Wow! 11 reviews for one chapter! For some people that's nothing, but for me, it's a very big deal. So thank you to everyone who reviewed. You made me very happy. ^_^ I hope that you enjoy chapter two. Please review. I love feedback.
~Koyasu
~~~~~~~~~~
RING!
Aya pulled the blankets close around her quivering body. She had barely gotten a wink of sleep since her husband's murder, and the ringing telephone did nothing to help her nerves. Working up the courage to open her eyes, she glanced over at the alarm clock. '2:00am. Nobody calls at this hour. This is bad. This is bad. This is-'
"Hello." Taro's voice greeted on the answering machine message. "You have reached the Yamada residence. We are unable to take your call at this time. Please leave a message, and we'll get back to you."
BEEP!
"Aya-chan! Aya-chan, are you awake? This is Omi."
Feeling around, Aya found the bedside lamp, clicked it on and picked up the phone.
"What is it?" Aya asked groggily, her tired voice trembling with fear. There was only one reason for Omi to be calling at this hour.
"Something has happened to Ran-kun and Ken-kun. Yoji-kun is on his way to pick you up, so get some clothes on."
"Wh-what happened? Are they-?"
"No", Omi reassured her. "At his time, they are both still alive but...Just get dressed. You'll actually want to pack for a couple of days."
"What-?"
"I don't feel comfortable telling you something like this over the phone. Please just wait for Yoji-kun." With that, Omi hung up, leaving Aya with more questions and fears than she already had.
*
"How are they?" was the first thing Aya said as she opened the door for Yoji.
"Nice to see you, too", Yoji said with a sad smile as Aya thrust her suitcase into his arms.
"G-gomen, Yoji, I just-"
"I understand", Yoji said calmly as he led Aya to his jeep. He threw Aya's suitcase in back, then looked at her, surprised to see she was carrying a second suitcase.
"Aya, why-?"
"I just get the feeling I won't want to leave my brother's side for a long time", she explained. "Please, don't keep me in suspense any longer. How bad is it?" Aya could feel her heart catch in her throat as she took a seat beside Yoji. She knew she wasn't going to like what he had to tell her.
Sighing, Yoji checked behind him before pulling out of Aya's driveway. Once they were on the road, he tried to find his voice. "This isn't easy for me", he confessed. "I really don't know how to tell-"
"Just tell me!", Aya pleaded tearfully.
Clentching his hands tight around the steering wheel, Yoji took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking."Okay, then." There was a nervous pause. "Ken took a pretty nasty blow to the head, and his hip was badly hurt. The doctors think he'll be out of the coma in a few days, but he requires surgery for his hip. They aren't sure how long it will be until he's on his feet again, but they feel positive that it will be soon. He took a bullet to the chest, but it didn't hit anything vital, so that was a big relief to us all."
"What about my brother?" Aya asked impatiently.
"To tell you the truth, I don't know what's going to happen to Ran. He was still in surgery when I left to pick you up."
Aya's eyes widened. "Surgery?! What happened?!"
Yoji gulped. He really didn't want to be the one to break the news to her. "Ran got hit in the head, too. But it was much worse than what happened to Ken. His skull cracked, and a piece of it punctured his brain. The doctors are going to try and stop the bleeding, and are debating whether or not it's in Ran's best interest to remove the bone shard from his brain tissue. I'm going to be honest with you, Aya. The question everyone is asking now is 'will Ran live or die?'"
Aya felt dizzy. Like the ground was crumbling beneath her. First Taro and now Ran. 'No. No! I can't lose him, too!' Leaning back into her seat, Aya reached over, putting a hand on Yoji's arm. "Is there anything else I need to know?"
"I'm sorry to say there is", Yoji nodded, trying to focus on the road ahead. "Ran needs back surgery, too. But the brain sugery took precedence. Until the doctors feel certain he's recovering well from it, they're keeping him immobile. Not an easy task, considering they also had to cut into him to remove a bullet from his bladder."
"Oh God!" Aya cried. "He's going to die. My brother is going to die." she began rocking back and forth, hugging herself.
"We don't know that", Yoji said calmly, trying as much to convince himself as Aya. "Now try and pull yourself together, okay? We're here."
Aya blinked as Kritiker's medical facility came into focus, wiping her eyes dry. Stepping out of the car, she walked over to Yoji, embracing him with all her strength. "Thank you, Yoji", she wept into his shoulder. "Thank you for being such a good friend to my brother and Ken. Thank you for looking out for them."
"It's my pleasure", Yoji whispered, lightly kissing Aya's head. "Are you ready to go in now?"
"I'm ready", Aya nodded, sniffing.
*
When Aya walked into the hospital room, a sleeping Ken was the first person she saw. He looked calm and peaceful, as if nothing whatsoever had happened. A bandage on his forehead head was the only indication of injury. Then, her eyes drifted to the bed closest to the window. She felt her legs go weak, and Omi had to catch her from behind to keep her from falling.
"Do you want to come back later, Aya-chan?"
"Iie." Aya straightened herself up and walked over to where her brother was sleeping. The top of Ran's head was tightly bandaged, tubes came out of his nose and he wore a brace around his neck. Aya noticed the IV dripping into his arm and the steady beeping of the heart monitor. She was used to seeing her brother injured. In the time since she had woken up from her coma, Ran had been hurt on several missions, and raped on a few occassions as well. But she had never seen him in this state. So close to death. Even as Ran slept, Aya couldn't help but wonder what he would be like if and when he awoke.
As if reading her mind, Omi finally spoke up. "It's very touch and go now, Aya-chan. If Ran lives, that in and of itself will be a miracle. If he wakes up, we don't know what the effects of his head injury will be. He could be brain dead." Omi's lip quivered as he spoke these words. He had grown up, but the sensitive, tearful young man was still very much a part of who he was. "So now, you have a decision to make. Should we keep Ran alive, or let him go?"
"Do I have to decide this now?", Aya asked, taking her brother's limp hand into her own. "Can I please just have a little more time?" She brought Ran's hand up to her lips, kissing it and showering tears upon it.
"Aya? Omi?", Yoji called softly from where he sat at Ken's bedside. "I hate to be the one to break up your misery, but I think that Ken is waking up."
Aya gently set Ran's hand back down at his side, and she and Omi hurried over to Ken. He was stirring, as if in a dream. Soft murmurs came from his mouth, steadily becoming louder and more coherent.
"Ran...Ran..."
To Yoji, Omi and Aya, Ken's voice was like music; the sound of Ran's name a welcome relief. Perhaps Ken would be alright after all.
Slowly, dark eyes fluttered open.
~Koyasu
~~~~~~~~~~
RING!
Aya pulled the blankets close around her quivering body. She had barely gotten a wink of sleep since her husband's murder, and the ringing telephone did nothing to help her nerves. Working up the courage to open her eyes, she glanced over at the alarm clock. '2:00am. Nobody calls at this hour. This is bad. This is bad. This is-'
"Hello." Taro's voice greeted on the answering machine message. "You have reached the Yamada residence. We are unable to take your call at this time. Please leave a message, and we'll get back to you."
BEEP!
"Aya-chan! Aya-chan, are you awake? This is Omi."
Feeling around, Aya found the bedside lamp, clicked it on and picked up the phone.
"What is it?" Aya asked groggily, her tired voice trembling with fear. There was only one reason for Omi to be calling at this hour.
"Something has happened to Ran-kun and Ken-kun. Yoji-kun is on his way to pick you up, so get some clothes on."
"Wh-what happened? Are they-?"
"No", Omi reassured her. "At his time, they are both still alive but...Just get dressed. You'll actually want to pack for a couple of days."
"What-?"
"I don't feel comfortable telling you something like this over the phone. Please just wait for Yoji-kun." With that, Omi hung up, leaving Aya with more questions and fears than she already had.
*
"How are they?" was the first thing Aya said as she opened the door for Yoji.
"Nice to see you, too", Yoji said with a sad smile as Aya thrust her suitcase into his arms.
"G-gomen, Yoji, I just-"
"I understand", Yoji said calmly as he led Aya to his jeep. He threw Aya's suitcase in back, then looked at her, surprised to see she was carrying a second suitcase.
"Aya, why-?"
"I just get the feeling I won't want to leave my brother's side for a long time", she explained. "Please, don't keep me in suspense any longer. How bad is it?" Aya could feel her heart catch in her throat as she took a seat beside Yoji. She knew she wasn't going to like what he had to tell her.
Sighing, Yoji checked behind him before pulling out of Aya's driveway. Once they were on the road, he tried to find his voice. "This isn't easy for me", he confessed. "I really don't know how to tell-"
"Just tell me!", Aya pleaded tearfully.
Clentching his hands tight around the steering wheel, Yoji took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking."Okay, then." There was a nervous pause. "Ken took a pretty nasty blow to the head, and his hip was badly hurt. The doctors think he'll be out of the coma in a few days, but he requires surgery for his hip. They aren't sure how long it will be until he's on his feet again, but they feel positive that it will be soon. He took a bullet to the chest, but it didn't hit anything vital, so that was a big relief to us all."
"What about my brother?" Aya asked impatiently.
"To tell you the truth, I don't know what's going to happen to Ran. He was still in surgery when I left to pick you up."
Aya's eyes widened. "Surgery?! What happened?!"
Yoji gulped. He really didn't want to be the one to break the news to her. "Ran got hit in the head, too. But it was much worse than what happened to Ken. His skull cracked, and a piece of it punctured his brain. The doctors are going to try and stop the bleeding, and are debating whether or not it's in Ran's best interest to remove the bone shard from his brain tissue. I'm going to be honest with you, Aya. The question everyone is asking now is 'will Ran live or die?'"
Aya felt dizzy. Like the ground was crumbling beneath her. First Taro and now Ran. 'No. No! I can't lose him, too!' Leaning back into her seat, Aya reached over, putting a hand on Yoji's arm. "Is there anything else I need to know?"
"I'm sorry to say there is", Yoji nodded, trying to focus on the road ahead. "Ran needs back surgery, too. But the brain sugery took precedence. Until the doctors feel certain he's recovering well from it, they're keeping him immobile. Not an easy task, considering they also had to cut into him to remove a bullet from his bladder."
"Oh God!" Aya cried. "He's going to die. My brother is going to die." she began rocking back and forth, hugging herself.
"We don't know that", Yoji said calmly, trying as much to convince himself as Aya. "Now try and pull yourself together, okay? We're here."
Aya blinked as Kritiker's medical facility came into focus, wiping her eyes dry. Stepping out of the car, she walked over to Yoji, embracing him with all her strength. "Thank you, Yoji", she wept into his shoulder. "Thank you for being such a good friend to my brother and Ken. Thank you for looking out for them."
"It's my pleasure", Yoji whispered, lightly kissing Aya's head. "Are you ready to go in now?"
"I'm ready", Aya nodded, sniffing.
*
When Aya walked into the hospital room, a sleeping Ken was the first person she saw. He looked calm and peaceful, as if nothing whatsoever had happened. A bandage on his forehead head was the only indication of injury. Then, her eyes drifted to the bed closest to the window. She felt her legs go weak, and Omi had to catch her from behind to keep her from falling.
"Do you want to come back later, Aya-chan?"
"Iie." Aya straightened herself up and walked over to where her brother was sleeping. The top of Ran's head was tightly bandaged, tubes came out of his nose and he wore a brace around his neck. Aya noticed the IV dripping into his arm and the steady beeping of the heart monitor. She was used to seeing her brother injured. In the time since she had woken up from her coma, Ran had been hurt on several missions, and raped on a few occassions as well. But she had never seen him in this state. So close to death. Even as Ran slept, Aya couldn't help but wonder what he would be like if and when he awoke.
As if reading her mind, Omi finally spoke up. "It's very touch and go now, Aya-chan. If Ran lives, that in and of itself will be a miracle. If he wakes up, we don't know what the effects of his head injury will be. He could be brain dead." Omi's lip quivered as he spoke these words. He had grown up, but the sensitive, tearful young man was still very much a part of who he was. "So now, you have a decision to make. Should we keep Ran alive, or let him go?"
"Do I have to decide this now?", Aya asked, taking her brother's limp hand into her own. "Can I please just have a little more time?" She brought Ran's hand up to her lips, kissing it and showering tears upon it.
"Aya? Omi?", Yoji called softly from where he sat at Ken's bedside. "I hate to be the one to break up your misery, but I think that Ken is waking up."
Aya gently set Ran's hand back down at his side, and she and Omi hurried over to Ken. He was stirring, as if in a dream. Soft murmurs came from his mouth, steadily becoming louder and more coherent.
"Ran...Ran..."
To Yoji, Omi and Aya, Ken's voice was like music; the sound of Ran's name a welcome relief. Perhaps Ken would be alright after all.
Slowly, dark eyes fluttered open.
