Tuesday 2nd May 2014, 10:33
Noboru private laboratory, Mt. Warusawa; Shizuoka
Cho lay alone upon the dark bed sheets, staring at the crack of sunlight shining feebly through the slit in the curtains. She was so tired, so utterly exhausted. She twitched occasionally at unexpected sounds, as though hiding from a ghost. The young woman drew her legs up closer to her chest, wincing a little from the slight pain in her hips. There were bruises on her stomach, and scratches that stung mildly as she touched them. It was not an intense pain, hardly noticeable but still there.
She didn't understand what she had done wrong. Nor Akihiko. The poor boy was entirely innocent, just like her. She couldn't think of a time she had ever looked at him the way she looked at her Jiro. For she loved Jiro, loved him as she had never loved another man. For he was clever, and sympathetic, compassionate - for he feared for her cousin even though never having met him - and jealous for her. She knew he was only upset with her because he was jealous for her - she knew he loved her so much that he couldn't bear the thought of losing her to any other being. Her heart swelled to understand why - he was the youngest of ten sons, and no doubt had the most distance to cross to shine brighter than his brothers.
But had he not said that he had something better? He had love. He had her. And she refused to disappoint him, whatever he could possibly have imagined about her and the other assistant. Sitting up, she set her eyes upon the door directly opposite the bed through which the handsome doctor had fled while she still slept.
"I won't disappoint him," she whispered, crawling off the bed and getting to her feet. "I won't! I'll prove my love for him by any means necessary. I'll be by his side no matter what, and I'll help him finish that antidote if it kills me!"
Tuesday 2nd May 2014, 12:04
Kasanoda Syndicate
I'd been sat in the bath for so long the water was no longer hot. Lukewarm at best, the reddish water was almost still for I hardly moved. My legs up to my chest, chin on my knees, I stared blankly at the mirror opposite. My tired brown eyes stared back, not quite closed. I hadn't bothered to actually wash, the blood congealed black on my skin and flaking fractionally away.
I felt bad for practically wasting the limited water we had, though I could barely bring myself to move anymore. I was just…so tired. It felt as though I hadn't slept for years and years, my mind too dull to think yet still so full of thought. So much had happened in so little time, and so horribly. How could it be that just twenty four hours ago we'd been about to set up for the festival; or that just twenty four hours ago Mori had asked me to go with him? And dad was… Well…
I sighed, closing my eyes and turning down my head so my forehead now pressed against my knees. In the space of seconds I could feel the all too familiar heat of tears welling in my eyes. How could it be that he was dead just twelve hours ago? It didn't make sense… It was still so impossible to imagine that he was gone - and yet I'd seen him fall from the railing, seen the iron bar puncturing his once friendly face. The thought of the blood spilling out violently from between those dead white eyes made bile rise in my throat, and I gripped myself tighter. My back shuddered, the water lapping my bloody legs as I began to cry. I tried to stop, tried to banish all thoughts of him from my mind. But, as is always the case, the more I tried to avoid the image the more fiercely it burned itself into the forefront of my brain.
How long had it taken for him to turn after I'd left? In those eight hours, when had he lost it all? And to think that he killed the landlady, too. After hearing the ex-Satoshi's wail that had called its kind to attack at Tamaki's house, I can tell just why she would have hurried to the apartment after hearing it. Poor woman…
And to think of all the other Henko - multiplying exponentially, now - that had been at the fair. There had been only a few, ten at most, yet how many had they managed to infect at Ouran? There were thousands of students, thousands of parents, hundreds of other guests from all around. If even a tiny percentage of them had been bitten, that would still mean hundreds of them in under fifteen hours. And since then? God only knew…
The worst thing was that the Henkō weren't slow and lumbering, like the stereotypical Z-word. They were quick, and strong. Dad alone had proved that much; tittering and silly in life, dad often had trouble opening certain types of door - there was something unique about the Henkōs that made them superbly powerful, so much so that even Mori had been unable to restrain him for longer than a minute. And if that was the case, how would anybody be able to contain them? Would the syndicate gates hold them? If there were to follow the chain of opposing stereotypes, might the Henkōs also be intelligent? Might they figure out that, should they work together, they could easily create a force strong enough to bear down the front gates?
I let out a soft moan of hopelessness, releasing my legs and leaning back against the tub wall so that I stared morosely up at the ceiling. After a while I closed my eyes, feeling the last lingering tears trickling down my cheeks, leaving tiny trails of heat across my skin. Without really noticing, I began sliding slowly down the sleek surface of the tub, the cool water enveloping more and more of my body. The murky substance had almost swallowed all of me, my face just hovering above the surface, until I was pulled out of my descent by the sound of gentle knocking.
"Haruhi?" Kasanoda's tentative voice called through the heavy wooden door. His voice was garbled through the water submerging my ears, though seemed somehow oddly magnified. I opened my eyes and gripped to the sides of the tub before pulling myself back upright, the water sloshing noisily all around me. "Are you alright? You've been in there a long time."
"Yes," I called back, throat a little dry from not having spoken for a while. "I'm fine."
"Okay," he said, sounding instantly less concerned - evidently he must have thought I'd fallen asleep and subsequently drowned. "I've left out some clothes for you on the bed next door - sorry if they're a little big."
"Thank you," I replied, staring once again at my wet-haired reflection.
"And lunch will be in about half an hour, so hopefully you'll be dry by then."
"Thank you."
"S'alright," he said, and without seeing him I could tell he had done that familiar shrug that mean he was trying to be casual even though he knew what a big deal it was. "The least we could do for - "
"I mean it," I said again, my voice a little louder than it had been, causing him to fall silent, "Thank you. I don't think you understand how grateful we are - how grateful I am…" He didn't say anything in answer, though I hadn't expected him to - surprisingly shy at heart, Kasanoda had always been rather bashful when it came to talking to me. I smiled fractionally, wondering whether or not he would be blushing, when I heard him clear his throat awkwardly and then his footsteps beginning to pace quickly away. The door from the room beyond closed, and all was silent once again.
I sighed, looking down at my legs beneath the murky brownish water. Blood still clung nastily to my skin like an ugly rash, flecks across my arms and chest too. I resolved to finally make actual use of the bathe, scrubbing the pointlessly cold water up and down me to relinquish the stubborn red matter from my skin. The water turned steadily darker as I rinsed myself to the nearest degree of cleanliness I could muster, and after a few minutes I had risen to my feet and stepped over the high sides of the tub onto the sleek black tiling. I retrieved a large red towel from a sizeable rack beside the dark granite sink, and began drying myself off before wrapping the bobbled fabric about my chest and proceeding to the bedroom beyond.
As he'd said Kasanoda had left a pile of clothes, in a rather untidy heap on the bed - clearly he wasn't one for folding things neatly. Then again I'd hardly suspected he would be. Draping the damp towel over the edge of the bed, I pulled on the pale grey t-shirt and stepped into the black skinny jeans, adorned with many zips and a chain stemming from one hip. As expected from the gangling redhead, I had to roll up the bottoms to keep from tripping over the remaining six inches that trailed over my feet and across the floor behind me. Shivering a little from the water I'd foolishly left to run cold, I hastily shoved my arms through the baggy dark red cardigan that had been at the bottom of the pile.
I was surprised to find that the boots, heavy and steel-toed, fit almost perfectly. There was no way his feet were as small as mine, Honey's were almost the same size. I wondered where he could have got them from. Though I supposed, as I looked at myself in the floor length mirror against the wall, that was hardly the most pressing concern. There were too many concerns already. What were we supposed to do? At all? Where would we even start managing to keep ourselves safe until the Henkōs would be destroyed? But… could they be destroyed? If their numbers continued to grow at the current rate, what was the likelihood of each and every one being struck in head with enough force to hinder their locomotion? And what if, in the extremely likely chance that that is impossible, then how soon could it be that all of Japan was consumed? And then what? The surrounding countries - the continent - the world…
What could we possibly do if even one Henkō got out? That single body could be the tipping point of the balance of life and death as we know it.
Gazing solemnly at my inconsequential reflection, I could feel my heart beat rising considerably. I could hear the blood pounding in my head as my thoughts turned darker and darker. I wasn't crying, but I was shaking quite considerably. The more I kept thinking, my mind whirring madly, the more fearful I became.
What if we couldn't protect each other? What if one of the people I love most gets hurt again? Tamaki would have been ripped apart had it not been for the twins - I would have been too if it weren't for Mori. Kyoya had taken the initiative to get us out of there, had shown a side of him I'd not seen for far too long - he, who so despised physical contact of any kind, had shown more compassion than I'd ever known in embracing me so tightly. Were it not for Honey and Yasuchika's athletic prowess, who knew what could have happened if they hadn't beaten back the ex-Satoshi? I couldn't bear to imagine what I'd do, what any of us would do, if something like Satoshi were to repeat itself. We'd lost him within hours, and Tamaki's father was to follow if we were right in assuming the bites were infected - I wished that we weren't, but the cynical side of me knew it was foolish to hope.
"No…" I breathed, speaking aloud though there was nobody to hear but me. I paced slowly closer to my reflection, closing my hands into fists at my sides. "This isn't you. You're not giving up, Haruhi. You owe it to them to keep hoping. I can't let myself be down, about anything - I can't let them see me upset." I nodded at myself as though in encouragement. "Dad told me yesterday to never let any of them out of my sight. He told me I didn't know how lucky I was to have them; well I know now, dad. I do. I really do…" My voice cracked a little. "If it weren't for all them keeping an eye on me, where would I be? They love me and look out for me more than I ever realised - you were right, dad… You were always right… about everything." All the while I had been talking I hadn't noticed the footsteps approaching, nor the composed knocking. I gave my reflection a watery smile. "I love them all so much…"
"Haruhi?"
I looked round. The door had opened without my realising it, Kyoya framed there looking very odd indeed in an outfit similar to mine. His hair was unkempt, probably not having been brushed yet, and the shirt he wore was slightly too large so the sleeve just drooped down off one shoulder. It was strange seeing Kyoya in such attire, though by no means was it a bad change - in fact, I rather found I preferred the wilder look to him. He looked almost like Mori.
"Oh," I said in surprise, stepping aside from the mirror to face him. "What are you…"
"I did knock," he stated quickly as I looked at him expectantly. He coughed under his breath as though to clear his throat, though he didn't say anything else.
"I wouldn't have thought you hadn't," I responded, folding my arms and taking a few paces toward him. "Just didn't realise you were there, Kyoya."
"Is this a new leaf of yours?" he asked as I came closer, one eyebrow raised. "Are we to disassemble honorifics entirely?"
"I suppose it saves valuable syllables, doesn't it?" I answered, shrugging. His eyebrow raised itself fractionally further in an almost questioning manner. "Should I ever need to shout for you, with some Henkō baring over me, it could be all the difference. Don't you think?"
For a moment he did not respond, and I came to stand more or less directly before him.
"Does this mean to say that I should assume I'd be the first you'd call?" he asked, his dark grey eyes fixed upon me with a strange expression I didn't know how to name. It was a mix between surprise and… I don't really know what it was, but it was an expression totally unlike his typical stare. I barely took note of it at the time, in my exhausted state, though I really should have done.
"If that's how you want to phrase it," I intoned, before shooting a wry smile up at him, "I mean… You could start lecturing it about finances and it'd very quickly die of boredom." He appeared almost taken aback, but at the sight of me smiling despite everything he seemed heartened.
"I'm glad you're still able to find humour in things, Haruhi," he told me, and I noticed he was smiling too. "Tamaki was right; you really are more resilient than you seem."
"I think that's the first time you've ever admitted to being wrong, Kyoya," I smirked, pushing his arm playfully. "I bet you're all fired up inside, aren't you?"
"I don't mind being wrong in this case," he replied, and I looked at him in surprise. His eyes bored down into mine, and there it was again - that oddly intense expression that I just couldn't quite describe. "I've often been mistaken about you, you know; I'm only glad you're always able to prove me wrong." He paused, looking away momentarily as if in thought, then moved fractionally closer to me so that our feet almost touched. He gazed down at me, his austere mouth curved in an unexpectedly gentle smile. A moment later I felt his hands upon my shoulders. "You're a fascinating young woman, Haruhi Fujioka. And I really do admire that resilience of yours…" Those dark eyes flittered across my face, and I was unsure as to whether or not I should speak. For a moment, it seemed, neither did he. "Among other things…"
"Why are you telling me this now?" I asked quietly, strangely transfixed by his stare and the grip of his hands.
"Do I need a reason?"
"You do," I replied, and his neat black brows furrowed. I continued, "Being complimentary isn't in your nature, unless you have something to gain for it. I'm not your guest, Kyoya, so what could you want of me? You already have my respect, and my friendship, so if you want me to do anything for you then all you have to do is…" I was distracted by the way his head appeared to be lowering down toward mine. "…ask… Kyoya, what are you - "
"Do you really want to know why I'm saying these things about you?" he intoned, his face closer to mine than it had ever been before.
"Yes," I said, unmoving. "I do."
It seemed to take the bespectacled second year a good moment to answer.
"Haruhi," he began to say, "I'm telling you these things because I… Haruhi, I think that - "
"Kyoya!" Tamaki's shrill shriek of displeasure suddenly sounded, making the both of us jump as running footsteps thundered down the corridor towards us. A moment later, Tamaki had burst into the room and had wrapped himself like a melodramatic koala about his best friend. "You said you were going to the bathroom then coming back! Why did you decide to take a detour? No wonder you're taking so long!"
"Tamaki, you idiot," Kyoya sighed, prising himself from the blonde and folding his arms much like a mother scolding her child - it was little to no wonder that he was dubbed as 'Mommy' in Tamaki's ridiculous family format for the club. "I said I was going to the bathroom then coming back with Haruhi." Tamaki wasn't in any state to hear Kyoya's retort however, babbling his own many woes endlessly over the top of him.
"I thought you might have gotten lost and been eaten by one of those horrible things! What would I do if that happened, Kyoya? What would I do without my Mommy!?"
"I'm not - oh, forget it…" the bespectacled boy muttered, seizing Tamaki by the arm and beginning to frog march him from the room. "Come on, Haruhi - let's make sure the idiot he doesn't injure himself." I nodded in assent, turning off the bedroom light and following the two boys down the corridor. Tamaki continued to prattle on and on about the multiple horrible ways he thought Kyoya had died, so I took the opportunity to walk alongside Kyoya and speak with him.
"What was it you were going to say before you were interrupted?" I asked, not noticing the way Kyoya set his jaw.
"What?" he said, as if he had not heard me over Tamaki's jabbering.
"I said," I raised my voice a little, "What were you going to say to me?"
"Oh, uh…" He coughed as though clearing his throat, not looking at me. "I was just going to say that I think you're a benefit to the club." He spoke these words rather quickly, and I was mildly taken aback for a moment.
"You… You've told me that before," I said, frowning up at him.
"Yes, well - " He coughed again. "Just emphasising the point."