Claire

Saved by a Dragon

Kira's POV

Pain.

I screamed, choking as more of the poison gathered in my throat. There was pain everywhere; in my arms, legs, torso, head, and throat. It was everywhere. The pain was like being stabbed with electrocuting blades.

In my pained state, I didn't notice Death squeezing my hand to reassure me, or Tsubaki's gasp of concern, or Maka's tears, or dad hurrying to soothe my pain by injecting me with a minor dose of sedatives.

Slowly, the pain ceased, and I panted as my temperature rose again. "How long is this going to last, Stein?" Death asked with a rough voice. "And how much worse is this going to get?"

Dad sighed, leaning back on a desk against the wall. "The poison is called Widow's Night. The first symptom, when Weapons are affected, is burning when they use a Technique with their Meister. Or any Meister. This also speeds up the process of the poison's symptoms.

"The second symptom is vomiting. It raises the victim's temperature and burns the victim's throat.

"The third symptom is the extreme, random pain. It makes the victim sweat, and, if the pain is not soothed in time, the victim will die of dehydration.

"The fourth symptom is hallucinations. The images vary depending on the person and their experiences, but they are usually terrifying all the same.

"The fifth symptom is amnesia. Although this is very temporary, and usually lasts only a few minutes, the victim will forget who they are, where they are, who they know, what they've been through, and what they've said. This causes the victim to stress, which can increase the chances of the victim's death.

"The sixth symptom is going numb for short periods of time. The numbness normally only affects the hands and feet, but, as time goes on without the antidote, the numbness will slowly spread.

"The seventh symptom is vomiting blood. Not just the poison. The poison attacks the victim's lungs. We all know what that does, don't we?

"The last symptom... Is death."

The room grew very quiet. "Overall," dad continued, "she probably has four days left."

A chair squealed against the tile floor as someone pushed it to stand up. I glanced to my right, where the sound had come from, and saw that it had been Black Star getting up and walking out.

I called out to him, and he stopped. Despite the fact that I wanted him to stay, that I needed him to stay, I told him instead, "It's okay."

Black Star looked over his shoulder at me, a sad smile on his face, before turning around and leaving. Tsubaki followed, probably to make sure Black Star didn't get into any trouble. The others were then signaled to leave by the bell.

Ms. Marie walked in the room with a sigh, explaining that she was here to help out in any way she could, and ordered by Lord Death to stay until ordered otherwise by him.

I honestly couldn't care less.

****

Kenji's POV

The name's Kenji Ryuu Tanaka, younger brother of Daitaro Tanaka, a successful Meister in the European sector.

I was, as you could say, a generally good student. Unlike other males of my class, I rarely got into fights, and my grades were very high. I was athletically inclined, and was in good shape. My hopes of finding a Weapon, however, were not.

Although that wasn't particularly what I was worried most about at the moment. Kira Stein was on my mind.

I'd been among the students who'd crowded around the ill girl as the Reaper, Death the Kid, among friends, carried her to the academy's ward. The name of the poison was announced to the entire student body, and everyone was asked to search for the antidote.

I knew no one would find it.

Widow's Night is an extremely lethal, extremely rare liquid toxin. The ingredients needed to be created are extremely rare, and are very hard to reach once found. It's symptoms are sessions of torture, and I wouldn't wish the poison upon anyone, even Lady Arachne.

The antidote is only known by the very, very few who have survived being poisoned with Widow's Night. Out of the twenty who have been poisoned (as on record) only three have survived the poison.

One of those survivors just so happened to be Daitaro, my older brother.

A black Locust Flower would be the antidote, and it is the only antidote to Widow's Night. Unfortunately, black Locust Flowers are harder to come by than the ingredients for the poison itself, and it could takes months to find one.

We obviously didn't have that sort of time.

However, since Daitaro had used the black Locust Flower, he must've gotten it from somewhere. He found it. So, if he found it once, I'm sure he could find it again.

That was why I was standing at his door right now, despite the early morning and the long walk I'd taken from the border of Death City -- where my home was -- to the heart of it -- where Daitaro's home was.

When he finally opened the door, he frowned at me. "What is it, Ryuu?" He asked groggily. I shook my head. "The black Locust Flower. The antidote for Widow's Night. Where'd you get it?" I asked, getting to the point immediately. Daitaro sighed. "That's the thing, Ryuu. I didn't just stumble upon the black Locust whilst withering away in illness. I stole it from Arachne."

I left then, my hopes of reviving the poor girl shattered.

The long walk back to my home seemed longer than it actually was, since I was doing so much thinking. What if Kira died? How much time did she have, anyway? What symptoms were she experiencing already?

My home came into view eventually. But even its appearance couldn't lift my spirits. However, the small box on my porch raised my curiosity.

Written on the lid was, "TAKE TO STEIN" in large letters. Why wouldn't the person take it to him themselves? I glanced around curiously before peeling off the lid and gasping.

It was a black Locust Flower.

***

I knocked on the door desperately. "Why aren't you in class?" Stein asked when he opened the door. I held the box out to him. "The antidote! I have Kira's antidote!" I explained.

Stein took the box from me and opened it. "A flower?" I nodded stepping inside. "I need a glass of water." I said when Stein handed the box back to me. Stein sighed, not believing me, but obliged.

I placed the glass of water on the desk beside Ms. Marie and pulled the Locust from the box, placing it inside the glass. I let it sit there until the water turned a deep black and held it out to the ill Kira, who had just been sedated due to her pains.

Death the Kid gingerly took the cup from me and scowled at the drink, but helped Kira drink it. She swallowed all of it, probably just thankful for something to drink.

I watched hopefully, then cringed as she gagged and choked. The same thing had happened to Daitaro, so I knew the reaction was of the good.

I was just glad I'd reached her in time.

It took a good thirty minutes before Stein cheered, "It's working! Her temperature's back to normal." Kira moaned as a minor pain fit hit, then faded away without medical aid. I smiled; it was working.

Death the Kid looked very hopeful, although disgusted, as Kira vomited stomach acid instead of the poison. When she sat up, the Reaper already had a glass of water ready for her to down. She was shaking, but was strong enough to hold the glass on her own.

I felt like a hero, but I knew the true hero was the one who gave the Locust to me. I don't understand why they'd give me the antidote and let me take the credit. I wanted to say that I hadn't found the antidote, that it was given to me, but how did I explain that without it looking bad?

I couldn't.