Magnetism

Chapter Thirty-Seven

-Antidote-

Akito and Kyo sat at a sushi stand, a bottle of sake sitting in front of them. They both sighed, their training and spar had lasted a good two hours and it had definitely had taken the edge of both off them. They both turned at the sound of pounding feet to see a young woman in a Jounin vest. She was gasping and trying to catch her breath. "I've been looking all over for you two! Toshiro-sama sent me to get you, Natsumi-sama is taking a turn for the worst and Minako-san says Satomi-sama has gone crazy!"

"What?" they both exclaimed, jumping up from their seats and running to the hospital. They split up once entering the doors, Kyo going to find Satomi, and Akito to Natsumi's hospital room. Without knocking, he opened the door. "What's happening?" he asked, looking around the room frantically.

"She's stopped breathing Uchiha-sama." One of the medics explained. Toshiro actually looked panicked as he felt around his sister's rib cage. Her lungs had stopped but her chest was filling with air. "Give me a scalpel." He ordered, holding out his hand. The instrument was immediately placed in his hand. He ripped up the hospital gown, placing the sharp tool right above her diaphragm and made a small incision. He closed his hands tightly around the hole and pressed down letting the air out quickly. When he felt her lungs jolt back to life he quickly healed the wound, thanking God that Satomi had had Natsumi dressed in her underwear. Despite the situation he would have been a bit embarrassed to see his sister's fully grown body.

Suddenly Natsumi gasped for air, her whole body jerking from the sudden movement she was allowed. "Natsumi!" Toshiro gasped, moving to her face and cupping her cheeks forcefully. "Natsumi, can you speak? Are you ok?" he asked hurriedly.

"T-Toshiro?" she stuttered, turning her head slowly in the direction of his voice, she still couldn't move her body from the stiffness her muscles had taken on.

Akito was by her other side in an instant. "Baby, it's me. How are you feeling?" he asked worriedly. He had thought he was going to lose her for a minute there.

She turned her head to the other side, "Akito," she said breathlessly, she was obviously in a lot of pain. Toshiro took her left hand with his right and laced his fingers with hers, running his free hand through her hair. "Poison." She barely got out.

"I know, I know. But Natsumi, Satomi can't make an antidote. Is the poison Iocane?"

"…Yes…" she said weakly, they could both feel her slipping back into unconsciousness.

"No Natsumi please stay awake for a little longer. We need to know what the key ingredient for the antidote is and when to administer it to the concoction and how much. Can you tell me that?" Toshiro begged, trying to keep his sister conscious by giving her a small shake.

She nodded slowly, "M…Magnesium…hy…hydroxide…" she said slowly fading. "If…if you mix the rest together until it's one liquid…then you add the magnesium hydroxide…stir for five minutes without stopping...and then…" she stopped, no longer moving.

"Please! Natsumi!" Toshiro yelled.

A frown formed on her face. "You…guys are so useless…" she laughed but it sounded strained. "It has to sit…over a flame for forty three minutes…at the precise temperature of four hundred and eighty six kelvin…cap it and take it off the burner. Then sit it in a refrigerator for seven minutes…then it will be ready. It…it must be injected directly into my vein in the crevice of my arm…"

She fell silent then, a cold sweat washing over her. Toshiro grimaced. "No, no! Natsumi wake up!"

"I'm going to go tell Satomi about the antidote." Akito said, running from the room.

Kyo ran down the hallway until he reached the room he had last seen Satomi in. He threw the door open and took in the scene before him.

Another glass beaker flew at the wall and exploded into shards. "AHH!" Satomi screamed at the top of her lungs, pulling her fist back and slamming it into the wall. A huge chunk fell down, creating a hole between the two labs. The doctors in the other went wide eyed and hurried out of the lab. Satomi shrieked again, pulling on her now undone hair. "Why can't I get this right?" she picked up a chair and threw it out the window, shattering the glass pane. She sunk to the floor slowly and began pounding her fist into the ground until her knuckles were covered in blood. Kyo's eyes widened and he ran forward.

"Satomi, stop!" he said, falling to the floor next to her and grabbing her bloody fists. "You're hurting yourself honey." He said, examining her knuckles. It was killing him to see her so frustrated and not be able to help her in any way.

"Good," she sobbed out. She could slowly feel what little sanity she had left slipping. "I can't do it. I don't know how and I'm missing something but I don't know what it is. I need a base but I don't have time to search through those damn medical books again!" she cried, burying her face in her bloody hands.

He wrapped his arms around her and began to rub her arms in an attempt to comfort her. Being an only child, he didn't really know exactly what she was going through, and could only compare it to when he had lost his one and only cousin. They had been like brothers, and the entire ordeal had been the most traumatic experience he had ever gone through, and he didn't want that for her. "But you're still trying your best, and that's what really counts." He said, pulling her closer to himself.

"It doesn't matter! Not unless I can save her! She's my little sister. I have to take care of her." She trembled, her whole body wracking with sobs. She'd never felt so powerless and useless before. She grabbed onto his shirt and buried her face in the cloth, only to continue her crying. "Big sisters are supposed to take care of their little sisters."

He continued to rub her back, and soon afterwards, Akito ran through the door. "She woke up!" he said, causing the couple to look up at him from their spot on the floor.

"What?" Satomi gasped, going wide eyed.

Akito nodded. "She passed out again, but we were right, it's Iocane in her system. She said you need magnesium hydroxide. You have to mix the ingredients together until it is one liquid, and then add the magnesium hydroxide. Stir for five minutes without stopping, and then burn it over a fire at precisely four hundred and eighty six Kelvin for forty three minutes. Cap it and take it off the burner, and put it in the fridge for seven minutes. After that it's done, and then it must be injected directly into the vein at the crevice of her elbow." He recited.

Satomi just stared at him, "That's…oddly specific."

He shrugged. "I'm just repeating what I heard. I can stay in here with you and recite it again to help while you make it." He offered, wanting to get started on it as soon as possible.

She got up quickly, heading towards the cabinet that held most of the chemicals. She dug through it quickly, finding what she was looking for. "Ok," she said, stopping back at her station. She started making the antidote once more, measuring the contents carefully. It only took twenty minutes to finish since she had already made it this far so many times. She glanced back at the Uchiha as she finished stirring the liquid. "What next?"

"Add the magnesium hydroxide and stir constantly for five minutes." He said, moving to start the fire so that it could get to be the right temperature when they needed to burn the antidote.

"Kyo, I can't add it and stir at the same time. So add just about half a vile while I stir alright?" she told him, he nodded and measured out the proper amount. He needed to be very careful and so slowly he poured it into the mixture. It turned to a milky white then and after she had stirred it for five minutes they set it upon the blaze and waited patiently. "I hope this works…" she mumbled, chewing nervously on her lower lip. Kyo placed his hands on her shoulders and began to massage them, wanting to relieve some of her tension.

"It has to." Akito said in a pained whisper. They all stood and watched the mixture burn, each eagerly awaiting when it would be done. Because the sooner it was done the sooner Natsumi would be fixed.

The second the mixture was on for forty three minutes, Satomi took some tongs and removed it from the heat. She placed a cap over the top and rushed towards the cooled unit in the room. She placed it inside on one of the racks and sat in front of the small fridge. "Just seven more minutes." She whispered to herself. Kyo and Akito stood behind her, side by side. The wait was literally killing them. Satomi kept her eyes on the clock and when the second hand touched the twelve after the sixth minute she opened the door and pulled out the vile. It was pearl in color and a bit thick for a liquid. The elder twin dug around for a syringe and when she found one, pulled off the cover and popped the cap off. She stuck the needle in the mix and filled it to the brim. She replaced the needle cover and looked back at them excitedly, actually smiling. "It's ready."

They hurried down the halls, bursting into the room when they reached it. Toshiro looked up and gestured Satomi over. Kyo and Akito joined Minako in the back of the room, Toshiro cleaned the area quickly and carefully Satomi slid the needle in, injecting the serum.

After all the contents were drained, she disposed of the syringe properly and returned to her sister's side. Slowly, but surely, the clammy look to Natsumi's skin began to fade and was replaced by her natural soft cream color. She already looked much better and it was obvious the antidote was working quickly. "Oh thank god." Satomi breathed out, resting her forehead on her sister's stomach.

Toshiro began to scan her body, smiling even more. "It's definitely working, her muscles are loosening and her heart rate has returned to normal."

Akito stood frozen in the back of the room, his eyes fixed on Natsumi. They had done it. She was going to live. He walked over to Satomi, who straightened at his presence. Somewhat awkwardly, he hugged her, not knowing how else to express his gratitude. "Thank you." He whispered, trying to get a reign on his chaotic emotions. She blinked, giving him an awkward pat on the back.

"Um…I didn't do it just for you." She said truthfully, pulling out of his grasp. They stared at each other for a moment and she gave him a small smile. It disappeared just as it came and her normal bored expression replaced it. "But let's not make a habit of this Uchiha…you know the whole…touching thing." She said simply, a smirk tugging at her lips.

He smirked. "You should be grateful you know. I don't usually touch people, so what you just got was like a gift from heaven." He turned and nodded at Toshiro, silently thanking the redhead. Because there was no way he was going to hug a man. No way in hell. Satomi just rolled her eyes, remembering why she disliked the Uchiha. Toshiro gave him a nod as well.

"She won't wake up for a while, but she's stable. Her body is returning to normal. She's just got to get it all out of her system." He explained, yawning. "I'm exhausted." He sighed, scratching head.

"You and Satomi-chan should rest." Minako said. "We'll come get you if anything changes."

Both siblings gave them a skeptical look. "No offense," they said together.

"But I would much rather have a medic watch over her." Satomi said.

Toshiro agreed, "And I guess you are new to the whole hospital scene, but it's not good to crowd the rooms. So…if anyone is going to stay it should be Akito. And only Akito." Minako nodded, understanding. She left the room, intent on going straight to bed for a while. All that reading and running and worrying just wore her out. Kyo followed, looking back at Satomi before leaving the room. He leaned against the opposite wall, waiting for her to exit so that they could walk back to the house together. He wanted to make sure that she was okay, since she had just been through such an exhausting event, and it wasn't even completely over yet.

Satomi left the room and joined Kyo, walking home with him in silence. Toshiro glanced back at Natsumi and then to Akito. "Take care of her while we're gone." He said, disappearing in a swirl of sand. He was very tired and had used up most of his chakra, but at least Natsumi was safe and well.

Once he had the room to himself, Akito walked over and pulled a chair up next to the bed. He gently grabbed one of Natsumi's hands in his and placed his head on the bed next to her. "You scared me so badly sweetheart. I thought I was going to lose you." He mumbled into the sheets, closing his eyes. It wasn't healthy for him to feel all of these foreign emotions. They ate up all his energy and left him feeling weary. He sighed, and drifted off to sleep, thanking the gods that she was alright.