Staunch fan
Author: Silhouette
Email address: silhouette_panther@msn.com
Web:
http://www.silhouette.cjb.net
http://www.thunderstormsenru.cjb.net
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.
Chapter 6 – Part II
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Light footsteps.
Sendoh did not raise his head to check who that was. A quiet presence, and the feet wearing Nike Shoes that just stopped beside him told him enough.
"Rukawa?"
"Hn."
He turned silent again, this time looking up at the large, blood red sign that said "Emergency".
/God, please tell me that Eriko's going to pull through all these. Nothing must happen to her…/
"She will pull through." Rukawa suddenly muttered.
"H…huh?"
/Had he heard what I just thought of? /
"The doctor inside, he's my father." Rukawa lowered his head and stared at his shoes.
/I'm confident of him. /
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The lights went off.
Both boys stood up at the same time, as the door opened and Eriko was pushed out. She looked fine except that her face was still very pale and her head was bandaged heavily. A man wearing spectacles came out after. Sendoh then realized what Rukawa had said was true. He was just the spitting image of the Doctor, without the slightly graying hair, but with the same sharp cobalt eyes and pale features, and similarly devastatingly handsome.
Doctor Rukawa stared at his son in surprise, "Kaede, why are you here? Is that girl your friend?"
"Hai, Otou-san."
"And you must be…Sendoh-san?" He eyed the tall boy's hair.
"Hai, Rukawa-san," Sendoh replied. "Is Eriko all right?"
The doctor nodded and smiled warmly, "Don't worry, she had some serious bruises on her head, but I've seen to that, and if there are no infections, she'll be able to recover fully in two weeks' time." Seeing the questioning look on both boys' faces, he smiled again, "She doesn't have a concussion, boys, don't look so worried."
"Thank you, Rukawa-san, do you think we can visit her now?"
"Why, yes, but she might still be in anesthetics and asleep, you'll have to wait for a while." Dr. Rukawa wiped some sweat off his forehead, "I think I'll have a rest now," He turned and walked down the corridor. Sendoh thought he heard something from the older man.
"She looks just like Yume…"
Sendoh looked at Rukawa, who quickly looked away, but the other boy caught the flash of sadness and recognition in his eyes and wondered what that was.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
/Where am I now? / Eriko struggled to clear her vision, which was all foggy and blurry. Everything was white in the room…there seemed to be two other people there as well…
"Hey Rukawa, how come you are not like your father?"
"…?" /I thought most people said we looked alike. /
"I mean, he smiles so much and he's so warm…and you are just like the opposite of him…" Sendoh laughed a little. "But maybe that would be better, or else your fans would have broken the side-railings down trying to swarm over you."
A light snort from Rukawa indicated that he was pretty skeptical about the 'fans' business.
Silence returned.
"Yume was just like Father." Rukawa suddenly said.
"Who's she?" Rukawa's father mentioned her too.
"She…she was my elder sister." Rukawa closed his eyes, as if thinking of something.
"Aah."
"She died in an accident. When she was playing a basketball game." The familiar pain welled up again.
"I loved Yume a lot, just like everyone loved her. She was beautiful both in and out, carefree, cheerful, always there to love and support. Mother died when I was 10, and she, 16. Yume took the role of the mother upon herself and took care of me. Even though Father was always busy and had no time to be with us, Yume never complained. "
He paused for a while, "I remember Yume as a perfect person, and everyone thought she was,"
"She was playing a game against another school. The game was intense. Just like Eriko's game today. Just like how she did a lay-up and got attacked by the opponent. Just like how she fell, but knocked her head against the framework of the basketball stand. The second blow upon hitting the ground head-on…"
His voice broke off. Sendoh knew that he was crying, judging by the lightly shaking body frame. He put an arm on his shoulders comfortingly, and said nothing.
"I actually cared for Eriko, because she was just like Yume, and she was just like the sister I lost…"
/I don't want to lose her too. /
---------------------------------------------------
/That was Rukawa…he…the Ice Prince…he cried. And he cared for me. /
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------