Dreams. What odd things they are. A struggle to wake up to reality. Is it really reality? Or is it all someone's dream? Or is it really my dream? I can't wake up. What waits for me is a nightmare. What awaits me is oblivion.
Someone help me.
The rain didn't cease. It became clear to most people that the rain heralded something bad. In the midst of the pouring rain, two shots were fired that would soon be heard all over Tokyo. The storm had only began as a struggle for life and death began. Not only two lives were at stake, but the lives around them would change.
Valentine's Day was celebrated by girls giving chocolates to the boys that they liked. The day was decked out in its usually red, pink, and white. It was a day that most people celebrated with great happiness.
Mariko was happily making some chocolates for Susumu to give him later on in the evening. She wasn't very good at making molds, but she kept trying until she got it perfect. She wanted to give the chocolate to him to remind him that someone cared about him. She was very worried about him as she looked out the kitchen window.
"Mariko! There's something on the news!" exclaimed Hikaru as she ran into the kitchen. Her face was incredibly pale as if she had seen something horrible.
"What?" asked Mariko as she put the chocolates on the counter to properly dry next to the gift box and ribbons.
"Just come and see," insisted Hikaru as she grabbed her arm. "I can't believe it."
Mariko pulled her arm free and was about to say something before the newscasters on the big screen television interrupted her. "The news at this point is sketchy at best. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police have not been able to locate, singer/actress, Ringo Arisu. More news will be announced as it comes. Gaia Records' representatives will be making an announcement soon. It has been reported that Ringo-san's parents were recently killed in a car accident on the day of the concert, which explains why it was suddenly cancelled."
Mariko's face had turned even paler than Hikaru's. She sat down numbly as she watched the television. "This can't be happening," she muttered.
*
The trip from Osaka back to Tokyo on the bullet train couldn't have been fast enough for Yuki. She immediately took a cab back to her house to check her phone. She was in a near panic by the time she had returned to her house. She cursed at the rain. She was nearly in tears because of the frustration and fear. She scrambled to find her house keys. The trip from the station made her even more shaky because of the trip through Tokyo Square. The news was all over the big screens there.
To her surprise, she saw someone waiting for her in the rain. It was Soujirou. He was dress in his kimono; it looked like he had come straight from a tea ceremony. He looked anxious as he walked up to her. "I went home and my brother told me what happened. I knew you'd come back here," he said.
Yuki's heart stopped for a moment. She was about to tell him something, but her cell phone went off. She picked it up and looked at the number. Her eyes widened as she quickly responded, "Susumu! Where are you? What? I can't hear you? What happened? Where's your sister?"
"I can't hear you. Speak up. I'm outside and the rain is too loud. Please speak up. Tell me what's wrong," pleaded Yuki. She knew there was something wrong because Susumu's voice was soft and it sounded hollow. It sounded like he was struggling to breathe. He spoke up a little bit more, but Yuki nearly dropped the phone when he finally told her what had happened. "Okay. I'll be there."
"Have they found her?" asked Soujirou.
"Yes," whispered Yuki as she swallowed. Her throat felt tight. "I need you to drive me to St. Luke's Hospital."
She was referring to one of the best hospital's in Tokyo. It was created by a Westerner and part of the reason why Tokyo had been spared during the World War II. It was also the hospital that handle the victims of a cult that had opened nerve gas in the subway system that had killed over a dozen people.
Yuki knew the reputation of the hospital, but it didn't ease her mind. Soujirou saw how she was trying to keep her panic inside. "Let's go. You can tell me what he said on the phone on the way over," said Soujirou.
They climbed into his car. He quickly drove towards St. Luke's. He looked at her, but she wasn't talking anymore. He saw she was shaking. "What happened? They did find her, right?" asked Soujirou.
"She's been shot," whispered Yuki.
Soujirou's eyes widened. He nearly stopped when he heard her words. "W-what?" he stammered.
"I should tell you the truth. I've been wanting to tell everyone the truth, but I couldn't before. I didn't because of that damn confidentiality agreement and because I didn't want to betray her trust. It doesn't matter anymore. She's been stalked by someone for more than a year," explained Yuki as she swallowed a sob.
Soujirou didn't know what to say. He wanted to comfort her, but lately Yuki seemed beyond that. "She always had to take care of things herself. She never trust me!" cried Yuki.
"She does. It's just the way she is. I've learned that we can't change people. No matter how much we care about them," said Soujirou. "They have to be willingly to change. Did her brother say anything else?"
"I couldn't hear him. He sounded like he was lost," said Yuki. "I can't imagine what's happened to her..."
Soujirou's brain jumped into overdrive. He had to call up the rest of the F4 as soon as possible. He remembered where everyone else was. Akira had go to a meeting, but should already be home. Rui was already off from school, while Tsukasa had an evening meeting with his board of directors. Soujirou didn't want to call them over in front of Yuki, and he wanted to find out more before calling them.
When they finally arrived at the hospital, Yuki practically ripped the car door opened as she walked into the hospital ahead of him. Soujirou let her go as he went to go and look for a parking spot. She went inside the emergence room, which was the place that Susumu had called from on the public phone. She ran to the front desk. "I'm looking for Makino Tsukushi," said Yuki, also knowing that Susumu would have given her real name.
"Yuki," called Susumu as he walked up to her. He had his jacked tucked under his arm. Yuki froze when she saw him. His hands were covered in blood along with his pants. Even his white shirt had blotches of blood. Yuki didn't seem to notice that most of the blood was on his jacket.
"How much blood did she lose?" asked Yuki.
"More than a third. She was shot twice," replied Susumu. His voice started to shake. "I tried to keep her from bleeding to death. I couldn't do enough."
"Who shot her?" asked Yuki.
"Ryan McCormick. Why would someone hurt my family like this?" asked Susumu like a child seeking reassurance.
Yuki's jaw dropped. "Oh my God," she whispered as she covered her mouth. Susumu's eyes were dull. They had lost their spark.
"They say that they're not sure she'll make it through the night. They're trying to get the bullets out," Susumu whispered. "But, she lost too much blood. What's going to happen? I didn't think that she could--"
Suddenly a group of doctors and nurses ran by. One of them was a surgeon who had been summoned to work on Tsukushi. Susumu and Yuki followed them. Sure enough, the doctors were scrambling.
"There are two bullets. One is lodge between the clavicle and scapula. Another bullet is embedded in her liver. She's lost more than three pints of blood. The second bullet may not even been in her liver. We need to cut in and find it," said the first surgeon. He found the first bullet with his forceps and pulled it out. "The police are going to need the bullets."
"I'll get the other bullet out," said the newly arrived doctor. When the bullet was dropped into the bedpan, it made a loud clunk. There were tubes inserted into Tsukushi's arms and an oxygen mask was strapped into place. The nurse had cut her shirt and bra. They had draped a cloth over her breasts.
Yuki felt like she was going to throw up. Tsukushi's skin was beyond pale. It had a bluish tint. Her body looked absolutely limp. There was so much blood. She stepped away from the room. No one had noticed her and Susumu.
Susumu was no longer standing next to her. He was pressed up against the wall. He had slid down and was sitting in a fetal position. His jacket laid next to him. He was comforting himself by rocking back and forth. His eyes were closed.
Soujirou had managed to find a parking space. He walked around until he spotted Yuki. He froze because she looked like she was trembling. She turned and looked at him. Tears were streaking her cheeks. Soujirou didn't ask her what was wrong. He walked up to her and saw for himself. His mouth dropped.
It seemed like a dream. Like everything was moving in slow motion. For a moment, Soujirou was eighteen again. For a moment, he was back to the time where he had almost lost one of his closest friends. He swallowed. It was worse than a stab wound. He could see the holes in her body.
"I can't believe this is happening. This can't be happening," sobbed Yuki. Soujirou reached out and held her. He looked around. He kept his eyes away from the bright lights. His eyes fell on Susumu. It was a site he had never seen before. It was silent pain.
Within the din of noise from the operating room, there was silence mingled with pain. The silence was cut by a sound that slice through the silence.
It was the sound of the heart monitor. It was flat lined.
"Get the paddles in here! Now!" shouted the doctor. He pressed down on Tsukushi's chest. The nurses turned on the machine and handed the paddles over to the doctor. He ordered the voltage. He ordered a bigger charge when the first one didn't work. He kept going until the third charge jump started Tsukushi's heart again.
"There bullet's embedded in her liver. There's bile leaking into the rest of her. We must get it out," said the first doctor.
The sounds faded out again. Yuki had separated from Soujirou as she watched. The doctors were fighting for her life. "Don't just lay there! Fight back! FIGHT BACK!" shouted Yuki.
Soujirou stepped back. He had to call the others. He pulled out his cell phone. He paused for a moment when he saw saw Susumu out of the corner of his eye, still rocking himself back and forth. He turned and walked out to use his cell.
He pressed the numbers of Tsukasa's offices, knowing that he was in an evening meeting. It didn't matter. Soujirou had to risk Tsukasa getting angry and annoyed at him.
*
Swimming. It was like swimming in a vat of darkness. There was an abyss pulling her inward upon herself. When did things become this way? She couldn't remember. She couldn't remember when things had changed so much. She realized that they had always been like this.
Lost. Empty. These were words she had used to describe herself before. She had a tendency to give until she had nothing left, but the world never noticed that she had nothing left. All she could do was smile and pretend that everything was a dream coming true.
Time had pass since she had a real dream come true. She only went forward because there was nothing else she could do. She was trapped in a design of her own making.
Tired. Restless. For some time now, she had felt tired. She had never felt more and more tired. She was tired of going against the flow. She was beyond exhausted.
Perhaps her time in this world was just borrowed time. People like her never lived long enough to be forgotten.
Death was a welcomed savior.
*
Tsukasa was sitting at the head of a board room table. He was surveying what was his empire. Despite, his destiny not being his choice, he had to admit that it seemed natural to him. Having one's fate decided for him or her was a both a curse and blessing. It was curse because it was not a choice, but it was a blessing because it was so much easier.
The secretary knocked on the door. She looked rather pale, but she had spent the last five minutes on the phone with Soujirou. Tsukasa looked up from the papers in front of him. "What is it?" he asked.
"Nishikado-sama is on the phone, Doumyouji-sama. He has something very urgent to tell you," she replied nervously.
No one knew about Tsukushi going missing and the press hadn't found out about the shooting. Tsukasa looked at her and shook his head. "I'm in the middle of something right now. Just take a message," said Tsukasa.
"Nishaikado-sama says it's very important and it cannot wait," insisted the secretary. Tsutomu was sitting next to him and whispered, "Go and handle it. Everything will wait just a bit."
Tsukasa nodded and stood up. He turned and went towards his private office. He picked up the phone. "What the Hell do you need, Soujirou? Why are you calling me right now? I told you before if the cell phone is off, don't bother trying to call the offices because I'm probably in the middle of a meeting. What the Hell was so important that you had to interrupt me at work?"
Soujirou waited for Tsukasa to stop. He didn't know how to say it. "Well?" demanded Tsukasa impatiently. "You didn't call me to just breathe on the phone, did you?"
"Tsukasa, Tsukushi's been shot," managed Soujirou in a whisper.
Silence.
Tsukasa nearly dropped the receiver. "W-what?" he stammered as blind panic began to over take him.
"I don't know all the details. She's been shot twice. The doctors are working on her right now. Her heart has already stopped once. It took three tries to start it up again. There's so much blood. We're here in St. Luke's. You have to come here," said Soujirou. He heard the end of the line click and go dead.
Tsukasa grabbed his coat and called up a car. He looked outside the window, but couldn't see anything because of the rain. He was putting on his coat when his father walked in. "Where are you going Tsukasa?" asked Tsutomu.
"I have to go to the hospital," replied Tsukasa. He looked pale.
"What's happened?" asked Tsutomu.
"I'll tell you later," replied Tsukasa, not wanting to waste time answering questions without knowing any answers. Tsutomu didn't stop him as he left. He was left wondering what could have caused his son to sudden look like his heart had been ripped out of his chest.
*
Sammi was practically running in. Yuki had called her when she finally calmed enough. "I got a call from Charlie in Osaka," she said. "Then I got the call from you. How bad is it really?"
"She's lost a lot of blood and there's internal damage, but they're not even sure if she'll wake up," reported Yuki. "It was Ryan McCormick."
Sammi nodded at the grim news. "Yes, I know. My brother found out that the house in Osaka was completely wired up."
Rui and Akira came in at that moment. Sammi had called Rui, but Souijrou had beat her to it. They were soaked because of the rain. "How is she?" asked Rui.
"They're not sure if she'll make it through the night. The next twelve hours are critical. If she can make it through the twelve hours, then she's got a good chance. But the doctors aren't sure when or if she'll wake up. They don't know the extent of the damage to her arm," answered Yuki.
"How's Susumu?" asked Akira.
"He hasn't said anything more since I've come here. He's not talking to anyone," said Yuki as she looked behind her. They watched as Susumu remained in a curled up ball. Yuki bit her lip.
A group of policeman came in at that moment. They stopped when they walked up the front desk. "Is Makino Tsukushi here?" asked the police man.
"Yes," said the nurse. "She's in surgery right now."
"Is Makino Susumu here?" asked the police.
"The young man who came in with her?" asked the nurse. "I believe his lingering close to the operating room."
The police nodded and left to go look for Susumu. The police investigative team had deduced what had happened, but there were a few things that were out of place. Parts of it didn't look right. There was a lot of blood on the scene. The body of Ryan McCormick had been sent to the police coroner's office for an autopsy, even though it was fairly obvious that he was shot to death. They took the gun as evidence and the coroner was taking the bullets out of Ryan to compare the ballistics. The police were at the hospital for two reasons: to collect the bullets that were taken out of Tsukushi and to do something else.
The group looked at the police as they walked in. "We're here to collect evidence," announced the lead investigator. "And we are also here to arrest Makino Susumu for the murder of Ryan McCormick."
"What?!" shouted Sammi in English. "You can't be bloody serious!"
The police officers looked very serious indeed. "No! You can't!" shouted Yuki in a panic. "Ryan McCormick is a murder! He murdered their parents! He's a murderer!" She stepped forward and placed herself between Susumu and the police.
The F3 looked utterly shocked by her statement. Yuki didn't know that for sure. She only found out a few hours ago that Tsukushi's parents had been murdered, so she immediately assumed it had something to do with the stalker. The F3 had come to the conclusion that the only person who knew for sure what was going on was on the operating table, fighting for her life. However, they weren't going to stand there and do nothing.
"Under what grounds do you think you can arrest him?" asked Rui quietly. His soft voice, resonating with power.
The police seemed to have finally recognized the them. "Ah...Hanazawa-san. Nishikado-san. Mimasaka-san. We are not to explain. Please do not force us to restrain you," said the policeman nervously.
"You're not taking him anywhere. I won't let you," insisted Yuki as she shook her head firmly. "You'll have to go through me first."
"Please do not make our jobs harder than it has already been. The British Consult has already contacted the government offices. One of their citizens has been murdered. And if that young woman dies, he could be held responsible," said the policeman.
"Tsukushi has dual citizenship in England. She's not dead yet," said Sammi angrily. She was more mad at herself than anyone for allowing herself to be fooled by Ryan McCormick. How could she have trusted that bastard?
The police stepped forward, but Yuki stood her ground, amazing everyone around her. "I told you that you're not taking him," whispered Yuki without any fear in her eyes.
"What's happening here?" asked Tsukasa as he arrived. His hair was straight because of the rain. He was soaked. "Where's Tsukushi? How is she doing?"
The police froze. This was Doumyouji Tsukasa, the head of the Doumyouji Corporation. "They're here to arrest Susumu. They think he murdered Ryan McCormick and they also think he shot his sister."
Tsukasa's expression changed from concern for Tsukushi to fury. "What the Hell? He wouldn't hurt his sister!" His eyes fell on Susumu, who had been quiet throughout the whole thing. "Look at him!"
"We have no choice. The evidence points to him as the murderer," said the policeman. The police proceed once again to arrest him. Two of them pulled Susumu to his feet and kept his arms restrained. Susumu didn't resist them. He had a strange deadened look in his eyes. It was as if he had no soul at all. As if all life had extinguished. Yuki once again attempted to stop the police.
"No! You're not taking him!" shouted Yuki, her voice echoing down the hall, causing many people to gather.
"We have no choice," insisted the police.
"No!" shouted Yuki as she ignored everything else. Susumu didn't even so much as react to his surroundings. It looked as if he wasn't aware of what was happening to him.
Tsukasa seemed more concerned about Tsukushi's condition. However, he could hear the desperation in Yuki's voice. He couldn't ignore it. Susumu was Tsukushi's younger brother. He had to do something for her. "Yuki. Stop," said Tsukasa in a hoarse voice.
Yuki's eyes widened at the sound of her name. Hardly anyone in the F4 called her by her familiar name. It was always by her family name. She doubted that Tsukasa even knew her familiar name. She looked at him with tears in her eyes. "I will take care of this. This isn't helping the situation. We must come up with plan," he told her calmly as the police escorted Susumu away.
The rest of the F3 was surprised at how Tsukasa was handling the situation. Susumu didn't even look back as the police took him away. He couldn't feel anything. Nothing at all. He was dead inside.
"Now, tell me how she's doing? What happened? Tell me everything," said Tsukasa.
Everyone took turns telling him what had happened. He looked pale by the end, but his anger was boiling even more so than before. "What the Hell was she thinking? Going without any protection?! Why didn't she say that she was being stalked?!" he shouted. It sounded like he was blaming her for it. He wanted to punch a wall, but he didn't have time for that.
"Does Tsukushi have a lawyer? She does have one, right?" demanded Tsukasa to Sammi.
Sammi responded with a nod. "Yes, she does. Her name is Shizuka Kent," she replied. "She's Japanese. They've known each other for years."
"Shizuka Kent?" whispered Rui.
Sammi nodded again. "She's married to an Irish Defense Attorney. He defends criminals...I think I can call them over here."
"Do that, but find out where you're brother has gone first," said Tsukasa.
"I could call Shizuka," volunteered Yuki. Tsukasa nodded.
"What about the press? It won't take long before the news of the shooting gets out," said Akira.
The doctor finally emerged from the operating room. "The operation has been completed. I have submitted the bullets to the police," he said. "However, the prognosis isn't good. We do not know the extent of the damage. There's even a chance she may not even wake up. She lost a great amount of blood; she nearly bleed to death. That's the way most gunshot victims really die, if the shots aren't painful."
Tsukasa's hands were clutched into fists. "Can we see her?" asked Sammi.
"She's being taken to ICU. She's on life support. The next twelve hours are critical," replied the doctor. "We did the best we could. There might be permanent damage done to her right arm. There are indications that there may have been some nerve damage."
"Her right arm?" repeated Rui as his eyes widened. He realized it before anyone else did. There was a chance that Tsukushi would never be able to play the guitar again. She was an artist. Without the usage of her arm, it would be even more devastating.
"What about her liver?" demanded Tsukasa. "What about that?"
"The liver has the ability to regenerate itself. However, it will take time. We need her to wake up before we can truly assess the damage," replied the doctor. "You may see her in ten minutes. I must warn you that the site may be shocking."
"I don't have to be told that," snapped Tsukasa. "I have a stab wound scar on my back."
It was the longest ten minutes that anyone of them had ever experienced. The strength that Yuki had had earlier had dwindled down to nothing as Soujirou supported her. Everyone else waited in silence. Sammi was wringing her hands in her lap as she bit her lip. Finally tears ran down her face.
She had picked up Susumu's jacket. She felt that it was moist and pulled back her hand. "It's his sister's blood," she whispered.
All eyes were on Sammi. "It's covered...no saturated in her blood. It's still wet." She started to tremble. She pulled it out more to look at how bad the stain was. "This is evidence for the police."
Something had slipped out of the jacket and landed on Sammi's lap. She picked it up. It was a broken necklace with a pendant on it. It was in the shape of Saturn. The clasp of the necklace had been broken. "I've never seen this before."
Tsukasa's eyes widened and they became even sadder. "No. You wouldn't have. It's a custom made," he whispered as he held his palm up to accept it. He could have sworn he had thrown it in the river years ago, but Tsukushi must have gone and retrieved it.
"She's always worn a necklace underneath. She never showed anyone what it was," whispered Sammi. "She never showed me."
"How do you know it's a custom made?" she added.
"Because I was the one who gave it to her," replied Tsukasa. Sammi dropped it onto his palm. He gripped it tightly. Silence fell upon the group again as they continued to wait.
"You may come and see her now," said the young intern. She looked shaken herself because she had never seen anyone so young in the ICU before.
Tsukasa got up first and slowly walked into the dimly lit room. There were sounds of machines beeping along with the respirator. There were IVs coming out of Tsukushi's arms.
Tsukushi's hair was down and framed her face. There were bandages that wrapped around her breasts to better cover her shoulders. The rest of her was covered by the sheets. There was a nurse pulling up the sheets. She looked up at them and gave them a very solemn look.
"So young," she murmured. "There are too many of you. Only two at a time."
Everyone else seemed to know that Tsukasa need to be with Tsukushi alone, so they stepped back and went into the hall. Tsukasa walked up to the bed. He unrolled his hands from their tight fists and walked up to her. He gently touched her skin. It felt cold.
She seemed like a sleeping angel. Tsukasa pressed his lips against her forehead. There was a painful ache in his heart. He wished he had realized that something was gravely wrong with her. He should have protected her.
"Why do you only rely on yourself?" whispered Tsukasa. "Why don't you trust anyone?"
He could hear the sound of the machines. Her heartbeat was steady, but slow. "You have to fight. I don't care anymore if you're with me or not. But, I can't lose you. Please. You've still have to fight. Just a bit more...please," pleaded Tsukasa.
"You can't let it end like this."
AN: What will happen next? What will happen to Susumu? Has he been sent up the river without a paddle? Will Tsukushi wake up? And why am I leaving too many cliff hangers? This isn't really a cliff hanger, considering what I can do normally. This is just the end of the chapter. In the next chapters, you will take a tour of the insanity that is Ryan McCormick and you will meet Shizuka's husband and little boy.
Tsukushi will be fighting for her life...will she win? Or has all the strength she had gone?
Disclaimer: I don't own Hana Yori Dango.