Scooter: Well, here's the next installment of You Promised :-P I'm thankful to everyone who has read it so far!! I'm really sorry that it took a bit longer for me to update this time; I was so worn out after the Marching Band competition over the weekend I never got the energy to edit and post this. ((laughs)) Anyway, our Marching Band did place second at the invitational, which I am really happy about. :-) And anyway, enjoy the chapter!!

Chapter 4

"If we get out of here alive..." Itsuki repeated, though much quietly and more to himself.

...No...

He pulled the card out of the envelope and put the card enclosed in his zipped pocket with the other one.

"...I'll tell you later." He said, straightening his back and looking at Kyon with closed eye smiling expression he always had.

Kyon's heart felt heavy and that was only slightly alleviated by the smile, but he still felt sick to his stomach. "A-Are you angry at me?" he asked in a trembling voice, clutching his arm to his chest, and wiping his sweaty forehead. He felt like he was burning up.

He took a hesitant step towards Itsuki before he clenched his stomach, coughing again.

"No! Not at all, Kyon." Itsuki said cheerily, like they were back in the clubroom. "Let's get upstairs and find the next card, okay? And we'll try to do it together."

Kyon nodded and felt the burden of his heart being lifted. He took a step forward and continued until he was standing next to Itsuki. "Thank you...for not giving up on me..." He said, his voice hoarse and weak.

He felt his forehead again, frowning, a worried expression on his face. He coughed again, groaning slightly. "We don't have a lot of time left..." Kyon said, wanting to lean on Itsuki.

No...he's injured too...

Itsuki nodded, his headache having only gotten much worse with all the stress about the furnace and such, heading up the stairs.

"It's been about a half hour down here..." Itsuki mumbled, nearing the top of the steps before suddenly doubling over, covering his mouth.

"Hk!!" He gagged, losing his footing and falling back down the steps.

Kyon was knocked over as well and he couldn't help but scream as pressure was again put on his broken arm. He blinked the tears of pain away and got out from under Itsuki. "Itsuki!"

He was panicking again. "Are you OK? What happened?" He gently shook Itsuki's shoulder.

"Ngh...ick..." The teenager gagged, covering his mouth like his life depended on it, on all fours on the ground.

Kyon rubbed small circles on Itsuki's back, worry for his friend overcoming him. Had that damn clown lied to them after all? "You'll be OK, Itsuki," Kyon said, though his voice betrayed him; it was shaking badly and Kyon was sweating and coughing slightly.

"Just hang in there, Koizumi," Kyon said quietly, looking up the stairs.

Unable to contain it any longer, Koizumi let his hand dropped and cough, large droplets of blood splattering the dark gray floor, issuing from his mouth.

"Itsuki!!" Kyon cried, getting the ESPer to rest so his rear was resting on his heels. Kyon supported the ESPer, holding him up. "Itsuki!" he whispered, tears falling slightly. "Don't die, please. We're almost out. I know it. Please don't die." He was overreacting...but...

how could he help it? He was scared.

"F...Fine..." Itsuki said hoarsely, wiping his mouth, wiping his hand hastily on his pants. "It's fine...thank you..." He said, trying to smile at Kyon again.

Kyon obviously didn't believe the ESPer, but he went with it anyway. "Don't do that again," he said, the tears that were almost ready to fall showing how worried he had really been. "Was it the poison...or is there something up there?" he really, really, really hoped it was the former and not the latter. He helped Itsuki to stand.

"Must be the poison." Itsuki said sheepishly, thank Kyon as he was helped to stand.

At that point, he really wished he COULD stop himself from coughing up blood...especially to keep Kyon's mind on finding the the next card for the combination.

Resolutely, he walked up the steps side by side with Kyon, making it up this time.

Kyon wondered when the effects would hit him; it would have to be soon. He doubled over slightly and coughed, but no blood...

Wait, there was something on his hand. Nah, he was just being paranoid now. "How many cards do you think are left?" he asked slowly, trying to take his mind off of everything...yea...that totally worked.

He opened the door and looked around the room, hoping that it wouldn't be as bad as last time. His breaths were coming out in pants and he put his hand to his forehead again to check and when he pulled it away, it was slightly damp with sweat. He wanted to ask Itsuki if he was getting a fever, but he didn't' want to put anything else on top of the ESPer, so he kept it quiet.

"I hope not too many...I really do..." Itsuki replied, shutting the door with his foot behind him with a 'clack'. "...And it looks like there aren't any more rooms on this floor...I think we need to go down to the first floor again." He added, looking up and down the hallway.

And that's when it hit Kyon. The high-schooler gasped and fell to his hands and knees, his eyes open wide in pain and fear. They closed tightly as he coughed up blood of his own.

"Uhn...ack..." he moaned, coughing again. It took all his strength not to pass out right there.

"Kyon!" Itsuki cried, dropping to his knees immediately, almost like it was a reflex at that point.

"Are you okay? Can you walk?"

"Now...I feel really...sorry for those...who have...Consumption..." He muttered under his breath, coughing again. He looked at Itsuki, a small trail of blood running down his chin. He wiped it off and struggled to his feet on trembling legs.

"I...I think so..." Sweat was running down his forehead and his face now, and he wondered how much longer he could hide his fever. "L--Let's go.."

"Here." Itsuki said, wrapping his around Kyon's back and under his arm, supporting them as they made their way down the stairs, slowly and carefully.

He wondered if the other teenager would even make it through this next test alive.

Kyon prayed to whatever gods were out there that neither one of them fell. Itsuki would probably live, but Kyon didn't really fancy his chances of the fact that if he slept, he'd probably die.

"This is just some kind of nightmare...right?" he mumbled under his breath, coughing slightly again, though no blood. He looked sideways at Itsuki as they made their careful way to the previous room.

"How are your injuries?"

"Fine." Itsuki whispered, flashing Kyon a smile, even though his head felt ready to split in half.

Luckily, they made it down safely, no falling or doubling over to hack up blood.

"Alright...I think the hallway was around the corner, here..." Koizumi mumbled, still supporting Kyon as best he could as he headed around the staircase into the next hallway, where, immediately, a stench as powerful as a tail strike from Godzilla hit his face.

His eyes widened and he nearly doubled over again to vomit, if not for the fact Kyon would fall over with him.

It smelled rotten, it smelled like it could peel the paint off the walls and wilt flowers, and the room wasn't even that close to them yet.

Kyon felt the need to vomit and he almost doubled over. "M-My...My God..." he choked coughing again.

Don't fall, please don't fall he begged himself. His legs trembled but they held his weight. He whimpered and covered his mouth with his good arm, bile rising in his throat.

Itsuki's, of course, first instinct was to run out of the hallway for some cleaner air, but this stench wafting out of one of the two doors in the hallway was probably their next trial to get a part of the combination to the safe.

"...We have to..." Koizumi said, nearly crying from not only the smell, but the situation.

Kyon whimpered, but nodded. "The sooner we get the combinations, the sooner we can get out of--" He coughed again, a small amount of blood coming up, but he disregarded it and continued, "--here." He swallowed and took a few steps towards the door, his eyes watering. He opened it slowly and almost vomited on the spot.

The smell hit him harder, but Itsuki took a lung-full immediately, hoping he'd get used to the smell faster. When the door creaked open, the ESPer felt pretty safe in saying he DID begin to cry.

The whole room, nothing but a huge pool of blackish sludge like something out of a monster movie...something the swamp monster would climb out of to get the young couple on an innocent date.

"Why do I get the feeling that the c-card is in th-there?" Kyon asked in a small voice, small tears coming from his eyes. Sweat dripped from his face and forehead and he blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision.

Kyon took a few steps forward and cried out, jerking back as he stepped in a stray puddle of goop.

"Ah...eh...gk..." Itsuki sank to his knees, not sure how much longer he could keep up this facade of strength, covering his mouth.

It felt like vomit and blood were about to come up at the same time...not a pretty feeling at all.

Kyon looked at Itsuki and ran over to him, rubbing his back. "Itsuki! I'll get the card again. You can barely move," He didn't want the other hurt at all, although he knew it was already far to late for that. He took a step towards the goop and felt like vomiting, but he clamped his mouth shut, trying not to cry in what seemed a goddamn hopeless situation.

"No! I can do it!" Itsuki cried out, slipping over onto his side in his rush to get to his feet.

"I-Itsuki..." Kyon said, coughing again. He wiped his sweaty forehead again. He darted back to the ESPer. "Don't push it..." he said, knowing full well that's what HE himself was doing; pushing far past his limit. But he had a need to protect the ESPer.

"I think the most logical place for the card to be would be under the goo...and you can't take it as well as I can." Kyon cringed, looking at Itsuki with a pained expression.


Scooter: Anyway, another chapter is up, and ready to be read. :-) I'd like to give a shout-out to Ican'tDENYyou for loving the story so far!! Thanks a ton!! Anyway, I'll see if I can work another up really soon. ((grins)) If I don't die in high-school that is. Anyway, till next time! Seeya!

--Scooter--