Acid in the back of her throat. A throbbing headache; billions of words disappearing on unfathomable currents and others bold in their concern for her well-being. Hakuba-kun. Saguru. She swallowed iron and grit and acid.
[Hakuba-kun. I’m okay.] Akira pushed the thought on him, though her throat bulged and her tea and eggs and toast ejected from her stomach. Her head ached and vision swam with pink butterflies which landed on her bloodied fingertips only to be eaten by turquoise sharks and seaweed wrapped around her ankles except not seaweed jellyfish tendrils stinging burning her ankles and legs. She turned to catch Hakuba’s eyes, her own stinging with dust. When had she started crying? [Don’t worry. We’re gonna get out of this. I promise.]
Everything hurt, but the paramedics yelled platitudes at her and vibration shook the wreck of a vehicle as a chainsaw sliced through a door to release her and honestly she just wanted to sleep.
The voice confused him. Shook his already burning head. Hakuba stared helplessly, time passing in a mix of sights and sounds that he couldn’t understand. Foreign hands unbuckled his seat belt. Pulled him from the vehicle. He stared at the sky, vaguely aware that Akira wasn’t there anymore. She was already gone; loaded into the back of some vehicle.
They checked vitals. Hakuba recounted the steps, attempted to instruct them, was given a squeeze of his hand instead. Voices… voices.. Something about his father? Closing his eyes was harder and harder to undo.
…
Hakuba opened his eyes to a doctor touching his head with one hand, his wrist with the other. Confusion flickered and he grimaced. It was too bright – oh, a flash light.
“Two concussions in two weeks… Saguru-kun, you are one lucky kid. I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon."
Concussion. Again. The hospital.. car accident. Hakuba swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat. "How’s… Akira-kun?"