The Rising Sun & The Morning Calm Ch. 31

Sorry it's been so long since I've written, but I think the end is in sight. No sexy bits in this one, but I hope that you'll keep reading for more later. I wanted to focus some time on Linnsa and Genzo. Thanks again to those who have been following since the beginning and I hope you enjoy what's left :)

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"What's happening?!" Dashing towards Linnsa's bed, Angela ran smack into Noboru's outstretched arm as he tried to bar her from seeing her sister's condition.

"Leave the doctor to do his work," he told her firmly, hoping that his calm would prove reassuring to her.

"Genzo?! What is it?!" Angela turned her wild gaze to his stricken face. Lost for words, he couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes.

Fearing they would make an already tenuous situation worse, Noboru ushered them out into the lobby. "Calm down, both of you. Nakamura sensei is one of the best physicians in Tokyo. He knows what he is doing."

*******

For two hours, Angela fought to keep herself under control. Each passing second stretched for hours as she waited anxiously for news of Linnsa's condition. The only person suffering worse than herself seemed to be Genzo. Despite the fact that he maintained a stoic facade, she could feel the fear that ate away at him. Though she felt badly for him, she also couldn't help wishing that she could shut off the flow of her empathy. Instead she tried honing in on Noboru's quiet confidence and said one silent prayer after another. Their agonizing wait came to an end when Dr. Nakamura slowly entered the waiting room. "Doctor, is she okay?" The hesitant look on his face told her all she needed to know. "No!! Tell me she's alright!" When he said nothing, unable to help herself, she fairly screamed, "Tell me!!"

"We did everything we could. I am so sorry," was all he could say.

"I - I don't understand, what happened?"

Dr. Nakamura gestured towards the room that had been Linnsa's. "Perhaps you would like to be with her alone first. I will explain everything afterwards."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Noboru asked, placing an arm around her shoulders. Angele made no attempt at an answer, staring straight ahead in shock and disbelief. Tears spilled over her cheeks, though no sounds escaped her lips. Her shaky breaths prompted Noboru to lead her into the room. "I am here, [ichiban]," he whispered softly into her ear. Pulling aside the curtain, he felt Angela jerk back as she saw the sheet pulled over her sister's face. "Angela-"

"No, I can't do this!" Sobbing, she broke free from his grasp and ran out of the room.

When Genzo saw her leave, he swallowed the painful lump in his throat and made his way over to the bedside. "[Donno], may I..."

Noboru gave him a sad smile. "Of course, my friend. I am so sorry." He went to go find Angela and left Genzo alone with Linnsa's body.

His hand shaking, Genzo pulled back the sheet, revealing her pale face. The movement had dragged a few strands of hair across her forehead. Reaching out to smooth them away, he recoiled in horror when he felt how cold her skin was. At that moment the reality of her death hit him completely and the same pain he had felt when his family was murdered descended on him. Sinking to his knees by the bed, he broke down, sobbing helplessly. "Please," he begged in English, as if she could still hear him. "You cannot be dead." He took her hand and images of her playing the violin deepened his grief. "Please come back. Even if you could not love me, I cannot bear the thought of a world without you." He felt her hand warming from the heat of his own skin and squeezed it, as if willing her to squeeze back. If not for his immortality, he would have gladly joined her. Knowing that he had little time left to say his goodbyes, he gently placed a lingering kiss on her lips but pulled back suddenly when he felt a small movement. "Linnsa-chan?"

Linnsa's eyes slowly opened and Genzo was shocked to see that her eyes were no longer green, but a rich hazel color. "Genzo? Where am I? Everything looks fuzzy and my head hurts." Overjoyed, Genzo grabbed her in a hug and began simultaneously crying and laughing, loosening his grip as she made small, muffled sounds of protest at his exuberance. "Ow...Genzo, not so hard...my head..."

"[Gomen! Gomen!] I will explain in a moment," he promised. "Sensei! [Hayaku]!"

Dr. Nakamura bolted into the room. "[Shinjimasen]." Ordering the trauma team into the room, the doctor set about taking her vital signs and getting her hooked up to the cardiac monitor.

Unable to contain himself, Genzo immediately went in search of Angela. In his eagerness, he nearly ran over a stunned Noboru. "[Donno], she is alive!" he crowed joyfully.

"What?!"

"I do not know how, but she is alive! She..." Happy tears streamed from his eyes. "She recognized me. We must find Angela. We must tell her-" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw her coming back to the waiting room. "Angela! Linnsa-chan is not dead, she is alive!"

Angela looked from Genzo to Noboru as if the worst possible practical joke on earth was being played on her. "Don't - don't you dare do this to me, Genzo..."

"No, he is telling you the truth," Dr. Nakamura confirmed coming up behind them. "Give us a few hours to get her stabilized, and then you can speak with her." He and Noboru both smiled at the sight of Angela and Genzo hugging each other amidst happy tears.

*****

ichiban: little one (Japanese)

gomen: sorry (Japanese)

hayaku: hurry (Japanese)

shinjimasen: I don't believe it (Japanese)

*****

"Are you feeling well enough to have some visitors? Dr. Nakamura hung his stethoscope around his neck and smiled kindly at Linnsa. "Your sister has been worried to death about you."

"If I died, I guess I couldn't blame her," she joked ruefully. "Please send her-"

"LINNSAAAAAA!!" Throwing her arms around her sister, Angela began crying hysterically. "Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?!"

"It's not as if I did it on purpose - OW!!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Angela choked back a few sobs. "I was so scared. Thank God you're alive."

"What happened to me?"

Dr. Nakamura waved her question away. "We do not know for certain ourselves. When we have answers, we will tell you."

"Does this mean I get to go home soon?"

"Oh no! I have to resume my clinic in four days!" Angela blurted.

"If the next 24 hours are uneventful and our tests return normal, then I would say you may return to the States."

"Thank God." The relief was all too evident in her voice. "No offense to anyone here, but I don't think I'll be returning to Tokyo in this lifetime. Too many bad memories." Linnsa's eyes darted to over Angela's shoulders where Genzo had suddenly materialized. "Huh? I didn't sense your presence. That's weird."

"Well now that the worst is behind us, I can tell you what happened," Angela reassured her. "See, we had this antivirus that you accidentally got innocculated with-"

"Antivirus?" Genzo repeated. "There is an antivirus?"

"Oh...oops." Cringing inside, she muttered, "I don't think I was supposed to tell YOU about that part."

"Does that mean I'm not an electric eel anymore?" Linnsa asked hopefully.

"Well see for yourself."

Angela handed her sister a mirror and Linnsa let out a squeal of surprise when she saw her eyes were no longer bright green. "Wait a minute..." Putting the mirror down, Linnsa lifted up her hospital gown over her ribs and sure enough, the odd rows of pits were no longer there on either side. "So, I'm cured? I'm not going to live forever?"

"It looks that way, Linns."

"That's the best news I've heard all day, other than the fact that I came back from the dead...hey where'd Genzo go?"

Checking over her shoulder, Genzo was nowhere to be seen. "I don't know."

*****

Standing at the vending machine, Noboru was in the process of buying a can of coffee and trying to digest the events of the day when Genzo's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"[Donno], is it true? You're in possession of an antivirus?"

The canned drink clinked loudly as it fell from its assigned slot. "Yes, my friend, it's true. It was how we were able to finally put an end to Saburo's meddling."

"So Linnsa is no longer infected?"

"It would appear so. Ryuzo seems to think that the reason she went into cardiac arrest was because her reversion to her pre-infectious state completely disrupted her electrolyte balance. It seems her body was changing too fast to keep pace." Popping open his coffee, Noboru was in the middle of a sip when Genzo's next statement nearly caused him to choke mid-gulp.

"I would like to have the antivirus as well."

Coughing a few times to clear his throat, Noboru turned around. "Genzo..."

"If you truly care about my happiness, if you do consider me a friend, please, make me mortal again."

"You don't know what you're asking. There are many risks to taking the antivirus. What happened to Linnsa was a direct result of her accidentally receiving it. It's not simply a matter of reverting back to how you were when we first met. There are many complications that can occur and there are no guarantees of any kind. It could kill you."

"I don't care," Genzo replied resolutely. "And," he continued when he saw Noboru about to open his mouth, "I understand that it's entirely possible that Linnsa can't return my feelings. It doesn't matter. I'm tired of this life and if I can rejoin my family, I'll take an early death or a natural one."

"What are you two jabbering about?" Angela walked over to them. She hated it that she didn't understand Japanese very well, especially when Noboru spoke perfect Korean.

"[Ahm gott ddoh ahn nee ya]," Noboru smiled.

"Why do I not believe you?" she shot back warily, looking over at Genzo.

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ahm gott ddoh ahn nee ya: It's nothing (Korean)

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Two days later, Linnsa was discharged from the hospital and both she and Angela were scrambling to pack for their return flight to the United States. "Where's Genzo been these last few days?" Linnsa asked, sitting on her suitcase to keep it shut.

"No more evil brother, no more bodyguard," Angela explained.

"He didn't want to talk to me?" When she saw the smile creep over Angela's face, she blushed and snapped, "Oh, shut up!"

Hugging her sister, Angela laughed. "He thought you would want some space. Your last conversation wasn't exactly a pleasant one. You remember that right? The one where you threatened to hate him forever and never speak to him again?"

Linnsa lowered her eyes guiltily. "Well yeah, but...I don't have any reason to be mad at him any longer. I'm not infected any more. Is he flying with us?

"Yes. He's coming back to Chicago with me and Noboru. Are you going to stay with us until you have to go back to work?"

"I can, if it's not too inconvenient for the two of you. I'd like that."

"Noboru feels it's the least we can do after what you've been through."

"[Tenshi]," Noboru called out from below. "The car has arrived."

"Time to go," Angela grinned. She was about to pick up her suitcase when Genzo stepped in front of her and silently took it effortlessly. Acknowledging Linnsa with a stiff bow, he took her suitcase as well and walked to the car without uttering a word.

The ride to the airport was quiet and awkward. Linnsa snuck glances at Genzo through the rearview mirror, but he kept his eyes fixed on the road as he drove. It unnerved her more than she wanted to admit.

At Narita, they were greeted by Shinnosuke and Sang Nam. "You're staying in Tokyo?" Angela asked Shinnosuke.

"Yes. Do not miss me too much, [neh]?" He chuckled when she jumped up and hugged him fiercely.

"Thank you for being so kind to me," she sniffled, unable to help tearing up.

"[Baga], no crying. You will return to Tokyo I am sure."

"No tears for me?" Sang Nam quipped.

"Where are you going, back to to Seoul?"

"Indeed. I never much cared for Japan. Back to [Woo Li Nah Rah Man Seh]." He pretended to be oblivious of the dirty look Genzo gave him. "Don't screw this up, my friend," he advised, nodding in Linnsa's direction. "Good luck with her though, she's really scary."

"Sang, shut the hell up!" Linnsa shouted indignantly, actually quite a bit more indignantly than she had intended. When Genzo looked at her in surprise, her face colored and she tried to busy herself with getting out her passport.

As they boarded the plane, Angela put her luggage away and sat excitedly in her first class seat. "I can't wait to see my babies! They must be so big by now. I hope they haven't forgotten me."

"Ah yes, I will have to go back to sharing you with Snotty-kun," Noboru mused with mock seriousness. "He may be displeased about this."

"And Yang will be so happy to see Genzo again, too." Angela looked over at the seats were Genzo and Linnsa sat awkwardly across from one another. "I hope those two will be okay." Luckily he had bought out the entire first class cabin so they had some privacy. As the plane approached cruising altitude, Angela reclined her seat flat in preparation for a nap and as she slept, Noboru watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest and tried to remind himself that Saburo was well and truly gone. It was still difficult for him to comprehend that he was never coming back. Then there was the matter of Genzo's request. In his luggage was a single dose of antivirus prepared by Ryuzo. Noboru had managed to convince Genzo to delay administration until they had landed in Chicago.

Discomfited by Genzo's silence and reserve, Linnsa tried to think of a way to get his attention. She couldn't even make eye contact, as his head was bent over his tablet. Unsure of what else to do, she scribbled a note onto a piece of notebook paper and folded it into a paper airplane. Taking aim, she threw it so that it glided onto his tablet surface.

"Eh?" Genzo glanced up and saw Linnsa make an exaggerated show of looking innocent and couldn't help a smile. Unfolding the paper, he saw her neat handwriting:

-So what, you're not going to talk to me anymore?

A small chuckle escaped him and he took out a pen to write his reply. He then refolded the plane and returned it to her. Unfolding it, she read:

-I thought you did not wish to speak to me.

Grinning, she scrawled another line and launched the plane yet again.

-Now that I'm back to normal, I have no reason to be mad at you. Wanna be friends?

Genzo laughed outright at that one and wrote his answer:

-If you would allow me the honor, I would like that very much.

Another short scribble and the plane returned to his lap:

-Well, why don't you come sit next to me and we can chat. I'm running out of room.

Elated by her offer, he nonetheless kept his face neutral and sat next to her. Linnsa opened her laptop and started a new word processing document. "This is easier, I think," she explained, then typed:

-So what are you going to do now?

-What do you mean?

-Where will you go from here?

-I do not know. Will you return to California?

-I don't know. I don't really feel like going back just yet. Will you keep working for Noboru?

-I may not. I will likely be of little use to him in the future.

-Why?

-He has agreed to give me the antivirus. When we land, it is my intention to take it.

Stunned, Linnsa gave him a look that clearly indicated that she thought he was out of his mind. Resuming typing, she asked:

-Are you out of your mind? Do you know how dangerous that is? It almost killed me!

-I am well aware of that risk.

-Then why would you do it?

-Life is not worth living when one is always alone.

Linnsa met his eyes and blushed under his searching gaze.

-Did you want it because of me? Because of how you feel about me?

- I would have asked for it regardless, but I would be lying if I said that living in your lifetime did not factor into my decision.

-So, even if you couldn't be with me, you'd still take it?

-Yes.

He paused for a moment and took a breath as if gathering courage.

-Does that mean you cannot return my feelings?

Seeing the hesitant expression on his face, Linnsa couldn't help but feel touched. [The poor guy], she thought to herself.

-I don't think that's impossible, but we know almost nothing about each other.

Smiling with relief, Genzo quickly typed:

-We have almost 12 hours before reaching Chicago to know each other better. What would you like to know?

-Well, for starters, when's your birthday?

-Do you want the year as well?

-Don't be such a smart ass :P

Noboru, looked up at the sound of laughter to see Linnsa and Genzo with their heads together taking turns typing on her laptop. If Genzo's cure didn't kill him, the future was looking hopeful for everyone.

******

tenshi: angel (Japanese)

neh: okay (Japanese)

baga: stupid (Japanese)

woo li nah rah man seh: may our country live for ten thousand years (Korean, also a line from the Korean national anthem)