𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲. | 𝗚𝗶𝘆𝘂𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗼

C H A P T E R 24 ッ

GIYUU

There's someone in the room. My eyes are closed but I know I'm not alone. I can feel the weight of their gaze, the pinprick crawl to my skin. What are they waiting for? For me to open my eyes? I want to ignore them and go back to sleep but I can't ignore the churning in my belly and the tightness of my skin.
"Giyuu? Giyuu, can you hear me?" A voice drifts into my consciousness, then out again.
"Yes." But my voice is only in my head. I can't move my lips. I can't get the sound to reverberate in my throat. It hurts.

"C'mon open your eyes, Giyuu. I know you're awake."

Sabito?
He's beside me, his face pinched with worry, his eyes ringed with shadows, stubble circling his lips and stretching along his jawbone.
"About goddamn time you wake up."

Where am I?
This is weird I don't recall leaving my house, there's a blue curtain, hanging from the rail surrounding the bed, and a white blanket, pulled tight, pining me to the sheets. At the end of the end the end is the mound of my feet. Oh it's the hospital.

"Oh, good morning." I say weakly, as I sit up straight, and press my back against the hardboard of the hospital bed.

My fingers contract, seemingly in a wrong way that it causes the needle on my arm to send sharp pain up the length of my arm.

"You made us all worried, especially your girlfriend," Sabito says with a smirk, the former expression on his face already disappeared.
He gingerly preaches on the bed, avoiding my legs. "Don't try to speak." He says as notices the look on my face. "You've been in an accident. You're in the Kemitsu Hospital. You had some internal and exterior bleeding and you've been operated on. They had..." he touches his throat, "...they had to give you some help breathing, they said your throat might hurt for a few days, but you're going to be okay. It's a fucking miracle that you..." He swallows and looks away.
Survived?
The memory returns like a juggernaut, smashing into my consciousness. I pushed Kochou out of the way, causing me to take the blow instead. Oh where's Kochou?

"Oh, I remember," I kind of whisper, my vocal cords aren't functioning properly that barely any sound comes out. "Where's Kochou?"

"Oh, your girlfriend? We sent her back home, she hasn't been sleeping 'cause of you."

I blink few times, "How long have I been asleep?"

"About three days. You don't know how worried we were, glad to see you back buddy." He says with a smile, and leans in to pat my shoulder slightly.
"Also, she's not my girlfriend." I add.

"Bro I can already tell you're interested in her, go for it, you've my support." He assures as he retreats his hand. "Which reminds me, she volunteered to take over your shift in your job until you're ready to work once again, we also informed your professors that you won't be able to attend any classes for the next few weeks, just take it easy buddy."

I nod weakly as he touches a hand to my shoulder, pressing me back to the bed. "Makomo went to bring coffe she will be here in few minutes,"

•••

SHINOBU

"He's awake, he finally woke up!" Makomo's voice fills me with intense relief that I can finally breathe again. "He still can't leave the hospital yet but at least he's no longer in danger."

I feel unsteady as a newborn fawn; non of my limbs are working properly as I lurch toward the door. I've been so anxious in the last few days that I barely closed an eye, I kept blaming myself the whole time, and would never have forgiven myself if anything was to happen to him.