July 27, 2005
The adoption papers were finalized. Nix was now officially part of Kaori and Zane's family.
As they met him for the first time, Kaori smiled warmly.
"Hi there, Nix. We're going to be your guardians. You can call me Kaori, and this is my husband, Zane. It's really nice to meet you."
Nix didn't respond. His eyes were distant, lost in everything that had happened.
Kaori and Zane finished the paperwork and brought him home. On the way, Kaori noticed how quiet he was. He hadn't spoken a single word.
When they arrived at the house, she turned to him gently.
"Well, Nix… this is our home. We really want you to feel welcome. If there's anything we can do to make you more comfortable, please don't hesitate to ask."
Nix gave a small nod.
Just then, Kaori's daughters ran out to greet them.
"Nix," Kaori said, "these are my daughters. The oldest is Lina, and the younger one with blue hair is Aqua. Girls, this is Nix — he's going to be staying with us."
Nix froze when he saw Aqua.
There was something strange about her. Familiar, almost… as if he had seen her before.
"It's really nice to meet you," Nix said quietly.
Kaori blinked. It was the first time he had spoken all day — and only after seeing Aqua. She brushed it off, thinking maybe it was just because they were the same age.
Zane smiled and stepped forward. "Alright, let's give Nix some space. He's probably tired. Come on, kid — I'll show you your room."
Nix followed, silent, and sat on his bed once Zane left. His mind spiraled, trying to understand what his father had seen… the man with flaming hands.
His head started to throb.
The pain grew intense. He lay back and tried to rest.
---
Screaming jolted through the house.
Kaori rushed upstairs and burst into the room.
"Nix! What's wrong?"
Nix trembled, drenched in sweat.
"I had a nightmare… I can't stop shaking."
Kaori rushed to his side, placing a hand on his forehead. Her eyes widened.
"You're burning up! Hold on — I'll get medicine and a cold towel."
As she ran down the stairs, Lina shouted from the living room.
"Something's wrong with Aqua! She's burning up too!"
Kaori's heart dropped.
She sprinted to Aqua and found her flushed and feverish. Without hesitation, she loaded both children into the car and drove straight to the hospital.
---
In the emergency room, Dr. Chris examined both of them quickly.
"Have they been exposed to any chemicals?" he asked.
"No," Kaori said. "Nix had just woken up from a nightmare, and Aqua was watching TV. That's all."
Dr. Chris frowned. "Strange. Their heart rates are identical. Their fevers are at the same temperature. But it doesn't look like a virus or a typical cold."
He gave them fever medication and kept them under observation.
Hours passed. Their temperatures slowly returned to normal.
Dr. Chris pulled Kaori aside.
"They seem stable now, but what they experienced wasn't normal. Their symptoms were synchronized — right down to their heartbeats. Can you bring them in once a week? I'd like to monitor this."
Kaori nodded. "It's strange, I know. But when we adopted Nix, we found out he was born in the same hospital, on the same day, at the exact same time as Aqua. My husband and I thought it was destiny. Now I'm not so sure… maybe it's something more."
Dr. Chris gave her a serious look.
"Destiny or not… they're connected somehow. As a doctor to a doctor — keep a close eye on them. I won't include this in the files… just in case it's something else."
"Thank you, Dr. Chris," she said. "I'll keep in touch if anything changes."
---
Back in the hospital room, Nix and Aqua began to stir.
The first thing they did…
was look straight into each other's eyes.