Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Mend my Heart ❯ Waking to a Stranger World ( Chapter 10 )

The night was black as pitch. Even if he put his hand in front of his face, barely touching his nose, he knew he wouldn't see it. All he could do was wait. Wait for daybreak and the pain to begin. Was it all right for him to fear the dawn? He didn't know anymore. Half of him wanted to see the sun glowing golden bright in a crystal clear blue sky. But the other half wanted to bury itself in the nothingness as long as he didn't have to suffer anymore.

Was it right? Was it fair? No. He knew that deep down. He didn't belong in the dark. He belonged in the sun. Dark brought pain and torment. Light brought hope and life. He wanted to hope. He wanted to live again. Not like this, not in this perpetual cycle of false hope and pain.

A hand instinctively rose up against the sudden dawn. Red sky with clouds of flame hovered above. Everything under the crimson sky looked like it was covered in blood. He looked down at himself and his heart skipped a beat. He wasn't sure if it was just a trick of the light or somehow real, but his hands dripped with the liquid of life. And it scared him more than anything. He didn’t like the way it looked and quickly rubbed his hands on his shirt and pants to wipe it off. But all it did was paint his clothes the sickly colour, his hands remained drenched.

Then the roar of the crowd filled the dreamscape. Panicked he looked up to see the play carrying out as it had every time previous. They would be coming soon. He had to be ready. Frantic now, he smeared his hands over and over himself, still they were stained. They were here. He had to stop the ball at all costs. The kick!

With bloodied fingers he snatched the checkered ball out of the air and won the match. He lay there breathing heavily. Slowly he sat back and saw that his hands dirtied the round object. Shakily he got to his feet. He didn't understand. This wasn't supposed to happen.

The cheers rang out and the crowd soon overwhelmed him. They surrounded him, suffocating him. He tried to get them off but they wouldn't budge. They didn't even seem to notice how his hands sullied them. They grabbed at him, pawed at him. He tried to break free but their grip was too tight. And it only got tighter. Soon the pawing became sharp with claws cutting him, adding to the scarlet paint that he couldn't wash off.

"Stop!"He managed to cry out once before the air was force from his lungs. Crushed in the mass of bodies, blocking out the little light he had. Shadows bruised and sliced. Gasping, he tried to fight, tried to scream. Nothing. He begged to no one, please! make it stop!

A cackling laugh mocked his plea. "You brought this on yourself. You should have listened. You should have done as you were told."

Crimson gave way to obsidian, swallowing him whole in torment. How do you fight shadows? How do you fight what you can't see? He was drowning. Why didn't anyone save him? Gathering the last of his strength, he cried out in despair. Then he went lax, feeling himself giving in to the darkness. And somehow he knew that this time, once he fell into the night he would never see that day again.

As he sank further into the abyss, he thought he was hallucinating. Just out of reach on the horizon a fleck of light slowly penetrated the darkness. He watched it with wistful longing that somehow it was real. It gained in light. And that's when he heard it. Faint and as if it echoed down a long tunnel tripping over itself sounding like a chorus of one. Hollow and fractured it spoke to him. 'Ken, I'm here.'His angel. A soft smile touched his lips.

To his utter surprise, he heard the dark hiss in response to the voice. Ignoring the protest, he eagerly reached out for the ember. The tips of his fingers brushed against one of the tinkling rays and he felt his heart lighten. But it was short lived. The darkness growled and tightened its hold, dragging him back into the night. 'You cannot escape. You cannot go back. You belong to the night.'

"No!" He struggled against nothing still reaching for the light.

'If you go back, a fate worse than this will find you.'It sneered.

"I don't care."

'You choose pain?'

"Anything but this."

'It will not be yours alone. Others will suffer.' He hesitated. Could he condemn others to his fate? He could handle his pain, but could he deal with the pain of others? He started to slip. 'Good. Follow me into the void.' Alone, he was alone after all. The darkness promised eternal loneliness. But the trade was fair, his damnation so that others may be free of suffering. Casting one last look of longing toward the light he slid into a clod blanket of onyx.

'Ken! You're not alone anymore. I'm here.'He stopped. The voice sounded so sure, he wondered if he could go back. 'I won't let them hurt you. We'll stop them.' Could he believe in this voice? If he was no longer alone, if his angel helped him, maybe he could wake up and together protect those the darkness tried to hurt. But how could he know for sure? 'I promise, Ken. I promise to protect you.' The voice was so confident and sure. If he could really protect him then it was possible to protect others. Somehow, something inside him flared. He felt the truth in that belief.

With renewed determination, he pushed back against the night and reached for the star. The darkness raged, 'Nooo! You can't go back. Others will suffer.' It's grip tightened, squeezing and twisting him. It's touch burned him, but he continued to fight.

"I must take that risk." The words ground out through clenched teeth. The nothingness roared. Searing pain scorched his soul driving him into a different emptiness. The pain was incredible and quickly drained him of his strength, but still he pressed on. He cried out as his hand took hold of the flickering ember.

And then nothing.No pain. No light. No dark. He felt like he was floating on an empty sea. Had he won? Had he lost? He didn't know. All he knew was that he was extremely tired. He wanted to sleep. Through weary eyes, he caught sight of a dim glow. He stretched a hand out toward it, too weak to grab hold. Suddenly, a hand sprung forth and clasped onto his hand. Taking hold and offering a well of strength. It felt so warm. He smiled and leaned toward it. Content he felt himself slipping into a light slumber. The last thing he heard was the angel's gentle whisper, 'Please, Ken. Just wake up. Please.'

***

Awareness was a gradual process, sluggish and clumsy at best. Soft beeps from various monitors was the first thing his mind was able to recognize. He didn't quite understand what it all meant exactly, but he somehow knew he was in a hospital. The odd uncomfortable bed attested to that as well as the soft pages over the intercoms that could be heard in the hall.

The second thing he noticed was the warmth of his hand. Unsure of the cause, he tried to squeeze but his muscles didn't respond to his command. Instead, he only managed to make his fingers twitch, but it was enough to recognize that there was a hand holding his and somehow he felt infinitely better.

Tension he hadn't even realized was there slowly drained away and he relaxed into the bed. His next obstacle was opening his eyes. With effort he managed to crack them open and instantly regretted it. Fluttering back shut he waited for the pain to abate before trying it again. He wanted to see who the hand belonged to. Swallowing hard, he prayed that it belonged to whoever had promised him that he wasn't alone. His immediate thoughts turned to Kase and how the last time he saw his friend he was being drug away while the shadows pulled him into darkness.

Not wanting to recall the nightmare he escaped from, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and forced his eyes to open again. This time it wasn't so bad. The discomfort would have been ten times worse had the room been fully lit however the dim lighting granted him an easier transition. Blinking he tried to focus on the form sitting next to him, but the shadows hid the figure from him.

He wanted to wake him but when he tried to speak nothing came out. His throat too dry and unaccustomed to function properly. He tried to work up some moisture but it was proving much more difficult than he thought. Getting frustrated, his fingers twitched again, desperately hoping that somehow he could speak.

Suddenly, the figure stirred. Anxiously the athlete waited. He didn't have to wait long when the silhouette shot up in his seat. A hasty voice whispered into the dark. "Ken?" The voice was so familiar to him but for some reason he couldn't place it yet.

Could it be? "Kase?" Amazingly instinct managed to force dry lips and rusty vocal chords to say the name. He was surprised when he heard disappointment in the reply. He wondered what caused it.

"No, Ken-san." So this wasn't his lifelong friend, but who? His mind raced. He closed his eyes trying to figure out why the voice was so familiar to him. He could hear it calling out to him, telling him he was safe. But a name, he couldn't recall the name. Then suddenly he saw a light in his mind's eye. And with it came that voice, ' Ken! It's ok, I'm here. It's me Ran. You're safe, Ken. You're not alone anymore. I'm here.'

Could it be this angel who had brought him out of the darkness existed in the real world too? It was too much to hope for but far worse to imagine otherwise. Cautiously, he dared to learn the truth, "Ran?" He heard the figure's breath hitch.

There was joy in that voice now and it made him smile. "Yes." The hand tenderly squeezed his and he couldn't help but respond in kind.

Ran couldn't believe it, Ken had finally woken up. And to his amazement somehow Ken had even known his name. Of course he was excited and thrilled by this turn of events, who wouldn't be? But what now?

An odd silence filled the air, neither wholly comfortable nor awkward, just odd. Absently, Ran's thumb caressed the back of Ken's hand. His gaze locked on the brunette's face, tracing every line. Sea kissed eyes still sleep laden looked up at him, a silent plea hidden within. And that's when he noticed the other's discomfort. Quickly, he said, "I'll be right back." Getting up he went to the little sink in the corner and grabbed a cup filling it with water. He was about to head back when he spotted a canister of long Q-tips. He took a couple then went back to Ken.

Once again by the athlete's bed, he started, "I know you're thirsty, but we're going to have to take this slow. You've been asleep for a while. Even drinking too much water too fast will not be good for you. You're stomach will reject it and I don't think that you want to go through that, ne? Trust me, ok?"

Ken had watched his guardian while he got the water. The words were spoken so gently and thoughtfully he accepted the other's advice without question. Staring up at the darkened features he nodded slightly. He watched in wonder as Ran dipped one of the Q-tips into the water and tenderly ran it along his lips. The sensation was exhilarating.

Just a slip of water made it past his lips and into his mouth. It was beyond words. It felt so damn good he relaxed further back into the bed, closed his eyes and sighed contentedly. The action was repeated. Each time the amount of water in the cottony tip increased allowing more to drip into the parched cavern and down his throat. After several minutes, Ran spoke again. "How are you feeling? You ok?"

A smile slowly formed on Ken's face. He took a deep breath and answered with a happy sigh, "Oh yeah."

Ran couldn't help but smirk at the tone of Ken's voice. "Do you think you're ready to try a sip now?"

Chocolate lashes sprung open revealing sparkling topaz gems. The older boy's heart skipped a beat at the sight. The corner of Ken's mouth quirked up a bit uncertain, "I'll try." The look was utterly endearing and Ran was hard pressed not to reach out to touch that sweet face. Instead, he cleared his throat and nodded.

For a moment he hesitated, looking at Ken then came to a decision. Moving to the side, he switched on another light that would illuminate their immediate area better than the little personal light right above Ken's head. When he stepped back, their eyes met and locked.

Stunned, Ken felt his breath catch in his throat. The visage before him was probably the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Brilliant scarlet bangs framed exquisite pale features. But what grabbed his attention and didn't let go were the crisp amethyst orbs that bore into his very soul. It wasn't an unpleasant sensation. Quite the contrary, it filled him with an emotion he couldn't even begin to describe, but he liked it.

He wasn't exactly sure what to have expected. The only thing he knew for sure was the boy's name was Ran, but even that at first had been questionable. It was a name spoken in his dreams, a voice deep and rich that utter that and more at the fringes of his consciousness. Other than that, he knew nothing of this entrancing redhead. And if you asked him later why he trusted the boy unconditionally and so readily, he would never be able to provide an answer. He just did and that was that.

Ran noticed Ken's jaw drop a bit. At first he wondered what had caused the youth to stare up at him mutely and then he figured it out. Unlike Ran, this was really the first time Ken had actually seen him. Too ecstatic over the awakening to bother worrying about what the brunette thought of him, Ran felt the corners of his lips turn up. And for a second time a smile broke out on a normally stoic face. He let a minute pass for the younger boy to collect his thoughts before continuing with his task. "Ready?"

Suddenly the jaw snapped shut and a blush heated smooth cheeks. Breaking his gaze away, Ken nodded, way too embarrassed for staring to trust his voice yet. Ran's grin broadened. The hue of Ken's face deepened. A strong arm slowly worked it's way behind Ken's shoulders and lifted him up enough that the cup could be placed at his lips without spilling. Carefully, the cup was tilted up to give him his first sip. It was blissful. Swallowing it down, he looked up at violet eyes to silently express his wish for more. Again he felt fresh cool water trickle down. It still felt great but this time his stomach stirred.

He did his best to ignore the urging to expel the foreign substance in his gut and shook his head when Ran offered again. Gently, he was laid back on the bed. Glancing up at this stranger who showed him so much kindness and patience, he whispered, "Thank you."

"My pleasure, Ken-san."

The brunette slouched further into the bed, feeling terribly exhausted and fighting the effects of re-introducing something to his stomach. But the honorific did not slip past his attention. "Please, just Ken. I'm not that old."

Ran let out a light laugh remembering the interviews on the tape. "Yes, I should have known that already. Sorry." Once again the room descended into a comfortable silence. It was Ken who broke the quiet once more.

"How?"

"Eh?"

"How should you have known?" The tone used was mere curiosity.

Ran glanced down at his hands and wondered how exactly to respond. He decided that Ken deserved the truth and he resolved to give it to him. "I saw some footage for an interview you had before your last game. You had continually reminded Fujikawa-san that he should call you Ken." He watched in curiosity as the brunette's brow furrowed and his gaze turned inward. For some moments, nothing happened. Then mere seconds later, Ran felt something was wrong. "Ken?"

Key words triggered Ken's thoughts. Tsuki.Last game. His mind raced but the only images he seemed to pull up were those of his nightmare. A sharp pain pierced his mind. A moan escaped him followed by the quickening of his heart and the shallowing of his breath. Distraught sea-washed eyes locked with panicked amethyst.

"Ken, what's wrong?" Automatically, Ran scooped up the boy's hand and placed his other on a now sweaty forehead.

"hurts," he managed to whisper.

"Shhh, it'll be ok." He comforted and started looking around. He searched for the nurses call button but in his haste couldn't find it. Fortunately, he heard a scuffle at the doorway.

"Fujimiya-san?"

"Nurse Sakura, Ken's awake but something's wrong." He said hurriedly and she quickly came over to figure out what was going on.

The brunette's eyes followed her warily as she looked him over. A moment later, she spoke gently to the boy. "Hidaka-san, you need to take deep breaths, you're having an anxiety attack." His gaze darted to look up at Ran, who nodded in agreement with the nurse. Slowly, methodically, he did his best to slow down his speeding body. And was very glad when it started to work.

Blue-green depths never left the pale features. But now dark lashes seemed to droop as the expended energy flowed out of him. He fought to stay awake but his body betrayed him. Nurse Sakura smiled, "Rest now, Hidaka-san. Everything will be alright." Ken's fingers twitched in Ran's hand, and he squeezed reassuringly. As a result, Ken succumbed to the drain and drifted off. Sakura looked up at the redhead, "Stay with him while I call the doctor, ok?" He nodded and she left.

Shortly after, a man came in and began checking over Ken's stats. He moved back to allow the man room but stayed close to the brunette. Sakura approached him, "Why don't you go home and get some sleep? Ken's awake now so everything should be fine. The Doctor's just going to give him a quick checkup. You don't need to stay here for that. Go home, that way you'll be fresh and rested for tomorrow's visit." He watched the young man who now slept and she followed his gaze. "Don't worry, I doubt he'll wake before morning. If anything happens I'll call you, ok?"

Reluctantly, he consented and left. The day had been most trying and he was starting to feel the effects now that most of the drama was over. Besides, he wanted to call Omi and let him know what happened. Tomorrow hopefully, they would start to get their answers.

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Alright, I hope you guys liked the fluff.  Just so you know, I don’t consider myself a romance writer so this is a BIG leap for me. I hope you don’t mind suffering through it all. ;)  And to be honest, I don’t really know much about anxiety attacks.  I hope it wasn’t too farfetched.  Sorry if it is.  Anyway, Thank you all so very much again for the reviews, I LOVED them! :D

Um, just out of curiosity, I only read two comments(ff.n) about the omake and I was wondering if you guys liked it or not?

Ken: And why wouldn’t we?

S-k: oh no. –sigh- not again.

Ken: That doesn’t answer my question.

S-k: Look, I wasn’t talking to you anyway, I was talking to my readers.

Ken: Oh, so my opinion doesn’t count?

S-k: No actually, it doesn’t because you would be too biased.  Now please, just go sit and wait until I hear back from them.  –folds hands in front with a pleading look-  Please?

Ken: That’s not fair!

S-k: Ken, please!  I know you want to be up about, it’s in your nature.  But please try to understand.  I want to make sure that everyone else is enjoying this playful banter as well.  Ok?

Ken: Fine. –sulking slightly-  But can I say one more thing before I go?

S-k: Whatever. –another sigh- Go ahead and get it out of your system. –crosses arms-

Ken: Thanks! –smiling broadly-  Hey folks, please vote for me and the gang to pop by again!  It would be really awesome if you did!  Thank you! –puts on a winning smile-

S-k: Happy now?  -Ken nods vigorously-  Good, now run off and play with Ran for a while.  Go on, shoo.  –Ken scampers off quickly at the prospect-  Sorry peeps.  I’ll try and keep this down to a minimum next time.  Thanks again for reading!  I really appreciate it.  And don’t forget to REVIEW !  :D