Chapter 4 - Lost Souls in Comparison

Yukiko awoke to tubes attached to her arm and cold white walls, complete with an unfamiliar and cold bed. Her black hair lay messy and splayed out on the pillow, doing whatever it felt like doing. Her body was sheathed in a plain nightgown, with an awfully sterile pattern. Now that she looked around, the whole room was sterile.

Her eyes narrowed at the tubes in her arm. She was in the hospital.

But wait, for what?

Images flashed behind her eyelids as she blinked, as if her brain was trying to help her remember the horror.

She remembered, yes. But maybe she shouldn't have tried to. The images were almost like those from a horror film.

Blood..oh, so much blood. Her leg, sliced open. Had she seen her own muscle and bone from the inside before? That couldn't be normal.

Panicked at the state her leg was in, she lifted the sheets and took a peek. It was wrapped up in every way possible. She couldn't move it; It was either tied down, or she had lost all nerve connections to it. Maybe some drug prevented her from moving it. She didn't know; She didn't care. All she knew for sure was that she was in a hospital, she had been injured badly, and Eiko wasn't here.

Eiko. The reason she was in here, like this, in this condition. Where was the girl?

"Well, I suppose she'll be here soon enough. I saved her life, after all." She said to herself quietly, folding her hands over her chest, preparing to wait however long it took for the other girl to arrive and shower her in balloons and 'get well soon' items.

She fell asleep waiting. The girl still didn't come.

…...

Adelaide woke to a bucket of cold water on her face. Once she had finally fallen asleep, she was out cold. The twins wanted to get her to school on time, so they decided to pour cold water on her.

She flailed and sat up immediately. "What was that for?" She growled under her breath, much like Honey or Kyoya when it came to being waken up, and not being a morning person in the slightest.

Kaoru grinned at her and began, "Dear, if you sleep like that,"

"You'll completely miss school." Hikaru finished. Both grinned at her, until she began to throw her pillows at the two.

"Get out if you want to live." She growled, staring the two down as best she could through her tired eyes.

"Y…yes, ma'am!" They responded, almost backing out of the room, afraid for their lives.

Adelaide groaned and started digging in her bag for her makeup and hair things, grabbing her uniform off the bathroom hanger before taking a shower and dressing.

After her shower, Adelaide was a much more pleasant creature. She got ready quickly, but she was kind of sleepy still. But it was fine, she'd be awake enough for school, and soon, she'd wake up more completely.

It was off to school with her, and her life seemed all too normal.

…...

Yukiko's gray eyes grazed over an old picture her father had brought her days before, when he was explaining to her why she'd done what she'd done. There was a new bitterness in his tone, then; It seemed rough and unwelcoming. Her mother refused to visit at all.

She held the film in her pale fingers, studying the photo. She placed two fingers on the blonde girl's restoration in the paper, tears coming to her eyes. Eiko's kindness could be seen in her eyes, her warmth clearly radiating to Yukiko, who was hugging Eiko from the side, having just attacked her with a surprise hug, laughing wholeheartedly, her gray eyes closed in joy.

Now, her eyes closed in hopelessness, a tear or two rolling down her cheek. She put the photo on the bedside table, and then pressed the button to call the nurse in, for more painkillers. Theoretically, she could overdose on the stuff, but she just wanted to be knocked out for a few hours right now.

Once knocked out, all went black, and she slept dreamlessly. No visits were reported in the several hours she was out.

It had been at least a week since the attack, and still Eiko hadn't come, and neither had her mother. Her father visited, but his company wasn't really what you would call 'pleasant'.

Yukiko preferred to be knocked out on painkillers as time passed her by. One day, though, she would be out of the hospital, and she'd have to face her life.

It wouldn't be the same as before. She knew this much, but when she started to think, she'd ask for more painkillers.

…...

"Welcome.." Kaoru began.

"To Ouran." They finished together, all three sitting in their limo outside of the school. The twins were on either side of her, apparently hardcore fans of symmetry, each leaning on one of her shoulders. She was nervous, chewing on her lip. In her mind, yesterday didn't count, today was her first day.

Her curls were in a disarray to her eyes, but the twins had assured her that her hair was beautiful before she'd left their house. Her thoughts were in disarray as well.

"Guys… I'm really sorry about this morning.." She apologized again, quietly. She'd been repeating that since she'd left the house - no, since she'd finished getting ready. She really wasn't herself when in her 'just woke up' mood.

"Like we've told you a million times by now.." Hikaru began.

"We're not mad." Kaoru finished, with a crooked smile. So adorable…

"You're just too cute to be mad at~" Hikaru teased, chuckling. Kaoru didn't laugh, but his face seemed to brighten at his brother's cheerful laugh. Adelaide smiled slightly, though still unsure.

"So, don't worry, dear." Kaoru said, quietly, in a simply entrancing tone, so sweet she should worry about getting cavities.

Adelaide's heart pounded at the sound of that voice.

"Fine…" She agreed, a bit reluctant. Worrying was just something she did.

Hikaru smiled at her once more and opened the door on his side, stepping out of the limo. Kaoru nudged her, and she followed Hikaru out of the car, Kaoru following behind her.

Adelaide grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Well.. Here I am."

…...

Outside the window, there were leaves. Autumn leaves that she had once played in. Now, she was practically strapped to this bed.

At least she could walk now. The nerve connections were restored to walking ability, and she had to practice walking with a nurse and a cloud over her head each day. It was painful, and occasionally she collapsed, but she was getting closer to finding her own path every day. Walking had never been something she had thought about. Now it was her task at hand.

Still, people hardly visited. It was a lonely existence, indeed. Her mother, from what she'd been told, was extremely displeased with her. Her actions. The fact that fighting and getting covered in blood wasn't what a lady would do. As if it wasn't already hopeless to make her into the perfect heir to the Kasumi fortune and business..

Eiko wasn't even worth hoping for. She wasn't coming, and that was that. Even though Yukiko had risked her life to save the blonde's.

Her father, however, did visit. He wasn't great company, he never had been, but he told stories. How her mother had smiled so much during Christmastime. How there had been this strange red-headed neighbor kid going past the house every morning on his way to school. How many "get well" wishes Yukiko had been receiving from old friends and schoolmates - the one she knew for a fact was a cold lie.

His lies never hurt, though. They were sweet. He had always been the one to care for her, whereas her mother had simply been grooming her into a suitable heir. As a child, when she'd done something incorrectly, her mother would scold her. She'd then look up to her dad, and he'd smile sympathetically. She wondered, though, how were these two adults still together? He obviously feared the woman, all Yukiko could sense was a slave/owner relationship. But, maybe Yukiko was wrong, maybe there was love.

Yukiko really doubted she'd ever find love. She was scary to most males, sadly. As well as females. The girl was just scary.

But not here. Not here, with her dad beside her hospital bed, telling stories about her house, what was going on in the world. Here she was cared for. Not quite loved, because her mom had somewhat brainwashed him into thinking Yukiko was a bad girl, a horrible failure on their part. No, here she wasn't rejected.

It was later. Visiting hours were almost up, but her dad had stayed for hours anyway. Who knew why, only he could. He began to pick up his phone off the bedside table and get up, but Yukiko grasped onto his sleeve impulsively.

"One more story." She demanded, with fierce eyes. "One more." She repeated.

Her father looked out the window, at the dark skies, and sighed. Scowling slightly, he sat back down in the chair set up beside her bed and rubbed his temples. "Kiko… you know how bad it is for me to drive home in the dark, don't you..?"

"Yeah, but.. But you still have a half-hour of visiting time, you know.." She suggested.

"I was going to use that time differently."

"You mean flirt with my main nurse when I call for a sedative?" Yukiko corrected, raising an eyebrow. Her dad just glared.

"What is it with you and suspecting something romantic is going on?"

"I wouldn't call it romance, father. I'd call it stupid. You're both married." She pointed out. A moment later, she smirked and said, "Hey dad..? If you stay for a while longer, I know what story I'd like to hear."

"What?" Her dad demanded, frowning a bit, almost pouting.

"The one of you and mother. How did that even come to be?" She asked. There was a moment of silence before her dad crossed his arms.

"Now, why would you want to hear something like that? You're a fifteen year old girl. You'll think it's gross."

"I'm curious." She stated, bluntly.

"Fine.." He allowed, sitting down beside her. "Then I'm gone."

She nodded and settled in for the story. By the time it was over, she was sound asleep without the need for numerous painkillers, for the first time in weeks. The story was sweet and calming, even though they had turned into a couple much like a king and queen.

…...

[Chapter 4! Aww yeah. c:

Okay, yeah, this took me FOREVER AND A DAY to finish. But I had writer's block to continue it. Also, I had a roleplay account of Addy, but I became uninterested in her, so I deleted it, and that's why this chapter focused more on Yukiko, who is my favorite character I've created to this day. This part of her life, especially, is extremely interesting, and so I wanted to focus more on her, and neglected Addy. D;

I suppose I'll bring some KaoxAddy in the next chapter to keep me, and everyone of you, interested. ^_^ But there will still be -some- Yukiko.. Not sure where, but she rules my writing mind at the moment. .'

So, thank you for keeping with me and not giving up on me entirely, unless you have, in which case *cue sad face* ]