Chapter 8
" Going to work?" Tokiya asked as Fuko took out her coat from the closet cupboard.
" Un huh. Midnight duty." Fuko replied.
" Why are you wearing the fujin?" Tokiya asked, as he spied the device underneath her shirtsleeve.
" Oh, to protect myself. You can't be there all the time right." Fuko turned to him. The expression on her face was serious. " I was too careless. I should have realized that there are other vampires around."
Tokiya could only nod his head. He knew that he was not in a position to argue with her. He couldn't act like a hero. Furthermore, he knew that Fuko was more than capable of protecting herself. He had seen that for himself.
" I'll walk you there." Tokiya said, and he got up, not caring whether Fuko was going to let him or not.
Fuko looked as if she was about to protest, then she relaxed and nodded her head, " All right."
************
As it was a Friday night, the streets were rather crowded with people, either returning home, or going out with their friends. Tokiya held Fuko's hand tightly as they walked through the crowd. They didn't say anything to each other at first, then Fuko announced that she had a craving for donuts, so they popped by into the nearby donut shop for a quick takeaway.
" Which flavor do you think I should get? Strawberry or chocolate?" Fuko asked as she looked through the display window for donuts.
" Does it matter. they all the taste the same anyway."
" Come on, be more sporting will you. I remember the whole gang of us used to argue about the different flavors of donuts. I remember you always preferred the plain one, with a little sugar icing on it."
" I remember you like the chocolate coated one, with rainbow bits on it." Tokiya said, and Fuko looked up at him in surprise
" You remember?"
" Yeah, of course I do, you're were always talking about them, and urging me to exchange me plain one for a chocolate one." Tokiya drawled.
Fuko grinned sheepishly, " Yeah, but you always scoffed at me. Never mind, I'm taking the chocolate anyway."
" I want a plain one." Tokiya said.
Fuko looked at him and the both of them burst into laughter.
" Won't you take chocolate!" Fuko pleaded as a last ditch effort, but to no avail.
*****************
" Dr Kirisawa? Are you free? We've got an emergency case here." one of the nurses poked her head into Fuko's office sometime around 2am in the morning.
" All right. I'll be right there." Fuko replied as she took off her specs and closed the report that she was reading from. Putting her stethoscope round her neck, she ran down to the emergency room.
A woman in her late 20s was lying on the operation table. Her face was ghostly white and she seemed to have difficulty breathing.
" What's the problem?" Fuko asked as she bent over the woman. Before the nurse could answer, she had already found the cause. There were two puncture holes on the side of the woman's neck.
" Dr Kirisawa, someone found her in an alley. She lost a whole lot of blood. It seems as if almost her whole body was drained." the nurse said
" Get five packets of her blood type over now. Monitor her heart progress. Get ready the jab just in case." Fuko shouted orders, as she tended to the woman in whatever way she could. The woman's eyes were bulging in shock and Fuko suspected that she was still getting over the shock of being attack by a vampire. Suddenly, another nurse rushed into the room wheeling in another patient, shouting
" Dr Kirisawa! We've got another patient here. He's also lost a lot of blood. He has a very weak pulse!"
" Put him on the table, and send for extra blood supplies." Fuko shouted as she rushed towards the patient. " Are there any more coming in?"
" Another ambulance called. One more patient on its way here is also supposedly suffering from the same injury."
" Get ready the blood packets before they come and be quick!" Fuko shouted as she rushed to tend to one patient and then another. While she was doing so, she thought of Tokiya and she paused for the moment as she remember Gin and his big ambition.
" Could this be." she muttered to herself under her breath. However the situation was too tense for her to be distraction and she pushed the matter to the corner of head.
*************************
" Yeah, two of them are stable now, but they are still very very weak. One is in coma. We don't know whether he will ever reawaken. The blood loss was just too much. It was as if they were hollow inside." Fuko spoke through her cell phone to Tokiya.
It was three hours after the first emergency victim that Fuko was finally allowed to step out of operating theatre. Once she had got back to her office, she had dialed her house.
" Damnit. I think that they are starting to hit Tokyo already." Tokiya cursed on the other side of the line. " That's against the rules. They're starting to rebel."
" Is this Gin acting on his own, or does he have his own army."
" He certainly wouldn't act on his own. He knows that he's not powerful enough to do that. My guess is that he already got a huge group of followers to be bold enough to do this."
" I called up a few hospitals. They have had at least one case of such tonight. All the doctors are wondering about it. They have never seen anything like this before. They think that serial murderers are on the loose, since it's almost impossible to have 20 victims of the same injury in one night. From all parts of Tokyo too." Fuko spoke, then as she couldn't control herself any longer, she yawned into the phone.
" You're tired. It's been a busy night." Tokiya noted.
" I know. I'll go back immediately when my shift ends. And.Tokiya?"
" Yes?"
" Don't do anything rash all right. Tonight, I don't have to go to work. We'll discuss things then. Don't you dare run away."
On the other side, Tokiya smiled to himself as he heard Fuko said this.
" I won't. Didn't I promise you that already?"
He heard Fuko chuckle as he said this, " Yeah, you did. Anyway, it's almost dawn. You better go to sleep."
" I still have about two hours." Tokiya replied, " Anyhow, I should be saying that to you, you're no superwoman, there are other doctors around too."
" I know, but I have to go and check on the patients soon. After that I'll come home." Fuko replied.
" All right then. I'll see you tonight then. I'll cook." Tokiya said, though he said the last bit rather on impulse.
" Really! You know how to cook!" Fuko exclaimed
" Yes I DO not how to cook. You be so surprised you'll never ask that again." Tokiya replied, half boasting
" Haha, I'll be looking forward to that.Bye!" Fuko said cheerfully on the other side. " Sleep tight!"
" Bye." Tokiya said and put down the phone. As he made his way to the basement, he was thinking about Gin. Now that Gin had started to put his plans into action, it meant that Fuko was in even greater danger than before. Vampires always tended to avoid the hospital, since the smell of blood would drive many of the weaker ones crazy and would sent them on a rampage. The smell of blood was that tempting to a vampire. Privately, he wondered what the old order was going to do about this. He had already assured them of his neutrality in this matter, but Tokiya half suspected that they would still look for him, as they knew that Gin was desperately trying to get him on his side.
True enough, as he entered his makeshift bedroom in the basement, he found the old order waiting for him, seated in their usual order.
" I suppose that you're going to ask me about last night." Tokiya said as he sat down on a nearby chair facing the old order
" Well Tokiya, you might as well know that Gin has gathered an army of over 500 followers. Most of them are weaklings, but they are still strong enough to bring chaos into the world. He has sent a letter to the old order, requesting us to agree to his demands. Tonight was just a small example of the consequences if we do not agree."
" So what are you planning to do, if I may ask?" Tokiya asked.
" Of course, we are going to stop them, but it cannot be down without a showdown. They have created their new home right beneath the center of the city. If we tried to stop them, all the human beings in Tokyo would be in grave danger."
" But you are strong enough. They are mostly weaklings, like you said."
" We are old. We do not have the stamina that he has."
" So what are you going to do about it?"
" We are here to ask for your help. You and Leon could easily defeat them. Your powers are definitely greater than Gin himself, despite him having created you."
" Sorry, but I'm not interested. I only want to protect Fuko from him."
" But if you defeat him."
" This is your problem, I told you from the start that I wouldn't take sides. I will not engage in a bloody battle. I promised Fuko that I would not kill anymore."
There was a long silence as Tokiya said this, then the old order spoke
" You've changed Tokiya. You've learnt to think of what other people think first." The old order chuckled as they said this " Perhaps a miracle can happen after all."
" What do you mean? I'm still." Tokiya wanted to ask, but before he knew it, the old order had vanished. He got up from the chair and went to his makeshift bed
Was he really changing?
Was he really beginning to have feelings?
For Fuko?
Author's note:
Thanks to the people who gave reviews. Just to answer a few questions. in the last chapter, I wrote that as Fuko was dancing with Tokiya, she could feel his warmth. and someone was like, aren't vampires supposed to be cold? Yes that is true, however, the theme of this story is of Tokiya becoming human again, so I'm putting in small telltale signs of it happening. so small scale that the characters themselves don't even realize it.Hope you guys get it! Please review!
" Going to work?" Tokiya asked as Fuko took out her coat from the closet cupboard.
" Un huh. Midnight duty." Fuko replied.
" Why are you wearing the fujin?" Tokiya asked, as he spied the device underneath her shirtsleeve.
" Oh, to protect myself. You can't be there all the time right." Fuko turned to him. The expression on her face was serious. " I was too careless. I should have realized that there are other vampires around."
Tokiya could only nod his head. He knew that he was not in a position to argue with her. He couldn't act like a hero. Furthermore, he knew that Fuko was more than capable of protecting herself. He had seen that for himself.
" I'll walk you there." Tokiya said, and he got up, not caring whether Fuko was going to let him or not.
Fuko looked as if she was about to protest, then she relaxed and nodded her head, " All right."
************
As it was a Friday night, the streets were rather crowded with people, either returning home, or going out with their friends. Tokiya held Fuko's hand tightly as they walked through the crowd. They didn't say anything to each other at first, then Fuko announced that she had a craving for donuts, so they popped by into the nearby donut shop for a quick takeaway.
" Which flavor do you think I should get? Strawberry or chocolate?" Fuko asked as she looked through the display window for donuts.
" Does it matter. they all the taste the same anyway."
" Come on, be more sporting will you. I remember the whole gang of us used to argue about the different flavors of donuts. I remember you always preferred the plain one, with a little sugar icing on it."
" I remember you like the chocolate coated one, with rainbow bits on it." Tokiya said, and Fuko looked up at him in surprise
" You remember?"
" Yeah, of course I do, you're were always talking about them, and urging me to exchange me plain one for a chocolate one." Tokiya drawled.
Fuko grinned sheepishly, " Yeah, but you always scoffed at me. Never mind, I'm taking the chocolate anyway."
" I want a plain one." Tokiya said.
Fuko looked at him and the both of them burst into laughter.
" Won't you take chocolate!" Fuko pleaded as a last ditch effort, but to no avail.
*****************
" Dr Kirisawa? Are you free? We've got an emergency case here." one of the nurses poked her head into Fuko's office sometime around 2am in the morning.
" All right. I'll be right there." Fuko replied as she took off her specs and closed the report that she was reading from. Putting her stethoscope round her neck, she ran down to the emergency room.
A woman in her late 20s was lying on the operation table. Her face was ghostly white and she seemed to have difficulty breathing.
" What's the problem?" Fuko asked as she bent over the woman. Before the nurse could answer, she had already found the cause. There were two puncture holes on the side of the woman's neck.
" Dr Kirisawa, someone found her in an alley. She lost a whole lot of blood. It seems as if almost her whole body was drained." the nurse said
" Get five packets of her blood type over now. Monitor her heart progress. Get ready the jab just in case." Fuko shouted orders, as she tended to the woman in whatever way she could. The woman's eyes were bulging in shock and Fuko suspected that she was still getting over the shock of being attack by a vampire. Suddenly, another nurse rushed into the room wheeling in another patient, shouting
" Dr Kirisawa! We've got another patient here. He's also lost a lot of blood. He has a very weak pulse!"
" Put him on the table, and send for extra blood supplies." Fuko shouted as she rushed towards the patient. " Are there any more coming in?"
" Another ambulance called. One more patient on its way here is also supposedly suffering from the same injury."
" Get ready the blood packets before they come and be quick!" Fuko shouted as she rushed to tend to one patient and then another. While she was doing so, she thought of Tokiya and she paused for the moment as she remember Gin and his big ambition.
" Could this be." she muttered to herself under her breath. However the situation was too tense for her to be distraction and she pushed the matter to the corner of head.
*************************
" Yeah, two of them are stable now, but they are still very very weak. One is in coma. We don't know whether he will ever reawaken. The blood loss was just too much. It was as if they were hollow inside." Fuko spoke through her cell phone to Tokiya.
It was three hours after the first emergency victim that Fuko was finally allowed to step out of operating theatre. Once she had got back to her office, she had dialed her house.
" Damnit. I think that they are starting to hit Tokyo already." Tokiya cursed on the other side of the line. " That's against the rules. They're starting to rebel."
" Is this Gin acting on his own, or does he have his own army."
" He certainly wouldn't act on his own. He knows that he's not powerful enough to do that. My guess is that he already got a huge group of followers to be bold enough to do this."
" I called up a few hospitals. They have had at least one case of such tonight. All the doctors are wondering about it. They have never seen anything like this before. They think that serial murderers are on the loose, since it's almost impossible to have 20 victims of the same injury in one night. From all parts of Tokyo too." Fuko spoke, then as she couldn't control herself any longer, she yawned into the phone.
" You're tired. It's been a busy night." Tokiya noted.
" I know. I'll go back immediately when my shift ends. And.Tokiya?"
" Yes?"
" Don't do anything rash all right. Tonight, I don't have to go to work. We'll discuss things then. Don't you dare run away."
On the other side, Tokiya smiled to himself as he heard Fuko said this.
" I won't. Didn't I promise you that already?"
He heard Fuko chuckle as he said this, " Yeah, you did. Anyway, it's almost dawn. You better go to sleep."
" I still have about two hours." Tokiya replied, " Anyhow, I should be saying that to you, you're no superwoman, there are other doctors around too."
" I know, but I have to go and check on the patients soon. After that I'll come home." Fuko replied.
" All right then. I'll see you tonight then. I'll cook." Tokiya said, though he said the last bit rather on impulse.
" Really! You know how to cook!" Fuko exclaimed
" Yes I DO not how to cook. You be so surprised you'll never ask that again." Tokiya replied, half boasting
" Haha, I'll be looking forward to that.Bye!" Fuko said cheerfully on the other side. " Sleep tight!"
" Bye." Tokiya said and put down the phone. As he made his way to the basement, he was thinking about Gin. Now that Gin had started to put his plans into action, it meant that Fuko was in even greater danger than before. Vampires always tended to avoid the hospital, since the smell of blood would drive many of the weaker ones crazy and would sent them on a rampage. The smell of blood was that tempting to a vampire. Privately, he wondered what the old order was going to do about this. He had already assured them of his neutrality in this matter, but Tokiya half suspected that they would still look for him, as they knew that Gin was desperately trying to get him on his side.
True enough, as he entered his makeshift bedroom in the basement, he found the old order waiting for him, seated in their usual order.
" I suppose that you're going to ask me about last night." Tokiya said as he sat down on a nearby chair facing the old order
" Well Tokiya, you might as well know that Gin has gathered an army of over 500 followers. Most of them are weaklings, but they are still strong enough to bring chaos into the world. He has sent a letter to the old order, requesting us to agree to his demands. Tonight was just a small example of the consequences if we do not agree."
" So what are you planning to do, if I may ask?" Tokiya asked.
" Of course, we are going to stop them, but it cannot be down without a showdown. They have created their new home right beneath the center of the city. If we tried to stop them, all the human beings in Tokyo would be in grave danger."
" But you are strong enough. They are mostly weaklings, like you said."
" We are old. We do not have the stamina that he has."
" So what are you going to do about it?"
" We are here to ask for your help. You and Leon could easily defeat them. Your powers are definitely greater than Gin himself, despite him having created you."
" Sorry, but I'm not interested. I only want to protect Fuko from him."
" But if you defeat him."
" This is your problem, I told you from the start that I wouldn't take sides. I will not engage in a bloody battle. I promised Fuko that I would not kill anymore."
There was a long silence as Tokiya said this, then the old order spoke
" You've changed Tokiya. You've learnt to think of what other people think first." The old order chuckled as they said this " Perhaps a miracle can happen after all."
" What do you mean? I'm still." Tokiya wanted to ask, but before he knew it, the old order had vanished. He got up from the chair and went to his makeshift bed
Was he really changing?
Was he really beginning to have feelings?
For Fuko?
Author's note:
Thanks to the people who gave reviews. Just to answer a few questions. in the last chapter, I wrote that as Fuko was dancing with Tokiya, she could feel his warmth. and someone was like, aren't vampires supposed to be cold? Yes that is true, however, the theme of this story is of Tokiya becoming human again, so I'm putting in small telltale signs of it happening. so small scale that the characters themselves don't even realize it.Hope you guys get it! Please review!