Since this chapter features Tsukishima's mother, I'm giving her a name. The name is (as far as I know) not canon.
Also, I actually almost cried while writing this, so here is my gift to you - all my real people emotions XD
Lunar Eclipse
Chapter Four
"It's fine. Suga is walking with me. No, I don't know anything about Yamaguchi's father. Yes, we'll be home within the next twenty minutes."
...
Sirens. Voices, yelling. A blinding, neon white light distorts the scene. Faint images can be picked out from the glare - large furniture structures, large doors - and several blurred people, some walking, some running, some standing, but one kneeling... and one lying completely still.
The hyper-illuminated scene is suddenly tinged with red as the point of view shifts down toward the floor, now from the eyes of the kneeling figure. The figure lying on the floor has stopped moving, a small red shape adorning its body and quickly growing larger. Other, larger figures suddenly crowd the kneeling figure and the one who is still.
"Sir, I need you to move. We need to do our jobs."
"Excuse me young man..."
"Get that kid out of here, now!"
"Someone get me a read on this kid's vitals!"
"Did anyone catch a good look at that guy?"
"Hey, is he okay?"
"Move!"
"Move!"
"Move!"
Sugawara!
"Sugawara." The voice was Ukai's. The aforementioned setter snapped his head to face Ukai and gave the coach a hard stare.
"Sugawara, what happened? Talk to me."
They were still in Ukai's car, parked in what he assumed to be Tsukishima's driveway. It was still nighttime. The rain had stopped. The world was still exactly the way it had been minutes ago.
Ukai took Sugawara's silence as a hint to get him moving. It was clear from his passenger's solid, far away stare that his mind was miles away from the present moment. He's probably thinking about the incident. Shit. He needed to get him saying things. Out loud. It was the only way...Of course, Ukai was not a psychologist, and had never been through anything this traumatic himself, so for all he knew, he could be making it worse by forcing him talk to the victim's parents immediately following the incident.
Incident. He kept calling it that. He kept mentally calling Tsukishima the victim. Why couldn't he get it through his thick head that Tsukishima wasn't a statistic? That he was a breathing human being, one with a soul, with dreams and a beating heart? He'd coached the kid for god's sake. Maybe Sugawara's mindset was contagious... No. That couldn't be it. Sugawara seemed to be too familiar with what was happening - trapped in it. Ukai was using what he'd remembered an old teacher call distancing language, not referring to the person in question by name, making them a number instead of a living being. The coach and his player were on opposite sides of the spectrum. While Sugawara was drowning in his pain, Ukai was running screaming from the shore.
"We need to go inside, Sugawara."
"No. Not with them there."
For the first time, Ukai noticed the cop car sitting in the driveway, only a few feet away from his own vehicle. Sugawara had probably just gotten done talking to them when he'd called...it made sense if they'd come straight here to tell the parents.
"Well, why not? You've talked to them already, right? And the incident wasn't your fault."
"Because...because I think I'm vulnerable...in a way." It was a hard thing for Sugawara to really place his finger on. He felt like he was five years old again, holding his mother's hand in the grocery store, hiding from the scary-looking strangers around him.
"Sugawara," Ukai began. He unbuckled his seat belt and placed his hands firmly on the young man's shoulders, the now slightly damp blanket hanging off them like a towel soaking up the sweat of a mid-summer practice.
"They're in there going through the same thing you are. They're scared, and they're confused, and they need the compassion just like you do. Please. Be the bigger man, and don't give in to this...whatever the hell it is that you're so absorbed in, okay? You are not the only one who feels like they're drowning. I'd bet the store on the fact that Tsukishima's family has it pretty rough in there right now."
For the first time all night, Sugawara seemed to be pondering what Ukai was saying, without letting it simply slide over him like the rain dripping from his brow.
"Okay."
Warm quiet light adds a late-night glow to the half-asleep living room. It contains two people. One, a soft-haired, and soft-hearted young man, sitting on a couch, leaning forward, his hands folded on his knees, as he stares past the walls of the room that has become his prison. Two, an older woman with the same soft hair, pacing back and forth, trapped in the rut in which her situation has put her. She speaks, and the young man finally turns to her.
"Kei hasn't come home, yet."
"I know, mom." he replies, his voice tinged by a somewhat uncharacteristic forlorn quality.
Akiteru Tsukishima is trapped in his living room. He has been sitting with his mother for the last twenty minutes, frozen to this spot on the couch, awaiting any information that would ease their pain. He had come home from his job earlier to find that his little brother's volleyball team was having a late night practice to prepare for nationals. This was normal. However, it was now well past 12:30 in the morning and said little brother wasn't home yet. This was not.
"Did he say anything about staying with Tadashi?" the woman asked. The young man sighed. He was tired. He'd worked an eight-hour shift after waking up at 6am, and had a volleyball game with the Neighborhood Association after that. Not to mention he hadn't eaten anything since his lunch break hours ago. His exhaustion was exacerbating his fear and the creeping sensation growing in the back of his mind, telling him that there was a very real chance that something serious could have happened to Kei. He needed to be strong. Solid. As the current man of the house, he needed to be a man, even if it was just so his mother wouldn't fall apart.
"He hasn't told me anything," he replied, forcing as much fear out of his voice as he could.
Amaya Tsukishima was a total mess. When her husband had first told her that his new job meant he'd be working internationally for most of the year, her first reaction was fear. How would she raise two teenage boys essentially on her own? She never knew how to be stern, and she certainly didn't know how to get in the middle of Kei and Akiteru's fights, especially after what happened between them when Akiteru was in high school. Her husband had always been good at that, though she supposed it may have bred unresolved anger toward him. Kei and Akiteru never did seem to be too fond of their father, which she supposed was understandable, though it turned something inside her, in the back of her mind, or perhaps in the bottom of her stomach. Her husband was almost never around, and when he was, he was yelling at them. But he loved them just as much as he loved her. She was sure of it. They just never really experienced the softer, more passionate side of the stern, formal businessman that she had.
She wished he was here to handle this now. She didn't know what to do. Kei had told her almost an hour ago that he'd be home in about twenty minutes. What if something happened? If something was wrong? Her husband was stronger. He'd know what to do. She paced around her living room some more.
Akiteru looked at his watch. It had been just over forty-five since Kei said he'd be home in twenty. He tried not to let the fear overcome his logic. There are plenty of reasons why a person would arrive much later than expected. For example, maybe he and Sugawara had to stop somewhere else. Or maybe they dropped Sugawara off first. There was no need for him to lose his head about it. Still... there was an unshakable feeling nagging at the back of his mind...
"Maybe he and Sugawara stopped somewhere else?" There was a pause, where Amaya had turned her face away from Akiteru.
"I'm calling him again."
She picked up her cell phone from the coffee table and dialed her son's cell number. It rang for what seemed like several minutes, and then went to voicemail.
"It's ringing, so the battery isn't dead. But he's not picking up. What if something's wrong?"
"Or he could have lost it somewhere. Or he just doesn't want to talk to you. You know how he can be. He's the spitting image of dad."
Amaya gave him a mixed stare.
"Your father's really not that bad," she said, "He just can't express himself very well." Akiteru said nothing.
"Akiteru, honey, please don't do this now," she continued, "Your father loves you boys more than life itself."
Akiteru didn't reply. He didn't want to admit that sometimes, when he was alone in his room with the oppressive darkness of the night encompassing him, he still felt that his brother's attitude was entirely his fault.
Amaya called Kei again after a several more minutes, with the same result. When she pulled the phone away from her face, Akiteru could see the split second of pain, before fear overcame her features once again. She stayed that way for several seconds without speaking. Finally...
"I'm calling the police."
"Mom - "
"Akiteru, this is serious. You're brother's practice ended almost two hours ago, and we haven't heard from him for at least one. No, Kei doesn't tell me everything, but he's never just not come home. I'm calling the police. If I'm worrying for nothing, then there's no downside to being sure."
"...Okay."
Amaya Tsukishima pressed a few buttons on her phone and put it up to her face once again.
Sugawara and Ukai stood at the Tsukishimas' doorstep. Without thinking, Sugawara focused his hearing, trying to see if he could hear crying coming from inside the house. He stopped when he realized what he was doing, mentally chastising himself in the process. This was their time to come to terms with the situation. It wasn't his place to barge in, even if he was curious as to the effects of his negligence.
"Are you ready?" Ukai asked him gently.
Sugawara simply nodded, trying his best to hide as much nervous energy as he could from his face.
Ukai knocked on the door.
There was a knock at the door.
"Who would be at the door at this hour? The police? Maybe they're finally getting back to us." Akiteru asked, staring down at his watch. It was almost 2am. It had been over an hour since his mother had reported Kei as missing. They told her they'd keep an eye out, search the area for suspicious activity, but not much else. Was Kei just now coming home, fully prepared for an earful from his mother about the dangers of staying out late? Or was it someone else, dreading to deliver some unbearable news?
"Maybe it's Kei." his mother announced, allowing the barest hint of hope leak into her voice. She went to the kitchen and opened the door.
She did not find her youngest son standing in the doorway, but rather a local police officer, wearing an expression she tried to think of as anything but what it was - solemn, and filled to the brim with pity. She let the words escape her before she knew what they were.
"Oh, god."
"Excuse me ma'am, are you Mrs. Amaya Tsukishima?" He asked. She swallowed hard and replied, the weakness of her voice bleeding into her words.
"Yes. Yes, I am."
"Mrs. Tsukishima, My name is Officer Hashimoto. I have some news regarding your son, Kei. May I come in?" She slowly and silently nodded, stepping aside and allowing him, and the news he carried, passage into her home. It was at that moment Akiteru entered the kitchen.
"Hello, sir." The group moved to the living room. The officer followed the Tsukishimas, taking his seat in an armchair across from Akiteru and Amaya, who took their seats on the couch.
"Ma'am, you called us an hour ago to report your son Kei missing because he hadn't come home. Is that correct?" Amaya nodded her head.
"I spent most of my last two hours at a crime scene, ma'am, I want you to understand that. A man attempted to rob a convenience store at gunpoint a few streets from here."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Ma'am, your son was involved in the incident." Amaya could feel her blood pressure skyrocket at the officer's words. Something was wrong. Alarm bells went off in her mind, their mental noise clouding her senses, ringing in her ears.
"My son...was...?"
"The suspect fired only one shot before we were called to the scene and put an end to the situation. However, that one shot did make contact." Hashimoto paused, gathering himself.
Amaya knew what was coming. Her brain ran, reeling, taking her as far from her living room as it could possibly manage. Her conscious mind fought back, fighting desperately to stay connected, to hear what she needed to hear. The words needed to be quick. They needed to be solid. The situation needed to be real for her to face it.
"Mrs. Tsukishima, the suspect shot Kei before fleeing the scene."
That was all she needed to hear before she emotionally collapsed. She was assaulted by images from Kei's childhood. She went back to that day, sixteen years ago, when she held her baby boy in her arms for the first time, blond hair in a swirled mess on his head, and stormy grey-blue eyes, soon to morph into the honey-brown she would recognize from across a room. She felt him squirm in her embrace, his tiny lungs producing soft cries as his eyes darted around the room, eager to take in their surroundings.
"Honey, he looks like you," she whispered, joy enveloping her heart.
"Yes he does. But he has your spirit." Amaya paused, unable to take her eyes off her beautiful son.
"Let's name him Kei." Her husband looked at her with confusion.
"Why Kei?"
"Because even though he may be of the moon, he is not without his own light."
As it turned out, Kei had grown up a lot like both of them. Most days, he had his father's strength, firm and unmoving, concealed under a calm exterior that protected his vulnerable emotions. However, every now and again when he was comfortable, such as when he discussed volleyball with Akiteru, his eyes brightened, his walls lowered, and his mother's softness shone through. Amaya forced herself back into reality.
When she returned to the present, she realized she was crying. She hadn't felt the salt-soaked liquid begin to caress her skin, but there it was. Her chest was tight, and she felt like she couldn't breathe, that it didn't matter how much air she took in, that there would never be enough oxygen. She couldn't lose him now. He had so much life left to live.
"Officer, please..." the distraught mother choked, hoping beyond reason for something to cling to, "Tell me... Is Kei dead? Please... is my little boy dead?" How much hope am I allowed to have?
"No," Hashimoto said, "Kei survived the injury. He was brought to Miyagi General Hospital by ambulance a little over an hour ago. He's in surgery now, but I'm going to be frank with you, Mrs. Tsukishima. He isn't out of the woods. It is still very possible your son could die during surgery." Amaya took in a deep breath, letting it wash over her whole being before speaking again.
"Okay. Thank-you for your honesty." A new voice interrupted the conversation.
"If you'll excuse me, mom, officer. I need a minute."
Amaya hadn't realized Akiteru had been so silent. The young man stood from his place on the couch, and left in the direction of his bedroom.
There was a knock at the door.
Phew. That was a doozy. Please let me know of any criticisms you may have, it helps me a lot :)