Curse of the Sea Horse

Chapter XII.

"My dear Kyonkitchi, I simply cannot understand a word you're saying."

Ayame frowned slightly as another burst of garbled talk issued from the other side of the line. He had only waltzed in Hatori's bedroom carrying extravagantly wrapped gifts when the phone started ringing. To hear the panicky voice of the Juunishi's cat on the other end (joined by another shrill, shrieking voice in the background) was quite a surprise.

"What was that again? Tea? Hatori wants me for tea?"

The loud, quite elaborate string of curses from the teen's mouth was spoken very clearly, but the snake was unperturbed.

"I still can't understand. Would you care to repeat—?"

"JUST GET YOUR FREAKIN' ASS HERE!" roared the enraged voice of the cat, which made Ayame hold the phone at an arm's length. "HATORI MAY BE DYING AND YOU KEPT ON BLABBER—"

That made Ayame scramble to get the phone again. "What did you say?"

"FUCK OFF, IDIOT SNAKE! I'M NOT GOING TO—"

"Kyo."

At the snake's sudden venomous tone, the bristling cat fell silent.

Taking a deep breath, Ayame asked quietly, "What about Hatori?"

As Ayame listened to the hasty explanation of the teen, blood drained from his face. "Oh, good god!" he gasped. "I need to tell Gure-san! Kyo, tell Kagura-chan and Haa-kun to hold on! We'll be right there."

With that, the snake threw the phone on the bed unceremoniously and grabbed his coat over the desk and dashed away, ignoring the forming moisture on the corner of his eyes, and calling loudly for the dog.

Hold on, Haa-san… We're coming…

It happened so quickly.

One moment, he was sitting on the floor sorting Hatori's gifts, then the snake was dragging him towards the car babbling something about Hatori being in danger then the next moment, they were driving a break-neck speed towards his secluded house. They arrived in barely fifteen minutes, considering the distance, and were already bursting in the door before the youngsters inside realized they'd arrived. Only one look at the limp body of the sea horse in the wooden floor was enough for both the dog and the snake.

"What the hell—","Tori-san!" exclaimed the two adults at the same time.

"Shii-chan! Aya-chan! Thank god!" cried Kagura in relief, surging forward to grasp each of their arms. "Hurry! Hari's shaking so much! He-he's…"

Shigure hurried to the sea horse, checking his pulse. Hatori's eyes were rolling beneath their lids, his skin was cold and clammy, and his breathing was shallow and noisy.

"He's going into shock," he muttered worriedly. Thinking quickly, he turned to the others. "Kagura-chan, grab some blankets upstairs. Kyo, get a cloth and drench it in warm water. Aaya—"

"I understand," said Ayame, moving quickly to assist Shigure in lifting the sea horse's taller form and bringing him to the backseat of his car. "What's happening to him, Gure-san?" asked Ayame, yellow eyes troubled.

"I... don't know yet, Aaya," answered Shigure grimly. Looking at the anxious youngsters, who followed them outside, he hid his actual agitation and forced himself to speak calmly. "We need to get him to the nearest clinic. Kagura-chan and Kyo-kun, stay with Ayame for a while. I'll take Haa-kun with me and Hatori."

"But, Gure-san—" began the tailor, but the novelist was already shaking his head.

"We can't Aaya. You drive too recklessly, and someone needs to take these kids home. I just need Haa-kun here to tell me what happened, as he's least likely freak out about the situation. Aaya," said Shigure, looking the crest-fallen snake. "You understand, right?"

Ayame drew himself up and nodded. "Go ahead, Gure-san."

Shigure nodded back and called the ox, who quietly followed the novelist.

Ayame turned to the youngsters as soon as the car was out of sight. His expression was pained, a testament on how badly he wanted to be with his friend in time of need. "What exactly happened?"

Kagura was wearing a distressed look. "Well, we were trying to find Hari with the map Haru found in the clinic… Hari let us in and was about to call you when he suddenly started convulsing," she paused, eyes watering slightly. "It was like his whole body is stiffening and jerking at the same time. H-he… he was shaking so much! It was frightening!"

"I was calling you for the seventh time already, snake," growled Kyo, kicking his shoe in the dirt quite forcefully. Even the cat seemed to have been shaken up by what he'd seen. "It looks like he couldn't breathe too. He was turning purple," he added, throwing the horrified tailor an accusatory look.

Walking back at the house, he muttered under his breath, "Tch. I should've stayed at home. Stupid cow, dragging me in this mess. I'm going to beat the crap out of him…"

Entwining her hands together as she watched the irritated cat disappear, Kagura continued, "Then, he… he was trying to tell us something. I think it was 'eclampsia', some disease or some sort… B-but his mouth began to froth, and that was what really frightened all of us. Then, he lost consciousness," she ended worriedly. She grabbed handfuls of the tailor's robes. "Hari's going to be fine right, Aya-san? And his baby too, right? This—this 'eclampsia' thing isn't that serious, right?"

Ayame met the watery gaze of his younger cousin, before kneeling before her. He forced a bright smile. "I'm sure he's going to be fine… I mean, he's our dearest Soham Hatori is he not? This 'eclampsia' monster can't beat a mighty dragon prince like him. Now come, let us go and prepare dears Haa-san, Gure-san and Haa-kun a hot, delicious dinner when they come home."

Kagura eyed him hesitantly, but nodded. Ayame gave her another encouraging smile and watched until she disappeared indoors. Only then did Ayame's happy façade fell, and genuine fright and worry took place.

"Oh, Hatori… Please be safe…" he whispered.

Shigure gritted his teeth, his hands unconsciously gripping the wheel tighter. Having heard the ox's account, he was more desperate than ever to find a nearby clinic; the nearest hospital was still some ways ahead, but the novelist knew that Hatori's condition couldn't wait for that long.

It didn't help his mood at all when the overcast sky broke into pelting rain, hitting against his windshield mercilessly.

Eclampsia.

He knew what that complication meant, having used it in one of his novels before. It was a complication in pregnancy caused by pregnancy-induced hypertension and characterized by convulsions that may lead to either heart failure or comatose and early delivery.

In his novel, the lead female character died with her child because of it.

Damn it!

"Shigure-san, I see a clinic ahead."

Shigure glanced at the direction Haru was pointing. Immediately, Shigure pulled over and grabbed his umbrella. "Wait here, Haa-kun."

Some minutes later, he, Haru and the doctor named Watabe Omi managed to get Hatori inside the clinic and lying comfortably in the bed.

"Get her warmed up," said the doctor, tossing the novelist and the ox several thick blankets, before hurrying upstairs to his personal quarters. "I need to place a few calls. Give me a few seconds."

Though Shigure was thankful that the doctor was a male, (as the danger of the patient turning suddenly into a ea horse was minimized) he wondered how Watabe would react if he finds out that his patient was a man himself.

"Sorry about that," said Watabe, reappearing in the office while dragging his lab coat on. He squinted his hazel eyes on Hatori's pale features. "My fiancée happened to be the best obstetrician I know, so I called her to come over. Now, let's see what I can do. Sohma-san, Sohma-kun, please wait outside."

Watabe was fairly young for a doctor, like Hatori, but he was as efficient in his job as the sea horse himself. Shigure has no doubt that the man, specialty or not, would do his best to stabilize Hatori's condition.

The small waiting area of Watabe's clinic was homey, with plush sofas and a sturdy coffee table in the middle of the room. The mint-colored walls of the room gave a relaxing ambiance.

Not that it helped calm Shigure's nerves. Several seconds after they had both sat on the comfy sofas, the novelist stood abruptly and began pacing, clenching and unclenching his fists in a very agitated manner.

Haru watched his older cousin for several minutes walking back and forth in front of him. Then, he stood up.

Shigure, startled by his sudden movement, raised an eyebrow in question.

The white and black-haired boy shrugged. "I'm bored. I'm going to take a look around."

Haru should have saved his breath, as the novelist had long begun pacing once more. "Take an umbrella with you," said Shigure distractedly, running a shaky hand through his damp hair.

Haru frowned slightly. "Are you going to be all right, Shigure-san?"

"Yes, I left it by the front door."

Sighing, the teen shoved both of his hands in his pockets and left the waiting area. He was not really sure if visitors were allowed to roam around the doctor's house, but he doesn't really care either way.

Reaching the living room, he found a T.V. He paused for a moment, studying the empty screen before flopping down on the sofa and flicked it on with the control. After several minutes of channel surfing, he landed on a channel featuring a cattle slaughterhouse.

"SHIT!"

Feeling suddenly nauseated, he jabbed the Off button fiercely and tossed the control away from him, as if it burned him. He shook his head viciously to rid himself of the horrifying mental images.

His eyes then landed on a group of framed photographs standing on one of the side tables. Curious, he drew nearer and studied the photographs. There was the Watabe doctor in his childhood days, a high school picture with his friends, his college graduation portrait, several others.

A photo of a smiling woman placed in the middle of all these caught his attention.

Something nagged Haru's thoughts as he picked up the photograph of the woman. He knew he'd seen the woman before. The sense of familiarity was too strong.

He frowned.

But how and where?

Shigure had stopped pacing. He had stopped clenching and unclenching his fists. His eyes had stopped roaming around the room, trying to find peace in that supposedly peaceful room.

In fact, he stopped moving at all.

He just stood there in the middle of the room, with narrowed eyes directed in the wall clock above him. He could swear that the clock was silently mocking him, going in too fast and too slow at the same time.

Shit. It's been what, thirty, forty-five minutes? An hour? What's taking the damned doctor so long?

So engrossed was he with his glaring contest with the innocent clock, that he didn't hear the doorbell rang.

And rang.

And rang.

And raaaannnng.

Finally the sudden pounding knocks seemed to have roused the novelist. He walked over the door and opened it curiously, wondering at the same time of he should go and alert the doctor that he has a visitor.

Then, Shigure's jaw dropped to the floor.

There in the patio stood a woman in bright yellow coat, gripping a white umbrella with both hands. Her light brown hair was swept into a neat ponytail, and her brown eyes, although pleasant and warm, held a questioning look.

Still, she smiled brightly at him.

"Oh, hello. Are you Omi-kun's patient's husband?"

Shigure gaped.

"Kana-san?"

A/N:

(whistles to the tune of Jingle Bells)

Since it's the time to be jolly, (tra-la-la-la-la lalala!) let us hold the assassination attempts of the author until the end of the holiday season, shall we? (-.-;)

Yeah, sooo… I'm baack! Yay! And I'm still making our favorite sea horse's life miserable! YAY!

Woo-hoo! 182 reviews! I feel so loved! Thanks a lot people! (T,T) I'm sorry I've been so busy lately, but I'll still try to update as often as I could.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

Please drop me a line or two on what you think of this story. Thanks very much for reading!