(Disclaimer: Ikigami manga belongs solely to Mase Motoro, but Sasuke Mura and the other unknown characters I am writing about belong to me. The story is just based on the plot line of the manga. If this disclaimer is wrong, then please do not sue me.)
KChanDreams: The genre has changed to Supernatural because of this chapter. FYI, I don't know anything realted to heart surgery, but stick with the story and try to review.
Chapter 3: Yoshiro's Day
Sasuke, Yoshiro, and Tamaki made their way home with bags of merchandise in their hands. Tamaki chuckled and pulled out a new red hat that had an emblem of a tiger on it. He placed it on and said, "This hat was worth the money." Yoshiro sighed and said, "You work in a convenience store and that's all you can get? What a poor boy?" Tamaki glared at Yoshiro, while Sasuke giggled.
"You're one to talk. You just bought a bunch of computer games," pointed out Tamaki. Yoshiro wagged his finger at Tamaki and said, "These are for research for my job. I need to see what I am up against." Sasuke smiled at Yoshiro.
"So you are designing a new computer game for your company?" asked Sasuke excitedly. Yoshiro nodded.
"I might make it medical based, so you can help me too, Sasuke," said Yoshiro with a smile. Sasuke nodded. Tamaki gave a look of disapproval. He held Sasuke's hand making her look at him.
"You can help me with my Biology homework later, right?" asked Tamaki eager for her attention. Sasuke nodded. Tamaki looked at his older brother and stuck his tongue at him causing Yoshiro to glare at him.
They soon reached home and were surprised to see the door wide open. Sasuke walked through the door cautiously and said, "Did Mrs. Ohtori forget to close the door?" Tamaki and Yoshiro followed suit. They closed the door behind them and walked into the kitchen, where Mrs. Ohtori was seated on a wooden chair looking downward.
"Hey mom, why did you leave the door open? Robbers could have gotten in," scolded Tamaki. Mrs. Ohtori remained silent. Sasuke noticed that there wasn't any dinner on the table.
"What happened to supper?" asked Sasuke. Tamaki spotted the bowl of salad and groaned.
"Don't tell me we are just having salad. Did you decide that we should become vegetarians?" asked Tamaki in disappointment. Mrs. Ohtori still didn't say a word. Yoshiro noticed that something was wrong.
"Mom, are you all right?" asked Yoshiro. Mrs. Ohtori looked at Yoshiro with red eyes and whispered, "I need to talk with you." Yoshiro blinked in confusion.
"Why?"
Mrs. Ohtori held his hand and said, "I just need to speak with you." She looked at Sasuke and Tamaki and said, "You two go to your rooms."
"What about dinner?" asked Tamaki confusingly.
"Just go!" screamed Mrs. Ohtori. Sasuke and Tamaki flinched. Sasuke placed a hand on Tamaki's shoulder and whispered, "Let's go." Tamaki nodded as he took his bags upstairs with Sasuke behind him. Sasuke looked back at Mrs. Ohtori wondering what was wrong with her.
When Sasuke and Tamaki were gone, Mrs. Ohtori looked back at Yoshiro. Yoshiro gulped and said, "If you found another porn magazine in my room then I can honestly say that it is not mine." Mrs. Ohtori looked at Yoshiro seriously ignoring his comment.
"Mom?"
Mrs. Ohtori held the Ikigami to Yoshiro and said, "An Ikigami was sent for you." Yoshiro's eyes widen in shock. He took the Ikigami into his shaking hand. He looked it over and saw his picture and the time he was going to die, which read 11:00 P. M. Saturday. Yoshiro placed a hand to his mouth in shock as tears began to run down his cheeks.
"I'm going to die?" he said in disbelief. Mrs. Ohtori nodded.
"Your father won't be able to make it in time, but Tamaki, Sasuke, and I will stay with you till the end," said Mrs. Ohtori as she began to cry again. Yoshiro shook his head.
"Let me be alone for awhile," whispered Yoshiro. Mrs. Ohtori nodded as she exited the kitchen. Yoshiro sat on a wooden chair still staring at the Ikigami.
"I'm going to die," he whispered. He clenched the Ikigami in his hand as he came to a decision on how to spend his last moments. He only had twenty-three hours left to live.
Sasuke awoke the next day from the sound of her alarm clock. Sasuke closed it and stretched for the new day. She did her morning routine and made her way downstairs. She was surprised to see an assortment of food on the table for breakfast.
Sasuke looked at Mrs. Ohtori, who was till cooking, and asked, "Why did you make so much?" Mrs. Ohtori looked at Sasuke with a bright smile and said, "I just want you kids to be good and strong today." Sasuke smiled and sat at the table, where Tamaki was eating like a horse. Sasuke giggled at Tamaki knowing full well that he was starving because they didn't have any dinner the night before.
Sasuke noticed that Yoshiro wasn't at the table and asked, "Where's Yoshiro?" Mrs. Ohtori stopped cooking and looked back at Sasuke.
"He's in bed still," said Mrs. Ohtori softly. Sasuke blinked in confusion.
"Doesn't he have work today?" asked Sasuke.
"I called in sick."
Sasuke, Tamaki, and Mrs. Ohtori looked back and saw Yoshiro standing at the entranceway in casual clothes. Tamaki smirked at Yoshiro and said, "You don't look sick." Yoshiro ignored Tamaki's comment as he made his way to Sasuke.
"I needed a day off today, so can you call in sick, so we can hang out?" asked Yoshiro with a small smile. Sasuke was about to refuse, but stopped when she saw the sadness in his eyes. Sasuke recognized the look somehow and decided to agree.
Tamaki gave a pout and asked, "Can I call in sick?" Yoshiro glared at him making his answer clear. Tamaki groaned and continued to devour his food. Yoshiro looked at his mother and smiled. Mrs. Ohtori understood what Yoshiro wanted and nodded.
Sasuke changed into normal clothes after calling in sick. She picked up a filled syringe with a clear liquid that had the needle part covered and placed it in her pocket. The clear liquid was a special knock out drug that was still in the making that she was responsible for. It hasn't been introduced yet to the institution. She decided that she would deliver it to the medical Institution before the day was done. She went downstairs to meet up with Yoshiro. Yoshiro took her hand and smiled.
"Shall we princess," said Yoshiro. Sasuke nodded still wondering what was wrong with him. They exited the house with Mrs. Ohtori staring after them.
Yoshiro took Sasuke to a theme park by car making Sasuke smile brightly.
"I haven't been to a theme park in years," said Sasuke as she laughed happily. Yoshiro chuckled and said, "I knew you would like it." They entered the park hand in hand. They rode the carousal, rollercoaster, and many other rides. They also went to a haunted house, where Yoshiro was screaming like crazy causing Sasuke to laugh. They played arcade games and game booths winning many prizes. Sasuke was especially happy that Yoshiro won her a stuffed cat.
They soon stopped at an ice cream stand and each got their favorite flavors. Sasuke got strawberry ice cream and Yoshiro got double fudge chocolate. Sasuke looked at Yoshiro's ice cream and asked, "Can I have a lick?" Yoshiro nodded and held his ice cream cone to Sasuke. Sasuke took a small lick and smiled brightly.
"Delicious," said Sasuke happily. Yoshiro smiled and held Sasuke's hand, which had her ice cream. He pulled her cone to him and licked the strawberry ice cream. He licked his lips and said, "Yours is tasty too." Sasuke giggled and said, "Of course it's good." Sasuke continued to eat her ice cream with Yoshiro staring at her. He looked at his watch and saw that he had eleven hours left to live.
After finishing their ice creams, they decided to ride the Ferris wheel. Sasuke led Yoshiro into the ride and sat him in the chair. Sasuke placed her prizes to her side as the ride began to move. Sasuke looked at Yoshiro and asked, "Why did you take me here?" Yoshiro remained silent.
"Yoshiro?"
When the Ferris wheel reached the top, Yoshiro leapt from his seat and hugged Sasuke tightly making her even more confused. He ran his fingers through her hair and whispered in her ear, "I'll tell you when we reach the final destination." Sasuke didn't understand.
When the ride was over, Sasuke took her prizes and exited with Yoshiro. Sasuke looked at Yoshiro with a tiny blush against her cheek. She didn't understand why Yoshiro was acting the way he was.
They left the park and entered the car. Sasuke sat next to Yoshiro as he drove and was going to ask if he was OK, but decided not to in the end. Yoshiro drove up to a park and exited the car with Sasuke in hand. Sasuke looked at the park and smiled.
"This is where we first met isn't it?" asked Sasuke. Yoshiro nodded as he walked through the park with her.
"You were sitting on a swing alone and I decided to push you. That's when we first became friends," said Yoshiro as he remembered the past. Sasuke nodded and added, "You pushed me pretty high up." Sasuke and Yoshiro chuckled.
They walked through the park and spotted a small jewelry stand on the side. They approached it and saw the assortment of necklaces and bracelets. Sasuke picked up a small moon shaped necklace that had a small blue gem embedded in it. She examined it and said, "It's beautiful." Yoshiro looked at the necklace and asked, "Do you want it?"
"I do, but I can wait," said Sasuke as she placed it down. Yoshiro picked it up to Sasuke's surprise and gave the owner of the jewelry stand some cash.
"I'll take this," he said. The owner nodded as he took the cash from Yoshiro's hands. The owner was going to give the change, but Yoshiro shook his head.
"Keep the change," said Yoshiro making the owner confused. Yoshiro held the necklace to Sasuke and said, "My gift to you." Sasuke took it gently into her hand.
"Thank you, Yoshiro," said Sasuke softly. Yoshiro smiled again and took the necklace gently from her hand. He placed it around her neck and whispered, "You should wear it always." Sasuke blinked in confusion. Yoshiro looked at the time and saw that he had five hours left.
Yoshiro dragged Sasuke to a tall hill quickly. Sasuke looked at Yoshiro and asked, "Why are we here?" Yoshiro pointed to the sky and said, "I wanted to see the stars with you." Sasuke looked up and saw that the stars were beginning to show. She also saw the moon. Sasuke smiled and said, "This bring back memories." Sasuke's eyes suddenly widened. She remembered this feeling. It was from thirteen years ago. She looked at Yoshiro, who was staring up at the sky.
"Yoshiro, did you receive something?" asked Sasuke nervously. Yoshiro gave out a sigh and looked at Sasuke sadly. He pulled out the Ikigami from his pocket and held it up for Sasuke to see.
"I received an Ikigami," said Yoshiro sadly. Sasuke felt her world shatter.
"Ikigami?"
Yoshiro nodded and looked down sadly.
"Mom told me when we got home yesterday. She wanted us to spend my last day as a family, but I decided to spend it with you," said Yoshiro sadly. Sasuke approached Yoshiro. She looked at his downcast face and saw that he was close to crying. Sasuke bit her lip and hugged Yoshiro softly.
"Let's go home," whispered Sasuke. Yoshiro nodded as he walked down the hill with Sasuke.
They traveled through the park, which was now completely empty of people. Sasuke looked at Yoshiro, who still looked sad. She led him to a bench and sat him down.
"Yoshiro?"
Yoshiro looked at Sasuke and said, "I'm all right Sasuke. I got to spend my last moments with you. Besides, this is for the good of the country." Sasuke stared at Yoshiro seriously.
"Are you really fine with this? You made so many promises. You said that you were going to design a new game with my help; and you told me last year that we would see the stars together in New Years. Are you really going to break those promises?"
Yoshiro was silent. He suddenly burst into tears and said, "I want to keep those promises. I want to do so many things with you. I know it's wrong, but I really don't want to die. I want to live!" Yoshiro was crying uncontrollably. He only had an hour left to live.
Sasuke stared down at him. She reached into her pocket and removed the covering from the syringe. She leaned toward Yoshiro's ear and whispered, "You will keep your promise." With that, she drove the syringe into his shoulder causing Yoshiro to gasp in surprise. Sasuke injected the clear liquid into him. Yoshiro instantly blacked out. Sasuke removed the needle from his arm and laid him down on the bench gently.
Sasuke looked at his watch and then back down at him.
I only did open heart surgery once, but I have to save him.
She knew that she was going against the Government by trying to save Yoshiro, but she didn't care. She opened the front of his shirt quickly and then dug in his pocket. She pulled out his switch blade knife, which he always kept with him, and pulled out the knife. She went to a water fountain and rinsed the blade off. She also washed her hands thoroughly and placed a handkerchief from her pocket around her mouth and nose. She then grabbed her sweater and pulled out a sewing kit and two clamps she used to hold open her bag.
Afterwards, she placed her free hand on his chest and was instantly able to see his inner system. Sasuke never told anyone, but when she touched a body, she could see the inside without an X-ray or any other machine. She was also able to hear things more clearly than others. She called her incredible sight Soul's eye and her incredible hearing already had a name, absolute pitch. Sasuke's eyes seemed to almost glow as she placed the knife to his chest. She cut open his chest allowing blood to flow out. She cut it in an "I" shape making sure not to cut a major vessel. She opened his chest and rib cage and saw his insides covered in blood. His heart was still beating and he was still stable the way she could hear it. She used her bag clamps to hold open his chest and then made her way to his heart.
He's stable, but the heart is starting to struggle. I better work fast.
Sasuke knew that she needed more than one person to do an open heart surgery, but she didn't have that time, so she had to do it alone. She sliced open the membranous sac around the heart with the knife. She kept her hand firmly on his body and saw the inside of his heart.
I see it. The nano pill is in pulmonary artery. If it bursts now, Yoshiro will die of blood loss. I have to remove it quickly.
Sasuke held the knife directly over Yoshiro's pulmonary artery and made a small cut. She used her Soul's eye and saw the Nano Pill beginning to shake, where she had cut. She reached down to her sewing kit quickly, which was open, and pulled out tweezers she used to get the thread into the needle eye. She placed the knife down and used the tweezers to remove the Nano pill from the artery. Sasuke stared at the nano pill for the first time. It was almost microscopic. She placed it down in her sewing kit gently.
Sasuke pulled out a thick thread and needle from her sewing box and began to sew quickly. She sewed the pulmonary artery tightly before it could bleed critically and then sewed the membranous sac closed. Her stitches on the heart disappeared instantly as if they were never there. That was another one of Sasuke's hidden gifts. She could do stitches and they would disappear like they were never there. Sasuke removed the clamps on his chest and sewed his rib cage, inner flesh, and outer flesh together. The stitches disappeared after the chest was closed. Sasuke was panting with her hand still on Yoshiro's chest. She saw that his inner system was functioning normally and his heart rate was normal too. She looked at Yoshiro and saw him breathing normally with traces of blood on his chest. Sasuke looked at his watch and felt like crying. Time was up, but he was still alive.
Sasuke couldn't stop herself from crying from happiness as she removed the hankerchief from her place.
"I did it. I saved him," sobbed Sasuke. Sasuke looked at her blood covered hands and ran to the fountain. She rinsed her hands and tools off under the rushing water. She looked back at Sasuke after washing up. She kneeled next to Yoshiro's body and smiled.
"Thank goodness," whispered Sasuke. Sasuke then looked down at the Nano pill, which was still intact in her sewing kit.
"How can something so small kill so many people?"
Sasuke picked it up and was shocked when it dissolved in her hand. Sasuke stared at her hand, where the pill was before.
Sasuke suddenly heard her cell phone ringing from her sweater pocket. She pulled out her phone and flipped it open. She answered it in a casual matter.
"Sasuke, are you on your way home?" asked Mrs. Ohtori from the other line. Sasuke looked down at the sleeping Yoshiro and gripped the phone.
"I'm going to a hotel for tonight. I'll be back tomorrow," Sasuke answered. Sasuke could hear Mrs. Ohtori crying from the other line saying sorry repeatedly.
"Don't be. We'll be home tomorrow," said Sasuke with a small smile on her lips. Before Mrs. Ohtori could answer, Sasuke hung up the phone. She switched it off and then began to button Yoshiro's shirt. She placed her phone, sewing kit, handkerchief, purse clamps, and Yoshiro's switch blade knife in her sweater pockets and then slipped the sweater on. She picked Yoshiro up and flung him onto her back. She could feel Yoshiro's breath against her cheek as she walked down the path and smiled.
"Thank you for a great day, Yoshiro," whispered Sasuke not realizing that there were droplets of blood left near the bench.