A/N: Hey everyone! It's me again. I have come back from the death... at least I think so. I have no idea how this came to me, but it seemed fun so I decided to write and post it up here. The idea itself it's not that new to begin with, but I hope that you guys will enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it. And this time, I'm going to update more regularly than before. I'm going to work hard to keep the chapters coming fequently.
Disclaimer: La Corda D'Oro doesn't belong to me, all the characters in here belongs to Yuki Kure-sama.
Warning: This is un-betaed everyone. I tried hard to make it less of a hassle for you to read, but if there's any mistake you may find in here, please bear it with me. And for those who have somehow missed the notification in the summary, I would like to inform you once again that this story is Shounen-ai ( SA ), which is boys love, boy x boy. So if you're not comfortable with it, please don't read it.
Genre: Supernatural, romance, hurt/comfort, angst, slight humor.
And keep in mind that though I based this on the main series, I have eliminated some details to make more room for this relationship between them to work.
Thank you for listening to my rambling. Now, enjoy.
Chapter 1: Coma
Ryotaro shifted uncomfortably in his seats, all the music competition's participants had been asked to gathered in the Music room. The others were chatting happily with each other, he looked around with furrowed brows... Had he been the only one to notice that someone was missing from the picture? He found himself asking as he observed them talk about random things that were supposed to be funny. They didn't seem to at all notice or care about the fact that Tsukimori Len, the one who won the competition not too long ago, wasn't there. Or was it just him being too sensitive?
He knew that he probably shouldn't care, but the fact that he came second, behind that guy and that the very same guy who he had set out to beat next time round wasn't there when he was supposed to did somewhat bother him. And Tsukimori had never been late, never. The only time the pianist had ever witnessed him running late was due to the fact that he was locked up in a closet, so it didn't count.
So why now?
Tapping the tip of his shoe gently down the floor, Ryotaro tried not to show the build up frustration of not knowing what was happening to his rival that could have resulted in him arriving late. He convinced himself that everything was fine and that there was nothing for him to be so worked up about... Yes, nothing to worry about... Even so, he felt this feeling of uneasiness started to swell inside his stomach, which wasn't helping. His instincts had never been wrong, they hardly ever surfaced, but whenever they had been strong enough to draw his attention... they had never been wrong.
Great, and now he was worrying about Tsukimori Len, the walking ice-cube... Shutting his eyes, Ryotaro tried to dismiss this weird feeling as best as he could, concentrating fully on getting himself to believe that maybe for once, his damn instincts were wrong. He had had a long day of studying, playing soccer and everything, maybe the tiredness was affecting his mind, making it create false insecure feelings.
Just when his mind was a messed up jumble, the door slid opened and temporarily snapped him out of his train of slowly deteriorating thoughts. Kanazawa went in, but he was wearing a serious look on his face, making the whole room quiet almost instantly. However, he didn't say anything right away as he closed the door behind him and stood there, just looking at them.
" Uhm... Kanaya-sensei?" Hihara had managed to break the silent and gradually intensifying atmosphere. " What was that you wanted to speak to us about?" He asked, trying keep his voice as cheery as possible, but the hint of hesitation was still there, he clearly felt somewhat intimidated by the man's sudden and unusual solemn expression.
Ryotaro's face darkened, he knew it. Something was wrong, he knew it! He was right all along. But what was going on? Did it... did it have anything to do with Tsukimori?
The old man sighed in defeat before looking at them again as he began telling them what he originally called them all here for. " One week ago, I received some... disturbing news." Ryotaro studied the man before him, he couldn't help but feel somewhat nervous since the man was having quite a hard time spelling out whatever it was that he had in mind. " Apparently, Tsukimori had an accident. He was hit by a car."
" What?!"
The pianist's eyes were widened, what did he just say? He swallowed, trying to calm himself down to have a clear mind about this. " One week ago? Why didn't you tell us sooner?"
Kanazawa sighed. " Yes, I should have informed you sooner. In the beginning, according to the doctors' thorough examination, there was no serious injury, he should have healed nicely without complications, so I saw no point in making you all work up about it. But, one week had passed, and he hasn't woken up yet."
" W-why?" Ryotaro pushed the subject, wanting to know exactly what was happening.
" The doctors, despite finding no reason for this to occur, concluded that Tsukimori had slipped into a coma." Kanazawa finished his job of informing with another sigh as he closed his eyes. It was troublesome, really, as a teacher, as if finding out that one of your students was hospitalized for God-knows-how-long wasn't hard enough, he had to break the news to the boy's friends too...
Life was cruel and unexpected, and that had never been wrong. He thought darkly to himself before opening his eyes again only to meet the worried expressions on the kids' faces. " And since you guys seem to be somewhat closer to him than his actual classmates, I think that you have the right to know what is going."
Ryotaro's heart raced wildly in his chest, one week, one week?! Now that he thought about it, it wasn't at all hard to realize that indeed the violinist had been absent from school the passed week... He was nowhere to be seen in the school ground or in the practice area, Ryotaro should have realized sooner that something was wrong. The pianist knew that this wasn't his fault to blame, no one in this room had seen it coming, he was very sure of that, but this feeling of guilt that was growing inside of him wasn't something he could easily push away. He had always prided himself on being observant, on realizing things sooner or better than others... And this happened... and he felt sick to the stomach to have ever even thought about such things... what better intuition and observing skills if your rival went missing for one whole week and you didn't even realize that he did?
Stupid... He felt so stupid that he wished he could dig a hole and disappear into it. But now was not the time to be thinking about this, he, they, should be focusing on Tsukimori.
Having made up his mind, Ryotaro grabbed his school bag that had been lying on the floor next to his foot and stood up, surprising the others occupants in the room somewhat with his sudden movement.
" Where has he been hospitalized, Kanazawa-sensei?" The tan asked with the utmost seriousness in his voice, and when the man couldn't react to his abrupt question on time, he rephrased it and asked once again. " Where can we visit Tsukimori, sensei?"
" Uh... Kanagawa hospital. You're going to visit him, now?"
" Yes." He answered simply. " Will all of you be coming, too?" His attention was turned to the rest of the group and quickly, they all grabbed their bags, stood up and ready to go.
Azuma's car was taking them to the hospital, it was a spacious and luxurious car, quite overwhelming to be in actually. The others were very at awe by the interiors of this thing as they were pretty much goggling everything in here. But it wasn't something that Ryotaro cared that much, not right now anyway, as he stared outside the window at the passing and blurry images of their surroundings. He knew he probably shouldn't be acting like this, since most people knew for a fact that he didn't like Tsukimori and vice versa. A part of him knew he shouldn't be this worried, but he was and he couldn't help it, not when Tsukimori was in a coma, and coma wasn't something that could be sniffed at. It was serious, and even though he had little knowledge about this medical term, it was quite common knowledge that the longer you are in a coma, the less likely you are to ever be able to wake up. And the doctors didn't know what was the cause of this either... It was worrisome indeed...
In less than fifteen minutes, they arrived at the entrance of the hospital, Ryotaro was the first to go in and ask for Len's room. 207, he repeated the number inside his head as he and the others decided to use the stairs, the patients would need the elevator more than them and, frankly, they didn't even know if the elevator could even hold seven people. It was close either way, on the second floor as they walked along the long hall way, trying to find the room while keeping the sounds they made down to a minimum.
Finally, they reached their destination with much ease and Kanazawa knocked on the door three times.
" Come in." The voice of a woman and Ryotaro recognized it being Hamai-sama's voice, Tsukimori's mother. The door slid opened quietly and the moment he was inside the room, Ryotaro fought the urge to scrunch up his nose, the smell of detergent was even more so than that of the hall way. It was making his nose quite uncomfortable, but he otherwise didn't complain and try to ignore it.
The room was relatively big and white. Everything was white, the curtains, the floor, the paint on the wall, the bed sheets, the light, etc. so white that it somehow seemed so... wrong.
His parents were standing there next to the bed, the whole group greeted them and they did the same with a small courtesy smile despite the weariness and fatigue that enveloped their whole features.
" Thank you. It's so nice of you all to have come here and visit Len." Tsukimori-san spoke with a gentle note in his somewhat worn out voice.
" It is the least we can do in this situation." Kanazawa spoke slowly, not knowing anything better to say. Such polite people, Ryotaro thought to himself as he diverted his gaze to the main reason why they all came here.
Tsukimori lay there, eyes closed, his skin was sickly pale, face was covered with small bruises here and there, a tube ran below his nose to provide the needed oxygen. Bandages on his left wrist could easily be seen underneath the hospital gown, it must have been twisted or... broken. He looked so frail and fragile lying on that big bed, consumed by all the hooks and wires that connected his body to the machines beside him. Had it not been for the heart monitor that produced the sound of his heartbeat, quite slow and weak, Ryotaro didn't think he would have realized that Tsukimori was still alive... His breaths were so shallow and subtle that under the thick blanket that was placed over him, it didn't even seem like he was breathing, not at all.
Ryotaro felt a twinge in his heart as his throat contracted somewhat. Seeing someone who had seemed so stubborn and proud that weak and vulnerable... it wasn't right. But Ryotaro had to admit that right from the beginning, Tsukimori himself didn't give off that much of a healthy and strong image of a boy his age should be.
" The doctors said that... there is still no indication showing that he will be waking up any time soon." Tsukimori-san spoke with a strong but sad voice, his wife next to him was in too much pain to actually say anything anymore as she fought fiercely to prevent the tears from running down her cheeks. She had to stay strong for her son.
Ryotaro looked at the pair then back to Tsukimori as the beeping sound from the heart monitor and the relentless smell of detergent were starting to get under his skin. He should leave, he couldn't stand it anymore. What use could there be for him to stand there with a distasteful look on his face while people were suffering over this unexpected tragedy? He didn't want to feel it anymore, this helplessness and uselessness as he stood there still without knowing what he should do to make the situation any better. There was nothing he could do... he knew that, he knew he had no power over this, but still... Ryotaro willed his lungs to work, willed his throat to open up so that air could travel it in vain.
" I-..." He tried his best to swallow down the enormous lump that was stuck there, unmoving. He needed his voice to work properly, he couldn't just leave without saying anything. " I... I'm sorry. But I have to go now. I just realized that there is something urgent I must attend to." He made it up, a lame excuse, he knew, but that was the best he could come up with right that moment. His brain seemed to have already shut down automatically. Ryotaro bowed his head deeply. " I'm sorry. I'll be coming back later to pay him another visit." A more proper one next time around.
" Oh, it's okay. There's no need for you to apologize. It's already good of you to have spared some time to come here and visit Len. We appreciate it much, and Len must be too. Thank you and take care on your way home."
" No... It is the least I can do. I hope that he'll start getting better soon. I'll come back again another time." With that Ryotaro slid out of the hospital ward and quickly walked down the hall way, trying to further his distance away from that room as far as possible.
Really, he couldn't stand it anymore.
Slamming the door shut, Ryotaro threw his bag down onto the nearby chair in his room and slumped down next to his bed, breathing in and out heavy and deep breaths. He had ran all the way home since the moment he was out of that hospital's gates. Sweat dripped down his face and damped hair, the pianist didn't bother to wipe them away as he sat there, lost in thoughts.
Running should have helped him clear his mind, it was his initial thought when he decided on this. But apparently, now that he had finished his run and sat down, worn out and tired, he realized that it really wasn't as helpful as it should have been. It had always been able to do the trick, to get whatever it was that he wanted off of his mind. But not this time...
That haunting image of Tsukimori lying there perfectly still and lifeless kept on flashing back before his eyes like someone had carved it into his very soul. It was frustrating, and... scary at the same time... He didn't seem like he was living anymore, and what was there on the bed was nothing more than just a mere vessel, an empty shell of what used to be Tsukimori Len. It scared Ryotaro how someone who had been arguing with him so fiercely just weeks ago could end up like... that.
Everything felt surreal, everything felt like such a total and gigantic mess that it made the pianist felt like he must be dreaming, his mind must have been the cause of all of this madness, just a dream... a nightmare that he had subconsciously created while sleeping. If so... then everything would end and come back to normal if he woke up, right? Then what should he do to wake up? Should he pinch himself? No... he fell once while running back to his house and he was still in the dream... physical pain wouldn't do it. Then what? This nightmare had been too awfully long, dragging on and on without end, he should have woken up already!
Ryotaro squeezed his eyes shut, trying to convince himself that it really was a dream despite knowing full well that it clearly wasn't. He just didn't want to believe it, he just didn't want to believe that it was really happening. It couldn't be... it couldn't...
But it was... it was as real as it could get, every detail was too vivid to be just a dream. Stop denying the truth. He finally told himself and for a moment there, his mind went blank... Now that he had accepted the truth, his mind shut down once again, failing to find anything to think about, not anymore. It was funny, how just seconds ago, it was flooded and overwhelmed with countless thoughts and now... there was nothing in it. Empty, completely empty and devoid of anything.
Standing up, Ryotaro stripped off his clothes, it was dripping with sweat and starting to feel uncomfortable... besides, he felt like doing something... needed to do something, so he decided to get changed.
Falling down onto the soft mattress face down, Ryotaro's eyelids were heavy, a long day of studying, excessive thinking and body exertion was taking its toll. Sleep was coming and he was welcoming it gladly with open arms... He really needed it... Ryotaro's mind was hazy as his eyes drooped down to the point of closing. Before drifting to sleep, he thought he saw something... like someone was standing there next to his bed... But he casted the thought away, probably so tired that his mind was playing tricks on him, for real this time.
" H-eyy... heyy... w-wake upp." Ryotaro opened his eyes lazily, still sluggish and sleepy. Was someone calling him? He strained his ears, trying to make his mind listen for any kind of sound. But there wasn't any as he once again closed his eyes, he must have heard it wrong then. " Wake up!"
A chill ran down his spine as the pianist jolted awake, shivering at the sudden cold that had washed over him then disappeared almost instantly. What the hell was that?!
" Your mother is calling." Wha-what?
" Ryo! Ryotaro!" Indeed, his mother really was calling for him, climbing down from his bed as he stretched his arms and neck and ready to step out of his room and see what his mother was calling him for.
" Thanks." He murmured sleepily as he walked passed someone and opened the door.
Wait.
He slammed the door shut half away through and turned around. Did he just walk pass someone? But... who could possibly be in his room? And he was damn sure that it was neither of his siblings. Then who could it be...?
" Oh, so you finally notice, huh?"
Ryotaro rubbed his eyes once, twice, then again, and again. But... what he was seeing before his eyes wasn't going away or anything. It still remained there as if mocking him. And this time, he really wondered to himself if he really was daydreaming or what... because this image of someone who looked very, very much like someone who he shouldn't be seeing standing in his room was there.
Blue hair, golden eyes, casual clothing and... with a transparent body as well...
" TSUKIMORI?!"
The figure looked like it was scowling or something, at least Ryotaro thought so, the typical scowl of Tsukimori himself.
" Finally, I didn't think that you are the slow type, Tsuchiura."
And his blood ran cold in his veins, literally.
To be continued...
