Unforeseen Circumstance
Dead Man's Curse
(Day 15)
By: Little Ucchan
A small white cloud drifted up and disappeared, followed by another one that conformed to the same routine pattern. It was cold. His fingers were numb. And each puff of air that passed by his eyes only reminded him of how frigid the weather was. Why was he still standing outside?
Because I'm a wuss. He shook his head. No, that couldn't be it. But then what?
Rowen growled to himself. Just step inside!
His feet didn't move.
He sighed aloud, a giant billow of steam passing his lips. Okay… he wouldn't go in. Now what did providence have in store for him, making him wait outside in the biting autumn cold? It better be good, was all he had to say. A few more minutes. Then I'll walk---
There was a soft moan behind him. His body automatically went rigid, spinning around in alarm.
A man. There was a man lying on the concrete sidewalk.
All previous thoughts forgotten, Rowen rushed over to his side. "Hey! You okay?" he asked, kneeling down besides the fallen man and placing a hand on his shaking shoulder. Amazingly, he was able to bring himself up onto his knees despite his obvious weariness, head slowly lifting to gaze into the face of his rescuer. Rowen was immediately taken aback. The man, pushing fifty, was covered in dirt. Burn marks were scattered across his arms, and his eyes bore a sort of wildness, frightened by death and disillusioned by ailment, that he has never seen the likes of before.
A hand shot out to grab his sleeve, and Rowen was almost pulled off balance by the strength of this man, desperate for assistance. "Please," he begged, throat hoarse and weak, barely audible. "Please, help… I'm burning…" He winced, feeling the heat resonating from this man's hand, seeping through his sleeve to warm his skin with his touch. What was going on?
Rowen clasped his hand over his, the sweat clinging to his shaking palm worrying him even more. "I'll get help."
He rose, but the man, sensing his movement, grabbed hold of his wrist more urgently. "Please, help… me."
"I will. But---"
"Help me… Stop, the burning… Please…"
***
Ding! The elevator chimed, the metal doors sliding open with a whoosh! of air, letting its passengers out onto the lobby floor of the hospital. Laura stepped out of the elevator, walking directly to the payphone towards the end of the hall, quickly inserting the right change to make a local phone call. Ryo still lingered by the door, his good arm on his hip and his eyes glaring at Laura's retreated back in a mix of annoyance and bewilderment.
"You could have used the one downstairs," he commented as he strode towards her, back on the same floor they had left barely a minute ago.
"I didn't feel like looking for it," came the indifferent reply.
He let out a sigh, shoulders sagging as the phone connected Laura to Ms. Yukizaro's apartment.
Ryo raised an eyebrow, surprised when, after a few moments later, she hung up with a clang!, her hand still on the receiver. Her eyes betrayed to him her own confusion, and rising anxiety. "What's wrong?"
Her hand momentarily tightened over the receiver before she let go, worried eyes locking onto his own for a brief moment. "The line was disconnected," Laura told him before she downcast her gaze to the floor, fingers running over the strap of her bag in uneasiness. "I… don't like this."
He tried to force a smile in an attempt to ease her mood. "Laura, don't worry so much. It could---"
"No," she shook her head, the gesture firm with her conviction. "It's not. I can feel that it's not." Laura turned away, walking absentmindedly to stop at the double glass doors leading to a wide hallway. This feeling of apprehension… It weighs too heavy against my heart.
Whoosh!
She blinked.
Another whoosh!
Ryo rushed over to her side, looking on at the seemingly endless procession of stretchers accompanied by nurses and surgeons just beyond the glass. Laura couldn't pick her mouth up, her jaw slack at the sight of the patients, each with severe cases of third-degree burns, most not even supposed to be alive, hanging on by a thread in limbo. Could they even feel? With their skin dead and scorched by flames, did they know what was going on around them? She shuddered at the thought, the last stretcher whizzing by them. Without much thought, Laura pushed down on the handle bar, opening the door to step into the hall, watching as that stretcher passed through the emergency room, the large mechanical door producing a hiss before closing completely.
She lingered at the door. Her hands were locked into place around the bar handle, shaky, and sweating. It hurt. Her heart ached so much. Her knees felt weak, her entire body heavy, wanting to drag her down to the floor. It took her a moment to realize that Ryo had gently grab hold of her arm, trying to pull her back inside. After a moment, Laura released her grip, allowing herself to be lead into the lobby.
"Don't read too much into that," Ryo had told her. "You're scaring yourself for no reason. The hospital normally gets patients like that."
"That many, Ryo?"
His words faltered for a second. "Well, if it was a big fire---"
"Oh, c'mon! Normal fires don't warrant that many victims with third-degree burns!"
"Well, maybe it wasn't a 'normal' fire!"
"That's what I'm worried about!!"
"Wait a minute." Ryo stopped. "What are you thinking? That this is somehow connected to the fight?"
Laura didn't answer.
Ryo crossed his arms. "That's a little farfetched, don't you think? Laura, we have absolutely nothing to worry about right now. I creamed that demon earlier and Sage is recovering just fine. Relax, okay? Nothing's going to happen."
At that moment, Kento barged into the lobby, followed by Cye, who didn't seem too sturdy on his feet just yet.
"Except for that."
Laura pinned him with a cold glare, causing the Ronin to recoil back slightly, not used to the harsh treatment. "Were you planning on warning me at all?" she growled when Kento had spotted the duo and made his way, quite hurriedly, to where they stood.
Before he could give a proper answer, Kento had already demanded what the hell happened to Ryo. "Dude, you look like crap."
Ryo's eyebrows rose. That's all he has to say? "Thanks," he replied dryly.
Kento shook his head, almost in a scolding manner. "Man, what's going on with you? First you act all weird the entire weekend. Then you're nowhere to be found. Then you suddenly call us and freak us both out. You don't fill us in on anything that's been going on…"
Cye had finally managed to reach the group, now recovered from whatever had thrown off his balance before, and stood besides Laura, who had taken a few steps back away from the venting Kento. "Hey Laura," he greeted. "What are you doing here?"
"It's a long story."
"…And then, when we finally get here, you're all banged up like you just stepped out of some war movie!" Kento was about finished when his eyes quickly swept across the room, noting that someone was missing. "And where the hell is Sage?!"
Ryo looked over at Cye for help, totally bemused by this sudden bombardment that, of all people, Kento had delivered to him. Cye would have normally been the one to reprimand him for not calling, lack of information, and whatnot. This role reversal had taken him completely by surprise.
"Kento, at least give him time to speak."
"Thanks, Cye." He shortly bowed to his two friends. "Gomen, for worrying you so much."
"It's alright," Cye assured his leader. "Just tell us. What happened to you, Ryo?"
He hesitated to say. Geez, where should he start? There was no point in telling them only half of what happened. But Rowen still hadn't arrived. He didn't want to start when their last member wasn't present. Also, even though Laura had agreed, when they talked while waiting for news about Sage, to let the others know, she was still against seeing them now. He was curious as to what she wanted to do. It was half her story, after all.
Unfortunately, to Kento, Ryo's unwillingness to speak was interpreted as not wanting to say anything in front of Laura, most likely the matter pertaining to the recent demon threat. And, being rather impatient at that moment, he opened his mouth.
"Um Laura?"
She turned to face the Chinese boy.
"Could you…" He gestured towards a bench not too far away. "…you know, excuse us for a moment? It's guy talk."
Cye openly gawked at the gall Kento displayed. He did not just do that!!
Ryo rolled his eyes, sighing. Here we go.
Laura bit back on her bottom lip to restrain herself from voicing the first thought that had come to her mind, folding her arms across her chest to further prevent any unwanted 'things' happening to Kento. After a moment taken to calm herself, she looked over at the boy, who was expectedly waiting for her response… and smiled at him. "A sharp tipped horn rammed through Ryo's shoulder while he was fighting a demon on my apartment building's front lawn," she reported, surprising all three of them with her news. Kento and Cye were shocked that Laura knew of the demons and was nonchalant about it. Ryo just couldn't believe that she had actually said it, and in such a manner as well.
"Oh, and Sage is resting in one of the hospital rooms from overexertion," she added as an afterthought, not at all disturbed by the odd looks the three boys were giving her.
The two newcomers looked over at Ryo for answers, but all they got was a lopsided sort of grin and a shrug. "It'd be better to talk about this when Rowen gets here. I'd rather not have to repeat myself."
"Ryo?" Cye didn't understand. He just needed to tell them how the fight went. So why all the stalling? It wouldn't take that long to explain… right? He then caught Ryo exchanging glances with Laura, and how the girl quietly nodded in agreement. He was consulting her… on a Ronin matter? This was getting very suspicious. Laura… demons… Ryo…
Cye's eyes widened in realization. No way… He immediately looked at Laura, momentarily catching her eyes with his, and when she saw the way he looked at her, that he knew, she shied away. She's…
Kento was irritably tapping his foot against the hard tile floor, the silence between all of them seriously grating on his nerves. "Will someone please TELL me what's going ON!!!"
Bam!!
Everyone turned their heads at the sound of the door being slammed open, a familiar teenager stumbling into the lobby room.
Ryo smiled. "Rowen!"
"Guys!! I need your help!!"
He stopped in the middle of his welcome, looking over the youngest of the Ronin warriors again, finally taking note of his worried, out-of-breath expression. What got him stressed out?
"Rowen, what's up?" Kento demanded, both he and Cye also sporting similar serious expressions of concern at the boy's hasty entrance.
He took in a long, deep breath to stop himself from panting. "There's a man outside. He's very ill. I couldn't carry him in on my own."
That was all he needed to explain. Cye and Kento were racing after Rowen, who had turned back around to lead them outside. But instead of following, Ryo sped off down one of the hallways. "I'll get one of the nurses to help!" he shouted behind him at his friends.
"Alright!" was Cye's response, the last one to the door. "We've got this covered! Just hurry!"
Within a second later, all of them were gone, leaving Laura standing in the middle of the lobby, astounded and… alone.
She blinked. They left already?! Man, where was her head? Running after the trio, she couldn't help the smile that came to her lips. They were amazing. How quick they were to act!! Not the way most teenagers would handle an emergency situation like this. It was more like… More like how soldiers would respond. She should have expected it. There were warriors after all.
***
A cool hand came to rest on the man's forehead, his chest rising and falling with drawn out, ragged breaths. Cye shook his head, pulling his hand away. "His burns are nothing, but his fever is astounding. I can't believe he's even conscious!" He looked up at Rowen, just as Laura walked out the glass doors and into the cold air of the night. "How did he get like this? Do you know?"
Rowen shook his head. "He might have been sick before, and the cold made it worse. But as for the burns…"
"He could have come from that apartment building that's been burning for the past hour," Kento suggested.
Laura's eyebrows furrowed.
Rowen looked at him, confused. "What apartment building?"
"Guys, ask questions while we walk," Cye reminded him, gently digging his hand beneath the man's back, taking his arm and looping it around his neck. "We need to get him inside."
Kento nodded in agreement, following up on what his friend was doing, coming up to his other side and supporting him up with the strength of his arm. "C'mon. We've got ya." The man groaned at the sudden movement, the two boys succeeding in lifting him to a sitting position. Kento moved in closer, pulling his arm around the man's waist just as Cye did the same. "Can you stand?" he asked the man, whose breath was coming out more haggard and uneven. He took his lack of response as a no.
With a quick gesture of the head, he called Rowen over. "Take his legs."
"Right." He looped one arm under each leg, getting a firm grip. "Laura, hold open the door," he called over his shoulder. She immediately moved to comply.
"Ready?" There were three affirmative nods. "Okay, on three. One… Two… Three!!"
The three boys lifted the man from the ground, Rowen backing up towards the door, already feeling the warmth coming from the enclosed hallway against his back when he came to a sudden halt. The man was suddenly alive, kicking and screaming, crying out with such a loud shriek that could not be described, nor wished to be, for the cry was so agony stricken that it hurt just to think about it.
"THE BURNING!!!" he screamed, twisting and turning from where he laid suspended off the ground. He violently pushed himself against Cye and Kento, using their support to try and kick himself free from Rowen's grasp. "KEEP IT AWAY!!!"
"Calm down!! We're here to help!!" Rowen urged, trying to maintain his grip when the heel of his foot slipped out of his hand and… BAM!! Rowen was on the floor, clutching his side where the tip of the man's shoe made its mark right under his left ribcage.
"Rowen!" Laura had cried out. Her position forgotten, she rushed to help him to his feet. The glass doors quietly closed shut, separating once again the heat from the cold. "Rowen, you okay?" she asked as he unsteadily rose to his feet.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he forced out, eyes riveted on the man, watching as his maniacal cries had ceased, but his body had now fallen into convulsions, heaving this way and that, his intake of air too fast for his lungs to catch up, and soon he was coughing, choking on his own breath.
"Set him down!!"
Cye gave a start, not wanting to believe he had just heard that. "Rowen, he's going into spasms!!" he shouted. "We can't---!"
"No! Set him down!! Or he'll die right there!!" Kento readily obeyed, letting the man fall back onto the floor.
Cye did not move.
"Let him go, Cye!"
…Reluctantly, after a moment, he lowered the man onto the ground and stepped back.
"You better know what you're doing," he growled hotly, glaring at Rowen. He didn't answer. Instead he gazed ahead at the man, his keen devotion to watching him grabbing Cye's attention and making him turn back around. His eyes widened.
The man was calm, his breath, still shallow, but coming to him more easily than before, resting there on his back against the cold concrete. "I don't understand," he whispered, shaking his head. "He's okay."
"I don't think 'okay' is the right word." Rowen gritted his teeth. "It's the heat. His body temperature is higher than normal, so while it's freezing outside to us, it's a slightly comfortable level to him."
"I get it. So the coldness of the floor was able to somewhat eased the pain caused by the outstanding heat in his body."
"Correct. But…" he frowned. "The hospital's room temperature…"
Cye nodded gravely, now understand why he had reacted so violently when they moved him. "The change would make it unbearable for him."
"You mean we can't take him inside without him acting up again?" Kento cried out, his hands clenched at his side. "We're going to just let him die out here?? He needs to get inside!! He needs a doctor!!"
"Ryo's getting help," Cye reminded him. "I think we should just wait."
"Wait?!" Kento was appalled. "You've got to be kidding me! We can't just wait!"
"It doesn't matter. He'll die, regardless of what we do to help him."
"What?" Kento turned to look at Laura sharply, no answer forthcoming, the girl vacantly staring at the man sprawled on the floor.
He took a step closer to her. "What do you mean by that, Laura?"
Still there was no answer. It was questionable whether or not she even heard Kento's question, lost in her thoughts, her fears, and that sinking feeling that this man wasn't the end of it.
"So," the man coughed, catching everyone's, even Laura's, attention. "I'm going to die… huh?" The pain that had seized his being only moments before seemed to subside slightly, allowing him time to contemplate his fate… and resign to it.
Laura walked up to the man's side, kneeling down besides him and folding her legs beneath her. He smiled at the woman, lifting a weakened hand to her, which she cupped gently between her own.
"I… I know you…"
She nodded solemnly.
"You… you weren't…"
"Shh. Don't talk."
He smiled again at her concern. "I'm glad… that you are safe."
Laura blinked. That I am safe? That feeling of foreboding returned, this time with a stronger force backing its grip on her soul. Slowly, with as much will as she could muster to push through with her question, she asked, "What happened?"
"A fire… in the apartment…"
She froze, her anxiety overtaking her as she remembered that feeling she experienced --- of evil --- that she felt when she had left her home a few hours before. She was certain that it was no longer safe, so she had fled. Packed her things and left, never to look back. But… they wouldn't let her forget. The disconnected phone line… the plus dozen patients being wheeled in on stretchers… this man, a nameless face to her, but the tenant living on the first floor who would greet her good morning, without fail, every single day before she left for school… She could not forget.
"It happened without warning…" he continued, pushing back the pain, ignoring the burning just for a little while to tell his story. "All the floors were lit ablaze at once… Not many could escape. I guess… that I was lucky… I got out with a few burns, is all. But… I guess… I wasn't so lucky after all." He inhaled sharply as a new wave of heat assaulted his senses. Laura held his hand tight, trying to lend him her strength.
"Tell me…" He turned towards her, the light in his eyes fading, but still slightly there. "Why…" he whispered. "Why am I dying…?"
Her lips pulled tight into a line. She couldn't turn away from him. Couldn't escape his gaze; his eyes, searching, asking in earnest to know why he must leave this world today. And she could give him the answer. That it was a demon's doing. A demon, after her life… but instead, claimed the lives of how many innocent people.
Laura gently stroked the back of his hand, giving it a pat. "You… were poisoned, by the flames. A curse, driven by spite… is what ails you now."
Eyes, weary and strained, glistened ever so slightly… and he laughed.
"That was a nice story," he said. "I shouldn't have expected you to know… But, thank you… for making me laugh."
"No, no," she shook her head, mostly to force away the tears that were starting to gather at the rims of her eyes. "It was nothing."
He opened his mouth to say something. Maybe about her kindness. Or a final request to deliver a message to his family. But his time was up.
Laura gasped, the hand she was holding tightening its grasp around her own as the man gritted his teeth in pain. He fell into convulsions again, but he tried to stay still. Tried to restrain himself. To endure. His fingernails dug deep into her skin, drawing blood. But Laura did not loosen her grip. She did not release his hand. She held on as long as he would, to make sure he knew that she was still there in his final hours… That he was not alone.
The others had gathered around them, Cye kneeling down by Laura's side to assist her if she needed it. Kento had taken to the side across from the girl, wanting to offer the dying man his support as well if he needed someone to hold on to. But to his astonishment, the man's fingers were digging into the concrete, skin scratching against the floor, drawing out small lines of red on the sidewalk.
"I will endure this…" they heard him breathe through clenched teeth, sweat pouring down his face, every word, every breath tearing him apart. "I will… endure---Aghhhhh!!!!"
His back arched in pain, his scream resonating through the night. He violently heaved, his hand snaking from the ground to his chest in a desperate attempt to rip out his heart, to stop the flames he felt burning him inside out, to end it already. But Kento had grabbed his hand, quickly locking his hold on the man, letting him crush his hand instead as hard as he could to lighten only a partial bit of his agony.
And then it ended.
His scream stopped, his body slowly falling back against the floor. And his hands… the man's hands… fell limp in both Laura and Kento's grip.
…No. He trembled, almost abruptly releasing his hold on the dead man. He's… Kento shook his head, eyes wide, mixed with confusion, denial, and most importantly… fear. He can't be…
A hand came to rest on his shoulder. He turned to look at Rowen, his entire form still shaken, still in disbelief, eyes still open in shocked stupor. He's never seen death take away someone right in front of his eyes. Someone he was physically holding… supporting… trying to somehow keep alive. The feeling of life one moment, and then death the next left him stunned.
His body began to heave, each time his chest rose his lips trembled as he tried to force back the tears. Rowen had to tightened his grip on the boy's shoulder, offering him some comfort, some strength, as Kento cried out in bitterness. "That wasn't fair." He shook his head, eyes watering despite himself. "That wasn't fair…"
Slam!!
The hard thud against concrete startled them. Kento looked up. Looked up to see the downcast face, the balled up fists, and the rage, bitterness, sorrow, and guilt mixed up within the aching soul of one teenaged girl.
She slammed her fist into the ground again, ignoring the wounds that already stained her hand red. "Shit," she cursed. "Shit. Shit. Shit!! How COULD they!?"
Rowen raised a brow. They?
"Laura?" Cye wanted to reach out and touch her. Maybe offer her some solace. But her anger was too great. Her sorrow too deep. And at that moment, he could not reach her. Her, the demon hunter. The one who's will he thought would never shatter, either as Lady Sierra or Laura Kinoku. She would never show weakness. Never reveal pain. But…
"Damn it!!!!" she screamed, lowering her head to the ground, a few sobs racking through her body. "Damn it…"
He wouldn't leave her like this.
Laura didn't realize who had wrapped their arms around her… Who had pulled her into their embrace, rocking her back and forth like a parent would do for their frightened child… But she welcomed the compassion that Cye showed her. And despite what her mind would have told her… She cried. She cried long and hard in his arms, letting him comfort her as she poured out her soul to him, like a little girl, showing her weakness to everyone and not caring at all.
***
He was placed in a body bag.
As cruel and uncaring as it sounds, the man was quickly packed up in a body bag, laid out on a stretcher, and sent into the hospital… Into the mortuary.
The doctor that had examined him didn't have anything new to reveal about his death other than what the Ronins already knew: he had a few minor burns and died of a high fever. But they knew better than that. The whole incident had 'demon' written all over it. The ill feeling Kento felt when seeing the fire… The fact that there was no source of the blaze, the fire said to have started instantaneously on all floors… The unexplained death of the man, and, as they now found out from the doctor, similar other cases reported to have happened in that same hour at the site of the fire… All of it was too suspicious. Nothing was just a coincidence anymore.
Ryo watched silently as the stretcher was wheeled through the double doors, offering the man a short prayer before he left… forever. May you finally rest in peace. He turned back towards his friends, all in dampened spirits. But for the most part, alert, and determined to find out what exactly was going on… and stop it. His gaze fell on each of his friends, pausing when he came across Cye, Laura still buried in his arms.
He looked up at his leader for a moment before shaking his head. Ryo understood, and motioned for the other two to follow him inside.
Damn it. He gritted his teeth, not liking that last piece of information he had just found out from the guys.
It was Laura's apartment.
She had been right. Now he knew that the fire wasn't by chance. And with how strangely that man had died… No. This was definitely not an accident. But what to do next… and how to prevent any more deaths… He had absolutely no clue.
"Ryo!!"
He stopped, turning around to face his two companions. "What, Kento?"
The boy crossed his arms in a huff. "Don't 'what, Kento?' me. I've called your name several times already!!"
He did? Ryo scratched his head. He must have unconsciously tuned out. "Sorry."
He sighed. "S'okay. Just tell us what's going on Ry."
Ryo wasn't too eager to respond to that.
"C'mon!" Kento pressed on, all kidding aside, his expression serious. "A man just died, and that was not by any natural means. If you know something, you'd better tell us."
He was debating whether or not it would be wise to open up the Lady Sierra issue right now when he heard a cry of pain just down the corridor, followed by a woman's shrieks and a man demanding that someone help their daughter. His feet where in motion before he knew it, Ryo bursting through the front door only to stop dead in his tracks.
The lobby room was stocked full of people!! Men, women, children, the young, and the young at heart. So many were inside, sporting expressions of fear, worry, anger, or pain.
"You've got to be kidding me." Kento took a step back. "This can't be for real!"
"What's going on?" Rowen managed to breathe out, completely horrified by how many came to the hospital from the apartment site. Most were lying down on chairs, family members' laps, or just on the floor. A few were already plagued with unbearably high fevers and pale, sweaty faces. Many others were just starting to feel ill, finding the hospital room rather hot for their tastes. And the few people who were not sick, who came to get help and support their loved ones, were up and about, demanding hasty assistance from the few staff members that so happened to be out in the lobby.
Ryo spotted the man who he heard shouting down the hall, his wife by his side carrying a two year old girl in her arms. He was dirtied, and tired looking, the same condition as his spouse. But neither of them seemed to have any injuries. Their daughter however…
"What's the hold up!!" the father shouted. "Where's the doctor?? My daughter needs a doctor!"
"Please, be patient," Cassy tried to calm him. "Our doctors are currently busy dealing with patients from the Kanaji incident, and the rest have to tend to the other patients in the hospital. We can't just call all the doctors away from their present duties."
"So what are you saying?" he demanded, a hard edge sharpening his tone. "You won't help my girl? You'll let her die??"
"She is not severely burned. The nurses we have here can temporarily bandage the injuries until a doctor can treat her."
"No…" the mother shook her head, clutching onto her child more tightly. "No, she'll die by then!"
"Ma'am, your daughter's wounds are not life threatening. She'll---"
"You know nothing then!!" she suddenly snapped. "I came directly from the Kanaji apartment complex! And a fire fighter, who was barely scorched by the flames died almost instantly where he stood!!"
"That's right!!" another man butted in, here with his wife, who had a large burn mark across her face, weary with fever. "Several others, all with very minor injuries, are already dead! What can you say about that??"
The room was immediately in an uproar, cries and shouts of anger being thrown carelessly across the room.
"Almost all the people here have some kind of burn!! How long until we wind up dead, like the others??"
"Help up!!"
"You're a nurse. Do something!!"
"Everyone stop this!!"
Cassy breathed a sigh of relief. "Ishida-san…"
The head nurse crossed her arms over her chest, eyes passing over each person with a disapproving glare. "I do not believe this. You all should be ashamed for harassing the medical staff like this! We are working as fast as we are able to help all of the survivors from the Kanaji incident. The least you can do is cooperate with us in our attempt to get all the injured medical attention as quickly as possible!"
She sighed, softening her tone slightly when the room had grown silent, all eyes on her. "I know you are scared. But you do not have to worry." Just then, Rhana came up behind Nurse Ishida and quickly whispered something in her ear. The smile that had formed on her lips was one of utmost relief. "Everyone, pay attention. Because of the numerous injured who came to Kou Seika, Hinaka Medical is willing to send over all the extra doctors and medical personnel they have. They, and the remaining doctors who were out on call will be arriving here very shortly. Ten minutes at the most."
A collective sigh of relief and excited chatter could be heard among the group of Kanaji survivors, smiles of hope and thankfulness reaching even the weakest of the group.
Nurse Ishida raised her hand. "Settle down, everyone and please listen. We need to divide you into groups. The most severe of cases will stay on this ground floor. Rhana will direct you where to go. Everyone else, please follow Cassy into the west wing."
"That was great, Nurse Ishida."
The woman blinked, having been slightly startled from her preoccupation with the other patients to notice Ryo standing beside her. She smiled slightly. "Thank you."
"Can we…" He waved a hand towards Rowen and Kento. "…help you in any way?"
"You can help me by getting better," was her response. "We'll do just fine. Thank you, Ryo."
He nodded.
"Oh, but there is something you can do for me," she suddenly remembered. "That boy you brought in… Sage is it? His family will be here shortly."
"So soon?"
Rowen jabbed Kento in the side, making him hold his tongue.
"Can you show them to his room?" Nurse Ishida continued, missing that exchange. "Because of how hectic things are getting, visitors aren't allowed for the rest of the night. But they were already on their way and I thought they should at least get to see their son and know that he's fine."
"Um… sure, Nurse Ishida. I'll show them in," Ryo agreed, then asked, as if he didn't know, "What room is it?"
"63B, on the fourth floor. When they get here, please tell them not to disturb his rest. I've already talked to Mrs. Date, but just remind them for me. He's still very fragile at the moment."
"Hai."
She smiled, touching his shoulder in warm gesture. "Thank you, Ryo. When things settle down, I'll go up to check on you guys."
"Hai," he repeated again. "Good luck, Ishida-san."
She nodded, then left the group of boys in the lobby, now completely empty.
"So…" Kento started after a heavy period of silence. "Are they…?"
"I don't know." It was Rowen who replied, his tone thick with sadness. "They'll have help but… for something like this…"
"Oh, c'mon!!" Ryo was furious at the way they were acting. "What's gotten into you two??"
"I'm happy to see that you're thinking positive, Ryo," Rowen forced out through clenched teeth. "But it's not just a fever they're dealing with!! It's not just a few burns!!" He slammed his fist against the lobby desk, eyes boring directly into his leader's, a dark midnight sky against flaming tiger blue. "I didn't have my armor's abilities, but I felt it, Ryo!! That man was murdered!! And by a demon!! How can anything manmade fight against something like that!?!?"
"But we can't give up!!" Ryo shouted back. "If we do, all of those people we saw… the men, women, children… all of their fates will be sealed if we give up!! We can't!!"
"But what can we do!?" Kento had suddenly entered the fray, not being able to keep himself out of the fight any longer. "Ryo, we don't have our armors! And even if we did, how can we save those people?! We can't protect them from something that's killing them from the inside!"
"It's… a poison."
"What?"
Rowen placed a hand on his chin, his heated anger from before miraculously nonexistent now. "Laura said that it was a poison. A curse driven by spite."
Kento shook his head,. "Rowen, she was just making that up. You know, humor a dying man?"
Ryo blinked. Once. Then twice. "How… long have you…?"
He shrugged nonchalantly, a very faint smile playing across his lips. "Fifteen minutes."
"Huh?" Kento looked from Rowen, then to Ryo, who was chuckling softly. An eyebrow rose. "You guys…"
"A poison, huh?" Ryo crossed his arms over his chest, then shook his head solemnly. "No, we're still at a dead end. Sage is the only one who could possibly stand up to something like that."
"You guys…"
"Well what about…?" Rowen motioned with his hand, suggesting Laura. Ryo shook his head. No.
"You guys!!"
"What, Kento?"
Fuming in anger, completely missing the playful smile that passed Ryo's face and the mischievous glint sparkling in Rowen's eyes, Kento blew up at the two of them. "This ain't funny no more!! Tell me what the hell is going on before I---!!!"
"Laura's Lady Sierra."
Silence.
Then…
Kento laughed, lightly punching Rowen in the arm. "Dude, quit playin' with me. I'm trying to be serious here."
***
It was getting cold. Cye had no clue what time it was. But it was late. He'd been outside with Laura for a while now, still cradling the girl in his arms, shielding her from the cold in many ways than one. He felt tired. Maybe hearing her cry had worn him out. But he was glad that he was here for her, to help if only in the slightest. No one deserved to face their burdens alone.
Slowly, gently, Laura got up. Without a word, she made her way over to her discarded duffel bag, lying by the hospital doors. Cye stood up, dusting off his pants as she looked through her bag for something, then picked the whole thing up and slung the strap securely over her shoulder. She stopped.
"You realize… that a demon killed that man."
"I know."
"What will you do?"
"…Fight."
She laughed, a sad sort of sound. Yet she had expected him to say that. "You know, you're not one for battle, Cye."
"I know… But a fighter isn't always needed to win a war."
A smirk. "How true."
Cye watched as she turned around, first curious, then completely amazed. In her hand, was the pouch that contained their armor orbs.
Quietly, she reached her hand into the pouch and pulled out his light blue crystal, still glowing bright, even more so now that it was closer to its master. After a moment, she stretched out her hand to him, the armor of Torrent resting peacefully in her palm. Waiting.
He hesitated at first, but then took a bold step forward, one foot at a time, until he was standing right in front of the demon hunter that had stolen his armor less than a week ago. He gazed at the familiar object, but did not make a move to take it. Instead, he looked at Laura, confused.
"It doesn't belong to me," she answered his unspoken question, taking his hand and placing the armor orb back in his possession. "It'd be better off in your hands."
Cye closed his hand over the crystalline marble, feeling its soothing strength once again. "Will you be returning the other two armor orbs?"
"I will."
"And then what?"
Laura smiled at him. She knew what he was concerned about. "I've already made up my mind," she told him quite cheerfully. "And you don't need to worry."
His lips curled up slightly, letting out a small sigh of relief before he tucked his armor orb away in his slack pocket. "Shall we?"
"Of course."
***
"I am serious!"
"Naw, stop messin' with me, Ro. That ain't something to joke about."
Rowen desperately wanted to bang his head against something. Kento could not be this thickheaded!!
Ryo was very close to succumbing to laughing fits when Cye and Laura made their entrance. Immediately, he swallowed up what merriment he still had within his system, straightening up his posture.
Laura…
She seemed… happier now. Cye must have been able to help her after all. But… His eyes hardened, remembering what needed to be done.
"Laura," he addressed her once the two had rejoined their group. "What do you know about the nature of that man's death?"
"What prompted this?"
There was a pause.
She titled her head inquiringly. "Ryo?"
I'm sorry, to have to shatter your sense of peace right now, Laura. "You can imagine, that the man that just died could not have been the only one from your apartment that's still alive." He waited, or maybe he stalled. He wasn't sure which. But Ryo only continued speaking when Laura mutely nodded to him. "There was about, forty people in the room a few minutes ago… All of them, were from the Kanaji fire incident."
"…How many of them had burn marks?" she asked quietly.
He looked to Rowen for help on this one.
"A little more than thirty, I'm guessing."
"Some already have high fevers," Ryo added. "Laura, is there anything we can do to stop this?"
Silence. And then…
"…There is nothing."
Ryo shook his head, unbelieving. "No… No, don't say that!"
"Ryo there is nothing we can do," she repeated again, forcing out each word, the hurt of admitting it present in her voice. "Nothing…"
"I don't believe it." Their attention was suddenly directed towards Cye. "Gomen," he apologized. "But I don't believe in hopeless situations. There's got to be a way around it."
"Laura, can you just tell us what you know?" Rowen asked. "Just anything you're thinking. Shoot it out to us." He then grinned, casting a knowing glance to the rest of his friends. "We sorta have a knack for piecing together plans with barely nothing to work with."
She laughed, if not restrained, but she did laugh. "I don't know what you're thinking Rowen but… alright."
"From what I know, poison this strong can only be created through intense rage. I'm guessing that a demon must have woven his desire for revenge into the fire so anyone who's burned by it is destined to die. As you saw earlier, the symptoms are violent convulsions and an unbelievably high body temperature that is scalding to the touch. The victims innards are slowly burned away, until the body can no longer sustain life, and dies."
Kento gagged at the mental image, making a face. "Nasty."
"So, anyone bearing a burn mark will die?" A nod. "But then how can you explain the various times of death? What of that?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well," Rowen began. "From what I could gather, it seems as if everyone with minor injuries were the first to die. Those with second-degree burns and such are only now falling into high fevers and instances of convulsions. But, if most of the doctors are still preoccupied, that means that the worst cases of the Kanaji fire are still alive."
"That's odd." Cye crossed his arms. "You'd think it'd be the opposite."
"No. It's a… reverse poison."
"Reverse?"
Laura nodded gravely. "A thing called Demon's Spite. It's a cruel, twisted kind of poison, meant to cause as much suffering possible before death. The least injured, the ones that are supposed to live, die quickly, seeming without cause, and as painfully as possible. An hour's suffering at least. And their mysterious deaths are meant to terrify whoever's left alive; those with severe injuries but not life threatening. They live the few hours they can, waiting in fear and anticipation."
Kento clenched his fists, his arm trembling in anger. This was an abomination!! To purposely draw out human suffering to it's max…
"That's not all," she continued, keeping her voice even despite her feelings towards what was being done. "Those on the brink of death have it worse. Because they're so far gone, the poison takes the opposite effect. It makes them live for a longer period than they should, knowing death is an approaching reality. But now it's tauntingly in their grasp, and yet they still suffer in their own burnt up bodies."
Hardrock couldn't take it anymore, slamming his fist against the side of the lobby desk, the force of his blow echoing in the room, the flimsy makeup of the desk wobbling under his strike. "Sick bastards."
"And there's nothing we can do?" Rowen asked again. "You know so much about this. It must have happened before, correct? You must have tried something at the time."
It always amazed her how much Rowen was on the ball. She nodded once. "There was one case, back when I still lived with my clan. But the only reason we were successful was because we were able to act at the very moment he was poisoned. It's… It's too late now."
"Bullshit." Everyone was more than a bit surprised at the tone Ryo used, especially when addressing Laura. "If you were able to do it once, then we---"
"This is different, Ryo," she cut him off. "I only called this situation hopeless because we can't search all of Tokyo for a demonic spirit that could have very well passed onto the other world by now. It's a dead end."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold it!" Rowen had interceded just in time, stopping the pair from taking this argument any further. Obviously, Laura and Ryo had never butt heads before, not knowing each other well enough to do so. But now wasn't exactly the best time to take their friendship up to the next level. Besides, something that Laura had said had caught his interest. "What was that about the demonic spirit?"
The ninja took a moment to collect her thoughts, not to mention calm down. "Demon's Spite can only be generated by dead demons. At the time of death, their hatred and rage has to reach such an unbalanced peak that their spirit becomes restless and stays in this world. Something like ghosts. But with demons, their aggressive energies can manifest itself into a raging spirit out for revenge. And in some rare cases like this, create a poison within itself and lash out at the first victim it sees.
"Killing the demon who created the poison is the only way to reverse it. And in our case, we were able to hunt down the spirit and exorcise it. But now…"
Rowen nodded in understanding. "We don't know what it looks like or where it went."
"And it could have passed on to the other world already," Laura added. "Weak demonic spirits can't maintain their form on earth for long."
"So, if this demon thing decides to kick the can already before we get to it, then we're screwed, right?"
"Yup."
Kento folded his arms over his chest. "Well that's just great."
"But there's still hope." Ryo was determined now, that familiar fire blazing in his eyes. "If we could just find the spirit…"
"You're being too optimistic."
"Hey, you're the one who told me to believe." His eyes danced brightly at her surprised look, flashing her a smile. "So I am."
Rowen shook his head, but he was ready to go. As was Kento. "Where should we start, O fearless leader?"
"What about the apartment?"
That was Cye who had spoken, which surprised the rest of them, seeing as how he hasn't said a word for a while now. Actually, they had very well thought he was not listening to their discussion. With his arms folded on the table counter of the front desk, staring at the TV screen like that, it appeared as if he was completely absorbed in what he was watching when in fact, half of his ear was always open to their conversation. And he had managed to pick out every important detail… and then some.
"Why the suggestion for the apartment, Cye?" Rowen asked, just out of curiosity. As a response, he merely pointed to the small TV hanging in a corner of the lobby room. It was tuned into the news report… of the Kanaji fire incident.
The fire at the Kanaji apartment complex is still raging on, firefighters pushing for their second hour in battling this out of control blaze, the news anchor's voice reported while the TV showed the helicopter view of the area, lit brightly against the blackness of light, the fires dancing tauntingly. Amazingly, the fire seems to be growing since it first began at about 7:48 this evening. Already the blaze has reached a few other resident apartments towards the back of the building. Fortunately, the surrounding area has already been evacuated of civilians.
Ryo watched the monitor, the image of a firefighter coming on screen, the man almost being scorched by the flames that seemed to lash out towards him, as if on its own. The Ronin narrowed his eyes. If he didn't know any better, it'd seem as if the fire really did move to attack him!
"Laura!"
She nodded towards him. She had seen it too. "Unbelievable…" She couldn't believe their luck. It was lingering around the apartment the whole time! "We found it."
"Do you think…" Ryo's voice had lowered. "…that it's…?"
"Yes." Her gaze turned up towards the monitor, towards the raging demonic spirit that manipulated the fire. "It's the demon you slayed."
Rowen arched a brow. "The demon you slayed?"
"He and Sage fought a demon this afternoon at my apartment," Laura informed him.
So that explained his arm. And also the reason as to why Sage wasn't with them. "He didn't take to losing very well, now did he," Rowen commented lightly, but stopped when he saw how Ryo looked on at the screen with rising animosity, a passionate blaze of his own, driven by hatred, rising around him. It only stopped when Laura placed a restraining hand on his shoulder.
"You can't go."
He gritted his teeth.
"Hey, I want to tear him apart too," Laura reminded him. "But he's still very strong, even when dead. If he sees either one of us now…"
"I'll go."
Cye pushed himself off of the table counter, looking to Ryo, and then Laura. "All I have to do is put out the fire, right?"
"His spirit has been fused into the flames," she explained with a nod. "Extinguish the fire and you destroy the demon."
"Alright. Wish me luck."
Kento moved to block his exit. "Cye, what do you think you're doing??"
"Water is stronger than fire," he simply stated. "Torrent and I can handle this."
"You don't have your armor orb or have you forgotten!!"
In reply, the boy casually pulled out the glowing blue orb from his pocket, flashing it in front of his friend's eyes. Kento was speechless.
Immediately, Ryo and Rowen looked towards Laura in an incredulous fashion. 'You gave it back to him??' was the unspoken question their expressions seemed to convey. Laura quietly nodded, about to say something when Kento's paralyzed silence came to an abrupt end.
"Where the hell did you get that!?"
Cye blinked. …And so did Laura. He doesn't KNOW??
A set of pale hazel eyes, followed by sea green came to rest on the Ronin leader who only shrugged sheepishly. Cye couldn't believe it. With the way everyone was acting, he assumed that Ryo had told them when he was still outside with Laura. Although he has to admit that he did find it suspicious that Kento hadn't said anything to comment as of yet… but still!! He didn't tell him??
"You didn't tell him??" Laura hissed, turning to face Ryo. How could he possibly let her go on talking like that when Kento didn't know???
"Actually, we did," Rowen broke in.
"Oh…" Silence. "He didn't believe you, did he?"
"Nope."
"Cye!!"
"Calm down, Kento," he tried to pacify his friend, but soon sighed in resignation at the hard, demanding look he was giving him. Quietly, he directed a finger behind the boy. "I got it from her."
Kento spun around… and did not believe his eyes.
"Laura!?!?" he practically screamed, surprising everyone with his rather horrified look. "You---?! You're---?!" He turned to Cye. "She's---?!"
Cye, normally very tolerant towards his friend's outburst, cast his eyes back towards the heavens, pleading for assistance. Obviously, they missed his call.
"She's Lady Sierra!?!?"
"Yes Kento," Rowen brusquely answered, getting tired at how the Chinese boy was over exaggerating the whole situation. "Can we move on now?"
"No we can't just 'move on now' Rowen!!" Kento snapped, suddenly rounding on him. "How can you just stand there and be okay about this?!"
"Kento, that's enough."
He turned his gaze towards Ryo. "We'll talk about this later, alright?"
Kento didn't respond.
"I promise," Ryo assured him. "But not now."
"Tch." The Ronin of Hardrock crossed his arms in discontent. But he conceded nonetheless.
Ryo sighed to himself, glad for the small window of peace that was temporarily granted to him. He lifted his head to Cye; a quick gesture, understood. Cye nodded once, then departed from the premises, donning his sub armor the moment he entered the cold night air. Soon, he was out prowling within the shadows.
Not exactly fitting to his personality, but he wanted to make sure no one saw him that night. The Kanaji incident was all over the news. The unnatural deaths of its victims fresh in everyone's mind. The last thing they needed was the report of a mysterious shadow lurking around the site to add to the people's already running wild imaginations. Now how am I going to do this? he wondered to himself, taking the back alleys around Tokyo to get to his destination. The media was going to be there. Firefighters as well. And there were at least three helicopters --- one media, two police --- hovering around the area.
"Damn it," he swore softly, coming across the barricade where the police were currently trying to keep the media at bay and still clear a safe route for ambulances and fire trucks to go in and out. His ground route was blocked.
Cye looked up towards the sky, to the rooftops. Well I guess I have no choice. He'd just have to be extra careful while traveling. It wouldn't be too favorable to him and his friends if he wound up on national television.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
::Gets whacked by and inflatable hammer and then buried in packaging peanuts:: ^^;; Geez. No sympathy whatsoever. Now I was going to have this up on Christmas day but FF.net is being rather stubborn with me right now. Besides, I don't know if it would have been good timing on my part to release this chapter for the holidays. There was some humor. But this part of the fic was rather grave dealing with a very serious situation. Sorry for having had built up the suspense and not deliver the expected fight. Cye's battle with the demonic spirit of the Kanaji fire will be the opening scene of the next chapter. And I promise that it'll be good for all you Cye fans out there. ^_^
Happy Holidays!! ^.^