Hanabi 29/?? - ReitaXRuki
Title: Hanabi
Chapter: 29/??
Author: chuu ( akichuu)
Fandom: JRock, Gazette
Pairings: ReitaXRuki. Some other pairings in the background that you might find later on...
Overall Rating: PG
Genre: Drop dead fluffy.
Warnings: n/a. Un-beta-ed mistakes.
Summary: The details that the doctor mentioned were scary, really, that they seemed so unreal...
Comments: I'm working hard! I swear it!
Hanabi : 29
Despite his intentions to apologize to his mother and explain what had happened and make her less worried, Reita was never able to do any of that. Everybody, including that man whose voice he had heard while he was half-conscious (who was, apparently, the doctor who had taken care of Reita), approved altogether with Reita's mother and sister that he should stay quiet and not speak for the time being. It was three against one, and even if Reita insisted, he knew he couldn't argue or even get close to trying. It was hard to move his mouth, and after the doctor had finished explaining the horrible and almost unbelievable details of his wounds, Reita found out that his lower jaw had been - as he had vaguely guessed - dislocated. Even though it was fixed now, he knew it would be dumb to start using it thoughtlessly. He didn't want to risk his jaw to be permanently damaged.
Once he could recognize his surroundings, Reita knew he had been brought to the hospital - white walls, white sheet and the smell of antiseptic in the air. Kawamura-san might've been the one who had brought him here, although the police officer's presence was nowhere to be found in the room Reita was in right now. Reita owed the policeman more than a gratitude. He had saved Reita's life. There would've been more than just fractured left-shoulder bone, dislocated lower jaw, uncountable bruises, torn lip and small cuts (the list that the doctor had explained to him extended longer than that, but that was just as far as Reita could recall) for Reita to endure, if Kawamura-san hadn't come to rescue him. When he met the policeman, Reita should at least say 'thank you'.
The doctor's explanation might've been so damn long he couldn't remember the whole details, but the weird thing was, Reita couldn't feel a thing right now. There was just some tingly feeling on his shoulder, but other than that, Reita couldn't even feel his sister's hand touching his arm. It was scary and Reita had thought his injuries were so bad his nerves were also damaged... The thought that he would be paralyzed for life wasn't exactly the most entertaining thing in the world...
He tried calming himself that it was probably some drugs that they had used on him while he went through surgery - just as the doctor had told him. They needed to fix his shoulder bone before any movement made the fractured bone become worse and completely snapped in two. They should've sedated him when they did a surgery on him, shouldn't they? Maybe that was why he couldn't feel anything now, that the drugs were still in his system and they were affecting his nerves. Sooner or later the drugs would worn out and Reita would feel something - although it was not very encouraging to think about the pain awaiting under the tranquilizers' effects.
Reita didn't know just how wide the scar was - how wide they had dissected him... Wow. That choice of word made him feel like he was the poor frog Reita had had to dissect when he was at first grade in high school, having it as a subject in biology class. He almost felt sorry for that late frog now and hoped that it had been dead before Reita started cutting its body into half...
As he peered down, he could see nothing but his pajama-covered body. It was a hospital pajama, the color was blue, it looked very loose on his body and it was only tied together at the back of his neck. Although it felt rather awkward wearing it, Reita knew there was no way they would suit him in a better looking pajama, considering just how unpractical that would be. From the end of its short sleeve Reita could see white bandage wrapping his upper left-arm. They must've bandaged that part very, very thickly because Reita could see it bulging through the cotton-fabric of the pajama.
It would be very, very wise not to try to move that part, and they made sure the bandage was thick enough so that Reita couldn't move it. Reita understood that completely.
But now he couldn't do anything but to lay still. And he couldn't even talk. That was the worst.
Looking at his mother at the side of the bed, drowning her face in one of her palms as her other hand was clutching Reita's uninjured arm, Reita felt so very depressed about his condition. He couldn't speak, and it was terrible because he had been the one responsible making his mother feel obviously sad. If only Reita could speak normally... She looked like she needed convincing that Reita was alright, that he hadn't been fatally wounded. That the appearance was exaggerating, and it didn't feel as bad as it looked on the outside. That Reita didn't want her to worry too much, and Reita was sorry for making her feel sad... But how should he do that?
"I'm sorry," Reita whispered, finally, gritting his teeth tightly together, making his words sound less comprehensible. But that was just the best that he could do without moving his lower jaw. "I'm okay," he spoke up again, as his mother lifted her watery eyes at him.
Oh God... Reita wanted so badly to reach out and hold her... Reita never wanted to ever make his mother cry... But now that she was crying because of him, Reita felt very, very terrible.
"Please," his mother mumbled, "Don't push yourself, Akira, don't talk just yet... You should rest..."
Oh Reita would rest, but after he finished speaking. He should at least explain... "I got into a fight," Reita spoke up again, defying his mother's request, "But it was..."
"I know," his mother cut him off, nodding her head slightly, "I know what happened. Kawamura-san told me. I know it's not your fault, I know that you were just trying to help..."
Reita silenced. Well, he supposed he owed Kawamura-san even more now. He had saved Reita from the effort of explaining (and with a lower jaw like his at the moment, it was such a big help).
Yeah, Reita had only appeared in the wrong place and the wrong time. Had he come home sooner from the mini market, or had he taken the other route home, he could've missed the fight... But then instead of him, Matsushima would've been here, badly injured laying helpless on a hospital bed smelling in antiseptics. "What about her...?" Reita asked as the thought about the girl popped in his head - funny that he had only remembered, when she had been the reason why he had gotten into the fight in the first place. "What about Matsushima?" Reita repeated his question.
His mother smiled a very gentle smile, shifting her hand to Reita's forehead. "Kawamura-san left right after he made sure you were being well treated here, and then he took that girl to the police station," she explained, "I suppose he needs to take some statements from her..."
Reita's mind worked slowly - maybe it was another effect from the drugs, he didn't understand. So Matsushima had gone to get help and she found Kawamura-san. And then Kawamura-san ran to the place where they were beating up Reita, and... "Did Kawamura-san catch them?" Reita asked.
His mother sighed. "I don't know, Akira... I just hope so."
Reita couldn't help thinking about some bad possibilities that could've just taken place. If those boys hadn't been caught. If they conjured up lies, even if they were caught. If Matsushima was too scared to tell the truth and expose what had really happened. If the headmaster figured out about the fight. If...
Those terrible thoughts, uncountable as they appeared one by one, one after another, they had one similar ending: Reita would find himself in big trouble.
As if his dislocated jaw wasn't already such a trouble...
Something startled Reita from his worrisome pondering: a soft kiss on his forehead. His mother was smiling the most soothing smile Reita had ever seen, as he looked up and met her face. There was something warm in her eyes, glowing, melting into Reita's conscience. What was that? Pride? Love? Whatever it was, it made Reita believe that, whatever would happen later on, he would be perfectly fine. Just as long as his mother would smile to him like this. Just as long as he knew, he hadn't done anything that could break her heart.
---
Reita's worries were soon set aside once the first strike of pain came wrecking his peace. It had started from his shoulder, the pain throbbed from somewhere under the bandage, crawled with such a terrifying speed through every channel in his body and soon it felt like every bone in his body was broken. And then his jaw had been next, and he thought it was so badly swollen that he couldn't move it at all, making it hell for him to even eat properly (it was the worst thing Reita had had to endure, so far). And then his torso. The doctor had told him there was nothing wrong with his ribs, but Reita just wanted him to check one more time, because the pain must've meant something.
But, after an excruciating dinner, one of the nurses gave him some pills and Reita knew it immediately that one of those pills was a sedative because he fell asleep sooner than he had ever known he could. It happened to be quite a strong dosage they had given him because he didn't wake up until someone shook him, very, very gently, and it was already the next day with the sun shining brightly through the window when Reita could open his eyes and comprehend what was around him.
He felt rather disoriented when he thought he saw Kai-Baa-chan at the side of his bed.
Those pills sure were strong that he was having such a realistic dream like this... Funny that it was Baa-chan he was dreaming about.
Oh wait. That is Baa-chan. Reita frowned as he saw the wide stretch of smile that never seemed to ever leave that face, the very familiar smile that was adorning it once again. He blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the fuzziness still inhabiting his head. And yes... That was Baa-chan, sitting by his side, smiling ever so wide.
Before Reita suffered the effort of trying to ask what he was doing here, Baa-chan cut him off, "You don't look too good, Reita-chan," he said playfully, "But I don't suppose people look any better than you after getting themselves beaten up."
Reita wanted to say 'it's nice to meet you too' but he felt his jaw had become so stiff overnight. What had those nurses given him while he was asleep?
"They told me that you wouldn't be able to speak too well, now that I see why..." Baa-chan focused on Reita's jaw, looking quite confused, "But how do I talk to you if you can't talk to me, Reita-chan?"
Reita gritted his teeth tightly, "I'm fine as long as I don't move my jaw." And yes, he did NOT move his jaw when he spoke. He just hoped Baa-chan understood what he was saying, though.
"Is that so?" Baa-chan's eyes widened - he looked as if it was for the very first time he witnessed Reita talking, "Are you sure I shouldn't just get you a pen and a paper so you can write what you want to say instead? I'm not sure if it's wise to let you force yourself to talk, Reita-chan, I don't really want to be the cause that your jaw gets more swollen than that..."
"Baa-chan," Reita hissed, "It's better like this than to force my arm to move. Incase you haven't noticed..." Reita gave his bandaged shoulder a brief glance, just to signal Baa-chan what he was trying to imply. Baa-chan's eyes went even wider.
"Oh!" he started, "I'm sorry! I didn't know... Is that broken?"
Reita lifted his brows, mumbling 'can't you see that for yourself?' in his mind.
"Yes," answered Reita, though, "But, really, it's not as bad as it looks."
Baa-chan looked at him with a sight that expressed how he disbelieved what Reita said. Well, Reita didn't blame him. If Reita was given the chance to look at himself, he wasn't sure he'd be too confident either.
"So..." Reita mumbled, "It's just you, Baa-chan? Where are the others?"
"Your mother and your sister? They both have gone to the cafetaria, I think. Your sister was wise enough not to let your mom starve herself here, waiting at your side," answered Baa-chan, "I guess it took me almost ten whole minutes to convince her that I won't ever leave your side and keep a good eye on you while she's away..."
Reita smiled bitterly. Yes, that would be just like his mother. "No, I meant, everybody from the inn..."
"Oh, you meant them. Well, Aoi-kun is having a little... Family business, so to say. And Uruha... Well. He's not really in good shape. It's not something so bad but I guess it has something to do with Aoi-kun... Ah. But don't worry about them. Look at you, for God's sakes," Baa-chan shook his head, "Did they tell you when your jaw is going to be... like... normal again?"
"No," Reita replied, "But I hope it's soon."
Baa-chan's glance swept over Reita's blanket-covered body. "Is there any other part that is broken?"
"No. No, just my shoulder."
Baa-chan looked at Reita's shoulder again before making a small, thoughtful pout. "Hm... Too bad," he mumbled, "I made you a special get-well-soon bento... I didn't know that you're not allowed to eat it."
Something felt like a rock falling in Reita's chest when he saw what Baa-chan was talking about. At Baa-chan's side, on top of the nightstand, laid a box. That would be that 'get-well-soon' bento Baa-chan had just mentioned. God! Those cruel doctors wouldn't let him eat anything else than hospital foods, and if he had to compare the taste, they were definitely heaven and earth. Baa-chan's cooking was one great, big loss to suffer, especially at a time like this.
"Hey, Reita-chan..." Baa-chan leaned closer, his eyes twinkling in a manner Reita knew all too well. It was the kind of twinkle that you would normally find in those eyes when Baa-chan was about to talk about something very interesting - in his personal scale of 'interesting'. Neighbourly gossips, new and unique recipes, all other things that might've passed under his nose and intrigued him. "You sure have caused some riot in school. Do you even know that?" he continued.
Reita supposed it was inevitable, although he'd rather be away from all sorts of riots and risk himself from being acknowledged because of it. He could only hope that Baa-chan was exaggerating (as he always was) and it hadn't been that exposed in school. He knew he would be dealing with more than just some detention if the matter went into the principal's office.
"Funny how news travel so fast in our lovely little town, ne?" Baa-chan grins, "The next thing you know is that everyone in school is talking about Suzuki Akira saving a girl from getting beaten up..."
Reita's eyes widened. Everyone???
"It's so random, though, the news. Some kids tend to make it over-dramatic. But I suppose that is just how people tell gossips to each other. Some of them said that those kids beat you up so bad that you cracked your skull and it damaged your brain permanently. Some other said that they wounded one of your arms that it needed to be amputated..." Baa-chan winced, "And some even said that you had been killed." A sigh left his mouth, "Honestly I've made my way here thinking I'd be seeing you in the morgue - no, don't look at me like that, I'm being serious! But now that I see you breathing and talking, doing what living people do..." he poked softly on Reita's uninjured arm, "I guess you can't really believe everything you've heard."
The broken skull and the damaged brain part was fascinating, somehow. It was funny how some people watched way too many movies, Reita thought. Reita watched a lot of movies, but he didn't go around making false news inspired by those movies.
"What's going to happen?" Reita asked, worrying about what could've been going on out there in the world. He had never experienced himself being on the front page and having people in town looking at his face and reading his news - metaphorically.
"Well, Shiori is going to keep me updated after school is over today..."
"Shiori?" Reita repeated the name, feeling unfamiliar with it.
Baa-chan's face went pink in a flash of a second. "Hayama... Hayama Shiori," he explained, and Reita would've smiled wide at the face Baa-chan was making if only he hadn't had a dislocated jaw. "Anyhow," Baa-chan continued all too rushedly, "She'll be here in a couple of hours again, and I..."
The explanation Baa-chan was trying to give and the pink shade on his cheeks disappeared as if a gush of wind had just taken them away. That very second, the door slammed open with such a noise, shocking the two inside the room. Baa-chan turned his head around quickly, and Reita... Well, Reita was struggling to crane up his neck to see who the devil was. No doctor would've made an entrance into his patient's room like that, unless the doctor was picking a more controversial way to kill his patient than euthanasia...
It felt like a strike of tranquilizer injected right into his artery that made him go braindead when he saw - and recognized - the person on the door. Blonde head, red cheeks, small, sparkling eyes...
"REITA!!"
~
previous chapters and such...
Chapter: 29/??
Author: chuu ( akichuu)
Fandom: JRock, Gazette
Pairings: ReitaXRuki. Some other pairings in the background that you might find later on...
Overall Rating: PG
Genre: Drop dead fluffy.
Warnings: n/a. Un-beta-ed mistakes.
Summary: The details that the doctor mentioned were scary, really, that they seemed so unreal...
Comments: I'm working hard! I swear it!
Hanabi : 29
Despite his intentions to apologize to his mother and explain what had happened and make her less worried, Reita was never able to do any of that. Everybody, including that man whose voice he had heard while he was half-conscious (who was, apparently, the doctor who had taken care of Reita), approved altogether with Reita's mother and sister that he should stay quiet and not speak for the time being. It was three against one, and even if Reita insisted, he knew he couldn't argue or even get close to trying. It was hard to move his mouth, and after the doctor had finished explaining the horrible and almost unbelievable details of his wounds, Reita found out that his lower jaw had been - as he had vaguely guessed - dislocated. Even though it was fixed now, he knew it would be dumb to start using it thoughtlessly. He didn't want to risk his jaw to be permanently damaged.
Once he could recognize his surroundings, Reita knew he had been brought to the hospital - white walls, white sheet and the smell of antiseptic in the air. Kawamura-san might've been the one who had brought him here, although the police officer's presence was nowhere to be found in the room Reita was in right now. Reita owed the policeman more than a gratitude. He had saved Reita's life. There would've been more than just fractured left-shoulder bone, dislocated lower jaw, uncountable bruises, torn lip and small cuts (the list that the doctor had explained to him extended longer than that, but that was just as far as Reita could recall) for Reita to endure, if Kawamura-san hadn't come to rescue him. When he met the policeman, Reita should at least say 'thank you'.
The doctor's explanation might've been so damn long he couldn't remember the whole details, but the weird thing was, Reita couldn't feel a thing right now. There was just some tingly feeling on his shoulder, but other than that, Reita couldn't even feel his sister's hand touching his arm. It was scary and Reita had thought his injuries were so bad his nerves were also damaged... The thought that he would be paralyzed for life wasn't exactly the most entertaining thing in the world...
He tried calming himself that it was probably some drugs that they had used on him while he went through surgery - just as the doctor had told him. They needed to fix his shoulder bone before any movement made the fractured bone become worse and completely snapped in two. They should've sedated him when they did a surgery on him, shouldn't they? Maybe that was why he couldn't feel anything now, that the drugs were still in his system and they were affecting his nerves. Sooner or later the drugs would worn out and Reita would feel something - although it was not very encouraging to think about the pain awaiting under the tranquilizers' effects.
Reita didn't know just how wide the scar was - how wide they had dissected him... Wow. That choice of word made him feel like he was the poor frog Reita had had to dissect when he was at first grade in high school, having it as a subject in biology class. He almost felt sorry for that late frog now and hoped that it had been dead before Reita started cutting its body into half...
As he peered down, he could see nothing but his pajama-covered body. It was a hospital pajama, the color was blue, it looked very loose on his body and it was only tied together at the back of his neck. Although it felt rather awkward wearing it, Reita knew there was no way they would suit him in a better looking pajama, considering just how unpractical that would be. From the end of its short sleeve Reita could see white bandage wrapping his upper left-arm. They must've bandaged that part very, very thickly because Reita could see it bulging through the cotton-fabric of the pajama.
It would be very, very wise not to try to move that part, and they made sure the bandage was thick enough so that Reita couldn't move it. Reita understood that completely.
But now he couldn't do anything but to lay still. And he couldn't even talk. That was the worst.
Looking at his mother at the side of the bed, drowning her face in one of her palms as her other hand was clutching Reita's uninjured arm, Reita felt so very depressed about his condition. He couldn't speak, and it was terrible because he had been the one responsible making his mother feel obviously sad. If only Reita could speak normally... She looked like she needed convincing that Reita was alright, that he hadn't been fatally wounded. That the appearance was exaggerating, and it didn't feel as bad as it looked on the outside. That Reita didn't want her to worry too much, and Reita was sorry for making her feel sad... But how should he do that?
"I'm sorry," Reita whispered, finally, gritting his teeth tightly together, making his words sound less comprehensible. But that was just the best that he could do without moving his lower jaw. "I'm okay," he spoke up again, as his mother lifted her watery eyes at him.
Oh God... Reita wanted so badly to reach out and hold her... Reita never wanted to ever make his mother cry... But now that she was crying because of him, Reita felt very, very terrible.
"Please," his mother mumbled, "Don't push yourself, Akira, don't talk just yet... You should rest..."
Oh Reita would rest, but after he finished speaking. He should at least explain... "I got into a fight," Reita spoke up again, defying his mother's request, "But it was..."
"I know," his mother cut him off, nodding her head slightly, "I know what happened. Kawamura-san told me. I know it's not your fault, I know that you were just trying to help..."
Reita silenced. Well, he supposed he owed Kawamura-san even more now. He had saved Reita from the effort of explaining (and with a lower jaw like his at the moment, it was such a big help).
Yeah, Reita had only appeared in the wrong place and the wrong time. Had he come home sooner from the mini market, or had he taken the other route home, he could've missed the fight... But then instead of him, Matsushima would've been here, badly injured laying helpless on a hospital bed smelling in antiseptics. "What about her...?" Reita asked as the thought about the girl popped in his head - funny that he had only remembered, when she had been the reason why he had gotten into the fight in the first place. "What about Matsushima?" Reita repeated his question.
His mother smiled a very gentle smile, shifting her hand to Reita's forehead. "Kawamura-san left right after he made sure you were being well treated here, and then he took that girl to the police station," she explained, "I suppose he needs to take some statements from her..."
Reita's mind worked slowly - maybe it was another effect from the drugs, he didn't understand. So Matsushima had gone to get help and she found Kawamura-san. And then Kawamura-san ran to the place where they were beating up Reita, and... "Did Kawamura-san catch them?" Reita asked.
His mother sighed. "I don't know, Akira... I just hope so."
Reita couldn't help thinking about some bad possibilities that could've just taken place. If those boys hadn't been caught. If they conjured up lies, even if they were caught. If Matsushima was too scared to tell the truth and expose what had really happened. If the headmaster figured out about the fight. If...
Those terrible thoughts, uncountable as they appeared one by one, one after another, they had one similar ending: Reita would find himself in big trouble.
As if his dislocated jaw wasn't already such a trouble...
Something startled Reita from his worrisome pondering: a soft kiss on his forehead. His mother was smiling the most soothing smile Reita had ever seen, as he looked up and met her face. There was something warm in her eyes, glowing, melting into Reita's conscience. What was that? Pride? Love? Whatever it was, it made Reita believe that, whatever would happen later on, he would be perfectly fine. Just as long as his mother would smile to him like this. Just as long as he knew, he hadn't done anything that could break her heart.
---
Reita's worries were soon set aside once the first strike of pain came wrecking his peace. It had started from his shoulder, the pain throbbed from somewhere under the bandage, crawled with such a terrifying speed through every channel in his body and soon it felt like every bone in his body was broken. And then his jaw had been next, and he thought it was so badly swollen that he couldn't move it at all, making it hell for him to even eat properly (it was the worst thing Reita had had to endure, so far). And then his torso. The doctor had told him there was nothing wrong with his ribs, but Reita just wanted him to check one more time, because the pain must've meant something.
But, after an excruciating dinner, one of the nurses gave him some pills and Reita knew it immediately that one of those pills was a sedative because he fell asleep sooner than he had ever known he could. It happened to be quite a strong dosage they had given him because he didn't wake up until someone shook him, very, very gently, and it was already the next day with the sun shining brightly through the window when Reita could open his eyes and comprehend what was around him.
He felt rather disoriented when he thought he saw Kai-Baa-chan at the side of his bed.
Those pills sure were strong that he was having such a realistic dream like this... Funny that it was Baa-chan he was dreaming about.
Oh wait. That is Baa-chan. Reita frowned as he saw the wide stretch of smile that never seemed to ever leave that face, the very familiar smile that was adorning it once again. He blinked a few times, trying to get rid of the fuzziness still inhabiting his head. And yes... That was Baa-chan, sitting by his side, smiling ever so wide.
Before Reita suffered the effort of trying to ask what he was doing here, Baa-chan cut him off, "You don't look too good, Reita-chan," he said playfully, "But I don't suppose people look any better than you after getting themselves beaten up."
Reita wanted to say 'it's nice to meet you too' but he felt his jaw had become so stiff overnight. What had those nurses given him while he was asleep?
"They told me that you wouldn't be able to speak too well, now that I see why..." Baa-chan focused on Reita's jaw, looking quite confused, "But how do I talk to you if you can't talk to me, Reita-chan?"
Reita gritted his teeth tightly, "I'm fine as long as I don't move my jaw." And yes, he did NOT move his jaw when he spoke. He just hoped Baa-chan understood what he was saying, though.
"Is that so?" Baa-chan's eyes widened - he looked as if it was for the very first time he witnessed Reita talking, "Are you sure I shouldn't just get you a pen and a paper so you can write what you want to say instead? I'm not sure if it's wise to let you force yourself to talk, Reita-chan, I don't really want to be the cause that your jaw gets more swollen than that..."
"Baa-chan," Reita hissed, "It's better like this than to force my arm to move. Incase you haven't noticed..." Reita gave his bandaged shoulder a brief glance, just to signal Baa-chan what he was trying to imply. Baa-chan's eyes went even wider.
"Oh!" he started, "I'm sorry! I didn't know... Is that broken?"
Reita lifted his brows, mumbling 'can't you see that for yourself?' in his mind.
"Yes," answered Reita, though, "But, really, it's not as bad as it looks."
Baa-chan looked at him with a sight that expressed how he disbelieved what Reita said. Well, Reita didn't blame him. If Reita was given the chance to look at himself, he wasn't sure he'd be too confident either.
"So..." Reita mumbled, "It's just you, Baa-chan? Where are the others?"
"Your mother and your sister? They both have gone to the cafetaria, I think. Your sister was wise enough not to let your mom starve herself here, waiting at your side," answered Baa-chan, "I guess it took me almost ten whole minutes to convince her that I won't ever leave your side and keep a good eye on you while she's away..."
Reita smiled bitterly. Yes, that would be just like his mother. "No, I meant, everybody from the inn..."
"Oh, you meant them. Well, Aoi-kun is having a little... Family business, so to say. And Uruha... Well. He's not really in good shape. It's not something so bad but I guess it has something to do with Aoi-kun... Ah. But don't worry about them. Look at you, for God's sakes," Baa-chan shook his head, "Did they tell you when your jaw is going to be... like... normal again?"
"No," Reita replied, "But I hope it's soon."
Baa-chan's glance swept over Reita's blanket-covered body. "Is there any other part that is broken?"
"No. No, just my shoulder."
Baa-chan looked at Reita's shoulder again before making a small, thoughtful pout. "Hm... Too bad," he mumbled, "I made you a special get-well-soon bento... I didn't know that you're not allowed to eat it."
Something felt like a rock falling in Reita's chest when he saw what Baa-chan was talking about. At Baa-chan's side, on top of the nightstand, laid a box. That would be that 'get-well-soon' bento Baa-chan had just mentioned. God! Those cruel doctors wouldn't let him eat anything else than hospital foods, and if he had to compare the taste, they were definitely heaven and earth. Baa-chan's cooking was one great, big loss to suffer, especially at a time like this.
"Hey, Reita-chan..." Baa-chan leaned closer, his eyes twinkling in a manner Reita knew all too well. It was the kind of twinkle that you would normally find in those eyes when Baa-chan was about to talk about something very interesting - in his personal scale of 'interesting'. Neighbourly gossips, new and unique recipes, all other things that might've passed under his nose and intrigued him. "You sure have caused some riot in school. Do you even know that?" he continued.
Reita supposed it was inevitable, although he'd rather be away from all sorts of riots and risk himself from being acknowledged because of it. He could only hope that Baa-chan was exaggerating (as he always was) and it hadn't been that exposed in school. He knew he would be dealing with more than just some detention if the matter went into the principal's office.
"Funny how news travel so fast in our lovely little town, ne?" Baa-chan grins, "The next thing you know is that everyone in school is talking about Suzuki Akira saving a girl from getting beaten up..."
Reita's eyes widened. Everyone???
"It's so random, though, the news. Some kids tend to make it over-dramatic. But I suppose that is just how people tell gossips to each other. Some of them said that those kids beat you up so bad that you cracked your skull and it damaged your brain permanently. Some other said that they wounded one of your arms that it needed to be amputated..." Baa-chan winced, "And some even said that you had been killed." A sigh left his mouth, "Honestly I've made my way here thinking I'd be seeing you in the morgue - no, don't look at me like that, I'm being serious! But now that I see you breathing and talking, doing what living people do..." he poked softly on Reita's uninjured arm, "I guess you can't really believe everything you've heard."
The broken skull and the damaged brain part was fascinating, somehow. It was funny how some people watched way too many movies, Reita thought. Reita watched a lot of movies, but he didn't go around making false news inspired by those movies.
"What's going to happen?" Reita asked, worrying about what could've been going on out there in the world. He had never experienced himself being on the front page and having people in town looking at his face and reading his news - metaphorically.
"Well, Shiori is going to keep me updated after school is over today..."
"Shiori?" Reita repeated the name, feeling unfamiliar with it.
Baa-chan's face went pink in a flash of a second. "Hayama... Hayama Shiori," he explained, and Reita would've smiled wide at the face Baa-chan was making if only he hadn't had a dislocated jaw. "Anyhow," Baa-chan continued all too rushedly, "She'll be here in a couple of hours again, and I..."
The explanation Baa-chan was trying to give and the pink shade on his cheeks disappeared as if a gush of wind had just taken them away. That very second, the door slammed open with such a noise, shocking the two inside the room. Baa-chan turned his head around quickly, and Reita... Well, Reita was struggling to crane up his neck to see who the devil was. No doctor would've made an entrance into his patient's room like that, unless the doctor was picking a more controversial way to kill his patient than euthanasia...
It felt like a strike of tranquilizer injected right into his artery that made him go braindead when he saw - and recognized - the person on the door. Blonde head, red cheeks, small, sparkling eyes...
"REITA!!"
~
previous chapters and such...