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Theme: I Go To Sleep by Sia.

Disclaimer: I do not own City Hunter nor do I own any of the songs mentioned here.

Saki: For Now, I Wait

I smell antiseptics and fresh sheets. My head sure feels lighter than before. It is due to this place. This is a hospital. There are people on white beds with green sheets and I am one of them.
"Careful"
It's a nurse. She lends me a hand when I try to sit straight. There is a needle in my wrist. This upside down bottle, god I can never remember what it's called, it says C6H12O6. Fainted, did I?
"Stay still, Miss Nogawa. I have to tell the doctor you are awake. Just a minute"
She leaves and I observe my surroundings. This is the Municipal Hospital, that's for sure. One, two, three, four, five and me – six people in one ward, staff uniforms monogrammed with TMH, windows with bars and glass panes, no friends and family with any patient. It is the Municipal Hospital. Sofu was here when he had the stroke a few years ago.
"Good morning, Miss Nogawa"
The nurse follows a doctor into the room. He checks my pulse and uses his stethoscope, asking,
"Do you feel better?"
"I don't know"
He checks my tongue,
"What did you have for dinner last night?"
"Rice and chicken"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes"
He frowns and smiles at the same time,
"Your body begs to differ, Miss Nogawa. You were unconscious when you were brought in here last night. It seems to me that you haven't eaten anything in a while"
"I have. You can ask my family. Are they here?"
"Yes. Tell me, did you vomit your dinner last night?"
"No. But I had difficulty eating"
"Why?"
"I felt weird. In my stomach, I mean. And in my chest"
The doctor observes me thoughtfully for another minute and turns to the door,
"Julie, bring her into my office, please"
Julie, the nurse, helps me get off the bed and I realise my feet have gone numb. I can't feel the floor underneath.
"Slowly. There is no hurry", Julie says.
We walk with baby steps to the doctor's office, which is located in the opposite section of this storey. She knocks on the door and walks me inside. The name plate on the table says Dr. Lau-something.
"Please sit, Miss Nogawa"
I do and Julie is averted from leaving the room by the doctor's glance. He flashes me a brief smile before saying,
"Now, do tell me what happened yesterday"
"Well", where do I begin, "I was feeling uneasy since I woke up. I almost fainted when I tried to stand, so going to work was out of question. I thought it was just nausea or something of the kind. I took some rest but it got worse. The sick feeling or what you call it... it came to my throat by the end of dinner. I went to bed early and strange things happened"
"What strange things?"
My arms prickle with gooseflesh but I tell him,
"I remember being terrified of something. My mind kept shouting at me that something was wrong outside. The rain made it worse. I... I was inside the house and the windows were closed but I could smell the rain. My vision was blurred, as if there was a fog in front of me. I could smell the r-rain and-and blood. Rain and blood"
"What else?"
"You will think I am lying"
"Don't worry about that. Please go on"
"Last night... the smells and... I was sweating. I could smell dirt, rain, blood and what not. I was in pain. Someone was hitting me, hurting me. It was intolerable. I couldn't even cry for help. I tried, I did but... the pain just increased. And at one point, I felt a huge stab in my back. It was terrible..."
"Were you alone or did you see your attacker?"
"I was alone in my room"
"Then who was hitting you?"
"I don't know"
He gestures with his hand,
"Please sit on this stool. I will have to check you for any physical injuries. Julie?"
Julie helps me sit on the stool next to the doctor's chair. I hesitate but she unbuttons my dress down to the midriff. Dr. Lau says,
"Do not be embarrassed, Miss Nogawa, I am your doctor. And this is a check up"
He inspects my shoulders and abdomen without touching. He says,
"Where did you say you were stabbed?"
"In the b-back"
Dr. Lau rotates the chair to a rough 180 and Julie slips the dress of my shoulders.
"Button it", he instructs Julie.
I am fumbling with my top most button when Dr. Lau says,
"There are no injuries on your person, Miss Nogawa"
"I know"
"Then?", he waits for an explanation.
"I know that I wasn't injured last night. But I felt I was. Every detail from last night is fresh in my memory. M-maybe I just had a seizure. It must have been my first one though"
"It wasn't a seizure"
"What was it then?"
At this, Dr. Lau relaxes his stiff posture and sighs,
"I think I should talk to you and your family together about this"
"Doctor, the only other adults in my family are my grandparents. My grandfather had a stroke some years back and my grandmother doesn't take bad news very well. If this is something serious, I request that you share it with me first"
"It is nothing serious, not yet. But it will be better if we have an open discussion about your condition with someone close to you. Julie, bring the boy inside, will you?"
Julie leaves and I find myself asking,
"Which boy?"
"He said his name was Kenji Kato. He brought you here last night"

Kenji, how am I ever going to thank you enough?
"He is here"
Julie enters the room with Kenji, and he exhales an audible sigh on seeing me. Dr. Lau says to Kenji,
"Have a seat, Kato-kun"
"How you feeling?", he sits next to me.
"Better", I lie, "Thank you for bringing me here last night"
Dr. Lau clears his throat,
"So I was saying, Kato-kun, your Sensei's condition has improved considerably overnight. You can take her home today evening. But..."
"But what?", Kenji frowns.
Dr. Lau seems to be speaking carefully,
"You see, Miss Nogawa had a... an out of body experience last night. As a physician, I am supposed to give her some more medicines and a quick discharge because externally, nothing much is wrong with her. However, I would like to ask a few questions which I expect you both will answer honestly"
"We will", I say.
Dr. Lau says,
"Has there been a recent death in the family?"
"No"
"Have you had a similar experience before? Like the one from last night?"
"No"
"And, uh, you said that your grandparents are the only adults in your family. Other than you, of course. What about your parents?"
"They passed away when I was a child"
"Both of them?"
"Yes"
"I am sorry", Dr. Lau says, "And... how are your grandparents?"
Kenji says,
"Spit it"
"Kenji..."
I am about to scold him when the doctor says,
"Is there a history of mental illness in your family?"
So he thinks I am...
"Hold it right there, chump", Kenji leans forward, "Are you trying to say that she is crazy?"
"I never..."
"That's it", Kenji says, "Sensei, let's go. We will go to a real doctor"
"Kenji, shut up and sit down", I say.
"But..."
"Or leave"
He glares at me, then at Dr. Lau. Swearing under his breath, Kenji resumes his seat. I apologise to Dr. Lau.
"I am sorry for his rudeness, Doctor. Please excuse him. And no. My family doesn't have a history of mental illness"
"Alright", Dr. Lau nods, "Then there is another conclusion for your, er, experience last night"
"Which is?", Kenji asks.
"Now", Dr. Lau says, "It's just a speculation at this point but the evidence suggests so. I have been doing research in that particular branch of medical science and I think, this could be a new type of synaesthesia"
"What's that?"
"In simple terms, it's experiencing the reflexes and pains of others. For example, if I have synaesthesia and you are standing here and suppose that you get a minor cut from that scalpel in the tray. Because of my condition, I might or I might not flinch at your pain. In your teacher's case, it is a possible conclusion that she is synaesthetic to someone's pain in particular. She says that she has never witnessed anything of the sort which she experienced last night. This means Miss Nogawa has either very acute senses or that she is really synaesthetic to someone's pain. And if that's true, that someone has been in major trouble last night"
"Bullshit", Kenji says, "That is impossible"
"It isn't. I am telling you both all this because... Julie, is the door closed? Um, because I would like to investigate more into Miss Nogawa's condition. It will be free of charge since it will help my research and..."
"Shut up", Kenji pulls me up by the hand, "We are leaving"
"Kenji, listen to what he is...", I say.
"Keep walking", he interrupts.

Caring for someone is one thing and doing as you deem right with them is another. Kenji is adamant that he doesn't want me to be under the care of "that psycho scientist shit". I am trying to reason with him but he just won't listen!
"He is a doctor, Kenji"
"He wants to use you as a test subject! I am not going to let that happen"
"What are you going to do then? Wheel me into an expensive private hospital?"
"If that means getting you away from that numbskull – YES!"
I sigh,
"Kenji, it is easy for you to say this. We both know it's impractical. We don't have that kind of money. And what if the change in my prescription makes this worse? Listen to me. It's just a matter of few more hours. He said I can go home in the evening"
"Which he shouldn't have", Kenji seethes, "Any dipshit with half a brain who saw you last night wouldn't just let you go home the next day. You were so pale, like a-a dead body. When I broke the door and got in, your head was bleeding. And I swear I am not lying, Sensei, when I carried you to Gouda's car, you weren't breathing. I sat right here on this bench all night thinking you were dead. I think you were. How can this asshat just let you go home when you were almost dead last night?"
"I don't know"
"But I know. You are not staying here another minute"
"Don't be so irrational. It's only a few hours. Look, it's 10 right now. I will be home by..."
Oh god. Oh dear god. No...

"The Okinawa Drama Company's Othello. Admit one. Time – 12:00 pm to..."
"12:00 pm? Are you sure?", I asked.
Hideyuki kept looking at the tickets in his left hand,
"Yes. They don't perform in the evening. I will pick you up at 11. Is 11 okay?"
"It is, but there has been an incident at school"
"What incident?"
I narrated,
"Two students from class 8 sneaked out of the campus during lunch hours. Some rival gang beat them up badly. The Principal has made a new rule that teachers have to do lunch hour duty to make sure the students don't leave the campus until school is over. Susan and I have two days in the week but I will manage. 11 o'clock... are you paying attention?"
He tried to hide his smile,
"I am sorry. It's difficult to concentrate when my hand is inside your clothes"
I remember narrowing my eyes at his mischievous expression,
"You are such a perv. Shame on everyone who thinks you are a gentleman"
"Keep this in mind, Saki-chan, a gentleman is simply a patient wolf"

I turn to Kenji,
"Take me home. I have to be there before 11"
"What happened?"
"Nothing. Take me home"
"Sensei, what's..."
Unable to remain calm anymore, I shout,
"Just take me home!"

He will be here any minute. I look like I have been rolling in a trash can. Should I comb my hair? Of course I should. What a dumb question.
After a lot of brushing and patting, I look half-human. The wound on my head is still there though. If Hideyuki sees it, he will worry himself to death. Powder, I need powder.
Also, I need to stay calm. But this is killing me. We are going to tell everyone today. First, my family, then his. I know everyone here will be more than happy to know we are together but Kaori-san? What if she doesn't accept me? Or... Buddha... what if she tells him to find another girlfriend? No, no. Stay positive, Saki. You are not in the best of health and these thoughts aren't exactly aspirin.

If I wasn't ill, I would be pacing up and down this room. It's 11:00 am and Hideyuki will be here any minute. He said that we will tell Sofu and Sobo before the play and Kaori after the play. Sofu seems to have caught up on my anxiety. He turns off his transistor radio and asks me,
"Are you alright, Saki?"
"Yes"
"You don't look very well", he looks to my left, "Why is your purse here? Are you thinking of going out in such a condition? Saki, why in the world..."
"Sofu, I am going out for a very important reason. Please don't nag me to stay at home. I am fine. I will be fine"
"You just got back from the hospital! Your head wound is fresh and you look terrible. If you must go, take someone along"
He walks over to me while I rub my forehead,
"I am not going alone"
"Who are you going with? Are you going with your friends?"
"I..."
The wrinkles on Sofu's face have multiplied, it seems. He is looking at me in earnest anticipation. I know that he worries for me but, Hideyuki said he will tell Sofu.
"You will just sit next to me and put on your best pitiful face", he said.
Sofu asks again,
"Who are you going with, child?"
"A friend"
He puts his hands in the sleeves of his robe and smiles,
"A friend?"
"Yes"
"A childhood friend?"
"Y-yes"
He knows, god, he knows! He says,
"Is your friend coming here?"
"Yes"
"Has your friend decided to admit it?"
"Sofu..."
"Don't worry", he chuckles, "I won't embarrass you"
"Thank you"
He has already embarrassed me by knowing. I ignore the warmth in my cheeks and say,
"Please don't tell him that I am not well"
"He will know. The scar on your head"
"I will hide it"
"He will see and he will scold you for lying, like a good husband should. Haha"
Sofu pats my head as I cover my face with my hands. He knew all along but he never confronted us about it. I ask,
"Since when do you know about this?"
"When you announced at the age of 4, 'I will marry Hideyuki-kun and be his wife'. He was a step ahead though. He gave you an engagement ring, didn't he?"
I draw away and stare at him in surprise. Sofu should have been a spy.
"You knew about that too?"
He nods with a supercilious tug at his moustache,
"Yes. Your Sobo knows too"
"Really?"
"Mm hm"
"Then... how come you two never pestered us to get married?"
"When you rejected Onoda-san, your Sobo and I were somewhat disappointed. Then we saw how happy Hideyuki-kun made you. So we chose to keep quiet till either of you two told us"
"I am sorry for not telling you"
"It's alright. Now", he held my face with one hand, "Why don't you sit in that chair and wait while I pretend to be clueless?"
My dear Sofu and Sobo.
"Okay", I smile.

Wherever you were, I was always on your mind. You said that to me in the rain. And kissed me then. Not even for a second did I doubt the truth behind your words... until now. You are seldom on time for any of our dates. But today is different. You said you wouldn't be late. You promised, Hideyuki. Now, you are not only late but...
"Saki?"
Sofu's face looks grim when I turn. I say,
"What?"
He sighs,
"Child, it's 8 in the evening. He is not coming today"
"He is. He has never stood me up. He might be late but never too late. Something important must have come up, that's all"
"I feel the same. Something important must have come up. I am sure that the moment he is free again, he will come rushing here. You know it is Friday tomorrow"
"Is it?"
"Yes", he lays a hand on my shoulder, "Come on. Kenji made the dinner. Save us"
"He cooked?"
"He did", Sofu chuckles, "Taste it for us, will you?"
"I am sorry, Sofu, but I am not really hungry"
"Saki, this won't do. You have to take your medicine. Get up"
"Sofu..."
"I will tell Hideyuki-kun that you starved yourself because of him"
"You will do nothing like that!", I stand.
"Oh, I will"
He holds out a hand for me and I reluctantly take it. Sofu will never do anything of the kind, I know. But if Hideyuki doesn't show up tomorrow... rubbish. He will. Of course he will be here tomorrow. He will apologise to me and call himself a thousand vile names. As always, I will forgive him. For now, I wait. Come soon, Hideyuki.