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Post by Tohru Honda on Dec 22, 2005 13:29:44 GMT -5
The main house was silent. Night had descended and the shadows in the room grew ever larger, the only light coming from a few small lamps and the glare of Hatori's medical objects. Akito was laid out on a futon, still passed out, and Haru was on a makeshift bed on the floor.
Tohru was sitting against the wall, drifting in and out of sleep. Her muscles and joints were growing stiff, but she didn't dare move in case she disturbed the silence (all except for Hatori moving around Akito) of the house.
The events from earlier that day relayed in her mind, dancing in front of her eyes as if she was there again. She had gone through a multitude of emotions: sadness, anxiety, worry, fear, regret, and pain. She felt like she had directly caused Akito's relapse, and in a way she had. She didn't know how she'd ever be able to forgive herself or make it up to Akito. And if he died...she didn't even want to contemplate such a horrible thing.
She blinked, struggling to stay awake, watching Hatori open Akito's shirt with something in hand. She wanted to wait and see how things came out. Her head dropped onto her shoulder, her silk brown hair falling across her eyes.
Stay awake...just a few moments longer...
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Post by Akito-sama on Dec 22, 2005 15:13:29 GMT -5
Akito's fatigued frame lay on a white futon in his chambers, his breathing was shallow, his heartbeat was labored, and death was near. His features were not distorted with pain, or troubled by anger. No, they were calm, and serene. He had a few wisps of ebony hair splayed out across his face, the other locks spread out upon his shoulders. Cold eyes were closed, and dark, blackish circles framed his under-eye. His soft, pale lips were parted, and he breathed in the little air his lungs could hold.
His grey eyes slowly opened, looking at the darkened walls that surrounded him. He turned his head, looking at the doctor at his bedside. He could barely breathe, so speaking was certainly out of the question. His lips were dry, and water was nowhere near him. When he thought of the cold liquid, another came to mind: blood, his blood. How much had he lost? How near death was he? How long until death greeted the head with open arms? How long would the family suffer?
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Post by Tohru Honda on Dec 22, 2005 15:32:24 GMT -5
Hatori studied him silently. Seeing him come around was a positive. There seemed to be an empty pain somewhere deep in Akito's grey eyes, a sight he was not used to seeing.
"I'm not going to lie to you, Akito," Hatori said, speaking quietly so that it would be hard for the others to hear. "It all depends now on your will to live. I'm trying my hardest, but if you don't want to live, then you will most likely die."
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Post by Akito-sama on Dec 22, 2005 15:41:22 GMT -5
The teen did his best to force a nod of his head. He could feel himself whithering away slowly. His body ached, and his lungs felt crushed. He tried to raise himself from the pillows, only enough to be considered 'sitting up'. He started to cough again, but only a dry cough. The pain was killing him, and could feel his lungs trying to close. The feverish feeling returned, but his skin was clammy and cold to the touch Death was setting in already.
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Post by Tohru Honda on Dec 22, 2005 15:45:05 GMT -5
Hatori sighed and picked up a cotton swab with alcohol, picking up Akito's wrist and rubbing it down the side before picking up a needle attached to a bag hanging near the futon bed.
"I'm going to need you to relax," he murmured. "You'll hardly feel a thing. I'm going to stick an I.V. into your wrist which will administer fluids to your body. It might make you dizzy for a few moments, but after that you should start feeling a change."
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Post by Akito-sama on Dec 22, 2005 15:51:21 GMT -5
Akito stared at the needle. He hated needles. Hatori knew he hated needles. Oh yeah... this is where the whole 'will to live' speech comes into play...Damn. The teen nodded his head, not happily submissive, but submissive. He turned his away from Hatori, trying to focus on anything but the needle. What else was there? Is that... Yes... Tohru's still here. Why? There's no need for her to sit back and watch someone die. But still, she lay there, and he smiled. His decrepid face broke into... a smile. What next? Was he going to apologize to Yuki before he died? Why not? Fine. He'd do that too.
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Post by Tohru Honda on Dec 22, 2005 15:55:53 GMT -5
Hatori masked a sigh of relief, slowly and mechanically inserting the needle into Akito's wrist before taping it down. The tape glue was strong enough that it would be hard for Akito to scratch off if he went into hysterics...but then again if he went into hysterics, stood up, and moved around the needle would probably be yanked from his wrist anyway.
He left the room for a few moments and returned with a plastic cup of water in his hand, some more rub in his other. Setting the water on the stand near the futon, he leaned over to Akito's body, which was currently turned away, and rubbed it onto his skin.
"More effective than the school's vapor rub," he said, not sure why he was telling Akito what he was doing, but found that if he was in Akito's position, he'd want to know exactly what his doctor was doing to him.
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Post by Akito-sama on Dec 22, 2005 16:08:44 GMT -5
Akito winced as the needle entered his skin, and emitted a whispered hiss. He let his hand drop back down on the bed, and stared off, looking at Tohru again. He turned to Hatori again, and he could feel the pain of death setting in again. The disease battered him, and he assumed, it was battering the family.
It seemed that only he and Hatori knew about this side of the curse. Akito held it all upon his shoulders, the pain and the disease. Once he was gone, there would be no-one to hold onto it. It would effect all of the Jyunishi, a few would suffer merely from headaches and stomachaches, while others would near death. They would need to find another host for the curse, or the Sohmas would cease to exist.
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Post by Tohru Honda on Dec 22, 2005 16:15:53 GMT -5
Tohru wasn't always the brightest crayon in the box. She knew that and had basically been told that all her life. So when she noticed that once Akito got sick, Yuki, Hatsuharu, and Hatori also became fatigued, she didn't know if it was coincidence, from stress, or if these two events were related.
Either way, she decided to make herself useful in bringing Akito around. Not only was the possibility that everyone else would feel better, she wanted to show Akito that she hadn't been lying about the things she said, and it made her feel good inside to do it.
Tohru opened her eyes, and stretched, then stood up, walking down the hall to find the kitchen or bathroom. Sure enough she stumbled upon the bathing room and grabbed two towels, wetting one with cold water, the other with hot water, and carried it back into the room where Akito lay.
She extended them to Hatori. "It's for his forehead," she explained, putting them in his hands. "I don't know if he's chilled or warm, so I brought cold and hot towels."
Hatori studied her, then turned to Akito. "Well Akito?" he said, prompting him. "Which is it?"
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Post by Akito-sama on Dec 22, 2005 16:19:48 GMT -5
Akito raised a suspicous eyebrow at Tohru, for he had never been one to trust. He reached a shaking hand up and pointed to teh cold towel. He himself felt firey, even though his skin was still clammy and cold.
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Post by Tohru Honda on Dec 22, 2005 16:24:22 GMT -5
Hatori handed it to Tohru, and she took it uncertainly in her hand and gave him a puzzled look. She nervously stepped forward, put the towel onto Akito's forehead, and stepped back, hands against her thighs and bowing.
Hatori turned around, writing something on a clipboard,and Tohru felt suddenly very foolish. She went over to a low table and kneeled onto one of the pillows, keeping her hands in her lap and looking cautiously at the papers scattered on the smooth wooden surface.
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Post by Akito-sama on Dec 22, 2005 16:28:51 GMT -5
Akito found it humorous that the girl found the need to bow to a dieing asshole. He turned to Ha'ri, opening his mouth and whispering at him, "I need to speak with the girl, alone." His throat ached, and death was nearing ever closer to him.
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Post by Tohru Honda on Dec 22, 2005 16:32:18 GMT -5
"There's water on the table," Hatori said to Akito, before turning out of the room with his clipboard.
Tohru stood up off the pillow and knelt by his bed, bowing her head. "You wanted to talk to me, Akito-san?"
Her heart raced, wondering what Akito wanted to speak to her about. Her imagination knew no bounds, and she was finding herself growing more anxious by the second.
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Post by Akito-sama on Dec 22, 2005 16:39:21 GMT -5
His voiced came out raspy and weak, without the slightest of any emotions, save regret. "As you already must know, I am near death. Very near. My death will effect all of the Jyunishi, as it has started already. I was far from kind during my time as head, including promising that I would erase your memories. Instead, I want you to stay with them, keep their eyes open to you." He manged to mumble, assuring himself that this crappy futon was sure to be his deathbed.
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Post by Tohru Honda on Dec 22, 2005 16:41:10 GMT -5
Tohru swallowed and stood, picking up the cup of water. "Does Akito-san need me to help him drink water?" she said, struggling with herself.
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