Makino fiddled around with her Do Co Mo cellphone in the hospital, humming
to herself nervously. She was there for another blood test, and she had
come by herself. Her parents couldn't afford to take some time off their
jobs as chief clerks, and Susumo was in school. She should have been in
school as well, but Doctor Yabu was a very busy woman.
It had been a few days since she had talked to Rui or Kazuya. School was a lonely and frustrating place, and she usually just dragged herself to go there everyday when she knew that she was just going to sit by herself again during lunch, or she was going to ignore the stares of her classmates and some people from the batch level above her. She went completely out of her way to avoid the F4. If before, she disliked them greatly, now she loathed them, their arrogance and the way they treated others. But, in her secret heart, she knew it was just because Hanazawa Rui had managed to hurt her yet again.
"Makino, come in here for a moment," Doctor Yabu said from her office.
Makino stood up and entered. It was a small, neat office with a large panel window behind the dark wooden desk. Makino mumbled a polite good morning, dreading what was going to come. All of a sudden, she wished that her parents were with her, or anyone for that matter. Even if it was someone like Doumyouji, she wanted someone to hear the news with her, and be sad with her if it turned out to be sad, and happy with her if the news was great.
'Listen, Makino. Your liver and stomach are infected with this viral infection, and it already begun in your pancreas. This might seem a little far off, but I'm worried this will develop into cancer. (I dunno what kind of cancer.basta cancer, it sounds deadly) This is a rare disease, very rare in these parts of Japan, so it would be sort of difficult to gain access to the medicine. I've checked my contacts on the internet.. and they're willing to send the medicine via airmail. They're giving you a discount, Tsukushi."
Makino felt sick at the description of her problem, but she forced her brain to function. When she could speak again, her tongue felt thick, as if she needed to gargle with mouthwash.
"So..How much am I supposed to pay?"
Doctor Yabu shifted nervously in her seat.
"Eh..I know your family is in a financial crisis right now, but..the most I could bargain...They're asking for nine hundred fifty thousand yen."
Makino's eyes began to close. A million yen...There was no way in the world her family could afford that kind of money. And the banks around those parts of Tokyo wouldn't lend money for that kind of reason alone, and besides, even if her parents worked double shifts for a year, they would still need to pay for the rest of the bills and payments around the house.
"Makino...listen." Doctor Yabu's voice was urgent. "You need this medicine as soon as possible. The shipment will arrive here in a week...and the medicine I have is almost useless compared to what you need right now...please... just have the money in a week..."
Makino was silent. Then she looked up and nodded, knowing that there was no way her parents could ask for a bank loan, and even if their application did get accepted, it would take at least three weeks for the papers to be processed. Their bank savings must consist of only fifty thousand yen by now. There were so many things to worry about, especially about how they'd get enough money for Susumo's tuition fee. He wasn't smart like her, and he couldn't hold up a scholarship if his life depended on it. She had no relatives that she knew of, in Japan or abroad.
She smiled. "Doctor Yabu, thank you for your time..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tsukushi walked towards Eitoku Escalator Academy, dragging her feet. She didn't really see the point anymore of going to school anymore. She didn't want to study, and she had a hard time avoiding Kazuya and Rui. She stopped, and tilted back her head to gaze at the building before her. The building was still a fresh white color, as if it had never withstood against rain or snow.
Tsukushi sighed, and pitched her schoolbag higher up her shoulder. She didn't know how she was going to tell her parents what the cost of the medicine was. And even if she did manage to scrounge enough money to pay for the bills, he wondered how many things in her scarce material world she would have to give up anyway. She started walking again, her eyes looking at her surroundings. She felt like she was trapped in a high school nightmare. Eitoku Academy loomed in her line of vision again, and she wondered if she would ever fit in. she was already second year high school, but there was still college that she would have to worry about.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice that there was someone standing at the school gates. A cool figure, leaning against the metal railing, the cold chill in the air didn't seem to affect him. His sweater moved slightly in the breeze. His blue eyes followed her figure as she passed by him as if she never saw him before in her life.
He hesitated, then began walking after her.
"Makino Tsukushi," he said. She stopped abruptly, and turned around to face him. He caught up with her, and the two of them started walking again. she didn't seem to want to say anything, but Rui felt that she was gaining strength from him just being there beside her.
"Tsukushi," Rui said. "Are you really dying?"
Makino didn't stop walking, she just kept staring soulfully at her surroundings, and Rui wondered if he was going to have to repeat the question a second time for him to get an answer.
"You're late for class. I know you don't usually go to your classroom anyway, but don't take your place here for granted."
Her voice was thoughtful.
"Are you dying?"
Up to this time, Tsukushi had been dealing with her problems quite well. She had kept to herself, knowing that if she actually spilled them out, she'd lose control and go wild. But the hear someone ask her if she was going to die, with such brutal frankness...Reality started closing in on her, making her seem suffocated. But...the calm presence beside her made everything easier. She took a deep breath, and then laughed softly.
"What would it matter to you?"
By this time, the two had reached the entrance of the school building. Makino walked in the direction of her classroom. Rui didn't answer.
"Yes," Tsukushi said softly. "Exactly. It doesn't mean anything. That's why I should humor you. I think I AM going to die, Rui. I'm going to grow old and wrinkled. THEN I'm going to die. Or I can get hit by a car, beaten to a pulp, it doesn't matter. Or maybe I'll die of some stomach infection."
She looked ahead, seemingly serene, but inside, she was a complete mess. Rui said nothing. She wasn't answering his question. He wanted to help her, he really did, but he couldn't bring himself to ask her. He knew that she had her pride, and she would most likely refuse his help than accept it.
"Listen, Makino-"
"Rui! There you are!" A voice came bounding up from the nearby stairs. "Class turned out to be boring...Why don't we get some lunch?"
Doumyouji appeared from the stairs, arrogantly. He stopped short when he saw Tsukushi.
"Rui! What are you doing with that poor girl!"
Her insult to throw back at him died quickly on her lips. She was simply not in the mood. She started to walk away from the two of them without a word. Someone grabbed her arm. She looked back in surprise, and she saw Rui holding on to her wrist. Tsukushi stuck out her chin a little and tried to pull out of his grip.
"What?"
"I want to talk to you."
"...What's there to talk about?"
She pulled back her arm, and walked quickly away. From his standing point, Rui actually considered going after her. It would have been completely uncharacteristic of him, but something about her... When she had told him that she might be dying, that day at the emergency stairs, a strange sort of fear had crept up inside him. He didn't know Makino Tsukushi very well, but he knew, as well as he knew his own name, that she had the power to bother him. She had the ability to make him curious with her unpredictability and her-
"Hanazawa-"
Rui looked up. Tsukasa was looking at him. "I can't believe this...You like her! You like that charity case!"
Rui shrugged and started to walk away in the same direction that Tsukushi had taken as well. Tsukasa grabbed his shoulder.
"No Way. You're not denying it! Rui, the pride of the F4 is at stake over here! You cant go for a poor girl like that! Think about it! She's ugly! She's-"
He broke of suddenly, and his eyes grew wide. The punch that had come his way was unexpected. He never would have thought that Rui would punch his best friend over some girl like Makino. Then he was angry. Of course Rui had no right to punch him! Tsukasa started to clench his fist.
"Tsukasa." His getting-ready-mode was shattered. Rui took a step back.
"Stop it. I'll leave her alone if she means that much to you..."
"What are you talking about?! I don't like her at all! She makes me sick to my stomach!"
"...And if it makes any difference to the way you feel about her..."
"Shut up! You know I would never go for a poor woman like that! Besides, her body is all scrawny like a chicken's"
"...she just said..."
Tsukasa was losing all patience. His fist shot forward.
"...she just said she might be dying."
The punch landed squarely on his handsome face's jaw, and he staggered a few steps. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Tsukasa looked dazed. Rui immediately regretted telling him. He could tell, better than anyone else, that Tsukasa liked Tsukushi and didn't have any idea that he did. The thought was sort of amusing.
Tsukasa grabbed Rui by the front of his shirt.
"What-What are you saying?! Why, what's wrong with her?!"
Rui shrugged off his friend.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~~*~*
Tsukushi returned to the Makino residence and was surprised to find that her parents were not home yet. It was six thirty in the evening, and the only person in the house was Susumo. He looked at her worriedly when he entered the house.
"Onne-san..." He said, his chubby face pale. "There's a woman in the kitchen who wants to see you."
Tsukushi dropped her schoolbag at the doorway and immediately went to the kitchen. A woman in her late twenties sat at the table. She had eyeglasses, and her hair was swept up from her face. She sat at the table with her business suit, looking very formal. Tsukushi had a very bad feeling at the pit of her stomach.
"Are you Makino Tsukushi?" The woman asked. Tsukushi nodded numbly.
"Aya Omi from the insurance agency. Your parents were involved in an accident. An onrushing truck collided with your car. They're both at the hospital right now, in critical condition."
(^_^@ I have to think of ways to torture Tsukushi, so that she...Hehe, I'm not going to ruin what's going to happen later on ^_^@ But dun you no worry, everything's gonna be alright...rockabye...rockabye...)
It had been a few days since she had talked to Rui or Kazuya. School was a lonely and frustrating place, and she usually just dragged herself to go there everyday when she knew that she was just going to sit by herself again during lunch, or she was going to ignore the stares of her classmates and some people from the batch level above her. She went completely out of her way to avoid the F4. If before, she disliked them greatly, now she loathed them, their arrogance and the way they treated others. But, in her secret heart, she knew it was just because Hanazawa Rui had managed to hurt her yet again.
"Makino, come in here for a moment," Doctor Yabu said from her office.
Makino stood up and entered. It was a small, neat office with a large panel window behind the dark wooden desk. Makino mumbled a polite good morning, dreading what was going to come. All of a sudden, she wished that her parents were with her, or anyone for that matter. Even if it was someone like Doumyouji, she wanted someone to hear the news with her, and be sad with her if it turned out to be sad, and happy with her if the news was great.
'Listen, Makino. Your liver and stomach are infected with this viral infection, and it already begun in your pancreas. This might seem a little far off, but I'm worried this will develop into cancer. (I dunno what kind of cancer.basta cancer, it sounds deadly) This is a rare disease, very rare in these parts of Japan, so it would be sort of difficult to gain access to the medicine. I've checked my contacts on the internet.. and they're willing to send the medicine via airmail. They're giving you a discount, Tsukushi."
Makino felt sick at the description of her problem, but she forced her brain to function. When she could speak again, her tongue felt thick, as if she needed to gargle with mouthwash.
"So..How much am I supposed to pay?"
Doctor Yabu shifted nervously in her seat.
"Eh..I know your family is in a financial crisis right now, but..the most I could bargain...They're asking for nine hundred fifty thousand yen."
Makino's eyes began to close. A million yen...There was no way in the world her family could afford that kind of money. And the banks around those parts of Tokyo wouldn't lend money for that kind of reason alone, and besides, even if her parents worked double shifts for a year, they would still need to pay for the rest of the bills and payments around the house.
"Makino...listen." Doctor Yabu's voice was urgent. "You need this medicine as soon as possible. The shipment will arrive here in a week...and the medicine I have is almost useless compared to what you need right now...please... just have the money in a week..."
Makino was silent. Then she looked up and nodded, knowing that there was no way her parents could ask for a bank loan, and even if their application did get accepted, it would take at least three weeks for the papers to be processed. Their bank savings must consist of only fifty thousand yen by now. There were so many things to worry about, especially about how they'd get enough money for Susumo's tuition fee. He wasn't smart like her, and he couldn't hold up a scholarship if his life depended on it. She had no relatives that she knew of, in Japan or abroad.
She smiled. "Doctor Yabu, thank you for your time..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tsukushi walked towards Eitoku Escalator Academy, dragging her feet. She didn't really see the point anymore of going to school anymore. She didn't want to study, and she had a hard time avoiding Kazuya and Rui. She stopped, and tilted back her head to gaze at the building before her. The building was still a fresh white color, as if it had never withstood against rain or snow.
Tsukushi sighed, and pitched her schoolbag higher up her shoulder. She didn't know how she was going to tell her parents what the cost of the medicine was. And even if she did manage to scrounge enough money to pay for the bills, he wondered how many things in her scarce material world she would have to give up anyway. She started walking again, her eyes looking at her surroundings. She felt like she was trapped in a high school nightmare. Eitoku Academy loomed in her line of vision again, and she wondered if she would ever fit in. she was already second year high school, but there was still college that she would have to worry about.
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice that there was someone standing at the school gates. A cool figure, leaning against the metal railing, the cold chill in the air didn't seem to affect him. His sweater moved slightly in the breeze. His blue eyes followed her figure as she passed by him as if she never saw him before in her life.
He hesitated, then began walking after her.
"Makino Tsukushi," he said. She stopped abruptly, and turned around to face him. He caught up with her, and the two of them started walking again. she didn't seem to want to say anything, but Rui felt that she was gaining strength from him just being there beside her.
"Tsukushi," Rui said. "Are you really dying?"
Makino didn't stop walking, she just kept staring soulfully at her surroundings, and Rui wondered if he was going to have to repeat the question a second time for him to get an answer.
"You're late for class. I know you don't usually go to your classroom anyway, but don't take your place here for granted."
Her voice was thoughtful.
"Are you dying?"
Up to this time, Tsukushi had been dealing with her problems quite well. She had kept to herself, knowing that if she actually spilled them out, she'd lose control and go wild. But the hear someone ask her if she was going to die, with such brutal frankness...Reality started closing in on her, making her seem suffocated. But...the calm presence beside her made everything easier. She took a deep breath, and then laughed softly.
"What would it matter to you?"
By this time, the two had reached the entrance of the school building. Makino walked in the direction of her classroom. Rui didn't answer.
"Yes," Tsukushi said softly. "Exactly. It doesn't mean anything. That's why I should humor you. I think I AM going to die, Rui. I'm going to grow old and wrinkled. THEN I'm going to die. Or I can get hit by a car, beaten to a pulp, it doesn't matter. Or maybe I'll die of some stomach infection."
She looked ahead, seemingly serene, but inside, she was a complete mess. Rui said nothing. She wasn't answering his question. He wanted to help her, he really did, but he couldn't bring himself to ask her. He knew that she had her pride, and she would most likely refuse his help than accept it.
"Listen, Makino-"
"Rui! There you are!" A voice came bounding up from the nearby stairs. "Class turned out to be boring...Why don't we get some lunch?"
Doumyouji appeared from the stairs, arrogantly. He stopped short when he saw Tsukushi.
"Rui! What are you doing with that poor girl!"
Her insult to throw back at him died quickly on her lips. She was simply not in the mood. She started to walk away from the two of them without a word. Someone grabbed her arm. She looked back in surprise, and she saw Rui holding on to her wrist. Tsukushi stuck out her chin a little and tried to pull out of his grip.
"What?"
"I want to talk to you."
"...What's there to talk about?"
She pulled back her arm, and walked quickly away. From his standing point, Rui actually considered going after her. It would have been completely uncharacteristic of him, but something about her... When she had told him that she might be dying, that day at the emergency stairs, a strange sort of fear had crept up inside him. He didn't know Makino Tsukushi very well, but he knew, as well as he knew his own name, that she had the power to bother him. She had the ability to make him curious with her unpredictability and her-
"Hanazawa-"
Rui looked up. Tsukasa was looking at him. "I can't believe this...You like her! You like that charity case!"
Rui shrugged and started to walk away in the same direction that Tsukushi had taken as well. Tsukasa grabbed his shoulder.
"No Way. You're not denying it! Rui, the pride of the F4 is at stake over here! You cant go for a poor girl like that! Think about it! She's ugly! She's-"
He broke of suddenly, and his eyes grew wide. The punch that had come his way was unexpected. He never would have thought that Rui would punch his best friend over some girl like Makino. Then he was angry. Of course Rui had no right to punch him! Tsukasa started to clench his fist.
"Tsukasa." His getting-ready-mode was shattered. Rui took a step back.
"Stop it. I'll leave her alone if she means that much to you..."
"What are you talking about?! I don't like her at all! She makes me sick to my stomach!"
"...And if it makes any difference to the way you feel about her..."
"Shut up! You know I would never go for a poor woman like that! Besides, her body is all scrawny like a chicken's"
"...she just said..."
Tsukasa was losing all patience. His fist shot forward.
"...she just said she might be dying."
The punch landed squarely on his handsome face's jaw, and he staggered a few steps. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Tsukasa looked dazed. Rui immediately regretted telling him. He could tell, better than anyone else, that Tsukasa liked Tsukushi and didn't have any idea that he did. The thought was sort of amusing.
Tsukasa grabbed Rui by the front of his shirt.
"What-What are you saying?! Why, what's wrong with her?!"
Rui shrugged off his friend.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~~*~*
Tsukushi returned to the Makino residence and was surprised to find that her parents were not home yet. It was six thirty in the evening, and the only person in the house was Susumo. He looked at her worriedly when he entered the house.
"Onne-san..." He said, his chubby face pale. "There's a woman in the kitchen who wants to see you."
Tsukushi dropped her schoolbag at the doorway and immediately went to the kitchen. A woman in her late twenties sat at the table. She had eyeglasses, and her hair was swept up from her face. She sat at the table with her business suit, looking very formal. Tsukushi had a very bad feeling at the pit of her stomach.
"Are you Makino Tsukushi?" The woman asked. Tsukushi nodded numbly.
"Aya Omi from the insurance agency. Your parents were involved in an accident. An onrushing truck collided with your car. They're both at the hospital right now, in critical condition."
(^_^@ I have to think of ways to torture Tsukushi, so that she...Hehe, I'm not going to ruin what's going to happen later on ^_^@ But dun you no worry, everything's gonna be alright...rockabye...rockabye...)