Fan Fiction ❯ Chosen ❯ Yamamoto Kaori ( Chapter 11 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chosen...
Author: Byakko Rei


Chapter 11
Yamamoto Kaori

A few days went by before Tara called to inform Yuriko that her pictures were ready. By then, her health had improved to the point where Midori was more willing to chauffeur her around. Their first stop was at the dojo where Tara waited to accompany them. The slender blonde slid easily into the back seat to keep their guest company and pore over the dojo mistress' handiwork.

On the way over to Tokyo General Hospital, Yuriko carefully wrote something along the bottom right hand corner of the five by seven photo, then waited for it to dry. She produced a plastic bag and pulled a beautifully embossed cherrywood frame out of it to mount the picture in. Yuriko proceeded to wrap the gift with more items from the bag.

Tara was fascinated. "You behave as though you've done this sort of thing a hundred times!" she remarked incredulously.

Yuriko laughed and said, "I've probably autographed more things than that from a car... but, admittedly, I haven't framed and gift wrapped them many times! Let's have a look at the poster now," she requested with a sparkle in her bright eyes.

Tara took the poster out of a cardboard cylinder and unfurled it slowly, noticing that Yuriko held her breath in anticipation.

Yuriko exhaled softly. "Oh, Tara-kun... it's wonderful!" she exclaimed.

Tara grinned appreciatively, then handed Yuriko another photo to look at while she put the poster back into its canister.

Yuriko's throat constricted and she had trouble trying to breathe. She quickly handed the photo back to Tara before she could wet it with threatening tears. She extracted another cherrywood frame from her bag and glanced a little coyly at the black-haired girl. "I was hoping the picture of Shinbo-sensei would be this size... will you do the honors, Tara-san?" she asked hopefully, handing Sensei's daughter the frame.

Yuriko could hear Midori muttering in a disagreeable tone from the driver's seat, and when the picture of Yaiba Shinbo was framed, she held it up so the disgruntled author could glance at it through the rear view mirror. Midori's countenance registered her instant gratification.

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The receptionist at Tokyo General informed the trio of ladies that Miss Yamamoto was allowed only two visitors at a time, so Yuriko and Midori let Tara go see her cousin first.

When Tara stepped tearfully back into the waiting room, Yuriko stood and asked anxiously, "How is she? Will she still be able to see us?"

Tara wiped her eyes and grimaced. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression! I'm just not used to seeing my invincible Kaori-chan in such a weakened state," she explained apologetically. "You can go on in," she said with a lop-sided grin.

Midori clasped Yuriko's slightly sweaty left hand, and sensing the taller woman's uncertainty, drug her towards Kaori's white washed room. "Come on, Miss Cold Feet, you need to get those feelings you have about her behind you sooner or later... it may as well be now."

Kaori's lanky form rested in a bed that barely contained her. Both visitors smiled inwardly. Midori nudged Yuriko persuasively near the patient's dark head.

The blonde flushed lightly, then leaned in to study the fine facial features of Tokyo University's star basketball player for a moment. The bruising around the girl's neck were alarmingly dark and painful looking. "Yamamoto-san...." she whispered hesitantly.

Kaori's eyelids fluttered open slowly and took a few seconds to orient herself to the new face before her. It was Yuriko. A smile flirted around the right corner of Kaori's mouth as she used the bed controls to prop herself up. "Yuriko-kun... Midori-kun!" she rasped softly in reply.

"Shhhh... don't talk. Let me," Yuriko urged. "I wanted to thank you for sparing my life, Kaori-kun," she began quietly, then furrowed her brow, "but you really shouldn't have endangered yourself for me like that! My cape probably would have stopped that attack," Yuriko admonished.

Kaori lifted a finger off of the bed and pointed it towards Yuriko's bandaged right arm. "Couldn't risk it," she enlightened the blonde hoarsely.

Yuriko exhaled forcibly in exasperation. "My life is no more important than yours, Kaori-kun!" Yuriko's blue eyes flashed fiercely then glistened with moisture. She turned away quickly to retrieve her gift.

Yuriko's outburst hung in the silent room uncomfortably.

Kaori's dark brown eyes flicked over to meet Midori's dark brown ones with an amused expression. "Is she always this unstable?"

Midori smiled and acknowledged with a nod.

Yuriko shot Midori a glare before she readdressed the kunoichi in the bed shaking with silent laughter, "I come bearing gifts and you mock my concern for you?"

Kaori wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, Yuriko-kun... " she began with a raw voice, "we've just spent the last couple of years training *against* one another, then when I try to save your sorry hide, you get mad at me!" She chortled. "It's funny... sue me!"

Yuriko laughed then, too. "I guess It's a good thing I didn't know *you* were 'Nin'... I don't think I could have fought against you so vigorously if I had!" she considered thoughtfully. Yuriko held the flat package out towards the hand that didn't have the IV drip attached to it. "I hope you like it, Kaori-kun," she offered somewhat shyly.

Kaori accepted it gingerly and laid it on her stomach to nimbly open it with one hand. She spared a glance at her visitors who held hands throughout the 'unveiling'. She drew the picture closer to her eyes so she could read the small inscription.

'To Yamamoto Kaori, the brightest star I have ever had the privilege to call... friend. Love, Yuriko'.

Kaori's eyes swam and her cheeks lightly pinked. "Thank you, Yuriko-kun," she breathed out softly, "I love it!"

Midori handed the patient a letter and announced mysteriously, "There's more, I'm afraid."

Kaori propped the picture she held upon the bedside table, so she could read the letter. "This is great!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, then croaked, "but *cough* what does this have to do with me?"

Midori grinned and handed her the poster cylinder. "My bold partner, here, seems to think you ought to enter the poster contest. She took the liberty to 'pursue' your cousin's immense skills so she could persuade you!" She winked at a flustered Yuriko who elbowed her in the ribs warningly.

Kaori unrolled the poster and a genuine smile graced her lips. "Ok, since you went through all this trouble... I'll submit my picture! Any chance you can sneak a couple of poor college students into the Con?" she posed hopefully.

"Done!" Yuriko gushed, then raised a brow, "a couple, huh?"

Kaori blushed a little harder, coughed again, then winced in pain.

Yuriko was reminded, then, that the girl was seriously ill. She pressed a cup of water into the injured girl's hand, and watched anxiously while Kaori sipped the liquid carefully. 'Geez, it must be hard for her to swallow,' Yuriko mused as she took the drained glass and lowered her friend's bed so that it lay flat.

Kaori was visibly fading and Yuriko felt as though they had overextended their visit. "We should go...." Yuriko began.

"Wait! Need to tell you something.... " Kaori grated out hurriedly.

Yuriko was perplexed, but leaned closer to the dark-haired girl and asked gently, "What is it, Kaori-kun?"

Kaori took as deep a breath as she could and exhaled slowly. "After you came to our high school and I had a chance to see how you handled your... sexual preference, I finally decided that if you could deal, so could I."

She met Yuriko's calm, patient gaze. "When I started college, I met someone special on the TU basketball team." Kaori blushed prettily, then enthused, "She's the most beautiful person, both inside and out, I have ever met. Suta Hikaru and I dated for awhile before I had enough courage to approach my parents...."

The dark-haired woman closed her eyes and Yuriko clasped and gently squeezed the IV-less right hand. Kaori reflexively started to retract her hand, but then gave a quick squeeze back. She swallowed slowly, painfully. "My Father was pretty angry and said some truly awful things... but my Mom was really supportive and understanding." She opened her eyes and smiled at the couple next to her bed. "We've been together for three years now!"

"Congratulations, Kaori-kun!" Yuriko whooped happily.

"Shhhh!" Midori hissed. "This is a hospital," she reminded her exuberant lover, "have some dignity!"

Midori beamed at Kaori then. "I'm proud of you, Kaori-kun... that took a lot of guts. I hope we can meet Hikaru sometime." Midori grew serious. "Yuri is right, though, we should let you rest now."

Midori returned her attention back to Yuriko, grabbed her left hand, and tugged insistently. "Lets go, bonehead, before you get us into trouble!"

The two wished Kaori a speedy recovery and promised to revisit soon. They left behind an exhausted kunoichi and went to the waiting room where Tara sat talking to the only other occupant. When they were spotted, both women stood and Tara grinned mischievously. "Poor Kaori-chan... you were in there harassing her for almost a whole hour!" she exclaimed. "I'm glad Hikaru-chan showed up, or I would have been bored to tears."

Midori and Yuriko exchanged pleased expressions... so *this* was Kaori's girlfriend.

Hikaru was a good four inches taller than Yuriko and had shoulder length red-gold hair that would have made Titian proud. Her eyes were a lovely kittenish blue-gray. Kaori was right; Hikaru was gorgeous.

They escorted Hikaru as far as Kaori's room before heading in direction of the hospital's exit. Yuriko lingered at the door, grinning like a Cheshire cat as Hikaru first arranged her gift of flowers then bent to meet Kaori's lips for a deep one.

Midori closed the door firmly. "You are incorrigible, Yuri!"


To be continued....