Opening Song: "Wait and Bleed" by: Slipknot
There is an intense throbbing around the middle of my back as something cuts into me. For some reason, my mind is wandering aimlessly. I haven't felt like this since I used to drink. It's like a hazy kind of feeling where I'm floating through this big empty sky, but the pain is still there. As hard as I fight it, my eyes finally open.
It appears I am in Asuka's room. Astoreth is washing her hands with some rubbing alcohol while Hibari brings in some kind of ointment. Astoreth hasn't taken her armor off yet, but she has removed her helmet and gauntlets.
Asuka is sitting in a chair and intently watching as Octavian sits on the other side of the room, nervously rocking back and forth from anticipation. His legs fidget without consent and Daigon paces up and down the hallway with his helmet in his hands.
"Are the other girls okay?"
"Yes Alan." Astoreth answers.
"What about Ikaruga and Yagyu?"
"Jonathan is taking care of Ikaruga while M and Maria tend to Yagyu." Astoreth replies.
"What about…"
"Don't worry about them Alan, I need you to relax so I can do my job." Astoreth says.
Hibari twists the lid off the ointment and Astoreth grabs a handful of the orange gel and smears it on my back. I dig my fingernails into the bed and clench my teeth together as she rubs it on the area where my broken wings were.
I can feel the blood and fluid pouring out my back as Astoreth finishes rubbing the gel on. She washes her bloody hands off in a bowl of rubbing alcohol. Blood streaks down her hand as she briskly rubs them. The clear liquid fades into a thick black syrup as the alcohol breaks down the blood and leaves only the corruption behind. Tiny shards of what looks like a stone begin to form.
Hibari replaces the old bowl with fresh alcohol as she disposes of the one that was forming the rocks . I don't know what they rubbed all over my back, but it feels like it's got an adverse effect because instead of dulling the pain, it's amplifying.
Hibari sits down beside Octavian as Astoreth bends down beside me, "I need to relocate the bone and splint it with some osteo-epoxy."
"Will it save my wings?"
The silence that follows my question greatly concerns me. I don't want to lose my wings. Even if it's two, they were the only thing that ever made me feel like I was something other than a half-blood hunter. However, I feel like I did this to myself when I told Miyabi I had no desire to be family with her ever again. Maybe this is the punishment for saying that to her.
"Alan, I don't know. We would just have to wait and see." Astoreth says.
That means no. The amount of humiliation I feel hurts my soul, and I am not easily humiliated. A memory of Miyabi teaching me to fly comes back to me as Astoreth takes hold of one of my wings and starts to set it in place.
"This is how you use your wings Alan!"
A rift opens up in my heart. Not because of my wings, but because of how I learned to use them. Miyabi had me sit on her back as she flew around the middle of a lake.
That way if I failed, I would land in the water, and she could just scoop me up and we'd try again. Mom, dad, Murasaki and Imu were all watching from the shore as Miyabi would spin in the air, toss me off and I'd attempt to deploy my wings.
The broken wing reaches the point it's in its original position. Astoreth rubs some osteo-epoxy on the fracture and stints it with a metal cast. Out of curiosity, I look back and see that the muscle that wraps around the bone and attaches the feathers have been surgically trimmed.
The previous vision of Miyabi teaching me to fly comes back and haunts me again as Astoreth takes a hold of my other wing. Miyabi spun around and tossed me off, and as I was hurling towards the body of water for the twenty-sixth time. My wings finally sprout from my back at the last possible second, and before I knew it, I was gliding three feet (about one meter) from the surface of the water.
Miyabi flew right by my side, and the two of us were racing through the trees and washed out ravines that surrounded our homes. As we came back, Miyabi dipped one of her wings into the water and launched some at me. That aggravated me so we both flew to the shallows and proceeded to splash one another as a celebration of success.
"Okay Alan, your wings can retract now. I advise you don't use them for a while." Astoreth says.
I take a deep breath and pull my wings back in. The wings properly fold up and return into my body. Although there is still an annoying, throbbing pain that is constant, it's not as bad as it was. Astoreth steps out of the way so Asuka can approach me.
"You going to make it?"
"I'd have to think about it." I reply.
Asuka giggles as we run our hands down each other's face.
"Is there anyway I can go see Yagyu and Ikaruga?" I ask as I reach out and wipe some tears from Asuka's eyes.
"Last time I checked, M was able to save Yagyu's eye, but there's going to be a huge scar from where that woman dug her finger into Yagyu's eye."
"What about Ikaruga?"
Asuka looks back at Hibari and Hibari shakes her head as if something is wrong. Actually, I know something is wrong. I was hoping Jonathan was going to be able to do something, but judging by Asuka and Hibari's reaction, things are not looking too good.
"I…I don't know Alan. Jonathan is doing everything he can, but… there's only so much someone can do." Hibari replies.
"Take me to her."
"Alan…" Asuka pleas.
"I said take me to her."
Asuka sighs in frustration as she helps me stand. I follow Hibari out of the room and down the hallway leading to Ikaruga's room. The sounds of heavy, wet coughing are so loud that I can hear it through the door. Hibari and Asuka stand outside as I walk in. Ikaruga's constant coughing causes her to expel all the air in her lungs that she rapidly gasps and pants at the end of every fit. Almost like someone with a case of whooping cough.
Murasame is sitting at the edge of Ikaruga's bed while Jonathan tries to give her some kind of liquid medicine. Ikaruga tries to swallow, but she immediately coughs the moment it hits the back of her throat. A combination of blood and corruption sputters out her mouth along with the medicine. Jonathan grabs a tongue depressor and asks her to open her mouth. Ikaruga opens up for a couple seconds before coughing up more blood and darkness.
"Son of a bitch…" Jonathan says as he washes his hands off in a bowl of alcohol.
"So, what's going on Jonathan?" Murasame asks with a heavy voice.
"I'll tell you in a minute son." Jonathan replies as he sits at a desk and begins filling out a medical chart. Down below, he has a list that stretches from the top of the page to the bottom with elixirs and medicine names.
I walk over to the wall and stand out of the way until Jonathan finishes his paperwork. Murasame and Jonathan step out into the hallway and close the door behind me. I walk over to Ikaruga and kneel down by her side.
One of her eyes have completely developed a black lens and her iris is pulsing gold. Almost like it's trying to forcefully turn her iris red despite her body's resistance. A fan of dark veins run from the left corner of her mouth to the top of her black eyebrow. Her blanket is dotted with dried stains from her constant coughing. For a moment, I'm at a loss for words. Then it hits me. I've seen this before. Back at Hebijo. Back when Roger was still alive.
"Ikaruga?" I ask as I shake her.
"Alan?"
She rotates her neck to where she is looking directly at me. A tear laced with maroon drips down the side of her eye as she tries to reach out for me. I take hold of her cold, clammy hand. She coughs and some more fluid drizzles out of her mouth. I grab a tissue and wipe it from her mouth.
"Alan?"
"Yes Ikaruga?"
"Since it's just us in here, can I be honest with you?"
"Yes."
"It hurts. It really does." She gasps.
I dry the side of her face with another tissue, "I know Ikaruga. I know. Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Don't leave me. Please…" She wheezes with sorrow.
The door opens and Murasame walks back in. He's trying to hide the fact he's just been told bad news, but I can tell because I know from personal experience. When I asked if Minori's mother was going to make it, Jonathan pulled me out of the room, looked me straight in the eye and said, "I'm not going to sugarcoat it son. She's got a five percent chance, and there's only so much a doctor can do."
Jonathan comes back in with Astoreth. Both look like they are about to hook Ikaruga up to an IV that can distribute medicine through the veins rather than orally.
"We'll need a few minutes." Astoreth states.
Ikaruga places her free hand on her forehead and begins to silently sob as I lean over and hug her for several seconds, occasionally stroking the back of her head. It's not going to do anything other than comfort her, but anything I can do to make Ikaruga feel better is fine with me.
Murasame and I step out of the room and head to the living room. Octavian is sitting in the kitchen and staring intently at the ground like he is disappointed about something. Murasame sits down on the couch while I pull up a chair.
"Alan?"
"Yes Murasame?"
"What do we do?"
"I don't know. If there was anything I could do, I would have already done it already."
"Is Jonathan serious that Ikaruga might become…"
"Yes." Octavian interrupts.
"Isn't there some kind of pill or medicine the hunters created to cure this!? I mean, Jesus, this is my sister we are talking about!"
"I know! But the only person that could even do anything is Kagura, but she isn't going to help because the Queen managed fucked that up!" I reply.
"Could the queen do anything though?"
"She's just going to say no." Octavian says.
"Well we got to try! I mean, I'd fight the bitch bare handed if it meant she'd consider!" Murasame yells.
"It's pointless! Tell him Alan!"
"No, Murasame is right. Even if she says no, then I'll figure something out." I state.
"What!? Why are you doing this!?"
"Because I'd rather do something than sit around and do nothing. Even if I don't get what I want out of it."
Murasame and I stand up and head down the hallway towards the gym. Octavian follows after us just so he can sit there and tell us he told us so, but I don't give a damn about that or the talilbasha. Ikaruga is dying, and all that matters is saving her.
Murasame takes the lead and rips open the dojo doors for me and Octavian. The doll is standing by the queen's throne while Gehrman plays a game of solitare with a pack of cards he found.
"M! Where are you!? We need to have a little chat!" I yell as I look around for her.
"If you are seeking the queen, she is outside." The doll replies.
"Thanks."
Murasame, Octavian and I head back to the living room and through the secret passage that leads outside. Octavian is shrugging his shoulders and mumbling under his breath how pointless this is. It's annoying Murasame, but he keeps it to himself.
I open the hatch on the other side of the university walls and hold it. Murasame and Octavian exit while I shut the door behind us. By now, glistening patches of white fall from the darkening sky. All the trees are caked in a heavy coat of ice that cause the branches to droop down from the sheer weight of the cold.
"Jesus! It's cold!" Murasame says as he wraps his arms around his leather jacket.
"It's not too late to turn back."
"Not a chance boy." Murasame snaps at Octavian.
Octavian spouts something back, and the both of them get into an argument as I look around for M. On top of the clock tower overlooking the entire campus, M stands perched on the very point of the roof, staring in the direction of the moon. Her blue hair wisps through the cold air and shreds of her black cloak flap under the force of snowy wind.
"What is your problem Octavian? Are you mad because I'm not running from responsibility?" Murasame yells as he places his hands on his hips.
"You better shut your mouth!" Octavian points at Murasame.
"Oh, trust me, I know what you did at Gessen!"
"I said shut up!"
"Why? Because it's true!?" Murasame spits back.
Octavian rears back and throws a punch. Murasame holds up his arms and takes a direct hit. He skids across the snow, but uses a nearby tree to brake himself into a complete stop. Despite being human, Murasame isn't showing any signs of serious injury. Although the impact sounded solid.
"You act like a hunter, but deep down, you're nothing more than a scared little boy!" He states as he holds out his arms and slowly approaches Octavian in a prideful manner.
The sound of metal scraping against a sheathe pounds against my eardrums. I grab my Kopis and slam in it into the guard of his sword. Octavian's attack misses Murasame and lands in a nearby tree. The blade cuts halfway through the wood and gets wedged. I raise my free hand and slap down on the handle. Octavian loses his grip and backs off.
I re-holster my Kopis and walk off. Murasame follows me over the wall as Octavian remains where he was last standing. I don't know what Octavian is feeling, but I can't look back because my heart doesn't feel like it could take it.
"How bad is it?" I ask as Murasame rubs the forearm where he took the blow.
"Ah, I'll live! After all, I am the toughest son of a bitch in all the country!'" Murasame states.
"That you are."
"I feel really bad for him. I honestly do." Murasame states as we walk up the stairs to the clock tower.
"So do I, but the boy should know better than to raise his hand against someone who has no chance of fighting back."
"I didn't mean to say that. I just lost it because he's treating Ikaruga like she's expendable. Then he gets mad because I pointed out the fact that he abandoned Ryoki and Shiki. All the girls for that matter."
"You did the right thing Murasame. I've been meaning to speak to him about it, but with everything that's been going on, I haven't gotten the chance to." I say.
"I understand he got mad because Ryoki withheld that information from him, but that's no excuse to just leave, or take it out on someone who had no control over the situation." Murasame replies.
"That's the hardest teacher of them all."
The both of us reach the loft of the clock tower. M is still standing on the very top and her attention is undivided as she intently stares at the moon.
"M?" I sound off.
"What is it?"
"It's Ikaruga. She's getting worse. Jonathan is doing everything he can but nothing is working." Murasame says.
M remains silent and continues to stare forward like she didn't hear a word he just said. Even if she didn't, we are going to say it again. If she fails to at least acknowledge what we're saying, then I'll pack Ikaruga up and we'll go find Kagura instead. I know what the consequences are if I do, but Ikaruga is family.
"Are you aware that she will become what you are even if I did?" M states as she drops down into the loft with us. "The same blood that runs through your veins now flows through Ikaruga. A shinobi born from a hunter's blood. Saving her would only condemn her to the curse you bear. The curse of the half-blood."
Since M put it that way, it only makes it that much more difficult to make a solid decision. Murasame collapses to his knees and falls face first into the ground from the overwhelming dread of this decision.
"I can release Ikaruga, or I can save her. But if you choose to save her, I have to have something in order to stunt the scourge completely. However, the road to what I need will be difficult."
"What isn't?" I ask.
"First, you are going to need better equipment. Your current weapon and armor haven't tasted enough beast blood yet. Here." M tries to hand me her cleaver, but I decline.
"No, I need something more like a scythe."
"The axe I gave you isn't powerful enough either."
"I know, but there is something else that has. Come with me M." I say as I head back down the stairs.
"Young man, go get Gehrman. Alan will need him for this task." M says as we reach the ground.
Murasame heads back in as I throw Oktitohbi's stone down. The place isn't close, but it isn't far either. It's a district over to the west. If we leave now, we can make it before dawn. M throws her hood over her head and turns around. I pick M up and sit her on the back of Oktitohbi.
Octavian is sitting up against a nearby tree and staring at the white ground. His sword is still wedged in the tree. It's like he finally gave up and now is reflecting on what is going on.
"Octavian?"
"What Alan?"
"Come here and tell me what the problem is?"
"Why?"
"Because I can't help you fix it if I don't know what it is. Now stop acting like a fool."
Octavian sighs and stands up. He dusts the white powder that's collected on his hazel hair and armor off and comes over. He's trying his best to avoid eye contact because he's embarrassed. Although he's trying to play it like nothing is wrong.
"Why did you treat Shiki the way you did?"
Octavian crosses his arms and looks down at the ground.
"Why did you abandon Ryoki?"
Octavian remains silent.
"Boy, I'm about to climb down from this horse and smack the pride right off your face if you don't answer him!" M states.
"Octavian, I swear to God if you did this to your father…"
"I was afraid! That's why! A situation arose that I couldn't handle and I ran! That Fubuki woman ended me in one hit! I panicked okay?! Senko told me Shiki's parents killed mom, I got pissed off because Ryoki and Shiki were hiding it from me, and I ran away because my self-control was gone! I know! I'm a coward and a disgrace!" Octavian yells as he begins to swell up with emotion.
I walk over and place my hands on Octavian. He closes his eyes and tenses up like he is expecting me to hit him. Instead, I put my arms around his shoulders and pull him in. Octavian opens his eyes and realizes that I'm not going to hurt him. Even though if it were anyone else, they probably would have.
"You're not a coward Octavian. You are a fifteen-year-old boy that had to carry a weight he wasn't ready to lift."
"But Alan…"
"Listen Octavian. We all make mistakes, and we all get into situations that are far beyond what we can handle, and sometimes, we let our blind hatred get the better of us, and we take it out on people who didn't deserve it, but it's the ability to continue pressing onward to fix those mistakes that determines whether someone is a coward or not." I say.
Octavian walks over to the tree where his sword is stuck and sits down, "What am I going to do now? Ryoki can't leave Gessen and Shiki… Well, I don't want to think about her right now."
"Well. That's for you to decide." I reply as I sit down beside him.
"But... What if things are never the same?"
"There are many things in my life that aren't the same, and a lot of it was my own fault. But my momma told me and Miyabi to always try and do the right thing. Regardless of what the outcome maybe." I state as I yank his sword out of the tree and hold it out for him.
At first, Octavian doesn't know whether he should take it or not. He reaches out, but stops halfway. Octavian takes a deep breath and attempts to grab it again. This time, I push it closer to him, and he finally takes it.
Murasame returns with Gehrman's koukla. He hands Gehrman to me, grabs hold of my hand and shakes it as if he is trying to thank me. I return the shake and put Gehrman on my belt. M scoots back as I step up into the stirrup and sit myself in the saddle.
"Are you sure you can do this?" She asks.
"Someone has to." I reply.
"Thank you…Alan." Murasame says.
"Stay strong Murasame. We're going to go get what your sister needs."
M wraps her arms around me as I spur Oktitohbi, "Why are you doing this?" She asks as Oktitohbi rears up and breaks into a full gallop.
"Because eight years ago, this old woman took me in instead of cutting me down. For the longest time, I didn't understand why she chose to save me. I was crude, disobedient and arrogant. Just a total pain in the ass. Yet she still seen worth in me despite my flaws. That girl in there? She is nothing like me. Ikaruga is all the good I never was. Why should I get a second chance while she dies?"
"I understand your motives Alan, and I think it's noble you seek to save her humanity rather than leave her to turn or face release, but be aware that she may not be as grateful for the gift of salvation as you were. For those made by the blood must be undone by the blood."
"I understand." I reply as we ride across a huge plain of white ground…
Ending Song: "Heaven and Hell" by: Dio