Early Light | Bungo Stray Dogs

Chapter 6

Dazai Osamu

16 years old

When I arrived at the hospital, I immediately went to the nurse at the counter.

"Hello," She smiled. "Are you here to see someone, or-"

"Which room is Dazai Tsuyuri in?" I cut her off. 

"O- oh," The nurse stammered, startled. She started to type furiously onto her computer. "She'll be in room 207, on the second floor."

"Thank you," I said curtly. I walked away and stopped in front of the elevator, pressing the button. As I waited for the door to open, I pulled out the whittled sparrow from my pocket.

It'd been a year since I saw my sister. Would she be alright?

What if she died before I got to know her again?

I shook that thought out of my mind. I almost missed the elevator, but hurried on before the door could close. I press the button that said '2'.

I walked out the elevator as soon as the doors open.

203. 204. 205. 206.

I stopped in front of the last room. 207.

I was finally going to see Tsuyuri again after one entire year.

Except she might die before seeing me.

I slide the door open and head straight to the bed, where a fragile girl covered in bandages laid, her eyes closed. Her hair is dark brown, like mine, but it reaches all the way to her waist.

I sat down in the chair next to the bed and waited for her to wake up.

Dazai Tsuyuri

13 years old

A few hours ago

When I woke up, I was still in the crumpled car, heavy cardboard boxed pushing down on my body. I let out a small whimper of pain every time I breath. My head is ringing, and I was surprised to feel no pain in my legs.

No. Something was wrong. I couldn't move them. I couldn't feel anything in my legs.

Something was awfully wrong.

I faintly hear the sound of sirens and people yelling. I couldn't breathe and my head felt light. I knew I would faint any moment.

I saw a man trying to open the door, and when that failed, he bashed the remains of the window and crawled in.

"There's someone in the backseat!" He yelled. He started heaving away the cardboard boxes until I was completely free from the weight.

"H...help," I croaked.

"She's alive!" The man shouted. He unbuckled my seatbelt. "This might hurt a little, okay?" He murmured to me. He gently picked me up, and I yelped at the pain coursing through my broken body. Black spots appeared at the corner of my vision, and I was fading in and out of consciousness.

He managed to open the car door and carried me out of the car and into the blinding sunlight. There's a sudden uproar from the crowd that was outside. The man set me down on a stretcher, and then I passed out again.

When I woke up, I was on a white bed with IV drips attached to my arm.

And next to me was a boy I never expected to see.