7-death of a loved one
Guys, your reviews are gonna make me cry. *wipes tear* Thank you for your ongoing support, it always inspires me to get off of my ass and WRITE!
Now, let's kill Kai.
He caught Nya fiddling with the hem of her shirt several times. He wanted to tell her that it would be okay, that Kai would be fine, that everyone on their team would walk out of this hospital okay and alive.
But that wouldn't be true.
Kai...wasn't okay. Cole choked back tears. He wouldn't be okay. There was no use sugarcoating the fact; it only worsened the entire situation. The stab wound had been deep. He had lost too much blood to possibly be okay by the time they had gotten to the hospital. All of their shirts and hands were caked in Kai's dried blood. Nya didn't seem to notice and Col simply didn't care. Kai was dying. There was nothing anyone could do but hope.
"Family of Kai Smith?"
The ninja stood up to face the nurse, and her face twisted into the dreaded expression of despair.
"I...I'm sorry."
Nya crashed into Cole's chest, tears already streaming down her face. Cole tried to fight his own tears, but couldn't. He cursed himself; first, he couldn't even save his own teammate, his own brother, and now he couldn't even comfort his love, stay strong for her. What kind of leader was he?
Overlord. He failed Kai. He failed Sensei. He failed his team. He failed Nya.
He failed himself.
Nya's heartbreaking sobs brought him back to reality. He hugged her tighter and rubbed her back. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but eventually someone lead them to their car and they went home.
...
Groggily, Cole sat up. He slowly opened his eyes. He was lying in Nya's bed. It seemed like it was still dark outside.
A muffled sob caught Cole's attention. He turned. Nya was beside him, lying on her side. He could tell by the shake of her shoulders that she was crying. He hadn't slept well himself. Propping himself up on his elbow, he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. He had no idea what to say to her, so he remained silent, and held her as she grieved.
He choked back his own tears. The earth master had to stay strong for her when she was falling apart. Her rock clutched her head to his chest as she scooted closer to him, then she looked up at him.
Her voice was hoarse and soft. "It's okay to cry."
He shook his head, but the tears betrayed him and ran down his face anyway. His tears slid down her hair as they held each other, tangled in their own embraces. For Cole, the next hour went by in a blurred haze.
"He's in a better place. He has to be. He always said that about our parents."
Cole shuddered. It was strange, having to talk about someone in past tense who was alive merely hours ago. Nya sniffed, and Cole rubbed her back. That was when he realized that their hands and shirts were still coated in dried blood. He stood, then pulled Nya to the bathroom.
He made Nya sit down on the edge of the tub, then he grabbed a clean washcloth and wetted it, pouring a bit of soap in it. He sat down on the toilet lid, then took her hand. He began scrubbing off the blood, neither of them saying anything. Nya silently observed him as he directed his attention to her hands. When he finished, her hands were still stained red, either from the remnants of the blood or the roughness of the washcloth. Setting the washcloth on the counter, he swiped a fresh one, then wetted it and doused it with soap. He gently cleaned her hands until they were back to their natural color.
She rubbed her hands together, then threw away the washcloths. She took two fresh ones and cleansed his hands.
He gave her a light kiss when she finished and thanked her. She offered a small smile, then stood, taking his hands.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" She whispered.
He nodded, and squeezed her hand.
Times may seem bad now, but at least now the had each other to help the other through Kai's death.
At first I wanted to make Kai die of something stupid, but then I realized that it would destroy the entire mood.
Review? ^_^