Marionette

Skies, Chapter Sixteen - Setsuzoku [接続]

Amaya had completely forgotten just how far away Kunugigaoka really was from her elementary school.

It came crashing down on her as she forewent the hassle of waiting for a train and just ran the whole way.

Trains rarely stopped at Kunugigaoka station while school was in session, so she could be standing there for up to an hour waiting for one of the few between-times trains.

She was completely spent by the time she had reached the school, and yet her desperation to reach the hospital kept her going.

She'd bumped into delinquents along the way - Practically bowled a couple of them over in her haste.

However, just as she'd had the twins learn, being fast on your feet or at least having good stamina and endurance was a very valuable asset; She was already long gone by the time they'd tried to give chase.

She wasn't as fast a runner as Kimura was, however she had a decent enough click to outrun any of the delinquents she'd bump into.

The hospital that Karasuma had written down on the piece of paper was nearly a whole stations jump towards the south of the school, in completely the opposite direction to home.

By the time Amaya had gotten there, it had just gone 3pm.

It may have been faster to just wait for the stupid train, but she would have cracked just standing there the whole time.

The hospital was full, speckled with people as she stumbled in gasping for breath. A few of the staff belonging to the hospitals pay-role had turned to look at the gasping girl hunched over at the door.

One in particular, a man in his late years with greying hair and a wrinkled face approached, dressed in the hospital scrubs that were common for a medical facility such as this.

'Miss, are you quite alright?' The man questioned, his tone filled with mild concern as he approached Amaya. 'Are you in any need of medical assistance?'

Still struggling to catch her breath, Amaya lifted a hand and shook her head frantically.

Seeming to understand Amayas situation, the man waited patiently for the girl to catch her breath without asking any further questions.

Once she felt like she could formulate sentences at least, Amaya straightened up on her feet despite the trembling of her overworked limbs.

Her heart was still racing inside her chest rather painfully.

'S-sorry ... ran here...' Amaya managed to speak, massaging her chest as the man inclined his head.

'I understand.' He responded patiently, casting a glance over at the front counter. 'What is the name of the Patient? I'll get their location for you.'

'K-Katsuragi Reiko ... Sister...'

'Please take a seat, I will be right back.' The man spoke as he turned on his heel briskly, and departed for the front counter of admissions.

Amaya didn't comply - She remained standing where she was, her phone and piece of paper still held tightly in her trembling hands.

If she sat down now, she probably wasn't going to get back up again.

A faint chirping echoed from the charm hanging from her phone, however she paid no attention to it.

She had no idea if her phone had been ringing or not all the while she'd been running, but it honestly didn't matter right now.

She pocketed the phone and the piece of paper as she saw the greying man begin to make his brisk way back towards her.

'She's just in the recovery ward. I'll escort you there, now.' He announced.