You're killing me( A Zutara Hanahaki Fic)

Grave of flowers

Katara's P.O.V

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This place may be the best hospital in the city, but dying in it feels exactly as horrible as dying anywhere else.

The marble floors, the gigantic windows, the modern furniture. 

All of that could foul anyone into thinking this place is a safe heaven, but not me. The smell of antiseptics has never fooled me. Has this place always felt so unstable? So perilous? I often wondered if the patients could sense the uneasiness of this place too when I first started working here. Maybe that's why the nurses have to straps so many patients to the beds every day. Because they can see what the rest of the medical staff can't.

Patients always usually had very distinct reason on why they're stuck here. Some of them were extremely hurt. Others had chronic condition that often get them here. Others again were getting devoured inside by disease.

The last patient type were the worst. They knew sickness is slowly sucking their life away and are unable to do anything about it. All they can do is make peace with death. One last request or one last hug. They never knew what breath will be the last they ever take.

I couldn't let that happen to more people. Why else would I have taken on such tedious studying? Becoming a doctor wasn't supposed to be the end goal. It was meant to be the start of my real life. One where I would be able to help.

Sitting in the emergency exit staircase, I couldn't help but rethink of everything that happened yesterday.

I had woken up in the middle of the night, an unpleasant tingle in my throat. The alarm clock displaying the hour in blaring red color; 3:30 am. Turning over, I wiggled out from under the covers, careful to not wake up Aang in the process. He stirred slightly, the movement making me stop. He stopped, his head turning away from me. Only after he started quietly snoring again did I let out the breath I was holding. The uncomfortable tingle grew stronger as a certain weight seemed to sit on my chest. Fumbling out of the room, a strident pain hit me in the chest. The sudden feeling sent shockwaves through my body. The pain was akin to something to a sudden stab. The invisible knife squeezing the air out of my lungs.

Every step I took was a struggle on its own. A film of cold sweat broke out on my skin. My breathing rapidly becoming shallow as I took a step inside the bathroom.

Once inside, a cough became two then three, and before I knew it, I was having a full on coughing fit. A metallic taste soon filled my mouth. My vision blurred from unshed tears, my focused narrowed on the strange sensation in my mouth.

I stumbled over the sink, spitting the strange mixture out of my mouth. Soon enough, Panic set in, fueled by the red color I saw.

The pristine white marble of the sink was stained by blood. Time itself seemed to stop, elongating each moment of discomfort as I gapped at the bloody mixture. In the sea of red blood, I could recognize small purple dots, no bigger than a nail. Every beat of my heart echoed through my chest.

Touching one of the dots with a hesitant hand, the identity of the clumps became obvious.

Petals.

Flower petals.

I couldn't recognize the species of flowers, not that it really mattered at the time. My mind was racing and blank at the same time. A blur of emotions passing through in dizzying ways.

Leaning weight on the sink, all the remaining strength left my body. The pain radiating in my chest wasn't caused by the blood leaking out of it anymore.

It doesn't take a genius to know what coughing out flowers mean. Medical degree or not, there's only ever been one cause for flowers blooming inside of someone's lungs.

"It usually takes six to seven months for Hanahaki to start showing symptoms.Most often people do not notice their body has been acting up until they start coughing and vomiting flowers, vines, thorns, and leaves" 

Those were the words I had said to a patient just a few hours before the pain started. Before I realized the lie the whole engagement had been.

I almost wanted to laugh at the ridiculous of the situation. I felt so stupid.Now, sitting alone on the staircase, I let the minute pass by.

Alone in my scrubs and white coat.

Passing my finger on the small purple petal, I tried to take a deep breath. The uncomfortable tingle hadn't left me after my coughing fit from yesterday. It wasn't as pronounced as the day before, but it was still definitely there. Like a shadow always following in the back of my mind, or a predator waiting for the perfect time to strike at his prey. I could forget about it, but it wouldn't truly be gone. Exhaling slowly, I put back the petal in my pocket.

It took me all but five minutes to wash away all the blood and petals out of the sink and my clothes yesterday. The only proof anything ever happened was the lone purple petal I found in my hair this morning while brushing my teeth. I didn't sleep a wink after my initial waking that night. The dark circles under my eyes could attest to that. Instead of going back to sleep next to Aang, I went and sat at my desk, trying to find any other reason I could be coughing flowers. Anything else would have been acceptable. Maybe in the time I had left medical school and started working a new disease similar to Hanahaki got discovered? Or even maybe I had eaten something that may have promoted the flourishing of flowers in my chest? But nothing came up. Only Hanahaki.

I had to admit it myself, I knew better than anyone else that Hanahaki is the only possible reason for flowers to start blossoming in someone. I had to repeat that fact to multiple patients every other day.

I sighed, standing up. Drowning in sorrow there would not do anything except make me less focused on what i am really here to do, and that was helping patients.

Shaking my head, I swung the door separating me from the hallway of the hospital open, realizing a split-second too late that something has gone awry. The door had already swung out with full force when it met a solid body with a loud thud. The second noise came from the figure falling backward in a blur of white and blue.

I stared down at the shape on the ground, dark honey colored eyes meeting mine

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Finally done!

I've been thinking about this concept and has just recently decided to start writing it. Thank the teacher strike, It has been a month since i last been able to go to school so lets just say I had a lot of time on my hands.

Funfact: I have never read a Hanahaki fic in my life ╰(*°▽°*)╯Why have I decided to write this then? Idk, I just wanted to try writing a fanfic for the first time.

Word count: 1114 words

I tried to keep the first chapter on the shorter side this time. I didn't want to accidently end up writting a 5k word first chapter(again).