Train woke up feeling normal. His stomach wound was better, and he was hoping to get the bounty today and say goodbye to the hospital. The white, prison-like walls would no longer surround him and make him feel like he was in some mad scientist's laboratory. The obnoxious blue curtains that were reserved for another person hurt his eyes. His white bed was making him feel like he was going to go crazy. Since he couldn't stand the sight of his room any longer, he decided to stretch his legs a little bit. He put on thin blue socks before stepping onto the floor and gasping slightly from the cold. The floor was almost like ice when he put his feet on it and it stung slightly whenever he walked, but he eventually got used to it. He saw the nurses and doctors scurry off in different directions, scrambling to get to their patients.
One nurse stopped by to ask him how he was doing. Train saw that her name tag read 'Kura.' Kura's blue eyes and blond hair made her look like a typical blond, but her personality was the opposite. Her firm yet gentle voice made Train shudder slightly, but he kept it hidden. He didn't want her to know that she made him feel a little standoffish. He told her that he was fine, and that was that. She strongly reminded him of Sephiria.
Train was walking around when Sven and Eve came in. Eve noticed how white and plain the hospital seemed. She asked Sven if they could check out the kids' room. The kids' room, which was all colorful and drawn upon by the hospital staff with Disney characters from Snow White and the like, was the extreme opposite from the rest of the hospital. The beds were made with blue sheets that matched the medium blue wall color. Some toys lay on the floor. It was like two extremes— the adult's side was white, almost like a blank canvas, while the kids' side was jam-packed with color and design. Eve was anxious to find Train and let him get his bounty before anything else happened to him. Then again, he was number XIII, and bad things tended to find Train even when he didn't want them. They visited Train's room and saw that his bed was not made. It looked like he had gotten out of it a little while ago. Sven remembered that Saya was in the car because she wanted to surprise Train when he came out.
In the car, Saya was excited to see Train. She was also getting worried—what was taking them so long? Was Train hurt again? She hoped that he was okay—he had been through too much already. She decided to wait a few more minutes before she would decide to go in and check on the situation.
Back in the hospital, Sven and Eve were hunting down Train. Eve suggested hat they wait by the front desk. Sure enough, Train met up with them there.
"Hey, guys!" he said. Happiness filled him at the sight of Sven and Eve. "Where's Saya?" Train asked.
"You'll see," Sven said. Train was excited. I GET TO SEE SAYA!! His brain shrieked in an elated tone.
Train got dressed in his normal clothes while Sven and Eve were busy checking Train out of the hospital. When Train was done, he stepped out of his room and ran to where Sven and Eve were.
"You look nice," Sven said. Train had a long-sleeved black shirt on that showed half his chest. His black pants and shoes matched the shirt and his brown gun holster stuck out. His bell and pendant shone in the artificial light.
"Thanks," Train said.
"Saya would probably die if she saw you in that, you know," Eve said.
"I know," Train said before smiling happily.
Sven told Train to go ahead and wait in the car while they checked him out of the hospital. Once he left the hospital, Saya saw Train and nearly gasped. She noticed that his pendant and bell glittered. His hair and eyes glowed in the sunlight, and his outfit sent an unspeakably powerful rush of ecstasy through her. She could have sworn that her blood sang in her veins.
"Hey, Saya," Train said casually. He opened the door and sat in the passenger seat. Saya sat in the back and said nothing due to her being speechless because of Train's comeliness.
"Hi, Train," she managed to croak after a few seconds of trying to regain her voice.
"You look nice," Train said. Saya had a white yukata with pink flowers on.
"Thanks," Saya said while blushing slightly. Train just smiled, unsure of what to say. After five minutes of total silence, Sven came out to deliver news.
"What is it, Sven?" Train asked.
"Do you want the bad news?" Sven asked.
"Sure," Train said, feeling that he had no choice but to hear the news.
"They found some particles on the knife. It seems to be some sort of disease. I'll e-mail the picture of the particles to Rinslet and see if she can conduct some research on it."
"Okay," Train said. Dread filled him at the thought of being infected with some disease that he didn't know about and that he would have to stay in the hospital for an even longer amount of time.
"How's your stomach?" Saya asked.
"It's better than it was a few days ago," Train said with as much optimism as he could muster after hearing the bad news that Sven had given him.
A few hours later, Rinslet called with information on the Medulla aestris particles that were on the knife.
"Can you put me on speakerphone?" She asked Sven as Sven put her on speakerphone.
"All right. Is everyone here?" she asked.
"I'm here," Train said glumly.
"I'm beside Train," Saya said.
"I am also here," Eve said.
"I put you on speakerphone," Sven said.
"Of course you put me on speakerphone, you dork! If I wasn't on speakerphone, I wouldn't have heard Train, Eve, Saya, or you, for that matter!"
"What's with the particles?" Train asked.
"As you already know, it's called Medulla aestris. This website says that symptoms don't show for up to a few months. There are also five stages. Well, that's what they've seen so far. It might have more than five."
Great, Train thought sarcastically. "Is it deadly?" he asked.
"Yes, but that's only because no one's been strong enough to defeat it. However, I think you'll be strong enough and live through it."
"What are the symptoms?"
"The symptoms of stage 1 are a fever and feeling slightly run-down. Stage 2's symptoms are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Stage 3's symptoms are a decrease in appetite and fainting spells that grow 5 minutes longer every time. Stage 4's symptoms are intensified pain, slight convulsions that last for a minute and slight uncontrollable muscle trembling. Stage 5 makes all of your organs hurt one at a time until your whole body—bones, muscles, everything—hurts. It usually saps the person's strength little by little until the person dies. However, I saw a stage 6."
"What symptoms does that have?" Train asked while putting down his pencil. He had been writing down the stages and their symptoms as Rinslet was talking. His page looked like this:
Medulla aestris Stages and Symptoms-
Stage 1- Fever and feeling run-down.
Stage 2- Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Stage 3- Decrease in appetite and 5-minute fainting spells.
Stage 4- 1-minute long, slight convulsions, slight uncontrollable muscle trembling, and intensified pain.
Stage 5- Organs hurt one at a time until whole body hurts, saps strength little by little.
"What about stage 6?" Train asked Rinslet.
"Hold on," Rinslet said. A few seconds later, she asked Train, "Are you writing this down?"
"Yes," Train said.
"Okay. Stage 6's symptoms are loss of emotion, senses, sensation, etc., and all there is to do is fight the disease and either win or die trying."
Train added more to his piece of paper:
Stage 6- Loss of emotion, senses, sensation, etc., fight disease (either win or die).
"Got all of it, Train?" she asked.
"Yup," Train said.
"Good. Hang onto it and check the stages off as you go."
"Will do, Rins," Train said.
"Good. I'll keep in touch and give you a buzz if I find anything else. By the way, Train, please try not to get hurt in the time being."
Train sighed. "I'll try not to."
"You get a cookie for trying not to get hurt. Anyways, I'll see you guys soon. Have a good day! Bye!" Rinslet said as she hung up.
Train slammed his fist on the table in a disappointed way. "I didn't get my damn cookie."
"You'll get it the next time we see Rinslet," Sven promised.
Train sighed. The phone rang again and he picked it up after recognizing the number that was on the caller I.D.
"Hey, Rins."
"Hey, Train. Tell the others that I'll see you tomorrow. I'll bring you the cookie that I promised."
Train's eyes glowed with slight childish excitement. "I get the cookie tomorrow?!" he asked.
"You sure do."
"Awesome! Thanks, Rins. I owe you one."
"No problem, Train. I know how much you like cookies—especially chocolate chip ones."
Train just smiled. He was happy to get a cookie, but a chocolate chip one made him especially happy.
"Train just died and went to chocolate chip cookie heaven," Sven explained when Rinslet asked why Train had gone silent.
After Rinslet said, 'Oh, goodbye,' and hung up, Saya, Eve, and Sven all burst into laughter while Train stared at them like, 'Hey!'
"You crack me up, Train," Saya said after calming down.
Train smiled and absentmindedly stared at Saya.
Saya snapped her fingers in Train's face, and Train blinked, startled out of his reverie.
"Are you okay?" she asked Train.
"Yeah," Train said. "I was just daydreaming, that's all."
"About what?" Eve asked.
Train shrugged. "Nothing, really. Just a bunch of random stuff." Saya, Eve and Sven looked at him in disbelief as he spoke.
"What? It's true!" he said.
Saya sighed. "Sometimes I don't know what I'm going to do with you," she said to Train. "Anyways, I'm going to take a shower. Let me know if you need anything." As she walked off towards the shower, Train stared after her, mesmerized by how she looked.
"Train, you're staring again," Eve reminded Train. Train just sighed.
When Saya was done showering ten minutes later, she stepped out of the shower and realized that she had forgotten her clothes, which were in the dryer. She had meant to bring them up with her that way she could change in the bathroom. She went to the dryer wrapped in just a towel. She hoped that Train wasn't there.
Sven and Eve couldn't believe that all Saya was wearing was a towel.
"Where's Train?" Saya asked while getting her clothes out from the dryer.
"He went to—" Eve was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.
Train immediately looked away while blushing after seeing that Saya was clad in a towel. Saya quickly finished gathering her clothes while blushing at the same time and quickly ran upstairs to the bathroom.
"Jeez," Train said. "What is it with women and being clad in nothing but towels?"
"You guys both freaked out at the sight of each other," Sven said.
"No kidding," Train said as he took out the groceries. He finished packing them away and was lying on the couch when Saya came downstairs. She yawned, curled up next to Train, and fell asleep. Train put his arm around her waist while fighting the strong urge to blush and also fell asleep. They both ended up dreaming about each other.