1: Beware, the unseen

Seijuuro walks to the side of his mother's bed per her request. Her skin's jaded and the pillows propping her upright seem all too ready to swallow her thin frame. When he holds her hand, he's reminded once again of how much she's changed. The once strong hands are now frail.

"Seijuuro," she says warmly, pulling him out from his silent muse. She places a hand over his. "I'm glad you came to see me."

She relaxes into her pillows, at ease again. He watches her eyes drift away from him and over to the window. The curtains softly billow as a cool breeze blows into the hospital room.

Her eyes flicker back to him. In that moment, she scrambles back as fast as she can and as far as she can. Her head hits the wall during her frantic movements; her eyes are wide and fearful, a hint of wildness as well.

Her brows tighten, knotting together in the center.

Seijuuro takes a step back cautiously. He's watching her hands and that vase on the tabletop. Just as he expected, that vase comes flying straight at him. He manages to dodge. The white flowers tumble out, falling to the ground, and then he's being backed up into the corner. His mother's hands come clawing at him, striking for the throat, but before she can even touch him the nurses and a supervisor barge into the room and grab a hold of the situation.

One of the nurses approaches Seijuuro with a sigh. She might as well as pinch the bridge of her nose and place her hands on her hips, stress how complicated the situation is right now to Seijuuro. Then again, it's not like he's not aware.

Another heavy sigh from the woman. "Akashi-san, how did you get past the check in point?"

"I just walked on by."

"You're sure you didn't climb the trees and enter through a window? Or take some other exit into the hospital?"

Seijuuro shakes his head. "I'm told that's not a proper thing to do."

The nurse waves him out the room. "Alright, next time, if you want to visit your mom, let us know first. We can't have unmonitored visitors, you should know that."

Seijuuro stares at the trampled white flowers. "I came last time. All you could do was give her my flowers and send me back on my way."

"She wasn't capable of having visitors, Akashi-san. Please understand."

When Seijuuro leaves the room and closes the door, he heaves out a sigh. Why does she freak out when she's alone with him? It didn't use to be like this. All Seijuuro wants is for things to be back to normal, the good old days when his mother wasn't bedridden and mentally unstable.

He rounds the hallway corner and stands face-to-face with another hospital patient. An odd one too is what he thinks, considering the fact that this patient is barefoot.

Seijuuro has no intentions of talking to the person. He merely side steps around the shorter male and continues on- only for two steps though because of the patient's words.

"Akashi-kun, don't ignore me, especially since I helped you out."

Seijuuro looks over his shoulder, staring at the guy's back. "I don't recall asking you for a favor."

Kuroko turns around, fully facing Seijuuro. Deadpan. "Eh? Is that so, Akashi-kun."

"Also I don't know you."

"Ah. But I helped you get past the check in point."

Seijuuro skeptically stares at this stranger. "You must've mistaken me for someone else. I apologize but I'll take my leave first."

Walking with his back to the stranger leaves him feeling very vulnerable. There's something about this stranger that makes him uneasy. Maybe it's because this guy's so confident that he knows him?

"I helped Akashi-kun because Akashi-kun said he wanted to see his mother."

There's a fine distance between the two. Kuroko's voice floats right on over to Seijuuro. There it is again- that confident, unfaltering tone. Yet, there's no emotion in his voice.

Seijuuro decides to attack with reason. "They would have caught us if we went together past the check in point."

Kuroko, still standing at the end of the hallway, shakes his head. "No they didn't."

"And why is that?"

Seijuuro thinks he sees the tips of Kuroko's lips quirk up playfully. "Because people can't see me. If you're with me, then you'll be unseen."

Seijuuro scoffs. "Nonsense. You've got the wrong person."

Kuroko trails a finger on the wall, stifling a laugh. "Just kidding, Akashi-kun. No sense of humor as usual, hm."

Seijuuro would like to add: I can see why you're in the hospital. But he doesn't. All he does is ignore and walk away.

tbc