The Last Wish - 20
~*~
Miaka'd gone to the hospital cafeteria to get some breakfast--he'd spent the night in the hospital, and hadn't even realized it until Mitsukake'd commented on it--and, so now, he was alone. It wasn't really all that bad, being alone. It felt kind of peaceful, really. No shrill voices chirping in his ears, no friends gone insane to rescue, no one to see the tears that betrayed him so easily... Yes. Kind of nice. Sighing softly, Nuriko lay his head back against the papery hospital pillow, closed his eyes, and tried to ignore the nasal, "Doctor Mortimer. Doctor Mortimer. Doctor Mortimer to the Area Five Nurse's Station. Thank you."
After a few moments had passed, the door to his room slid quietly open, nothing but the slight hiss as it brushed over the carpet to betray its movement--that, and the unmistakable feeling of SOMEONE IS HERE! braying like a trumpet in his mind. He thought of opening his eyes immediately, seeing who dared trespass in the sacred space of his hospital room only a few hours before his departure--but, hey, what was the point? If it was a friend, there was no danger. If it was someone who meant to hurt him...well, it wasn't like he could get up and run, anyway. Breathing hurt enough on its own.
"Who is it?" he murmured.
A shadow fell over him; a low, familiar voice met his ears a moment later. "I need to talk to you."
Nuriko opened his eyes, found himself staring up into the wide blue eyes, dark as night in everything but color. "Suboshi," he acknowledged softly.
The boy nodded. He looked a little better than the last time they'd seen each other--the cuts and bruises had been bandaged, his swollen wrist was wrapped, and his face had been washed; his straight brown hair was neatly combed. "I need to talk to you," he repeated in a low, urgent voice. "It's important."
Clutching at his ribs, Nuriko shifted into a more upright position, granted the boy as much of his attention as he could spare. "Go ahead," he said.
Suboshi, after a quick glance behind him (he'd closed the door, Nuriko noticed, and probably locked it, too), slid forward and lowered himself gently onto the edge of the bed.
Gotta get a chair in here, Nuriko thought darkly.
Oddly enough, Suboshi looked genuinely upset. "You know what you did, don't you?" he asked in a hushed voice. "You know what you did?"
Nuriko raised an eyebrow. "Saved your life?"
The boy flushed and looked away, then turned back; nodded. "Yeah...but, not that. You--" His eyes seemed to brighten all of a sudden, to glow with some strange inner light. "You used your seishi powers," he whispered.
Nuriko's mouth felt dry. "My...my what?"
"Oh, come on," Suboshi said. "Don't play dumb. You must know--you've gotta know. You can't just use them if you don't. Even after Nakago-sama told me, it took awhile before I could do anything."
"N-Nakago..."
"Hai." The boy was suddenly leaning close to him, a look of such intensity in his eyes that Nuriko had the sudden urge to take a long step backwards--through the wall if necessary. "I've known for a couple years, now. But...but, Nakago-sama was the one who told me. He and Tomo--they wouldn't tell me how they found out, but I know who it was." He nodded. "I know. But, how did you find out? Was it Miaka?" His eyes were wide and bright, gleaming with something like excitement.
"Suboshi, honestly--I have no idea what you're talking about."
But...
But, he was beginning to. Slowly, carefully, all the pieces that had been scattering around his life over the past few days were coming together, and something like comprehension was beginning to form. Something like...revelation.
Suboshi offered him a quick half-smile, then shrugged and leaned back. "Fine, have it your way," he said. "But..." His eyes glittered. "Don't you wanna talk about it? That was all I wanted to do after I found out, you know? I mean, gods, just thinking about it. Just thinking about being part of something else, something bigger--it makes me wanna scream and just...just go crazy."
[[I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you!]]
"Yeah," Nuriko murmured. "You've got that part covered."
The boy flushed again, but this time a glimmer of anger trickled into his gaze. "You know, I didn't -ask- you to save me."
"And, I didn't ask you to break into my house and attack my friend," Nuriko countered quietly. "Just like Tamahome didn't -ask- you to smash into his family's car."
Suboshi paled. "That was an accident."
"Was it?"
"Of course, it was! What the hell, you think I go around smashing into cars for fun?"
"I don't know what you do for fun. But, I know that it's a pretty big coincidence that you just happened to run into Tamahome's family the one time you decided to get drunk. Ne?"
Suboshi stared at him for a long time, half-bent over the bed, fingers digging into the bedsheets. His eyes were large and dark and haunted, and there was something about the way his jaw clenched that made Nuriko wonder just how certain he was, anyway... And, then, Suboshi straightened up and took a step back, folded his arms over his chest.
"You don't understand," he said in a low voice. "I thought you did, but..." He shook his head. "You don't."
Abruptly, the door swung open. "Nuriko," Miaka said brightly, "I brought you some sou--" The girl froze in the doorway, two small styrofoam bowls cradled in her hands. Her eyes went wide. "Y...You," she whispered. "Nuriko, what's he doing in here? He didn't hurt you, did he??"
Nuriko sighed. "No, it's all right. He just came...to talk."
"To talk?" she echoed.
"Yeah," said Suboshi. "Just to talk." His voice sank, went dark. "But, it was a waste of time. I'll see ya around, Nuriko."
And, with that, the boy brushed past Miaka, tugged the door open the rest of the way, and stepped out into the hallway. A few seconds later, he was out of sight down the corridor.
---
AN: Gomen ne. This is a -very- short chapter...but, as I'm going to be away all day packing things up from my dorm room *sweatdrop*, I won't have time to work on it until much later. So. Here's a bit to tide over those who actually -read- this fic until I return. ^_~. Ta-ta. :)
~*~
Miaka'd gone to the hospital cafeteria to get some breakfast--he'd spent the night in the hospital, and hadn't even realized it until Mitsukake'd commented on it--and, so now, he was alone. It wasn't really all that bad, being alone. It felt kind of peaceful, really. No shrill voices chirping in his ears, no friends gone insane to rescue, no one to see the tears that betrayed him so easily... Yes. Kind of nice. Sighing softly, Nuriko lay his head back against the papery hospital pillow, closed his eyes, and tried to ignore the nasal, "Doctor Mortimer. Doctor Mortimer. Doctor Mortimer to the Area Five Nurse's Station. Thank you."
After a few moments had passed, the door to his room slid quietly open, nothing but the slight hiss as it brushed over the carpet to betray its movement--that, and the unmistakable feeling of SOMEONE IS HERE! braying like a trumpet in his mind. He thought of opening his eyes immediately, seeing who dared trespass in the sacred space of his hospital room only a few hours before his departure--but, hey, what was the point? If it was a friend, there was no danger. If it was someone who meant to hurt him...well, it wasn't like he could get up and run, anyway. Breathing hurt enough on its own.
"Who is it?" he murmured.
A shadow fell over him; a low, familiar voice met his ears a moment later. "I need to talk to you."
Nuriko opened his eyes, found himself staring up into the wide blue eyes, dark as night in everything but color. "Suboshi," he acknowledged softly.
The boy nodded. He looked a little better than the last time they'd seen each other--the cuts and bruises had been bandaged, his swollen wrist was wrapped, and his face had been washed; his straight brown hair was neatly combed. "I need to talk to you," he repeated in a low, urgent voice. "It's important."
Clutching at his ribs, Nuriko shifted into a more upright position, granted the boy as much of his attention as he could spare. "Go ahead," he said.
Suboshi, after a quick glance behind him (he'd closed the door, Nuriko noticed, and probably locked it, too), slid forward and lowered himself gently onto the edge of the bed.
Gotta get a chair in here, Nuriko thought darkly.
Oddly enough, Suboshi looked genuinely upset. "You know what you did, don't you?" he asked in a hushed voice. "You know what you did?"
Nuriko raised an eyebrow. "Saved your life?"
The boy flushed and looked away, then turned back; nodded. "Yeah...but, not that. You--" His eyes seemed to brighten all of a sudden, to glow with some strange inner light. "You used your seishi powers," he whispered.
Nuriko's mouth felt dry. "My...my what?"
"Oh, come on," Suboshi said. "Don't play dumb. You must know--you've gotta know. You can't just use them if you don't. Even after Nakago-sama told me, it took awhile before I could do anything."
"N-Nakago..."
"Hai." The boy was suddenly leaning close to him, a look of such intensity in his eyes that Nuriko had the sudden urge to take a long step backwards--through the wall if necessary. "I've known for a couple years, now. But...but, Nakago-sama was the one who told me. He and Tomo--they wouldn't tell me how they found out, but I know who it was." He nodded. "I know. But, how did you find out? Was it Miaka?" His eyes were wide and bright, gleaming with something like excitement.
"Suboshi, honestly--I have no idea what you're talking about."
But...
But, he was beginning to. Slowly, carefully, all the pieces that had been scattering around his life over the past few days were coming together, and something like comprehension was beginning to form. Something like...revelation.
Suboshi offered him a quick half-smile, then shrugged and leaned back. "Fine, have it your way," he said. "But..." His eyes glittered. "Don't you wanna talk about it? That was all I wanted to do after I found out, you know? I mean, gods, just thinking about it. Just thinking about being part of something else, something bigger--it makes me wanna scream and just...just go crazy."
[[I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you!]]
"Yeah," Nuriko murmured. "You've got that part covered."
The boy flushed again, but this time a glimmer of anger trickled into his gaze. "You know, I didn't -ask- you to save me."
"And, I didn't ask you to break into my house and attack my friend," Nuriko countered quietly. "Just like Tamahome didn't -ask- you to smash into his family's car."
Suboshi paled. "That was an accident."
"Was it?"
"Of course, it was! What the hell, you think I go around smashing into cars for fun?"
"I don't know what you do for fun. But, I know that it's a pretty big coincidence that you just happened to run into Tamahome's family the one time you decided to get drunk. Ne?"
Suboshi stared at him for a long time, half-bent over the bed, fingers digging into the bedsheets. His eyes were large and dark and haunted, and there was something about the way his jaw clenched that made Nuriko wonder just how certain he was, anyway... And, then, Suboshi straightened up and took a step back, folded his arms over his chest.
"You don't understand," he said in a low voice. "I thought you did, but..." He shook his head. "You don't."
Abruptly, the door swung open. "Nuriko," Miaka said brightly, "I brought you some sou--" The girl froze in the doorway, two small styrofoam bowls cradled in her hands. Her eyes went wide. "Y...You," she whispered. "Nuriko, what's he doing in here? He didn't hurt you, did he??"
Nuriko sighed. "No, it's all right. He just came...to talk."
"To talk?" she echoed.
"Yeah," said Suboshi. "Just to talk." His voice sank, went dark. "But, it was a waste of time. I'll see ya around, Nuriko."
And, with that, the boy brushed past Miaka, tugged the door open the rest of the way, and stepped out into the hallway. A few seconds later, he was out of sight down the corridor.
---
AN: Gomen ne. This is a -very- short chapter...but, as I'm going to be away all day packing things up from my dorm room *sweatdrop*, I won't have time to work on it until much later. So. Here's a bit to tide over those who actually -read- this fic until I return. ^_~. Ta-ta. :)