10. Opportunities
Tsunayoshi's heart nearly stopped when he saw what was happening. Nagi was about to get run over. The girl he had come to know as his dearest friend was going die. Dismay was too light of a word to describe what he felt. Without another thought, he dropped his bag and ran and ran and ran. It was faster than he ever ran before.
Tears fell from his eyes in frustration in the realization that he just wasn't fast enough to save the one person that ever truly believed in him. Nagi believed in him, as absurd as it was. When she was having a rough day, she would find comfort on his shoulder. When she was having a good day she was excited to share it with him. It was the truest relationship he had in such a long time. That had become his treasure.
All he could do was scream her name in anguish, yet he dug deeper and pushed more and more. Weaknesses in athleticism, stamina, and coordination were unacceptable. Being no good Tsuna was not an option now.
He would save her with his dying will.
Everything moved so quickly after his resolution was made. A heat he never knew burned within every fiber of his being. His surroundings blurred by as he reached her. He had just enough awareness to push her away.
And then the car slammed into him.
Idly, he noted that he never quite felt pain or force of this magnitude. It put everything his bullies had every done to him to shame. How naïve of him to think that he understood what a broken body was. His body nearly bounced across the road.
When his body came to a stop, his everything was pleasantly numb. The taste of blood filled his mouth. His sight was flickering not unlike a broken television. There was even a near constant buzzing sound in his ears that would come and go. Through all this, he could just make out Nagi weeping over him. What a mess he must look like for her to make such a heartbroken expression.
He dearly wanted to caress her cheek and suavely tell her everything was going to be alright, but he couldn't find the energy to move his arm. Even his body had given up on him. She nearly touched him before she thought better of it and instead pulled away and began dialing on a cell phone.
All her words were drowned out by the ringing in his ears. Perhaps that was for the best, he didn't really want to comprehend what kind of state he was in.
Despite everything, he smiled at her because in the end she was alright. He, no good Tsuna, had saved her with his own strength. For this one moment, he was something more and accomplished something worthwhile. This was not an unpleasant way to go. Tsunayoshi no longer had the energy to keep his eyelids open, so he began to lose consciousness.
The final thing that reached his damaged hearing was the sound of Nagi screaming his name.