Unveiled Truths

A/N: Yieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! Yieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My dad just came back from Japan on business! I got a tin of cookies (with Hello Kitty on it, which means my friend Andrea is going to be stealing it from me at the first opportunity, she's a Hello Kitty fanatic), and a package of Japanese Kleenex (which is so much cooler than North American Kleenex because it's got advertisements and pictures on them. I am never going to use that Kleenex! ^-^*), and two graphic novels!!!! All in Japanese, but that's what makes it fun to guess what's really going on! I got Hunter X Hunter, volume 18, and what I think is Godhand Teru, volume 14!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *is waving arms around in excitement* ^_________________________________^

DISCLAIMER: Owning only whom I own.

Chapter 2: A Little More Serious

Canton General Hospital, China - January 2, 2003

                "Rei?" Mariah's timid voice came from the doorway.

                "Thank you!" Rei groaned. "Somebody's here! Sorry," he added. "I'm a little hyper."

                "Rei, I've seen you hyper," Li's voice answered from behind Mariah. "You're not hyper. You're wired."

                "I blame the lovely little cocktail of drugs they've been giving me." Rei said, grinning as his friends entered, followed by Kevin and Gary.

                "Wrong again, Mr. Kon," a nurse said as she came in. "It's the transfusion that's doing it for you."

                "Whatever." Rei said. "All I know is I feel like I could jump out the window."

                "Don't." Mariah told him. "I'm not catching you."

                "You've jumped out a fair few windows in your time, Mariah," Li teased her.

                "My window is on the ground floor." Mariah retorted. "This is the tenth story."

                "What the heck is a transfusion?" Kevin asked suddenly.

                "It's when I get new blood. Nice new blood that is supposed to help stop me feeling ecky." Rei answered cheerily.

                "I'd say it's working," Mariah joked.

                "It's another modern medicine thing that my grandfather doesn't approve of." Li supplied.

                "Your parents have got guts, Rei." Kevin said admiringly.

                "I'm the miracle child, what can I say?"

                "You're not the miracle child, you're the accident child." Malik's teasing voice came from the doorway. "And since when has Dad ever listened to Li's grandfather any way?"

                "Good point." Rei said. "I think his exact words were, 'Screw what Erol Ailon thinks.'"

                Li laughed. "I like that one."

Serov Medical Centre, Russia - January 2, 2003

                "Kai, are you sure you feel better?" Anastassia fussed.

                "Mother, I'm fine." Kai assured her. "I feel much better."

                "It's the blood transfusion, Mr. Hiwatari." The nurse chirped.

                "Right." Kai said absently. "So when can I leave? Since I don't have the flu anymore, I can go, right?"

                There was an uncomfortable pause as the nurse left without a word and Mikael finally said hesitantly, "I think you have something a little more serious, Kai."

Canton General Hospital

                "So when are you getting out?" Gary asked.

                "Today, I hope," Rei grumbled. "I've been in here three days, I want out. The flu's gone, I can go now."

Serov Medical Centre

                "Your bone marrow tests showed acute lymphocytic leukemia, ALL for short," Dr. Soren said that afternoon, to the silence of Mikael, Anastassia and Kai. "That's a type of blood cancer. It's when your white blood cells multiply out of control and your platelet count is below its normal level."

                "So what happens now?" Anastassia asked shakily.

Canton General Hospital

                "You couldn't have told me this earlier?!" Rei asked angrily. "It's whose body we're talking about?"

                "Rei, calm down," Lien said. "We just didn't want to get you all worked up for nothing. This is not just something you prescribe a bottle of pills for and send you home. I wish it was, but it's not."

                "The doctors were saying that they don't have the stuff you need to fight the cancer," Ira told him tiredly.

                "So what then?" Rei snapped, still upset his parents had hidden the prognosis from him.

                "They told us that Tokyo Civic was probably the best bet."

                "Tokyo?!" David yelped. "Mom, this is insane! That means you're going to have to move to Japan. There's no way you can fly back and forth on such a repetitive basis."

                "The only problem," Lien sighed. "Is—"

                "—that Li's grandfather doesn't like the idea." Rei finished for her. "Mom, this is our family, not his. Why is his opinion being taken into consideration?"

                "Because he's the village head." Malik told him. "And if Mom and Dad decide to go ahead with the treatment, he has the power to kick our entire family out of the village for good. Which would mean he would kick even Chad and Abia out, unless they pretty much deny the family forevermore."

                "Where are they, any way?" Rei asked.

                "Who knows." David laughed.

                "News, my family, news!" Chad's laughing voice came as he and Abia entered the room, flushed with happiness.

                "What is it, Chad?" Lien asked.

                "How would you feel about a seventh grandchild?"

                "Oh, Chad!" Lien nearly shrieked. "That's wonderful!"

                Personally, Rei was glad when all familial attention turned to Chad and Abia and their first child on the way. But he knew it wouldn't be for long…

Serov Medical Centre

                "To Tokyo?" Anastassia asked faintly. "Why can't we stay here?"

                "Ma'am, your son's best chance at fighting off the leukemia is in Tokyo. They have the most advanced doctors, technologies and medical supplies you could ever ask for."

                "But Tokyo," Anastassia insisted.

                "It's not completely necessary yet." Dr. Soren assured her. "But it would be best if he was there for the start of his treatment."

                "So we can still stay in Serov for now?"

                "I wouldn't recommend it, Ma'am."
                "But we could, right?"

                "That is correct, but it isn't the best thing."

                "What are the chances of remission if we remain in Serov?" Mikael interrupted.

                "I would say, with our training, about 25%."

                "And if we go to Tokyo?"

                "Approximately 95%."

                "Anastassia, the cards are on the table. We stay here and hope he's part of the 25% or go to Tokyo and be assured he's most likely part of the 95%." Mikael told her.

                "But it's Tokyo," Anastassia persisted. "I haven't been to Tokyo in nearly 17 years. I had no intention of going back. Besides, where would we stay?"

                "The mansion should be unoccupied," Kai said quietly. "With Grandfather dead, it's supposed to be mine now."

                "But it's Tokyo," Anatassia whined.

                "Ma'am, may I interrupt?" Dr. Soren asked. "What it essentially boils down to this: what are more willing to lose, the ghosts of your past, which is behind you and will no more return; or your son?"