Between the Lines

13.

  When he woke up, he didn't know if it was a day or a night. It didn't matter though. All he felt was overwhelming pain all over his body, like a thousands of tiny needles stabbed through his guts. He didn't know what happened. He didn't know where he was. His vision was blurry. His breath ragged as his throat burned. He didn't even try to stand up.

"Okita, you're awake," he heard somebody's voice. He tried to look at the person who spoke, but it was too much. "Don't move. Drink this," he gulped the liquid. It tasted horrible. He finally recognized the person who spoke to him. It was doctor Matsumoto.

With a sharp pain everything came back to him.

Dead bodies. ______. His bloodlust. ______. She stopped him from going berserk. Then... Then he saw that brat, Kaoru. The boy stood in the front of the shooters. He smirked and at the same moment ______ eyes widen in shock. He didn't have time, the shooters aimed at them and all he could do was to catch her and shield her with his body. Kaoru said something to him. What was it?

"If you're dead, how much she would be hurting? I wonder."

"You little...!" Okita shouted back. "I'm gonna kill you!"

They fell on a street. She started to apologize for ruining the haori. And she said something else, but he didn't hear anymore. He blacked out.

"______..." he croaked. "Wh-where is she?"

"Who?" the doctor blinked.

"______. S-she was there... with me."

Okita focused his gaze on the man. He looked surprised.

"Souji," new voice joined. "We found you bleeding on the streets over two weeks ago. Alone."

Hijikata, he thought. Okita tried to speak more but he started cough. Pain shook his whole body.

"She was there..." it was his last words before he blacked out.

***

"She's awake!" you heard voices as soon as you opened your eyes. The light blinded you and you had to close them once again. You felt somebody putting a hand on your forehead.

"______-hime, can you hear me?" somebody said. You opened your eyes once again. A woman knelt beside you. You blinked few times. " ______-hime?"

You recognized your own name and nodded. The woman visibly relaxed and smiled. Who was she? You weren't titled '-hime' in such a long time.

"Thank gods," she said. " ______-hime, you probably wonder where you are. You're back home."

You wanted to say no, you weren't. You wanted to tell her that your home burned. That you didn't have a home anymore. All you could do was frown. Your throat felt dry and you couldn't say word.

"Do you remember me? I'm Kino," you had vague feeling that you knew that name and that face. Yet you couldn't recall anything. "I was your babysitter. Here, drink this."

You blinked. Somehow everything started to make sense. You remembered now. Kino, she took care of you when you were little girl. But what was she doing here? Where was 'here'? She said, you were home. Did it mean you were... in Fujinomiya?

You tried to stand up. You felt pang of pain in your side and the room started to spin. You groaned and fell on the futon with Kino's help.