So here is the next part. I was hoping to write this earlier, but my mom called me to watch Oprah interview the cast of Twilight/New Moon/Eclipse XD (I had no idea the movie just opened in theaters =C Probably because I'd only recently watched New Moon for the first time on DVD maybe a month ago XD) But moving on! Here gos the next part. =3
~*~Part 6~*~
Aberius chomped down on the fruit platter Brock had prepared for him. He didn't not want to recognize his skills, but it was pretty good. Kitty sat across from him at the table trying to pick up her sandwich. Her hands shook and she dropped it, sighing, and trying again.
"If you're having trouble with your hands," Brock said, walking up to her, "I could hold it for you while you eat. Or I could even cut it into smaller pieces and feed it to you."
Kitty smiled, "I don't want to be too much of a burden. I should be able to handle at least this much..." She attempted to lift the sandwich again, but to no avail. "I don't understand why I feel this weak... I've sprained my ankle before and it only really inconvenienced me..."
Aberius wondered that as well. Ever since they'd gotten out of the caves, Kitty smelled different. Less like fruit and more like something tangy, bitter, and unpleasant. Brock scratched his chin then looked up at Aberius, "Absol..." he said, "what kind of trap did you say she fell into again?"
"I have a name, you know..." Aberius growled lightly, "Aberius..."
"Ah, Berries," Brock said.
"That's not right..." Aberius' brow furrowed.
"I'll get your name right when you get mine right, Reeses."
"... Anyway, the trap was a pitfall with sharp, pointed sticks at the bottom..." Aberius didn't feel like calling the man by his name.
Brock's brow bunched together and he squinted more, "Then it's quite possible that those sticks were dipped in special poison... They use it to immobilize gijinka so they can sell them off for money. Gijinka are stronger than humans, so the worse that'll happen is they'll wind up paralyzed for a while. However..." he looked over at Kitty and grunted in slight anger, "If it affects a human, they'd be more likely to get sick, or even die."
Aberius felt a cold shock. Kitty was going to die...? Brock resumed speaking.
"Kitty," he said, "when you fell, did you by any chance get scratched by one of those sticks?"
"..." Kitty nodded weakly. She looked like she was getting paler. Aberius' fist clenched and he punched the table.
"Is there any way we can save her? The poison's in her ankle, right? Shouldn't we bleed it out?"
"Yes, that would be good to do first..." Brock folded his hands with his elbows on the table and leaned his chin on them. "However, if you two came from Mt. Moon, it would have taken you 3 hours at least. By now, the poison's gotten far in her body... it would still have an effect on her..."
Aberius rose from his seat, "So what? Just sitting here won't help her!" He walked around the table. "We've got to do what we can now! I'll suck as much poison as I can out from her ankle. After I do, you just tell me what I have to do after that..." Aberius knelt down and grabbed Kitty's injured ankle, unwrapping it carefully. "Kitty, forgive me, but this might hurt a little... bear with me..." Aberius leaned close to her injury and bit down, his fangs piercing the skin. Kitty winced, but didn't reacts much more than that. He carefully sucked out some of her blood and tasted the same bitter tang he'd been smelling from her since they left the caves. He spit it out on the ground and returned to her ankle. Damn it...! Why didn't I investigate earlier? She wouldn't be in this condition if I had noticed... Aberius thought angrily as he drew a little more blood, tasting less of the tang. Being a vegetarian, Aberius didn't take pleasure in the taste of blood. However, there was something almost alluring about the flavor in his mouth. He felt fuzzy... Wait... Crap! Aberius grabbed a bottle of water and rinsed his mouth out before any could make it down his throat. The poison had been making him feel euphoric. After rinsing, he felt more clear-headed and went back to her ankle. He didn't want to suck too much blood out, so he merely sampled it to make sure there wasn't any poison left. All he could taste was iron. Aberius let out a sigh of relief and licked Kitty's ankle to clean the wound. The swelling had gone down considerably thanks to extracting the poison as well as the treatment Brock gave. He looked up at Kitty and saw that some of the color had returned to her cheeks, but she still looked drained of energy. Aberius took another swig from the bottle and rinsed his mouth out thoroughly, not wanting the taste of blood on his tongue any longer.
"Now..." he said, wiping his chin, "what do we need to do to make sure she recovers completely?"
"We need to make her some medicine from a specific herb, but I don't have any currently with me..." Brock answered. "I could go buy some at a shop nearby. Usually..."
"What do you mean, usually?" Aberius tensed.
"All the herbal medicine shops are sold out. There's been a recent outbreak of poisonings, lately. However, you can find a plant to make an Antidote in Viridian Forest south of here. It's rather dangerous and easy to get lost in, but if you went, being a gijinka, you could probably get through easily..."
Aberius frowned. I have to go...? I can't leave Kitty here... For one, he didn't want to leave Kitty with the hopeless flirt. More importantly, he was worried for two more reasons. First, he didn't want Kitty to die and even less, for him to not be there if she did. And second, he was weak. He was scared to go to a forest with many gijinka he'd never encountered before. I can't even beat Richtus in my own village, so how am I supposed to beat wild gijinka...? Suddenly, though, Aberius remembered something that Kitty said to him back in the Mt. Moon caves... "I know you could be stronger. You have the potential..." Aberius stood still and clenched his fist. He shook, frustrated with being presented with such a choice. But it was obvious what a weak gijinka like him would do. Someone like me... Aberius' face twisted in frustration.
"Okay..." he told Brock. "I'll do it."
~*~To Be Continued~*~
Alright! XD Oh noes! =C Kitty's sick?! And Aberius is going to venture into Viridian Forest all by himself to save her! I can't believe something like this could happen! *sobs* Alright, well on another note... =^_^= I leave you with this cliffhanger. Until tomorrow (later today XD Why is it I keep uploading after midnight and closer to 2 am...? orz) Mata ne, minna-san! =D
