A/N: So I have been blessed again with a one-week semestral break from school. Because of boredom (and totally screwing all homework given), I decided to go to . It's been like five months since I last updated this fic. Heck. It's been five months since I last wrote a story. And I continued this just before the periodicals came up. I don't know what happened, but the inspiration just came to me in the midst of cramming for the test. So all you people out there, be thankful for my weird procrastination habits. Heheh.
Gah~! I miss you FanFiction! .
Sorry for the extremely long wait. To my faithful readers, you must have lost interest in the story. But then, I'm going to work hard to win it back one chapter at a time. So here it is. R&R&Enjoy!
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[3: Fire]
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It's funny how life throws you into all sorts of different situations you aren't prepared for. We are all like hopeless players in life's tormenting game. Sometimes, I feel like screaming, "Hey life, give me a break will 'ya?" But unfortunately, life doesn't listen. And worst of all, you would end up making a fool of yourself.
Well, I cannot say that I speak for all, but for most of my life, I have carried pain and suffering, often a result of wishful thinking, especially when I fail to obtain what you aspire to achieve. I have always wished for a normal life. And who wouldn't want a normal and peaceful life in this crazy, messed up world? This constant fear of choosing between what is right and what is not: it's placing me in a cage and preventing me from setting my own soul free and t the life I had always wanted.
Like life and its moments, it chose to redeem me in a way that I never imagined possible and it was because of that fateful day, my life changed forever.
I didn't let the fire shake me. Neither have I bothered to look into the depths of the flames. This fire would end soon, I kept on thinking. But even when I look away, a haze of orange light spread across the lonely neighborhood had me turning back. I can smell the smoldering embers. The smoke suffocated me. Its taunting dance over the scarred house sent me. What was I to do? I was just a mere five-year old who just gets beaten up by bigger kids.
…
I have to stay calm. And with that thought in mind, I pulled on one of my masks to hide my trembling form and let my stronger self take control.
…
"A-are you alright?" I finally managed to choke out.
…
The little girl beside me didn't respond. She just stared blankly at the burning building. I doubted if she was even breathing, seeing that she just stood there motionless.
She was looking at hope found through the thick black clouds in the form of the still unsigned curtains on the window of her house.
I followed her gaze into the raging fire. All I can see is fire.
…
"M-M-M…" I heard her choke out.
I reverted my eyes towards her. Suddenly, her tears flowed down uncontrollably across her cheek.
I panicked. She was crying now. God, what do I do?
…
"M-m-m-mommy. D-d-d-daddy."
…
Mommy? Daddy?
I looked back to the flaming house and suddenly felt a lump on my throat. I swallowed the fear and gathered the courage to say something to her.
…
But what should I ask her?
…
"Your parents… are they're in there?" I said quietly.
Ugh. What a dumb question. Way to get here more depressed.
…
She didn't respond with anything more than a nod. She just kept crying and crying. Her tears fell non-stop. Fear, despair, all of it: it was spread all across her face.
…
I joined the little girl by her side, said nothing further and placed my hands over hers to hold them reassuringly. I wish I could do more. I wish I could stop this fire, salvage the ruined house, and save her parents. I wanted to ease her pain, to end all her sufferings, and return that wonderful smile from this afternoon.
But unfortunately, I can't. That was all I can do. I can only reassure her that despite all the things she held dear was crumbling down into ashes on her feet, everything will be alright.
…
"Everything'll be alright, Len," Luka cried gently as she squeezed my hand. "Have a little faith."
I sat at the back seat of Meiko's beaten up Mercedes, tapping impatiently at the worn out leather seat. Luka sat in front, making sure that our aggressive driver- and sadly the only driver in the household who is not the drunkard Kaito- took us to the hospital safely. I fidgeted in my seat, not only because we were going at an unbelievable, heart-stopping rate of ninety miles per hour, but what scared me is what lies ahead of me.
Although my exterior was calm, I couldn't help but hope thinking, "Hey, Maybe it isn't as bad as it is. Maybe only parts are burnt and not the whole thing. And if the hospital is really burnt down, maybe Miku'd probably be escorted out to safety. Yeah. That's it, Len. Calm down. Everything's completely under control…"
After what seemed like forever, I heard sirens blaring from afar. Moments later, firemen- all clad in their suits and protective gear- started coming down from the bright red fire trucks, brought out their hoses and started blasting the flames with water.
I watched as the flames danced when the water touched them. We watched on for what seemed like days on end, but slowly, the flames started dying. Unfortunately where relief started setting in, profound pain also weaved its way into my body causing me to wince slightly with the growing constant pang in my heart.
"Everything is under control, Miss. We'll have the fire out in no time," one of the firemen told the little girl reassuringly.
She was shaken, and it was very evident across her face. She could not breathe. She could not even stand. I had to help her up just so she could stand. She took one shallow breath at a time. With one final breath, her eyes looked up towards the clad-up adult. She was furious this time.
"E-everything is under control? You think everything is under control?" She blurted out, trying to fight back the tears and the sobbing that boiled up in her chest.
I was as struck as the fireman was. He put on a fake smile to reassure the little girl. "Now, now, little girl. Everything's just fine. If you can just calm down for a while and we'll…"
She pointed a wary finger towards the charred remains of a once beautiful house and shouted, "Calm down? Calm down, you say? Mister, do you really think I can calm down after everything that's happening to me? You think that everything would be under control now that my house is in ruins? That everything would be okay after everything I've owned is in ruins? Do you think that after I have witnessed myself the death of my beloved parents- my wonderful parents who gave everything to me and now were mercilessly swallowed by the flames- I'd still be okay? Do you? DO YOU?"
She then stopped, heaving every last bit of resentment out of her, after which she fell down on her knees and just started crying again.
…
"Look, kid. We don't know what caused the fire. But I'm sure after the investigators would come and look this up in the morning, I'm sure we'd find something. Stay calm," he said despite the outburst. He just patted her shoulder and nothing more.
…
Finally, the smoke disappeared as well and the firemen began stepping out of the house one by one. I turned my attention back to the firemen and after hearing him explain about the dangers and rubble. Then they went back into the still steaming house along with the fire brigade to retrieve whatever important documents we could find.
I doubt the little girl wasn't prepared for what she was about to see when they stepped in. But we did, out of curiosity and so much worry, despite how much the older men wanted us to move away. I stepped inside with the little girl in tow, and the first thing that hit us was the suffocating smell of soot, which as soon as breathed in, left a rancid bitter aftertaste at the back of our throats. The ground floor was completely flooded due to the large volume of water used to douse the fire. The walls were dripping wet with water marks trailing soot. The furniture had all been soaked and ruined and the pictures hanging on the walls looked like someone had dragged a damp wet cloth over them to smudge their colors in fury. The staircase, which was the main centerpiece of the hall, was murdered with roof tiles that had fallen through the collapsed ceiling.
We went upstairs, and it was the same scene all over again. Black charred walls, ceilings, everything. If not burnt, then it was reduced to mere ashes.
…
Right behind me, the other firefighters and volunteers passed on a stretcher covered in white cloth. There were two of them, actually.
…
I knew what this meant.
…
I covered the little girl's eyes so she wouldn't see. And I took her down, back to the streets, away from the rubble and into the crowded people.
The neighbors were pretty skeptical about their explanation for an accidental cause due to their habits of burning paper charms. But whatever the reason was, I couldn't care less about the gossiping whispers around us. All I wanted was it to be over. For now.
…
I tried to bury the dread, my breaths short as I mustered all the restraint I had to avoid jumping out the door and making a run for it. I was so anxious to get to the hospital and to Miku that the 10 minute rush almost felt like hours.
Meiko made the final turn, parked the car some distance from the scene and the many people who had flocked there.
As the car came to an immediate halt, I opened the door and rushed to the scene. As would every major commotion would bring up, there are hordes of people, swarming around in circles like some frantic ants. Firefighters were nowhere in sight- funny because the place is a damned hospital. All I can see is the endless pit of fire. The whole place was lit up by the fire. And everywhere I looked, I could see hell.
My eyes pored over to a group of men and women in white over by one corner. They were the local doctors and nurses who were evacuating the patients out of the burning building. They carried stretchers, wheelchairs, dextrose, and other what-not with them, along with the poor and unlucky patients who inspite of the bad condition that they already are, were forced to run for their blasted lives.
I didn't care about that now. Instead, I ran over to the men and women clad in white, an outraged masked worn upon my face. I can feel my heart pumping nervously and my hands shaking tensely as I spit out the words in their damned faces…
"Miku! Where the hell is she? WHERE IS MIKU?"
…
…
"Young man."
Huh?
I looked up to see a fireman come up to me.
"Who, me?" I asked him dumbly.
"Yes, you." The fireman repeated.
I looked back at him with a really confused look.
"Are you and the little girl related?" He asked me.
I shook my head meekly as if to say no.
He scratched his head. "Well, kid. You seem to be pretty close to her," he commented.
"A-actually, we've just met," I defended myself.
…
"Well, there's something I need you to do."
…
…
"W-what do you want me to do?" I asked him hesitantly.
…
They did not answer me. All they gave me was a sorry shrug.
…
By now, Luka and Meiko came up to me with a worried look.
"Did you find Miku-chan?" Luka asked me softly.
I didn't respond anymore. I fought the urge to burst into tears.
Whatever I do, I have to stay calm. I had to tell myself not to get intimidated by the hordes of people trying to get a good look of the scene. I tried not to get intimidated, as I just pushed my way through them, not caring even if Luka's screaming at me not to come closer to the now burnt up hospital building. I am very aware that the whole place is ablaze. But that didn't stop me.
…
I stopped breathing for a moment. I had a feeling I wouldn't want to hear what the fireman had to say next.
"Are you living with someone right now?" He asked me.
…
Wait. Why is he asking me that all of a sudden? I thought that the problem was the little girl. Not me. But I gave him an answer anyways.
"Well, I'm living with some people right now," I said.
"With your parents?"
"No, Mister. My twin sister and I never got to see our parents. We live with Megurine-san at downtown Sapporo."
…
The man scratched his head.
"That's too sad."
…
"Then I'd have to call the orphanage then."
The orphanage?
If I can remember, Rin and I used to be in that orphanage. It was a very dull place to be in. You are surrounded with nothing but gray walls and everyday was a misery.
…
I wouldn't want that to happen to the poor little girl. She had gone through so much now. And she doesn't deserve this kind of misery.
Even if we just met today and she's still a total stranger to me, I felt that I need to do something.
…
...
...
I pushed my legs further as I broke into the flames.
I gathered the courage to say one last thing.
…
"I will take care of Miku-san."
Miku, I'll take care of you.
…