Here is the next chapter! I've been sick so it's a bit late. Please review, would love to hear what my reader think (criticism too!). I've been trying to make chapters longer. It hasn't been going too well. Whatever, I'll let you read now :)
Disclaimer: I don't own KnB
Chapter twelve
A fatal condition
The hospital loomed over Asuka as she stood in the entrance way. It was an unpleasant place, filled with too many unpleasant memories.
"Here to visit Izumi san?" the receptionist asked. "Go right ahead."
Asuka thanked the woman and made her way to the room.
"Otōsan." Asuka greeted, sitting beside her father's bed.
"Asuka! Come now, don't look so sad." He said.
Asuka placed some flowers in the vase on his bedside table. A small framed painting was also displayed depicting Asuka, Hyōsuke and a beautiful woman with long golden hair.
"Ah, thank you for the lovely painting. I've always wanted a family portrait." Hyōsuke expressed.
"Ah, Asuka, thank you for the painting. I'm sorry I didn't have a present for you." Hyōsuke said.
Asuka shook her head, smiling gently and held his hand. Thankfully, he didn't look any worse, but then again, he looked no better.
"Hey, you're getting all the treatments right?" Asuka asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, enjoy your youth. Your old man is fine." Hyōsuke assured.
Asuka grinned and patted his hand. She brought out a magazine and turned to the page she'd bookmarked. Clearing her throat, Asuka read out the review.
"The series Broken things adds a fresh look at friendship. It has suspense and every character holds weight, making them feel alive. Placed 54th."
Hyōsuke chuckled.
"Getting there. Working hard on my new novel. It'll be set in the real world this time. Something new. I always wanted to try romance, maybe I should do that."
"And it'll be great, but don't over do it." Asuka warned.
She suddenly felt her throat tighten and swallowed, biting her lip.
"Otōsan, I need you to promise not to waste your life, regardless of what happens to me, yeah?" Asuka asked.
Hyōsuke frowned slightly and tried sitting up. When he struggled with the action, Asuka was quick to come to his aid.
"I heard that you are doing a lot of jobs. You need to watch your health. Don't worry about me. I'm old already. It's more important to take care of yourself first. Setsuna wouldn't have wanted you to overwork yourself."
Asuka sighed and took her father's hand.
"Okasan wanted me to look after you. I've told you over and over, it's fine. My situations isn't as bad as yours, just a bit of a flare from an old problem." Asuka assured.
"No point arguing with you. I know that game all too well. Instead, why don't you tell me about your trip in Niseko?"
Asuka gladly settled into the tale of Momoi's deadly teriyaki beef, the festival and the basketball match with the whole group.
"Miss Izumi, Doctor Mori is ready to speak with you." A nurse interrupted politely.
Asuka nodded and kissed her father on the cheek.
"Don't go dying on me old man and don't worry about me. I'm going for a test now. I might even just wake up and find it gone. I'll live to have children, and you need to live to see them." Asuka said.
"Will they have blue hair?" Hyōsuke teased.
"Real funny." Asuka said, unmoved by his comment, "I need to go. Rest and get well soon."
"Izumi san, this way please." Doctor Mori directed.
Asuka nodded and followed the doctor into a room.
"Your father is recovering. Slowly but there is progress. The private funded treatment is definitely working, but I won't lie. I believe you are pushing yourself too hard trying to care for your father. Please consider yourself as well." Doctor Mori began.
Asuka breathed, preparing for the worst.
"We have processed the results from your visit last week, and I'm sorry to say that we still don't know how to permanently cure the problem. The information from your hospital in America also arrived."
Oh joy, here started the great news.
"They have confirmed that you should expect paralysis in ten months time. It seems that the neurons that are sent through your body are being affected and are taking longer to be processed, though currently only very slightly. Your blood is not allowing all the absorbed nutrients and instead rejects some, which may be why you are tiring easier," Mori paused for a second before continuing, "We've found no specific cell damage, but there is a problem within your cells."
"The mutation?" Asuka guessed.
Doctor Mori nodded."It's been confirmed that the root of the problem is the genetic mutation you were born with which is resurfacing. If the effects spread to your heart, it could stop the blood flow and result in death. However, currently the problem is with your nerve system and is not fatal."
The seriousness in her tone almost didn't reach Asuka. There was no word to describe how unsurprised she was. She had been so prepared for it. Death. Fatal. The word had been run through her head so many times, it didn't matter anymore. It wasn't new news after all. No, death had been one of the end results from day one when she'd first found out. Fear of missing out on everything she had hoped for had nearly driven her insane. Returning to Japan had been what steered her away from that course. All that mattered now was helping her father.
"Doctor Mori, how much it progressed?" Asuka asked.
"That's the good news, it seems to have stayed in your spine, almost dormant. Izumi san, are you sure you won't reconsider staying at the hospital for the time being? I was informed that you have chosen to take up a lot of extra work. Stress will only speed it up and there is a possibility that we may find the cure." Mori almost begged.
Asuka shook her head. That wouldn't do. Who would earn the money needed to treat her father? Pathetic. If only she was stronger, then she wouldn't have to waste time and money on herself. It maddened her to no end. It was as though her family was cursed with bad luck, and in the end, she couldn't really do anything about it. The first sign of the sickness was when she'd been working in the glass workshops back at AYAI. It was as though a heavy weight had settled on her shoulders and barbed wire had wrapped around her. She'd immediately gone to the hospital, and met with bad news.
"It's fine. I know that the hospital lacks the funding for a full research to be conducted on a sickness only I have," Asuka said calmly.
"For now, we have matched the closest treatments to help stop the virus. Also, are you certain you want the full details hidden from your father? We have been telling him that it's not serious." Mori said.
"Yes, I don't want extra stress on him. It's fine." Asuka confirmed.
After a few tests, injections, questions and another debate on staying in the hospital, Asuka was dismissed. There was nothing, no breakthrough, no cure, nothing. The moment Asuka got home, she locked herself in her room and lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. It was new years tomorrow, but Asuka wasn't sure she wanted to start what was going to be the hardest year of her life.
"Izumi, want to come to the shrine? Kagami, Tetsu, and Satsuki and going too." Aomine's voice said through the phone.
Asuka nodded then remembered he couldn't see her.
"Sure, but I'm coming in jeans, no yukata. I can't be bother and probably can't find it." Asuka replied.
"Whatever, Satsuki is the only one dressing up anyway. I'll meet you at your place in ten." Aomine said before hanging up.
New years, already. Strange, very strange. Asuka had gotten texts from her American friends, and received a full ten pages in the mail from her teachers explaining her assignment. Asuka rolled out of bed and jumped up in front of her closet. It was ten at night, they'd be out till midnight. Asuka picked out an outfit and looked at herself in the mirror. She'd tied her hair back to avoid the wind blowing it in her face and wore the scarf Kise had got her as well as the owl necklace from Aomine. Happy that she was prepared for the cold, Asuka grabbed her bag and skipped sighed and sat on the swing her dad had made for her so long ago. The ropes were frayed the tree a lot larger than she remembered from the last time she'd seen it.
"Getting all nostalgic?" Aomine asked, walking down the street to her. Asuka rolled her eyes and stood up.
"Of course. Three years in long yeah?" She said running up beside him.
Asuka shrugged and stretched her arms.
"Being at school with you again will be such a pain." Aomine muttered.
"Oh really? Well you know, I haven't taken Japanese in three years. Also, science was condensed, it wasn't categorized as biology, physics and chemistry, maths too. Basically I'll be on the same level as you now. So we'll help each other?" Asuka asked.
"You're turning to me for tutoring?" Aomine scoffed.
"Fine, I'll ask Momoi instead. Just between us though, let's agree not to let Momoi force us to eat her cooking." Asuka said.
"Deal." Aomine nodded whole heartedly.
Asuka grinned and twirled and she skipped in front of Aomine, walking backwards to face him. The new year would come despite what she wanted, so she might as well face it head on.
I know, I know, that explanation on the illness made no sense. I'm no doctor here. Besides, it's meant to be unknown and ambiguous anyway. I was going to use a known disease but couldn't find one fitting what I imagined. Please review! Anyway, conclusion to Niseko arc. Excited to start the high school stuff. Big plans! I do need to warn though, I'm not sure how high school in japan works, heck, I barely know how it works here in NZ, for the equivalent year group at least. So anyway, the way it works in NZ is you have form class (home room) in the morning and then five periods, each an hour with a different set of people. That's my school anyway. Also, you choose subjects, being allowed to drop core subjects in your last year. That doesn't seem to be the case in Japan though.
