Guardian Angel
Chapter 8: Confusing Behests
Misaki's POV
The medical staff are gone now, and by the looks some of them were giving me earlier I thought that they were going to throw me out of the hospital then and there. Like it was my fault Usagi decided to jerk out his IV. Well, it might have been, but that's no reason for such dirty looks. That can really bring a person down, you know. Anyway, after listening to them through the door scolding Usagi about staying in bed until he was healed, I was finally allowed to go back in.
Not caring whether the last nurse was still in the room still or not, Usagi mumbled a few malign comments tiredly until she left.
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
"They drugged me so much just now I don't know how I feel."
That wasn't what I meant, but I didn't feel like asking again. I may be able to sense how much he is hurting, but that is only when it is extreme or sudden. I cannot, however, feel if he is feeling well or happy. That sort of thing is unnecessary for someone who is merely supposed to prevent injury and harm. I tried to tap into his emotions, but got only a dull, numb sensation. "You're probably sleepy," I concluded, moving to pull the covers over him. "Take a nap." A heavy arm came down over my shoulders as Usagi pinned me against him. Too stunned to move and too sensitive to his feelings right now, I just stayed there without protest. Then I heard his breathing even out as he fell asleep. "U-Usagi!" I complained softly, wriggling out from under his arm.
I stood straight and looked down at his still form, looking so peaceful. For the first time since entering the hospital, he didn't look restless. Smiling softly, I resisted the urge to brush my hand across his cheek and stifled a sigh of relief.
Now, I figured, would be a good time to experiment on just how much I'm capable of. I sat down in the bedside chair and closed my eyes.
I had already discovered so much of what I could do after my "rebirth." I learned of my healing abilities when I fell and scrapped my knee on the pavement a few months after I was released from the hospital so long ago. All I did was reach down to touch the torn skin when right before my eyes, astoundingly, the broken skin stitched itself back together. By the time Takahiro got back with the first-aid kit I was almost completely healed. We were utterly baffled. He questioned me, and I passed it off that I didn't fall that hard. He didn't look like he believed me as he stared at all the blood still smeared over my knee that couldn't have possibly come from such a small wound, but he passed it off, perturbed.
Another time that I was taken by surprise by what I had become was in about late November after I was released from the hospital after my "miracle recovery" (as the personnel at the hospital was calling it) from pneumonia. I was sitting in class doodling on my desk when I felt my throat start to tighten and pressure against my shoulders. A sudden, cold pain hit my back and knocked my breath out. Without even thinking about what I was doing, I ran from the room and found myself at the entrance of a morbid-looking alleyway. I couldn't remember how I got there, like I had blacked out. I saw two cops running away from me, chasing a few rough-looking men. A man, a man I didn't realize I would encounter many times since, was slumped against a wall. Having no recollection of retrieving the police or why I was there, I left and wandered into the bus station. For some reason, and now that I think about it, it was probably the shock of the first-time experience, I was overly fatigued. I passed out right there and awoke in my bed I don't know how long after. Someone must have found my school ID and called my brother. He spoke nothing of it and didn't asked me why I was there instead of at school, as if he sensed that I had not the slightest clue either.
Now, since Usagi was fast asleep, I figured I'd do something I'd been wondering about for quite some time now. Might I be able to tap into Usagi's subconscious? Concentrating on some surreal element I knew not what, I sought out the only other life source in the room. I felt the calm, rhythmic oscillation of Usagi's brain waves lapping steadily against my consciousness. I could feel myself being lifted away from myself, my body. The feeling was so ethereal that I almost broke concentration to marvel the sublime sensation, but I quickly recovered my previous state. Slowly, I struggled to wiggle under the unsubstantial wall of Usagi's cognizance.
Without warning, a sharp, deliberate cough brought me back to the bleak hospital room. My eyes popped open and my breathing suddenly picked back up. I hadn't realized it had slowed to the point that it appearing I was not breathing at all. Remembering then to breath slowly to keep from choking on the air, I looked up to see Takahiro standing there. He was lingering between the doorway and me, the fright was draining from his face by now. "I thought…" he began but didn't finish.
I rose to my feet and took a step forward, then instantly decided against that. The room wasn't supposed to spin, I reasoned. Trying to shake off the numb, dizzy feeling, I attempted to look at Takahiro directly. "Takahiro."
Upon seeing that I was fine, he relaxed visibly. "How is Usagi?"
"Fine."
He nodded. "Good. Erm… Misaki, can I talk to you?"
"Sure," I replied, curious. He led me out into the hallway and gently shut the door behind us. Then he turned to look at me very seriously. "Misaki, I think this was a mistake?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, you going to live with Usagi and all. I mean, sure, it was great the you were able to be there for him after his fall, but I think you're getting a little too attached to him."
I froze, unable to think for a more than just a few seconds. What did he just say? When I could finally get a grip on my mental stability, I nearly panicked. My heart leapt into my throat and my heart palpitated loud in my ears. What did he mean by that? Did he find out? How? Before I could respond, he went on.
"What if something else happened? I'm not so sure you would be able to recover yourself, even if Usagi does. What you did in there," he gestured toward Usagi's room, "is not normal. You didn't stop crying for two or three days after that, even after you learned Usagi was okay. I know that you're blaming yourself for his accident, but it's really not your fault; stop beating yourself up over it. I think it's best if you have limited contact with him."
I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Why was Takahiro saying these things? It wasn't like him at all, but then again, I'm not acting like myself much nowadays either. "Takahiro?" I managed to whisper breathlessly, my throat constricting. I perused his expression carefully. He looked fixedly serious and even more concerned, yet the austere set of his jaw was so foreign to his usually loose features it made him look frightening. It was unnerving, and I briefly wondered if I would be able to refuse him. I would have to, wouldn't I? It's not like I had a choice, and even if I did, I couldn't leave Usagi. Not now.
My brother was still staring at me, waiting for an answer. I had to say something, but what could I say?
"I can't," I tried. Did Takahiro know? Did he know what I was? For some reason, I don't think I'm supposed to tell anyone else. Why did I tell Usagi-san? I guess I wanted him to know, but did it hurt that Usagi knew? Surely not, it should help him, not hurt. Right? O God… I wish there was some kind of handbook for this…
I mustered the courage to lift my gaze, so I could see Takahiro's expression. He looked funny… well, not funny - weird. His image was distorted and blurry. I blinked, but it did not go away. The room slipped in and out of my vision, making my head split like a migraine. I took a step backward to balance myself.
"Misaki…?" a distant, warped voice echoed around me. The sound pierced my eardrums like lightening. I held my head and closed my eyes, the light hurt and pressure was building behind my eyes. More noise. Takahiro was screaming, and so was the torturing pain in my head. I wished he'd be quiet, but not for long, because after only a few more seconds, I felt no more. My body fell limp to the ground and my mind went somewhere else.
* * *.
I'm lying on something. It's not hard, but it isn't soft either. What is it? All well, it doesn't matter. I hear a voice, it's loud and sounds like it should be echoing. I open my eyes and find the reason why it isn't: there's nothing for it to echo off of. There are no walls, no ceiling, and the floor is not earthly. The voice speaks again and I feel like my ears will explode for the volume; there's no way to possibly block out this voice. It's melodious, I can tell that much, but it's otherwise indescribable. I know this voice. I've heard it before.
I never saw the source of such voice. All it said was, "Remember your duty and do not stray or relent. Hush your post and remember your place."
Then, white turned black and I fell.
* * *.
When I opened my eyes again, I was confused. I knew where I was, the off-white walls all too familiar, but why had that just happened. I hadn't heard from that voice directly in ten years. Why now?
"He's awake! Misaki, Misaki!" my brother called.
I sat up and looked around the room. I didn't feel any more pain, which I was grateful for, but my head was all muddled.
"Misaki?" Takahiro said, looking at me strangely. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," I lied. My body was, of course, but inside I didn't feel fine at all.
Takahiro sighed relief.
Just then, I noticed someone leaning in the doorway. "Usagi-san! Why aren't you in bed resting?" I scolded, jumping up to push him back to his room, but ended up stumbling over my own feet before I even got close to the door. I felt his arms catch me and I wondered how was able to support himself and me. I regained my footing quickly to take the strain off of his broken leg and watched him carefully to make sure he hadn't been hurt. "Sorry…" I murmured, even though he didn't seen to be in any significant pain at the moment. "Are you alright?"
Usagi was rather pale, but he managed to smirk anyway. "You tell me."
I was about to tell him that I couldn't feel tiny, insignificant pangs when I remembered that Takahiro was still standing there. I remembered earlier and my chest tightened again. "U-Um… Takahiro, about earlier…"
"Forget about it," he said.
"Huh?" I looked up to find that his eyes were surprising gentle, a knowing, amused look behind them.
"Don't worry about it. I can see that you two get along just fine." He took a deep breath and looked away for a fleeting moment. "I'm going to trust that you can handle whatever else may happen." Then he smiled brightly and laughed. "Like what, exactly? I'm being too serious about this, huh? Of course nothing's going to happen." I could have sworn I heard him murmur, softer, "under your watch," but I wasn't sure.
Suddenly I understood. "You mean… I don't have to move out of Usagi's place?" I asked, sounding to my own ears a bit too happy.
Takahiro shook his head. "I don't mind, but you had better ask the man you're bumming residence off of."
I looked up at Usagi. "It's fine with me," he said, his expression a medley of complacency and delight that I suppose was from seeing me so eager to return to him. I fixed that in my demeanor quickly, but it was already too late. He knew how I felt about him, even if I wasn't quite so sure about it myself. Still, I couldn't deny that I was happy, dare I say ecstatic. For the moment, everything felt perfect. If only I had know what unforeseen tsoris was yet to come.
I don't know if tsoris is an official word, but in case you're wondering, it means trouble, distress, woe, etc. It seemed suitable and covered the idea, so I stuck it in there.
And sorry for my dumb little on-the-spot notions. I know I said I was going to rewrite this, but this story is fine as it is and I'm continuing it. As it is. So nothing gained nothing lost. I hope this turns out okay, so cheer me on until the end! Reviews would make me happy!
