Chapter 17: The tragedy
November 15th, Hie Temple, Akasaka, Tokyo...
"Say cheese!"
"Cheese!"
Hanayuki smiled at the antics of Sendoh and Aoi-chan, the former busy taking pictures of the latter. "Please be careful, Aoi-chan. Try not to dirty your kimono."
"Hai, okaachan!"
Fujima, who was standing beside her, chuckled. "I think you're going to be having a hard time washing that kimono."
Hanayuki shook her head. "Tell me about it. But it's ok. It's her first time wearing one after all." She looked around her, before continuing, "It really is quite popular, this temple. There are so many families here today paying their 'Shichi-go-san' respects."
(A/n: Shichi-go-san literally means seven-five-three. It is a day of prayer for the healthy growth of young children, particularly boys and girls aged 3, boys aged 5 and girls aged 7. Families with children at those ages will visit a Shinto shrine, where most girls will wear a kimono and boys will wear haori jackets and hakama pants.)
"Families have been coming here since the Edo period," Fujima explained. "It's a very old temple."
"Yeah, that was what Aki had told me too," said Hanayuki, before looking around her again. "By the way, have you seen oniichan and Kaede?"
"Now that you mention it, no I haven't," said Fujima. "Nor have I heard-"
"Teme kitsune! Hold them properly! You're going to drop them all!" came Sakuragi's voice from behind.
Both Hanayuki and Fujima turned around at the sound of Sakuragi's voice. And promptly felt their jaws drop open at the sight that beheld them.
"Do'aho, you just dropped one on the ground."
"Nani! Oh no!"
"What in Kami-sama's name do you think you guys are doing?" asked Fujima, finally regaining the use of his voice after picking his jaw back up from the ground. Hanayuki, on the other hand, burst out laughing.
"What do you mean? What does it look like we're doing?" asked Sakuragi in return. Rukawa just kept quiet, letting his redhead companion do the talking.
Fujima looked at all the chitose-ame in their hands. "Are you planning to distribute them to all the children here?"
(A/n: Chitose-ame is also known as longevity candy. It is shaped like a stick and comes in a bag that carries illustrations of cranes and turtles. These two animals are symbols of long life. Chitose literally means a thousand years. Parents buy chitose-ame for their children, using it as an expression of their wish that their children lead a long and prosperous life.)
"What? Of course not! There're all for Aoi-chan!" Sakuragi exclaimed. Beside him, Rukawa raised an eyebrow, as if surprised that Fujima could've thought of such a thing.
Fujima threw his hands up in amused despair. "Are you trying to make Aoi-chan lose all of her teeth at the tender age of 3?"
Sakuragi snorted. "Don't be silly Fujima."
"But-"
"Oniichan, you didn't by any chance buy the whole lot of chitose-ame from the vendor, did you?" Hanayuki asked, cutting in.
"Yes I did, Hana-chan," Sakuragi answered enthusiastically. "How did you know?"
Hanayuki pointed at something behind him. "It's quite obvious really."
Turning around, both Rukawa and Sakuragi found themselves face-to-face with a group of grim-looking parents and their shiny-eyed children.
"Er... ehehehe..."
---
"Hana-chan, do you have any idea how much money I spent-"
"Oniichan, I am not going to let Aoi-chan eat all of them. Not even keep them so that she could have one every day. She's had more than enough to last her the whole year," said Hanayuki firmly.
"But-" Sakuragi was cut off by a tug at his jeans. He looked down to see a small boy looking up at him, his eyes big and round.
"Give him one oniichan," said Hanayuki, as she gave a chitose-ame to another boy.
"Here you go," said Sakuragi grudgingly. The small boy's face lightened up immediately.
"Arigatou, oniichan!" he said loudly, before running off to join his parents.
Hanayuki smiled to herself as she watched him leave. She glanced at Rukawa, who was giving out the candies on one knee. About to walk up to him, she stopped when she heard Sendoh's voice from behind her.
"Whoa, what's all this?" he asked. Aoi-chan, whom he was carrying on his shoulders, squealed when she saw all the chitose-ame.
"Hana-chan is making us give away all the chitose-ame that we had... bought... for..." Sakuragi trailed off when Hanayuki looked at him with a warning look on her face.
"Bought for who, Sakuragi-kun?" asked Sendoh.
"For the children, Aki," said Hanayuki. She passed all the chitose-ame in her hands to Sakuragi, giving him another warning look, before reaching out for Aoi-chan. "Where have the two of you been?"
"Aki-touchan brought Aoi-chan everywhere. We took pictures everywhere!" said Aoi-chan, allowing herself to be carried down from Sendoh's shoulders and into Hanayuki's arms.
"Really now? That's nice. Would you like to take more pictures, Aoi-chan? You haven't taken any with okaachan."
"And Kenji-touchan," Fujima added.
"And Hana-jiichan!" Sakuragi quickly piped in.
Rukawa merely nodded his head.
"That was why we came back," said Sendoh, gesturing to his camera. "Are you guys ready, or do I have to wait until you have given out all the chitose-ame?"
Within minutes, Sakuragi, Rukawa and Fujima had given away everything and was waiting for their turn to take pictures with Aoi-chan. Besides Aoi-chan, they also took pictures with Hanayuki, and, at Hanayuki's request-cum-order, with each other.
There were pictures of Aoi-chan in Rukawa's arms, Aoi-chan on Sakuragi's shoulders, Aoi-chan standing next to a kneeling Fujima, Aoi-chan sitting on Hanayuki's lap, each of the boys with Hanayuki and Aoi-chan, all four boys together with Aoi-chan, and last but not least, everyone together.
(A/n: For the picture of all the boys with Aoi-chan, imagine both Sakuragi and Sendoh standing behind her, bending down at the waist, while both Fujima and Rukawa are crouching on either side of her. It is the same arrangement for the picture of everyone together, except that this time Hanayuki is carrying Aoi-chan in her arms.)
When it was decided that everyone had had enough of taking pictures, they left the temple. As planned, they moved on to Sendoh's ancestral home in Tokyo, where lunch was served. (A/n: Sendoh is from Tokyo.)
"Thank you very much for your kind hospitality, Aki. I really appreciate it," said Hanayuki, smiling gratefully at Sendoh.
Sendoh waved his hand in a dismissal gesture. "Don't worry about it ne, Hana. It's all for my beloved little Aoi-chan. There was no way I'd let you miss the Shichi-go-san prayers, and they said that the Hie Temple is the best place of all."
"Heh, admit it Sendoh. You just wanted to spend some time alone with Hana-chan and Aoi-chan," said Sakuragi accusingly, while munching on a piece of fish. "The Tensai saw through your plan as soon as Hana-chan told me about it."
Rukawa narrowed his eyes in agreement.
"Oh? Is that so? That would explain why you had insisted on tagging along," said Fujima.
"As if you didn't, Fujima-san," said Sendoh. "And you too, Rukawa-kun."
"Well, to be fair, I would've asked them to come along myself. They are after all Aoi-chan's Kenji-touchan and Kaede-touchan and Hana-jiichan," said Hanayuki.
Sakuragi laughed. "Nyahahahaha! You hear that Sendoh-yaro?"
"Yes, yes, Hana-kun I heard that."
"What did you just call me?!"
"But Hana-kun, if you can call me Sendoh-yaro, surely I can call you Hana-kun, which is, by the way, much more polite than what you just called me," said Sendoh smilingly.
Sakuragi opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out.
Sendoh smiled triumphantly. "See? You couldn't disagree, could you?"
Sakuragi stared at Sendoh as he closed and opened his mouth a couple more times, but still nothing came out.
"I knew it," said Sendoh. "Anyway minna, I have been thinking."
He pointed at Sakuragi. "Since you are Hana's brother, and I am Hana's good friend, and she and I are on a first-name basis, we really should be on a first-name basis too."
"Nani?"
"As for you Rukawa-kun, since you are Hana's-" Sendoh hesitated for a moment before continuing, "boyfriend, and I am Hana's good friend, and she and I are on a first-name basis, we should also be on a first-name basis as well."
Rukawa looked at him disinterestedly.
"And Fujima-san, since we are both Hana's good friends, and we are both on a first-name basis with Hana, I think we should-"
"Be on a first-name basis with each other," Fujima finished for him.
"Exactly!" said Sendoh, snapping his fingers. "So you do agree with me then?"
"Hell no! The Tensai does not want to be on a first-name basis with you!"
"But why not? Not only are we Hana's mutual friends, we are also Aoi-chan's mutual relatives," Sendoh reasoned.
"Yeah, try telling that to the kitsune. If he agrees to it then this Tensai will also agree to it," said Sakuragi, knowing that Rukawa would never agree.
"A-ha! See that Hana-kun! You know that Rukawa-kun will never agree to my suggestion."
"So?"
"So that means you know Rukawa-kun fairly well. All the more reason why you should be on a first-name basis with not just me, but also Rukawa-kun," Sendoh reasoned again.
Fujima was amused. "You should give up basketball and take up debating, Sendoh. Your arguments are just impossible."
"Don't try to change the subject Fujima-san," said Sendoh, wagging a finger at Fujima. "Come on guys! What's so hard about calling each other by the first name?"
"Why are you so keen on being on a first-name basis with all of us Sendoh?" asked Fujima curiously.
Sakuragi eyed Sendoh with suspicion. "Yeah. What's the catch?"
Sendoh groaned in exasperation.
Hanayuki, while smiling at his predicament, took pity on him and said, "I kinda like Aki's idea."
Sendoh gave the other three guys a pointed look.
"Just give them time, Aki. They'll come around soon enough," said Hanayuki, placing a hand on Sendoh's arm.
Sendoh grunted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Hanayuki just smiled and shook her head a little, turning her attention back to Aoi-chan, who was starting to play with her food.
The rest of lunch was consumed in a fairly companionable silence. When it was over, they sat in the lounge, drinking tea and talking.
Well, Sendoh and Fujima did most of the talking. Sakuragi did most of the threatening; Sendoh wouldn't stop calling him Hana-kun. Rukawa chose to play with Aoi-chan, while Hanayuki watched them, every now and then joining in Sendoh and Fujima's conversation.
At one point, Hanayuki was listening with rapt attention to Sendoh's story of his ancestors when the latter suddenly stopped. Everyone turned to look at what had caught his eye, and felt their hearts melt at the sight that greeted them.
Rukawa, unsurprisingly, had fallen asleep lying on the floor, while Aoi-chan, who had also fallen asleep, was lying on her stomach on his chest.
Not even Sakuragi could stop the smile from creeping onto his face.
---
Later, at a basketball court near Sendoh's Tokyo home...
Rukawa slowly dribbled the ball as he advanced towards the basket, closely guarded by Sendoh. Not too far away from them, Sakuragi was being marked by Fujima.
Hanayuki was sitting on a bench nearby with Aoi-chan on her lap, watching them play their two-on-two game.
Without warning, Rukawa began to force his way through. Expecting it, Sendoh kept up a good defense. What he didn't expect though was Rukawa jumping up to shoot, and so he jumped up to stop him, only to find Rukawa passing the ball to Sakuragi.
Sakuragi, upon receiving the ball, turned around to shoot but was stopped by Fujima. Smirking, he back-passed to Rukawa, who immediately bounce-passed the ball back to Sakuragi. By then, even though Fujima had only let down his guard a little, it was more than enough for Sakuragi to jump up and successfully shoot the ball into the basket.
"Yosh!" Sakuragi shouted. "The Tensai has scored!"
"Do'aho."
"Yeah yeah whatever kitsune."
The two boys exchanged a high-five, much to the amusement of Sendoh and Fujima and the delight of Hanayuki. Both Sakuragi and Rukawa would not admit it, but it was obvious that a budding and unique relationship was forming between them.
Out of nowhere, a gust of wind blew across the basketball court. Hanayuki looked around at the trees that started swaying along with the wind. And felt her heart skip a beat at what she saw next.
"Kaede! Oniichan!" she cried out, clutching Aoi-chan close to her chest.
Sendoh, the first to notice that something was wrong, quickly pulled Hanayuki to him, shielding her and Aoi-chan. Sakuragi and Rukawa, upon seeing the oncoming group of men, stood up to their full heights, their eyes taking on a dangerous edge.
"Sendoh, take Hanayuki and Aoi-chan with you and go," said Rukawa in a barely audible voice.
"Kaede-" Hanayuki began.
"Listen to Rukawa, Hana-chan. Take Aoi-chan and go with Sendoh and Fujima. This is no time for arguments," Sakuragi said, cutting her off.
Sendoh looked at Rukawa and Sakuragi, who had moved to stand in front of him. "Be careful, the two of you." Turning to Hanayuki, he said, "Come Hana."
As if on cue, the group of men started running towards them, prompting Sakuragi to shout, "Quick, run!"
Both Hanayuki and Sendoh broke into a run, followed by Fujima. Rukawa and Sakuragi sprang into action, lashing out at the intruders.
"Hurry Hana," urged Sendoh, as he looked back and saw that some of the men were running after them.
This is not good! There are just too many of them!
"Fujima! Take Hana and Aoi-chan with you! I'm going to stop and hold them back," Sendoh shouted to Fujima.
"Be careful!" Fujima shouted back, before calling to Hanayuki. "Yuki, keep running!"
"But what about Aki?" asked Hanayuki, still running. "We can't leave him on his own."
"We don't have a choice! The most important thing now is to keep you and Aoi-chan safe. Now hurry!" said Fujima. Looking back, he could see that they were still being pursued.
Damn it! Where is everybody when you need them?!
He could hear their footsteps coming nearer and nearer. Determined to protect Hanayuki and Aoi-chan, Fujima shouted to her, "Yuki, don't stop running! No matter what happens just keep going and don't look back!"
"Kenji!"
"Go!"
By now, Aoi-chan was crying at the top of her lungs. Left with no options, Hanayuki bit her lips and kept running, trying to keep the tears at bay.
Please Kami-sama, let everyone be safe!
As she ran, she looked around wildly for passerbys, but there were none. Desperate, she started shouting for help.
"Help! Help! Somebody please help me!"
The more she shouted, the faster her heart seemed to beat. Hanayuki knew only too well that she was at the risk of having a heart attack, but she willed to herself not to give up.
Please Kami-sama! Just this once! Not now! Please-
She screamed when a hand grabbed at her arm, and struggled to get away. "Let go of me! Let go of me!"
More and more hands began to grab at her, and then, the next thing she knew, Aoi-chan was forcefully taken away from her.
"No! No! Give Aoi-chan back! Give her back to me! No!" she screamed.
"Okaachan! Okaachan!"
"Aoi-chan! No!" Hanayukic cried, tears streaming down her face. "Please give her back! I beg you! Please!"
"Shut up!" One of the men shouted, before giving her a hard slap.
The slap took Hanayuki's breath away, and everything went pitch black. She felt herself being pushed onto the ground, and as she tried to get up, she could hear the footsteps of the men fading away. She could also hear the sound of a car stopping nearby, the door opening, the men getting in, the door closing, and the car speeding away.
But most importantly, she could hear Aoi-chan's cries as she slowly gave in to the throbbing pain in her head and her heart.
---
Sakimono General Hospital, Tokyo...
"I don't need help! I just want to see her!" Rukawa shouted. He grabbed the tray from the nurse's hand and threw it on the floor. "I WANT TO SEE HER!"
"Rukawa-san!"
Storming out of the room, he went straight to the reception desk. "Where is she? I want to see her!" he demanded.
The nurse at the desk was bewildered. "Who are you looking for sir?"
"I'm looking for Yuki! Where is she?"
"I'm sorry but who is Yuki sir? Perhaps if you could-"
"I WANT TO SEE HER!"
"That is enough, Rukawa-san!" said the nurse who was treating him earlier. "This is a hospital! You are the not only patient, and neither is your friend! So please keep your voice down!"
Rukawa glared at her, and the nurse glared back. Gritting his teeth, he said in a softer tone, "Tsukino Hanayuki. She was sent in here with me and 3 others. I want to see her. Please."
The nurse, breathing a sigh of relief and frustration, motioned for the nurse at the desk to find out what he wanted to know and tell him. The words were barely out of the her mouth when Rukawa sped off to said room.
Once he found the room, he barged in, surprising the doctor and the nurse who were still checking on Hanayuki.
"How is she?" asked Rukawa, his eyes trained on Hanayuki's prone figure on the bed.
"Who are you?" the doctor asked.
Rukawa could feel his temper rising again, but he pushed it down so as not to disturb Hanayuki. "I'm her boyfriend. How is she?"
"She's fine. She's very weak, but she's fine," the doctor replied, sensing that the young man standing in front of him was going to get too agitated should he ask any more questions.
When he saw that Rukawa seemed to have relaxed a little at his answer, he asked cautiously, "Sir, you are injured quite badly yourself. Please, let me help you."
"I'm fine," said Rukawa, the tone of his voice not as tense as before.
"Sir, you need to let me help you treat those injuries," the doctor persisted. When Rukawa didn't respond, he tried again. "Think about your girlfriend, sir. You are now standing in her room with untreated injuries. The infection from those injuries could harm her."
That did it. Wordlessly, Rukawa turned to look at the doctor, before taking one last look at Hanayuki. Then, he slowly walked out of the room.
Knowing that Rukawa would want to be as close to Hanayuki as possible, the doctor led him to the nearest room available and started checking his injuries. He found that Rukawa suffered from a broken bone in his left arm, but other than that and the ugly bruises and scratches all over his body and face, Rukawa was fine.
While the doctor treated his injuries, Rukawa asked about the others. At first, the doctor didn't know who he was talking about, so he sent a nurse to look them up. Through the nurse, Rukawa found out that Sendoh had a broken leg and Fujima had a broken rib. Sakuragi, being Sakuragi, had nothing broken. Like Rukawa, they all had bruises and scratches all over their faces and bodies. And, like Rukawa, they had been demanding to see Hanayuki.
As soon as the doctor finished putting his arm in a cast, Rukawa asked to go to Hanayuki's room. The doctor nodded his head in consent, and Rukawa was gone in a blink of an eye.
When he got there, he found that the others were already there. As they looked at each other, they were painfully reminded of Aoi-chan's absence.
After a long moment of silence, Fujima spoke up. "What are we going to do? How are we going to get Aoi-chan back?"
"We need to call the police," said Sakuragi. "We have to find Aoi-chan."
"Sakuragi's right. We need to call the police," said Sendoh. Standing up, he continued, "I'll contact the Tokyo police. Sakuragi, go back to Kanagawa and inform all our families. Rukawa, you go with him. Fujima, you stay here and watch over Hana."
"I want to stay here," said Rukawa.
"No Rukawa. You need to go with Sakuragi. He cannot contact everybody on his own. Fujima can't go with him because of his ribs. Hell, he shouldn't even be here in the first place. He should in bed, resting," said Sendoh, his face etched with worry.
"I'm fine. As long as I don't move too much I'm alright," said Fujima. "You guys had better hurry. It's getting late and dark. Don't worry about Hanayuki. I won't let anything happen to her."
Sakuragi walked up to Rukawa. "Come on Rukawa," he said, putting a hand on the latter's shoulder.
Rukawa looked like he was going to refuse, but after a while, he relented and left the room, followed by Sakuragi and Sendoh.
---
At the Kanagawa train station...
"Sakuragi."
Sakuragi looked at Rukawa. "What is it Rukawa?"
"Can you please inform everybody about Hanayuki? I have something else to do."
Sakuragi regarded Rukawa for a moment. He knew that Rukawa hadn't come back with him to help him contact their families, and began to wonder what it was that was so important that Rukawa was willing to leave Hanayuki's side.
"Yeah that's fine. Unlike you, I have no broken bones, so it won't be a problem for me to find everyone on my own. You go and do what you have to do," said Sakuragi.
"Thank you." With that, Rukawa hailed a nearby cab and got in, leaving Sakuragi standing outside the station.
---
Rukawa got out of the cab and stood still, observing his house from outside. It looked dark and empty, but he knew better. Pushing the gate open, he walked in and took out his key to unlock the front door. His instincts were confirmed to be correct when, upon entering the house, he caught the unmistakable whiff of alcohol in the air.
He quickly walked into the living room, and when he saw his father seated in his usual seat with a glass of wine in his hand, he promptly went down on his knees.
"Otousan..."
---
Fujima shuffled in his seat, wincing in pain as he did so. He had been sitting there for a few hours now. Sendoh had not been back since he left to call the police. Sakuragi and Rukawa was also nowhere to be seen.
Kami-sama, please let Aoi-chan be safe. Please...
Lost in his thoughts, he started fingering the bead bracelet that he wore on his left hand. In the silence, he could hear the siren of an ambulance coming from a distance.
The door to the room opened all of a sudden, catching Fujima by surprise. His hand jerked, and he watched in horror as his bracelet came apart and the beads scattered all over the floor.
No...
---
Sendoh was tired. He was mentally exhausted and physically in pain. It didn't help that he had to walk around using a crutch. But he had to carry on. For the sake of Hanayuki and Aoi-chan, he must.
Hana's still unconscious. And Aoi-chan... Aoi-chan...
The thought of Aoi-chan brought tears to his eyes. Brushing them away with the back of his hand, he slowly made his way to Hanayuki's room, passing by a few nurses.
The police said that they'll find her, no matter how many people it will take. Yes. I must trust in them. They will find her. They will.
"Have you heard about the latest case?"
"Yeah. I heard the girl is only about 3 years old."
"Only 3? That is so sad."
"Apparently she was found lying on the sidewalk. When the police found her, her face was an ugly blueish colour."
"That is just terrible! Who could've been so cruel to such a little girl?"
"Sendoh-san! Matte kudasai!"
The nurses stopped talking at the sudden interruption. They watched as the policeman jogged past them to get to Sendoh, who was standing a few feet away from them.
"Sendoh-san, I was looking all over... for... you..."
Tears streaking down his face, Sendoh looked at the policeman. "Have you found her?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
The policeman took a deep breath before answering. "Yes. We found her."
---
When Hanayuki opened her eyes, the silence that greeted her was almost deafening. She could practically hear her own heart beating, and it was beating faster than usual. Then, it suddenly hit her.
Aoi-chan!
She struggled to get up, and found that the room was empty. Pulling out the tubes that was sticking to her arm, she got out of bed, and almost fell due to lack of strength in her legs.
I must look for Aoi-chan!
With that thought in mind, she gathered all of her strength and stood up, holding onto the furnitures in the room and the wall for support as she forced her legs to move. When she finally made it out onto the corridor outside her room, she found it to be quite empty as well.
Kaede... oniichan... Aki... Kenji... where are you? Where is Aoi-chan?
Each step she took seemed to sap more and more of her energy, but each time she held on and took another step. Beads of sweat began to trickle down her face.
Aoi-chan... Aoi-chan... where are you?
---
The door to the operation room opened, and the doctor came out. Anzai-sensei and his wife, who had been sitting down, got to their feet, while Fujima, Sendoh and Sakuragi rushed up to the doctor.
"Sensei, how is she? How is Aoi-chan?" Sendoh asked anxiously. "Is she alright?"
When the doctor didn't reply immediately, Sakuragi pressed him for answers. "Oi sensei! How is Aoi-chan? Is she going to be alright? Say something!"
The doctor looked at each of them sadly. "I'm sorry. We have tried our very best, but... it was too late for us. Too late for her. I'm really sorry."
"Sou na..." Mrs Anzai whispered, her body trembling all over. Beside her, Anzai-sensei's knees weakened, and he sat down with a thud on the chair.
The tears were once again spilling out of Sendoh's eyes, while Sakuragi was too shocked to react. Fujima was hunched over, his shoulders racking up with sobs.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Everyone turned to see Hanayuki screaming, her whole body crumpling to the floor. Sakuragi quickly ran up to her and gathered her in his arms, as she wailed and sobbed.
"No, no... please... please save Aoi-chan... please save her..." she cried. "Please... I beg you... please..." She tried to get up, wanting to go to the doctor, but Sakuragi held her back.
"Hana-chan..." he whispered, his voice choking with emotion.
Hanayuki grabbed onto his shirt, looking up at him with her tear-stricken face. "Oniichan... please... please ask them to save her... save Aoi-chan... oniichan please... oniichan..."
Sakuragi could only hold her closer to him, as he let his own tears run down his face. Behind them, Mrs Anzai was sobbing quietly on Anzai-sensei's shoulder, while Sendoh and Fujima just stayed where they were, unmoving, watching the scene in front of them.
"Oniichan... don't let them take her away from me... please... oniichan... don't let them take Aoi-chan away from me..."
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry Hana-chan... I'm sorry..." Sakuragi whispered over and over again. Amidst the tears, he thought he saw a figure standing not too far away from him and Hanayuki. However, when he blinked repeatedly to clear his vision, there was nobody there.
Rukawa, where are you? Hana-chan needs you right now. Where are you...?
---
Nobody could've been able to see the amount of pain and agony that Rukawa was in as he walked down the corridor. You could've stopped him and talked to him and he would've ignored you, which was what he would normally do. You could've taken that opportunity to scrutinise his face for a hint of emotion, and find yourself failing miserably. His face was as devoid of expression as ever, his eyes as cold.
It was only when he was alone on the rooftop of the hospital did he let it all out in a yell, before falling onto his knees and burying his face into his hands, crying his heart out. And, as the rain began to pour, he looked up into the sky and let out another anguished yell.
Rukawa Kaede had never cried so much in his whole entire life.
---
Author's notes: I took advantage of the fact that I was on a roll and didn't stop writing until now. Dang am I on a roll or what? I don't think I had managed to infuse as much emotion into this chapter as I would've liked. It's not easy. Not many people can do it. As far as I'm concerned, aki midori can. She's the best. Read Golden Years and you'll know what I mean. Anyway, once again if my calculations are correct, at least one more chapter is in order. I imagine that they will be plenty of questions about this chapter. I also imagine that I'll be answering them in my next chapter. Till then, thank you for reading. Thank you for reviewing.