Chapter 13

"ARH!" Both of them shouted in unison. "What the…?" "Why do I always tripped…? And what did I…? Hanamichi!" It came out more like a gasp than a yell.

"Aki… wha…?" Youhei looked down and saw a naked, bruised body with blood on his butt and red hair lied facing down. "HANAMICHI! Gosh… Hanamichi…"

Tears, which had just dried, have begun to form again. Youhei hugged Hanamichi's lifeless body. Sendoh took off his jacket while Youhei took off his shirt and covered Hanamichi.

"I'll go get my car."

" Please…go… quick..."

Ten minutes later, Sendoh came. Youhei, who was crying hard, carried Hanamichi into the car. "Where do we go now? Home or hospital?" Sendoh made a swift right turn and reached the Accident and Emergency Department of the hospital without answering. "Ok… hospital." Sendoh got out of the car.

"Wait here." He rushed into the hospital and told the doctors and nurses something and ran out with them and a bed. "Put him on the bed." The doctors and nurses help carry Hanamichi onto the bed and covered him.

As they went in, everyone was staring at them. The bed continued to be pushed by the doctors with Youhei at the side of it. As the operation room's door opened for Hanamichi, Sendoh caught hold of the crying Youhei as he fainted in his arms. He lied him down on the row of chairs and went out to park his car.

Sendoh came back after a few minutes and sat down on the unoccupied chair beside Youhei. Youhei stirred. Sendoh stroked his hair.

Just then the doctor came out of the operation room with a few nurses pushing Hanamichi into the ward.

"Doctor how is my friend? Is he going to be all right?"

"I have a good news and a bad news. And since it makes no difference in telling which one first because I have to tell you the both of them, I might as well tell you the good one first."

"Ok…"

"His bruises are not that bad. He does not have any broken bones and no stitches, which is lucky. However… the bad news would be shocking. Please be mentally prepared."

"Did someone did something to him?"

"Yes… He was… raped. It was done by more than three people. Semen is found at the entrance of his anus. And signs of forceful pushing and pulling causing his flesh to tear and bleed have also been found. I'm sorry… You have to call the police immediately. If you don't call the police after 24 hours, the hospital will do it for you."

And with that the doctor patted on his shoulder and left. Sendoh slumped down on the floor and cried. [Oh god… what kind of friend am I? Leaving him there while Youhei is not in a good mood. I should have taken them with me… I shouldn't have made them wait… Damn it…]

After a few doctors and nurses passing with Sendoh still on the floor, a nurse came and patted on his shoulder. "Are you Sakuragi Hanamichi's friend?"

Sendoh stood up and nodded. "Yes."

"Please come with me to fill in the necessary application forms."

"Ok…"

After he had finished the forms, he took up the public phone on the counter and dial to the police. "My… friend has been raped. No… he… he's male… Ok… Yes… the Kanagawa Hospital. Please… come quickly. Thank you…"

Over at the row of chairs, Youhei woke up. Sendoh sat down beside him and look at him with sad eyes.

"Hey…"

"Hey… Where's Hanamichi? Has he come out yet?"

"Yes…"

"Has something happened to him? Tell me. What did the doctor say?"

"The… doctor said that he does not have any broken bones and that he was…" He felt as if he's out of breathe. "…Raped."

Youhei stared at him.

"Rape by… He was… It was a gang rape."

"What?" It came out as a whisper. [It was my fault. My entire fault. I shouldn't have daydream, I shouldn't have thought of that bastard. I should have looked after him I should have I should have…] His thoughts trailed off threw himself in Sendoh's arms and cry silently. "Akira…"

After about twenty minutes, the police came. They took down their statements and walked into the room.

"He's still sleeping, officer."

"Ok then… we'll come back in a few days."

"Thanks"

Sendoh lead Youhei to the couch be the side of the window and lay him down. "Sleep Youhei, don't worry. He will be too shocked to remember a thing. He won't remember, he won't even notice that he was… he will live." He covered him with his jacket and Youhei closed his eyes.

Sendoh sighed and sat down on the chair beside Hanamichi. He rested his head on the bedside and fell asleep too. "Won't remember…"

--

Five hours later, Youhei woke up to see Hanamichi covering Sendoh with the hospital blanket. He heard some noise and turned around. He beamed when he saw Youhei. "Youhei, you're awake!"

Youhei smiled at the innocent boy. "Shh… we don't want to wake him up. Come on sit beside me." Youhei pulled Hanamichi to the couch.

"Youhei…" He looked at Youhei folding Sendoh's jacket.

"Mm?"

"What am I doing in the hospital? The nurses wouldn't tell me."

Youhei looked up and gasp his hands. "You went out?"

"Um… yeah, I was bored with the two of you asleep so I went out to kill time. Why am I here? It's doesn't seem to hurt… except for 'there'…"

Youhei faked a smile and pulled him close. "You don't remember?"

"I… no… I can't remember… Did I got into an accident?"

Youhei brushed his hands against the gradient of the soft red locks, tidying them. "You really don't remember a thing? Not even a single detail?"

"I don't… I tried to, but my head hurts after that."

"I see. Well…While Sendoh was getting his car, you stepped out to the road to see if he was coming. A car almost went over you. Luckily, it wasn't speeding and stopped in time or you will not be here talking to me. It's didn't hit you."

"But where do I get these bruises from?"

[Arh… I forgot about his bruises…] Youhei touched Hanamichi's bruised right eye. "You fell on your bums at the shock and fainted. You had some bruises here and there because of the roughness of the contact with the floor when you fell."

"Really? And I was wondering why my bums hurt so much… I must have been careless…"

"Come on, let's go to your bed." [It's the best that you don't remember… Akira and I will do our best.]

Youhei thought of something to distract himself and whispered something in Hanamichi's ears. The latter went over to Sendoh and pulled his hair. "Hee hee."

A strand of his hair went down, then the second, then the whole mop of hair went down. Sendoh groan as he opened his eyes. "Uh…Hanamichi! You're awake! Man I was worried." He sat up straight and stretch, still not taking notice of what had happened to his hair. As he moved his eyes to Hanamichi injected with laughing gas, and then to Youhei, whom he caught the act-along-look hint in his eyes. He realized what had happened to his hair.

"Ok. Now which one of you gave a tug at my hair? You know it falls with a pull of a strand."

"Ah hahaha! Now I know why you gel up your hair like you've just touched an electric eel! It looks like a… ah hahaha!"

Sendoh turned to the corner where Youhei have been laughing non-stop and gave the why-do-we-have-to-do-this-don't-tell-me-he-doesn't-remember? Look. Youhei turned serious and shook his head a little, hinting him just to go along. Sendoh caught the hint and did a cute pout.

"Youhei! Did you do it? You… Hanamichi! You did it! Youhei! Why did you let him to that? It was my masterpiece of 30 minutes every morning 10 centimeters in front of the mirror. Now how am I going to face the world…" He bent over to Hanamichi and tickled him.

"Ah hahahaha!"

"What did you say I look like Hanamichi?"

"A… a… a frizzled furry ball! Ah hahaha!"

"Hmpf. Youheei! Say something. Make him stop laughing! Hospital's don't allow loud laughter!"

Finally calming down, Youhei sucked in a deep breath and said, "He's right, you do look like a frizzle furry toy ball. But, I think you look more like the cookie monster!"

"Youhei!"

A nurse came in and put her forefinger to her lips. "Please be quiet. Although the patient is in a single patient room, there will still be patients walking around and in other room. Please try to keep your noise level down."

"Sorry…" The three of them replied in unison.

As the door closes, the three of them burst into laughter.

After a while the laughter subsides, Sendoh returned the blanket to Hanamichi and cover him till his waist. "So Hanamichi, how are you feeling?"

"I don't know… it feels kinda weird. I can't fill in the blank in my head…"

"Blank?"

Youhei immediately speak up. "He doesn't remember a thing about the car accident that he got into. You know, the car accident."

"I see… the car accident."

Then the Sendoh and Youhei kept quiet.

"Youhei? Sendoh? Are you all right? Why are your faces so dull all of a sudden?"

Sendoh stood up. "It's nothing Hanamichi, we were just thinking about you accident… you know, if I hadn't left the two of you alone."

Youhei stood up and held Sendoh's hands. "No, it was my fault… if I were not thinking about…"

Hanamichi just laughed. "Guys, I fine, just a little bruises, besides I'm not hit and there's no wires around me."

"Yeah… we know that. It's late now, school's still on tomorrow. We have to go home now. See you tomorrow!"

"Bye!"

Hanamichi lie down on the bed trying to think about the accident while the couple walked out of the room, expressionless.

TBC