CHAPTER 3 – PRELUDE TO TRAGEDY
"AHHHH!" cried Miki as she rolled down the sidewalk at top speed, arms flung out trying to steady her wobbly feet. The sandy beach to her right and trees lining the sidewalk proved to be admirable obstacles.
" TURN!" Called Yuu as he noticed they were coming to a bend, if she didn't turn right than she'd smack right into a tree.
"HOW?" yelled back Miki, " AHHH! I'M GOING TO DIE!"
She held out her arms to try and absorb the force of impact, but instead felt herself hoisted up in the air by a strong arm around her waist. "EEK!"
She opened her eyes and looked up at Yuu, he was carrying her by the waist, her heavy roller blades dangling a foot from the ground. Yuu had picked her up and made the turn in time before she crashed.
"T-thank you." She said shakily.
"I should have known that a clumsy person like you couldn't do something as easy as this!" he said annoyed.
" Ohhh- YUU! If you'd known then why'd you give them to me?" replied Miki peevishly.
Yuu laughed, "I'm just kidding! I'll have to instruct you so that you don't get out of control."
Miki blushed and looked behind them to see the other four friends laughing their heads off. "Y-Yuu, you can put me down now!"
"Of course Oh Hime-sama," he said as he set her in front of him, with his arms still around her waist. "But, I'm not letting you get away from me this time!"
Miki blushed more, "Are you sure this is a good idea? What if I trip? I'll take you down with me."
" 'll save you before you go down." Replied Yuu. " Just relax and put one foot in front of the other. Slowly, Yeah- there you go! Glide on one foot for a few seconds, then switch."
Miki smiled and laughed, "I'm doing it!"
"Anything for Hime-sama." He joked.
Miki giggled, "I can do it now because Yuu is so close to me, " she thought, " He gives me the courage, and the confidence!"
"Now, just put your feet together and glide," he said as he wrapped his arms around her tighter, bringing her close against him.
Yuu set his head on top of Miki's as they glided down the hill, Miki hardly noticed how fast they were going, they were both in a dreamland.
"I wish it could be like this forever! I want to always be close to Yuu!" Miki thought, "How was I able to endure so long without him? I must have forgotten how wonderful it was to be at his side." Thought Miki as she closed her eyes.
"HEY YUU! MIKI! WATCH OUT!" Jinny's voice carried over their heads as both Miki and Yuu snapped out of the daydream to see the stone steps leading down to the beach dead in front of them.
"TURN!" cried Brian.
But it was too late, Miki and Yuu both stumbled down the steps at top speed. Yuu tried to pick Miki up, but the shift in weight only helped to throw him off balance as the two crashed down, landing in the warm sand at the bottom. Jinny, Bill, Brian, and Dorris all stopped at the front of the steps, Bill and Jinny were trying hard to contain their laughter. Dorris carefully sidestepped down the stairs towards them.
"Are you ok?" she called.
Yuu slowly lifted his head up, spitting out sand, he sat up groggily and looked up at Dorris.
"What happened?" he asked, trying to focus his eyes.
"You knucklehead, you weren't paying attention to where you were going!" said Dorris, shaking her head and laughing. Yuu shook some sand from his hair and laughed as well, then realized Miki was lying motionless under his left arm.
"Miki?" he asked alarmed. He got onto his knees and leaned over her concerned. "Miki! Wake up!" He turned her over gingerly and gasped at a thick streak of blood that ran down her forehead from her hairline.
"MIKI!" Yuu panicked. He cursed under his breath and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her gently, "MIKI WAKE UP!"
"Oh my God!" Dorris saw the blood and stumbled over to the foot of the stairs. " JINNY! BILL! CALL AN AMBULANCE!"
The Dream
"Yuu!" Miki called. She peered through thick mist, but couldn't distinguish anything. It was all cloudy around her, she felt frightened and cold.
"Where am I?" she thought to herself, she hugged herself and cautiously stepped out into the white unknown. " Where is Yuu?" She wrapped her arms around herself tightly, shivering " I don't want to be here all by myself! It's so scary!" She took another step, than another out into the whiteness which surrounded her, the fog grew thicker and thicker.
"YUU!" She called out. "YUU WHERE ARE YOU?" With the next step she took she heard something break underneath her, as if she'd stepped on a thin pane of glass. The cracking sound intensified and Miki jumped back startled. Then the glass broke and she fell with a scream into darkness.
At the Hospital
"Doctor how is she? Is she going to be ok?" Yuu jumped to his feet as the doctor entered the waiting room. The other four friends sat with hands clasped in their laps, silent.
The doctor took off his glasses and rubbed his temples. "It's a serious case. She's fallen into a coma..."
"A... coma?" Shock took over as Yuu slowly fell back into his chair.
"Yes, she was lucky enough to not have sustained any brain damage, what in the world was she doing without a helmet on?"
"It's all my fault..." Yuu mumbled as he leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees and put his face in his hands.
"Any ways, if she can wake from her comma, then she should be just fine. But we won't know anything until she does."
Bill stood up and shook the doctors hand. "Thank you Doctor, I'm sure you've done everything you could for her."
Jinny stood up and clasped her hands together. " Please, tell us when you think she'll wake up!"
"There's no way to tell. It's not an irreversible comma, but it could be days, weeks, months, even years before she awakes."
"YEARS?" Yuu rose to his feet, his face in agony. "How can that be? She can't be asleep for years! What'll I..." he left his sentence hanging as he couldn't seem to choke out the words, then he turned and ran out of the waiting room.
"Yuu!" Brian called, jumping up with Doris. With a nod to Jinny and Bill, they ran out of the room after him.
"Please excuse Yuu..." Bill apologized to the to Doctor.
"Is she his girlfriend?" the doctor asked with a smile and a nod.
"His fiancée." Said Bill.
Jinny stepped forward concerned. " Is it ok if we see Miki now?"
The Dream
Miki awoke, surrounded by complete blackness. Her eyes grew wide as she groped in the dark for something solid to touch or feel. But there was nothing around her to touch.
"I feel so cold..." she thought as she slowly sat up on the ground, hugging herself again. " My head hurts, where am I?" she bit her lip and slowly rose to her feet. "What is this place?"
She took a few steps, her feet felt like lead weights. She tried to ignore the fatigue which pulled at her every bone.
"Yuu?" She called out breathlessly. "Mama? Papa? Where are you?" Tears sprang to her eyes and she fell to the ground. She was too tired to move any more. "Where is everyone? Where am I?"
Outside the Hospital
" YUU!" Called Brian, they stopped him in the hospital parking lot. Yuu was trying to hail a taxi.
"Yuu!" Brian grabbed onto his arm. " Yuu don't do this to yourself!"
Yuu refused to turn around and look at him. But Brian knew he was crying. He could feel the shaking in his body as he held onto Yuu's arm.
"It's all my fault..." he said in a low, quiet voice. "Now, because of my foolishness, Miki is-" He couldn't bring himself to say the words.
" Yuu..." Dorris put her hand on his shoulder and faced him. "Don't say that Yuu! It was an accident! Miki is going to be ok! She'll be just fine." She tried to smile reassuringly. Yuu kept his eyes glued to the pavement in front of him, not saying a word.
"Why don't we go back to the hospital, and go and see Miki." Dorris gave him a little tug towards the building. "I bet Jinny and Bill are there right now with her. We should give her our support now, so that she can get better and wake up."
Yuu's eyes slowly rose to meet hers. Then he nodded slowly, and followed the couple back into the building. His head held low and his hands in his pockets.
Yuu sat next to Miki in the emergency room, the doctors had bandaged her head and she was on a respirator. Jinny, Bill, Dorris and Brian all nodded to each other and left the room to leave Yuu alone with her.
"Miki..." Yuu took her thin, white hand in both of his and leaned over her. "Miki, it's me, I'm right here for you Miki." He gently brushed his hand against her cheek. "If you can hear me, know that I'm here." A tight knot caught in his throat, and tears welled up in his eyes. "Please wake up! Miki!"
He noticed Bill in the doorway motioning that they should be going. Yuu nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes. He looked down into Miki's face, so motionless, serene and peacefull. Yuu bent over and kissed her forehead and whispered. "I'll wait for you, no matter how long. When you decide to wake up, I'll be here."
The Dream
"Miki-"
Miki looked up from her sobbing at the sound of Yuu's voice.
"Yuu?" She muttered as a bright light suddenly appeared before her. She shielded her eyes for a moment, then opened them to see a glowing sphere floating in front of her. She held out her hands and it came to her.
"It's warm..." she thought as she held it close to her body. "It reminds me of Yuu's presence. Always so warm and protective."
6 Months Later
Yuu sat at his desk in his empty room. He looked out the window at the busy streets idly tapping his pencil against the table. Finally he put it down, rose and walked from the room.
"Where are you going Yuu?" asked Dorris from her position on the couch, she had textbooks surrounding her all over the coffee table, Jinny took up the other side of it but was more interested in the South Park Episode airing on TV.
"For a walk..." muttered Yuu as he opened the door. " It's too stuffy in here, I need to clear my mind."
He walked down the street and to the park. The same park he'd taken Miki after they'd decided they'd live together even though they believed they were half-brother and sister. Yuu smiled at the thought. Even then, they'd be together. His smile soon turned to a frown as he leaned up against a tree.
"Miki..." he thought as he stared into the frozen ice over the lake. "Back then, at least we could be together. But now..." he slammed his fist against the tree. "But now, how can we be? I can't stand being apart from you! Forced like this..." He sunk down onto the cold ground. "I never got the chance to do a lot of the things I wanted to with you... and this waiting is driving me crazy!"
It had already been 6 months since the accident, their parents took her back to Japan and she was staying in the hospital there, being fed through an IV and on constant supervision. Yuu found himself praying every day for her to awake. His heart jumped in his chest whenever the phone rang; hoping with all his might it was his parents with the good news.
"Yuu?" a quiet voice piped up from beside him. Yuu snapped out of his daydream and looked up to see Anju leaning over him.
"Oh! An!" Yuu quickly stood up, a smile spread on his face. "Sorry, I guess I was daydreaming. I haven' seen you in so long!"
"Not since two summers ago." Smiled Anju, "Shall we take a walk and catch up? I was surprised to see you here!"
"Me too! I thought you were going to school in Boston." Replied Yuu as they began walking down the pathway together.
"Well, I am, but I'm just visiting New York today. I miss this place." She smiled as she looked around at the park. "The city is too noisy, but there is no place so nice as this park in Boston."
"Yeah, I come here a lot to think." Nodded Yuu, they exited the park and walked down the road towards a cafe. " Want to get something to eat? I'd like to hear what you've been doing these past two years."
"Oh, well I'm at Emerson, studying music." Said Anju with a laugh. " There really isn't much more to that!"
They took seats at the closest Café, and Yuu ordered two cups of tea. Yuu stared at the street, lost in thought.
"Yuu?" Anju looked at him worried.
"Huh? Oh- sorry, you were saying?" Yuu snapped out of his trance and smiled at her wanly, as the waitress set the cups down in front of each of them.
"You're not yourself Yuu, what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong... I'm just a little spacey today, that's all..."
"That's not what Bill told me." Muttered Anju.
"Huh?"
Anju sighed and folded her hands on the table. "To tell the truth, we didn't just run into eachother by luck. Bill called me, and I agreed to meet with you and talk. He's been worried about you. He said that you've fallen into the biggest depression he's ever seen! What's wrong?"
"Depression?" laughed Yuu nervously, "Where did Bill get that idea? I'm just stressed out by all this school work!" He tried to shrug it off, but stopped at the stern look Anju gave him.
"I've known you since we were little kids, and you're a pro at hiding your feelings, but it doesn't work on me." She said as she sipped her tea. "Tell me, what's really wrong? I want to help you, but I can't if you deny anything is wrong."
Yuu sighed and looked down. "I can't get anything past you can I?"
"Nope." Smiled Anju, her face became somber again and she asked the question that had been at the tip of her tongue. "Did you break up with Miki again?"
Yuu's eyes opened wide and his glance shot up at her, as if he'd just been hit with a bullet and was still in shock.
"You DID?" Anju almost dropped her cup.
"N-no.." Yuu sighed again and slumped over in his chair. "Then, Bill didn't tell you..."
"What's happened?" asked Anju. "I know from experience, nothing can tear you two apart."
"But, something has; something beyond my control." Muttered Yuu. " Last summer, Miki came to visit me here, in New York. And I wanted to teach her how to roller blade, it was lots of fun at first, but, I was holding onto Miki and we weren't paying attention..." he's voice got very low, Anju noticed tears starting to form in his eyes. "There were stairs ahead of us, and we both tripped down them, I tried to protect Miki, but she hit her head, very hard... and, she's been in a coma ever since..." he looked away out the window, staring more intently. "It's all my fault this has happened, I can't help but blame myself... I feel that if I punish myself enough, then someday I'll be forgiven. Then she'll wake up..."
Anju sat in shocked silence. "Miki, in a coma?"
Yuu nodded.
Anju bit her lip, "No wonder you've been feeling so down... so has she gone back to Japan?"
"Yes, she's in a hospital in Japan... It's even worse now that I can't visit her." He clenched his fists, feeling anger and desperation… "Every GODDAMN day I wish that God would strike me down so that I can be unconscious too… so that I don't have to feel the pain any longer... Everyday, I jump at the ring of the phone, wishing that it was my parents, calling to tell me she's woken up-"
"-Don't blame yourself!" blurted Anju.
Yuu looked at her startled as Anju took a deep breath. " \I love you, Yuu. I still love you even though I know you're mind is on Miki, but I don't want to see you in pain. The reason of your depression is because you blame yourself for the accident. But you were just as much at risk as she was when you two fell down those stairs... you didn't MEAN to do it! It was an accident! You shouldn't feel guilty!"
They both sat in a long silence, Yuu finally relaxed and smiled at her warmly.
"You're right An... I didn't intend for this to happen, God knows I didn't." He sighed and folded his arms. "I just need to be patient... Miki will wake up eventually."
Anju smiled, her eyes twinkling. "I'm glad to see that you've come to your senses, it's so like you to make things worse than they really are."
"I do have a history with that don't I?"
Later that Day
"Hey guys! Let's all go to coffee after the movie." Said Yuu as he and the four friends walked down the street. "I've got a craving for a Frappuchino."
" I'm so happy to see you're back to your old self!" laughed Jinny.
"Yeah! Guess that talk with Anju was worth it." Grinned Bill.
"Thanks everyone." Yuu said with a smile. "I know I must have been a real pain in such a depressed state. But, An talked me into cheering up a little and trying to not feel so guilty."
"It looks like it's working. We were all very worried about you." Said Dorris.
"I was glad to see you ate your whole dinner too." Nodded Brian. "You haven't finished a meal since Miki got hurt."
Yuu frowned and looked down. "I'm trying to not remind myself..."
Everyone looked at Brian with a disapproving glare.
"S-so anyway, Yuu..." said Jinny nervously. "What have you heard about the movie? You're the one that wanted to see it!"
"Oh- yeah, An said this one was really great."
"Good Will Hunting, what a peculiar name-" Dorris muttered.
"Well, as long as it's got cute girls in it, I'm game!" laughed Brian as he dodged a quick fist from Dorris.
"You never change!" said Dorris bluntly.
A Few Months Later
"It's FINALLY spring break!" Jinny laughed as she ran out onto the balcony, taking in a deep breath of air. "Mmm…what a beautiful day! I'm glad spring is here. The winter was so depressing."
"Yeah, it was an exceptionally cold one this year." Said Dorris, walking up to stand beside her.
"Are you girls going home to visit family then?" asked Bill.
"I am! I can't wait to see my parents!" Jinny said excitedly. "I'm leaving in three days to go home to San Fransisco!"
"I wonder what San Fransisco is like..." said Brian. "I've never been there before. "
"Me neither," added Bill, he put his arm around Jinny and drew her close to him. "So when do I get to meet the parents hmm?"
Jinny laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "You can come with me if you can get a ticket!"
"All RIGHT!" laughed Bill. "That will surprise your parents won't it?"
"Where's Yuu?" asked Dorris.
"I think he's in his room..." said Brian.
Dorris left the balcony and knocked on his door. "Yuu? Everyone's out on the balcony enjoying the lovely evening, why don't you join?"
Yuu opened the door and smiled warmly. "No, it's ok, I'm just finishing packing."
"Are you going home to Japan?" asked Dorris with bright eyes.
"Well- no..." Yuu trailed off as he went back to his open suitcase.
"No? Why not? Don't you want to see your parents? Visit Miki?"
Yuu stopped in mid-motion and then straightened, looking out the window, facing away from her. "I can't go back.."
"What? Why not?"
"Because, I know if I see Miki again, I'll fall into a depression."
Dorris bit her lip. "But, what about your parents? Don't you want to see them?"
"I've broken off communication with them… it's as I've requested..."
" What?" Cried Dorris. "I don't believe that you would do that! Why in the world-?"
"- It's the same story!" Yuu turned harshly, "Seeing them would hurt more. They don't blame me for Miki's condition... but I can't help but think it would be better if I just left everyone alone!" He bit his lip as Dorris stood in shocked silence.
"If I left the whole family alone," he added slowly, "Then I can forget what I've done, and the pain will go away!"
Dorris and Yuu stood in silence, looking at each other. Finally, Dorris spoke. "I see, It wasn't what Anju said that pulled you out of that depression... you've convinced yourself that you're better being as far away from them as you can to make you forget what you've done..."
Yuu turned from her. "That's how it is..."
"You're just running away from your problems!" yelled Dorris. "You have to face them to get anything solved!"
"THE PROBLEM CAN'T BE SOLVED!" yelled Yuu. Fighting back tears, he walked over to the open window and muttered. " Not until she wakes up."