view old/stories/toujour4.txt @ 4:69f0191c9016 moonlitnights tip

added error.log and access.log
author Robert McIntyre <rlm@mit.edu>
date Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:42:35 -0400
parents fc00894c1d4a
children
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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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.