Hexus: Neo

*26* Breach

[6:58AM, January 19, UTC +02:00]

KOJIRO tightly gripped the edge of the bathroom counter as his coughing intensified. His abdomen caved in painfully and his chest walls constricted until he felt dizzy. A salty metallic taste hit the back of his throat and he bent over and spat out. A red dollop that looked like a mix of blood and mucus landed on the side of the sink and he opened the tap and washed it down. He rinsed his mouth, shut off the water and looked in the mirror. His face was paler, he had lost a bit of weight, and the skin under his eyes was puffy and darkened. He sucked in a deep breath – slowly, to avoid setting off another round of coughs – and released it as he stood up straight and walked back into his room.

It was still dark outside, and the harsh winds blowing against the windows heralded another storm. He looked longingly at his bed, and sighed as he moved away from it, grabbed his coat from the rack beside his door and walked out. Sleep was a fruitless venture – he could barely manage thirty minutes without coughing and had spent the whole night moving between the bed and the bathroom. He dragged his feet to the kitchen to make himself a large mug of white tea and honey to ease his sore throat and provide some much needed antioxidants. He knew it was like trying to fix a bullet wound with a band-aid, but at this point he was taking any small comforts he could get.

He held the mug and stirred with a tablespoon, watching the dried tea leaves and buds swirl at the bottom of the pale yellow liquid. Footsteps and voices echoed from the stairway, growing louder as the speakers approached. It sounded like French, so he knew it had to be Portia and Henri. Ecru's gruff voice, also speaking French, followed, and he heard the creak of the basement door before their voices faded. He pulled the old-model phone out from his coat pocket and checked the green blocky display. 07:08. He figured they were getting ready for the training session, but it still seemed much too early, especially since the teenagers were late risers. He shrugged and took a sip of his tea. There was no point reading too much into it.

"Good morning."

He startled and turned. Adrianna smiled at him and sauntered into the kitchen, headed straight for the overhead cupboards. She took out a box of chocolate cereal and poured a generous amount into a bowl, then grabbed the jug of milk from the fridge and sat on the stool across from him.

"You look terrible," she said as she poured in the milk.

"Thanks," he muttered. "You look stunning."

She smiled apologetically. "I didn't mean to insult you. You just look like you've not been sleeping well."

"I haven't," he answered truthfully. She looked like she was about to ask why, so he added, "Just have a lot on my mind."

"I guessed you would," she said, looking down at the bowl as the milk slowly turned brown. She chuckled and stood. "Forgot the spoon."

Kojiro took out his spoon, tapped it against the rim of the mug to knock out the clinging droplets of tea, and offered it to her. She smiled as she took it.

"Thank you," she said. She stirred her cereal and lifted a heaped spoonful towards her mouth. Kojiro couldn't help watching as her plump lips closed over the spoon and she slowly pulled it out, chewed and swallowed. Her tongue flicked out to catch a drop of chocolate milk at the corner of her mouth and slipped back in, leaving a moist trail on the edge of her lips. His breath hitched as something stirred inside him, and he frowned at the sensation and quickly fought it off.

What is wrong with me?

"Are Damilare's children supposed to be part of the training today?"