Ye old Willow

Part 22 Collapse

 Kazuki light and cheerful expression had faded into nothing more than a scowl. Something that would easily scare the most resolute of foes or the most courageous of allies.

Ayla unconsciously took a step backward. Noticing this, Kazuki reverted to his normal cheerful expression, the scowl vanishing as if it had never existed. “Shall we go talk to our teacher?“ He asked.

She remained staring, her mind going blank, unable to understand this change.

He gripped her hand softly, walking slowly towards the drivers cabin. A slight blush on his face. She reacted much the same way, but that emotion was quickly eaten away by something else.

The puzzle of his stepmothers, the train. The reality that had been laid before her, confused her so. So she had only one thing she needed to ask.

“Kazuki,” Ayla asked, “Who are you?”

“You know, ” He interrupted staring off into the distance, his eyes flat and unemotional. As if some crucial part of him was once again being locked away. “That first sunset I saw with you, was the most beautiful.”

“That's not what I asked, “ She said. “Who areyou?”

He dared not look at her face. “I am nothing. I am something that should not exist.”

As he spoke, his eyes grew darker, and his pace slowed, letting go of her hand. Eventually settling himself into a complete stop.

“What do you mean by that?”

Again he repeated, “I am nothing. I am something that should not exist.” This time he slipped down to his knees. Not even finding the energy to stand. He muttered to himself frantically, “Not again, Not again. Please not again.”

“Kazuki?” she gripped his shoulder, kneeling down to look him in the eye. “Are you alright?”

No answer.

She shook his shoulder harder.

Still no response, all presence of life had seemed to vanish from his body. Had she not felt his pulse she would have thought him a dead man.

“Hey Kazuki, “ She said panicked, “Are you alright? Are you alright?”

A cheerful laughter erupted behind her.

She turned to face Greer who was standing in the entrance to their current train car.

“So.” Greer said, “I didn't need to deliver those words to him. You did it for me. It should be fine to leave this train with my spoils.”

Ayla stood up standing between Greer and Kazuki, her arms spread wide as if to shield the boy. “What do you mean?”

Greer walked around her, staring down at Kazuki. Ayla remained frozen at that spot, something told her not to move, as if she and Kazuki would be in great danger if she did so. “You.” Greer said, “Asked something that should not be asked.”

Greer tapped the wall of the train cart for each word she spoke, “Who...Are...You...?”

She leaned over brushing Ayla's hair with her hand. Small goosebumps crawling up Ayla's neck. “You see.” She continued. Her face contorted into a wicked smile, “Weak hearted boys, like him can break with only a few well placed words. Especially if those words had been engrained in the heart.”

The train stopped automatically. OF course someone with limited amount of knowledge on trains could not have set it to keep going in the first place.

A lie. It had all been one big lie.

Greer stepped next to the door that had yet to open. “That boy's mind has already been trained. He won't be able to accomplish anything in the time allotted to him. Oh how wonderful. Ayla, you did such a wonderful job.”

The doors opened, and Greer faded into the crowd of the terminal. People rushing blindly back into the empty cabin. The lifeless eyes of Kazuki, remained passionless and unfocused. Staring straight ahead towards the empty black window of the subway system.

Ayla dragged him off the train. IN order to give him some room to breath. His body was limp all the while. Garnering more than a few stares from the pedestrians around them.

Why had people been at this terminal, yet not at the last? Why had Kazuki reacted so badly to those words?

She rested him on a empty bench, his breathing had turned rugged and sharp, He his chest wavering with each breath as if it would soon collapse.

Ayla was frantic. Her heart beat heavily in her chest. She had no idea of what to do. She could not bring him to the hospital without alerting the family he ran away from, to his location. And if the rest of his family was like Greer, who had laughed at this state of affairs, she could not allow them to meet. What could she do? What could she do? What could she do?

The ringing of her cellphone brought her back to her senses. She flung the cell open, with such force, a light cracking sound could be heard.

Fray's voice blared in from the other end. The speaker unable to process her brothers voice shrieked readily in Ayla's ear. “Sis! Are you alright? Is everything okay?” He sounded worried, and nearly as panicked as she was.

Ayla said frantic, gripping harshly on the phone, “Kazuki, he...” Her speech was cut off by her own frantic breaths. She could not process the next words of her.

Fray prodded her, “What about Kazuki? Did anything happen to you two?”

“Collapsed...Kazuki collapsed”

The phones speaker went silent. A different voice responded. Zachariah's voice was cold and harsh almost unrecognizable from the tone he had in person. “Did you ask Kazuki something? Did you say something you shouldn't have? Did you ask 'Who are you?'”

She nodded her head, not processing the fact that Zachariah wouldn't be able to see that gesture.

He responded anyway, “I want you to calm down. Breath slowly. Kazuki is fine. He just has a little trauma to get over. He'll be fine in a few days. So I need you to bring him here, so I can watch over him.”

She gazed at Kazuki, gently brushing his hair ot of his eyes. He was sweating badly, turning every which way, as if stuck in a nightmare. “No.” She said.

Zachariah voice lacked a startling amount of emotion. “Bring him to me, Its for the best.”

“No, “ She repeated.

“Why?”

“You know why Kazuki is like this. You are his past. I don't think Kazuki wants to face his past right now. Nor do I trust you enough to put my friend in you care.”

If Ayla could see his face, she would have seen a look of silent approval. “I understand” he said, “But I need you to do something for me. In order to make sure that boy wakes up.”

“What would that be.”

Kazuki broke back into a fit of coughs, a dark repetitive mumbling of his escaping his lips,”Not again. Not again.”

“What do I need to do?” Ayla asked.

“Have you ever read sleeping beauty?”