inside, after undressing.
He finished his shower, and stepped out. He dried himself, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He suddenly felt extremely nauseous, almost the sensation he felt before a transformation. A migraine was building up in Nagihiko's head.
"Oh shit." Nagihiko grumbled.
"What's wrong?!" Both charas exclaimed.
"I feel awful…" Nagihiko puked into the toilet. He noticed there was blood as well. The room was spinning. Nagihiko's head hit the ground, consciousness suddenly gone, and the world turning black.
Uh-oh! I'm sorry for Rima's rudeness, but I hope a melancholic-romance scene was enough to make everything better. Please review/alert/favorite! I promise to post the next two/three chapters as soon as possible!
