Light up, light up / As if you have a choice
Momoshiro sighed as he strolled down the sidewalk, holding a brown paper bag full of groceries. A small misty cloud appeared in front of his mouth before it evaporated with the rest of the flying snow.
The week of Christmas was always a hassle; crowds of people trying to get the last supplies in stock for dinner, presents for children or for loved ones, everyone was always trying to buy something. Momo was lucky he was able to get all the groceries his mother had requested for him to get.
Momo shivered at the cold wind and pulled up his scarf over his mouth and zipped his jacket up.
Just a couple of blocks now.
The wind was persistent, blowing in his face fiercely, determined to overcome to obstacles known as clothes and fulfill its purpose to cause this person to become cold. Again and again, Momo felt the freezing air biting at his face, then nothing at all as the unfortunate bits of exposed skin become numb. The wind seemed to howl with triumph.
With a defeated sigh, Momo veered off to the right into a deserted alley. A shortcut home was probably the best option, and the thick brick walls on either side of him would surely prevent him from getting attacked from the snow. Tucking the grocery bag closer to his chest, Momo walked into the thin alley.
Well, all hopes of the wind leaving him alone were quickly gone when Momo realized that there was even snow blowing in this particular alleyway. He cursed under his breath and hurried on, wanting to get home quickly.
The wind howled loudly, furiously against his ears. The snow in front of him flew toward his face, temporary blinding him –
"What the –! " Momo exclaimed as his foot suddenly caught onto something solid and he fell forward, sending the bag of groceries flying. Momo caught himself with his hands, then quickly recovered, diving toward the bag before it hit the ground. He landed on his stomach with an "oomph!"
Lucky all this snow was here.
Groaning with the pain in his stomach, Momo stood up slowly, holding the bag in one hand while the other concentrated on brushing off the snow on his coat and pants.
What was that? he thought as he finished patting off the last of the loose snow on his coat. He turned around, saying, "I could've sworn that –"
Momo's violet eyes widened.
"Oh no," he whispered, dropping the bag of groceries. It landed with a soft thump on the snow covered ground as Momo ran forward.
"Echizen!" Momo exclaimed, dropping down next to the boy.
Ryoma was laying there, barely any clothes on and a thin rag lying some feet away from him. Momo guessed it was to keep him warm. Fat chance of that, Momo thought as he observed Ryoma's face. He was ghostly white (Momo had to fight the panic brewing inside him) and Momo gasped as he saw the nasty bruises that were on his face and arms, as they each stood out as a violent purple blotch on Ryoma's pale skin. Momo would have felt angry about this, but the fury was overtaken by the anxiety and panic welling inside him; Ryoma's eyes were closed and his lips were turning a faint but noticeable blue.
"Echizen!" Momo cried out, reaching out a laying a hand on Ryoma's still form, shaking slightly. The young boy would not open his eyes.
Momo's insides clenched with fear and he shook harder. "Come on, Echizen, don't do this! Wake up, wake up! You gotta wake up!" Momo screamed over the wind.
When Ryoma once again showed no signs of awakening, Momo backed away slightly, eyes huge. Something escaped from his throat that sounded like a yelp mixed in with a curse. He frantically looked around him, looking to each exit of the alley. He looked at where he had entered the alley and nodded to himself; the hospital was only a couple blocks away. If he ran, he could make it there in less than 10 minutes, but with Ryoma's weight it would probably slow Momo down.
And, he thought, turning toward Ryoma, does he even have 10 minutes?
He shut his eyes together tightly and shook his head furiously. No. No, Ryoma would make it.
He has to, Momo thought as he re-opened his eyes. The purple orbs were wet.
No more time should be wasted. Momo quickly yet carefully placed his arms around Ryoma and hauled him up bridal style, unconsciously taking notice of how much skinnier and lighter Ryoma was since he last saw him.
He had no time to dwell on that fact, however, as he began to run. He was mistaken; Ryoma didn't slow him down like he had first assumed, for, like he first noticed, the extreme loss of weight. Momo willed his legs to go faster, cradling Ryoma in his arms and pulling him deep into his chest, trying to pass off any warmth he had to the boy.
He looked down at Ryoma's still body and fought to keep his eyes dry.
Just hang on.
XXX
Momo paced back and forth in the hallway. He had arrived bursting through the hospital doors, screaming for help. Almost immediately there was a team of doctors and nurses, two rolling a gurney. Momo placed Ryoma onto it and held on to the edge as the doctors began to roll him away. He had kept his eyes on Ryoma the entire time, his gaze never wavering. He only let go of the gurney when the doctors patiently ordered him to let go. Reluctantly, unwillingly, Momo allowed his hands to let go, and he stayed where he stopped, staring after Ryoma until they turned a corner. And then he was gone.
And now here he was, impatiently waiting for the Regulars to arrive. He had phoned Tezuka first, stumbling over his words as he explained the situation to his buchou. Tezuka was silent throughout Momo's frantic rant and when he spoke, his voice was strong and slightly reassuring.
"Don't worry, Momoshiro. I'll call Fuji and help spread the word. We'll be there."
Momo supposed he made the right choice calling Tezuka first, because his calmness had helped Momo's panic to ease slightly. And not to mention the fact that when he called Eiji next, he got the reaction he hadn't wanted to hear while still sick with worry.
Eiji listened to Momo, understood what was going on, but the redhead would constantly interrupt his junior with questions and exclamations, frustrating Momo. When they finally reached the end of the conversation, Eiji promised to call the other Regulars along with Tezuka so Momo wouldn't have to constantly repeat himself. Momo thanked his sempai and hung up.
He was grateful that Tezuka and Eiji had called the other Regulars for him; he didn't know how much more interrogation similar to Eiji's that he could stand. And he wasn't looking forward to meeting Oishi here. He would only add to Momo's frustrations and his visible way of showing fear and worry would not help Momo's queasy stomach in the slightest.
Sighing, Momo sank down into a chair, mentally and physically exhausted. This had been a long day.
Momo wanted so desperately to close his eyes and sleep for eternity, but he knew there was one more thing he needed to do. He pulled out his cell and dialed a number, holding it to his ear and listening to the ringing.
A click on the other end sounded almost immediately and his mother's panicked voice came from the other end. "Takeshi! Takeshi, please tell me it's you!"
"Kaa-san, calm down. Hai, it's me… I'm at the hospital… Iie! Iie, I'm alright! It's Echizen Ryoma… Hai, kaa-san, I found him… I was coming home from the store and took a shortcut through an alley and I sort of fell over him… I-I don't know that yet… Alright, kaa-san, but is it alright if I stay here? At least until they tell me something?... Arigatou, kaa-san. I'll call you as soon as I find out anything. Sayonara."
He snapped his phone shut and placed it in his pocket and felt his eyelids getting heavier. Now that that was done, he could finally get some sleep. But as his eyes drew to a close, he remembered something.
He had left the bag of groceries in the alley.
Oh well, Momo thought, his lids completely covering his eyes. Sleep came immediately.
Even if you cannot hear my voice / I'll be right beside you, dear
