--Chapter 02: “No One Hears Me Crying”--

Hellish demons and monsters fought cloaked men and women upon a field of flames.  Blood flooded the earth as body upon body fell.  Malevolent battle cries bled into the screams of agony of those who were cut down by the blows of the enemy.

Hyde panted as he ran through the fray, picking off a random Hell Hound as he went.  Pausing, he turned to his right.  "Yukihiro?!"  The other man had fallen to the earth, forced down by the strength of the winged demon who swung a broadsword above him.  Hyde watched in horror as his friend's strength ebbed, his parries beginning to fail him.

The singer reached behind him, obtaining two arrows.  Taking quick aim, he fired them in rapid succession and watched as one pierced the sinful villain's snake-like eye, the other - it's throat.

The creature fell with a shriek upon the crimson ground below.  Hyde sighed in relief as his band mate rolled over to look upon his savior.  The drummer was anything but reassured as he paled, pointing past Hyde, and cried, "Behind you!"

But it was too late.  Hyde felt the cold iron of another's sword thrust through him, severing his spinal cord and gouging his intestines.  Looking down, he saw the blade protruding from his abdomen, the silver gleam painted a vulgar red.

As the blade was withdrawn, Hyde collapsed, sputter and coughing, to the ground.  The sounds of battle continued - the war cries, the screams, the clash of iron - as his consciousness faded...

With a cry, Hyde shot out of bed only to collapse back, panting and clutching his aching head.  Oh, God…!

"Hyde?" Megumi rolled over and stroked his face.  "What's wrong...?"

Oh God, Megumi...the flames and the blood and the monsters and the screams and the pain oh God the pain...!  Hyde could only groan.  He struggled to force his eyes open against the agony from which he was suffering.  The worst migraine he had ever felt had just laid siege to his skull as liquid lightning lanced through his body.  Beads of sweat trickled down his spine.  Whimpering, the man curled into a tighter ball, the cool hands of his wife his only solace.

Giving up on the losing battle to restore his vision, he instead clenched his eyes shut.  Freeze-frames of the battle, destruction, and suffering filled his mind's eye.

His wife sat up.  "Don't go anywhere - I'm going to go get help."  She made to leave.

Stretching forward a shaking hand, he grasped her wrist and in desperation, gasped, "Don't...go..."

Megumi blinked in confusion but got back into bed and wrapped her small arms around her husband.  She pressed her lips to his forehead as he trembled.

*****

Inoran looked up as J entered his tent.  The younger man nodded to acknowledge his friend's entrance but did little else to make the other comfortable.  He idly turned a page in an old, leather-bound book. 

"...A lot of people awoke last night..." J began, hesitant.

"I know," Ino responded.  "I saw at least half of them this morning and I'm sure to see the other half before dusk."  The man marked his place in the tattered book before shutting it with a snap and looking up at J.  "Now, are you in any pain?  I'm sorry to say that I'm fresh out of Tylenol."

"Me?  No...I'm fine.  I actually came here to check in on you."

"Oh really?  How sweet.  Yes, I'm fine...despite the fact that I'm nursing the migraine from Hell and I'm positively terrified to move my right leg."  He motioned to the immobile limb, which lay straight out in front of him on the bed.

"Why?"

"'Cause it hurts J.  Maybe I got it lopped off last time.  I don't know.  I guess that'd make it a phantom, phantom limb pain, ne?"

J smiled.  "Guess so..."  He walked over and sat upon the bed, careful not to disturb the other's "injured" appendage.  He pointed to the ratty book.  "What were you reading?"

"Oh, this?" Ino patted the tome.  Dust flew in response to the slight touch.  "It's a book of spells.  Yu~ki gave it to me this morning, said I should refresh my knowledge."

"Ah yes...a Healer."

"And you a Mage," Inoran smiled.  "That hasn't changed in over a millennia.  Our character decides our roles...and perhaps our Fate as well..."

"Yeah...guess so..."

Inoran's brows knitted together in concern, "You okay?"

"I am, yes...it's...anou...it's Youjeen."

"Youjeen?"

"Hai...I can't get her to wake up."

"Have you tried taking her platforms?"  J and Inoran turned to the entrance of the tent, the former jumping off of his companion's bed as if shocked.  Kaoru stood at the makeshift door.  "That invariably wakes Kyo up," he finished.

"I'll be sure to try that..." J growled, annoyed by the sudden interruption.

Undaunted, Kaoru walked into the tent and sat in the creaky wooden chair at the opposite end of the bungalow.  He curled up in a tight ball and, closing his dark eyes, rested his head on his knees.

In the yellow light that filtered through the canvas, the other two occupants could see the dark circles under the younger man's eyes.  His skin was a pasty white, stretched tight over his cheekbones, his lips were parched and cracked and almost as white as his skin.

"Kami-sama..." J breathed.  "He looks like death warmed over..."

"Something like that..."  The Healer walked over to Kaoru, who was oblivious in his exhaustion.  The leader of Dir en Grey groaned as Ino pressed his fingertips to the other's temple, but did little else otherwise.

J watched in fascination as his friend's lips moved in silent words of a language he couldn't understand.  A blue light flowed from Inoran's shoulder, down his arm, and through his fingers, spreading throughout Kaoru's skull.  At the point where the two were joined, the patient's skin glowed a soothing blue.  Kaoru sighed.  The blue light faded and Inoran stepped away.

The younger man blinked rapidly as he opened his eyes.  His facial appearance seemed to be much healthier.  Looking up at the Healer, he smiled in gratitude and stood up and bowed.  "Thank you, Ino-san..."

"Don’t mention it...Just come right back in case you have any weird side effects, like you grow a second head or something like that."

Kaoru laughed.  "Thank you again Inoran..."

"Take care Kaoru."  The other left.  Inoran turned back to J and smiled.  There was a twinge of on setting exhaustion in his tone when he spoke next.  "I've been doing that for people since dawn.  It takes a lot out of you but luckily; I'll only have to do it once for each person.  Like I said, I think I've nailed about half of them already..."

"What exactly did you do?"

Inoran paused to pace for a bit, thinking of how to describe the spell he just cast upon the leader of Dir en Grey.  "Anou...it's a little difficult to explain."  He sighed.  "Think of a square room.  Now imagine the room is covered completely with draperies and picture frames and that there are doors of different sizes on every wall - maybe even a trap door in the floor or on the ceiling as well.  Theoretically, that's your mind."

J nodded as he followed along with Inoran's portrayal of the human psyche.

"Now imagine that the room is completely trashed - the draperies are torn to shreds, the picture frames are shattered, the doors have been forced open, the hinges are broken, things are burning, there's a constant white noise that every now and again sounds a little like human voices..."

J cringed.

"That's your mind after you've awakened."

"Holy shit."

"What I've done is simply sewn things back together, glued the picture frames, fixed the doors, etcetera..."

J was speechless.  He sat in silence until, "...wow..."

Inoran chuckled.  "Yeah, that's what I thought at first.  But, blessed am I, not all of you need the treatment."

"What do you mean?"

"Well...you for example.  You said you're not in any pain, and yet here you are, completely aware of your role, and possibly your future in that role as well."

"...Good point."

"Gackt is the same way.  As is Mana and Kozi and Yu~ki.  They've all awakened and for one reason or another were able to handle it."  He shrugged.  "Don't ask me why."

J smiled.  "Maybe they're 'special...'"

Inoran laughed, "They're something alright.  I wouldn't call it 'special,' though..."  Moments passed with the two companions in a comfortable silence until the healer spoke again.  "What about Youjeen?  You said she wouldn't wake up?"

"Ah!  Hai, that's right.  Dammit..." J started toward the tent's flap.  "I left her in her tent, I gotta go get her."

"No, I'll go with you."  Inoran grabbed the spell book and followed J to the crude entrance.  As they exited the tent, they were astounded by the brightness of the world around them.  The aura of the camp was one of melancholy and anxiety.  Some were sitting around fires eating or simply staring into the dancing flames while others went in and out of tents, their movements fidgety, as if they were looking for something, which they knew subconsciously was not there.  Others still walked about with a surreal confidence while more were fashioning weapons with direction from the former or from each other.  Just as the duo passed by a group sitting by a fire, a strangled cry halted their progress across the encampment.

Turning, they saw Hisashi on his back, writhing in unspeakable pain.  Inoran held up a finger to J, indicating for the other to wait, and raced across to the twisting, supine man.  Before he could reach him however, another jumped in front.  Izumi sat upon her husband's chest and wrapped her arms around him.  Stunned, Ino paused in his pursuit and watched.

The woman ran her fingers through the other's hair.  With her lips pressed against his temple, she whispered words of comfort against his skin.  Inoran began his approach with fervor once more, after he decided that she was simply a wife, mimicking Gackt's actions the previous night.  However, upon closer inspection the healer saw that Hisashi's cries had died at miraculous pace and was now holding his wife to him as they rocked back and forth.

Izumi's fingertips glowed blue.