I'm not gonna lie, I was always tired.
Work was endless, what with all the reports and the demands for my help in particular when it came to solving cases with actual, forensic evidence. Then there was keeping up with everyone; Ichiro, Heiji, Kazuha, Ran, Shinichi, Kazuko, Kazumi, and now Hyo Yeoung…
I held everyone together now. It may not have seemed that way, but honestly, I did. Focusing on everyone else's problems - from Kazuha's complaints about Heiji's inability to maintain a semblance of intelligence to Kazuko's newfound boy troubles - helped me to keep my mind off of my own.
I was composed. I was centered. I was –
"Kokone-chan?" I jumped, then stared at the girl in front of me, at first not recognizing her.
"Oh!" I cried with sudden recognition. "Ran-chan!" She pulled me in for a hug before I could reject it.
"It's so great to see you! Oh, how long has it been?"
"Uh, 3 months."
"Already?" I pulled away, giving her a weird look.
"It's not like anything drastic has changed since we last talked face-to-face…"
"But still…Shinichiiiii, maybe we should move to Osaka." And there was Kudo, standing there casually and so happily, damn him, with his hands in his pockets. He smiled in greeting, then stepped forward to join the conversation.
"Ran, if I took you to Osaka, do you know what your father would do?" Ran made a slightly annoyed face.
"He would get over it."
"No, he would murder me."
"Oh hush, he would not."
"…Alright, so should we get going then? Kazuha'll be waiting," I interrupted.
"Of course!" Ran grinned and jumped up and down excitedly.
We made our way to where I had parked outside the airport. The conversation was light and strangely energized, which managed to keep me awake for the drive to Ichiro's house. Why is everyone so damn happy all the time? I thought to myself.
I led them up the steps and into Ichiro's house, which was the same as always, since his parents had left it to him when his mother finally decided to move to where it was more convenient.
…Funny. I couldn't even remember where they were now.
My mother was still in that house, all alone. I don't think she cared that much about my moving out as soon as humanly possible after high school, but I still had a little monster of regret living in the back of my brain…However, she did occasionally come to put food in my refrigerator, since she knew I didn't have the patience to keep my food supply at anything above the bare minimum. She didn't resist the opportunity to insult my ability to cook in the process, but I appreciated the sentiment.
One thing I had always found strange was that she didn't pay for anything that I needed, but she managed to waste her money on paying my therapist to accuse me of being suicidal and ignorant. I shook my head as I thought of this. That woman…
"Kokone-chan? Are you going to get out of the car?" I looked up from the steering wheel I had been staring at unknowingly for a good 5 minutes.
"R-Right. Yeah. Actually, no. I have to go pick up Kazuko from school, but Kazuha should be inside with the dog." Shinichi gave me a curious look, but shrugged.
"Alright then. See you later." I nodded, then started the car again.
Kazuko and Kazumi lived not far from Ichiro's house at all now. They had moved here a year after we graduated from high school, and I don't think there were many happier moments in my life than that one. The couple that adopted them was generous and kind, and never hesitated to ask me to care for Kazuko or Kazumi. Both of their adoptive parents worked, so I usually took care of them after school for a few hours, or Ichiro would, depending on our work shifts.
Kazuko opened the passenger door and slipped into the seat easily. She was one of those absurdly cute girls that never realized it, despite the trail of pests hanging around her, poking her, making fun of her, doing any number of things the opposite sex does in an attempt to express their affection, regardless of how ridiculous they were.
"Hey. Did you learn anything today?" I asked calmly, pulling out onto the road.
"Nope."
"Ahh, come on. I'm telling you, you'd better learn now before it's too late…" I warned her.
"How can I possibly learn anything when that stupid row of boys behind me persistently throws wadded up paper into my hair!" Here we go, I thought.
"Them again? Doesn't your teacher ever notice? No, you know what? Give them something to look at. You know what I would do?"
"What?"
"I'd sock 'em,"
"Eonnie!" She had taken to calling me this even though she wasn't Korean due to Ichiro's encouragement, but I had eventually grown accustomed to it, I guess. If it were anyone else, though… "What kind of mentor are you, encouraging violence like this? I should be in charge of you." I stuck my tongue out at her.
"Aren't you though? Demanding car rides instead of taking the bus just because my job provides one…" I mumbled.
"Hee hee hee," She giggled. I rolled my eyes, but smiled.
"Is Kazumi still sick?"
"Yeah, but she's feeling better today. She should be back at school by Thursday at the latest."
"Well that's good. You feel like hanging out at Ichiro's house with everyone for a little bit? I could drop you off at home, but…"
"No, it's fine. I'll go." She said this willingly since she never rejected the offer to observe the adults as we told jokes, stories, and made references to things only our generation would know about.
So we returned to Ichiro's house, where literally everyone was by now. The kitchen table was cluttered with people, so it seemed, but maybe that was just because there were more chairs from other rooms added to the 5 already there. Shinichi sat next to Ran, playing with a random piece of her hair idly as they conversed with Heiji and Kazuha, as well as Ichiro, who was at the stove preparing something delicious, as usual. I couldn't help but smile slightly; this was my family.
"Hey, Kazuko-chan! Alright, since she's the youngest she gets to try my ramen first," Ichiro greeted her warmly, offering an open chair. She grinned and bounced over to take her seat happily. Everyone else exchanged hellos while I reached for a water glass. My head was killing me, I suddenly noticed.
"Ichiro-niichan, you look tired…" Kazuko commented as he placed the first bowl of ramen in front of her.
"Well I should be. I finished my first 48 hour shift today."
"48 hours? Are you freakin' serious?" Heiji asked incredulously. "Is it even worth it?"
"Sure it is. Don't be rude, Heiji," Kazuha scolded. He shot her a look, but before the fighting could start, Ichiro placed a bowl in front of him. That got him to shut up.
"So how long are you two staying here?" Ichiro asked Ran and Shinichi.
"A few days. Maybe a week. Work is pretty flexible right now," Shinichi answered without looking up.
"Plus, we have something important to celebrate," Ran grinned feverishly and bounced in her seat a little.
Ran and Shinichi had been officially together for about 3 or 4 years now, I supposed. No one was really surprised when it actually happened though. Heiji and Kazuha however…I had heard from Kazuha that Heiji had asked her out on one date, but after that, he seemed jittery. Since they weren't actually together, Kazuha ended up dating other people after waiting for a few months for Heiji to man-up enough to ask her out again.
That coward, I commented to myself. Every time she had a date, he never made an attempt to keep it to himself that it displeased him. I wondered why Kazuha didn't just make the first move instead, as I knew there was no possible way that she was actually interested in those other guys, but I wasn't really one to talk…
Ichiro and I…I don't know what we were. We weren't together, we definitely weren't apart. We loved each other, and we both knew it, but neither of us made any attempts towards the actual relationship part of the whole thing. I guess we both assumed that dating wasn't really necessary, since we spent nearly all of our free time together even now, and that was enough for me, so it seemed.
But I was also worried about the commitment part that went along with actually being involved with someone. What if I screwed everything up? I wasn't exactly the most reliable person, according to my therapist. I wasn't always aware of everything, and I usually didn't share seemingly unimportant things that eventually blew up because of my inability to "express myself…"
What a stupid thing to be afraid of. Maybe that's Heiji's problem, I thought to myself. But then I remembered that Kazuha and Heiji fought constantly, so what was the problem there whether they were together or not?
"Kokone, come sit down," Ichiro told me, pulling out a chair. I obeyed tiredly.
"So what is it you need to tell us, Ran-chan?" Kazuha asked. I had a feeling she was already in on the secret. Ran's mouth seemed to be glued into a permanent smile, but eventually she burst.
"We're getting married." The room immediately exploded in praise and congratulations. Shinichi and Ran smiled gratefully, and Ran held up her left hand for Kazuha to examine the ring that had gone unnoticed until now. The overwhelming amount of people in the room made me dizzy for a second.
"Oh, we have to start planning!" Kazuha exclaimed, all bubbly with excitement. Kazuko just sat and watched with a content smile on her face. I rested my chin in my hand, feeling my eyes close warily, blinking hard in an effort to wake up. I don't know what happened, but the next thing I knew I was using my arms as a pillow, nearly asleep, though there was chatter all around me. So…tired…I thought. My head pounded as I drifted off.
Ogawa Ichiro's POV:
The room was warm with enthusiasm and activity, so much so that I only noticed Kokone's position on the table when Heiji and Kazuha offered to leave.
"I guess we'll get going then. Kazuha, you drive this time." Kazuha groaned in frustration, but took the keys anyway.
"Kokone-chan?" She asked curiously, reaching out to poke her on the shoulder once she noticed that she was just lying there. "Is she asleep?"
"…Kokone?" I asked as well, walking over to inspect. Her head was facing the wall, turned away from everyone else as it was nearly buried in her arms. Sure enough, her eyes were closed, and there was a soft snore coming from the back of her throat as her shoulders rose and sank with her steady breathing.
"Taku, why doesn't she just go home and go to bed?" Heiji asked. "Should we drive Kazuko-chan home then?"
"Yeah, we can do that," Kazuha offered. "Let's go, Kazuko-chan! We'll see you all tomorrow. Call me as soon as you wake up tomorrow so we can start planning, Ran-chan!" Kazuha squealed with elatedness.
"Sure, sure," she replied easily with a laugh. "Bye you two, drive safe."
I bent down to be on the same level as Kokone's head.
"Kokone. Kokone, wake up." I shook her shoulder gently, but she only made a small noise. With tentative fingers, I reached up to feel her forehead. "Crap, you're burning up!" I mumbled about her condition to myself before getting up to find the safe fever reducer in my medicine cabinet that I reserved specifically for her.
"She has a fever?" Ran asked worriedly. "Would you like me to do something?"
"No, no, it's fine. She'll just have to stay here tonight. I guess we all will be, actually. Sorry, Ran-chan."
"Oh, don't worry about me! Are you sure we can't do anything to help?"
"It's alright, I got it. The guest bedroom is the first door on your left at the top of the staircase, and the other one is the last door in the hallway, if you choose that sort of sleeping arrangement." Ran flushed with embarrassment.
"L-Let's go get ready for bed then," Shinichi offered, trying to avoid this awkward situation. Ran agreed immediately and they proceeded to take their bags up to their rooms. I poured the right amount of medicine and set it next to Kokone's head before attempting to wake her up again.
"Kokone. Hey, Kokone."
"Hmmm…" she hummed. "No more." She grumbled in Korean.
"No more what? Hey, I need you to wake up for a few minutes, alright? You can go right back to sleep."
"No more."
"No more what?"
"…Too…hard." I sighed, then shook her shoulder again. One of her eyes slowly opened, and she blinked in response to the light.
"Hey, you awake now?"
"…I think so…"
"Drink this for me, alright?" She regarded the medicine carefully again.
"Why?"
"Because you're sick. Again."
"Am not."
"Don't argue, just drink the damn medicine." I held it up for her, and without actually lifting her head she somehow managed to take it from me and gulp it down in one sip. Then she promptly stuck her head back into her arms. I chuckled to myself.
"Alright, come on. We'll get you upstairs." I scooped her up under the legs, supporting her with my other arm behind her back. Even after all these years, she was remarkably small, and so light. She mumbled something and nestled her burning forehead into my neck as I carried her upstairs to my room.
I gently set her onto my bed after pulling the covers back, but when I tried to stand up straight again, I found that I couldn't.
"…Uh. Kokone. Can you let go of my shirt?" She made a whining noise, and didn't let go. "Kone-chan!" I urged.
"Noooo…" she murmured. I sighed.
"You need to take better care of yourself. One day we'll find you passed out in your apartment, and you'll be too sick for us to do anything but take you to the hospital!" This appeared to barely register with her, as her eyes were still closed and she continued to cling to my chest.
"…Cold."
"You have a fever."
"Cold."
"Yes, you're cold because you have a fever," I confirmed.
"Mehhh…" she pulled me even closer to her, so that I would have been laying on top of her chest if I hadn't kept my balance.
"Okay, seriously. I have extra blankets, alright? But you shouldn't have too much heat around you because you already have a fever. Let go now…" She was so out of it; I was pretty sure my words were going through one ear and out the other.
"Here," She almost commanded.
"Here what?"
"Here. So warm…" My cheeks reddened slightly.
"You want me to sleep here?" I confirmed.
"Mmmmm," she hummed in agreement. She shivered and curled up in a ball. I exhaled the breath I didn't even realize I was holding.
"Alright, move over." I shifted her body closer to the wall, then laid next to her. She continued to cling to me like a koala.
"Chiro…" She sighed.
"Yes?"
"Haaaaa. Chiro." And then she was actually asleep.