October Skies
This cannot be happening. It was supposed to be fun, a good time… no one was supposed to get hurt. This isn't happening. It can't be happening. No, don't say that, no! It's not happening, it's not possible! Oh gods, no…
Jounouchi sat in the bland, faded, beige-walled room of the hospital, his hands clasped together so tightly his knuckles were going white. Behind a curtain to the right, nurses were bustling and doctors were discussing in low, serious tones and machines were beeping and all sorts of things were going on that sounded ominous to the untrained ear. He, being neither nurse nor doctor nor frequent patient of the hospital, found them terrifying.
When a doctor called for transportation to the operating room, Jounouchi got to his feet, extremely worried and wanting to go along. But a nurse came over, looking harried and insisting he go to the waiting room, as the public was prohibited from being in the room when surgery was taking place. Jounouchi began to protest, but the glint in the nurse's eye told him he'd already lost so he sighed, defeated, and left for the waiting room.
How concerned was he! And it was his fault, all his mistake…
"Come on, don't be worried. Nothing'll go wrong." Jounouchi led the way up the steep slope, picking his way along pre-established footholds. His companion, less agile than was he and having no experience on this trail, toiled after him, taking longer and pausing far more often.
"I don't think this is a good idea, Jounouchi. Do you even know where we are?"
"Of course I do. I've been here hundreds of times. It's a great view from the top, really - you'll see when we get there." Jounouchi stopped and held out his hand so that his companion would have an easier time of a particularly small –and rather perilous- step. Their bodies pressed together for a moment on the narrow flat space; Jounouchi grinned a little before making a kind of a leap to the next rock, "Come on, we're nearly there."
His companion paused a moment longer, chewing his lip. "Are you sure it's alright?"
"Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?"
A smirk crossed the other's lips. "Do you really want me to answer that?"
Jounouchi smiled, "In hindsight, no. Just trust me and come on, we'll be there faster if we keep moving."
The hours ticked by slowly, each minute taking an eternity to pass. Jounouchi knew staring a clock did not make it go any faster, and in retrospect made it appear to go even slower than normal, but what else was there to look at? The elderly woman in a cast? The young boy with a sprained wrist? The blood-stained body-bag that was the unfortunate victim of a car crash?
Jounouchi cringed and looked away from all that, not wanting to think about just how red blood was, and how powerful its stains were. He'd never be able to go back up that hill again, never be able to watch the October sunset streak the sky with gold and red.
Jounouchi looked behind him and said gently, "Nearly there."
His companion, slightly winded, loitered on a rock two steps down, working on catching his breath. "Good thing. It's almost dark."
"Shoot, we'd better hurry then." Jounouchi muttered, heaving himself up the last large vertical change and moving forward onto the next rock.
"Why, Jounouchi?" The curious voice issued from behind him.
"You'll see when we get there." Jounouchi wanted so much to see the look on his friend's face when he discovered the riot of colours staining the skies.
Oh, he was so stupid! Why on Earth had he been so set on taking Bakura up there? It was just the damned sunset -you could see it anywhere!
Jounouchi dashed a hand across his eyes, feeling a sharp, fearful ache inside when he noted that yet another half hour had passed and Bakura was not yet out of surgery. He knew why he'd wanted so for Bakura to see the sunset from that special place, but that dream… so distant now…
"Wow Jounouchi…" Bakura gasped as he trekked the last few feet to the summit of the hill. The skyline of Domino city stretched before them, the backdrop about the skyscrapers painted with russet and amber hues that blended into soft caramel and burnished gold at each edge.
"Isn't it nice?" Jounouchi sighed, half-sitting against a rock and smiling at the look of awe on Bakura's face. Bakura was the attraction here; the colours seeped through his hair and made it seem to glow, and his eyes glowed with pure excitement. He was the beauty of this place right now – he outshone the sun.
"Beautiful." Bakura agreed in a hushed voice, "When did you find it?"
"Years ago. When I needed to get away."
"Oh." Bakura said softly, turning to look again at the sky, stepping onto a rock slightly further out, "It's so breathtaking…"
"Sir?"
A gentle voice made him look up, acutely aware of the fact that there were tears in his eyes.
"You came in with the young man, correct? You may… see him now."
Jounouchi stood quickly, knowing he was pale and swaying slightly to one side. He straightened himself as much as he was able, took a deep breath and nodded at the woman, his voice cracking slightly as he dared to ask, "Is he alright?"
The woman's eyes darted swiftly away; she shifted her weight and replied gently, "He is in… highly critical condition. There's no telling if he will make it through or not…"
Jounouchi stood, frozen, as he saw a look of panic fly across Bakura's face. Time seemed to have slowed down for the sake of his misery; Bakura started to fall backwards, his arms flailing wildly in front of him, seeking something solid to grip onto. Jounouchi stepped forward, his stomach lurching as he reached out – his fingertips brushed against Bakura's.
His hand clenched, but it was too late. The split second margin he'd had to help Bakura had been and gone, and now he could only watch horrified as the pale-headed form crumpled down the slope, the white giving way slowly to blood red.
The door clicked shut behind Jounouchi as he was left alone in the room with Bakura's comatose form. Still knocked out from his fall as much as the sedatives used to dull the pain, the only colour –or lightened spot- in the darkened room came from the pale skin on Bakura's cheeks and his light hair, which had been apparently been washed. His chest was rising and falling slowly, shallowly; a machine hummed in the corner, beeping at regular intervals – Jounouchi assumed this was following his heartbeat. Swathed in bandages and more than a little bruised up, it was hard to believe Bakura had been perfectly healthy less than five hours ago.
Jounouchi dragged a chair over next to the bed, wincing a little as it scraped against the floor. Rain pattered lightly against the window behind him, effectively blocking out the moonlight or any other light from the streets. Jounouchi didn't care. He didn't want to see the extent of the damages he'd caused to Bakura. He peered through the gloom, unwilling to turn on a light lest some nurse remember it was past allotted visiting hours. He studied Bakura's calm face, the way his lips pursed only a little even with the oxygen mask strapped around his head. The way his bangs lay just covering his eyelids. The way his skull was only just tilted back to ensure clear passage for air.
Jounouchi reached out and brushed back Bakura's bangs so he could see his eyes more clearly. So what if they were closed? He wanted to see Bakura's face, wonder what he would be thinking at this very moment if he were awake. He'd probably be hating Jounouchi for what he'd managed to do.
What was it the nurse had said? 'There's no telling if he will make it through or not…' Jounouchi hoped Bakura would make it through. He needed Bakura to make it through. He had to. There was no way this guilt would just sit inside Jounouchi forever, especially if … Jounouchi shook his head. Bakura wasn't going to die. He couldn't. Jounouchi needed him, needed at the very least to make amends for what he'd done. If Bakura hated him after that, so be it. He damn well had the right.
Jounouchi sighed, his head in his hands as he muttered to himself, to Bakura, "I wish I could make this right again. I'd do anything to see you smile again. I'd burn our initials in the sun, if it would shine." As if to agree with him, the storm outside intensified with a clap of thunder. He sighed at that, feeling more hot tears in his eyes. This was terrible, seeing Bakura like this because of his mistake. "I need a fresh start. We do." Biting his bottom lip to hold back the wash of tears, Jounouchi placed a hand on top of Bakura's, the thin sheet the only thing keeping their skin separate, "I'm sorry this ever happened. Especially to you."
The door opened and light flooded in suddenly, making Jounouchi look up to the doorway. A nurse stood there with a tray bearing what looked like soup and a of glass water. She nearly dropped it when she saw him; she seemed terribly surprised to see him there, and hurried over with an annoyed kind of air, "Sir, visiting hours are over."
Jounouchi stood and left as quickly as he could. He felt the tears streaking down his cheeks, felt the cold rain soak through his t-shirt as soon as he left the hospital. He didn't want to be in trouble, didn't want to cause anymore than he already had. Nearly killing Bakura seemed enough for one day.
His hands shoved in his pockets, he prowled the streets, headed bowed and chill rainwater running down the neck. He stopped at an intersection, waiting for a car to pass by before crossing. Inside were two teenagers, their radio cranked so loudly he could hear it, even on the street. The lyrics of the song nearly made him fling himself against the car, raging and crying and just wanting everything to stop, so strong a feeling did they incite inside him.
" 'Cause I was in heaven until this one fell apart…"
END