Crystal Cure
By Bashfulglowfly
"This is the long-term coma ward. Also known as the 'ward of the living dead.'" The first-year interns getting their introductory tour of Juuban General obediently chuckled at the Resident's quip. But he noticed that one didn't laugh. "You didn't think that was funny, Mizuno-san?"
The fragile looking girl with blue hair looked calmly at him. "No," she said simply. She looked around the large room at the beds. "None of these people are expected to come out of their coma?"
"No. But either their family members don't wish to unplug them, or they legally can't be unplugged at this time."
"Why are their heads shaved?" asked another student.
"Ease of care. It's easier to just run a soapy washcloth over their heads then to actually take the time and use shampoo."
Ami listened with only a portion of her attention. The rest was transfixed on four bodies laying close to each other.
Four men. Clearly of varying ages.
The Resident walked up to Ami. "Ah, the Shiba Four."
"Shiba Four?"
"Yes, they were found together in the Shiba Park four or five years ago. I'm not sure who found them, but no one has come forward to claim them. I've heard the hospital is going through the courts to take them off life support."
The Resident turned away. "Alright! On to the next stop! The Morgue!"
Ami waited a few seconds to make sure the Resident's attention were on the other students. Then she quickly touched one of her earrings. Her Mercury Visor slid over her eyes, and she began recording.
"Mizuno!"
"Coming!"
888888
Ami walked into the cafeteria and slid into a chair across from Mamoru. He was a third-year medical student, but he already was getting attention from various departments who wanted him to specialize with them.
Mamoru looked up from the textbook he was reading. "How was your tour?"
"Good." Ami took a bite of her sandwich. After chewing and swallowing her bite, she asked "Have you ever been in the coma care ward?"
Mamoru thought for a moment "I think my guide flapped a hand at it, but I haven't actually been inside. Never needed to. Why?"
Ami quietly slid her phone across the table. She'd been able to download the images she'd recorded with her Visor to the phone. She just hoped that the image would be clear enough considering the speed and brief time she had to record. "The first video. Then there are individual images."
Mamoru raised an eyebrow then played the video.
Ami watched as the color drained from his face. His hands shook as he went to the individual pictures and enlarged them so that he could see better. He swallowed convulsively several times. "When?" he rasped out.
"My guide said that they were found in Shiba Park…"
"Tokyo Tower area?"
"Yes, about four or five years ago. Obviously, I haven't dared to look at their records."
"Yet."
Ami nodded.
"We can't access their records from here. And doing it from the control room would be…problematic."
"To say the least. But we should be able to keep the other girls from seeing what we're doing. All of them think that the computers are my territory anyway."
"But there's Luna and Artemis."
Ami nodded. "Luna would…not be happy. She thinks that going to university is a distraction anyway."
Mamoru frowned. Luna's opinions about further schooling for any of them had been ongoing. For someone who had been dismayed over Usagi's middle school grades, she certainly wasn't happy over the fact that all of them insisted on going onto university, or in Makoto's case, cooking school with accounting and business classes at one of the community colleges.
Fortunately, Artemis agreed with them. That to be good rulers in the future, they needed to have more life experiences and knowledge.
"We'll think of something." Mamoru looked at the images again. "Zoisite would be mortified with his head shaved like that."
Ami laughed softly. "And Nephrite wouldn't be that far behind him!"
"Kunzite would be stoic about the whole thing since hair does grow back." Mamoru laughed. "Jadeite would say that it reminded him of when we Searched him out to be my Jadeite."
Ami looked at him with the question in her eyes.
Mamoru's blue eyes became unfocused as he delved into the memories of an ancient past. "The Oracles had told my father that it was time to gather my Shitennou. North, South, and West were easy since their fathers also had oracles who told them to send their sons to Atlantis. So, I didn't have to look for Kunzite, Nephrite and Zoisite. They were with me along with my father's Jadeite to Search in the East.
"I remember it took over two months, but we finally found him. Jadeite's people were nomadic herders. Cattle and horses. They wouldn't have known hygiene if it came up and bit them. They got baths when they got rained on or wet crossing a river."
"Not even steam tents?"
"No." Mamoru grinned. "My father's Jadeite was city-bred and my father's other Shitennou were all noble-born, so he was rather unprepared for my Jadeite. Let's say his being 'infested' was being polite. I don't remember if they burned his clothing, but his head was definitely shaved. And he thought a tub was horrific. He wouldn't get into one unless one of us was in it with him. And a swimming pool was even worse. I think Kunzite resorted to throwing him in so that he'd learn to swim."
Ami giggled. "Poor Jadeite." She looked across the table at Mamoru. "What are we going to do?"
"I don't know."