Longing for the Stars

2. "Your medicine. It's watermelon flavored."

2. "Your medicine. It's watermelon flavored."

I've woken up in the Kurosaki Clinic several times before. When I mysteriously broke my leg at twelve, when I fell down the stairs for some reason at seven, and the very first time. . .

Now I can tell I'm here again. I'm in the same type of room darkened room against the midday sunlight with a cozy bed and several billowing shades dividing up the room. I know that upstairs is where the Kurosaki's live.

In fact, I can hear them now. At least I can hear Kurosaki-kun and another voice.

". . . not of your concern. These are my loose ends to tie up,"

"Dude, she's sitting in my clinic right now, I think it's about time that it's 'of my concern'-!"

The door slid opened and closed. "Sorry, Shogomay, if they're disturbing you," said Mr. Kurosaki, coming over in his usual long lab coat to place his hand on my forehead. He penciled something down on his clip board. "I think they'll SHUT THE HELL UP now." he said pointedly out the door, where the squabbling stopped. He asks me how I'm feeling. 

"A little sore on my ribs and left arm," I answer.

"Good, that means you haven't lost feeling there." he said, roughly squeezing my sore arm and pressing on my ribs, then jotting down things on his clipboard again. "Okay, Shogomay-san. I'll give it to you straight. You have a broken arm, several broken ribs, and a slight fever. That all will heal with rest, but in the meantime, you need to stay here for a couple days of observation. Now, your parents just left for work, and they said they want you to stay here, rather than be moved to the hospital, for now."

"How long?" I ask, feeling nervousness rise in me.

"Two to seven days of observation at the most, but you won't be going to school for two weeks at the least."

I sigh, thinking of all the work to catch up on.

"The girls will be in now with lunch." he says, busily hurrying off to attend to something or someone else. "I'll be back in later!"

***

I talked with Kurosaki, Yuzu, and Karin while I ate, and afterwards, fell right to sleep.

I dreamt of a beautiful dessert. I was flying above it and warm air gently lifted me. The sand sparkled beneath me, and while I didn't know why I was flying above, I knew I had something to do there...

I wake now to a cold gentle squeeze of my shoulder. My eyes flutter open, trying to catch up with my senses and connect to the groggy head still in my nice dream. That's funny. It seems my senses aren't working right. Because what I see now are those beautiful turquoise eyes and that shocking snow white hair falling into this guy's eyes. Man... I think. He is one pretty guy...

He raises a white eyebrow.

Well now I'm staring. I blush. But I'm hospitalized, so I get a handicap, damn you! I mean, you just look so familiar....

Before my brain catches up with my body, I fling forward, smacking into the boy and giving us both a reason to be handicapped... and brain damaged.

"Aargh! Son of an Arrancar, that hurt! YOW! What is your problem?!" he yells, snapping right right back to my bedside with the glitter of a tear of pain in his eye.

"ME?! Who just stands there BREATHES in people's faces like that?! You little...little... MINI-CREEP!"

"HAH?!" he yells, taking it as a physical blow. "Why I...." he says said with a shaking fist.

He stops and takes a deep breath, and smooths out his strange clothing. I notice he's wearing an old timey kimono and a long white vest with "ten" written on the back. Plus a long blue scarf and... something else on his back. I can't tell.

"I'm Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro. I..." a blush spread across his cheeks, "was told to give you your medicine." He looks to the snickering hallway door with loathing and it erupts in more suppressed laughter, shushing, and shuffling. He holds a cup of pink liquid out to me.

I look at him suspiciously, and he prompts, "Your medicine? It's uh... watermelon flavored." The door erupts into a high pitched woman's guffaw and he blushes even brighter, then throws a baleful look to the door, which shakes with obvious commotion in an attempt to quell the laughter.

I snatch the medicine with a suspicious look and drink it slowly.

But I remember why my head hurts again. Because I jumped up... because that's...

I wrack with coughs as I choke on the medicine. "Well don't choke!" he yells as I slam my fist on my chest.

In one quick movement, I leap out of bed and land on top of him, pinning him to the ground. His mouth opens in shock and probably horror at "the attack of the mental patients". But I don't care. I've been dreaming about this little jerk my whole life!

"It's you..." I say breathing heavily. I probably look like I'm serial killer about now, but I don't care.

His surprised expression slowly melts away into one that I can't read. He quickly turns his face from me and clenches his teeth, his face redening. I hold my breath for his answer, only for him to gently move from beneath me, stand up and start walking away. I grab his arm, still not willing to let go, but he lets his arm slip from my grasp.

The door is no longer loud.

As he leaves, I think I catch a look from him that I can't understand. I quietly stand and climb back into bed, the hushed silence of the room weighing in on me.

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(A/N): Gomen for the short chapter! I'll make the next one longer, and soon! I promise > <