Shin awoke slowly, the soft beeping of machines filling his ears. He blinked, taking in the small hospital room with the heart rate monitor next to his bed. He groaned, a lance of agony shooting up his arm as he raised his hand in front of his face. Bandages coiled up his arms, covering every inch of skin.
His hand started shaking as the stench of smoke was suddenly heavy in his nose. Memories of flames, and a burning cafe came rushing back, the bedside monitor beeping loudly. An older man came rushing in, pausing beside his bed and placing a hand on his chest.
Soothing waves washed through his body slowly, calming him.
"Calm down, you are fine," the man said.
Shin inhaled sharply.
"What are you doing to me?" Shin asked.
"Shhh. Just relax and let my power do its work," the doctor said.
"Where is Fuki?" Shin asked, his voice cracking, his throat dry..
The doctor grimaced.
"Where is Fuki?" Shin demanded again, his head swimming as he tried to sit up.
"Stay on the bed. Your friend is alive," the doctor replied slowly.
Body shaking from the brief exertion, Shin collapsed back onto his pillow, his air escaping him in a whoosh.
"Master Kasaki? Where is he?" Shin asked.
The doctor gave him a pitying look.
"I would love to say, but unfortunately I am not allowed. There is a special investigator from the council here, he can answer all of your questions," the doctor replied.
The man's words did nothing to calm Shin's racing mind.
"Special investigator?" Shin asked.
"I will let him explain it. Do you wish to see him now or once you have had some time to properly recover?" the doctor asked.
Shin was exhausted, and in pain, but he needed answers.
"I need to know," Shin croaked.
"Are you sure you have been through something very traumatic," the doctor said.
"I'm sure, send him in," Shin replied.
He wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week, but Shin needed to know.
The doctor left, and a taller, well built Japanese man in an expensive suit walked in.
The man shut and locked the door with a loud click, giving him an inquisitive look.
"Ahh, you're finally awake," the man said.
"Where is Master Kasaki?" Shin demanded with a pained wince.
The man gave him an unfriendly smile. "Kasaki Utara unfortunately passed away last night," the man said as if talking about the weather..
"What about the murderer who burned our shop down? Have you arrested him?" Shin asked, his hands trembling with rage and grief.
The man tugged at one of his immaculately pressed sleeves. "That is complicated... The footage from the cafe was destroyed in the fire, and Osmal is saying it was an accident," the man said.
"Accident! He attacked us, setting the whole cafe on fire!" Shin stammered.
"So you say… Osmal is a registered category four awakened. He is here on special request of the United States. Your claim that a citizen with diplomatic immunity has committed such a heinous crime could become an international incident," the investigator said.
Shin couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Master Kasaki is dead, and you are going to do nothing? That bastard attacked us, threw literal fire at us!" Shin stammered.
"You would do well not to go spouting false statements.. I would strongly suggest you not mention this any further. Kasaki Utara died in an accident. I have already contacted the insurance agencies and collected a suitable compensation for your troubles. Should be enough for you to take a year or so off, to recover and find a new job," the investigator said.
The man reached into his richly tailored suit and pulled out a thick envelope, placing it on the table next to the bed..
He gave Shin a too polite smile.
"Trust me when I say it will not go well for you if you go public with this," the man said sternly.
Shin's lips parted, but no sound came out. What kind of injustice was this? Were they really going to let this murderer, Osmal, walk free?
"So that's it? You're just sweeping this under the rug, protecting a murderer?" Shin asked numbly.
The investigator turned to leave, giving him one last pitying glance.
"There is a war going on, Shin, a war that can push people like Osmal over the edge. Whether you see it or not, Incursions are happening with increasing regularity and strength. And like it or not, some people are…. More useful in a war than others," the man said.
With that, the investigator left, his parting words like a heavy weight.
Shin lay on his back, rage, pain, and sorrow flooding his mind. Category fours weren't supposed to be untouchable. Not unless they were military assets, or foreign diplomats. Shin wanted to rail against the injustice, but he didn't have the energy.
Everything hurt; his throat was so dry, and yet he hadn't even noticed until now. He could still smell the smoke, feel it burning his throat and lungs as he gasped for breath.
Shin frantically reached out towards the cup on his table, suddenly desperate for water.
His hand knocked into it clumsily, the cup tipping as if in slow motion.
Damnit!!!
On instinct, he reached out, and the water flowed up, undulating as it formed into a ball. He was so startled that he instinctively let go. With a wet flop, the water fell back onto the tray, some water splashing over his arm.
He blinked rapidly, uncertain of what had just happened. Had he just done that?
Thirst momentarily forgotten, Shin looked around. No one was in the room, just himself. As if to distract himself from his panic, from the injustice, Shin reached out yet again. The water on the tray twitched, slithering together, forming a ball.
Just then, the door clicked open, and his focus collapsed, the water sloshing over the tray.
"Sorry, I spilled the water," Shin explained as the doctor strode back in.
"Don't worry about it. Here, let me take another look at you," the doctor said, an apologetic look on his face.
Shin lay there quietly, his momentary distraction forgotten as he remembered his injuries and thirst.
"Can I get some water?" Shin asked, his voice hoarse.
"Of course," The doctor took his cup and refilled it, helping him drink.
The cool water burned something fierce on his throat, but it was like rain on a desert.
"Give it to me straight, doc, how am I?" Shin asked, his voice hoarse.
"Surprisingly well, considering what you endured. Your burns are much less severe than Fuki, you must have been at the back of the shop when it happened," the doctor said.
Shin frowned at the proclamation.
That didn't make any sense. He was at ground zero, right in front of Osmal when the man unleashed his fire. Fuki had been behind him. By all accounts, Shin's burns should be the worst.
And yet, he was mostly okay, while Fuki was in a coma.
Shin's body had some pretty severe burns, though nothing some bedrest and the doctors' healing magic couldn't remedy in time. The damage to his lungs was actually the worst, breathing in all that smoke had burned them, giving him a persistent cough that sent agony through his chest.
The doctor gave him a tight smile, pulling his hand away from his chest.
"How do your lungs feel?"
"Like I smoked ten packs of cigarettes today," Shin said with a pained wince.
"On the bright side, your lungs are taking my magic quite well. It's been a few days now, I recommend you get up. Your lungs need to stretch so as not to atrophy," the doctor suggested.
Shin nodded, swinging his legs over the side of his bed.
"Can you take me to Fuki's room? I will walk to see her," Shin said.
The doctor nodded.
Shin swayed on his feet, suddenly woozy as he stood.
The doctor was there, providing support to lean on. He felt like he was ten cups deep, each step agony as they walked down the hall. Thankfully, Fuki's room wasn't far, only a few rooms down the hall.
Shin was anxious to see her, after two days of fitful rest. Helped along by Doctor Ita, he entered the room.
Shin almost wished he hadn't. Seeing Fuki was the most painful thing he had ever done. The room smelled of cooked meat, making him queasy.
Fuki lie on the small hospital bed, wrapped head to toe in bandages, a tube in her mouth and one in her arm.. Her beautiful black hair was gone, the only thing visible of her skin was small slits where her eyes were.
"Is she going to live?" Shin asked, choking up as he stood next to her bed.
Doctor Ita hesitated for only a moment.
"I wish I could give you a straight answer, but I can't. Even with literal magic helping us, Medical technology has only come so far. Her body is covered in third and second-degree burns. Her lungs are a scarred mess. Honestly, she is lucky to be in a coma. Being awake with her injuries would be hell, even while drowned in painkillers," the doctor said.
"Are there any procedures you could do to help her?" Shin asked.
"There are a few procedures. We could reach out. I know of a doctor who can regrow skin, but that's…. Expensive. Just getting on the waiting list will require some favors," the doctor replied slowly.
"How much?" Shin asked, a pit settling in his stomach.
"About a hundred million yen. Or seven hundred thousand American dollars," the doctor said.
Shin wanted to vomit.
He glanced at the thick envelope on the table beside Fuki. It was the same size as the one the investigator gave him. He thought ten million yen was a lot of money at the time, but now it was just a pittance.
"How long will fifteen million yen cover her bills?" Shin asked. It was half of his, and all of hers.
The doctor finally smiled. "About a year, plus her ongoing treatments," the doctor replied.
"What about the insurance for the shop? Are they not covering this?" Shin asked.
"Unfortunately, Kasaki Utara didn't acquire insurance in the event of magical collateral," the doctor replied hesitantly.
Shin clenched his hands into fists, the action sending jolts of agony up his arms. He wanted to hit something. His anger was white hot, but it wasn't the doctor's fault. Shin let out a long sigh through gritted teeth.
The man was just doing his job and had thus far been extremely helpful.
"If I acquire the funds, can you get her the treatment she needs?" Shin asked.
The doctor nodded.
Shin let out a shaky breath. He had no idea how he could acquire that much money, but a plan was slowly forming. Shin wanted to rail against the injustice, but what would that do? Nothing… They were nobodies, just workers from a small shop in downtown Shinjuku. Even if he tried to pay for a lawyer to go after this Osmal, it wouldn't accomplish anything.
He wasn't important enough. Even so, Shin refused to let Osmal get away with this.
Master Kasaki was dead, Fuki in a coma, and Osmal was free to do this again. The thought made a rage course through him, one he had never felt before.
Shin looked down at his gauze wrapped hands that trembled with anger. His eyes drifted back to the cup beside his bed. With the doctor having left the room he was alone. Doubt filled him as he raised a hand. Was the water moving earlier real, or a mere delusion?
The light above cast a shadow of his arm as he reached out, a shadow that almost felt alive. The cup was out of reach, and yet he could grasp it. Filled with anger and helplessness, Shin beckoned, and this time the shadows answered his call. Quick as a viper, a shadowy hand reached out to grasp the cup.
Shadows pierced the cup, perforating it with holes that gushed water. Startled, Shin leaned back, the shadowy hand dispersing back where it should be.
His heart beat loudly in his chest, his mind racing as he took in the paper cup punched full of finger sized holes. Sitting on his bed, he glanced from the cup to his hand, a nervous excitement filling him.
Awakening was hard to believe, but then, seeing was believing. Water and shadows, huh? What other powers did he have? His hands clenched into fists. Memories of Fuki wrapped like a mummy, came rushing back.
His own burns were painful, but they were nothing compared to what Fuki had endured.
Shin looked down at his hands, his skin still an angry red covered in fresh burn ointment. At first, Shin had been confused as to why he was spared the same fate as Fuki. But now, he understood. He still could remember the fire washing around him, searing his skin yet leaving him mostly unharmed.
If only he had been aware of his powers, aware enough to stop the flames from hitting Fuki and burning down the shop. Shin scowled, his skin cracking painfully as he unclenched his hand. The shadows began to churn ominously, his anger making them come alive.
This was a sign. He did have a way to fight back, to get revenge, and to make enough to pay for Fuki's lifesaving procedures.
Once he got dismissed from the hospital, he was going to find the nearest awakened center and take an evaluation. From there, he would use the money given to him to cover expenses until he could start making a government wage for killing monsters. Sure, it was extremely dangerous to battle incursions, and he would have to start from the bottom, but Shin was determined.