A New Generation: A ZoroMiku Story

59: A Medical Revelation

Miku

Huh? What happened? Where am I? 

Light shone into Miku's eyes as she drowsily opened them. She winced at the blinding sensation and moved her hand immediately to cover it. Her hand felt heavy, as though it were filled with sand instead of blood, though she did manage to move her palm over her eyes. In fact, her entire body felt heavy and sore.

"Thank goodness! Miku's awake!" A cheerful and familiar female voice called out. 

"Huh?" Miku removed her hand from her eyes and squinted in the direction of the voice. "Kokoro, is that you?" She was surprised at how scratchy her voice sounded as it came out of her throat. She drowsily rubbed her neck in confusion.

As her eyes adjusted, she could make out the room around her and could confirm that it was indeed Kokoro who had cried out. To her surprise, the entirety of Squad 13 was there with her.

Kokoro ran over to her bedside and gave her a gentle hug, though Miku was still too weak to sit up. "I'm glad you're alright!" 

"Thank you." That was all Miku could murmur in reply. She was confused and in awe that her friends were even with her. Looking around, she saw that she was in a very sterile white room. Medical equipment surrounded them and she could see other beds as well, though those ones appeared to be all empty. As the other members of her former squad went over to her, she noticed that Ikuno and Naomi were both wearing what seemed to be lab coats. As she moved her arm, she felt something prick her skin and noticed that she was attached to an IV.

"She's awake! Yay!" Ai went to her mother's side and tipped her head back to smile up at Miku.

"What happened to me?" Miku asked. "Is this...Bird Nest?" 

"Zorome said he found you lying in the woods near the housing development," Ikuno explained. "He got help and brought you to the nearest medical facility there. They ended up having to transfer you here. It's a great thing they did! It turns out that you experienced a coma caused by a sudden severe attack of Child Fever. I've been working on a cure for a while and I don't know how to stop the effects yet but I'm getting very close. We've found a medicine that combats the symptoms. However, we also had to perform an operation on you because it caused a horrible infection."

"What kind of operation?" Miku asked as she groggily turned to look at her other friends. Ichigo and Goro were standing close together. Futoshi was still sitting in one of the waiting chairs and was eating some fresh bread. Naomi was standing at Ikuno's side and Mitsuru was not too far behind. Zorome was standing off to the side and was eyeing Miku with relief in his eyes. He looked like he wasn't very far from crying.

Futoshi gulped down his bread, almost choking on it as he did so. Ichigo and Goro exchanged a glance. Naomi and Zorome were both looking down at their feet. Kokoro's eyes glistened and she turned to glance over at Mitsuru.

"I think Miku and I need a moment alone," Ikuno said grimly.

Zorome

Although he left the room with his former squadmates, Zorome hovered outside the door and leaneg against the wall and left them to do their own thing. He already knew the diagnosis: Miku's infection had been found in her reproductive organs. Ikuno had been forced to remove parts of the damaged organs to save her. Unfortanately, that rendered Miku unable to conceive and give birth to a child no matter how badly she wanted to.

Even though Zorome didn't mind the thought of having kids and was warming up to the awkward thought of even getting physically close with her, he didn't care about that. He only cared about Miku at that moment and wondered how she'd take the news.

"We had to remove parts of your reproductive organs," Ikuno said gently to the red-headed former pistil. "They were severely infected from the fever. It's actually quite common with Child Fever, apparently. The fast aging pace will hopefully slow down if I give your some medication for the next while...but I'm afraid you'll never be able to have a baby of your own."

Zorome held his breath as he waited to hear Miku's response. 

"Oh...that's okay." Miku's soft voice was almost inaudible from the other side of the door. "I wouldn't have minded having children but I-I think I'll be fine with it either way."

"I'm sorry, Miku," Ikuno murmured. "There was nothing else I could've done."

"It's fine, Ikuno! Honestly, I'll be okay." Miku sounded more tired than anything. "Do you think you can, um, go fetch Zorome for me? I want to talk to him right now."

"Sure," Ikuno replied.

Zorome hastily moved away from the door and pretended that he'd totally not been eavesdropping on his friends. He pretended to be looking at some equipment in the hallway and whistled to himself in an attempt to act casual. 

"You were standing outside the door, weren't you?" Ikuno remarked when she opened the door and spotted Zorome.

"W-what makes you say that?" Zorome stammered as he leaned against the wall and slipped his hands into the pockets of his shorts. 

Ikuno sighed and rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Well, it's a good thing you didn't get too far. Miku wants to talk to you."

"O-oh." Zorome tried to sound surprised, though he was sure Ikuno wasn't buying his act. "I'll go see what she needs!" He hastily went into the room and closed to door behind him. Now he was alone with Miku.

Miku was sitting with her legs hanging off the bed now. Her bangs cast shadows over her eyes and she didn't raise her head to look at Zorome. Her skin was pale and she looked far too thin for his liking. It was clear she needed a good meal.

"Did she tell you the news?" Miku asked him. "Did she tell you I won't be able to have a baby?"