First Crisis

Kazuki slowly wakes up. He is laying in his master's bed again. The morning lazily shows itself, the light filtering through the windows. Kazuki's head hurts badly, like something heavy dropped on his head. He doesn't clearly remember what happened, only a blurry smile and a tall dark figure appears to him. In front of this strange event, the only thought that comes to his mind is : was it also a dream ? It seemed so unreal, but yet he felt everything. Things are moving fast and confusing in his head and a headache strikes him, making him stop thinking about it. It gives the same effects as a sudden flash and some annoying noises, like sizzling, but brighter and louder. 

As he tries to move, he finds his body powerless. He is weak. His arms are heavy and his legs feel like they are made out of concrete. The more he tries to move, the more he gets tired and the more he finds it difficult to breathe. This sensation is familiar but he doesn't remember why. 

While he tries to understand and figure out the how and why, with the little he knows, a sweet smell begins to tease his nostrils. The aroma of flowers fills the room and brings a soft warmness. A cup is placed on a table, next to the bed. 

Kazuki looks at the smoking cup with curiosity. Master Yi crouches next to the bed. He puts a hand on Kazuki's head and slowly pats it. The young child feels more relaxed. He smiles and falls asleep, peacefully, knowing that he is secured with his master around. This time, it's a quiet dreamless sleep. The old man looks at him with a worried look, seemingly aware of what is happening. He sighs and a certain sorrow deforms the stoic features of his face and accentuates his wrinkles, making him seem older than he already is.

The young boy wakes up in the middle of the afternoon. His Master isn't in the room right now. Kazuki is able to move a bit. He cautiously gets up off the bed, keeping a hand on it as a support. When he stands up, he is suddenly struck by a migraine. It's like something hard and sharp is hitting the inside of his head, like an axe hitting his skull. He doesn't know this sensation but it is what his instinct tells him. He doesn't question it, as it is not in his interest to know about it for now.

He tries to ignore the pain but it's still too much for him. It is overwhelming. His body starts to shake, his hand slips from the bed and he falls on the ground with a loud sound. His body starts to shake even more. The pain starts to fill every part of his body. He screams but the screams are shaking along with the body. The suffering is strong and he can't process anything but this pain.

His master, alerted by the sound, quickly enters the room. He puts his hands on Kazuki's head and the kid slowly calms down, like some kind of charm. Kazuki looks at his master. The eyes of the young boy are filled with fear. Tears run down his cheeks. He doesn't understand. He suffers but for something he doesn't know. His words are hesitant but clear and hurt.

"Why.. why does it… why does it happen to me ?"

The old man looks at his student with pity and guilt. He would have preferred not to look at him, but he knows what he has to do. Something which is inevitable. He helps the young boy to get back on the bed. He takes the hands of the young boy on his own, seemingly doing a silent prayer for his health. He searches for ways to explain things that are beyonds what the kid knows and understands. After some quiet reflection, he comes to the conclusion that it's not the time yet. His words could make Kazuki's case even worse.

"Well.. You see, there are a lot of things that you haven't learned yet. Things that I wanted to teach you when you get older. But it seems like things are going another way. However, you're not in a state to understand what I have to tell you. You need to rest. Neither your mind nor your body are able to work properly."

Kazuki listens to his master. The both of them stay in the bedroom. Kazuki lays on the bed, under the careful gaze of his master. Sometimes, the old man brings him something to drink or to eat. He often provides him with some tea and medications to calm down his crisis. The old man never leaves the room unless it is necessary. He stays along with the young boy, giving him comfort and trying to make him at least slightly smile through the pain. His student is suffering, which he should have prevented. The least he can do is to make this situation more comfortable, even if it's not really significant against the suffering. 

Hours pass, and the kid is still not getting better. The old master caresses his head to reassure him and himself, but the sorrow accompanies the vision of the sick kid.. The night comes, but neither of us is able to sleep that night. Not after what happened last time. Master Yi takes care of Kazuki the whole night, with all his heart. He tries to bring warmness and kindness to the kid who suffers and finds himself curled up in pain. The master does his best to make the pain more bearable for his students.

"Tick" 

Two days have passed. The clocks in the house keep ticking every second of the suffering. Again. And Again. A regular sound, like the beating of a heart. The old man doesn't sleep for now. He stayed by his student's side who was peacefully sleeping because he couldn't handle the pain.

"Tick."

Time passes. Things slowly get better, but yet the kid keeps suffering. He moans and grunts in pain, preventing him from getting better rest. However he is able to slightly smile at his master. 

"Tick."

Another crisis. The kid is shaking. The night is silentious but still not calm. The agitation is quiet. Not a scream, a moan or a gunt can be heard. The threat is lurking in the shadows this time. Master Yi can't help but get on his last resort, which is to give some medicine to the young boy. It won't stop the current crisis happening but only prevents or weakens future crises for a few hours. 

The old man takes Kazuki's hands again and once again, after kneeling next to the bed, he joins his hands around Kazuki's and starts reciting something very low. Kazuki looks at his master with a mix of pain and sadness in his eyes., feeling like a weight to him. The old man doesn't sleep because of him. He wants to listen to his master's prayer, but yet the only thing he can hear are inaudible whispers. He wanted to recite them to the old man, in return for today, but he won't be able to. 

It's in those kinds of moments that Kazuki sees the old man as more than his master. To him, he is a hero. It's not a hero like in the books he read. But deep down he knows that he is a hero to him, even if he doesn't link it to that word but to a moment or a type of situation in particular. It's the intention, the intention to protect, help and heal others in need. There, it is the similarities with the heroes from his books. It's a pure, good and loving, heart. He knows that it's the way he wants to be too when he gets older, like his master. It's on this dream-like thought that Kazuki slowly falls asleep again, thanks to the numbing medicine, and is able to sleep a whole night without the help of anyone or without screaming just because of the overwhelming pain. 

The next day, in the afternoon, Kazuki is finally able to temporarily get up and listen to his master. He is still weakened but he can perform his body's basic activities such as moving or properly talking. He feels a bit numb due to some medications. It doesn't prevent him from being ready to listen. However time presses, as he might not last the whole day. It is time for Kazuki to get some explanations about what happened, and the old man is now ready. 

Master Yi sits on a chair in front of Kazuki. He takes a long respiration, then looks Kazuki in the eyes. The tension slowly rises. It's like time stops, like the atmosphere becomes so thick that it seems solid. However they don't have the luxury of time. The old man starts with a heavy and deep tone.

"It's time you know…"