• CHAPTER 36 - COMPLICATIONS

    Ha, so you can fool karma. Even people with the worst of luck or the people stuck in the worst of situations can always be helped by a miracle...or luck.

    "He just...moved...," I was on the verge of collapsing again.

    Takeuchi moved. He barely moved, but he moved. I leaned over his bed and stared at him, watched him breathe, but he didn't move his head any more and I only assumed he went unconscious right away. I turned towards Matsuda in astonishment.

    "Does this mean he's going to live?" I choked back my tears and relief.

    Matsuda shrugged, "His chances are still low, but they're increasing little by little,"

    "Should we tell Miku?" Kai asked Matsuda.

    Matsuda shook his head and sighed, "We don't want to get her too excited. We can tell her when it's definite."

    I broke out in loud sobs and Kira, Kai and Matsuda's attention went to me as I stood there and wept by Takeuchi's bedside. I was so relieved, my little brother was waking up. He was pulling through, fighting for what he loves and wants. Kai rushed over to me and embraced me and I gripped his shirt and cried into his shoulder. Kai stroked my head and slipped in a few gentle shhs every now and then as I calmed down.

    "Arisa, you need to get back to your room and get some sleep," Matsuda confronted, "I will let you know if there is any more movement."

    I shook my head, "I don't want to leave,"

    "There's enough stress on you as is. Go on and get some rest."

    "Matsuda--"

    Kai pressed his finger against my lips, silencing me, "He's right. Takeuchi probably won't move again for a while. That tiny movement probably took all of his strength."

    I stared at Kai for a long moment and I finally comprehended and sighed. I buried my face in Kai's chest in defeat and held him closer. He rubbed my back and him and I stood in silence, not caring if Kira and Matsuda were watching. My eyes snapped open and I perked upright just as Kai stiffened when we heard a very subtle moan. Kai was staring at Takeuchi and I tured to stare at Takeuchi as well. The moan came from him; he was trying to wake up.

    Kai sighed and shook his head, "He doesn't know when to give up,"

    I ignored Kai and stood at Takeuchi's bed again and watched him as he moved his head to the other side less than an inch, and he passed out again. I turned without wasting another second and rushed out of the room. Kai caught up with me easily and tucked his hands in his pockets.

    "You okay?" he asked.

    "I'm fine," I hissed a little sharper than I intended.

    I probably sounded rude, sounded as though I were upset that Takeuchi was alive, but I didn't really have control over myself. I didn't know where my feet were taking me. I stopped myself and grabbed onto Kai's arm and looked up at him.

    "He'll live, right?" I choked, "He's going to be okay now, right?"

    Kai looked down at me thoughtfully for a moment and smiled weakly, "We believe so,"

    "But," I started timidly and unsure, "his chances are still pretty low."

    Kai nodded regretfully and we continued to walk. The silence of the hallway only echoed the depressiona and suffering that continued to balance in all of us, physically and mentally. Being human, seeing Takeuchi barely move only led me to believe that he'd pull through no matter what, but Vampires and Angels on the other hand have a better prediction and sense that humans do. They can tell better than humans if one will live or die.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~

    It had been a few more days since Takeuchi first moved and we were now about five days into the new year, although to me personally it felt no different than the last year. Takeuchi's mind was developing a little better just a sliver every day, and now improving every several hours. He hasn't opened his eyes yet, but he's trying so hard. And the best part of all, Matsuda, Kira, and Kai are all getting the sense that Takeuchi will pull through with a better chance of living than dying. Kai cradled me in his arms while I cried for a long time at how relieved I was. Miku went back to Matsuda's and Orihime's, telling her parents that she wouldn't come home until it was definite that Takeuchi was over his "illness". And I was finally checking out of the hospital after so long.

    I embraced my self tightly and twisted myself side to side and smiled widely, "I'm so happy to not be wearing that stupid hospital gown anymore!"

    Kai sighed and rolled his eyes as he packed my toiletries from the bathroom. Of course, he found my feminine products of napkins and tampons and wouldn't stop making fun of me. Saying things like "no wonder you smelled so bad that one day" and stuff like that so I punched his head, inflicting more damage on me than on him.

    "Just shut up and help me," I paused after another moment and turned towards Kai again, "When will Takeuchi be out?"

    "Not for a while yet," Kai sighed, "He's still greviously injured, let's not forget. He's doing a lot better than we had expected, but the damage is still hostile."

    I frowned at Kai's formal vocabulary. It really pissed me off because I was dumb enough as it was and hearing his vocabulary on a daily basis wasn't really boosting my confidence. I continued to grumble and complain to myself until I reached into the medicine cabinet and an unknown bottle of pills was in my hand. I rotated it over and over again, but it was just a white medicine bottle. I turned towards Kai and showed it to him.

    "Do you know whose this is?" I asked while raising an eyebrow.

    Kai's eyebrows rose as if he had just found something he had been searching for, "Oh, I've been looking for those," he grabbed the bottle from me.

    "How does a Vampire forget where he put something?" I asked, a little agitated.

    Kai didn't say anything and that only made me assume even more that he was tired. He opened the bottle and drug out two pencil eraser-sized pills and popped them into his mouth. I was almost gagging when he swallowed the pills without any water and I automatically came up with an assumption.

    "Are those the sunlight suppressant pills?" I pointed at the bottle as Kai sealed it up.

    Kai nodded, "Yup," and he tossed the bottle back into the toiletry bag.

    "Is that why you never left?" I whispered, "Because you didn't know where those were?"

    "Pff, of course not," he flapped his hand at me and rolled his eyes, "I never left because I was keeping an eye out for you and the mutt."

    "Don't call him that," I complained and frowned.

    Kai picked up the bag and we went back into my room and he put the bathroom bag and a small clothes bag on the bed and turned towards me, "Do you want to see him again before we head home?"

    I nodded after he said "again" and I headed out the door, dragging Kai behind me by his sleeve. He kept up with me easily and we turned and entered Takeuchi's room one more time. Takeuchi's bed was raised a little more and Matsuda was sitting in the chair next to his bed, chuckling.

    "It doesn't work that way, Takeuchi," Matsuda grinned.

    I paused, shocked, "He spoke?"

    Matsuda nodded, "He's pretty slow and still slurs a little, but he's getting better,"

    Takeuchi's eyes were still closed. He was still too weak to open them. I inched my way over to Takeuchi's bed and very slowly, I saw one corner of his mouth crack into a small smile and it died down right away, too exhaused to hold it. He was even thinner and I was questioning whether or not he was being fed.

    "Matsuda, could he die of starvation?" I asked worriedly.

    Behind me, Kai chuckled, "Tch, no. We don't have to eat, but we still get hungry. It keeps us a little stronger, but we can go without eating."

    "But he's so emanciate," I trailed off, "If he were human, he'd be dead at this rate."

    "The kid eats like a horse," Kai boomed, "He'll be back to his normal weight after one meal." he nudged me roughly and rudely between my shoulderblades, "He's not as thin as you, of course."

    "Shut it, Kai," I hissed.

    "Takeuchi says he doesn't want you to leave," Matsuda grinned again.

    "I'm sorry," I grinned at Takeuchi, "When I come back to visit you, I'll be sure you're awake so that you can see Miku." I promised.

    Takeuchi pulled his mouth into a weak grin again for a sliver of a second and sighed subtly. I was pondering what it will be like for him to open his eyes in the first time in over a week, nearly two weeks. He'd probably be blinded by the light and want to go unconscious again.

    "He's looking forward to it," Matsuda told me after a few minutes of Takeuchi putting his words together.

    After another few minutes of silence of Kai and Matsuda talking to Takeuchi through their heads, Kai broked the silence, "Matsuda, Arisa and I need to talk to you,"

    I whipped my head around at Kai and stared at him. Matsuda stood up and turned towards Kai with curiosity on his face, "Sure, Kai,"

    Kai grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room with Matsuda following without my permission. My heart was racing already; what was so urgent? Kai lead us to a safe hallway by the janitor's closet and stopped us. Matsuda stared at Kai and I with more curiosity on his face and I only stared back in confusion.

    "Um," Kai started, not knowing how to word whatever he was saying.

    I still stood in confusion and Kai finally gripped my left hand, my ring finger specifically, and looked down at me. I understood everything. He wanted to tell Matsuda we were...engaged. I widened my eyes and shook my head frantically, not ready to break the news. Kai only looked back at me sentimentally and looked back at Matsuda.

    "Kai, don't," I hissed under my breath.

    "Um, we...," Kai stumbled, seeming a little embarrassed or uneasy, "I...used the bloody kiss on Arisa...just last month...Christmas to be exact."

    Matsuda's face turned more curious, confused.

    "So, um," he was nervous. I squeezed his hand and my eyes and looked away, turning maroon, "We're...kind of engaged."

    My breath stopped and I froze where I was, waiting for Matsuda's reaction. It felt like an eternity or two until somebody finally punctured the silence.

    "Is that all?" Matsuda asked nonchalantly.

    I peeked one eye open and stared at Matsuda, consumed my shock.

    "Yeah," Kai had been looking down with pink hidden in his cheeks.

    My palm was sweating like crazy in his hand and I continued to nervously play with my hair with my free hand. He squeezed my hand a little harder and looked down at me with a trusting and reassuring smile on his face. I felt a little better, but was still fuming with anger at Kai for telling Matsuda without either of us being completely ready.

    "If...if it's really what you two want," Matsuda shrugged, sounding a tiny bit uneasy, "But Kai, you know the pain it could cause her."

    "I'm more than aware," Kai whispered, "I won't hurt her."

    I still didn't know what pain Kai and Matsuda were talking about, but apparently it was physical pain from all I have heard. Matsuda smiled, concern hidden behind his complexion, and turned and left. I groaned and leaned against Kai's side and wrapped both of my arms around his waist and buried my face in his shoulder.

    "You nitwit, you told him," I hissed.

    Kai paused, "He's gonna have to know sometime," he said, most likely to himself.

    I didn't want to argue with Kai, the damage had been done. Not only was I still stressing out about Takeuchi, but now I had another burden on my shoulders. I gripped Kai's shirt tighter as the feeling of light-headedness consumed my head and I nearly collapsed but Kai broke my fall. He held me close to him as he leaned his back against the wall.

    "I'm sorry, but he needed to know," he whispered to me.

    "I know," I agreed in a whisper, "But what will everybody else think?"

    Especially Kira.