Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Cycle: King of the Sea ❯ Curse of Humans ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I am not Natsuya Takaya, because then I would be able to read kanji and would be reading the final installment of Fai's angst moment in Shonen Jump's Tsubasa. As it is, this poor fan is stuck waiting till Thursday. RATS!

 

P. S. Sorry if it seems short but I made my week deadline!! (Despite busting my ankle and no sleep and work and…ok I'll stop making excuses and just admit to bingeing on Vampire Knight)

 

 

Sail and sail, with unshut eye,
Round the world for ever and aye?
When did music come this way?
Children dear, was it yesterday? …

Come away, children, call no more!
Come away, come down, call no more!

 

The Forsaken Merman - Matthew Arnold

 

 

Hospitals—no one likes them. No matter how many impressionist paintings in the hallways or windows in the lobby nothing disguises the current of fear seeping through the tile: fear of our own mortality. Outside in our comfortable homes we forget it, flick on the TV and hide. Here, it stares back at you in the empty eyes of patients and weary nurses:

 

All lives come to an end.

 

Yet we, the doctors, often try to hide it—soften it. Anything for our own sanity. It's the presence never spoken—like my family's curse.

 

Sometimes, I wondered if it would hurt less if we stopped hiding. But then here I was hesitating in front of the door……. Haru….. No, four hours had passed, and all the nurse with the clipboard would say was that, “He survived his surgery, and is in Intensive Care. No visitors. Doumo.*”

 

The others needed more than that—I needed more than that. But though we were family, we were not his wife…Rin.

 

I set my jaw and pushed open the door.

 

“Sohma-Sensei.” The precise man with silver streaked hair bowed. He always insisted on calling me that though he was a good twenty years my senior.

 

I returned the bow, “Konichiwa*, Kato-Sensei.” I quietly shut the door behind me and turned back to him locking eyes. He knew what I wanted. The question was whether or not he'd give it to me. We stared at each other silent for a good five minutes until he suddenly snatched off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

 

“Sohma…” he snapped, in his frustration forgetting my sensei status.

 

“I have tried his wife's cell phone eight times in the last hour.” I answered evenly. “No response.”

 

Another long pause stretched between us. I knew he'd clocked at least twelve surgeries today, his office was the same as ever though—as stringent as his operating room. Except for two objects. I stepped to his desk and leaned on it wearily.

“Kato-Sensei, ” I looked down at the two incongruous objects: a photo of small girl with long braids grinning up at the camera holding a bunny, and a stone painted with bunny ears. I ran a finger along the edge of the frame and looked up into the surgeon's eyes. “He is family.” Not only family but family I actually like. “Onegaiitashimasu.*” And damn patient confidentiality.

 

The graying doctor ran a hand through his mostly silver hair, “Off the book?”

 

I fought the urge to grin, “Off the book.” I replied seriously.

 

 

He looked straight at me, “Your cousin is in bad shape. He has lost a lot of blood. We almost lost him during surgery. The transfusion has helped but... it might not be enough. The knife nicked part of the small intestine. And he didn't seem in good health to begin with. Honestly, I just don't know. ”

 

The prognosis he gave made my hands curl back into fists. I swallowed hard. They were too many ifs in Haru's future. Everytime I tried to think about it the medical dictionary I'd memorized for Med School started reciting all the thing that could go wrong—that were hanging in the balance. And where was Rin? Why wasn't she here? Why couldn't we track her down? And why had Haru asked where she was? Would Haru ever be able to tell me?

 

Pacing down the hall, my feet pulled me through the swinging doors into the lobby. Tohru curled in Kyo's arms dead asleep. Kyo propped his head up with his hand, but his eyes too were closed. Machi was home with the children. I smiled remembering. I hadn't even needed to ask her. What time was it anyway? I checked my watch: 4:00 am.

Only two hours till my shift…

 

As I stepped closer, I realized that Tohru's hand not only gripped Kyo's shirt but also his cell phone. I swallowed. How many times had she tried to call Rin after I left?

 

Kyo opened one eye while gently stroking Tohru's temple. Not asleep then… None of us had good memories associated with hospitals.

 

“So?” He whispered abruptly both his voice and face taut.

 

Neither of us was in the mood for our usual teasing so I simply down next to him and explained quietly so Tohru would not wake. “Like they said, Haru's survived the surgery and is stabilized for now, but he's still in intensive care. They said they almost lost him on the table because he'd lost so much blood. ” My voice came out dead pan like I was reciting a menu. Better than crying I supposed. “There also may be some complications from his stomach wound. They're worried about blood poisoning. But there's no way to know till it happens.” I left out the part about Kato-sensei telling me he didn't know if Haru would be alright. “ However, he'll be under morphine when he wakes up,” If he wakes up… “ My shift starts in two hours, and I'll be here till the next visiting hours.” I tied up my reasoning, “Thus there is no reason for you and Tohru to stay here.” Wearily, I braced myself for Kyo's inevitable argument.

 

He opened his mouth, narrowed his eyes, glanced down at Tohru, and snapped his jaw shut. He nodded sharply once. “Call us if you hear something.” He lightly punched my arm. “And find some couch somewhere. You look like you got dragged out of a dumpster somewhere, Nezumi.” He gathered Tohru into his arms till she was cradled against his chest and walked out to the drive.

 

I rubbed my eyes. Occasionally, the Baka Neko would do something like that and remind me how much he had grown up.

 

 

 

Notes: I'm not a brilliant Japanese translator (kudos to all the translators out there) but for anyone not really familiar here is Japanese 101:

*Doumo- Sorry/I regret, please etc (Rather multipurpose word in my story used as I regret)

*Konichiwa (not sure I'm spelling this right) It's a polite greeting so not sure of exact translation)

*Onegaiitashimasu—polite please or I beg you.