Twist of Fate

Chapter 30: Legends

A/N: Yolo! This is a serious(?) chapter, I guess. Though the fact I wrote "fifty years ago" like twenty times takes out whatever impact there was...hm, anyway, enjoy! I think I'll take a break for a while. Ciao!

I picked at the red skin of my hands as I waited for Kei to come back with medicine. We had arrived at the Infirmary just as the sun set in the horizon. I sat on one of the free beds, as all the chairs were filled with those who'd gotten injured in the tournament. The nurse was too busy taking care of others, so Kei had to take care of me. He was trusted by the nurse, who he apparently knew from his hometown, and was trusted to treat my hands. Not that I needed them treated. The swelling was already almost entirely gone. I could flex my fingers and not feel a single twinge of pain.

Kei looked at me with disapproval as I wriggled my fingers. "Just because you don't feel it doesn't mean it's better," he informed me as he took my hands. His eyes slid over the nearly invisible scratches on my palms and blinked. "Hm? I thought it was more scratched up than this," he muttered to himself. "I'll just put some medicine on it so it won't get infected and bandage it."

I watched as he dabbed at the scratches with some kind of clear liquid that smelled strongly of alcohol but not quite it. Tears came to my eyes as they stung sharply. He smiled at me assuringly and I sighed. "So, would you like to tell me about fifty years ago?"

Kei's hand froze for a second and I blinked in surprise. He began to move again a moment later but didn't speak right away. I gazed at him questioningly as he silently continued to treat my hands. His eyes flicked up to mine as he began to unroll some gauze. "Not here." He said, and went to binding one of my hands professionally.

When he was done with the other, he thanked the nurse for the medicine and we headed out. As we passed dozens of loud patients and visitors, I could understand why he wouldn't want to talk around such noisy occupants. Even more so when I noticed them quiet down as he passed by, eyeing him with what looked like admiration. I wouldn't have wanted to talk either, I knew how it felt to be watched from experience, though I wasn't eyed with admiration. But that didn't explain why he froze and went silent earlier. What could it mean? Could whatever happened fifty years ago be something considered taboo to speak of? From the way everyone reacted when it was mentioned, that certainly looked like the case.

Kei silently lead me through empty halls, some I'd never been through before, until we arrived at a wide inner courtyard. I smiled in awe as I saw beautiful bright flowerbeds and tall trees with fluttering pink petals. A soft breeze blew through the courtyard and the petals fell from the sky like pink snow as I looked up. I almost gasped as I saw the stars in the darkening violet-red sky. The moons glowed brightly, but hundreds of thousands of glittering stars were visible.

"What a view," I breathed out, spinning around to look at Kei.

A small smile graced his lips but it wasn't the bright one I was accustomed to. "Yes, breathtaking." He moved further into the courtyard and sat on one of the many stone benches blending in with the beautiful setting naturally. "Come, sit. I'll tell you all I know of fifty years ago."

The seriousness on his face made me forget the beauty of our surroundings. I sat down beside him and stared at him when he didn't speak. I noticed his gaze was focused elsewhere. I followed his eyes and jerked back as I finally noticed the wide, still pond in the center of the courtyard. It was so still I hadn't even seen it, yet as I gazed into it, I wondered how I ever could have missed it when the whole night sky was reflected in it.