::Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own imagination::
::Warning: There will be no shinkumi in this fic, I cannot write it and will not attempt to, she will be in it, but only as her goofy, teacher, Ojou self::
Don't Sleep It Away:2 Here To Help.
By the time the trio had finally reached the hospital, Uchi had road rage, Shin looked like a ghost save for the unhealthy blush on his cheeks, and Kuro was fearing for his own life with Uchi's driving.
They parked as close as they could to the hospitals entrance, earning themselves some strange looks and shouts from the present medical staff.
"Okay Shin, just hang on. Uchi! Help me out would ya!" Kuro yelled through the downpour as he dragged the carcass of a half conscious Shin from the bike.
"I don't want to leave my scooter here, anyone of these guys could take it!" Uchi gestured wildly at the medical staff, all of which were hanging back in shock.
"Uchi, it's a hospital!"
"Fine! But if it gets stolen I'm holding you solely responsible."
"Guys, h-hurry up." Shin moaned pathetically in an annoyed way. He was still shaking, and getting wetter by the second.
Uchi and Kuro spared each other frazzled glances, both half annoyed that Shin still held authority over their arguments whilst in this state. An unspoken agreement reached the two and their fight was put on hold, for now. Soon with sickening similarity the two were carrying Shin between them as they rushed for the hospital doors.
Panting as they got inside just before a clash of thunder was heard, the trio were soon surrounded by medical staff who evidently recognised an emergency when they saw one.
"How long has he been outside?" Questioned one in medical scrubs whilst another felt Shin's forehead.
"Errr-" Uchi begun, but was soon cut off.
"He's spiking a fever, someone get some cooling packs!"
"Was he fighting?"
"Did you find him or were you with him when this happened?"
"Does he have concussion?"
"Hello? Stay with us if you can?"
"Can you tell me your name?"
"Can you tell us his name?"
"Where are those cooling packs?"
"Someone check for his pulse!"
Uchi and Kuro stood there with their mouths open, unsure what to answer first, or if they should answer at all. It was hard to tell if the questions were directed at them, Shin, or the surrounding staff, of which many seemed unnecessary.
Shin's eyes fluttered close as he tried to block out the pounding noise and concentrate on breathing, which seemed to be becoming increasingly complicated.
Kuro concentrated on Shin as he saw his friend's obvious discomfort, Uchi was trying to answer the questions of a harassing women in scrubs.
One of the medics reached out to check a pulse, grabbing Shin's broken arm in the process. Shin's jerk and following cry of pain were all it took to set the already on-edge Kuro off.
"What're you doing?" His fist connected with the medic's face before he could think of the consequences.
"Call yourself a doctor?!" Kuro yelled as he protectively held Shin's shoulders.
"K-Kuro, st-stop it." Shin called out weakly as Kuro glared at the offending attending sprawled on the floor.
"What on earth is going on?" A professional looking, lab coat-wearing doctor appeared amongst the melee.
"Emergency, just came in-"
"Yes I can see that thank you." Came the terse reply. "Has anyone thought to get him to a room, cool him down, check his pulse?" The quiet shuffling seemed all the answer the doctor needed as she bent to examine Shin. After scanning him and feeling his forehead, she also moved to his right, and broken, arm, which was nearest.
Upon Shin's automatic and, to Shin at least, unwanted flinch, the Doctor looked questionably at Kuro. She evidently expected an answer, and as Uchi was still busy, now filling in an excessively long questionnaire, Kuro deemed it upon himself to answer.
"His arm's broken, I err, don't know how." The doctor easily accepted this, and carefully pressed Shin's neck for a pulse instead, his other arm being blocked by Kuro's protective stance.
"Alright, lets get him stable. Come on take him to a room." The doctor seemed to note Kuro's panic as his friend was prised from his grasp, loaded onto a gurney and wheeled away. The look on Shin's face was of a apprehensive fear that had been distorted by the fever, and Kuro did not want to leave him alone. Shin was rarely this hurt, and Kuro wasn't sure how to act. Uchi seemed to share his friend's apprehensiveness as he dawdled around Kuro.
"Alright you two, you'll have to stay out until we're finished fixing him up, wait in the waiting room around the corner and I'll come fetch you when were done." Her words were spoken kindly, but with the authority of someone who will see no rules broken, she reminded Uchi of a less ditzy Yankumi as she followed the gurney down a corridor.
The wait seemed to take hours, and was depressing as hell. The two had nothing to distract themselves from the weeping going on around them from distraught family members. They only other items in the waiting rooms were pamphlets holding titles such as: So you've experienced a close personal death, What to do when the end is nigh and Pregnancy tips, for him and her. None of which were the least bit comforting or reassuring. Indeed after Uchi had returned from reading the titles he was just as pale as Shin.
After what seemed an age, the doctor from earlier re-approached them.
"He's stable now, but we will have to keep him for at least the night for precaution. You can see him now."
"Thank you Doctor." Kuro managed to rasp out as Uchi dashed for the room.
Shin was a combination of both better and worse. Now that he had been cleaned up he was certainly improved. However the effect of the plasters and bandages combined with the hospital gown that had replaced his uniform gave off such a foreign feel, that he barely looked like Shin at all.
Uchi and Kuro stood a foot from the bed, unsure of what to do next, the sleeping Shin gave no input to help their decision either.
"He kind of looks...broken." Uchi said in a quietly surprised way.
"Well his arm was broken baka." Kuro replied equally quietly.
Uchi broke the following silence.
"Should we wake him up?"
"Of course not! It's not like we'd be able to anyway!"
Another silence was also broken by Uchi, who did not seem capable of deep thought at the moment.
"What do you think happened? Who got him? Who'd want to get him?"
"If I knew that, do you reckon I'd still be here talking about it as oppose to teaching them a lesson they wouldn't forget?"
"Okay sorry!...But even if we did know...wouldn't you stay here until he wakes up? I mean, I've never seen him hurt like this...he looks so...delicate." Uchi seemed to be picking his words with great care, as though searching for the right ones that he couldn't grasp.
"Yeah, I know what you mean...kinda fragile almost." Uchi seemed a bit relieved that Kuro shared his view. As far as Kuro remembered this was the only time that they had spoken in such a way, usually it was a fight or hilarity.
Indeed Shin did fit the descriptions, Kuro thought as he watched the sleeping form. Bandaged and bruised Shin had his lips slightly parted, hair draped casually across his face as oppose to its normal pristine, and generally looked peacefully innocent. It was although his injuries were a great evil that happened suddenly and overnight, not in a gang fight in which Shin probably caused several injuries of his own.
Kuro felt a strange desire to protect his beaten friend, and judging by the intense look that Uchi was wearing, he had come to about the same conclusion, although the fire in his chocolate eyes seemed to show as great of a desire to cast revenge on Shin's enemies, as to protect him from them.
'That's fine with me.' Thought Kuro. 'I've done enough destruction, let someone else do it, I can do some of the healing for once.' The thought seemed to spur the feeling of protection, and Kuro finally advanced to the bed and sat in one of the plastic chairs, now understanding his friends comment about waiting for Shin to wake up, to be there for him. After all, he needed to make up for the time that he deserted them, when they so willingly accepted him back.
Uchi also sat in a chair on the opposite side of the bed. They shared a glance that displayed the trio's fierce friendship, and reached an unspoken agreement to wait for Shin...even if it meant a promise of painful backache from sleeping in hard plastic chairs.
Several hours later, the sky begun to lighten heralding daybreak. How Uchi had actually managed to sleep on the chairs was entirely beyond Kuro. However his stares of disbelief were put on hold as he saw Shin's eyes blinking open.
Shin stared blearily at the world as his eyes focused, glancing around he saw Kuro looking at him cautiously.
"How're you feeling?" The stony look from Shin was evidently as much of an answer as he would get Kuro thought as he sighed. He didn't know what he had been expecting, maybe for some break in Shin's stone wall defence that prevented all from reading his mood.
Unbeknown to Kuro, Shin was thinking the exact opposite. About how easily Hat-chan had been able to predict him and get to him. It was ironic, Shin thought, that the one person he hated being able to read him was the one that could read him so easily, and was the one person he tried extra hard to block himself from.
Shin winced slightly as he touched the bandage on his temple, the headache he had had last night had gone down, but his head still pounded slightly, as if in defiance to the painkillers.
"What, so we get you all the way here and worry endlessly, and you can't even tell me how you are?" Kuro felt slightly indignant at the cold reception he had received from his friend.
"Sorry, I don't mean to make you worry."
"Then why do you make me?" It was Kuro's turn to star pointedly at Shin now, clearly showing him his annoyance.
"Well, what do you want me to say?" Shin looked confused, he had forgotten about Kuro's long term battle to get him to open up, it reminded him of Yankumi slightly. He was kind of touched, but he had been bottled up for so many years due to his over-powering father and hate of teachers, and people, that he had forgotten how to be so open.
His confusion must have, for once, showed as Kuro smiled slightly as if reading his mind, and answered the unspoken question.
"Does your arm hurt?" Kuro was happy to be patient with Shin if he was going to make an effort.
"No, it's numb, my head hurts though." Shin answered as he shrugged slightly and looked at a distant wall.
"Could be worse, at least you still have a head." Commented the newly awakened Uchi in all seriousness.
"Baka! Don't say things like that!" Kuro cried astonished as Shin smirked and rolled his eyes.
As they laughed the sky lightened and the three looked at each other, knowing that this would fall into their category of memories comftorbly.
They were disturbed by the entrance of the doctor.
"Well you seem to be feeling better at least, let's take a look at you." Kuro noticed Shin becoming quiet again, gazing once more at a far off sight, but with a slightly dead look. Uchi was looking out the window, as if to provide Shin with some small privacy.
Shin sat up as instructed, allowed the doctor to check his heart, breathing, and various injuries, but otherwise giving no indication of his thoughts.
"You'll be fine, I'll give you some changes of bandages, and some cream to make the swelling go down." She checked a clipboard a couple of times in a business like manner and turned back to Shin.
"Well you're free to leave now, that is if your feeling okay?" She posed the question in a concerned manner, Shin still answered it as if speaking to a brick wall.
"I'm fine."
"He had a headache earlier." Kuro informed the doctor in Shin's place, who looked relieved at the input, and quickly smiled.
"That's normal after a hit to the head, don't worry." Shin continued to stare dead ahead.
"Okay, you can go home now but would one or both of you please accompany him until he's with his family? We don't like people to be alone right when they leave." Of course, the doctor did not know that Shin lived on his own. Kuro was quick to agree with the doctor, whilst Uchi seemed offended that she thought he would just dump Shin somewhere, Shin gave no reaction.
After returning Shin's washed clothes she left the trio alone. Kuro and Uchi left the room whilst Shin changed, and the three of them exited the hospital.
Thankfully the scooter was still in place.
"So... you up to school Shin?" Uchi questioned calmly as he started the scooter. He did not react to the lack of a response from Shin as he carefully checked the scooter.
Kuro however noticed a slight frown appear on Shin, so slight he almost didn't catch it.
"Shin?" Kuro was spared a passing glance before Shin nodded at Uchi, who had looked up. Kuro could almost believe that he had imagined the troubled look, almost.
Shin had been remembering how Hat-chan had evidently known about his school, and vaguely wondered if his gang would be together enough yet to ambush him.
Kuro sighed once more as Shin sat behind Uchi on the revving bike, yes, he would have to be patient. And with that thought he climbed on behind Shin and they headed off. Half way there Uchi made an affronted comment about some old lady gawping at them, Shin snickered, Kuro grinned, and soon they had burst into full scale laughter, causing even more of a scene.
As they pulled into Shirokin high, way early, and detached from the scooter, Uchi and Shin both looked over at Kuro.
"Errm, where are you gonna go? To school with us?"
"Don't be stupid of course not!"
"Well you certainly cant walk home."
The fact that Shin for once agreed with Uchi prompted Kuro to say he would stay. When he asked if their teacher would mind, both snorted, and Uchi explained that she wouldn't care if there was a crocodile in her classroom if it meant having another 'precious student' to teach.
With this the trio set off for the classroom.
"Ne Shin, are you okay?" Uchi asked as he noticed Shin start as a bush nearby moved.
"Hai." Shin answered shortly after, and sped up as they entered the school. To both Uchi and Kuro he seemed tense, and they shared a few questioning glances as they walked through the deserted halls that some early waking teacher had probably unlocked.
Shin seemed to calm down as they reached the room of 3D, a room that Kuro had never thought that he would go in. Within 5 minutes of sitting down, Uchi and Shin in their normal places and Kuro on a spare chair, Shin evidently tired of aimlessly staring at the black board, and took to watching outside intently.
His tension carried through the room, and Kuro and Uchi found it hard not to become startled at every noise, even though they weren't aware what they were scared of.
After half an hour of waiting, the rest of 3D entered with the bell. They stared at first at Kuro, and then at Shin's injuries.
"Wuuuh?" The entire form rushed forward with many disbelieving and angry noises at their leader's wounds. Three figures pushed to the fore front of the crowd, led by a large and intimidating figure.
"Shin! What happened? Are you okay?" Kuma asked as he barged through and placed a hand on Shin's uninjured arm, looking concernedly at his closest friend. Noda and Minami were also crowded around the three, as Shin continued to gaze out the window, sinking further into his chair.
Shin was tired, even more then he usually was at school. But he couldn't rest until he knew there was no chance of any harm coming to them. If Hat-chan was waiting and his gang was recovered then his classmates and him stood little chance, even though he did not consider them all as close as friends he wasn't going to let them come to any harm. The class had seemed to naturally accumulate to him as a leader even though he gave no show of being one. He supposed that it mostly sprung from his open hatred and suspiciousness of teachers.
He hated feeling weak, but as he sunk deeper into his chair, the worried voices of his friends swirling around him, he realised that he would probably be needing help for a time. The thought did not annoy him as much as he thought it would, because Kuro was right, he had to be in a fit state to help if he wanted to be able to help his friends.
The faint pounding in his head remained as Kuro cut across his line of vision to peer at him cautiously, and ask in a whisper if he was alright, as if loud voices would break another bone.
Shin ceased his intense gazing at the bushes as the door slid open and Yankumi walked in. He immediately lent forward on his good arm and sunk onto the desk, partly to get some needed rest, and partly to escape from having to listen to Yankumi causing a scene.
He knew that Hat-chan wouldn't stand a chance against her, gang and all, she would look after them all as she always promised while he slept.
As he drifted off he imagined tat his logic was skewed, he was happy to let her defend the classroom, but he could not bring himself to tell her of the problem that she could easily solve, it was too personal. Why cause them to worry more anyway? And with these thoughts Shin tumbled into troubled sleep, full of rabbits and chains, and maniacal laughter.
Kuro could guess why Shin had chosen this moment to fall asleep, he well remembered the powerful teacher. As Yankumi pushed to the front of the silent crowd and stared dimly at Shin's bandages and bruises, she shot Uchi a questioning glance, who merely shrugged. Her eyes widened still at the sight of Kuro, but shock was soon replaced by a girly grin.
"Could it be that you were so inspired by me that you had to become a student in secret! A daring tale of romance-!"
"NO! I'm just here for him." Kuro swiftly cut of the teacher's disturbing rant and focused on the dozing Shin.
"Oh. Well. Lets begin!" Groans were unanimous as she quickly returned to her normal hyper state and pranced to the desk. Anybody from the Oedo clan however, would note a glint of Ojou in her eyes, as she casually glanced at the door and out the window, seemingly understanding that this was no trivial brawl Shin had gotten himself into.
Kuro spared Shin another glance, he had forgotten just how good he had been at sleeping. It was a few minutes till the end of the day and neither him or Uchi had as of yet managed to wake him.
Uchi gave him one more shake of the shoulder however, and Shin's eyes fluttered open as he dragged himself into an upright position, yawning in a cat-like manner.
Shin glanced at the clock as the bell went and begun to get up and slink off unnoticed, however, Noda, Minami and Kuma followed along with Kuro and Uchi.
Shin spared Yankumi a glance and a nod before disappearing. She seemed to accept that her work, for now, was over, and also packed up.
Knowing that Hat-chan wouldn't be stupid enough to start a fight in such a public place, Shin led the group through the grounds and out of Shirokin high.
Kuma once again put a hand on Shin's arm and asked if he was okay.
"I'm fine Kuma, you don't always have to worry." Shin said honestly and even gave Kuma a small smile to ease his nerves. This was seemingly premature however. As they strolled through an empty play park, Uchi walking along behind with his scooter, an arm followed by a body appeared from behind a slide and grabbed onto Shin's broken arm.
Shin did not seem to notice until he was yanked off to the side into three more bodies and held securely.
"Quick! Someone call Hat-chan, say we've got him!" Shin recognised the thin side kick from yesterday and immediately struggled, earning himself a punch to the stomach.
"Let him go!" As Shin sagged against his captors and coughed, he saw Kuma dash forward followed by Kuro.
Kuma's fist connected with the third body and quickly tackled him. Kuro also wrenched another man off Shin and fell into a brawl.
Uchi ran and charged into the one making the phone call, breaking the mobile in the process. Minami ran forward, and Shin thought with slight cheer that he had not forgotten Shin coming to his own rescue before. However, as Minami rose his fist, Shin felt himself being jerked up, and soon, once again, felt his friend's fist smash his own head to the side.
Noda however attacked almost simultaneously as Minami, and managed to wrestle Shin out of the thin man's grasp.
Kuma had managed to successfully knock out his much smaller and thinner opponent, and quickly aided Minami. Noda clutched onto Shin, keeping him upright and breathing as the fight begun to end.
Kuma and Minami made quick work of the thin one and split up to finish of the other two that were being pinned effectively.
As soon as his victim as out Kuro dashed to Shin and Noda, taking over the task of holding Shin upright.
"Are you okay?" He asked franticly, clutching Shin's shoulders as he gasped.
Shin's head pounded as he gasped, stomach burning with the effect of being hit in an already bruised area and his arm stung painfully from being grabbed. Luckily due to the cast, no further damage was made.
As his breathing returned to normal he felt himself being dragged to Uchi's scooter.
"You guys better run." At the affronted looks that Kuro received from this comment he tried to rephrase, only too find no need to.
"Yeah, well take care of him don't worry." Uchi answered truthfully, easing the others fears.
"I-I'll be fine." Shin breathed out, looking at the still unsure Kuma. Kuro still supported most of Shin's weight as Uchi started the scooter. In his already weakened state Shin seemed to have suffered quite a shock, Kuro wasn't surprised as he leant heavily against him.
As Kuro helped Shin on to the infernal vehicle, Minami stepped forward and stood by Shin.
"Gomen Shin." He said earnestly.
"It's fine." Shin managed to half smile as he said it, though he felt like doing anything but. The three watched the others run off before they started the scooter and zoomed off once more.
"Where to?"
"My house, Its probably safest anyway." Kuro answered as they swerved at a bend. Shin glanced around warily as the went, hating feeling weak, but knowing that he would recover eventually. If he kept out of Hat-chan's grasp anyway.
"Alright, I think it's time we got some answers, right Uchi?"
"Yeah, this isn't a normal attack right?"
Shin stared at Kuro's wall from the sofa, knowing he'd have to come clean after the recent events, and before someone else was hurt.
"Don't keep this to yourself Shin. We're your friends for a reason."
Looking at the honesty in Kuro's eyes, Shin felt his walls crumbling a little more. As Yankumi said, it's okay to show weakness sometimes.
Trying to find the right place to start, Shin relaxed into the sofa, sighing softly and looking at the floor.
"Maybe you should sleep? We can hear it tomorrow right?" Uchi questioned of Kuro as he saw how tired Shin was.
"No! We let him sleep now and he block himself off again!"
"That makes no sense baka!" Kuro ignored the reply from Uchi and turned to Shin, kneeling by the sofa and looking into his eyes intently. Those eyes that seemed lost and broken.
"Don't sleep it away Shin, don't shut us out of your life. Don't sleep away your problems, only to die a little more each morning that you can't talk to someone." Shin looked back into Kuro's eyes, he thought of the times that he had become lonely in his house and had decided just to sleep, never asking anyone to come over or to go out, and how tired he always felt in the mornings.
Seeing nothing but friendship and worry in Kuro's eyes, Shin shifted nervously and took a deep breath.
"Okay." Kuro's smile further encouraged Shin, who had not really talked about his last school to anyone. Uchi looked surprised that Kuro ad succeeded in getting Shin to open up.
"It was at my last school that I met him, Hatori... or Hat-chan to us. Everything happened fast then, I was only there for one semester before I was expelled, but that was enough."
::thanks for reading::
::please let me know ya thoughts, shadowtheo::