The Winners Take It All | Chishiya

Short story: Skin and hands

The pain in my lower stomach tripled as Sarumi and I stumbled down the stairs. We had to support each other - Asami was completely exhausted, if not a little in shock, while I had to endure the aftermath of the roof railing make-out session.

When we reached the right floor, I almost sighed with relief because my legs were shaking so much.

"A-Are you okay, Ayuna-chan?" Sarumi had noticed my suffering by now, I could feel her body tensing up a little. She was probably blaming herself for everything, so I gave her a smile to calm her down a bit.

With my left hand I pushed open the door that separated the hallway and the stairwell - immediately the calm atmosphere was replaced by a chaotic scene. The noise and the smell of disinfectants caused my already irritated stomach to do a somersault - I was just able to stop myself from throwing up on the beautiful white floors.

"Hayashi!" When I heard Obikis voice, I looked up even as the world began to spin in front of my eyes. My body suddenly became quite heavy, causing me to slip out of Sarumi's arms and collide with the ground. The teenager squealed in shock before kneeling and placing her hand on my shoulder.

"It's fine - I'm just a little exhausted," I mumbled as I forced myself back to my feet. I gave her a reassuring smile before a crowd formed around us.

In the background, I could see the faces of Asami's parents flash for a moment, but they were quickly obscured again as my teammate leaned down toward me.

"Damn it - you shouldn't have gone alone, Hayashi! What happened?" Obiki grabbed my arms and supported me. I just shook my head to signal to him that this was a topic we should discuss later.

"Have you reached Chishiya?" I asked instead through gritted teeth and the nurse nodded slightly while Sarumi pushed herself to my other side and grabbed my arm - she didn't want to let me go.

No wonder - I didn't blame her at all.

"He and Hinata should be here soon - come with me first!" he instructed me before gently steering me towards the staff rooms. I had to surrender to his strength with lumbering steps - even as I reached for his sleeve and tugged it lightly.

"Please look after Sarumi," I whispered to him quietly, "Don't leave her alone now." The young man looked at the teenager on my other side and then nodded slightly again before waving over a nurse. Meanwhile I turned to the girl. "Sarumi-chan," I said quietly, "Would you please go with the nurse up front for a moment?"

Her eyes widened a little and I could imagine what was going on in her head. "But-" she was about to reply, and I just nodded slightly.

"I know... I'll come, okay?" I whispered to her quietly, while Obiki was starting to get impatient, "You don't have to be afraid, okay?" My trembling voice and my request seemed to have an effect because she slowly let go of me and stood there, her eyes glassy, as the nurse came to her side. Meanwhile, I let Obiki guide me through the crowd until we finally reached the break room.

There I sat down in a chair, and he handed me a water bottle before fishing for his pager and leaving a note. I suspected that he had sent information to Chishiya and Hinata - because a little later the latter burst into the room breathless.

"Ayu!" she squeaked softly when she saw me sitting crouched on the chair. I tried to give her a smile, but somehow, I couldn't quite manage it anymore.

When I thought about it, the pain had tripled again.

I only realized that something was wrong when I fell flat on my face from my chair to the floor - Obiki and Hinata were still calling my name at the same time, but I heard their voices as if through cotton wool.