Zutto Kimi no Soba de

(Always by Your Side)

Chappie 9 : Cured but Cursed


The rain continues to go on. Just as the sky is crying and cannot be stopped. Hikaru lay again on the bed. Her fever is getting worst. Her cheek already red and her breath are hard. Beside her, there's Lantis and Eagle waiting, sat on silent. This two haven't said a word yet. Their head full of Hikaru, worrying about her, hoping her to be alright. That's all in their head.

"Eagle…" whispered Hikaru suddenly. Lantis and Eagle surprised but then sighed. 'She's only gibbering' thought the two of them. Silent again. Lantis and Eagle didn't know what to say. Both of them felt so guilty.

'If only I didn't do it that time… she won't be like this…' thought Eagle in his heart. Meanwhile in Lantis heart, he keeps blaming himself.

'If only I'm not going out today… I should have looked after her…' Meanwhile, there's someone standing behind the door. Opening it a little and lent out a smoke from the more-like-a-magic-bottle. Breathing it, Lantis and Eagle feel so sleepy. They don't want to but their body can't stand it. They began to fall in deep sleep.

After the smoke disappeared, the person came in to the room where Hikaru sleep in. He walked and then standing beside Hikaru's bed. Gaze at her with very angry look.

'Stealer!' thought the person. 'If only you're not here… if only that day didn't come… Lantis was mine! I'll not let him to be taken by anyone else! Not even you!' Primera took another bottle with poison in it. And Hikaru was drunk by her. Mokona who want to see Hikaru's condition, look at all what Primera is doing.

"What are you doing?!" Shouted Mokona. But it's too late, Hikaru already drank the poison. Primera get surprised dan dropped the bottle. Her feet was losing it's power to stand.

"Hikaru-chan!! What did you drink her? Tell me!" Primera still shocked. She didn't believe she can do such a thing. She's a wanna be-killer now.

"I don't know… I DON'T KNOW!!!"

'What should I do now? It's too late to call a doctor…' Mokona looked down for a while. He really felt hopeless. 'Should I do that?' Hikaru's face turned to red. She sweated a lot. The poison in her body started to react. Meanwhile Mokona still confused between his choices. 'I don't have any choice…' Mokona looked up to Hikaru. 'I don't want her die… but…' Mokona shut his eyes and begin to spell a magic.

"Holy spirits near me, lend me your power to become a cure to my friend as the past promised you to be…" His body started to shine. He opened his eyes a little.

"I'm sorry… Hikaru-chan…" whisper Mokona as he release a magic onto Hikaru's body. Hikaru's body is glowing but then slowly losing it's glow. Hikaru's face turned to normal again. No fever or poison left in her body. She's cured.

"What the… If you have such kind of magic, why you didn't do it sooner?!" shouted Primera who actually happy because she's not going to be a killer.

"Because… if I do it… she'll face more tragic fate than to be death…"

...The day after...

"YOU WHAT?!" shouted Lantis as Mokona told him what happened yesterday.

"I did it… Onii-chan… that healing magic to her…" It looks like the earth is shaking or there's a great thunder inside his head. That magic... which more like a cursed magic than to be a healing magic.

"How could you…" Lantis sat down. Her body loses its power even for stand.

"I'm sorry… Onii-chan…" Lantis didn't say any word again. He's remaining silent. Meanwhile, Primera just looked at both of them with confuse face.

"What… What happening?! Is there something happen to Hikaru? Isn't her fever already gone?! Isn't that a GOOD THING?!" No one answered. Both of them shut their mouth.

"When I was a child, my mother had a fever too. Just like Hikaru last night. One day, I used my power to my mother. She's full healed, just like she never got a fever before… but then… everything changed. People in the house get hurts everyday. They're feeling sick, headache, stomachache. And it is getting worse by day and day. Fall from stairs, accident, hospitalized… one by one. And then… finally someone died…" said Mokona with heavy voice.

"Wha… What are you talking about? Is this a joke? How can people getting hurt day by day like that?!" shouted Primera, unbelieving Mokona's story.

"And who's the death one?"

"Our father…" said Lantis. Primera's eyes widened.

"A few days after his death, I checked my grandfather's diary. Then I found a writing that says about the magic Mokona used for mother…" said Lantis.

"One who was cured by this magic shall be cursed cannot be together with the one you love. Otherwise you shall lose the one you love…"

"It can't be… that's mean…" said Primera, her eyes still widened, full of shocked.

"Hikaru cannot be with the one she loves or her love will lose his life…" Everyone keep their mouth shut. Too shock to speak. Who would believe such a story in this modern time?

"Don't we have the cure? You have it, right? Everything's gonna be fine, right?" asked Primera.

"No… this curse… never cured until you die… just like my mother…" said Lantis heavily.

"What curse?" asked someone who suddenly popped up from the door, Eagle.

"And who the one will die?" asked him again before he got the answer.

"It's a long story…" said Mokona to him before tell him what exactly happened.

........

In her room, Hikaru was sleeping peacefully without known what happened to her. Slowly she opened her eyes and found Mokona who's sitting next to her bed.

"Mokona!" said her.

"Yahoo! Welcome back, Hikaru!" said Mokona cheerfully. Hikaru looked at the property around her before she realized she's in Lantis's house.

"Am I collapse again?" asked her.

"Yup, badly!" said Mokona with happily smile. Hikaru sweat dropped.

"Are you thirsty, Hikaru-chan?"

"Eh? Uhm… yes…"

"I'll take it for you," said Mokona as he picked the glass but suddenly the glass was broken into pieces and hurting Mokona's hand.

"Mo-Mokona!!!" shouted Hikaru in terror.

"It's all right Hikaru-chan. It's not hurt at all…" said Mokona.

"So the curse has begun…" thought him.

"It's not all right! Look, you are bleeding a lot!" She took a towel near her and cleaned the blood slowly. Just when Hikaru's hand touched Mokona's, he feels hurt in his head.

"What's wrong, Mokona?"

"No-nothing…" But every touch Hikaru made, make him hurt even more. Mokona tried his best to hold it because he knew, it's the curse's fault.

"Hikaru?" said Eagle who suddenly popped up from the door.

"Eagle! Glad to see-" said her but was stopped by Eagle's hug. Hikaru blushed.

"E-Eagle?"

"I thought I've lost you… don't go-" said Eagle but before he can finish his sentence, he feels that some high electricity comes to whole part of his body. He is screaming because it hurts him more and more. Hikaru's eyes widened to see Eagle whose body is sparkling with electrics.

"Eagle? Wha-what's wrong?!" asked her confusedly. Meanwhile Eagle keeps screaming. Lantis and Primera popped up from the door.

"What the…" said Lantis after he saw Eagle.

"Lantis… help Eagle! I don't know why. He… he suddenly turned like this! Help him!" said Hikaru, crying.

"Calm down, Hikaru, otherwise-" said Lantis as he walk nearer her and just when he put his hand on her shoulder, there's flame appeared from her body, making his hand almost burned up.

"Lantis-kun!!!" shouted Primera, she rushed to him side, "Are you all right?" Lantis's hand was very red, almost burning to nothing. Hikaru's eyes widened, filled with terror… and guilty felt.

"Lantis…" said Hikaru as she raised her hand towards Lantis but Primera stopped her, "Don't touch him!!! You're just hurting him more with your curse!" Hikaru shocked.

"Curse? What curse?" asked her to herself.

"Maybe you don't know but yesterday when Mokona healed you, a curse has been given to you. So that people you love will get hurt because of you!" said Primera more. Hikaru's eyes widened.

"Primera!!" shouted Lantis, making her shut her mouth.

"Is that… true?" asked Hikaru.

"I'm sorry Hikaru-chan… I don't have other choices…" said Mokona.

"It's nothing…" said Eagle suddenly, "It's nothing… Hikaru-chan… I didn't feel hurt at all… you don't have to… blame yourself…" And after he finished his sentence, he collapse.

"Eagle!!!" shouted Hikaru as she rushed to his side but stopped in halfway, realizing that if she touched him it will hurt him more. She turned around with fist clenched.

"Mokona… could you please help Eagle? I… can't…" said her. Mokona nodded and take Eagle outside the room.

"Let's go too, Lantis-kun, your hand needs some treatment…" said Primera. Lantis nodded and stand up but his eyes never let go from Hikaru.

"Lantis-kun!" said Primera, begging him to go from there as fast as he could.

"Ah…" said Lantis as he walked towards the door.

"Hika-" Lantis wanted to say something but Primera stopped him, "Let's go!" Lantis can't refused her and leaved Hikaru without saying anything. After the door was closed, Hikaru was leaved alone.

"I'm sorry… Eagle… Lantis…" Tears flows from her eyes… she's crying… alone…

In the other room, Mokona laid Eagle on the bed meanwhile Primera is bandaging Lantis's wound.

"It's strange, Mokona… When Mother got this curse, it's not like this…" said Lantis.

"Mother is not Hikaru-chan…" said Mokona, "I'm only hurt a little and having a headache…"

"No way! Why Lantis almost burned by that girl? And Eagle too? The difference is too big!" protest Primera.

"The more her love to you, the more you got hurt…" said Mokona sadly. Primera's eyes widened.

"That means…" Mokona nodded.

"She loves Onii-chan and Eagle greatly…"

........

It was so silent that night. Everyone was sad, sad because of her. After that accident, she locked herself in her room. She didn't talk, move, eat or even sleep. She's crying in her room, wondering if she'll make the others hurt again. Wondering what happened to her. Eagle heard that Hikaru locked herself in her room and decided to visit her. In front of her room, he was wondering if Hikaru was sleeping. He leaned his ear near the door so he can hear noise inside. He heard sobbing voice.

"She must be crying alone now…" thought Eagle. He took one breath and braved himself to knock. Eagle finally knocked the door but she didn't answer nor opened it.

"Hikaru?" asked Eagle as he knocked the door again.

"If you don't open it, I'll go inside by myself," said Eagle but still Hikaru ignored him. He tried to open the door but he can't, Hikaru locked it from inside. Eagle sighed. Her stubbornness is really something.

"Okay, you win. But I'll not go from here," said Eagle as he sit down, leaned to the wall. Inside the room, Hikaru was sitting on the bed. She hugged her own legs and buried her head under her hand. She heard Eagle's voice and she wanted to open the door for him too. She really wanted someone to talk to now. But she knows, Eagle and the others will get hurt if they're next to her.

"Do you remember when we first met?" asked Eagle suddenly. His voice was loud enough that Hikaru can hear it from inside.

"I totally ignored about you and honestly… I hate you… but you don't. When I trusted nobody, you trusted me… When I hate everybody, you said you are my friend… And don't know when… I'm already fallen in love with you… This is not the first time I confess my love to you, right? But you never answered… and slowly, I thought that you hate me… You know, you don't need to felt guilty because of this curse thing. Because… because of this curse… I know that you loved me… well at least you have feeling towards me." Eagle stopped talking for a while because he heard voice from inside. Voice her sobbing… and crying.

"If only you didn't lock the door, I would have gone inside and hugged you tightly… or you want me to break the door for you?" asked Eagle.

"DON'T!" shout Hikaru from inside.

"Then would you stop crying?" After a while, Eagle heard there's no more voice of her sobbing.

"Good… You know, I don't care about this curse thing or what will happen to me… I'll protect you until you have someone beside you to protect you…"

"Even I wished a lot that 'someone' is me…" thought Eagle. After that, both of them didn't say anything again. Eagle feels really tired and finally fast asleep even he tried to fight it. Too bad, Eagle is too tired because he can't even hear the voice of a door being opened and someone's walking.

"Where do you want to go?" asked Lantis who's behind Hikaru.

"Lantis…" said her with shock, "d-don't come near me, otherwise you'll get hurt!"

"I don't care," said him as he keeps walk towards her.

"P-Please don't come, I will hurt you!"

"Who cares?! Why I have to scare for being hurt meanwhile you're already hurt…" said Lantis. He keeps walking towards her and starting to feel a pain everywhere in his body.

"Urgh!" said him, didn't expected the pain will be so hurt.

"Lantis!... Please don't come again! I will kill you if you keep coming near me!"

"I am not going to die!" said Lantis, "Whatever you done to me, I'm not going to die! So what with the curse? We can find the cure, in this world, there must be a healer for you. Until that time… I don't mind if I have to get away from you… or you are going away from me… as long as I know that you're alive… and happy… so please… come back," said Lantis as he raised his hand to Hikaru, hoping her will take it and come to him. Hikaru looked at him. She wanted to take his hand but her heart didn't let her to do it. If she done it she'll hurt him for sure… and worst… kill him for sure.

"I can't…" said her.

"Hikaru…" said Lantis.

"I don't want to see people dying because of me again… not after my mother and my father…" said Hikaru as tears escaped from her eyes. And before she can realized, Lantis already hugged her tightly. But just a moment after that, Lantis released her because he can't stand from the pain all over his body. He fell to the floor.

"LANTIS!!!" shouted Hikaru with guilty felt but she can't do anything to help him because it will cause him more pain.

"Hi…karu…" said him weakly.

"I love you," said him again as he collapsed. Another tears escaped from her eyes.

"Lantis… I'm sorry…" said her.

"What are you doing, Hikaru?" said Mokona who suddenly popped up.

"Mokona…" said her, still teary eyed.

"Are you crying? You got some bad eyes there…"

"I… it's nothing… anyway, can you take Lantis to his room… you know I can't…"

"Huh? Why did Onii-chan sleep here? Ups-" said Mokona who suddenly shut his mouth with his hand after realizing what happened.

"I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault, Hikaru-chan… You know, it's my fault that you were cursed… I used my magic to heal you but after that, this will happen… You can blame me if you want, after all I'm the one who caused all of this…"

"No, it's not your fault! I'm the one that can't take care of my own body that everyone was worried about me…"

"You really a kind girl, Hikaru-chan…" Hikaru blushed.

"Actually, I know how to cure this curse…" said him more.

"What? How?"

"Growing up, I'm studying about magics and finally I found something very interesting… Every healing magic have it's curse but with another healing magic, you can cure the last curse but creating a new curse… And this will be the last thing you want to do, Hikaru-chan…"

"Tell me! …Please…"

"After your curse gone you will lose all of your memories with the person that you love most and you can't love the same person again… Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I…" She stayed silent for a while before she braved herself.

"If that can safe all of my friends and my precious person… I don't mind if my memories will be taken away from me…" said her with half smile.

"Hikaru-chan…"

"If it makes him happy… so be it!" Mokona walked nearer her and experienced a great pain inside his head.

"Mokona… are you allright?" asked Hikaru in worries.

"Don't worry, this will end soon," said him as he put his hand on Hikaru's head and started to spell that magic.

"I call a holy spirit to take away this girl's curse as the past promised you to be…" just when he finished his sentence, there's a light coming out from her body and vanished. She collapsed. Mokona take her to her bedroom where she can sleep peacefully before awake with a cruel fate.

...To Be Continued...

Free Talk: Wow… How long I didn't continue this fic…? A year? oO GOMENASAI! Please forgive my stupid head that didn't know what I should write next… I'm sorry… TT And after months, I finally decided to delete the former chappie 9 because if I continued it like that, you'll have to wait longer again ; And again, it's a plagiarism. Hope you all didn't mind with this change Okay, I want to change what I said in former chappie that this fic will be a H/L, U/A. Recently I have another good stories between HxE and UxC… sooooooo just be patient until you found who's with who. Another change I made is about Author's Note. I don't know when but I read from some web-site that says, "I don't like author's note, especially the one popped up in the story!" Well, he/she's right. But me, as a writer, wanted to talk with readers… So I decided to give "Free Talk" instead of "Author's Note" P "Author's Note" is for important thing that you should read and "Free Talk" is only a talk that writer (me ) wanted you guys to know (I know you guys know it… but… just for "Free Talk" ) Well, again I wanna apologize, "I'm sorry…" And… uhm… I hope I didn't change this fic to a sadder one… Well, see you in next chappie V Please give me reviews (and flame of course) because it's what I need now… ;