The night was quiet on the clinic rooftop, the city below drowned in dim shadows. The sky was filled with clouds, and the moon was half hidden behind them. Ken sat on the metal chair, one leg crossed over the other, cigarette between his fingers, while Yoko sat beside him watching the distant lights in silence.
The wind gently moved her black hair until she finally spoke in a low voice:
"Ken, I want to go down… there are many patients and they might need something."
Ken exhaled smoke into the air and said coldly:
"Do what you want."
She smiled sadly and stood up. Ken followed her without saying anything, then they went down the metal stairs. As soon as they reached the lower floor, a familiar voice echoed through the corridors:
"I told you not to move you idiot! The stitches will open!"
The voice was sharp, full of anger and authority. Yoko turned quickly and said:
"Oh no… looks like Koto started her night round."
They opened the medical ward door. Koto appeared with a serious face and long black hair, holding a file in one hand while pointing with the other toward a patient trying to get up despite his wounds.
"Get back to your bed immediately or I will stitch your mouth with the wound!"
The patient froze while Yoko rushed between them, trying to calm a storm.
"Koto please! Don't yell at him, he's just anxious!"
Koto didn't look at her while writing her notes:
"Anxious? Anxiety doesn't justify stupidity. Bodies don't heal with screaming!"
Yoko stepped closer, trying to soften the atmosphere with a gentle voice:
"Koto, my older sister, please… calm down a bit. The patient is scared, no need for all this shouting."
Koto paused for one second then slowly raised her head. A brief look of surprise flickered on her face followed by a tense laugh as she said in a cold sharp tone:
"How many times did I tell you not to call me 'older sister' in front of patients?"
Yoko smiled warmly despite the irritation in that tone:
"But it's the truth, and I'm always proud of it. Anyone seeing you so strict wouldn't believe you have a kind side."
Koto sighed and closed the file forcefully, placing it on the table:
"A kind side? If I loosen up even a little here, half of them will die before lunch. There's no time for emotions in this place Yoko."
Yoko was about to respond, but a low voice from behind her cut the moment:
"Your… older sister?"
Yoko turned to see Ken standing at the door, half of his body swallowed in shadow, cigarette between his fingers. His eyes widened slightly, surprise shining in them for the first time in a long while.
He stepped forward one step and spoke in a quiet uncertain tone:
"Your sister… is alive?"
Yoko looked at him with mild confusion then smiled softly like it needed no explanation:
"Of course… Koto is my older sister. I thought she died during the war, but she was working here for years and I only found out three years ago."
Koto raised a brow as she noticed the lit cigarette in Ken's fingers:
"Really? Still smoking in the halls? Didn't we have this argument this morning Mr. Careless?"
Ken looked at her, then raised the cigarette a little as if admitting without regret:
"Seems I didn't learn the lesson."
Koto took a step toward him, her tone dry and clinical more than angry:
"If you don't put it out now, the ER will be your next residence. We have empty beds because of you."
Yoko lifted her hand quickly trying to calm them:
"Koto, Koto! No need for that… this is Ken, our neighbor from Ruby."
Koto froze for seconds, her gaze slowly shifting between Yoko's face and Ken's face, then said in a low tone while surprise began to creep in:
"From… Ruby? Don't tell me you mean… your friend from the Yukaji?"
Yoko nodded excitedly with a bright smile, her eyes were sparkling with the joy of the memory:
"Yes! It's him, Ken! The same kid you always made fun of, remember? He used to visit us every day to play with me… and he's the one I escaped with during the war when our district burned."
Koto's eyes widened more. She raised her hand to her chin and said:
"Really? I thought you were talking about someone else when you told me your story. I didn't imagine it would be… this cold man."
She looked at Ken, staring at him as she put a hand on her hip. A faint mocking smile appeared on her face:
"My God, you used to cry for the smallest things back then. I remember now… I used to scare you just to see your crying face!"
Ken froze, blinking slowly, as if his mind needed a whole moment to process that this nightmare from his past is talking to him now.
He lowered his gaze for a moment, then breathed deeply and said in a quiet voice with no emotion:
"Yes… I remember."
He turned his face slightly, trying to hide the faint blush rising on his cheeks despite his stoic expression.
He said with deliberate coldness:
"You were a very annoying child."
Koto laughed lightly, her tone a mix of surprise and mockery:
"And you were very weak."
Yoko raised her hands trying to calm them while laughing:
"That's enough, enough! Those days are gone! I can't believe you're arguing even after all this time!"
Ken replied:
"I'm not arguing. I'm just reminding myself how ridiculous life was back then."
Koto looked at him with a small faint smile and said in a low voice:
"At least your eyes didn't change… they're still the same."
Ken exhaled smoke slowly and raised his gaze to the ceiling to hide his slight inner disturbance. A strange silence passed between them. A mix of past and present. Until Yoko broke it with a bright smile:
"Look at you two, fate brought you together again… after everything."
Ken answered quietly while looking at the floor:
"Maybe it wasn't fate… maybe it was punishment."
Koto looked at him for a moment then turned away saying in dry politeness:
"In any case, it's good that you're still alive… you old weakling."
Yoko laughed softly, then her features slowly faded into a short silent drift as if she was pulled into her memories. She stared at her sister's face but her eyes no longer saw the present. She saw their old house. The wooden floor. The evening light through the small window.
She remembered Koto when she was thirteen. Her hair was tied high and her features stern more than a child should be. She stood in the middle of the room with her hands on her waist shouting in her usual orders:
"Yoko! Don't touch the doll until I say so! Ria, arrange the cushions! You, Kato, don't go near the door!"
Ken laughed back then. He was only a four-year-old child. Yoko was in the corner. He whispered to her mischievously:
"Your sister acts like a general!"
But his voice didn't escape Koto's ears. She turned towards him quickly, her brows were furrowed:
"What did you say Ken?!"
He froze, lips trembling, then forced a laugh and said in shaky voice:
"I… I mean like a princess!"
Koto raised her chin with fake pride and said:
"That's better. Now sit quietly or I'll stop you from playing with me tomorrow."
Ken muttered in hopeless childish tone:
"But we're not even playing… you're just giving orders…"
Little Yoko laughed quietly and whispered to him:
"Ignore her, she'll get mad and kick us out if she hears you."
But Koto heard. She turned to them quickly and said in a strict voice with a mocking smile:
"Whoever wants to talk too much will wash the dinner dishes tonight!"
Little Yoko looked down at the floor with fake shyness, while Ken was on the verge of tears as he said:
"But I'm not even part of your family!"
Koto approached him and tapped lightly on his head with a mysterious smile:
"That is exactly why you need to be even more polite with us."
Ria and Kato laughed from behind, while Koto sat like a queen in the middle of the chaos, controlling everything as if she was responsible for the entire world.
Yoko returned to the present with a faint nostalgic smile.
"You used to act like the leader back then… no one could speak without your permission."
Koto replied in her usual cold tone as she opened one of the files:
"Someone had to control the chaos of three siblings."
Yoko said:
"But we were happy… despite everything."
Ken stopped smoking for a moment and looked at them in silent ambiguity, then said:
"Those who have a home to control… are lucky."
When midnight came, the halls finally calmed. The patients surrendered to sleep, and the groaning slowly faded.
Yoko yawned and said:
"Looks like we should rest a bit… even Koto seems like she's about to collapse."
Koto slowly closed the file and wiped her forehead as she said:
"The work never ends, but… maybe one hour of sleep won't kill anyone."
The two of them left the corridor after minutes. Outside, rain began to fall quietly, whispering that this long day had finally ended.
With the first morning light, Ann was asleep on the couch near the door, covered with a white coat Yoko had left on top of her during the night. She moved slowly, blinking with tired eyes as she tried to grasp where she was.
She stretched a little on the couch, then she heard a faint sound beside her… a weak groan breaking the silence. She quickly turned towards the nearby hospital bed and found Mabushi trying to sit up, his hand were trembling as he raised his head with difficulty, his breathing heavy, bandages wrapped around his chest and shoulder.
Ann gasped and quickly stood up, her eyes widening with a mix of joy and worry:
"Mabushi…?!"
He opened his eyes halfway, looked around in confusion, then tried to speak in a hoarse voice barely audible:
"Where… am I?"
Ann rushed toward him and grabbed his hand, smiling despite the small tears gathering in her eyes:
"You're safe now… you survived, you idiot."
Mabushi smiled despite the exhaustion running through his veins. He lifted his head slightly while breathing heavily and said:
"How long was I out? A day? Two days? Don't tell me they finished the annual selection without me… that would be boring without my presence."
Ann sighed and put her hands on her waist, her tone was between anger and relief:
"You're barely alive and still thinking about the Selection?! Do you think of anything other than fighting?!"
He chuckled weakly and winked:
"Life is short Ann. If I don't fight I'll die of boredom. At least in the arena I feel alive."
Ann sat beside him, looked at him silently for long seconds, then said in a low voice hiding her real concern:
"You always pretend to be strong… but you're not made of steel, Mabushi."
He slowly turned his head toward her, a side smile forming on his face despite the fatigue, and said in his usual way:
"Maybe. But I'd rather break while laughing… than live in fear."
Ann got flustered, then smiled lightly and raised her brow:
"Big words from a man who can't sit up without groaning."
He laughed quietly, then looked up at the ceiling with half closed eyes:
"You talk too much Ann… but it's fine. Your voice reminds me that I'm not alone anymore."
She paused for a moment, looked at him, then said with a warm sad smile:
"No one survives alone, Mabushi… not even the ones who pretend they don't need anyone."
He opened his eyes slightly, looked at her with a lazy half smile that suited him perfectly, then said as he closed them again:
"Maybe you're right… but let me rest a bit, my philosophy ended with the last heartbeat I had left."
Ann chuckled quietly and whispered:
"You idiot."
Mabushi fell asleep again, his breathing was blending with the wind slipping in through the window.
Ann closed her eyes for a moment and said to herself:
"Some people seem born to fight… not to survive."