[FIC] : Haru's Story
CHAPTER 7
[Los Angeles, 2005]
She opened the sheet of glass, to breathe the cold wind that quietly taking its pace in places wherever it wanted to go, letting that wind to caress her whitish cover, sending a chilly sensation on her nerves. But that chill embracing her body turned into hotter as she felt two warm enough arms, encircling her waist behind to lessen the cold. The woman took her breath of relief while she exposed the soaked hot noodles and let the gentle wind of night to diminish the smoke above them.
“How’s your day, huh?” a manly tender voice tickled her ears.
“Perfect,” she responded as she leaned her back more, closer to his broad chest.
“You’re not good in lying,” the man pouted.
She faced the man “why should I lie? I have no reasons to do that… my day would be always perfect with you,” she said as she keep her grins while setting aside the cup of noodles, taking out a necklace into her pocket.
“This necklace is the only key of my heart, so I asked the maker to in script your name on the pendant,” The woman he loves the most handed him a key-shaped pendant, dangling in a white-gold necklace.
He smiled “Why my name, instead of yours?”
“Because that name belongs to the one who owned my heart, just in case you might get lost it, they will know that it is yours…It simply says that I am yours. That I am Akanishi Jin’s property. Same with this one.” She showed him the exact pendant with the woman’s name written on it. “This will make me the key holder to your heart.”
“Thank you,” Jin leaned down to give her a passionate kiss.
With closed eyes, the woman and her lover indulged themselves in a passionate kiss in front of an opened window, in front of the lighted skyscrapers of Los Angeles. The beautiful view in his apartment was far-fetched wonderful. She always sees this fantastic Twinkling stars below the skies for one year with him. One year full of perfect days. After their kiss, she smiled as she offers the cup noodles that had been exposed in front of the open window.
“Here,”
Jin smiled “Arigato… I just wonder why you always like to put the cup noodles near the window,”
“You know… just want to at least lowered the heat to be safer to eat,”
“thanks,” he grinned.
She fished her phone then noticed a pile of voice messages.
“Oh,” the lady rapidly detached herself then went outside to hear the messages.
“Don’t you forget what the day now is?” the voice continued. “Saturday…. My performance is today… I’m waiting for you….”
“better go now… I’ll go back right away after,” she kissed the man on his lips before she headed off.
“Promise me….” He whispered as she eyed her lover, sadly eyeing his lover disappearing to his sight.
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
She had expected this scene. It was past 1 am when she came to the hall and she has nothing but to only blame herself for missing one his greatest moment. Chairs occupied by people already emptied. The cries of praises already faded and turned into deafening silence but the place was still having the stage lights. She takes paces towards the center stage, seeing her son standing straight with his violin by her mind’s eye. He was wonderful and gleamed with self-assurance. Though she hasn’t given time to watch him, she has no doubt that Kazuya done it well. Koyuki leave the hall and drive home to congratulate her son for a great performance he had done.
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
“Kazu?” Koyuki slowly pushed the door that creates a small space between just enough to see a figure covered by blanket.
Her smiles suddenly vanished as she began to hear sobs coming inside his room. She decided to enter and sit beside him “I’m sorry… I came late” she uttered as she pull down the blanket.
Kazuya hoisted up and enfold his mother into his arms “It’s okay mama, I know you have many things to do and you haven’t enough time to watch.” he wasn’t sure if he did lying well. He’s hoping he won’t sound raspy and shaky due to his tears.
Koyuki hugged him equally. She knew how dishearten her son was and it brought tons of burden on her. If she cold bring back the time and watch again. She pushed her son to face his watery eyes, said “Uhm, can you perform it for me once again?” Koyuki muttered to Kazuya with her gentle tone while sweeping his tears with her fingers.
Her son cheerfully nodded. Koyuki’s words were just enough to stop himself from crying. It’s been a while since Kazuya heard that gentle voice, he really missed it. He rushed to hold his violin “I hope you will like it,”
She cupped Kazuya’s face “Of course I will always adore every melody you will play my son,”
Kazu giggled as he began to play the symphony that he played at the hall. Same melody and rhythm but the emotion isn’t longer the same. He was more pleased having one of the most important to his life was listening to his music.
If he could choose, he only wanted his parents that could only hear his melody.
There, he could play his instrument with all his best, with all his heart.
She lifted her hands to give applause that he truly deserved as the song ended “Wonderful,”
“Thank you…”
Koyuki assisted her son and tucked him to bed “It’s already midnight… you need to rest now,”
“I’m not a baby to say such words to me mama,” he pouted.
She kissed his forehead “You will always be my baby Kazu,” she turned off the light then let him to rest because she knew how worn-out he was after performing in a dome of crowd.
After she closed the door, she went downstairs as she pulled down her hair from being perfectly coupled with band. The engaging scent of her wavy brownish hair that almost reaching her waist invited a man to encircle his arms around her as it slowly tickling his nostrils, slowly mixing with the smell of cold midnight air and making his heart beat so fast.
Please say you promise,
Promise to walk with me till the end
Until the nightfall embraces us,
I’ll be happy….
Her husband sung his newly composed song to his wife with all his heart in to it. The song is dedicated to his only beloved. Koyuki’s smile is endless as he sung beautifully and she admired his voice, indeed.
“How’s it?” he hummed to his wife’s neck. All his longing brought by Koyuki’s departure was all filled with love again. It’s already six weeks in exact after his wife was assigned in the hospital many kilometers far from their home.
“Is it the song that my baby helped you to arrange?” she hummed, swaying her body along with her husband.
“He is now a full-grown Kazuya,” He corrected Koyuki, having small kisses on her neck.
Koyuki smiled, gazing above the dark sky “Still he’s my baby,”
“Mou, Kazuya don’t want to be treated like that,” he protested, imagining how Kazuya will pouty cutely if he ever hear that.
“Uhm… I just can’t believe…” she turned to him, resting her palms to his chest “Years flies too fast that I can’t even notice that he is already nineteen Hayato,”
Hayato hugged her “Though he is now entering adulthood I will not leave him to walk alone towards the future, until even he has his family… I guess,” and he promised that, until he’s breathing, until he had Koyuki beside him.
Koyuki buried her head more on Hayato’s chest.
“I love you Koyuki… more than to my life,”
She just closed her weary eyes and whisper silently with her heart.
*:*:*:*:*
“Want some breakfast boys?” Koyuki came in while handling a tray towards her two boys.
The musicians put down their instrument then walked to greet Koyuki with a kiss. Hayato kissed her lips while her son pecks gently in her cheeks. They set a table in front of the window and let the woman to arrange the plates and silver spoons and forks. The smoky smell of bacon and the strong scent of black coffee collide with the sweet smell of their garden of blossom behind their house.
Her heart melted as she seen that moment when she’s with them. Bright as the morning sun smiles and Witnessing Kazuya and Hayato together would be the best ever she had seen. Due to her tight schedules, he took care of their only son. He trained Kazuya to be a great musician like he attained. He wanted Kazuya to follow his steps, to reach what he have reached through years.
They have a chat while taking their first breakfast of the week. Since she mostly going home one or two times a week. Koyuki seize moments like this, because she couldn’t predict how long she will waij before she will be in this moment again.
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
After One hour ….
I’ll be go back right way after
Two hours…
Three hours…
She promised me…
After Four hours…
Five hours…
Six hours….
He gawk to the clock hanging on the wall, lounged on the cold floor. He watched the clock that ticking bit by bit. He let his eyes open, waiting for her. Until the sun gushed fingers of lights that went straight to every window. He already felt the warm sunshine upon his skin. It was already morning and she’s not yet here. He wondered what took her long at wherever she went last night. He stretched his hand to touch his phone and fingered her number for umpteenth time, hoping that she will now answer this call.
But his hopes were cast along as he didn’t even hear a single word from her on the phone. Her phone was turned off, he guessed.
Let her be, she will come back tonight, maybe.
Maybe…
It always ended up with this. She will go without coming for days or staying for days without going somewhere. It’s unpredictable but he wanted to second one staying for days without going to somewhere just with him.
He hauled up and straighten his back to ease soreness since he lied down in a solid cold floor and rested his eyes for few seconds before opening the window as he greet the morning sun. It blinded him so much that got his headache more than worst. But he let it, and allowed the sunlight caress his skin as he stretched his hands, upward. Forcing himself to be ready for the morning.
Then an irritating ringtone from his phone disturbed him “What?”
“Duh. You’re needed here in work , of course,” the voice replied with a bit of fume in his tone.
“Can I be late?”
“What? Of course not!” the person retorted.
He massaged his temples as he gazed at the clock “I have no sleep this night and I can’t drive along there… and geez I’m not really feeling well… my head is like ripping into two and I can’t even stand straight if you only know,”
“Don’t be indolent you Akanishi brat! You can’t be gone. We’re in rush and yo know that right? Let me fetch you there after going to my aunt,” he just sighed as the person cut the conversation, never thinking that he’s talking to his co-worker /baka friend.
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
She thumps the polished marble floor with high-heel shoes, creating a tapping sound that attracts the employees on her way. The nurses greeted her in respecting tone of good afternoon from the American to Asian nurses and doctors greeted her. But how polite it was, she didn’t even nod or smile back. She takes her path as if there’s no anything on her way. She truly felt bad for acting that way, but she just had no time for that, nodding and smiling back could be done next time, but saving lives can’t.
A bus was bumped in a convenient store not too far from the hospital. It creates an enormous damage to the establishment because of the strong impact, passengers got injured and more than half of them got serious injuries. The emergency room of California Medical Center was filled with wounded people. Every minute, a patient have been entered the room. Over sixty people were affected, together with the people who had been inside and around the convenient store.
Koyuki with her team, waste no time to respond to every patient that needed to be accommodated. She checked everyone and gave their medical needs, mainly cleaning the wounds and covered it with clean gauzes.
“Are you okay Dr. Kamenashi?” the orange-haired lady nurse asked.
She smiled “Ah don’t mind me… I’m okay,” she speaks fluently in English.
“Dr. Koyuki, excuse me,” a tall asian male nurse approach the doctor “Phone call for you,”
“Sorry I can’t answer it by now, please say that I’ll be the one who will call later,” she said without even looking at him while tapping the cotton ball gently on the little boy’s wound on his knee. The tall nurse just disappeared in the room carrying Koyuki’s message for whoever called.
“Auntie,” Koyuki turned her head to the main door as she heard familiar voice and the person waved his hand.
She smiled and greeted the man “oh Tat-chan… why you’re here?”
“Uncle Hayato called me to remind you to take your lunch since he can’t contact you and I bought already lunch for you so you just need to chow down,” Tatsuya grinned and offer Koyuki a paper bag.
“Thanks Tat-chan… so where are you going now?"
“To my co-worker’s apartment to fetch him,” Tatsuya heave a sigh first before he continued. “Uhm, what medicine should take when suffering from headache?” he scratched his head.
Koyuki drew a worried face and placed a hand on his forehead “Why? Did you have headache? Are you not feeling well? Are you okay?”
He shook his head as he smirked “I’m okay auntie… but my co-worker doesn’t know that’s why I wanted to know so I could buy a remedy for him,”
“Ibuprofen for headache and Paracetamol if he had fever but make sure he don’t have any allergic reaction on taking that kind of medicines,” she informed.
“alright… I’ll go for now auntie…” Tatsuya bowed and walked away.
“oh wait! Don’t forget to eat your lunch!” he swayed his hands upward before he vanished to his aunt’s eyes.
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
After taking the stairs, he finally reached Jin’s apartment. Since it was not locked, he didn’t even think to knock first. He merely entered the apartment. It seems empty. He could only hear his deep breathings. Is he already gone? But the door isn’t locked. The man continued to take steps until he saw the person he expected lying as if waiting for something while handling his cell phone.
“I keep calling her but she didn’t even answer me…” he uttered while gawking at the clock hanging in the wall.
He knelt down and put his palms on top of his forehead “You’re fired up with fever, Jin,” he’s free to call him by his first name, they aren’t in office and besides, he’s Tatsuya’s baka friend.
“Yeah I know so that’s why I called ya,” he whispered with his dried throat.
“I thought that you’re telling a lie,” he ridiculed, shifting on his side slowly.
“I can’t tell a lie when I’m dying like this Tatsuya,”
Tatsuya dashed into Jin’s kitchen to get some small basin with cold water then search for a towel. He also fills a glass of water for him to saturate his cracked lips with some liquid. After few moments after Jin closed his eyes and rest, he went to the kitchen and inspected his cabinet and refrigerator, hoping to grab some raw ingredients to cook and make it a soup or something edible. But he went out failed. Jin’s cabinet almost occupied with merely dusts and the refrigerator was filled with only water containers.
“I planned to drive off to the grocery to store some food here today,” Jin defended as he saw Tatsuya frowning while scanning the kitchen.
"My aunt said take paracetamol if you had fever,” he helped Jin to sit and take the capsule that he bought to the pharmacy before going to his apartment.
He put the towel on Jin’s forehead “My aunt is a doctor and I went to her before heading here,” Tatsuya began as Jin silently went back from lying.
“Hey my uncle wrote a song and will be releasing an album,” he brought the topic up, preparing the towel to be placed on Jin’s forehead “next month.”
“Really?” Jin tried his best to sound energetic “I’ll surely buy that one,”
“You should.” He hummed, smiling to Jin “It’s all about promises, I guess…” Tatsuya drew a smile.
“Have you ever promised to someone?” Jin wondered, thinking it could be a good topic for Tatsuya to forget to pull his ass on work today.
“Of course…” the older man nodded, his eyes went dreamy “I remember I was a kid, after my father left us. We live happy, just two of us until my mom was diagnose of having Disease she inherited from their father.”
Tatsuya paused for a while, reminisced the painful part of his life “This inherited disease where the brain was forgetting all it learned from the start."
“Forgetting all it learned?” Jin asked “That’s kind of... rare.”
“Aurora’s syndrome.” He replied “The name was based on Sleeping beauty’s story. Not to mention the reasons of this.”
“A person with that rare disease sleeps long, well, in coma… First, the brain will start deleting all information. It will forget memories… how to move body parts, losing senses, sleep for many months or years before the brain will completely forget how to control the heart. To make heartbeats. Since she was diagnosed with Aurora’s syndrome, I made promise to be all that she can’t do and to fill all her needs.”
“I’m sorry to hear that Tat-chan,” Jin touched the older one’s hand while Tatsuya’s tears begun crawling from his eyes.
“But her story wasn’t like a happy ending like sleeping beauty.” Tatsuya wiped his tears with the back of his palm “There are no prince that could wake her up…no cure. She got comatose for almost eight months and finally surrendered…”
“Sorry , I’m being dramatic.” his trembling fingers mop the tears streaming in his cheeks and forced to chuckle.
“Nah, it’s alright with me… beside I became enlightened in such situation as yours.” he showed a paled smile.
“So you don’t have experiences of being in a broken family huh,”
“Let just say that I’m a fortunate one to my perfect family,” Jin replied in content. He is really a fortunate one, though he admit that they haven’t enough time to each other, they still digging some for their quality family time.
"And to have her in my life was one of the proof that I’m so blessed to be a lucky one. She’s a doctor too and like your aunt, she will have a loyal and loving husband,” Jin added as he closed his eyes, having the vision of his girlfriend.
“You mean your girlfriend that you’ve always talking about?”
“Yep,”
Tatsuya showed his half-smile “What a poor patient Jin… his doctor wasn’t here to take care of him. You should tell me her name so that we will be friends and I’ll be the one who will call that you’re dying,”
“Now, it’s your time to tell---“Tatsuya was halted. Just a small smile appeared on his lips as he saw Jin fell asleep without his notice.
“Baka,” he breathes out.
PART 2
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
[Los Angeles, 2005]
She opened the sheet of glass, to breathe the cold wind that quietly taking its pace in places wherever it wanted to go, letting that wind to caress her whitish cover, sending a chilly sensation on her nerves. But that chill embracing her body turned into hotter as she felt two warm enough arms, encircling her waist behind to lessen the cold. The woman took her breath of relief while she exposed the soaked hot noodles and let the gentle wind of night to diminish the smoke above them.
“How’s your day, huh?” a manly tender voice tickled her ears.
“Perfect,” she responded as she leaned her back more, closer to his broad chest.
“You’re not good in lying,” the man pouted.
She faced the man “why should I lie? I have no reasons to do that… my day would be always perfect with you,” she said as she keep her grins while setting aside the cup of noodles, taking out a necklace into her pocket.
“This necklace is the only key of my heart, so I asked the maker to in script your name on the pendant,” The woman he loves the most handed him a key-shaped pendant, dangling in a white-gold necklace.
He smiled “Why my name, instead of yours?”
“Because that name belongs to the one who owned my heart, just in case you might get lost it, they will know that it is yours…It simply says that I am yours. That I am Akanishi Jin’s property. Same with this one.” She showed him the exact pendant with the woman’s name written on it. “This will make me the key holder to your heart.”
“Thank you,” Jin leaned down to give her a passionate kiss.
With closed eyes, the woman and her lover indulged themselves in a passionate kiss in front of an opened window, in front of the lighted skyscrapers of Los Angeles. The beautiful view in his apartment was far-fetched wonderful. She always sees this fantastic Twinkling stars below the skies for one year with him. One year full of perfect days. After their kiss, she smiled as she offers the cup noodles that had been exposed in front of the open window.
“Here,”
Jin smiled “Arigato… I just wonder why you always like to put the cup noodles near the window,”
“You know… just want to at least lowered the heat to be safer to eat,”
“thanks,” he grinned.
She fished her phone then noticed a pile of voice messages.
“Oh,” the lady rapidly detached herself then went outside to hear the messages.
“Don’t you forget what the day now is?” the voice continued. “Saturday…. My performance is today… I’m waiting for you….”
“better go now… I’ll go back right away after,” she kissed the man on his lips before she headed off.
“Promise me….” He whispered as she eyed her lover, sadly eyeing his lover disappearing to his sight.
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
She had expected this scene. It was past 1 am when she came to the hall and she has nothing but to only blame herself for missing one his greatest moment. Chairs occupied by people already emptied. The cries of praises already faded and turned into deafening silence but the place was still having the stage lights. She takes paces towards the center stage, seeing her son standing straight with his violin by her mind’s eye. He was wonderful and gleamed with self-assurance. Though she hasn’t given time to watch him, she has no doubt that Kazuya done it well. Koyuki leave the hall and drive home to congratulate her son for a great performance he had done.
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
“Kazu?” Koyuki slowly pushed the door that creates a small space between just enough to see a figure covered by blanket.
Her smiles suddenly vanished as she began to hear sobs coming inside his room. She decided to enter and sit beside him “I’m sorry… I came late” she uttered as she pull down the blanket.
Kazuya hoisted up and enfold his mother into his arms “It’s okay mama, I know you have many things to do and you haven’t enough time to watch.” he wasn’t sure if he did lying well. He’s hoping he won’t sound raspy and shaky due to his tears.
Koyuki hugged him equally. She knew how dishearten her son was and it brought tons of burden on her. If she cold bring back the time and watch again. She pushed her son to face his watery eyes, said “Uhm, can you perform it for me once again?” Koyuki muttered to Kazuya with her gentle tone while sweeping his tears with her fingers.
Her son cheerfully nodded. Koyuki’s words were just enough to stop himself from crying. It’s been a while since Kazuya heard that gentle voice, he really missed it. He rushed to hold his violin “I hope you will like it,”
She cupped Kazuya’s face “Of course I will always adore every melody you will play my son,”
Kazu giggled as he began to play the symphony that he played at the hall. Same melody and rhythm but the emotion isn’t longer the same. He was more pleased having one of the most important to his life was listening to his music.
If he could choose, he only wanted his parents that could only hear his melody.
There, he could play his instrument with all his best, with all his heart.
She lifted her hands to give applause that he truly deserved as the song ended “Wonderful,”
“Thank you…”
Koyuki assisted her son and tucked him to bed “It’s already midnight… you need to rest now,”
“I’m not a baby to say such words to me mama,” he pouted.
She kissed his forehead “You will always be my baby Kazu,” she turned off the light then let him to rest because she knew how worn-out he was after performing in a dome of crowd.
After she closed the door, she went downstairs as she pulled down her hair from being perfectly coupled with band. The engaging scent of her wavy brownish hair that almost reaching her waist invited a man to encircle his arms around her as it slowly tickling his nostrils, slowly mixing with the smell of cold midnight air and making his heart beat so fast.
Please say you promise,
Promise to walk with me till the end
Until the nightfall embraces us,
I’ll be happy….
Her husband sung his newly composed song to his wife with all his heart in to it. The song is dedicated to his only beloved. Koyuki’s smile is endless as he sung beautifully and she admired his voice, indeed.
“How’s it?” he hummed to his wife’s neck. All his longing brought by Koyuki’s departure was all filled with love again. It’s already six weeks in exact after his wife was assigned in the hospital many kilometers far from their home.
“Is it the song that my baby helped you to arrange?” she hummed, swaying her body along with her husband.
“He is now a full-grown Kazuya,” He corrected Koyuki, having small kisses on her neck.
Koyuki smiled, gazing above the dark sky “Still he’s my baby,”
“Mou, Kazuya don’t want to be treated like that,” he protested, imagining how Kazuya will pouty cutely if he ever hear that.
“Uhm… I just can’t believe…” she turned to him, resting her palms to his chest “Years flies too fast that I can’t even notice that he is already nineteen Hayato,”
Hayato hugged her “Though he is now entering adulthood I will not leave him to walk alone towards the future, until even he has his family… I guess,” and he promised that, until he’s breathing, until he had Koyuki beside him.
Koyuki buried her head more on Hayato’s chest.
“I love you Koyuki… more than to my life,”
She just closed her weary eyes and whisper silently with her heart.
*:*:*:*:*
“Want some breakfast boys?” Koyuki came in while handling a tray towards her two boys.
The musicians put down their instrument then walked to greet Koyuki with a kiss. Hayato kissed her lips while her son pecks gently in her cheeks. They set a table in front of the window and let the woman to arrange the plates and silver spoons and forks. The smoky smell of bacon and the strong scent of black coffee collide with the sweet smell of their garden of blossom behind their house.
Her heart melted as she seen that moment when she’s with them. Bright as the morning sun smiles and Witnessing Kazuya and Hayato together would be the best ever she had seen. Due to her tight schedules, he took care of their only son. He trained Kazuya to be a great musician like he attained. He wanted Kazuya to follow his steps, to reach what he have reached through years.
They have a chat while taking their first breakfast of the week. Since she mostly going home one or two times a week. Koyuki seize moments like this, because she couldn’t predict how long she will waij before she will be in this moment again.
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
After One hour ….
I’ll be go back right way after
Two hours…
Three hours…
She promised me…
After Four hours…
Five hours…
Six hours….
He gawk to the clock hanging on the wall, lounged on the cold floor. He watched the clock that ticking bit by bit. He let his eyes open, waiting for her. Until the sun gushed fingers of lights that went straight to every window. He already felt the warm sunshine upon his skin. It was already morning and she’s not yet here. He wondered what took her long at wherever she went last night. He stretched his hand to touch his phone and fingered her number for umpteenth time, hoping that she will now answer this call.
But his hopes were cast along as he didn’t even hear a single word from her on the phone. Her phone was turned off, he guessed.
Let her be, she will come back tonight, maybe.
Maybe…
It always ended up with this. She will go without coming for days or staying for days without going somewhere. It’s unpredictable but he wanted to second one staying for days without going to somewhere just with him.
He hauled up and straighten his back to ease soreness since he lied down in a solid cold floor and rested his eyes for few seconds before opening the window as he greet the morning sun. It blinded him so much that got his headache more than worst. But he let it, and allowed the sunlight caress his skin as he stretched his hands, upward. Forcing himself to be ready for the morning.
Then an irritating ringtone from his phone disturbed him “What?”
“Duh. You’re needed here in work , of course,” the voice replied with a bit of fume in his tone.
“Can I be late?”
“What? Of course not!” the person retorted.
He massaged his temples as he gazed at the clock “I have no sleep this night and I can’t drive along there… and geez I’m not really feeling well… my head is like ripping into two and I can’t even stand straight if you only know,”
“Don’t be indolent you Akanishi brat! You can’t be gone. We’re in rush and yo know that right? Let me fetch you there after going to my aunt,” he just sighed as the person cut the conversation, never thinking that he’s talking to his co-worker /baka friend.
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
She thumps the polished marble floor with high-heel shoes, creating a tapping sound that attracts the employees on her way. The nurses greeted her in respecting tone of good afternoon from the American to Asian nurses and doctors greeted her. But how polite it was, she didn’t even nod or smile back. She takes her path as if there’s no anything on her way. She truly felt bad for acting that way, but she just had no time for that, nodding and smiling back could be done next time, but saving lives can’t.
A bus was bumped in a convenient store not too far from the hospital. It creates an enormous damage to the establishment because of the strong impact, passengers got injured and more than half of them got serious injuries. The emergency room of California Medical Center was filled with wounded people. Every minute, a patient have been entered the room. Over sixty people were affected, together with the people who had been inside and around the convenient store.
Koyuki with her team, waste no time to respond to every patient that needed to be accommodated. She checked everyone and gave their medical needs, mainly cleaning the wounds and covered it with clean gauzes.
“Are you okay Dr. Kamenashi?” the orange-haired lady nurse asked.
She smiled “Ah don’t mind me… I’m okay,” she speaks fluently in English.
“Dr. Koyuki, excuse me,” a tall asian male nurse approach the doctor “Phone call for you,”
“Sorry I can’t answer it by now, please say that I’ll be the one who will call later,” she said without even looking at him while tapping the cotton ball gently on the little boy’s wound on his knee. The tall nurse just disappeared in the room carrying Koyuki’s message for whoever called.
“Auntie,” Koyuki turned her head to the main door as she heard familiar voice and the person waved his hand.
She smiled and greeted the man “oh Tat-chan… why you’re here?”
“Uncle Hayato called me to remind you to take your lunch since he can’t contact you and I bought already lunch for you so you just need to chow down,” Tatsuya grinned and offer Koyuki a paper bag.
“Thanks Tat-chan… so where are you going now?"
“To my co-worker’s apartment to fetch him,” Tatsuya heave a sigh first before he continued. “Uhm, what medicine should take when suffering from headache?” he scratched his head.
Koyuki drew a worried face and placed a hand on his forehead “Why? Did you have headache? Are you not feeling well? Are you okay?”
He shook his head as he smirked “I’m okay auntie… but my co-worker doesn’t know that’s why I wanted to know so I could buy a remedy for him,”
“Ibuprofen for headache and Paracetamol if he had fever but make sure he don’t have any allergic reaction on taking that kind of medicines,” she informed.
“alright… I’ll go for now auntie…” Tatsuya bowed and walked away.
“oh wait! Don’t forget to eat your lunch!” he swayed his hands upward before he vanished to his aunt’s eyes.
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After taking the stairs, he finally reached Jin’s apartment. Since it was not locked, he didn’t even think to knock first. He merely entered the apartment. It seems empty. He could only hear his deep breathings. Is he already gone? But the door isn’t locked. The man continued to take steps until he saw the person he expected lying as if waiting for something while handling his cell phone.
“I keep calling her but she didn’t even answer me…” he uttered while gawking at the clock hanging in the wall.
He knelt down and put his palms on top of his forehead “You’re fired up with fever, Jin,” he’s free to call him by his first name, they aren’t in office and besides, he’s Tatsuya’s baka friend.
“Yeah I know so that’s why I called ya,” he whispered with his dried throat.
“I thought that you’re telling a lie,” he ridiculed, shifting on his side slowly.
“I can’t tell a lie when I’m dying like this Tatsuya,”
Tatsuya dashed into Jin’s kitchen to get some small basin with cold water then search for a towel. He also fills a glass of water for him to saturate his cracked lips with some liquid. After few moments after Jin closed his eyes and rest, he went to the kitchen and inspected his cabinet and refrigerator, hoping to grab some raw ingredients to cook and make it a soup or something edible. But he went out failed. Jin’s cabinet almost occupied with merely dusts and the refrigerator was filled with only water containers.
“I planned to drive off to the grocery to store some food here today,” Jin defended as he saw Tatsuya frowning while scanning the kitchen.
"My aunt said take paracetamol if you had fever,” he helped Jin to sit and take the capsule that he bought to the pharmacy before going to his apartment.
He put the towel on Jin’s forehead “My aunt is a doctor and I went to her before heading here,” Tatsuya began as Jin silently went back from lying.
“Hey my uncle wrote a song and will be releasing an album,” he brought the topic up, preparing the towel to be placed on Jin’s forehead “next month.”
“Really?” Jin tried his best to sound energetic “I’ll surely buy that one,”
“You should.” He hummed, smiling to Jin “It’s all about promises, I guess…” Tatsuya drew a smile.
“Have you ever promised to someone?” Jin wondered, thinking it could be a good topic for Tatsuya to forget to pull his ass on work today.
“Of course…” the older man nodded, his eyes went dreamy “I remember I was a kid, after my father left us. We live happy, just two of us until my mom was diagnose of having Disease she inherited from their father.”
Tatsuya paused for a while, reminisced the painful part of his life “This inherited disease where the brain was forgetting all it learned from the start."
“Forgetting all it learned?” Jin asked “That’s kind of... rare.”
“Aurora’s syndrome.” He replied “The name was based on Sleeping beauty’s story. Not to mention the reasons of this.”
“A person with that rare disease sleeps long, well, in coma… First, the brain will start deleting all information. It will forget memories… how to move body parts, losing senses, sleep for many months or years before the brain will completely forget how to control the heart. To make heartbeats. Since she was diagnosed with Aurora’s syndrome, I made promise to be all that she can’t do and to fill all her needs.”
“I’m sorry to hear that Tat-chan,” Jin touched the older one’s hand while Tatsuya’s tears begun crawling from his eyes.
“But her story wasn’t like a happy ending like sleeping beauty.” Tatsuya wiped his tears with the back of his palm “There are no prince that could wake her up…no cure. She got comatose for almost eight months and finally surrendered…”
“Sorry , I’m being dramatic.” his trembling fingers mop the tears streaming in his cheeks and forced to chuckle.
“Nah, it’s alright with me… beside I became enlightened in such situation as yours.” he showed a paled smile.
“So you don’t have experiences of being in a broken family huh,”
“Let just say that I’m a fortunate one to my perfect family,” Jin replied in content. He is really a fortunate one, though he admit that they haven’t enough time to each other, they still digging some for their quality family time.
"And to have her in my life was one of the proof that I’m so blessed to be a lucky one. She’s a doctor too and like your aunt, she will have a loyal and loving husband,” Jin added as he closed his eyes, having the vision of his girlfriend.
“You mean your girlfriend that you’ve always talking about?”
“Yep,”
Tatsuya showed his half-smile “What a poor patient Jin… his doctor wasn’t here to take care of him. You should tell me her name so that we will be friends and I’ll be the one who will call that you’re dying,”
“Now, it’s your time to tell---“Tatsuya was halted. Just a small smile appeared on his lips as he saw Jin fell asleep without his notice.
“Baka,” he breathes out.
PART 2
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