Chapter 43 – Blood, Guts, and Heart

Death the Kid / Sai Summers

Kid

I blinked in the flickering candlelight. "Say that again?"

Sai hung up the received and turning half around in her seat, returned the phone to the desk. "Jonathan says the courier he sent with the documents from Level 4 is missing." Her face expressed concern. "Shibusen is starting to suspect a kidnapping, I bet."

I sat upright. "If Father realizes that we were the one's looking at those documents; if he realizes we're the ones who wanted…"

Nausea grew inside of my gut, and I grabbed at my head, hanging it. This feeling…

I leaned forward and grabbed the ends of my hair in my hands. "It's me…I wanted to know! I'm responsible!" I proclaimed.

Sai grabbed my left arm. "You didn't do anything wrong, Kid."

I cupped my right hand over my mouth, and shut my eyes.

"Kid…what's the matter…?" She begged, shaking my arm slightly.

It was too late. I squeezed my eyes shut.

I'm panicking…don't look at me…

Pulling away from her, I threw myself forward out of the chair and onto the floor. On my knees, my stomach chose to empty its contents, followed by a spray of blood. It splattered the dark stone floor, and the bottom and side of the desk.

There was less than I had expected, but it didn't stop Sai from panicking at my expense; I could hear her repeating my name…but it felt removed. And as strange as it may be, I did feel a little bit calmer. Calm even as I collapsed on my right side on the floor, next to my puddle of stomach acid and darkened blood.

Something just a little twisted in me made me smile, but only the inside. Maybe this is my way of coping….

***

Sai

It happened so fast, I wasn't quite ready.

"Kid..!" I shouted, even if it fell on deaf ears.

I pushed the chair he had been sitting in back, but instead of rolling smoothly, it toppled over backwards and landed with a thud.

I remembered Soul's excited words: Man, you should have seen him! Threw up blood and spit and everything! Then he just passed out, right there in the lecture room!

Stepping over him, I knelt on my knees at his left and pulled him up into my arms. Leaning him in against my right shoulder I brushed back his hair and loosened his white tie.

"I wish you'd let me know if you're going to have a conniption." I muttered.

He seemed to be breathing fine, but was clearly unconscious.

There was a footfall behind me, and the sudden screech of a woman's voice: "What are you doing?!"

I turned towards the voice to find the shrunken form of the maid Sara. I could see a dark face of twisted horror, illuminated by the candelabra she held.

I could barely imagine what this would look like to the average person. Perhaps even a person adjusted to the concept of Weapons and Meisters, would be shocked to come into a room and find the master of the house unconscious and next to a puddle of blood and vomit.

Her eyes were huge, perhaps in disbelief.

But the reaction wasn't for Kid…it was for me.

Sara started to back up slowly, and tripped over a rug near the doorway. Her voice trembled, and she pointed accusingly. "Monster…"

Kid, this would be a really good time to wake up…

The words stumbled out of my mouth. "I didn't do anything…he fainted…its Kid, come on…!"

She held the candelabra out in front of her and wax dripped onto the floor. And she seemed to be gathering her courage. She came at us, as if the fire would drive me away – like I was a demon. "Get away from him!" She yelled.

Those words…reminds me of Iceland….and Justin…

It was my turn to panic, and I held on to Kid. "What the heck is wrong with you?!" I shouted back at her. "It's Kid! He's always like this!"

There were thudding footfalls in the hallway and I looked towards the open doorway.

I saw a figure in puffed pants run by the doorway. "Patty!" I yelled, hoping to have caught her attention.

She came running back, abet backwards. "Ah! Sai! There you are!"

Liz suddenly appeared at her right, eyes wide. "Is everything okay? What's going on in here?!"

"Yeah..he…Kid, err…" I stuttered, and then looking up at Sara. I couldn't help but feel confrontation about me. I was close to my own mental collapse with Sara's eyes still locked on me. "Can you do something about the maid…?" I yelled at her, a little louder than necessary; the words echoed in the room.

She sighed and walked into the room; she came to a stop a few feet in front of Kid and me, and put her right hand to her forehead. "I take it Kid forgot to mention that Sara's new."

With a narrowed gaze, I eyed Liz. "Excuse me…?" I hissed.

Liz appeared embarrassed as she up-righted the chair I had toppled. "She's new, only started last week."

Things were starting to make some sense, but it made it no less unpleasant. "Ahh…so she's never seen this." I muttered, and put my left hand to my forehead.

Patty danced over to Liz's side. "Kid fainted!" She exclaimed and pointed at him, even if it wasn't in anyway necessary to state it.

Liz smirked. "Kid never said anything about this happening when around you though…but I suspect he wouldn't tell us about that."

I glazed over her saucy attitude. "It hasn't, but I heard from Soul about one of his episodes, so I wasn't completely shocked."

Liz continued to grin. "Kid doesn't usually have these kinds of problems in the house." She twisted her lip and bit on it. "Then again, he doesn't usually have girls in his room, either." She bowed down next to me. "Here, let me help you." She started to pull him up from my arms. "We'll let him sleep on the bed."

The bed was a massive wooden four-post bed, with a black comforter. For some reason being in the same room with it made me feel awkward. I let Liz pull him up from me, and I stood.

Sara continued to look nervous. "But Miss…this girl looks dangerous."

Patty burst out laughing and smacked Sara on the back several times. "You're funny! You'll fit right in!"

It was then I realized I had knelt in what had been Kid's stomach contents. "Uh…eww…" I moaned and stuck my tongue out.

Patty looked at me inquisitively, and I showed her what I was looking at. "Eww! Gross!" She wiggled in place.

Liz dumped Kid on the bed on his right side, and returned to us. "Just let him sleep it off. This is nothing new." She said, dusting her hands off. "One of these days I'll have to ask you what you see in him, Sai."

Patty started to slap me on the back this time. "Love! Love! Love!" She exclaimed in a sing-song tone.

I twisted my lip; that wasn't a conversation I was in the mood to have, so I changed the subject. "Hey, um…can I take a bath? I feel kinda…gross. Someone puked…" I babbled.

Liz blinked. "Oh, yeah. I'll show you were the one is on this floor." She stepped to my left and put her arm around my shoulders. She then looked over at Sara. "Can you send these clothes for cleaning and repairs?"

Sara, her embarrassment at the situation showing, nodded. "Yes, Miss."

I felt my cheeks warm. "Umm…I don't have any other clothes."

Liz squeezed my shoulders. "No worries about that. I'm sure between Patty and me's clothes, we can find something that fits you."

I blushed fully now. It's not like me to accept charity…

Something – beyond their hospitality – made me uneasy. "Hey, um…" I found myself less eloquent than usual. "Will you guys stay with him while I clean up? I really don't want him to wake up and find everyone gone."

Even if Liz knew it was an excuse, she didn't let on. "Sure. No problem." She said with a smile.

***

Kid

I had regained consciousness when Liz threw me on the bed; it just didn't seem like a good idea to say anything. Not when I could learn more staying silent.

And I was quickly exposed.

"I know you're awake." I heard Liz say, her voice made her sound like she was standing over me.

I opened my right eye and stared at her; I was right.

"She's in the bath." She stated flatly.

I opened both eyes and rolled onto my back.

Liz put her hands on her lips. "She'd be mad if she knew you were faking for part of it."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "I wasn't. I didn't come to until you rough-handled me."

There was a knock on the outside of the door, and Sai entered. I couldn't help but notice her discomfort…and what she had found in Liz's closest.

***

Sai

Kid was awake, and Liz and Patty appeared to have been waiting for me.

Feeling clean and washed and having fresh clothes since the first time in something like twelve hours, made me feel in a significantly better mood.

Liz turned to me, looking pleased. "Hey, you found something that fit. Good."

The black lace top was cut high at my midsection, and low at my chest. The pants, while suitably fitting, sat low on the waist. As such, I kept trying to hide my bare stomach. "This is a little more revealing than I'm used to." I confessed.

Kid simply stared, and Liz pushed on his forehead. "Have some respect." She muttered. "Ya' pervert."

He gave her a dirty look in response, and then turned back to me.

Liz looked from me to Kid, and back to me. She then smiled. "I guess we'll be off. If you need anything, let one of us now." She grabbed Patty by the right arm and started to lead her out of the room.

As they passed by me, Liz winked.

I'm wondering if I should be concerned about that look…

I rounded the bed and crawled up the far side. I pulled off the sandals I had found in the closest – the only ones that I could wear, and that matched – left them at the side of the bed, and laid down at Kid's left.

His head rolled over and he looked at me in seriousness. "Sai, I have to leave in the morning."

I sighed. "Kid, don't. You're barely holding yourself together right now."

I can't believe Death-san would send him if he knew his current…condition…

His eyes were intense. "I have no choice; I need to see it for myself."

"See what?" I wondered aloud.

Kid's voice was firm and he rolled onto his right side. "I need to know more about the Demon Tools. I need to know if the signature on the plaque you found is really from Father, or if it's the handiwork of a deranged religion."

His conviction impressed me, and I wasn't apt to argue. "Where are you going?"

"Africa. The Sahara, actually." His darkened eyes made him look as if he was dredging the details from memory. "There's a train that runs through the desert, on no tracks, powered by one of the Demon Tools. Father has assigned the task of catching the train and pulling the tool to me."

"It sounds dangerous…" I said, in automatic worry.

He ran his hand over the ribbon on the right side of my head, and I shivered. "Not any more than anything else we've been through." He stated.

I chortled. "Heh, I can't help but worry, I guess. I feel like the worried wife, waiting to hear word of her solider-man coming back from war."

He half-smiled, but avoided my gaze. "You'll always know if I'm not coming back."

The smile disappeared from my face. "What?" I whispered.

He inhaled and exhaled noisily. "The death of a Shinigami produces a new one. If I'm gone, you'll know." He alleged.

I stared at him in quiet horror.

Kid's eyes fell to the comforter, and he pulled at a string. "There's always people in reserve. People to replace us." He whispered. "A new one rises when one falls….it's the reason I'm here." He paused. "I'm a replacement."

Tears burned in my eyes, and I shielded my face with my hands. We're nothing more than tools, too…

Kid's voice shook. "Don't look at me like that…I already know…"

I sniffed and put my hands down. "You know what?"

He leaned hard against the pillow, as if he was trying to hide. "My selfishness has condemned you. If I die, you'll mostly likely take my place as a full Shinigami." He paused for a moment, and then squeezed his eyes shut. "Forgive me."

Rage rose up in me, and I started to hit him in the left shoulder with my right fist.

He let a sob escape. "Sai…please…I didn't know what else to do…"

"Do you really think that's why I'm upset?!" I complained.

Kid's eyelids snapped open and stared at me with wide eyes; I could see the water in them.

I pouted, and sunk against the bed. "Moron…stop being so morbid…"

He put his left arm around me and at my back, and pulled me in; I curled up against him. His warmth and familiar smell suddenly comforting.

"Go see Jonathan for me tomorrow." He whispered. "Please. We need to keep a lid on this situation with the documents."

My mind was far away from his words. Don't go, tomorrow…please don't…

"Alright." I muttered, with exhausting setting in.

"I'll be fine…" He muttered, half-asleep.

After a few minutes, I could hear his light snoring as I drifted off to sleep.