A New Generation: A ZoroMiku Story

38: Protective

Miku

"There is a high rate of white blood cells in your system," The nurse said to Miku after taking a sample of her blood and putting it in a nearby testing machine. "This means that there is an infection. We're going to put you on antibiotics and check your blood periodically to make sure it gets better."

Miku nodded and watched as the nurse left her room again. 

Zorome was sitting in his chair now, picking at the wrinkles in his uniform with a rather annoyed look on his face.

"Damn that guy," Zorome grumbled. "He ruined my outfit! I should punch him again just for that!"

"Yeah, no kidding," Miku agreed. "Also, um, where'd they put my uniform?"

"Dunno," Zorome's shoulders rose and fell as he shrugged them. "Guess they put them in a closet or something when they put you in that gown."

A sudden thought popped into Miku's head and she felt her face grow hot within seconds.

"Uh, Miku, what's with that face you're making?" Zorome asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at her, clearly concerned. "Um, need me to get the nurse again?"

"You didn't see them change me, d-did you?" She asked.

"No! Heck no!" Zorome replied quickly. "I...uh, was in a different room at that time." His cheeks were bright pink now. He was blushing as well.

"Oh, that's a relief," Miku sighed. "I definitely don't need anyone else seeing me like that!"

Zorome chuckled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He was still blushing.

"Ew," Miku made a face.

"Huh? What?" Zorome looked at her with a puzzled expression. 

"You're thinking about it, aren't you!" Miku pointed her index finger at him. "P-pervert!"

"Huh? Of course not!" Zorome snapped. "Don't be stupid!"

"Your face tells me otherwise! Guilty!" 

The two of them argued about this for at least ten minutes. When they were done, Miku took a sip of some water the nurse had left for her. Water...yep, she definitely would have a deep fear of water for a while after what had happened to her that night. Nearly being drowned was definitely what one would call a scarring experience. She shuddered whenever she thought of it, it was enough to cause her to nearly puke. 

"Hey, you look pale again," Zorome said softly. He stood up and walked over to her bedside. "Do you want me to go get a nurse?"

Miku shook her head. "No. It's just..." She hesitated.

"Just what?" Zorome asked. 

"Last night was a lot to take in for me," Miku admitted. "It still is. It makes me feel really sick to think about it." She shuddered. "Just...what if it happens again? I don't think I could take it if Hyaku or someone else did that to me. Also, how do we know who we can trust?" She shook her head. "I know we can trust our old friends from Squad 13 but I don't know if I can trust anyone else right now."

She'd thought Hyaku was her friend, that he'd always have her back. Never could she have imagined he'd try to kill her. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to trust anyone aside from her old friends again anytime soon...

Zorome 

Zorome knew Miku had a point: Who could they trust? After what had happened to Miku last night, he was beginning to wonder if he'd have to keep a keen eye on everyone around them. Sure, he'd always felt weird about Hyaku from the start but he'd still been a fellow teacher. Besides, he thought he hated him, not Miku! That entire event changed the way Zorome viewed others, especially with Miku in such a vulnerable state. 

A powerful urge to protect his partner took over him. For the rest of the day, he stayed close to her side, eyeing the nurse whenever she came into the room to check up on Miku. When the nurse suggested that he could leave, he stubbornly told her he'd rather stay. He didn't want to let anyone near her...not when she was like this. Not when he didn't know if he'd be able to trust people to not harm her for no reason. 

If Hyaku was out of his mind, perhaps other former parasites were as well. Maybe it wasn't an isolated issue. There had to be something wrong with him. It was quite possible that other people who were formerly parasites could one day snap in the same way he did. It was scary and made him worry even more about his partner. What if someone else tried to do this to her, simply because she made them mad once or something? What if he couldn't do anything to stop it? The thought was nearly unbearable for him and he shuddered to think about what would've happened if he hadn't gone to look for her. He was so glad that he had gotten there in the nick of time. But he had been close to not making it in time...too close. He didn't know if he'd ever feel comfortable being too far away from her now. 

He felt like he owed it to Miku to keep her safe. He didn't think it was fair that she had to suffer because some freakshow thought she was his former partner or some crap like that. He just wanted her to be safe, to be happy. He'd do anything to make sure she was, even if he'd never be able to admit this fact to her out loud. 

I'm going to make sure that sicko wackjob stays in that place for good! He thought, referring to the place where Hyaku had been locked up, though he didn't know where that building exactly was. And if he tries something stupid again, guess I'll just have to kick his ass! He recalled each blow he'd given Hyaku. It made him happy to think about the damage he'd caused and he just wished it would be enough to keep him away from harming Miku. He knew that was wishful thinking, however, and he knew Hyaku was insane enough to do whatever he took to harm her...to kill her.

And Zorome would just have to have the same resolve to keep her safe.