Wow, over 600 views! O.O

I'd like to point out, again, that I do support both Ayushiki and Satomi, but just like in other fanfictions, they're not going to get together right away. I don't want anyone to be upset. Hang in there! :)

Here's another chapter for all of you! This one is a little shorter (and less exciting) than they usually will be. I'm not sure if you've noticed the pattern, but the chapters sort of alternate between being really action-packed and being more light-hearted and calm.


Naomi arrived ten minutes later and entered the waiting room. Inside, Ayumi was sitting beside Satoshi, leaning against him. A tiny spark of anger flared up at seeing the two together, but she pushed it down, writing it off as the aftereffects of a two-year crush. I'm over him, she thought firmly. It was just a stupid crush. The teenage girl crossed the waiting room in a few strides and sat down near her friends.

"How is he?" Naomi asked instead of saying hello.

Ayumi jerked away from Satoshi, a blush rising in her cheeks. "Oh, uh, he's -" She recovered herself, exhaling forcefully. "He's in surgery right now. He should be out soon."

"I hope he's all right," the taller girl said worriedly.

"If you had seen him back in... that place, you'd know that Kishinuma is a real survivor," Ayumi reassured her. "He managed to protect the both of us, even though I was practically hyperventilating." She smiled slightly. Until now, she hadn't fully realized that Yoshiki had done all that for her. He was a good friend…

Naomi gave a short, humorless laugh. "I guess we're all technically survivors…" She didn't like to think about "that place". "That place" had killed Seiko.

All Ayumi could offer was a small, sad smile. They were survivors, but what about those they had lost? Yui-sensei, Shinohara, Suzumoto, Morishige… Didn't you deserve to survive?

Satoshi sensed that the conversation was quickly taking a turn for the worse, so he jumped in, trying to ignore the pangs of sadness in his chest. "Do you guys want to do anything to pass the time? I have a game on my phone that we can all play."

Both girls turned to look at him for a moment, slightly confused. They had nearly forgotten his presence there. "Um, okay," Ayumi agreed tentatively.

They had been playing for ten minutes, none of them really invested in the game, when a girl slightly younger than them rushed in. "Have you seen a tall boy with blond hair in here?" she asked them in a panicked voice. "He's about your age, he - they told me that he got hurt!"

Satoshi placed his hands on her shoulders. "Calm down. I think I know who you're looking for. His name is Yoshiki Kishinuma, right?"

She nodded furiously. "Yes, yes! He's my brother. I'm Miki Kishinuma." She took some deep breaths, then sighed. "What has he gotten himself into?" she murmured to herself.

"You're his sister?" Naomi and Ayumi exclaimed in unison, with matching tones of disbelief. Yoshiki had never mentioned any siblings. Besides, this girl looked completely different; she had reddish brown hair and a petite figure. Her eyes were closer to green than grey, although they had the same sharpness as their injured friend.

Miki smiled slightly, a little nervous in front of these strangers. They hadn't even introduced themselves! "Er - may I ask how you three know my brother?" she inquired softly.

Satoshi smacked his forehead. "Oh, jeez! Sorry. I'm Satoshi Mochida, Yoshiki's best friend. This is Naomi Nakashima and Ayumi Shinozaki." He gestured to each as he said their names.

"Nice to meet you!" Naomi said, smiling warmly. Miki acknowledged her with a nod.

"Do you think we can visit Yoshiki soon?" the younger girl asked in a small voice. Poor onii-chan…

"Of course!" Ayumi said cheerfully. "As soon as he gets out of surgery and spends a little time in the recovery room, he'll be okay and we can see him." They all settled down to wait in silence.

Sure enough, after about an hour and a half, a nurse approached the little group. "Are you all here to see Mr. Kishinuma?" she inquired in a gentle voice. Everyone sat straight up in their seats.

"Yes. Is he awake?" Ayumi asked hopefully.

The nurse smiled. "He's awake. The surgery was successful, and he should be back on his feet after a few weeks."

The tension in the room dissipated. "Thank goodness," Miki breathed, closing her eyes as a wave of relief washed over her.

"Now, are any of you related to Mr. Kishinuma?" the nurse asked.

"I'm his sister," Miki replied, rising from her seat.

The nurse nodded. "Good, good. Have you informed your parents of the incident?"

She fidgeted nervously. "Er - yes…"

"Really?" The nurse was skeptical of Miki's unsure tone. "Don't they want to see him?"

"Well… No, actually." Miki was very uncomfortable now. "They… don't get along very well."

The nurse looked as if she was going to ask why, then thought better of it. "Hm. All right then. You come with me, Miss Kishinuma." She glanced at the other three. "You kids will have to wait just a while longer. Relatives first."

"Okay," Satoshi agreed. As long as they got to see Yoshiki, another twenty minutes didn't matter.

Miki followed the nurse out of the waiting room and down a long corridor. She tried not to look into the rooms that branched off from the hallway. People needed their privacy. The nurse finally stopped in front of one of the doorways.

"He's in here," she said in a hushed voice. "Keep in mind that he's just gone through a lot; he'll probably be very tired."

Miki nodded and thanked her before entering her brother's hospital room. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light; she supposed that a nurse had turned it off, thinking that he would go to sleep for a while.

"Yoshiki-kun?" she said into the darkness. She saw the outline of a bed across the room.

"Miki?" came a hoarse voice from the bed. He coughed to clear his throat. "Turn a light on, why don't you?"

"Are you sure? It might hurt your eyes," Miki said uncertainly.

"Pff. Just turn them on." She smiled to herself; it was her brother, all right. She flicked a switch by the door and the fluorescent white lights flickered on.

A few feet away from her was her brother, propped up in an adjustable hospital bed. He blinked a few times before his eyes adjusted, then smirked at Miki. "Oh, the agony," he said dryly.

"Shut up," Miki said with that quirky grin he loved so much. She strode over to him and sat on the edge of the bed. "I was worried about you. How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," Yoshiki replied simply. "I mean, they got the bullet out, and fixed my kidney or my gallbladder or whatever the hell it was, but let's just say that I'm not quite 'good as new'. Plus, you know, this bed sucks."

Miki smiled and bounced a little on the mattress. "It's not so bad… Anyway, your friends are out there. Once I leave, they'll come in to see you."

"Ah, that's good." He was silent for a moment. "Our parents…?" Miki shook her head. She saw his jaw tighten, but his expression didn't change. "…Good," Yoshiki said bitterly.

Maybe someday, things will get better between them, Miki thought, not really believing herself. Maybe someday, we'll be a family again.

"Well, the doctors say I'll be out of the hospital in a few weeks," Yoshiki said, changing the subject.

"That's great!" Miki responded with a wide smile. Mischief glinted in her grey-green eyes. "I'll bring you some more casserole," she suggested.

"Not the casserole!" Yoshiki groaned dramatically, throwing his arm up to his forehead with the back of his hand on his temple. "Anything but the casserole!"

"It's left over from our house. Mom thinks she can cook," Miki joked. "The bright side of moving out is that you don't have to suffer through that kind of torture!"

"Or other kinds of torture," Yoshiki muttered, almost to himself.

"Well, I think it's time to let your friends visit. I'll come to see you tomorrow, okay?" Miki said, standing up.

"Cool. See you…"

As his sister left the room, Yoshiki sighed, then winced. He was in more pain than he cared to admit, and now he had to put on a show for his friends, too. He did want to see them, though.

"KISHINUMA-KUN!" came a happy cry from the doorway.


Originally, the visit with his friends was supposed to be part of this chapter, but I thought it would have been too long, so I split it into two. Tell me what you guys think: should I make them separate chapters or one single chapter?