Ch. 13 - Bedside Manner
"Courage was not the absence of fear, but the ability to walk into unknown territory despite it."
- Samantha Young
Ragged breaths and clanging of glass containers against each other in sporadic motions echoed unnervingly in the black. His chest felt tight, and his heart screamed for release from his ribcage as the very hairs on his scalp and arms bristled in testimony to his nerves. Despite everything logical telling him to breathe and calm down, to think his way through the dilemma, Jay found the overwhelming panic in his veins indomitable.
Not only was time running out, with Yosano and the great majority of the occupants of the store unconscious leaving only himself, the mafioso, and a barely conscious store clerk, but he'd exhausted himself from desperately searching the memories of everyone only to come up with a somewhat less vague idea of what exactly they were poisoned with.
And with time running thin, he cursed his black world more than ever.
"Dammit!" Jay hissed, throwing the container in his hands, the sound of it shattering on the ground ringing distantly in his ears as he snapped, "Bring me the penicillin!"
"You mean the one you just smashed all over the floor or a more intact one?" came a snarky reply shortly followed by a shuffling of feet and mutter, "Geez, why do I have to take orders from a cranky brat?"
Jay growled, shooting a glare in the direction of the steps. Upon his ability fading and thus restricting him from identifying the drugs within the store via their auras, he grudgingly enlisted the help of one of the only remaining occupants in the store: the Port Mafia goon he called out earlier. Even without knowing the full extent of the organization's relationship with the Agency, Jay could tell simply by the man's attitude why things weren't exactly smooth. Be that as it may, beggars couldn't be choosers and he bit his tongue. Although, he found it increasingly difficult to put up with his muttered complaints and sarcastic comments, especially as he felt the beginnings of a fever lick at his forehead while his chest began to ache.
The blind teen grimaced. It wouldn't be long until the disease caught him, and, by what he recalled of the mafia member's aura, his helper as well. They were running out of time.
"Because unless you know how to properly diagnose and inject someone or are a professional doctor, then this 'cranky brat' is your only hope of surviving to see the next moldy alley in this damn city," Jay snapped irately.
The man huffed, "Please, don't flatter yourself. The Boss would've figured this out in seconds; meanwhile you're here barely able to sit up right. And," he added indignantly, "I know perfectly well how to inject someone the right way."
"Oh goody," Jay rolled his eyes, "Shame your boss isn't here to give you the award for 'Most Useless Commentary Ever'. I'm sure he's going to be disappointed that he couldn't hand it out because you died spouting nonsense when you could, I don't know, pick up the pace and get me the damn penicillin already."
"Brat," he grumbled, followed by a slight hush in the air and pat on Jay's palm as he easily caught the container and placed it beside four others in front of him. He felt the mafioso's annoyance permeate the room as he continued, "If you're so confident, then fix this already."
"Of course, if only you'd shut up and let me think clearly so I don't add to the poison already in everyone's system," Jay retorted sourly.
"What's there to think? Surely you must've found something when you looked into all our memories," he shot back, making the teen frown.
While he managed to scour all the unconscious persons' memories from the past few hours and collect a sizeable amount of information, the culprit and true formula of the poison remained a mystery – one he held a haunting suspicion rested in the minds of those already passed. Jay grimaced, motion not going unnoticed by the man who stopped in front of him and pinned him with a questioning stare.
"You did find out the cause, right?"
"Tch," Jay averted his gaze, glaring into the darkness as he grudgingly admitted, "I never said I found the cure, just more of the symptoms to clarify things. The answer is probably within the memories of one of the people who died."
"So? Then get to it!" the mafioso barked, snatching up his arm in efforts to guide him to the first person.
"Hands off," Jay snapped, tugging his arm from the man's grip.
"What the hell's wrong with you? I know you look like shit now, but muster up some energy and finish this damn thing," he shouted, panic noticeable within his outburst.
"Shut up! You don't know a damn thing about me or my ability!" Jay snarled, fury pulsating off his small form as he stood up to the mafia member unabashedly.
"What? Is the little brat scared? Or maybe too weak to handle adult things?" the mafia member growled, "Like I thought. All bark and no bite."
Jay bristled, "Says the useless one who can barely manage a simple delivery job. And for your information, I'm not scared or too weak to peer into those people's memories."
"Oh? Then do please enlighten me," the mafioso sneered.
"Because in order to read their memories, I need to match their breathing. Kinda hard to do when the person's dead," Jay retorted, "Seriously, what kind of recruitment system does Port Mafia have? Hire whatever moron they find in the street?"
"Careful what you say there brat…." The Port Mafia member seethed, and he could hear his knuckles begin to pop in indication of him clenching his fists, "You don't have your doctor friend to protect you anymore."
"Like I actually needed her protection in the first place," Jay shot back heatedly, completely forgetting about the task at hand as he taunted at the man's stillness, "What? Aren't you going to teach me a lesson? Or are you too afraid of losing to a blind brat?"
A rush of air whooshed by his left ear milliseconds after Jay shifted to dodged the attack. At its ferocity and strength, his eyes narrowed. Buffon or not, the guy held some serious strength – enough to knock him out if he wasn't careful. And despite a small piece of him ridiculing their mal timed brawl, the overflowing adrenaline and will to prove himself kept his focus on the man as he continued to dodge haphazard strikes and, after a moment, lash out with a blow to the man's chest that sent him gasping for breath.
"What's wrong? I thought Port Mafia goons were tougher than this," Jay sneered, "Please, you're no better than some-"
He cut off as he felt the scarf around his neck suddenly constrict like a deadly snake and force him within inches of rancid breath that hissed poisonously, "Bastard. I'd kill you right now if it wasn't for…"
In an instant, near every ounce of malice radiating off the man evaporated – replaced with a deep sense of astonishment that mercifully stopped his foul breath from flowing over Jay's scrunched face as he clawed at his scarf and his remaining grip to relieve some pressure from his neck. Whether it was from his actions or the growing shock pulsing from the man, a small gasp finally left the teen's lips as he freed himself at last.
Snatching back the remainder of his scarf still hanging in the man's hand, Jay croaked irately, "Wasn't for what? Your inability to actually follow through on your threats? Please. How can anyone be afraid of hypocritical softies like y-"
"Your neck," the mafioso interrupted hollowly as a faint heat from his hand hovering over the area brushed Jay's senses that quickly tensed both from the proximity and where he was going, "There's a rash…"
No way. Jay grit his teeth, summoning a small piece of his energy to activate his ability. A tiny blipper of color graced his world but was quickly fading to his dismay. Nevertheless, it provided enough time to glimpse his aura – usual vibrant blue and yellow now a dull grey and sickly yellow-brown.
Jay's heart skipped a beat. His body was on the verge of giving in. As if in response to his recognition, he felt a wave of nausea and lightheadedness briefly overtake him, forcing him to reach out to a nearby shelf and support himself as the mafia member called out with a trace of concern, "H-Hey!"
How could he have missed it? He of all people should've been aware of his condition. Jay grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes scathingly at nothing. Time was all but up, and he still held no definite cure to the poison that took hold of his system. Only presumptions remained alongside a pulsating pain coming from his chest…
No. The teen tensed, mind going taut like a bow string at the thought. Not his chest, but his upper abdomen.
Without warning, he lunged toward the remaining bottles, practically tripping over himself and bringing about a worried shout from the man, "Hey! What are you-?"
Not wasting any time, Jay pulled out a few vials he sought, popping off the caps and breathing in their familiar scent to confirm its identity before mixing them together in a mortar. When the unmistakable smell of the combination met his senses, he snatched one of the syringes beside him and hastily peeled away the plastic wrapping.
Turning, he briefly grabbed at air before connecting with the mafioso's jacket and fiercely tugging him over, instructing urgently while shoving the items in his hands and raising his forefinger a half-inch above his thumb, "Pull out about this much and inject me!"
"W-What?!" he stammered, form fidgeting uneasily.
"Just do it! You said you had some medical experience, right?" Jay snapped, forcing down his shirt collar to expose where he believed the rash to be, "If I'm right, then this should cure everyone."
"And if you're not?" the man challenged dubiously, doubt nearly suffocating the teen who grimaced in response.
"We're dead either way," Jay concluded grimly, leaning his head away to expose more of his skin to the man who, after a brief moment of hesitation, gave a breath and did as instructed.
As he approached with the needle, Jay's heartbeat pounded in his chest. If he was wrong, then he was sending himself to a much more painful death than the others. No. He scowled, partially baring his teeth as he felt the syringe's point prick his skin. A sensation of pressure building alongside a sharpening pain filled the area.
The concoction flowed thickly through his veins, making the teen wince as the mafia member finally pulled away. Tension began fraying the air in the room as they awaited the results – Jay attempting to steady his shaky breaths as he felt the medicine slowly spread to his entire form that began to lean more heavily onto the shelf for support.
He had to be right. Everything fit. No matter what, he had to save these people.
And, hopefully, himself.
…
"Ah! She looks like she's waking up," a soft voice echoed in the fading darkness as the young woman suppressed a groan at her aching body.
Where was she? What happened?
"Yosano-san, can you hear me?" another voice prompted on the other side, "Yosano-san?"
Prying open her eyes, the named blinked a few times to adjust to the bright light and two silhouettes partially blocking it. All the while, memories of her excursion with Jay, the attack, and her succumbing to the poison floated back to the surface of her mind. Obviously they made it through, and while she felt a little better than the last time she was awake, breathing still grated uncomfortably on her lungs – as if the air was a little too thick.
Noting her discomfort, the head to her left, which quickly clarified to reveal Kenji, asked in concern, "Are you feeling alright, Doctor? You look like you're hurting still."
To his right, Atsushi agreed with sparks of uncertainty in his eyes, "Yeah, but I'm glad you are finally awake Yosano-san."
Indeed, relief swam through their eyes as Yosano gave a halfhearted smile, her throat feeling drier than a desert as she croaked, "It takes more than that to kill me."
The pair smiled, Kenji reaching back to grab a glass of water placed on the table beside her bed as Yosano took the opportunity to scan her surroundings. Familiar beds, walls, and furniture told she somehow returned to the Agency. However, the lack of another in either bed beside her made her heart jump uneasily. Where was…?
"Took you long enough," a sullen growl sounded at the foot of her bed, drawing her attention to the icy eyes of Jay as he scowled back, "And you call yourself a doctor? You should be ashamed with how long it took you to recover."
The teen sported a few bandages and bruises – his hair much less tidy than earlier and mostly sticking out from his ponytail, while his skin was a few shades paler than before in testimony to his own battle with the toxin – yet his voice was clear and strong alongside the note of irritation in his features as he held onto a clipboard at the end of her bed. Seeing how his grip relaxed minutely in relief, Yosano sighed and smiled softly at Jay. Despite his harsh words and attempt to appear unbothered, he truly worried about her. The little brat.
"Your bedside manner sucks," she shot back, taking the glass Kenji offered and letting the refreshing water sooth her parched throat.
Jay scoffed, "I saved your life. Bedside manner can rot in hell for all I care. Besides, you weren't the one who wasted three hours trying to explain to some dense police officer what all happened. Those idiots might as well have stayed home for all the 'help' they were."
"Right?" Ranpo spoke up, head peeping out from behind one of the curtains as he gave a small wave to Yosano, "You were lucky that I figured out the culprit who planted the virus and got a real antidote or you all would be in the hospital for a week."
"Please, mine worked just fine," Jay rebutted.
"Maybe for the first few minutes. As I recall, you were in a lot of pain before I showed up with the real cure," Ranpo argued, causing the teen to glare at him.
"Whatever," Jay growled, turning his attention back to the other three in the room, "All that matters is that everyone got out safely. Well, aside from the first three victims."
"Based on their proximity to the initial release, it's no surprise. The odds of their survival were low from the start," Ranpo explained, softening the guilt resting on the teen and doctor a little as he went on to explain his end of the day's events.
Apparently the attack was in retribution to one of the initial victims in the store by a grudging coworker who had a knack for poisons. All in all, Kunikida and Kenji managed to apprehend the man while Tuck and Ranpo rushed to where Jay and Yosano were.
What a day. Who would've thought she'd end up in her own clinic? Saved by a snarky teen at that? Either way, she couldn't help the smile that tugged up her lips as Yosano exhaled and chuckled briefly, drawing the attention of those around her.
Meeting Jay's eyes, she smirked, "Congratulations Jay. You pass."
The teen tilted his head, "Are you still loopy from the drugs?"
"No, idiot," Ranpo sighed, drawing a scowl from the teen as he continued, "She's perfectly fine. Well, aside from a few lingering side effects of the medicine we gave. But that's inconsequential. Back to the point, she means you passed the entrance exam."
"Entrance exam?" Jay's annoyance melted to confusion as he quirked a brow.
"Yes. While it wasn't exactly how I planned for it to pan out, you showed great skill in helping everyone in the store – including strangers and members of Port Mafia without any bias," Yosano explained, adding with a note of amusement, "I figured that you performed well enough in the unexpected to qualify for a passing grade despite that nasty temper and pitiful bedside manner you have. Either way, the Agency would be lucky to have you."
"Oh? You say that like I'm actually going to agree and work here after Ari's debt is paid off," Jay raised a brow, causing Kenji's and Atsushi's smiles to waver. Nevertheless, after a brief stare off with the doctor, he sighed, a small smirk tugging up the corner of his mouth, "Although, maybe that isn't such a bad idea. You lot are pretty entertaining, not to mention are pitifully understaffed when it comes to your medical department."
"Oh? I thought you detested the idea of working with me," Yosano responded with a grin, "You sure you can even handle working here?"
"Please, I saved you didn't I?" Jay shot back lightly.
"So does that mean you're joining the Agency, Jay?" Atsushi inquired.
The teen shrugged, "I don't see any problems in joining for now. Of course I'll have to talk to Ari and Tuck about anything involving long-term employment."
Atsushi and Kenji nodded in agreement, while Yosano took the opportunity to add, "Speaking of the two, do us a favor and keep quiet about the examinations. It won't be much of a test if they know in advance it's already happening."
"Sure," Jay easily complied, gaze gaining notes of superiority as he deduced he was the first of the trio to pass, "You know, you lot aren't nearly as stuck up as I first thought after looking through your memories."
"Eh?" Atsushi blinked followed by Kenji echoing, "Our memories?"
Yosano's smile twitched as she growled, "You mean to say you spied on our memories from the start you cheeky brat?"
The others in the room stiffened alongside a few agents in the hallway that peered in upon finding the doctor had returned to consciousness. Their aghast quickly turned to small, insulted outbursts as Jay commented plainly, "Calm down. You've got nothing to worry about. Honestly, most of your pasts were extremely dull in my opinion, so no need to stress about anything of the sort."
A few agents huffed and stomped away from his blunt words, muttering that he was some arrogant child who didn't know what he was talking about. For the most part, Jay ignored them as Ranpo objected, "Dull? You must have no sense of anything if you think my past was dull."
"Oh? You mean to say that wallowing around in boredom between cases is exciting?" Jay mused, a small smirk lighting up his features at the detective's annoyance, "I suppose it's better than watching some old soap opera every night like that one clerk."
"You mean Akko?" Ranpo inquired, a speck of interest popping into his gaze, "Please, that's nothing compared to what her brother does in his spare time."
Intrigue sparked in Jay's form as the two began discussing the private lives of the other agents without concern as Atsushi and a few others chagrinned, almost unwilling to intervene lest they turn on them and dissect every part of their life. Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea for Jay to stick around and thus rouse Ranpo's more indelicate social qualities. For her part, Yosano merely shook her head. Sure she was glad the young detective had someone to bounce ideas off of and get along with, but she too felt the price of such on their nerves may end up sending more patients to her ward.
Fortunately, before they had time to delve too deeply into the clerk's personality and impulses, a figure burst through the door and swiftly grabbed Jay's shoulders, spinning him around while gasping, "Jay! Are you alright?! I just heard what happened at the pharmacy. You're not hurt, right?"
"I'm fine, Ari. Or, rather I would be if I could breathe," Jay scrunched up his nose, tugging himself from the woman's grip to grimace, "What the hell have you been doing? You smell worse than a rotting pile of manure."
Indeed, the occupants of the room quickly joined the teen's distaste as a foul odor filled the air and only grew as Dazai entered behind the red-head – who, after a better look, appeared more brown and green than anything alongside her companion. While Dazai retained a few specks of cleanliness, Ari failed to show any spot void of grim on her skin and clothes. Fortunately for them, they appeared nose-blind to their stench. Unfortunately for the rest, it only grew to the point Yosano nearly coughed while Atsushi's eyes began watering as he mirrored Jay and backed away from the pair.
"How rude, Jay-kun. And after all the effort we took to race here," Dazai spoke in mock hurt, "I'm sure Aria-chan doesn't smell that horrendous," he paused, sniffing the woman's head before his expression churned with distaste, "On second thought, maybe he's right. You do stink, Aria-chan."
"Ass," the woman elbowed him in the gut, "You're the one who suggested we look in the sewers in the first place."
"What a job," Jay commented sardonically, breathing in fleetingly as he pushed the pair to the doorway, "At any rate, go take a shower. Or three."
"Jerk," Ari grumbled despite relief still shining in her eyes as she added passingly, "At least you had to have had a better day than us, right? Or at least more interesting I hope."
Jay exchanged glances with Yosano briefly before shrugging, "Eh, it was a bit mediocre in my opinion."
.
.
.
Extra: Messy Situation
Just when she thought things couldn't get any lower, they did. Everything she seemed to think certain turned on its head in this blasted city. All the more reason to leave…and, ideally, take a shower to wash off all this filth.
A speck of grime she didn't want to know its source splattered on Ari's cheek as she tore through the sewers of Yokahama. Yes, sewers.Apparently she must still land on the bad side of whoever assigns missions, or her already crappy luck grew worse than she thought possible. Again, Yokohama seemed to have that annoying effect. In addition to imbuing its citizens with crazy notions.
Like finding some award winning rat that escaped into the sewers.
Yeah. Just her luck.
Still, a light at the end of the tunnel appeared as she and Dazai finally found the rat. Or at least one that looked very much like it. Either case, it seemed neither particularly cared so long as it ended. Yet another weird effect of this city: for once they were on the exact same terms.
If only the same luck could apply to their efficiency in catching the damnable rodent.
Unfortunately, that was the one certainty Yokohama could afford as just when Ari reached to snatch up the rat, a particularly slimy piece of muck met her ruined shoes. And you can only guess where that led, as Ari's determined expression changed into one of an unaware person entering into a surprise party. Only, the surprise in this case was far messier and disgusting.
And not even a saving grace of her ability bracing her fall came as Dazai too tumbled on the slick substance and collided directly with the red head, sending both face first into the grime filling the sewers. Or, rather, Ari did as the bandaged man landed directly on top of her, pressing her completely into the filth from head to toe.
"Ugh…" Ari raised her head, face covered in a gracious amount of green-brown slime that sent bile in her throat and made her nose burn. She nearly couldn't breathe – partially from the foul odor, but mostly from the form pressing her deeper into the thicker than usual muck.
A groan resounded in her ears as Dazai's form shifted unsteadily, weakly attempting to get off yet only accomplishing a minute amount as his hands pressed on the ground on either side of her, "This is why I detest anything involving rats. Always makes for rather slippery situations."
"Get…off," Ari growled, trying to no avail to push him off. Her hands gained no traction in the filth, and her anger and annoyance in the man only grew as he chuckled.
"Don't worry Aria-chan. While our clumsiness had its downfalls, it did accomplish one good thing," he stated, pulling up his hand to reveal a grimy tail attached to an even filthier rat that squealed in panic only inches from her face, "Pretty good catch, if I do say so myself."
Thankfully, he managed to shift off of her and inspect the creature with much cleaner features, courtesy of Ari buffering his fall to her gross irritation. Nevertheless, despite the smile on his face, a noticeable disgust ran through his red-brown eyes as Dazai grimaced, "Rats truly are such vile creatures. Who'd have thought anyone would actually care enough to hire professionals to find such a disgusting rodent?"
"Who cares," Ari grumbled, turning over to sit (not like she could get any filthier anyways) and wipe away some of the grime coating her disgruntled face, flicking her hands to dislodge the unspeakable substance.
"Oh?" Dazai mused, tilting his head innocent-like as he took in her form. A small frown lit his features as he pointed with the hand holding the rat, "Ah, you seem to have something on your face, Aria-chan-"
"Bastard!" Ari seethed at his comment, throwing a ball of gunk directly at his face and hitting the mark. And while it pleased her greatly to see his disgusted reaction, the action also caused some unexpected consequences in the rat dropping from his grip and disappearing down the rancid tunnels once more.
"Aww, and right when I thought we were done," Dazai moaned, a smug smirk lighting his features as Ari stared in disbelief momentarily before chasing after the rodent and throwing crass insults its way.
For such an upside-down city, Yokohama was a very interesting place to be.
My goodness, I am SO sorry for the super delayed response and horrible timing as I just said I'd be better at it. Please forgive me. Life happened and a lot of unexpected surprises graced my life recently making this chapter a little difficult to write but hopefully the extra surprise will make up for things c;
At any rate, Jay manages to pass the Entrance Exam, something that, after a little thought, led me to believe that just because someone passes such doesn't mean they have to join the Agency (look at Atsushi, even though Dazai kinda blackmailed him into joining in the end) thus I felt it fit well with the trio. Either way, here ends Jay's little intro section. I may write more with him because as I said he is my favorite, but for now he gets to take a backseat with Ari.
Next up, Tuck. And hopefully will be near on time (most likely not with school starting up again tomorrow but should ideally be out by mid September at the lastest).
Hope everyone had a splendid week and good start to school if you're still there like me.