Playing the Fool

Chapter 7

After the doctors promised to call if anything changed in the teens condition, America reluctantly went home. The rain had stopped several hours ago, but the world still felt gloomy and gray. The eight mile walk back home didn't do much to cheer him up, but it did clear his mind a little. Knowing D.C. wasn't one to be knocked off easily, what ever had poisoned the teen must have caused to small injury the doctors had found on his lower shoulder. Finding the source of that injury would be the first step into finding the capitals most likely killer. 

Drying off half heartedly, Alfred noticed the bag laying on the porch. Picking it up, after noting the Bulbasaur charm hanging from it there was no mistaking this was D.C.'s bag. Especially not after opening it to reveal the now slightly damp manga's the capital had brought to read for the trip back. America got the feeling maybe letting his bookoholic Capital in a room with Japan was a bad idea. The teens obsession with the genera had gotten notably worse over the past few months, filling D.C.'s already over crowed bookshelf as well as having stacked nearly to the ceiling in his room.

He was getting off distracted, anyway there had to be something in this bag that could lead him to the Capital's would be killer. Removing without ripping the damp pages of the books proved to be a long and annoying process. But, the rant he'd have to sit through if he damaged even one of those pages kept him from just tossing them aside to look through the bag faster. 

Roughly half an hour later, Alfred was pondering how the teen had even managed to fit the seventeen volumes in his bag when somethings caught his eye. At the bottom of the bag, a small yet very sharp blade lay. Picking it up, Alfred examined the blades highly polished surface at least the part not covered in dried blood. This must have been the source of the mild cut they had found in the boys shoulder, there had to be something hidden within this slivery shard of metal... 

Standing up suddenly, America was sure of what he'd seen ingrained on it's hilt. But then again it never hurt to check; just to be on the safe side he wrapped in one of the handkerchiefs he'd found in D.C.'s bag. Making sure to lock to door this time, America went once out into the gray world. Walking with a determined air about him; if he could solve this maybe he could save the capital as well. Time was not on his side, with no current antidote know for whatever had poisoned D.C. finding an answer fast was the only option. America could worry about the reason behind the cause later.

(To be continued...)