Here we are, next chapter. Didn't want to make you guys suffer too much. Enjoy!
"Ayu Chan, try to calm down." Yuya says for what must be the 15th time.
"I want mama!" The child has been screaming and crying since her arrival.
"Mama is coming Ayu chan, just let the nurse make sure you're not hurt."
"No! No stay away! I want my mama!" Ayu fights everyone who tries to come near her.
"She's on her way, mama is on her way." Yuya can't even feel his own pain right now. He's so worried about Ayu. "I promise, she'll be here soon, Ayu."
"Okay, try sitting her in your lap to see if she'll calm down. I just need to make sure there aren't any injuries I missed. It shouldn't take long." The nurse says to Yuya. She doesn't seem at all frustrated by Ayu's constant screaming.
Ayu fights him at first but Yuya is able to sit down on the exam table with her in his lap.
"Mama!"
"She's coming." Yuya whispers to her. Ayu's struggle lessens significantly now that Yuya is holding her, much to everyone's relief. She doesn't stop crying, but she stops pushing away the nurse who is trying to examine her.
A pained Yelp is heard from the small girl seconds later.
"Tenderness in the lower left abdomen." The nurse notes aloud.
"Ayu, honey, I'm just going to take a look."
"No. No don't look." Ayu is quieter.
"I just need to make sure nothing is wrong." The nurse's voice is gentle. "Hold your friend's hand. It'll be over soon, I promise."
Yuya takes Ayu's trembling hand and let's her squeeze as hard as she needs to.
Ayu gasps and flinches. "Owww don't touch it!" She whines. "That hurts!"
"We'll get some ice for it, okay? That'll make you feel better." The nurse says to Ayu, then she looks at Yuya. "I'll bring her an ice pack. I'll be back to check your injuries."
"No" Yuya shakes his head. "I'm fine."
"I'll be back." The nurse says again.
"Ayu..." Yuya whispers. "It's going to be okay, I promise. It's going to be okay." Yuya whispers to her and holds her tight. "It's over now. No one else is going to hurt you."
"I want mama." Ayu whimpers. "Mama…" She squeezes Yuya's hand again.
A/N For readers getting the wrong idea about Ayu sitting in Yuya's lap lemme stop you right there. I'm a nurse and this is something we do with young patients who are scared or anxious when visiting with the Doctor. It's typically with a parent (duh) and we usually do this when the kid has to get a shot or something, which scares the crap out of most kids. Ayu is in distress, which is why the nurse suggested this.
"What happened? Where's my baby?!" Mrs. Ayukawa bursts through the hospital entrance- having run far ahead of the others.
"Excuse me, I was told my daughter was here. Her name is Ayu, she's 10 years old, here's her picture." She bombards the first hospital employee she sees.
"Come with me, we'll find your daughter." The employee is actually a doctor who works on another floor. She was coming down for her regular coffee refuel when the ever frazzled mother ran into her.
"I'm coming, sweetheart." Mrs. Ayukawa mumbles.
"Please, just leave me alone." Yuya tries to dodge the Doctor. "Stop, you're going to wake her." He can't yell at this doctor for that very reason. "I'm fine!"
"I won't examine you while you hold the child, but you need to tell me what happened so we can treat you both properly." The doctor sits on the chair next to the bed with a small notepad and a pen. "It's better if you talk to me, because then I can relay this report to the police, instead of them interviewing you over and over." She informs. "We try to avoid putting younger patients through that."
Yuya sighs in defeat. "Alright. But I'm telling you, I'm fine." Yuya knows that isn't true. He just doesn't want anyone touching him right now. Not for a while.
"Me and Ayu were walking back to school from the minimart when these… I thought they were students from LDS but I'm really not sure." He starts.
"How many of them were there?"
"Three? Four? I don't… I'm not sure." Yuya shakes his head.
"That's alright, what happened after that?" She moves the conversation forward.
"I… I don't remember much…" He looks at the young girl, and then back up. "But I remember the looks in their eyes. I didn't hesitate, I just… I grabbed Ayu and took off running…"
"Yuya?"
"What?" He flinches and holds Ayu closer.
"You started running. What happened next?"
Oh no you don't.
You-Show needs to learn its place.
Bring the brat here boys.
Make sure he watches this, guys.
The dam in his mind crumbles to pieces and he breaks down in tears. "They pulled her away from me… I think that's when she started crying." Yuya is noticing the gaps in his memory. This just happened. Why is it so hard to recall? "I can't remember… I don't know how, but I got to her and I pushed her to the ground. I… I was trying to shield her from them."
Nice try, chump. Come here, princess. We've got a surprise for you.
Yuya oniichan…. I'm scared.
Don't listen, Ayu… Don't listen. Close your eyes. Don't look. It'll be over soon.
Here's your place you You-Show scum. Right at the bottom of my shoe.
That's when he felt them kicking him. That's when he was seeing stars from being kicked in the head over and over. And over. And over. Ayu's shriek of pain sent a jolt through his entire body. They were aiming for her. Yuya was in their way.
"I was just trying to make sure they didn't get to her." Yuya whispers. He continues to cry and wraps his arms more securely around the sleeping Ayu. "I don't understand why they were trying to hurt her. She's so little. She's just a junior, they shouldn't even know she exists." He's so confused. Ayu is just a little girl. "I've dueled LDS before, some of them know me. But Ayu? Why would they go out of their way to hurt a little girl like that?" She's so sweet and innocent. Even at her worst Yuya can't think of a single reason anyone would want to hurt a child the way they tried to hurt Ayu.
The doctor notices Yuya bring up his trembling hand and cover Ayu's eyes.
"Don't look… don't listen to them." She hears Yuya whisper. "It'll all be over soon."
"If you'll wait right here, I'm going to find your daughter's doctor and then we'll find out which room she's in." Mrs. Ayukawa is lead to the emergency dept. waiting room. Shuzo, Yoko, Yuzu and the you-show juniors are already there.
"Did you find out anything?" Yoko is the first to speak to Mrs. Ayukawa after the doctor leaves.
"Nothing. Of all people I pulled aside a dermatologist on their break. But bless her, she's trying to help find my baby."
"Where's your husband?"
"He had a work assignment out of town. It'll take him hours to get back home." Mrs. Ayukawa leans forward and places her head in her hands.
"What did Yuya tell you guys?" She mumbles her question.
"He didn't sound so good. I could only make out, hospital. He kept saying it over and over." Shuzo answers. "Hospital, hospital." Yuya sounded afraid. Shuzo fears the boy might have also been hurt.
"What was he thinking?" Yuzu fumes. "How could he let this happen?"
"Yuzu, I'm not sure Yuya is to blame here." Shuzo doesn't fail to notice how on edge his daughter is. "Let's wait until we find out what happened."
Yuzu groans in annoyance. "I can't believe this." She says under her breath before continuing her pacing.
"Yuya, I think you may have a concussion." The doctor completes her notes and sets the pad aside.
"Please, don't…. Just leave me alone." Yuya repeats. "Is Ayu chan okay?"
"She'll be fine. She has a small bruise on her stomach, and she'll be sore for a while, but she's going to be alright. She'll be alright because of you, Yuya."
Yuya sighs in relief. "Okay. Okay." He shuts his eyes again. His head is pounding. There's a constant ringing in his ears. "Okay." He feels himself nodding off.
"Yuya, try to stay awake." The doctor says loudly. "Don't fall asleep." He feels a hand on his arm.
"Don't touch me!" He jumps back. Ayu jolts awake.
"Mama? Where's mama?" She mumbles.
"Almost here, Ayu chan… Almost…" Yuya whispers to her. His hold on Ayu loosens until she almost falls forward. The doctor catches Ayu before she falls off the bed.
Yuya has passed out.
The doctor checks for a pulse. It's slow but still there. She'll have to do a proper assessment as soon as possible. She presses the call button to request more assistance.
"Their parents are here." A nurse pokes their head into the curtained area.
"Mama?" Ayu perks up.
"Let's go see mama." The doctor says quietly.
"Here she is, she's all set and can go. I'll go speak to her mother in just a moment." She carefully places Ayu in the nurse's arms as other personnel arrive.
The young boy begins to shake violently and he can be heard crying in pain.
"Yuya!" The doctor runs to him. She presses the code button on the back of his bed and turns him on his side.
"Mama!" Ayu is finally reunited with her mother. "Ayu! Baby, I was so worried!"
"Excuse me… Is there any word on my son? Yuya, the boy who came with her." Yoko asks.
"Code blue. Emergency department."
"I'm sorry, ma'am. There's a situation. I'll make sure you're updated as soon as possible." The nurse runs to the back.
"He's seizing"
"Push ativan."
"Can you find a pulse?"
"No… No pulse detected."
"Starting cpr!"
"Shuzo… Tell me… Tell me that 'situation' wasn't my son. Tell me it's not Yuya." Yoko looks at the spot where the nurse was just standing. "Tell me my son is okay."
Shuzo walks over and takes her hand.
"Shuzo tell me my son is okay!" Yoko yells.