The Curse

Chapter TwentyThree- Mt. Everest

"Tell me, and be honest." he pleads, suddenly grasping my hand. "Do you love me?"
I pause. How am I supposed to tell him if I don't even know myself?
"I...I can't. I don't know..." I stutter, looking sadly at the ground.
"Nobara, love is a feeling. What do you feel?" he insists, but I still don't understand. He's the only friend I've ever had, besides Jephudach. I don't know anything about love and friendship! "Look--How I feel when I see you..." he pauses and clears his throat. "Beautiful, smart, amazing, would be an awesome wife, and I know I can never let you slip away from me." he says.
I once again find my cheeks getting hot. A tear trickles down my cheek.
That is the most heart-warming thing anyone's ever said to me.
"Okay, Kuroji." I mutter, falling into his arms. He hugs me as I sink into his warmth. "I love you." I finish.

We are walking hand-in-hand to the EU-NH underground hide-out through the tunnels.
"Everyone is feeling better after a night's sleep." Corey says. Everything finally seems to be going right with the world.
I walk back to the castle when Kuroji sweeps me off my feet and runs. "Whoa!" I laugh, as he carries me.
His eyes are glowing more than ever.
He must be excited.
"Where are we going!?" I giggle.
"Somewhere you've always wanted to go." he says. I smile, close my eyes, and wrap my arms over his shoulders. They're so broad and strong.
All of a sudden, a strange cold sensation falls upon my nose.
I quickly flit open my eyes. We are on a mountain. It's snowing, and we're at the very tip of it.
"Which mountain is this?" I ask excitedly, hopping out of his arms. "Which do you think?" he laughs. "Wait...you took me all the way to Mt. Everest!?" I shriek happily. "Yep! It's not even hard to breathe up here, y'know, since we're vampires." Kuroji exclaims.
"Oh, the view is amazing!" I shout, twirling around. I'd always dreamed about going to the top of this mountain. Then I turn back around and I see Kuroji kneeling down.
I stumble, taken aback. He opens up a crystal case, and inside is a blood-red tear-drop gemstone on a gold ring.
I gasp.
"Wild Rose, will ya marry me sometime?" he says, winking. I don't hesitate. "Um, duh!" I shout. We both hug and laugh.

I lay in bed with Kuroji.
I've known him for so long that its not even uncomfortable.
"Siblings, huh?" he jokes.
"Really, Kuroji!? I was almost asleep!" I laugh. "But we've got so much to do and say. I can't wait anymore!" he says. "We just got engaged! Can you wait till we're hitched!?"
I giggle. "I want our first kiss to be special." I finish. He nods.
Then he pulls me close and I fall asleep in his arms.

"Mommy, will I ever have a husband like Daddy was?" I ask, hopefully. Mother laughs. "You may! But your Daddy...he was something special." she sighs, looking happy but with a glint of sadness in her eyes. "But honey, don't rush into a relationship. It can end very badly." "What do you mean?" I ask, confused. "You see, sometimes it will feel terrible, waiting for the right one. But when you get him, he'll be worth it. Even if it takes years of friendship before that," she says, giving me a hug. "Always remember?" she inquires. "I will, always!" I giggle. "But...what happened to Daddy on that day a long, long time ago?" I ask. Mother's face goes pale and she walks away. My eyes water and I frown. Then, I speak aloud to myself. "Was it...something I said...?"

I wake up at midnight and dash out of the covers and Kuroji's grasp. I run to the bathroom and immediately, vomit emits from my throat into the toilet.
I look in the mirror. I'm paler than usual--even a slight shade of olive.
I must be sick...
"You okay!?" Kuroji asks, running in with a panicked look on his face.
"Yeah...just...sick." I mumble.
"Of course, you're the one vampire who gets sick. I thought we had amazing healing properties!?" he says, angry with at germs infesting my body. I grin.
"C'mon, let's get back to bed." I say, holding his hand. "It better not be because of Mt. Everest..." he mumbles.
I wake up screaming. At least this time it's in the morning. "Rosie, I'm getting a doctor!" he yells. He runs off.
I am having cramps all over my body, and a sharp stabbing pain in my stomach area. My heart feels like its pounding a mile a minute. Soon, he returns with a medical vampire.
He looks me over, scans me, listens to my heart. He looks upset. "Hold still," he says. He stabs a syringe into my arm. Liquid enters my body. Soon my cramps settle down. "What was wrong with her? Does she need medication?" Kuroji asks. "What I just gave her was pain-killer. But what she has wrong with her, we can't cure." he says, sadly shaking his head.
"What is it? What do you mean!?" Kuroji pleads as I breathe heavily.
The medical vampire says, "Nobara, I want to have a little talk with you...alone." he says. I nod to Kuroji and he walks away.
"What is wrong with me? Why can't you say it to him?" I ask.
He sighs as he replies.
"You have been poisoned."