Raimundo looked up at the tall building and sighed. He never thought he would end up coming back here again. He thought he could just forget about what had happened and leave it all behind him. He didn't want to go back to that time in the temple. He was finally sinking back into a normal life. He shook his head and walked through the glass doors. There was a front desk a few feet ahead of him. A nurse was sat behind it, typing at a computer. As she spotted him, she stood up.
"Can I help you sir?" Asked the nurse.
"Um … yeah," Said Raimundo, "I'm supposed to be visiting someone today."
"We don't normally have visitors today," Said the nurse, "Visiting days are Thursday, Sunday and Tuesday and holidays and bank holidays of course."
"I was asked to come in and visit today, someone on the phone said it would be alright." Said Raimundo.
"Ah, right," Said the nurse, "Can you tell me your name?"
"Raimundo Pedrosa," Said Raimundo, his hands in his pockets.
"Hmm … yes you're right here," Said the nurse smiling and tapping the computer screen, "and the patient your visiting is … oh, right. You're here to visit Kimiko?"
"Yeah," Said Raimundo.
"And can you tell me who you were told to meet here?" Asked the nurse.
Raimundo put his hand in his back pocket and pulled out a piece of crinkled paper.
"Uh … Doctor Tokita," he said.
The nurse smiled and didn't say anything, but picked up the phone.
"Doctor Tokita, there's a young man here to visit Kimiko," Said the nurse, "Raimundo Pedrosa … yes … alright." She put the phone down and smiled at him, "Take a seat and the doctor will be here shortly."
Raimundo sat down and shifted him feet on the floor. He sighed and looked around. He really didn't want to be here. He hadn't been here for a few years now and it really sucked that he been dragged back. It wasn't that he didn't want to see Kimiko; he just didn't want to have to remember all of that all over again. It didn't seem fair that he was being made to re-live the worst moments in his life.
A man in a white coat with glasses came out of a door and looked around. He spotted Raimundo and walked over.
"Raimundo Pedrosa?" He asked.
Raimundo nodded.
"I'm Doctor Tokita. Thank you so much for coming." He said.
"You said you wanted to talk to me about Kimiko," Said Raimundo.
"Yes … please come this way." Said Doctor Tokita, his smile disappearing.
They walked up the passage and Raimundo looked around at all the identical doors. It was amazing they didn't get lost in this place. He knew which room Kimiko was in, but that was only because of the armed guard outside.
"Not taking any chances?" Asked Raimundo, eyeing them up.
"No … well, it's better to be safe." Said doctor Tokita, laughing nervously.
"What do you want me to do?" Asked Raimundo.
"We want you to just talk to her. Anything she might say will probably make the world of difference to our studies." Said the Doctor.
"Studies?" Asked Raimundo angrily, "She's not a lab rat! She's a sick person and she needs to be taken care of, not 'studied'."
"We can't take care of her unless we know what she needs," Said Doctor Tokita, "And we won't know what she needs unless we study her!"
Raimundo shook his head and laughed slightly.
"We also want to discuss some things with you," Said Doctor Tokita, "For example, we've recently been given permission to perform surgery on Kimiko."
"Surgery?" Asked Raimundo.
"To repair her face," Said Doctor Tokita, "We feel that if she looks normal, it will help her to feel normal and it might restore some normality to the way she thinks."
Raimundo shut his eyes. He could picture the way she used to look and then he pictured the last time he had seen her. Her face coated in scars and blood.
"Can we talk about this after I talk to her?" Said Raimundo.
"She's not going anywhere," Said Doctor Tokita.
"No, but by now she'll know I'm here," Said Raimundo.
"Well … alright, we'll go in." Said Doctor Tokita.
"We?" Asked Raimundo.
"Don't worry, I'll just be there for a moment to check her reaction and then I'll be gone," Said Doctor Tokita, "the guards will remain outside just in case."
"I can take care of myself," Said Raimundo, "No matter what powers she might have."
As Raimundo and the doctor stepped into the room, Kimiko didn't even move. She stayed sat on her bed with her hair across her face, hiding herself from the world.
"Kimiko?" Asked Doctor Tokita, walking over to the bed, "Kimiko do you know who I am?"
Raimundo could've sworn he heard her laugh.
"I'll take that as a yes," Said Doctor Tokita, "You have a guest, Kimiko."
She slowly looked around at Raimundo. She suddenly felt lighter inside. Whereas everybody else in the building was scared of her and wanted to avoid her as much as possible, he didn't fear her at all. He stood, his hands in his pockets, looking nothing more than bored.
"Yo, doc, give us a sec would you?" Asked Raimundo.
"Well … yes … I'll be right outside." Said the Doctor, walking out of the room and shutting the door, leaving Raimundo and Kimiko completely alone.
"Jackass," Said Raimundo the moment the door was shut.
Raimundo walked over and sat at the table.
"You coming over Kim?" He asked.
Kimiko slowly got to her feet and walked over, sitting opposite him. She knew him, knew those green eyes and spiky brown hair.
"You recognise me?" Asked Raimundo, "I know it's been a while …"
"Raimundo Pedrosa, dragon of the wind," Said Kimiko, "Place of birth; Brazil, blood type O …"
"I'll take that as a yes," Said Raimundo.
Kimiko stopped and didn't say anything. She sat and watched him with the one blue eye he could see.
"Giving me the silent treatment?" asked Raimundo.
"You promised you'd come back." Said Kimiko.
"Well I'm here," Said Raimundo.
"But you don't want to be." Said Kimiko.
Raimundo looked away angrily and then back at her.
"What did I tell you Kim?" He said sharply, "I don't like you using that mind reading crap on me."
Outside the door Doctor Tokita looked on in amazement. Raimundo was doing little more than treating her like a child and she was responding to it.
"You should tell the truth!" Said Kimiko loudly and the lights flickered, "The lies crawl from your mouth and …" Her face creased with sadness, "the darkness … it surrounds me and I'm scared …"
"I know Kimiko," Said Raimundo, "I can see the darkness too, but you're letting it control you! You've got to fight back like you used to! Take control and think straight for once in your life!"
Doctor Tokita stared. Raimundo Pedrosa actually knew what she was talking about. More than that he could see what was affecting her and wasn't trying to stop it, he was telling her to deal with it. If this worked it could be a break through.
"It's too hard Raimundo," Said Kimiko, "It hurts to try and control it! It takes me back!"
"Only if you let it Kimiko!" said Raimundo.
Kimiko sighed and put her head on the table.
"Why are you here?" she asked.
"Because they asked me to come and talk to you." Said Raimundo.
"Why?" Asked Kimiko.
"Because they need to try and figure out whats wrong with you," Said Raimundo.
"You already know what's wrong with me," Said Kimiko.
"But I can't help you," Said Raimundo.
"Neither can they!" Said Kimiko, lifting her head, "And this place … it isn't helping. I can't feel here … nothing works! White walls enclosing and stopping me from being me."
"Nothing's stopping you Kimiko," Said Raimundo, "Except the darkness that you're letting control you. You're stronger than this now sort it out!"
"You don't understand," Said Kimiko, putting her head back down.
"No I don't," Said Raimundo, "But I can't get you out unless you start acting normally again."
Raimundo stood up and paced for a few steps.
"Kimiko, they want to put your face right again," Said Raimundo, "How would you feel about that?"
"You think I want to look like this?" Asked Kimiko, muffled by the table.
"So you'll go quietly to the hospital and let them sort it out?" asked Raimundo.
Kimiko didn't answer.
"If you don't go quietly then they're not going to do it," Said Raimundo.
"Fine," Said Kimiko sulkily, "then will you get me out of here?"
"I dunno," said Raimundo, "We'll see how you go."
"Please Rai," Said Kimiko, "I've never felt so calm as I do now … with you here."
Raimundo shook his head impatiently and paced for a moment more.
"Kimiko … I'm engaged!" He said, "I'm going to be happily married and … I haven't spent the past few years of my life waiting for you Kim. You haven't had the strength to pull yourself together and neither have I."
Kimiko didn't say anything.
"She's pretty," She said quietly, "congratulations. Summer ceremony?"
"Don't do that Kim," Said Raimundo.
"Mind reading?" Asked Kimiko.
"All of it!" Said Raimundo, "It's because you didn't accept my advice that this thing took control of you! If you just listened!"
Kimiko didn't say anything.
"I'll come see you in the hospital," Said Raimundo, "We'll sort something out then."
The lights flickered and the furniture twitched.
"Stop it Kim, just take control." Said Raimundo, "you're not going to scare me like you scare those guys."
He nodded towards the door.
"They scare too easily." Said Kimiko.
"They're just not used to this sort of thing," Said Raimundo.
When Raimundo left the room doctor Tokita jumped back from the door.
"That was amazing!" He said, "She was actually part of a civilised conversation!"
"The only reason she doesn't act like that normally is because she knows you're all scared of her. I'm not."
"Why?" Asked Doctor Tokita.
"She's a girl with a couple of party tricks," Said Raimundo, "What's there to be scared of?"
As they walked back to the main entrance Doctor Tokita continued to ask questions.
"Can you fill out a couple of forms at the front desk?" He asked.
"Sure, whatever," Said Raimundo.
"We're sorry if this has bothered you," said Doctor Tokita, "but you were the only one of the people she mentioned that we could find."
"I would be," Said Raimundo.
He sighed the bottom of the form for the operation and handed it to the nurse behind the desk.
"Why would you be?" asked doctor Tokita, reading from his previous notes "What couldn't we find this Clay … or Omi … ?"
Raimundo slammed the pen down and turned around.
"Because they're dead."
With that he left the building.
(A/N) I'm carrying this one on now. I had to read the last chapter to remember what I'd done.
Tell me what you think.
Lots of luv,
Becky.