CHAPTER 24
I do not own skip beat! Yoshiki Nakamura does.
New beginning can be ignited by horrendous events-part 3-
Intro: So first of all. I'm sorry it hurt so much of you that I took this path. Just know that I didn't take it rashly or to make dramatic or something like that. I had serious reasons to address this. I unfortunately can't explain it right now without disclosing too much of my future plot. Still, as I said in the post-script of the last chapter. This darker part isn't the point of the story but just one hurdle, one, one hardship that Kyoko will met. Ah, it doesn't necessarily mean there would lots and lots of them, just that, you know, in life, a person often meet several trials along his life. Not all of them are dark, or bad or even hard to overcome. But there are trials, always, in life.
And that will be one of them for Kyoko. I don't plan to make a dark story for now on, I'm still planning to go on romance, evolving and sometimes angst. But not too dark.
Now, it was addressed to me that approaching topics such as sexual assault or violence could be uncomfortable for some readers. I'm not going to change what I planned but I can understand that some subjects aren't easy to read for people.
And as I couldn't really put it in the resume as it isn't and won't be one of the main topic, I decided that I would give pointers.
So for now on, I will put a warning in BOLD when a part of chapter or a complete chapter is about things such as sexual violence, the process of healing for such assaults and abuses, flashbacks of such things. I will go back on the previous chapter soon to put the warnings too. I'm not planning something that hard again on this topic normally but there is the after part of dealing with it that I'm about to start in this chapter and I've been said that the process of the after can be hard to read too.
Second, I will a put a warning in BOLD AND ITALIC if the paragraph to come is about violence. Physical violence. So that is those people don't want to read those parts, they could skip it and would still be able to read the other parts of the story.
That being said, we will go back to sweeter zones soon and I hope you will still enjoy this chapter.
Warning: you are about to read a scene depicting in one way or another something related to sexual assault or the aftermath of it, if you don't want to, skip to the next bold line stating the end of the scene.
Kyoko didn't know how much time she stayed there, immobile on the concrete, under the tunnel but her left arm hurt like an infuriating hell and her right arm was waking up though the pain sensibly less potent. Her head backward to watch the feeble light coming from the night sky at the end of one side of the tunnel she was bothered by the humid pavement which felt cold and a bit uncomfortable under her naked legs.
She twitched in realisation.
My legs. I can feel my legs.
But why? One hour ago, she couldn't. And why her left arm had been nearly the only thing she still could feel at that time? It didn't make sense.
A chill ran down her uncovered body.
It's cold. Very cold.
Her thoughts escaped her.
She couldn't remember why she had to move. Why couldn't she stay there until the end of time?
But-
Somehow she knew.
She knew she couldn't. Couldn't stay there. She had to move.
Time passed. Without disruption or relevance to her.
Tingling erupted at the surface of her legs little by little as cold progressed and seized her.
She had to find the force to move. She couldn't remember why but it was important.
Slowly, slowly. She thought about it. The idea twirling and twirling in her numb mind until she materialised the thought into action and her toes stirred.
After several tentative, she managed to push against her right arm until she was nearly sitting.
One thing after another, she focused on one thought at a time.
It's too cold. I can't get colder.
Again, through trembling moves, she pushed until the idea make her members move and holding her aching left arm against her torso, she grabbed the bundle of her jeans at her ankles and attempted to cover herself again.
Her breath was harsh, ragged, every effort tiring her and making her bump her harmed other appendage for each time she rolled up her jeans a bit more on her half-numb legs.
Eventually though, her jeans were finally encasing her legs and she clutched her jacket around her with one arm and tried to zip it up.
Finally dressed, she drew near her legs to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees and sighed, exhausted.
Again; time elapsed. Without her awareness of it.
She lift the chin and observed cars after cars driving by on the road at the out and above of the tunnel.
Shivering more and more violently, she waveringly stood, pushing with unease on her finally awoken legs.
She made one step. And another. And again.
And wobbling at each move she achingly made her way to the road, scrambling to half-climb-half-crawl the incline to reach the road.
She watched the vehicles passing by for a while, lost in oblivion until the pain at her left arm made itself more present again and she looked at it with wonder. It was bleeding. A lot. It wasn't running in an overflowing way though. More like a steady drop-pattern. Drop.
Drop. Drop. Drop.
She tilted her head. It seemed like an open-wound.
One that could infect itself if not sew back.
Right. It needed stitching.
A new thought to focus on. As long as she didn't think about the past, she would be okay.
She needed stitches.
Stitches.
She turned her head from sides to sides and its start to pound.
She tried again but just attempted to whistle a car.
No success either. Her vocal cords didn't seem to want to work right now.
No other option at hand, she raised her right arm in the air in hope someone would see it.
But minutes ticked by and this arm though less hurts was still going to tire itself pretty fast.
Giving up, she resigned herself to walk when a cab suddenly pulled up on the road side just a few meters away from her.
She achieved to cross the distance separating her from the car and her wobbling legs gave out a bit when she finally reached it and laid her hand on the passage door of the backside. She supported her on the cab door and arduously opened the door with her fingers before crawling inside and sprawled her worn out body on the backseat.
The driver looked anxiously at her.
-Are you okay, miss?
-Just tired she managed to get out after a minute, shaking tremendously.
He scrutinized her with growing worry and his eyes bulged out of his orbits when he saw her bleeding.
She grimaced a constricted smile and breathed out:
-Cou-…could you bring me-..to the hos-..hospital, please?
-Right away, miss the driver said with panic edging in his voice and the car kicked off as it was on fire.
…
When she reached the hospital, she dragged herself on her painful legs on the parking lot until she saw the emergency section. Though her low members were finally and oddly back to function, they hurt a lot now that they were awoke. She had inspected them and did not see wounds or blood but in her fuzzy mind she could have missed something.
When she entered the facility, she supported herself on a wall and closed her eyes for a second. Her legs were functioning but they were sore and it strained them to move, her left arm was really starting to go evil and her head was pounding strongly and she couldn't figure out why.
She was starting to fall asleep in this position when someone came to bother her.
After that, it was a bit blurry.
She recollected being conducted to a bed hospital, being exanimated, getting more than half a dozen stitches on the left arm and two on her right, getting a perfusion for a short time then it being removed and getting a shot from another needle.
The rest was lost in comes and go in the form of white hospital blouses.
But after a little more time, her mind begin to clear up and she realised she was able to focus again.
It wasn't an happy realisation though as everything that happened came back to her and she vomited in the trashcan.
-I see someone emerged from her daze spoke a doctor when he came in. The adrenaline shot seemed to have worked.
He put a light in her eyes and observed her closely for a while.
-Can you tell me what happened or what do you remember of it? The doctor softly demanded.
Kyoko turned her head aside and the doctor brought his hand to her shoulder to make her turn back to him.
She jumped in the air in terror.
-DON'T TOUCH ME!
He raised his hands in appeasement and looked at her with renew softness.
-Okay. I won't. Now, can you tell me?
She shook her head.
The clinician sighed.
-Do you know you had been drugged?
Kyoko turned to him with interrogation.
He smiled, glad he had her attention focus of something and explained.
-When you came, your two arms are wounds that needed stitching, your legs were operation oddly, your nose was bleeding and you were like absent. Barely conscious of your environment, of where you were. Did someone make you aspirated something? Nose or mouth.
Kyoko shook her head, ready to negate when her face crinkled in concentration.
-I think…it might have happened. Someone put a cloth on my nose.
The doctor nodded, at least reassured she didn't have any hidden illness that caused the bleeding of the nose.
-Do you know what it was?
She didn't know and she told him so.
-After a nurse saw you, we took you to stitch you back, gave you sugar by intravenous and we did a blood test, it's the normal procedure. We don't have every details of it of course, it would take more days but drugs are something easily detectable in blood. You had traces of Ketamine.
-I- don't know what it does mumble Kyoko.
The doctor sat on a chair at the other side of a room.
-Well, it does can provoke bleeding nose. But it's the nicest symptom of all. You can also have trouble talking.
Kyoko blinked.
-I see it rang a bell. With high dose you can also experiment dissociation and the disappearing of corporal sensations. You can feel like you aren't in your body anymore.
-What exactly does it mean? She asked in a mix of furore and fear even if she kind of already knew.
-It means you can troubles in motors function like moving your members, you can feel paralyzed. Did you experience any of those symptoms?
Kyoko nodded feebly, her eyes large with recognition of those.
That's why my legs were paralyzed…
-Well, the good new if with time passing and the adrenaline shot, the drug must not have any effect anymore, now. But you might feel a bit stiff for a few more hours and I would like to keep you for a few days if-
-No!
She couldn't stay. She didn't to stay here in this building full of strangers. She had to leave.
-Young girl, you just experienced a traumatism and you are wounded, you should take it easy and-
-No repeated Kyoko. Please she asked.
And even if I wanted to, I don't have the money for a stay in…
-Fine the doctor reluctantly agreed. But you're going to stay another hour at least and then you will sign me a release statement.
She nodded vigorously and her head pounded again.
-You need to rest. You will have painkillers for your arms and head, creams and dressing changes provided when you will leave.
-Okay.
The doctor turned to leave but Kyoko hold him.
-Doctor, could I see some gynaecologist please? Kyoko demanded shaking wildly and already regretting to have asked.
-I will send you one right away the clinician answered with pitiful eyes staring at her and Kyoko shifted her gaze again.
I shouldn't have asked. I don't want to talk. I don't even want to think about it.
But-…The only idea I could…
If I were to get an illness from those men…I couldn't forgive myself…
Bile rose again and Kyoko contained another bout of nausea. But barely.
She waited anxiously, only thinking about the person she would meet to no think about something else.
Fifteen minutes later a middle-aged woman with wrinkles everywhere on the face and a warm compassionate expression came in before closing the door.
-Hi miss.
-Hi.
-Yadehi-sensei said you wanted to see me she said. What can I do for you? She very gently asked.
Quaking violently in remembrance, Kyoko breathed in and out a few times and before getting discouraged just dropped the words at the woman doctor feet:
-I was raped.
The woman nodded.
-We are going to proceed a battery of tests if you are okay with it but first I need you to answer some questions.
-I don't want to talk about it Kyoko whispered.
-You won't have to. No directly at least. From your wounds only, I can already conclude there was violence. And the first test showed someone drugged you. I have only three questions that can be answered on a paper I will give to you later.
Kyoko replied to the two first ones diligently though a bit detached but then came the last one.
-Do you know if protection was used?
Kyoko opened her mouth to answer but couldn't find anything to say.
-I-do..n't-...kn..ow. It's too blurred but I wouldn't be able to tell anyway she admitted. I didn't h-
-You didn't have previous experience.
She nodded weakly.
-My poor thing. Do you mind if I sit with you?
She shook the head and the gynaecologist sat near her.
-If I'm acting this question it's because there is pro and cons depending on your reply.
Confused Kyoko looked at her and the woman took her in a light hug.
-You see, if protection was used and correctly, the risks of sexual illnesses or pregnancy would be nearly void but if there wasn't protection, there is a lot more chance to identify the bastards who did this.
Kyoko nodded understanding the issue.
-So?
-So explained the doctor, beside the other tests, I need to take a smear.
Kyoko's eyes grew in fear but she finally replied:
-Only if it's you.
-Okay then. . And when you will come back, bring me the clothes you are currently wearing. Don't wash them.
One more hour passed until all the tests were eventually done. It was two in the morning.
-You will need to come back in three weeks to check some things and removed your stitches said doctor Yadehi while giving her a package with meds and dressing changes.
-There is also a number added the doctor seeing Kyoko observing the package and waiting for her to raise her head. Once that done he continued:
-If you want to talk to someone.
End of warning( there might other warnings later, hope the little bit left from this chapter is okay to be out of the warnings)
She nodded distantly and left the hospital.
She couldn't stand the crowd any more minute. She was feeling more and more anxious and felt like someone was creeping around all the time.
Too much people, too much strangers, too much danger.
She got out as quickly as she could and got drenched instantly. It was pouring heavily outside and the cold came back. And with it, the bad memories.
Kyoko tried to hail a cab under the curtain of rain and after a while, one finally saw her sign and stopped near her. She climbed in sloppily and let her body dropped on the backseat once again.
She knew she shouldn't do that. It was half past two.
But she did.
She gave an address.
…
When the cab halted in front of the private basement, her stress had grown exponentially on the duration of the drive. Countless thoughts had been running around for the first part of it all circling around the idea she was going to be a bother.
But then-
She had felt dizzy again and her brain shifted in a renew haze. The pain was also resurfacing in every parts of her body and she supposed the effects of the painkillers and adrenaline were dissipating.
She hold her disgruntling arm against her drenched figure with the help of a sling and extricated herself from the narrow backseat.
-Miss? Called out the driver. The money, please.
She stared at him, lost.
-I know you just get out of hospital but I would like to be paid.
Realisation hit her and she started to bow in apology until she got nauseous again and stopped.
Focus! Focus! You can break later. Tomorrow maybe. Focus!
-I'm sorry sir. I lost my wallet in some events, I think. Can you make me a bill and an account I will pay later.
The driver frowned then sighed and eased a bit.
-I'm sorry miss. I can see you are not in your right mind and you went through a lot but my company doesn't allow me that.
Kyoko relied on the car's side again. That was too much.
My brain can't seem to understand completely.
I don't like it…But I don't have much of a choice.
-I-I-I'm going to see someone. In there, Kyoko pointed the sombre modern high building. I can ask him an-.. ad-vance and pay you…If you can wait a bit.
The driver agreed.
But when she got inside, she crossed path with the security guard and hesitated for a second.
I could rather ask him.
But then, his phone rang and she gave up.
She made it through the parking lot and proceeded into the hall.
No more. I just want to sleep…But I can't.
The monsters are lurking in the dark ready to jump at my mind if I get weak.
The night wouldn't come to an end and her members were shaking under the effort she pulled to stay standing and conscious.
Only one think remained in her mind: To attain the door.
She dragged her body forward, trembling step after step. The cold had seeped through her wet clothes and her toes felt numb, her vision was becoming darker and little stars danced in front of her pupils for an instant.
She misstep and hit the wall on the right but didn't even bother correcting her standing and slide her body heavily on it while she advanced, encouraged only by her goal coming closer.
When Kyoko was finally in front of the door, her body banged on it and she made one last effort to knock and ring at it.
Safe…soon…I'll be safe.
The door creaked open.
PS:
Finally finished the darkest part. God, I'm relieved.
So, if I'm not wrong there won't any more chapters that dark in the future. And it was the last one for the part one of story as promised.
We go back to what it was before. It should have three more chapters before the end of the part. I know, I already said that. But I had more to tell that I thought about to stay coherent.
Kaname671: See, the story will go back to a softer place. I'm a big fluffed animal, don't worry, I don't like too dark stories.( I can't even watch horrors films)
Persephone Jinmi: I wonder what you think about this, I don't know if you still read this story as you didn't comment for a while but if you are I would happy to have your thoughts on it.
Enolaisa: thanks for all your comments.
Oral1168: Thanks to Google translation I could understand your message. My knowledge of Spanish is low and old XD.
I'm glad you like it. You are right, I thought I should have wait to post the precedent chapter that I would have written more of the next ones to not let of all of you suffer. About the matter of her getting her happiness, don't worry even though I think there can be lot of trials in life, I believe in happy endings so there will be one. But it won't be right away. My story is a long one. Thank you for your kind words.
Everyone: I know people are wondering who is her father now and speculating the worse or its best friend but come on, I'm not that cruel. Well, not on that part anyway. I've started next chapter already so with a bit of chance you will have it soon.
Kisses.
Reviews are deeply adored.
Mimagfan.