Just so you know, I made Fuka to be little meaner than she actually is... (not by much tho) and I also put words into her mouth. :) I also didn't concentrate so much on staying true to character personalities... but that's why it's called fanfiction. It's all good. Yet again, I don't own Kodocha or its characters and I wish I did.
/// The Story...
Darkness Overcome
"Sickness does one of two things: it binds or breaks a love." -penpen
"Sana-chan... you... you'd better stay away from him. He's mine now. He chose me!" Fuka's voice echoed in the darkness.
Sana turned over in her bed, staring out the window. It was a month since Hayama had shocked everyone by going out with Fuka. He's even more distant to me than before..., Sana mused, somewhat depressed. Quickly, she shook her head. "No, no! I can't think that way. Hayama is busy. He has studying, karate... a girlfriend... It's hard for him to find time. I'm sure he'd see me if he could." Sana smiled to herself at the thought.
She rolled over onto her back, her eyes unfocusing as Fuka's words echoed through her head again. "He chose me!"
"Chose." Sana repeated the word out loud. "Hayama.. chose.. Fuka. I wonder why he'd have to choose..."
Suddenly her whole body stiffened as her chest was filled with excruciating pain. She clutched at the pain as if willing it to go away. She coughed, covering her mouth to muffle the sounds from Rei or Mama. Slowly, it subsided. She opened her hand to see flecks of blood over her palm. Sana closed her eyes. The pain and coughing had been occurring more and more often. What was going on?
Silence filled the room as Sana finally fell asleep.
A couple blocks away in an equally dark room, Hayama stared out the window in silence, slowly playing with the Buruccha Sana had given him so many years ago.
/////
Sunlight filtered through the curtains. Sana slowly opened her eyes, stretching loudly. She swung into a sitting position. "Time for school!"
She was eating her breakfast when Rei-kun and Mama entered the room (hairdo of the day: Maro-chan in a doctor's office).
"Mmm?" Mama raised her eyebrows. "Sana-chan is up already. Did something happen to you? Is something wrong?"
Sana smiled her brightest. "Nothing's wrong, Mama. I just woke up."
Mama pulled Rei aside. "Sagami-kun, this is the third day in a row that she's been up early. Are you sure nothing happened?"
Sensei, she never told me anything. She doesn't seem upset..." They both turned to look as Sana rose from the table.
"Ne, ne, Mama. I'm fine. I'm going to school now. Bye!"
As Sana skipped out the door, Mama lowered her voice to a murmur. "Keep a close eye on her," she ordered. "When she comes home today, we'll take her to a clinic. Just to be sure."
"Hai, Sensei," was the reply.
Walking to school, Sana had the strangest sensation that something was following her. Every time she turned around, though, there was nothing behind her. Smacking her forehead with the base of her palm, she muttered, "Get a grip on yourself. Must be all the food I had yesterday." She stopped in her tracks as yesterday reminded her of the last moments of the day. She lightly rested her hand above her heart, staring at the sky. "I wonder why it's hurting," she murmured. "Maybe... someone poisoned my food! Yeah, that's it! It's an evil conspiracy because someone wants this beautiful face to add to their collection of victims..." She envisioned a dark room full of jars that contained anonymous faces. An evil man laughed, placing a particularly large jar under a spotlight. As he stepped away-
"Sana-chan. What are you doing?"
Sana broke out of her reverie to see Aya and Tsuyoshi standing next to her. "Eh? I-" She hesitated as Hayama and Fuka appeared behind them. "Oh, nothing!" She quickly dropped her hand from above her heart, but not before Hayama noticed.
"Touching yourself, are you?" Hayama asked, knowing how Sana would react. Unfailingly, she turned on him.
"Ha-ya-ma! Pervert!" From thin air, she produced her plastic mallet and began bonking him over the head with it. She suddenly stopped, dropping the mallet to the ground. Hayama looked up as it squeaked against the sidewalk. Sana stood above him, a pained expression written across her features, as she clutched at her chest.
Gasping and coughing as the pain subsided, Sana realized that Hayama and the others were staring up at her. She stepped back in embarrassment.
"Sana-chan?" Fuka asked, taking a step closer. "Are you alright?"
Sana quickly straightened, plastering an overpowering smile on her face. "Of course! I'll see you at school!" With that, she ran ahead.
"I wonder what just happened," Tsuyoshi said aloud.
"Akito, is Sana-chan alright?" Fuka asked, kneeling beside him. Hayama said nothing, staring at the retreating back of the actress.
/////
At school, Sana did her best to avoid her friends during the morning, but at lunch her social tendencies battled their way out and she joined them on the lawn at the back of school grounds.
"Hello, hello. How were morning classes for all of you?" Sana plopped down on the grass beside Aya.
"They were okay. Nothing too hard for today," Tsuyoshi replied with a smile. "Review starts soon, so I'll have to begin studying hard."
"Oi, Tsuyoshi-kun. Don't even mention review. I'm so behind in Math..." Sana sighed theatrically, staring up at the clear blue sky.
"Don't worry, Sana-chan. We'll help you out." Fuky smiled brightly at her friend.
"Yeah, Sana-chan. We'll help you with school." Tsuyoshi hesitated. "We were wondering if you were okay, though. After this morning-" Tsuyoshi was karate-chopped over the head into silence.
Sana was up in a flash. "I told you, don't worry! I'm fine. Really, I am. There's nothing to worry about at all! Anyway, I've got to go. I... forgot something in my locker. See you in class!" She was off before anyone could utter another word.
"Tsuyoshi!" Aya scolded. "You shouldn't have asked!" She bit her lip. "But I'm worried, too."
Again, Hayama was silent, brooding over this strange new Sana.
/////
After school, Sana joined them in the walk home. As they were about to set off, Aya suddenly gasped. "Oh, no! I forgot to bring my English book home. Please walk ahead without me. I'll catch up in a bit."
Tsuyoshi stopped and turned with her. "I'll walk you back," he offered.
Fuka and Hayama continued walking. Watching them together, Sana saddened. "That could have been me if I hadn't been so slow," she murmured to herself, seeing Fuka turn to Hayama with a smile.
"Do you think I should go to that dinner, Akito?" Fuka was asking. When she got no reply, she looked up at his face and noticed him glancing back to Sana, who was trailing behind. She frowned slightly, looking back at Sana as well. Her expression softened as she saw the lost and lonely look on Sana's face. "This is the longest I've ever seen Sana-chan without a smile," Fuka murmured. "I wonder..." she trailed off.
"You shouldn't," Hayama replied, reading her mind. "Something's happened to her and she's hiding it from us. There's no use in asking. It'll just seem like we're forcing her to tell."
"Akito..." Fuka looked up at Hayama, pressing her lips together. She turned away in case the hurt was visible on her face. Straightening, she decided to turn the subject away from Sana. "Hmm. I have a lot of homework to do tonight. I wonder how I'll ever get it done."
"You always do."
Fuka blushed slightly, pleased that he was concentrating on her again. "Would you like-"
A cry cut her off. They both turned simultaneously to see Sana gasping against a gate, beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she experienced another short burst of pain.
"Sana!" Hayama was by her side in a moment, shifting her weight onto him.
"No, no. I'm fine," she replied, attempting to brush him off. "Just... not enough exercise or something-" She winced as the pain came back, and she fell against him heavily.
"Don't be stupid," Hayama replied roughly. "I'm taking you to the hospital."
The pain came again, more sharply this time, and Sana pitched forward, almost sending Hayama to the ground as well. With laboured breath, inbetween intermittent coughs, she managed a feeble smile and mumbled, "Stupid Hayama..." before her world went black.
"Sana-chan! Akito?" Fuka knelt beside him, hand on his shoulder.
"I have to take her to the hospital. She's very sick."
"What's wrong? I'll come with you!"
"No."
Fuka pulled back as if she'd been slapped.
"Stay here and wait for Tsuyoshi-kun and Aya-chan." Hayama gathered Sana into his arms, and struggled to lift her. "You're heavier than you look," he muttered.
"But, Akito!-"
A car pulled up beside them and Rei stuck his head out. "What's wrong with Sana-chan? Why is she on the ground? Is she asleep?"
"Idiot, she's sick."
"Idiot?! How dare you- sick?!" The insult was forgotten. "Quick, get in. I'll drive her to the hospital."
For once, Hayama obeyed Rei's command, carefully settling into the back seat with Sana. As the car drove away, Fuka stared sadly after it, Hayama's name still on her lips.
/////
Sana was rushed into emergency, still unconscious.
Rei paced back and forth nervously, while Hayama sat stiffly in a chair. Rei had called Misako Kurata, who was on her way over. Rei continued to pace until he stopped in front of Hayama. "Okay. What happened to her? What did you do?" he burst out angrily.
Hayama glared up at him. He'd never like Rei from the start. Deciding that ignoring him was the best torture method, Hayama turned away in time to see Sana's mother entering through the main entrance as the doctor came down a hall from the opposite side. Hayama stood up as both Misako and the doctor stopped before them.
"You are Misako Kurata?" he asked, silently comparing her to photos found in her books.
"Yes. How is Sana-chan?"
The doctor hesitated, trying to find the right words. "She's fine for now. We've managed to stabilize her. She fainted due to an excess of pain. But... Sana has a heart disease."
Silent shock passed over the trio at these words. Hayama clenched his fists to keep calm.
"Will she live beyond this?" Sana's mother asked, quietly.
The doctor, relieved that there hadn't been an outburst at the news, nodded his head. "She'll have to come in for regular examinations and tests, and she won't be able to exert herself too much. If she experiences stress of any kind, she's likely to have another heart attack. Her living environment will have to stay calm and quiet, and she'll probably have to be tutored, depending on school conditions.
"Can we see her?"
"I'm afraid not. We've given her some medication, but she needs a lot of rest. She hasn't been getting much sleep, I believe, and her body is exhausted. It's past its functioning point. This combined with a number of other factors would all contribute."
"Other factors?" Misako asked warily.
"School or friends, for instance. She's been mumbling someting in her sleep that worries her even now. We've only been able to discern the words 'Hayama' and 'Don't go.' Everything else is jumbled."
Hayama lowered his gaze to the floor in shock. Sana was sick... because of him.
As if reading his mind, Misako laid a hand gently on his shoulder. "It's not your fault. Sana-chan's life has always been hectic; a roller-coaster ride of sorts. There's no such thing as a perfect person. The doctor said she'll live which is something to be happy for. I only wish I had taken her to the doctor's this morning, when I first conceived of the idea."
The doctor cleared his throat as a reminder of his presence. "Ah, one more thing. This heart problem has taken a lot out of Sana. She'll likely be more toned down than usual, and it's hard to say if she'll ever completely recover at all. She might not be the same person again."
"Thank you, Doctor. I understand." Misako bowed her head towards him politely, and he left discreetly.
Rei had retreated to a corner in shock and Misako joined him, after giving Hayama a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. She had just sat down when Tsuyoshi, Aya and Fuka ran in.
"Akito-kun! Sana-chan- is she alright?" Tsuyoshi asked, desperately. Hayama continued to stare at the floor, wanting to be alone with his thoughts.
Fuka hesitated before laying a hand on his arm. "Akito?" she half-whispered.
Hayama jerked out of his reverie, looking up at her coolly. "Leave me alone," he replied, shrugging her hand away. He stalked down one of the corridors.
"Oh, no. I hope Sana-chan's alright," Aya commented worriedly.
"Akito-kun, too. He didn't look so good." At this, Fuka turned and ran from the building, brushing tears from her eyes.
Hayama wandered aimlessly through the halls, trying to escape the sadness and tragedy that had suddenly fallen on them; on him.
As he turned a corner, a familiar name flashed by and he stopped. How had he managed to end up here? He looked around at the deserted hall. Wasn't there someone to prohibit people walking through the halls during non-visiting hours?
Hayama hesitated before firmly opening the door to enter the room. Before him, lay a deathly pale image of Sana. Her hair fanned out across the pillow and her eyes fluttered lightly in her sleep. Her breathing was shallow but regular, lips parted slightly. Hayama closed the door quietly, and stared at this altered version of Sana, his heart tearing in two. For a while longer, he stood in the shadows, but finally gathered the courage to approach. He sat gingerly on the side of the bed, remembering that Sana needed her rest.
"Hayama..." she mumbled. For a split second, Hayama thought she had awoken, but soon realized that she was talking in her sleep.
His expression changed imperceptably. He studied her for another moment before leaning down to brush his lips against hers. To his surprise, her fingers suddenly latched onto his. He pulled back, seeing that she had opened her eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks.
She smiled sadly up at him. "I'm so sorry, Hayama," she said weakly.
Hayama gripped the edge of the bed with his other hand, watching her struggle through so simple a phrase. "Be quiet," he muttered gruffly. He rose to leave, to let her sleep, but she kept her hold on his hand.
"Don't go," she murmured. A sudden coughing fit wracked her body for some minutes before subsiding.
Hayama could only obey, sitting down again. Sana sighed, smiling quietly, and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep. Hayama held her hand, wondering -no, knowing- that he'd cheated on Fuka. A part of him felt guilty, but deep down, he knew that he had never truly cared for Fuka the way he did for Sana. He'd somehow tricked himself into believing Fuka was good enough, that he could forget Sana if he detached himself from her as much as possible. He cared for Fuka, but in a different way- as a friend. With Sana, it was different. With Sana, it was always different. He'd fallen for her from the start and it's always hard to get over your first love when she won't go away. Looking down at Sana's still-smiling form, he knew that he would always be there for Sana, no matter what. That thought alone brought him great comfort, and he smiled a rare smile that no one would ever see. Carefully, he pulled up a chair and sat in it, resting his head on Sana's arm. He soon fell asleep.
/////
Sana awoke slowly to the sound of steady breathing. Feeling the weight at her arm, she looked down to see Hayama still at her side. She remembered his gentle kiss of yesterday and a soft smiled played across her features. He still cared for her. She understood that now, but -and her expression darkened somewhat- he was still with Fuka. As much as she cared for Hayama, Sana would never betray her best friend. She rested her hand on his head, smoothing errant strand of hair from his face.
Hayama shifted in his sleep, gradually awakening. Rubbing his eyes sleepily, he sat up taking her hand in his again. "You're awake" he stated simply.
Sana gave a little giggle. "Of course, I'm awak. I can only sleep for so long." She gestured towards the bed-side clock which indicated that it was 11'o'clock in the morning. She grew serious. "Hayama, you can't-" she began. "We can't-" She struggled to find the right words. Hayama waited patiently. She sighed, deciding to be straightforward. "Hayama... Akito... I love you." Hayama's heart gave a small leap in his chest. "I really do. But you're going out with Fuka, so that makes you.. us.. off-limits. I won't come between you two." She paused, her mind wandering to an unknown region. Finally, "She cares about you a lot."
Hayama looked away. "I know."
"You should go to her. She must be worried."
"They're all worried about you."
"Fuka-chan must be doubly worried. She's probably afraid of losing you. I know I would." She touched his arm lightly. "Please, Hayama. Go to her."
He gripped the bedsheets in frustration, seeing the wisdom in her words, and stood abruptly. With downcast eyes, he said, " I...I..."
"I know," Sana whispered softly, eyes shining with unshed tears. Hayama stood by her bed a moment longer, silently praising her for committing such a sacrifice willingly. He would never have had the will to do such a thing. Realizing he'd been standing there for some minutes, he gave a start, then ran out of the room.
When he found the waiting room, Fuka was waiting for him, hands clasped in front of her fretfully. When she saw him, she ran up, reaching for his arm. Thinking better of it, she withdrew her hand. "Akito. I-I'm sorry about yesterday. I was just really afraid."
Hayama regarded her in silence. Knowing that Sana's feelings were mutual, it was hard for him to be with Fuka.
For Sana's sake, he'd stay with Fuka until she let him go, no matter how long that would be. It was also the least he could do for treating her so badly yesterday. "Don't apologize when it's not your fault," he replied.
Fuka looked up at him, a smile forming around glistening tears. "Akito!" she cried, burying her head against his shoulder. Hayama stared ahead silently, trying to rid his thoughts of someone he couldn't have.
/////
A week past before the hospital let Sana out. She was taken home by Rei. When she arrived home, they settled her into bed despite weak protests that she was okay. In the end, she relented, although she begged for one phone call. She wondered if she should call Hayama, but decided that it was better for them both if she kept her distance. She called Aya instead.
Aya quickly spread the news to the others that Sana was home. Hayama was not insensible of Sana's calling Aya. It was for the better, he reasoned. Everybody paid a quiet visit to Sana.
They came in quietly, not knowing what to expect and Sana laughed at them, a bit of her former self appearing. "I'm not that sick! You're allowed to make some noise," she replied cheerily.
Relieved that Sana wasn't as completely altered as they had dreaded, they clustered around her bed.
"Will you be going back to school soon?" Aya asked, naively, sitting on the edge of Sana's bed.
Sana shook her head slowly. "I don't think I'll be returning to school at all. The doctor thinks that school would be too noisy for me. I'm to stay at home and be tutored." She made a face. "I'd rather go to school, but I don't have a choice." Her smile quickly brightened. "How are you guys doing though? It's too depressing to talk about myself."
"Tsuyoshi's still at head of the class," Aya stated promptly and proudly. Tsuyoshi could only blush.
"Hey! Akito's only second to him!" Fuka replied indignantly.
Sana laughed, then stopped as a coughing fit took over. "You two should outsmart the boys, so they don't feel too safe," she advised when the coughs had subsided.
"It's not fair though. Akito's english is much better than ours," Fuka complained, wisely ignoring the coughs.
"So kidnap him and tie him up so he can't go to school," was the mischievous answer.
"Tie him up?! I could never do that!"
Sana giggled again. "Fuka-chan, I'm only joking."
Tsuyoshi smiled. "Sana-chan would never really kidnap anybody-"
"Yes, she would," Hayama interrupted, speaking for the first time. "She does all sorts of crazy things."
"Crazy?! Crazy Hayama!" She bonked him over the head. "I did though, didn't I?" Sana leaned back against her pillow, reliving her memories.
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about all the spying and revenge she plotted," Tsuyoshi replied. "But she always meant well."
Aya leaned over to give Sana a hug. "We should go so we don't disturb you anymore, but I promise to visit lots."
"We all do, Sana-chan," Tsuyoshi added.
"Thanks so much. I'm grateful to have such wonderful friends." Sana beamed up at them, faltering slightly when she made eye contact with Hayama. She quickly averted her eyes, but not before Fuka noticed.
"We'd better go now," Fuka replied brightly. "See you soon, Sana-chan." They left a subdued Sana staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
As they left the house, Fuka smiled. "I think that went well, don't you think so Akito? She seemed to be doing okay."
"If you say so," came the answer.
"Akito-kun. You don't think she's alright?"
Hayama shrugged in response. He didn't want to think about it, about her. It hurt too much.
Fuka and Hayama were silent during the part of the walk accompanied by Aya and Tsuyoshi.
"Are you going to walk me home?" Fuka asked, expectantly, when Tsuyoshi and Aya left.
Hayama shrugged again. "If you want."
Fuka quickly hid the hurt expression that passed over her face. "Would you rather go home?"
"Not really."
"You can come to my house then. I'll make us some dinner and you can leave whenever you feel like it," she suggested hopefully. She got no reply. Taking the hint, she stayed quiet for the rest of the walk, thinking to herself.
They arrived at Fuka's house in short order. She turned to him suddenly with a look of determination. "Akito... I've thought about it and I...I think you should go to Sana-chan."
Hayama was taken aback. "What for?"
"You haven't been the same since she came back from New York. Now that she's sick, it's even worse than before. I... know you still have feelings for her... and I want you to be happy." She studied the shocked expression on his face. "It would make me feel better," she added. She leaned over and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek before turning on her heel and running into her house.
Hayama stood outside her gate, contemplating this new turn of events. Finally, he turned and walked away, a murmured 'thank you' trailing after him.
Walking in no particular direction, Hayama mulled over what to do with his newfound and unexpected freedom. For a while, he thought of going straight to Sana's house, but then convinced himself not to. She needed her rest. As he was passing by the park, he noticed a figure sitting on a bench not too far off. It was the bench he used to frequent during unhappy times. Approaching slowly, he realized that it was Sana. All thoughts stopped when he heard her sniffling.
"Kurata?"
She looked up in surprise and quickly wiped her tears away when she saw who it was. "Hayama. I didn't think I'd see you here. I thought... maybe... you'd be with Fuka-chan."
"I was. I walked her home."
"Oh." She rose and brushed past him, saying, "I should leave. It's getting late, and I shouldn't stay out for too long."
A hand reached out to grab her wrist. Sana stopped, but didn't turn around. "Let go, Hayama. We shouldn't be seen together alone."
"I don't care. What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"You're lying. Why are you crying?" When she continued to refuse, he added, "I won't leave you alone until you do."
"No... Fuka-chan..." She trailed off as Hayama wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"She broke up with me. We're not together anymore."
Sana whirled around. "That's not a funny joke," she snapped.
"Who said it was a joke?"
Sana hesitated. "Why'd she break up with you?"
"Does it matter?"
Sana thought for a moment before shaking her head. "You're right. It doesn't." She took a step towards him. "Hayama..." Her eyes filled with tears. "I feel so bad because I'm so happy."
Hayama collected her in his arm, pressing her close. "She understands." Sana hugged him tightly, and he held her, feeling that all was right with the world.
/// The End...
Score! I'm feeling so proud of myself... and my fingers are cold and stiff from typing... but it's all good. ;)