Autumn Leaves (A Llorumi Fanfiction)

Revised Chapter 9

"Harumi... wake up. You've slept in." I groan as a tapping sensation on my shoulder disturbed me. Finally I had enough and opened my eyes, only to see....nothing. The heavy feeling that I banished with sleep returned in the pit of my stomach, along with the throbbing pain of my leg. Carefully, I sit up, feeling a slight dizziness. The pain
intensified as I moved, making me clench my teeth.

"Is your leg hurting? Try these." The voice said. I scrunch my eyebrows together when I realize it was Pixal. I feel her metal hand gently grab mine and place two small capsules into it. "Put them in your mouth and I will give you the water."

Desperate to rid myself of the throbbing pain, I did as she said and shoved the pills into my mouth. A cup of water was held to my lips and I drank, swallowing the capsules. After I finished, she moved away. I used my hearing to pinpoint her location, following her light steps over the beeping of machines.

"How long have I been out?" I asked, still feeling groggy. Memories of when I was last awake filled my head, further disorienting me. Last I recalled, Zane was examining me, testing the reason for my loss of sight and... and someone else was there.

I rubbed my temples in frustration, trying to remember. Lloyd! He was with me the entire time until I fell asleep again. "You've been in and out of consciousness for the past four days." Pixal's calm voice broke through my muffled thoughts, snapping me back to reality.

"Four days?" I asked. Despite my efforts to keep my voice steady, it still wavered making me realize just how much I've lost my composure. I heard a sigh and felt a smooth metal hand messing with a cord attached to mine.

"Do you remember much, Harumi? I could have sworn you were fully conscious the first time you woke up?" I shifted my position on the bed, racking my brain for memories. The pain in my leg started to dissapate, helping my thoughts clear. I vaguely remember hearing Lloyd talking to me and something about hand squeezing. Then... falling off the bed and the panic I felt when I found I couldn't see.

"Zane had said something... something about poison." I answer, still feeling uncertain. There was a beat of silence that raised my anxiety. Now that my memory was coming back, I could recall the fear from finding out about the poisoning.

"Yes. The knife that stabbed you was coated in poison. A lot had already made it through your system by the time we were able to treat it." I felt a slight pinch, then a needle sliding out of my skin, all the while Pixal kept talking. "We had thought it would be just temporary paralysis for a side affect, but it appears the poison was after your occipital lobe, blocking your sight."

That was it. My heart pounded double time as I began to feel nauseous. I quickly took deep breaths, forcing myself to calm down and shove back the sickness. I was almost too scared to ask my next question, but curiosity trumped my fear.

"Do you know if my blindness is permanent?" My body trembled slightly from the overload of emotions I felt.

"Since we've successfully treated you, we believe it is temporary. In a week the poison should work it's way out of your system completely," Pixal answered. Pure relief swept through me at her words, and my body that was previously tensed, relaxed.

"That's a relief," I muttered.

"Yes. Your recovery should be swift, and you'll be back to normal soon." I let out a sigh, while allowing the news to settle in.

A week wasn't bad. I could last that long without sight. I hope.

The sound of a door opening caught my attention. I strained to hear footsteps, but hardly heard a sound. Only a ninja could walk that quietly, which lead me to assume it was one of them. I waited for Pixal to greet the newcomer, but nothing happened.