Five Days Ago
"Where are we going? Hey, Tenjaki, stop ignoring me, hey!" My friend's voice, a constant companion, buzzed beside me.
"To find work," I replied, my voice as flat as I felt.
"What? Work? Are you really alright? These words don't suit us." He sounded genuinely confused, which was understandable. Work was never on our radar.
"You can go if you want, but I have to work." My resolve was unwavering.
"But why, buddy? What's so important? Also, who's going to give us a job?" He pressed, his usual carefree attitude replaced with a flicker of curiosity.
"I'll do anything," I said quietly, the words feeling heavy on my tongue. "But I can't keep being a burden to Hana anymore. Also, her birthday's next month… I decided to buy her a gift. With my own money." The thought of seeing her smile, knowing I earned it, was the only thing keeping me going.
"Wait—next month is your big sister's birthday?" Tenjaki exclaimed, surprised. "If that's true, then I'm helping too. After all, she's always helped me with my assignments." He paused, then added, "But what can we do?" mmmm..
We walked side by side down a nearly silent road, the fading light painting the small houses with a soft, ethereal glow. Only a few people and vehicles passed by, adding to the quiet hum of the evening.
Crash!!!!
The sound ripped through the stillness. A speeding car, a blur of metal and motion, roared down the road and slammed into a girl from behind. The impact was sickening. Vegetables scattered across the pavement like fallen confetti as her body was thrown into the air, colliding violently with the sharp edge of a house's corner. Her head took the worst of it. Blood splattered across the wall, a stark, terrifying crimson against the muted brick.
She collapsed, unconscious.
The car didn't stop. The driver opened the door and bolted.
"Hey!" Tenjaki shouted, and without a second thought, he took off after him.
I rushed toward the girl, dropping to my knees. My hands, trembling, gently lifted her head, trying to hold the wounded area, to stop the relentless flow of blood. But it kept pouring.
"No… no, no, no…" I whispered, panic clawing at my throat. I looked around—no one. We were utterly alone. "Where's my phone?" I fumbled in my pockets. Dead. No signal. Broken screen. Everything was wrong.
Tenjaki returned, breathless. "He got away!"
"Forget him!" I yelled, my voice hoarse with desperation. "What do we do now? She's losing too much blood!"
Tenjaki's eyes darted around nervously. "If we stay here, we might get blamed. There's not even a single CCTV camera on this whole street. Maybe we should just go—"
"If we run, she dies!" I snapped, cutting him off. My voice was sharp, fueled by a primal need to help. "We have to help her. We don't have time to wait for anyone else!"
Tenjaki's eyes swept across the road, then landed on the crashed car. Without hesitation, he ran to it, jumped into the driver's seat, and began fiddling with the ignition. Two tries—vroom-vroom—the engine roared to life.
I carefully lifted the girl into my arms, the weight of her limp body terrifyingly light, and rushed to the car. I climbed into the back seat, cradling her head in my lap, trying to keep her as still as possible.
As Tenjaki hit the gas, I asked, "When did you get a license?"
He smirked nervously, his eyes fixed on the road. "We were born on the same day, remember? We're only sixteen. Of course, I don't have one… but I've watched my brother drive a hundred times."
The sun was high overhead, blazing down on the nearly empty road. Tenjaki gripped the steering wheel tightly, sweat dripping from his forehead as he navigated the car—his first time behind the wheel. From the back seat, I shouted, "Drive carefully! This is your first time, damn it!"
"I know!" Tenjaki snapped back, trying to stay focused. "But—"
Suddenly, a boy darted across the road in front of us.
"Shit!" Tenjaki slammed the brakes and swerved violently. The car screeched, barely missing the boy. I clutched the seat, my heart pounding against my ribs.
"Watch it!" I yelled, my voice tight with fear.
"I am watching!" Tenjaki shouted back, his face pale from the scare.
A few tense minutes later, we reached the outskirts of the nearest city. Buildings zipped past us, a blur of concrete and glass. People on the sidewalks turned to stare—drawn by the sight of the dented, blood-smeared car.
In the back, I gently tapped the girl's cheek. "Hey… wake up. Can you hear me?" No response. Her breathing was shallow, barely a whisper.
Finally, we reached the hospital. The main gate was crowded—people going in and out, some crying, some carrying patients. Tenjaki slammed the brakes and jumped out, sprinting inside. I flung the back door open, my heart hammering.
Inside the hospital, Tenjaki spotted a nurse pushing an empty stretcher.
"Sorry, nurse—I need this!" He called out, then added a quick "Thank you," before grabbing the stretcher and racing back outside. "Please call a doctor! We've got a serious emergency!" he yelled as he ran.
"What—wait!" the nurse shouted in confusion, but Tenjaki was already gone.
Together, we lifted the girl onto the stretcher, our movements urgent, and rushed her through the hospital entrance.
A doctor passing by noticed the blood-covered girl—and us, me soaked in blood, Tenjaki in sweat. "Ward 13B—now!" the doctor barked. "Nurse, take the stretcher!"
The nurse, still flustered, nodded and rushed ahead, guiding the stretcher down the corridor. The doctor turned to Tenjaki. "What happened? Did she fall from somewhere?"
"No," Tenjaki replied, still catching his breath. "A car hit her. Hit and run."
The doctor nodded sharply and followed the nurse into the emergency ward. As the doors closed behind them, I stumbled toward a bench in the hallway and collapsed onto it. My hands were still shaking. Blood stained my clothes. My mind, spinning.
Tenjaki came closer and sat beside me on the bench. "Hey, buddy," he said gently, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Why do you look so nervous? We did our best. If you want, we can leave now."
I shook my head, my eyes fixed on the floor. "She looks just like Hana… I can't stop thinking about her. Please, God—save her. I'm not leaving until the doctor gives us some news. Not even a step."
Tenjaki glanced at my face—pale, tense, determined. He could tell I wasn't going anywhere. He sighed and sat down beside me.
The sounds of the hospital filled the air around us. A wall of chaos. People crying, others rushing down the halls. The sharp, sterile scent of phenyl hung heavily in the atmosphere.
Ten minutes passed.
Suddenly, a nurse rushed toward us, breathless. "We need AB-negative blood! It's an emergency—she's lost a lot of blood. We don't have her type in the hospital. If she doesn't receive it within an hour… she might die."
Tenjaki looked at me in shock. "AB-negative? Wait—that's your blood type, right? Yours and Hana's."
The nurse nodded quickly. "If one of you is willing, we can begin the transfusion right away."
I stood up slowly. "Wait a moment," I said, and walked away from the nurse. Tenjaki followed close behind.
"What's wrong, Hamuro?" Tenjaki asked.
I looked at him, troubled. "Look at me. Do I seem ready for blood donation? I have low blood volume issues. I can't just jump into this… I need to call Hana. Maybe she can come."
We rushed to a nearby phone booth and tried calling Hana—but no answer.
A few minutes later, the same nurse found us again, more desperate now. "Please, sir. We're running out of time. If you're going to do something, please act fast."
Tenjaki turned to me and grabbed me by the shoulders. "Hey, look at me. You said yourself—she looks just like Hana. Now imagine if Hana was in that hospital bed. Would you still walk away?"
I clenched my fists. "Damn it… That's emotional blackmail."
Tenjaki held my gaze. "Maybe. But is it working?"
I let out a shaky breath. "Fine. I'm ready."
(Present Day)
Cherry blossom petals danced gently in the air, caught in the breeze like delicate fragments of a dream. The forest glowed with pink and white, but above, dark clouds rolled slowly over the sky—whispers of rain hung heavy. Among the blooming trees stood a single withered pine, old and dry, like a scar in paradise.
I stood on a wooden bridge, leaning against the railing. My eyes, heavy with sorrow, stared into the forest as though searching for answers hidden in the petals. My face was pale, my body still—I had been crying for hours.
Footsteps echoed behind me. Tenjaki arrived, panting, his breath visible in the cool air. He spotted me deep in thought, lost in some inner storm. Quietly, he stepped up and leaned beside me, both now looking out at the beauty that unfolded before us.
For a while, we said nothing.
Then Tenjaki broke the silence, pointing toward the dry pine. "Not good," he said loudly, forcing a laugh. "That ugly pine tree's ruining the whole view."
Startled, I blinked. "Huh? When did you get here? You could've at least said something quietly."
"I've been here a few minutes," Tenjaki said with a grin. "I was just talking about that sad-looking pine."
I looked at the tree again and spoke softly, "Funny… I've been thinking about that tree too. How is it still standing—surviving alone in the middle of strangers?"
Tenjaki raised an eyebrow. "As usual, your thoughts go deeper than mine." Then his tone shifted. "Enough about trees. What are we doing here, man? You sounded panicked on the call."
I shut my eyes. A tear escaped. "I don't want to be like that pine…" I whispered. "I can't survive alone."
Tenjaki's eyes widened. "You're crying?" he said, shocked. "Hamuro… talk to me, what's going on?" He placed a firm hand on my shoulder.
My voice cracked. "First my parents… and now Hana. She's in the hospital. And I—I couldn't do anything to stop it. Again."
Tenjaki's expression shifted—shock turning to concern, then fury. "What happened to Hana?"
My voice was hollow. "Last night… some robbers tried to attack her on her way home. She ran. And then… a car hit her."
Tenjaki froze. He didn't want to believe it—didn't want my words to be true. But the tears in my eyes… they weren't just sadness. They were proof. Proof that something terrible had happened. His throat tightened.
Tenjaki placed his hand on my shoulder again, firm and reassuring. "She'll be fine soon. You have to trust God. And those bloody robbers… I swear, I'm going to kill them if I ever find them."
My face twitched—my calm began to break. My voice rose, trembling with rage and guilt. "God?! It's because of God! If I hadn't donated my blood to that girl that day, maybe Hana would've been fine today! I only had one chance to help her—and I lost it! And you… you're the one who told me to do it!"
Tenjaki's expression shifted. He understood now. "Wait… blood loss? Hana's injured and she's losing blood? What are you doing here then? We should be searching for blood!"
I lowered my head, frustration pouring from me. "I've already gone to every hospital nearby. They all said the same thing… AB-negative. Too rare. No stock anywhere."
Tenjaki clenched his fists. "We don't have time to give up. Maybe the doctors found something by now. Let's go—right now!"
Without another word, both of us turned and ran from the bridge, petals swirling in the wind behind us as the first raindrops began to fall.
With a screech, the taxi halted in front of the hospital. Tenjaki and I jumped out and rushed through the corridors, our footsteps echoing with urgency. As we approached Hana's ward, a nurse stepped out of the room, her face tense. Before I could speak, she asked first: "Did you get the blood? The patient's condition is getting worse."
I stopped, breathing heavily. I glanced at Tenjaki with hollow eyes and whispered, "No…"
The nurse's expression tightened. "Then what are you doing here? Go! Find the blood—we don't have much time left!"
Just then, a doctor appeared, white coat flowing, stethoscope swinging from his neck. "Any news? Did you find the AB-negative blood?"
I clenched my fists, took a deep breath, then looked up at the doctor, my eyes burning with determination. "I have AB-negative. Take all my blood—even if I die. Just save my sister."
The doctor paused, taken aback by the desperation in my voice. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded. "We'll need to run tests first. Go to the lab and give a sample."
Tenjaki grabbed my arm, alarmed. "Hamuro, no! You're already weak—you've got that low blood issue. If you give too much, you might not make it!"
But I pulled away and shouted, "I don't care!"
The nurse quickly drew a blood sample and rushed toward the lab, while Tenjaki and I followed the doctor into his cabin and sat down. The silence in the room was unbearable.
Ten minutes later, the nurse returned with the report and handed it to the doctor. He opened it. His eyes scanned the paper once, then again. Then a third time. His expression turned grave.
I couldn't take it anymore. "Doctor, please! What are you waiting for? Just take my blood—give it to Hana!"
The doctor lowered the report slowly and spoke in a heavy voice. "Hamuro… your blood is getting sticky, you have blood cancer."