Eh, well this is the nineteenth chapter of our little long story!! xD
Oh dear, I'm so happy that this actually lasted this long!! xDD
Hm, well, happy reading everyone!
I don't own KHR.
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The group burst through the elaborate wooden doors of the hospital branch once more, transporting Espérer to the immediate medical attention for analysis of her condition. The best caution was taken, as she is at the border of life and death. The slightest jolt could stop the feeble beating of her heart, if there were any in the first place. Espérer was placed in custody of the grateful and somber doctors and nurses, and the group flopped down in the waiting room.
Tsuna was anxious; he still hasn't sorted out what had happened clearly enough. He had been through "water torcher," whatever that is. Everything still seemed so surreal, and yet so real. Nevertheless, he didn't want anyone dying, no, not on his watch. Dino sat down on another chair, also reasoning out the past events together into one, long, understandable cause-and-effect chain. He soon stood up and left silently. Reborn's eyes hid under the shade of the fedora, whilst his mouth was frowning as he frowned when he found out something had happened to the Ninth in the Ring Battles. He said nothing. Lal Mirch was curiously not present. Ryohei had already left with directions to the weightlifting room. Yamamoto was examining his katana; it was, in fact, the very one that he had gotten from that mysterious person that fixed his other katana. He was busy polishing it and cleaning it, sharpening its edge to its best. Gokudera sat down and laid back on the couch, with a smoking cigarette hanging in his mouth. He was contemplating the past events, at the same time wishing that Uri would behave.
Uri, who had been sent into the hospital with Espérer at her side, was only curled up into a tiny ball, too deprived of energy to move too actively. The doctors put Espérer and Uri onto a bed and readied a scanning machine. A few other doctors were reading a file, with Nera-Noir stamped on the side.
"-says that she was too delicate to touch? Probably Stealth spies from the Millifore had gotten to her, and she disappeared, as it says in the record."
"No, I say that's baloney. Anyways, we've recently gotten new equipment, and we should figure out what's wrong."
"But still-"
"What I say, goes."
"Yes, signor."
They readied an enormous flat laser projector, with red light filtering out of one of the flat sides. They positioned it above Espérer's bed, to the right. They moved in closer and closer to the edge of the bed, until one of the doctors remarked, "Hey, what about that cat? We should get it." A nurse ventured forth, and retreated, shaken from the sharp snarl given by the cat.
"W-We can do it up to the cat's paw on one side, and we can do the other side as well."
"Sure." The machinery moved to the other side, and came closer to the hand outstretched from the center of the bed. It touched the fingernail only slightly, and a chain reaction formed. An invisible force started to nibble the fingernail, and the more it ate the faster it devoured the nail. For a fraction of a second, the force was allowed to eat. But then, a knife came smashing down, cutting off the eating thing its food. The finger itself had been unharmed; the fingernail roots were lucky to have survived.
"N-Now what?" said one doctor.
"Well, now we know that she's untouchable."
"True."
"Then, what will we do to confirm her status?"
"Yeah, what will we do?"
"Does anyone know where the echo room is?"
"Yeah! We might be able to hear her heart beat in the echo room!"
"How will we know if her brain is functioning properly? I mean, if she really lives, can she function?"
"We can put her through the CT scan."
"Good idea. As expected of a guy with three PhD's and two Masters in four years of college."
"Thank you, signor." And with that, Espérer was carefully carted off to the echo room. Uri scratched her way out of the nurse's grip and leaped majestically onto the bed as it passed through the double doors. A half hour passed, and yielded no results. The group of doctors grouped together and started discussing the matter very seriously. They agreed that one will report to the Cavallone Boss, three will search for signs of life in Espérer, and the rest attend to the other patients.
I must remark, poor doctor. The reactions of the Cavallone Boss and his friends will be overwhelming.
That poor man, with three PhD's and two Masters, walked down the white hall hesitant to reach the end. However, it is inevitable to get there, and before he knew it, the doctor was opening the door to the waiting rooms. He poked his head out and said, "Hello? Don Cavallone? Signor Cavallone? Are you there? Or is there anybody here?"
"Eh... who are you...?" The college graduate looked around, then found a boy no more than fifteen sitting on the couch, looking at him.
"Err... well... I'm a doctor that works here..." the young man replied.
"I meant your name, sorry."
"Eh... some people call me Fez or Danté, but my full name is Fedele Danté Giulio. Pleased to meet you...?"
"Sawada Tsunayoshi," the boy said. Danté stammered, "W-W-Whaa?? I thought... noo... but then, a-are you not D-Don V-Vongola D-Decimo?" The boy nodded. The white-haired boy sitting on another couch nearby opened his eyes.
"Oh! Gokudera! You're awake!" said the boy. The white-haired boy blinked a few times, and said, "Ah, Juudaime! Who's this?"
"Ah-eh... this is um, Danté or something? Gomenasai, I can't really remember..."
"It's okay... I'm Fedele Danté Giulio. Pleased to meet you...?"
"Gokudera Hayato," the boy said quickly, before the white-haired one said anything.
"Oh, okay." Fedele frowned, "No, wait... Aren't you.... his right hand man, and also that- no, never mind."
"I was a what?" the white-haired boy snarled.
"Nothing, err...... Signor Gokudera."
"Hmmph...." The white-haired boy turned his head in the other direction. A period of awkward silence. The courageous doctor, set on accomplishing his task, broke it.
"A-Ano.... w-what should I call you, er, Vongola Decimo?"
"Tsuna's just fine," answered the boy.
"I shouldn't address Don Vongola in such a manner, really."
"Then, Sawada?" The doctor shook his head. "Sawada-san?" No. "Tsuna-san?" No. "Eh, then ask Gokudera-kun." The man turned to the white-haired boy. He blinked a few times.
"Ehh, should I have the pleasure to address you as Signor Gokudera?" ventured the young doctor. The white-haired boy turned to the doctor.
"Whatever."
"Hm, Signor Vongola I shall call you, then, Signor Vongola," the doctor told the boy. He nodded. Another awkward silence.
"Eh, Signor Vongola, Signor Gokudera, I-I have a report for the current status on a Nera-Noir Espérer for Signor Cavallone... I was w-"
"EH?! Is Espér okay?" the boy suddenly burst with a gush of concern. The white-haired boy turned to the doctor with such an abruptness, that it was hard to think that he was not interested.
"Ahem... eh, we have been trying our best, however we still have no idea whether she is alive or not. Her heartbeats might be too silent to hear, and her breathing might be a bit shallow; however, that is looking towards the optimistic side. She is most likely dead, aside from one fact: her body is still warmer than room temperature, though only by a fraction of a degree. And, I believe, Signor Gokudera's box weapon is still inside-" the doctor smiled a bit when he mentioned this bit"-and I might also add that we have moved her to a germ-free environment. If you wish to see her, we must take extra precautions to keep the area free of contaminants..."
"So even the doctors here can't figure out whether she's still alive or not..." mumbled the white-haired boy.
"Um, I also have something to report to Signor Cavallone directly, if I may be able to find him, Signor Vongola...." he gave a little smile.
"Eh, I think Dino-"
"Hey, Tsuna!" And in walked another boy, about the same age, with a katana in hand. "Hey, who's this?" One of his eyebrows were raised in question.
"I'm Fedele Danté Giulio, one of the doctors that work here. And I'm pleased to meet you...?"
"Yamamoto Takeshi, that's what I'm called."
"So you are Signor Yamamoto?"
"You can put it that way."
"Well, uh, I'm here to give a report about the current information we have on a Nera-Noir Espérer, Signor Yamamoto..."
"Espér?! Is she alright?" The tall boy made his way to the couch, and sat down, brows furled.
"She could be dead or alive, Yamamoto," stated the first boy.
"Oh."
"Hmmph. So that's all you can say about this?" snarled the white-haired boy.
"Well, we don't have enough information. How could I say any more if there is no information to relate it to? I can't just go around jumping to conclusions," stated the tall boy. The white-haired boy remained silent. The first boy smiled and chuckled.
"Reborn, I know you're here somewhere. Come out, we'll be leaving soon. I want to see Espérer." Then, the voice of the Arcobaleno resounded in the waiting room, "Good job, Dame-Tsuna. Being concerned about your family is a good trait to being a good mafia boss."
The boy frowned. "Even if I do become a mafia boss in the future, Reborn, it doesn't necessarily mean that I became one by choice."
"Who said you had a choice, Dame-Tsuna?" The Arcobaleno took off his color-changing cape that had been draped on him and set it to the side. The cape changed into the small form of a lizard and it crawled back onto Reborn's fedora.
"Is this... the famous Arcobaleno, Reborn?! I thought-"
"Lambo's bazooka problem."
"Ahh...." The doctor nodded knowingly. The Arcobaleno turned to the white-haired boy.
"Is there a specific reason why you are so suddenly so cool and composed at the moment, Gokudera?" The Arcobaleno looked like he was about to burst out laughing, but held it in tightly. The Arcobaleno chuckled. The white-haired boy scowled.
"Eh, I think that we should know this boy a little more, shall we? Fez, may we?" inquired the Arcobaleno. The doctor nodded enthusiastically.
"Not too much, please. I acknowledge that they are not experienced enough to understand some of it."
"So do I."
"You may begin, Signor Reborn."
"Hm. Fedele Danté Giulio. Roman bloodline, if I am correct. Accomplished doctor in many areas of science, including medicine, the anatomy and behavior of a variety of animals, chemistry, surgery, biology, etc. Able to speak many different languages, including Japanese, which we are using right now, Italian, Latin, German, French, Spanish, Greek, English, Runic, many of the widespread American Indian languages, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, and more than five dozen dialects. Has exceptional arithmetic calculating speeds, and sometimes studies the stars with astronomers twice his age. He had graduated from college with three PhD degrees and two Master degrees in four years, simultaneously inventing a number of new poisons and lethal objects that have been in use for the last decade. He also has interest in music, and utilizes the knowledge he had obtained from college to compose the music scientifically proven to please the ear. His logic is known throughout the world for solving even the most difficult cases in mere days. He is currently only 19 years old.
"Of course, when you look at his physical appearance, he is not likely to be an athlete. He is not. However, in emergencies, he can run possibly a little bit faster than the average human can."
"So, this Fedele Danté Giulio is a child prodigy?" the white-haired boy raised an eyebrow.
"Not only that, but more. He had been asked to be part of the Varia when he was five, also the time he was entering college. At the time, we all are aware of the fact that Xanxus still was frozen solid at that time. Therefore, Squalo suggested that he be made the new boss, and that this Fez will take his open place. Then, he was too young to join properly, so Vongola Nono ordered that Fez would be allowed to join only after finishing college. However, when the four years were over, Xanxus was revived, as we all know. He resumed his place as boss, and Fez did not join the Varia."
"Woah..." observed the tall boy and the first boy.
"What is his primary weapon?" asked the white-haired boy.
"Throwing objects, such as knives-" the white-haired boy scowled at this "-darts, poles, etc. He has achieved an impossibly high level of dexterity and skill at this, not to mention his expertise at setting traps and silencer traps. Were he to take the place of Squalo in the Varia, he would be a perfect match for a Rain Guardian job."
"But I have no ambition for that, Reborn. I only want to keep a humble job as this, to be able to save lives."
"True, however your cunning and calculating self as a Mafioso can serve as a counter-argument here," said the Arcobaleno. The doctor smiled.
"Of course, my abilities are nothing to Signor Reborn here."
"Well, for a regular human mortal such as you, your skill can be accounted for as almost godly and nearly certain to be unhuman." The doctor chuckled at this.
"No, I'm not so good as to receive praise from Signor Reborn..."
"Well, I thought Dame-Tsuna wanted to see how Espérer was doing. Fez, will you please lead us to the room in which she lays?"
"With pleasure, Signor Reborn." The doctor opened the door, motioning for the four to go through. After they all came out into the hallway, the doctor carefully shut the door and led the way to the room. However, they had gone through a "gate," which had "de-germed" the group before entering this branch of the building. They wormed through quite a number of hallways before arriving at the doorway to a room. He opened it, and a number of doctors were crowded around the bed.
"Hey, hey! Don Vongola and two of his Guardians have come to visit Espérer here. Please be polite," grinned the young doctor. The crowd of medical scientists immediately quieted down.
"I do think that she's alive, Fez," said one of the doctors. The young doctor raised an eyebrow in surprise. The white-haired boy directly went up to Espérer, taking a fistful of her clothes into his hands, and held her up to his nose.
"You better tell me what you did to Juudaime, brat," growled the white-haired boy.
"Er.. Gokudera..."
"Gokudera!" the Arcobaleno snapped, "She's probably not even there to hear you demand that. You don't have reason enough to do that; Dame-Tsuna is perfectly fine, as we can see." The white-haired boy scowled.
"However," continued the Arcobaleno, who climbed onto the hospital bed and on the patient's chest, taking a fistful of clothing, and pulled their noses to about an inch apart, "I know you know something. And I'm going to get it, that is, if you ever pull out of this." He turned and left, saying, "Come on, you three. We need to put the time we have to good use. Meet me in the training room in five minutes."
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Quite a few days flew by, with the training and such. Espér showed no signs of life, and Uri stayed by her side nevertheless. Gokudera, as time passed, grew more and more exhausted keeping Uri out of her box. However, there was a day when Gokudera had woken up in the morning fully rested and in a better mood than the last few days of training.
That day, the Mist guardian was alarmed. He was sure something was going to happen. The Cloud guardian was as ever gone. The Sun guardian was being caught up with all the information of the era, including how to handle boxes. The Storm, as I had said above, was much easier to handle that day. The Rain guardian was cautious; with a Gokudera a little more cheerful, a storm might be brewing. The Boss was gone for the day, out in the wilderness by himself to train. Dino, Yamamoto, and Gokudera were skeptical about their Boss going out without anybody to watch his back, however Reborn had pointed out how well Tsuna had dealt with Spanner's troop of Strau Moscas.
It was sundown, and the song of the birds wishing each other a good night rang throughout the forest. Tsuna still hasn't returned. Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Dino knew that he had to return by nightfall, and nightfall was drawing near. Each of them carried on with their business as usual.
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Hm, well this was the nineteenth chapter of our little story!! xD
R&R pplz!
Espérer: Yawn~ I want to do something to the Closet peoplez...
I know, me too. But we have to think up a good way of doing something. xD
Espér: Oh, I know!! Let's have the reviewers tell us what to do to the closet peoplez!
Yeah, that's right! And free virtual pineapples for all those who participate!! xD
It's the Pineapple Torcher Voting Sweepstakes!! (you do not need to buy anything to join this sweepstakes) [OF 2009!!]
xD
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!