Chapter 32: Tohka's resolve

Tohka was treating the sick Grimm girl as she noticed that she was burning up more, cursing under her breath, the spirit tore a sleeve of her school uniform off and drenched it in water.

"All the rags are in the wash...damn it, why won't her fever break?" Tohka asked as she noticed the deep scratches in Scarlet's neck. "Did she do this?"

It wasn't bleeding or anything, but Tohka could see right into the Grimm girl's neck, as if she was being devoured by Scarlet. "If she did that, then why would she?" She didn't waste time as she grabbed a sewing needle and a thread. She had remembered Scarlet's immortality and healing, but the deep wounds weren't healing. "This fever is stopping her regeneration.."

Tohka would carefully and easily stitch the deep claw marks as she wondered how Scarlet hadn't died from having deep open wounds on her neck. "There...she's patched up, but her fever isn't."

Scarlet winched in pain as she yelled in her sleep. It seemed the nightmare was back, but since Death Thirteen was no longer within Scarlet's dream, this seemed more real. "NO! Don't kill Kurumi!"

Tohka watched and listened to the words spoken from the sickly girl as she sat there quietly to see if she'd say anything else.

~~~

Tohka clinched the bed sheets as she had a full paper of what Scarlet said. "Demigra....how is he? We took care of him, this is impossible."

The Grimm girl was still not awake, her fever was getting worse by the minute, Tohka knew if it didn't break anytime soon, Scarlet would die. Immortal or not, a fever was a one way ticket to death. "Damn it...why isn't Shido, Kotori or Yoshino here? Why is it just me?"

The door swung open as Tohka grabbed her sword and stood by the bedside as she listens. Footsteps could be heard slowly approaching the room, until it came to a stop. Tohka gulps as she felt sweat slide down her neck as the door handle jiggles violently.

Silence filled the air as Tohka grips her sword tightly as her eyes moved towards the window and then back to the door. Suddenly, the door was sent flying off it's hengies. Dio stood there by the entrance, he sensed that Tohka still had the stand arrow as he held his hand out. "You there, hand over the arrow now, or else."

Scarlet yelled in pain as she spat up blood. Tohka glanced at the girl as she growls looking at Dio. "Please, help...she's in a terrible shape, I'll give you the dammed arrow if you help."

Dio crossed his arms. "Tch, fine then." He summons his stand The World, as time came to a complete stop, Dio glanced around to see if there was any traces of another stand user. "There." The World punched the wall as it cracked. "Useless, Useless, Useless, Useless!" The wall shattered as time reseumed as a yellow blob.

"Yellow Temperance..." Dio said. "Meaning..." He dashed past the stand as stood there. "Rubber soul."

Tohka was pissed as she swung her sword at the man slicing him in half. "You bastard!"

~~~

Scarlet's fever broke as she was breathing normally as she slept with no problems, Tohka handed Dip the arrow as she looks over to Scarlet. The Grimm girl stirs in her sleep.

"So this whole time it was Rubber Soul and his stand..." Tohka said.

Dio was already gone as he had the stand arrow. Tohka sighs as she waited for Scarlet to wake up.

Time passed as Scarlet jolted up in bed in a panic. "NIGHTMARE!"

Tohka jumps as she looks over. "Scarlet, easy...it was a fever dream. She's not hurt." The spirit saw how fast she was breathing until it was a normal pace. "I took care of you...if you still wish to kill me, then so be it."

Scarlet didn't say anything as she got out of bed, she grabbed Black Rose and walked off, a rift opened as the scent of Salem flowed through. "You're wrong Tohka...Demigra has her, that wasn't just a fever nightmare...it was also a vision." She glanced at Tohka. "My mother is still alive too. I need to take care of some stuff, go back to Tengu city and warn the others." She walked through the rift as it closed behind her.