The Life of a Dead Man

Six

He woke up with a dreadful feeling in his stomach, Zero did. He never did like when he did that because it normally meant something bad was going to happen at some point. His tired eyes stared out of the window that looked out to another part of the hospital. He had been uncharacteristically happy in the recent days before hand, so it was a downside to feel that way once more.

Ever since the man known as Kaname had began visiting, Zero's mood seemed to increase rapidly. Whether the man would just sit in his room with him making fun of shitty shows and movies, or him actually getting Zero to leave his room and do something simple such as go eat or take a walk. Zero even got a slight glimpse to the outside world with Kaname showing him different pictures of places he had been fortunate enough to visit, paying close attention to the ones that Zero seemed to love the most.

Zero didn't know why he was constantly showing up or what he was planning from it, but he couldn't say that he particularly minded it. It was nice, to have someone act like they wanted to be around the man that had been so overly bitter towards the world. And maybe, he thought, maybe it was just a publicity stunt that he would use once Zero finally did kick the bucket, but he couldn't be worried with things such as that. So Zero forced himself out of his old hospital bed and put some decent clothes on; by decent it meant sweat pants and a hoodie that Yuki had brought him for whenever he decided to go out since his other articles were way too big on his small frame.

He exited his room, carrying his IV rack behind as usual, and he walked to the front desk where Yuki was yawning and drinking a cup of coffee. She looked up with wide eyes when she heard the movement, and noticed who it was.

"Good morning!" she chirped with shock still written on her face. He stared at her blankly for a moment, making her smile drop a bit.

"Anyways, what's the plan for today?" he asks while grabbing himself a cup and pouring him a cup of hot coffee even though he technically wasn't supposed to be able to have it. No one was going to tell him no because he wasn't restricted to any certain diet. He was allowed to do just about whatever he wanted; except leave.

"You have your medicine again today." Yuki said quietly, making him groan when he realized that he had been dreading that. He knew something bad would happen, but he would take anything over the chemo again. She felt bad for him every time because it was such a fight for him. He nodded eventually after taking a sip of his bitter beverage he made for himself. He liked it bitter, like himself.

"Is he coming today?" Zero once again questions her, but this time it shocks her once more.

"I-I'm not sure. Do you want him to be, on a day like this?" she retorted, making minimal eye contact.

"I would like for him to be here if he can be, I'd like to have someone here." he explained and she nodded.

"I'll call him and see if he's able to make it. We'll have to start your treatment soon though, so if he can't be here quick enough then we'll have to start without him." Yuki explained to him, but he just waved her off with his hand as he walked back to his room acting as if he was indifferent to the situation, although it was obvious that he was a bit deflated to know that he may not be able to be there. He accepted it though, seeing as how Kaname was a businessman and needed to focus on work rather than some sick cancer patient.

Half an hour passed by and the door opened to reveal the man that Zero had been hoping for. His mood instantly brightened but it didn't last long when he seen Yuki rolling that dreaded machine into the room. Kaname sat down in the recliner that was placed in the room and scooted closer to the bed as Yuki quickly got everything set up.

"So, what is all of this going to do to you?" Kaname asked as he watched his sister begin injecting some sort of liquid into Zero's IV.

"It's going to make me feel like shit, is what it's going to do." he joked a bit sadly, even though it was very much true. "But it'll make me sick, sometimes I throw up, sometimes it makes my body hurt, it scares me to death sometimes but it's part of it. Doctor's orders." Zero explained to him and Kaname just nodded distractedly as Zero tensed up a bit. The initial feel of it entering his blood stream was always uncomfortable.

"What can I do?" the brown haired man asked after he swallowed a bit, straightening his posture and becoming more of the stone cold man that Yuki knew. Zero shrugged and leaned his head back before closing his eyes.

"Get me the garbage can please." Zero whispered, making Kaname instantly do as he was asked. Zero grabbed the small plastic object and his body lurched with his convulsing stomach. Of course nothing came out as usual, but his organs still fought to rid him of everything in his body. Kaname rubbed his back with concern clear on his face. Yuki was grimacing the entire time, knowing that he hated dry heaving almost as much as he hated being in the hospital.

Finally, the violent noises stopped and he handed the garbage can off to Yuki. He leaned back and clenched his jaw as pain spread through his body rapidly. He couldn't explain what it felt like, but it was like his arms and legs and abdomen were being set on fire and it was burning each and every vein, artery, and cell that he had. He felt like he had caught the plague. It hurt so bad he nearly shed some tears, but he was able to control them.

"This is shitty." Kaname said quietly as he got up to get a wet rag. He came back and gently dabbed the boys face with it, trying to soothe him in any way he knew how. "What kind of asshole lets good people get treated this way?" he asked once more.

"You see," Zero began with clenched teeth and a sharp intake of breath. "Most of the time bad things have to happen to people in order to make them good people. It's part of a learning process." he explained and Kaname thought about it for a moment before nodding and standing up, excusing himself to get a cup of ice to keep Zero cool. "What's up with him?" he asked after the man had left the room. Yuki sighed.

"He has always tried to be religious, but he's always been skeptical of it because of the lack of actual proof and him not understanding how God works. He really has tried, he just hasn't been given a good enough answer for that question until now." she explained and Zero nodded, his curiosity growing more by the minute. But he was in too much pain to bother with it at that moment.