24. Condition

"I'm heading over to Takeshi's to help him with homework again," I called to the ones who were eating breakfast in the dining room. "I'll be back in the evening, and there's cake in the fridge. Don't eat all of it at once! Dad, call me if anything happens!" I yell out.

It was the weekend, a bright, beautiful morning of my not-so mundane life. Fixing the hairclips on my head, I stepped into my sneakers and opened the front door.

"Rei, sometimes I wonder if you're the adult of this household." Dad whined, holding his mug of coffee at the doorway to see me out.He sighed, his bangs hanging over his face, his blue eyes tired, dressed in his sleepwear.

"Have fun, Rei-chan!" Sae calls happily, waving at me from the dining room as well. Her hair was all over the place, as she had just woken up, but her smile was so, so bright it could still blind a thousand men.

"Ah, I have to go too-" Sui stands up quickly, finishing up her hot chocolate, a bag on her shoulders. The blue ribbon in her hair jumping at each step, she quickly made her way beside me, slipping on her shoes.

Sui, in fact, had an inter-schools chess competition today. She was the youngest child in the faction her club signed her up for, but well, let's just say I never won against her in chess.

I peck Sui's forehead briefly with my lips. "Good luck, Sweetie."

Sui blushed. She instantly looked down and held her forehead, her face flushed an adorable shade of Magenta. She managed to hum an "uhn" in response.

"Have I ever told you, Rei," Dad spoke up, "That you act like a Mom more than your Mom did?"

"Eh?" I had to wonder. This was the first time Dad mentioned Mom, but I was more affected by what he said. "What do you mean, I act like a mom?"

"Exactly what it means." Dad replies.

"Dad, that doesn't explain any-"

"AAah!" Sae suddenly screeches at the clock, "Sui, you're gonna be late for the bus!" she yells out in alarm.

That got us two rushing out the door in a flurry of "I'm off"s.

-----

Surprising myself, I had lied to my family. It never feels good to lie, especially if it's concerning yourself. After all, going to Takeshi's for homework was a big, fat lie.

A cruel, but necessary lie.

I was headed to the hospital today.

Why? Well, simply because it's evident that something is wrong with me, my lungs, and my life.

I let out another cough.

-----

When the nurse called my name, I stood up from my seat, and walked the ever-so familiar route towards the same old examination room.

"It's been a while, Ninomiya-kun." The doctor greeted me, a friendly smile on his face.

And I smiled back, a little sadly, "I'm sorry to say that I'm back, Amano-sensei." I greeted him back, sitting down on the chair in front of him.

"Please, don't say that." He let out a dry laugh, "it's probably not your fault I hear Kunomasu-kun complaining about you running around every day."

I froze. Well oops, guess who's busted? Yeah. Me. I let out an awkward chuckle and put on a jesting farce. "I know, right?" I joked, "I mean, Kuma's really nickpicky and-"

A hand slammed down on the table. "Attention!"

I stopped instantly, standing straight up like a soldier. "Yessir!"

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Amano-sensei asked me, his voice painfully zestless.

"I am an idiot!" I responded, imitating a soldier's tone. "For not listening to orders and constantly straining myself and not obeying Kuma-sensei's demands, I apologize with the entirety of my being!" I bowed a full ninety degrees.

And to be honest, I was really feeling very guilty about it. Maybe it was truly caused by all the running I've done. I'm such an idiot, why am I so stubborn? You've learned the consequences of stubbornness in your past life!

Amano-sensai sat back down, fixing his glasses and picking up the documents of my personal information. "You're forgiven." oh gracious being Amano-sensei bless your soul, he seemed satisfied. He turned to me, putting on his professional doctor face. "Let's get started, then."

------

"Hm?" a heard a girl's voice perk up beside me, "Hahi, it's Rei-san!" she exclaimed in a hushed tone as this was a hospital, but she was definitely surprised.

I turned around. "Oh, Haru-san." I sounded surprised as well, but most of it wasn't an act, "What a coincidence." I say, "What brings you here?"

Haru grinned, "We're visiting Tsuna-san!" she told me, "We heard from Reborn-chan he was hospitalized, so we're here to cheer him up and wish him a grand recovery!" she, in fact, was holding on to what I recognized were white shrine kimono-looking garments, probably her usual dress ups. "What about you, Rei-san?"

Conclusion: We're at the Tsuna keeps getting moved out of his hospital room episode.

I smiled back. "I came here to get something from the pharmacist." I say, a fluent half-lie slipping easily out of my mouth. I frowned internally as I realized how accustomed I was to lying.

"Hahi! Rei-san, are you sick?" her voice was laced with a thick coat of concern, and it was evident on her face. Haru was an honest girl, and in my opinion, that was her redeeming trait. But I don't particularly like to be fussed over.

I nod. "I actually have a weak lung." I explain. Well, this was common knowledge, "It's not much of a problem on daily basis, but I still have medicine to take."

She looked overly worried now. I mean-- it's shocking to hear that a close friend of yours actually has a life-risking condition she had no prior knowledge of. She looked like she wanted to apologize for not knowing about it beforehand, but I changed the subject.

"Anyway, since I'm around, I might as well go see Tsuna-kun as well!" I grin. "Do you know what room he's in now?"

------

I opened the door. Tsuna looks at me, mortified for a moment, snaps his head back towards his sleeping room companion, then sighs in relief.

"R-Rei-san?" he stuttered out in a hushed volume.

"I heard from Haru-san." I greeted him, chuckling. "You seem healthy, Tsuna-kun."

Then, I spotted a particular sleeping prefect at the other end of the room. I walked over and hovered above him, watching his peaceful sleeping face for a long moment. Giving in to temptation, I placed a hand on his forehead gently.

Tsuna let out a strangled-sounding, but forcefully hushed squeak. He panicked, worried for my life, but didn't dare come closer in fear of the prefect.

"A cold, huh?" I chuckled.

To my surprise, Hibari opened on eye to glance over at me. "Do not touch me, herbivore." he threatened, but it did not feel hostile.

I let my hand stay where it was for a moment longer before I removed it.

I left his bedside and put a hand on Tsuna's shoulder. "You have it hard." I laugh. "Good luck surviving, Tsuna-kun." I jokingly put out a thumbs-up, "Well, I'm sure you will."

Tsuna showed a pleading 'save me' face, but I chuckled in response, pretending I didn't get it.

My phone buzzed. I picking it out of my pocket and read the message. "Oops," I say, "Well then, I'll have to excuse myself, Tsuna-kun." I waved at him, walking to the door.

"Wait, Rei-san, don't leave me!" Tsuna cried out.

I chuckle. "It'll be alright, Tsuna." I assure him, "I pray for your speedy recovery!"

And I closed the door on him.

-----

"Ahh! It's Rei!" Lambo declared upon seeing me.

I had to quickly crouch down and put a finger at my mouth and hiss out a loud SHH!! in his face. I turned to everyone else in a waiting room and apologized to them.

I sighed, turning back to Lambo and I-pin. "Hi there, Lambo and I-pin." I told him. "Are you guys here to see Tsuna-kun?" I asked.

"Well, yeah." Lambo says, uninterested.

I-pin nods, then speaks in Chinese, "We're waiting for Kyoko-san and Haru-san to go home together." she explains. "Rei-nii, Why are you here?"

"Why am I here?" I ask, pointing at myself and providing the translation to Lambo, who was actually listening for once, "Well, I went to see Tsuna."

"Then, we can go home together?" Lambo asked, excitedly. Well, look who likes me now.

I shook my head. "Sorry, Lambo, I-pin," I smile sadly, "I actually also came to see the doctor." I tell them, "Rei-chan is actually very, very sick."

"Ehh," Lambo whined, but he also sounded surprised, "Rei, you're sick? Even though you don't look like it at all?" he sounded confused, but he didn't doubt me.

I chuckle slightly at him tugging at my sweater's sleeve. "Yes, I'm sick. But I'm sick with something very different from how Tsuna is now." I tried my best to explain without giving details they wouldn't understand.

"I-pin will wishes for your recovery." She accepts the fact quickly and maturely, responding in her accented, broken Japanese I had grown to adore.

"Lambo-san too! Rei, get better by tomorrow so you can play with Lambo-san!" he declared, in, once again, a too loud voice.

I had to shush him again, but I couldn't resist a giggle.

"Thanks, you two."

------

------

"...I feel like throwing up." I said in disgust as Amano-sensei gave me my diagnosis.

"Would you like to be excused?" Amano-sensei raised an eyebrow.

"No, I would just like you to sugarcoat your words a little bit more, without giving me the convulsing details." I turned away, a hand at my mouth, "You gave me a horrible image I would love to forget forever."

"There's nothing to sugarcoat, it's just what it is." he continued, unaffected. "I've already informed Kunomasu-kun about the details, so I'll have him keep a closer eye on your in school."

"Kuma-- I mean, Kunomasu-sensei," I spoke up, "He often disappears from school, may I ask why?"

At that, Amano-sensei eyes me for a long moment. "Kunomasu-kun is probably one of the best doctors here in Namimori, even for his age," he explained, "I regret to say that he will be called around the area if he's needed."

I nod. Now, that makes sense. It explains a lot. but-- uhm, Kuma-sensei, the best doctor in the area? That's just- I can't really imagine it?

But no, my head was telling me that wasn't what I should be thinking of right now. It was a subconscious way of distracting myself from accepting my lung's current condition.

I was trying to escape reality.

I shouldn't.

Face it, Rei. Face it head on.

"Amano-sensei," I spoke up again, my eyes lifting up to look at the doctor. I sounded strained. I was desperate, and I was worried. I was concerned for, not myself, but for- "Could you please-" my voice was stuck in my throat. It burned at the back of my throat and tears threatened to spill, but I forced the rest of it out.

"Could you keep this a secret from my family?"

------

------

With a heavy heart, I walked my bicycle the way home. The sun had already set and I was late for dinner, but I needed-- I needed a time of peace. As long as I could. I needed a long period of time to calm myself down.

"I apologize to say, Ninomiya-kun, your lungs have grown even more abnormal than before."  Amano-sensei told me, his hands intertwined and he sounded hesitant to tell me this, "Your impulsive cardiac arrests have not occurred for eight years, thanks to your limitations on exercise, but it seems that ...whatever it is that causes those attacks... has caused something else instead."

My lips wouldn't curl a direction but down. I bit my lip, my face locked in a pained frown. I gripped the handle of my bicycle, and each step seemed to get heavier than the one before.

I wanted nothing but to curl up and cry now.

It was irritating. It was stupid. It was ridiculous to think that crazy things like this will happen. It would have been so, so much better if I'd just gotten lung cancer or something! That would have saved me of most of this misery!

"The X-ray showed a lot of abnormalities. It's difficult to explain, honestly. It's never happened before, in my whole life as a doctor." He showed me the image of the X-ray on my lungs.

My legs wouldn't go any further. My body was telling me it didn't want to anymore. My head was screaming at me to just stop. It was telling me to cry. To let it all out. It helped you eight years ago, it should help you now!

I had to stop and take a deep breath. I looked at my birthmark and place it over my forehead-- "Brothers, please-" I choked, "Please look after me."

It wasn't working.

Don't cry, Rei. Don't cry.

"Eve, Zen..." I begged to nothing. I pleaded to nothing. I looked at the birthmark on my left wrist. It was a reminded to me of everything I've lost. It was a reminder to me of everything I now didn't have. Drew Cite's whole life was engraved into this birthmark. Drew Cite's whole life, and this was the only thing left of it.

"Why me?" I sounded like I was crying, but who was I asking?

"Our primary suspicion had been cancer cells," Amano-sensei admitted, "But further observations proved us wrong."

Tears slipped down my cheeks.

And that was when all my attempts at not crying became void. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I rubbed the tears away, but they just wouldn't stop. I curled up into a ball, crying into my knees. I burst out into tears, and for the first time in eight years, I cried out like a child.

I sobbed and complained and sniffled and wept and howled.

"Why does this always happen to me?" I whined, "Why me? Why is it always me?" I wailed.

"Ridiculous as this may sound,  Ninomiya... It seems that your body... or your lungs, to be specific... is rotting from the inside out."