Chapter 4: Akashi
written on Saturday, April 8, 2000
"I hope that Fuyume-sama found my note." She hoped too, that the doctor knew how to cook and clean, for she was already an hour late for their dinner. Still, the doctor should know something about handling toddlers, he probably looked after those kids before she even came for the job. Funny, he was the doctor. He should be here tending over this man. She should be back at home enjoying a small feast with her cuties. Well, her cooking wasn't fit for a king anyway, in terms of taste that is, but it's improving. It has to, if she's expecting the children to actually eat. The doctor told her not to ignore any heed of medical plea even if he wasn't there to do his work, knowing his own instructions, he taught her some of the basics.
She took away the used cloth on his forehead and placed a fresh one as a replacement. So far, his fever was coming down to an ease and in this case, she would be free to go home. That is if the old man would show up.
He was the one who knocked onto the clinic's door and called her attention. Maybe, the man's father or grandfather? A relative? Nobody would want to live with someone who slashes around unless they're bloodlines. But where is he? And no way was she going to stand up and try looking for him, because she had no insane plans to get lost in such a big place. She strongly believed about the doctor's law of "thou shalt not ignore people in need for our house is no house but a clinic" and it would be a shame to deprive people of medical care if it's their job to do it--------but she knew the capabilites of this man and he could kill. She was helping a blade-expert get well? The point is..she isn't suppose to be here!
She carefully checked all the bandages that she had used around his wounds. Not bad. Not bad for a person who didn't know a lot about doctoring.
Her eyes slowly moved towards his face. She wouldn't be really afraid of this man if he didn't give her a very bad impression of himself in the first place. The first one being that man who scared them back at the garden and the second one being that sword-skilled person who had directly warned her to leave him alone.
Although that is the case, she felt a change of heart realizing that he really was listening to her when she said the directions to the clinic, he cared for something after all, himself.
The very thought was dawning on her. On why she always met up with this man. She didn't really believe in meant-to-be-destinies or anything similar to that, but so far, the circumstances proved nothing else. That or she was having paranoia. Come to think of it, Osaka isn't so big of a town either, it wouldn't be a surprise if the same people go bumping at each other once a month, but five days in a row?
".........uh..." She heard something. Right. Her patient was finally coming to his senses.
The man with long green hair flipped his eyes opened. He was trying to focuse his iris as fast as possible but it would be very difficult for him because the lamp hung directly above him which made the light strike brightly against his eyes.
He managed to move up but Yume gently moved him back down.
".......you're going to be fine. But you need rest."
He looked at her as if she was a stranger. "....who...who are you?"
He should remember her, really. He was a different person somehow, for his tone had no coldness in it. And his face held the truest emotions of someone recovering.
"I...I helped you get well......but you really have to lay down again--"
He gently shoved her hand away. ".....I..I don't remember seeing you come here or..anything.."
"When I came here you were already unconscious.." She pointed out. She can see that he was very tired and that he was deeply thinking about something. The astonishing thing was that he was not mean or cold in any act, she was quite bracing herself to be again thrown back and to be shooed away by him.
"..I..." He murmured. He rubbed his forehead with his fingers.
"You should really take care of yourself more." Yume suggested. She picked up the cloth that had fallen off him when he moved up and twisted out the water into the basin.
".....you look very familiar..." He muttered uncomfortably as he looked at her with eyes that almost told the truth.
"...we've met several days already..I'm surprise you still can't recall." Yume replied placing her hands on her lap. She sat on the floor next to him.
He was befuddled. We've met already? But I can't think of anytime before this day that I've seen her........or maybe...........she.....met ..him.
"...I want my ribbon back." Yume blurted out, only remembering about her ribbon now.
"Huh? ribbon?" He looked down at his arms wondering if it would be there. Actually, he didn't really know what she was talking about. If she did meet his other person, then he must've told her to go away. What the hell is she doing here? She's still alive.......then he must have spared her life along the way...but that is strange....a killer does not spare someone......I have to make her go away before he comes back..but how? She'll think that I've done that already.....
For quite a time, he did not reply to her question but only spoke in his mind.
"Oh. I get it. ......you really don't remember...it figures." She stood up, stretched and walked away towards a small cabinet where her purse was.
"A ...ribbon...a blue..ribbon....is that the ribbon she is talking about, Akashi?" He whispered to himself. For a moment he could feel himself losing breath. And his eyesight flurried in a matter of minutes. It was going to happen again, he thought horribly. And this time, the other him might kill the woman....for good....because he wasn't able to finish her off the first time.....but that's just it.....he should've killed her right there.....so why didn't he? ...there was nothing else he could do to keep him from awakening. But why do I always meet up with her? Is she the one, the one who could seal Akashi forever?
He had to struggle pushing him away but for now he wasn't feeling he was upto fighting with him again. Could he blame himself for feeling like this? No. It isn't his doing. He---the other him, his other person had tried to fight out of him and at the same time he deliberately conflicted his body with injuries knowing that the real him won't be able to hold him off in a weakened condition. But for now, she has to escape. She has....to..
"...get away..." his words barely reached Yume when finally he totally blacked out.
"You have to take in something for your wounds.........as much as possible you have to drink it regularly, eventhough it doesn't taste good."
There was an absolute silence. Even his shuffling on the futon couldn't be heard.
".......what do they call you around here?" She asked, changing the topic into a lighter one.
When she turned around....he was gone. ".....what..the...?"
She knew something like this was going to happen. Especially if it's involving this man.
She strained her eyes on the empty futon sheets. "..where..where is he.?."
"I'm not going to let you go this time!" a voice broke through her. Simultaneously,she felt a strong force that wrung her neck.
"...what........are.......you ...doing...?" Yume cried out in shock, her voice cracked into gasps as she felt a sudden loss of air. Her fingers tried their best to pull away his grip.
"I'm sorry if you have to be a victim........a victim for my cause." He spoke coldly as he tightened his firm grasp around her neck ,slowly putting out the life from her.
Her face cringed as she felt his nails digging deep into the flesh on her neck, moreover the numbing of her lower body was almost unbearable. ".........let..let me go.."
".......I will..when you're already dead."
"...w--why?......why are you......" Why was he trying to kill her? She didn't even know a thing about him, why was he desperately trying to end her life?
"I won't stop until I smell your blood pouring out."
She regretted that she helped him get well.
This was the thought that reverberated in her mind as he strangled her.
No more. There wasn't anymore air going in. What was that? Thump. Thump. Was it her heart? It was still beating, wasn't it? The sound was fading...fading away. Whatever was he saying now? I don't even know why he wants me dead.
"I'll never let you make him come back!"
Her shoulders slowly slumped down as her fingers failed to disentangle his fingers against her neck.
"Leave her alone!" A different voice demanded.
The man who held her captive suddenly crumbled down onto the floor as his other self called onto him.
"Shut up, Akashi!" He screamed.
The next thing Yume could feel was the thin air before she plummeted down onto the hard wood. Her head tilted helplessly at the floor. Her body laid lifeless as her neck bleeded. And her eyes still half-opened showed a deadly smoke of shock and pain. If only she still had it in her to strive for air now that he had let her go. But maybe it was all too late for that now. She wanted to see the children so badly.
"So you decide to finish her off now because you couldn't do it the first time!"
He gritted his teeth as he flung his own head into the floor.
"WHAT are you talking about?!"
"You think I don't know? Akashi, she looks just like Mother, Mother who died..because of you!"
"That's where you're wrong!! Remember we are both the same person, you are me and I am you and it'll always be forever like that! We killed her!"
"You shut.....no! That isn't true!" The basin of water fell across the floor as he threw it against the wall.
"And you think I don't know any of your plans? I know you're going to use her to seal me off! You're more disgusting than I am, and you want to live as a better person but the truth is you can't do it because I will always be here to remind you that you are a killer...."
"I can..!"
"...and for that nobody will love you because you are also a killer..."
".......no......I will......change.."
As Yume neared the brink of death, there was a succession of transition in Akashi as both of his turmoiled souls tried to fight each other out, each one taking hold of the body against their wills.
Is...this....death.........am I really dead?....................but I can't die...yet......because the children..they need me..and the ...doctor........and my past...I need to know about my past.
I'm not going to die...as somebody else........I'm going...to..
No matter what happens ..nothing will stop me from coming back to you, you gave me a reason to live.
Those words told her to wake up and breathe. And she did.
She grasped for air and she felt that reviving feeling of oxygen filling her lungs.
"I'm....I'm so glad you're ....." Akashi breathed a sigh of relief as he tilted her head up to get more air. It was a miracle. Akashi had saved her life.
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