The world around Shuuji was cold and dark.
He couldn't move at first. His body felt heavy as if he was trapped under the weight of a thousand stones. His ears rang faintly too. There was a dull and constant hum that seemed to echo through his skull. Every breath burned and every twitch he made sent pain crawling down his spine.
For a while, he simply lay there. His mind was fogged and his heart was pounding weakly in his chest. But then, he heard several footsteps from somewhere far away. There were muffled voices and flashlights were cutting through the haze.
"Over here!" someone shouted. "There's a survivor!"
Soon, light flooded his vision. Shuuji tried to move. He tried to open his mouth but only a soft groan escaped him.
Minutes later, there were hands that reached for him. It was rough but careful.
And soon, everything faded again.
-/-/-
When Shuuji woke up again, the ceiling above him was white. The sterile smell of antiseptic filled the air. Several machines were humming softly beside his bed. The monitors were blinking in rhythmic patterns.
Shuuji thought something was beeping slowly. But he quickly realized it was tracking his heartbeat.
He tried to move his hand but the thick bandages and tubes attached to his body was weighing him down. His body ached in every direction. But at least he could breathe without any problem.
Soon, he heard a quiet murmur from somewhere near the door. He weakly turned his head slightly and saw the blurred outline of a nurse adjusting an IV drip.
The nurse noticed his open eyes and hurried out of the room.
A few moments later, the door opened again.
"Shuuji-sama."
The voice was deep and achingly familiar.
He blinked and focusing his gaze. Standing beside the bed was Hirotsu-san. His usual calm face looked worn. His eyes were shadowed with exhaustion. The man exhaled shakily when he saw Shuuji's eyes move toward him.
"You're awake." Hirotsu said in almost in disbelief. "Thank goodness."
Then the door opened again. Two nurses entered and followed by a doctor in a white coat. They checked Shuuji's pulse, his breathing and the monitors beside him. Their voices overlapped in clinical tones but Hirotsu stayed by the bedside and watching them silently.
"He is stable now." the doctor finally said while removing his stethoscope. "He is weak but still responsive. We will keep him under observation for a few more days. Then we will decide on his transfer once his vitals improve."
Hirotsu nodded his head.
"Understood."
When the medical staff left, the silence fell again. Only the faint rhythmic beep of the monitor filled the room.
Soon, Shuuji's lips parted. His throat burned as he tried to speak. Then a hoarse and broken sound came out instead followed by a cough.
"Don't strain yourself." Hirotsu softly said.
Hirotsu reached for the glass of water on the table and helped Shuuji take a small sip through a straw.
The water was cool against his dry tongue.
After a moment, Shuuji managed to speak in a whispering voice.
"Where... am I?"
Hirotsu placed the glass down first before he replied.
"You are in a hospital near the site of the explosion." he gently said. "The doctors here are the best we could find on short notice. Once your condition improves, we will transfer you to a safer facility in Yokohama."
Shuuji slowly blinked his eyes. His chest rose and fell under the weight of the oxygen tubes. He stared at the white ceiling for a long time then turned his eyes toward the window. The outside world was gray and the sky was covered in thick clouds.
After several seconds, he whispered again.
"And the lab?"
Hirotsu didn't answer right away. He lowered his gaze and his expression was a bit blank.
Shuuji swallowed hard.
"...What happened?"
There was a short pause again.
But soon, Hirotsu inhaled deeply before he replied.
"There was an accident. A large explosion. The authorities are still investigating the cause of it."
The words hung in the air.
But soon, Shuuji's eyes moved toward him again. It was sharper this time despite the weakness in his body.
"What about my parents?" he whispered.
Hirotsu froze.
For a long time, he said nothing. His gloved hands tightened slightly on the edge of the blanket until his knuckles turned pale. He seemed to search for anything that would soften the truth.
But when he looked into the boy's young face that looked so much like Gen'emon's, he knew there was no way to disguise it.
His voice was low when he finally spoke.
"Shuuji-sama... You were the only one we found alive."
The room fell utterly still.
For a moment, the only sound was the beeping of the heart monitor. It was steady, mechanical and indifferent.
Shuuji blinked his eyes once. Then twice. His eyes were unfocused as if he hadn't heard correctly.
"....Only one?"
Hirotsu's lips pressed together. He gave a small and pained nod.
Something inside Shuuji's chest twisted violently. He wanted to breathe and to ask why. But his throat locked up.
Soon, several images flickered behind his eyes. His father's hand pushing him toward the basement, his mother's soft smile and their soft voices. Then the heat, the light and the roar of fire that swallowed everything.
His small fingers clutched the blanket tightly.
For a long time, neither of them spoke. The boy's eyes stayed fixed on the window. His breathing was shallow but steady.
Hirotsu could only watched him in silence. He wanted to reach out and to offer him some comfort. But what could he possibly say?
In the span of a heartbeat, Shuuji Tsushima had lost everything.
And although the boy didn't cry or he didn't scream or ask for his parents again, something in his gaze had changed.
It was too calm.
Too aware.
A look that didn't belong to a child.
Shuuji just sat in silence for a long time. He was staring blankly at the faint pattern of the hospital bedsheet. The faint hum of machines filled the room.
Hirotsu-san just stood beside him. His posture was straight but his eyes was heavy with thoughts. After several moments of quiet, he finally spoke again.
"...The boss will be holding a funeral soon." he said. "For Genemon-sama and Tane-sama."
Shuuji didn't immediately react. His mind felt slow as if the words took longer than usual to reach him.
A funeral.
His parents' funeral.
For a moment, he simply blinked then lowered his gaze.
"...I see." he murmured.
Hirotsu studied him quietly and perhaps waiting for him to cry or shout. But Shuuji did neither. He only nodded as if accepting something inevitable. There was no strength left for grief. There was only the hollow ache that came when tears refused to fall.
He sat there for a while longer until the quiet grew heavier. Then slowly, his head turned toward Hirotsu again.
"Does Mariko already know?" he suddenly asked. "She must be crying by now... She doesn't do well with bad news."
At the mention of Mariko's name, Hirotsu's expression faltered. His eyes shifted away for a second too long before he tried to compose himself. He looked like someone was holding back his words that didn't want to be spoken.
And Shuuji noticed it.
He had always been the patient one. The one who waited for answers rather than forcing them. So he waited quietly until Hirotsu's hesitation broke under the weight of silence.
"...Where is she?" Shuuji asked again. "What happened to Mariko?"
Hirotsu sighed softly as if releasing the air he had been holding for too long. Then his shoulders sagged slightly.
"The boss... took her to America." he finally said. "He said it's for her protection."
Shuuji's brows drew together.
"America?"
"Yes." Hirotsu nodded although his tone carried no relief. "He left right after ordering the funeral preparations. He said Mariko-sama would be safer abroad and away from all this chaos."
The words struck Shuuji like cold water. For a long moment, he didn't move or speak. Then slowly, he asked him again.
"...Did she know? About mother and father?"
Hirotsu hesitated again but he couldn't lie.
"No. She doesn't. The boss told her they were busy and that she'd see them again soon."
Shuuji's throat tightened painfully.
"...She is waiting for them." he said almost to himself. "She is waiting and no one told her..."
"I apologized, Shuuji-sama." Hirotsu said. "But the words from our boss is our law."
Shuuji turned his gaze to the window. The gray light of evening seeped into the room just like everything else that once felt close. His bandaged hand trembled slightly as he rested it over his chest. There was an ache of loss burned faintly beneath the surface.
"...He had no right." he whispered. "She is my sister. He had no right to take her away."
Hirotsu stared at the little boy before he bowed his head.
"For now, you need to rest. You survived for a reason, Shuuji-sama. Don't let that reason fade."
But Shuuji didn't reply. He simply lowered his gaze and stared at his hand.
Deep inside, something cold and determined began to take shape.
He couldn't protect his parents.
But...
Mariko was still out there. She was alone in a place she probably didn't understand. His sister was surrounded by people she didn't know.
And as her brother, Shuuji had to find her.