An/ Okay, jeez, you all will hate me at the end of this chapter, but please read and review anyway, kk? … Please?
Chapter 20/ Unbelievable truth
(Author's PoV)
Daisuke had never been so nauseatingly terrified in his entire life. His family drove as quickly as they could in that weather, but it wasn't fast enough to him. What had the woman on the phone meant by 'critical condition'? What happened to Satoshi? Was he safe? Was he awake… or alive?
His mind whirled with all of the worst possible options. Meanwhile, Emiko kept reassuring him that Satoshi was perfectly fine and it was probably something minor…
Since when have 'critical' and 'minor' meant the thing?
Their car hadn't even stopped moving when he opened the side door and jumped out. As he bolted into the sterile facility, he was barely able to get the commander's room number without sounding slightly frantic.
Fifth floor… Room 502…
There was something haunting about that number that Daisuke was too worried to recognize. Moving as quickly as he could manage, he reached the room while panting heavily. The door before him stood with a looming, ghostly sense of uneasiness that made him hesitate. (1)
Having caught his breath, he reached out to turn the handle and enter.
"Niwa Daisuke?"
Daisuke nearly jumped completely around to face a man in a long white jacket. His face was solemn and there were bags under his eyes which gave away his tiresome day.
"Yes?"
"Hello, there. I am Dr. Raenef," he said, shaking hands (2). Swiftly glancing down the hallway, he asked, "Are one of your parents here with you?"
"My family's coming," he answered, indicating the moving elevator. "I guess I was just in a hurry and left them behind…"
The man chuckled lightly at the small teen. "Young Hiwatari is a good friend of yours, then?"
Daisuke stared at the awaiting elevator, his heart swelling with emotions. "Yes, a very close friend."
"Daisuke?" called Emiko as she glanced around the floor before noticing him. Dr. Raenef introduced himself to them and pulled them aside to explain the situation. Daisuke sat in a chair by the door where he could over hear their conversation without him realizing.
"I'm afraid the news of Mr. Hiwatari's condition is unpleasant. He is alive, but he's failing. He is still capable of speech at the moment, and we got him to tell us as he would before he simply refused to answer any more questions. Apparently, he was dozing while driving his motorcycle and spun out on the icy road. He was thrown off into a snow bank, so his injuries were minor. Only a few scratches and bruises here and there."
"So, what's wrong with him?" questioned Kosuke, knowing full well what the answer was.
"Well… we're not sure. Physically, he's fine. But mentally… He has strange brain activity that's basically draining him. Unfortunately, we can't seem to identify it."
A muffled 'Oh my…' was heard from Emiko, but Kosuke and Daichi stayed calm and waited for more. When Dr. Raenef didn't continue, Daisuke looked up from the square of tile flooring that he had been staring at.
"How long does he have to live?"
The four adults turned to the young teen surprisingly, having thought that they were speaking low enough not to be heard.
"At the rate of which his body is shutting down, I'm afraid that he probably won't last through the night," answered Raenef hesitantly.
Daisuke looked back to the floor. It was easier to stare at something that wasn't staring back. What was happening? How could something like this have occurred so suddenly? Closing his eyes, he rose from his chair, and no one tried to stop him as he entered room 502.
"Satoshi?"
He spoke lightly in hopes of not waking the other if he happened to be asleep. The Commander's eyes were closed in apparent solace and his breathing was steady. If the thief hadn't known better, he would have thought that the boy was in a restful state of mind…
But no… something strange was going on…
Satoshi was dying…
But how…?
He blinked away tears of confusion and worry for the time being, and advanced to Satoshi's bedside. If only they knew the cause, they may be able to save him.
"Satoshi? Are you awake?"
A nod was his only answer. And it reminded him of how only two weeks ago, it was the only way the elder teen acknowledged him. A single tear escaped his control and slid down his cheek at the thought of the tiny gestures that he would never be able to see again once Satoshi passed.
'He can't die…'
The blue eyes blinked open to find red ones. "Hello, Daisuke. How was dinner with your family?"
"Uh," stammered the redhead, having completely forgotten the dinner that he had promised the other. "It was fun," he lied.
"You're lying. You always were an awful liar."
"Yeah, well," was all the younger could come up with to defend himself. Rubbing the back of his head, he thought it best to change the topic. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired."
"You're not in any pain, are you?"
"No. Except for a headache, but that may be due to all of Krad's screaming."
"What is he yelling about?"
"I can't tell. Maybe if he slowed down and stopped snarling, I might be able to understand him," said Satoshi as he mentally glared at the fallen angel.
;; I said, 'Do you know what the hell is happening?' You're dying! And do you know who's killing you? Your dimwit of a boyfriend! ;;
; I'd rather die than keep living with you in my head. ;
;; But what about the klutz? Would you rather die, or live with him? ;;
; If I had the option, then- ;
;; But you don't have the option. You'll be dead within hours! ;;
"… I know," he said aloud.
"Know what?" asked Daisuke.
Satoshi blinked at the other, having not realized that he was no longer speaking mentally to Krad. "Do you know my condition, Daisuke?"
The thief shook his head negatively. "The doctor said you were physically fine, but… there's something…"
"I'm dying, Daisuke. It's just the way it is."
"But why? How? I don't understand. You were perfectly well today. Maybe a little sleepy, but we were up late last night so that's understandable. How could this happen? No one even knows what's wrong with you!" exclaimed Daisuke, releasing some of his panic.
"That's how the Hikari curse works. I didn't notice it's affects at first, and I had hoped that it simply wouldn't come. But, I've been slowly dying since you began to love me. Even, before you realized it on Christmas Eve, you have loved me since you chose that you'd rather be my friend than my enemy. Daisuke, I am so sorry that this had to happen to you," Satoshi explained. Daisuke stared at him disbelievingly. How could the commander look so calm while he proclaimed his fading state? How could his eyes shine with knowledge as if he had known his fate from the beginning of time? How could Satoshi leave him…?
"What? You can't just give in to it! You were always so strong. You never gave up on anything. You're only fifteen, for goodness sake! You just can't die!
Daisuke fell into a low chair next to the bed and began to weep.
"Daisuke?"
The redhead simply continued crying and shook his head as he held it in his hands.
"Daisuke, listen to me. Stop crying. It won't change anything. It will get better from here on out, I swear. You'll find a beautiful woman and continue the Niwa name. You'll forget me and-"
"What!" Daisuke exclaimed through his tears as he shot a look at Satoshi. "What are you talking about? I could never forget and I never want to-"
"Listen to me," Satoshi repeated, causing Daisuke to immediately be quiet. "I want you to promise me something."
Daisuke thought for a second before nodding.
"Promise me?"
"I promise," agreed Daisuke, not caring what he was swearing to do, but only that it was Satoshi who wanted him to do it.
"Promise to go on with your life and forget about me. Promise to get Dark back and to not cry for my death. I know it seems impossible at the moment, but I trust you."
"But-" started Daisuke.
"No. You promised," reminded Satoshi, closing his eyes And for a short time, there was silence. The commander spent these minutes trying his hardest to stay awake, knowing that once he slept, he probably wouldn't return. The younger simply wanted to comprehend his boyfriend's last wishes. Why would Satoshi want him to forget about his previous existence?
"Is the any way to stop the curse, or even reverse it?"
"No. You would have to wait until the curse ran its course. Once it's over, then you may be able to find a way to reverse its affects. But, once the Hikari curse is finished, I'm already gone. How do you reverse death?"
'I'll find a way,' Daisuke thought to himself.
"And, Daisuke?"
"Yes?"
"Do you still have the spare key to my apartment?"
"Yes."
"Well, in the side table near the front door, there's a letter for you. I had meant to give it to you, but I never really… got the opportunity. It wasn't something that I just wanted to hand to you out of the blue."
"What-"
KNOCK, KNOCK
"Daisuke, we're coming in," announced Kosuke as he turned the handle. Before the younger could get out a single question about this 'letter,' his family was beside him, looking down at the unfortunate Ice Prince.
Satoshi was, needless to say, uncomfortable. He wasn't used to so many people staring at him with that look in their eyes… the one of sympathetic concern. Receiving that every now and then from Daisuke was bearable, but this…? Satoshi shifted slightly due to this new attention.
Emiko laid her hand upon his forehead as if he maybe just had a fever and all the doctors were idiots. Finding no indications of such an illness, she leaned back to take a good look at his face. "you seem tired," she said, stating the most obvious of his attributes. "We should let you rest some. You'd probably feel wonderful when you wake."
Kosuke and Daishi simply nodded, patted Satoshi on the shoulder, and headed for the door. "We'll come as early as we possibly can in the morning. Daisuke? Would you like to spend the night here with Satoshi?" asked Kosuke as his wife and father-in-law passed through the door and disappearing into the hallway. Daisuke blinked at him and nodded his consent before realizing that they were already leaving without him. When the door closed, Daisuke did his very best attempt at a glare in the door's general direction. How could they leave already! They barely walked in before they walked out! Do they understand that he's dying? How could they seem so uninterested in his well-being? Daisuke was quite angry at the thought of it all.
Satoshi sighed and allowed himself to fall into a light sleep.
XXXXXXXXXX
(Satoshi's PoV)
My eyes blinked open to see darkness surrounding me. A hauntingly cold beeping shrieked out in a constant pattern. All the feeling in my entire being was nonexistent and my attempts to move were in vain. My entire body was completely exhausted and numb, so all I could do was to lie there and stare at nothing through half-lidded eyes.
My sight slowly adjusted to the dark and I began to make out shapes in the shadows. Remarkably, I found myself still lying in the hospital room. I honestly believed that I wouldn't return.
After a few minutes, the droning beeps became annoyingly sleep inducing and I searched blindly for the cause. Next to my bed, almost floating due to the dimness of the room, was a green light that peeked and concaved repeatedly.
'Would you look at that? My heart is still beating…'
I noticed something shift on the other side of me, and soon, crimson orbs fluttered into existence. I hadn't even known that the boy was sleeping there at my bed. His head lay in his arms although he still sat in his chair.
"Satoshi?" he whispered. In seeing me awake, he slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Oh, how long have you been up?"
'Not long,' I thought, but then saw that he was still waiting for an answer. I tried to open my mouth to speak my thoughts, but failed. My jaw wouldn't comply with my requests to move, nor would my neck when I tried to nod. I was immobile in everyway except the slowing beats of my heart and my tired blinking.
"Satoshi?"
I couldn't answer him, no matter what I tried. I could only stare at him to let him know that I saw him there.
"Satoshi, say something."
'I can't…'
"Satoshi?" He nudged my shoulder softly. "Come on, Satoshi. Wake up. This is no time for your low blood pressure to slow you down."
'That isn't it…'
"I'm worried about you."
'There's nothing I can do. I'm dying…'
"You have to wake up."
'But I'm so tired…'
"Please, Satoshi. Say something."
'I'm sorry, Daisuke…'
"Satoshi?"
'I love you, Daisuke…'
"Please?"
'Daisuke…' My eyes fell closed as the beeps of the monitor continued to slow down.
"No, Satoshi! Stay awake. You have to stay with me. Satoshi!" Panicked tears began to choke his voice, and I could almost see his wide crimson eyes sobbing behind my closed lids. "Don't go! Please, Satoshi. No… please…"
The next thing I felt were his lips on mine, and I understood everything. It was like loving clarity… living, loving clarity…
It was absolute bliss, the most wonderful thing I've ever felt. For the first time in my life, I felt what it was like to be rid of my curse, of that fallen angel, to have my own mind to myself. And I was loved. Daisuke was at my side, loving me even through the milliseconds of my death. He was heartbroken, but I felt so warm. Paradise in a heartbeat… the last one I ever had. For as he pulled away… the monitor flat-lined…
I had always wondered, and now I guess I could say it was true… now I see, that there is such a thing as burning Ice and freezing Fire…
TBC…
(1) Extra kudos to the person who goes back to chapter 11 and tells me what's so ghostly about that room.
(2) Yes, I know, Raenef is the Demon Lord in 'Demon Dairies.' Lol! I thought since you all were so brilliant in finding 'Kurai,' then you all would probably find Raenef. -
AN/ don't panic… stay calm… We'll get through this tragedy together… Just… please remember…
…It isn't the end yet…
