Chapter Text
Little Firefly.
I read the sign on the stoned wall gate which surrounded the property. My hands gripped the wheels of my wheelchair tightly. I could feel my palms getting clammy as I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“You’ll be living here from now on, Hyouma.” The lady, who introduced herself as Teieri Anri, said as she exited the small taxi. She reached in to retrieve my small briefcase.
“The man who owns this place is called Yukimiya Kenyuu.” Anri said as she placed my briefcase onto my lap. My arms now embracing the briefcase. She pushed my wheelchair past the stone gate and onto the rapid pathway.
Anri was pushing my wheelchair rather slowly, I bet she could sense my nervousness. The house looked properly taken care of. It wasn’t big nor small, the grass was trimmed, flower petals were glistening in the sun and the air seemed so clean and calming. The anxiety within me slowly began to fade, but I couldn’t let my guard down yet.
“Yukki was a painter and an author.” Anri explained. “But he lost his sight a few years ago.”
I remained silent in my seat, my throat getting dry. I could tell Anri was being considerate of my condition.
“Now, he lives with his personal caretaker who tends to his needs.” Anri continued. “Don’t worry, he is actually very capable of taking care of you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “If he needs a caretaker, doesn’t that mean he isn’t fit to take me in?”
I could hear Anri sigh behind me, before she said. “You’ll understand when you see him.”
That raised a lot of questions in me.
Why does she trust him so much as to let me live with him?
Who is this mysterious man?
My nose itches.
Scratching my nose, Anri picked up the space, the wheelchair now moving faster towards the front door. The sound of the wheelchair against the pathway overpowered the chirping sound of birds, and the sound of the splashing water of the fountain as we passed.
Anri stopped the wheelchair in front of the door before reaching for the doorbell and pressed it once. I could hear a soft ring of the bell from inside. A moment passed before Anri rang again. This time in three consecutive presses. I could sense Anri getting impatient when she softly grunted.
Sound of heavy foot steps slowly approached the door, before the knob turned. I could feel the knot in my stomach almost hitting its breaking point. I was extremely nervous, sweat falling down my forehead. Immediately, the door opened revealing a man inside, a cane in his right hand stabilizing his oddly lean body. A pair of glasses sat on the bridge of his nose; his eyes were closed shut. I almost didn’t see the warm smile he gave off.
“What took you so long, Yukki?” Anri almost yelled.
“Sorry, I was in the kitchen a while ago.” The man said, facing Anri but his eyes never opened. His cologne was already choking me. “Rensuke is running a little bit late today.”
“Did you almost forget you have another child coming in today?” Anri said, as she held the handles of my wheelchair, ready to come in. “Anyways, Hyouma, please meet your new caretaker, Yukimiya-sama, you can call him Yukki.”
I gulped and spoke. “Nice to meet you, Yukimiya-sama. I am Chigiri Hyouma.”
The man tilted his head downwards, as if he was facing me. He burst into a laugh which caught me by surprise.
He is making me uncomfortable.
“Hyouma, its nice to have you here! And, please, call me Yukki instead. And as for you, Anri, thank you for sending him here safely. Let’s bring him inside.” The man said before he turned around and quickly made his way into a long hallway that led to several rooms. His shoes lightly stomped on the wooden floor followed by the sound of his cane hitting the floor, getting further away.
Anri pushed my wheelchair in before closing the door behind her, and said. “I’m sure you have heard about what happened to Hyouma, right, Yukki?”
“I definitely did.” I heard the man replied from a room on the left side of the hallway. “My condolences, dear, Hyouma. That’s really heartbreaking to hear.”
Immediately, memories began to rush in – a car crash that resulted in me being the sole survivor. I could still hear the sound of a loud crash, then a strong force knocked the air from my lungs and the last thing I felt was the sensation of losing my consciousness. Before I knew it, my eyes opened to bright light and the strong smell of alcohol. Slowly, I could feel pain engulfing my whole body. I peeked under the sheets, as I expected my right leg is no longer there.
My right leg!
Where is my right leg?!
I looked to the bed next to me, expecting to see my sis or my mom but–
MOM? SIS? WHERE ARE YOU?
Why am I alone?
I remember nurses came rushing in, one by one threw their hands, restraining me on the hospital bed. I didn’t know that I still have enough energy to struggle while five nurses tried to keep me from running away, even if that was impossible. All I could think of was grabbing anything remotely close to me that could end my life.
“Sorry, I must have brought back bad memories of that time.” I heard the man say, my eyes fixated on my missing right limb.
“Hyouma has his rehabilitation scheduled to be done here.” Anri explained. “Just like we discussed the other day.”
I couldn’t focus on what Yukki was saying afterwards.
The night after my episode, an unfamiliar person approached my bed. It was Anri. She told me she worked as a secretary for Yukimiya Kenyuu, another person that I am not familiar with. She also added that, unfortunately, I couldn’t move in with my distant relatives. Partly, because our families aren’t that close.
Anri proceeded to tell the news about my family – their funeral service took place during my 4-week comma and that their bodies were cremated. Upon hearing this, my heart sank.
I couldn’t even say my last goodbyes.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Hyouma.” Anri spoke, her eyes almost watering. “It must be hard for you.”
I couldn’t even turn my body away from her to sulk. My eyes averted to the single vase of flower, sitting on a small side table. The flowers started to wither. It looked like it was never replaced. My throat felt dry, my body couldn’t move and the only thing I could feel was the knot in my chest as is it tighten.
“Anri-san, was it?” I managed to speak with a coarse voice. I faced her, her face showed nothing but regret and sadness. “What do I do now?”
Anri remained silent as she let me speak. “I don’t have anything to live for anymore.”
After a few moments of silence, Anri spoke. “Actually, there is one place that will accept you. Yukimiya Kenyuu wants to take you in.”
“Who is he?” I could only stare at the face of the young lady.
Through the night, Anri began to explain the process of moving into a new home, what happened during my amputation and rehabilitation process. She even got out of her way to visit me every other day to check up on my condition. She monitored my medicine while I was being bedridden. She even worked closely with the nurses. However, being said a lot of words, she barely even talked about the man.
A few days after meeting her, she came back.
Anri helped moved my body to a more comfortable position. She moved my pillow just at the right spot under my head. She turned on the TV that hang on the ceiling. Using a remote, she surfed the channels until she stopped at a football channel.
“Did you use to play any sports, Hyouma?” Anri asked out of the blue.
I felt irritated, and almost yelled. “Don’t talk about it when I’m like this.”
Anri didn’t seem bothered by it. She smiled and spoke. “You see, I also had something that I’ve always done. And I loved every moment of it. Sometimes, I thought maybe that was my calling in life.”
I didn’t quite catch what she meant nor where she was going with the conversation.
“But, one day, my life, it all started crumbling.” She deadpanned. Anri’s head tilted, her eyes glued to the TV screen, a single tear rolled down her cheek. Her hand immediately wiped away the tear.
“Who is this cruel to do that to all the kids in my orphanage?” Anri said, almost breaking down.
I watched her sit on the edge of my hospital bed, her head still looking up, however not watching the TV. As if she was speaking to God, Himself.
“When I got there, the firemen were already dousing the fire.” Anri sobbed. “The remains of the kids and other caretakers were retrieved, and… I… just stood there… not knowing whether to blame myself for leaving the house that night.”
Hearing Anri speaking her heart out like this, I thought. Ah, we’re the same.
“I’m so sorry, Anri.” I spoke. Silence followed.
Anri stood up, turning towards me. “You should consider it. Afterall, Yukimiya is the only person who is kind enough to extend a hand to the ones in need. A stranger, kind enough to care when your own relatives failed to care for you.”
“He is the one you need.” Anri said firmly. “He was the one who taught me to stand on my own after that tragic incident.”
“I, for one, just lost a leg.”
“Sorry.”
Anri headed towards the door, about to leave. “I’ll give you a few more days to think this through.”
“Okay, I understand.” I said.
“See you tomorrow, Hyouma.”
“The TV…”
Anri came back in to turn off the TV.