Kaoru shuddered in pain; his limbs tensed against the restraints and he ground his teeth as tears streamed down his cheeks. He cried out pitifully just as the pain began to subside and temporarily, he fell limp. The darkness edged his vision but he did not get the relief of unconsciousness.

His body trembled weakly just as a stinging fire rushed his veins. Kaoru could feel it spread rapidly up into his Carotids, initiating an unbearable migraine. But, as quickly as it came, Kaoru was left panting on the hard table as sticky, hot blood trickled down the side of his ears. He whimpered softly.

"Easy, now," the nurse whispered as she began uncurling Kaoru's tightened fingers. Kaoru opened his eyes and watched her warily. He was so tired; so, so tired. She leaned across him and straightened his other hand with a sad smile on her thin lips. "It'll be alright, now."

Kaoru flinched away, closing his eyes. How does he know that she isn't lying? This was the third injection they've given him tonight. He focused on taking deep breaths, trying to ease his aching heart.

The nurse moved away with a swish of her lab coat, addressing the doctor, "Uzo, I think he's had enough for today."

Kaoru cracked an eye. Was that the doctor's name? "It was amazing," the doctor ranted. Kaoru swore if he heard that word one more time… he was going to kill the guy. "Completely amazing," Uzo continued, making Kaoru cringed. "His body not only dispels the Red Plague, but it rejected the Black Plague, the HIV virus, and Shingles. I wonder what else he can ward off." Kaoru watched Uzo pace as the anger built inside. If he ever got his hands on Uzo…

"He really can't handle any more tonight. He even drew blood on his palms where his nails dug in," the nurse piped up, laying a soft hand on Uzo's shoulder.

Kaoru sighed in relief when Uzo nodded in agreement. "Alright, alright," he said scrubbing his hands over his eyes. "But I want him in here first thing in the morning. I still have a lot to analyze. We clear, Hina?"

Hina's eyes darted to Kaoru sorrowfully before she nodded slowly. "Of course," she said quietly. Maybe somewhere else, at a different time, Kaoru may have liked this nurse. But right now, he hated the woman. She may feel sorry for Kaoru but she was doing nothing about it. And for that, he hated her.

Suddenly a door slammed open, jolting Kaoru in his restraints. "It evolved! It evolved!" a young man shouted into the room. The doctor and nurse moved out of Kaoru's hazy view but he focused on listening, trying to stay awake.

"What evolved?" Uzo demanded.

"The Red Plague," the young man urged. "It got worse."

Uzo lowered his voice, "In what way?"

Kaoru stared numbly at the row of vials of his blood standing on the table. How much blood had they taken out of him today? He threw his attention back on the voices, biting his lip to keep himself awake.

"In the way that people are getting sick faster and the symptoms are stronger. And get this, the infected are taking on zombie-like qualities," he explained to Uzo.

Hina gasped. "Zombies? What in the world?"

"It's true. While they aren't exactly zombies, some do have some extreme cases of lesions and others seemed to have phenomenal endurance and strength for being so sick. We aren't sure what is causing it or how it's even possible."

"Do you have the test results?" Uzo asked eagerly.

"The paperwork is right here." There was a shuffling of papers and then silence. Kaoru's labored breathing was loud to his own ears.

"Did you take samples?" Uzo asked suddenly.

"Of course."

"Grab me a vial right away," Uzo commanded as he stalked back into view, leafing through a manila folder.

"What are you planning on doing?" Hina asked, following close behind.

Uzo stopped, turning to her with a smile. "Why, test it out, of course."

Kaoru let out an involuntary whimper at his words, shuffling uncomfortably in the restraints. Hina immediately was at his side, placing a hand on Kaoru's forehead with concerned dark eyes. "He's burning up," she said, withdrawing her hand. "He already went through so much. I don't think he can handle another injection." Kaoru silently sent his agreement.

"No, he'll be fine. He's a strong kid. He can withstand it. Now get him prepped."

Hina sighed, turning away from Kaoru to check the restraints at his feet and then worked her way up. Kaoru allowed his mind to wander, trying to separate his mind from his body. The next time he blinked she was cleaning the needles, putting away the old vials and replacing them with fresh, empty ones.

The door slammed open, catching Kaoru in surprise a second time. Kaoru squeezed his eyes shut, listening to Uzo give some hurried thanks before his shadow hovered over Kaoru's closed eyes. "Fill this up, Hina."

Kaoru ground his teeth, re-curling his fingers into his throbbing palms. He moved his lips in a silent comfort to himself, trying to gear himself up. He immediately thought of his brother. Kaoru ghosted a smile. He would do this for Hikaru. He wouldn't want to see Kaoru in so much pain. Kaoru could do this.

"Alright, here we go," Uzo said excitedly, positioning himself close to Kaoru. In one quick, fluid movement, Uzo stuck Kaoru in the right arm, just above a row of colorful bandages. And, just as quickly, the assaulting virus was spread into his system.

The reaction was instantaneous. Kaoru jerked forward, moaning horrifically. He had to clamp his mouth shut, trying not to scream at the acidic sensation in his arm. Seizures overtook his body, violent and long. In the back of his throat, bile rose, leaving him feeling sick to the bone.

"Heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature are already at their maximums!" Hina cried from her corner of the room.

A seizure passed and Kaoru curled his fingers tighter until he could feel the quick flow of blood in his hands. He was crying, he realized, just before a mind-numbing wave of pain rolled over him. He groaned fully and deeply.

Everything turned white hot. The back of Kaoru's eyes burned. Was he being scorched from the inside out? Regardless, Kaoru begged the sensation to just kill him already. He was so tired. Make it stop…

Suddenly Kaoru's body lurched haphazardly and everything fizzled to black. The last thing he heard was, "Amazing!"

Oh man, I am nervous for this chapter. I had a bit of writer's block while writing this one, so hopefully it's still good... Was it? *laughs nervously*