Author's Note: Damnit, I skipped an actual chapter number... 47 was it I believe. THIS is Chapter 50, last chapter was 49. Ah well, this is the last chapter of Arc II, so we'll be going into Arc III. Hope you are ready, we are going to ENGLAND!
Arc II - Chp. 14 ; 50 - Blood
Inside a hospital station on the Ishizuma, Neshinbara lied unconcious with an air mask over his head, several IV's attached to his arms, a finger pulse on his right index finger and a heart monitor. The assistance of loud machines made his labored breathing very audible, it was like an exhausting hoarse and uneven rhythm.
Inside the waiting room, the group whom had brought him, plus several others, most noticably the Special Tactics squad and Amagi, were sitting down. The rescue squad appeared very tired. Hituro was the only one standing next to the window where Neshinbara's room lied on the other side. A minute later, a doctor walked into the room holding a clipboard. Makiko stood up, the others merely lifting or turning their heads to see what was going on.
"Well..." the doctor took off his mouth mask. "I have good news. The boy will live."
Everyone's faces brightened up but Ichijou's, Tsukasa's, or Amagi's. Tenzou patted Neito on the back.
"Hang on, now..." the doctor told them, putting his hands behind his back. "He is in a bad condition, it is a miracle he survived. We have found several very severe injuries all over his body, most of them inflicted on his head."
With every passing word, Hituro's eyes would fade out as his gaze fell lower to the floor. Ichijou couldn't help but notice it.
"He may not remember things immediately and he's lost a lot of his blood and energy. If it wasn't for her..." The doctor politely pointed Neito out. "He would not even be alive. He has a strong will to stay alive... So just be there for him. Don't be surprised if he can't remember your names, he has suffered some serious inflictions on his head."
Tenzou nodded. "Yes sir..."
"Now..." The doctor handed Makiko a file. "Here is what we've analysed and done... Please excuse me, but I have other patients to attend to..."
"Judge." Makiko took the file and the doctor walked out of the room. She looked at the envelope and sat down grievishly. "Oh, Neshinbara... You poor boy..."
"Damnit!" yelled Hituro, who slammed the bottom of his fist against the wall next to the window. Ichijou and Ayumi got up to go to him. "I should have been there with him! I should not have let him go out on his own like that! This is all my fault!" He punched the wall again. Neito and Tenzou watched as they saw his hand start to become more red and red with every strike.
"Hey..." Ayumi said, putting a reassuring grip on the small boy's shoulder. "It is not your fault, there is no way you could have known this would happen."
"But still, he got hurt... I saw him walk out of there all by himself, I should have gone with him... Now he's in there, and I'm right here..." Tears started to come to the edges of the samuria's eyes. "It's not fair! Why does he have to suffer everything by himself. I'm his best friend, and I... I let him down! I should have gone after him, I should have tried harder!"
"Hituro, there is nothing you could have done to prevent this." Malga said softly. "Nothing here is due to your inactivity..."
"Then whose fault is it, huh!?" Hituro squeezed his eyes shut and let his head fall to the ground with quiet whimpering. Trails of tears flowed down his cheeks. "This is because I let it happen... He might not even be the same when he wakes up, and I didn't do anything to help him. Why couldn't it have been me!?"
"Stop that, right now." Ichijou commanded. Hituro opened his eyes slowly and turned to his leader. "You are a warrior, not a cry baby. Do not fret over that boy's condition, you should be glad we got him back."
Tsukasa stared at Ichijou.
"You heard what the doctor said, he's going to live. So what if he doesn't remember some things, at least he's alive. There is nothing more you or any of us could have done. So don't fret over things you can't change! Got that!?" Hituro blinked. "If it were you, then we'd have lost a lot! Neshinbara as he was before this was ultimately useless, and now, he is VERY USELESS! At least you still have a role to play, so suck up those tears, Hituro!"
"Ichijou..." Margot voiced. "Don't you think you're being a bit hard on him, he's just a little emotional right now."
"No..." he replied. "He needs to grow up. You didn't see me bawling my face out when I saw Futayo in that horrible predicament, did you?"
Margot looked away. "Well... no..."
Ichijou turned back to Hituro. "I expect you to uphold a professional attitude about this... Not to cry like a helpless child. If this upsets you... then do something about it. Understand?"
No kind of response came from the fourth special unit.
"I asked if you understood, Hituro!?"
With a shaky voice, he replied. "Yes... I..." He sniffled. "Understand..."
"Good." Ichijou sat down next to Tsukasa, who simply turned back to Hituro as he hung his head down with his hands on the wall. Masazumi sighed and turned towards the pitch black window which held the room of the unconcious novelist.
"Can we even go in?"
"I would deem so..." Amagi said, taking a layer of her scarf off around her neck and tied it down to slant on her waist. "The doctor did say he would live, I would just advise we do not wake him up or mess with anything."
Tomo was the first to walk over to the door. She carefully turned the handle and pushed open the heavy door. Labored breathing became more dominant in the atmosphere, whirring machines monotoneously made a lullaby that would put anyone into a stressful sleep. To see somebody you care about in such condition, she clutched the door nob. The the slight memory of Neshinbara screaming at her hit her mind. "Leave me alone!"
Tomo's eyes sterned slightly. This boy was causing so many problems in such a short amount of time, this was not like him at all. It felt almost as if some unknown force was engulfing the group, something much more evil than even the doppleganger.
"Tomo?" Tenzou asked softly.
Tomo yelped slightly.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you... Anything wrong?"
Tomo shook her head. "Not really..." She quietly stepped in and walked over to the side of the bed and looked down on Neshinbara. She clinched her fist tightly by her side, furrowing her eyes. She felt something inside of her spirit, anger was building. Nobody would see it, not in this darkness. She gritted her teeth and lifted her fist, getting ready to strike. The sound of his annoying breath after breath, it made her even angrier. Her head was vibrating from the strength in her mouth. Her head and heart became hot, a lump tugged forward in her womb and mysteriously up her stomach, then.
She froze. Tomo blinked for a second confused. Slowly, she unclinched her fist and it fell even slower to her side. What am I doing? Was I really going to hit him? For what? She looked down into the darkness pondering why she felt the way she just did. Where did that anger come from, why did it come? Tomo shook her head, she could swear she might have even heard distorted whispering voices, the words were not understandable, the only word she could make out was the assortment of a very misplaced word, it did not belong...
Sin...
Tomo blinked for a second, then looked around. She could hear the others settling themselves in the room. The shrine maiden suddenly felt shame for even thinking of what she did. She pulled up a chair to the bed and folded her arms on it over her breasts. She lied her head sideways on it and watched the darkness dance in front of her. An LED behind the side of Neshinbara's head from her perspective shined brightly, lighting the clear nose mask over the author's nose and chin. She closed her eyes, the sound of Neshinbara's uneven and labored breathing lured her into an unsettling sleep.
Meanwhile, Amagi sat across from her. She watched Tomo just now, and saw everything. The fist, the anticipation, the anger. She too could hear a voice, but it was unlike anything she had ever heard before. She knew was evil sounded like, the Pope had pretty evil schemes up his sleeves before, even those with his own nation. But she knew she had pledged eternal loyalty to him, no matter what would happen, she would discover the weaknesses of Plum and then they could destroy them.
But now, she started to feel scared. Something else was around, something of a very unbenign nature... She clutched herself, she could hear that voice in the room just a minute ago, speaking to Asama. It sounded like nothing she had ever heard before... Pure evil... It was not like her to be scared, she was a warrior, she was supposed to be brave, and yet... This feeling would not go away... Something... was watching all of them... Waiting... to devour.
Masazumi was running yet again, all alone in the dark. Something was after her, giving a sadistic chase to her. She could hear the quick pace of the creature after her, the grunts and breaths breathing down her back. This creature was not of man nor of animal, it was of nothing more than pure evil, wanting nothing more than her body and her soul, nothing but destruction on an unpresidented and non-discriminate degree.
Masazumi turned her head to see it. The sick imitation of life, machine, human, and evil was no more than inches away, unendlessly sprinting on her. It looked like Horizon, wearing a silver shaded horn that covered her face except her mouth and chin. An emotionless frown was worn on her face, and a dark blanket of pouring erupting smog flowed off of her being. But what stuck out more was the pair of curved, sharp, glaring yellow eyes peircing out of the hinges from the mask. Those yellow eyes were locked onto nothing but her, maybe even her very essense.
"Oh, damn." Masazumi said.
At once, the dark being tackled her down. Masazumi gave a brief cry and spun onto her back. The being who resembled Horizon spread her legs, bending them by the sides of Masazumi's own legs and hips, and sat straight up on her. She placed both hands on her shirt. Masazumi wearily stared back at the girl's two long, thin, and sharp yellow eyes. She stared back down on her maliciously. Her hands felt so wierd, three fingers and a thumb on each side of the hand. They clinched her stomach slightly, giving her a wierd, uncomfortable pulling feel that made her quiver.
The mouth opened slightly, saliva coating the insides, thick strands like webs from her jaw and tongue connected to the roof of her mouth. Masazumi started to shake, what was she going to do. She leaned closer to her and a dark, feminine voice came forth.
"Sin... infects... alllllllll..."
She was now directly over her face and she opened her mouth wide. Masazumi's eyes widened in fear as a thick darkness poured out of her mouth slowly. The politician began to scream loudly until nothing but darkness burned her, then... She lunged forth, teeth bared with a chilling scream.
