Chapter Eight: The Doctor and The Snake

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Hana stared out the window of her bedroom, the lights off. Outside, street lights shone in the night, and beyond them, stars high in the heavens. But she did not admire their dancing lights. Instead, her eyes were rather glazed over, one hand gripping the window ledge.

Megumi, her younger brother, opened the door and entered the room. Though it was late, he found he couldn't sleep and had decided to come ask his sister for advice on the matter. But when he finally found her, sitting in the dark near the window, he hesitated. He knew that stance, the rigid back, the absolute silence around her. She was communing, searching for something, or she had come across something that had disturbed her into this trance-like state. He wasn't sure which.

He moved towards her, quietly on his bare feet, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. A shudder ran through him as he connected, ever so slightly, with her. Many considered them witches. Their unique abilities to manipulate the auras and electrical waves around them, to sense them, more so on Hana's side than his, frightened a lot of people. His specialty was curses, but he was still sensitive to the things his sister felt.

Goosebumps ran up and down both of their bodies, as an unearthly chill seemed to fill the air. Hana moved her hand to rest on her brothers' hand. "There is something going on tonight," she said in her quiet voice, very serious and intent. "It is not a good thing. I sense something not of this world but I can't find where it is hiding."

Megumi knew better than to speak as he listened to his sister try and describe what she was sensing. He vaguely felt what she was feeling. Unbidden, his mouth opened. "Someone is drowning."

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Hatori Sohma sighed as he shut his car door. If it had been for anyone else, he probably would not have come, anyone else outside of the family, that was. Tohru was practically a member by admission if nothing else. He couldn't say no to her, especially not when she'd sounded so distressed. That distress surely wasn't good for her.

Shigure separated himself from the shadows on the porch. "Ha'ri," he greeted.

The darker haired man nodded in greeting as he went up the steps. "Shigure." He followed his cousin into the house and up the stairs to Kyo's room. "What can you tell me about this visitor of yours?"

Shigure shrugged his shoulders. "Not much, I'm afraid. He's foreign, probably no older than Kisa or Hiro. His butler says it's possible he suffered from an asthma attack, which I can agree on. It reminds me of Yuki's minor attacks, but we thought it was better to be safe than sorry. Besides, I don't think Tohru trusts any other doctors but you. Anything else, and his butler will have to tell you."

"Hm." Hatori nodded as he walked up the last step and turned to the appropriate door, which was wide open. Inside, he saw Tohru standing, and a tall, dark haired man sitting on the edge of Kyo's bed. And, if he leaned slightly to one side, he could see the still form of his patient, lying on the bed.

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Sebastian didn't look up when he heard the quiet footsteps stop outside the door. He decided it was best to let the doctor announce his own presence when he had finished taking in the scene. Ciel's breathing was still quite raspy, despite his attentions. He rather thought the boy had developed a slight fever and had removed his jacket while Shigure had been gone, undoing the ribbon around his master's collar so that he could breathe a bit easier.

After staring in what could only have been a bit of surprise, Hatori moved into the room. He had not expected to see such a distinguished looking man or his young charge. The hat and jacket that had been placed to one side were definitely quite fine. Even with one cloudy eye, the doctor could see that. These two came from some means of wealth and he found his curiosity, against his better judgment, welling up inside. He cleared his throat to announce his presence.

Tohru immediately turned around, her eyes wide with worry. "Hatori! Thank you for coming! Ciel's not doing too well. I think part of it might be my fault. I insisted he go up on the roof with me. I didn't know he'd pass out and almost fall off!"

Hatori blinked at this admission, but moved further into the room. He glanced at the butler, who had moved to stand respectfully to one side of the bed, arms to his sides. There was something slightly off about the man's eyes. They weren't quite the normal color he'd expected. "Do you believe an asthma attack was the trigger," he asked point blank.

Sebastian gave a slight bow, head slightly down turned. "I believe it may have been a contributing factor. However, my master has felt rather poorly as of late. One of his associates unintentionally induced a case of food poisoning the evening prior, which has greatly reduced his usual spirits and vigor."

Hatori frowned, his doctor's bag in one hand. He didn't need his stethoscope to hear the raspy breathing coming from the unconscious boy. "May I?" he asked without thinking as he moved closer and sat down on the edge of the bed to begin his examination. He noted some bruising along the left side of his patient's face, along with the presence of an eye patch covering his right eye. Sebastian had not removed it when he'd removed the jacket.

Seeing the slightly inquisitive expression on the doctor's face, Sebastian stepped forward slightly. "The young master sustained a few injuries during the incident. He was attempting to climb back down the ladder when he lost consciousness. I was able to grasp his hand before he fell, but was unable to keep him from hitting into the ladder. I fear my actions my have also dislocated his right shoulder." He did not offer any information about the eye patch.

Tohru let out a sharp intake of breath. "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize my silly request would result in this! It's all my fault!" She buried her face in her hands and began to cry.

"Nonsense!" Shigure admonished. "If you hadn't noticed that he was falling in the first place, I doubt there would have been time for Sebastian to grab him and Hatori would have to do a lot more patching up." He tried to keep his voice light to comfort her; afraid to give her the hug he knew she needed. After all, there were strangers in the house, and Hatori was just right there. They didn't need to use his special techniques unless it was necessary.

Sensing that Shigure wasn't going to be able to comfort Tohru in the way she needed, Sebastian moved over and gently placed his arms around her shoulders, allowing her to cry into his jacket. "It was not your fault," he reaffirmed. "The young master usually does not have problems with heights. You are not to blame. It is more likely a result from his poor eating these past few days."

Hatori tried to ignore the theatrics occurring behind him as he examined his patient, checking his uncovered eye for signs of concussion, as well as listening to his heart and lungs and checking his other vitals. He didn't know why, but he felt it was better to leave the ey with the patch alone. Maybe it was because he understood a bit about eye injuries from his own experience, or because the butler had not thought it important to mention. Either way, he didn't even think about checking it. He glanced over his shoulder. "Shigure, why don't you try being useful and bring some water. This boy is dehydrated and I didn't bring any saline with me."

Shigure jumped, hearing his name. "Who? Me?"

"Yes, you." Hatori rolled his eyes as he turned back to his examination. He was gently probing at the discolorations down the boy's face, feeling for any potential swelling or over tenderness that might suggest fractures beneath the skin.

Sebastian lowered his head in shame, still keeping one hand around on Tohru's back as she continued to sob into his chest. "I must admit my failure as a butler for not taking as good care of my young master as I should have. Since we arrived in Japan, we have been swept around in confusion and I neglected to see that my young master was not receiving the proper nutrients. I should have been more diligent, especially considering the circumstances. I have failed as a butler."

Tohru looked up, tear streaks down her face. She knew Sebastian better than anyone else conscious in the room and she did not think he was a failure. "But you haven't!" she contradicted. "Ciel wouldn't be here now if you hadn't done what you did! I'm sure he'd say the same thing! Please don't be too hard on yourself!"

Sebastian smiled at her outburst. "Perhaps you are right. To please you, I shall try not to be too hard on myself, since my master is incapable of giving such sentiments himself. Might I suggest the same applies to yourself as well?" He was rather amused by the situation, being fairly certain that Ciel would probably not offer up such thoughts himself, but to calm Tohru, he would say what he must. After all, his interjection had been more to get her mind off of her own guilt and to put it into its proper perspective.

Hatori sighed as he took out a small phial from his bag, and a syringe, causing both Tohru and Sebastian to return their attention to the boy and doctor. "The asthma attack appears to be mild, and the best course is for him to rest." He turned to look over his shoulder once more. "But you were right about the joint dislocation. Luckily, there are no fractures to his skull, despite the deep bruising."

He turned back to his patient, the needle ready. "Just so you know what I'm doing, I'm giving him something to help with his food poisoning, just to be safe. It should lessen his other symptoms as well. I'm not sure what he ate, but it does appear to have caused a good deal of distress to his system, which is probably why he passed out, along with the dehydration." He cleaned a section of the boy's skin with a swab. "I'm also still concerned over the possibility of a slight concussion, and the fact that he has developed a fever does worry me."

Sebastian moved to help, watching as the doctor injected the medication. "Please tell me what I can do to assist you," he said as he observed. He could understand why the doctor would be concerned about the possibility of a concussion. The bruising on his master's face was turning dark, despite his having placed cold cloths on it earlier. At least he had not hit the temple, though his forehead certainly held a sizable lump from the experience.

Hatori pushed the bedding away from the boy's small body and moved him to a sitting position, turning him slightly so that he faced the wall. "Please hold him upright while I push the joint back into place," he requested. "It's probably just as well that he's unconscious for this. I didn't bring the right kind of pain medication."

The butler moved to hold his master as instructed, one hand on his good shoulder, the other on his rib cage below the other. He sat off to one side so that the doctor could work unobstructed. He held firmly while Hatori forced the bone back into place, which resulted in a slightly sickening sound. He felt his master's body tremble under his gloved hands, despite his being unconscious. Once the joint was back in place, he helped the doctor gently lay the boy back against the pillows. Ciel was more pale, he noted, and a cold sweat had broken out on his skin.

Hatori resisted the urge to rub at his eyes. Instead, he let his fingers slide through the hair parted to hang over his damaged eye. He could still slightly see from it, but preferred to keep it covered. "I'm going to write a prescription for the pain. He should keep his arm in a sling for at least a week, at which time I would like to reevaluate his condition. Also, you might consider having his prescription for his asthma renewed, as I'm sure that might have been helpful. Which medicine does he usually take? Does he use an inhaler?"

Tohru uncovered her ears to hear Hatori's last remarks. She'd covered them just before the sickening almost crunch had sounded when they'd forced Ciel's joint back into place. At least it hadn't been a broken bone, but it had still sounded quite painful and she couldn't help but wince when it happened. She glanced over at Sebastian, wondering how he'd answer the question. Did they have medicine for that back in nineteenth century London?

Sebastian smoothed his black suit coat. "The young master has not required any medication for some time," he confessed. "His asthma was considered recovered, but it does flair up from time to time. His doctor back home never prescribed anything for the matter, preferring to treat each incident as it occurred due to the reduced occurrences of such attacks." He wasn't sure what Hatori meant by an inhaler and decided to look it up later.

Hatori closed his bag with an audible click. "I see. Then allow me to suggest this, keep a close eye on him and let me know if his condition does not improve within the next forty-eight hours or if it deteriorates. It is possible he may require medication or further medical attention to help with his condition. Also, I highly suggest giving him only soft, bland foods for a while, with a great deal of liquid, until we're sure he has fully recovered from the incident. Someone should probably sit with him tonight to make sure no complications result from his injuries."

Tohru stood to attention as Hatori glanced her way. "I'll make sure to prepare his meals! Don't worry about a thing!"

Shigure stepped into the room with a glass of water as Hatori moved to leave. He blinked in surprise. " Oh, are you leaving already?"

Hatori rolled his eyes. "Always so far behind," he said quietly. "Yes, I'm leaving. Call me if things don't improve," he repeated for his cousin's benefit. "I need to get back to the Main House. There are others who may require my attention."

Sebastian followed him to the door. "Dr. Sohma, might I inquire as the fee for your visit?"

Hatori glanced back. "We'll worry about that at another time. If you need my services later, I'll consider charging you. But since you're guests of the Sohma family, I'll let this visit pass."

Shigure put a hand on Sebastian's shoulder as they watched the doctor leave. "Don't worry. The only payment Ha'ri really wants is Tohru's cooking."

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Tessa stepped down from her high perch, back to the cold cement, still chanting softly. Her skin reflected the strange light from her conjuring. She waved her arms and Kyo's limp body lifted from the ground, turning to a more upright position so that it looked like he was standing, except that he was several inches above the ground and his head lolled towards his chest like a marionette with a few slack strings.

She waved a hand and he slowly revolved in the air, his bare chest reflecting the eerie green light coming from the still lingering symbols in the air and from her skin. "Where should I put it," she mused. "Where should it go? Not somewhere too obvious." She put one hand to her chin as she contemplated. "Hmmm." She put her hand out flat forward and Kyo stopped moving. "How about…. There."

She moved her wrist so that she was pointing at his left shoulder blade. A few sparks flew from her fingers and scattered into the air like a sparkler's dying light. "That is where I want the mark." She opened her mouth wide and a black and green serpent slowly slithered from between her lips, coiling around her outstretched arm. It was about six feet long with a hooded head and coal red eyes and tongue.

Tessa stroked its scales with her other hand. "Ah precious pet," she crooned to it once it had fully come out. "I have another for you. A much better one for you to taste. Mark him well." She moved forward with purposeful steps, until she was only a few inches from touching Kyo's body with her out-stretched hand. "There." A few more sparks flew from her fingers to graze his shoulder blade, burning a slight trail, half an inch long, down his exposed skin.

The snake wove forward, its scales slithered across Tessa's skin as it moved to wrap around Kyo's chest like it would a tree trunk. Its scales made a slight shushing sound as it moved. Finally, it stopped, its head near his belly button. It slowly rose above his shoulder, swaying back and forth, its hood fully extended as its tongue tasted the air. It hissed ever so slightly, pulling up so that it was half a foot taller than Kyo's shoulder, hanging about a foot back from his chest.

Tessa smiled, crooning slightly to her pet, waiting in anticipation for the moment it would strike and seal this boy's soul to hers. She nodded slightly and the snake fanned out its hood further still, pulling back ever so slightly more. With a lightning quick strike, it lunged forward and down with a hideous hiss, sinking its fangs into Kyo's flesh where she'd marked him.

Blinding red light flared up at the point of contact, red that pulsed like a beating heart. The entire snake became engulfed in it, glowing like the red heart of a fire. Black smoke steamed from the scales, which were suddenly sucked towards the head, like someone was sucking it up with a straw, pulling them into the glowing circle of the creature's mouth which burned into Kyo's skin like a brand. For a moment, the smoky remains of the snake's body, like a dark cloud, stayed where the snake had been, then disintegrated like dying embers, only to vanish.

The entire process took only a matter of seconds from bite to end, leaving a slight red glow of seared skin in the form of a cobra's hooded head on Kyo's left shoulder blade. Around the cobra's form was a circled pentagram with strange symbols on the outside, which faded as the red glow died, leaving the bright pink of a fresh scar.

Tessa smirked as she moved her arms, sending his still body back to the ground. "And now your soul belongs to me, to do with as I please. I can use you as a puppet, a servant or slave. Or, I can just use you as the wonderful power source that you are. And, as I said, there is nothing you can do about it. And now, thanks to you, I will now finally be able to achieve my ultimate goal!"

Kyo's limp body landed back on the cold floor. His head rolled to one side so that his cheek rested on the ground, eyes closed. His skin had a rather unhealthy pallor to it, an almost sickly green as the shimmering figures in the air finally dissipated.