Authors Note: Welcome back Readers~! We interrupt... whatever it is you're doing to bring you this Emergency Mikey/Meiko content! As you can see my boyfriend got so fed up with the lack of anime art we could find to try and use to represent Meiko and Mikey that he literally tried editing a picture off of google. Mad lad, I tell you. (Editor's note: Homework for after your finish reading this chapter. Go on google and search "anime couple hug blonde guy" I challenge you to find a picture that is doesn't have the character's kissing and/or is unique to when compared to the edited picture above. I am 98.99912% postive you wont.) Can you feel his salt? Anyways~ Please Enjoy this next installment and let us know what you think!
August 3rd, 2005
Silently scattered throughout the waiting room, the small group of teens all quietly sat and supported one another. Hina, Emma, and Mikey all sat together on the waiting room benches. The blonde-haired girl firmly sitting between her friend and Mikey, as Takemichi and Yayoi stood silently close by to the girls. Beside them stood Mitsuya and Peh, the boys of the Mizo Five sitting diagonal to the seated teens on the other side of the waiting room. No one spoke, time had passed since the group first came together to wait outside the operation room, hours really, and the air around them was heavy. The group's anxiety and nerves were high, but no one dared to move or make a sound as they all stayed firm and in place as they waited for the news of their friend's fate.
Click
The operation sign's light turned off, and all the seated teens except for Mikey shot up to stand, everyone except for the dark-eyed blonde turned their complete attention towards the doors as the doctors stepped out. "..."
"W-well...!" Yayoi broke the silence as the teen all anxiously stared up at the doctors. "Don't just stand there!!" She snapped, "Tell us! How... Is he...?"
"... We were able to save his life." The doctor calmly informed, as Takemichi's jaw fell and Mikey silently listened to the doctor's words, "The operation to save his life..." Yayoi covered her mouth, as tears filled her eyes alongside Hina's, Peh-yan's, Mitsuya's, and Emma's. "...was a success." The Mizo boys gasped in joy as everyone became filled with unbridled joy, yet the most excited of all perhaps, was none other than Takemichi himself.
"Fuuuck.... YEEEAAAH!!!!" Takemichi loudly screamed to the heavens with tears in his eyes. The Mizo boys exploded alongside him in cheers as they joined him. "HE'S OKAY!!"
"Hnnngh!!" Emma loudly began to cry and sob in relief as she threw herself into Hina's arms, as the girl helped her up. "Hina!!"
"It's a miracle! Thank goodness he's alright." Hina cried alongside her friend as the two continued to hold each other. "I'm so happy!"
"YEEEAAAHHH!!! DRAKEN-KUN'S ALRIGHT!!" The Mizo five boy's all cheered. "Draken! Draken! Draken! Draken!"
"Jeez, keep it down." Mistuya weakly scolded the boys as he wiped the tears away from his eyes, smiling. "He's still recovering you know."
Loudly sobbing in relief at this, Yayoi fell to her knees tiredly at this. Quietly clasping her hands before her in prayer as she quietly began to cry in Spanish. "Ay gracias a Padre y Jesus y al espiritu santo– Esta bien! Esta Vivo!!"
"Whoever it was that performed the emergency first aid did a pretty good job all things considered." The doctor said, causing Yayoi to sob more loudly, "It was obviously rushed, but it helped to slow the blood loss and helped to buy him some time until he was brought in."
"Nnh... ugghhh!" Yayoi wailed loudly, throwing her head back, the girl feeling no shame as she cried unabashedly in pure joy and relief.
"Hey, you did it!" Mitsuya smiled down at the girl as he proudly patted her head from beside her, "Good work, Yai!" He praised causing the girl to cry even louder.
"Mi-Mitsuya-kun!"
"W-woah!" His eyes flew wide as he found himself suddenly being hugged by the still crying girl.
"Esta vivo! Draken esta vivo! No esta muerto!!" She cried, and although the boy did not understand what the girl was saying. "Estoy tan feliz, q-que no puedo para a llorar!!!"
He smiled and hugged her back. "Hey now... It's okay. There's no need to cry so much. It looks like your help did more than you thought, right?" He said as he looked at the crying and cheering teens, Mitsuya could only shake his head as he said. "Alright, that's enough! Let's go tell the guys outside the good news!!" He grinned, as the others all looked at him with their own bright smile.
"Right!"
Running past a frozen Peh, the group all quickly moved to leave, Takemichi stopped as he took note of Peh's lack of movement. "Hmm? Peh-yan-kun?"
Yayoi, having still been trying to whip her tears away before following after the group, looked back then to frown as she noted the boy standing stock-still as he solemnly stared at his feet. "Aren't you coming?"
"I..." The boy quietly muttered, refusing to meet either teen's concerned gazes, "I can't face the others." He admitted shutting his eyes, "I just can't."
"Peh," Mitsuya called out having stayed behind to wait for the boy, "Everybody gets that what you did was for Pah-chin's sake. We all understand that." Mitsuya calmly told the boy as Peh-yan looked back at him wide-eyed.
"Mitsuya..."
"But let me tell you something, Peh. The guy who's been worrying the most about Pah... that would be Draken." He told the teen as Takemichi and Yayoi silently watched and listened to their conversation.
"You know they won't let you see him? But you're still going?" Mitsuya recalls asking one day during the early days of Draken's and Mikey's fighting as they'd walked the street together.
"Yeah." Draken calmly shrugged before looking back to Mitsuya, "But that's not what matters."
"From that day on, Draken went with Pah-chin's parents to go visit him every single day. Even though he knew only relatives could actually see him, he'd bring a gift, then he'd wait outside the whole time." He told the teens, the whole group easily imagining Draken sweating under the harsh Japanese summer sun as he stood outside the detention center. "That's the guy you tried to kill."
"Draken..." Peh-yan gasped, realizing his mistake in ever believing Draken had not cared about Pah-chin.
"You'd better apologize." Mitsuya added, "To Draken, to Pah-chin, to Emma, to Ei... to everyone." Mitsuya summarized as he turned his back to the watery-eyed Peh-yan.
"Yeah..." Peh quietly muttered as he tried not to cry, only for the dam to break once more as Mitsuya said.
"Welcome back, Peh-yan." Yayoi even hesitantly but kindly placed a hand on the crying boy's arm in comfort as Peh cried in place.
"Come on... No more tears Peh-yan-kun. It's time for words, not tears." Yayoi encouraged, and Takemichi silently watched as Peh nodded before looking up determinedly after Mitsuya as they followed after the Toman captain.
August 4th, 2005
"Oh look," Takemichi heard Hina gasp as their small group exited the hospital building. "It's finally stopped raining," Hina noted. Takemichi silently watched as Mitsuya and Peh-yan walked over towards the waiting Toman members with Yayoi and the Mizo boys. "Oh no!!" Hina then exclaimed, drawing back Takemichi's attention as he looked toward her and Emma to see the two girls frowning down at their cell phones. "Look at the time!! It's already past midnight." Hina said, "I had no idea! My parents are so gonna kill me..."
Sighing Emma could only nod in agreement, "Same, that means it's August fourth."
"Huh?" Takemichi gasped as he heard this, his mind flashing to the future Naoto and his talk.
"On August third, you'll save Ryuguji Ken. That is your mission this time."
"It's already..." Takemichi felt his legs shake, "August fourth?" He collapsed on his knees as he stared up at the sky in shock. 'Naoto... I made it through.' He thought, 'It's not August third anymore.' He thought as a joyous and relieved smile broke out on his face. 'Which means... The mission to save Draken...' He curled up into himself shaking as tears pricked in the corner of his eyes, 'Was a success!' The Tokyo manji gang of the past suddenly broke out into cheers, catching Takemichi's attention.
"Hey! Not so loud!" Yayoi snapped, "We're still in front of a hospital damn it!"
"Guys, shut the hell up!" A member shouted in agreement with Yayoi even as the males only seemed to continue to cheer.
"There's no way Draken would bite it!"
"Thank goodness."
"Oi!" Yayoi angrily repeated, as Baji suddenly threw his arms around her shoulders grinning.
"Come on, Yaichi. Loosen up, they're just happy Draken's okay."
Yayoi twitched at this, "I get that... But we are literally right outside the building and it's past midnight. Patients, like Draken, need silence to rest!" She growled, shoving the boy's arm off of her. "Also why the hell are you touching me?"
"What~" Baji teasingly grinned, "Can't a guy show his appreciation. You helped to save Draken's life didn't ya?"
"I–" Yayoi blushed, looking away, "I just did some first aid. It wasn't that big a deal."
"But that doctor said, you helped buy Draken time." Peh-yan confusedly spoke up, causing Yayoi to freeze up. "You even seemed to have cried harder when he said your first aid had helped."
"Y-you–" Yayoi stuttered as Mitsuya smiled at the girl again.
"Hahaha, you're really not good with praise, huh?"
"Shut up! I told you I'm not good at interacting with people." Yayoi hissed just as Chifuyu came up to the group and her frowning.
"Yai-san..."
"Hmm?"
"By any chance... Do you know what happened to Ei-san?"
"Huh?" Baji muttered confused as Peh guilty looked down at his feet and Mitsuya frowned, "What about Ei?" Baji grinned a bit teasingly towards his second in command. "Oh, Chifuyu you dog! Don't tell me you got the hots for Ei?"
"That's not it!" Chifuyu snapped, glaring at his commander, "I saw her in the fight against Moebius."
Baji's smile dropped hearing this, "Wait, are you serious..?" He looked back towards Mitsuya, Peh-yan, and Yayoi. "She was in the fight?"
"I'm pretty sure neither Peh or I saw her." Mitsuya admitted as Peh nodded guiltily in agreement before looking to Yayoi, "But from my understanding..."
Yayoi sighed nodding her head, "Yeah... She went back into that brawl trying to look for Draken and her younger brother who were in the middle of it with all of you."
"Huh?" Baji drawled, a bit confused. "Okay. I get her going in for little brother... but Draken? There was no reason for her to risk herself–"
Glaring at the long-haired teen Yayoi snapped, "Given how the guy had a bit of a concussion before he jumped into that huge ass fight with you guys, I think it's safe to assume Mei had all the right reasons to try and pull that idiot out of your fight."
"Huh?!" Baji exclaimed, "So wait– Are you seriously telling me that she was fighting Moebius with us tonight?"
"This is Meiko we're talking about. Is that really so hard to believe?" Yayoi huffed as Chifuyu nodded beside Baji. "She'd been fighting with Draken just before we all came to save them... Wasn't she?" She asked Mitsuya for clarification as the silver lavender-haired teen nodded.
"From what I could tell, yeah."
"Really!" Chifuyu exclaimed with wide eyes. "Then again... I saw her take a guy down with a flying kick, and take another one out without even looking. When I tried talking to her a bit, she suddenly ran off looking for Draken leaving all concerned." Chifuyu explained before looking back to some of the Toman members who were still happily cheering amongst themselves. "Actually... It seems I wasn't even the only one who had a run-in with her either..." He said before looking back to the teens, "Some of the guys were talking about how a girl with dark hair and half a kimono just flew around the battlefield taking out guys left and right like it was nothing."
"Woah..." Baji muttered, "And here I thought Emma was the only girl I knew who could do that." He said scratching the back of his head. "Then again I guess that's why they say the feathers of birds come together."
"..." Yayoi raised a brow, as Peh-yan nodded in agreement.
"..." Mitsuya facepalmed.
"..." Chifuyu sighed, "It's birds of a feather flock together, Baji-san."
"It is?!"
"H-hey!" Looking up both Takemichi and Yayoi's eyes widened as they noticed a familiar moppy blonde-haired boy nervously coming up to the ground where Yayoi stood with.
"Wait. You're–"
"Huh?" Baji glared at the boy causing him to flinch back in fear, "who the hell are you?"
"I-I-I–"
"Masaru!"
"Bakamasa!" Takemichi and Yayoi respectively exclaimed at once together as the boy ran over to the Toman teens where his cousin now stood with.
"You know this guy...?" Mitsuya curiously asked Yayoi as the girl crossed her arms unimpressed.
"Sadly this guy is..."
"Masaru!" Takemichi shouted once more, accidentally bumping into Baji as the boy twitched and growled in annoyance.
"Easy boy." Yayoi dryly muttered, tugging the long-haired teen back slightly before he could try anything.
"Y-you're here?! What are you doing here?" Takemichi exclaimed, pointing at his cousin, "D-don't tell me... you were a part of what Kiyomasa and his guys were doing!"
"W-wha–" Masaru exclaimed before glaring at the boy, "Ah geez, Takemichi! How can ya even say that! I-I... I know I ain't been the best cousin, but I can't believe you think I'd actually be okay with seeing my own cousin be almost killed." Masaru huffed as Takemichi gave his cousin an unamused deadpan face.
'That's cause you practically have before.' He thought while recalling his original timeline and even this one.
"Cousin!" Peh-yan, Baji, and Chifuyu all exclaimed looking at the boy, 'This guy...?'
"Is that true?" Mitsuya asked Yayoi as the girl sighed.
"Unfortunately... The guy's related to Mei and Takemichi-kun here on their mother's side or something." She explained, "Though Mei and him don't really get along for... uh... obvious reasons." She subtly pointed towards Takemichi as the crew watched Masaru try to posture and save face with the obviously 'done' boy. "Yo, Bakamasa what do you want?" Yayoi coldly called out to the teen as the boy flinched, noting the unimpressed and annoyed expression of all the teens before him.
"I... I..." Loudly swallowing the teen stood up straight, "I... I just wanted to know if the ambulance made it in time to help Meiko and you guys..."
"...Huh?" The teens drawled as Masaru looked away blushing.
"W-well you see... um... I..." Looking down he fidgeted in place, "When I found out what Kiyomasa-kun wanted to do to Meiko cause of the fight club... and how she was at the festival... I... I..."
"Don't tell me..." Yayoi gasped, eyes becoming wide alongside Takemichi's.
"I... I went AWOL and snitched on him to the cops!" Masaru almost seemed to yell, shaking, "I... I mean, okay, it's one thing to run a fight club to make dumbass punks fight." Masaru stuttered, "But killing a girl who's got nothing to do with gangs just cause she tried to step in to protect her dumbass little brother–"
"You're one to talk!" Takemichi snapped as Masaru ignored him.
"That's too much! I mean... I know Meiko is..."
"Deadly."
"Savage."
"Cutthroat."
"Brutally honest."
"Blunt."
Takemichi and Yayoi both easily went back and forth in describing just how dangerous Meiko could be if she did not like someone while fighting them. "Ye-yes! Yes, all that!" Masaru yelled, almost crying. "That girl's a vindictive demon of justice..."
"Seriously..." The Toman teens all muttered out loud confused. Even though Chifuyu, Peh-yan, and Mitsuya themselves had all seen a glimpse of Meikos' fighting prowess, the lot of them could only conjure up the image of Meiko in her white sundress from their beach day innocently smiling back at them teasingly... before they also ended up imagining a small pile of bodies under her foot as she stood on top of them. "Then again..."
"But even still!" Masaru said, "Kiyomasa-kun never even experienced that side of her... the fact he wasn't scared enough to not try this says that enough." Masaru whispered as Takemichi could only nervously laugh at this as Yayoi nodded. "So... Um... I followed them to the festival... But I went AWOL and called the cops and ambulance as soon as I saw the whole brawl break out and Kiyomasa gloated about how he'd gotten Draken-san and Meiko." He explained rubbing the back of his head.
"Masaru.... That's..." Takemichi gapped in shock as Yayoi could only stare at the teen just as in awe.
"I... I know Meiko doesn't like me... hell, after the whole fight club thing. I sure as hell know you don't like me." The teen nodded to Takemichi, "But I... I still think of you guys as family... and uh... I do care about ya... even if it is from a distance." Masaru shyly explained, "So... I guess I just... wanted to do the right thing for once. And look out for you both somehow... and maybe... I don't know... redeem myself?" Masaru muttered, "Or... at least show ya both I'm not completely spineless."
Looking down at his feet, Takemichi couldn't help but stare confused at them, 'W-wow... who'd have thought Masaru had it in him... I sure didn't. Then again...' Looking up he recalled an image of his early youth in which he, Masaru, and Meiko used to happily play and get along with one another. 'We all used to be close when we were really little before Masaru and Meimei started to not like each other or get along... maybe this is just his way to show he still cared somewhat.'
"..." Shaking herself out of her stunned stupor, Yayoi crossed her arms once more. "Well... if you must know... they're both okay." Yayoi firmly stated, "Meiko got slashed from behind–"
"She was what–" Baji and Chifuyu both exclaimed in shock as Mitsuya shushed them.
"And maybe has a bruised rib, but compared to Draken-kun she got off pretty light all things considered." Yayoi finished, "In fact, I'm sure she'll be released tonight so long as her bruised ribs heal well, and the blood transfusion didn't cause any complications." She added in the end last minute, causing Takemichi to jump at this.
"Ah! That's right, with how focused and worried we all were on Draken-kun's life, we completely forgot about Mei-nee! She still doesn't know Draken-kun's okay." Takemichi exclaimed, turning to look towards the hospital, "We need to tell her! She must be so worried right now."
Reina, Yayoi's mother who was exiting the hospital stopped at hearing the boys shout as she smiled at the teen. "Oh, Takemichi-kun there you are." She looked to Chifuyu and Baji and waved to them in acknowledgment. "Oh, and Keisuke-kun and Matsuno-kun too, my I didn't know you were all friends."
"Mama." Yayoi nodded, as Baji and Chifuyu politely waved at the older woman.
"Hi, Shimizu-san~"
"Hello, Yaichi's mom."
"Mom?!" Mitsuya and Peh-yan gaped, looking between Reina and Yayoi in shock. "That's your mom?!"
"Hmmm, yeah... why do you ask?" Yayoi deadpanned as both Mitsuya and Peh-yan blushed looking away.
"Ah..."
"Well..."
"Isn't she... a bit young to be a mom? I honestly thought she was your older sister." Mitsuya muttered underneath his breath causing Yayoi to twitch in annoyance as her mother laughed.
"Oh my, well aren't you charmer! Keisuke-kun and Matsuno-kun said the same thing when they brought little Yuki-chan home."
"Yuki-chan?" Peh-yan whispered to Chifuyu.
"A cat Baji-san and I saved from a tree. Baji-san fell out and sprained his ankle and Yai-san just so happened to be there looking for it. It was her grandmother's cat that got out." Chifuyu explained quietly as the boys mouthed an 'oh' before nodding.
"Gotcha."
"Ne, ne..." Reina suddenly grabbed onto Mitsuya's hands and stared at him starry-eyed, "Would you be interested in dating my daughter?"
"Huh?!" Mitsuya blushed alongside Yayoi as Baji broke out laughing, pointing at them.
"Hahaha! Yes! Now you know how I felt."
"MA!!" Yayoi angrily snapped glaring at the smiling woman as she just cooked. "Stop asking random strangers to date me."
"But Yayoi-chan look at him, he's so handsome. And you have so many fine choices right here, I'm actually sorta jealous. That is unless you're eyeing the cutie Matsuno-kun or the wild Keisuke-kun." She almost seemed to sing, as Chifuyu began to blush alongside Mitsuya and Yayoi even as Baji continued to laugh over Yayoi's embarrassment.
"Ahahahaha!!"
"How are you not embarrassed by this?!" The three snapped at him as Baji only continued to laugh harder.
"Cause your faces! They're so red!!" Baji continues laughing pointing at the red faces, "They're like tomatoes! 'Specially Yaichi's!!"
"You bastard!" Yayoi growled alongside Mitsuya
"Baji I'm seriously gonna hit you."
"Reina-san!" Takemichi cut in before an all-out fight could break out between the boys. "Uh... My sister?" He asked as Yayoi sent the boy an appreciative look.
'Ay gracias a dios, Takemichi-kun!! I take back any and every bad thing I've ever said to you... In the last Twenty four hours... Ah! Screw it! I'm feeling generous. Thirty six hours.'
"How is she? Have you seen her?" Takemichi asked as the red-headed woman came up still smiling.
"Oh yes. I just finished seeing her right now in fact." Reina nodded, "She's the picture of perfect health outside the stitches and bruised ribs, the doctors say she'll be fine to leave once she wakes up." Reina explained as Yayoi raised a brow at her.
"Wakes up...? The heck? Did they need to put her under or something? Local anesthesia doesn't usually cause someone to go to sleep." Yayoi pointed out as her mother only shook her head.
"Oh no, it wasn't because of that." She laughed, waving her hand, "I think the poor girl passed out from how tired she already was... Either that or the sight of the needle they needed to use for the blood transfusion." Reina explained as Yayoi, Masaru, and Takemichi all snorted at this.
"Yeah..."
"That sounds like her..."
"At least some things never change." The three all muttered to themselves smiling. "So does this mean, it's okay if we go and see her?" Takemichi asked as Reina nodded.
"Oh yes, perfectly. Though only one person can really be in there with her. Hospital policy and what not."
"Okay!" Takemichi nodded, grinning, "Then I'mma go get her and let her know Draken's okay!" He said before running back inside. 'I can't wait to tell her!' He thought, 'Meimei,' He ran much quicker, 'You... You risked everything just to help... I just have to let you know it wasn't in vain.' He continued, 'It's time for me... To tell you everything just like you wanted!'
"Ah! Wait! Takemichi-kun wait!" Reina tried calling after the boy as Takemichi simply sped off back inside of the hospital. "Oh, dear..."
"What's wrong?" Yayoi asked the older woman as Reina looked back at them.
"Well... It's just..." She looked back towards where Takemichi had disappeared. "The reason I came out here in the first place... is because I ran into someone." She explained confusing the group.
"Huh?" Yayoi muttered.
"Ran into who Shimizu-san?" Baji asked as the woman looked back to the teens.
"Some boy, with long blonde hair in a half ponytail." The woman answered, causing the teens to gasp or become wide-eyed.
"Mikey!"
"Mikey-san!"
The teens all exclaimed as Reina nodded, "Yes. I'd been getting a drink when I ran into that boy. He asked me about Meiko-chan and what room she was in. I think he recognized me from before your little gang fight and said he was a friend and wanted to check up on her. So I pointed him in the right direction and came out here to check on all of you and let Takemichi-kun know how Meiko-chan is doing if I saw him."
August 4th, 2005 Meiko
Groaning to herself, Meiko pulled the hospital pillow closer to her chest as she lay still on one of the hospital cots. 'God... My body aches all over...' She thought, keeping her eyes shut. 'I'm so tired... I just wanna sleep!' She buried her face deeper into the pillow, 'But...' She failed to notice the sound of approaching footsteps as someone entered her temporary room. 'I still need to get up and find out what's happening with Draken...' She thought as she furrowed her brows, 'I still need to check in on Emma, Michi, and–'
She felt a slightly rough hand gently push away a few loose strands of her hair out of her closed-eyed. Humming to her she leaned her head into the gentle touch subconsciously, 'That... That feels so nice...' She absently thought to herself before realizing something, 'Wait... who–' Hand moving up to catch the person who had been caressing her hand, Meiko's face scrunched up as she forced her eyes to open. Slowly looking up and over at the person who'd been touching her, her blue eyes slowly widened in shock as her gaze met the boy's surprised black ones. The two teens openly stared at one another in shock, "...Mi...key...?"
The boy stared down at Meiko in shock for a short bit, before putting on a smile. "Yo, Ei-chan! Did I wake you?" He asked, and Meiko frowned as she noted the slight tension hidden behind the boy's joyous smile and concerned words as she slowly sat up with a slight wince.
"Hmm," Meiko shook her head, "I was already up before you came in." She yawned, "I was just... trying to get the energy to open up my eyes and get up." She explained as she looked up at the boy, "What about you? Have you heard anything about Draken? How's Emma and the others?" She asked, "And you–"
"They're fine." Mikey cut her off before she could even ask about his well-being with a smile. "Ken-chin pulled through his operation without issue. Just like I knew he would." Mikey said as he continued to give Meiko a closed-eye smile.
"I see..." Meiko's frown deepened. "And you came here... Why?"
"Well, obviously to check up on you." Mikey replied, "You got hurt too, right?" His smile seemed to become more strained as he continued to talk. "How are you feeling?"
"..." Meiko was silent for a bit before speaking honestly, "Honestly, it feels like I got hit by a train." She winced, "I've got a few bruised ribs, and the stitches are still fresh, and I had to get a blood transfusion..." She shuddered remembering that ordeal. "But outside of that... I'm fine I guess, just–" She yawns once more. "Tired... and a bit hungry too."
"Well, that's good to hear. I'm glad to see that both you and Ken-chin are alright."
"Mikey..."
"I'm sure Takemitchy and the others will be glad to hear this,"
"Mikey." Meiko tried to speak up.
He ignored her though as he turned to leave, "I should go get him. Emma, Yaichi, and him will probably be tripping all over themselves trying to come see yo–"
Tug
Clasping her hand tightly onto the back of Mikey's shirt, Meiko called out to the boy again more firmly. "Manjiro-kun!"
The boy shuddered at the sudden use of his given name, slowly looking back at Meiko as her head was slouched and her bangs covering her eyes. "Ei-chan..."
"Please..." Gently she pulled the boy back towards her, as she quietly begged. "Don't leave..."
"Ei..." He froze as Meiko turned her blues up to him with a heartbroken expression.
"Don't leave... when it's so obvious, that you're the one hurting the most right now." Meiko almost seemed to whisper as neither she nor Mikey noticed the other teen that had appeared outside her small ER room as they'd quickly hid behind the door frame.
Meiko gently pulled Mikey down beside her as she continued to stare up at him sympathetically, "You don't always need... To put on such a brave face for me and everyone else..." She pulled the stunned teen's head close to her shoulder. "You were just as scared, right?"
"I..." Mikey muttered stunned as his head rested on Meiko's shoulder, eyes shielded by his bangs.
"It's okay. If you can't be honest with the others... But don't feel like you can't be honest with me. I understand." Meiko gently told him while softly caressing his head. "Even if you are the 'Invincible Mikey', you're still just a kid." She continued to whisper as she felt the boy in her arms slowly begin to tremble. "You're still only human..." She said as she felt Mikey slowly wrap his arms around her waist. "You deserve... To have your own shoulder to cry on. Crying is never a weakness." She cooed pulling him closer, "So just let it all out... I promise... To be your own quiet shoulder to cry on if you let me." She smiled as heard Mikey take a shuddering breath, "You don't have to hold any of it in with me."
"Ei-chan..." A sob wracked through Mikey's system as he held onto Meiko more tightly. "Ken-chin..." Burying his face into her shoulder and neck as he began to shake more profusely, "Thank goodness..." He cried as he held onto the dark-haired girl as if she would disappear, "Don't scare me like that, you jerks." He continued to cry pushing Meiko down onto her hospital cot as they held each other. "Never do that again!" He buried his face more closely into her chest, as he allowed Meiko's warmth and the rhythmic beating of her heart to comfort him. "Please..." He sobbed brokenly, "Don't leave me..." He quietly whispers for only her to hear.
"Of course..." Meiko cooed softly as she continued to hold the crying boy close in comfort, "I promise... I'll never leave your side." Meiko whispered back, as her tears silently spilled for him and his pain. "So long as you'll let me stay."
Silently from outside the small room, Takemichi smiled down at his feet sadly as he heard almost all of what was said between his sister and Mikey. The sounds of Mikey's crying and Meiko's soft cooing echoed through his ears as he quietly pushed himself off the door frame and left the pair, in his heart feeling it was best to just leave Mikey and his sister alone.