The sound that tore from Kaito's throat wasn't a scream, but it was almost.
His knees buckled as if the floor had suddenly vanished beneath him. One hand slammed against the Vice captain's desk, scattering papers as his fingers clawed for balance. His vision darkened, ears ringing with an uninvited tone. The pain was overwhelming, as if someone decide to stink their hand in Kaito's brain and squeeze.
"Kaito!"
Takihana instantly rounded the desk, catching him from falling before he collapsed. Kaito's breath came in struggling gasps, chest hitching violently as sweat fell down his temples.
Tri-ring!
The translucent window vanished the moment Takihana grabbed him.
"What happened?" Takihana demanded, gripping Kaito's shoulders. "What did you just try to say?"
Kaito couldn't answer. His head felt as if it had been split open. Every thought shattered the minute it formed, leaving only an acute amount of pain behind.
"I..I dont know." he said hoarsely.
Takihana stared at him, searching his face for deception, madness, or signs of possession. There were none but only pain and confusion.
Takihana exhaled, shoving his hand in his red spiky hair, wondering what to do in this kind of situation.
Riiing, riiiing....
The telephone on Takihana's desk rang.
"Don't worry about me, go answer the phone." said Kaito.
Takihana quickly snatched up the receiver.
-"Vice Captain Takihana speaking."
-"Sir, some of your members are badly hurt and being hospitalized."
The voice coming from the speaker sounded horrified.
"Alright. I am on my way."
The call ended there.
And it seemed like Kaito was doing well now.
Good.
Now he has to attend his fallen men. So, he decided to put on his uniform jacket immediately and rushed through the door without looking back.
"You can come if you want."
Kaito decided to follow him, leaving office as the door automatically locked itself.
He turned.
"....."
"So cool, I need to get one of those doors."
******
The Core Weilders Society's Headquarters was big. Of course there are a lot of bases all around Japan(each lead by a directors). The modern government decided to give each city it's own Core Wielders Society under certain terms, such as blackmarketing.
Unlike other societies, Tokyo's is deemed to be the most important and is considered to be the headquarters, due to it's location and history. Most powerful Core Weilders are considerd to be found here.
When the medical wing doors opened, Takihana didn't slow down. He moved like someone who already knew what he would see, and hated that he was right.
Two injured men lay on two neighboring beds, uniform ripped open, torsos wrapped with bandages, shining with green fitful light. The entire room was occupied with Division five officers-identifiable by the pale silver on their white sleeves(who are responsible for attending injured men) worked in disciplined silence. Two of them the fallen Core Weilders like nurses but with a slight difference that their hands glowed with unnatural force, the wounds no longer bled but still resisted recovery.
Takihana remembered them from ealier this morning before Kaito decided to show up. They greeted the vice captain before going on a patrol.
If he remembers well this men, where suppose to patrol around north of Kabukicho inn Golden-gai, and that's almost near to Kaito's apartment.
There were both conscious, and unable to move or talk and yet somehow they seemed to be in unimaginable pain that refused to settle.
Takihana stepped in.
"What happened?" he asked.
A Division Five nurse removed her gloves and turned her attention to him.
"They were shot." she said, dressing the face of someone who isn't sure what they should say.
"Are they going to be okay?"
"That's what concerns us."
She held out a smallmforensic plastic bag.
Inside it rested a bullet unlike any conventional round.
It was transparent like a crystal shaped with surgical precision. Light passed through it as though it were glass, yet within the inside a black fluid drifted slowly, swirling in viscous currents that rejected gravity.
Even through the sealed bag,it radiate something unpleasant.
"What is this thing."
Takihana stared at it, expression unreadable as usual.
"We don't know.
She cleared her throat before continuing.
"Our healing techniques aren't responding normally. The wounds should've closed by now, but the tissue keeps destabilizing. It's like something inside is resisting."
Behind them, one of the injured men groaned, body twitching slightly as a healer pressed glowing hands against his chest.
Another healer shook her head subtly.
"So you don't know what it is."
"No," the nurse admitted. "We don't understand it at all. We're doing all we can."
For Division Five to say that so openly meant the situation was worse than it looked.
*******
Along the room, Haruka had just finished assisting another patient, and just when she turned.
Kaito was standing at the entrance, hands on his kness, head bowed down like someone who has been dashing his way here.
"Why does the vice captain seems like he wants to punish me for failing those six mission."
No matter how many times she blinked, he was still there alive and kicking. But his change in appearance didn't fool her, she knew that was him, the person she promised will take care of no matter what the situation is.
And yet she failed, that alone had brought stress and never ending what if's.
Without a doubt the person who stood there was someone who she always prayed for every night, is there and God has answered her never ending prayers.
She step forward before deciding to sprint towards him, though running is prohibited in the medical room that didn't matter than seeing the Zero Grader who returned from the dead.
K...kaito!"
He barely had time to brace before she collided into him, arms wrapping tightly around his torso.
"You.." her voice broke," you idiot.."
He stiffened, then slowly raised his hand and awkwardly hovered before resting it gently on her back.
"I'm okay."
"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm soo sorry, if only I was strong. You wouldn't have went through all that."
From just the breaking of her voice, Kaito could tell she has been through a lot. Indeed she truly is the only person besides his sister who cared about him.
She hit his shoulder lightly not hard enough to hurt, but enough to express everything she couldn't say.
Then she looked at him properly.
Her expression changed from sobbing to more like shocked.
"You changed."
He tried to smile. "Balanced diet."
"Yea, right" she murmured.
She doesn't believe me!!
But seriously Haruka wasn't hallucinating, there was something different about him. His hair resembled that of someone who hasn't cut it for a long time and his eyes were keener.
Takihana approached, showing Kaito the bullet inside the bag.
The sensation felt familiar, almost to something he hasn't seen in a while.
"What is that?" he asked.
"It was used on my men near your place, better be careful out there."
"Who could have done something like that?" Haruka asked.
"I know where to find that answer."