A Brief Respite

'Wherever I am, it definitely isn't home,' Touko thought just as the haze of sleep was starting to clear from her mind. Though she remained in a state of diminished clarity, she could feel just how plush the mattress below her was. She stirred, making herself more comfortable and sighing contently to herself. When her mind finally registered the lulling, rhythmic beeping playing quietly in the background, she reluctantly decided to open her eyes, releasing a sigh of defeat this time.

After her eyes slowly fluttered open, she glanced to her left right away, conducting an observation of her surroundings. 'A hospital?' As her head slowly turned right, she thought back to the last thing that had occurred before she found herself in this almost-luxurious bedding. Though her vision in the memory was faint because of the fact that she had started to black out at the time, she could clearly remember the excruciating stab she felt in her heart from the muscle beating against her ribs too roughly.

'Well, it only makes sense that I would find myself—' "Holy—what the hell!?"

In an instant, she went from lying down on the bed to sitting up straight, lingering at the edge of the bed from nearly falling off of it out of pure shock. Immediately, the heart monitor blared, beeping at an almost dangerous pace. One hand was placed over her heart while the other was coughed into, the hand over her heart slamming against her chest. When she finished, she grimaced slightly at the metallic taste of iron lightly coating her tongue.

N frowned from where he watched in his chair, finally leaning back as concern creased his face. "My apologies. I am now aware of the fact that your heart is very delicate… it was not my intention to startle you." He bowed his head slightly in apology as well. "But I am glad to see that you are alive and well! That was quite a fright you gave us, passing out in the throne room like that."

She blinked blankly at him a few times before shaking her head and returning to her original position of lying down. "Thanks, I guess." She was not quite sure of how else to respond to that. "So I can see I'm in the hospital… though I don't remember going to any that were quite this nice." She scratched at the side of her head, glancing over at the window and seeing that the sun was just starting to set. "So which city did you take me to? How long was I out? And why aren't any of my friends and my mom here? It would have been a good idea to call them from my C-Gear."

"Ah, well, that is because you are in the Team Plasma infirmary! We have only the finest equipment here! And I do not think your friends would have liked to be around me… or this castle… anyhow, you were unconscious for just a few hours."

It took her a moment to really let his words sink in. "Wait. Hold on. The Team Plasma infirmary? You mean I'm still in this godforsaken castle?"

"Err… yes…"

A blood-thirsty screech rippled through the previously calm air just a moment before she lunged for him, though the scream turned into one of searing pain when she felt a sharp tug at her right arm.

"Please do not move so suddenly…" Though his voice remained steady, her near-murder attempt left him a little pale and a bit shaken. "You will tear out your IV and I hear that that is not the most pleasant of sensations..."

"Where is my team!? What did you do with them!? I swear to god, N, if I find out you released them—"

"Fret not; they are safe and are still under your ownership." He was able to breathe easier once she was lying down again, clutching her arm where the IV met her skin; her sky blue eyes were blazing as she regarded him. "Though my father wished for me to release them, I knew that that would not have been very fair to you… or them. When I presented them with the offer of freedom, they vehemently opposed it. So I had to hide their pokéballs." He offered her a tentative smile, hoping to calm her nerves a bit.

"Huh. You're crazy, but you're noble, I'll give you that," she mumbled under her breath.

"Pardon?"

"Don't worry about it."

The conversation now stood still; Touko began to stare all around the room again, but N's gaze remained trained on her. When she finally noticed this, she stared right back at him, a harsh glare thrown his way.

But his studying gaze was far too intense for her to compete with. Seconds later, she cracked.

"What?"

"Nothing… I just find that you are a very interesting character."

"And again, I repeat: what?"

"Not once have I seen anyone so passionate about their pokémon. And the way the six of you battled… it was so in sync that it appeared as if you all shared the same mind! And the intensity with which they fought for you! A truly marvelous sight indeed."

Touko snorted at his verbalized observation, raising an eyebrow at him questioningly. "If I'm the most passionate trainer you've seen, you obviously haven't even tried to look." She closed her eyes for a moment before reopening them, her stare directed his way again. "Anyway, I'd love to stay and chat some more, but I think I need to get going."

N returned the stare he had given him just moments ago. "What? No! You are in no condition to leave. The medical staff here can aid you far better than any hospital you could possibly go to anyway."

If she was being honest, Touko did not actually want to leave quite yet. She was exhausted and she doubted she could even make it to the door… and the hospital bed was rather coaxing to her tired body. "Fine, I guess staying a few days wouldn't hurt… but if you pull any stunts with me or my team…"

The look she gave him had him nodding quickly in agreement. "You won fair and square. I assure you, I would be a fool to even attempt to do such things."

After a few more beats of silence, he then uttered, "And possibly… conceivably… while you are staying here…"

Her eyebrow lifted once again, curious as to why he was hesitating, especially when he was also so sure of what he had to say. "Spit it out already."

"Seeing as I have only really ever had pokémon as companions, I had the thought that you could possibly become the first formal human friend I have ever had."

"Wait, are you serious!? N, we're enemies! You—"

"I would like to think of us as more… acquaintances, who merely… started off on the wrong foot."

She read his expression for a moment, trying to figure this guy out. "Oh my god. You really are serious about this."

"Why would I not be? Have I ever not meant what I have stated?"

She ran a hand through her hair, pulling her bangs back which caused her eyes to widen a bit as she stared at her blanketed legs. "Well, Toto, you're already stuck with crazy… might as well roll with crazy…"

"So may I take that as a yes?"

She shot him a glower for a quick second for listening in to her mutterings before shaking her head. "I guess so."

Suddenly, she was embraced by a pair of arms against a warm, lanky body. The heart monitor sounded off again, but only for a few beats this time. "N—"

"I am expressing emotion through physical means. Pokémon knew of this gesture and I observed it occurring quite a few times in Nimbasa. Hugs are used to convey all sorts of expressions, from what I have gathered, but the one I mean to convey is gratitude. I am certain you have done this with your other friends?"

"Well, yeah, but, uh, they don't usually last this long."

With a chuckle, he released her, gently placing her back onto the bed. "Ah, right. Social norms. Something I must work on." Still smiling, he rose from the chair at her bedside, bowing slightly in a polite way. "I suppose I should let you rest; that episode was rather severe and I can see that you are still rather worn out from it. I bid you goodnight, Touko."

She watched as he turned and headed to the door, bracing herself for something unexpected again when he stopped just as his hand touched the door handle. "Ah, yes, I almost forgot." Glancing over his shoulder, he said, "If there is anything that you may need, you will find a button on the remote control for the television set that reads 'assistance,' but it is abbreviated." He pointed to the remote on the nightstand beside her on her left. "Merely press that button and one of the nurses will come to this room, should I not be able to tend to you myself. Anyhow I shall leave you be. Rest well."

Once he finally left the room, she could not help but chortle quietly to herself at his mannerisms; she smirked to herself as she pulled the covers up to her neck, allowing her self to drift back into sleep.

author's notes

revisions:
- the conversation between the pair is much longer and makes x10000 more sense
- N speaks formally right from the start this time
- Touko is more of a little snark now
- the coughing is now consistent

A Brief Respite -Masashi Hamauzu