Chapter 4
Fear
The world had become dark and cold, she was surrounded by the intimidating force of the water, cradled from all sides and the light above barely illuminating the world below. The bubbles began to clear and Yukirin's gaze remained fixated above her. Sun glinting on her white hair like silver strands of silk as it floated around her and it took her a moment to regain her baring in this place...so familiar and something she was well acquainted with. Then she got her bearings back and the fear gripped her...her chest tightened painfully and she reached rapidly for the surface her hand just breaking it as she attempted to pull her self up, the water wasn't overly deep about chest in this end of the pool...but for Yukirin it was like a bottomless ravine. She broke the surface for a moment coughing and gasping for air using her arms rapidly to keep herself up but it wasn't enough and she sank down below again.
"Yuki!..Yuki whats wrong!" Nagisa ran to the edge of pool but slipped and caught himself before he too went flying into the water.
"She's drowning!"
"What!"
"Quick!"
Splash!
Splash!
Both Makoto and Haru had dove into the water leaving a shell shocked Nagisa at the pool edge.
She felt hands grab her and then arms wrap around her back and under the bend of her knee's and she grabbed onto to whoever it was who had her, holding for dear life and suddenly she was above the water gasping and sucking in air. She pressed her forehead to the shoulder of whoever had her and she trembled, her body shaking from head to foot.
"Yukirin! Why didn't you swi-" Nagisa had begun but then stopped, his eyes hand trailed down. "Nagisa?" Rei and Rin looked at the blond curiously and followed his gaze, at first they almost blushed. Yukirin's white dress was soaked and clinging to her, the bottom had ridden up though to her thighs and about to mention the indecency of it and for Gou to get a change of clothes quick; they too saw it.
Yukirin's legs had been bandaged from the tips of her toes to her thighs and probably a little higher than they could see, the white bandages was dripping and had come loose with her flailing and Rin could see discolouration on the sides of her feet and toes. Mako adjusted his grip on her holding her above the water and his own expression was saddened at this...she'd almost drowned and she was injured they should have notice earlier...actually now that Mako thought about it, Yukirin hadn't stood the entire time she'd been here, even from the moment they'd been introduced she'd been sitting...
"..."
"What?" asked Nagisa coming back from his shock a little bit when he heard Yukirin mumble something. Though he was surprised when he saw her expression, a mix of anger and sadness her big blue eyes watering with tears and her cheeks flushed. "I CANT SWIM ANYMORE!" she yelled surprising everyone there. "My legs don't work anymore!".
"Nagisa...I think you should call your dad" Haru spoke then as he helped Mako get Yukirin back to the edge of the pool the girl trembling and trying to hold back her tears of both embarrassment and sadness. "Come on" Rei grabbed Nagisa about the upper arm and lifted the blond, "Lets hurry" he said heading into the locker rooms. If Nagisa's dad was coming it was safe to assume Nagisa would have to go home too and it would be best if Nagisa was ready to leave.
"We're sorry" Mako said softly his voice barely above a whisper. He didn't know what else to say and he feared upsetting Yukirin more than she was.
"Here" Rin reached down to grab her as both Haru and Makoto lifted her up enough for Rin to hold her bridal style.
"..." Rin wanted to ask, he did...he wanted to ask what happened but it wasn't right in this situation. Though from the expression of Haru's face he wanted to ask too, not only because he looked shocked, but he had a look of sympathy on his face as well.
"Towels I have towels" Gou ran up coming back with towels and a spare set of clothes, well her gym clothes but it was all she had.
"Here too the girls locker rooms." So what if there were rules Rin new that Gou couldn't carry Yukirin on her own even though, he was concerned with how light Yukirin was...she actually weighed less than Gou did. Her waist was insanely tiny too though she was definitely not anorexic she was just very slender.
"Ya" Gou followed after him. Makoto and Haru headed into the male lockers.
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"Yes...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...yes...I did-...I'm sorry"
This was becoming a mantra it seemed and the more Rei listened the more he felt sorry for Nagisa, the half dressed blonde held his phone to his ear listening to the continued and increasing volume of Nagisa's father's voice only proved something dire had happened. He desperately wished he could offer some form of reassurance to his friend.
Even Nagisa looked close to tears now and he felt bad.
"I didn't...No I didn't know...Sorry...I'm sorry she's...she's okay...Mako-chan and Haru-chan got to her first...hic"
Rei glanced up in alarm.
Nagisa had begun to cry enough now that he had begun hiccupping now...He gazed at him and saw the thick tears falling and the slight snot threatening to drip from his nose as he gripped his phone so tight his knuckles had become white. Rei reached into his school bag and found his kerchief and waited Nagisa nodding rapidly.
The door to the locker room opened and both Makoto and Haru entered Rin not far behind them. He held his finger to his lips with a slight, "Sh" to signal them to stay quiet. "Ah...hic...Okay, I'll see you...hic...in a few minutes" he whispered and closed his phone. Nagisa never got scolded, well sometimes he did but not to the extent he'd just received...he'd gotten in so much trouble he was sure his father was ready to disown him...he'd also gotten the combined lecture of using his head and not to act like an idiot when the situation called for it.
Rei instantly held out the kerchief to his friend helping him wipe away tears and Nagisa grabbed the piece of clothes to blow his nose, "Sorry, hic...I'll wash it" he said, he felt one of Makoto's strong hand on his back and he looked up to his tall friend, "It's okay...you didn't know".
"No...I...hic..." he blew his nose again trying to take deep breathed, "I could have killed her..." he whimpered.
"But you didn't she'll be okay, shocked but okay" Haru said not liking when his friend cried especially Nagisa, it was like watching a defenceless child cry their heart out after loosing their mothers in the mall.
"She should have told us too" Rin stated.
"My dad said it was a family matter she didn't want to say anything until we were at home..."
"He shouldn't have gotten so angry."
"It's okay...I'm fine...I'm more worried about Yuki-chan."
"Lets finish getting dressed you said your dad would be here soon right?"
"Ya..."
"We'll apologize together Okay?"
"Thanks Haru..."
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"I got some more bandage's from the nurses office" Gou whispered lightly as she wrung out Yukirin's long hair marvelling slightly at the softness. Yukirin sat on the bench in the middle of the room her legs shaking involuntarily her head bowed a towel draped over her head, she wore Gou's gym uniform. "Thank-you..." she murmured softly.
"We really are so-"
"It's okay, don't apologize...I shouldn't have gotten angry...Nagisa didn't know...It was my fault in the end" she said instead surprising Gou...it had really been a fifty/fifty accident truthfully, but Yukirin was willing to take the blame instead. "If I told him it wouldn't have happened...I have to apologize properly." she heard Yukirin say and she sighed softly. "Do you mind If I touch your legs? So I can re wrap them." "No..I don't..".
Gou moved in front of Yukirin and knelt down looking for the edge of the bandage to untie it. She ended up finding it high on Yukirin's upper thighs and blinked... "..." all the way up here? She removed the little fastening pin from the bandage and began to gently unravel it and was surprised. She had noticed discolouring on Yukirin's feet a light purple bruising from what she could tell, but now she saw that the bruising went high up Yukirin's legs. It wasn't a solid bruising, there were patches of pale skin below the noticeable bruising but it was still there.
"Are you?"
"I'm not paralysed" she said and rotated a foot but gasped and winced when she did, instantly a new bruise appeared on her ankle and Gou gasped. "The doctors aren't sure but they think I've sustained alot of nerve and vessel damage...It's really painful, It keeps me from walking or swimming" she explained sadly and Gou shook her head and continued gently now, more gentle than before drying Yukirin's legs and began to wrap them, beginning from the bottom up.
"How did it-"
"I...don't really want to say...sorry" she said. Gou shook her head, "It's okay...Nagisa should find out first." Gou was a bit embarrassed for prying but she left the conversation at that.
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"I'll see you guys later" Nagisa said bowing his head lightly in apology, his father sat in the car outside the school entrance, Yukirin in the backseat. His dad had arrived and come to the swim club area with a look of irritation, but Yukirin had quelled the anger swiftly before he could continue his tirade against all the members of the club, explaining it had been a complete accident, no one knew, she hadn't said anything and Nagisa had only wanted her to show them some techniques. She even told him she'd stepped on the bottle of water and that's how she'd fallen.
It had done the trick her uncle immediately feeling sheepish for going off the deep end and he had lightly apologized for reacting so much.
"We'll call you later" assured Makoto and Rin nodded. "Cheer up" he smirked, "cryings for babies"
"Ah...okay see you." he turned running to the car and got in the front seat before his dad pulled away.
Yukirin glanced out the window and offered a saddened smile and wave, feeling very apologetic for how the day had turned out.
They waved back.
Makoto sighed, " wow this day took a sudden turn for the worst."
"It's still not Nagisa's fault though." Rin muttered.
"It's not Yukirin-san's fault either." Rei nodded.
"It wasn't anyone's fault and she even apologized in the end" Makoto said beginning to walk towards the train station with his friends. "That was surprising." Haru commented earning everyone's curious gaze. "Well you all saw the state of her legs..." he said, " She even knelt on the floor in apology...imagine how much it had to have hurt..." they became silent at this revelation, they'd seen the bandages, they'd felt the confusion. They also weren't quite sure what exactly had happened but she'd apologized up and down for not telling them she couldn't walk, she'd said it was a family matter that she felt her cousins should hear of first and had wanted to keep it to herself.
"What do you think happened?"
"Not sure Rin, but we can always ask Nagisa later."
"Ya guess your right Rei..."
"..."
"Haru?"
"Thinking."
"Oh...kay.."
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"I'm sorry Uncle, Auntie!" Yukirin bowed her head as low as she could, she was sat in a chair in the dining room her cousins surrounding her. With her Aunt and Uncle she was embarrassed and felt extremely bad for what had happened only a few hours ago. Her clothes had been changed, she could wore a long dark brown skirt that touched the floor and white button up shirt that was tucked into the waist of the skirt, the bell sleeves coming to a cuff around her wrists and her hair had been braided. She had recovered enough from the incident earlier now to be able to properly explain her self.
"It was my negligence that caused what happened" she apologized, "I didn't explain anything to Nagisa so he didn't know of my condition, so if your going to be mad at anyone please be angry with me". Silence had enveloped the room when she finished and Yukirin refused to raised her head despite the strain it was putting on her back and her legs began to tremble from the exert. She powered through the pain though.
"Yuki-chan.." Nagisa gazed at her surprised and felt tears prick his eyes.
"I went overboard" her uncle said then and she sat up slightly, raising her head enough to gaze at him. "I should have listened properly, I misunderstood." he said, "I was just so scared and concerned that we had lost you so soon I took it out on Nagisa and that was wrong." he apologized as well leaning over to gently pat his niece's head and run a gentle hand over her cheek, " you're just as important to us as our children are." he explained.
He then turned to Nagisa, "Forgive me?"
"...Ah" Nagisa nodded walking around the table to hug his dad, feeling relieved that the mistake had been resolved quickly.
"Now I want you all to sit" Nagisa's father spoke sitting a little straighter, Yukirin did as well her posture becoming stiff as well.
"Dad?"
"Listen to Uncle Kai" Yukirin spoke softly, " its better if you sit" she smiled.
When Nagisa and his sisters had settled down Yukirin took a deep breath.
"Remember last year when Auntie and Uncle came to visit me?" she asked softly. Receiving a nod she continued, " its because there had been an accident." she exhaled slowly to continue the seemingly long story. "My family had gone on vacation down to the coasts of Osaka, there's the summer house there" Nagisa had been there once or twice but it had been a few years. Though he did remember the little beach side home nestled amongst the rocky coast. "We were playing and diving off the cliffs there and swimming in the ocean, as we were playing something happened..." she looked down slightly her hands clenching her skirt in her lap. " The cliff, it...it seemed to shatter. It broke and..." she paused and Nagisa saw her tremble. Inside Yukirin's mind she was in a way reliving the memory and he could only assume it was just a nightmare to her now. "It took me with it." gasps, "How?" "My father and brothers...I was pinned under the water for a while, some rubble landed on my legs and broke them but I never recovered properly." she explained, "I am unable to walk, or stand properly on my own." she pulled the hem of her skirt up revealing the daintily wrapped legs and feet for her cousins to inspect. "It hurts alot, and I can't swim either...I've come here to not only explain and visit but also to see some doctors who may be able to help." she didn't want to say too much more about her reasons for visiting at least not until she'd seen the doctors. "So please be patient with me..." she murmured raising blue eyes to look at them all.
Nagisa looked like he was ready to break; his big brown/maroon eyes bubbling with tears and his mouth trembling as he twitched in his seat, when it was too much to bare he jumped up and hugged Yukirin careful not to knock her over or to hit her legs. "I'm sorry! I'll do everything I can to help you! We'll get you fixed" he rambled trying to comfort his cousin, his sisters joined not to long after and Yukirin was enveloped in warmth and she smiled, "Arigato".
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"Haru, are you okay?"
"..."
"You've been staring at the ceiling an awful lot since we got here..."
"..."
"...guess I'll just cook the last of the mac-"
"What would it be like not to swim?" Haru asked suddenly, startling Makoto he hadn't actually expected an answer considering the trail of silence they'd endured over the last hour. The television just a background noise now.
"I would imagine boring..."
"she seemed scared" Haru mumbled.
Makoto gazed at him," I would be too if I couldn't stand up either or keep myself a float" Makoto had suffered a sever fear of the ocean and water in general when he was younger though as well. He however had recovered from it. "I couldn't imagine not swimming" Haru said sitting up now and leaning on the small square table of his living room. "Though...why would she come visit now of all times?" Makoto asked leaning on the palm of his left hand. " We'll have to ask Nagisa."
"mhm"
"Well I'm gonna go have dinner, I'll come back later and we can do homework?"
"okay"
"Bye Haru."
With that the tall muscular teen stood and left the room, Haru listened for a bit hearing the familiar shuffling, and unmistakable slide and clack of the front door. He then got himself up and wandered into the kitchen supposing he should start his own dinner.
He began to cook his signature Mackerel like always and without fail. He went to work with it. Half way through though he felt his thoughts drifting back towards Yukirin, the look on her face was nothing but pure fear. The way she'd trembled as she held onto Makoto for dear life, she'd even cried. He was curious, What had happened to her exactly? What had made her loose her ability to walk and swim? What had made her fear water so much?. Haru sighed as he sat down the meal before him letting off an aromatic aroma. He gazed at it for a long while.
What if that had been him instead of her?
Was he really wasting a talent?
Haru suddenly felt like something heavy settled itself upon his chest and he took a bite of his mackerel and everything went blurry, he felt stupid however because he was crying over someone he barely knew.
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A/N: So I said i wanted to focus on Haru more, however Its difficult to focus on him solely, so What I will do is eventually have individual chapters with character interactions centre around Yukirin in the boys again, suggestions are welcome and as always please Read and Review! (FYI the thesaurus on my writing program is American so someone of the spelling might seem messed up)