The Life of a Dead Man

Four

"Even on your days off, you're still here." Zero said as Yuki took his blood pressure. She smiled at him kindly, because she knew that he felt bad for her being there. "You really should take a day off, or a week because you haven't had a break in, I don't know, forever?" he informed as if she didn't already know.

"Of course I have to be here!" she exclaimed. "You may think I have to take a day off, but honestly I would rather be here. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm the only one here that can get you to do anything." she teased him. He rolled his eyes at her and leaned back on the bed. "Anyway, how are you feeling today? You seem a bit more perky than the last time I came in here." Yuki observed.

"I feel fine, I just wish that the doctor would hurry up. It's been months now, I would like to know if I'm dying yet or not." Zero said with a huff. Zero only seen the doctor that tracked the progression of his disease once or twice a year. He usually told him the same thing; there's a new type of chemotherapy that should work if you wanted to try it. It seemed like bullshit to the sick man, but he just did it with the slight hope that it would work. He always thought maybe there would be some kind of miracle, though he would never hope for one because then he would be even more disappointed. "Maybe he's prolonging it so that I die before he has to come see me." he joked lightly. Yuki didn't find it funny at all.

"Zero, you know that's not the case at all. Besides, I bet that they have something that will work this time, they just have to work out the kinks and then he'll be here. Just be patient." she told him, almost as if she were a recording because that was what she told him the last time he mentioned it. She was about to say something else when someone knocked on the door lightly. They both furrowed their brows and looked at each other. No one ever visited Zero. "Come in?" Yuki asked, more than said because she was wondering if maybe it was someone knocking on another door or what. The door did open, and they were both even more shocked to see who it was. "Kaname? What are you doing here?" she asked her brother as he entered the room slowly.

"I came to see if maybe you would like me to join you for lunch since I never get to see you and all." Kaname answered. She looked at him, stunned for a moment, trying to see if he was just playing with her.

"Um, sure? That's fine, I have about twenty minutes if you want to go sit in the sitting area until then-"

"No, he can stay if he wants. There's no sense in making him leave for a few minutes, and you can go on. I don't need anything." Zero interjected.

"Oh, alright. Do you want anything specific today?" Yuki asked him since she normally gets him lunch from the cafeteria when she comes back.

"Just whatever they're serving, as usual." he responded.

"Can't he just come with us?" Kaname asked, throwing both Yuki and Zero off. Zero hadn't left his room in the last two years. If he ever needed any kind of operation, they were usually able to perform it in his room since everything was already hooked up.

"Kaname, I don't think he wants to-"

"Why would you want a cancer patient to eat lunch with you?" Zero asked out right, which made Yuki cringe slightly at the words. Kaname was being unusually quiet with his words, when normally he was sarcastic, quick to retort, and relatively an asshole. Much like Zero.

"Well you see, I don't particularly see you as a cancer patient, but rather a friend of my sister's. And since you're a friend of hers, I have no problem inviting you down stairs to lunch." Kaname said after a thick swallow. Yuki was about to reply for Zero, because she knew how he was; or so she thought.

"Well, then just let me put some sweats and and hoodie on." he said before uncovering himself and swinging his legs over the edge. Kaname instantly glanced down to the two bony limbs.

"We'll step out to give you some privacy, yell if you need anything." Kaname said lowly, Yuki following him out when he started to leave. She closed the door behind her while being very tense in the process. She then looked at him, disbelief clear on her face.

"How in the world did you manage to get him to agree to leaving his room?" she asked, careful so that Zero wouldn't hear. "I've tried hundreds of times, but he's never once wanted to leave. Never."

"Have you ever thought about maybe treating him as something more than a patient?" he asked in his normal, sarcastic self, a hint of British accent present from living there for a long period of time. Yuki furrowed her brows, her mouth opening and closing like that of a fish's gasping for air. However, before she could find the words to say, the door opened to reveal Zero in over-sized sweats, and an equally over-sized hoodie. He had his IV rack, pushing it with his right hand with the left being in his pocket.

Zero could feel all the eyes in the office then turn to him, as if they all knew something rare had happened. And something rare had happened, because no one had been able to get him out of his room for anything. He almost visibly collapsed into himself when he seen everyone watching him, feeling as if they were judging him.

"Don't worry about them. It doesn't matter what they think about you or what they think they know. The only thing that matters here is you, and how you see yourself. They aren't important, they don't affect you or your life. You are fine the way you are. Don't ever let anyone tell you different, ever." Kaname said to Zero as soon as he took notice of the sick man feeling insecure of himself. Yuki was shocked at her brother's behavior. She had never seen him act kindly to anyone in that manner, he was never that kind of person. He was one of those rich asshole kinds of guys, and this was a new side of him that she had never seen. He never spoke soft, reassuring words to anyone before, until now. Zero nodded and started walking slowly with the two others. He stood out of course, but no one said a word, and Zero ignored their stares.

"You're being unusually nice, is everything okay?" Yuki asked and Kaname just furrowed his brows at her.

"I don't know what you're talking about." was all he said, but Zero didn't pay any attention to it as he was in his own world. It had been so long since someone had talked to him as a person, rather than a patient. And he was so glad that he was able to experience that again even if it was just once.