A/N: O_O Seven chapters?! This is an all time record for me. Sort of. I NEVER write this much…not a serious story, anyway….with the exception of that one story…
Angel's Pain
Written by Sakki-san
Anything you haven't heard of belongs to me. The song, for one.
Anything you HAVE heard of, doesn't. Like basically everything else.
I can hardly open my eyes, I'm so tired. They open slowly, fighting me the whole way. There's someone standing over me, someone with red hair.
"…Aya?" I blink profusely to try and focus the blurry image above me. Aya's face is hovering just above mine, and then Omi's comes into view. "Wha…"
"Are you ok, Ken?" Omi sounds worried.
"He should be ok…" Yohji's here, too? I try to turn my head, but my muscles won't respond.
"I'm sorry, Ken! I didn't tell you about the drugs in your food, but I wanted you to sleep…and…I didn't know it would make you this sick!"
I'm sick? The drugs made me sick? Aya's face looks normal, but in his eyes I can see a shade of worry.
"I thought you might have ended up in a coma…"
Me? In a coma? That would never happen, would it, Omi?
"I'm sorry, Ken." He sounds so apologetic.
"He's awake, Omi, relax a little." Yohji appears in my vision. He pokes my nose.
"…don't." He laughs.
"See? He's fine." Then Yohji sits down. "If Aya hadn't come in, God knows what would have happened."
Aya came in?
"Ano…?" Omi looks at Aya, Aya doesn't move.
"…Last night, when we were up watching TV, Aya thought he heard something in your room and went to check on you…he came back out and said you looked like you were dying."
Slowly, I shut my eyes. Was that Aya in my room last night? Was he the hand on my forehead…?
"Ken?! Ken!!!" Omi's yelling, shaking me, but I can't feel it. I'm so tired…I think I'll sleep…
I know I've been here before. It's familiar, this forest and this cabin. It seems a little smaller than I remember, but that's ok, I've grown up.
I look down and see my feet. I'm wearing my assassin gear. Oh well, that doesn't matter much. This is just a dream, right? I start walking, one foot in front of the other, and look back to see if I'm moving. Yep, there are my footprints.
The forest is pretty, and it's exactly how I remember it, down to the last tiny detail. Even the sky is exactly as I saw it when I was little. The same clouds, that one in the shape of a dog, that one in the shape of a duck. I smile a little and keep walking. A breeze pushes my hair out of my eyes.
As I'm walking, I find myself getting closer to a lake. The lake is also familiar, the same boats on it, the same ripples from the waterbugs. I stop at the very edge and look down. I can see faint rocks, but mostly blackness. Curiosity gets the better of me. I crouch down and lower my hand to touch the water.
Something slams into my back. I'm shoved forward and fly headfirst into the water. My first thoughts are oh shit, what the hell just happened?! Now I'm starting to remember why I don't like lakes.
I struggle to get to the surface, but there's something clutching my leg. I reach down and try to find whatever's holding onto me, so I can get it off. I can't feel anything. My arms flail wildly, my legs kick, I try to get to the surface. Something is dragging me down. I can't get up. I can't breathe.
My hand manages to graze the very top of the water before I vanish back under again. I struggle and try to hold in my breath, but there's shadows and waving monsters all around me so I scream. Bubbles escape my mouth. I try to breathe and choke on water. I try to cough and choke on more water. My lungs scream at me to find air, but I keep sinking despite what I do to get back up.
After a few more seconds, everything starts getting hazy. My body feels weak, my arms stop struggling, and my legs stop kicking. I drift under the water on my back and look up at the sky, refracted and shattered sunlight above my gauzy vision.
Everything suddenly goes black. The water around me, the world above me. I see ripples as somebody reaches down to see if they can find something. Are they looking for me? Maybe they dropped something in, or maybe they're just resting their hand, or cooling their hand down. As I keep sinking, I feel soft hands on my skin. Nice, calm hands, webbed hands, pulling me down lower and lower, relaxing me.
Bubbles fly down to greet me. The hands vanish. Somebody grabs the front of my jacket and drags me up, up…and drops me…
Now I remember why I don't like lakes…I drowned in one when I was…yes. I drowned…and they said they would save me, but they didn't…they couldn't, because somebody else came, but then they dropped me. Their hands slipped, the rain started, the lightning, the thunder. I can still see it now, the beauty of streaks of light above my eyes as I lay on the soft sand with seaweed against my skin and fish floating by.
There's a person above me. A bright light flashes in my eyes, and I scream, but nothing comes out of my mouth, not bubbles, not air, nothing. No sound. I'm picked up and brought out of my peaceful state by the sudden feeling of air on my face. I cry out a little. It hurts so badly to be out here.
When I cry out, water flies from my mouth. Someone turns my head to the side, and I feel a hard, solid ground under me. There's a strong force on my stomach, and I cough up more water. So much water even I'm surprised. But I can't open my eyes. They hurt enough as it is.
I start taking deep, gasping breaths, and suddenly all my pain rushes back to me. I start crying but don't know it because I'm already soaked. I hear voices, loud voices, all around me, the sound of thunder, of rain hitting the water. It's all so loud and painful and my chest hurts and my stomach hurts and I'm freezing cold and suddenly I'm being carried and now I'm burning up and please God kill me, please God, please!!!
I never exactly went into unconsciousness, which made it hell. I felt myself being stripped of my clothes, but I was still burning hot. Then I was freezing again. I just went back and forth between the two forever. Eventually I open my eyes and scream again. It's so bright!!!
"Ken!!!"
"O…mi…?" I blink a few times to try and fight off the brightness of the light. Omi's standing over me, next to a really powerful light. I look around vaguely. Where am I…?
"Ken!" He looks so relieved. "You're ok! Oh, God, I was afraid you were dead. You're in a hospital." I wonder briefly why I'm here, then remember before that hell of a nightmare happened.
"Uh…oh…ok…" Omi leans forward in his chair a little bit.
"Aya was really worried." I blink.
"Aya?" It seems a little unlikely that Aya would be worried about me.
"Yeah," Omi nods, "He was the one who drove you down here. He made me stay in the waiting room and tell them what they needed while he got you a room…" Omi looked over as the door opens and a nurse steps in.
"Oh, is he awake?" the nurse asks pleasantly. Omi nods with a smile. "Well, that's good. It's ok. He only suffered from a minor infection."
Infection?
"That's great," Omi says, sounding relieved.
"Also…" Omi looks at the nurse, confused. "He seems to have some stress issues. I think," the woman continues, "that there's something happening…?"
Omi looks at me, and I look away. He nods. The nurse leaves.
"I know there's something happening." I'm silent. "You wouldn't carve a cross into your own back, or into your arms, or into your chest." I'm still silent. He frowns and gently touches my arm. "Ken…please, if there's something wrong, tell me."
I don't say anything. Omi's looking at me with pleading eyes, but I can't tell him. I can't, because he'll tell Aya and Yohji, and then they'll all get together to kill Farfarello, which will eventually end up in them getting hurt.
But what if I make him promise not to tell?...
He's starting to leave.
"Omi." My voice is hoarse, but he hears it, and sits back down.
"Ken?" I take a breath, cough, and try again.
"I-it's…not self inflicted…it's…Fa…" I cough again. This time, the next breath I take is more ragged, and Omi grabs me a cup of water. I drink it, thankful for Omi's kindness. "I was trying to say…it was……Farfarello."
His eyes widen, and I continue.
"He…I was just in my room one night, and I thought I heard something, and he…he showed up…" I reposition myself so I'm sitting upright, but hunched over my cup of water. "He cut my back…but I cleaned that up." Omi nods approvingly, still looking shocked. "So I locked my window, but then I unlocked it…he came in again…and…….and……" I feel tears starting in my eyes and crush the cup of water in my hand. No! I will not cry!
"Cut your chest?" Omi finishes for me. I nod. "Ken…I had no idea…" He looks like he's about to say something more compassionate, but instead, his face sets into a serious mode. "I have to tell Aya and Yohji about this."
"No!" The force in my voice shocks both of us. I grab Omi's arm. "No…don't tell them. I don't want you to."
"But…Ken-kun…why not?" Omi's staring at me, blinking.
"Because if you do, they'll try and get him to stop…and then he'll know I told them, and…what will he do to me then?...Omi, just…please. Don't."
Either he was thinking the same thing I was or he succumb to the desperation in my voice, but Omi's eyes softened and he pulled my hand off his arm.
"It's ok, Ken-kun…I understand…I won't tell them."
I lay back down on the bed, weak with relief. Somebody comes into the room. At first I think it's a nurse, but then Omi speaks.
"Hi, Aya."
"How's Ken?"
"He's awake."
"There's a doctor outside that wants to talk to you." Omi nods, stands up, and leaves.
"Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," Omi calls as he shuts the door. Aya sits down in the chair next to my bed. I don't feel like moving.
Aya picks up my hand and puts it against his lips. I relax after a slight shock at the sudden show of affection. It's nice to know that someone cares…
He puts down my hand and brushes the hair out of my face. I feel like sleeping, but then I hear his voice softly singing a song that seems familiar but…
…isn't…
{Sunset fading;
Daylight gone;
Sleep, little one,
Please sleep my little kitten.
Sleep, sleep and dream of
Far away…}