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Recommended Music: Ode to Joy ~Beethoven~ and I'll Be There For You ~Bonjovi~

Chapter 4: I'll Be There For You

They say, that there's always a reason behind certain events. How the stars align and the universe conspires to make sure that they happen. How everything leading up to that point is specifically carved to craft that event. As they say, the gods themselves intervene to make sure that they come to pass.

Screw said, gods.

I scrambled for the sheets and managed to cover myself up. God that sounds wrong. Consequently, she had averted her face. Unfortunately though, gauging from the expression adorning Orimoto's face, the damage was already done. Depending on how this next exchange would go out, I may or may not need the services of Inner Hachiman again.

Isn't it usually the guy that gets to see the girl naked?[1]

We were both blushing like decked out marionettes, though ruefully, some cruel entity was pulling the strings. The beeping of the various medical implements in the room just served to feed the elephant in the room. For a while, we both kept our silence, unable to really come up with anything really.

"So Orimoto-san, could you like leave ?" I requested, breaking the silence.

She snapped out of her reverie and turned her attention to me and got an indignant look on her face, devoid of the red taint it bore before.

"You're not getting rid of me so easily" she let out resolutely.

"Umm," I began.

"I think it would be more comfortable for both of us if I were dressed and not confined to a blanket"

It suddenly hit her, and the red returned with a vengeance. She spluttered something indecipherable before scrambling outside.

I let out a deep sigh, before getting back to the task at hand. Troublesome.[2]

"You can come back in in" I proclaimed, after getting dressed.

She reentered the room, while nervously tugging at her shirt, though she looked much more composed than before. This time around, I visibly felt a change in the atmosphere of the room. The elephant in the room had gotten its dues, and now it was time to get the show on the road, for lack of a better phrase.

"Hikigaya, we need to talk," she said, with a serious expression on her face.

I already had somewhat of an idea of what she was here about. I'm guessing the news about what yours truly did get around. Though I would have originally chalked it up to pity, I was unable to ignore the earnestness resonating from her. This time, I would hear her out. I owed her that much if nothing else.

"Yeah, I guess we do. Grab a seat." I responded, taking the space on the bed.

She looked a little surprised. I guess she wasn't expecting me to give in so easily, but regardless grabbed the chair closest to me and sat down, and took a deep breath before continuing.

"Hikigaya, how do ya feel now," I asked, starting off with something simple, to make this whole thing a little easier.

He sighed.

"I'm still a little sore around my stomach, but I'm feeling pretty good for the most part." He replied.

"Though I gotta say, that was one of the longest naps I was able to get away with" he added jokingly.

"It's not funny " I retorted to his attempt at humor, thought mentally rebuking myself for sounding so harsh.

He looked calm none the less and scratched his head.

"I really don't know how to approach this." He began.

"To put it simply, I had some issues" he paused for a second.

"and I got over them " he finished.

"Hikigaya, I'm sorry it got to that point" I let out, trying to hold in the incoming tears. I've always bad with emotional stuff, and this situation as a whole just took the cake.

"And will you please just listen to me this time?" I requested, promptly shutting down whatever he had opened his mouth.

He just sighed and nodded at me to continue.

"Throughout the time I've known you, I had never realized you were being treated like you were."

"I'm sorry" I reiterated, this time bowing my head.

"And I realize I don't deserve to be called your friend, but I want you to give me a chance" I let out, raising my head.

He looked perplexed.

"Why do you try so hard?" he inquired.

Why did I try so hard?

Why did I want to be his friend so badly?

Be Spontaneous for once Kaori!

"It's because I want to Hikigaya. I don't know how to put it in words" I let out, deciding to say whatever was in my heart, instead of mulling over it.

"and I assure you, it's not because I pity you" I added quickly, as if not to spiral back into one of the core aspects of his original argument.

He sat there contemplating my request. He had this new aura around him that I couldn't quite explain. He was still the same person as before. Same slouch. Same dead fish eyes. Just, he wasn't quiet really the same person. He looked more calm and centered. He had this grace to him, he didn't have before. H I just couldn't really explain it.

She was looking at me expectantly. This really was a conundrum. I had originally intended to start off with a clean slate i.e. bide my time until graduation, and stay away from people, and if I had to name a list of people to avoid, undoubtedly, Orimoto's name would be on top of the list. There were a thousand voices, debating with me within, to tear her proposal apart, but there was this once voice, that silenced all the others. My own.

"Hi, my name is Hikigaya Hachiman"

She looked confused for a couple of moments before she realized what I was trying to do. A smile brewed on her face, and whatever tension that was residing there before was slowly dissipating.

"Hi Hikigaya, my name is Orimoto Kaori !" she jovially responded to my gesture.

Though I had accepted her proposal, I had made one fact clear to myself. There would be no misunderstandings. There would be no falling in love. No. Hachiman 2.0 would not make the same mistakes as the dunderhead known as Hachiman 1.0. The fact was, while I was willing to "renew" our friendship, I had no expectations of it lasting past graduation later down this year. Just a couple of months to go…

"So Hikigaya, now what?" she inquired.

"When are they gonna let you out of here?" she added.

"Well, I need to see the hospital therapist in a bit, before I can leave, after that, though, I'm not really too sure" I responded while looking at the clock. According to the footnote on Komachi's note, I still had an hour left.

She was silent for a bit as if contemplating my words. Yes, while I was acting cheery, and was to an extent, happy, it wouldn't do to forget that I did try to kill myself. Talking about the therapist just made everything much more real.

"So when do you think you'll be able to come back to school?" she piped up.

"I'm not sure" I reiterated.

"But I'm guessing sometime during the middle of next week"

Her face lost some of its brightness at that but for the most part, she was still chipper.

"Orimoto-san, who told you about this?" I asked, hoping that news didn't spread too far.

"Sensei knew, and as far as I know, I'm the only one that knows besides her" she replied.

"And can you please drop the honorifics Hikigaya" she added, seemingly a little annoyed.

"Sure Orimoto-san" I replied, making her just shake her head in disapproval.

"You know" she began meekly.

"There are gonna be questions when you get back. Have you thought a little about what you're gonna do?" she asked, with a tinge of anxiety laced in her words.

"Honestly Orimoto, I have no idea, I'll deal with whatever comes my way, that's all I can really do" I responded, resolutely.

We talked for a little while longer, about this and that. It honestly felt nice talking to someone so easily after such a long time. Plus, it didn't hurt that I was talking to a cute girl. Nope. Not at all.

We heard some knocking on the door, before a long haired brunette, wearing a lab coat came into the room. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties.

"Hikigaya Hachiman I presume?"

I nodded at her, while Orimoto introduced herself.

I'm Dr. Suzuki Yumi, but you can just call me Yumi" the brunette offered.

Orimoto glanced at the clock, and her eyes went wide for second.

"I didn't realize it had been so long already, I need to get going to Hikigaya," she said, as she grabbed her bag, stood up and walked towards the door.

"Don't forget to text me when you get home!" she added before exiting while giving me a semi-happy semi-hopeful look, while she gave the doctor a nod.

The conversation with Orimoto did enlighten me about a few aspects though. There was still a slight chance, I could sweep this whole incident under a rug and just get on without any added drama. I don't know how I would deal with the bullies, but that's something I'll take care of later. Time to get down to business.

"Shall we Hikigaya-kun?"

I just sighed.

She led me out of the room, and after taking care of some paperwork, we went into her office.

"Have a seat Hikigaya-kun" she offered, pointing towards the chair. I was more than happy to oblige.

"So Hikigaya-kun, what do you wanna talk about?" she asked me, leaving me more than a little surprised.

"I thought we were going to talk about you know what" I let out.

"We can If that's what you want to talk about Hikigaya-kun" she responded.

This was not what I had in mind. Definitely nowhere near as tense as I thought this would be. I gazed at her, still not able to come up with a topic of discussion.

"Hikigaya-kun, I'm not gonna force you to talk about something you don't want to." She responded to my gaze, reiterating her intentions for the session.

"Just talk to me about whatever you wouldn't be able to talk to about anything else comfortably. It won't leave this session" she added reassuringly.

I was reluctant to go through with this, but this was the only way I could get out of here. So might as well play along.

"You see doc, it all began when an old man offered me a can of Max Coffee…"

Komachi and dad should be coming any minute now. I was out getting some max coffee from the vending machines. The session with Dr. Yumi went a little over an hour and a half, much to my chagrin. I didn't expect to talk as much as I did in there, but like with Orimoto, it felt kinda nice.

I decided to take in my surroundings to pass the time and mull over today's events. Things went better than expected for the most part. Now, while things may all cheery and whatnot, I realized that I couldn't avoid that conversation, and there was no easy way to go about this.

I was lost in thought when I felt someone hug me from behind.

"Ready to go home Oni-chan?" asked the younger Hikigaya sibling, increasing the tenacity of her hug with each passing second.

I just sighed in relief, and patted her back, as we walked outside towards the car. There was a comfortable silence between us, something I really didn't expect from Komachi. Well, this got me more time to think things through, so might as well.

We got into the Civic as dad unlocked the doors for us. I couldn't remember the last time all three of us went out on this car. While I admit, it could, rather should have been under better circumstances; I felt at ease.

"So how are you feeling Hachiman?" dad asked while taking a turn.

"Much better than yesterday" I replied shortly.

"How'd the session with Yumi-san go Oni-chan?" Komachi asked.

"It wasn't bad. Not really what I had in mind, but better than I'd expected " I replied.

The ride continued with us exchanging questions about various things but was uneventful as a whole. We finally made it home. I went inside with Komachi as dad parked the car. Guess it was the moment of truth.

"I bet you must be hungry Oni-chan," Komachi said, as she dragged me into the dining room. Not that I really showed much resistance. While I wouldn't mind sustaining myself on Max Coffee for the rest of my life, that wasn't really viable realistically.

I heard the door close and heard dad's footsteps coming towards us. We were all seated on the dining table, another once in a blue moon event for the Hikigaya family. Dad usually came in pretty late, or not at all most of the time, so he was stuck with leftovers or ate out.

We all ate in peace. Talking comfortably about various things. I felt the anxiety from earlier dissipating. I and Komachi washed the dishes, while dad cleared out the table. It feels nice you know. It feels nice to be a family again, even if I'm sure It won't last long.

"Hachiman and Komachi, could you two come here," dad said, as he directed us towards the living room, where we took our respective seats. Heck, even Kamakura was here.

"I know" dad started hesitantly.

"I know that I haven't been around much, and I haven't been the best of fathers to you both. After your mother left, all I had in life was you two, and I wanted to give you the best life I could. To give you the opportunities that I never got. I realize now that, that was no excuse for my absence." He gulped as if restraining his tears.

"I'm sorry, for everything," he said, as he bowed his head in shame.

He looked really weak and exposed to me right now. I never blamed him for anything, and I don't believe for a second that Komachi did either. As such, we didn't let him stay bowed for much. We exchanged the patented Hikigaya Siblings Look. and grappled him into a hug from both sides.

"Dad, it's all right. It's not your fault" I said reassuringly.

Komachi had begun to sniffle and just continued hugging him. I've only seen my father cry once in my life, and that was when I broke my curfew and heard him cry through his bedroom.

"Dad, what I did. Everything that's happened, it's not on you" I added, trying to convince him, breaking from the hug.

"But if I was there more, then maybe you would have come to me" he argued.

"Dad, all that matters is that we're all here right now. Together." I resolved, calming him down a little.

"Whatever I did, was stupid. It was the single most stupid thing I've ever done, but I'm better now. I'm alright dad"

"Dad, Oni-chan's right, you've been a great dad, and when was the last time you saw Oni-chan this relaxed? " Komachi added.

I told dad about the bullies and all the other crap that was happening. He was seething and looked as if he wanted to go knock some heads in, but didn't say anything, patiently listening, while Komachi looked visibly aghast. I told them how I had lost hope in life, and about everything that had happened while I was still in a coma.

"How about we have you transfer schools Hachiman?" dad inquired.

"Dad, while that would be easier. It would mean bowing down. It wouldn't change anything in the long run." I responded.

"I'm gonna apply to Sobu, later this year, and it just doesn't make any sense transferring a couple of months before my time here ends" I added.

"But isn't that super hard to get into?" dad asked.

"I'll figure something out" I responded with a come what may attitude

"I'm still gonna report the school to the DOE for their attitude throughout. I have a couple of contacts, in let's just say, who would be very interested in taking matters into their own hands about this. Leave it to your dad, those guys aren't gonna get out of this" he assured me.

I nodded back.

Dad told us how he managed to adjust his job, so he would be home more, and after hearing me speak about grandpa, went ahead and told us some of his fond memories about him wistfully.

What caught both of our respective tension was the repeated use of the name "Taishi", when Komachi was talking about how things were going on in her life. Dad and I exchanged a knowing look, silently communicating that this Taishi boy needed to be… investigated.

It was time to turn in for the night. We had talked for hours on end, about literally everything that was viable. The good, the bad, the mundane. Nothing was left out. The atmosphere was the most inviting and forthcoming atmosphere this house had ever seen.

Komachi decided to sleep In my room, and I didn't really mind the company. I was in my bed, amazed at how well the day went. Tears were shed. Secrets were exchanged. Hearts were mended. All in all, it made for one helluva family night.

[1]: Fanservice trope in most anime.

AN: This should be the last, or second last transitional chapter before things get more fun. Plenty of fluff to come.

Also, something I had in mind but didn't have the foresight to expand upon.

Hikigaya is 16 and Komachi is 14 in this fic.

From where I am originally from, the first two years of high school were called "First Year, Second Year" or just referred to as a middle school, while the last two years of high school were treated equivalently to high school. So that should put things into a little perspective, on why Hachiman's thought process is a little more matured.

I despise OC's, so the doc won't show up too often.

I'm loving all the feedback I'm getting. Thank you for reading, subscribing and reviewing ladies and gentlemen. It's an honor.

Till next week.