The cover art of the Jun, Character CD, just cleaned up a bit. Jun is voiced by Yoriko Nagata and although she doesn’t have as many episodes in the Anime or lines of dialog that she deserves–not to mention that she didn’t have a name until the last episode of season 1 of the Anime; she is still a great character and that is why I have made her a featured player on this stage.

Last time was the end of the “Dust in the Wind” series ending with part 13. The story now continues in:

K-ON!!!!! “Beautiful World” Part 1.

She kicked her legs up and her upper body at the same time as though she awoke from a terrible dream. She yelped in pain as though her skin was pulling apart and only felt relief when gentle, familiar hands pressed her back down into the bed. She moved her right leg to the side—it felt like there was a ton of weight on it and she could hardly move. Her upper body was adorned with wires attached to some kind of monitor and she could feel the dryness of the baby powder and discomfort of the cotton interior of a diaper against her butt.

The hands pressed her upper body firmly and she moved her left leg feeling weak and heavy at the same time and then a familiar voice said in a very firm and quick tone, “Don’t move, you need to be still or you’ll pull your stitches, do you understand Azusa?”

Jun gently pulled back from Azusa and set her legs closer together because they were about to hang off of the hospital bed.

Azusa looked around the room desperately trying to remember what had happened; but all she could think of and see were all the monitors, charts, a white board telling her what day it was and Jun was wearing her nurses uniform with her ID hanging off of it–her brown hair tied up in a frizzy bun.
The last thing Azusa remembered was playing her Fender Mustang—Mutton—and sliding an envelope with her Will into the strings. From that point, everything in her memory was blurry.

“Do you know where you are Azusa?” Jun asked softly, yet firmly, she was angry and sounded strict in her voice.

“I think it’s a hospital?” Azusa replied as she continued to look around the room.

“That’s right, good, at least you are aware. I want you to tell me if you feel this…Answer me ‘Yes Jun-San’ and look at me when I speak to you Azusa,” Jun said firmly.

“Y…yes Jun-San,” Azusa replied nervously and unsure.

Jun flicked the bottom of Azusa’s left foot and Azusa flinched and slightly wiggled her toes.

“How is that possible, I felt it, I can feel everything below my waist too—it’s numb and I feel so weak, but I can actually feel you touching me? What’s happening, was everything a dream, was I never paralyzed?” Azusa asked nervously.

“First we need to get something clear Azusa, you will address me Jun-San, or maybe Ma’am is more appropriate for now…Miss Suzuki is Nao’s, so you can’t do that…” Jun started to say but was cut off by Azusa who said, “I don’t understand, why are you being so strict—why aren’t you telling me why I can feel, everything about my body feels different, I don’t understand???”

“Azusa, you were paralyzed for years, so that wasn’t a dream. You have been in this bed ‘asleep’ for two months since I found you overdosed on a Speed Ball. I was able to get you to this hospital and Koyomi falsified your report. You had your body cleansed of all toxins and had a head to toe examination when you became stabilized. An X-Ray was taken and it was found that you had a chip of bone in your lower spine. The chip was removed and your spinal cord was repaired; so now–as it was found in testing while you were ‘asleep’–you can feel below your waist again. You have been given basic therapy while you were unconscious which is why you can somewhat move your legs, I just wouldn’t try to stand up right now. The X-Ray’s also revealed that most of your bones had healed and the plates and screws were removed from all but one in your right leg where the damage was too severe—this means that you will continue to have pain there, but its nothing that a strong over the counter pill can’t solve. Most of the massive scars were cosmetically repaired through surgery; all that remains is the one on your right leg and a few line scars that will hardly be noticeable. So, after you tried to kill yourself, you became ‘whole’ again…of course, there is still an issue that I’ll have to explain to you. You might be better off in your body, but now because of the overdose, you damaged your mind,” Jun explained as Azusa quietly looked at her.

“What’s wrong with my mind…Jun-San?” Azusa asked softly.

“It has been determined that you damaged your short term memory, it’ll probably become noticeable as we communicate. The proof is in the scan of your brain where there is a black spot–Koyomi is hiding a lot of information from the hospital, so you better be grateful; do you hear me Azusa?” Jun said firmly.

“Yes Ma’am, I hear you…I’m sorry Jun…San, I really am. I hurt you very much didn’t I?” Azusa said.

“What gave you the right to decide if you ruined my life? Huh? I’ll decide that; it’s my decision to make, not yours. I spent years taking care of you, doing things that no one else would do—what do you think it was like for me to touch you and kiss you, I hated making out with you—but I did it because I felt it was my duty, to care and protect and then I come home with fucking brownies—a rare treat– and there you are laying on the floor, inches from death from an overdose that you had no right to do because I’m the one who gave up my life for you and I’m the one who tells you when you are allowed to die, do you fucking hear me and understand Azusa Nakano? As far as I’m concerned, you belong to me, I make the decisions…and I’ve decided that you will have some extreme physical therapy to be able to walk again and after that I will continue to take care of you because once you start experiencing the fucking brain damage you are going to need a shoulder to cry on…I want to hit you Azusa, I want to hurt you physically for hurting me mentally and hurting my heart…” Jun said quickly with a tone full of hurt and anger; then, suddenly Azusa’s eyes started to wander as though her focus had simply vanished and Jun stopped her rant and sat next to Azusa on the bed. Jun gently held Azusa’s chin and said in a soft voice, “Azusa, look at me, are you ok?”

“Where am I? A hospital right? I overdosed on something and had surgery and now I can feel below my waist…I think, right?” Azusa said in an airy voice.

“Azusa, your short term memory is severely damaged because of the overdose, its almost like having an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, you are going to forget things quickly, or you might be able to hold on to some memories for a bit, but the chances of them vanishing are much higher than being able to keep them. You don’t remember what you overdosed on do you? It was Morphine and Cocaine—one version of a Speed Ball,” Jun explained.

“I don’t understand Jun…Jun-San…” Azusa said.

“Just relax and listen to me, I will watch you to make sure you are ok at all times. Don’t think about it right now because, I want you to focus on the physical therapy. You will be taught to walk with the use of a walker and then the goal in the end is to use a cane to walk because of your right leg having the plate, that’s not so bad, you’ll be able to walk, just with assistance—Yui is here by the way, you remember Yui right?” Jun said.

“Yes, I remember Yui. Why is she here anyway?” Azusa asked as she became focused again.

“Ui moved out of the apartment that they shared because she is about to get married and she wanted to live with the guy, so Yui is lonely and as usual, she is concerned about you. She goes to work during the day then comes to sit with you and goes home later at night. On Sunday’s when she’s off she spends the whole day here. You didn’t forget that you mean the world to her right?” Jun said.

“No, I didn’t forget; where is she?” Azusa asked.

“She went to the café; she’ll be back soon, however I have to call a nurse to get Koyomi here, after all you did just wake up. Azusa, you need to stay calm and focused, you will listen to me. When I tell you to do something, you obey without question; it’s for your own good. Do you understand Azusa?” Jun said.

“Yes Jun-San, I understand, and I will obey you…thank you for saving me, I’m really sorry, I hope you still love me?” Azusa said sadly.

“Of course I still love you; that’s why I’m being strict, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you are safe and healthy. Your parents are supposed to come by a little later, but I’ll call them after Koyomi gets here and they will probably come right away. All the girls have been coming by—except for Maki and Nao…Azusa, look at me…” Jun said as Azusa started to lose focus again. Azusa rested her chin in Jun’s hand and regained her focus and Jun continued. “You remember that Nao and Maki are married, right?”

“Yes, we were at the reception with a large group, everyone was there,” Azusa replied.

“Good, do you remember that Nao miscarried her triplets?” Jun asked.

“Yes, she was…she was wearing her headphones to cut out the world so she didn’t have to hear her own cries or the sounds of children…right?” Azusa said.

“Right, good, I’m glad you are remembering the important things. Nao is still in the same condition, there hasn’t been a change, so neither she nor Maki have been able to come to visit you, so don’t hold anything against them,” Jun said.

“I won’t, I’m sorry that Nao-Chan is still hurting,” Azusa replied.

Jun looked to the doorway making sure that the light to call the nurse was on as she wondered what was taking so long, she then turned back to Azusa and said, “How long have you been playing guitar?”

Azusa thought about it and said, “I was in middle school, no, elementary school, I was nine.”

“How old are you Azusa?” Jun asked already knowing the answer.

“I am…25—no! I’m 26?” Azusa replied.

“How long have you been playing guitar?” Jun asked again.

“17 years,” Azusa replied.

“If you picked up your Mustang, how long do you think you would be able to play a song that you’ve played hundreds of times over—something like ‘Fuwa Fuwa Time?’” Jun asked.

“What do you mean Jun-San, I can play that song without any issue; it’s like second nature?” Azusa replied.

“But, while we have been talking; which is also second nature, you seem to lose focus. Which brings me to ask if you think you can play the entire song without losing focus part of the way through?” Jun said.

“Are you telling me Jun-San that I won’t be able to perform anymore? Or are you saying that I won’t be able to play guitar anymore!?” Azusa asked desperately.

“We won’t know until we get you home and you try, but I think your music career is over—you did it to yourself. Azusa, if you can’t play your guitar anymore, I don’t want you to think about taking your life again over something like that, you will just have to do something else. Do you understand Azusa?” Jun said.

Azusa sulked for a moment and finally said, “Yes Jun-San, I understand…I guess…”

“…She’s conscious!” A nurse cried as she entered Azusa’s room.

“I need you to get Koyomi…uh, Doctor Urakawa—quickly, OK,” Jun said and the Nurse nodded and quickly left the room.

“You won’t let anyone near me, will you Jun-San?” Azusa asked.

“I can’t, I have to avoid letting anyone finding out even the slightest bit of information as to why you came in here in the first place. I am your Nurse, it’s been a long time since I wore my uniform, but it’s all official, I have my ID badge and I’m registered with this hospital. No one can ever know Azusa, do you understand?” Jun said.

“Yes Jun-San, I understand. What did you tell Yui?” Azusa asked.

“I told Yui and everyone else that you had a bad infection and it caused the damage to your brain…none of them will know any different—except Nao, if she ever gets out of her depression and grief, she will probably figure it out, but until then, no one knows the real reason, and no one will,” Jun replied.

The Nurse from before came in with Koyomi, he looked almost the same as he did in the photos, just a little older. Jun stood up straight and folded her hands in front and bowed forward and said, “Doctor Urakawa, the patient has regained consciousness, what are the next steps you wish to take?”

Koyomi almost laughed, but he couldn’t with the other Nurse there, so he decided to excuse her so Jun wouldn’t have to be formal. When the Nurse left Jun straightened and said, “Koyomi, Azusa just woke up about twenty minutes ago; when she came to she ‘jumped’ but I held her down, I think you should check to see if she pulled any of her stitches.”

“She moved her legs?” Koyomi asked.

“Yes…but it was actually her whole body, like waking from a terrible dream,” Jun replied.

“How are you feeling Nakano-San? Is it nice to feel below your waist again? Your wandering eyes are telling me that its not nice that you fried a part of your brain…you are lucky that using your body is part of the long term, so once physical therapy is over you won’t forget how to walk…” Koyomi was interrupted by Jun who said, “Don’t keep going when she’s like this…Azusa; look at me.”

“Huh…?” Azusa groaned as Jun took hold of her chin.

“What did Koyomi just say?” Jun asked.

“How do I feel…is it nice to feel again, and I fried a part of my brain…?” Azusa replied still ‘zoning’ out.

Jun sat on the bed next to Azusa and said, “Take a deep breath, relax and try to focus.”

It took longer this time, but Azusa was starting to focus as Koyomi said, “How often has she done this since she woke up?”

“A couple of times, this is the longest though,” Jun said.

“It’s like you’re dominating her, its kind of funny,” Koyomi said.

“You know what she did, I’m going to punish her any way I see fit…are you absolutely sure she will be able to be taught to walk and use the toilet without forgetting?” Jun asked.

“That I can be sure of…if anything, she will have a need to do those things after so many years without doing so, that she probably will remember that more than playing her guitar,” Koyomi replied.

“About that, is it over for her, no more music?” Jun asked.

“Probably, have her try it when you get home, and go from there, it’ll be hard at first, but there are too many of you to stand behind her…well, that didn’t seem to matter in how she got here, but this time I think she may have learned that her many friends love her very much…at least I hope? By the way, you did dispose of everything right, you wanted me to ‘handle’ the charts, so I hope you made the white stuff and bottles disappear, Koyomi said.

“Yes, everything is gone, there is no trace that it had ever been in the home or van,” Jun replied.

“Azu-nyan…Azu-nyan!” Yui stood in the doorway with tears in her eyes as she saw Azusa awake and partially sitting up with Jun next to her. Everyone turned to Yui and motioned for her to come in which she did, however she moved somewhat slow and carefully as though she may do something to hurt Azusa so she looked to Jun for an answer.

Jun picked up on Yui being cautious and said, “You can’t hug her tight, she has too many stitches and there is a lot of risk involved with them pulling, but just be gentle and everything will be all right.”

Jun and Koyomi watched as Yui took a seat next to Azusa on the bed and gently hugged her, then kissed her forehead, she said, “Azu-nyan’s hair grew long again, you should keep it that way…I missed you Azu-nyan, don’t leave us again.”

“I…I won’t Yui Senpai, I promise, thank you for watching over me for so long, I promise to repay you somehow…and I love you Senpai…thank you for being there…” Azusa replied, she was staring and Jun quickly said, “Azusa, look at me…relax, focus…”

“What’s wrong with Azu-nyan?” Yui asked noticing that Azusa was drifting off.

“Yui, this is what Azusa experiences due to the damage to her brain; the infection she was brought in for was so severe that it caused an issue with her short term memory, so sometimes she is going to lose focus, forget things you just told her and sometimes become confused. I think it’s more pronounced right now because she just woke up and she’s tired, but it’ll be all right. On top of learning to walk and use the toilet again, Azusa will be taught to manage her short term memory and loss of focus and it will be a great help if you, as a teacher could assist when you are with her in keeping her focus. I know you aren’t afraid of touching her, so hold her chin and make sure she looks at you and talk to her—but …you know, don’t get into a conversation, make sure you get her to focus like I just did, OK?” Jun said.

“I can do it; anything for Azu-nyan…is it ok if I call her Azu-nyan?” Yui asked.

Jun laughed and said, “I think your name for her is in her long term memory, so its fine. Also, I want her to address you Senpai, I saw your odd reaction when she did, just let Azusa address you accordingly; its important now that she understands her place—meaning, well…”

“What Jun is trying to say is, if Nakano-San does things in repetition, in ways that she was or is used to, her focus will remain more stable, its just that, it cannot always be guaranteed, so she has to be watched for her safety,” Koyomi said.

“I understand,” Yui replied.

“…I have to call Azusa’s parents!” Jun said quickly leaving the room. Although she and Koyomi had made amends and agreed to their break-up, she still had feelings for him, but now instead of it being depressing for her, she was more embarrassed because he truly did help her with Azusa.

(Obviously, I couldn’t bring myself to kill Azusa, how could anyone do something like that)!
Next time on –K-ON!!!!! “Beautiful World” Nao fights with her emotions, will she defeat her demons and return to Maki? Next Thursday in part 2, be here!

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