Author's Note: Thanks to those of you who took their time to review the chapters, all your comments and suggestions are greatly welcome. My endless gratitude once again goes to my Editor, Priestess of Groove for her efforts.
Disclaimer: I do not own La Corda D'Oro in any way or form.
Chapter 3
She didn't like Tsukimori-kun when they had first met. Never the less, he was a very handsome guy, she thought, with his slight tousled hair, with its unique bluish-gray hue, swathed across his flawless features. The pair of intense, piercing golden orbs, coupled with a tiny speck of sadness tantalized her. But the aura of coldness and surety that he projected made him appear arrogant and egoistic.
"You are in my way, step aside," he had said to her. And when Tsuchiura-kun asked for his assistances, he sneered, "it has nothing to do with me." This left her dumbfounded and had enraged Tsuchiura-kun.
Her impression of him changed slightly when she defused a confrontation between Tsukimori-kun and some upper classmen (to this date, she had no idea why she helped him), but she cut her fingers in the process. He tended to her, and although the injuries were superficial the unmistakable concern reflected upon his eyes was genuine.
Like any other girl in school, Kahoko took pleasure in admiring handsome guys. Tsuchiura-kun, Hihara-senpai, Yunoki-senpai, even Shimizu-kun. All of them had their own crowd of admirers, all except Tsukimori Len, who was doing a marvelous job of pushing everyone away with his cold stares and insensitive sneers – all in the name of love.
She had long known that his musical prowess derived from his relentless practices and rigorous discipline. It was quite plain when she watched him, as he frowned deeply in concentration as he attempted to catch every note during practice. He would gritted his teeth in frustration with the slightest out-of-tune note and would repeated the piece over to make it perfect. He was trying very hard, so hard that her heart ached for him.
She realized this when she stood in awe of his phenomenal recital on the darkened stage at the Second Musical Selection, utterly mesmerized by its passion and intensity. Tsukimori-kun was not after some prestigious prize or title or rank. He was so obsessed with music and his violin because this was the only love he knew; love for his family, love for his yearning of Music and for peers that truly understood.
His passion for music was so strong, that he would confront anyone who he deemed disrespectful among his peers. Like the time that he discovered her secret about the magic violin. She could still remember clearly how his eyes were set ablaze, their golden hues a mixture of fury and contempt as they pinned her where she stood. He demanded an explanation from her with such unadulterated rage, that she was momentarily captivated by its intensity.
The outburst of emotion vanished just as quickly as it had come when Hihara-senpai interrupted and questioned their silence. Tsukimori-kun's feature turned ice cold and walked off with only a "It was nothing."
He knew. She was sure of it. But he only voiced his suspicion once when they met in the practice room by coincident. His exact words had been, "It was if you only know how to play 'your' violin."
His next set of words stung her deeply, "I don't care if that is the case. To me it is your attitude toward music that matters the most. If my suspicion is correct then I can no longer acknowledge your."
She wanted to scream at him then. She wanted to tell him that she was serious about music. She was striving hard to be close to his level, but his accusation was so harsh that she was muted with heartache.
She didn't learn until much later, that it was his music that brought her back from despair. The very same "Ave Maria" that first drew her to him.
It had always been about Tsukimori-kin, she realized. Everything that he said, every move that he made and every tender moment that they shared all had profound effect on her. And this new found affection for him terrified her.
He left it at that but never uttered his suspicion to anyone else. He could have easily exposed her at anytime, but didn't. She questioned him, with apprehension, but he dismissed it coolly. "Who would have believed it?" He reasoned.
Tsukimori-kun's attitude toward her changed as well. He started warming up to her through his imperceptible kindness.
At the time her magic violin was ruined at the Third Musical Selection, she was devastated, adrift and miserable. She didn't think she could play violin again. Unlike last time, she was even pondering giving up music for good.
He was there one afternoon to remind her how important the music and playing her violin was. He helped restore her sense of purpose and passion when she was at her most vulnerable. He even took up coaching for her. He simply showed up one day in her practice room and put her through her pace of re-learning violin. She thanked him then, with flustered face no less, but he waved it off nonchalantly and attributed it to her own willingness.
Cold hands warm heart.
She drew the realization with that age-old phrase, remembering how cold his fingers were when his held on to hers, correcting her bow movements.
And now those hands could be gone forever! Because of you!
Kahoko swiped at her eyes angrily. She couldn't stop the tears from blurring her vision as she tottered toward the ambulance. Her barely suppressed dread was threatening to root her body in place again, but she bit down on her lips, willing her legs to carry her forward at a faster pace. The taste of lip balm made her weep even harder.
She walked through the silent crowd ungracefully. But no one seemed to be bothered by her rudeness. As every pair of eyes were glued to the scene unfolded before them.
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"Oh, Come On!" Dr. Kobayashi groaned in dismay and slammed his fist down hard on the boy's chest.
"Where is that Defib?!" He screamed at the EMT who just ran back into the ambulance to retrieve the device. The driver was on the other side of the gurney, working feverishly trying to patch up the puncture wound to the side. The catheter was already attached, ready to infused him with the desperately need plasmas.
And the boy's heart chose this moment to stop, when they finally managed to get his battered body onto the gurney. He really couldn't blame it. His heart was running out of fluids to pump so it ceased to prevent damages, but without it nothing was going through his veins. He spared one glace at his patient. He would be a very handsome kid, he thought offhandedly, but now he was all bloody and broken. Most disturbing, though, was that his left eye was now dilated, staring somewhere into the distance.
He hammered down his fist again on his chest, trying desperately to shock it into action again. His mental clock kept ticking. He only have about 3 more minutes left until he brain tissues started to die from oxygen starvation and that spelled doom even if his heart could be restarted.
The EMT finally emerged from the back of the truck, unpacking as he ran.
They fumbled with electrodes momentarily before they finally attached it to his bare skins.
"Charged!" The EMT announced, accompanied with a loud beep.
"Clear!" Kobayashi yelled while removing his hands away from the body like the rest.
The boy's body convulsed upward as wave of current jolted through it.
"No pulse." The EMT said grimly, while working on the recharge cycle.
"Again!" Kobayashi commanded when he heard the beep.
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She came to an abrupt halt, as her breath caught in her throat and her mouth hung agape. Her eyes widened at the horrifying scene, then her knees buckled and landed with a THUD.
She did not feel the pain that shot through her legs or the tears that had flooded her eyes. All she could she in her mind's eye was an impeccably suited Tsukimori without all the gore and bruises, smiling sorrowfully at her while he drifted afar.
That image caused something to snap in her as her body begun to shudder. She couldn't stop the white hot rage that was rising from within her very soul. Like molten lava and pyroclastic flow that was erupting from a volcano, it surged and fused into a single word.
"LEN!!" The howl was ripped from her throat. It was infused with such grief and fury that everyone jumped back in surprise.
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Kobayashi's shoulder slumped in defeat when they jolted the boy a third time and the sensor didn't pick up any sign of pulse.
The driver had already lowered his arms with bags of plasmas in the lap and the same hopelessness was reflected in the EMT's eyes.
Kobayashi was struggling internally. Like any physician, he did not want to give up on helping anyone. But on the other hand he did not want to subject the boy with more torment. There was an unspoken "Do Not Resuscitate" creed within the medical community that he did not want to breach.
The gut wrenching cry sliced through his indecision. He turned his head around in time to see the green haired boy—what was his name? Oh, yeah, Tsuchiura—interposed bodily between him and the source of the scream.
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Kahoka pushed herself up with one giant heave. She had to stop him. She could not, would not allow him to leave her in this manner. She would make him stay, she would…
And someone got into her way.
She was so intended on getting to Len that she ran right into Tsuchiura and elicited a loud "Oooof" from him.
Kahoko twisted out of the person's grasp but it took her a few steps to realize that he was trying to restrain her. It was incomprehensible to her. Couldn't they see that Len was drifting away?
"Hino…" Tsuchiura intoned forebodingly; as she was still thrashing out of his grip. He had every intention of sparing her from the inevitable, final declaration of death by Dr. Kobayashi.
He didn't know her. He didn't know Tsukimori.
"Let…Go." She punctuated each word through gritted teeth. Her eyes stared him down with fury.
He released his hold on her, shocked beyond comprehension. This was not the Hino Kahoko he knew.
She came to a sliding halt beside the gurney, leaving a stunned face Tsuchiura behind. She reached for his prone form with shacking hands.
"If you leave me now I will stop practicing violin like you taught me. I will burn all your CD and book collections at home. I will post your childhood pictures on everyone websites that I can find. I'll shred your violin and use it as firewood to burn down your house if you don't come back to me!" She chocked back a sob. "I will curse you everyday until the day I die. I'll spit on your grave…" She fell silent as grief overtook her, sobbing silently into her hand.
She swatted the hand that rested on her shoulder with renewed energy.
"I love you and I forbid you to leave!" She screamed at his stilled form and before she could stop it, one of her palm slapped him across the face. It was illogical, of all the people to be angry at that moment, she was furious with his stillness.
His head wiggled back from the force of the sudden lash, his half opened eye stared back at her, lifelessly.
"Please…Len…please come back…," she collapsed onto his chest then, hands fisted on his soiled jacket, knuckles whitened, rocking him, begging for his return with her sheer will. "Please…come back...en…don't leave me…" She sobbed brokenly into his chest, tears mingled with blood.
The EMT and the driver's eyes were already brimmed with unshed tears. Kobayashi struggled to swallow the lump in his throat, the amount of emotions were too raw, affecting everyone at the scene.
He took a deep breath and moved closed to the girl, ready to pull her from the body. His hands froze in mid-air and watched in bewilderment as Len's outstretched hand twitched slight as the ECG monitor roared back to live.
"Pulse! I have pulse!" The EMT exclaimed excitedly. The driver, momentarily stunned by the development, fumbled with the catheter.
"Set! Plasma is running." The driver announced, raised the plasma bags high above.
Kobayashi also snapped into his clinical mode, cursing himself for not doing it sooner. He saw Len's chest still and then raise faintly. He picked up the outstretched hand, shoved it into the now confused girl's hand. "What is your name?"
"Em…" Her eyes darted from Len to his barely comprehending. "Hino Ka…"
He interrupted her by taking her hands off the jacket and wrapped it around Len's. She accepted without a second thought, clasping it with both of hers and held it close to her heart.
"You did well, Hino-san. He answered your call." He watched in approval as her eyes widened at the implication, a tint of hope behind her puffy eyes.
"Now if you would move over…here," he moved here forcefully away from the body. She complied obediently but didn't let go the hand, "so we can save Len-kun here."
"How is he doing?" Kobayashi asked without looking up now that the girl was out of the way. He returned to using the stethoscope that he took from the EMT, making final rounds of assessment before they boarded the ambulance.
"I have an irregular pulse, ranging between forty and sixty-five BPM. Very low BP, around sixty-ish." The EMT reported, without looking away from the dials.
"I just re-patched the puncture wound to the side, but it was pretty severe. I am down to two units of plasma. We need to go now," the driver urged.
"Hook him up to the respirator as soon as we're inside. I need to call it in." Kobayashi got a nod from the two technicians, "and the lady is coming with us." He added as a reminder.
"Kobayashi-san…" The EMT whined but he held up his hand, "Call me superstitious, but I think we need all the luck we can get." He tilted his chin to Hino. "And I will take full responsibility…as usual." He even winked at them. The driver chuckled when the EMT rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath.
"Hino-san, follow our lead, we are going to save him. You just concentrate on keeping him with us, OK?" She nodded slightly, her eyes never left Len's face.
Everything went by in a flurry of activities. By the time Kahoko came out of her trance she was already in the ambulance, as it swirled in and out of the traffic.
She was vaguely aware that the men name Kobayashi was yelling at someone in the driver's cabinet. "I am declaring code trauma, ambulance…five minutes…"
She tuned him out; Len's cold fingers reminded her where she was and that brought fresh tears to her eyes.
My dear, sweet Len…
She brought his hand to her lips as she kissed each of his bloody digits.
You have always acted cold in front of everyone, and yet you did not spare a second thought to throw your life away in place of me, does that make you a gentle person or a fool?
Kahoko wept into his slack palm, holding it with hers for dear life.
And then she felt it. It was the faintest pressure off two of his fingers. She wasn't sure which ones it was, but her head shot up in surprise and her teary pinks were staring at his golden-brown.
"Len!" Kahoka exclaimed in delight.
His chest raised and fell according to the hissings of the respirator. His hooded eye roamed toward the sound of her voice and it widened slightly. She could see his swollen lips moving through the clear plastic mask as he attempted to sit up.
Kobayashi's head swooped to the back when he heard the monitors wail wildly. He watched in dumbfounded amazement when the EMT starting trying to restrain the patient from getting up. Whatever he was about to say to the dispatcher fled his mind for the moment.
He was unbuckling his belt when the thrashing stopped.
As if reading his thoughts, Kahoko kneeled next to him and held his hand to her chest with one hand. She cupped his cheek with her palm as she stroked his blood-stained face lovingly.
"I am here, Len, and I am not going anywhere." She murmured to him soothingly.
"Kobayashi-san, please repeat last." The crackle of the radio reminded him where he was.
"Um…yeah, prep number two operating room for emergency operation. I want MRI and X-Ray taken before heading in. The patient is stabilized for the moment but preliminary diagnoses indicate the following…" Kobayashi barely recovered from shock. It was already a miracle that the boy's heart had restarted, but now he was conscious, too?! But he was not about to question Kami-sama's gift.
The driver patted him and pointed to the medical center building a few blocks away.
"We will be there momentarily, have the staff waiting for me at Entrance Two, take the X-Ray first and then MRI…"
Kahoko's heart was breaking for Len. He looked absolutely exhausted from trying to keep his eyes open. The EMT had told her to keep him awake until they reached the hospital. And it was torture for him.
She wanted so bad for him to rest, but she was afraid that he would not wake up again. So she would squeeze his hand every time his eyelids began to droop close, and she didn't know how much longer she could keep her silent vigil while watching him suffer like this.
The doors swung open and Kohoko had to squint her eyes from the sudden bright light. Half a dozen hands were reaching for the gurney and the EMT was ushering her out along with it.
The tiny speck of hope that she had grew exponentially as the distinct smell of the hospital assaulted her nose. The sense of hopelessness that she had earlier was doused by the number of people tending to Len. Her heart was pounding as the exhilaration coursed through her body. There is still hope, she thought. For him, for her, for them.
And then her hand was pull forcefully apart from his. She didn't realize it until the gurney continued rolling ahead of her, his hand left dangling to the side.
There is one more thing she needed to do.
"Wait, please wait." She twisted out of the hands that held her in place and ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She got to the side of the gurney and stopped it dead in its track.
Ignoring all the shouts directed at her, Kahoko picked up Len's hand and clutched it to her heart. She lowered herself until she was just a breath away from his face, their eyes locked.
"I will be here when you wake up. I will be with you…forever." She vowed. She sealed it with a light touch of her lips on his, and then they were gone.
To Be Continue…