Chapter 24
Hikaru and Ari duck inside the door to the building and open it from the inside so that Haru can carry Asha in. “How is she?” Hikaru asks. “Is Asha gonna be okay?”
Haru lays Asha down and kneels beside her. “If she stays like this much longer,” he says warily, “I’m not sure what will happen...”
“What are you gonna do?” Ari asks.
Haru stares worriedly at Asha before replying, “There’s only one thing to do.”
“You’re not thinking of–?” Hikaru asks.
Haru nods to him. “I have to.”
“You have to what?” Ari asks.
“Have you ever even tried this sort of thing before?” Hikaru asks. “Are you sure it’ll work?”
Haru squints his eyes shut, as if blocking out his doubts. “No, I’m not,” he says, “but I have to try.”
Ari and Hikaru watch on as Haru puts his hands to the worst of Asha’s wounds and closes his eyes. Please work, he hopes inwardly. After a few moments, the wounds close up, but Haru keeps his hands in place.
“What’s he doing?” Ari asks Hikaru. “What about the other wounds?”
“He’s trying to take away Asha’s hemophilia,” Hikaru answers her.
“Her what?”
“Her disease. It means she bleeds really bad.” Hikaru explains.
Ari frowns worriedly. But he’s already so weak. Healing a disease sounds like a huge job -- it'll take everything out of him...!
Haru’s whole body begins to tremble with the effort he puts into the healing. Asha’s other wounds heal one by one, until, slowly, they all disappear. However, Haru knows that it will take even more to cure her.
“Haru, maybe you oughtta take a break before you try anything else!” Ari warns him.
“He’s already working on it,” Hikaru tells her. “He can’t stop while he’s in the middle of healing her.”
“But if he doesn’t stop–!”
“I know,” Hikaru says, looking grave as he watches Haru struggle just to stay conscious. Just look at him. He could keel over any minute now...He warned us that something like this could happen, but... He bites his nails, fearing the worst.
Ari pulls the syringe from her medical kit and gets ready to administer the antidote. But Hikaru holds her back. “What are you doing?!” she cries.
“Distract him now, and something really bad could happen to Asha,” he murmurs. “You have to let him finish.” Hikaru can’t bring himself to watch any longer and turns the other way.
Suddenly, Haru lets out a pained scream. Ari jumps up, frightened out of her wits, and scrambles over to him, trying to see what is wrong.
“What happened?” Hikaru cries.
Ari notices that Haru’s injured arm is bleeding badly. “It’s his arm!” she calls back. “What’s wrong?” she asks Haru urgently. “Does it hurt?” Haru doesn’t answer her. He’s hurting himself, Ari realizes. His powers aren’t just draining him– they’re doing all this!
Haru cringes and tries to bear the pain, knowing he still has a long way to go before he can stop. Everything hurts...! It even hurts just to breathe...! C’mon, just a little more....Please, please, let this work! For Asha’s sake... please let it work!!! Haru can barely even hold himself up anymore. With each passing second, the ordeal worsens.
He is trembling so wildly that Ari fears he will topple over and props him up. “Haru, hang in there,” she says gently. Hikaru brings over a cloth drenched in cold water and puts it over Haru’s arm to dull the pain. Ari notices that Haru’s breathing has become more and more labored. This doesn’t look good, she thinks grimly. He can’t take much more of this.
Haru feels his consciousness slipping away. Not yet...!! No!!! In a last-ditch effort to finish in time, Haru gives all the strength he has left. Searing pain sweeps through his body in waves and takes his breath away. Finally, he senses that the job is done. He removes his hands, then instantly falls unconscious.
“HARU!!!” Hikaru cries.
Ari lays him gently on the ground. Even though she and Hikaru try to wake him up, he won’t stir. “Is he– Is he even...?” Hikaru asks worriedly, beginning to panic.
“He’s alive,” Ari says. She takes the syringe she’d pulled out and gives Haru an injection.
“What is that?” Hikaru asks.
“An antidote,” she replies. “I hope it works in time...” And that it’s enough to revive him after all the strength that took out of him, she adds to herself.
Hikaru glances toward Asha, who is now peacefully sleeping nearby. Did it work? He wonders. All her wounds are gone, but...is the disease gone, too?
“We’ve gotta get moving,” Ari says. “If we don’t, my uncle and his men will catch us.”
“Where can we go?” Hikaru asks gloomily.
“I’m sure they must know we’re still in the area,” Ari reasons. “Let’s take a less-obvious route to your hideout in the industrial area. Once we get there, we can get help.”
Hikaru nods. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Take Haru,” Ari directs him. “I’ll carry Asha.” They grab their friends and carefully sneak out, trying to stay unnoticed. Finally, they clear the city limit and begin to head back to the industrial area.
