Kazuki slowly wakes up. He is laying in his master's bed again. The morning slowly shows itself, the light filtering through the windows. Kazuki's head hurts. He doesn't clearly remember what happened. 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 stops thinking about it.
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.
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 cup with curiosity. Tian-Han 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. This time, it's a peaceful dreamless sleep. Tian-Han looks at him with a worried look.
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 is hitting the inside of his head, like an axe hitting his skull.
He tries to ignore the pain but it's too much. His body starts to shake, his hand slips from the bed and he falls on the ground. His body starts to shake even more. The pain starts to fill every part of his body.
Tian-Han quickly enters the room. He puts his hands on Kazuki's head and the kid slowly calms down. 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 ?"
Tian-Han 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 searches for ways to explain things that are beyonds what the kid knows and understands.
"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. 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 listened to his master. The both of them stay in the bedroom. Kazuki lays on the bed, under the careful gaze of Tian-Han. Sometimes, Tian-Han brings him something to drink or to eat. He often provides him with some tea and medications to calm down his crisis. Times fly. The night comes, but neither of us is able to sleep that night. Not after what happened last time. Tian-Han 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. TIan-Han does his best to make the pain more bearable for his students.
Times pass. The clocks in the house keep ticking. Again. and Again.
"Tick."
Time passes. Things slowly get better, but yet the kid keeps suffering.
"Tick."
Another crisis. The kid is shaking. The night is silentious but still not calm. The agitation is quiet, the threat is lurking in the shadows this time.
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.
Tian-Han 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. The old man starts with a heavy and deep tone.
"It's time you know…"