.
.
.
.
.
Yuki had never felt so careworn before . Her eyebrows were still knitted together , expression troubled , stained with different emotions , none of which belonged to the positive side of the wheel . She felt them all clogging her throat , pooling all the way down and settling in her stomach , twisting it like a wet cloth .
She felt nauseous just thinking of what she was going to hear once alone with him .
It's with great effort that she swallowed past that dreadful feeling threatening to overwhelm her and silently followed Kaname out of the room , doing as told .
When they were finally a safe distance away from prying ears , he stopped , forcing her to mirror him , and turned around so they were face to face .
Yuki's eyes never left his , studying every sentiment he had to offer , but most importantly searching them for answers , for the truth .
If only she knew how much she'd come to regret learning of it ..
Her chin trembled as she waited , feeling the seconds turning into minutes and those to eternity when in fact , it had only been a few seconds before Kaname found it in him to speak .
" Kiryuu's brain had gotten severely damaged , the part responsible for emotions and behaviour , in particular.. " He trailed off , no longer bearing to look her straight in the eye . He'd already known what kind of expression she would be giving him hearing that . And he didn't want to see it . Imagining her eyes go wide with shock and darkening in pain was more than enough .
Yuki blinked , the crease between her eyebrows smoothing in disbelief .
Wh..what was that supposed to mean ?
" I.. I'm not following . What damage ? "
The lump came back , with vengeance .
Kaname sighed in response , and having expected her to ask , he allowed a more simplified version of Kiryuu's condition to leave his mouth .
" He might feel a certain emotion quickly and intensely but with very little lasting effect or he might experience extreme mood swings.. It's also possible that he ends up having sudden episodes of laughing or crying . But that wouldn't necessarily have to do with his feelings . Put simply , he might cry without feeling sad or laugh without being happy.. That's why his emotions might not match the situation ..You saw it for yourself . He ended up chuckling even though you were worried about him , something he would not normally be doing . "
Yuki blanched .
The world had no colors , not anymore . Instead , it had become a terrifying place , somewhere she didn't want to belong .
It had to be a nightmare . No .. No.. She'd rather he stays in a coma than wake up to endure such fate .
How long would it take for life to scar him before it was finally satisfied ?
Did he even know about his condition ?
Her lips parted but nothing came out , at first .
" Are you saying we lost him ? "
She couldn't begin to comprehend it .
Zero..
He was no more ?
A guilty look was all she got in response , plunging her entire being into rage .
There was more ?
" Kaname ? " She'd asked while shaking her head , pleading him not to say what she feared , even though it was already obvious he was going to do just that .
" The doctor examined him last night .. Kiryuu couldn't move beyond a twitch , because the messages sent from and to his brain have been distorted and will get worse . "
At some point , he wouldn't be able to smile or frown , his facial muscles wouldn't function properly to send the message . Eventually , his heart would stop beating too . There was no telling when . Kaname preferred to keep that much to himself for now . It was bad enough he had to be the bearer of the bad news .
Yuki , on the other hand , forgot how to breathe . Her chest constricted to the point she felt physical pain grab hold of it for longer than she could tolerate.
" No..No.. You are lying . "
Her voice came out a whimper , sporadic and barely audible .
Kaname squeezed his eyes shut at that , face scrunched up in shared pain , only snapping them open when she lunged forward and pulled his shirt in her direction , gazing at him with tears in her eyes .
" Kaname , what happened that night ? I tolerated not knowing anything all this time because of the shock and only that . But I can't take it anymore . Tell me what happened . You know , you always do . I know that very well . "
Her grip around his shirt shook as she demanded , feeling her cheeks sting and heart lurch until she broke down , completely , for the first time in three months .
" Please tell me you didn't .. "
Having reached her limit , she slackened , buried her face in his clothes , and whispered in the most desperate voice rationally possible , legs nearly giving out under the pressure , the weight crushing her entirety.
Kaname felt a scald in his throat when she said that . It hurt more than anything to have her doubt and even confront him about it but he supposed she had a right . He gave her no reason to trust him when it came to Kiryuu , after all . That didn't make it hurt any less though , as opposed to what he believed .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.