4. Awake Nightmare
Ohgami opened his eyes, and saw nothing. He strained his ears to hear, but heard nothing. He tried to speak, but nothing came out. Ohgami tried to feel his surroundings, but touched nothing.
Everything was so dark. If Ohgami could see anything, it was this black world he was currently in.
Then, suddenly, Sakura appeared. She was far from him, and her back was turned. She started to walk away.
He tried to call out her name, but nothing came out. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, but couldn't hear anything, or feel his lungs strain, or his mouth move.
Sakura disappeared into the darkness.
Then, Sumire appeared, in a fashion similar to Sakura's. Far away, her back turned, walking away.
Ohgami called out again, but nothing came out.
She disappeared, to be replaced by Iris. Clutching Jean-Paul, she too walked away, until she, too disappeared. Then Maria appeared, and then she disappeared too. Then Kanna, then Kohran. Then Ayame. Then Yoneda.
Ohgami then saw everybody that he knew in his entire life appeared, walked away, and then disappeared. They appeared almost simultaneously, crowding Ohgami. But it was strange. He didn't feel them budging into him.
Then, they all disappeared. Ohgami was alone again.
After a few moments, a reflection of himself appeared before him. He was dressed in his usual attire: white polo, yellow vest, green tie, and slacks.
"Hello," the reflection said.
He helloed back, though he knew that no voice would come out.
"Save me," the reflection said.
Suddenly, black tendrils wrapped around Ohgami's reflection, circling each and every part of his body, from his feet up to his head. He screamed in fear as the tendrils snuffed out his voice.
Ohgami tried to lunge for his reflection, but found out that he had no feet to jump with, and no arms to reach with. He watched helplessly as the reflection, mummified by the tendrils, slowly pulling him into the darkness.
Right after that, the cloak appeared again, yet it seemed like someone was actually wearing it. There were leather-clad feet underneath, and pale arms were sticking out. His hands were holding two katanas, one shorter than the other.
Then, it faced Ohgami. His swords disappeared, and he laughed out loud. It was an evil, ragged, sickening laugh, yet it filled the world so much that it seemed like the world was laughing the same laugh.
Still laughing, with one hand, he drew up the hood to reveal his face.
If Ohgami had a voice, he would have screamed.
He was looking at himself.
"….uh…ah…AH….UWAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!"
Ohgami screamed, abruptly rising from his bed, snapping the syringe off his hand.
"Taichou! Calm down!"
It was Kanna, who pushed Ohgami back down the bed. Ohgami tried to fight back, but the martial artist's massive strength suppressed him. Eventually, Ohgami calmed down.
"W-Where am I?" Ohgami slurred.
"You're in the hospital. You're a lucky guy, Taichou. It was fortunate that Yoneda-shihainin was passing by to check up on you, or you would've been dead meat, for sure!" Kanna replied.
He looked at himself. He was dressed in patient's clothes.
"I'm in the hospital…where's Sakura-kun?" he asked.
"Outside, worried sick. She was crying so hard when Shihainin found you, he said. You were bleeding a whole a lot."
"How is she?"
"She's asleep now, thank goodness. She was hysterical, lemme tell ya. Kept saying things like you weren't gonna make it and it was all her fault, since she asked ya to bring her to Ueno…but she's cried herself to sleep."
"Sakura-kun…" he murmured.
"Hey, I'm gonna call a nurse to put that syringe back, ok? You stay put, I'll be right back," she said, and handed him a glass of water. "Drink up."
She left the room. Ohgami put the glass to his lips and drank up the water. While he did that, he could hear someone talking outside. It was Kanna, her loud voice unmistakable, then someone else.
While no one was around, he lifted up his shirt. On his stomach was a huge scar. It was stitched up now, but it was terribly ugly, like a stitched eye. He dropped his shirt again, because he heard the door open.
The door opened slightly, and Iris entered. Her eyes were red and puffy. She looked like she cried a lot too. She was holding Jean-Paul's paw, most of the bear's body on the floor.
"O-onii-chan?" she said, her tiny voice seemingly so tired.
"Hey, Iris…" For some reason, he found it hard to speak.
Then, she burst into tears. Dropping Jean-Paul, she ran towards her onii-chan and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, burying her face on his chest.
"Onii-chan…onii-chan…onii-chan…" she constantly repeated, sobbing on his chest.
Ohgami gently patted her head. "Iris…I'm okay. Everything's ok. Please calm down," Ohgami soothingly said.
It took her a few minutes to settle down and stop crying, but Iris wouldn't let go of her onii-chan. She was cradled in his arms, her head resting on his arm.
"Hey, Iris," he said, and Iris looked up, "What time is it?"
"It's evening," she said.
"Evening…"
"Onii-chan has been asleep for two days now, but you're ok, now."
"Two days? Honto?"
Iris nodded. "Your operation took a lot of time, and you lost a lot of blood. The doctors said you need a transfusion…and Yoneda-ojichan volunteered."
"Shihainin? Really?"
Iris nodded. "He's asleep now, in the next room."
He patted her head. "How are you?"
"Iris is okay, now that Onii-chan's okay. Iris was so worried…she suddenly felt cold when Iris was sleeping. Something was wrong, and Iris knew that you were hurt. Iris cried a lot, and Yoneda-ojichan went out to look for you, because Iris told him that you were hurt."
Ohgami smiled. "Ah, so in truth, you saved me, Iris! Thank you very much."
She snuggled up closer to Ohgami, and said, "Please, onii-chan…don't get hurt again. Iris gets so worried."
He hugged her tight. "I'll try."
The door opened, and Kanna returned, with a nurse. She saw Iris in Ohgami's arms, and said, "Ah, so Iris found ya! Well, it's good that she's calmed down, too."
She held out her hand. "Let's go, Iris. Taichou needs to rest more."
Iris shook her head. "No. Iris wants to stay with Onii-chan longer."
"Iris…Taichou needs more rest to recover. You don't want him to stay in bed forever now, don't you?" Kanna said, still holding out her hand.
Iris seemed reluctant, then looked at Ohgami, who said, "Go on. I'll be okay."
She nodded, and for the first time, she gave him a small kiss on the cheek. Ohgami was startled, as Iris, blushing, slid off his arms and off the bed. She held Kanna's hand and hesitantly left for the door.
But before she left the room, she looked back at Ohgami, who was quietly waving. She smiled and waved back, while saying, "Onii-chan, get well, ok?"
He nodded. Content, she left.
The nurse, who accompanied Kanna, gave Ohgami a medicine tablet. She said, "Take this. It'll help you go to sleep. You've been through a lot, and you need your rest."
Ohgami swallowed the tablet, followed with a gulp of water. Then, he instantly felt the medicine take affect. He was feeling drowsy, and then a short, sharp pain, probably the syringe, then eventually, fell asleep.
"Kanna? Do you think onii-chan will be okay?"
Kanna and Iris were at the hospital cafeteria, treating themselves to couple of sandwiches, and a mug of coffee for Kanna, hot chocolate for Iris. Kanna was in the middle of the sandwich when she replied, "Down't wowry. He's phrehty sthrong."
"Huh?"
Kanna swallowed first, then took a gulp of coffee. Then she repeated, "Don't worry. He's pretty strong."
"Iris hopes so."
She guffawed a bit before replying, "Iris, Taichou's a really strong guy! Yeah, take that from me. He's been through a lot, and he still made it! I mean, most guys would've just curled up and died, but Taichou's pretty determined to stay alive!"
Iris nodded, taking a sip of hot chocolate.
"Hey, Iris. Don't worry. He never failed us before, and he won't fail us this time, too. So, keep your hopes, ok?"
Iris nodded again. But somehow, she felt that something wasn't right. That something was wrong with Onii-chan. It wasn't his physical injuries. It was far deeper.
But as Kanna said, Ohgami's a really strong person, and Iris firmly believed that he would make it.
"We're deeply sorry, major. We didn't find anyone fitting the Taichou's attacker's description," Maria apologized, bowing slightly.
"Yeah. We looked everywhere, but no trace," Kohran said, bowing too.
Ayame sighed. "Well, two days of searching must have taken a lot out of you. You better get some rest yourselves. I'll ask the other divisions to search for that man."
They were in the Teigeki, specifically, Ayame's office. Maria and Kohran were assigned to search for Ohgami's attacker, but until now, they found no trace of him.
"But, Major, Kohran and I were planning to go out again after we report," Maria said.
Kohran nodded. "Yeah! We won't give up just yet."
Ayame shook her head. She said, in a final sort of way, "No, it's best for you to take a rest for a while. Exerting your tired body past your limits won't benefit you at all."
Both were going to protest, but felt the fatigue catch up to them. They suddenly found it hard to stay awake.
"You see? Get some sleep, both of you."
They tiredly saluted Major Fujieda, and walked out the door. Though they wouldn't admit it directly, they too found it hard to walk.
"I still can't believe it. Who would do such a terrible thing to Ohgami-han?" Kohran said, her feet shuffling against the floor.
Maria though, tried to walk as straight as possible. She replied, "I don't know."
"And the way he did it! With his nails!"
Maria looked thoughtful for a minute, and then said, "If memory serves, Setsuna had sharp nails too, and can vanish and instantly appear whenever he wished."
"But Maria-han. Setsuna's dead. He died along with Rasetsu," Kohran replied hopelessly.
They walked on, their bodies becoming heavier by the minute. Yet, Maria still talked, saying, "I won't let it happen again. I won't let this happen to Taichou again."
Kohran nodded. She replied, "Yeah. We won't. He's too important for us all, ya."
Maria nodded too, then both opened the doors into their rooms, and then both slumped down on their beds, not even bothering to change clothes. Fatigue finally overtook them as they drifted to sleep.
And as they slept, their faces were contorted in sadness, and tears flowed out of their closed eyes.
Sumire quietly opened the door to Ohgami's door, just a small crack. She gasped when she saw him, lying down on the bed, with that syringe inserted into his arm, looking deathly asleep. Though she knew that he was only asleep, she couldn't shake off the scary feeling that he was already dead.
"No, no, Sumire, snap yourself out of it!" she said to herself, slapping herself lightly, "Chuui's all right. He'll be all right. He has to be…"
She took a look again, at his still form, his stomach slowly rising and falling. His spiky hair was a mess, his dress was shabby at best, and the bed looked far from comfortable. She wondered how anybody could go to sleep in those conditions.
"But…Chuui's been through a lot, I suppose. Nothing he could handle. He's been through a lot, he can go through this one."
But she looked again, but her heart wouldn't stop beating. Her hands were clammy and beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
"But…I can't stop worrying. I can't help it. I can't. Oh, Chuui, " Sumire murmured, closing the door, feeling tears stream down her cheeks.
She wiped them away roughly. No, a star like her wouldn't be seen breaking down like this. No, she'll take it with stride, with grace…
But she couldn't. She slumped down on the floor and started to cry. Her heart was beating fast, her tears flowing fast.
"Chuui, please be all right…please…"
My wish…was to have a night like this, alone with you, Sakura-kun.
With you.
Sakura-kun.
You.
It came true.
To be with you, Sakura-kun.
I don't mind saying it now, because it already came true.
Sakura-kun…I…I…
These words kept repeating themselves in Sakura's mind. The last scene she had with Ohgami kept replaying itself in her mind.
She had just woken up, and realized that nothing of it had been just a horrible nightmare. She kept waking up in the hospital lobby. She kept expecting that the next time she waked up, she would be back in the Teigeki, or back home in Sendai. She wanted to believe that nothing had happened. That Ohgami hadn't been attacked.
She would give up her happiness during her time with Ohgami, to help insure that it never happened.
She'd give up anything.
But, she had to face the music. It did happened. A stranger attacked Ohgami. Ohgami lay dying on the ground, his blood spilling. Ohgami was now in the hospital bed, fighting for his life.
She hadn't changed since the incident. She was still dressed in the same pink summer dress, now soaked with blood. Some of it was torn off, so that it can serve as bandages. Even her hair ribbon was gone.
But who cared. Ohgami was dying.
With unsteady legs and a heavy heart, she walked slowly, her feet shuffling. Ohgami's room was at the next floor, third from the right. She had memorized it instantly.
At the stairs, each rising step seemed to be so heavy. Sakura still lifted her feet though to climb it, though she stumbled at times. One of her pearl-colored shoes had broken its strap during one of her falls, and rolled down to the first floor.
Who cared? Ohgami was dying. Sakura removed the other shoe and threw it down the stairs to join its twin.
At the next floor, she took a turn to the right, and counted the doors she passed, until she was at the third. There was a bench right to the opposite of the door, and there was Sumire, sleeping, covered in a blanket.
Sakura didn't notice her, though. Who cared? Ohgami was dying.
She clutched the doorknob but did not twist it. All of a sudden, her heartbeat was furiously fast. Her hands were sweaty. Her breathing was ragged and difficult. She felt cold and uneasy. Most of all, she was unprepared.
Sakura stood before the door, nervous, hesitant, and afraid. What was beyond that door, she was unprepared to take.
She was divided. One part told her to stay out, to come at a later time, or just not come at all. She was afraid of her heart being torn apart by what she might see later. Yet, another part told her that opening the door was inevitable, and this was one of those events where one would just have to grit the teeth and go in.
Even though Sakura was only a few feet now from Ohgami, she felt so far away.
Sakura then decided to just face the music. If it was her fault then it was time to make amends.
With trembling fingers, she opened the door, slowly, but fully. She walked in and closed it behind her.
And she gasped, putting her hands over her mouth.
There he was, asleep. His stomach was rising and falling steadily. A syringe was plunged into his skin, transporting a clear liquid from a suspended plastic bag. His mouth opened when he breathed.
At the sight, tears silently flowed from her eyes. She was happy. Ohgami was alive.
She moved beside the bed, her fingers gliding over the sheets, until it went to his hand, the one without the syringe. She held it tight, as she sat down on a chair beside the bed.
Then, to her utmost surprise, Ohgami's hand squeezed back.
"S…s…Sakura-kun?" He groggily murmured. His eyes opened slightly, focusing on the girl beside him.
She was silent, yet her tears seemed to speak for her.
"H-hey…please…don't cry…" Ohgami muttered, and with a heavy hand, he wiped away her tears. Once done, it slumped back down on the bed.
She found it hard to speak, but said, "F-forgive me, Ohgami-san. Maybe…maybe if I hadn't persuaded you to…go to Ueno with me…this wouldn't have happened."
He lazily shook his head. "No…don't blame y…yourself. It…it was gonna happen e…eventually…"
"Huh?"
"He…he called me by…my name…Ichiro, he said."
"But…if I didn't…"
Ohgami's tired hand went up to Sakura's face, gently caressing her cheek. She was startled at first, but then held his hand too. For the first time, she was smiling.
"T…there. That's better…I'm tired…sleep…don't cry…don't cry…please…" Then Ohgami fell back into slumber.
Yet his hand remained on her cheek, his thumb absentmindedly stroking her reddened cheek. It was only after a few moments that his hand fell back on the bed.
Tears came back to her eyes, but they weren't of sad regrets or bad memories. She cried because she was happy, that Ohgami was okay, that he was going to make it.
And that even in his tired state, he was still able to care for her. He was determined to make her feel better, even if he was in a much worse condition.
Then, fatigue finally beset her. She had been worried to death for two straight days. It was only now that her burden was finally relieved. She fell asleep, her head resting on the bed, her hand intertwined with Ohgami's.
