Authoress: OfficiallyObsessedwithPyro
Inspiration: Music…and the fact that my brother wants me to update sooner so that he can stop bothering me so much about it (as he is my alpha reader…and beta…)
Summary: You haven't forgotten it so soon, have you?
Notes: This is mostly a filler chapter, I admit it, but that doesn't mean you should skip it, because it'll be in reference for the next chapter. Just some warning for all of you lazy people!
Note Two: Everything is set back a day or two, so Erika and Koki kissed before the end of the rose exchange. That's in the next chapter. Hope you like!
Note Three: I'm sorry this is out so late. I started it…then stopped writing right smack dab in the middle of this damnable chapter and now the internet isn't working so it might be out on the eleventh.
I began working on this chapter: 1/3/05
I actually finished this chapter: 1/10/05
I posted this chapter: 1/29/05
Rating: Orange Juice
Review Responses:
-hi5 (it was long? I don't think anyone has ever told me that before…o.O…Thanks for reviewing!), Jessica (oh, it was nothing (grins) That was just me writing this story that popped into my head a while ago…Thanks for reviewing (anyway)!), Jessica Kelley (Yeah, glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing), thunder sister (Thanks so much. And don't worry, I update once a month or maybe twice if I'm in a good mood and if time will allow (ha, don't I sound so smart). AcK! (cowers under desk) Don't kill me! And thanks for reviewing. Really made my day.), Julie (I know. I hate Erika too. Almost as much as Kikyou, and that's saying something. Well, thanks for reviewing and here's the update!), Aphtin (I'm sorry it was so confusing. I was playing around with the point-of-views and I got a bit distracted while I was writing it. Oh, well. Thanks for reviewing!), Tsuki-chan! (Thank you, thank you! (bows and frowns when there's very little applause) oh, whatever. Thank you for reviewing!), Tsuki-chan! (heehee. (grins insanely) NO MORE CHRISTMAS SONGS! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Thanks for reviewing again!), Darkwitchchick (So do I! I've been waiting for the 4th volume since the beginning of December (I think) and I'm soooo angry that the next one hasn't come out in my town! Grr! Thanks for reviewing!), Darkwitchchick (ACK! Thanks for reminding me! I almost forgot about the rose exchange! HOW could I forget about that??? Well, we'll find out in a little bit…heehee…well, not really, but it comes later on in the story. Thanks for reviewing twice!!! YAY!)
Imadoki: Don't Cry
Chapter Three
By: OfficiallyObsessedwithPyro
Later
Yamato grabbed himself a coffee and an extra soda before leaving the cafeteria and heading back towards Ruri's room. Tanpopo was already inside, sitting at her friend's bedside sobbing.
"Tan-ga, come on." Yamato murmured, pulling his friend outside.
When they reached the other side of the door, Tanpopo broke down into tears. "I hate this." She sobbed. "I hate the fact that Ruri's in the hospital. I hate that I can't wake her up. I hate that I don't want to be here when I should be here…because she needs me. And all of it sucks."
Slinging an arm around her shoulder, the blonde-haired boy sighed. "We can't change what's happened, Tan-ga. Ruri's here because she needs help. The doctors can help her – we can't. The most we can do is be here and support her whenever she wakes up."
"I know…" Tanpopo sniffled. "But it still sucks."
Yamato chuckled and gave her an affectionate squeeze. "It's gonna be alright, Tan-ga. You'll see."
He led her over to one of the couches and they sat down, Tanpopo leaning onto him for support.
"I know you're right, Ya-ku…" Tanpopo paused to sneeze. "But it still sucks."
Koki sat at his desk fingering his letter opener. Bored, he set that down in his right hand side desk drawer and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. Scribbling a few lines, he threw the pen down on the desk and slammed his fist onto the desk's hard cherry wood top.
He was worried.
Worried about Tanpopo.
Sitting back in his chair he stared at the ceiling and whistled a little tune.
"Maybe I should just forget it…she's got that Tenou boy," Koki said aloud…
"No way!" The noise came fast.
"Huh?" Koki sat up straight at his desk and looked around. "Who's there?"
"I'm your conscience, dummy!" The voice said, then demanded, "Do you know how much pain you've inflicted on that poor girl just by forgetting that she was around? You sure can be a jerk sometimes, man."
"But I have to marry Erika…" Koki frowned. "I don't really…I don't think I feel that way about her, but I have to…My parents…"
"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to explain the whole thing. I'm your conscience, remember?"
"Oh." Koki said with a slight blush to his face.
"Oh, and puhlease. You're worried about your parents? You're such a wimp."
Koki frowned and his face flushed. "Hey!"
"Look, all I'm saying is that you should do what you want. Even if you come from a rich family, there are some…standards, right? FORGET THE STANDARDS! Throw the rulebook out the window! If you don't, you're gonna end up miserable with nothing that you really want."
"Good advice…" Koki murmured as he brought out his letter opener once more. Running his hand over the sharpened tip, he grabbed it in the fashion of a dagger and slammed it down on his desk, creating a hole in the printed paper that was supposedly his and Erika's "wedding invitations."
Popping up from behind the couch conveniently placed on the right hand side of the desk, Yoji's head appeared with a stupid smile.
Prying the letter opener from the desk, Koki gave a sadistic smile as he advanced on his older brother.
"So, conscience…how about I punch you so hard you need a doctor?"
Kazutaka ran up the steps of the Tokyo Central Hospital in a rush. Speeding up to the counter, he slammed his fist on it and demanded to the lady there, "I need to know which room Ruri Nakajo is in."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I cannot allow you to have that informa-."
Cutting off her little speech, he cried out, "Look lady, one of my best friends – practically my sister – is in there right now, and I have no idea what's going on with her. Now, either you tell me where she is or I can pull my little rich-brat trick and tell my grandfather, who happens to know one of the founders of this hospital, about your hospital's failure to let me see one of my best friends!"
The woman behind the desk nodded with a shocked look on her face before telling him the room number and that there were two visitors for the patient.
Not risking losing any more time, Kazutaka sped down the hallway to find his friends.
Finding his friends sitting outside Ruri's room, he paused, seeing the position they were in. Tanpopo was sitting on Yamato's lap, resting her head on his shoulder, and his arms were wrapped around her waist.
Chuckling, he kicked Yamato on the leg, causing the blonde-haired boy to loose his balance and almost drop Tanpopo on the ground. Saving her before she hit the floor, Yamato glared at the dark-haired boy and nudged Tanpopo until she awoke.
"Kazu!" Tanpopo cried, jumping into the man's arms and hugging him. Stepping back, she smiled briefly before telling him, "We're not allowed in right now. The doctors are in there." She motioned to the door that had a small plastic box with Ruri's name on the side.
"Do you know what's going on with her?" Kazutaka asked, giving Tanpopo a hopeful glance.
Tanpopo's gaze fell to the hospital floor and she was silent for a moment before shaking her head in a sad, 'no.'
"They won't tell us a damn thing." Yamato said with a scowl. "It's agitating."
Tanpopo grabbed his arm. "Ya-ku, I know you're worried, but don't do anything stupid." She turned to Kazutaka, "You too, Kazu."
The three friends sat down on the bench and began their wait.
Some while later, the door to Ruri's room opened and out stepped a young man in his early twenties. His dark hair swayed as he closed the door right before fixing his glasses and doctor's coat.
"Is she going to be alright?" Tanpopo burst out before Yamato or Kazutaka could stop her.
The doctor studied Tanpopo's face before saying, "You're her friends?"
"Yes." Yamato said, pulling Tanpopo back before she lunged at the man and demanded what was wrong with her friend.
He messed with his glasses for a while longer before introducing himself. "My name is Doctor Nakai. Your friend Ruri Nakajo has a very…terrible condition…"
And I wanna believe you
When you tell me that it will be okay
Ya, I try to believe you
But I don't
When you say that it's gonna be
It always turns out to be a different way
I try to believe you
Not today…
I don't know how I'll feel
Tomorrow, tomorrow
I don't know what to say
Tomorrow, tomorrow is a different day
Yeah, short, I know. Just review and it'll be longer next time!
-Pyro
ciao.