Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Empty ❯ The Condition ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
Disclaimer: Love Hina and all its characters belong to Ken Akamatsu, I’m just borrowing the stuff for my story.

Catatonic: Appearing mentally stupefied, unresponsive, and motionless, or almost so; seemingly unaware of one’s environment.

*

The shrill of the ambulances’ sirens made it to the hospital and Keitaro was pulled out of the back of the vehicle and rushed inside. Doctors and nurses tried to ask him what was wrong, but he still remained silent... like he was in a trance. After running various tests of him, Doctor Ryu Makino knew what the man, who he found out was Keitaro Urashima, was diagnosed with, but how would his family take it if they knew?

“Doctor, what should we do?” asked a nurse.

“Take him to one of the rooms, but please be careful with him.”

Taking Keitaro’s hand, the nurse said to him, “Come on, I’ll take you to a room.” His upper body slowly rose up as she and the doctor placed him in a wheelchair, placing his feet on the foot rests of the chair and his arms were in place then slowly wheeled him away to a hospital room to get rest.

At the room, they placed him on the bed after getting him into a gown and removing his shoes. Keitaros’ expression was still the same. “Call the nurse if you need anything, Keitaro,” said Ryu. The man didn’t say anything; both the doctor and nurse sighed and closed the door, leaving Keitaro alone in the room.

Ryu went the desk and grabbed the phone, dialing a number to somebody that will be devastated to hear what he had to say.

*

Back at Hinata Sou, in Haruakas’ teashop, she bid farewell to the last of her customers and began to tidy up the place. Just as she was about to finish up, the phone rang. Going to it and picking up the receiver, she spoke, “Hello, Hinata teashop.”

“Hello, this is Ryu Makino at Hinata Hospital... are you Haruka Urashima?”

“That’s me,” she said, “did something happen?”

“We have your nephew, Keitaro Urashima hospitalized here with a condition you may want to come and hear about, Miss Haruka.”

Her heart skipped a beat and she felt herself go numb. What had happened to her nephew? Was he all right? “Miss Haruka?”

“I’m on my way.” She hung up the phone and closed up the shop then raced out to her car and drove hastily to the hospital. “Keitaro... if anything happens to you, I would never forgive myself,” she said while driving.

*

Back at the hospital, Keitaro was still in his room, still in the same position; the nurse checked on him frequently, obviously worried about him since all he did was star into space, he didn’t even realize where he was or that anybody was talking to him. On the outside of the hospital, Haruaks’ car parked in the parking lot. She got out and rushed inside the building.

“Can I help you, ma’am?”

“Yes, I’m here to see my nephew Keitaro Urashima.”

The lady nodded and said, “Yes, he’s in room one ten, but Doctor Ryu Makino would like to speak to you about your nephew’s condition.” When that was said, the elderly man walked up to Haruka and the two greeted. “Miss Haruak Urashima, I am sorry to tell you that the condition your nephew is in. It’s something that I have seen for the first time in all my years of medical research.”

“Is it bad, doctor?”

He nodded. “Yes, Haruka... it is. It’s called catatonia. It’s a mental disorder that can be caused by drugs, disorders, psychical abuse, or anything else. For Keitaro, now that he has it, he can no longer speak or move, and his movements are now going to be waxy, meaning his limbs will sway back and forth.”

As the doctor told her all this, Haruka was in complete shock! Why did this have to happen to Keitaro, the one person who was manager of Hinata Apartments and who Grandma Hina entrusted to run and maintain it, who was now catatonic!

As the doctor finished explaining to her, she asked him, “May I see him alone?”

“Yes, of course.” He opened the door to his room and she walked inside, wanting to cry for the scene that fell before her eyes. He just laid there, no emotion on his face but still blinking his eyes from time to time. The doctor closed the door, leaving the two alone, and Haruka just wanted to break down and cry, seeing the way her nephew now was, but she had to be strong for him.

Going up his the chair that was beside him, she sat down in front of him and smiled. “Hi, Keitaro. It’s me, Aunt Haruka,” she said to him but got no reaction, just blinking his eyes was the response she got.
Wanting to not believe that this was really happening, she said to him, “You know, you can call me ‘Aunt Haruka’ from now on, I won’t mind if you do.” She smiled at him, but there was no reaction. “Keitaro, it’s me, your aunt,” she said, gently nudging him on the shoulder. She waved her hand in front of his face then snapped her fingers, but nothing worked.

She yelled at him but what only made the doctor and the nurse come into the room. Haruka explained to them that she tried to get him to talk, but the doctors reassured her that her nephew was really in a catatonic state. Feeling the water in her eyes, she cried and flung herself on Keitaros’ body, hugging him tightly.

“I’m sorry for not being a real family to you, Keitaro... I’m so sorry that it made you end up this way... please, just say something for me... please,” she cried, looking at his face and all he did was blink but nothing else. Doctor Ryu came in saw the scene; he laid a supportive hand on the elder Urashima’s shoulder as she continued to weep. After a few minutes of letting it all out, she asked Ryu, “Is it all right if I take him home?”

He nodded; they all got Keitaro out of the bed, into his normal clothes and back into the wheelchair then Haruka wheeled him away to be taken back home.

*

Getting back to Hinata Sou, the ambulance stopped and Haruka got out and two men carried Keitaro out of the place while a third got out the wheelchair. They began to take him up the steps and when they were done, they set him down in the chair, placing his feet off the ground and onto the pedals. Haruka thanked them as did they and left, but she knew that with Keitaro now like this, life at Hinata Sou would definitely not be the same.

Opening the door and wheeling her nephew a little inside, she then closed it and gently placed her hand on his back. His legs moved him out of the chair as she guided him to the kitchen, his arms swaying from side to side, his movement waxy. Haruka wanted to cry again... how would she explain this to Grandma Hina?

In the kitchen, Naru saw him come in. “Where were you, Keitaro? You were supposed to clean the hot spring!!”

He said nothing to her as Haruka pulled out a chair and guided Keitaro to it and set him down. “I’ll be right back with some dinner, Keitaro.” As she left, his head turned in the direction she went then back to the way it was. “Urashima, Naru asked you a question and you answer her,” said Motoko.

Nothing came from him. “Let me try,” said Kitsune. She went up to him, brushing her breast against his shoulder while giving him a seductive look... nothing but his still-blinking eyes. Kitsune stopped and backed up and looked at him then nudged him on the shoulder.

“Keitaro, are you all right?” asked Su, waving his hand in front of him. His eyes darted towards her and she jumped back, gazing on her for a few seconds before returning the way they were. Naru had seen enough of this, as did the others, minus Shinobu, who knew something was wrong with him. “ANSWER US, YOU BAKA!” she yelled at him, shaking his shoulders. Haruka came in with some food, seeing what Naru was doing. “Naru, stop it!!! Leave him alone!” she yelled.

“What wrong with the loser, why won’t he say anything?” asked Sarah.

“I’ll tell you after he eats.”

Setting the food in front of him, she said, to him, softly, “Keitaro... the food’s in front of you.” His arms moved and his head tilted down and he began to eat what was in front of him; the girls just watched, thinking he might have been just putting on an act. “Okay, Urashima, nice act you did,” said Motoko.

“Yeah, you can stop already,” said Sarah.

But he just continued, eating his food like nobody was there. Haruka fought the urge to cry again like in the hospital... if this was permanent, she would surely never forgive herself–ever! After eating, she touched his back and he got up and they walked out of the kitchen. “All of you, come with me and wait with him in the living room, now,” she said.

So they did. What she was going to tell them would affect their lives for life...

*

Black Waltz: Another chapter for you... and thank you all for giving this story positive feedback, I appreciate it. Hope I got the symptoms of a catatonic person correct.

Please review.