Gone Ennotana

I Promise

"No, I'm afraid not," the nurse said. "He should wake up soon, though. Right now his body needs time to adjust to all the medications and everything he's been through. By the looks of it, he's been constantly on the move, and he's utterly exhausted."

"He was miles away from the trail when Tanaka found him," Daichi said thoughtfully.

"That would be it, then," the nurse said. "He'll be done with surgery in an hour. You can see him then. Room 12, first floor. Visitors are restricted to six people at one time. When he wakes up, please alert a staff member."

Ennoshita's POV

Chikara was tired. And the substance he was lying on felt warm and soft. His mind was hazy, but one lucid thought slowly emerged.

When did sticks and stones get this comfy?

They don't, his brain responded.

Oh. Well, it's not a tree. Too soft.

What is it? Wait! Where am I? His eyes shot open.

White walls surrounded him. He could hear beeping monitors and people talking quietly. He smelled sterilizing lotion. He was laying on a simple bed with white sheets and blankets. An IV was in his arm, and several tubes were connected to his belly. A bracelet with his name and age was on his wrist. He was wearing white hospital clothing. He looked to the side. A clipboard lay on a table beside his bed. Neat handwriting covered it.

Diagnosis: Concussion. Moderately sprained foot. Mild malnourishment.

Actions taken: Surgery for concussion. Cast and bandages for foot. Feeding tube for malnourishment.

Recovery time: Three weeks for sprained foot. Concussion has been fixed after surgery. Two weeks of steady feeding for malnourishment.

The door opened. The wing spiker looked up.

"Ennoshita! You're awake!" Tanaka Ryunosuke greeted him. 

Chikara's heart sped up. "T-tanaka?" He could have kicked himself. Ugh, why did you stutter? he groaned internally.

"What happened? Where are we?"

Ryunosuke moved up beside him. "In the hospital at Shinzen. You vanished for over two days. I found you in the forest. We talked a bit before you fainted. Then Coach called an ambulance and they took you here. They said you had a concussion, a sprained foot, and are a little underfed." His voice was unusually serious. "What do you remember?"

Ennoshita leaned back on the pillows. "Like fully?" The taller boy nodded.

"I was the last person on the trail during the punishment run. I slipped on the rocks and fell down the hill. I hit my head and must have blacked out because the next thing I knew I was waking up. My head was bleeding and my foot was all twisted. I made a cast for it so I could stand. I was disoriented and knew I had a concussion, so I started walking. I spent the night in a tree. The next day I just walked all day and occasionally passed out. I spent the night in a tree too. The next morning I found a stream. I figured it was the same one as outside the school, so I followed it. I slept in another tree. I don't remember much about the next morning." 

He paused. Tanaka's face was pale. "Are you alright?"

"I'm supposed to be asking you that, you're the one who disappeared and got hurt and wound up in the hospital," Ryu protested.

"Well, yes, but you're pale," Chikara said.

"I was so worried about you. When you vanished, and I didn't notice at first, I felt horrible."

"Don't be, that's normal for me," Ennoshita said. He realized he sounded bitter. "Sorry, that's not what I meant." Tanaka was staring at him. 

"Then what did you mean?"

Chikara lost it. "No one ever notices me or remembers me. I'm just a background character. People look straight at me and don't see me. Do you have any idea how that feels?" Tanaka opened his mouth, but Enoshita didn't stop. "I practice just as hard as anyone else out there. Why do you think I'm underfed? I skip meals sometimes to practice! And I work late every night after dinner. Alone! Do you know why? Because no one remembers or cares that I don't have anyone to practice with! Kinoshita and Narita are great guys, but they're too wrapped up in each other to talk to me when it's just us. I'm a third wheel even with them! And. No. One. Ever. Notices. Anything." He crossed his arms.

Tanaka just gaped at him. "Ennoshita, I-I had no idea you felt this way," he got out. "But don't think like that. Please. You deserve to be noticed and remembered and talked to all the time. We're all dumbasses for not realizing that. And after this, I will be a better friend. I promise. And don't skip meals. That just makes everything worse. You need to eat, you practice enough already. Please."

The shorter boy was crying. Ryu grabbed his hand without thinking. "Chikara, don't cry! It'll be okay."

Ennoshita looked up at him, then down at their linked hands. Tanaka blushed and hastily let go. The boy on the bed took a shaky, teary breath. "Ryu, I know I blend into the background, so I didn't think anyone would notice I was missing. Knowing that and being lost alone was the worst moment of my life."

"But you kept it together," the bald spiker replied. "You were incredible, even the doctor said you did a great job on your cast."

Ennoshita chuckled weakly. "I'm good at stuff like that. But I did panic at one point, and I imagined something to calm myself down." He looked Tanaka directly in the eye. "Ryu, say 'it's alright, Chikara. I'm here. I'll keep you safe, I promise.'"

"It's alright, Chikara. I'm here. I'll keep you safe, I promise," he repeated. A smile broke out on Ennoshita's face as he relaxed. "Is that what you thought of to stay calm?" Tanaka asked.

The second year blushed and covered his face, but replied in the positive. Ryunosuke hesitated.

"Do you remember what we talked about when I found you?" 

"No. My concussion was messing with me."

"You said 'I suppose you're going to kiss me now? I mean, if I'm hallucinating, I want it to at least be fun.'" Chikara turned bright red.

"Um, no, I don't remember that," he muttered, embarrassed. 

"Well, afterward I asked you to come with me and you fainted, so that's not surprising. But the point is, you said kissing me would be fun. And, um, I think it would be fun too." Tanaka blushed and took hold of Ennoshita's hand again. Chikara looked him gay in the eye. 

"Ryu, do you want to go out with me?"

Tanaka forgot how to breathe.

After a minute of dead silence, Ennoshita pulled away. "I'm sorry, pretend that didn't happen," he mumbled, looking down and hunching his shoulders.

"YES!" Tanaka shouted. The other second year flinched at the unexpected sound. "Sorry!" The bald spiker said, lowering his voice. "But yes, Chikara, I'll date you! And I promise to always notice and remember you and never, ever forget you!" He clasped his hand again.

Ennoshita smiled from ear to ear. "That's all I need." They stood still for a few minutes, lost in each other. 

Then Tanaka yelped. "Ah! The nurse said to tell someone when you woke up! Um, one sec!" He whisked out of the room. Chikara started laughing.