Higashi: Here we go. First chappie. None from Ranma's point of view, and in fact I only mention his name in the author's notes. It sucks trying to write about someone without saying their name.
Marise: This thing is so fluffy I feel like I'm about to gag on cotton balls.
Higashi: Meh, whatever. This talks about Akane, and introduces a few OCs, who (I think?) I'll make pretty important later on. I'm not sure yet. Oh, and does anyone know what Ami's mom's name is? I can't remember it ever being mentioned, so I just called her Mrs. Mizuno. I'm also keeping some of the honorifics, but no too much like last time. And now that I've blabbed my mouth off, here you go!
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, do want 'em!
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Carol of the Bells
Chapter 1: Rest In Me and I'll Comfort You
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In Akane's opinion, she wasn't anything special. Surely she didn't consider herself an angel, or even overly kind or merciful. She thought of herself just as a normal person. She had an attitude, she was easily angered, and she was selfish, just like any other girl.
Well...that wasn't completely true...
She was also the reincarnation of a princess of Mercury, as well as the current sister of Sailor Mercury. She was also on good terms with the other sailor senshi. Akane had even stayed the night with them a few times. Though the outer senshi were a little more difficult to deal with, they were all still friends.
Even considering all of the above, Akane was still no extraordinary individual. She felt bad towards people hurt or in need, but she didn't feel more than any normal person would experience. Having a mother as a doctor, she was able to come in close contact with a few injured people. After the transfer to another kind of hospital, she met even more.
Her mother had been moved to a mental hospital located just a few blocks from her original job, due to the fact that they were understaffed and Mrs. Mizuno was the highest qualified employee they could find for the job. That had all happend a few years previous, and she had been working there as if nothing had changed. Every now and then she would ask one of her daughters, either Akane or Ami, to come in for a bit and help her out after school. Of course Ami was all too happy to, wanting to be a doctor and all. Akane didn't really care either way, so long as it didn't interfere with her martial arts training. After 10 years of training, not even Mokoto could beat her. It was one of her passions, and she practiced every day possible.
The first time she saw him was at her fourth visit to the hospital. She was with her mother, helping Mrs. Mizuno make the daily observations of the patients, when they came upon an orderly having trouble with a black-haired boy in a wheelchair. One of the wheels appeared to be caught on a white blanket that was lying on a nearby vacant bed. He had bent down and was fiddling with the wheel, but couldn't get it loose.
" Ugh! What's with this thing?" He muttered. He looked up at the boy and tried to move one of his legs away from the wheel, but it would not budge. " Damnit! It's times like this I wish you would help just a little..." He seemed to be directing this at the patiet in the chair. The boy remained unresponsive. The nurse 'hmphed' and said, " I should have expected as much." And continued to wage his war against the chair.
As Akane and her mother passed them by, Akane caught sight of the boy's face. She stopped in her tracks, almost as if entranced. She walked closer for a better look. He had long black hair pulled back into a loose ponytail and beautiful blue-grey eyes. He was handsome, that was certain, and looked to be only a few years older than her own 17 years of age. That wasn't the reason she had stopped though.
She had felt...something when she had seen his face. It was as if her heart had skipped a beat. An image had flashed in her mind for a split-second and then it was gone, but she had felt something attached to the picture. A warm feeling.
Mrs. Mizuno apparently noticed her daughter wasn't with her and turned to look back. " Akane-chan? What are you doing?" She walked back to Akane and looked at the situation. Akane crouched next to the patient and stared into his eyes. They were half-lidded and stared off into the distance at something only he could see, but they were still beautiful. She was moving before she realized what she was doing. Her hand was suddenly touching his cheek softly, as if it might break with too much pressure. Again, a strange feeling came to her, and she saw how horrible he looked.
While he had some muscles, he was thin and had purple lines under his eyes as if he hadn't slept in quite a while. She put her hand on his head and felt his hair underneath her fingers. It was thick, but it was also dry and damaged. Something inside of her told her that this wasn't how he was supposed to look. But if not, then how...?
" Excuse me, miss. What exactly are you doing?"
Akane 'eeped' and pulled away from the boy. The orderly had spoken to her and now watched her for an answer. She felt her cheeks redden. " Umm..." A giggle from behind startled her again. She turned and gazed at her mother who had a small smile on her face.
" Well...?" He seemed to be growing impatient, and she realized he had freed the wheel. It looked like it had been stuck on the blanket and the boy's pants.
" I...don't know...?" She replied hesitantly. He frowned again and stood up.
" Whatever. Just get out of my way. He's late for an appointment." She stood up and backed out of the path of the wheel-chair and gazed after them when they were gone.
" Mother, who was that?" Mrs. Mizuno looked at her again with a smile.
" Not sure." Akane stared at her mother surprised. " Oh, I know about him, I just don't know who he really is. No one does." She answered. " A few months ago, he was found lying in the middle of a sidewalk, completely dazed. No form of identity in any way. The discoverer took him to the nearby hospital, and after a few weeks they decided to turn him over to us. He's been like that ever since." Her face turned sad. " And he's so young...it's terrible."
Akane turned back in the direction the strange patient and the nurse had gone. " Yeah..." Mrs. Mizuno's face suddenly lit up.
" Weren't we doing something, Akane-chan?"
" Whoops!" Her cheeks became an even deeper shade of crimson.
Akane's face became thoughtful. " Mother, do you think I could visit that boy later?" She asked softly. She wasn't sure why, but for some reason Akane wanted to be near him.
Mrs. Mizuno smiled again and said, " I think you can. You can work with him, if you want. You could be one of the nurses that cares for him." Akane grinned and nodded, happy with the prospect.
They walked towards the next patient with smiles on both of their faces.
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A few days later...
" Can I go and see that boy now?"
Mrs. Mizuno set her paperwork down and smiled at her daughter. " Well, it seems like you're done for today, so go ahead." She looked up at the clock in the hallway. " I'll be leaving in about an hour, so meet back here then." Akane nodded and gave her mom the files she'd been holding.
" See you in a bit." Then she turned and left her mother's office. She didn't need help getting to his room, even if it was her first time there. Since her encounter with the silent boy in the wheelchair, she had worked to learn as much as she could about him. Well, as much as was possible without knowing who he was.
He had been in that hospital for months, yet there was a surprising lack of information concerning him. He didn't talk, he didn't move, and it was almost like he didn't even sleep. He went from one doctor to the next, with the results always the same. They could pull nothing from him and they made zero progress each time. So why did Akane take such an interest in a seemingly hopeless case...?
' Maybe I just feel sorry for him?' She thought as she walked down the hall. She shook her head. ' No, there's something else...something that hurt when I saw him like he is. But why? I've seen a few others that were seemingly catatonic...so why?' She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. " Whatever. I guess it doesn't matter so long as I try to help him."
As she neared his room, she was so lost in thought that she didn't see the person infront of her until she collided with him. She toppled to the floor along with the stranger.
" Ugh! What the hell?" She cried. Her eyes found the perpetrator, a young man with short black hair dressed in a nurse's uniform lying a few feet from her. He frowned and roase to his feet.
" Watch where you're going." He said scornfully. He looked down and glared at her with his crystal green eyes. " Brat." He 'hmph'ed and walked away. No, he didn't really walk. It was more like a swagger. He practically screamed arrogance, with his looks, voice, and attitude. While he was handsome, Akane didn't like guys like that. She was sure some of the senshi wouldn't mind, though. Even if he was a complete jerk, he had looks, and that was all Minako needed to go on.
Akane frowned. " What a jerk!" She stood up and dusted herself off. ' Now what was I doing...? Oh, yeah!' She turned and saw that she was already at his room. She looked at the retreating back of the teenager. ' Did he just come out of here?' Not seeing how it really mattered, she walked up to the nameless boy's door and undid the lock. She opened it and peeked inside before entering.
What greeted her was a small room that looked like it had been bleached white in its entirety. The square walls, floor, and ceiling were all white. The one exception appeared to be the metal bed screwed into the ground that was pushed up against the wall. The mattress on it was covered with a white sheet and blanket. Next to the bed was a chair that was white as well. There were no distinguishing features in the room to make it stand out against the other patients' rooms, except for the fact that there was not a single personal belonging that would show the place was occupied. It was completely empty besides the little furniture.
The sole residant of the room was sitting slumped on top of the bed, white blanket entangled around his legs. His body was limp and his face showed no reaction to her entering. His hair was loosly pulled back as before, and he wore the standard crisp white uniform for the patients at the hospital.
The moment her eyes found the young man, Akane felt her heart skip another beat. What was it about him that called out to her?
She walked over to the chair and sat down. She leaned forward and looked into his eyes.
" Hi. Nice to actually meet you. Sorry about last time, I didn't properly introduce myself. My name is Mizuno Akane. I hope one day I can learn your's too." All of this she said cheerfully with a smile on her face. Inside, she was confused. Why was she introducing herself to someone who couldn't even hear her? She was questioning many things lately, none of which were being answered. It was beginning to bug her.
She shook her head to clear it of those thoughts. ' I don't want to think about that stuff now. I'm here to meet this boy. I want to learn about him.' Akane placed her hands on the bed and pulled herself over, so she could be closer to him.
" I'd like to get to know you better, and one day be friends with you. Would you like that?" She paused. No reply came, though it wasn't surprising. " Well, I think you will." Another question popped into her head: Why was she being so optimistic about this case? There was a good chance his state would never change. This time she actually had an answer: Because she would help him.
Akane frowned. " I've been spending too much time with Usagi-chan. That was one of the cheesiest thoughts I've ever had." Not that there was anything wrong with Usagi-chan (well...she did have a few problems ), she was just so cheerful sometimes it was scary.
A knock on the door brought to her attention the person standing behind her. ' Whoops. Forgot to close the door.' She looked at the new woman. She was quite beautiful, with long auburn hair tied up in a bun and shining emerald eyes. A few locks had escaped and hung delicately down her forehead.She wore the standard female uniform: white ( of course ) shirt and skirt combo with a name clipped onto her breast pocket that read 'Rena'. In her hands she caried a tray that was apparently lunch for the boy.
She smiled gently, and Akane felt the room light up. Rena walked over to the two and sat down gracefully in the chair. ' Wow,' Akane thought, ' even the way she walks is elegant.'
" So you must be Mizuno Akane. You're mother has told me much about you." She asked. Akane nodded.
" Uhh. Nice to meet you, miss." Rena laughed softly.
" You can just call me Rena, Akane-san." Akane blushed and nodded her head. " Good. Since you'll be helping to take care of him," she raised the tray," it's time for lunch!"
Akane's eyes rested on the food. Chicken noodle soup, crackers, and a glass of milk? She had helped feed some of the other patients, but this...? It was so plain.
" Are you ready, Akane-san?" Rena asked.
" Sure." She proceeded to feed him, and he was surprisingly compliant with her. When they were done, Rena complimented her on her patience with a patient like him.
" Most of the new people simply get fed up and walk out, but not you. I think I like you, Akane-san." She lifted up the tray, bowed, and left, closing the door behind her. Akane watched the door for a few moments after Rena had left. ' Not only is she beautiful, she's very kind too.' She wanted to be like that.
Completely out of the blue, she spoke. " Say, do you think I could ever become like her?" She turned and looked at her new charge. " I wonder what kind of girls you liked before this..."
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It didn't take Akane long to fall into the role of caring nurse for him. Every few days she'd come to work with her mom and help take care of the black-haired boy, and every day Rena would bring him his lunch. Soon she was looking after him as if she'd been doing it all her life. Her friends thought it was increadibly nice of her, and Ami praised her for her dedication.
" It's wonderful how you've made it your task to help this guy. I'm very proud of you, big sister." She had said one day after a visit to the hospital. Of course Minako and Makoto had wanted to know what he looked like. Akane had mumbled her way out of the situation, stating she had to get home right away and finish her homework. They had sighed and let her go her way, thankfully. For some reason, she didn't like the idea of them being interested in her patient. They'd probably want to come with her and check out his looks, and they'd end up making a ruckus.
Over the weeks, she began to get more attached to him. Every day she saw him, she touch him in some way. Whether it was brushing his hair (no way she could leave it tangled and dry like it was; it was too beautiful for that), feeding him, or just sitting next to him and talking. And since he didn't complain (and she didn't really expect him to), she kept doing it.
Since she had taken the role of caregiver with him, she had also inherited the role of washing. Which meant she had to clean him up by taking of his clothes. And scrubbing his body.
Akane did all of this, but the one thing she would not remove was his boxers. She was getting more comfortable around him, but not that comfortable. He had quite the body, too. While it appeared that he had lost some weight since whatever incident left him in his current state, he was still quite muscular. She admired it about him and wondered if he had worked out before. ' Stupid. Of course he did!'
Every once in a while, she would see the rude man from earlier in the halls, passing him by or vice versa. It seemed he always had a glare to spare for her, so she tried to keep her distance. For reasons unknown, he kind of frightened her. Rena, on the other hand, was always around to lend a hand when she needed one. She helped take care of the boy and often lent a hand when giving him a bath. Akane didn't know how to thank her, so she was always as polite and kind to her as possible.
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After a month had passed by, school let out for a small week-long vacation, so the inner senshi and Hotaru had all decided to go to the beach. Akane was invited to come, and she couldn't turn them down. She didn't like being away from her ward for that long, but she couldn't tell them that. They wouldn't understand how being around him made her feel. Even if he was unresponsive, just talking to him helped calm some of the stress of her normal life out. She basically was using him as a journal, to tell her inner secrets to.
She knew they would think differently than she about the situation, so she had left him for a week and went with her friends swimming. Akane actually did have fun, but she was also worried about him. The others thought that it was just normal anxiety about school and left her alone. Ami, though, new her sister better.
" Akane, what's wrong?" Akane gave her little sister a smile.
" Nothing, Ami-chan. School is just getting a little hectic, so I'm a bit worried. That's all." Ami had given a little nod, not sure whether to believe her or not, and left Akane to her thoughts of home and a boy.
For some reason, when she saw him a few days later, she was relieved. A feeling in the pit of her stomach had told her something was wrong with him, but it turned out she was wrong (A/N: not really...). He was lying in bed, glazed eyes on the ceiling and something past it. She walked over to him and sat down next to him.
" I'm back! Did you miss me? I missed you." He continued to lie there as she continued. " So how have you been this past week? I went to the beach with my friends, but I was a little worried about you. Are you alright?" All of this she said with no answer in mind. Akane did this often, talking as if to a wall. But it didn't bother her. No one was around to hear her anyway.
" Would you like to listen to all that I did this week?"
A few hours later, after she had recounted her experiences to him, a nurse came in. Akane looked over to her and stood up to bow. " Yes?" The nurse bit her lip and stared at her nervously.
" You are Mizuno-san, yes?" She asked. Akane nodded, puzzled. " I'm very, very sorry to be the one to tell this to you, but your mother isn't here at the moment." The woman hesitated a few seconds before stating something that would change her world for the rest of her life.
" She has called and informed me that your father has been in an accident and has passed away."
' what...?'
' What...?'
" WHAT!" It had taken a moment to register in her mind something so drastic. The nurse flinched at her shout and left with a quick bow and a " I'm so sorry". This couldn't be happening. Things like this didn't happen to people in her life. Her dear dad couldn't be d-de...-gone. There was no way. Just the other day she had spent the night at his home, for a little father/daughter bonding, and now this...? No. It wasn't right.
Akane felt her knees begin to give way and she collapsed onto the bed next to her only companion now. Her gaze fell numbly on him. " You're the only one I can lean on right now. Do you mind lending some support to me?" She knew it was foolish, of course. But she needed a shoulder to lie on, and his was the closest.
She moved to sit next to him and the bed and interlaced her fingers with him. Her eyes stung suddenly, and when she tried to blink the pain away, warmth trickled down her cheecks. ' This is so wrong.' She thought bleakly. Her head tilted as it rested against his arm. ' Oh, how I wish you could comfort me right now...' She tightened her hold on his hand for a moment.
And he gripped her hand in return.
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Higashi: Yeah, I'm evil, I know. Perfect place to stop though. Took me forever to write this. Thing is, school starts in a few days, and I won't be able to work on the story much, so I wanted to put out a chapter for now.
Marise: This is also probably the longest chapter she's ever written, so be proud-
Akane: What the hell? Daddy's dead? Noooooooo!
Higashi: Shush! You get a -whispers- boyfriend in exchange!
Akane: What did you say!
Higashi: Marise, you handle this. I'm done.
Marise: Yeah, whatever. Thanks to those few (2) who reviewed. It was greatly appreciated.
Kuno-baby- Short, but it was a review, so I loved it!
RubberNeck- Yeah, I agree, but you won't see the reaction till the next chapter. Gomen ne.
Review, peeze (as my cousin is found of saving!)!