The Heavens Are Not Blind

Part1-Chapter10

Akane clenched her hand into a fist and rapped loudly on Sanosuke’s door, “Sano, come on. This is ridiculous! Open up! Sanosuke!”

            Nothing.                      

            “SANOSUKE!”

            Sakura shook her head, walked to her mother and said, “Let me try.”

            Akane nodded, exhausted. She headed to the kitchen, mumbling something under her breath.

            “Sanosuke-nii-chan,” Sakura said, “Please open up.”

            Sano’s eyes flew open. It was the first that Sakura had called him Sanosuke-nii-chan.

            “I know you’re hurt, nii-chan, but please. I’m sure everything’s gonna be fine . . . Maybe not now but someday it will all be.”

            Sano ignored her and shut his eyes again. You don’t understand, Sakura. It’ll never be okay . . . I’ll never be fixed.

            His throat felt hot and he wanted to double over and vomit. He swallowed back the pain and curled into a ball. But it came back. Again and again, it tore him: into hundred pieces? Thousands? He didn’t know. He didn’t care anymore.

            He didn’t know if he’d be able to live through it all as the pain slowly gnawed at his heart, leaving nothing but a gaping hole that only Megumi can fill.

            The darkness seemed too heavy for him so he whimpered silently and succumbed to sleep, hoping for that even just a moment, the pain would freeze and leave him alone.

            Hours later, which to Sano felt like minutes, he woke to Katsu’s demanding bangs on his door, “Sano! Oy, idiot! I know you’re awake. Open the door, birdbrain!”

            Akane looked worriedly at Katsu, her fist on her chest, “Katsu, this is really something else. Usually, when he’s in pain, he’d make as much trouble as he could, you know. When their father died, he threw a huge tantrum; he nearly broke the house in two. But this . . . this silence is different. It’s scary.”

            Katsu nodded, “Don’t worry,” he reassured her, “I’ll do whatever I can.”

            Akane smiled a sad smile and carried on with her chores.

            “Sano, look! You’re making everyone around you worry. Is this really what you want?” he hissed at the door, “All right, if you won’t open this stupid door in three counts, I’m gonna blast it open. One . . . two . . .”

            The door slid open with a loud bang and before Katsu stood Sanosuke: his hair messier than ever, his eyes bloodshot with purple circles underneath, his face tear stained and disheveled. He looked dismal and pathetic; he looked like a man who had been defeated in a combat a hundred times in a row. Katsu had never seen Sano in such a state before, not even when his father died.

            “What do you want?” Sano said. His voice sounded lifeless.   

            Katsu ignored him, walked into the room, slumped on the futon and grinned, “You look awful, Sano.”

            “Katsu, I’m tired, just go away.”

            “Were you crying?” Katsu scorned, eyes wide in mock surprise.