Unveiled Truths

They dismissed it as only the flu. Even when the symptoms became more questionable, like the unexplainable bruising and difficulty in stopping even the smallest cuts from bleeding, they didn't worry. Until the day the blood results came back: Rei and Kai both had leukemia. And their bodies weren't the only ones harbouring secrets…

A/N: All right, I'm not a doctor, I just used what information I could gather from the following books:

McDaniel, Lurlene. Six Months To Live.  (This book is the first of the Dawn Rochelle Quartet, for those who have read Lurlene McDaniel. This author writes extremely good angsty books about teens who are going through hard times. A lot of them are stuff like diabetes and cancer, but there's teens who have lost friends and family from accidents and there's one pair of books, Angel of Hope and Angel of Mercy, that are all about a girl who goes on a missions trip to Africa. It's really sad and angsty.)

Kent, Deborah. Too Soon To Say Goodbye. (A good book about a 13-year-old girl who comes down with leukemia. It has some good views on the isolation patients feel and the problems adjusting with younger siblings and stuff like that. This author's also wrote a book called Why Me?, which is about a girl who finds out she has a possibly fatal kidney disease and needs a transplant. However, she's adopted, so she goes on a search for her birth mother.)

So if you happen to notice any errors, don't flame me, but please tell me so I can store it away in case I ever write another story involving leukemia and I'll try to fix errors where I can.

DISCLAIMER: I own only Ira, Lien, Mikael, Anastassia, David, Matrina, Blaise, Sikander, Zekediah, Malik, Sisley, Evan, Nevada, Curran, Chad, Abia, Lashae, Hollie, Tamra, Netanya and Chloe, along with the nurses and doctors at Tokyo Civic.

Chapter 1: It's Only The Flu

 Serov, Russia - December 25, 2002

                "My turn, my turn!"

                "No! You just opened one! Mama, it's my turn now!"

                "Mememememememememe!"

                "Girls, stop it!" 15-year-old Kai Hiwatari groaned, lying down on one of the couches in the rec room, a wet cloth over his eyes.

                "Yes, girls, keep it down a bit," Anastassia Shostanova said. "Kai's got a headache and baby Chloe's sleeping still."

                "Again?" 7-year-old Hollie said in exasperation. "That's all she does! And Kai always has a headache! Even today, and it's Christmas! And his birthday!"

                "I know," Kai's stepfather, Mikael, said. "That's what worries me. The medicine isn't helping, is it, Kai?"

                "Not really," Kai admitted. "But I'm sure the results will say it's only the flu, Mikael. Don't worry about it."

Nakoemi, Hong Kong - December 25, 2002

                "Rei, are you sure you feel all right?" Lien Kon asked worriedly, laying a cool hand on his forehead.

                "I'm fine, Mom." 14-year-old Rei Kon said irritably. "I'm just a little dizzy. Come on, the kids are waiting for us."

                "Rei, you look something the cat dragged in," Rei's 35-year-old brother David told him frankly.

                "David." David's wife Matrina chided gently.

                "David's right, Rei. You look awful," 30-year-old Malik agreed.

                "It's just the flu." Rei insisted. "It'll be gone within a couple of days."

                "You'd better hope so." 25-year-old Chad said. "You'd hate to be sick on your birthday."

                "No kidding."

Serov, Russia - December 31

                "Sorry?" Mikael said into the phone. "Are you sure? All right, when? This afternoon? Well, okay." He hung up the phone and entered the rec room, where his three oldest daughters: Hollie, 5-year-old Tamra and 2-year-old Netanya; were busy playing with their Christmas presents. "Girls, where's Kai?"

                "Up in his bedroom," Hollie responded. "He's sick again."

                "Oh, he is." Mikael climbed the staircase, where, indeed, Kai was stretched out on his bed, attempting to stop what looked like a bleeding nose, without much success.

                "Am I making too much blood or something?" Kai was muttering under his breath. "I mean, between nosebleeds and gum bleeding and non-clotting cuts, I'm losing a lot of blood."

                "Kai, the doctors called back."

                "And?" Kai asked, not bothering to sit up.

                "Pack your bags. We have to bring you into the hospital this afternoon."

Nakoemi, Hong Kong - December 31

                "Mom, do we have to go today?" Rei whined as his mother ordered him out the door, overnight bag in hand. "It's my birthday!"

                "Yes." Lien told him. "We have to get to Canton today."

                Rei's face turned outraged. "Canton? Mom, that's not even in Hong Kong!"

                "Rei, don't make this any more difficult than it already is," Ira Kon ordered.

                "Some birthday," Rei grumbled as he sullenly closed the door to the backseat.