It's dark yet again. What's with these "dark" dreams? Instead of a light, I hear a heart beating and it's getting faster. Then it loses its rhythm, is this my heart I'm hearing? It has to be because I'm feeling its pain and my oxygen is low. A red glare flashes before me, but it does nothing to stop what is happening. "Do...l...s…..h..p.." a voice echos cutting in and out. "Li...i….s….g..o…" That's the last I hear of the voice and I faint.

*gasp*

I wake up in a cold sweat. My heart is racing and my chest hurts. "Breathe, Bex." I said to myself in my mind. I look around and it seems Ryuko and Mako are already up. Speaking of which, Ryuko comes in to check up on me.

"You okay?" she asked.
"Sigh, I don't know." I answered honestly.
"Well, breakfast is ready. Eat up and get changed so we can take you to the hospital."

It's audible, but we can barely hear Barazo say that he can help. Knowing him however, I won't find the answer. I scarf down my food and get changed in a matter of five minutes. Mako insists on coming along, but there's only room for two on Ryuko's motorcycle. We could use the Mankanshoku's truck, right?

"Why won't you ride in the truck?" I asked.
"I'm not used to it." Ryuko said turning her head away from me.
"Come on, Ryuko!" Mako said pulling on her friend's leg. "We need to help her!"
"It's fine, we can walk there."
"About that, it's 15 minutes away." Barazo said.

A moment of silence lingered for 30 seconds before Ryuko came up with an answer. "Sigh, fine! Give me the keys." With that, we're off to the Kanagawa Hospital in Yokohama; its capital. I feel a bit uneasy, thinking something may actually be wrong with me. What if I'm nearing my end quicker than I thought? I keep my gaze on the open road, avoiding eye contact. Thankfully Mako distracts Ryuko with her terrible singing. I can endure this!

30 seconds later!

Okay, I take that back! She needs to shut up! "Don't lose your way!" I began singing the chorus to "Before My Body is Dry" to drown out Mako's singing. It didn't get her to stop, instead we were singing two different songs and they did not mix well. Not before long, Ryuko lost her mind and yelled. "Can you two keep quiet for two minutes?!" That got us to stop, but I couldn't help to think she's really upset with me. Who wouldn't? I am nothing but a nuisance.

This made the pain worse! "Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts!" I kept telling myself this mentally to keep the tears from falling. Thankfully Mako was asleep so she didn't notice my struggle. Her snoring drowned out my heavy breathing and that's saying something. Who knew anyone could snore that loud?

Upon arrival, we park near the Emergency area of the hospital since it is kind of an emergency. Besides, maybe Japan's faster than America? Wait! Japan? How can I understand? Simple, the gem automatically translates the speech and text to English for me. Kinda like in Star Fox Adventures where Tricky's speech is translated so Fox can understand him. Pretty cool!

The three of us enter the hospital and dare I say it smells sterile. It brings anxiety; with all the times I've been in a hospital I still haven't gotten used to that smell. Even though I'm older than Ryuko, I give her the impression that she'll need to talk to the lady who approached us. She just rolls her eyes and pushes me closer.

"What seems to be the problem?" the nurse asked.
"I'm, uh having chest pains and irregular heartbeat." I answered sheepishly.
"Right this way, are you two with her?"
"Yes, mam!" Mako saluted.
"Are we allowed to be with her?" Ryuko asked.
"Of course! Follow me!"

The nurse escorts me to my room. I didn't like seeing the other patients who are in worse condition than me. Some had broken bones while others were losing their minds. "Please, daddy! I don't wanna go!" a little girl cried. Her tone and pitch to mix with those words cut me deep somehow. I felt like crying myself, but I just shook it off. Ryuko and Mako were behind me so they couldn't see me on the verge of tears.

"Please, change into this gown and I'll be with you shortly." the nurse informed. I shook my head and went to change into my gown. "Uh." I said giving them the signal to turn around. Ryuko and Mako did just that, but Ms. Edgy sighed in irritation. I wonder what's bothering her?

When I finished, I gave them the okay and the two took a seat nearby. Mako shortly falls back asleep and I do a staring contest with the wall. Ryuko remains silent, not knowing what she should say or do. I could tell she wasn't happy without looking. So many thoughts ran through my head; I'm in the presence of two incredible anime characters in the flesh. Why am I not saying anything? Don't I have a thousand questions to ask? I guess I've kinda gotten used to it.

A few moments later, the nurse returned with an IV, blood pressure cup, and some other things I don't know the name of. The IV was inserted into the back of my right hand. Didn't hurt that much since I'm numb to it, literally. Regardless it felt weird to have something foreign in my hand. My blood pressure was 130/96 which isn't bad considering I am in a panic. Then the nurse hooked my up to a heart monitor and we finally got down to business.

"You said you're having chest pains and an irregular heartbeat?" she asked.
"Yes, it's been going on for about a month or two." I explained. "Ryuko over there is a witness."
"I see, and it appears you aren't wrong."

The monitor is picking up the odd rhythm of my heart and its rising. I attempt to slow it down, but not by much.

"Are you under a lot of stress?" the nurse asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact." I answered. "I don't have a job and my life as we know it is in shambles."
"Sorry to hear that. What we're gonna do is run a few tests; we'll take some blood, do an EKG, and an echocardiogram. The time between these tests may be 30 minutes or less."
"Okay, thanks."
"I'll be right back to get some blood."

The nurse leaves once again with us in silence. How do I break it? The tension between me and Ryuko is almost unbearable. I turn my eyes to her and she seems to be at ease. Almost as though nothing bad ever happened. Knowing this, I decide to speak up.

"Ryuko." I started. "I...I'm-"
"Don't apologize." she said with a smile. "It's not your fault we're here, right?"
"Huh? You're not mad at me?"
"Whatever gave you that idea?"
"You just seemed so, on edge."
"Oh that! I'm just wondering if the Life Fibers are not all gone. What if...he's out there?"
"Senketsu?" Mako guessed. "But he's gone, right?"

I wanted to go over to Ryuko, but I realized I'm hooked up to a machine. This irritated me a little, but whatever! I just wanted to show her that I'm sorry for her loss.

"I know." she said lowering her head. "But he's always gonna be here, right Mako?" Ryuko had her hand over her heart, showing us that Senketsu will always be there. Her friend agreed without hesitation. Smiles were painted on all of our faces which made the atmosphere much better. The monitor could testify; my heart's rhythm returned to normal at 80 BPM.

The nurse returned with some tubes and a butterfly needle to take some blood from me. Ryuko dared to not look along with Mako as she drew blood from me. "Hold still." the nurse said as she injected the needle into my arm. She filled up five tubes with my blood and left to drop them off.

"Well, that was fast." I commented.
"Let's hope the rest is like that so I can treat you all to lunch." Ryuko stated.
"Really?!" Mako beamed. "Ryuko you're so cool!"

I smiled and let out a sigh of satisfaction. Why can't life be all about being with those you love and having fun? Modern day life is so demanding; get a job, get a place of your own, and make a lot of money. Without that, you'll die, end of story! Remembering this stressed me out. "I need to work, get to work, do something or you'll die!" were the words that echoed constantly in my brain. My heart rate rose to 120, then to 140 in a snap of a finger. Sweat soaked my hands and my body started shaking.

"What's wrong?" Ryuko asked, taking notice.
"It's nothing, just stress." I answered, looking at my lap.

My heart rate increases even more knowing she's onto me. The pain in my chest becomes almost unbearable as if my heart is broken. Tears well-up in my eyes, but I resist the best I can to hold them back. Knowing I may not be able to, I turn my head away from Ryuko and Mako.

"I hope they don't notice." I silently wished. Too bad, Ryuko drags her chair close to me and sits down. Mako shortly follows since she always wants to be by her friend's side. I just ignore them, hoping they'll take the hint. Granted, I want this, but I'm not worthy of friendship or love. I deserve hate and slander. Hell is where I should go! After all the sins I've committed, it'd be justice. Yet, why are these two fictional characters beside me? That's right, they aren't real! What they show isn't real, it's all fake! It's pure torture!

"What's wrong?" Ryuko asked, tilting her head to get a good look at me.
"It hurts!" I cried, putting my hand over my heart. "Yet, it feels right. I deserve this after all."
"What's she talking about?" Mako asked.
"It's a load of garbage, that's what!"
"No, it's fine. This is perfect."
"Rebekah, snap out of it!" the gem exclaimed.
"About time you butt in!"

Of course, the two girls couldn't hear him. "This isn't good for your mind, heart, body, and soul. Allow them to comfort you!" the gem pleaded. I tried ignoring his words, but somehow I believe he's right. "Shut up!" I yelled. "I don't deserve to be loved! I'm a total weirdo!" Ryuko placed her hand gently on my shoulder hoping it'll comfort me.

"Those are the kind of people I like." she said in a gentle tone. "Don't be so hard on yourself."
"Yeah, we all love you!" Mako added.
"G-guys! You're too kind!"

Mako signals for a group hug and I open up to it. Ryuko embraces me first then Mako follows behind on the left. What caught me off guard was that our (mine and Ryuko's) hearts were physically connected, shoulder to shoulder. I could feel Ryuko's heartbeat against my chest and I'm sure she could feel mine. This lasted for a little over a minute till the nurse came back in to haul me in a different room for my last test. Ryuko and Mako wait patiently for me in my hospital room.

I wonder, am I fused with Life Fibers? Could it have happened when I entered this world? I'll soon find out!