The Life of a Dead Man

Nine

It was a rather bittersweet moment as they packed all of Zero's items up. It wasn't much of his actual belongings, seeing as how he didn't have anything other than some clothes and art supplies, but more of medical supplies and equipment that would hopefully keep him going as long as possible. Zero watched as they carried different things out of the room, into the hallway, to the elevator, and disappearing.

He found it rather odd, seeing the things he had become familiar with being moved out of the room he had called home. The last of the equipment was taken out, and he ventured back into the now empty room to observe it one last time. He felt like he was witnessing his death already, with them moving everything out and starting over like a family moving on afterward. He felt like the ghost that came back, wishing they were still there for their friends and family. He wanted to know what it was like to be mourned by people as they cried while cleaning out his things. Know what it was like to see his parents nearly break down when they found old drawings he had done, pictures of him, and posters on his walls.

But he would never get to experience that, because once his brother died when they were eleven, his parent's relationship went downhill fast. Constant fights between the two erupted even at the earliest of mornings and latest of nights. It never really occurred to Zero that his parents were on the verge of falling apart, but had he known then, well, he would have done anything to keep them together. Neither his mother or father could seem to want to take him, so they begrudgingly gave him up for adoption, where a man volunteering at the orphanage seen him and decided to take him in because 'even sad teenage boys need a chance'.

Zero finally walked to that one window, the one where he was able to get his only glimpse of the world for the longest time, and unlocked the hinge, pulling it open and feeling the warm spring breeze flush over him. He leaned over the ledge, looked at the sky and everything that he could see without falling out or his arms getting weak. He wanted to see what it was that he had been missing for the past six years of his life and he was surprised to see so many buildings and fancy cars and small pop up shops that had pestered their way there. So much had changed, and yet everything was the same.

"I guess the world doesn't really stop turning, does it?" Zero asked no one in particular. The cool breeze flowed through his silvery white hair and he closed his eyes. He savored the feeling and basked in the sun coming from the sky. His pale skin nearly reflected the light from it, since he had spent so much time inside his body didn't know how to react to sunlight anymore.

Out in the hallway, Kaname was signing paper after paper for things he didn't even bother to read. His sister would have told him a heads up if it was something he wouldn't normally agree too. He wasn't even sure as to why he had to sign anything, but he assumed it was for all of the medical equipment he was taking. Once he finished, he popped his knuckles and sighed. Yuki brought out a folded piece of paper that seemed as if it had seen better days. He eyed it curiously.

"When Zero had been admitted, he wasn't as pessimistic as he is now. I didn't really know him then, but that's what the nurses had told me. He had made a bucket list, but after a year and a half of being here, I found it in the trash. It kind of broke my heart to see that he would give up on something like that. I wasn't going to look at it, feeling as if I would be invading his privacy, but my curiosity got the best of me." she slid it over to him, allowing him to take it and open it carefully.

There wasn't much, small things like going on a road trip, or attend some kind of orchestra, watch the sun set from a hill, and the one on top that was circled and starred multiple times, was that he wanted someone to love him until the day he died. Kaname gripped the paper a little tighter and thanked his sister for that. He folded or neatly and placed it in the pocket inside his blazer.

He walked down the hallway to where Zero was still, and opened the door slightly to make sure he was in there. He seen the boy looking out of the window and he couldn't help but smile to himself at the sight of him. He was a rather bitter person, but there was a child-like wonder about him. Kaname had been so unexplainably drawn to him that he commonly found himself staring at the boy for long periods of time and studying every inch of him. He could remember every color of his eyes, every bruise and scar on his arms, each hole that had grown up on his ears, every point on his now faded tattoo on his neck, how his fingertips were gentle with everything he touched.

Kaname had memorized everything about Zero. He would constantly be distracted by the boy even when he wasn't at the hospital, which wasn't very often, and it came to be a nuisance to his work. He had never had much luck getting along with others, he had never been able to click with people he would meet outside of work. With Zero, he never even had to try.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? The sky." Zero said without looking at Kaname. The light coming in over the boy, it was almost giving a euphoric glow. Kaname hummed in response. "I've been here so long, I'm afraid of what the world will look like."

"Why?" Kaname asked, waiting for an elaboration.

"They say that the worse off you get, the worse off the world is. Is the world a bad place?" Zero asked, finally turning to see the brunet leaning against the wall. He was in thought.

"The economy isn't that bad, at least, not since the last time I checked. Our president kind of looks like an orange in some things, Korea wants war, terrorism in England is awful, people get way too butt hurt over stupid shit like historical markers and freedom of speech." he finally replied.

"Well, not much has changed, then." Zero snorted. "I think I'm ready now." Kaname nodded and allowed Zero to exit first. Yuki gave him a bone crushing hug and a smile. They walked to the elevator where they descended slowly and then came to the exit.

"All of the equipment has been delivered already." Kaname said as they walked towards the exit. Zero stopped, making the other slowly do the same and look back. "What's wrong?"

"I'm preparing myself. It's like I died and I have to experience life again." he said, and Kaname held out a hand to the boy hesitantly. He didn't know if this was okay, yet, because he was going through so much in his mind. But Zero took that hand with his small, fragile one. Kaname led him outside, handing him some sunglasses first, and then to a car. "This is a nice car."

"I have a couple more that are nicer, this one was just which key I grabbed first this morning." Kaname replied.

"Are you kidding me? The last time I was around everyone was driving Ford Prius's and Chevy Camaros." Kaname snorted this time. Zero gave one last look at the hospital and bid it farewell in his mind.

"Ready?"

"Ready."