Disclaimer: I don't own Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou. SURPRISE!!!!!!!
Author's Note: Hi again!! So you're back for more, eh? That's okay. I don't mind. ^__^ I'll get back to Forgotten Childhood soon, don't worry..... ^.~*
In this chapter: Toshiharu and Hiromi meet for the first time.
Enjoy!!
Chapter 2:
A Little Too Happy
There were too many corridors. He ran down each one, frantically searching. It had to be here somewhere. It just had to. He knew she was on this floor. Where was she? Where was she?!
What had happened? How had he gotten to this point? Everything seemed fine this morning. There were no warnings or symbols that let him know something would happen today. No divine message, no weird feelings, not even a small twinge of knowledge.
Weren't you supposed to know when something awful happened to someone you cared about? Weren't you supposed to have some sort of feeling about it? That's what he had always thought. Did that mean he didn't care about her enough? Or maybe he missed it. Maybe he was busy with his work and because of that he didn't pick up on whatever it was he should have seen. How could he have been so careless?
He ran blindly, dodging around people and inanimate objects. He wanted to hurl both out of his way, but ended up just running faster. What would he do if she left him? How could he survive without her? Oh, god. How could he survive alone?
It had been so hard when his wife died. The pain was still there, even if it had subsided through time. It still hurt. He tried to think about other things, but his daughter looked so much like her mother that it was impossible to forget.
He didn't want to, anyway. He didn't want to forget.
He turned a corner and immediately bumped into something. He fell to the ground, muttering a curse, and heard someone in front of him make a small noise. He raised a hand to his head and glanced up, eyes narrowed with irritation.
A woman was standing there. She had short, dark hair and a surprised expression on her face. She was wearing a nurse's uniform, and several files were scattered on the floor around her.
"Oh," she said, holding a hand up to her mouth. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't see you coming, and-"
"No, no, it was completely my fault. I was running through the halls without even looking where I was going."
The woman began collecting the disordered files, and he helped her.
"Thank you," she said.
"You're welcome," he replied. A thought struck him, and he glanced at her quickly. "Umm... could you possibly tell me where room 328 is? I've been looking for it everywhere, and I just can't seem to find it."
She smiled and pointed further down the hall. "Go to the end of this hall and make a right. It's the second door on your left."
He thanked her again, then hurried off. There were other things on his mind right now besides a pretty nurse that he had bumped into. He followed her directions, and saw Shibahime Tsubasa written next to the door. He sighed thankfully and walked inside.
There she was, lying on the bed. Her eyes were closed, so she was either unconscious or sleeping. He hoped it was the latter. Her hair was spread out all across the pillow, and he was reminded once again of how beautiful his daughter really was. He walked up to her and placed his hand on top of hers.
She didn't move. She didn't make a sound. She didn't acknowledge his presence at all. Did she even know he was there? Would she be all right? Please, let her be all right!
His eyes moved around to study the wires that were going in and out of her. What were they all for? Were they really necessary? He was told that she had fallen in a skate-boarding accident, and been trapped under rock for a day. How did he not realize that she wasn't at a friend's house? He should have been more responsible. He should have been suspicious the minute she didn't call him like she usually did.
The wires ran to a small machine that was monitoring her heart rate. At least, that's what he thought it did. Was she really in that much trouble that they needed a machine like that? What had happened during that day she was trapped? He could only wonder and worry about it, since she was not going to be able to give him any answers anytime soon.
So he pulled up a chair, sat, wondered, worried, and waited.
~*~*~*~*~*~
She stood outside the door and watched him. It might not have been the best decision she ever made, but there was something about that man that she knew was different. He was obviously good looking, but it went even farther than that. She had the sudden urge to get to know him better.
It didn't happen that day, or the day after that. But the third day was when she next spoke with him. By then he was getting used to the staff, and she felt more confident about going up to him. She wondered if he would remember her, then dismissed the thought. Why should he? She was just someone who he had bumped into once. There was no reason for her to feel the way she did about him. No reason at all. Yet she did, and she had no idea why.
She was walking to the room next to Tsubasa's when he called out to her.
"Hey!"
"Hmm?" she asked, turning.
"Hi."
"Oh, hi." This was completely unexpected. He started the conversation. How should she act? What should she say? She never knew how to act around prospective love interests anymore. Not since the incident with her husband.....
"I've been looking around for you."
"Really?"
"I wanted to apologize to you for acting so rude the other day."
"Oh....."
"I can see I've offended you greatly, please-"
"Oh, no, no! I wasn't offended, don't worry! I know how hectic people can get when their loved ones are in the hospital. Don't worry about it. I'm fine."
"That's good," he replied. He smiled then, showing off a set of perfect teeth.
"So, how's she doing?" she asked, gesturing towards Tsubasa. "I heard she's making excellent progress."
He nodded. "The doctor said she'll be fine in a few more days. They need to do tests or something."
"They're just trying to get more money," she said, jokingly.
"..... Seriously?"
She shook her head and waved her hands in front of her face. "No, no- it was a joke! A joke!"
"Oh."
"Well, I have to go."
"Oh, yeah. Sorry. You've got a job to do."
"Yeah."
"Thanks a lot."
"No problem," she replied, wondering what he was thanking her for.
"Umm....."
"Hmm?"
"What's your name?"
"Ikeda Hiromi. What's yours?"
"Shibahime Toshiharu."
She nodded in response. "Okay then."
"Good-bye."
"See you later."
She turned and walked away, feeling foolish for the smile that crept onto her face.
When he asked her out days later, she didn't feel so foolish anymore.
Oh no, not foolish at all. Maybe a little too happy, though.
Author's Note: Hi again!! So you're back for more, eh? That's okay. I don't mind. ^__^ I'll get back to Forgotten Childhood soon, don't worry..... ^.~*
In this chapter: Toshiharu and Hiromi meet for the first time.
Enjoy!!
Chapter 2:
A Little Too Happy
There were too many corridors. He ran down each one, frantically searching. It had to be here somewhere. It just had to. He knew she was on this floor. Where was she? Where was she?!
What had happened? How had he gotten to this point? Everything seemed fine this morning. There were no warnings or symbols that let him know something would happen today. No divine message, no weird feelings, not even a small twinge of knowledge.
Weren't you supposed to know when something awful happened to someone you cared about? Weren't you supposed to have some sort of feeling about it? That's what he had always thought. Did that mean he didn't care about her enough? Or maybe he missed it. Maybe he was busy with his work and because of that he didn't pick up on whatever it was he should have seen. How could he have been so careless?
He ran blindly, dodging around people and inanimate objects. He wanted to hurl both out of his way, but ended up just running faster. What would he do if she left him? How could he survive without her? Oh, god. How could he survive alone?
It had been so hard when his wife died. The pain was still there, even if it had subsided through time. It still hurt. He tried to think about other things, but his daughter looked so much like her mother that it was impossible to forget.
He didn't want to, anyway. He didn't want to forget.
He turned a corner and immediately bumped into something. He fell to the ground, muttering a curse, and heard someone in front of him make a small noise. He raised a hand to his head and glanced up, eyes narrowed with irritation.
A woman was standing there. She had short, dark hair and a surprised expression on her face. She was wearing a nurse's uniform, and several files were scattered on the floor around her.
"Oh," she said, holding a hand up to her mouth. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't see you coming, and-"
"No, no, it was completely my fault. I was running through the halls without even looking where I was going."
The woman began collecting the disordered files, and he helped her.
"Thank you," she said.
"You're welcome," he replied. A thought struck him, and he glanced at her quickly. "Umm... could you possibly tell me where room 328 is? I've been looking for it everywhere, and I just can't seem to find it."
She smiled and pointed further down the hall. "Go to the end of this hall and make a right. It's the second door on your left."
He thanked her again, then hurried off. There were other things on his mind right now besides a pretty nurse that he had bumped into. He followed her directions, and saw Shibahime Tsubasa written next to the door. He sighed thankfully and walked inside.
There she was, lying on the bed. Her eyes were closed, so she was either unconscious or sleeping. He hoped it was the latter. Her hair was spread out all across the pillow, and he was reminded once again of how beautiful his daughter really was. He walked up to her and placed his hand on top of hers.
She didn't move. She didn't make a sound. She didn't acknowledge his presence at all. Did she even know he was there? Would she be all right? Please, let her be all right!
His eyes moved around to study the wires that were going in and out of her. What were they all for? Were they really necessary? He was told that she had fallen in a skate-boarding accident, and been trapped under rock for a day. How did he not realize that she wasn't at a friend's house? He should have been more responsible. He should have been suspicious the minute she didn't call him like she usually did.
The wires ran to a small machine that was monitoring her heart rate. At least, that's what he thought it did. Was she really in that much trouble that they needed a machine like that? What had happened during that day she was trapped? He could only wonder and worry about it, since she was not going to be able to give him any answers anytime soon.
So he pulled up a chair, sat, wondered, worried, and waited.
~*~*~*~*~*~
She stood outside the door and watched him. It might not have been the best decision she ever made, but there was something about that man that she knew was different. He was obviously good looking, but it went even farther than that. She had the sudden urge to get to know him better.
It didn't happen that day, or the day after that. But the third day was when she next spoke with him. By then he was getting used to the staff, and she felt more confident about going up to him. She wondered if he would remember her, then dismissed the thought. Why should he? She was just someone who he had bumped into once. There was no reason for her to feel the way she did about him. No reason at all. Yet she did, and she had no idea why.
She was walking to the room next to Tsubasa's when he called out to her.
"Hey!"
"Hmm?" she asked, turning.
"Hi."
"Oh, hi." This was completely unexpected. He started the conversation. How should she act? What should she say? She never knew how to act around prospective love interests anymore. Not since the incident with her husband.....
"I've been looking around for you."
"Really?"
"I wanted to apologize to you for acting so rude the other day."
"Oh....."
"I can see I've offended you greatly, please-"
"Oh, no, no! I wasn't offended, don't worry! I know how hectic people can get when their loved ones are in the hospital. Don't worry about it. I'm fine."
"That's good," he replied. He smiled then, showing off a set of perfect teeth.
"So, how's she doing?" she asked, gesturing towards Tsubasa. "I heard she's making excellent progress."
He nodded. "The doctor said she'll be fine in a few more days. They need to do tests or something."
"They're just trying to get more money," she said, jokingly.
"..... Seriously?"
She shook her head and waved her hands in front of her face. "No, no- it was a joke! A joke!"
"Oh."
"Well, I have to go."
"Oh, yeah. Sorry. You've got a job to do."
"Yeah."
"Thanks a lot."
"No problem," she replied, wondering what he was thanking her for.
"Umm....."
"Hmm?"
"What's your name?"
"Ikeda Hiromi. What's yours?"
"Shibahime Toshiharu."
She nodded in response. "Okay then."
"Good-bye."
"See you later."
She turned and walked away, feeling foolish for the smile that crept onto her face.
When he asked her out days later, she didn't feel so foolish anymore.
Oh no, not foolish at all. Maybe a little too happy, though.