Bonds That Can Change the Future (Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds)

The Sun Will Rise Again Part I

Chapter 37

(following anime episode 118)

Part I

          Lying in her bed and staring at the ceiling, in the room she considered hers (but belonged to the only person she never wanted to see), Hanako was trying to even her breathing just for her headache to go away... She was afraid to fall asleep, because nightmares would haunt her, but being awake wasn't making her feel any better either. The more she was cracking her head about him, that terrible person she met in her nightmares, the more she was trying to fill in all those senseless holes in her memory, trying to find the meaning inside of them, but her headache was preventing her in that determined labour. Everything she tried was effortless! Every step towards the truth was distancing her from reaching the end of the tunnel, leaving her surrounded by darkness and the cold walls of nothingness, as a sudden feeling of loneliness vested her soul and caused the shivering of her body. Releasing a heavy sigh one more time to lighten the burden on her heart, Hanako turned to the side followed by the frown on her face, thinking this day will never end, but then, out of the blue, salvation knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

          "It's me", a soft and warmly familiar voice tried to break its way through the door, "Crow!"

"Come on in", Hanako muttered between her lips, as her words tripped in the process and got lost in the stuffy room her body was resting in, while her eyes were focused on the darkness in front of them, paying zero attention to the door opening up, as the squeaky sound of its hinges was soon followed by Crow's voice vested in concern.

          "How are you feeling?"

"Better", scuff tripped over her lips, hiding a small lie inside, "My headache stopped". Hanako was keeping her sentences short, not feeling like talking much with anyone, especially not if it meant answering the same questions of concern every time she wanted to be alone.

          "I'm sorry for what happened in the garage", Crow started on his way towards Hanako's bed, whilst trying to buy some time to find the right words to say.

"It's not your fault, don't worry about it..."

          "But I-" Yusei crossed his mind almost as fast as his voice tried to say his name, but seeing Hanako keeping her back turned on him and the door, lying listlessly before his eyes, Crow decided to speak up, "I actually promised Yusei to take care of you and... I failed again!" His fist automatically went for the door, before a strong hit echoed through the room, locking them both inside.

"What?!?" Hanako's voice jumped over the bed, as her body turned around to face Crow after hearing that name again. Her surprise reacted as soon as her body twitched from the piercing sound of the door hitting the wall frame, but she was able to calm down once her eyes met Crow's, "What did you say?"

          "Every single time he puts me in charge", Crow sighed, closing his eyes and completely ignoring Yusei's decision of freeing Hanako from hearing about him, "Somehow I always fail!"

"And what makes you think you failed?"

          "I was supposed to make sure nothing happens to you", Crow answered with his eyes now opened and locked on Hanako, observing the way she was sitting on the bed with her body curled and her legs wrapped inside her arms.

"Then you haven't failed Crow", she whispered into her knees, before moving her eyes to her friend and showing him a smile that didn't last long, "Because nothing happened to me... See?"

          Silence took over the moment Crow realised what he has done, since Hanako's eyes started mixing with pain, hurt, disorientation and dejection, making him remember her behaviour from the hospital and how lost and confused she was. "Sorry for bringing his name up", Crow's smile disappeared in a blink of an eyes, knowing he messed up. He couldn't stop repeating that fact inside of his mind and the situation he got himself into right now was preventing his body from coming any closer to his childhood friend, to his foster sister.