Chapter 2 – Concerns From a Cousin
Akari's POV
"Ow…ow…ow…OW! Ugh…"
"Akari…quit touching it. You'll undo the stitches." Sis scolded me as I laid on my hospital bed. Repeatedly touching the 5cm scar that now sat where my left eye used to be.
"I know, but…*moan* I just can't believe it. My eye is really gone."
"I'm aware of how bad it looks…but please don't make it worse. The doctor said that stitching one's face is a very hard thing to do."
…
"*sigh* Okay, Sis."
I had thought it was all a dream. That I was only just imagining that I had lost my left eye. Or maybe it was even a gag done by the universe of this show just to poke fun at my lack of presence again.
But no…it was real. It was all real. I had REALLY lost my eye. It bled out to the point where it couldn't be saved. And it had to be removed.
It's only been a day since it happened…and yet, I still couldn't believe it. Part of my brain still thinks and wants all of this to be some kind of nightmare that I haven't woken up from yet. And if I could just force myself awake, it'll all be over.
But…it's real. All of this is real.
…
And I'm not sure what to think of it.
"So, how long do I have to stay here? Surgery's done, right?"
"Well, we can leave today…but the doctor recommends that you take part in some tests before the discharge. Mainly to practice walking with one eye."
"Pr…Practice?" I gained a sadder look. "S-So, I'm basically learning how to walk again, huh?"
"Akari…"
*CRASH*
"Wh-What was that?"
*CRASH* *BANG*
"Those were some pretty loud noises." I said. "Are the doctors having trouble with a patient?"
"I don't know…maybe I should go check."
Before Sis could go see what was going on, we heard a voice yelling violently and screaming obscenities in a threatening manner.
"GET YOUR BITCH-ASS OUT OF MY SIGHT! I WANT TO SEE MY COUSIN AT ONCE! AND NONE OF YOU PANSIES ARE GOING TO STOP ME! RAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
And we immediately knew who it was.
"Oh, no…why is she here?" Sis said with a pale look.
"Did you tell her what happened?"
"No, I didn't tell her. Which makes it all the more baffling that she's even here. And causing so much destruction, from the sound of it."
"Sounds like she hasn't changed." I said with a sweatdrop.
We continued hearing more crashes, screams, and F-bombs as they got closer and closer to where our room was. And when we saw the silhouette of the person making all this noise, it all stopped.
…
But only for a few seconds. Because immediately afterward…
"AKARI!"
"Gah! K-Kuuko!"
"I came as soon as I heard what happened! Where is she?! Where is that hopeless blonde perverted NEET?! I'll make her pay with her life for what she did to you!"
"K-Kuuko! Calm down! Kyoko's not here! None of them are! They all went home last night!"
"Is this the truth?! Nobody is here?!"
"Y-Yes! Really! Would I ever lie to you?"
…
…
…
"Hmph. Alright. If it's coming from you, dear cousin, then it really must be true."
"*sigh* Thank goodness…" Sis and I took a sigh of relief.
So, the girl that was rampaging through the hospital and threatening to kill Kyoko is our cousin Kuuko Shiranui. She's a year older than me (so, around Yui Kyoko's age) and, uh…has a bit of a messed-up history. I guess.
Back then, Kuuko was known to have a HUGE crush on me. To the point where her desires became sexual and threaten to hurt anyone who she deemed "too close" to me.
Because of this, she hated Kyoko, Yui, Chinatsu, DEFINITELY Sakurako…and pretty much my entire group of friends simply because they were all lesbians. Despite being one herself.
Since her last visit (which was a disaster), Kuuko was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. And one of the symptoms is having raging "mania" episodes (which explains a lot, actually). She currently goes to therapy and takes medication…but as you just witnessed, the mania rages still happen from time to time.
At least she's no longer in love with me. That's a start, I guess…
"Kuuko, how did you even know I was in the hospital?" I asked. "I've only been here for less than a day."
"I became aware of it from Sachiko. She and I still communicate with each other on a somewhat regular basis."
"From Sachiko, huh?"
She is the only friend I have that Kuuko doesn't hate…
"So, this is the scar in question." Kuuko said as she came closer to my one-eyed face. "It really is unsettling. How DARE they give up and simply remove that wonderful purple eye of yours? It's like they didn't even try!"
"Kuuko…they couldn't save her eye no matter how hard they tried." Sis said. "It bled so much that it had to be removed. There was nothing else they could do."
No matter how hard they tried…
It had to be removed…
There was nothing they could do…
…
…
…
It's like they didn't even try…
"Hmph. Well, I could've fixed it. Sprinkle some black magic and it would've been good as new."
"Didn't your mom tell you to stop with the black magic nonsense?" Sis asked with a sweatdrop.
"It is NOT nonsense! Someday, I WILL become the Goddess of Black Magic! And I shall finally place that hopeless NEET, that boyish tranny, and that pink-haired pedophile in the deepest part of Hell where they belong! Kyahahahahahaha!"
"Take your meds, you nutcase."
"H-Hey…Kuuko. What's your thought on fate?" I asked.
"Huh? Fate, you ask?"
"Well, seeing as how stuff like that is a hobby of yours, I figured that you have your own opinion of it. As to why I'm asking…"
…
"I'm…just curious. That's all."
"Just curious?" Sis asked. "Of this all of a sudden?"
"Y-Yeah. Just curious."
That's all it is. Just curious.
…
I-I think…
"Hmm…well, then," Kuuko said as she popped one of her bipolar pills in her mouth. "If it's for you, dear cousin, then I shall you what I know. Fufufufufu~!"
"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Sis said with a worried look.
"If you're seeking the simplified answer to it all, fate is something you cannot escape. It is bound to you like the inside of your soul. Whatever the universe has in store for you…you are best to accept it and move on. Unless you wish to piss off a universal God. Fufufufu~!"
"Kuuko…"
"*sigh* It's just as I thought…" I mumbled to myself.
"Akari?"
"O-Oh, uh…it's nothing. Sis…I'm kinda hungry. Can you see if the cafeteria has anything to eat?"
"Um…s-sure thing, Akari. Maybe I can find a sandwich or something. Shouldn't be long."
"Thanks, Sis."
"And until you return, Cousin Akane, I shall remain here and be by Akari's bedside to…"
"Hell. No. You're coming with me, you little troublemaker." Sis said as she grabbed Kuuko by the collar and dragged her out of the room.
"Gaaaah! No~! Let me go~! I wanna stay with Akari~!"
"As if I'm leaving you alone with her. You may be on medication now, but your incestuous mind is still untrustworthy."
Coming from the girl who would steal my panties regularly… I gained a mental sweatdrop.
"Wait for me, Akari-sama~! I SHALL RETURN~!" This was the last thing Kuuko shouted out before being fully dragged out of the room. Her voice became faint as both she and Sis got farther away.
With both of them gone, I was finally able to let my thoughts out about this whole ordeal. And about what Kuuko said earlier.
"So…this was intended to happen to me? This was bound by fate? I couldn't escape this cruel route no matter how hard I tried?"
…
…
…
"Alright, universe. If this is how you want me to live…then I'm at your mercy."
Author's Note: Akari continues to recover in the hospital…only to have her (now somewhat) mental cousin Kuuko come by and tell her that such an accident was unavoidable and bounded by "fate". And now it has her thinking…
This is one of the examples of new chapters coming to this story revival. This one in particular brought Akari's cousin Kuuko (from the story "Akari's Cousin") into the mix. More characters from past stories will also make an appearance here. And even new ones from Yuru Yuri that didn't cut before.
Thanks for reading. Later.