014 Interlude with a Dark Reality
"You're late."
"Missed my flight."
"Get here. Now."
"I'll be there…I'm coming."
Yaten closed his phone and tossed it onto his couch as he looked around his small comfortable apartment. He knew their mission was desperate and necessary but he couldn't shake the feeling that leaving would be a terrible mistake. Looking at the misery that seemed to focus around his current home he knew their personal war would lead them here to be won or lost. His heart ached with the thought that leaving, even for a brief moment, would allow Chaos the foothold it needed to steal another world, another home, from him.
He turned away from his cozy apartment and, without grabbing a jacket, walked out into the chilly night air. The hum of conversations filled his ears as he walked along. For a long while his eyes danced over the crowd as they passed by without really seeing them. As he tried not to think of where he should be now he started to watch the crowd he was passing among. The strangers he found himself examining more closely all seemed to have something off. Most seemed content but the air hummed with a nervous anxiety from the deeply troubled. Occasionally someone would stop to glance around, looking for the unnamed enemy that had taken residence in their small corner of the world. The deeply troubled would stop longer, the air around them thick with fear and despair. These had seen the monsters, had felt the drain on their life, or had someone they held dear locked in a growing ward at the local hospital.
Yaten stopped on a corner and wondered if he held that troubled air. He'd seen the darkness and watched as it stole everything he cared for, not once but twice. That darkness followed his life and left him feeling cursed, but at least here he knew he wasn't alone in that perception. His girlfriend had felt the darkness, and nearly been swallowed by its unending grasp. Swallowing, he looked around and realized he was standing in the same spot he'd stood a few weeks ago when Minako had fallen into his life.
Flashback
Yaten glared at the crowds around him. He wanted out. He hated the direction he'd fallen into, looking for a fight at every corner and getting nowhere. The air around the city held a hint of discontent, but nothing anymore malicious than any of the other cities he'd passed through. He hated the constant traveling and had decided that this time he'd spend more than three nights in a danky hotel before moving on. His teammates were unaware of his decision to take a break. They'd probably already moved out of their latest cities, but when the third monotonous day had passed he'd been unable to pack up and leave.
That had been over a week ago and he'd spent every day since looking for a job. Today he'd already been through six interviews with no indication that he might be able to afford his rent anytime soon. His cash supply was getting pretty thin and he was starting to get desperate to find any job.
His internal musings were cut short by the sound of worried gasps and people around him muttering about something. He looked up and spotted a blond girl making a dizzying path across the busy street. Her intricate, and wildly lucky, movements kept her from harm while leaving spectators on edge. Yaten was instantly captivated by the sight, debating internally if he could possibly rescue her without getting one or both of them killed in the process.
When the blond had finally crossed the street she'd stopped right in front of him. Her blue eyes were slightly glazed over, but brightened when she smiled at him. A soft happy whisper slipped past her lips, "I'm home."
The blond collapsed into his arms as the crowd burst into conversation. He heard the people around him asking him questions but he couldn't answer. Most of their questions were beyond his knowledge, the others he couldn't find the words to answer. While sitting together huddled on the pavement Yaten studied the blond. Her disheveled appearance left him wondering what had happened. He felt her shiver in cold and realized that her clothes were slightly damp.
A paramedic's attempt to pull her away startled Yaten, and he instinctually tried to pull the blond closer to him for protection. Realizing that it was silly to try and protect her from them Yaten relinquished her to their care. He blushed when the hum of the crowd turn to talk about how cute the couple was. The blond was carefully loaded into and ambulance as he watched despondently. Slowly standing he tried not to focus on the ambulance or the crowds around him.
He listened to a woman nearby instead, "The poor girl's sick as can be. Danced her way through traffic, looking for her beloved, and found him too, lucky enough. Seems he'd gone grocery shopping, probably looking to make her something to feel better, and she must woke to find him gone. The poor dear is terribly confused, but her sweetheart, she recognized him straight away. Fell straight asleep at the sight of him. With all the weird goin-ons around here they're probably both sick as can be. All these odd illnesses, leaving so many in the hospital unable to move at all…"
Yaten tried to listen further but a strong hand closed around his arm and he turned away. One of the paramedics had grabbed onto him and was steering him towards the waiting ambulance. The trip to the hospital was filled with chatter as the paramedics radioed ahead to the nearest hospital the details of the situation. Listening to the chatter of the paramedics Yaten was surprised to hear them talking about him as well.
His surprise turned to silent horror when they arrived at the hospital and he was immediately escorted into a long arduous series of tests. The tests continued through the night and as Yaten was led back to his room once again he wondered if they'd ever end. He collapsed on the uncomfortable cot and drifted off to sleep for several hours.
When he woke up several hours later he was alone in the room. He slipped out into the hallway where several individuals in scrubs wandered the halls but no one seemed to notice him. He quietly walked towards the exit planning to leave as soon as possible. As he neared the exit he spotted a young man just ahead trying to pull open the locked exit doors. The man was raving about getting into college.
Personnel converged on the man trying to pull him away from the door. Yaten watched as the slight young man threw off nurses, doctors and security guards as he continued to try and leave. A young woman in scrubs dashed into the fight and deftly jabbed a needle into the man's thigh. With a practiced hand she injected the contents of the syringe before she dashed out of the way. Her victim didn't even twitch at her antics as he was too busy dealing with towering security guards. His struggles slowed until he collapsed to the ground.
Yaten backed away from the scene as he watched the security guards pick up the unconscious young man and carry him away. Several of the staff were carefully helped to a nearby room while several people were shooed back into their rooms. As he tried to slip quietly away Yaten ran into the deft little nurse. She grabbed his arm and escorted him back to his room.
"Naturally people investigate strange sights. It's in our nature to know what's what, and why it ticks. This, however, is one of those times when it's best to let your curiosity die before it leads you into trouble," the woman murmured gently.
"That man," Yaten asked. "What's wrong with him?"
"It's complicated," the nurse said. She moved aside slightly to allow another nurse to lead Minako back into the room. "The thing about asking questions like yours is that we cannot even begin to answer them. We're looking for the answers, but…"
The nurse shrugged her shoulders slightly before she turned and walked away. The nurse who led Minako into the room also retreated leaving the two alone. Distantly curious as to what all that meant Yaten turned away from the door and walked over to talk to Minako.
End Flashback
The words of his first conversation with Minako were lost in his memory as he turned away from the corner. He slowly walked towards the park considering the orders he'd been given. He'd felt the surge of evil the night of the cruise disaster. At that moment he knew everything was changing beyond his control. Evil that dark could only grow until it consumed everything.
He'd been looking for the source of that evil, unwilling to leave knowing Minako would still be in its path. After several days of nothing he'd resigned himself to leaving, but the sound of Minako's quiet acceptance had shaken his resolve. Her gentle goodbye had tugged at his heart and left him unable to board the airplane.
He stopped just inside the park entrance and watched mothers and their children running around. He admired the children for their carefree joy wishing he could go back to the days when he was just as innocent. Their mothers were all looking slightly nervous glancing at the shadows as if expecting trouble at any moment. Yaten couldn't blame them, after all he'd seen the monsters lurking in the shadows. He'd also witnessed what becomes of their victims.
Yaten flashback
"Mr. Hikari," the small nurse from earlier said as she stepped into the room. "I've got the latest test results back. You should be discharged by the end of the day."
"What about Minako?" Yaten asked as he looked back at the sleeping blond. The nurse frowned slightly and Yaten sat on the blonde's bed. She twitched slightly and curled her hand loosely around his hand. He smiled down at her and gently brushed a strand of her hair away from her face.
"Her blood work shows some abnormalities," the woman said softly. Yaten twitched slightly and Minako tightened her grip slightly on his hand. She stirred slightly and rubbed at her eyes. Blinking slightly she grinned up at Yaten before she slowly shifted to a seated position.
"Hey, Yaten," the blond murmured as she leaned against him. She blinked at the nurse before she looked back at Yaten. Her voice was soft as she said, "Can we go home yet? I'm tired of the hospital."
"Not just yet, Minako," Yaten murmured. He slowly stood up and whispered in Minako's ear, "I'm going to talk to the nurse for a minute. I'll see when we can leave, alright?"
"Alright," Minako said as she once again laid back on the bed and settled under the covers. Yaten quickly crossed the room and ushered the nurse into the hall. The woman smiled indulgently at Yaten and allowed him to lead her away from the room. After passing several doorways the nurse took over leading Yaten.
Together the duo walked towards an elevator and went upstairs. Yaten chewed on his lip the entire time, unsure of how to ask about Minako. The nurse allowed him a chance to think until the elevator stopped and they stepped out into a quiet hallway. "This hallway is unique. Over the last few months its become necessary for every hospital in the area to have a ward set aside for unusual cases."
"Is Minako going to end up here?" Yaten asked, dread settling in his stomach.
"I'm not sure," the nurse admitted. She swiped a card over an electronic reader and pushed open a door allowing Yaten to enter before her. Hesitant, he stepped throught the door and glanced around. Beyond the door was a long hall with windows stretching all the way to the end of the hall. "This is for extreme cases. Most people recover on their own, but the people here may never recover."
"Minako will be fine, she just needs some rest," Yaten assured the nurse. She nodded mutely and led him down the hall. The first room they looked into had dozens of cots lining the walls. In each cot an individual lay asleep as nurses slowly walked among them checking vital signs.
"This group has the Sleeping Sickness. They're starting to recover, but it's slow progress. Some of them haven't moved at all in weeks, but others have woken up for a few minutes at a time. It's an encouraging sign," the nurse said as she led him past that window and further down the hall. In the next room individuals wandered around, most were strapped to beds, straining against their restraints, but a few seemed to have broken free.
"It's hard to know what to do with this group," the nurse said with a sad frown. Yaten looked into the room and spotted the young man from that morning sleeping peacefully on one of the cots. "They all want something. They ask and ask and fight for what they want as though their very lives depend on it."
"Why not just give them what they want?" Yaten asked. The nurse smiled thinly and led him towards the very end of the room. They passed two more rooms like the second before they stopped at a room with cots filled with sleeping bodies. A small cart rested next to each bed and everyone in the room was hooked up to several different monitors proving they were still alive.
"This is where those who get their request end up. We've minimized this as best as we can but…" the nurse whispered. She gently placed her hand against the glass and gazed inside. Her eyes were filled with a terrible sadness as she brushed aside a tear before it trickled down her cheek. "They're all on death's door. There is nothing we can do for them but try and bring them back after they crash. Ending up in one of these rooms is the staff's worst nightmare."
"Minako won't…" Yaten whispered, his throat suddenly dry.
"No, it's unlikely she'll end up in these rooms. That's not why I brought you here." The nurse said as she turned away from the sight. She led him across the hall to look in another window. This window had groups of individuals talking and looking all around confused. "They're all confused, unable to tell anyone who they are or where they live. They all started out in the same state as Minako."
"This is where you want to put her?" Yaten asked horrified.
"If she get's worse," the nurse admitted quietly.
End Flashback
Yaten frowned at the sight before he turned away and wandered back to his apartment. He was tired and confused. Remembering that awful experience he wondered if he'd ever have the strength to board a plane and fly away from Minako. He knew she'd find more trouble, she always seemed to be right in the thick of the disasters.