Okay; another chapter to update! YAY! I'm still so VERY happy that my account has been unfrozen!
Reader's response:
Yuki y: …glad you like it. And of course Sai has that much energy; she's (clamps hand over mouth to stop from revealing part of the plot) yeah!
Saturnsaturn: Yep; she's alive, well, and…yeah; this chapter gets kinda angsty and depressing though. So…you have been warned!
Lord Pengu: Of COURSE it'll hurt…but I guess that's why she's in the hospital!
Crimson Firefox: Yay! My chapter saved you…sorry I couldn't update sooner; stupid site froze my account so I couldn't update my stories!
Ladysakaya: Well, Tokaki wasn't…isn't…exactly sober at the moment and yes, she likes going against any authority…even if it's…a sign…
Mint Drop: Aww; poor you! (Gives you a gigantic sleeping pill) here you go! That should help!...wow; that 'completely reject the monster' line sounds a lot like Fruits Basket; ever watched it? It's good!
Pil-Z: Thanks! This chapter is kinda depressing, so…hope you like it…even if it's not funny 'n stuff!
Chichiri's Wanderer: NOOO! My fire! (pouts) fine! (takes Chichiri) there! Now, you can't get Chichiri back until you give me back my fire! (sticks tongue out)
ENJOY!
Over the next week, the seishi went to visit Sai in the hospital. After getting past the bitch of a receptionist once more, they went up to her room to find her chatting cordially with someone they did not know. When they walked in, Sai looked up and grinned, "Hey guys"
"Hi" they chanted. Most of them were shooting curious glances at the stranger.
"Oh, this is Yukari" she introduced. Yukari looked at them for a few moments; her piercing blue eyes causing a shiver to run through their bodies. Yukari fingered a strand of long dark red hair and stood up, "I'll talk to you later, okay, Sai?" she asked. Sai nodded, "You don't have to leave though!"
Yukari shook her head, "It's time for my appointment with Dr. Maeda anyways" she said, leaving.
After she left, the seishi settled on various places around Sai's room.
"She was weird" Tasuki said.
"Tasuki!" Sai hit him over the head, "Be nice. She's just…"
"Weird?" Tasuki offered.
"NO! Shut up, you" Sai glared.
"Hey; the doctors say you're being discharged tomorrow" Subaru said, "I bet you're happy to finally get outta here"
"Yeah!" Sai cheered, "Of course!"
Amiboshi smiled, "We came here with something to say" he said. The others' faces took on a serious expression. Sai blinked at them, "What's going on?"
"You know that night at the club…when you asked what we were doing before we went?"
"Yeah…"
"We were hiding this" Suboshi spoke up and handed her a crumpled piece of paper. Sai smoothed it out and read the words written.
"Beware; your life is in danger" Sai squinted to read the next words, but it was too wrinkled in that area for her to see what else what there. She stared at the seishi and very calmly said, "So?"
"We should have stuck closer to you after seeing that!" Suboshi blurted out, "I'm sorry!"
Sai laughed, "Hey; c'mon…it's not your fault! You wouldn't have kept me out of there anyways and chances are, one of you would have been stabbed in place of me and then I'd feel guilty"
"Like we are now…" Nuriko said glumly.
"Hey guys; don't worry. Forgive and forget" Sai said, brushing it off, "Besides; don't be so sad; you're in a hospital!"
"Aren't you supposed to be sad in a hospital?" Tokaki asked.
Sai grinned, "Yeah…but…what's wrong with being different?" she asked simply. The seishi couldn't resist; they laughed. It wasn't particularly funny but it helped that Sai joked around, proving that she really did not blame them a bit.
The head nurse appeared at the door, "Visiting hours is over; please leave"
"Aww; but they just got here!"
"Miss Shimizu; rules are rules. Your guests will have to leave"
"Fine…" Sai pouted, "You heard her, guys; you have to leave"
The seishi got up, "We'll come pick you up tomorrow no da" Chichiri promised.
"'k!" Sai said. She turned to the nurse, "Is Yukari done with her appointment yet?"
"Yukari Maeda is still with the doctor" the nurse said primly, "I'll tell her to see you when she's done. I don't know why her father insists she stay in the hospital; she's fully recovered after all. Sometimes, I can't help but question Dr. Maeda's logic"
Amiboshi paused at the door, as he listened to this exchange. Why would the girl refer to her father so formally?
"Hey aniki; hurry up!" Suboshi called. Amiboshi quickly followed, leaving all his wondering behind.
Two days later,Sai was released from the hospital. She had a hard time leaving Yukari all alone in the hospital however. Yukari simply smiled and reassured her she would be fine.
"But…" Sai bit her lip, "I don't see why you can't leave; you're not sick or anything anymore!"
Nuriko finally managed to pull her away. He wondered why Sai was being this protective of the red-haired girl she had only met a few days ago. When they got back to the apartment, they were surprised to find Sai's mother yet, standing with her hands on her hips.
"What are you doing here?" Sai asked. Her mother glared right back at her, "What are they doing here?"
"Um…it is my apartment" her daughter answered.
"I'm paying for it"
"What's your point?" Sai snapped.
"Get your stuff; you're coming with me"
"NO, no I'm not" Sai protested.
Karin grabbed her wrist, "Yes you are.We're going home...and you are going to explain to your father why you never went to his house that time"
Sai glared, her eyes filled with a burning rage, "Leave me alone. I'm not going to go talk to him or you and spare me all your fucking lies; just leave me the hell alone!" she yelled, pushing her mother into the wall opposite her and stormed into the apartment with the seishi following. The seishi exchanged a look with one another at the outburst; this was not like Sai at all.
"Um…Sai?" Subaru asked. Sai turned and forced a slight smile, "Sorry, but I think I'll go to my room. I need some time to think about…stuff"
They nodded, confusion being the only thing they felt at the moment. Sai shut the door to her room and then they started talking.
"What do you think is wrong?" Amiboshi whispered.
"It's very confusing. Even if Sai hated her mother, as we all know already, she wouldn't just lash out at her like that…"
"Maybe…" Chichiri said. They all turned to him, "Maybe that time in the hospital, when she talked to her mother, she found out something she didn't want to know or believe…"
The others thought about this. It actually made a lot of sense; after all, Karin had stormed out of the hospital after talking to Sai, and now, Sai was that angry at her mother.
"It could be…" Subaru said.
"Let's just leave her alone for a while" Amiboshi said, "She'll tell us what's wrong when she's ready"
Subaru nodded, "yes…and especially you two" she glared at Tasuki and Tokaki, "Don't bother her"
The two gave her innocent looks, which wasn't believed by anyone.
Subaru rolled her eyes and set off toward the kitchen, "I'll make dinner; who wants some?"
A few days later, the seishi were getting restless and more and more worried about the teenager holed up in her room. It just wasn't normal to be in there for days. Suboshi stood up suddenly one afternoon while it was raining outside, "I'm going in; I don't care…she's had three days to think!" he walked over to Sai's room and was about to open it when it swung open itself. Sai stood there, blinking at Suboshi, "I see I'm not the only one who thinks I should come out" she commented. Suboshi followed her to the living room, "Well, since you're all here, I guess I should explain myself, shouldn't I?"
Tasuki opened his mouth to ask a question but was stopped by seven other pairs of hands clamping his mouth close. Sai laughed, "Okay…let's see…I guess it started back at the club, with the guy who stabbed me. He said that I should thank my father because my father was the reason he was going to kill me. Then I got stabbed and taken to the hospital by you guys"
The seishi were silent, waiting for her to continue.
"Then I asked my mother about it. After some prodding, she told me that the father I knew my whole life wasn't my birth father; and that she and my 'father' had claimed that I was his child because a few months after I was born, my birth father wanted to take me and leave my mother. But my mother didn't want that so she took me and left. She met my 'father' and they made up a story for me to believe, but their marriage didn't turn out too well either…or something like that" Sai's fists were clenched and shaking, "Apparently, someone found out I was my father's child and now they're after me"
Before the seishi could say anything, a furious pounding sounded at the door. Nuriko stood up, and walked cautiously toward the door. After all the talk of someone coming after Sai, he was now more than paranoid. He opened the door and was surprised to find himself staring into piercing blue eyes.
"I-is Sai here?" Yukari asked, voice shaking from the cold. She was drenched from the pouring rain outside and was shivering. Nuriko was immediately concerned and let her in. When Sai saw her, she immediately jumped up and ran to her room to get Yukari some warm clothes.
"What're you doing here?" Sai asked as Yukari sank down into one of the couches. Subaru had noticed how beat up she seemed and was checking her for more injuries.
"…S-sai…um…" Yukari said, not sure what to say, "I just ran away from the hospital"
"…why?"
"My father…"
"Dr. Maeda? What did he do?"
"…he sent that man to stab you Sai…he wants you dead"
