Little Angel ch.16

So, still in the hospital, how are Amane and Hikari going to deal with their news? And, how is the law going to play into this little soap opera? Lawl, I love talking like an announcer for a cartoon. Anyway, I'm sorry for any tears in the last chapter; this one's not as upsetting. P.S. the names I've used in this story that are Japanese do have some legit meaning to them, I promise you. Voilà!

The doctors were somewhat amused about Amane's, ah, reconstruction of their colleague's face. They were smart enough not let either him or the doctor which had run down the diagnosis to Amane earlier that afternoon back into the room. In fact, it was better that they had taken the rest of the day off.

When Amane appeared to have come out of her demonic I-will-skin-you-alive aura, a doctor came in and informed them that the chest pains that Hikari had been experiencing could have been in part to panic attacks and stress to the body as well as her mind.
"Um... We would like to have a therapist come in and analyze miss... Um..."
"Konohana. Konohana Hikari," Amane informed him.
"Konohana. If that is alright with the both of you. She is over age right?"
The pair fell silent.
"She's sixteen... Her step father raped her and I took her away from him after... A small encounter."
The doctor now took his turn into silence. If it was anything like she had done to his coworker, it'd be likely the damn fool would be ending up in here pretty soon too.
"So... She's not... Under your care?"
Are you saying I kidnapped her?
"No, she isn't. I was giving her a... Stable enviroment for a while."
There. Arrest me for that one.
"Do you know her um, primary residence address is?"
The doctor was making a visible effort to word this as gently as he could- Amane seemed to take pity on him for now, and relayed to him her address, and the apartment's address.
"For legal reasons, I have to ask, do you know the name of the man who-"
"His name is Jack," she spit out. "He's an American construction worker. He won't be hard to find."
He nodded and headed out.
Where was Yaya?
Hikari had given her the black-haired girl's number, and she sent a text to her, explaining who it was, where they were, and what happened.
Suddenly, yelling could be heard in at least two distinct voices.
Well, speak of the devil.
With loud stomps and swearing, the room door crashed in, Yaya barreling inside with Tsubomi right on her heels.
"Hikari! My poor blondie!"
She cradled Hikari's head, having enough sense not to touch anywhere lower, with the bubble-gum pink-haired girl on her opposite side. Amane remained quiet as she watched the three of them talk fervently, teary-eyed, in disarray, and then finally incoherently. Hikari, had tried her best and her longest to tell them what happened Saturday night. But, quickly, the trio was thrown into heart wrenching tears. The Rider stood up and, with sad eyes, continued where her lover left off.
"The worst of it though will heal... Mostly..."
"Mostly?" Yaya asked, her voice choking.
"Well... If she ever wanted... If Hikari ever wanted a family, the damage to her cervix makes it impossible."
"C-can't they fix it though?!" Tsubomi shot back, wiping her eyes.
You'd think. "Too risky..."
"Oh Hikari... You'd've made such cute little ones!"
This was such the wrong comment; it thrust the three of them back into tears, Amane washed over again with stony sadness. The couple had stayed through the night, doing the best they could to cheer up Hikari, until visiting hours closed. As they bid their goodbyes and the nurse who had been eyeing the room nervously made her way over.

As every night, she regretted this part of the shift... However, tonight would be the cruelest.
She knocked softly on the door and stepped solemnly inside.
"I-I suppose you know visiting hours are over, Miss Ootori..."
"Yeah, don't worry, her friends left already."
"Um... Well... Not... All of them..."
Amane and Hikari caught on at the same time.
"What? But I was the one who brought her here, and she has no one-"
Tears slipped down the nurse's cheek. She felt the presence of her supervisor behind her. She could always tell it was him- the whole floor would get colder. "Miss Ootori, I'm so sorry, but only family, spouses or guardians after hours-"
"I'm taking care of her aren't I? I've been watching her and providing for her since this happened! I might as well be!"
"I completely agree, but as long as you're not legally documented as a guardian, I'm afraid the law forbids me from letting you stay dear."
It broke the woman's heart to see the pain in their eyes. It was so cruel to tear them apart for even a second during this time, but there was nothing she could do short of losing her job and ending up with a fine. They needed each other right now, even if that couldn't be medically proven; tonight especially, they survived on each other.
"The doors open back up at six... It's a seven hour wait. It may seem a long time, but if you both get a good night's rest, it'll pass by like nothing."
Her words started to shake- the coldness crept closer. "I can wait to escort you out if you like, Ms. Ootori?"
"Alright... But just a moment."
The nurse nodded and shut the door. The coldness began to recede.

"I... I can't let you go... This is why I didn't want to come!" Tears streamed down the Rider's and her Angel's faces. "I... I..."
"Hikari... Maybe she's right. We get some sleep, and I'll be right back in here as soon as my watch says six. And, maybe some sleep will speed up your healing, too."
"Maybe... I just... I don't wanna fall asleep without your arms around me."
Amane looked at her lover with red-stained brown eyes. "I know, my angel. But... I hope... It's just one night."
She leaned down, holding Hikari's hands, and kissed her deeply one last time for the night, their tears intermingling.
"I love you Hikari," she said, as she slowly pulled away.
"I love you too Amane... Sleep tight, okay?"
"Yeah, you too Hikari... My little Angel."
They shared a brief smile before Hikari rolled over and Amane flicked off her light. The nurse had stood outside the door, and offered to lead the way. Amane felt a bit chilly in the main room, but shrugged it off.
The nurse stopped her just before they went into the lobby.
"I noticed your truck... It's um... Rather ah..."
"Poorly parked... Sorry, I was in a bit of rush."
"No no! That's understandable! Just um... You don't strike me as the person whose going to go home and come back, so... I found a spare pillow and blanket, there they are."
She walked over to a bench and retrieved a plain white set of a blanket and a pillow. "You're not the only to have slept in a hospital parking lot. We won't phone police, don't worry, just um... Try to pick a space, and the management should be fine deary."
Amane nodded and looked out at her truck, then back to the woman. "Thank you."
"I've been in your shoes dear. If it were up to me, you'd still be in that room."

Horrible, irrational fears plagued Amane as she tried in vain to catch some sleep. She pictured Hikari hopelessly lost in pain with no one to help her. It felt ridiculous, she knew that there was staff around at night, but this distance was overbearing. Not even half a block stood between them, and it still was too much.
This protectiveness wasn't new, but it had grown far more pronounced since Saturday night. It wasn't like flipping on a switch; it was like sending a higher voltage through a circuit, waking up others that were intertwined. Hikari was Amane sole purpose right now- she found herself sadly thinking less and less of Star Bright and training. The thought of competitions hadn't passed her mind once over the weekend, but surprisingly finding a job had. She wanted to start supporting a two person... Family? Well, more like "household," she reasoned. What defined a family?

When sleep finally overtook Amane, it came to her dreamless. Two birds chirped sadly outside, just another sad lullaby. Only a sense of nervousness remained, and rider hardly found real rest that night.

Beeps and clicks surrounded Hikari. She felt like these machines were going to enclose her, and she would never leave. This fear is what partly kept her from coming in the first place. Already, she had grown accustomed to Amane's strong arms holding her in the night, and now without them, she found it impossibly cold and frightening. Her body refused to slow down into the lull of sleep until a point of exhaustion beat it out. The knowledge that Amane would be there in the morning was her only hope to actually drift off into sleep.

***

Alarms rang through the whole of Amane's small truck's cab, and she sprang right up. It was five till six. The bluenette quickly gathered the pillow and blanket lent to her and sprinted up to the "visitor only" doors. Soon, a new face approached her and unlocked them, nodding her in. Her nervousness unsettled the Rider. Was everything okay?
"She didn't sleep well last night." Well hell, no one could.
Amane grew more worried. "Is she okay?"
"Oh, over all from yesterday, yes, she's okay. She was probably just scared and lonely."
Amane sighed and hung her head. She was so close, and so far... And what was worse is it hurt Hikari just as badly as it had herself.
They walked the rest of the way silently to her room, where the dark lights and dim sunrise revealed a poor shaking girl in the midst of a storm of strewn away bed sheets. Amane spun to the nurse, who quickly said, "She'd been tossing around all night. We kept putting them back for her shivers, but they kept coming off."
Disheartened and upset, the lady left Amane on her own. As the door shut, Hikari's eyes fluttered, and then brightened upon seeing Amane standing there.
"Amane..."
"Good morning sweetheart," Amane said, feeling a little more upbeat. "How'd you sleep?"
The blonde gave a low giggle. "Only about as good as you look."
Amane smirked. "Gee, thanks hun."
The Rider edged towards the bed, not sure if the pressure from sitting on it would move Hikari uncomfortably. But, the younger girl patted the space next to her, and looked at Amane like a cute puppy she wanted to snuggle up with. With a goofy looking grin, Amane took the spot and took Hikari's hands in her own. They swam in each other's eyes before pulling themselves closer into a warm kiss. They rested their heads on the other's, tracing the opposite pair of lips with their fingers. It felt so peaceful to be so close to each other again. It was like a fluid filled them and their hearts until they felt like bursting.
"So..."
"So..," Hikari giggled, not knowing really what to say. Her fingers still traced the contours of Amane's smooth lips, and looked into Amane's deep, bright brown eyes. They fascinated her, to be such a dark color, but shine in their hue. Amane was incredibly gifted in her genes; there was no way to deny it. Her small fingers slowed moved up her cheek, and brushed a piece of stray blue hair behind her ear, which she took great joy in playing with.
"Haha, you having fun there, Hikari?"
"Yes, actually! They're so cute and round!"
The Rider chuckled and rolled her eyes. Only Hikari could like ears. Well, her ears, anyway. "So are yours, deary."
"Mine have a box-y shape. Yours are completely round," she retorted. They continued gazing into each other until a knock of the door startled them apart. Amane was instantly up and a good two feet from the bed, completely red faced, as a nurse came in to give Hikari some pain killers. Amane wasn't sure how she felt about it, but whatever Hikari needed, she should have, she reasoned. As they left, a man in blue scrubs motioned in another with a tan shirt and black pants to replace her.
"Hello, I'm here to evaluate Ms. Konohana. My name is Dr. Osamu, and I believe you already know I'm the therapist," he didn't have much impression in his voice, more like it was just another day another job to get through. He spun on his heel to face Amane. "You must be Ms. Ootori. Wait, yes, I recognize you now, congratulations on your last win."
"Thank you." It was a quick reply.
"For this evaluation, I'll need to have Hikari alone. I'll let you know when you can come back."
Really? I need to leave AGAIN? Amane struggled not to let anger get the best of her again. She nodded to him and turned to Hikari. "I'll be right outside, love." She quickly bent over to kiss her nose, and got up to see Osamu's face a little twisted, but she thought nothing further of it. It was probably safer that way for the man. As the door shut behind her, she almost immediately got the feeling it would be another long day.

Huh... I've been kinda violent lately. Amane was reflecting on her aggression during the last week, off the track of course. When she felt herself getting more protective of Hikari, she noticed that she was more willing to fight. That fucking bastard Jack... I wonder if I killed him, it would have been ruled temporary insanity... The doctor, too, had been another victim of the Rider's wrath, and the poor fool who delivered Hikari's diagnosis. At least she hadn't hit him.
After what seemed over hours of waiting- realistically, just half of one- the door opened and she walked inside. Hikari had her head held down, and the bluenette rushed to her side, her muscles tensed.
"I'm diagnosing Hikari so far with depression and proneness to anxiety. She started having a meltdown during our session, which is why I opened the door. You seem to have a calming effect on her."
Hikari's heart monitor showed a bit of a quickened pace that was slowing gradually, and Amane had a feeling it had been much higher. She now felt slight trembles in her arms and noticed Hikari trying to take deep breaths.
"Dr. Osamu, she already has breathing problems, should I-"
"I already sent for them."
Speak of the devil- his words no sooner left his mouth than a team of nurses flooded the small spaced room, shoving Amane and the therapist out. They stood awkwardly next to each other in the hall.
"So... Um..."
"Yes, well... Overall, Hikari's trauma it's treatable. I would recommend though, when she's physically sound, that she spend a lot of time in the sun. She loves that horse of yours. Until then, I'm going to write a prescription of some mild depression and anxiety pills for her."
Jeez, is it law for this guy to talk in monotone redundancy? Amane surprised herself- one, she never liked to judge people, two, she never used overly fancy words like that. It made her feel... Hmm... I guess like a smart ass?
"Well, arigato Doctor."
"My pleasure," and with that he simply turned away, and the door once more opened with nurses neatly filing out. One turned to nod her in, and promptly stepped aside. Amane returned to Hikari's side and gently put her arms around the small girl, who snuggled into the embrace.
"Hi there"
"Hello, sweetheart."
A brief glance and a chaste kiss passed between them. Hikari looked drowsy, and her eyes were drooping slightly. Amane chuckled, kissed her forehead, and combed her fingers through her hair. "Go to sleep little one. I'll stay right here."
Hikari turned to look up at her. She didn't want to argue- she was having a hard time staying awake. "Promise?"
"Promise," she said with a smile.
So, with a small squeeze, Hikari slid into a soft slumber, and to her surprise, Amane was quick to follow.
And once again the Prince and her princess fell asleep safe and assured in each other's arms.