"It" Can't Be Helped (Revised) | ♾️ | Blue Exorcist

30

Everything felt so heavy, like I was being swallowed whole by thick sludge. Even breathing was almost painful. The thickness that enveloped my body grew stronger as the seconds ticked by, as if I was being pulled farther down by gravity. Pain started to flow at certain parts of my body, but I focused on the gnawing that ate itself through my abdomen and in my throat. It was like a small black hole had formed inside me and was slowly pulling my organs inward.

A sliver a light pierced my eyes as they opened. I screwed my eyes shut, begging the darkness to take me back. However, my brief interaction with the waking world threw me straight back into my senses. I was laying down, and when I gingerly touched beneath me, I realized I was on a mattress. Curiously, I cracked an eye open once more, bearing with the blinding light until my sight adjusted. The walls were unfamiliar, but I could easily deduce I was in the school's infirmary.

With that realization, memories of what had just occurred returned to the forefront of my mind. I had the urge to groan but held my tongue when the metallic click of door opening echoed in the room.

"Okumura Yukio-kun," the voice was light and sweet, female and from what I could tell, she was fairly young. "I'm so sorry to pull you out of your lessons like this but-"

"It's okay, but what happened?" I knew his voice instantly. Underneath the calm tone he portrayed, I could hear a slight inflection. At first I thought he was angry, but as footsteps drew closer, I heard him sigh. He must've been worried. I'm not sure what they told him, but he had been overthinking every possible scenario on his way here.

"His class had fitness testing, and while running on the track, he allegedly started moving into other lanes before kneeling down. The kids that brought him here said he seemed dazed before going in and out of consciousness."

I could feel their eyes on me and I struggled to keep up the facade that I was still asleep. Breathing was suddenly manual and my skin itched at the thought of them observing any possible movements. But now didn't seem like a good time to wake up.

"Was he coherent at all when they got here?" My twin asked.

"No, the kids stated he passed out briefly outside. But he woke up a bit and was able to take a few steps on his own with assistance before completely shutting down. He's been here for about ten minutes now and hasn't woken." Footsteps moved away from where I was laying, but it only sounded like one pair of shoes. "Again, I'm terribly sorry to call you here, Okumura-kun. I looked in your file for your guardian's number but you were the only emergency contact for him."

"Ahhh," he drew out, "our guardian is... busy, to say the least. But like I said, it's nothing. I'm sorry to have worried you like this. He's been under a lot of pressure lately, and he's prone to wearing himself out." He let out a breathy laugh. "I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't sleep much last night, so he's probably catching up." Damn him, he wasn't wrong, again. But the sleep I got was anything but refreshing. The female voice continued to worry over my current state. I assumed she was the nurse, considering what she had said. I used the opportunity to stretch a bit, the room falling quiet in response.

Cracking open my eyes for the third time was just as harsh as the first and I winced at the sudden attack on my retina. Involuntarily I groaned, which only helped seal the idea that I'd only just awoken. In a flurry, the nurse was beside me, asking me simple questions such as my name and the current year. I answered her and slowly pushed myself upward to sit. Stabbing pain erupted in my head and I shoved my face into my palms. "What's wrong?" Yukio's voice was low and comforting, i just stayed silent, waiting for the throbbing to go away. Once I felt like I could handle it, I pulled my hands from my eyes and looked at my brother through squinted eyes.