Glass Dragon

Chapter 39

The night wears on as it has through the whole week. Everything seems to have settled into a routine. Tenshi comes into my room again and falls asleep to the lullaby. In the morning, we're woken up early for work. I sit outside at the edge of the canyon for a break and stare at the marking on my wrist as I rub my thumb over it. When I see the sheen of black from the corner of my eye I speak "Tenshi, what do you think of me?" I look to him when he doesn't answer and he's staring out at the mountain on the other side of the canyon "I think you are a good man." I look down, unbelieving of the comment "what makes you say so?"
"If you could share one emotion with the world, what would it be?"
"Don't answer my question with another one."
"What would it be?"
I look out at the mountain for a moment and think "love."
"Why do you choose 'love'?"
"So that those who have it will know that it shouldn't be selfishly kept to one's self, that it should be given freely, those who don't may know what it truly is, and those who would hurt another may know the pain of those who loved them." My attention comes back to him when he chuckles "that is how I know. You are kind and loving in everything you do. You are quick to forgive, even quicker to seek forgiveness. You, Dragon Jamie Flie, are a good man." This makes me smile. He stands and pats me on the shoulder "time to come in." I nod "wait." He stops "do you know sword play? Rea asked me to teach her but I honestly don't know how I did what I did." He nods "I know a lot about it." I wonder "why didn't she ask you?" He sighs "it's...complicated. Start at lunch?" I nod and head back inside. When lunch time comes around he keeps his promise. He's harsh but at least I learned something. Come to think of it, I've never seen him move this much. He sits down and I offer him my water bottle. He takes a drink and hands it back but he still doesn't seem quite alright. Although he's quiet his hand clutches at the cloth on his chest. I don't know why but it worries me "are you ok?" He nods and smiles at me but his expression is pained. He finally makes a single noise and I can tell he's most definitely not. He grunts and his expression suddenly goes slack as he starts to fall over. I catch him "woah." As soon as I get to the door with him in my arms, Papa opens the door and Rea rushes to me "what'd you do?! Oh, no. Tenshi, I told you not to get up! Asira, get his medicine!" Everything happens so fast, I almost don't get what's going on. It makes sense now, it all makes sense. Everyone in the restaurant is pushed out as she pushes me to lay him on the table. She holds two fingers on his wrist "Tenshi, you gotta stay with me. Asira, hurry it up!" His movements become spastic and her expression is panicky "he's seizing. Asira!" She comes back up with a small glass bottle and needle in hand. Rea takes it before Asira even gets to her and fills the needle with the liquid then rolls up his sleeve and injects it into his arm. As soon as the seizing stops everyone breathes a sigh of relief.