The waiting room was cold, cold, cold. Hanamichi growled to himself and wrapped the navy blue coat tighter over himself, and pulling the hood down lower over his head, he curled into himself. Suddenly the world went dizzy, and he gasped as nausea swept through him. He closed his eyes tightly, praying for it to go away. The stark white lights of the room seemed to impale him with their relentless glare. There was one other old lady in the room, seated on the plastic orange chair two rows in front of him, and someone else in the corner reading a newspaper. Thank God there was nobody he knew here, but then again, he had been sure to find a doctor that was on the suburban area of the neighborhood. He had to know.

"Sakuragi Hanamichi! First door on the left!" the nurse leaned over the white desk and craned her head to smile reassuringly at the silent figure, who rose and moved shakily down the corridor to the first consultation room. Behind him, the newspaper was lowered and the surprised look on the boy's face caught the nurse's attention. "Anyone you know, dear?"

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Sendoh Akira kept his gaze on the back of the young man until he disappeared into the room. "Sakuragi Hanamichi," he whispered softly to himself, rising and dusting his jeans, folding the newspaper and stuffing it back into the rack, "What are you doing here?"

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The doctor peered at the boy quizzically. Dark circles ringed weary brown eyes, and he was sure he could see large purple bruises on his neck and the beginnings of one that the patient tried to shield with his baggy clothing. Wondering to himself, he got up and unlocked a drawer, flipping through the files until he came to one marked with a pink slip of paper. He read it and his eyes widened for a moment, before he lifted the file out, locked the drawer again and resumed his place.

"Well, doctor?" the voice was low but controlled. When Doctor Onosaki looked at his hands, he noticed they were trembling, and he felt a heavy burden upon him to be the one who had to deliver the news. He set the file down and looked at the ground.

"You've contracted AIDS, Sakuragi."

*Flashback

Doctor Onosaki was reading the weekly newspapers when a small article at the side caught his eye. The headlines ran: Boy robbed of job earnings.

Sixteen-year old Senki Akabutso (not his real name) was alone when he was brutally drugged, robbed and taken advantage of. Police are investigating, but the boy's family and the boy himself have apparently said that they would like to keep the matter small and forgotten.

*End of Flashback

It was him. He was sure it was him. The doctor looked pityingly at the boy, whose labored breathing had deepened and his mouth open to take shallow gasps of air. "Sakuragi," he said, reaching across the table to clasp the boy's shaking hands, not knowing what else to say.

"How long do I have, Doctor?" the boy's voice, threatening to lose control, wavered as bleak eyes looked up at the older man.

"I don't know, Sakuragi."

Impulsively, he rose and wrapped his arms about the boy. Muffled sobs filled the room.

End of part 1