The Veil: Reimagined

Chapter # 12

She can hear people screaming and the voices were getting low as the time ticked by. And then came distant hooters of ambulances and fire trucks. Her skin was still burning and she was feeling intense pain in her abdomen.

After what felt like an eternity, (Name) felt someone approach her with rapid steps.
"(Name)? Oh shit! Can you hear me!? (Name)!" She can hear the anxiety dripping from the voice, she knew who this voice belonged to but her mind was as if it has shut down. 

"(Name), I'm going take you out of here, okay? Stay with me, got it?" it was Shoko, definitely her.

The girl was thrown onto something that felt like a stretcher, "oh, Jesus, is she still alive? Half of her organs are missing!?"

A sting in her arm, as if a mosquito was biting her, "(Name), please try to heal yourself as fast as you can..."

(Name) senses were losing her, she tried shutting out the noises. She was exhausted already, "I wanna sleep..."

"Just rest..." the kind voice told her and she did what she was told to.

(-------------------------------)

(Name)'s eyes shot open, the white ceiling of the hospital came into her blurred vision. She was still alive, what a surprise. (Name) made an effort to move her limbs, moving each of her fingers and toe. They were all intact.

She sits up, her vision still blurry, "Where is Saori..." her feet came in contact with the cold floor, she wanted to just go back to sleep. But there were important things she needed to see, she wanted to know if her friend was well and alive.

She opened the door that lead to the hallway of the hospital, where doctors, nurses, and families of patients were running around. She ignored all of them, making her way out of the hospital or what she supposed was the way out of the hospital. She did not even know what floor she was on.

"(Name)!" the woman came running towards her, engulfing her in a hug.

"Mother?"

"Yes, what are you doing out of bed!?" she scolded her, "you should be resting not walking around as if you are in a theme park!"

"Mom, calm down. I'm doing fine!" (Name) assured her, pointing at herself in a hospital gown, "by the way, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back in (Native country)?"

"We got here as soon as we were informed by the school authorities of the incident." her mother was leading her back to her room.

"We?"

"I and your father."

"Father is also here?"

"Yes, and he is in a meeting with the Jujutsu tech authorities, trying to figure out who did this."

(Name) stopped at her spot, her mother looked at her concerned, "mom, there was a girl with me, also a student. Do you know where she is?"

Her mother looked thoughtful, she said, "oh yes, I heard of her. Saori Sumi was her name I think, she was taken to ICU. I don't know anything else." (Name) was restless, she needed to know if she was alive, her mother smiled, "I shall ask the doctor about her and tell you as soon as I can, okay?"

"Thank you, mother."

(---------------------------)

"Shoko!" (Name) greeted her senior, who was followed by Nanami. They were holding packages of food for her, "Nanami!"

"How are you, (Name)?"

"I'm doing great, but can you tell me about Saori? How is she?"

"Oh, she is stable..." Nanami spoke, his eyes cast down on the floor.

"She is well, she did not have the reverse cursed technique as you did. It was rough for doctors to stabilize her condition." Shoko said, an assuring smile on her lips, "she was the first one I tried healing."

"Thank you, Shoko." (Name) said, showing her gratitude with a bow.

"No worries, (Name)."

"Can you lead me to her, I just want to see her."

"Alright, follow us."

(-----------------------------)

(Name) followed Shoko and Nanami to the room where Soari was kept. Before she opened the door, Nanami spoke, "I'll stay outside."

Shoko followed suit and said, "Me too."

(Name) walked into the room and what she saw forced a gasp out of her lips. There she was, her once clear skin was marred by scars and burn marks. Saori's raven hair was short, not even an inch in length. (Name) looked away, it was too much. She did not what to do so she just stared at the wall. When she had her emotions under control, her eyes landed on Saori.

(Name) walked out of the room. When she opened the door, she was met with an apprehensive face of Satoru Gojo. He was surprised to see her there.

Satoru's eyes left hers, trailing to the figure laying on the bed. (Name) did not miss his eyes widening in shock. She moved away, giving him the space to walk in.

"What happened?" his voice was threatening, there was a sharp cold edge to it that she never heard before, Satoru was ready to murder whoever did this to his baby cousin.

"We were at the cafe, waiting for Shoko. There was an explosion."

"You are fine." he was not asking, he was stating a fact.

"I'm sorry," he was staring at the unconscious body of Saori, his back was turned to her.

"Why are you apologizing? It wasn't your fault." He fell quiet as if thinking of the next thing to say, "you know I used reversed technique for the first time today."

"Oh..."

"I came back from death's door," (Name) did not speak, "the person man who succeed to kill me was a non-sorcerer. Ironic, isn't it? Suguru was injured as well. the mission we were supposed to complete, was a complete failure."

(Name) did not know what to say to comfort Satoru, so she did what she could. Taking a couple of steps she was standing beside him.
After a debate in her mind, she tentatively reached out for his hand. He gazed at her as if asking what she was doing. (Name) ignored his questioning eyes, laced her fingers to his, and gave a comforting squeeze.

She can hear him sigh, squeezing her hand in return, Satoru spoke, "(Name), tell me, do you still think non-sorcerers are weak?"

"They are not equal, how scathing it might sound but neither sorcerers are born with equal power." (Name) answered, carefully stating her words.

Satoru laughed bitterly, he said, "if Saori had half of my strength, she would never have been laying on this bed."

"Satoru, I am to blame for this---"

"Don't be stupid, (Name)---"

"You don't get it! It was a planned assassination of me, Saori was not supposed to be there! I was supposed to die---" Satoru was confused.

He asked, "how did you know it was an assassination?"

"I've been through this more times than I can count, my guess is it was an assassination attempt." (Name) looked at anything but him, she was afraid of what she will see in his eyes, spitefulness for her.

"I see."

"I shouldn't have come here in the first place, my family was right, I'll only put innocent people in danger." (Name) cannot ignore all the odds staring right at her face, she was the reason why all these people at the cafe got hurt and some even lost their lives. (Name) let go of his hand, suddenly feeling cold from the loss of warmth provided by his hand.

Satoru watched her leave, his palm still tingling where her hand has been. He clenched his fist, he was going to find whoever did this to Saori and put them through a fate worse than death.