**JOSUKE'S POV**
It's…cold
So…cold…and dark.
…
Am…I dead?
…
…
Where am I?
I opened my eyes. No. Something pried my eyes open. Someone.
Above me were my two friends, Okuyasu and Koichi.
They both look worried. They're speaking, but I can't hear them.
I could feel my body being shaken.
Why?
Wait…Where's Kuroko?
I felt warm hands turn my head sideways.
There she was.
Lying next to me.
Silently.
Wait…why is her sweater red? Wasn't it white before?
Why isn't she moving?
Why are Jotaro's hands on top of her?
Why is the ground below her red?
Then, everything clicked.
Her sweater was white before.
That's her blood.
She's bleeding out on the floor.
KUROKO!
I tried moving my mouth.
Nothing.
I tried moving my fingers.
Nothing.
I tried summoning my stand.
Nothing.
It was as if I was a doll in a museum, watching people walk past me.
Watching everything change before me.
I had to watch Kuroko's lifeless body lay on the ground.
And there was nothing I could do about it.
The crimson color underneath her began to grow as I struggled to do something, anything.
Nothing.
Four men wearing white uniforms entered my line of vision, bent down, and started touching her neck while another man placed an oxygen mask on her mouth. The third man then started compressing on her chest. A few moments later, she was placed on a white stretcher and started to move out of my sight.
Please don't take Kuro away! I can heal her!
Please…just let me save her life.
I felt warm hands touch my face
One of the men's hands rubbed my neck, and then my chest. I could feel my body being lifted, placed on a soft cushion, and moved away.
Please…let me save her.
…
My eyes peeled open to see a white ceiling. The light smell of disinfectant soap filled the air.
Was that just a bad dream?
As I slowly turned my head, I noticed a monitor showing a red digital line moving up and down.
A heart monitor.
I tried moving my toes and fingers. Although slow, I was successful. I pushed myself off the white bed to sit up and rubbed my eyes.
Looking out the window, the entire surrounding area was covered in a sheet of snow.
It wasn't snowing the last time I closed my eyes. How long have I been asleep?
In front of me was a white-board on the white-colored wall.
"Josuke Higashikata.
Age: 16
Room: 3D-17
Diet: Normal
Plans for today: N/A"
Wait…..that must mean I'm in a hospital. Then…it wasn't a bad dream. Everything was real! Kuro was injured! She was dying and I couldn't save her! I need to get to her!
I heard someone knock on the door. A female nurse came into my room with a clipboard in her arms. "How are you Josuke Higashikata? You're finally awake."
"Where's Kuro?!" I yelled. "I need to know where she is!"
The nurse raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but who?"
"Kuroko Izumi. Where is she?! Please! Tell me!" I pushed myself out of the bed, only for my legs to give up and fall onto the ground.
"Please calm down Josuke!" The nurse said. She placed her clipboard on the ground and kneeled down to help me back up on my feet. "Please rest! You just woke up. I came in here to check your vitals."
"I can't! You don't understand! I need to see my friend!"
The nurse let out a huge sigh. "Listen. If your friend is also in the hospital, you may visit them if permitted. However, please calm down. You've been asleep for three days and-"
"THREE DAYS?!"
The nurse looked down at her clipboard. "Around 70 hours." The nurse looked into my panicky eyes and frowned. "Do we need to do a psych evaluation?"
She's right. I need to calm down before I make my situation even worse. "N-no."
"Then let me take your vitals, ok?"
"…Fine."
I sat back on the bed while the nurse took out an oral thermometer. Without her telling me, I instinctively opened my mouth. She placed the thermometer under my tongue and a few seconds later, took it out and read the side. "37 C. That's perfect."
"What exactly happened to me?" I asked.
The nurse looked at her clipboard. "According to your charts, you were found in the snow unconscious. Some of your friends found you and an ambulance took you to the hospital. You were diagnosed and treated for hypothermia." The nurse lifted my white hospital shirt and placed the end of her stethoscope on my chest. I flinched from its coldness. "Your heartbeat sounds normal. Now breathe in and out."
I followed her orders as she moved the cold medal across my chest. She then removed the metal and jotted down more data on her clipboard. "And your breathing is normal as well. That's good. All of your charts are normal as well. We can discharge you this evening if you want."
"What about Kuroko Izumi?" I asked once more.
The nurse glared at me. "I do not know who you're talking about. I'm the nurse in charge of this wing. You need to see the receptionist at the front desk for other patient information."
"Great, thanks." I got up from the bed and headed towards the door, my legs actually working this time.
"Hold on! I'm not done yet!"
I don't care.
I need to go see Kuroko.
I rushed up to the receptionist's desk. "Do you know where Kuroko Izumi's is?"
The receptionist looked at me. "Kaneko's daughter? Yes. She's in room 1E-14, but right now she's not taking any vis-"
"Thank you!" I left without her having to finish her sentence.
What she has to say doesn't matter.
As long as I can see Kuro, everything will be ok.
Once I ran down the stairs, I finally got to the first floor and rushed towards the E wing, passing doctors and other patients. Once I got there, I saw a tall red-haired woman wearing a lab coat, leaning against the wall of Kuro's room.
Kuroko's mom.
She's back from Hokkaido.
Once our eyes met, she stood in front of the door with a scowl. "Not another step, Josuke Higashikata."
I stopped in my steps "Ms. Izumi, I-"
"I came back from my lectures in Hokkaido to find that my daughter almost died, and it's your fault?!"
She almost died? What the hell happened when I was asleep!? No. What happened before I fell asleep? I was driving down the road. I was going to take Kuro to the top of the hill near Rohan's house to see the aster flowers. But what happened after that? "No! It's not like that! Kuro and I,"
"Yes, I know. You two were in a motorcycle accident. You two went out in the middle of a blizzard! You came out fine, but my daughter is barely alive! She can't even breathe on her own! Do you know how it feels? To come back home and your daughter's on her death bed while her friend just walks away perfectly fine?" The doctor clenched her hands.
She's still alive. Thank god. then I can fix her with Crazy Diamond. "Dr. Izumi. I can help her! I can-"
"I don't even want to hear your voice right now Higashikata. I don't want to even look at you, and I'm sure neither does my daughter." She then turned around, having her back face me. "Please leave Higashikata."
"But!"
"LEAVE!" The receptionists and other doctors that where in the hallway were now staring at the two of us. "Leave or I'll ask security to escort you back to your room. Please, Higashikata." Her voice trembled at the end.
I can't just tell her that I have a magical ability to heal her. She wouldn't believe me.
I clenched my fist and lowered my head in defeat. "Fine."
I made my way back to my room upstairs.
I can't even heal her.
Kuroko Izumi.
The girl I love.
Once I got to my room and opened the door, my nephew was sitting on a guest chair in the corner, reading through a handful of files he had. I couldn't care less about his appearance or whatever he was reading. I got on my bed and silently pushed my knees up to my face and lowered my head.
"Josuke,"
"Leave me alone Jotaro. Now's not the time."
"Josuke, we need to talk."
"Did you not hear me?" I grabbed the pillow behind me and threw it at him with all my strength. "I said leave me alone dammit!"
My nephew caught the pillow with his hand and tossed it back on my bed. He looked me dead in the eyes. He wouldn't understand. My cold, emotionless nephew could never understand the mistake I made.
Jotaro sighed. "Good grief. Look. I'm not really good at this kind of thing." Jotaro got up and pulled the chair next to my bed. "Just tell me what's wrong."
For the past half-year I've known Jotaro, this was surprising. Unemotional, distant, stotic, so hearing that from him feels kind of weird. Comforting, but weird."…Dr. Izumi won't let me see Kuro. It's all my fault."
"Josuke, the two of you were attacked by a stand user, it's not-"
"Yes it is damnit!" Tears began to pour from my eyes. I could feel my breathing getting hitched. "Everything's my fault! I was the one that drove the motorcycle! I was the one that fell asleep! I was the one that couldn't protect her! Why…why am I the one who didn't get hurt…and now…and now I can't even see her anymore. My stand has the ability to heal people, and I can't even heal the girl I like."
Jotaro placed his hand on my shoulder. "Josuke, listen. On the day that everything happened, I talked to Kuroko. We found the two of you outside in the middle of a snowstorm. We took the two of you to Rohan's house for shelter. When she woke up, the first thing she wanted to know about was if you were OK. She cares about you, a lot." I could feel his hand rub my shoulders. "She doesn't blame you for anything. So, don't worry."
For the past five years I've known Kuroko, she's never been the type to hold a grudge. She did protect me after all. I just…I pray that this whole incident doesn't mess anything up, mainly our relationship. Screw confessing to her. Screw dating her.
I just want everything to stay the same.
Then, maybe, we can both move ahead from this stupid killer bullshit.
Jotaro stopped rubbing my back. "Do you remember anything that happened?"
"All I remember was driving up a hill. Then I woke up in the hospital"
"Were you being followed?" He asked. It felt like I was being interrogated for my mistakes.
"I don't think so. The road we were going up was narrow, and there were very few cars."
"Now that I think about it, it doesn't matter if you were being followed."
"Wait, why?"
Jotaro crossed his legs. "The person that hunted you down must be the same person that killed Yuki Agawa and Genji ito. There's no doubt about it. Both stand users died at the same time hundreds of kilometers apart. That means the stand user's range doesn't matter. But then…why did they come and attack you physically?"
"It had to be…to collect my body. My body wasn't taken away because Kuro protected me. But, if Kuro was defeated, then why am I still here? Why am I still alive?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out. I plan on questioning her once she wakes up."
I stared out the window. "…what happened to Kuroko?"
"…it's best that you don't know Josuke."
"Jotaro, please."
My nephew paused for a moment. "When we found her, she was stabbed multiple times. I struggled to keep her alive while we waited for an ambulance. I've overheard the nurses say that although still unconscious, she's stable for now, so don't worry."
I let out a sigh of relief. Jotaro is right. Even with this knowledge, it's not like I can see her, let alone heal her. "Ok."
Jotaro got up from the chair and started making his way towards the door. "Josuke, It's best to lay low for a bit. The killer failed to collect your heart. Go back to your daily routine and go back to school when you can. I have a feeling that things will only get more complicated from here."
He's right. Jotaro's always right.
My nephew then left my room, leaving me alone with my depressing thoughts.
Once the sun started to set, the nurse came into my room to check my vitals again and gave me paperwork to fill out for my discharge. She offered to push me out in a wheelchair but I declined. As the two of us walked through the hallway I could hear the other nurses and doctors whispering gossip about me.
"That's the boy that came with Kaneko's daughter."
"He looks like a delinquent. Of course he did that to that poor girl."
Please stop saying that. I would never hurt Kuro.
"Maybe it's an abuse case? Should we get the police involved?"
"We suggested that earlier, but Dr. Izumi said no."
When I looked at the gossiping nurses, they immediately glared at me.
It makes sense.
After all, I was the one that almost got Kuroko killed.
When my mom came to pick me up from the hospital at night, her eyes, although watery, were filled with rage. She slapped me in front of the nurse that walked out with me into the parking lot and hugged me the tightest I've ever been held. She sobbed loudly as she rubbed my back. I haven't seen her cry that much since Grandpa's funeral. I guess it's because she almost lost her only son.
The ride was silent as my mom drove through the quiet streets of Morioh. When we got home, I immediately went into my room, flopped onto the bed, and stared at my ceiling.
Kuroko.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry.