"How are you doing?" Karri whispered, placing and other damp cloth on her son's forehead after she heard Azura shut the door to Lyneth's room. "Can you try to get some sleep?
Gabriel shook his head, listless and tired.
He wanted to sleep, but he was too much pain; it took too much energy to breathe at the moment, he wasn't going to try rest.
"But you have to try," Karri hated seeing him like this. "I don't want you to burn out trying to stay awake… you're safe and," she reached over and gently wiped more sweat from his face and neck. "I am going to stay up with you. All night. I can call Evan to see if he can take Connor to school tomorrow and-"
"No," Gabriel managed to say, "…no." He didn't want her to do that. She didn't need to talk to their dad. He was mean and didn't care about his family….
Should eat him, damn it.
"But Connor has to go to school," Karri sat down in the desk chair next to the bedside again, "I can't drive him like this and he has school in half-an hour…poor kid, but I…I'll explain."
Gabriel tried to sigh, but only ended up shuddering in pain. "Azur…" She could drive, couldn't she?
"What did you say?" Karri didn't quite catch her eldest's attempts to speak. "Oh… Azura? I can't… ask her to do that. Maybe… Milo and Janus' parents?"
Gabriel shook his head.
Not after they had been kidnapped. That was enough for them to deal with at the moment.
He wanted to say someone could walk his brother to school, but he was done talking for a while. Besides, once Connor got up, he knew he was going to have to act in less agony than he was. He didn't want to freak his little brother out as from what he could sense, he was sure he was scared enough as it was.
And what was his mom doing?!
Gabriel snatched the phone out of her hands with his top right wing. He wasn't going to let her call their dad. Not yet. She needed sleep and to calm down.
Too much had happened.
"Gabriel!" Karri snapped, suddenly remembering her son's new look, "give that back!"
He shook his head and kept it held tight in his shuddering wings. He wasn't going to let her do it. "Slee-" Gabriel tried to order, only to have the phone slip out of his grasp and onto the floor of his room where Karri looked at it.
"I can't," she wasn't going to. Yes, she wouldn't call Evan right now, but she was going to stay wake. "I'm here for you."
Gabriel frowned.
She wouldn't be there for him much if she didn't take care of herself first. Part of him didn't want her to sleep, scared he would somehow die, but ever since he sensed a connection with Hudson, he felt okay about letting her do so.
She needed rest just as much as the others and-
Connor's alarm clock when off in his room, making Gabriel wince, his ears now in pain as well.
Why?
Why does it have to be the damn pokemon theme song? Every, single day?!
But his brother was up and at'em less than five minutes later. "Hey, mom?" Connor asked, popping his head in the doorway of Gabriel's room as if it was a usual boring day. "I'm going to go to school, okay?"
"Um…" Karri glanced at her eldest who tried his best to put a smile on his face, "don't you think you should stay here, Connor?"
"I said I'm going to school, mommy," he replied happily, making Gabriel give his mom a look. His younger brother needed an escape and school seemed like the best place right now as he'd learn something and be around friends.
"But," Karri was lost between the two of them. Connor oddly happy and Gabriel who couldn't find it in him to talk anymore. "What about-"
Her eldest gestured for his notebook on his desk. She handed it to him along with a pen and waited while he wrote. Shaky, but readable:
Let him go to school. He needs to.
Connor, don't say anything about this to anyone.
"But… what about Aizen?" Karri couldn't help but worry about the frightening man who caused all of this. The moment he appeared last night in the street, she found she couldn't move as if held by an invisible force. "Won't he-"
Gabriel rolled his eyes and turned the page and wrote some more:
Yylfordt. My brother. He knew we didn't get a long and that I ate him. I doubt he gives a shit about the other one.
Sorry. He added after seeing his mom scowl at him for many reasons, Aizen knows he can't use my family to get at me.
Fact.
"That's great," Karri muttered, leaning over the bed to clean Gabriel's face of sweat once again. For a moment she wondered why Connor wasn't all worried about his brother, but maybe he was too tired. "But who is going to take him? I can't drive him there. It would be dangerous with no sleep."
"I could walk with someone," Connor suggested, trying to forget that his neck could be on the line as Gabriel's next brother.
But even worse: Did he eat just brothers? Did they taste yummy?!
"Um, I could walk with Henry," Connor offered, a moment later, only to add, "You… won't eat me, will you?"
Gabriel shook his head.
"No, no," Karri spoke for him, "for if Gabriel did, I would disown him and kick him out of the house. Okay?"
"Okay!" Connor laughed and rushed over to sit on the bed, only to stop as his mommy told him not to. He sighed and glanced up at his older brother, his voice suddenly sad."You're still not better, are you?"
"...no." his older brother managed to say.
"But it's been two hours!" Connor cried. It didn't work that way in pokemon! "You should be better by now! You're Butterfree! Pokemon just get tired and…"
Gabriel closed his eyes and bit his tongue so deeply it began to bleed. If heard anymore about pokemon this, or that, he was going to scream. He was an arrancar, not some silly creature from an animated show!
He knew his young brother was worried, but there was only so much he could take. Worse, he didn't want to worry Connor by revealing his pain, so Gabriel listened, nodded the best he could and hoped his little brother would go away.
"…And so… will you be better by the time I get back from school?"
Gabriel shook his head and Connor frowned, "Tonight?"
The Arrancar grabbed the piece of paper available to him and wrote the best estimate he could:
One or two weeks.
Go to school.
"Weeks?! What do you mean-"
"Sch-" Gabriel tried, but he was unable to breathe again, or so he was unpleasantly reminded. Sadly, he knew if he wasn't more careful, he knew he would open up his wounds inside; then nothing could save him.
The organs inside were a mess and he could feel it.
Both were shredded almost beyond repair.
His barely there regeneration the only thing keeping him alive at the moment.
Not that dying would be bad. Hudson has plenty of reiatsu for me to use…
But… he glanced at his mom and Connor. He didn't want to let go just yet. Not unless he had to. He didn't want his mother or Connor anymore worried than they were. But also, he knew they didn't like seeing him in pain.
Connor especially who looked scared under his guise of happy.
Just go to school, Gabriel thought, daring to glance at his little brother and his mom who understood. Maybe someone can take him today?
"I'll call Henry's mom," Karri said glancing at her phone on the floor and picking it up. She didn't want to go over her son's head, but she was going to have to call Evan at some point. "You go downstairs and get ready, Connor."
Her youngest nodded and walked off without a word, making Gabriel feel bad. He could tell his little brother was tired as the rest of them, but he seemed so… normal, it wasn't normal.
I think he's in shock over what happened.
Don't blame him.
I would be too.
I guess. He closed his eyes and went back to focusing on coping with his current state and in awhile, found himself in the depths of sleep.
Finally.
Aizen smiled and looked around the laboratory he found. It was perfect for his perfect plan and he slowly began his work. It payed to get things right and he had all the time in the world.
Six little caterpillars at his disposal and if needed, he could go back for more.
The world was before him and for the taking; he wasn't going to mess up this time.
Everything had to be and would be perfect.
Karri smiled faintly as she watched her eldest son finally fall asleep. Once she was sure he was resting, she didn't check how deeply in fear of waking up, she crept downstairs where she found Connor eating breakfast. The rest of the guests were all curled up on the living room floor still sleeping. Who was whom, Karri wasn't sure, but she knew she would get names later in the day.
"How are we, sport?" She yawned, sitting down at the table, not caring if Connor was putting chocolate chips into his Lucky Charms, whatever it took.
To cope that was.
She'd let him do it today.
"I'm good," Connor chirped back, happily, "I can't be late for school as we had this really cool assignment about bugs today."
"And don't say anything about your brother, okay?" That was all Karri could ask for the ransom she was paying in the price of the sugar she was letting him have, "and you can have chocolate chips tomorrow, too."
"Wasn't going to say anyhow," Connor turned suddenly quiet. "But thankies! Walk me to school?"
Wa…walk? Karri yawned again. "Sure. Let me get dressed and stuff… okay?"
Her youngest nodded.
And half an hour later, sure enough, she was walking down the street towards school which wasn't more than five blocks away, so it was possible.
But why does it feel like forever?! She yawned again and waited for the crossing sign to turn green. I'm so tired… Karri glanced down at her son who seemed happy as he hummed his favourite song and held her hand like he always did when they took the time to walk to school.
Which was like what?
Five times a year?
At most?
Karri shrugged to herself and crossed the street. Hopefully Gabriel would be okay while she was away… oh. Damn it. Why do I forget these things?! She could have cussed right out loud, in the middle of the school playground for what she did.
She left her injured son at home.
Worse, with people who would maybe eat him.
And even worse, worse, worse, his ex-boyfriend who left him to die.
"Shit!"
"Excuse me?!"
"Goodness knows they might kill each other!" She cried, her next thoughts accidentally spoken aloud.
"Madame? There are children pres-"
"Oh." Karri glanced at Connor who was looking at her in shock and then at the teacher in the hallway and the front desk assistant. "I don't know who that is, do I? That's the worse part. Could be any one of them and I really hope it was that cute blond and not Mr. Facebook. Bet it was though. Leave it to my son to date someone who likes power. Anyhow, Connor?"
"Uh… yea, mommy?"
"Go… go to school," Karri let go of Connor's hand and nudged him forwards. "Okay?'
Her youngest nodded and she bent down and kissed him good-bye. "Be a good boy, okay?"
Connor nodded and once he was gone around the corner, she turned around and faced the music that was frowning at her. Two pieces of music anyhow. "Um.. Sorry." She glanced at the Principal's office. She really should go in there… She cussed in front of little children. "It's been a… a long-long night." Karri told the two people before her still wanting an explanation for her actions. "See, my other kid isn't feeling well and I've been… be up all night, you know? And so…I gotta go now. Back home and-"
It was then her phone gave another ring. "Just… a minute."
Karri fished her phone out of her purse and picked up, making them frown even more. "Um… what is it? I just cussed in an elementary school."
"Hello," A worried voice said, "this is Karri, right?"
"Is this Gabriel's ex-boyfriend?"
"No…? That's Teresa. He's still asleep. This is Coeur."
"Who?"
"Ulquiorra?"
"Oh… I head of you. Sorry, heard of you."
"It seems that…" Karri listened to a long pause, "Grimmjow's passed out. Pagan, I mean. And he's not waking up. I don't know what to do, but I know what's wrong, but I-"
"Give me a minute," Karri put her hand over the bottom of the phone, "Just a sec, another problem…But you what?"
"He hasn't eaten for three days now and I… Don't think you should come back here."
"Wh-why?" Karri was too tired to deal with this right now and she should really find a way to disappear. "What about-"
"I will ask someone to take care of him. Don't worry about that. Just don't come back because when a hollow gets too hungry, they lose all reason and will eat anyone."
Karri nodded slowly. "Anyone… okay….Got it."
"I will call you back when you can come back."
"Okay, Coeur…."
"Everything is-oh, Pagan's waking up here. Gotta run, bye."
She listened to the call end and sighed. "Great…" Hopefully my house will be all right… and I have to call Evan now, don't I? Don't want him walkin' in and gettin' his head bitten off.
Granted, I kinda wish he did.
"Evan hasn't called me…" Karri glanced at her phone before putting it away. "Jerk."
The teacher and front desk assistant frowned even more, if that was possible, and Karri sighed, tossing her phone in her bag. "Really… really sorry. I mean, really sorry. Stomach flu keeps you up as a parent… yeah…" She laughed a bit and backed out of the front doors and carefully made her way down the steps of the elementary school.
Thankfully still in one piece.
Unlike her brain.
But none the less, she had to call Evan.
Author's Notes: Bonus Points to Aceidia who actually wrote this when tired, so it's pretty genuine. :) I just wrote whatever came to mind.
And poor Karri… She's not handling this well and I don't think Connor is either. Poor kid's in denial….
As for Aizen, should I remind him that being a perfectionist isn't always good? Nah.
And now, Gabriel... don't you know? Bleach is an animated show... sorry.