A/N: Ice-Phoenix, M.s. Author, Lil Yaoi Kitten, thanks very much for the
praises! (you've made my ego swell to almost unmanageable proportions!)
Rinny: Well, you already know you guessed right. . .hmm. . .shall I tell you what will happen next? *grins evilly*
Ruby-Tears: Three cheers for you! You guessed correctly on when Akuma cursed Kyo! Er. . . .but I'm afraid Rinny answered it first so she chose to add her little twist to how Akuma is gonna "do" Kyo later. . . .I tell you, she's as hentai as I am. . . .her suggestion was the same as an idea I got brewing in my head. . . LOL. So, what would you like? Do you want to add a twist of your own or would you like a lemon of your choice??
ATTENTION: PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING. . .everyone, please remember to read the A/N at the end of the chapter. It's important!
Pairings: As usual
Warnings: As usual
Disclaimer: As usual
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CHAPTER 16: Can Shinigamis Die? ________________________________________________________________________
The pain burned deep in his gut like fire, twisting and churning. He laid back against the wall, a pillow cushioning his back and he breathed in deeply, eyes closed, trying to control the nausea that was swamping over him, trying to get him to puke his guts out.
Which he did, up to the point where blood was coming up instead of yesterday's dinner.
A warm weight settled on the bed next to him. He didn't have to open his eyes to know that it was Taka. The sensei's scent was unique to him, a mix of aftershave and clean air. He liked that. It calmed his nausea somewhat.
"Don't you want to lie down?" said Taka softly, a gentle hand cupping his cheek.
Kyo sighed at the touch and leaned in to it, just a little bit. Any more movement would see him face down on the bed and retching again. "Can't. Nausea gets worse when I lie down."
There was another person by the bed now. A scent with the mixture of the tang of chemicals and owl. Watari.
"It's just backlash, isn't it Kyo? From the magic you did yesterday when you were. . .running around."
"Yeah," Kyo could feel Taka nodding his head enthusiastically. "Backlash! That's all there is to it and you'll be fine soon, ne, Watari?"
They sounded so hopeful as they discussed on ways of how uncontrolled use of magic could wreak havoc on the wielder. How the stress and residual magic could disrupt the body's system and injure it but since they were Shinigamis, every thing would be healed soon. They were talking so fast that they were cutting off each other excitedly. They sounded so hopeful
So hopeful that he felt a vague flash of pain in his chest that had nothing to do with the queasiness. Or the headache. Or the way he suddenly felt like there was somebody sandpapering his lungs.
"It's not backlash." He said it matter-of-factly, eyes still closed, and the other two ceased their cheerful jabber in mid-stride. Uneasiness filled the space in between.
"Are you sure?" It was Taka.
He didn't have the chance to say anything before the guy who was sandpapering his lungs decided to up his tempo a bit and change his sandpaper to a grainier one for better smoothing. He coughed. And coughed some more.
In fact, he was coughing so much and so hard, he was bent over double, on the bed, feeling as though his chest was on fire, burning his throat and mouth as wave after wave of those chest wracking cough tore out. He became aware of strong arms encircling him and the feel of a familiar body pressing close behind him, lifting him up from the nearly prostrate position he was in and those same arms held him tightly, as the coughing grew worse, trying to help contain the pain somehow.
Something warm and salty was trickling out of his mouth as the coughs kept coming. Blood. Why was he not surprised?
In between a particularly painful bout, Kyo managed to draw in a stuttering breath and Taka whispered comfortingly in his ear, saying he was there, that it was going to be alright, that it'd better be alright. He was drowning again in another wave of coughing and couldn't answer.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the coughing let up, and he leant against Taka, head thrown back over the sensei's shoulder as he drew in gasping breaths. Taka's arms were still holding him upright and one hand rubbed his aching chest soothingly.
After his breathing calmed down, he was able to gasp out, "Akuma. He's doing this. I can feel it."
He slumped wearily against Taka, his hand continuing that gentle rubbing. The pain lessened somewhat but it was still there. A dull ache in his chest that threatened to erupt without a moment's notice.
"How can you tell, Kyo?" Watari asked. He could hear a faint tinkling, as of the chiming of bells and a moment later, the cool hardness of a glass was pressed gently, but insistently at his lips. He opened his mouth obediently and soothing, cooling liquid flowed into his mouth, washing away the taste of blood and lessening that ache even more.
"I can feel it inside me, the curse. You were right, he did curse me. Just not in the way we expected."
"But how did he?" asked Taka, his voice filled with frustration, pain and anger. His hands had stopped their soothing ministrations and were clenching against him.
"It must be a while back 'cause the breaking I felt inside yesterday, it must have been the curse being unleashed. My using my power like that must have triggered it. That's why he wanted me to go berserk and attack you guys." He was simply drooping with weariness and pain and the only thing that was holding him up was Taka. Otherwise, he'd be doing a great impersonation of a dead fish right now.
"But when and where DID he put the curse in the first place? If we knew that, it could help us come up with a way to break it," the scientist argued. Kyo still had his eyes closed but he could tell by the disturbed air that Watari was pacing back and forth, probably frowning as well. Excited he might be at a new challenge but Kyo knew the blond well enough to know that Watari didn't like it when the challenges involved his co- workers personally.
It came to him suddenly, the still lingering taste of copper in his mouth bringing to mind the dream with Akuma, and he knew without a doubt that his guess was correct. "In the alley, when he wounded me. That was when he placed the curse."
The sounds of pacing stopped and he could almost feel Watari giving him an intent stare of golden brown. "When he. . ."
"Put his fist through my chest?" Kyo finished wryly. "Aa. And that's when he wrote the curse."
"But I checked you over immediately after that! Granted, it was around 15 minutes later but we were watching you, we would have seen the markings," Watari protested.
"But what if he placed the curse where you *can't* see it?" Kyo asked mildly. He already knew the answer of course.
The other two was silent, pondering it over. Taka was the one who pointed it out and Kyo felt quite proud at that. After all, his love IS a doctor and was able to grasp what he was not saying.
"It's in your blood isn't it?" Taka asked quietly. "He placed the curse in your blood. That's why we can't see it and that's why he could control you like that, even in Meifu. That's why you're hurting like this."
Kyo nodded wearily while Watari still kept silent. Taka then placed his hand on Kyo's chin, turning the boy's face gently towards his. "Open your eyes Kyo."
He knew sooner or later that it was going to come to this. No one else in JuuOhCho knew about the thing with his eyes. He hadn't seen the point of telling them. After all, he was a Shinigami so it shouldn't be a matter at all. Until Akuma came along that is and stirred up merry hell.
Again came Taka's voice, gentle yet insistent. "Open your eyes love."
And with great reluctance, he did.
His eyes had been remarked upon more than once, being an unusual color. Some had liken it to chips of ice, though warm with passion and kindness. Some had said that they were like a summer's day when the sky was so bright, it was an almost blinding white.
Now, when he opened them, Taka drew in a painful gasp. Kyo's eyes were no longer that pale sky blue; it was now the color of sapphires.
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Watari was still mulling over the bombshell that Kyo had dropped; how Akuma had placed the curse into his very blood. It's never been done before, but it WAS possible. In fact, it was quite an ingenious method, he had to grudgingly admit. The victim would never even become aware that he was cursed until the last minute.
But how does the curse work exactly? Was it to make Kyo vomit blood incessantly? Will it turn Kyo into a dehydrated vampire? Hell, he was a Shinigami; how in the name of the four worlds could he be affected by a curse anyway? Any damage would be instantly healed and forgotten in a few hours.
He was still trying to figure it out (he was missing something important here, he could feel it) when all of a sudden, Takashi started talking about Kyo's eyes. How he was insisting that Kyo opened them.
What on earth does Kyo's eyes have to do with it? Come to think of it, Kyo hadn't opened them since the blood vomiting.
When he heard Taka's gasp, he quickly went around the bed, pulling out his penlight and shone it into the boy's eyes. Kyo flinched back from the sudden brightness, but reluctantly, allowed Watari to check it out.
To say that Watari was confused, could be an apt description. Yes, he was confused. Wasn't Kyo's eyes the color of the palest blue? Now it was darker, a kind of sea blue when the ocean was completely flat on a sunny day. It was a beautiful color, really, but how did his eyes changed color like that? He was sure it wasn't because of shadows or anything. He had double-checked.
"Takashi?" Watari asked, a puzzled note in his voice.
The sensei didn't say a thing. He kept on staring deep into Kyo's eyes as though wanting to wish that he wasn't really seeing what he was seeing. That it was all a dream and that he'd wake up from it soon. Kyo just stared back at him, not saying anything either.
Finally, Takashi sighed and with the utmost tenderness, laid Kyo down the bed, covering him with the blankets. He bent down and placed a loving kiss on Kyo's brow and walked resolutely out of the room, a very confused Watari trailing him behind.
He followed the man till the staff room, where the sensei poured himself a cup of black coffee and downed it in one gulp. He reached out to pour another one but a slim hand stopped his, firmly taking the coffee pot away, to set it down on an adjacent desk. "Mind telling what that was about?" Watari.
"I wish I was a drinking man," Taka muttered. He leant against a desk and covered his face with his hands. "I REALLY wish I was a drinking man," he said it out even louder.
"Well you're not. So deal with it and tell me what's going on before I pour this coffee down your pants," replied Watari, a firm tone in his voice that indicated he was more than willing to carry it out.
Takashi just sat there, face buried.
"The coffee's still hot you know," Watari threatened.
Takashi gave a snort but finally raised his face. "It's a gene anomaly."
Watari frowned. "His eyes? Well, that explains it. But what's got you so worried?"
"They change color according to his body's condition." Takashi explained wearily. "If he's injured internally, his brain sends out this certain chemicals which causes the color to change. It's never been discovered before. Kyo's the first."
"Wow," Watari murmured. "And I thought Tsuzuki has strange eyes. Beautiful, but strange."
Takashi went on doggedly. "The darker the color goes, the more injured the body is. When he died, it was nearly black in color. And now. . ."
A shocked look on his face, Watari finished the sentence for him, realization finally sinking in. "And now, it's gone darker. . .but how come we never realized it before?"
"We're Shinigamis. We're supposed to heal fast plus, it'd never occur to us to check it out. Our most sophisticated piece of medical equipment is a stethoscope."
Watari thought about it in silence for a few minutes, absorbing the information and twisting and turning it in his mind, trying to fit it in with the other puzzles. He nearly had it, back in the hospital wing; something that was tantalizingly at the edge of his mind but eluded reach.
"Well, he's still a Shinigami. So that means when the curse has run its course, he'll be okay," an optimistic Watari offered his opinion.
A haunted look was in Takashi's eyes as he nodded. "We can hope so. But this is the same guy who knows every little detail about the Shinigamis. Somehow, I don't think it'll end as neatly as that."
"You're a bundle of joy alright," Watari rolled his eyes. "C'mon, let's go back to Kyo. You keep an eye on him while I try to track down our mysterious pain-in-the-butt psycho."
"Mmm." And with that, he set down his cup and followed Watari back to Kyo's room. A gut feeling told him that there was a certain premonition to what he had said. It will not end so soon and when they finally caught up with Akuma, he was certain that there'd be hell to pay. And it'd be them paying.
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Noon morphed into evening, evening into night and night into morning. The sakuras still fell in their neverending dance, a rain of pink and white. Like snow tainted with blood. They had stood there since the inception of time, and they will be there until there is no such thing as time. They were, in essence, more real than the dead who walk beneath them, the dead that could not find solace in their life, nor in their death.
The others tried to take hope from the eternal sakuras as they kept vigil by Kyo's side. Few were allowed in his room at a time but they took shifts, wanting to help in some meager way possible. Perhaps their presence there would comfort the boy, tell him that he wasn't alone in his pain.
They shared it too, as they watched with helpless eyes as the coughs grew more and more severe with each passing hour. After each wracking bout, Kyo would lie helpless in his sensei's arms as weak breaths were drawn into pain-filled lungs and the sensei would then rub his chest, trying to lessen the ache. It was the only thing he could do.
They had been told of the latest discovery, that Kyo was cursed, that the curse now traveled his blood. They too, could not venture a guess as to how the curse would end. Their only hope lay in their healing power. As bad as it could be, the body would heal itself and the curse would disappear and then they could bury Akuma neck deep in a desert somewhere and cover his head with Amazon fire ants.
But they could not deny it too, that with each hour, Kyo's eyes steadily grew darker in color, sure sign that his body was injured, and injured badly. And that it was getting worse.
Takashi and Watari had conferred with Kacho and Tatsumi and they had decided to bring Kyo down to Chijou, to run some tests on him in one of the hospitals. They simply did not have the equipment in Meifu as there was previously no need for it. So the night before, Takashi and Watari had brought Kyo to a Tokyo hospital, with Tatsumi, Hisoka and Tsuzuki along as protection in case Akuma showed up.
It had taken most of the night to do the tests; MRI, CATscan, blood works and a whole load of test that they could not even pronounce the name to but which Takashi handled efficiently, despite the growing haunting look in his eyes as each test finished and he cradled Kyo protectively, through each coughing fit.
His breathing was getting more and more laboured, each inhalation feeling as though it was filled with glass shards that raked his chest instead of the life-giving air it was supposed to be.
After the tests were finished, they brought Kyo back to Meifu, despite protests from the doctors who ran the tests. They had said that it was crazy to move a seriously sick patient like that and they had insisted that Kyo be checked in to the hospital immediately. It was impossible of course. To do so would reveal their nature as Shinigamis and it would only put Kyo more at risk to Akuma, exposed like that.
The next morning, Takashi had gone back to the hospital to get the results of the test. He came into the meeting room where nearly everyone was gathered, except for the girls who were looking after Kyo. Raised eyebrows were passed around as the sensei came in with several packages and a couple of boxes, and set them down gently on the floor, with some help from Hisoka.
He gave a nod of thanks to the boy and took a chair, sitting down with a weary slump to his shoulders. He looked up to Tatsumi, saying, "I'm sorry I bought those without telling you first, Tatsumi-san, but I think we're going to need it."
Tatsumi waved the apology away and asked the sensei, "What is it?"
Takashi took a deep breath and told them, his voice a bit hard from holding back the frustration, grief and anger that was churning through his mind. "It's some medical equipment that I thought I should get after reading Kyo's test results."
"Takashi-san?" Hisoka asked softly, when the man paused.
"I got I.V. bags in there and some oxygen supply and masks."
Oxygen supply. No shinigami, no matter how badly hurt, had ever needed the use of a breathing apparatus. Never. Not even I.V. drips. The Shinigamis were uneasy.
"What's the results?" it was Watari and from the look on his face, he seemed to have an idea of what the answer was going to be.
"Kyo is dying."
Such a bald statement coming from the mouth of Kyo's own love. The man he had become a Shinigami for so that he could wait for him, the one he had not wanted to move on without.
Takashi withdrew a large envelope from the inside of his jacket and threw it on the table. "The doctors there didn't recognize the curse. They call it a particularly virulent form of virus. It's attacking every cell, tissue, organs and muscle in Kyo's body, systematically destroying it."
"But he's a Shinigami. . ." Hisoka said slowly. "He'll heal from it won't he?"
"After each cell or tissue is damaged, it does get healed. But the curse would then attack it again. It just goes on."
"What does that mean, Takashi?" Tsuzuki asked, a puzzled look on his face. "Does it mean that Kyo will stay like that forever?"
It was a scary thought, to be in constant pain for the rest of your undead life. Hisoka had been through it himself, in the last 3 years of his life, thanks to Muraki. He knew that Kyo would rather die than go through it. So would it mean that Kyo would resign as Shinigami and move on, with Takashi joining him? The thought saddened Hisoka. He liked the both of them. They were part of his family now, more real and substantial than the ones who had given birth to him and were his by blood. The Shinigamis were his family and he could be losing two of them in one go.
Takashi shook his head though at Tsuzuki's question. He passed a hand over his eyes, as though the light pained him and he took a moment to collect himself before speaking again.
"It takes strength to heal ourselves, a lot of it, actually. With the curse acting like it is, the more healing his body has to do, the more tired he gets. Sooner or later, his strength would fail and he wouldn't be able to heal himself anymore."
"And then he would die," Watari finished softly.
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~to be continued~
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A/N: Gomen ne, minna-san, that this chapter is a bit short, but I think it ended at quite a nice cliffhanger, don't you agree?? (^ O ^ ) See, my classes are starting tomorrow and I got work to finish (yuck, classes. . .). Anyway, I have to apologize again here in advance because the next chapter is going to be uploaded probably only by Monday next week . .
(Kelly ducks as the readers throws rotten tomatoes at her) *wails* I'm sorry!!!! I have a class trip this Thursday until Saturday and I won't have time to type the next chapter!
Please be patient and promise me you guys won't forget about my fic by then *sniff*. As always, your kind reviews are like the beacon that lights my dark nights as I type this story, the force that guides my hand as they dance in blithe glee across the keyboard, the- well, you get what I mean. Again, gomen ne. . hontoni!
Rinny: Well, you already know you guessed right. . .hmm. . .shall I tell you what will happen next? *grins evilly*
Ruby-Tears: Three cheers for you! You guessed correctly on when Akuma cursed Kyo! Er. . . .but I'm afraid Rinny answered it first so she chose to add her little twist to how Akuma is gonna "do" Kyo later. . . .I tell you, she's as hentai as I am. . . .her suggestion was the same as an idea I got brewing in my head. . . LOL. So, what would you like? Do you want to add a twist of your own or would you like a lemon of your choice??
ATTENTION: PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING. . .everyone, please remember to read the A/N at the end of the chapter. It's important!
Pairings: As usual
Warnings: As usual
Disclaimer: As usual
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CHAPTER 16: Can Shinigamis Die? ________________________________________________________________________
The pain burned deep in his gut like fire, twisting and churning. He laid back against the wall, a pillow cushioning his back and he breathed in deeply, eyes closed, trying to control the nausea that was swamping over him, trying to get him to puke his guts out.
Which he did, up to the point where blood was coming up instead of yesterday's dinner.
A warm weight settled on the bed next to him. He didn't have to open his eyes to know that it was Taka. The sensei's scent was unique to him, a mix of aftershave and clean air. He liked that. It calmed his nausea somewhat.
"Don't you want to lie down?" said Taka softly, a gentle hand cupping his cheek.
Kyo sighed at the touch and leaned in to it, just a little bit. Any more movement would see him face down on the bed and retching again. "Can't. Nausea gets worse when I lie down."
There was another person by the bed now. A scent with the mixture of the tang of chemicals and owl. Watari.
"It's just backlash, isn't it Kyo? From the magic you did yesterday when you were. . .running around."
"Yeah," Kyo could feel Taka nodding his head enthusiastically. "Backlash! That's all there is to it and you'll be fine soon, ne, Watari?"
They sounded so hopeful as they discussed on ways of how uncontrolled use of magic could wreak havoc on the wielder. How the stress and residual magic could disrupt the body's system and injure it but since they were Shinigamis, every thing would be healed soon. They were talking so fast that they were cutting off each other excitedly. They sounded so hopeful
So hopeful that he felt a vague flash of pain in his chest that had nothing to do with the queasiness. Or the headache. Or the way he suddenly felt like there was somebody sandpapering his lungs.
"It's not backlash." He said it matter-of-factly, eyes still closed, and the other two ceased their cheerful jabber in mid-stride. Uneasiness filled the space in between.
"Are you sure?" It was Taka.
He didn't have the chance to say anything before the guy who was sandpapering his lungs decided to up his tempo a bit and change his sandpaper to a grainier one for better smoothing. He coughed. And coughed some more.
In fact, he was coughing so much and so hard, he was bent over double, on the bed, feeling as though his chest was on fire, burning his throat and mouth as wave after wave of those chest wracking cough tore out. He became aware of strong arms encircling him and the feel of a familiar body pressing close behind him, lifting him up from the nearly prostrate position he was in and those same arms held him tightly, as the coughing grew worse, trying to help contain the pain somehow.
Something warm and salty was trickling out of his mouth as the coughs kept coming. Blood. Why was he not surprised?
In between a particularly painful bout, Kyo managed to draw in a stuttering breath and Taka whispered comfortingly in his ear, saying he was there, that it was going to be alright, that it'd better be alright. He was drowning again in another wave of coughing and couldn't answer.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the coughing let up, and he leant against Taka, head thrown back over the sensei's shoulder as he drew in gasping breaths. Taka's arms were still holding him upright and one hand rubbed his aching chest soothingly.
After his breathing calmed down, he was able to gasp out, "Akuma. He's doing this. I can feel it."
He slumped wearily against Taka, his hand continuing that gentle rubbing. The pain lessened somewhat but it was still there. A dull ache in his chest that threatened to erupt without a moment's notice.
"How can you tell, Kyo?" Watari asked. He could hear a faint tinkling, as of the chiming of bells and a moment later, the cool hardness of a glass was pressed gently, but insistently at his lips. He opened his mouth obediently and soothing, cooling liquid flowed into his mouth, washing away the taste of blood and lessening that ache even more.
"I can feel it inside me, the curse. You were right, he did curse me. Just not in the way we expected."
"But how did he?" asked Taka, his voice filled with frustration, pain and anger. His hands had stopped their soothing ministrations and were clenching against him.
"It must be a while back 'cause the breaking I felt inside yesterday, it must have been the curse being unleashed. My using my power like that must have triggered it. That's why he wanted me to go berserk and attack you guys." He was simply drooping with weariness and pain and the only thing that was holding him up was Taka. Otherwise, he'd be doing a great impersonation of a dead fish right now.
"But when and where DID he put the curse in the first place? If we knew that, it could help us come up with a way to break it," the scientist argued. Kyo still had his eyes closed but he could tell by the disturbed air that Watari was pacing back and forth, probably frowning as well. Excited he might be at a new challenge but Kyo knew the blond well enough to know that Watari didn't like it when the challenges involved his co- workers personally.
It came to him suddenly, the still lingering taste of copper in his mouth bringing to mind the dream with Akuma, and he knew without a doubt that his guess was correct. "In the alley, when he wounded me. That was when he placed the curse."
The sounds of pacing stopped and he could almost feel Watari giving him an intent stare of golden brown. "When he. . ."
"Put his fist through my chest?" Kyo finished wryly. "Aa. And that's when he wrote the curse."
"But I checked you over immediately after that! Granted, it was around 15 minutes later but we were watching you, we would have seen the markings," Watari protested.
"But what if he placed the curse where you *can't* see it?" Kyo asked mildly. He already knew the answer of course.
The other two was silent, pondering it over. Taka was the one who pointed it out and Kyo felt quite proud at that. After all, his love IS a doctor and was able to grasp what he was not saying.
"It's in your blood isn't it?" Taka asked quietly. "He placed the curse in your blood. That's why we can't see it and that's why he could control you like that, even in Meifu. That's why you're hurting like this."
Kyo nodded wearily while Watari still kept silent. Taka then placed his hand on Kyo's chin, turning the boy's face gently towards his. "Open your eyes Kyo."
He knew sooner or later that it was going to come to this. No one else in JuuOhCho knew about the thing with his eyes. He hadn't seen the point of telling them. After all, he was a Shinigami so it shouldn't be a matter at all. Until Akuma came along that is and stirred up merry hell.
Again came Taka's voice, gentle yet insistent. "Open your eyes love."
And with great reluctance, he did.
His eyes had been remarked upon more than once, being an unusual color. Some had liken it to chips of ice, though warm with passion and kindness. Some had said that they were like a summer's day when the sky was so bright, it was an almost blinding white.
Now, when he opened them, Taka drew in a painful gasp. Kyo's eyes were no longer that pale sky blue; it was now the color of sapphires.
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Watari was still mulling over the bombshell that Kyo had dropped; how Akuma had placed the curse into his very blood. It's never been done before, but it WAS possible. In fact, it was quite an ingenious method, he had to grudgingly admit. The victim would never even become aware that he was cursed until the last minute.
But how does the curse work exactly? Was it to make Kyo vomit blood incessantly? Will it turn Kyo into a dehydrated vampire? Hell, he was a Shinigami; how in the name of the four worlds could he be affected by a curse anyway? Any damage would be instantly healed and forgotten in a few hours.
He was still trying to figure it out (he was missing something important here, he could feel it) when all of a sudden, Takashi started talking about Kyo's eyes. How he was insisting that Kyo opened them.
What on earth does Kyo's eyes have to do with it? Come to think of it, Kyo hadn't opened them since the blood vomiting.
When he heard Taka's gasp, he quickly went around the bed, pulling out his penlight and shone it into the boy's eyes. Kyo flinched back from the sudden brightness, but reluctantly, allowed Watari to check it out.
To say that Watari was confused, could be an apt description. Yes, he was confused. Wasn't Kyo's eyes the color of the palest blue? Now it was darker, a kind of sea blue when the ocean was completely flat on a sunny day. It was a beautiful color, really, but how did his eyes changed color like that? He was sure it wasn't because of shadows or anything. He had double-checked.
"Takashi?" Watari asked, a puzzled note in his voice.
The sensei didn't say a thing. He kept on staring deep into Kyo's eyes as though wanting to wish that he wasn't really seeing what he was seeing. That it was all a dream and that he'd wake up from it soon. Kyo just stared back at him, not saying anything either.
Finally, Takashi sighed and with the utmost tenderness, laid Kyo down the bed, covering him with the blankets. He bent down and placed a loving kiss on Kyo's brow and walked resolutely out of the room, a very confused Watari trailing him behind.
He followed the man till the staff room, where the sensei poured himself a cup of black coffee and downed it in one gulp. He reached out to pour another one but a slim hand stopped his, firmly taking the coffee pot away, to set it down on an adjacent desk. "Mind telling what that was about?" Watari.
"I wish I was a drinking man," Taka muttered. He leant against a desk and covered his face with his hands. "I REALLY wish I was a drinking man," he said it out even louder.
"Well you're not. So deal with it and tell me what's going on before I pour this coffee down your pants," replied Watari, a firm tone in his voice that indicated he was more than willing to carry it out.
Takashi just sat there, face buried.
"The coffee's still hot you know," Watari threatened.
Takashi gave a snort but finally raised his face. "It's a gene anomaly."
Watari frowned. "His eyes? Well, that explains it. But what's got you so worried?"
"They change color according to his body's condition." Takashi explained wearily. "If he's injured internally, his brain sends out this certain chemicals which causes the color to change. It's never been discovered before. Kyo's the first."
"Wow," Watari murmured. "And I thought Tsuzuki has strange eyes. Beautiful, but strange."
Takashi went on doggedly. "The darker the color goes, the more injured the body is. When he died, it was nearly black in color. And now. . ."
A shocked look on his face, Watari finished the sentence for him, realization finally sinking in. "And now, it's gone darker. . .but how come we never realized it before?"
"We're Shinigamis. We're supposed to heal fast plus, it'd never occur to us to check it out. Our most sophisticated piece of medical equipment is a stethoscope."
Watari thought about it in silence for a few minutes, absorbing the information and twisting and turning it in his mind, trying to fit it in with the other puzzles. He nearly had it, back in the hospital wing; something that was tantalizingly at the edge of his mind but eluded reach.
"Well, he's still a Shinigami. So that means when the curse has run its course, he'll be okay," an optimistic Watari offered his opinion.
A haunted look was in Takashi's eyes as he nodded. "We can hope so. But this is the same guy who knows every little detail about the Shinigamis. Somehow, I don't think it'll end as neatly as that."
"You're a bundle of joy alright," Watari rolled his eyes. "C'mon, let's go back to Kyo. You keep an eye on him while I try to track down our mysterious pain-in-the-butt psycho."
"Mmm." And with that, he set down his cup and followed Watari back to Kyo's room. A gut feeling told him that there was a certain premonition to what he had said. It will not end so soon and when they finally caught up with Akuma, he was certain that there'd be hell to pay. And it'd be them paying.
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Noon morphed into evening, evening into night and night into morning. The sakuras still fell in their neverending dance, a rain of pink and white. Like snow tainted with blood. They had stood there since the inception of time, and they will be there until there is no such thing as time. They were, in essence, more real than the dead who walk beneath them, the dead that could not find solace in their life, nor in their death.
The others tried to take hope from the eternal sakuras as they kept vigil by Kyo's side. Few were allowed in his room at a time but they took shifts, wanting to help in some meager way possible. Perhaps their presence there would comfort the boy, tell him that he wasn't alone in his pain.
They shared it too, as they watched with helpless eyes as the coughs grew more and more severe with each passing hour. After each wracking bout, Kyo would lie helpless in his sensei's arms as weak breaths were drawn into pain-filled lungs and the sensei would then rub his chest, trying to lessen the ache. It was the only thing he could do.
They had been told of the latest discovery, that Kyo was cursed, that the curse now traveled his blood. They too, could not venture a guess as to how the curse would end. Their only hope lay in their healing power. As bad as it could be, the body would heal itself and the curse would disappear and then they could bury Akuma neck deep in a desert somewhere and cover his head with Amazon fire ants.
But they could not deny it too, that with each hour, Kyo's eyes steadily grew darker in color, sure sign that his body was injured, and injured badly. And that it was getting worse.
Takashi and Watari had conferred with Kacho and Tatsumi and they had decided to bring Kyo down to Chijou, to run some tests on him in one of the hospitals. They simply did not have the equipment in Meifu as there was previously no need for it. So the night before, Takashi and Watari had brought Kyo to a Tokyo hospital, with Tatsumi, Hisoka and Tsuzuki along as protection in case Akuma showed up.
It had taken most of the night to do the tests; MRI, CATscan, blood works and a whole load of test that they could not even pronounce the name to but which Takashi handled efficiently, despite the growing haunting look in his eyes as each test finished and he cradled Kyo protectively, through each coughing fit.
His breathing was getting more and more laboured, each inhalation feeling as though it was filled with glass shards that raked his chest instead of the life-giving air it was supposed to be.
After the tests were finished, they brought Kyo back to Meifu, despite protests from the doctors who ran the tests. They had said that it was crazy to move a seriously sick patient like that and they had insisted that Kyo be checked in to the hospital immediately. It was impossible of course. To do so would reveal their nature as Shinigamis and it would only put Kyo more at risk to Akuma, exposed like that.
The next morning, Takashi had gone back to the hospital to get the results of the test. He came into the meeting room where nearly everyone was gathered, except for the girls who were looking after Kyo. Raised eyebrows were passed around as the sensei came in with several packages and a couple of boxes, and set them down gently on the floor, with some help from Hisoka.
He gave a nod of thanks to the boy and took a chair, sitting down with a weary slump to his shoulders. He looked up to Tatsumi, saying, "I'm sorry I bought those without telling you first, Tatsumi-san, but I think we're going to need it."
Tatsumi waved the apology away and asked the sensei, "What is it?"
Takashi took a deep breath and told them, his voice a bit hard from holding back the frustration, grief and anger that was churning through his mind. "It's some medical equipment that I thought I should get after reading Kyo's test results."
"Takashi-san?" Hisoka asked softly, when the man paused.
"I got I.V. bags in there and some oxygen supply and masks."
Oxygen supply. No shinigami, no matter how badly hurt, had ever needed the use of a breathing apparatus. Never. Not even I.V. drips. The Shinigamis were uneasy.
"What's the results?" it was Watari and from the look on his face, he seemed to have an idea of what the answer was going to be.
"Kyo is dying."
Such a bald statement coming from the mouth of Kyo's own love. The man he had become a Shinigami for so that he could wait for him, the one he had not wanted to move on without.
Takashi withdrew a large envelope from the inside of his jacket and threw it on the table. "The doctors there didn't recognize the curse. They call it a particularly virulent form of virus. It's attacking every cell, tissue, organs and muscle in Kyo's body, systematically destroying it."
"But he's a Shinigami. . ." Hisoka said slowly. "He'll heal from it won't he?"
"After each cell or tissue is damaged, it does get healed. But the curse would then attack it again. It just goes on."
"What does that mean, Takashi?" Tsuzuki asked, a puzzled look on his face. "Does it mean that Kyo will stay like that forever?"
It was a scary thought, to be in constant pain for the rest of your undead life. Hisoka had been through it himself, in the last 3 years of his life, thanks to Muraki. He knew that Kyo would rather die than go through it. So would it mean that Kyo would resign as Shinigami and move on, with Takashi joining him? The thought saddened Hisoka. He liked the both of them. They were part of his family now, more real and substantial than the ones who had given birth to him and were his by blood. The Shinigamis were his family and he could be losing two of them in one go.
Takashi shook his head though at Tsuzuki's question. He passed a hand over his eyes, as though the light pained him and he took a moment to collect himself before speaking again.
"It takes strength to heal ourselves, a lot of it, actually. With the curse acting like it is, the more healing his body has to do, the more tired he gets. Sooner or later, his strength would fail and he wouldn't be able to heal himself anymore."
"And then he would die," Watari finished softly.
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~to be continued~
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A/N: Gomen ne, minna-san, that this chapter is a bit short, but I think it ended at quite a nice cliffhanger, don't you agree?? (^ O ^ ) See, my classes are starting tomorrow and I got work to finish (yuck, classes. . .). Anyway, I have to apologize again here in advance because the next chapter is going to be uploaded probably only by Monday next week . .
(Kelly ducks as the readers throws rotten tomatoes at her) *wails* I'm sorry!!!! I have a class trip this Thursday until Saturday and I won't have time to type the next chapter!
Please be patient and promise me you guys won't forget about my fic by then *sniff*. As always, your kind reviews are like the beacon that lights my dark nights as I type this story, the force that guides my hand as they dance in blithe glee across the keyboard, the- well, you get what I mean. Again, gomen ne. . hontoni!