AUTHOR NOTE: so my other computer actually held chapter 3 of Sciamachy but decided it actually hated me and broke down! I had to rewrite this chapter. If I'm not careful, it'll probably happen again. (With my luck, it most definitely will)
Appetence: an eager desire, an instinctive inclination; an attraction or a natural bond.
Akihiko drifted in and out of consciousness for a while. He knew this because one minute he was lying on the boxing ring floor, and the next he was not. His body was on the ground, and the next minute it was floating. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. His head hurt and his arms were a little numb. He lost his sense of time completely.
The world finally went dark again.
The first thing Akihiko could distinguish from his new surroundings was the blinding light that was making itself glaringly obvious from the ceiling. He could only squint up at the flickering fixture.
The second thing he noticed was the running water. Where was it coming from? It was starting to make him irritated.
"Mm." Akihiko mumbled, closing his eyes again for fear of them burning out of his skull. His head was pounding.
"Where am I?" he finally asked, after a few failed attempts at speaking coherently.
"You're in the infirmary on a cot," came the soft and very worried voice of his captain. It was tempting to open his eyes again so he could see her expression.
"How're you feeling, kid?" came Hayato's familiar voice. Akihiko wasn't expecting it, and felt goosebumps jump in his skin.
"Uh, I don't really know." Akihiko admitted. Akihiko tried to sit up, but he let out a gasp as his body angrily protested the movement.
"Hey hey hey, don't try to get up yet." Hayato warned him, and Akihiko gave a resigned sigh.
"Captain," he called out, in hopes she would come over and get him away from Hayato. He just wanted to stand up and assess his condition for himself but Hayato's presence was intimidating.
"I told you to call me Minako," she said finally, and he felt her sit down next to him on the cot.
Akihiko mustered up the courage to open his eyes and look at her. When he did, Minako took a hold of his hand and leaned over. She was conveniently blocking the light from his eyes. Her worried expression made him anxious.
"I'm sorry." Akihiko finally said, and she blinked.
"For what? I'm the one who knocked you out." She smiled, a small chuckle escaping. Hayato cleared his throat and they both jumped. Minako slipped her hand out of Akihiko's grip and stood up.
"By the way, I stopped the bleeding." She said to him as she walked to the sink. He didn't quite know what to say after their interruption. Minako glanced back at him and guessed his silence to be confusion at her words. "On your brow. You were bleeding a lot, so I fixed it up."
Akihiko lifted his hand to feel at the wound but Hayato's glaring stopped him short. Akihiko was really becoming irritated with the senior boxer.
Minako came back from the sink with a warm cloth in her hand. She gently dabbed at his brow with the cloth and then looked to Hayato.
"I've got it from here, you can go practice Hayato."
The older man shifted his gaze between the two teens and sighed. "It's not like I can concentrate after all that's happened."
"I'm sure Juuichi wants to know what's happening," Minako said with a smile as she walked back to the sink.
She knew how to be convincing, or maybe she was just intimidating.
"If you wanted to get rid of me, you could've just said so." Hayato got up from his seat and went to the door of the infirmary. His voice had a touch of hurt, but Akihiko knew Hayato wasn't the type to hold a grudge.
Akihiko heard the click behind him as he closed the door, and his gaze shifted back to Minako. She paused while rooting through a first aid bag and let out a quiet sigh.
"I'm sorry." Akihiko repeated his earlier apology. Minako fished out a brown colored band aid from the kit and crossed her arms when she looked at him.
"What did I tell you already, Sanada?"
"I know, but I worried you. I should've been paying attention." Akihiko couldn't bare to look at her. He knew the consequences of not paying attention in the ring. "I feel like I haven't learned anything at all."
Minako sat down on the cot and faced him. "Don't say that," she said, peeling the band aid from its wrapper. She held the band aid in her left hand and tilted his chin up with the other.
Akihiko made eye contact with her and saw her expression didn't hold any sort of resentment. In fact, she looked more scared than anything. She had peeled the plastic off the back of the band aid and placed the adhesive sides close to his wound. Minako was careful not to touch the cut too much, and made sure the soft padding was covering his brow properly. His fearless Captain who had trained him since day one was trembling. The fragile looking girl who could take out anyone in a boxing ring was looking at him, and she looked terrified.
"I…" Akihiko didn't know where to begin. "I had a nightmare earlier. When we were in the boxing ring."
Minako nodded solemnly. Was she scared of him? No…
"It was about my sister, Miki. She…she died last year. In a fire." Akihiko underestimated how difficult it was to talk about the event. It had only happened a year ago, yet it felt like forever since he had seen his sister. "I couldn't get her out on time, and the orphanage collapsed on top of her."
Minako had taken hold of his hand again. Her voice wasn't working, so she comforted him by lacing her fingers with his.
"I wasn't strong enough to save her. My best friend Shinjiro…well, he's all I have left. I want to be able to protect him if anything ever goes wrong."
"You're such a caring person, Sanada."
"Call me Aki," was Akihiko's quick reply. When she seemed hesitant to do so, he squeezed her hand delicately with his fingers. "I don't mind. We're friends now, right?"
Minako's cheeks colored at his words, "Aki…" she trailed off, and looked up at him. "Your sister would be proud of your accomplishments because she loves you." There was a pause before she continued. "And Shinjiro, I'm sure, is just as worried about protecting you as you are with him."
"I've never had any other friends besides them," Akihiko shook his head slowly, and looked at Minako. "You're the first. Thank you for being here for me."
Minako felt herself smile. "It's been so long since I've been friends with someone my age." she let out a short laugh. "I feel like I have to act mature around the other boxers because they're older than me."
"They act like babies anyway," Akihiko joked and Minako giggled. He chuckled a bit when she snorted and shocked herself. She playfully hit his arm, and they spent a few minutes joking around.
Minako hadn't looked scared because she was afraid of him, Minako looked scared because she had never been able to be herself around anyone before.
Akihiko knew Minako now. She tried so hard to be the leader everyone wanted, and forgot to just take a break. He understood how her teammates would stress her out all the time. Their expectations of her were so high; it's a wonder she hadn't snapped yet. Even though she was the leader, she was still just a kid. Becoming friends with her had shown him that she was just like him. Ever since he lost Miki, everyone looked at him like a disappointment. Akihiko couldn't help but blame himself for her death. Did Minako have a burden of her own?
"Aki," Minako said, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Trust me when I say that you have gotten better at boxing. Much better. I'd say you're a few steps away from beating me."
Akihiko scoffed. "Now you're lying."
"I'm not!" Minako was insistent. She was holding his hand again. "If you promise to take it easy for a while and let your injuries heal, I promise to teach you everything I know."
"Why everything? Why me?"
"Because I know you can do it. You're my friend, and I believe in you!"
Minako had kept a careful eye on Akihiko in case he decided to test his luck and train before he was fully healed. He hadn't dared go against her, especially in his condition. So Akihiko waited patiently until she said he was fit to box again.
Both Hayato and Juuichi had provided plenty of company when he felt especially bored. Hayato was the only one out of all three men who could still participate in matches, as Juuichi's arm was still healing.
True to her word, Minako made sure to teach Akihiko every detail of her technique. He wasn't nearly as agile as she was, but it was easy for him to come up with his own style knowing hers for reference.
"Your band aid is bothering me," Minako said one day before training.
It had been two months since Akihiko was injured.
"Bothering you?" Akihiko asked, instinctively touching his brow and feeling the smooth surface of the dressing. Minako had walked into the infirmary, and Akihiko began wrapping his hands while waiting for her return. She sat down next to him as he finished wrapping his first hand.
"Look this way," she beckoned him and he turned his head. She was closer than expected, and his first instinct was to back up and give her some room. "Stay put." She said, answering his thoughts.
Minako gingerly peeled back the band aid and seemed more than pleased. "Seems I was right. It's just a scar now."
"A scar?" Akihiko's eyes shone at the prospect of having a battle wound. He had always dreamed of showing off scars to classmates, and letting them awe at his victories. He would never admit such a thing to Minako, but the hope in his voice was enough to give him away.
"Easy, Aki. The skin is still sensitive and with the right hit to the face, I'm sure it will bleed again." Minako was unraveling a thin white bandage.
"What's that?" he asked and she cut a small piece of the wrapping.
"It's for your eyebrow, to protect the scar when you fight." She explained, and gave him a grin. "Though knowing you, I'm sure you'll wear it 24/7."
Akihiko frowned, his cheeks pink. "Am I…" he glanced up at her, knowing she was teasing him. "Am I allowed to wear it all the time?" he asked.
She motioned for him to stay still, and gently placed the white bandage on his brow. "Wear it as long as you want, just remember to change it regularly." She sat back and admired her work. "Actually, I'd say it suits your style."
"R-really?" Akihiko touched the bandage and smiled at Minako when she grinned.
"Aki, with a trademark bandage like that, nobody will think twice about challenging you."
