Chapter summary: They won the battle. Victory was theirs and his wish to return to his life on Earth has been granted. If that's the case, then why, amongst all things, did he feel like he lost?
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Flora and Fauna – Chapter 2: Unmoving
He abruptly rose to sit up as if inhaling his first sharp breath from drowning.
Frantic wheezing followed, then his pupils magnified at the sight surrounding him. He felt the roughness of the cold, hard concrete beneath his palms that were planted on the ground in order to keep his posture upright. He saw the other four 'warriors' did the same, as if all seemed to have awakened from a weird dream. They were back inside the Space Plant which was now left in ruins.
After finally gathering their thoughts together, he heard one of his friends whisper. "We won?"
"Yeah. I think we did," another confirmed as if waking up from a daze.
"We won! Bahahahahaha!" came the boisterous laughter and foolish prancing performed by HoroHoro, Chocolove and Ryu. Lyserg, as usual, enjoyed the sight of the others from the sidelines with a triumphant smile on his face.
He heard footsteps approaching. "Ts, bunch of idiots." Ren was now towering above him, offering his hand, "And you? How long are you going to daydream there, Asakura?"
A broad smile brightened up his face.
He took his comrade's hand which immediately pulled him up. He dusted his pants off once on his feet. The others watched them with mixed expressions tinged with exhaustion but mainly with victory.
It didn't take long for them to device an oversoul that could bring them back to land. Basically, Ryu just had to repeat what he did in the last plant with his Over Soul, Orochi, but this time, to protect them from water.
They were about to set off with a plan to pluck the Iron Maiden Jeanne from the Valley Plant along the way, but a thought suddenly sank in.
"Wait," he mumbled towards the group. Everyone looked at him curiously and they could only watch what he planned to do next.
Turning the opposite way, he strode towards a recognizable corpse surrounded by splattered blood which he himself has caused. Eyes ladened with sorrow, he glanced towards the decapitated head at his feet before crouching down to run his hand over the head's bloodshot eyes to press the lids shut. The others noticed his momentary display of melancholia and helped position the body next to the severed part in a more dignified way. He then retrieved a silver object and stared at the star which was engraved on his loot before enclosing it in his palm and exhaling with a thought of gratitude towards his twin who heeded his wish to return to his life on Earth.
He pivoted to face his allies and declared "Let's go home," with his signature carefree smirk that earned cheers.
And before they knew it, they have successfully propelled themselves afloat the ocean, heading a beeline towards the coast. Waves crashing against the shoreline reached his ears and the surroundings gave off the feeling of a refreshing start.
Rebirth.
Familiar faces met them by the beach. The spirits who were only summoned for the purpose of sending their moral support have now returned to their own communes in the Great Spirits; and those who have been revived, like them, were applauding wildly, receiving them in a hero's welcome.
Every single being cheered on for their success, and the group of heroic teenagers was met warmly by their families and friends.
"Nee-saaaaaaan!" The celebration was interrupted when a horrified shriek cut through the jovial atmosphere. All movements ceased to search for the source of the sound.
It was Redseb, he recognised voice.
Smile slowly disappearing, he paced through the crowd with each step quicker than the last, not caring if the coarse sand started to seethe through his sandals or if the wind hurt his eyes. He had an unsettling feeling down his gut, so he was determined to find out why. Mid-way down his tracks, he was met by his human friend who looked worried as hell.
"Yoh-kun! Anna-san… She's…"
The uneasy feeling doubled, and he felt nauseous, but Manta looking like he was about to pass out first did not help at all. He didn't wait to hear the rest of Manta's words for he was sure he wouldn't like them at all. So instead, he walked past in haste, only to be met by a scenario that would probably haunt his dreams forever.
For there lay unmoving on the ground, his precious fiancee. His Anna.
Her upper body was carefully held up by Tamao with the Munzer kids kneeling by her side. He struggled to keep his calm demeanour as panic violently prevailed inside him.
"What happened?" he managed to blurt out as he rushed to their aid.
"Yoh nii-san! There's something wrong with nee-san!" the Munzer boy muttered in agitation.
"She wouldn't wake up no matter what we do," Seyram added.
"Yoh-sama…" Tamao started but could not finish her words. She could only watch his countenance that was filled with bewilderment.
His first instinct was to sink on his knees to and cradle Anna in his arms. Her frigid skin was the first thing he noticed, then the absence of her chest's rise and fall. He didn't want to believe what his other instincts told him, so he perched her tiny face between his hands and fused his forehead against hers.
"Anna…" he urged her to wake but was only responded by the droplets of seawater sliding off his arm and the fog that his own breath created. Everyone witnessed the scene with mixed emotions.
Nothing.
"Anna, wake up..." he whispered while wiping off the strands of hair that clung to her cheeks. "We won. We finally… So please…" It was hard to speak as her tried his hardest to swallow the lumps that formed in his throat.
"Asakura Yoh," Sati called out while approaching them. "It's alright. She must've just passed out from exhaustion. She only needs rest to…"
"No."
Sati's face denoted shock upon hearing his response. His face was hidden behind the shadow created by his hair.
"No. You— you don't understand." He raised his head to plead directly towards the leader of Ghandara, only to reveal eyes that were on the brink of tears. She felt as if he was trying to convey her a hidden message. A well-guarded secret that was threatening to be revealed. "Please…" Sati was taken aback by the desperation in his aura, "we need to bring her to a hospital."
Everybody that surrounded them appeared worried for their main hero and heroine but remained silent. Surely, most of them have seen Yoh angry, sad and whatnot; but rare were the times they saw him this distraught.
The Asakuras closed in on the spot where he was situated, curious as to what was causing their heir's erratic composure. They watched intently when Sati seemed to have caught a hint when she stooped beside him and her.
"May I?" Sati gestured before touching Anna's abdomen and her eyes widened at the slightest contact. Her gaze shifted towards the lad in front of him, who still had a pleading look, right after she realised what was possibly causing the young man's distress. She gently planted the rest of her palm on the unconscious lady before her and her hand glowed for a second of two. She mumbled a few chants under her breath, but nothing worked. She tried to communicate with Anna from the afterlife, but it felt like a force greater than all hindered her intentions. Sati drew a worried smile before declaring, "He is right. We need to bring her to the hospital."
They would have enough time to remedy Anna's situation, to call forth her soul to return to her body. It wasn't what worried her. The far more urgent case, however, was what laid inside the unconscious itako.
This has sparked further curiosity in their onlookers' minds, but all attentions were seized by the sound of a helicopter hovering above, ready to land on the ground they occupied.
"Yoh-kun." He turned his head in shock towards Manta who spoke with a small smile, "I already called for help. Let's go."
He silently thanked the gods for his best friend.
"Yoh."
He stirred to a light tap on his shoulder. His automatic response was to search for Anna and he recovered his calm when he saw her still motionless on the bed with his hand still linked to hers. He avoided dwelling on the fact that she was still connected to a machine through a tube on her mouth as a means of life support; and that her left hand was starting to bruise and swell due to being hooked with multiple fluids as a means of artificial nutrition.
Trying his best to shake off the drowsiness and exhaustion, he opened one eye lazily before he craned his neck to acknowledge the one who sought for him. His grandmother welcomed him, and accompanying her were Tamao, Keiko and a nurse, all holding hygiene products with some towels and a basin. He smiled at them weakly as he saw their reassuring gazes.
There was a faint beam of light entering the hospital room via the window's closed curtains, signalling the start of a day anew. He understood that it was time for Anna's morning bed bath, yet he still didn't let go of her hand.
Seeing his reluctance, his mom decided to coax him further, "We will be quick, as usual, son."
"Breakfast is served and the others are hoping to see you, Yoh-sama," added Tamao.
"I don't think I'm that hung—"
"Yoh. Please. We won't be long," came his grandmother's curt reply. "We promise to call for you immediately if something changes, okay?"
He could only nod and sigh in response before leaving the room, but not without throwing one last glance at Anna.
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A/N: Sooo, guess who's got the virus? Welp. I guess more time for Hoping to finally come up with my long-awaited Mother's day special.
Anyway, I promised to upload on Thursdays to honour Shama King Thursdays so, here you go! It is still Thursday, right?xD Please tell me what you think. Hope to see you in the final chapter!
Show me some love!;3
