Dedicated to my best friend, who first introduced me to the wonderful songs and yaoi pairings of UtaPri.
"Hijirikawa."
The blue-haired idol lying on the hospital bed didn't respond, continuing to stare at the ceiling, lost in his own thoughts. Ren sighed and leaned back in his chair. It had been weeks since the accident that hospitalized Masato. Since it had been the middle of January, the roads were covered in ice. A driver who had lost control of his car had barreled straight into Masato as the idol was crossing the road. The broken ribs and concussion had already healed, but the doctors had diagnosed a bigger problem.
Masato's spine had been damaged in the accident.
"I'm sorry, but Hijirikawa-san will probably never be able to walk again." The doctor's apologetic look had no effect on the pit of dread that grew in Ren's stomach.
Masato had received the news calmly enough when he was conscious enough to understand, but Ren knew that the loss of the ability to walk had hit him hard. Much harder than the car did. Masato had a bad habit of keeping his emotions to himself, reluctant to open up to anyone. Now the effects of this habit was showing in the idol's behavior. He was always in his own world, not noticing anything or anyone around him. Not even Ren.
Ren had tried everything to get his childhood friend to revert back to his old self, but nothing worked. After weeks of futile attempts, even the orange-haired idol was ready to give up. It seemed like the more time Masato spent in bed, the deeper he sank into depression. What Ren needed now was a miracle.
An idea suddenly came upon him and he abruptly stood up and strode out of the room, his departure unacknowledged by Masato. Ren practically ran down the stairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator, hair flying wildly as he jumped down the last couple of steps to arrive in the lobby.
The receptionist looked up as the orange-haired idol approached the desk. Without preamble or flirting, Ren asked, "May I please borrow a wheelchair, ma'am?"
A few minutes later, Ren was pushing a wheelchair into Masato's room, followed by a doctor. The blue-haired idol barely reacted when the doctor began to unhook him from the machines next to his bed, but his dull gaze sharpened when Ren yanked the white blankets away.
"Jinguuji...!" Ignoring Masato's hoarse protestation, Ren picked his friend up and sat him down in the wheelchair. "Jinguuji, what are you doing?"
Ren smirked when he heard the bite return to Masato's voice. He pushed the wheelchair towards the door, assuring the doctor that Masato would be back in a few hours.
"Where are you taking me?" Masato demanded, twisting around in the wheelchair to glare at Ren.
Ren grinned and gave his friend a playful wink. "You'll see."
Masato kept a sour look on his face as they rode the elevator down to the first floor, as Ren pushed him out the hospital, and as they moved down the empty sidewalk. Ren stayed silent as well, secretly praying that his plan would work although he hardly knew what he was doing.
They stopped in a quiet park that was close to the hospital, a perfect place for patients to relax and breathe fresh air. Massive expanses of grass rippled as a small breeze whispered across the land, gently bowing the fragile blades of grass. A small pond calmly sat in the center of the park and a small fish statue steadily blew a jet of water into the air.
"Why did you bring me here?" Masato glanced at Ren with a baffled look, and his confusion grew when his fellow idol stepped in front of him and strong arms wrapped around his chest. Ren lifted Masato out of the wheelchair and shifted around so that one of Masato's arms hung over his shoulders and one of his arms was curled around Masato's waist, supporting the half-paralyzed man. Once he was sure that he had a good grip, Ren began taking slow steps onto the grass, dragging Masato with him.
"On the day you were first admitted to the hospital, the doctor said that you would probably never walk again...probably." Ren emphasized that word, keeping his gaze firmly fixed forward as they slowly inched away from the wheelchair and closer to the pond. "Last I heard, probably meant that it's not certain, that you still have a chance of being able to walk again. Therefore, I'm going to help you. I'll bring you here every day and drag you across the grass until you can walk again."
Masato's eyes widened slightly at his friend's declaration. A long silence passed between the two, only broken by the sound of Masato's feet dragging through the grass. Finally, Masato sighed resignedly. "You're an idiot, Jinguuji."
A week passed. Every evening, Ren would borrow a wheelchair and take Masato to the park, where he would support Masato as the latter struggled to make his legs remember the motions of walking. Their patience was tested over and over again as Masato would be frustrated by the apparent lack of improvement, and Ren would continuously encourage him.
On the seventh day of this ritual, a small surprise greeted Ren and Masato as they were about to head back to the hospital. Four young idols stood next to the wheelchair, wearing unreadable expressions as they watched Ren and Masato approach.
"What are you four doing here?" Ren blinked at them. He hadn't been expecting them to come since they were busy with meetings and such that Shining often threw at them out of nowhere.
The shortest of the four puffed out his chest and scowled. "You bastard! Why didn't you say anything?"
"Huh?" The orange-haired man just became more confused, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head to the side. Masato stayed silent.
"What Syo-chan means to say," Natsuki stepped in, "is that we want to help."
"Yeah!" Otoya smiled brightly. "Well, we arrived a bit late today, but tomorrow we can definitely get here on time and help Masa-chan walk again. Right, Tokiya?" He turned to his roommate.
Tokiya voiced his agreement and stepped forward, holding out a plastic bag. "We made this for you before we came over." He placed the bag in Masato's free hand and added in an undertone, "Natsuki didn't help; don't worry."
Masato was at a loss for words, but Ren wasn't. "This isn't going to get in the way of your schedules?" He raised an orange eyebrow. "We're going to be doing this every evening."
The other idols scoffed. "Of course not! This is for a friend, isn't it?"
A month passed, and March arrived. The weather steadily grew warmer. Without fail, the members of STARISH stayed at the park every evening, cheering Masato on as the idol continued to push himself to overcome his paralysis. They took turns supporting him across the grass, never showing impatience when progress was slow.
One day, Masato denied Ren's attempt to lift him out of the wheelchair. As the other STARISH members stood around him with bewildered expressions, Masato gripped the armrests of the wheelchair and began to push himself to his feet. A tiny furrow of his eyebrows showed how much effort it took, and the other five watched anxiously and intently, Ren gripping the back of the wheelchair so hard his knuckles turned white.
After what felt like an eternity, Masato was wobbling unsteadily on his feet as the others stared in shock and elation.
"Masa-chan is standing!" Otoya clapped his hands together and smiled so hard his face could have split in half. Tokiya's mouth curved up in a tiny smile as he watched Masato with approval.
"He's stand...ack!" Syo was practically strangled by an excited Natsuki.
A proud expression flickered across Masato's face before his legs suddenly gave out and he collapsed. Ren caught him before he hit the ground and heaved him up again with a victorious smirk on his face. "You're getting there, Hijirikawa." Placing Masato's arm over his shoulders, the orange-haired idol guided his friend across the grass. "You'll be able to walk again soon."
The hospital staff noticed a change in Masato after Ren started taking him outside. The half-paralyzed idol was more responsive when others were talking to him, and the doctor even caught his patient standing next to his bed for a couple of seconds before Masato had to sit back down so he didn't collapse to the floor.
After witnessing this scene, the doctor declared that he wanted to check Masato's progress in a few weeks to see if he would end up walking again. The rest of STARISH were more determined to continue with their plan, and worked harder to help Masato recover from his partial paralysis.
On the day of the evaluation, STARISH, the doctor, and a nurse watched as Masato shakily stood on his feet and took a few hesitant steps to where the nurse waited. He moved slowly and cautiously, pausing before moving one foot in front of the other. The atmosphere in the room was heavy and still as everyone silently prayed that Masato would not fall before he stood directly in front of the nurse.
One...two...
Masato paused and inhaled. The distance was a little intimidating, but it wasn't much farther than how far he had managed to walk last evening without support. The last few steps had been a little shaky though, and it had taken all of his strength to remain upright for those few extra seconds.
Five...six...
He was halfway there now, and his legs were feeling a little stiff. However, his pride and his colleagues gazes pushed him to continue. He took a few more steps towards the nurse, leaving just a couple feet between them. Feeling more confident, Masato took another step forward, ready to show the others that he was going to walk again.
Suddenly, his legs gave out and he dropped like a stone, knees hitting the hospital floor with a dull thud.
Masato's eyes widened with shock. He had been so close; just two more steps and he would have stood directly in front of the nurse, but his legs just had to stop working at that moment. The disappointment threatened to drown him, and he barely registered the doctor and the nurse helping him back onto the hospital bed. He couldn't lift his head either, didn't want to see the disappointed looks on his friend's faces at his failure.
The doctor and the nurse murmured to each other in low voices, discussing Masato's performance. The idol kept his eyes lowered to the floor, waiting for the verdict that would most likely destroy him forever.
Surprisingly, the doctor had a pleased expression on his face. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and announced, "That was actually more than we expected. If things continue to progress this way, it seems Hijirikawa-san will make a full recovery!"
There was a brief pause as the STARISH idols absorbed the news. Then, the room burst into cheers and applause as the young men celebrated their success. Masato was at the center of it all, receiving pats on the back and hugs, which he wasn't all that comfortable with but received them nonetheless. Amid the clamour and noise, only Tokiya and Masato noticed Ren slip out of the room.
After a small debate with himself, Masato stood up from the bed and headed for the door. He met Tokiya's gaze and the latter nodded in silent agreement. As he left the room, Masato heard Tokiya say, "Let him go. Those two need a private moment."
Ren hadn't gone far at all. In fact, Masato found him sitting on a bench further down the hall. The playboy looked up as Masato approached and smiled crookedly. "Already wandering out of your room, are you?"
"You were rather eager to leave." Masato began to feel the strain of standing too long and seated himself next to Ren. "Was the scene too emotional for you?"
He started when Ren suddenly embraced him, burying his face in Masato's shoulder. Masato stiffened at the sudden contact but gradually relaxed. Neither party said anything for a while, until Masato broke the silence with a few simple words.
"Thank you...Ren."
His friend's reply was muffled but Masato heard it clearly.
"I will always support you, Masato."