Mercurial > moonlitnights
comparison old/stories/toujour4.txt @ 2:fc00894c1d4a moonlitnights
[svn r3] moved all the bad stuff to 'old'
author | rlm |
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date | Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0500 |
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1 "She never really had a chance on that fateful moonlight night. | |
2 Sacrificed without a fight, a victim of a circumstance. | |
3 Now that I've become aware and I've exposed this tragedy, | |
4 A sadness grows inside of me, it all seems so unfair, | |
5 I'm learning all about my life by looking through her eyes. | |
6 Just beyond the church yard gates, where the grass is overgrown, | |
7 I saw the writing on her stone. I felt like I would suffocate. | |
8 'In loving memory of our child, so innocent, eyes open wide.' | |
9 I felt so empty as I cried, like part of me had died…" | |
10 Dream Theater. "Through her eyes." | |
11 | |
12 "Ms. Tsukino?" A well-dressed, dark haired woman called as she entered the room | |
13 where Usagi and Chibi Usa were awaiting Hotaru's return. "I'm Dr. Lisa Terrene, and I've just | |
14 been assigned to Ms. Tomoe. She's on her way back from the CT scan now." The doctor looked | |
15 Usagi directly in the eye; her own brown eyes were made larger from the small metal-framed | |
16 glasses. | |
17 "Yes? Is everything alright?" Usagi stood up as the woman entered, very much glad for | |
18 her professionalism, and seeming concern with Hotaru. The blonde immediately noted she wasn't | |
19 very much shorter than the doctor, and their build was almost the same, though Lisa was more | |
20 full in the bust and hips. Dr. Terrene regarded Usagi's question a moment, before stepping beside | |
21 her and opening the chart, showing her the films that were recently printed out. | |
22 "See this black part here?" the doctor ran her finger along the slick surface, pointing at | |
23 the area that was considerably darker than the rest of the normal brain tissue, "This is a normal | |
24 result of acute head trauma. Though normally harmless, her previous medical conditions make | |
25 her more predisposed toward injury." Usagi nodded slowly, feeling a bit numb right now, having | |
26 looked at the CT pictures made it all the more real. Chibi pulled at Usagi's sleeve to try to see the | |
27 images as well, but the older girl didn't respond to the touch. | |
28 "What does this mean, doctor? What should we expect? The other doctor said that she | |
29 could be well or die. That's too much of a range for me." Lisa closed the folder and crossed her | |
30 arms around it, leaning her back against the wall and looking down at Usa who was on her way to | |
31 the door to see if Hotaru was on her way back yet. | |
32 "Well, the pressure in her head is stable right now, and we're going to keep her monitored | |
33 24 hours a day until it drops, or we have to take further measures." The doctor waited for Usagi to | |
34 nod before continuing. "Right now it'll be fine on it's own, but if she develops brain edema, it could | |
35 be fatal. We have to prep her for surgery just in case, we hope there won't be any trouble, but if | |
36 there is, we will have to physically release the pressure from her head, by opening the skull at key | |
37 points and removing the excess fluid." She hesitated a moment, glancing to Chibi, then back to | |
38 Usagi, "Since we don't know exactly where those points will be, I'm afraid we're going to have to | |
39 shave her entire head." | |
40 "Shave her head?" Chibi's soft red eyes looked at Lisa and began to water slightly. She | |
41 couldn't imagine Hotaru without hair, but most definitely doesn't want her to die. "Why do you | |
42 need to do that?" | |
43 "Because we don't want hair to get into the incisions, the holes we might have to make, | |
44 because hair isn't supposed to be there and could get her brain infected…" Dr. Terrene paused | |
45 and glanced apologetically at both girls, " I'm very sorry, but this is the only way to provide the | |
46 fastest possible treatment if something should go wrong, God forbid it." The doctor placed her | |
47 hand on Chibi's shoulder, "I know she means a lot to both of you, and I'm praying that she'll be | |
48 alright." Just as she finished her sentence, Hotaru was wheeled back into the room, still | |
49 unconscious. Chibi ran to see her, placing her hand on Hotaru's even before the bed stopped | |
50 moving. The tech looked at the girl, but didn't say anything as he locked the bed into place and | |
51 headed out of the room, nodding to the women before he left. | |
52 "Did you hear that Hotaru? They want to shave your head…I know you wouldn't want | |
53 them to huh? But we'll get you some hats, and you can wear those." Chibi's eyes spilled tears, | |
54 the drops ran down her face and splashed onto Hotaru's cheek. "You said before you wanted a | |
55 hair cut like Haruka-papa, didn't you? Well, now you'll get to see what it looks like!" Chibi's hand | |
56 reached to Hotaru's hair and running her fingers through it, now beginning to sob. The lack of | |
57 sleep, and the horrid events of the last day had made her a nervous wreck. Usagi too felt like | |
58 crying, Hotaru's hair was so beautiful, it was a shame to cut it all off, but whatever would save her | |
59 life. | |
60 "We'll need to shave her head now, hun…" Lisa said to Chibi, once more placing her | |
61 practiced hand on the small child's shoulder. A female nurse came into the room with a bag, a | |
62 pair of scissors and an electric razor. "I'm sorry…" Terrene said before stepping out of the room, | |
63 not wanting to observe the process. | |
64 "Can I see the scissors?" Chibi asked the woman who looked at her dumbly a moment | |
65 before nodding and handing them, handle first, to the girl. "Thank you," she said politely and | |
66 wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Reaching out, she grabbed a lock of Hotaru's hair and | |
67 snipped it off, holding it tightly in her hand. The nurse, having gotten the idea handed Chibi a pair | |
68 of rubber bands to bind the hair together, which she did with only slight difficulty. "There…now I'll | |
69 always have a piece of you with me Hotaru!" Chibi said with her best brand of false cheer as she | |
70 handed the scissors back to the nurse. "Can we go get something for lunch, please?" The pink | |
71 haired child asked her mother, not wanting to stay either. She couldn't bear to watch it. | |
72 "Sure, let's go get a donut or something sweet. I've been dying for something all | |
73 morning." Which was a half-truth, sure she had been hungry. She was always hungry. But | |
74 suddenly she didn't feel too much like eating. Placing her arm around Chibi, Usagi pulled her from | |
75 the bed, directing her to the door; though she cast one last look over her shoulder to see the | |
76 nurse began to cut the raven colored tresses from Hotaru's head…Usagi felt sick. | |
77 | |
78 Seisen's blade sunk deep into the skull, and a quick turn of his body sent brain matter | |
79 flying, and blood running down Hotaru's clothes. The sound of the sword tearing free of the flesh | |
80 was that of someone slicing a cantaloupe open with a dull knife. Hotaru felt her body hit the floor, | |
81 and look up at the darkness and at the black dressed youth above her. | |
82 "Next time, Firefly…duck?" Seisen returned his sword to its scabbard and wiped the | |
83 blood from his hands onto his pants. He turned to view the portal again, leaving Hotaru on the | |
84 floor, wondering what just happened. She wasn't dead? Her hands moved to her head and | |
85 touched it gently, though it was slick with blood and fluid, it was intact. It wasn't her head that he | |
86 cut…then whose was it? Hotaru turned behind her, finding a body lying within a foot of hers; what | |
87 appeared to be a mix between a human and a jackal. It's head was that of the latter, it's large | |
88 canines coated with it's own blood, as a large part of it's skull was torn clean off. The body was | |
89 human, though covered in mangled, dirty fur. | |
90 "I'm… alive?" Hotaru's hands moved along her body now, making sure she was still | |
91 whole. "Thank you, Seisen…" she was polite about it, and placed her hands on the floor. She | |
92 began to push herself up, but the blood was too thick and her grip quickly slid, sending her | |
93 sprawling onto her chest. "ow…" | |
94 "Need a hand?" The youth asked over his shoulder, before turning his head to gaze at | |
95 the girl. Hotaru nodded, finally admitting defeat; Seisen was immediately by her side, a hand on | |
96 her elbow, and another around her waist to lift her as if she weighed nothing at all. His hands did | |
97 not release her body; "Come on…this is going to be quite a ride, hold on tight, or you might get | |
98 lost…whatever you do, don't let go of me." He waited until Hotaru again signaled yes before | |
99 stepping onto the platform before the portal and then added a quick, "Here we go…" before | |
100 drawing his sword, a crackle of electricity surrounded them a moment, then sucked them into the | |
101 depths. | |
102 The hungry, swirling vortex pulled them in, the colors were blinding and dizzying in their | |
103 intensity. Purple light flowed over them; tendrils of color began to tug at their bodies, pulling them | |
104 from every which way, but the sword's electric-like properties of the blade shocked them away. | |
105 Hotaru whimpered and pulled tighter onto Seisen, who wrapped both arms around her, as the | |
106 blade guided their way through the vast stream of time and space. | |
107 Something caught Hotaru's eye. She was facing Seisen's chest, with a good view over | |
108 his shoulder, and glimpsed a black outline creeping slowly towards them. "Seisen…something is | |
109 coming, I can't make it out but it's moving really fast." The youth turned his head to the right, to | |
110 look over his shoulder and swore quickly at what he saw. | |
111 Quickly approaching the pair, emerging from the darkness of the void was an | |
112 indescribable creature. Decayed human bodies were stacked in a shapeless pile, with large, bony | |
113 appendages that raked the air, flexing and extending as it neared the two. Soon, it's left tendril | |
114 like arm craned back and shot for them quickly. "Brace yourself!" Seisen shouted. | |
115 A rough force rammed the pair forward, as the creature struck them, sending both the | |
116 youth and Hotaru spinning head over heels in the infinity. Seisen quickly flared his legs out, to | |
117 counter the spin, though he was slightly nauseas, and keep them facing in the same direction. | |
118 With a short grunt, he ignored the pain having no choice but to ride it out; he knew better than to | |
119 turn around and face what was attacking them. It would leave Hotaru vulnerable. Another forceful | |
120 slam collided with Seisen's back; this time a low snap was heard as one of the man's ribs was | |
121 cracked clean in two. | |
122 "Ugh…" Seisen gurgled; it was obvious his lung was punctured. "Dammit…almost there," | |
123 he whispered to Hotaru. "Turn your back to me…" he began to move his hands, grimacing in pain | |
124 as turned Hotaru in the opposite direction. She did as she was told, and held onto him tightly. | |
125 Once she was completely turned, he placed his around her shoulders, to give her more coverage, | |
126 just as another blow landed Seisen's back. He grunted loudly, cursing a blue streak as he | |
127 shuddered a moment, then went limp. His eyes closed. | |
128 Hotaru glanced over her shoulder to see what was going on, only to be greeted with the | |
129 sight of Seisen's blood stained face, rivulets of the crimson liquid were pulled from his body, | |
130 twirling into ribbons as it spilled into the distance. Blood was pouring from his mouth; that much | |
131 was evident even with his mask on. The creature had pierced his rib cage. "Seisen!" Hotaru | |
132 yelled out, causing the man to open his dark, innocent eyes to regard Hotaru. He looked | |
133 exhausted, and was coughing thickly. | |
134 "Take the sword…" his hands moved to hers, placing the blade into her palm then closing | |
135 her hand around it, the fierce wind still whipping around their bodies as the colors around them | |
136 began to decrease. "It's…pushing through me…it's trying to get to you…" just as he said that, the | |
137 tendril managed its way through Seisen's chest, spraying Hotaru's back with blood. Seisen's grip | |
138 increased on Hotaru and he began to push her away, but a moment too late; the bony extension | |
139 pierced her back, just at her heart. She screamed loudly, and Seisen's face contorted as he | |
140 gathered the last of his strength, "Hold on…don't let go of the sword, it will guide you back…" | |
141 Shoving Hotaru away, and off the tendril, Seisen wiggled quickly, causing the hole in his | |
142 chest to enlarge, but it would decrease the dexterity of the tendril as he moved. "Brace | |
143 yourself…" The man pulled his legs back and placed them just at Hotaru's back, and with a quick | |
144 move and a loud yell, he shot both legs out, sending Hotaru flying down the portal at a dizzying | |
145 speed. She managed to get one last look behind her, to see her blood spilling through the vortex, | |
146 and Seisen floating limply through the air, before vanishing from sight. "Thank you…" she | |
147 whispered to him as she neared the end of the portal, her body shaking lightly from both fright | |
148 and blood loss. | |
149 | |
150 Chibi turned the soup in her small, Styrofoam tray over and over with her spoon. Her face | |
151 was stained with tears, and she had no real appetite. She glanced over at Usagi, who sat staring | |
152 at her donut, looking for some kind of answer in the chocolate surface. "Good soup?" the blonde | |
153 girl asked without even looking up. Chibi only gave her a slight grunt, before putting the spoon | |
154 down and glancing at the clock. It was now 3:00PM; they had been in the cafeteria for almost half | |
155 an hour, neither of them having said a thing to the other until Usagi had broken the silence. | |
156 "You think they're done yet…?" Chibi inquired, pushing the bowl away from her in | |
157 disgust. "I want to see her again" Usagi shrugged and was about to say something, but the loud | |
158 speaker sudden blared over their heads. | |
159 "Code blue, room 415, code blue room 415!" Both girls immediately looked at each other, | |
160 stood quickly enough to knock their chairs over, and darted towards the elevator. | |
161 | |
162 In the operating room, Hotaru's head was already opened up, and they were attempting | |
163 to drain the fluid from her skull but to little avail. Her blood pressure was dangerously low, and her | |
164 pulse was down to almost an almost unreadable level. She was hooked to a bypass machine at | |
165 this point, both blood and IV drips were in place, as the doctors tried desperately to save her | |
166 young life. Hotaru's spirit however, was quickly streaking back into reality, thanks to Seisen's | |
167 shove. The sword that was wrapped so tightly in her hand suddenly faded from existence as she | |
168 was rocked violently into a stop, just above her real self, though her vision was horribly blurred. | |
169 Her spiritual body bled, and her life was fading quickly, both in the real world, and in the astral. | |
170 Soon, as her vision began to focus, Hotaru saw her own body; hooked to tubes, blood pouring out | |
171 of her head while the medical team worked as quickly as possible to try to keep her alive. Her | |
172 spirit's eyes began to shut, both her bodies were shutting down. | |
173 "What happened to me…?" Hotaru thought as an invisible force began to pull back into | |
174 her body. "The last thing I remember about being here is the snow, and the sky…" Soon, she was | |
175 being bound back into herself, and as she returned to her physical form, she was immediately | |
176 overwhelmed by pain. | |
177 She regained consciousness on the table, a bolt of pain caused her to sit up quickly, | |
178 pulling both the IV drips from her arm in the violent motion. "Chibi…" Hotaru mumbled lightly, | |
179 glancing to one of the nurses, her violet eyes locking onto her for a moment before they rolled | |
180 back into her head and she fell back onto the table limply, causing a few instruments to go flying | |
181 off their trays, and a nurse to scream loudly. | |
182 "Get her stabilized," the head surgeon directed the staff, "we need more anesthesia, | |
183 more blood, 0, get as much of it as you can carry! Move it!" the team began to scramble, a couple | |
184 slipping on the blood that coated the floor, dripping from the IV tubes. Before they could even | |
185 reach the door to head to the blood bank, the heart monitor let out a steady beep, signaling a loss | |
186 of the pulse. Hotaru Tomoe was dead. | |
187 | |
188 "'Ruka…" Michi placed her left hand on her head, while her right quickly grabbed | |
189 Haruka's knee, squeezing it tightly in the cab that was racing to their destination. "I…I don't feel | |
190 good." She held her chest and clenched her eyes tightly shut, "God…it feels like my heart is | |
191 crumbling in my chest..." Haruka placed her hand on Michi's, not exactly sure how to comfort her, | |
192 but she didn't have a chance to even open her mouth before Michi began to sob. Haruka knew. | |
193 | |
194 As Usagi and her daughter reached Hotaru's room, she was already gone and in surgery, | |
195 though there was a nurse in the room. Chibi went immediately to her and began pumping her for | |
196 information. "Where's Hotaru!?" she demanded, looking up at the woman who simply glanced | |
197 away, not allowing the young child to acquire eye contact. | |
198 "The doctor will be in shortly to talk to you," she answered evasively and began to walk | |
199 out of the room but was blocked by Usagi who stood in front of the door, her hands on her hips | |
200 and a dangerous glare returning to her eyes. | |
201 "Where. Is. She!?" Usagi demanded, her eyes starting to narrow as the nurse looked | |
202 away from her as well. | |
203 "She's in the O.R." That was technically not a lie, since she was still physically in the | |
204 operating room, "the doctor will be in shortly to speak to you." The nurse then sidestepped Usagi | |
205 and left the room closing the door behind her. | |
206 "I don't like this feeling," Chibi said to Usagi, looking at her fearfully, "I…I don't feel good, I | |
207 feel sick, and empty… Why do I feel like this? It's not right." Usagi was about to try to reassure | |
208 her, but the doctor entered the room with a solemn look on her face, Usagi felt her heart begin to | |
209 pound. | |
210 "Ms. Tsukino… please sit down, you too as well, child." Usagi slid into the chair numbly, | |
211 and Chibi sat quickly into her lap, both their eyes glued to the doctor, "There is no easy way to | |
212 say this…Ms. Tomoe regained consciousness in surgery." She paused a moment, Chibi's eyes lit | |
213 up and a broad smile formed on her face, she began to dismiss her ache. "She whispered the | |
214 word 'Chibi'," Lisa spoke quietly, "Then she went into cardiac arrest…" | |
215 The doctor sat on the bed, placing a hand on either side of her head, "I'm sorry, both of | |
216 you, but your friend passed away…" Chibi's grin stayed on her face a moment, it felt stiff, unreal, | |
217 it slowly began to fade. Suddenly it felt very cold, and Chibi began to struggle for breath, tears | |
218 began to stream down both of the girl's faces, and Usagi placed her hand on her daughters back | |
219 to try to comfort her. | |
220 The silence of the room was suddenly shattered by Chibi's soul shredding scream. | |
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