True Love's Call

by Elizabeth White

AU;The night of the school festival marked more change in the lives of Miyuki and Izumiko than they realized; while Izumiko struggles with all the unwanted attention she's getting at the Academy going into their 2nd year, a much larger conflict hovers over the teens. But how can you reconcile matters of the heart with humanity in the balance?

7. Doesn't Deserve This

Standard disclaimers apply

---

Whoever the third year girl was, her help was much appreciated. While she'd not been able to completely stop the panic attack, her guidance had helped keep the situation from escalating. In a gentle, calm voice, the upperclassmen instructed Izumiko through some deep breathing techniques, thus keeping the girl from blacking out, or worse, losing her ability to breath at all.

Miyuki sighed in relief as he heard the ambulance his father had said was on its' way stop close-by. He was pleased to note that their sirens were not on and that the paramedics were all female. As the paramedics rushed to Izumiko to further regulate her breathing and calm her down, Yukimasa rushed over and stood beside his son.

"As much as I'd like to be angry at you for this, I know that will get us nowhere." Yukimasa, noticing his son wasn't even looking at him, followed his pained gaze till it rested on Izumiko.

"You don't have to lecture me; I already hate myself for letting her suffer like this." Yukimasa blinked in shock; was this young man his son?

"She doesn't deserve this pain. She's already suffered enough." Yukimasa's interest spiked; what did his son mean?

"It happened last year before the school festival; the Hime-gami explained to me some of her past." Miyuki's fist unconsciously tightened as he continued; "She'd been captured and brutally murdered; chopped up like some slab of meat." Miyuki turned and pinned his father under his stony gaze.

"She's always been terrified of what people thought of her." As his son shifted his gaze back to Izumiko, he intoned; "Then again, if I'd been threatened like she'd been, I doubt I wouldn't have some trauma about the incident." Before Yukimasa could interrupt his son, one of the paramedics came back, saying that Izumiko was asking for someone named Miyuki. Before Yukimasa could even answer the woman's question, his son was already sprinting toward the now much calmer girl. As the father watched his son interact with Izumiko, he noticed how his son's face became less tense and, dare he say, happy? The truly interesting thing was that Izumiko's face went through the same transformation.

"Young love is so sweet;" sighed the paramedic standing beside the elder Sagara. Internally, Yukimasa couldn't help but agree. The Hime-gami indeed chose Miyuki wisely; my son loves her vessel dearly.