Chương 54: The Anatomy of Atonement

"No, there are no other vascular tracts in your body!" Krause explained.

"I saw the earlier MRI results myself, and the only glow came from your normal blood vessels. Of that I am sure." Kurisu sighed. Arguing with the woman was getting him nowhere, and he wasn't entirely sure why he had attempted to in the first place. As he tracked the passing ceiling lights, he lay flat on the bed, while two people, he'd been told they were called orderlies, pushed him down the corridor, ensuring he never bumped a door.

"You are the expert, Doctor."

"If it is functional tissue, the MRI will show it processing fluid. This was not present before, just a mass of cells, a tumor, like I said." When they crossed the threshold of a metal-lined door, a faint pressure clamped around his head, and the tang of copper filled his tongue. He sensed a large white cylinder dominating the center of the room, vibrating, saturating the air with a magnetic force. It felt similar to swinging his blade with Raiki coating it.

After transferring him to the table, the staff placed a board across his stomach and a squeeze ball in his right hand.

"Squeeze that if you need out," he was told. They fit plastic tubes over his ears before sliding him backward into a narrow tunnel. As his Zanshin traced the currents traveling through the machine, noting how the energy traveled in coils and spirals, he contemplated the mechanism. Of course, he knew of jishaku, stones that naturally pulled on iron, but this machine used no stone. It created the magnetic force simply by running an electric current in continuous circles.

He wondered if there was a lesson here for the application of his own power. If he mirrored that shape inside his Keiraku, perhaps he could generate a magnetic force strong enough to increase gravity for his training, instead of relying on air pressure differential. Which would be more efficient in the end? Depending on the foe, he supposed he could slow or lock them down as well with the same method.

Doing so with Fūki was often fruitless; the affinity was so common, he was usually better off besting an opponent in direct combat rather than engaging in elemental tug-of-war. What about acceleration? Usually, he forced his muscles to contract faster through electric stimulation, which wasn't always the most comfortable. Could he harness this force for speed as well? The pull was present whenever he used his Raiki, but he had never seen an application like this.

Pervasive hum forcing its way through the earplugs, he stared at the curved ceiling and began to drift. Senses lulled, he felt, for a fleeting moment, just an inch closer to home.

"What are you doing?" Krause's voice cut through the earplugs.

"I was relaxed," he said, scowling at the inside of the tube.

"The mass was pulsing! What was that?" With a frown, he slowly flexed his Tanden, drawing his Ki through his pathways at a deliberate crawl. Having just mapped the magnetic and electrical forces surrounding him, he was acutely aware that it would not be wise to manipulate his Ki here without caution.

"Now, what are you doing? Your vascular system lit up brighter, but the arrangement is wrong by my estimations."

"I am directing my Ki throughout my Keiraku."

"Stop." He immediately pulled all his Ki in, completely cutting off the flow and reducing his presence to nothing.

"What have you done this time?" Krause barked.

"This time I sealed my Tanden completely. Why?"

"The mass and atypical vasculature vanished. The Superior Hypogastric Plexus looks normal now. As does your vascular system, though there are still some concerning variations."

"It is as I told you, Doctor Krause. That is no illness; rather, it is the vessel for my Ki."

"Fine! I want the other boys brought here for the same tests. Tell them to do the same tandem thing he did." Krause's voice crackled through the speakers, though she clearly wasn't addressing Kurisu.

"Tanden, Doctor," he corrected.

"What do you mean the scouts caught a cranial abnormality?" Again she was addressing someone else.

"I'm not a Neurologist; take the images and send them the scans. The tech says you have something going on with your brain too; we're going to scan that while we're here. Of course record the MRS values." The tray slid out of the tunnel just long enough for a technician to secure a plastic cage over his head before sending him back into the magnetic hum. After the final scan concluded, he emerged again, Krause standing over him in the harsh lighting.

He hadn't realized the machine was so dim; even with the noise, it had been strangely comforting.

"I want scans of the other boys, as well as additional tests: Thermal imaging, PET scan, EMG, and full view Doppler Ultrasound. I am getting to the bottom of this… whatever it is, illness or atypical physiology." Conversation faltered as Kurisu's bed crossed the threshold into the recovery room. He noted how everyone was present… and alert. Waiting. He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, but was helpless regarding the one in the pit of his stomach.

He licked his lips as he once again stared at the ceiling tiles, his bed swiveling into its spot, he supposed.

"I—" This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it"Did they leave you a plant?" Kenji asked, the sound of bare feet padding across the tile. That must have been cold, but it also meant he was walking, a relief. Kurisu sighed, and Kenji's head poked into view, an odd expression on his face. Was it concern? Was it anger? Daring to hope, Kurisu thought it might be a mixture of both. Why?

He knew there was no justification for what he'd done, so why did he still hope to be forgiven?

"Yo! You alive, old man? Did they leave you a plant?" Oh, that was right, Kenji was asking him a question. Of course he had to answer; that was only proper.

"I, I uh—Yes. Yes, they did." Kurisu finally found his voice.

"Kenji, c'mon, man," Roland began. Kurisu almost flinched at the dark twist in Kenji's face. The boy snapped his head to the left; his glare intense, and the sound of his grinding teeth made Kurisu grimace.

"I said 'no,'" the boy growled, silencing his father.

"Yes, what he did was fucked up. What he explained was even worse. The way he made up for it though?" He shook his head.

"No way in Hell am I turning my back on him! He's my friend." Returning his gaze to Kurisu, he shrugged.

"So there you have it, dusty. I'm still pissed at you, and I'm gonna beat your ass when you're halfway better while I can. But… yea. I'll get stronger, so that if you ever go shit head again I can hold my own. Apology accepted." He tentatively held a hand over Kurisu's shoulder before dropping it with a half-smile.

"Don't want to break you any more than you already are."

"Me too," Ace said, his bed squeaking as he hopped into view, then clutched his stomach with a groan.

"You are unwell?" Kurisu asked.

"Nah I'm good!" Ace waved a hand in the air.

"Dumbass tore up his catheter when he put you in bed yesterday, or whenever. Stupid gray box is messing with my days," Kenji interjected.

"I had to punch a hole in his gut, 'cuz they couldn't stick him."

"Oh, yea. That was fun—not! Looks like I'm about as tough as you were, now." Ace slapped the back of his arm.

"Thanks for giving me my legs back, bro. But I'm with Kenji, beating you up when you're a little better." Frowning, Kurisu tried to articulate, but the words failed him. It was too much. First, he was being forgiven? And what's this about his toughness matching my prior levels? Where had such strength come from?

"I—""You said you could fix me?" Kellevra's voice sounded from the corner, small, trembling, prompting Kurisu's focus to snap in place." Kanarazuya!" he attempted to announce, instead coughing repeatedly, sending pain through his arms and hip.

"It will admittedly take more time than I originally anticipated, but I assure you. I will heal your injuries."

"Or you could just teach us how," Ace said.

"I mean—yea okay, so you've shown us how and had us practice scratches and stuff, but like, this is big stuff."

"No, absolutely no more training! That's what opened the door for this whole mess in the first place," Charlotte interrupted.

"I don't want any more training. No more fighting, no spells, none of it. We're going to heal, get better, and hope something like this never happens again!"

"Mom, seriously? You think practicing a healing spell is going to make him go 'Red Hulk' again?" Ace countered.

"Plus, there are still a crap ton of those goblins and stuff running amuck. Didn't the news say something about zombie dogs or something? What do you want us to do, call Milla Jovovich?"

"Ace, it's the principal of the matter. The mindset. Training makes you think fighting is okay, and it's not. We're already in trouble with the feds, and killing things isn't as easy as just beating it to death and then walking away! You're thirteen! Look at what's wrong with Kurisu! Do you want that to happen to you?" She stepped into Kurisu's view, a trembling smile on her lips.

"Thank you for fixing Ace's neck, but I'm sorry, no more powers. And, sorry to use you as an example, I just want them to understand." It stung, but she wasn't wrong, not about the monster anyway. It wouldn't do for them to become like him, but Kurisu had a feeling that wasn't exactly how his problem worked, or why. He was in no position to argue; however, he did want to heal Kellevra's elbow at least.

"Please allow me to heal his elbow, and I shall abide by your request."

"Please Mom? The doctor said my elbow will never be normal again. This is my only chance." Head turning back and forth between Kellevra and Kurisu, Charlotte faltered, taking a step back.

"F, Fine. But only because of how bad it is, and because he promised you before I announced the ban."

"Good, then if they're healing, I'm practicing too!" Ace insisted.

"No!" Charlotte began, but Kurisu stopped her by attempting to clear his throat, resulting in another coughing fit.

"It will be some time before I can perform the mudra myself, given that I am bound to this bed in such fashion. I will require a proxy, and Ace is perfect for the task," Kurisu supplied.

"Hey, and what am I—" Kenji started to say, but Kurisu sent a microjolt at him. Just enough to get his attention. After turning with a scowl directed at Kurisu, Kenji's eyes widened at Kurisu's pointed look.

"Oh, yeah, sorry, Kell. Not gonna work out. I need to heal my chest first." Charlotte sighed, looking at the floor.

"No, I can't ask you to do something I won't let my children do. Fine, boys, but this is it."

"I need to know something," Steven said as he stepped into Kurisu's view, his jaw set.

"I'm grateful that you healed Ace, but I need to know why. Then there's all this talk about you healing yourself? Do you mean this old man state is just some ploy? You're going to be young and a danger to my kids, my house again?" He shook his head, glowering down at Kurisu.

"I don't forgive you. You almost killed my son. You maimed my youngest, and probably would have killed him too and Kenji over there if you hadn't been stopped. I will never forgive you. I warned you that if you brought harm to my family there'd be hell to pay, boy! But I can't turn my back on someone who stepped in front of a bullet for one of my kids. Even if he is the asshole that shot it." Kurisu swallowed; the lump was back, larger, angrier than before, yet at the same time, this felt right.

He should be getting yelled at. He should be facing wrath and judgement. What he had done was inexcusable.

"I am not worthy of your forgiveness; as such, I do not ask for it. Nevertheless, I do offer you my sincerest apologies. You welcomed me into your home, and I betrayed you."

"I don't want your platitudes. Can you get better, specifically young again, or not?" Staring at Steven's face, Kurisu saw his own father; the chance to protect his family, not even an option as he lay dying in the sand.

"I can," Kurisu admitted, watching Steven's face darken further.

"However I have no intention to do so."

"No way!" Kenji exclaimed, echoed by Ace and Kellevra.

"Not only does this frail state allow for my immediate and trivial elimination should an episode befall me again; I intended it to allow my execution before I learned this land requires harsher crimes for such justice. I will heal myself to the point I can provide my own care and no further."