Summary: Yui Hongo is on the verge of suicide when a chance encounter with fashion photographer Nakago changes her life. But is she ready to move on or will her obsession for the past ruin everything? YuiNak, minor YuiTasuki.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fushiigi Yuugi. They are the creation of Yu Watase.
Rating: T rating may go up in later chapters.
Poise
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Wake Up. Get A Life.
Recap
The water rushed to her head. She buckled but forced herself to remain under the water. An acrid feeling ran like fire through her nose exploded in her head. Her body felt heavy and her eyes tired. She could feel life ebb away slowly. But then her arms started thrashing around as her body's survival instinct kicked in and fought against her. She gasped, inhaling an enormous quantity of water. Everything was so quiet. It felt as though all sound was being erased slowly. The world shut off in that instant. It was over.
End of Recap
"YUI!!!!!"
Nuriko screamed, her heart almost bursting in shock and pain. She plunged her arms into the tub, pulling the near dead girl out of the watery grave she had chosen for herself. Sobbing violently, Nuriko dragged the limp and blue-tinged body of her cousin out of the water.
"Yui! Yui! What. …What on earth were you trying to do? Yui! Oh god! No please oh god no!" She slapped the girl's cheeks, bending down to hold her ear over Yui's heart. She scrambled back and grabbed her purse from where she had flung it. She turned it upside down, shaking all the contents out. Nuriko gave a cry of joy as she spotted her phone lying in the heap that had emerged from her handbag. Fingers shaking, she called for an ambulance and then rushed back to her cousin.
"Yui! Just hold on a little while longer honey. The ambulance is on its way…don't let go. Please, please don't let go."
The ambulance arrived shortly, and rushed both girls to the hospital. The sirens wailed out into the cold night, leaving behind a deathly silence in their wake.
For the first time in many years, Nuriko closed her eyes and prayed.
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She had heard people on television talk shows talk about how frightful and traumatic the experience of having a loved one fight for life in a hospital bed was. Nuriko realized what that pain was in the two nights that she stood rooted outside the Emergency ward late that summer. Two nights and two days filled with numbing cold, bereft of any happiness, too scared to hope, too scared to even think about the worst that could happen. She alternated between staring at Yui's limp body lying in a sterilized hospital bed and chewing on her nails, seated in the farthest corner from Yui's room.
She was sitting there now, her hair in a mess, and hanging around her face. She liked it that way. It saved her the trouble of trying to cover up her tears when people pass by. She didn't want them to look at her. She didn't want to talk. She just wanted to know that her cousin was well enough to go home. As a fresh wave of tears threatened to spill from her eyes, Nuriko tightly screwed them shut.
She jerked her head up with a start when someone placed a hand on her shoulder. A young man about twenty-seven years of age smiled down at her. He was handsome to the extent of being called beautiful. His eyes were warm and narrowed in concern as they took in the sight of her bloodshot eyes, tired from crying and staring at the walls.
Nuriko let out a strangled gasp. "Seishu…thank god you've come." She threw her arms around his neck and clung to him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, maneuvering her in a way so that she was sitting on his lap. He gently rubbed her back, nodding as he listened to her warbled tale of what had happened.
Her story finished, she rested her head on his shoulder, rubbing her cheek into the fabric of his shirt, reassuring herself that he was there with her. Her arms were tightly wound around his body, refusing to let him go even for a second.
The doctor who had come to report on Yui's condition walked away quietly without interrupting the two. However he returned some time later and motioned silently to the man, gesturing him to see him in a while and retreated.
Seishuku murmured softly in Nuriko ear. "Nuriko…hey…Nuriko."
Nuriko sighed and shifted, so she could look at him. She raised her eyebrows slightly, to let him know she was listening, and ready to talk.
His voice took on a serious tone. "Are you alright, honey?" Nuriko nodded slowly. He let out a small sigh of relief.
"Now, tell me, what happened?"
Nuriko bit her lip as she shook her head slowly. "I just don't get it Seishu…why would Yui even think of doing something like this, she's always been so happy. I don't understand. And even if there was a problem, what could have gone so wrong that she couldn't come to me? Or you? I. … when I saw her in that water Seishu…I didn't know what to do. I just…. didn't know anything anymore." She trailed off.
Seishuku frowned. Nuriko loved Yui like a sister. She spoiled her, pampered her and could do anything for her, anything. It was the kind of selfless love that only mothers had for their children. If Yui were hurt, Nuriko would feel the pain even more acutely.
He had met Yui when he had first started dating Nuriko. She had been a tall, shy gangly creature who hid behind the door taking sneak peeks at him. When Nuriko had pulled her out and introduced them, he remembered how she had been blushing furiously, only managing to somehow squeak "hello" before escaping up the stairs to her room.
Nuriko had told him later that Yui was a terribly shy girl. She had no siblings and was a very private and reserved person. But she changed in Nuriko's presence. With her, Yui became a regular talking machine. And how she could talk…Yui could go on for hours and hours and still have things to say.
He had been surprised when he learnt she'd be coming to Tokyo to enroll in University. Not that he was doubtful of her ability; Yui was more stuffed with smarts than any other kid her age he knew. It was simply surprising that she would be willing to leave her home to stay in a strange place where she knew nobody except her cousin.
And in the first few months that she had been here, it was as if she had transformed. The gauche and klutzy silence he remembered had disappeared completely. She was still reserved, but now that reserve was not shyness but rather an aloofness that was born from an innate confidence in herself. Yui Hongo had emerged from under the unsure, naïve, and jittery mask she had worn all through high school.
He had no clue why such a girl would even contemplate suicide. What had happened to her that she would try something so drastic? He had to find out, for Nuriko, he had to know what had gone wrong.
He looked at his fiancée. She still seemed a little dazed by everything. He put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm going to go talk to the doctor. I'll be back in a while, alright?"
Nuriko nodded mutely. Seishuku pressed his lips to her forehead, bringing a small smile to her face. He stood and went off in search of the doctor who had approached them earlier. He found him at the station, filling some charts. He waited till the man was free. As the doctor put the chart back in its place and turned around, Seishuku stepped forward to speak to him.
"Doctor, I'm Seishuku Sahitei, Nuriko Kazuki's fiancée. How is Yui now?"
"You're the fiancée?" The doctor looked grave. "Well Mr. Sahitei, I can tell you this. We've done our part. She's survived but her recuperation is far from over."
"What do you mean?"
"The damage she's managed to inflict on herself is reparable but she must want to repair herself. But that's just not happening. It's as if she's given up, on life, on herself, on everything."
"Are you saying you can't help her?" Seishuku frowned. The doctor looked at him sympathetically. He held his hand out.
"Come with me please. Let me show you something." He gestured Seishuku to follow him and set off at a brisk pace down the corridor. Seishuku looked at Nuriko in concern but she was drowned in thought. Setting his mouth in a firm line, he followed the doctor.
He found him standing in front of a glass window looking into a room. As he looked at him questioningly, the doctor nodded his head towards the glass, asking him to look inside. Seishuku turned to glance inside.
Yui was lying perfectly still on the bed. Her eyes were shut. Seishuku looked at the doctor once more, a question burning in his eyes. Was she going to be okay? The doctor placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.
"You have to be strong. This girl needs all the help she can get. She's forgotten how precious life is; you have to remind her of it." Smiling supportively, the doctor walked away. He became conscious of Nuriko standing beside him. He turned to look at her. Nuriko nodded at him, and pushed the door open. He was going to enter after her but stopped. Yui was stirring. He couldn't intrude on this. Both girls needed time alone to talk about it. He was here for them, but they needed to have this moment alone.
He waited.
Nuriko sat down beside Yui's bed. She waited for her to open her eyes. She didn't have long to wait. Yui's eyes fluttered open. She weakly held a hand up to shield them from the light. The movement was restricted by the drip attached to her arm. Her eyes swam around the room and slowly came to rest on Nuriko's face. Yui gasped.
"Nuriko…."
"Shut up!" Nuriko snapped back.
Yui stared at her, dumbfounded. "Nuriko."
"Just shut up. Don't you dare say another word you stupid, stupid girl! What the hell do you think you were doing? Trying to kill yourself…how selfish can you be? Didn't you think about me even once! What would I go through if something happened to you? What would I say to your parents?" Nuriko blurted angrily before flinging her arms around Yui.
"You idiot! Don't ever think of leaving me alone you hear me? You stupid thing, I was so scared. I thought I'd lost you forever."
"Nuriko…I'm so sorry." Yui whispered at the tangle of arms and hair that was smothering her.
Outside, Seishuku breathed a sigh of relief. They would be fine. Everything would be alright.
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From the loud shrieks and whoops of joy emerging from the room upstairs, Seishu could only deduce that his wife and her cousin had gone insane….for the tenth time that day. He sighed. So much for his lazy-take-it-easy-cool-it time. He threw the book he had been reading aside and headed upstairs to see what all the fuss was about.
He opened the door carefully. Last time Yui had been here, he'd been caught in food fight crossfire. And although she'd apologized ten thousand times already, he wasn't yet ready to forgive her for pelting a cherry pie in his face.
He peeked inside, ready to take on anything the Weird Sisters threw at him but was pleasantly surprised to find them sitting side by side, reading from a piece of paper. They were so engrossed, that they didn't even notice him enter. He waited. Nothing happened.
The birds chirped, the wind blew outside, the clock ticked and the girls did not notice him. A nerve twitched near his forehead. How dare they ignore him! He was even more beautiful than he remembered being last year! It was too much to bear really; just how much neglect did they expect he could take before he cracked.
The seams of his patience already worn thin, Seishu marched over to the girls sitting on the bed and promptly snatched the paper they were both reading so attentive. The culprit was the paper obviously.
"Hey! Hold on, what do you think you're doing?" Yui spoke indignantly.
"I just want to see what's special about this. I think there should be a good enough reason for the two of you to be yelling and screaming like you won the lottery or something."
Nuriko jumped up in excitement. "But that's exactly what happened, Seishu!!!"
Seishuku blinked. "You won the lottery?" He asked weakly.
Nuriko shook her head. "No, but Yui's won an all-expenses-paid TRIP FOR TWO TO OKINAWA, ISN'T THAT GREAT?" The announcement was followed by more screaming, and whooping, during which Seishu was also pulled into the hug frenzy that were Yui and Nuriko.
They collapsed on the bed, still laughing. Seishu untangled himself from the girls. (His hair would get messy if he stayed near them for too long.) He quietly left the room, leaving Yui and Nuriko immersed in making plans for the trip.
Who was she going to take?
Nuriko, of course. What a silly question to ask. And oh-my-gosh-what-were-they-going-to-wear?
Seishu smiled. He shut the door silently behind him. He'd been right. Things had turned out fine.
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"I'm sorry you can't make it Nuriko. Are you sure it's really okay for me to go to Okinawa alone?"
Nuriko smiled. "Of course silly! Don't worry about it. Enjoy yourself and go crazy, alright?" She hugged her one last time as the calls for passengers for the flight to Okinawa were made again. Gently pushing her towards the boarding gate, Nuriko whispered quick words of caution and good luck.
Yui smiled back and waved as she walked through the boarding gate. She felt just slightly nervous as she presented the attendant with her boarding pass. It was going to be the first time she traveled alone anywhere. Her parents had accompanied her to Tokyo and Nuriko would always go with her whenever she had to visit home.
Yui raised her chin. But she wasn't a child anymore. She was a young woman and it was time she learnt to take care of herself. She'd almost destroyed herself in the past because she leaned too heavily on someone else. She would never make that mistake again. Never.
She nodded once to herself and stepped forward and bumped into something very hard, and very cold. Yui looked up, startled, and froze as she saw a pair of ice blue eyes staring down at her disapprovingly. Sunshine gold bangs framed the most beautiful and cold face she had ever seen in her life. She swiftly drew her breath in and stared.
The man narrowed his eyes and looked pointedly at her. She immediately stepped back. The temperature seemed to drop a few notches down. The cold in the air seemed to flow from the man himself. He turned away as disdainfully as he had looked at her.
Yui felt a sudden flare of anger. How dare he treat her like that! It had been a mistake, not like she had wanted to deliberately bump into him. What the hell was his problem? He was just some irritable guy who probably got yelled at by his boss and was now taking it out on her. He'd stared as though he couldn't believe that somebody had the gall to bump into him. Who the hell does he think he is?
She blinked as the stewardess smiled widely at him, her eyes roving shamelessly over his body. She was probably undressing him even as she showed him to his seat. Yui scowled. How annoying. Not only is he obnoxious and overbearingly rude, but the silly stewardess just had to stare at him lustily like that. It was too much to bear.
Yui rolled her eyes and began to look for her seat. The stewardess stepped forward and calmly ushered her towards a seat. She drew the curtain aside and led her into first class. Yui looked around with interest. There were only four seats. The first two were taken by two ladies in oversized sunglasses and tanned skin, peroxide hair and crimson smiles to match their stilettos. Which left just the last seat…..right next to the man she had bumped into outside.
Great. Just great. This was going to be one hell of a flight. Yui sank into her seat, trying not to notice as the man sitting beside her raised one eyebrow elegantly and smirked.
Yui felt her temper flare once more. What in the world did he think of himself! Snob. She gripped the handle of her chair and turned around till she spotted the stewardess.
"Excuse me. Can I sit somewhere else?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Yes! There's a big problem. I can't sit here."
She felt his chuckle before she heard it. "Don't inconvenience yourself on my account."
She whipped her head around to glare at him. "I don't intend to. I just need to sit somewhere else."
"Just as well. I have no intention of spending two hours in the company of a pre-pubescent girl anyway." He replied dryly.
"Pre-pubescent! Excuse me! I am nineteen years old!"
"Really? You don't look like it. I guess your body's taking its own sweet time to grow up." He raked his eyes up and down her frame, taking his time, slowly and painstakingly observing her body.
Yui's face flushed with anger and embarrassment as she searched for the dirtiest word she knew with which to swear at him.
"What the hell is your problem? And don't you have anything better to do than stare at random women at the airport. I don't even know you! How dare you say such things to me? Who the hell are you anyway?"
"Occupational hazard."
"What?"
"Never mind. Weren't you going to go look for another seat?"
"Oh shut up." Yui turned away and opened a magazine. She scowled. This flight couldn't get over fast enough.
She didn't notice the barely disguised interest with which the man was staring her, nor the gleam in his eyes as he watched her every movement.
Author's Note
Hope you all liked it. I know this was really late in coming and I'm sorry.
Please Review!!!