Chapter 10
Miyu
'I'm ready…,' Taka said and kneeled before Natsume.
'I'm sorry' said Natsume and inserted the sword right into Taka's chest.
Taka gave a slight lurch when the blood gushed out and drenched Natsume's uniform. Natsume pulled back the sword and blood sprayed all over the floor and Taka fell, face down with a small thump.
'TAKA!' came a chorus shout from behind Natsume.
'NO!' shouted Natsume and sprang up from his bed, sweating and shaking violently.
At once a nurse barged into the room and calmed down Natsume.
The Falcon and the Flame
Chapter 10
'Taka…' I muttered, 'he-he is dying… we have to save him! I killed him… I—'
'Mr. Hyuga,' said the nurse, holding my shoulders, but I kept trying to move. I have to save him.
'What are you doing?' I shouted, this nurse just doesn't understand, 'We have to save KOUZUKI!'
'Mr. Kouzuki is dead!' she said.
I stopped dead unable to digest the pronouncement.
'He died a week ago,' she informed, and she got her hands off my shoulders as I couldn't move any longer.
'A week ago,' I asked dumbly.
'You've been out cold for a whole week,' she said while checking my temperature and heart beat.
I just sat there gaping. I couldn't understand. I was blank. Taka Kouzuki died a week ago? I killed him and I'm still in Alice Academy and not in a jail…?
'How come I'm here, then?' I asked in a low voice to the leaving nurse.
'Because his death for inevitable,' she said smiling softly, 'don't bother your mind and body with this… get some rest… you look like you've seen a ghost'
I stared out of the window when the nurse closed the door behind her and left. I was unable to digest the fact that the academy was this lenient with me after destroying one of their best students.
'I don't understand,' I muttered as I scratched my forehead with my right hand palm.
I closed my eyes and all he could see was Taka's last moments. I couldn't bear to sit and think any longer. I had to get out this place.
Just then I remembered Taka's words.
'Neither you nor I have time for the explanation… it will of course, be sure, will reach you sooner or later… right Miyu?'
'Miyu…' I whispered and sprang to my feet at once.
I rushed out of the doors and looked around. At that very moment Hotaru came out of one of the rooms.
'Imai!' I shouted and ran to her.
'I just saw Mikan,' said Hotaru, 'she's still asleep…'
'No,' I said hurriedly, 'it's not her I want to see… It's Miyu…'
'Miyu?' she asked, 'why her?'
Then her face lit up with realization.
'It's about Taka, right?' she asked.
I raised an eyebrow to indicate that I wouldn't need anything else to do with her.
'Let's go,' she said and started to run towards one of the rooms in the farthest end of the corridor.
As soon as we reached there, I reached out and opened the door.
Unlike Mikan, Miyu was awake and like me was gazing out of the window with a look of despair in her eyes. I realized that she must be thinking of Kouzuki and bringing up the subject would be very painful for her… But I had no other choice.
'Excuse me?' I called, trying to get her attention.
She turned. Her long blonde hair followed her movement. Her emerald eyes looked at me in surprise and I was struck at how much she must have been crying in her sleep with her dark circles.
'Um…' I started stammering for the first time. I didn't know what got into these days. I seem to be so normal.
'You want to talk about Taka, right?' she asked in a low voice.
'Yes,' I said firmly.
'First, I'd like to introduce myself to you properly Natsume,' she said.
I was startled at her easy informality.
'I'm Miyu,' she said smiling sadly, 'Miyu Shinohara… I'm a Machine Manipulation Alice… Technical ability…'
'You were the one who blocked up that space when I was trying to find about Taka, right?' asked Hotaru.
'Yeah, that's me,' she said smiling, 'Taka told me that there was this great Innovation Alice here who would easily find out about him… He asked me to block out any info on him in the Alice database'.
'When did he ask you to do this?' I asked.
'A day after he got into this Academy,' she answered.
'You mean he didn't know anything about us before he came here?' I asked with a raised eyebrow.
'No he didn't,' she said her smile fading, 'he was forbidden… He was forbidden to make friends… He was forbidden to go out of the Academy except for Academy businesses… He was forbidden to know anything about the other Alice Academies… as that might lead him to find stuff on the Anti-Alice-academies'
'He was an Academy slave… as simple as that, huh?' concluded Hotaru.
That sentence seems to go to me as well. I smiled weakly. I guess maybe I'll have the same fate as him.
'So, how did they let him come here then?' I asked curiously.
'Because they realized he was dying,' she said sadly, 'as I said before, no medication worked on him… so they just let him go!'
'You said he was forbidden to have friends… but you…?' asked Hotaru.
'I couldn't actually say that he considered me as a friend…' she said, smiling.
But I knew that that smile was out of place. She looked at her hands and continued.
'Anyway,' she said, 'he figured out a way to live…'
'What?' I exclaimed and sprang to my feet.
'Yeah,' she said, 'but I don't really know what that is…'
'What?' I repeated.
She rummaged at her pillow and brought out what seemed to be a pen-drive. She gave it to me. I looked at it with a question mark on my face.
'He asked me to give this to you, Mr. Natsume Hyuga,' she said, 'and to you too Ms. Hotaru Imai'.
'What is this?' I asked.
'It's a part of Taka's memories,' she explained, 'he asked me to do it for him… it was pretty difficult at first, but I wanted to help him a lot… so I made it, thinking he was trying to live… but soon he said that he was going to give it up for someone else'.
'Give it up?' Hotaru and I chorused in a low voice.
But, before Miyu answered I knew who it might it be for. And the thought made my heart sink.
'It was for you, Natsume,' she said sadly.
A tear trickled down Miyu's cheek. Then a waterfall followed. She buried her face in her hands and neither Hotaru nor I could take it any longer.
'We'll be leaving then,' I said and started to leave.
'Please don't hate him,' said Miyu looking at us.
'We won't,' I whispered, 'and Miyu, I don't think he considered you as a friend'.
Miyu looked up in surprise. So did Hotaru. Even I was surprised at my own words. But I knew the end.
'He considered he even higher… something more pure,' I said.
'You think so?' asked Miyu.
'I know so,' I said and left the room with Hotaru.
But before I closed the door, I saw a smile creep into her face. But that smile wasn't exactly a happy one. It was probably regret. I felt it even more. After all, it seems that Taka dropped out of the remedy for life for me.
'To my lab?' asked Hotaru as we started to walk out of the hospital.
I was so glad that we didn't pass by any nurses or doctors as they might put me in bed again. After all, some of my wounds hadn't healed completely.
'Sure,' I answered grabbing the pen-drive tightly.
How was that guys? I hope its atleast ok…I really wanted to finish it within this chapter, but it was impossible with all of my other stories… Please try them out too… They are: "Teen Ten", "Spirit Hunters", and "Spirit Hunters—A New Trilogy". And some of my finished projects like, "When we met" and "UFO Baby".
I would like to thank all of my reviewers. But I can't have the credit. One among you, a particular MIYU KOUZUKI is also responsible for my stories. She helped in giving me confidence… so I'd like it if you'll credit her too…
Thanks again!