@_@ The reviews! The pressure! -_- Now if have to make this story actually worth reading… Blah. Well, thanks guys. ^_^
Anyway, know what I realized? If I don't finish the entire story before Monday, June 9th, you won't get the end of it until August!! (I'm going traveling. ^_^) Oh well, as long as I don't get writer's block… Oh, wait, I have houseguests coming! -_- Oh dear.
For a little while, Yoh could do nothing but stare in horror at the body of his fiancée. Then he rushed forward to look for any signs of life. She was frighteningly pale, and for a moment, his shaking fingers failed to find a pulse. It was there, however, weak and irregular, but certainly present. His ear by her mouth, he felt the slightest brush of breath on his cheek.
But she refused to wake.
His next thought was to stop the blood that still trickled from her wrists, so grabbed his shirt to tear it to strips. Unfortunately, it was a well-sewn shirt (courtesy of Anna), and he was in the middle of real life, not some crazy manga, so it refused to tear in his hands. He gave up after a few seconds of frenzied struggling and ran to the hall closet for the first aid kit. Pulling out some gauze, he pressed several squares of it to the wound, holding it down and then reaching for a long strip of the same material. Then, carefully, he placed one end on her wrist and wrapped it firmly with the gauze. He then propped her arm up on an overturned mixing bowl from the nearest cupboard. Ignoring the blood spattered all over and now soaking into his jeans, he repeated the procedure for her other wrist.
Then he called Faust VIII and asked him tersely to come over as quickly as possible, reasoning that he was a doctor. Besides, he really didn't want to turn Anna over to the hands of strangers if he didn't have to, no matter how professional they were. Faust arrived shortly, much to Yoh's relief.
The doctor, however, barely recognized the boy who answered his knock. Yoh's jeans were blood-soaked in irregular patches. The scarlet liquid was spattered all over his face, coagulating on his hands and streaked up his arms. His narrow, still boyish chest was bare, covered only in a sheer of frigid sweat. His face was pale, and glistening tears of fear had gathered at the corners of his dark, clear eyes.
He didn't speak. Instead, he led the doctor to the kitchen where Anna lay. The blood was smeared all over, though Yoh had obviously made an effort to mop some of it up.
The boy didn't catch the look of reminiscence that crossed Faust's face. The scene was too similar. He remembered so well the scene of a woman lying in her own blood, deaf to the calls of her loved one. Only, this time, the death was apparently no freak of fate. It seemed intentional. Not like Elisa… He pushed away the memory with a shiver; the last thing he wanted was to draw parallels between his late wife and Anna right in front of Yoh. The kid looked about to cry already.
The doctor examined her carefully. Her breathing was still faint, but a little more noticeable, and the bleeding on her wrists was slowing. "She really should go to a hospital," said Faust quietly. "I could save her myself perhaps, but I don't have all the equipment should we find complications."
"She's gonna die?" asked Yoh quietly.
A silence.
"No," said Faust finally. "She's going to live. You did the right thing to try and stop the bleeding. Let's move her to someplace more comfortable so we can have her drink something. It'll be important to replenish her fluids. Do you have a bed or something that's okay to get blood on?"
"The beds are upstairs, but we can put towels and blankets on the living room floor. They're in the cupboard near the bathroom." Yoh knelt beside Anna, putting a gentle arm around her.
"Maybe I should carry her," said Faust gently, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"No," said Yoh stubbornly. "She's my fiancée. And all her training wasn't for nothing; I know I'm strong enough."
So the doctor found the towels and blankets and watched as Yoh carried Anna to the living room. There was something about the careful way the he held her that was almost tragic. Faust walked up quietly and draped Anna's arms around Yoh's shoulders. "Best to keep her wrists elevated," he said with an almost smile in answer to the questioning blush that resulted.
"I just don't get it."
Faust looked up to see Yoh walk into the room with a large pitcher of water. "Don't get what?"
"I don't get why…why she would…" He looked at Anna as he poured some water. Hurt glimmered in his eyes. "It's kinda funny, though, she had a bowl to catch the blood so it wouldn't make a mess. It got knocked over when she passed out, but just that she tried…" He attempted a smile. "She does those things, almost like she cares about leaving unnecessary work for me. And yet, she was ready to just abandon me." He stopped abruptly and blinked a few times. "But why?"
Faust sighed and shook his head. "I don't know either, Yoh. Sometimes people just…" he paused, searching for the word "…don't want to go on living, I guess. Had she said or acted in any way particular that might indicate such feelings?"
Yoh was quiet, contemplating the glass of water in his hand. "I dunno. Not really different, I guess. She's always sorta like that." He handed the glass to Faust. "You wanna see if she'll drink any? I'm afraid if I try, I'll make her choke, but she needs something."
The doctor took the glass and gently supported Anna so that she was in a more upright position.
Yoh gave a sudden small cry, startling Faust and causing half of the water to splash down Anna's front.
"What is it?"
"Her head…there's blood."
"But there's blood all over, Yoh."
"No…" He brushed her hair with his fingers. "It looks almost like something hit her there."
Faust examined the injury. "You're right. We definitely should get her to a hospital now. I'm not sure how bad this is."
"Okay," Yoh agreed absently, his eyes gleaming with a new idea. "But…this means that…that this wasn't a suicide! Someone knocked her out and tried to make it look like she had done it! And…" his face darkened "whoever it was is still out there somewhere."
To be continued…
There you go, boiya. You asked for a mystery. ^_~
