A Thousand Cranes

Disclaimer: I do not own The GazettE. 

--Prologue-- 

I woke up with a jolt. 

Why was I blindfolded? Where was I?  

I felt like I was covered in hbandages and sterilizer by the smell of it. Since my eyes were covered I had to rely on my other senses. Hopefully my blindfold would be taken off soon. 

I wondered back to my surroundings. The last thing I could remember was being in a car with Aoi. We had been dating for about a year now, and were actually out going to look for an apartment for us. We were going to move in together. 

I heard a door open.  

"Uruha?" It asked, and I recognized Aoi's voice. 

"Aoi!" I exclaimed. I /needed/ my blindfold off now-I have no idea why I was wearing it in the first place, but I also wanted to see my boyfriend. I needed to see him, I needed to.  

"Uruha...oh god..." He suppressed a choked sob, and my face contorted in confusion.  

"What? What happened?" 

"You don't remember, do you?" Aoi asked, all happiness drained from his voice. 

"I remember we were looking for apartments...then I woke up here. But I don't know what /here/ is! Tell me what's going on! And /please/ take this blindfold off of me, it's pissing me off!" I demanded, getting angry. I heard Aoi walk over-but as he was walking, I heard the pattern of his steps were changed from what I remember. It almost was as if he was...walking with crutches? 

He sat down on the bed I was laying on and brushed a few strands of hair out of my face, taking my hand. 

"Uruha...just know that whatever happens, I love you, okay? I love you..." He trailed off, starting to cry. I was going to reach up to comfort him by feeling where he was in this darkness, but there was a sharp pain in my chest, and I lowered my hand.  

"We were driving," he began, and I thought I heard him wipe his tearful eyes with his sleeve, "and we went on the highway. We were going about sixty when someone-who I'm pretty sure was drunk-slammed into the right side of the car. I lost control of the wheel and it crashed onto the road beneath it, pretty far down. I...broke my leg and got a concussion. Luckily, my leg was only fractured a little-most of my injuries were from all the broken glass, so it'll heal pretty soon. But...." 

At this point he started crying. 

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen, I didn't mean for any of this to happen! I'm sorry...I love you..."  

"Aoi, what happened to me? Am I in a hospital right now?" I asked softly, afraid of what his answers might be. 

"Yes, you're in a hospital. You...you broke your collarbone, an arm, a few ribs, and..." He trailed off. 

"And what? Is it the reason I'm wearing a blindfold?" I questioned. It had to be, it just had to! 

"Uruha, you're not wearing a blindfold. When I gained consciousness, your eyes were bleeding...the glass had caused retina damage. Uruha...you're blind."  

I reached a hand to my face and touched my eyes gently. They were open, but nothing was covering them.  

I was blind.  

/I was blind./