Re: Redemption, Termination (3.6/?)
anonymous
May 23 2012, 04:05:05 UTC
"Kanji-kun, right on time as always!..." She looked down, opening the container. Her entire face lit up in a smile. "Ohh, are these the famous croquettes of yours I've been dying to try~?"
"Sure are, Misuzu-san, baked last night, just for you! I hope ya enjoy!"
"I sure will! Thank you for the kind gesture, sweetheart!" The secretary smiled as she watched him go. "What a sweet boy, that Kanji-kun." She dug in with gusto, beaming the entire time.
---
Kanji grinned as he walked up towards the room, seeing the door to Teddie's room just up ahead, open and ready for him to make his entrance. He reached into the bag, hand running against the plush bunny, ready to deliver it.
...He stopped, however, upon nearing the door and hearing a weak wheezing, punctuated by harsh, wet coughs. Kanji dropped his bag, running into the room, fear seizing his heart.
Teddie was lying down, pale and clammy with sweat, eyebrows furrowed with the efforts of the coughing shaking his small frame. With eyes shut tightly, and arms gripped so tightly around the bear plushie, he appeared to be in a good deal of pain.
Sayoko stood beside him, writing information down on a clipboard. In her hand, she held an oxygen mask, which she put on Teddie once she was done writing down information. His breathing, labored and noisy, caused condensation on the inside of the mask with each breath.
To his horror, when he coughed, Kanji saw small flecks of blood hit the inside of the oxygen mask, and he fell forward, gripping the door frame as the room began to spin.
That caught Teddie's attention, who looked over at him weakly, eyes glowing with weak hope and elation.
"K--Kanji---"
But Sayoko turned at the name, and intercepted the teenager, walking towards him.
"I'll be right back, Teddie; I'm sorry, but you're in no shape for company right now."
She closed the door behind her, shutting out the sad, mournful wailing from inside Teddie's room, which only seemed to exacerbate the coughing fits. Kanji winced at the sound of the wailing, biting his lip at the sounds of the emotionally distraught boy, and stumbled backwards until he found a chair to sit on.
"Is.....Is he...." Kanji went pale, shaking slightly, scared to hear what Sayoko might have to say about him. Sayoko looked at him seriously, glanced away, and then looked back with a certain level of purpose in her eyes.
"He should be fine...His respiratory system is experiencing some irritation and problems right now, but....." She looked down. Then back at him. "...Kanji-kun." She said seriously, and Kanji looked up at her, eyes growing red and puffy with the straing of trying to hold back his emotions. "...We need to talk."
She put down her clipboard, and walked up to him, looking at him in all seriousness. "...Can I have you empty your pockets for me, Kanji-kun?"
Kanji looked up at her, slightly startled, as if she had slapped him. He opened his mouth to retort, even started to-- "Why the hell---What are you gettin' at--" but stopped himself. Eyebrows furrowed, he reached into his pockets, emptying them.
His wallet. His portable sewing kit. His cigarettes.
Re: Redemption, Termination (3.7/?)
anonymous
May 23 2012, 04:08:00 UTC
Sayoko seemed to look over the items for a few moments. Eyed them. Her eyes kept flickering back to the cigarettes. She reached forward, picking them up.
"You make Teddie presents." It was a statement, not a question. "Cute plush toys. The sewing kit tells me that much." She paused, taking in a deep breath, as if she knew the answer, but didn't want to ask it. She held up the cigarettes. "Do you smoke these while you work on them?"
Kanji stared at her numbly for a few minutes. Wondered what she was getting at. Was more terrified he might know.
It smells like you, Kanji!
"N....No, I....Ma doesn't let me smoke in the house...." he said softly, very quietly, shaking. He went pale, and his eyes widened. "Oh...Oh god...But.....I've smoked around 'em...O...On the way to the hospital...I..." He stared up at her, horror in his eyes. "Sayoko-san....You...You sayin'....I did that to 'im...?" Sayoko closed her eyes. Took in a deep breath.
"Second hand smoke has embedded itself deep into your plush toys. They...They might be irritating his respiratory system." Sayoko said quietly. "...I've taken most of them away...To be cleaned and to get the lingering third hand smoke out of them...He won't let go of the last one, though."
Kanji sat there for a while, pale and shaking, feeling tears well up in his eyes. He barely registered when Sayoko turned her back to him; only reached over, and took hold of a trash can, worried he would empty his stomach into it.
"....Kanji-kun..."
Kanji looked up at her, wet eyed and shakey. Swallowed the saliva welling up in his mouth at the thought of Teddie lying there, shaking, coughing, and wheezing because of him. Wearing that oxygen mask because of him.
Lying in a hospital because of him.
Mental images of his father were flying through his head now, thoughts of him, pale and coughing up blood so frail, so frail wheezing into his oxygen mask as life slowly slipped away from him.
Him, him, all him. No, Dad, don't go, please, just---
Kanji felt bile in the back of his throat, leaned forward, emptied the contents of his stomach into the basket.
Sayoko put a pitying hand on his shoulder.
"...When you feel alright to walk, you should go home for the night....and don't bring back anymore gifts until you kick that habit of yours."
---
Kanji walked into his house, miserably, not even hearing the words of concern from his mother as she walked away from her customer to see what was the matter.
It felt like his head was full of water, swishing around, slamming against the insides of his skull with every movement, and making him completely nauseous with every movement. He dropped his school bag on the floor, collapsed on his bed, and lay there for some time, too miserable to move, walk, think.
When some time had passed, he moved to take off his jacket. Felt a slight bulge in his pocket. Upon removing it, he saw the new pack of cigarettes he'd bought just this morning.
The next morning, the neighbor found a new, unopened pack, flung hatefully into his back yard from the open window of the Tatsumi residency.
"Sure are, Misuzu-san, baked last night, just for you! I hope ya enjoy!"
"I sure will! Thank you for the kind gesture, sweetheart!" The secretary smiled as she watched him go. "What a sweet boy, that Kanji-kun." She dug in with gusto, beaming the entire time.
---
Kanji grinned as he walked up towards the room, seeing the door to Teddie's room just up ahead, open and ready for him to make his entrance. He reached into the bag, hand running against the plush bunny, ready to deliver it.
...He stopped, however, upon nearing the door and hearing a weak wheezing, punctuated by harsh, wet coughs. Kanji dropped his bag, running into the room, fear seizing his heart.
Teddie was lying down, pale and clammy with sweat, eyebrows furrowed with the efforts of the coughing shaking his small frame. With eyes shut tightly, and arms gripped so tightly around the bear plushie, he appeared to be in a good deal of pain.
Sayoko stood beside him, writing information down on a clipboard. In her hand, she held an oxygen mask, which she put on Teddie once she was done writing down information. His breathing, labored and noisy, caused condensation on the inside of the mask with each breath.
To his horror, when he coughed, Kanji saw small flecks of blood hit the inside of the oxygen mask, and he fell forward, gripping the door frame as the room began to spin.
That caught Teddie's attention, who looked over at him weakly, eyes glowing with weak hope and elation.
"K--Kanji---"
But Sayoko turned at the name, and intercepted the teenager, walking towards him.
"I'll be right back, Teddie; I'm sorry, but you're in no shape for company right now."
She closed the door behind her, shutting out the sad, mournful wailing from inside Teddie's room, which only seemed to exacerbate the coughing fits. Kanji winced at the sound of the wailing, biting his lip at the sounds of the emotionally distraught boy, and stumbled backwards until he found a chair to sit on.
"Is.....Is he...." Kanji went pale, shaking slightly, scared to hear what Sayoko might have to say about him. Sayoko looked at him seriously, glanced away, and then looked back with a certain level of purpose in her eyes.
"He should be fine...His respiratory system is experiencing some irritation and problems right now, but....." She looked down. Then back at him. "...Kanji-kun." She said seriously, and Kanji looked up at her, eyes growing red and puffy with the straing of trying to hold back his emotions. "...We need to talk."
She put down her clipboard, and walked up to him, looking at him in all seriousness. "...Can I have you empty your pockets for me, Kanji-kun?"
Kanji looked up at her, slightly startled, as if she had slapped him. He opened his mouth to retort, even started to-- "Why the hell---What are you gettin' at--" but stopped himself. Eyebrows furrowed, he reached into his pockets, emptying them.
His wallet. His portable sewing kit. His cigarettes.
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"You make Teddie presents." It was a statement, not a question. "Cute plush toys. The sewing kit tells me that much." She paused, taking in a deep breath, as if she knew the answer, but didn't want to ask it. She held up the cigarettes. "Do you smoke these while you work on them?"
Kanji stared at her numbly for a few minutes. Wondered what she was getting at. Was more terrified he might know.
It smells like you, Kanji!
"N....No, I....Ma doesn't let me smoke in the house...." he said softly, very quietly, shaking. He went pale, and his eyes widened. "Oh...Oh god...But.....I've smoked around 'em...O...On the way to the hospital...I..." He stared up at her, horror in his eyes. "Sayoko-san....You...You sayin'....I did that to 'im...?" Sayoko closed her eyes. Took in a deep breath.
"Second hand smoke has embedded itself deep into your plush toys. They...They might be irritating his respiratory system." Sayoko said quietly. "...I've taken most of them away...To be cleaned and to get the lingering third hand smoke out of them...He won't let go of the last one, though."
Kanji sat there for a while, pale and shaking, feeling tears well up in his eyes. He barely registered when Sayoko turned her back to him; only reached over, and took hold of a trash can, worried he would empty his stomach into it.
"....Kanji-kun..."
Kanji looked up at her, wet eyed and shakey. Swallowed the saliva welling up in his mouth at the thought of Teddie lying there, shaking, coughing, and wheezing because of him. Wearing that oxygen mask because of him.
Lying in a hospital because of him.
Mental images of his father were flying through his head now, thoughts of him, pale and coughing up blood so frail, so frail wheezing into his oxygen mask as life slowly slipped away from him.
Him, him, all him. No, Dad, don't go, please, just---
Kanji felt bile in the back of his throat, leaned forward, emptied the contents of his stomach into the basket.
Sayoko put a pitying hand on his shoulder.
"...When you feel alright to walk, you should go home for the night....and don't bring back anymore gifts until you kick that habit of yours."
---
Kanji walked into his house, miserably, not even hearing the words of concern from his mother as she walked away from her customer to see what was the matter.
It felt like his head was full of water, swishing around, slamming against the insides of his skull with every movement, and making him completely nauseous with every movement. He dropped his school bag on the floor, collapsed on his bed, and lay there for some time, too miserable to move, walk, think.
When some time had passed, he moved to take off his jacket. Felt a slight bulge in his pocket. Upon removing it, he saw the new pack of cigarettes he'd bought just this morning.
The next morning, the neighbor found a new, unopened pack, flung hatefully into his back yard from the open window of the Tatsumi residency.
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