𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 || 𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐲𝐨 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟔

"We can't postpone the operation any longer! The anesthesia is going to wear off soon and she's in critical condition-" 

I slowly blinked my eyes open, the harsh glare of the operating room lights assaulted my senses, stabbing through the haze of sleep like shards of glass. Confusion washed over me as I tried to make sense of my surroundings, my mind struggling to grasp the reality of the situation. My whole body ached with a pain that was indescribable.

A surge of panic coursed through my veins as I realized where I was—a surgery bed, cold and sterile beneath my prone body. Fear clenched at my chest like a vice as I attempted to move, only to find myself immobilized by restraints that dug into my skin. 

My heart hammered in my chest as I struggled against the bonds that held me captive, the metallic taste of both terror and blood flooding my senses. Questions tumbled through my mind in a frantic whirlwind—how had I ended up here? What was happening to me? 

The sound of approaching footsteps sent a shiver down my spine, dread pooling in the pit of my stomach like lead. I strained against my restraints, desperate to escape, to flee from this hellish nightmare. I heard a familiar voice from behind me and I strained my neck to see who it was. 

My eyes widened in horror as I saw my father, dressed in scrubs and holding a needle. The operating room door opened and the man dressed in the striped suit and voodoo doll mask spoke with my father before taking a dark briefcase from him. He gave me a quick glance and I froze. My mouth opened to speak, but I couldn't formulate a sentence in that moment. The masked man left the room, the door closing behind him with a soft click.

My father then turned to face me, his brows furrowing. He placed the needle on the tray next to the bed and walked over to me. His shadow loomed over me, and as much I wanted to move away from him I couldn't.

Of my own father? Why? Why the hell...?

"I told them to be more careful with you... they could've killed you." My father said softly, glancing down at the giant hole in my stomach along with the various broken ribs I had.

What does that mean? 

He sighed before speaking, "Kanou, do you have what I asked for?" My father glanced at another man dressed in scrubs who was pulling on his gloves. The man named Kanou nodded curtly, disappearing out of my view and rolled in a white box on a trolley. My father slowly reached out to touch my cheek and I recoiled out of fear when I finally I found my voice and spoke, my heart hammering in my ears.

"What's going on?" I stared up at him, struggling against the restraints that strapped me down to the cold operating table. My father looked down at me with a blank expression and I frowned. He sighed quietly before speaking.

"I'm sorry Ari. I truly am, but... I can't answer that just yet. I promise I will when the time is right." He said in a soft voice before picking up a needle and holding it over my arm. My eyes widened and I thrashed around violently to try and escape, ignoring the searing pain coming from my abdomen. A few nurses rushed in and held me down as I watched my father inject me with what I thought was a sedative.

"No, stop!" I yelled angrily, my voice strained and hoarse. I was already starting to feel the anesthesia take effect and my vision blurred and my eyelids began to feel heavy as I fought the effects of the drug.

"Sleep now sweetheart, you'll be born anew when you awake." My father whispered, watching me with cold eyes.

"Fujimoto, stop wasting time. We need to start the operation right away." I heard Kanou say to my father before I couldn't stay awake anymore and blacked out.

．．．

As consciousness slowly seeped back into my awareness, I found myself swimming to the surface of a thick, murky fog. My eyelids fluttered open, heavy and reluctant, revealing a sterile, white ceiling above me. The scent of antiseptic hung heavy in the air, mingling with the faint hum of machinery and the distant murmur of voices.

Confusion fogged my mind as I struggled to piece together my surroundings. Memories flickered like distant stars in the night sky, hazy and fragmented. Surgery. Anesthesia. But how did I end up here? The questions swirled in my mind, a whirlwind of uncertainty and apprehension.

With a groan, I attempted to shift my body, only to be met with a dull ache that radiated from every fiber of my being. With trembling fingers, I reached to touch the bandages that wrapped around my abdomen, feeling the tightness of the dressing against my skin. As I took stock of my surroundings, the pieces of the puzzle slowly began to fall into place. The steady beeping of monitors, and the subtle murmurs of nurses as the ran in and out of recovery rooms. 

Suddenly, the door to my room burst open and I saw Fumiko standing in the doorway with her chest heaving. Without a warning, she ran over to me and wrapped her arms around my neck as she pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. "What the hell happened to you?! I heard you got into an accident or something! The nurses at the front desk won't tell me anything!" Fumiko practically yelled as she pulled away and looked at me, holding my hands tightly. My brain was still foggy and I had just woken up, so I couldn't really think straight.

"I... I don't know. I don't remember much at all." I responded, pinching the bridge of my nose and closing my eyes trying to piece everything together. The one thing I do actually remember is having my apartment getting broken into. Everything after that is impossible to remember.

Fumiko sighed heavily and sat on the edge of the hospital bed before pulling out a box from her bag. She handed it to me and I took it with both hands, opening up the lid. 

"Here. I'll be bringing you these everyday until you get discharged, okay? So you better eat 'em." Fumiko said cheerfully. It was a lunch box packed with grilled chicken, rice and assorted vegetables. I looked down at it before looking back up at my friend, a small smile forming on my lips.

"Thanks, it looks good. Did you make this? Or did your mom?" I asked and Fumiko proudly gave me a thumbs up.

"This lunch box was made by yours truly! And besides, my mom's outta town right now. She won't be back for another... 2 weeks? So you're stuck with my cooking, whether you like it or not." She said, sticking out her tongue playfully. I chuckled and put the lunch box on the table next to me bed and leaned back, feeling the oddly hard pillows beneath me. They weren't exactly the comfiest, but I wouldn't be discharged for a while. Might as well get comfy.

"Well, thanks for the food. I'll eat it later, I'm not exactly hungry right now." I said softly, looking at my palms and tracing over the lines with my eyes. Fumiko nodded before standing up and heading towards the door. Her hand rested on the door handle before she spoke.

"Ari I thought I'd let you know that..." She trailed off, her expression suddenly going dark. I glanced up at her, confused. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Mako is dead. The cops found his body and..." I froze.

My heart dropped into my stomach and my eyes widened at her words. I brought my knees close to my chest and hugged them, looking out the window. I stayed silent, not knowing how to respond. 

What?

"I..." I started speaking, feeling my throat close up. I stopped and swallowed thickly, trying to keep my voice steady. Fumiko glanced back and she sighed softly before turning to face me again.

"I'll be back later. I'll bring some stuff from work so you don't miss out on too much. I've already told Eiji you won't be coming in for a while." She said, trying to sound happy. I nodded absentmindedly and continued staring out the window, hearing the door close with a soft click. The room was silent once again, except for the slight buzzing of the lights and occasional beep from the monitors. Everything felt surreal; like a dream. A sick, twisted dream that I couldn't wake up from.

I looked down at my abdomen and with shaky hands, I lifted my hospital gown and slowly started to unravel the slightly bloody bandages. Once done, I bunched everything together and stared at the giant stitched up incision on my torso. I ran a finger over it, wincing in pain when I  put even the slightest amount of pressure on my stomach. Nothing made sense. 

Realizing I probably shouldn't have taken off the dressing, I pulled my gown down and laid back trying to keep calm. Every fiber of my being ached and I probably should get some sleep. But I just couldn't. So many different thoughts were flooding my head at a pace I couldn't comprehend or keep up with. I rubbed my temples and reached over to the table to grab the lunch box Fumiko made me, opening it slowly as I gazed at the food.

I smelled it, immediately put off by the weird foul smell coming from what I assumed was the chicken. My nose scrunched up and put it back down, exhaling heavily. Fumiko was a good cook naturally, so I didn't know why it smelled so... gross. I figured my senses would be a little off because of the surgery so deciding to ignore it, I grabbed the pair of chopsticks that came with the lunch box and picked up a piece of chicken. With shaky hands, I slowly brought the piece of meat to my mouth and started chewing. 

What the hell? 

I immediately gagged as I tasted the chicken; it tasted rancid. The texture was slimey and mushy like it had gone rotten but looked completely fine. I spat it out and looked down at the chewed-up piece of meat, grimacing at the sight. I quickly picked up a piece of broccoli and began chewing, also spitting it out as it tasted like it had gone sour. What's going on? Why does everything taste disgusting...? 

My brows furrowed as I stared at the lunch box before closing it and putting it back reluctantly. I heard a knock on my door and I rolled over onto my side and pulled the blankets over my head, closing my eyes as I spoke up.

"Come in." I said, my voice cracking. Heels clacked against the tiled hospital floor and a nurse spoke, though it sounded like her voice was a thousand miles away. 

"Ms. Fujimoto, how are you feeling? I was told to check your wound dressings."  

If I'm being honest, I feel like I died and came back.

．．．

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: Aloo!! Sorry for taking so long to update, so have 2 chapters as a sorry! I can't wait to get to writing the next chapter, I think you're gonna like it :3 Cheers! <3