✔ | At Least We Have Forever

Chapter 53 - A Way To Save Her

"What do you mean she's not breathing? How is that possible?" Kurama continued to ask since his mind couldn't fully accept what Yumi said.

"I don't know!" Yumi blurted out of frustration. "When I checked on her, her pulse was faint but she's not breathing. Her lungs suffered too much. I-I can't fully explain it."

"Could this be the result of the power surge she did to all of us? She didn't think about her health just to end all this," Keiko commented sadly.

All of them couldn't believe it. They thought they had won. Would they be losing someone as a sacrifice because of this? They thought that part of the prophecy was over. How come something like this happened? Riya was supposed to be fine; she said so herself. So how come she ended up like this?

Kurama came to Riya and took her from Yumi. The Fire Wielder complied and allowed the fox demon to carry Riya. When he examined her himself, he realized that Yumi wasn't lying. Riya really wasn't breathing. What was worse, he couldn't sense Riya's spirit energy draining in a slow but steady rate. If nothing was done at the moment, Riya would surely die.

"We need to get back to the hotel. Maybe Koenma could do something about this," Kurama suggested with a sober expression as he carried Riya in his arms. Upon carrying her, though, he felt Riya's body temperature started to drop. It caused him to panic but he didn't show it. At the moment, what mattered the most was for them to save Riya before something else happened.

And this time, he might not have the required power to prevent it from happening.

xxxxxx

A few hours later, back at the hotel...

The family doctor examined Riya a few hours back as soon as they arrived from the battle. The family was surprised to see the unconscious Riya in Kurama's arms but they didn't ask anything about it. The sleeping spell that Haruna cast hadn't been undone and was still in effect so only Kurama's family and the Miyuzaki family were still awake as they waited for the battle's result.

Now all of them were in Riya's hotel suite, waiting for the young lady to wake up. Much to their disappointment, the doctor's results on his examination to Riya was a bit disturbing.

"How's Riya?" Kurama immediately asked as soon as the doctor came out of the room.

The doctor had a strained look on his face that doubled his worries and panic for his beloved.

"Her condition's stable now. As for her not breathing a while back, it was because of extreme exhaustion. I believe the power surge wasn't only derived from the blue moon's powers, but also from her own life force. I guess she still had a hard time using those powers again," the doctor informed.

"How long before she would be able to wake up?" Koenma asked.

The doctor sighed before answering. "As for that... I don't know how long. Though I said that her condition's stable, there was a force inside of her that prevents her from waking up. Not unless something manage to remove that force, I doubt if she'll be waking up again even if her condition will remain stable."

Surprise were written on everyone's faces as shocked gasps filled that room. Denial was also written on Kurama's face as soon as his mind had finally absorbed the information. How was that possible? For Riya not to take up again? No way! There was no way he would allow that.

But as he tried to think of what to do to help Riya, a memory suddenly struck him which might have been the reason why Riya was like this...

"If I destroy this forest guardian, would it affect the real Riya in the outside world?"

It took a while before Hiroto answered.

"That's for you to find out..."

Could this be the result of that trial? He destroyed the illusory Riya with the help of Hiroto but it didn't come to him that this would actually be the result of destroying that illusion ー which turned out to be the concealed emotions of Riya. He felt weak upon realizing that. He must have been the reason why Riya ended up like this.

It was his fault that Riya could possibly die. Why Death had to come to separate him and Riya every time they were about to be together again? Was he and Riya fated to be separated forever?

"None of this was your fault, Kurama-san. There's no reason for you to blame yourself for what happened to Riya-ojousama," a child-like voice said that made him raise his head.

Upon looking up, he saw Carissa with a reassuring smile on her face. It caught him surprised, though he didn't show it.

"Then how did she end up like that? And what was that force preventing her from waking up?" he asked, desperation and frustration was evident in his voice. He couldn't hide it and everyone understood that.

"That mysterious force was sent down to her for having the ability to defy some parts of the prophecy," Carissa stated which, of course, confused all of them.

"Is that even possible?" Kuwabara asked. Carissa answered with a nod as the Crystal Spirit's face turned somber.

"Having the courage and ability to defy your destiny is definitely something that a human shouldn't have. But Riya-ojousama is no ordinary human to begin with. She was born in a family now regarded as the masters of a legendary ability called Spirit Summoning Arts and she's the reincarnation of an extremely powerful deity from the ancients named Celeste-sama. But having those backgrounds alone wasn't enough. It was you, Kurama-san, who awakened that hidden ability within her when she met you years ago back in Hokkaido."

Kurama was surprised to hear that. "Me? What did I do?"

"It was the love she felt for you that enabled her to defy her destined death due to her powers devouring her life force. You unconsciously concealed her vengeful personality because of your Snow Rose. Everything that she is right now ー it was all because of you and your love for each other," Carissa replied with a smile. "I think that right now... only you have the ability to revive her from her slumber. I'm sure of it."

"How can you be so sure about this, Carissa?" Yumi asked in confusion.

"I can feel it. You're the only person who can free her from that mysterious force that imprisoned her consciousness. I'm not sure how but I know you can do it," Carissa said confidently which surprised everyone further.

That surprise, though, later turned to amusement and faith in what the Crystal Spirit of the Elements said.

"But how can I revive her?" Kurama asked after a few moments of thinking.

Carissa just gave her a smile ー one that showed confidence, faith and courage ー before speaking. "Just asked your heart if you want to know the answer to that. It will speak of the answer you seek for. All you have to do is to trust it."

Kurama sighed after hearing that. "But... will that be enough?"

"As long as you truly believe in the love that you have for her, that's more than enough."

Believing... Having faith in one powerful emotion that made him who he was today... Having faith in the love that he had for the woman who made his life the loveliest one to live ー like what Carissa said, it was more than enough.

With that resolve in his heart, he stood up from his seat without a word just at the same time Carissa vanished.

"Hey, Kurama! Where are you going?" Yusuke called out but the red head didn't turn around or even stop to answer the detective. Kurama just proceeded to enter Riya's room.

Yusuke just gave a confused ー not to mention, a little pissed off ー look to the others. They just gave him a shrug that said the same thing he felt ー confusion.