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THE ISLE

Chapter 7 – My Fault is His Trouble

Fateful incident.

Unforgettable ruckus.

Clouded history.

Hino Kahoko didn't know what to do at the sight of the unconscious Tsukimori Len, his back of the head bleeding. She didn't know what to do at the certain moment where her brain and all her body parts including her insides were numb. She didn't know if she should shout for help, cry and weep, shake him off to stir him up, or just stay there, static and immobile, and watch him suffer the trouble that must be hers.

She wouldn't speak but rather stay on top of him, gawking at him as if he had grown another head. All she could do was stay there, stationary as ever, with tears starting to threaten to be released from her astounded eyes. No matter how the concours participants call them, all she did was ignore them and rather stared unpleased at Tsukimori.

It was all her fault. She knew it. It was the kismet's fault. She knew it.

Tsuchiura got Kahoko up as she was still in daze, staring at space, staring at him.

"No," he heard her mutter. "Ts—Tsukimori-kun . . ."

"Hino, he'll be fine," Tsuchiura assured her.

The tears that threaten to be released merely seconds ago freely escaped from her eyes, trailing her pale cheeks. It was not an oblivious matter towards Tsuchiura that Kahoko was blaming herself but . . .

"He always protects me . . . my fault . . . all my flaws . . . he . . . he's always been beside me . . ." she kept saying.

. . . Tsuchiura could do nothing.

The others approached Tsukimori and Kabuki-san led them, stating that he was a trained medic, not only a yacht captain and an experienced scout. He, with the help of Yunoki Azuma and Hihara Kazuki, carried Tsukimori by the tree to make him sit up. Tsukimori was half-conscious half-insensible so Kabuki-san was able to aid him easier yet. . . .

"We must go by the river we checked out earlier while searching for these two," he said with a frown. "Tsukimori-san has no bones that got broken (and we must be relieved with that) but he's got many injuries and his head . . . it's bleeding doesn't stop for a while now."

Tsuchiura entrusted the spacing out Kahoko to Fuyuumi while he got Tsukimori and dragged him on his back. Kabuki-san asked Shimizu to go with him to search for medicinal plants and he 'ordered' Yunoki and Hihara to guard the group to be sure they'd be safe right after knowing there could be wild animals in this place.

The walk towards the river was silent. Kahoko, as she was being supported by Fuyuumi in walking, was still in daze, in trauma. Fuyuumi bit her lip as she heard her senpai talked to herself saying things like "I'm sorry" "My fault" "Such burdens" "He was always beside me" and the words that almost threw her off, "I thought he will stay with me . . .because he respects me? I have been so insensitive. . . ."

The walk had been like that, even when they reached the river. Tsuchiura pulled his shirt off him, showing his well-toned tan muscles, and folded it for him to lay Tsukimori's head on it. While waiting for Kabuki-san and Shimizu to return back, his eyes were locked to the dazed Hino Kahoko.

Tsukimori, you asshole, better wake up! he told Tsukimori although mentally. He shook his head and frowned. She keeps on blaming herself. Tsukimori, you would not want to make her upset, would you? So be generous enough and stir up, will you?!

Kahoko stayed silent, spacing out. Fuyuumi was sitting beside her, not speaking, instead, staring at her pensive (right now) favorite senpai. Unknown to her, just the mere sight of her crying senpai would immediately send signals to her brain and make her eyes cry. So she mentally hoped that her heart stop beating since it provides blood that her brain needs so as not to make her eyes cry.

At the feeling of the circling-motioned caressing of a hand stop at her back, Kahoko snapped off her reverie and turned to her kohai who was sitting beside her.

"Fuyuumi-chan?" she called, astounded by the fact that her kohai was near to tears.

Fuyuumi looked up at her and blink, ignorant to the tears that fell off her eyes when she blinked. Her eyes widened and she shifted her gaze on the ground.

"Senpai, your v-violin," she stammered, handing Kahoko her violin without looking at her in the eyes. She fidgeted her fingers and stared shyly at the ground. "Arigato senpai getting my c-clarinet f-for me . . . if not because of that, t-this won't h-happen."

Kahoko bit the inside of her cheek, refraining herself from crying more. This should be enough. She cried enough and she must gather all her courage to stand up again and apologize to Tsukimori. After all, Tsukimori did all his best to protect her; Kahoko wouldn't want all his hard works to go to waste. She must stay fit and strong, just what he wanted.

She leaned towards Fuyuumi and wrapped her arms around her. She moved closer to her ears for her to hear her whisper.

"I'm sorry for making you worried Fuyuumi-chan," she whispered with a sad smile.

Though shocked at the sudden action of her senpai, Fuyuumi smiled and hugged her senpai back just the exact moment Kabuki-san and Shimizu arrived.

Fuyuumi gave Kahoko one last smile and asked her if she'd want to go by the riverside to help the others with Tsukimori but Kahoko declined the offer. Fuyuumi gave her senpai a worried look before turning towards the others. Now, it's Kahoko all alone. It's her time to be alone.

She stared at her violin. By now, it was full of scratches, cuts and dirt. She warily smiled. "I remembered . . ." she mumbled.

That night, they silently ate the fruits as if they do not acknowledge each other's presence. For Tsukimori, it was quite normal; but for Kahoko, it was depressing. She scanned her brains for something to talk with.

"Tsukimori-kun?" she called while looking down at her unfinished fruit.

". . ."

"Where's your violin?" she asked.

"Lost."

Kahoko snapped her head at his answer and stared at his stoic face with bewilderment. "What—what do you mean, Tsukimori-kun?" she asked wide-eyed.

"Quit asking," Tsukimori said nonetheless as he closed his eyes and leant on the gigantic rock.

"My fault but his trouble," she muttered sadly. She heaved a sigh and turned her attention towards her friends. Admiration overcame her at the sight of everyone doing their best to medicate and aid Tsukimori. She heard him groan.

"Tsukimori-kun?" she called to herself. Slowly, she paced towards her friends with this thought: His up . . . his up! With jolly plastered on her face, she ran towards the riverside where here friends and Tsukimori were.

Kabuki-san turned to her coming figure and gave her a contented smile. "See? He has stirred up, Hino-san," he said.

Kahoko, not looking at Kabuki-san, muttered a thank you to him. She went straight to where Tsukimori was and hugged him—her instincts did it to herself. She smiled when Tsukimori whimper at the tightness of her embrace. Uncontrollably, tears flowed freely in her eyes, making Tsukimori feel wet again.

"I'm so sorry Tsukimori-kun," she said, her smile fading.

Tsukimori stared at her as if she was someone who had become a monster or something and frowned. His head was still throbbing madly but he had got to say something.

"Idiot," the words just came out of his mouth, even he was unaware of this. He was shocked by his own words.

The concours participants gawked at the two.

"Tsukimori, what do you think are you telling Hino?" demanded Tsuchiura. "She keeps blaming herself of what had happened to you and now that you're up, you're saying that she's . . . she's . . ."

"Idiot," Tsukimori said once again.

"Kaho-chan is not an idiot!" Hihara blurted, frowning at Tsukimori's stubbornness.

Fuyuumi and Shimizu chose to keep silent as they watched in awe their arguing senpai. Kabuki-san merely smiled at the group.

"She's an idiot," seconded Yunoki.

"What do you mean? You also call Kaho-chan an idiot?" Hihara queried with incredibility evident in his cheerful voice.

"She's an idiot, blaming herself of what happened, right Tsukimori?" Yunoki answered, his eyes colder at Kahoko's sudden action towards Tsukimori.

And speaking of Kahoko, she released Tsukimori from her embrace and stared at him. She smiled.

"I'm Idiot," she said with a willing grin. Tsukimori merely stared back at her, shocked that Kahoko still smiled despite how he called her. But the question was . . . why?

Twilight was back, stars started to appear in the darkening horizon. The others were cooking fishes on fire while Tsukimori, Kahoko, Shimizu and Fuyuumi stayed away from work. Shimizu and Fuyuumi just spent the time watching their senpai and Kabuki-san cook the fishes Tsuchiura and Hihara caught.

Meanwhile . . .

"Tsukimori-kun, I'm really sorry," Kahoko said apologetically. It was very inconvenient to stay with Tsukimori if you knew that he wasn't forgiving you yet—that was what she thought.

But inside Tsukimori, he had forgiven Kahoko even before the moment the fateful event took place. After all the coldness he appeared towards Kahoko, all the harshness towards her, he thought that everything that happened was his payment for that.

He stared at Kahoko and turned his gaze towards his other friends.

"Idiot," he said for the third time since he woke up to consciousness. "You're an idiot. I heard from that Tsuchiura that you keep on blaming yourself on what happened to me."

Kahoko gaped at him and smiled. "I'm an Idiot, I know," she said, admitting it for the second time.

Before Tsukimori could speak, their friends called them on.

"Hey! The food's ready!" Kabuki-san called.

Kahoko stood up and handed out a hand towards Tsukimori and smiled. "You'll need me to support you to stand up," she said in a teasing tone. I'm glad he's fine, she added in her thought.

Tsukimori smirked at her and got her hand.

"If you think that I am an idiot that I am, simply call me Idiot, expect that I would smile."

. . .to be continued

©sera-chan