Here we are with next next chapter. Believe it or not, the story is almost finished. Not counting this one, there are about 5 more chapters to go. These next few are a bit of an emotional roller coaster, but I hope you guys stick around till the end!
"We've got a pulse."
"BP dropping back to normal range."
"We got him back, everyone."
"Inform the mother."
"Ayu Chan, what happened?" The girl's mother asks her.
"I don't know…" Ayu responds and curls up in her mother's lap. "It happened so fast."
"Ayu," Yuzu approaches her. "Yuya didn't hurt you at all did he?"
"Yuzu, what kind of question is that?!" Shuzo asks.
"Ayu, answer me!" Yuzu's harsh tone makes Ayu flinch.
"No…. Yuya oniichan… He protected me. I… I think he got hurt because of me." Ayu starts to cry. "He didn't even let me look. He covered my eyes when things got scary." She remembers when he pushed her to the ground and curled his body around her own.
Don't you touch her!
She was confused and frightened but then remembers him whispering,
It's going to be okay.
And he placed his hand over her eyes.
Don't look. It's going to be okay.
That's when she realized he was shielding her with his body. Making sure they couldn't get to her.
"They hurt him… I heard Yuya oniichan… He sounded like he was in pain." Ayu cries. "I knew they were trying to hurt me instead, but he didn't let them. When they kicked me, I didn't mean to... but I screamed." The little girl lifts up her shirt to show her belly bruise, then she covers her eyes in shame. "Yuya oniichan kept saying how sorry he was, and that everything was going to be okay." Ayu continues to sob. "Mama! He got hurt because of me!" She buries her face in her mother's shirt. "It's all my fault!" She cries, her voice high pitched and her tone dripping with remorse.
"Ayu chan, don't you think that for a second." Yoko runs a comforting hand through Ayu's red hair. "Yuya protected you because he loves you. He would have done anything to keep you safe. You aren't to blame. It was the people who attacked you who are guilty." She tries to reassure Ayu.
"Okay, sweetheart?"
Ayu nods. "Is Yuya oniichan okay?" Her voice is so tired from screaming and crying.
"They're going to let us know soon." Yoko replies.
"Can I see him, Obasan? Please?" Ayu sits up in her mother's lap.
"We'll see how he's doing first." Yoko replies. They sit and wait in bitter and sad silence.
"Family of Sakaki Yuya." A voice calls out.
"That's us!" Yoko breaks from the group. "I'm his mother. Is he alright?" She practically runs up to the nurse who called out their name.
"Your son suffered a severe concussion. Sometimes, when the trauma is severe people have been known to have seizures. Yuya had what we call a grand mal seizure, which are the more violent kind. We were a little worried when we noticed some irregularities with his heart but that quickly went away. He's been admitted and was moved to the pediatric unit and he's being closely monitored."
"Will he be alright?" Yoko is squeezing Shuzo's arm.
"Yes, he will be alright. I'll take you to see him right now. If you'll just come with me." She leads Yoko away from the waiting room. "For now I think only you should come. He might become aggravated if he feels crowded." The nurse warns Yoko.
"We'll be here, Yoko, go ahead." Shuzo gently pushes her toward the nurse.
"I should warn you, he's been very irritable. He didn't allow the doctor to do an exam and the entire time he was awake he refused to let anyone touch him. Since he's been sedated, he seems less on edge, but just barely. I think he's just scared. From what the doctor has told us, Yuya has been through a lot."
Yoko just listens and keeps walking. Her son is back there. He's in pain. He's scared.
"I know this is a lot to take in. The hospital staff is here for you throughout the entire duration of Yuya's stay. If at all you need anything, a blanket, a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, we can help. We want Yuya to be alright and back to his old self same as you." She takes Yoko's hand.
"Thank you for all your help." Yoko tries to smile, but can't. She usually has such great composure. It seems to have been thrown out the window along with her sanity.
"It's the room down this hall." They're approaching his room, but something isn't right. There's some kind of commotion. And from what the nurse can tell it's coming from Yuya's room.
"Stay away from me!" Yoko hears her son's voice. He sounds scared and confused. "Don't touch me!"
"Yuya!" Yoko runs to where she hears him. Instead of relaxing upon seeing Yoko, Yuya remains completely tense. He stands near the back wall of his room with what seems to be a sharp instrument in his hand. He's surrounded by doctors and nurses who have been trying to calm him for the past 10 minutes.
"Yuya, it's me. It's Kaasan, sweetheart." Yoko slowly approaches the frightened boy. "No one's going to hurt you, Yuya. I'm here to look after you and keep you safe."
"Where is she? Where'd they take Ayu chan?" Yuya doesn't lower the sharp instrument in his hand. "Is she okay? Is she safe?" His voice cracks as he starts to cry.
"Ayu is safe. She's with her mother. And now you are with yours. Come on, Yuya. Come to Kaasan." Yoko steps closer and holds her arms out. "You're safe now."
Yuya drops the sharp object and runs to his mother. He sobs in her arms- finally releasing all the pain and fear that he's held onto throughout this whole ordeal.
"It's okay, sweetheart. Kaasan is here."
"I know you're hurt, I know."
"Let it all out, just let it out." She whispers helpful and encouraging words. "You're safe."
He cries himself to sleep. Yoko carries yuya- her baby- to his bed and covers him up.
"I'm sorry you're in so much pain, Yuya." Yoko strokes his green bangs. "All you do is try to make others happy, my sweet boy, that's all you ever wanted to do." She doesn't even bother to wipe her tears. "I hope that you remember how much you mean to us. How treasured your smile is."
Yuya stirs slightly, but doesn't wake.
"Rest, my sweet boy. I'll be back soon." She kisses his forehead.
"So he's going to be fine?" Yoko manages to pull aside the pediatrician treating Yuya.
"Yes ma'am he should be. After concussions, people can be irritable and very easily agitated. Considering how he might have acquired his injuries, I don't think it's a surprise that he was behaving as he did. We'll keep him overnight to monitor him and you are more than welcome to stay with him." He answers all of her questions.
"Thank you so much." Yoko is finally able to breathe. That frightened boy in the room didn't seem like her son. There was no light in his eyes. No happiness. "Once he heals, he'll be back to normal right? He won't be this aggressive?"
"As far as concussions go, the recovery time is different for everyone. If Yuya is generally not an aggressive boy then you know that the concussion is probably still affecting him. If he's still seizing or passing out, just bring him back."
Yoko must appear more afraid than she realizes.
"I can assure that your son is fine. He's a little scared, that's all. He just needs a good night's rest and his mother." He pats Yoko on the shoulder. "If I can answer any more questions, one of the nurses can page me for you."
"Thank you so much."
"Alright Yuzu, that's enough. Come on, I'm taking you home." Shuzo wanted to stay long enough to find out how Yuya was doing, but Yuzu is getting more irritated by the second. After making it clear she thought this incident was Yuya's fault, Yuzu then went on to claim that his injuries probably weren't even that serious. She wants him to come out here and face everyone and explain what happened and why Ayu Chan was in the middle of it. Nobody understands why she is behaving this way, but when they try to question her, she gives no explanation.
"Fine." Yuzu storms out of the waiting room. She isn't even sure what it is that has her so upset. Chances are Yuya and Ayu just ran into some really shady characters. Chances are Yuya is seriously hurt. There's no doubt in Yuzu's mind that Yuya protected Ayu with his very life. So why is she feeling this way? Why is she angry at him? Why is she convinced he somehow played the role of the bad guy? Yuzu's head has not stopped hurting since the chaos began. When Ayu was brought out and everyone was told she was fine, Yuzu's knees nearly gave out she was so relieved. That should have been the end of it. She knew that whatever happened, the rage had nothing to do with it. Why was- is - she still upset? Yuzu feels more angry than she does guilty right now. But there is plenty of guilt.
"Mrs. Ayukawa, I'm so sorry about this whole situation. I always make sure they're supervised-" Shuzo starts. Mrs. Ayukawa just shakes her head. "I'm going to stay here with Yoko San, I'll let you know how he's doing."
Shuzo sighs. "What about Ayu? She's had such a stressful day."
"My sister is coming to get her. Ayu's father simply couldn't get here with all the traffic. So I just told him to pick her up from my sisters." She shakes her head.
"Contact me when you know something. Again, I'm so sorry about all of this."
"Yuya saved my little girl's life. I can never thank him enough for what he did. But now my child gets to go home and his mother has to stay here at this hospital with him. Don't apologize anymore, at least not to me." She owes so much to Yuya. Too much.
"Thanks for keeping us posted." Shuzo attempts to smile but simply can't at a time like this. He says his goodbyes to Ayu and then heads out.
"Mama."
"What is it, sweetheart?"
"Can I go see Yuya oniichan?"
"He needs to rest, baby. Emmi Oba will be here soon anyway. You can see him tomorrow."
"Mama, I need to see him." Ayu has a feeling that she can't really explain. Something is telling her they both need this. She wants to know he's alright, and to let him know that she is alright. She wants to thank him for keeping her safe, even to the point of letting them hurt him instead.
"Not tonight, Ayu." Her mother shakes her head.
"Is there an Ayu here?" A woman's voice calls out in the waiting room. "One of the patients is asking for her."
"She's here." Ayu's mother answers and turns around.
"If you'll come with me, I think she should come see the patient." The attendant sounds a little worried.
"Is it Yuya oniichan? Is he okay?" Ayu cries.
"I think he just needs to see that you're okay. He's afraid that you're still hurt apparently."
"No! Where is she? What did you do with her?!" Yuya yells. "Get that away from me?!" He pushes away the nurse attempting to prepare his IV.
"This will help calm you down, Yuya." The last thing she wants is to have him restrained.
"Yuya, I asked if we could bring Ayu in here to see you." Yoko tries to tell him. He doesn't seem to hear anything anyone is saying.
"Y-Yuya oniichan?" A barely audible voice joins the mix. "Yuya?" She sounds on the verge of oniichan's skin is pale and sweaty. She can see the bruises on the side of his head. That's where they must have hit him. He sounds like he's been crying all day. He sounds so afraid. Ayu has never seen Yuya this way. It's a little scary, but also very sad. Where's his smile?
Yuya turns to face the door. There she is. Aside from appearing upset, it doesn't look like she's been hurt. She's okay.
"Ayu Chan…" She's okay. They didn't get to her. She's safe.
"I'm okay, Yuya oniichan. Thanks to you." She remains in the doorway. Yoko takes her hand and guides her forward. "Look, Yuya. Ayu Chan is just fine."
"I'm okay, I promise."
"Ayu Chan, give Yuya oniichan a hug so you can go back to your parents." Yoko tells her.
"Yuya oniichan? Are you going to be okay?" Ayu is standing directly in front of him. Yuya just nods as he wipes away fresh tears. He slides off his bed slowly and gets on his knees in front of her. "Does it hurt you?" Yuya whispers to Ayu. She screamed. He knows she wasn't left unmarked. Somehow Ayu knows what he is referring to. She lifts the bottom of her shirt just enough to reveal the dark bruise. Yuya takes her hand and pulls it away from her shirt. He rests his head on her shoulder and starts to cry harder. I couldn't protect you. I tried. I tried so hard. That's my fault. I did that to you. "I'm sorry, Ayu."
Ayu places her little hands on his shoulders and gently pushes him back until they're face to face again. She wipes his tears and smiles one of her adorable smiles. "Thank you, Yuya oniichan, for saving me." Ayu takes his hand.
Yuya shakes his head and leans forward until their foreheads are touching. He still doesn't speak. He places cold trembling hands on her cheeks.
"I'm sorry you got hurt, Yuya oniichan." Tears stream down her face as she looks into his sad red eyes. "I'm so sorry." She sobs. "It's all my fault. They hurt you because of me." She feels the guilt in her stomach. It makes her feel terrible.
Ayu lets him pull her into a hug. "Don't say that, Ayu chan." He holds her close and whispers so quietly the others probably don't hear it. "I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. Anything to make sure you're alright." And he means it. If he had to go through this all a second time to protect her he would. When they pull away, he plants a kiss on her forehead. It's light but so full of love. Yuya would never be ashamed to admit he's adopted the juniors as his siblings. Being an only child, it just felt right. It filled that void he didn't know was there at all. They're as good as his brothers and sister. It's his job to look after them. To protect them. To keep them happy and make sure they smile. That's his job. And he loves it more than anything.
"It's going to be okay, Yuya oniichan. Just remember to smile." Ayu says quietly. "That's what you always tell us." She takes his hand. "Smile, Yuya oniichan." Ayu kisses his cheek. "I'll bake you something and bring it to you tomorrow, only if you smile." The incentive does cause the ends of Yuya's mouth to turn slightly upward. It's as close to a smile as she'll get, but Ayu will take it.
"Come on Ayu chan, let's go back to mama." Yoko says to the young girl. "Yuya will be better tomorrow." She whispers. Yuya holds on to her hand as she walks away but is able to let go when she gets too far.
"Bye, Yuya oniichan." Ayu turns back and waves. He returns the wave with more of a smile on his face this time.
"Here we go, Yuya. Can I put your IV back now?" The nurse knew she could wait for the adorable little encounter to end before continuing. Yoko helps him back into bed and Yuya nods once again, holding his arm out. He doesn't even attempt to hide the fear in his expression. Yuya never liked shots, and the last one hurt like crazy.
"Don't look, okay. It'll be easier that way." The nurse says as she dons a fresh pair of gloves.
"Look at me, Yuya." Yoko says quietly. "Kaasan is here." Round and frightened Crimson eyes stare into hers. "It's going to be okay." He grimaces and tries to fight back tears when the needle punctures his skin. "Kaasan." He whines. Yoko sits on the bed and takes his free hand. "It's okay, baby. It's almost over." She whispers. "You're almost there."
He feels sleepy all of a sudden. It must be the medication. His eyelids are so heavy. He's exhausted anyway. Maybe he should just….
Not really a cliffhanger but I have to tell you guys, next chapter is a doozy. So brace yourselves. Thanks to everyone who is taking the time to read this. I really appreciate it.