And Ichi heard him. If she could've she would've said those three words back to him, opened her eyes to see his beautiful face again, but she was too far gone, and she knew that. So she didn't even try.

Chapter Thirty-Six- Momiji's Pov

The trees sped past our car in a blur of various greens, as the lights of the city began to shine through them.

But unlike the last time I had passed them, going the other way, I wasn't staring emptily out the window. Nobody was.

"We need more bandages, now!" I had my hand pressed firmly down on Ichi's injured chest, Haru was applying pressure to her leg wounds, and everyone else was doing the same for the various other injuries.

Since we only had room for one stretcher, and enough time for one person, we didn't bother taking the man with us. It wasn't a hard decision either. Someone would be by later to retrieve him; either to retrieve his breathing body for us to inflict further abuse on, or to make sure that his pulse was no longer beating. In the case of the latter, they would be instructed to leave his body there to rot, maybe for a raccoon to nibble on. But then I fear for the animal's risk of getting diabetes.

I looked at Ichi's face.

She had opened her eyes for an instant when Hatori had attempted to create a makeshift suture from a needle and thread, to make do until they could get back to his office. Her eyes had only opened in an instant, at the same time her mouth opened in a wordless scream, as a needle was plunged into the surrounding skin of her wounds, and an attempt to clean them out was made. The eyes soon rolled back into her head, and she ceased to move. The pain had been too much for her to endure. And there was no reason for her to suffer anymore than she already had. I only hoped that her unconsciousness would provide comfort.

With her eyes rolled back into her head, with the whites of her eyes stained with burst blood vessels, she looked dead.

I forced myself to look away before I broke down entirely. I had to stay strong, if just for the car ride, I had to make sure that Ichi got to help.

Hatori worked busily over her, constantly in movement, checking on the pressure being applied, cleaning this, stitching that, and yelling at Shigure to drive faster.

Of course, Shigure had no problem doing so, in fact I think he would've been having the best day of his life if it wasn't for the fact that Ichi was slowly fading away.

She's dying.

No, she can't be. This is Ichi, she's survived her stepfather's abuse before, she's survived her own suicide attempt, she even allowed her memories to return to her body, even if she was happier where she had been, just to be with me. She will return this time, won't she?

Maybe you've asked too much of her this time. She's beat death so many times already, maybe he's finally caught up to her. That little voice in my head kept nagging me.

But this is Ichi, I argued back.

Even Ichi has her limits. She's only human.

She's a Sohma.

She's not a zodiac though. Besides, how would turning her into a seahorse help anything.

Shut up.

The voice was silent.

I looked down at her chest, where I could still see the distinct bold shape of that dragon tattoo she had, even though it was covered in blood and had a line of exposed and brutalized skin running down the middle.

Maybe if it started glowing like it had before, she would come back.

I stared hopefully at it, as if I thought if I looked at it enough, it would give into my glare and light up. But it refused, remaining just as motionless as Ichi herself.

I honestly wish I could say that I thought she was going to be alright.

I wish she would jump up right now, looking as grumpy as ever, and ask us what the hell we did with her clothes.

I wish that her eyes would focus on my, and she would smile, and that smile would draw my own life force into her, giving her just enough fuel to hold on, for just a little longer, so she could be with me once again.

I wish I could just wake up to find this was all a bad dream, and that she was lying in bed next to me, sleeping peacefully, burrowing into my warmth in her sleep.

I wish that she wasn't dying. But she was.