You're Beautiful: Chapter 1
INOUE KARIN
“Karin....Karin dear....wake up...”
“Huh?...”
Karin opened her eyes at the voice of a lady. She stared groggily at the blurry figure, wondering why the matron was waking her.
“....its Sunday...” she yawned putting on her glasses. As the view became clear, she looked up at Hitomi sensei and felt a horribly uncomfortable feeling rising in the pit of her stomach. The matron was wearing an expression of extreme sadness and pity, and some of the other girls were looking up from under their blankets in concern.
“Hitomi sensei....what happened?”
Karin never clearly remembered what happened that morning. She didn't she pay any attention to anyone around her, nor the murmurs in her dorms as she dressed at light speed and ran out with Hitomi Sensei at her tail. The strange gazes people were giving them didn't even catch her eye once. She couldn't think of anything else. Nothing mattered to her aside from getting to the city. Not her badminton practice that day, which she would never miss in normal occasions, nor her undone pile of homework that she had planned to finish that morning. And not even her usual volunteer visit to the orphanage with the senior girls that night. Nothing mattered more than getting on that train, to get to the city, and then the cab to the hospital.
She felt her heart drop as she entered into the private room accompanied by a nurse. She felt every inch of her body shivering as she laid her eyes on the boy lying in the bed, with his eyes shut. That was all she could see, every other part of his face was covered in white bandages. She gently moved forward, and grabbed his hand.
“Ke.....Ken...?”
The boy didn't respond.
“Inoue Karin san?”
Karin flinched at the voice. Trembling from head to foot, she turned slowly to face the doctor she had not noted upon entering the room. He came toward her placing the clipboard in his hand on the table at the foot of the bed.
“Anatawa, Inoue Karin desho?”
Still shaking, she nodded. “’Hai...”
“You are this boy’s sister?”
“Ye...Yes....I’m...his...”
“You are his only living relative, yes?”
She nodded, rooted to the spot. The doctor sighed and rubbed his forehead with one hand. He looked seriously troubled, and very reluctant. Karin could see that much.
“Is he going to be...urm...okay? Why...is he...sleeping?” she asked, quivering.
He sighed again and looked at her, and silent tears began dripping down her face.
****************************************************************
“Kazama Sensei!”
“Tanaka san....” Kazama Smiled as the male nurse approached him holding a box of instruments.
“What are you doing?” Tanaka asked happily placing the boxes onto the couch, and heading towards the vending machine.
“I’m just looking at them..” Kazama beckoned. Tanaka looked up.
“Ahh...the twins? We heard...”
They both stared straight at a room with glass windows, in which a bandaged figure was laying on the bed, and a paralyzed looking girl was staring at him in utter shock, seated in a chair next to the bed.
“She hasn't moved from that position since I left the room...” Kazama sighed as the Tanaka san handed him a cup of coffee from the machine.
“What happened to the boy?” Tanaka asked now getting himself some coffee.
“Well...the boy got into a car accident. Apparently he was heading out for some job interview, opportunity of a lifetime or something apparently, and he decided to drive a little rashly to save time. Ended up crashing in the tunnel, hit his head hard.”
Tanaka looked up from his coffee widening his eyes. “Poor thing...but you managed to fix him up right?”
“I did my part. He basically had a severe concussion, and some broken bones, a dented face... Some people from the plastic surgery department are coming down tomorrow to do theirs.”
Tanaka shook his head in pity as Kazama took a deep sip from his coffee.
“How’s he paying for that?”
“His company has it covered...he works for some..agency...talent agency or something.”
Tanaka looked up. “Wait...is he some big idol?”
“No no...some junior...”
“Ahhh...well at least his sister doesn't have to worry about finances...”
Kazama sensei stared at the window again, which now depicted the girl sobbing hysterically into the boy’s blanket.
“I don’t think that even crossed her mind. Apparently she hasn't seen her brother for many years. And this is how they meet...I mean I feel bad for those two. They are alone...and now he’s comatose. He’ll take his time to recover...”
Tanaka nodded sympathetically and stood up.
“Well...let’s hope for the best”