"Illumi!" I had screamed, trying and failing to warn him about the monster's tail that went through his side. He chokes out blood, but still looks at me. What...? Why is he looking at me!? He should look at the blade!! He should worry about himself!!!
"Is that so?"
I hear a tranquil, oddly familiar voice speak, before noticing the woman with red hair who stood in the middle of the room, back turned to me, "Don't forget; you relaxed when he looked at you."
My breath caught in my throat, "N-No..."
"You need him to mind himself only after you, so you know you'll still be together. Have a food for thought; what if he hadn't looked at you?"
The moment replayed itself back to when the tail end protrudes from his side. This time, Illumi held his needles between his fingers, his aura taking a dark, sinister color around himself, "He would've beat that beast efficiently if he didn't have any other concerns."
She turns her face to me, and a shiver shot up my spine at what I saw; there was no clear distinction between my sister's, my mother's, and my own facial features, except that her mouth and voice shared uncanny similarities with my own, "But you, you're some pest, aren't you? Before you let go, you must be sure he isn't and can't be one of your—"
"No!"
Vibrant fire surrounded my limbs, gradually condensing around my left arm as a grenade-like gauntlet. I was vguely aware of Illumi forcing the monster's mouth open in my peripheral vision as I aim my arm at the woman, "It's safe to say this won't be the last time you talk and force me to listen. Feel free to see me when you've run out of crap to say."
A loud explosion flies off my palm and zips toward the amalgamation. On contact, a blinding light illuminates the whole room, forcing me to lean on the wall behind me again. Fortunately, it didn't last long, allowing me to see the black-haired assassin get thrown away by the beast's tail. This, I am sure of, has really occured.
I obstructed its view of my partner and expelled a sinister aura, "There's a good doggy."
With a low growl, it lunges at me, but being that I stood in full height, it was easy to crouch and lock an arm around its large neck, using my body to coil around the rest of it and forcefully slam the beast to the ground. In its disorientation, I managed to remove the object Illumi seemed intent to obtain, and almost immediately, the monster fell limp.
As traces of Nen leave this vessel and disperse into thin air, I sigh. A Manipulator wants us dead.
I look at Illumi's unconscious form.
Great.
"Do you have room for one patient?" I speak on the phone later, using my telekinesis to remove my unconscious friend from the floor. My divided attention caused Illumi to have a new bump on the head, but that's besides the point... "I'm still a Yakuza, Takeo-kun. I need you to be incredibly confidential about the circumstances of this patient. I know I can trust you."
Gradually, I felt myself get pulled from that memory and back to reality. I wasn't sure what I was on, at least until I heard the rustling of a thin sheet on a mattress. I decided to open my eyes, and was partly glad to be met with the face of my ex brother-in-law. Or so I once liked calling him so.
"Well, hello there."
I slightly smile, "I said one patient, didn't I? Why am I in a bed?"
Takeo chuckles, "You're welcome for the accommodation, Lady Yakuza."
I've always associated the Midorikawa Clinic with nothing but good. This place has lent me the perspective of a doctor to life, which caused me turmoil as much as it did knowledge. Seeing the handful of patients they have now, the sense of ease I felt went close to making me gag. It was the kind I rarely get, yet long for, now that I think about it.
Once we were out of the general public's range, I speak up, "You need to relax, Takeo-kun. Some patients can actually tell when you're being anxious. I imagine that doesn't bode well for you and your career."
"We're weak, Akira." he stops walking, and I follow suit, leaving us standing in the hallway, "We panicked when you called. I want to do good by you by ensuring the best treatment for your patient, but... that's not the only reason I'm talking to you."
I turn to face him with a surprising indifference to the expression I currently wear on my face, "I felt your sister watching us for most of the time we were in the cafeteria. I haven't seen your parents, but their Nen lingered in my room, which not to mention, is the same one Midori and I always got confined in..." I sigh, "If I hadn't made peace with your brother's death, do you think I'd be here?"
He was silent for a moment, before he met my eyes. Those merciless eyes share the same color as my Certain, but lacked a particular shine that affected me instantaneously, "If we were stronger... If we had a firmer grasp on our will, we would've...!"
I humorously chuckle, resuming our stroll, "I want to stop being a Siren, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen. If we live in a world where we can have everything we want, we begin to forget to appreciate the subtleties that make our individual happiness evident." my steps stop in front of a door, "Is this his room?"
"Wow, that's humiliating." I sarcastically drawl, approaching the bedside of the black-haired assassin. Upon closer inspection, there's a layer of fluctuating Nen around his body that seems to be dooing a better job than the actual machine and bandages. Who knew he could look so good when he's asleep? He should be asleep more often.
"You've been out for two days. Do you recall anything?"
My breath hitched, making me squeak, "Seriously!?"
"Yes." nods Takeo, "The most plausible theory is that your body is familiarizing with the new power it consumed, but your immediate usage made for a 'short circuit'... of sorts."
I recover, dropping my gaze to Illumi's sleeping form, "Oh... no."
"Akira?"
"I don't recall anything of import."
He seemed doubtful, "Are you sure?"
Forcing my tone to be definitive, I reply, "Yes."
Convinced, he proceeds to leave me to my privacy. Hence, I pull up a chair and remain at Illumi's bedside, where I surrendered half of me to thoughts while the other half consciously rejects the life force I keep getting from Illumi.