*Bang! Bang!*

"Go Away! People are sleeping in here!" Soda yelled as Akane's fists came down on the door twice. Turning, he brings his attention back to the task at hand. With a heavy hand, he dabbed at a cut near Hajime's hairline with a damp blood stained cloth. He was still knocked out, and had started bleeding from his wound a short while ago. Soda had volunteered to treat him out of guilt, and Akane was clearly opposed to the notion.

*Tap Tap Tap Tap*

"Kazuichi? Would you open the door, please?" Sonia's light voice came through the door after a series of light knocks on the door. Soda's head turned as soon as he heard her voice.

"Ms Sonia?" he cooed. Attention now focused elsewhere, Kazuichi's hand squeezed the damp rag, a mixture of blood and lukewarm water raining down onto Hajime's face. "What is it?"

"How is Hinata doing?"

"Oh, Hinata. He's doing...OKAY!? HE'S OKAY!" Kazuichi tried to drown out the sound of Hinata's sudden hoarse coughs, yelling over him while looking down at the mess he's made. In a hurry he stands and bolts for the bathroom to ring out and rinse the cloth, tripping over his own feet and immediately crashing down.

"What was that? What's going on in there?!" outside, the girls had both heard the racket Kazuichi was making, along with Hajime's coughing. "That's it! Akane, break down the door!"

Owari took a few steps back and started stretching her legs. After brief preparations the gymnast charged the door. Aiming near the hinges, she lands a kick with full force sending the wooden door flying off of its frame. As the the both of them stood in the newly opened doorway, they were both at a loss for words at what they saw inside.

Inside, Hajime was still coughing as he lay in his bed, his face coated in a thin layer of wet blood. While his coughing fit carried on, Kazuichi lay sprawled out on the floor, the blood soaked rag now unfolded and draped over his face.

"Dear god...what did you do?"

"I did nothing!" Kazuichi screamed as he sat up, the cloth sliding down his face and falling into his lap as he did so.

"You fool! Here, give me that!" Sonia walked over to Soda, slapping the back of his head before kneeling down and taking the cloth from him. Taking the now red piece of fabric into the bathroom, she exchanges it for a clean fresh replacement. Stepping out of the washroom, she tosses Akane the clean towel.

"And I though Tsumiki was the clumsy one." Akane's eyes scan over Hajime's blood stained face before glaring daggers at Kazuichi. Taking her seat next to her sleeping friend, she leans over him and uses the towel to wipe off his face. After about the fourth or fifth time the fabric glides over his skin, his eyes are open. "Ah...Sorry, if I woke you up."

His expression was blank as his eyes were half opened. He looked angry, or at the very least, irritated. The best possible way to describe the look on his face was as a look of boredom. Akane's eyes were locked to his as her mouth hung open slightly. She couldn't find anything to say at the moment. She couldn't even tell if he would want her to say anything.

"..." he rolled over on his side, and now had vision of the rest of his room. Kazuichi was still sitting on the floor in the middle of the room. When their gazes met, the mechanic shuddered before letting out a nervous chuckle. Hajime's red eyes felt like they could burn a hole through the back of his head if he stared at him long enough.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry about this morning." Akane voiced her concerns again. Hinata's gazed jumped from Soda back to Owari as he stayed on his side.

"I'm fine." he spoke in a soft flat voice. She warned up hearing his response. "Sonia? Can you give me some water. Please."

"O-Of course." Sonia complied to his request, going back into the bathroom and filling one of the two countertop glasses with water from the tap. She approached him slowly so as not to spill any water. He sat up slowly when she reached his bedside, and she scoffed at his appearance. "Your shirt collar, it has blood all over it! Take it off, and I'll clean it for you."

He showed no hesitation in following her request, removing his tie before his shirt, trading the latter for the glass of water. Sonia quickly left the cottage with his clothing, a pep in her step as she did.

"Could you be...any worse as a nurse?" he finally smiled, laughing lightly at Kazuichi before downing the water and placing the glass on the floor next to his bed.

"Hey I though I did pretty good," Soda laughed back, pulling at his collar.

"It got in my nose, Kazuichi. I can still smell it. So what happened? I'm startled that Owari's hands aren't wringing your neck right now."

"Fuyuhiko stopped me." Akane giggled, remembering how events had played out that morning. "He said it'd be a bad idea, since we don't have an actual nurse around."

"Lucky me, huh?" Kazuichi laughed again, finally standing up from the floor. He scratched at his neck nervously as he stood there, until he said "I'm gonna go now. I'll be at the control room, probably for the rest of the day" and ran out of the room.

Silence had never sounded so loud to either of them before. Akane was still sitting at the edge of his bed, staring at the ceiling while she twiddled her thumbs. Hajime repositioned himself so he was laying on his side again, and with his right hand, pulled his covers over his body and up to the base of his neck. He looked at her from his point of view, and could see clearly that she wanted to speak. With what he knew about her, he figured that she might feel weak by saying anything at all, but it clearly wasn't that complicated. She felt guilty, and that was it.

"I'm not mad, not at all." he thought it'd be better if he spoke first. She turned so they were face to face, a surprised look on hers.

"Not even a little?"

"Not even a little."

"I just got so worked up...and embarrassed."

"Embarrassed?"

"That moment...they all saw it...I wanted that moment for myself, and only myself. The moment when you reminded that being strong meant to overcome my own weaknesses."

He was genuinely surprised. Now, he could see why she why she had been so angry. He did not want to leave this moment in the air, but he could feel himself falling back asleep. So he decided to act. His left hand slowly slid out from his blanket, brushing against her arm before tenderly grasping her left hand. She had turned away, quickly looking back at him when he grabbed her. His eyes were closed. He was asleep.

This moment would be for them, and them alone.