"In two weeks he'll be moved to somewhere with higher security, but before then I just need you to handle this guy. He likes you, right? Well just keep him healthy enough until he's not our problem anymore and you'll be able to get back to your regular schedule."

"Are you certain Doctor? I have no issue with it personally, but that doesn't sound very fair to my other patients on my route. Will staff have time to rotate with their treatments?" Kiyoko made sure to inquire in a way that didn't suggest she was talking back or questioning the doctor's orders.

"The administrator has heard reports of the patient's conduct with the rest of the staff." he explained without barely a glance up from his paperwork. "This arrangement is only temporary and he feels there's no point in causing any upsets with other staff like Nurse Hana when that man won't be here much longer; there are other people who can easily see to your regular tasks until then Minami-chan."

"Of course sir."

"Then run along and bring the man his food won't you? I'm sure the poor bastard is hungry, no one else will come near him to so much as hand over a piece of toast. Not that they could exactly hand it to him in the first place, but," he smiled at his own joke; Kiyoko simply nodded and waited for more instruction. "Anyway, just go on and make sure he doesn't cause anymore problems for us."

"Sir with all due respect, Nurse Hana's conduct has violated-"

"Minami-chan, give it a rest won't you? Honestly, I don't see where you get these ideas in your head; the woman was defending herself, wasn't she? As far as I'm concerned, she violated no such code, but was protecting herself from a dangerous gangster."

"Sir, Chisaki-san couldn't reach Nurse Hana, much less-"

"In case you haven't noticed, I have a full schedule with real problems that need addressing. I'm sure even you can understand why I can't find the time to humor you today, so if you'll forgive me, I must be running off."

Kiyoko wasn't even given a moment to respond before the doctor turned his back to her and began briskly walking toward the elevator.

"Of course…"

The tray in her hands felt so heavy and Kiyoko shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she leaned against the wall. It was painfully obvious that no one wanted to hear a word out of her about the previous incident or really hear anything she had to say.

"If I didn't know any better, I'm certain they forget I put just as many hours and work into this career as anyone else...they can't even be bothered to address me as a professional."

Kiyoko sighed and shook her head clear; the food was going to get cold at this point. As she braced her nerves and walked the short distance to Chisaki's room, she could help noticed how abandoned the floor seemed to be. It made sense the area they kept people who were immobile or similarly afflicted was quiet, but she also knew part of it was due to the fact staff rarely saw it worth the energy to look after these patients.

"Minami-san, good morning."

It struck Kiyoko as incredibly strange and somewhat sad that the only person who addressed her with any sort of respect was a cold hearted, if not oddly soft spoken and neat, yakuza.

"Good morning Chisaki-san. Did you sleep well?" Kiyoko asked as she set down the still steaming bowl of rice and dried fish; it wouldn't do to allow him to see that she wasn't feeling her best. "If I can't do this much, then what am I even doing here? If I start cracking up, I'll never get anyone's respect. All I have to do is focus and do my job. I can't lose my nerve."

"I'm feeling impressed at the moment Minami-san."

Kiyoko secured the curtains open and picked the tray back up to take over to him. "Impressed about what?"

"If it weren't for the fact I could hear that pig speaking so loudly, I wouldn't have guessed you were being put under any stress." Chisaki observed without a trace of shame or apology for overhearing.

Kiyoko felt her resolve crack slightly under his withering gaze. "I...I apologize, really, that wasn't meant for you to hear at all…I didn't even think you were awake, let alone that you could have heard-"

"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not offended. In fact, I have no complaints at all about the administration's decision. The only reason I even bring this matter up is because unlike you, I can't seem to reign in my anger."

"I know it must seem sudden; your injury is nearly healed and we can't keep you here past that time." Kiyoko settled down with the breakfast tray balanced on the small table next to her, taking the bowl of rice and making sure to mix in bits of the fish and a dash of rice seasoning along with the plain dish to give it some flavor. "I will do what I can to ensure you're in good shape though, I promise I won't just allow you to be passed off, though the facility you're going to might have even better medical care on hand-"

"You don't understand a thing."

Kiyoko smiled vaguely and made sure to wrap a disposable bib around Chisaki's neck and shoulders to keep crumbs off his person.

"Won't you tell me something I don't know, Chisaki-san?"

"Shut up!"

Kiyoko nearly dropped the bowl on the floor just as she was holding it up; Chiskai's glare was downright murderous and she felt her own face contort into an expression of fear and her whole body go rigid despite herself.

"You don't understand at all...how can you allow it? Don't you have pride? Don't you see how sickening it is to listen to that fat pig bad mouth you as if you were some common worm?"

Kiyoko felt her fear subside a little; it would seem Chisaki wasn't angry at her, at least not solely at her.

"The doctor is my superior, and I was speaking out of turn in the first place."

"Stop making excuses."

"Chisaki-san, you should start eating, you'll need something in your stomach before I give you your pain medication."

Chisaki's lip curled. "There's no point in holding yourself the way you do if it's all an act. You need to stop letting people walk all over you for the sake of professionalism and mediation. How will things ever change if you allow them to remain stagnate?"

Kiyoko lowered the chopsticks back down into the food; after a moment, she placed the bowl back on the tray, her expression calm as ever.

"Chisaki-san, perhaps you would prefer to have someone else oversee the last stages of your treatment. I feel you've gotten the wrong impression of me."

"Don't be a fool."

"Chisaki-san...you realize in this world, people like me are something of the butt of a bad joke? You're much more world wise if nothing else, so I don't doubt you are aware. For someone like me, running my mouth would only result in unnecessary trouble and scrutiny; unfortunately, when people learn I'm Quirkless, they can't seem to focus on who I am as a person. My condition is all that comes to the forefront."

"You don't have a condition. They're the ones-"

"Say what you will, but no one else who matters sees it that way." Kiyoko cut him off lightly, yet with an almost kind edge to her statement, as though acknowledging his opinion favorably. "As far as this hospital is concerned, I can easily be replaced. I could be transferred anytime they see fit, or even fired if they don't like my work or my attitude or really anything else about me. Of course it really isn't that cut and dry, but it's not that far from it either. There's only so much I can do."

"What do you do? Besides apologizing incessantly and letting filth step over you?" Chisaki's tone was cutting but Kiyoko's placid, gentle smile never wavered. He didn't know whether he wanted to hurt someone or kiss her.

"Kiss?"

An odd pinch made his frown falter; the act in question involved something extremely vulgar in the sense that it required two people basically swapping spit and germs and bacteria of who knew what type. It was the last thing Chisaki ever imagined doing; he'd rather have his tongue yanked out and chopped off, among other things.

As of late it would seem Kiyoko was an exception to many of his rules, but that factor suddenly came crashing down on his conscience so hard, Chisaki found himself at a bit of a loss when he recovered his senses.

"I want to...kiss her..."

Kiyoko replied to him smoothly, somehow oblivious to the expression that momentarily crossed Chisaki's scowl to morph into a look of blank confusion. Perhaps she assumed he was genuinely wondering why she allowed this treatment of her to go on among her coworkers and superiors.

"Chisaki-san, do you remember that night we spoke? How I said how silly it is for people to hold onto certain things for no real reason? But the thing is, one man's reasoning might not seem like much to another, yet will mean everything to another person. To be honest, I've never been one for confrontation, but...I do have a reason to speak my mind, at least now and then."

"You have no reason to linger here. Why don't you tell them off? You know the way they speak to you is wrong, so why do you take it?"

"For a number of reasons; firstly, it wouldn't look favorable to hear that I was fired due to mouthing off, no matter how justified. It won't matter to the next place I may have to find work at. Secondly, I'm stubborn in the sense I don't want to give in and let them see they're getting to me. If nothing else, I take pride in my ability to continue serving my patients and performing my work efficiently, whether it's recognized or not."

Chisaki scoffed. "I hardly see why you bother. If that's true, send in a resignation letter and use your skills elsewhere. It's not as if this is the only hospital that would hire you. You could do it. You don't have to deal with any of this, there's another way. Minami-san, you have to hold your head up higher, you have to understand-"

"But Chisaki-san, I can't leave while there's still people here who need someone willing to actually do their part; not while so many of the staff members are willing to turn a blind eye due to cutting corners or outright neglecting to serve villains who are under their authority. I don't care what anyone says. It's wrong and I won't have it. I won't allow it. Who would I be if I let such a thing happen without so much as a word?"

A bomb could have dropped and Chisaki wouldn't have been any the wiser; he couldn't quite fight the frustration and his impatience at her previous conduct with the doctor, and he could barely find it in himself to wrap his mind around her flawed reasoning to continue to put up with his or anyone else's grief. It was infuriatingly familiar to have Kiyoko shut down his perfectly sound options and advice when all he wanted was for her to get the respect she was due. It was all he could do not to drag himself out of the bed and find a way to bring that old doctor to his knees, finding a way to drive his scalpel right into his big mouth until he was the one who needed immediate hospitalization.

"How dare he talk to Minami-san like she was on his level? No it was worse; he shouldn't even be permitted to come within a foot of her, let alone speak to her like she wasn't the only person of competence in this damn place. And how can she let him? Why? Doesn't she realize how wrong it all is, how insulting? Why doesn't Minami-san see that-"

"I just can't do it. I can't leave while you're still here Chisaki-san." Kiyoko told him resolutely as she picked the bowl right back up and held out a piece of fish. "But what am I doing, slacking off when I still need to give you your medicine? Here, please eat this before it gets stone cold.'

To her relief, Chisaki seemed to let the matter drop; his expression had turned back to one of a dull stare as he allowed her to feed him bite after bite of the nearly tasteless dish. Kiyoko smiled gratefully and began to speak to him of another subject to keep the placid atmosphere.

"Would you like to take another walk in the garden later Chisaki-san? The patch of dandelions is growing so tall despite them being weeds, and they're so cheerful looking."

"If you say so."

"And the grounds are dry, so we don't have to be conscious of side stepping mud puddles and making a mess." Kiyoko told him as she held out a piece of an eggroll to his waiting lips; her other hand was cupped underneath as an extra block for falling crumbs. "I think some fresh air will do you a lot of good, but first we need to-"

"Of all the times to be so difficult to read correctly. I'm getting tired of pretenses, but the timing isn't right, not yet. I need to be patient for her sake if nothing else, but I really only have so much time. What can I do? What could I do in this state?"

Chisaki chewed the roll slowly, eyes glued to the curve of her lip and how it made a dimple jump out on her right cheek. If only she could see the gears churning in his brain.

"Why can't you see it Minami-san? Are you so upright you refuse to even acknowledge something out of the realm of your field of focus?"

"Chisaki-san, I don't know if I can quite understand you...the way you think is so alien to me and I realize there's many things we could never see eye to eye on."

"Damn it. You admit it, but you still feel the need to treat me the way you do? If anyone doesn't make sense, it's you Minami-san..."

Still, he kept his mouth shut, chewing slowly to let her continue. Kiyoko sighed and shook her head with a shadow of a smile.

"You confuse me, but even so,"

"Everything, every voice inside my mind that was demanding I give up is now calling for you. And I can't stop. It's too late. I won't deny myself."

"Thank you...for trying to defend my honor."

Chisaki only nodded as if her thanks was hardly necessary and opened his mouth slightly for another bite. There were a dozen things he could have said, but none of them seemed right and he didn't trust himself to not let them slip while she continued to smile so peacefully, as though his concern meant so much to be able to soother her worries.

"You silly woman...how could I do anything else?"