Chapter 1: Who?
Izayoi's P.O.V.
I felt sore... everything hurt and the pain was getting worse and worse as I slowly came to. The distant sound of people talking made my head ache even more and the only thing I managed to do was moan.
"Izayoi-kun?" a girl's voice suddenly called and successfully pierced through my brain.
"Izayoi, can you here us?" another voice asked. Also a girl, but her voice was more gentle and not so sharp. However it still pained me.
"Hurts..." I managed to croak but still didn't dare to open my eyes. I could sense the light in room and by just imagining the agonizing pain caused by the fierce light made me shiver.
"I know, but don't worry, you'll be fine" the first girl informed me. Unfortunately, those two were too loud, or at least I find it loud, and it really hurt my head. The combination of sharp pain in the temples, back of head and dull pain behind eyes was horrible.
"speak... hurts" I couldn't help but beg for silence. However I wasn't capable of forming a proper sentence...
It seemed like both of them understood and the only response was a small whisper: "Rest"
And with that I dove into a world where pain was gone and the only thing that remained was silence and darkness. Oh that beautiful quietness that eased my pain and numbed all the senses. If only it could last forever...
Once again, I heard voices, not so loud anymore but still attacking my head. I didn't even move, not daring to risk another wave of agony to wash through my body. However I was able to recognize the words and listened to the still fuzzy conversation.
"And when will he recover?" an unknown voice asked. It belonged to a kid, boy I reckon.
"As I said, it will not be soon. That boy has an awful wound on head, concussion, some broken ribs, arm and bruises. All over his body. It's bad, but he will recover if he rests, drinks and eats" An adult-sounding woman said. Were they talking about me?
"Is there anything fatal? I mean, are any of his injuries life-threatening?" A girlish voice questioned. I couldn't really recognize if it was the one I heard when I woke up first, but it sounded very... comforting and familiar.
"Look, you guys still don't get it" the woman sighed. "He is already in a life-threatening condition. Even if he would stand up and go for a walk right now, there would be a good chance of him dying! He is gonna be pretty sore, his head will be a mess, even breathing will hurt him, just listening to us or seeing a light will undoubtedly cause him a horrible pain and that's just me assuming. It will be much worse, everything will be hurting like hell even if he will be just lying. If you want him to survive, don't even let that boy move a finger, limit talking in his presence and your volume on minimum and let him rest. At least 14 hours a day for about five days to week. That's all I can recommend now. Rest, rest, rest and rest."
Well, that woman was damn right. Every breath was like being stabbed into chest a few times, my whole body was on fire and my head might have exploded if they were talking even a little more loudly. And yes, my head was a complete mess. I couldn't remember anything, anyone... It kinda scared me that I knew nothing but still couldn't think too clearly to worry about anything. The world around me was still one big fuzzy blur and I somehow didn't want it to change. I found that nothingness surrounding my mind somehow comforting... It was like I didn't want to face something in that world, like if even opening an eye and acknowledging the existence of the outer world would make me suffer. I didn't like the feeling of despair that wrapped my mind when I tried to remember what happened. I was afraid...
"Izayoi? Are you awake?" another girlish voice spoke up, this time very near me. Thanks god she was whispering.
"Huh..." I tried to answer but felt that my throat was like a desert. I still didn't open the eyes, just relied on my ears.
"Here" I heard the girl grab something and then found a cool liquid slide down my throat. Oh, the water felt wonderful!
"Thanks" I managed to say, surprised how weakly it sounded. Suddenly, I felt the light in room dimming and supposed they drew the curtains. That was when I dared to open one my eye. Confirming it was safe, I opened the second one.
My vision was blur, trying to focus on a figure sitting right before me, I winced. After about the fiftieth wink, my eyes were focused enough to see her. A short-haired brunette with gentle and dark eyes full of concern. Behind her stood another girl, also brunette but with longer hair and more noble-like pose. But both of them looked pretty worried... was it really so bad?
"Girls," the woman I heard before, a doctor, spoke up and those two backed off. She was wearing a white mantle, face mature and calm and hair pulled into a pony tail.
"Izayoi-kun" she called... was she talking to me? Now that I think about it, both of the girls called me Izayoi before. Was it my name? Wait... who was I?
"Can you hear me?" asked the doctor again. I nodded.
"Good" she smiled. "Look, I need you to answer me some question, ok?"
"Ok" I responded.
"What's your name?" she looked at me gently.
"Izayoi... I guess" I whispered.
"Could you please tell me your whole name?"
I stayed quiet for a while. My whole name? What was it? I-I... who? Who was I again?!
"I can't...rem'mber" my confession sounded too vulnerable. I didn't like it.
"Do you know how old are you? Or where are you?" another questions...
"No" I sighed, feeling suddenly very tired.
"What do you remember? Do you know anyone here?" she continued.
I tried to shake my head and immediately cursed myself for doing so. "No" was again my answer.
"Well, I kind of knew this would come..." she mumbled under her breath and then returned her gaze at me.
"Look, Izayoi-kun. I know you are confused and you hurt, but don't worry. You are safe. We are your friends and we just want to help you heal as soon as possible. Right now, all you have to worry about is sleep. If you need anything, just tell us. There will always be someone by your side. Do you understand?"
"...Yeah" my voice was shaking a little. Why? Was I scared? Confused? Worried? Or just fighting the urge to fall asleep?
"Okay, I'm going to give you something for pain" the woman smiled and stroked my cheek with her cool hand.
And with that, I felt a small sting in my hand and something strange going through my veins. Truth to her words, the pain eased until it was so dull I smiled in relief. Slowly, I felt the lids getting heavier and heavier. Unlike before when she needed answers, I had no reason to stay awake right now so I cooperated and soon drifted into the dream word.
Third person's P.O.V.
"Izayoi-kun?" Doctor Takane called the now sleeping boy. She just gave him something to ease his pain, not to put him to sleep. That just showed how weak he was...
"Takane-san?" Jin Russell, the leader of No names spoke up. "Can we please-"
"Yes, but somewhere else. We might end up waking him up and that's the last thing I would do at the moment" she stood up and headed towards the door. "That boy's very weak "
With that, all of them, Jin Russel, Kasukabe Yo and Kudou Asuka went to the mess hall. Not even sitting down, the doctor started:
"He has amnesia, temporary memory loss. To be honest, I expected it since his head injury was pretty serious"
"Will his memories return?" questioned Asuka as she crossed her arms.
"Probably" The woman in her twenties answered.
"Probably?!" The brunette eyed her seriously.
"I can't promise you anything. Not now, not yet. He is weak, very weak. I can't even promise you that he will survive the next two days. He is stabilized and it looks like he is healing fine, but I cannot afford to suppose he will be fine. Not yet!" She hissed in frustration.
There was a dead silence, everyone just thought through her words and their meaning. It was like torture... to see a friend hang between life and death, watch him lay in bed so vulnerably covered in bandage and bruises. And not knowing what happened.
Two days ago Black rabbit carried the unconscious and heavily bleeding Izayoi to the mansion, crying and pleading for help. They immediately called Takane, a good friend of Black rabbit and Jin and also a very good doctor. While she was tending to Izayoi's wounds, Black rabbit told them she found him lying on the outskirt of village already like this. She looked so shaken up and she was crying the whole time... It must have shocked her very much - she went out yesterday, saying she wants to calm down a little. It was already next day morning, but she didn't return. Jin, Asuka and Yo understood her feelings and that she wanted to be alone, they decided to let her be for a while.
"Anyway, I would like to stay here to keep an eye on him. Is that okay?" asked Doctor as she looked at Jin.
"Of course, we are grateful for your help" he nodded and smiled slightly.
"Okay, then excuse me, I will keep him under observation and later tell you more about his condition. Just bear in my that right now he is very sensitive to sound and light so don't speak in his presence until its necessary and by no means, don't open up the curtains" she repeated and returned to her patient.
Coming through the door and closing it, she looked at the boy lying on bed with bandage on his head, and actually all over his body. His breathing was slow and calm and his face looked very pale yet peaceful. However that didn't assure the woman that he was fine. She sat beside him, and started with the examination.
His temperature was a higher than normal almost feverish, 37, 8°C (100.04° F) but that was to be expected. His body was fighting after all. Next, the blood pressure. It was a little low but that was most likely caused by the lack of movement and food. The pressure should return to normal after he recovers a little.
Takane didn't want to risk causing him pain by examining his eyes by penlight so she just sat there and stared at him. The bandage was still clean but it was essential to change after some time. And that time was now.
Slowly and carefully so that the wound wouldn't be re-opened and the boy wouldn't wake up, which was not very likely to happen, she removed the old bandage and replaced it by the new one. After a few minutes she finished and proceeded to another thing, infusion. The doctor took the IV pole and bag and connected it to the needle which was subsequently attached to Izayoi's hand. She had to keep him hydrated and right now, that was the only solution.
Sighting, she leaned her back on the chair and watched him. Takane said it, she couldn't promise them that he would be fine, but she could swear that she would do anything to help him. Yes, that was what the doctors did, they helped people. They had the power and knowledge to save others and would do anything to make sure their patients would survive and be perfectly fine.
Takane have known Izayoi for just about a month. He rescued her from getting smashed by a building which was breaking down. The doctor still remembered it very clearly... She was walking down a street and suddenly heard someone scream 'MOVE!' and looked up to see parts of roof falling down towards her. The doctor was paralyzed for a moment, but when she came to, she found herself completely fine, sitting on the road behind a blond boy. That time, the doctor couldn't believe her eyes... he used his single hand to block the heavy roof and then threw it into a corner with no people.
That teenage boy looked at her with a provocative yet kind smile and said: "When someone says move, then move" and with that he helped her stand up. The boy was slightly smaller than her but very strong. As soon as she thanked him, she immediately took his hand and started examination it. There was no way he wouldn't have something broken after blocking such a weight... And yet, there was nothing, not even a scratch.
"What are you doing?" that boy frowned a little.
"You-your hand is fine... but I have to check it!" was all Takane managed to say. This was wierd... how come was he uninjured?
"Yeah, I know it's fine" he sighed and freed his hand from hers.
"Takane-san!" a familiar voice suddenly called her. The voice belonged to Black rabbit, a girl she knew for more than years.
"Black rabbit?" The doctor looked at the girl running toward her and forgot the unknown boy for a while.
"Are you alright?" The long-haired girl questioned with worried eyes.
"Yes, thanks to him" Takane pointed at the quiet boy who was watching them.
"Ah! Takane-san, this boy is Sakamaki Izayoi. He just came to little garden a year ago" and with that Black rabbit introduced them both.
"Nice to meet you, Sakamaki Izayoi-kun" I nodded and smiled. "Thank you for saving me" she showed her gratitude again
"Who is this woman?" the boy asked, irritating the doctor a little as he ignored her.
"She is my good friend, Arisawa Takane. She is a wonderful doctor" Black rabbit smiled proudly.
"A doctor?" he eyed the woman. "Now wonder she fussed over my hand"
"What?"
"He caught all of that with a single hand! Of course I would fuss over it!" added Takane as she gestured her head toward the place Izayoi Sakamaki threw those... things.
"Don't worry, Takane-san. Izayoi-san is very strong" the blue-haired rabbit explained but looked a little angry about her friend doing something so hazardous.
"And very handsome" the boy said additionally. Pff!
"Yes, yes and very hand-" the rabbit was nodding with a smile, just to realize what she was about to say. "Wait! Izayoi-san!" she hit him with a paper fan. Takane wondered where Black rabbit took it from.
And well, from that day on, they became friends. Although doctor Takane sometimes ended up wanting to kill the boy, she liked him. He was much more kinder then he seemed to be and always helped people in need. However he was also very careless one and didn't think about himself too much which made her worry about him. And now? She was sitting beside him, watching him so hurt and weak. What could have happened? What kind of dangerous thing he got involved in again?
Yes, he is strong... but is he strong enough to pull through this time? she asked herself, thinking about Black rabbit's statement.
So? Sooo? Do you like it? Do yoouu?
Anyway, I just realized that Doctor Takane (my OC) is a little more important in this fanfiction than I though. I mean, I just wanted a doctor who would take care of Izayoi and make a big deal of everything concerning his health just for the sake of... fangirling? :D Yeah, that's it! Anyway, I just underestimated her existence (wow, that sounds pretty bad) and now found out she will be here almost always. So... please give her a chance! :)
And yeah, I bet you already know that I love making my favourite overpowered characters suffer or at least be hurt. Did I mention I am quite a sadist? :DDD Anyway, please be patient with another chapter. The school is not fun. Not at all...
