Chapter 42:
Chapter 42, Waking Discoveries
Kyoya slowly opened his eyes as a gentle hand moved over his forehead. He knew that touch, had known it since the day he was born.
"Mother," he spoke softly, his Void-infused voice just above a whisper.
"Hello, my little one," Shizukesa spoke just as softly, watching with a gentle smile as he turned his face into her hand. "How do you feel?"
"In pain, but relieved. Where am I?"
"You are in a mortal medical institute. You were hurt greatly and Quin'Derax feared for your life. All Radiance as been removed from you and replaced with the Void."
Kyoya sighed softly. That explained why he felt so calm, he was surrounded by what he knew best and his mother was at his side. It had him curious though. "What of Haruhi?"
"The little sorceress?" she questioned, with a short nod in reply. "She has had her power temporarily sealed and rests a few rooms down. Her family grieves such a decision but had they not..."
"Things could have been worse...was anyone else hurt?"
"A young one had his arm broken in the panic of the others and her mate was rendered unconscious due to the back lash of her connection begin suddenly cut."
Kyoya bolted up right in shock but swayed slightly as his head swam from the sudden movement. Shizukesa and Quin'Derax moved to get him to lay back down but Kyoya tired to shove them away, intent on seeing Haruhi and Mori. That hadn't been part of the plan. She wasn't supposed to be there, he mentally hissed. It was supposed to be just me and them. I was the only one supposed to be hurt or targeted. He shakily moved towards the door, his face pale with worry and a light sheen of sweat showing as he forced his tired and injured body to move. He got no more that four feet from the bed before his body suddenly dropped. His body was too injured to carry him and the extent of his injuries were starting to make themselves known. He looked down at his torso and saw it covered in reddening bandages, along with his hands and could feel some around his throat.
Shizukesa slowly moved towards her child with Quin'Derax one step behind. Both gently moved him back towards the bed and she silenced his protest before it even started with a look that only a mother could use to still even the most unruly child. Kyoya simply dropped his head in submission. He knew to argue with his mother would be pointless, she would always win with just a look or a well worded sentence.
"If you are truly that worried about them," she sighed, sitting next to him. "The little ones can be brought here. They have questions that only you have the answers for. The little sorceress will be departing elsewhere in a few hours, so we will need to have a chair brought for you to see her after your bandages are changed."
With that said, she snapped her fingers and a Void manifested with a low bow. It only took a look before it faded and not more than a few moments later, there was a knock and a nurse walking in with the Void right behind her. She quickly but thoroughly checked over him and his injuries before gently removing the bloodied bandages to clean the opened wounds. Once done, she began applying an ointment to the mending burns. When a thin layer of the cream was on the closed injuries, with a light coat applied to the open ones that caused him to hiss in pain, she began to wrap him in clean gauze bandages. As they were applied, Kyoya felt the woven energy in the cloth.
The bandages were infused with Void energy to aid in hastening his healing. He knew that under normal circumstances, this much energy of the Void around him would begin to eat away his humanity but it was because of his circumstance and the defenses applied that he still had his rational and mortal mind. Since he was half human, Kyoya also had the ability to choose which side of his heritage he would follow once he reached a certain age. It was a choice most children of half-blood would get and the age of that presented choice varied depending on what the other half was. Elemental halves had the choice offered when they were roughly at the peak of physical mortal maturity, which ranged from about eighteen to twenty-five. If he chose to be completely human, his Void blood would be placed in a dormant state which would only trigger if his life was close to being lost. If he chose to remain half, he would be presented with the choice every three years for the following century. If he chose to be completely Void, his humanity would be slowly and carefully separated from him in such a way that he would know that he was once half human and all the memories that he held as such would remain for him to use. He knew that he had roughly a year before he would be presented with that choice but Kyoya was hesitant to choose either extreme without knowing what the other side thought.
He knew that regardless of his choice, his mother would love him and Fuyumi would support him however she could, both had told him that every day of his life and every time the question had come up between them or was spoken by others. His father and brothers, on the other hand, he didn't know. He loved his siblings, he truly did, but he wasn't sure if they would be so supportive if they now understood the depth of his connection with his mother.
He was pulled from his thoughts when the door to his room shut and someone cleared their throat. Kyoya looked up and his eyes went wide when he saw Abraham and his father standing at the door. He could easily tell that the Historian had a light but strong shield on his parent so that the heavy atmosphere of the Void wouldn't affect him.
"Father, Historian Anderson," he greeted softly.
Abraham bowed his head calmly and motioned for Yoshio to be closer to his child. Said man was in a mix of shock at seeing his wife in the room, not knowing when or how she had arrived but was grateful that she was there. Kyoya can be a little more calm since she is here, he sighed softly. I am also glad to see that he is finally awake. I know his brothers wish to see him but with present company, the room is a bit small for all of us.
"I am relieved to see you awake," he intoned softly, sitting in the chair next to Shizukesa. "And I am pleased to see that you are here as well."
"I would not let one of my children suffer when there is a means to aid them," she replied calmly, knowing it sounded coarse.
Yoshio nodded his head softly. He knew what she meant, even if he hadn't known or had the information on what she and his children were explained to him, he knew what she meant, even after all the time separated from each other. It actually was a touchy topic between the two of them. They were still married, and bonded together, but they weren't within the same living arrangements. Shortly after Kyoya had been born, Shizukesa had returned to the Void, her duties to her people and the domain she was part of demanded her presence and for their safety, she didn't take them with her. She had been able to periodically come and visit her children, aid them in their schooling when they had trouble and he couldn't do so thanks to issues with work. He had honestly tried to care for his children personally but the weight of keeping a company running, raising four children, and what seemed to be a crumbling marriage, everything just fell apart around him and he began to close himself off from everything and everyone.
Shizukesa had seen what was happening to her beloved and, although she couldn't outright do anything, she did try to alleviate many of his stresses. It was her that had gotten her children into different schools or found tutors that could aid them if needed and help them bloom their particular talents, she who taught Fuyumi and Kyoya how to hone their gifts and become the caring and brilliant people they were to that day. Yoshio had been the one to marry their daughter off when she was of age to Chi Yen since his family was a prominent member of the medical community and was by far the best arrangement that could have been done at the time. Every year since then, Yoshio had nothing but pride for the union between his daughter and the brilliant surgeon she had been given to. He was even more so impressed having watched Chi Yen heal his youngest child as if it were as easy as breathing.
A gentle hand pulled the Ootori patriarch from his thoughts. He glanced at his wife and smiled softly, a subtle nod thanking her for bring him back to the present. He had something important to tell his youngest, something that was certain to not only shock him, but also let him see what he and his brothers had chosen in regards to him and the world he was part of.
"As of three pm yesterday afternoon," Yoshio spoke calmly, his eyes never straying from Kyoya's. "You are under the care of the Historian's archive by willing choice. While you are under their care, your brothers and I will be working alongside Chi Yen in learning how to mend those of the Arcane community."
Kyoya and Shizukesa looked at the calm man in stunned shock, before she turned to face the Historian who still stood by the door. At her questioning look, Abraham walked forward.
"He states the truth," he explained softly. "Regardless on if he chose to or not, however, you would have been placed under the Archive's care."
"Why?" Kyoya asked, his voice still no higher than a whisper.
"As it stand now, your father does not carry the means to adequately take care of your injuries or the ability to further your study of Dark and Void Magic to any degree. With him willingly giving your care to us, your ties to him remain intact. True, we wouldn't have fully severed you from your father, he still is your parent by all rights, but he would have next to no say in how we went about your schooling. As was stated, Chi Yen Tsuji has offered to and will begin to instruct them on how to mend those of our particular community. Until you are fully healed, a tutor of your mother's choice will help you excel in both your Arcane lessons and those offered at your school so that you may graduate in the proper time."
"There is also one more detail you need to know, Kyoya," Yoshio intoned calmly. "When you are of age, you have my and your brothers support in whatever you choose to become."
Kyoya looked at both of his father in shock and at the man's nod, he lowered his head, his shoulders shaking as light tears slid down his face. His father was going to support him, his brothers at his side. Shizukesa gently wrapped her youngest in her arms and held him while he wept silently. She, too, was relieved that Yoshio was going to be supportive of Kyoya in what his chose would be. A soft smile appeared on her face now that she knew that the family was united in support of each other and that her husband was going to do all he could to aid the world she had known all her life.
Abraham simply watched with a calm expression as the family began to reform bonds that had been strained over the years. He knew why Yoshio and Shuzukesa had been separated, and it wasn't because of a rift between the two of them, it was because of the rift between the world she was born to and the world that until now, was the only one he knew. When her domain learned of Yoshio and his learning of the arts to mend them, the Void would be more amenable to reuniting the pair. It was the concern of the Void that Yoshio would cast her and the blood she bore aside should something like this befall any of them. Abraham could now send the Void Emissary back with the promise to keep them informed of how he and his elder sons progressed in their lessons on mending their people.
The Historian smiled softly and quietly left the room. He knew that Kyoya would want to see Haruhi before she left, but as it stood now, she had to be transported sooner than initially thought. Aujuri and Lin Kai wanted to begin her training as soon as possible since she had a great deal to relearn and learn in a rather short span of time. He knew that Lin Kai could bend space and time to have an eternity pass in a single second, so it wasn't much of a worry for her to learn everything, but both Elipsion had promised to have her back in time to see Vyen and to go through the final rites of courtship before their ceremony.
He sighed softly as he went towards his niece's room. He knew she wouldn't hear him clearly, but he wanted to wish her well, as did Mori, his family and the rest of hers. He also needed to have a few short words with Teshiro. He knew the boy was berating himself over what he had been told to do and it needed to stop. Abraham knew well what it was like to be placed in a situation that would gravely impact family and had been given the same advise he was about to impart. With a soft sigh, he walked into the room, silently greeting those already gathered to say his own farewell.