justonetruth | (no subject)

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[There are loud crashing noises coming from one of the rooms, followed by the sound of shattering glass and a few more ominous thumps. It goes silent again for a few moments, before the door is flung open and someone flies out of the room, skidding across the wooden floors of the hallway and colliding painfully with the opposite wall.

It's another Kaito, though clearly not one of the more normal ones. He's dressed in a dull green jumpsuit indicative of prison garb, and a light-gray, metal collar with a bar-code adorning the front is looped around his neck. His appearance isn't helped by the dark red blood stains that spatter his clothing and smear across his cheek. Nor does is it helped by the light trail of blood that now streaks across the floor where he slid, and the droplets that now line the wall where he landed.

He's breathing heavily as he lifts a hand to wipe his mouth, and he freezes mid-motion. His gaze darts frantically around the hallway, and despite his seemingly serious injuries, he's on his feet within seconds, taking a defensive stance and glancing frantically at his surroundings]

The hell--

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Kaito-niichan, listen. Time doesn't work here. When you go home everything will be the same and you can still save Aoko-neechan.

[Tries to move closer with the bandages again]

[He doesn't have the energy to scoot away this time, as his vision is so blurred he can't even think straight]

Time... doesn't... [he heaves in a deep breath as he struggles for consciousness] Doesn't make any sense--!

This whole place doesn't make sense, but it's true. We're between dimensions.

[Can't is just as good as doesn't, and Conan starts tugging on his jumpsuit, trying to spot where the worst wounds are. But the thick fabric keeps getting in the way, and he finally produces a small but sturdy knife to cut it with]

[The production of the knife gets Kaito to tense again, his voice a low growl]

Don't.

[It only he was so tired and anemic, he'd produce some weapons of his own to scare this kid off]

I'm not going to hurt you.

[As soon as he's got some tears, Conan drops the knife and uses his hands to rip the jumpsuit the rest of the way. But Kaito has clothes on underneath, and he's still too hampered.

He presses some gauze against the most badly bleeding of the wounds and looks up at the older boy]

Kaito-niichan, you need to take this off.

[Kaito gives Conan a warning look, but doesn't move away as the boy works (mostly because he's too tired, too worn out to even try). He leans his head back against the wall and curses, his mind already working out ways to get back to the prison so he can help Aoko...

Conan addressing him manages to pull him back to reality]

I-- huh?

[Awkwardly, Conan reaches up to tug on the fastens of the jumpsuit. He's too small to shed Kaito's clothes on his own, however efficient he might be]

I can't bandage you while you're wearing this.

[He's worried now, really worried, but trying not to let it show. He's never seen his friend -- variation or otherwise -- quite so injured before. And there's other things to worry about]

...What's that collar?

[Kaito gives Conan a suspicious look, before he decides through the haze of his blood loss that he might as well avoid looking a gift horse in the mouth. Shakily, he reaches up to undo the clasps and zipper of the jump suit, wincing as the movement irritates his wounds.

He shoots the small boy another glance when he asks about the collar. Everyone in DW knows what they are...

No, he's supposedly not in DW anymore, is he? The boy had said something about... dimensions]

'S stupid. [Kaito doesn't have the strength to answer anymore in-depth than that at the moment]

[Conan helps where he can, doing his best to avoid aggravating wounds while still hanging on to the gauze he already has in place. Once the jumpsuit is out of the way, it's a simple matter to just shred the light t-shirt, and Conan sets about doing that and cleaning wounds with a brisk matter-of-fact manner that says he's done this many times before]

And the jumpsuit?

[Keep him talking, keep him conscious]

[Conan might have a hard time doing that, as he's quickly fading, even with the sting of the boy's ministrations. He doesn't even have the mind to think about why someone so young would know such complex first aid]

Prison... [tiredly] How do you not know?

We aren't from the same place. [eyes a particularly large wound, debating whether it needs stitches. There are other, older scars around it, and he isn't sure he's skilled enough to stitch scar tissue without it tearing] A prison did this to you?

[He laughs humorlessly, his word slurring together as he starts the slow descent into unconsciousness]

Haa... basically. [he inhales and exhales deeply]

Gotta get back... as soon as I can.

[settles for cleaning the area as best he can and pressing hard on the gauze, both to help staunch the bleeding and to keep Kaito a little more awake with the pain]

Don't worry, you will. What happened to Aoko-neechan?

[Wincing a bit as Conan cleans his wounds, though even the pain is beginning to dull]

Aoko was... [he lifts a hand to rub his face in an attempt to keep himself away] Aoko was taken by-- [he cuts himself off as his vision blurs]

... sorry, can't-- [he can't stay awake much longer]

You need to try to stay awake!

[The majority of trauma deaths are due to severe brain injury or a dangerous condition resulting from blood loss called hypovolemic shock. Hypovolemic shock can progress within a matter of one or two hours to organ failure and death.

The patient may feel dizzy, faint, nauseated, or very thirsty. Significantly decreased systolic blood pressure, decreased level of consciousness, anxiety and mental confusion, and cold and pale skin are all indicative of Stage 4 hypovolemic shock, which indicates a loss of 40% or more of total blood volume. Severe shock, lactic acidosis, and death occur if blood loss exceeds 40% to 50% of plasma volume.

Emergency oxygen should be immediately employed to increase the efficiency of the patient's remaining blood supply. Blood transfusions coupled with surgical repair are the definitive treatment for hypovolemia caused by trauma.

The information flows through his head as if he's reading it out of a book. Conan doesn't question it; he just acts, securing the last bandage and running back into the infirmary. He doesn't have the tools for a blood transfusion, but maybe...

Yes! The Mansion's being good to them tonight: there's a small oxygen tank with mask sitting over in the corner. It's heavy and almost as big as he is, but Conan determinedly drags it back over to the wounded prisoner. If a transfusion can't be made, getting oxygen to the remaining blood is the next best thing.

Conan turns the gas on and presses the mask right to Kaito's mouth without even bothering with the straps. Hopefully this will stave off the worst of the shock]

It's oxygen. Breathe deep.

[As a Deadman, Kaito is more than aware of the symptoms of blood loss. He's more than aware that he surpassed his limits by using far too much of his blood in the previous fight.

He's also vaguely aware that this kid-- whoever he is-- bandaged up his wounds and is now trying to keep him from passing out. It's not that he isn't suspicious anymore, because he is.

He just knows he can't afford to refuse his help any longer.

Kaito lifts a hand to take hold of the oxygen mask, concentrating on evening out his breathing to a more normal pace as he does so. He shoots Conan a brief, furtive glance, and says nothing]

[The oxygen seems to help, and Conan relaxes, just a little bit. Kaito needs sugar, vitamins, and fluids, but he isn't willing to leave the older boy alone to go get food until he's sure that Kaito won't pass out. There isn't much more he can do about the wounds (they've stopped bleeding now, at the very least), so that leaves explanations for the time being.

Hopefully Kaito's coherent enough to listen to them this time.]

This place is called the Mansion. We don't know who brought us here or who made it, but time doesn't seem to pass at home while we're here; we think it's another world or a separate dimension. While we're here it gives us food and a place to sleep and anything else we need, like the bandages I got you. And when it sends us back home, we go back to the exact time and place that it brought us from.

[Kaito's still watching Conan out of the corner of his eye as he leans against the wall and breathes. He's still dizzy, still lightheaded, and he definitely needs his fair share of fluids to help replenish his blood, but a small part of him is grateful this kid hasn't left yet despite his suspicions...

He doesn't have the energy to speak, but he nods, showing he heard everything Conan said]

[Conan nods in return]

So Aoko-neechan will be right where you left her when you go back. Even if that means she's still in trouble, she won't be in any more trouble than she already was. [not exactly reassuring, but it beats the alternative. Conan certainly knows how badly he was worrying about Ran and Haibara and the others before it was explained to him] She might even be brought here, if you're lucky.

[He pauses briefly, not sure whether to explain the next bit. It's important to know, but Kaito's fighting for consciousness, and it's a lot to take in at once. He eventually decides to explain it anyway; he can always repeat it after if he has to]

One more thing: this place isn't just another world, it's a nexus. It pulls in versions of people we know from a whole bunch of other worlds where things happened differently. That's why the Kaito-niichan I know never went to prison, even though you have.

[He pauses again as he checks the gauge on the oxygen tank, wanting to ration the flow]

You'll see a lot of people here who look like people you know, including Aoko-neechan and yourself. All of us got pulled here the same way. Most of us are good, but there's a few bad versions that I'll tell you about later.

[The oxygen flow is stable, and Kaito looks like he can manage on his own for at least a few minutes -- enough for a water trip in the infirmary. Conan helps wrap the mask straps around Kaito's head so he doesn't have to hold onto the mask any more, and steps back]

I'm going to get you some water, okay? I'll be right back.

[The look he gives Conan after the long-winded explanation is clearly one of disbelief-- and briefly, Kaito wonders if this entire thing is a hallucination. Then again... it all feels real..

Despite the mask being firmly attached to his head, he keeps his hand on top of it, turning his head away from Conan and leaning it against the wall again. His eyes slip shut as he once again concentrates on breathing, but he manages to remain conscious]

[Conan takes that as an 'okay' and hurries into the infirmary. The sinks are high (like they always are), but he methodically pulls a chair over here, walks along the counters there, and uses various other improvised methods to get what he wants where he wants it. He's certainly had to do it enough times at home -- when a good supply source is found, it's up to everyone to collect as much as they can as quickly as they can, including the kids. There's only so long that a store's windows can hold out against the weight of multiple zombies.

There's some nice, big glasses in the cupboards, and he fills two as full as he can get them with warm water, carefully making his way back down to the floor with them and then back over to Kaito. One glass goes on the floor, and the other gets held out to the older boy]

Can you drink?

[Kaito doesn't open his eyes, but he nods to indicate he heard Conan loud and clear]

[He'd almost been worried that Kaito had passed out for a minute there, but the nod reassures him, and Conan reaches up to help him remove the mask so he can drink. The younger boy watches him intently the whole time to make sure he doesn't drink too quickly; if he threw up now, it would just make things even worse]

[Kaito is certainly smart enough to drink his water slowly and carefully so he doesn't worsen his condition. It's not orange juice, but it'll help]

[Once he's sure Kaito's handling things on his own, Conan crosses the hallway to a door and pauses with his hand on the doorknob, thinking hard before opening it on a linen closet stuffed with warm sheets and blankets. He grabs the closest blanket and drags it down, pulling it over to the older boy]

Here. Though if you think you can stand up, it'd be better to get you to a bedroom.