Meanwhile…
Masaru, Mukuro, Sayaka, and Leon stay in silence as they wait for Dr. Sasaki and Taka to come out.
Masaru rocks on his heels before turning to Mukuro and asking, "Uh, by the way Mukuro, as far as you know, have any of the others talked?"
Mukuro shakes her head.
"…I didn't think so."
Just then, Dr. Sasaki comes out…
"Okay, I've taken- Whoa!"
…And nearly gets bowled over by Mondo, who rushes past him into the room.
After a few seconds, Dr. Sasaki gives a few nervous chuckles, his eyes wide.
"I've…taken Chihiro…off…some of the machines…but I've left in the catheter and feeding tube for now."
"Well at least he's…awake…" Masaru trails off as his attention turns to the device on his arm.
"Yes, but the real question is why he was in a coma in the first place."
"There's another question I think we should be more concerned about."
"…What?"
"Why is—"
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The device begins beeping loudly as Sakura's button suddenly turns red.
"What does the beeping mean?"
0~*~0
Natsuki drops to her knees as Sakura curls into herself, clutching her stomach. She tries to say something, anything, but the only thing that comes out of her mouth is strained whimpering.
Sakura lets out a pained grunt, gritting her teeth.
Natsuki has no idea what to do. This section of the hospital is almost completely unoccupied; even if she screamed as loudly as she can, there was almost no chance of anybody hearing her. She can't leave Sakura to go find help; she has no idea where the closest person is, and while she's gone, Sakura might…might…
…
Her heart and mind are racing, her hands are shaking, and her legs feel like they're made of granite. Her vision blurs as her eyes start watering.
No, Sakura, please don't die. I already watched you die once on the broadcast; don't make me watch you die again.
It had been painful to watch Sakura drink the poison and die alone, and it had been even more painful to watch what had happened afterwards.
She knows that if any of them die again, her father can just bring them back to life as he did before…but she's afraid of what'll happen to the memories they haven't regained yet.
There's a gradually worsening pain in her chest, her face is getting hot, and tears are dripping from her chin. She had felt so helpless watching the teens die one by one, but kneeling in front of a possibly dying Sakura, watching as she grips her stomach and her face contorts in pain…somehow, it feels worse.
0~*~0
Masaru, panting heavily, runs down the hallway as fast as he can, followed by two nurses pushing a wheeled hospital bed (or whatever it's called).
Why does Sakura have to be at the other end of the hospital!?, he thinks desperately.
Dr. Sasaki's already waiting in the O.R., prepping for surgery on Sakura's burst liver aneurism.
When they finally arrive at the hallway, the first thing Masaru sees is Sakura lying on the floor, clutching her abdomen, her face turned away from him…and Natsuki kneeling on the ground next to her, sobbing hysterically.
After quickly helping the nurses load Sakura onto the bed, he turns his attention to Natsuki. She's pulling at her hair and her face is red from crying.
"Natsuki! Natsuki, look at me!" He's tempted to grab her arms to get her attention, but he knows that's probably not going to help.
"Are you hurt!?"
She shakes her head fervently, still sobbing.
I can't deal with this, he realizes. But…I can think of one person who CAN…
He then, with some awkwardness, picks her up and drapes her across his back. She wraps her arms around his neck, tight but not tight enough to choke him.
You're lighter than I thought you would be, Masaru notes to himself.
It takes him a considerable while to find the person he's looking for (carrying a sobbing teenager on his back and being stopped by people concerned for said teenager didn't help), and when he does find her, she's at the back of the cafeteria during lunch rush.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," he exasperatedly mutters, barely able to hear Natsuki's sniveling over the chatter of the crowd. So he decides to try something he's only done once before.
"Mrs. Sasaki!"
No response.
"MRS. SASAKI!"
Several people standing close to him take notice, but not her.
"MRS. SASAKIIIIII!"
Finally, she hears him…as does almost everyone in the cafeteria.
Clearly irritated, Hiyoko begrudgingly trudges over to Masaru…until she realizes that he's carrying her daughter piggyback-style, at which point she speeds up to the point of practically climbing on top of people.
When she gets to Masaru, she, panting slightly, asks, "What happened?"
"Sakura collapsed after an aneurism in her liver burst and we found Natsuki next to her. As for why exactly she's crying…you'd have to ask her."
"Give her to me."
After Masaru awkwardly gets Natsuki off his back and into her mother's arms, Hiyoko quickly walks away and Masaru decides to sit at a table and give his legs a quick rest.
"Masaru?" Masaru glances in the direction of the voice. It's Juria, looking rather concerned. "What's going on?"
"Sakura's in emergency surgery for a burst liver aneurism."
"What!?"
"Yeah. This thing," he says, tapping the device on his arm, "came in real handy."
"I-I-Is she okay!?"
"…I think you mean 'Is she going to be okay?'. As for that question…we'll just have to see. But Dr. Sasaki is a very talented surgeon, and I have faith in him."
Juria is silent, but Masaru gets the feeling that there's something else she wants to say. After two minutes, she finally says something.
"I…feel like now's not the best time to bring it up…but…"
"Go ahead…"
"…How old is Dr. Sasaki?"
"…I don't know. I know that Natsuki was part of Class 77, but otherwise…"
"'Class 77'? Natsuki went to Hope's Peak?"
"Yeah. The Ultimate Artist. She more than deserves the title."
"How'd she get out?"
"She doesn't remember. And Dr. Sasaki refuses to answer the question."
"Doesn't remember?"
"Both she and her mother have amnesia…" A thought then occurs to Masaru, but he shoves it to the back of his mind; he'll have time to think about it later. "And Dr. Sasaki refuses to tell me why." Pause. "Why'd you ask me how old Dr. Sasaki is, anyway?"
"His daughter is a high school student, but he looks like he's in his 20s…"
"…"
"Oh, uh, by the way, there was something I meant to ask you."
"What?"
"Why'd you volunteer? I heard that it was because you felt like you needed to learn how to care about people that aren't your family…but that's not true, is it?"
"It is, at least partially. But it's only part of the reason. Another part is that, well…I wanted to be part of this story. To play a notable role in this story like no other ever before…is a great honor."
"Heh. You sound like Mother."
"I was quite fond of Mother. But I'm nothing compared to how she was."
"Yeah. I'm glad Mom's not like that, or I'd be like that too."
0~*~0
It takes Hiyoko ten minutes of physical reassurance and comforting words to get Natsuki to calm down enough to stop crying. By then, Natsuki's exhausted and thirsty. She lies down on her bed as Hiyoko goes to get some water. There's a mild buzzing in her head.
That was…quite a strong reaction back there, she thinks. Why did I…did I…did…I…
And suddenly, she remembers.
0~*~0
She fell down. Her foot had slipped out from under her as she was running and she fell down. Now her arm and leg are hurting and bleeding, hurting too badly for her to get up. All she can do is cry and scream in pain, hoping that somebody will hear her. But it's nighttime, and everyone's in their soundproof dorms, and she's outside in the chilly air. But it's a thought that barely crosses her mind; right now, all she can focus on is the pain.
Suddenly, she's being picked up by strong, thick arms. She wipes away her tears and strains to see her rescuer. It's Sakura Ogami, the Ultimate Martial Artist.
Sakura briefly gives her a reassuring smile, unaware that the mere presence of someone who cares is enough to reassure Natsuki.
She wraps her arms around Sakura's neck as the latter carries her to the nurse's office.
"I can treat your arm wound," says the nurse, "but you'll have to get stitches for your leg."
One trip to the hospital, six stitches in her leg, and a gym waiver later, she's answering a call from her very concerned parents. When she finally hangs up, she can't help but think back to Sakura helping her.
I'll have to thank her the next time I talk to her, she notes.
0~*~0
Natsuki, forcing herself out of her flashback, sits up and checks her legs. There's a faint, six-inch scar on the back of her left calf. She doesn't remember, but she has a feeling that she never got a chance to thank Sakura for helping her.
Well, I'll have to fix that, she thinks. …Assuming, of course, that Sakura even retained the memory of helping me.
She flops back onto her bed and sighs. It's at that moment that her mother comes back with a glass of water. She sets it down on the nightstand, but Natsuki doesn't take it.
Instead, she says, "Mom, have you ever shared a moment with someone that was meaningful to you, but the other person doesn't even remember it?"
Hiyoko, with one eyebrow raised, replies, "I don't think so but your father probably has several moments he could tell you about."
"Oh really?" she chuckles. "With who?"
Hiyoko glances off to the side. "…With me."
Natsuki, not expecting that response, gives her a blank stare. "You know… You never told me how you and Dad met…"
"I didn't?"
"No."
"…I thought I did."
"Well you didn't."
"I could've sworn I-"
"You. Didn't. I would remember if you did."
"…What makes you so sure?"
"I have a very good memory."
0~*~0
By the time Masaru gets back to the O.R., Dr. Sasaki has already finished operating. Mukuro, Leon, Sayaka, Hifumi, and Celeste are already waiting.
"You're late," observes Heizo.
"Sorry. Natsuki was with Sakura when she collapsed and she was panicking a little, so I took her to Hiyoko. After that, I talked to Juria for a while before I remembered about Sakura and came here."
"She's with Hiko? Good."
"…How's Sakura?"
"She should make a full recovery. There were a few other aneurysms in her liver that looked like they were ready to burst. Decided to go ahead and take care of those."
"Any idea what's causing it? Er, why it's happening, I mean?"
"I'm not completely sure, but we'll be looking into it."
"Hmm."
0~*~0
"Hey," Masaru asks, "why do you call your wife 'Hiko' sometimes?"
Heizo glances around the empty hallway. "When I first met her, I misheard her and thought she said 'Hiko'."
Masaru can't help but chuckle a bit. "How long did it take you to realize that wasn't her name?"
"She corrected me almost immediately. Still took me a while to get in the habit of calling her by her real name."
"Heh."
"Now tell me something about you."
Masaru blinks. "Uh… Why?"
"Seems only fair. And to be honest, I don't really know much about you or your family."
"Ah…" What should I say, what should I say, what should I say? "Uh… Well… Uh… M-My family used to live in California in America. We moved here when I was 11."
Heizo's eyebrows perk up in interest. "Oh really?"
"Yeah. My Dad wanted to move somewhere else to get a fresh start, and since both my parents are descended from Japanese immigrants, he felt that Japan would be the best option. What about you?"
"I have lived here my whole life, and so has Hiyoko."
"You've never left the country?"
"I had to a number of times for work. And don't ask me where. I'm very tired of answering that question."
"Did you ever go anywhere for a vacation?"
Heizo looks stunned. "…No. There were plenty of opportunities, but…there was nowhere in particular…we were interested in going…" There's an oddly pained look in his eyes as he says the last part.
Masaru puts a hand on his hip. "'Kay…" I think he's lying.
"Uh, e-excuse me, but I just remembered…something…that I…left…behind…somewhere… Uh…"
Without another word, Heizo rushes out of the hallway and out of sight.
…I think he wanted to get away from me…but why?
Author's note: I was considering adding a little section at the end with Mondo, Chihiro, and Taka, but I felt this was a better way to end.
