Menta Institution
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Chapter 3
_*_*_*_*_*_*_ File in hand, he made his way through to room 312, weaving in and out between the crowd of nurses and patients travelling to the mess room. They greeted him good afternoon, and he nodded to them in return.
He climbed the stairs in the sterile stairwell, making sure not to crush the flowers positioned between his body and his right arm. A difficult task, as the bouquet took up more space than was necessary. Though fortunately for the flowers, the crowds had eased up.
He gave a soft knock once outside the door labelled 312, and entered the small room, painted white, with white tiles, white furniture, white machines... Even the air in the room smelt white... Clean...
"Good afternoon..." He glanced at the window, and saw a thin figure clad in white hospital garments, staring over the grounds of the institution. She turned around and stared at him. "...Syaoran Li." Her voice was barely audible, even in the silence of the room.
He nodded at her. "Good afternoon, Sakura." He crossed the room and took a seat on the couch.
She smiled at him, glad that he had remembered her name from the last meeting. "So you're my doctor."
He nodded at her again. "Here, for Valentines Day." He handed over the bouquet and leaned back in his seat, watching her intently as she inspected the flowers.
"You bought more cherry blossoms than the other flowers put together." Her smile grew as she smelt them. "Thank you. They're beautiful. I don't remember ever receiving so many flowers in my life and in one bouquet too... Especially from someone I barely know." She grinned apologetically at him in her last sentence. "Sorry, but it's true. Excuse me for a minute."
She set the flowers down and went into the bathroom.
It was a good start, though he couldn't really see anything wrong with her, except for the indescribable sadness that lurked in the corners of her eyes. Who had sent her here?
She came back with a jug of water, and cautiously poured its contents into a white plastic container. Carefully freeing the flowers from the red and pink cellophane and ribbon, she put the flowers in the container, and tied the ribbon around it.
"Thank you for the bright colours too. I'm afraid that your colleagues do not know about the art of decoration." She set the container next to the window and sat on the window's edge.
"I would like to start over. I'm sure you would need to know who I am, and I'm sure that I want to know who you are for the sake of my curiosity." She looked at him questioningly, and he nodded in return.
"Hello, I am Sakura Kinomoto." She bowed her greeting as he did his when he replied, "Syaoran Li."
"Well, I guess I'll go first."
He nodded and settled back while she stared out the window.
"Well, I'm 19, born on April the first. I originally lived in a family of four, but my mother died when I was only three. So then it was only my father, my brother and me. It was ok. We had each other, though it was sad to be reminded of mother when she had been gone for years. She married my father when she was only 16. He was her professor. She was a beautiful model, Nadeshiko was her name. As I've told you in our last meeting, cherry blossoms were her favourite flower. I was named after them.
"I love the colours pink and white. Pink because it's a cheerful colour, lovely and soft, and because when some cherry blossoms bloom, they have the most vivid pink. Really beautiful. White because... it is innocent. Like an angels wings. It reminds me of my mother. Maybe she is an angel up in heaven. I think she watches over me. I think she has been watching me since she passed away. She has probably seen my failures in Maths, and my success in Physical Education, and she would've laughed. I love eating rice omelettes and noodles, and my best recipe is pancakes. I would cook pancakes for my dad and Touya, my brother, if I didn't wake up late every single morning.
"My dad is an archaeologist and gives lectures at the University. He has the best cooking ever! Touya, I don't know what his occupation is. Hard to believe, I know, but he always has a different job every time I see him. I think he spies on me every time I go out. If I go a café, he would be working there. If it's a carnival, he'd be the guy walking around with balloons in a costume of some sort. Too overprotective. Though, now I think he has settled with a business company.
"I had the greatest friends at school. Especially Tomoyo Daidouji. She was my cousin, and my best friend, and still is. We've been best friends since we were born. She supported me in anything I wanted to do if it was a good thing. She was a great designer. She designed costumes for me. It was embarrassing, but she put her mind and soul into making them. She was a best friend anyone could've wished for. Where is she now? She inherited her mother's toy company; Daidouji Inc. and works part time as a singer. You should hear her someday. She's still in Japan. She visits me often. If I truly haven't lost my mind, then I'd say she's been here everyday since I was sent to this institution. I'm guessing you would want to know why I was sent here in the first place...
"Everyone believes I am insane, due to the death of my mother, even though I was only three then. They thought depression got to me in the end, and insanity was clouding through my brain. They had caught me holding a sword once. They thought it was a suicide attempt. They heard me talking to Tomoyo about magic, and wands, and cards. To them, I was going insane. I said my mother was an angel... They saw me talking to a stuffed animal. I'm not normal, am I? I don't know. I don't know why I was holding the sword... Or why I was talking about magic... Why was I talking to a stuffed animal? I don't know... I can't remember... They believe I'm insane Syaoran... They believe that... They sent me here... And I believe I'm insane too... I don't know why, but I just do. And I don't know how it came to be. Maybe it was depression. Maybe... And yet I know so much about my childhood, that I surely can't be insane... You can understand what I'm saying, and so can everyone else. I don't know what's wrong with me... I don't know..."
Her eyes were filling up with tears and she started to whimper. She clutched onto the chair, her knuckles turning white. Her hair had become dishevelled, and something invisible was cutting through her pale skin, letting blood ooze to the ground.
"Hey! What's happening? Are you alright?" Syaoran jumped out of his seat, ready to move towards her and inspect her mysterious wounds.
"Stay away from me! You don't understand!" She pointed an accusing finger at him, sobbing hysterically and ignoring the cuts that kept appearing on her skin.
"No one understands! How can I be insane? Am I insane? Why am I here?! Why doesn't anyone have my answers?!? WHY!?!" _*_*_*_*_*_*_
Chapter 3
_*_*_*_*_*_*_ File in hand, he made his way through to room 312, weaving in and out between the crowd of nurses and patients travelling to the mess room. They greeted him good afternoon, and he nodded to them in return.
He climbed the stairs in the sterile stairwell, making sure not to crush the flowers positioned between his body and his right arm. A difficult task, as the bouquet took up more space than was necessary. Though fortunately for the flowers, the crowds had eased up.
He gave a soft knock once outside the door labelled 312, and entered the small room, painted white, with white tiles, white furniture, white machines... Even the air in the room smelt white... Clean...
"Good afternoon..." He glanced at the window, and saw a thin figure clad in white hospital garments, staring over the grounds of the institution. She turned around and stared at him. "...Syaoran Li." Her voice was barely audible, even in the silence of the room.
He nodded at her. "Good afternoon, Sakura." He crossed the room and took a seat on the couch.
She smiled at him, glad that he had remembered her name from the last meeting. "So you're my doctor."
He nodded at her again. "Here, for Valentines Day." He handed over the bouquet and leaned back in his seat, watching her intently as she inspected the flowers.
"You bought more cherry blossoms than the other flowers put together." Her smile grew as she smelt them. "Thank you. They're beautiful. I don't remember ever receiving so many flowers in my life and in one bouquet too... Especially from someone I barely know." She grinned apologetically at him in her last sentence. "Sorry, but it's true. Excuse me for a minute."
She set the flowers down and went into the bathroom.
It was a good start, though he couldn't really see anything wrong with her, except for the indescribable sadness that lurked in the corners of her eyes. Who had sent her here?
She came back with a jug of water, and cautiously poured its contents into a white plastic container. Carefully freeing the flowers from the red and pink cellophane and ribbon, she put the flowers in the container, and tied the ribbon around it.
"Thank you for the bright colours too. I'm afraid that your colleagues do not know about the art of decoration." She set the container next to the window and sat on the window's edge.
"I would like to start over. I'm sure you would need to know who I am, and I'm sure that I want to know who you are for the sake of my curiosity." She looked at him questioningly, and he nodded in return.
"Hello, I am Sakura Kinomoto." She bowed her greeting as he did his when he replied, "Syaoran Li."
"Well, I guess I'll go first."
He nodded and settled back while she stared out the window.
"Well, I'm 19, born on April the first. I originally lived in a family of four, but my mother died when I was only three. So then it was only my father, my brother and me. It was ok. We had each other, though it was sad to be reminded of mother when she had been gone for years. She married my father when she was only 16. He was her professor. She was a beautiful model, Nadeshiko was her name. As I've told you in our last meeting, cherry blossoms were her favourite flower. I was named after them.
"I love the colours pink and white. Pink because it's a cheerful colour, lovely and soft, and because when some cherry blossoms bloom, they have the most vivid pink. Really beautiful. White because... it is innocent. Like an angels wings. It reminds me of my mother. Maybe she is an angel up in heaven. I think she watches over me. I think she has been watching me since she passed away. She has probably seen my failures in Maths, and my success in Physical Education, and she would've laughed. I love eating rice omelettes and noodles, and my best recipe is pancakes. I would cook pancakes for my dad and Touya, my brother, if I didn't wake up late every single morning.
"My dad is an archaeologist and gives lectures at the University. He has the best cooking ever! Touya, I don't know what his occupation is. Hard to believe, I know, but he always has a different job every time I see him. I think he spies on me every time I go out. If I go a café, he would be working there. If it's a carnival, he'd be the guy walking around with balloons in a costume of some sort. Too overprotective. Though, now I think he has settled with a business company.
"I had the greatest friends at school. Especially Tomoyo Daidouji. She was my cousin, and my best friend, and still is. We've been best friends since we were born. She supported me in anything I wanted to do if it was a good thing. She was a great designer. She designed costumes for me. It was embarrassing, but she put her mind and soul into making them. She was a best friend anyone could've wished for. Where is she now? She inherited her mother's toy company; Daidouji Inc. and works part time as a singer. You should hear her someday. She's still in Japan. She visits me often. If I truly haven't lost my mind, then I'd say she's been here everyday since I was sent to this institution. I'm guessing you would want to know why I was sent here in the first place...
"Everyone believes I am insane, due to the death of my mother, even though I was only three then. They thought depression got to me in the end, and insanity was clouding through my brain. They had caught me holding a sword once. They thought it was a suicide attempt. They heard me talking to Tomoyo about magic, and wands, and cards. To them, I was going insane. I said my mother was an angel... They saw me talking to a stuffed animal. I'm not normal, am I? I don't know. I don't know why I was holding the sword... Or why I was talking about magic... Why was I talking to a stuffed animal? I don't know... I can't remember... They believe I'm insane Syaoran... They believe that... They sent me here... And I believe I'm insane too... I don't know why, but I just do. And I don't know how it came to be. Maybe it was depression. Maybe... And yet I know so much about my childhood, that I surely can't be insane... You can understand what I'm saying, and so can everyone else. I don't know what's wrong with me... I don't know..."
Her eyes were filling up with tears and she started to whimper. She clutched onto the chair, her knuckles turning white. Her hair had become dishevelled, and something invisible was cutting through her pale skin, letting blood ooze to the ground.
"Hey! What's happening? Are you alright?" Syaoran jumped out of his seat, ready to move towards her and inspect her mysterious wounds.
"Stay away from me! You don't understand!" She pointed an accusing finger at him, sobbing hysterically and ignoring the cuts that kept appearing on her skin.
"No one understands! How can I be insane? Am I insane? Why am I here?! Why doesn't anyone have my answers?!? WHY!?!" _*_*_*_*_*_*_