When My Heart Became Ice - Chapter 7

[[ D E J A • vu ]]

Why does your heart long for me . . .

“Hey Syn,” Kyth sighed as she entered. “What’s up?”

“I’m stuck in the Infirmary, that’s what,” Syn pouted. “Hykuma won’t let me go, even though it’s been two days.”

“Incorrect,” Hykuma told him. “Two days, three nights. So you’ll be staying the rest of today and tonight and then… Maybe I’ll let you go.”

“Whee!” Syn cried, throwing his arms into the arm. He winced as his arm stung.

“Stupid, I told you not to move it,” Hykuma scolded, and she gently took his bandaged arm and lowered it back onto the bed.

“I want to move my arm,” He insisted. “It’s my good arm, the arm I like to kill with.”

“It’s your right arm,” Hykuma muttered. “You’re left-handed.”

“I like to kill with both my arms,” Syn retorted.

Kyth laughed. “You two sound like an old married couple.”

“No we don’t!” They both yelled at once.

Giggling, Kyth covered her mouth and watched them with amused eyes.

“Hey Hykuma,” Another doctor said as he poked his head in. “I need you in here.”

“My Hykuma,” Syn snarled, immediately sitting up and wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. He laid his head against her stomach and glowered at the doctor menacingly.

“A-ah… I-I apologize,” The doctor stammered, staring at Syn. “I didn’t realize you were busy…”

“It’s fine,” Hykuma assured him. “My patient here just has detachment issues. Kind of like a dog that whines and cries and tears things up when you leave? He’ll be fine.”

Syn whimpered as she pried his arms away from her and followed the doctor.

“Now I don’t have anyone,” Syn sighed, and flopped down on his bed miserably.

“I’m here,” Kyth offered.

“What are you gonna do?” Syn muttered. “Throw more hot chocolate on me?”

“No, I came to give you something,” Kyth held up a large bag.

Interested, Syn sat up. “What is it?” He asked excitedly. “Is it a new sword?”

“No,” Kyth told him. “It’s armor. You’re going to start wearing it.”

“Armor?!” Syn cried. “No way! Kyth, there are some things you can force me to do, but no one in the history of history could force me to wear that!”

“Fine then,” Kyth retorted, and she dropped the bag on the floor.

Syn looked at it menacingly.

“I want Hykuma,” He pouted.

“You’re being a child,” Kyth announced. “Can’t you let her go for more than five minutes?”

“No!” Syn snapped. He then slipped from the bed, grabbing a scalpel from a nearby counter as he exited the room.

Kyth stood and followed, wary.

Syn might not be able to kill her, but she was level 15, and he was level 13. Many of the people in here were below that level, and if they weren’t, they were wounded. Hykuma was only level 4.

If Syn wanted to kill someone and she wasn’t there to stop him, he’d do it.

Kyth stayed close to him but didn’t say anything. If she made him angry he might take it out on one of the wounded people that sat in the hallways.

Syn breathed heavily, his blue eyes wild.

He was definitely looking for a target.

In the blink of an eye, Syn began to move to the left, towards an open door with a man inside. Faster, Kyth was in front of Syn, gripping his wrist as he tried to charge at the man, who let out a yell and scrambled out of the bed, his arm in a cast.

“Syn!” Kyth screamed. He was actually beginning to overpower her. “Syn, stop! Stop it now!”

“NO!” He roared, and turned on her.

The small blade flashed and her arm was bleeding. The man ran out.

Syn’s eyes were blazing.

“Syn, it’s me,” Kyth murmured. “It’s Kyth. You’re having an attack right now, you—“

“Attack?!” Syn rushed at her again.

Kyth caught his hand before he plunged the blade into her stomach.

She yelled, “Syn, stop it now!”

“I want to kill!” Syn shrieked, and shoved his shoulder against her.

Letting out a gasp, she fell to the floor, and then scrambled up swiftly.

“Don’t make me do it,” She warned as her markings glowed. “I will, Syn. If it’s me or you, it’s gonna be you.”

“Syn,” Hykuma’s voice was firm. He turned to look at her, tilting his head in an unnatural way. “Come here right now.”

Trembling, he walked over. He stood at least a foot taller than her, looking down at her, breathing heavily.

“Give me the scalpel now, Syn,” Hykuma held out her hand. No emotion was on her face.

Syn slowly handed it to her, and then he swooned.

Swiftly, Hykuma dropped the scalpel and caught him as he fell, lowering him to the ground as she sat. Syn panted heavily, mouth open, like a dog. Hykuma laid his head on her chest and held him closely, stroking his hair.

“It’s been a month since he had the last one,” Kyth told her, remembering the last time he had gone into insane mode.

“I know, he did good…” Hykuma sighed softly and continued stroking his hair.

“For some reason he only listens to you,” Kyth’s head tilted slightly. “It’s strange…”

“That’s why they made me roommates with him,” Hykuma looked up at her. “He may be a blood-thirsty killer, but he’s very fragile… If he gets too upset about something he has an attack and he won’t listen to anyone else but me…”

Kyth sighed. “What will we do if he has one out in the field?”

“Then pray that he doesn’t catch you,” Hykuma looked back down at Syn. “When he’s in the middle of an attack like that… He plays with his victims…”

“Tortures them,” Kyth guessed, and Hykuma nodded.

Stroking his soft white hair, she sighed, “He doesn’t even know he’s doing it, either…”

Kyth tilted her head, looking at her partner. His eyes were closed and he trembled softly, curling against Hykuma. She kept her arms around him.

“You’re good with him,” Kyth told her. “You should come with us some time.”

“Oh, me?” Hykuma looked down at Syn. “No, I couldn’t… I’m only level 4, I’d get hurt too easily…”

“I’m level 15,” Kyth told her. “And Syn’s level 13. I’m sure you’d be fine.”

“Um…” Hykuma still looked unsure, but she nodded slowly. “Yeah… I’ll try. I’d like to see Syn in action…”

“That’s what she said,” Syn’s voice whispered.

Hykuma bristled. “How long have you been awake?” She squeaked.

“Long enough,” Syn lifted his head and looked up at her, smiling. “You put my face on your boobies.”

He laughed and Hykuma shoved him away. “That’s not it!” She yelled, blushing red. “Idiot…”

Syn snickered. “I know,” His voice calmed, and he crawled back over to her, laying his head against her shoulder and falling back into her lap. He wiggled slightly, comfy.

Hykuma, looking exasperated, stroked his hair.

Kyth smiled softly. The two might act indifferent, but they were more attached to each other than Kyth and Rynu had been, and that was close. They were two parts to the same whole.

“Hykuma, why’d you go?” Syn whined.

Gently, Hykuma murmured, “Shh, Syn. Let’s get you back to your room. Can you stand?”

“Yeah…” Syn stood slowly, his body arching softly as he did so. Kyth had to admit, he looked adorable in the long-sleeved shirt that drooped down off his shoulder.

Syn stood there a moment, looking towards the empty bed, and Hykuma grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

“Ow, ow, ow,” Syn whined. “That’s my bad arm!”

Hykuma continued dragging him away. Kyth followed at a leisurely pace.

Once Hykuma got Syn down once again, she looked at Kyth, looking a bit anxious.

“Something on your mind?” Kyth asked.

“Yeah,” Hykuma sighed heavily. “The reason they wanted me was because someone came in with burns…”

“That’s not too bad, is it?”

“They were chemical burns. And they weren’t any kind of chemical we know.”

Hykuma stared. Knowing that the Order had reaches in the furthest parts of the world, in every country, they knew every chemical there was, even if the humans didn’t. A new chemical they hadn’t heard of yet? Was it possible?

“What is it?” Kyth asked, stiffened.

“They’re not sure,” Hykuma looked at her feet, anxious. “Apparently, it decomposes skin cells… Slowly, though. If a drop gets on your skin, the first symptom is getting itchy; even if you wash it off, it sticks. Then, your skin starts to turn purple…”

“Purple?” Kyth asked, shocked.

“Mm hm… And then, you get a rash, which slowly progresses to boils and then excessive bleeding… After that… It gets deeper and deeper until it reaches the bone…”

“Does it stop at the bone?”

Hykuma nodded. “It can’t absorb calcium that well, so we’re treating it by washing it away with milk.”

“That’s good,” Kyth nodded. “We may not know what it is but at least we can fight it.”

Hykuma nodded, looking anxious.

“What’s wrong?” Kyth asked, tilting her head.

“Kyth…” Hykuma looked up at her. “The man who got it on him? He’s been in a coma ever since it started burning through him… We can’t wake him up.”

Kyth stared. “Do you think it’s because of the pain…?”

“No, it was just an ache when he came in to complain…” Hykuma looked at her. “No one’s bothered going through his paperwork to see if the chemical came from his mission.”

“You want me to,” Kyth finished. “Love to.”

“Thank you,” Hykuma relaxed. “I just don’t feel comfortable letting any field Reachers out until they find out what caused this…”

“It’ll be fine,” Kyth assured her. “Just watch over Syn, all right?”

Hykuma nodded, looking back at her white haired roommate, and then turned to watch Kyth go. She looked back at Syn and sighed.

Kyth strode down the hallways, silent. The record room wasn’t far. She could have run, but she didn’t feel like it. She was mulling things over in her head.

Who could be behind the chemical?

Sighing, Kyth kept on walking. Her head kind of hurt, but she didn’t care. It would go away soon.

When she turned into the records room, she saw Nyun standing there, looking into a folder with deep intensity. His white eyes were focused. In fact, he was so intent on the folder, he didn’t see her come in.

“Nyun,” She said, and he jumped.

“You scared me,” He glanced at her.

“Yeah,” She smiled softly. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Nyun closed the folder and put it up, sighing. “Why are you in here, Kyth? I’m shocked.”

She grinned. “I’m just helping out a friend.”

“Oh?” Nyun tilted his head. “You want some help?”

“Sure,” She smiled pleasantly.

“What are we looking for?”

“Um, I think it was… Hylen Kortin’s last report.”

“The guy who got burned?”

“Mm hm,” Kyth looked up at him. “You knew about it?”

“Level 16,” He told her. “I have privileged information.”

Kyth laughed. “Do not,” She giggled. “You’re cousin is in the Infirmary.”

Nyun laughed. “Yeah,” He admitted. “Anyway, I’ll help, all right?”

“Mm hm,” Kyth nodded happily and began searching through recent paperwork.

They worked for nearly a half hour before Nyun said, “Here, I found it.”

“Finally!” Kyth heaved a sigh and came over, glancing at the folder he held.

“He was in area 7, grid number 56,” Nyun read. “His mission was a retrieval mission.”

“Retrieval of what?” She asked.

Nyun shrugged. “He doesn’t say. He keeps saying ‘the subject’. It could be a person or an object. I can’t be sure.”

Kyth glanced up at him. He looked troubled.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“Nothing… Just something he said here is bothering me…”

“What is it?”

Nyun read, “There were no injuries to me or my partner, and we retrieved the subject without any trouble.”

“So, he didn’t know that the chemical would hurt him, and they got the subject,” Kyth said. “What’s wrong with that?”

“His partner is Lumyn Kaita,” He told her. “She’s been dead for two weeks. He hasn’t been assigned a new partner yet.”

Kyth stared at the paper.

“Also,” Nyun continued. “I do some work in the retrieval department sometimes. Nothing important enough to be called a ‘subject’ was brought in.”

“So… He lied in his report?”

“He did.”

“What does this mean?”

“It means… The Order… Is trying to cover something up…”

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When you know I'll only break it?