First of all, thanks you people for not killing me! I update really quick naman e, I won't keep you in suspense for very long...

Hala: Er, I think this is my only cliffhanger for this one, don't worry, about seven chapters to go after this, and I update really fast, you won't have to wait long. hope you liked the photograph chapter!

jenjen: er...aw? I kinda left it with Rukawa getting run over by a car and you say aw? I like you, you're funny. hehe...anyway, here's the next chapter.

Sabrina: You reviewed again! I'll make it up to you I promise, here's the next chapter. By the way, congrats on Italy making it to the knockout round. Switzerland made it too. We're battling it out with Ukraine...hehe..big grin in my face right now. Good luck! Ciao!

neko11lover: I'm glad to know the worst thing you can do to me is to injure me within an inch of my life. Here's the next chapter, and good luck in geometry! How you holding up to that anyway?

You Mean, Rukawa has a best friend?

Chapter Eighteen

The sequence of events kept playing itself over and over Kira's head in slow motion. She tried to shake it off, but the more she wanted it gone, the more it presented itself in a sharper focus.

The driver was speeding. He was late for some appointment and jumped in the car and floored the gas. Kira watched in horror as the car turned sharply and noisily, without a let up in the speed at all.

Kira saw Rukawa's eyes widen. He was starting to walk, but when he saw the car, he froze, like a deer in headlights. Kira screamed as the car hit Kaede head on in the stomach. She screamed his name as he rolled over the car and hit the cement with a dull thud.

"KAEDE!" she screamed, running to him and lifting his head. He was unconscious. His head was bleeding. "Please, Kaede, wake up, please, wake up," she sobbed. She shook him slightly, but he remained unconscious.The blood was flowing from the side of his face to her arms and her clothes. Tears flowed down her face freely. A number of people were coming out of their homes. "SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE!"

Five minutes later, Rukawa was in a stretcher and headed to the nearest hospital. Kira came with the driver of the car, who insisted on taking her there. He also insisted to pay for the hospital bills, and for all the damages.

The ambulance and the car came at almost the exact same time. Kira jumped out of the car and quickly followed Rukawa's unconscious form, which was now in a bed, surrounded by many nurses and a couple of doctors. She noticed vaguely that her arms were streaked with Rukawa's dried blood, and her clothes were slightly stiff in small spots because of the blood that seeped through them, but she didn't care about that now.

"He got hit by a car," she said strongly. She stopped crying in the car, telling herself that this was not the time to break down. "Please tell me he's going to be alright."

"We'll do as best as we can." The doctor assured her. They came to a door. "Please, miss, you have to stay here."

"I'm his best friend!" she cried, looking at the doctor unbelievably. They can't possibly do this to her, not them too. "His parents are not in the country, I'm the closest to a family that he's got!"

"I understand, Miss –" he looked questioningly at her.

"Yamato."

"Miss Yamato," confirmed the doctor, "but only doctors and nurses are allowed here. We'll be checking for internal bleeding and broken bones. I will find you when we are done."

Kira nodded mutely, as the doors closed in front of her. The driver of the car had given her a card with his contacts, and he promised that he would pay for all the damages. He left distraught, but not as distraught as Kira.

Kira sat by the chairs near the emergency room, alone and staring into space. She felt tears silently flowing down her face, but she made no effort to wipe them away.

This was all her fault, she thought. If she hadn't gone to find him and try to talk to him, then he would still be playing with Mitsui-sempai, and then he wouldn't be at the road and he wouldn't have been run over.

It all led back to her.

This was all her fault.

He would never forgive her.

After half an hour, she found herself holding her cellphone and found herself calling a number, Sendoh Akira.

"Hello!"

Sendoh's cheerful greeting stabbed through Kira's heart like ice.

"Sendoh.." she sobbed.

"Kira," said Sendoh's voice, though it was lower now and slightly worried, "are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm in the hospital.."

"WHAT?" said Sendoh, "What are you – are you – "

"It's not me, it's Kaede."

"Rukawa?" he sputtered. "What happened – is he okay – are you hurt – is he – what's going on!"

Tearfully, she recounted the entire story, and by the end of it, she was sobbing loudly. Her sobs were echoing on the deserted hall.

She hung up. Sendoh said he was on his way. She needed the company, she felt like she was going to go mad if she just stayed sitting there by herself. The thought that this was all her fault was starting to make her skin crawl. For the first time in her life, she wanted to be somebody, anybody else.

She was starting to scratch her skin, her bloodstained skin, to hurt, to feel the same pain that Rukawa was feeling right now, to inflict the same damage that she caused, that Rukawa was enduring because of her stupidness. Her scratching was starting to hurt, and starting to leave deep red marks in her arms. She wanted to crawl out of her skin, she had never felt more disgusted of herself than now.

Her nails was causing deep scratches now, but a couple of hands had stopped her. She looked up. Sendoh was leaning, looking at her worriedly, holding both of her hands.

Kiralooked at him, threw herself at him, and broke down completely.

"Shh," said Sendoh softly, not knowing what else to say, "he's going to be okay."

"It's – all – my – my – fa – fault!"Kira sobbed in his chest. Her voice was muffled, but he understood every word that came through in between her tears. He felt his shirt was wet with her tears, not that he minded. "If – if – I – di – didn't – g – go – and – fi – find – him – th - then – he – wou – wou – wouldn't – ha – have – bi –been – run – o – over – by – a – a – a – car!"

Sendoh's heart ached for Kira, but at the same time, he didn't know what to do. He had never been put in a situation like this. The only thing that he knew to do was what he was doing right now: holding Kira and ensuring her that it was going to be okay, though he had no idea of knowing if it might be just that.

Coach Toaka had not appreciated Sendoh's decision of suddenly going away, but when he heard about Rukawa's condition, the coach paled and sent him off without another word. He had wanted Rukawa in the team, and he would feel that he was a great loss if any of Rukawa's injuries caused him to stop playing basketball.

The other players of Ryonan were shocked as well at the news. It was then that he realized that none of Shohoku knew what happened yet. He wondered if he should be the one to tell them, but right now, that was not the current problem on deck.

"It's going to be alright, Kira," he reassured her. I hope.

Kira looked up at him, disbelief in her teary eyes, but before she could say a word, the door to the emergency room opened.

Kira quickly wiped her tears away and stood facing the doctor anxiously. Sendoh stood straighter as well, looking at the doctor curiously, and slightly less anxiously that Kira was.

"Doctor," said Kira croakily, "is he – "

The doctor was wearing a green operating uniform and a hair net type of thing to cover his hair. His mask was at his neck and his gloves were slightly bloody. Sendoh's heart raced at the sight. The gloves were in his pocket, with the intention of hiding it. Sendoh thought that Kira might have noticed, but thankfully, she was looking intently at the doctors face.

The doctor gave them a small warm smile. "He's going to be fine," he said.

Kira's knees gave way with relief. Sendoh caught her before she hit the floor. The doctor looked worriedly at the two of them and pointed to the chairs. "Are you family?" he asked Sendoh.

Sendoh shook his head. "A friend," he said, sitting Kira down, she was still shaking, "Kira here is who you should talk to."

"May I ask," said the doctor, "the parents?"

"They're away, in another country," informed Kira breathlessly, "I'm the closest link you've got."

The doctor nodded, his understanding. He knew the family name, Rukawa, which Kira gave, was a prominent name in the technology sector in Japan.

"I will be informing his parents, don't worry," said Kira, then asked, more anxiously, "is he really going to be okay?"

"For a guy who got run over by a car," said the doctor, "he's relatively lucky. He has a few common fractures, mostly his floating and false ribs. They will heal in a few weeks. Apart from that, he has no other injuries. His spine is okay, his brain is okay, no torn ligaments, tendons and such. He's a relatively lucky guy."

A very, very, lucky guy. Thought Sendoh.

"However," said the doctor, "he has lost a lot of blood and –"

"I'm a type O," said Kira, "O's can give to anyone right, I'll give now – "

"Yes, O's can give to anyone," said the doctor, "Rukawa is in face a type O himself –"

"Then what's the problem doctor?" asked Sendoh.

"Rukawa is type O negative."

Sendoh felt his heart drop. O negatives were extremely rare. He looked at Kira, she seemed to have seen the problem as well. If only his parents were in the country, Sendoh cursed.

"I'm already a type O," said Kira, who looked determined not to lose any hope, "Please check if I'm O negative."

The doctor looked worried. "Checking blood types - "

"Please doctor, this is an emergency," said Kira, her tears starting to fall again, "I can't lose Kaede, I can't. Please, check, take my blood right now, I'm in a perfectly healthy conditon, I can give blood. Please doctor."

The doctor looked at her.In all his years in the emergency room, he had never seen a girl's face both etched with desperation and hope. This, he thought, was what he worked for."All right," he said, "Follow me."