Blind, But Determined

Itsuki’s eyes fluttered open.

The first thing he noticed was the cold metal around his wrists.

Clink.

He jerked up instantly.

"W-what … what the hell?!" he barked. He twisted his arms, the restraints biting into his skin.

A heavy hand landed on his shoulder, grounding him.

"Breathe, kid," a voice rasped. “You’ll only make things worse if you panic. Your friend… he needs your calm.”

The fire in Itsuki’s chest hit a wall of ice.

He sank back, his stomach twisting like it was tied in knots and swallowed hard.

“Rei… is he okay?” he whispered

The man beside him, Sarutobi, nodded slowly.

“You can go… but don’t lose it again, got it? Stay calm.”

Itsuki met his gaze.

“I will” he said, his voice cracking.

Click. Clack.

The pressure vanished.

Itsuki didn't wait for an invitation. He shoved the thin medical curtain aside, the rings sliding across the metal pole with a piercing screech.

The sight on the other side made his breath hitch.

Rei lay on a bed. His limbs twitched in rhythmic, violent pulses, as if something beneath his skin was trying to claw its way out.

Four exorcists stood over him :

On one side, Akira, his father, and a doctor. Light flowed from their palms, sinking into Rei, steady and warm.

On the other, a blind monk. His throat rumbled with a low chant, pulling the shadows right out of the boy.

Enshin was there too.

His forehead pressed against his interlaced fingers, whispering prayers so fast they sounded like a swarm of bees.

Itsuki’s chest tightened.

“What are they doing? It looks like torture… it’s horrible,” Itsuki whispered, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the bedrail.

“They’re clearing the darkness from inside him,” Sarutobi explained.

“It’s the only way to save him.”

Itsuki’s jaw ached from the tension, fists clenching.

“Can I help?”

The desperation in his voice was thick.

Sarutobi reached out, his hand ruffling Itsuki’s hair in a rare, heavy gesture of comfort.

“You’ve done enough. Let the pros take over… trust us.”

Tch.

Itsuki flinched away from the touch, his teeth gritting.

Trust wasn't a currency he spent easily, especially not with an exorcist but the helplessness pinned him to the floor.

Suddenly, the light from the exorcists' hands disappeared.

Itsuki’s voice spiked into a near-shriek.

"Why’d you stop?!"

“Relax,” Captain Tenshin said calmly , “We’ve neutralized nearly all of it.”

“Nearly?” Itsuki echoed, voice tight.

“His eyes… they took a lot of damage. For now, we just wait. There’s nothing else we can do,” Akira said, voice low, heavy.

Itsuki’s stomach dropped.

"His eyes… you mean h-he’s blind? Forever?"

Silence.

Then the doctor explained.

“It’s too early to tell. We’ll see when he wakes. Other effects might also appear like hearing, thinking, even magic.”

Itsuki’s hands began to shake again. The rage was coming back, hot and jagged.

“Control yourself” Sarutobi warned, his eyes narrowing

“Or I’ll lock you up for good.”

“Besides, it won’t help your friend.”

Itsuki forced a ragged exhale, trying to push the anger down into his boots.

"I’m fine. Just… please. Let me stay."

He looked at Rei’s unmoving face.

"What do we do now?"

Sarutobi leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.

"The hardest part. We wait."

Gasp.

Rei’s back arched off the mattress so violently the frame groaned. A raw, jagged scream tore through his throat, the sound of a man drowning on dry land.

“No… No! Please someone help me!”

He was thrashing now, his heels drumming against the sheets. To him, the world was still a void of crushing pressure and oily shadows.

"Rei! Hey, Rei! Everything fine“

The voices were frantic. Itsuki. Akira. Enshin. They sounded like they were calling from the bottom of a deep well.

Itsuki. Akira, Enshin. Their voices were firm, insistent. Anchors in the chaos.

Rei’s eyes snapped open.

Nothing.

Just a flat, impenetrable wall of black. No shapes. No light. No movement.

Voices ? Is It real ? Am I really safe ?

His hands clawed at the air, his fingers hooking like talons as he searched for something, anything, to prove he wasn't still lying in the Zone.

Rei’s hand caught Enshin’s sleeve.

He gripped the fabric so hard it began to tear. Then Enshin wrapped his arms around the boy, pulling him into a firm embrace, holding him steady like a shield against the darkness.

"It’s okay… it’s over," Enshin murmured into his hair. "You’re in the infirmary. You’re safe."

Rei froze.

The warmth of Enshin’s chest, the smell of cigarette, the steady thump-thump of a real heart… it began to drown out the echoes of the void.

Though blind, every other sense screamed:

He was alive. He was here. He was safe.

“I-I’m safe… really…?”

And then the dam broke.

Tears spilled freely, wet tracks down his cheeks.

"Thank you… god, thank you… I’m sorry… Enshin … I’m so sorry…"

The room went tomb-quiet.

Everyone paused, giving him space, watching quietly.

Itsuki stood a few feet away, his fists clenched so tight his skin was white.

Akira jaw set in a hard, painful line.

They watched their friend crumble, the raw vulnerability of the moment making it hard to breathe.

Enshin didn't let go.

He just tapped Rei’s back rhythmically.

"Easy now. Just breathe. You’re safe. You’re safe"

Rei’s sobs gradually slowed.

His grip on Enshin’s coat loosened. He sat back, his head lolling slightly as he tried to orient himself in a world that refused to show itself to him.

The silence in the infirmary was heavy, broken only by the scratch of the doctor’s pen.

"My name is Dr. Halden," a calm, clinical voice announced from his left. May I?"

Rei gave a single, stiff nod.

The doctor raised a small light and moved it slowly in front of Rei’s eyes.

Nothing.

His eyes didn’t react, but the doctor said nothing aloud, giving him a chance to stay calm.

The doctor’s gaze shifted briefly to Enshin.

A small, almost invisible shake of the head.

Enshin understood.

Rei didn’t look surprised as he already knew he couldn’t see but he said nothing.

The doctor lowered the light and continued, as if nothing was wrong.

“Can you hear me clearly?”

“Yes,” Rei replied without hesitation.

“Good.”

The doctor proceeded to check his vitals. The hiss of the blood pressure cuff. The cold touch of a stethoscope.

He tapped Rei’s knee lightly. The reflex responded.

Click.

The doctor stepped back, his shoes squeaking on the floor.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the doctor results.

Rei broke the silence.

"So, what’s the verdict?" Rei asked, his voice eerily level. " Please be honest."

The doctor took a slow, measured breath.

"Physically, you’re a miracle. Your vitals are stabilizing"

A pause.

"But the miasma focused on your optic nerves. It... cauterized the connection."

The words felt like stones falling into a deep pool.

"Is it permanent?" Rei asked calmly.

"We can't say," the doctor admitted. "Darkness corruption is volatile. It might recede with time. Or… it might not."

"I see," Rei whispered, the irony of the phrase not lost on him.

Behind him, he heard Akira’s sharp intake of breath. He could practically feel the guilt radiating off his friend

Sorry, it was my role. I should have protected you

And then there was Itsuki. The air around him felt hot, charged with a jagged, murderous intent.

I’ll kill him. I’ll find that bastard and rip his heart out.

"Itsuki," Sarutobi’s voice cut through the air like a knife. "Don't do anything stupid”.

Itsuki didn't respond, but the sound of his teeth grinding was audible.

"He needs rest," the doctor declared, gesturing toward the door.

"Everyone out. Now."

Rei waited until he heard the footsteps retreating.

"Doctor."

The man stopped at the threshold.

"When is the next trial?"

The room was silent for a heartbeat after Rei’s question.

No one moved. No one spoke.

Enshin was the first to find his voice, his tone incredulous.

"The tournament? Rei, you can barely sit upright. Focus on your recovery!"

“Why not? The doctor said I’m fine.” Rei countered, hands still trembling.

Itsuki snapped, his voice rough with frustration.

“Except you’re blind.”

Rei didn't look at him, he couldn't, but he turned his head in his friend direction.

“So what?” he replied, his voice gaining a hard, metallic edge. "Kaitsuki is still here, he’ll be my eyes.”

Silence.

"If I quit now," Rei continued, his fingers curling into the bedsheets,

"then everything I did out there… all that pain… it becomes a waste. I need to continue."

Akira stepped forward, his voice characteristically soft.

“Rei… listen. I’m still in. I’ll win the tournament. That healing potion? It’s yours. Just stay put, okay?”

"Yeah, me too. " Itsuki growled. "So quit being stubborn… and just rest"

Rei gave a small, tired smile. He felt lucky to have such good friends… but he’d already made up his mind.

"I appreciate it. Truly. But I passed the tests. I earned my spot on that field. I'm not letting a little darkness take that away from me."

The room fell silent.

Akira looked at Itsuki. They both knew that tone. When Rei went quiet like this, he was a mountain, unmovable.

Sarutobi pushed off the wall and walked toward the bed, his heavy boots echoing.

"You've got guts, I'll give you that," he said, stopping inches from Rei. "But guts don't win matches. Results do."

Rei tilted his chin up, staring into the nothingness.

“So… how do I prove I can still fight?”

“The next trial is tomorrow, 1:00 PM,” Sarutobi explained.

"Show up an hour early. I’ll put you through a test"

He leaned in closer.

“If you can snatch my emblem, you keep going. Can’t even find me? Then pack up and go home to recover. Deal?”

Rei didn't hesitate.

"Deal. I’ll be there. And I’ll win!"

Sarutobi nodded, a grim smirk touching his lips.

“We’ll see, kid. Until then… rest up.”

Rei raised his hands, staring at the place where his palms should be.

Tomorrow, he thought, his heart hammering against his ribs.

Tomorrow would decide his fate.