Sorry for the delay on this, the Christmas hols were killer this year. ^^;;;
A/N: You can always tell how much I like different characters by how mean I am to them. =D
Chapter Five
Mikado tried to time the ride by counting, since the men showed no interest in having a conversation with him. His nerves made it difficult, but he estimated that about fifteen minutes had gone by when the car pulled to a halt and he was let out. They left the bag over his head, but he knew from the rush of cool air that they had gone into a building. There was the impersonal smell of a lobby, then a ding. They were getting in an elevator. Three more dings sounded, so wherever they were, it was on the fourth floor.
When his eyes were uncovered, they were in some sort of office, though it looked unfinished. There wasn't a great deal in the way of furniture, and no carpeting or tile. One wall was entirely glass; he looked out and saw an advertisement for Shizuo's brother's new movie, as well as a KFC sign and another building with much more stone than was typical in Ikebukuro.
He noted all this down and then turned his gaze to the man waiting for him, seated in a chair so large that the only appropriate word for it was 'throne'. Like the others, he was pale, but his hair was much longer, done back in a neat braid. His eyes were an oddly light green. He, too, was wearing a green leather jacket.
"Ryugamine Mikado," he said, with a nod. His voice was a mellow baritone, actually pleasant to listen to. "The leader of the Dollars. You are not at all what I had expected."
"The feeling's mutual," Mikado said, painfully aware that he was flanked on all sides by the men who had captured him. There were many others in the room as well, not all of them foreigners and only about half of them wearing green. He estimated that there were about two dozen of them.
"I apologize if my subordinates were unnecessarily rough with you," the man said, and waved them off. "After the leader of the Yellow Scarves refused our invitation, we decided to word this one a little more firmly. My name is Ceallach. Please, have a seat. Would you like some tea?"
"No, thank you," Mikado said. He did accept the man's offer to sit down, though there were no chairs and he wound up sitting uncomfortably on the floor in front of the throne area. It made him feel far too much like a supplicant. "I'd like to know what this is about, and then I'd like to go home. I have a test tomorrow that I need to study for."
"How diligent." Ceallach was obviously amused. "Very well. We will go straight to the point. I've come to Ikebukuro to look for something, and I want your Dollars to help me find it."
"What is it?" Mikado asked.
"Ah, ah," Ceallach said. "I will tell you that only after you agree to help me."
Mikado thought this over. "Well," he said, "I can see why you and Izaya-san didn't get along. You're far too much alike."
"The information dealer." Ceallach seemed to consider this. "You know him? He has quite the mouth on him."
Mikado looked at him steadily. "He's one of the Dollars."
"Ah," Ceallach said. "So we've gotten off on the wrong foot, you and I. Your empire is impressive, though. The information broker, the courier – one wonders who else. The Dollars are quite far-reaching. It becomes more and more imperative that I'm able to control them. Do you know why that is? It is because I prize efficiency, Ryugamine. To build up my own gang would take time and effort, and might never become as diverse and large as the Dollars are. It is much easier to subvert the gang already in existence."
"That's not going to happen," Mikado said.
"And why is that?"
"Because you haven't done your research," Mikado said. "You've confused me with someone else."
Ceallach chuckled. "After all this, are you now going to try to tell me you are not the leader of the Dollars?"
"I'm not," Mikado said. "I'm the founder. The Dollars have no leader. I could tell the Dollars to do your bidding until the sun sets in the east, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they'll do it." His phone let out a musical little jingle. He swallowed, trying to keep projecting the pretense that he was calm. "Excuse me, I have to take this," he said, and pulled the phone out of his pocket. Ceallach blinked, clearly not sure what to make of this odd behavior, and Mikado looked at the text message he had received. It was from Masaomi and read, simply: 'Are you ok? Where are you?'
With a nervous glance at Ceallach, Mikado began texting back as quickly as his fingers would go, sending short little clips in case Ceallach took the phone away. 'I'm ok.' 'About 15 minutes by car.' 'Office building' 'fourth floor' 'glass wall' 'KFC and Kasuka-san's new film' 'stone building across the street' 'just talking'. He was about to add something along the lines of 'don't come alone', but before he could, Ceallach snatched the phone from his hand and gave it a quick glance. A scowl came over his face; he dropped the phone and slammed his heel down on it. Mikado swallowed a hysterical little snicker and the urge to ask if breaking cell phones was his hobby.
"That may not have been a wise move," Ceallach said.
"Neither was yours," Mikado pointed out, "since I can't tell the Dollars to do anything without my phone."
"We can get you a new one."
"It won't matter," Mikado said. "The e-mail list was in that phone. Just any old phone won't do." He tilted his head to one side. "You don't really understand much about technology, do you. Your guys searched me for weapons, but let me keep my phone. Don't you understand how the Dollars work?"
"Tell me," Ceallach said.
"Tell me what you're looking for," Mikado said, "and I'll tell you how the Dollars work."
After a few moments, Ceallach nodded once. "Very well. It is an ancient artifact called the Mercurial Mask. It was stolen from my homeland a little over twenty years ago. We have traced it here, where it was put along with two protectors, said to represent the duality of the world while the Mask itself represents singularity."
Mikado blinked, trying to figure out what all of that could possibly mean. "I haven't heard of it."
"One would presume not. You were not even born when it arrived here, and it has been well hidden. That is why I need an army of eyes and ears to help me search it out. Now. The Dollars?"
"The Dollars have no rules and no regulations," Mikado said. "I am the founder. We tend to look out for each other, but our strength is in numbers, and, as you said, our diversity. We don't wear colors and communicate primarily through the internet. I can't give orders to them without either my own phone or a computer, and even if I did, odds are pretty good that they wouldn't be followed."
"And if your life hung in the balance?" Ceallach asked, his green eyes studying him coldly.
Mikado tried to ignore the squirmy feeling he felt in his stomach. "Other than pissing a lot of people off, I don't think that would get you very far."
He didn't see Ceallach move, and had no idea how the other man got over to him so fast. The next thing he knew, the leader of the Nights had yanked his arm up behind his back, pressing him facedown into the concrete floor. He let out a slight cry of pain.
"I don't think you really comprehend your situation here," Ceallach said, still very calm. "This is not a negotiation. I am willing to be polite if you are willing to comply. If you are not, we will use force. It is as simple as that." He wrenched Mikado's arm up higher as if to punctuate his statement. "Whatever it is you need to direct your Dollars, you will tell me, and we will procure it for you. You will give your orders from here, and if the Dollars do not obey them, you will be the one to pay the price. Regardless of who will get angry or why. Is all that perfectly clear?"
"Ah – yes!" Mikado agreed hastily, without any intention of actually doing as he was told. It would take Ceallach's men some time to procure him a new phone, whereupon he would have to switch out the memory chips to access his phone's contact list. All he needed to do was buy time for Masaomi to find him.
"You agree so quickly now," Ceallach said. "I know that you do not plan to obey. Do not underestimate me or take me for a fool." Keeping Mikado's arm twisted up behind his back, Ceallach pressed Mikado's face into the concrete. "What shall I do to guarantee your submission? Perhaps I'll have my men get that pretty girlfriend of yours."
"Don't you dare touch her!" Mikado snapped, forgetting for the moment that Anri was much more able to take care of herself than he was.
"Oh? Then I'll have to content myself with hurting you. Enough pain and I'm sure that you'll agree to do as you're told." Ceallach's hand tightened on Mikado's wrist, grinding the bones together. "Isn't that so?"
Just then, the office door opened to reveal a cheerfully smiling blonde boy. "Yo!"
"Masaomi," Mikado managed, through clenched teeth.
Ceallach gave the new arrival a sharp glance, then a sharper smile. "I thought you had declined our invitation," he said, and nodded at the men in the room. They started forward, one of them letting out a nasty, unsettling laugh.
"I did. I bet Mikado told you to shove it, too." He just stood there waiting, arms at his sides. Then when the first man was almost within arms reach his arm came up and he swung hard with the crowbar he had picked up from the building's construction equipment. The man went down hard and wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, if ever.
"We were still . . . negotiating," Ceallach said. Although his voice was smooth and calm, he punctuated the remark with another wrench to Mikado's arm. Despite himself, the teenager let out a small noise of pain. Two more of the gang rushed at Masaomi.
Masaomi kicked one in the face and laid into another with the crow bar. They were fast. Really, really fast. That didn't make him inclined to leave things to chance. He didn't want them getting up, so he had no problems with aiming for the head.
"Shit! He's using the bane!" one of the men blurted, backpedaling fast.
"He's only one boy!" Ceallach snapped. "Gang up on him if you must!"
Masaomi grinned again, and there was nothing pleasant about it. "You guys aren't very good in a real fight, are you. When your victim isn't helpless." He figured that 'the bane' had to be the crowbar, which was an odd thing to call it. But they clearly didn't like it, which made him all the more willing to hit them with it. He noticed that the two men he had hit with it were still down, while the one he had kicked in the head had bounced right back up.
An entire group of the men rushed forward to jump on him at once. So, anything but the crowbar they shook off. He could work with that. He flipped it so he could hold it by the bent end and switched to a two handed grip. Last thing he wanted was for them to yank it out of his hands. He swung to break bones. Within moments, the entire group was either moaning or unconscious on the floor.
Ceallach snarled and said, "That's enough." A knife appeared in his hand and he pressed the point of it into Mikado's throat. "Don't move another muscle, boy."
Masaomi froze.
"Better," Ceallach said. "Apparently his life means something to you, even if his orders don't."
"You're a fucking idiot." Masaomi felt blood dripping down his cheek and hunched a shoulder to wipe it off. He didn't even know if it was his or not.
"He doesn't dare kill me," Mikado said, squeezing the words out through gritted teeth. "He knows that I'm the only one who can get him the Dollars."
"Think again," Ceallach said. A drop of blood appeared at the tip of his knife. Mikado's breath hitched. "I want the Dollars, but I don't need them. And if I can't have them, it's best to get them out of my way. Our can they survive without their head, like a cockroach can?"
"Can you survive all of them being pissed off at you?" Masaomi asked. "You're digging a pretty deep hole for yourself."
"I'll make it," Ceallach said, his voice dripping contempt. Several of his men started forward again. "Now put down your weapon, or your friend here will – "
His words cut off as Mikado abruptly shied to one side, pulling his neck away from the knife. At the same time, his free arm came out and grabbed Ceallach by the hand, trying to pry the knife out of his fingers. Masaomi took his chance and charged forward, crossing the gap in a few quick paces while ducking the men who tried to hinder him. Ceallach let go of Mikado's arm and caught the end of the crowbar as Masaomi swung it down. Masaomi quickly changed tactics. He let go of the crowbar, dropped low, and struck out with a booted foot aiming right for the man's knee. It connected, and Ceallach was knocked backwards, off Mikado. The other teenager let out another muffled noise as the blade of the knife sliced along his palm, and he let go, rolling in the other direction. Ceallach flung the crowbar across the room.
Masaomi was torn between diving for the only effective weapon and trying to keep Mikado behind him. Before he had to make the choice there was the scream of a horse and the sound of shattering glass as Celty drove her bike right up the side of the building and through the plate glass window. She skidded to a halt between the two boys and the gang.
Ceallach said something in a language that the teenagers didn't recognize. It had the definite sound of profanity. He brandished his knife and shouted something to his men, who charged towards Celty. In one smooth motion, she swung off the bike and extended her arm. By the time she had both feet on the floor she had her scythe in hand. She spun it once and swept it forward. The men dropped. She took a step forward, clearly daring the next group.
They wavered visibly. One of them said in a small, shocked voice, "Th-that's a dullahan."
"I know that, you fool!" Ceallach snarled. "Are you going to let that stop you?"
Masaomi didn't waste any time in helping Mikado to his feet, being careful of his arm. Mikado made another noise but let Masaomi get him onto the bike. Celty tilted her head a little and used her free hand to point to the exit, holding the scythe at ready. Most of the men took several steps backwards, but at Ceallach's urging, several of them charged forward.
Celty shook her head a little and this time when the scythe swept forward there were spatters of blood. She spun the staff and used the blunt end to land a brutal blow to the head of one who had gotten past her guard. As he hit the ground, Celty brought the scythe back to ready position and used on finger to beckon forward anyone who was left.
Masaomi, who was keeping a sharp eye on everyone, took the time to whip his scarf off and wrap it tightly around Mikado's hand to try to stop the bleeding. Mikado managed a weak smile. "Thanks."
Ceallach held up his hand, and his men immediately fell back. "Making an enemy of me was not wise," he said.
"We could say the same to you," Masaomi said. "I'm trying to think of people in the city that would be worse to piss off than the ones you have, but I can't. You've hit almost all the big ones."
Celty paced forward directly toward Ceallach. Her PDA dropped into her free hand. It took her a little bit longer because she had to type with her thumb. Then she held it out for him to read. 'If you touch these kids again, I will destroy you.'
"We'll see," Ceallach said with a sneer. "But I'm not leaving until I get what I came for."
Celty shook her head like she was disappointed in an unruly child and dropped her PDA back up her sleeve. She backed away and took a second to put helmets on the two kids before climbing back onto the bike and letting the scythe dissipate into shadows and then nothing. Masaomi climbed on behind Mikado, wrapping his arms around Celty's waist so the other teenager was sandwiched between them. Mikado finally relaxed, resting his head against Celty's back and letting out the worst of the hysteria that had been building in several quiet shudders. Celty wrapped shadows around them both to hold them steady and left the same way she had come.
"Eek," Mikado mumbled at the drop, unable to manage anything more heartfelt.
Masaomi inhaled sharply and buried his face in Mikado's shoulder and tightened his arms around Mikado and Celty. Soon they were on the ground and speeding back to her and Shinra's apartment.
The office building where Mikado had been held was fortunately not too far away from downtown Ikebukuro, so the ride wasn't long. When they reached the apartment building, they all had to get off the bike so they could fit in the elevator together. Mikado's legs were feeling decidedly wobbly, but he managed to stay standing. "Thank you," he said to Celty. "For the rescue."
"Yeah, it was getting a little dicey." Masaomi was starting to feel the hurt as the adrenaline began to wear off. He wrapped an arm across his middle. He was covered in blood spatters and it was just a little gross.
Celty whipped out the PDA and shoved it at Masaomi. 'I told you to wait for me!'
"I missed that text?" He looked like a guilty little boy.
"Not that I really approve of Masaomi's cowboy style heroics," Mikado said quietly, "but I'm pretty sure I'd be in a lot worse shape if he hadn't come in when he did." He started to lean against his friend for support, then saw the way Masaomi was holding his arm across his abdomen and decided to use the elevator wall instead.
Masaomi leaned back as well and slid until their shoulders touched. "Thanks for the save, Celty-san." He bowed his head to her.
Celty shook her head. 'I'm glad I could help. It's what friends do.'
Mikado managed another weak smile, but his face was growing pale. "I think I need to sit down now," he said in a small voice.
Celty quickly helped lower him to the floor and they all waited for the elevator to reach the top floor. Mikado concentrated on breathing slowly and trying to pretend that his entire left arm didn't feel like it was on fire. He was fairly sure that Masaomi was hurt worse than him, and passing out now would be considered Not Cool on every level. Fortunately for him, the ride was over quickly and Shinra greeted them, fussing as Celty helped him back to his feet and into the apartment.
"In here," Shinra said, ushering them both into the same room he had used for Izaya.
Celty helped Mikado sit down on the bed and watched as Masaomi leaned back against a wall, trying to stay out of Shinra's way until it was his turn. "I think that jackass may have dislocated his arm. Or at least come close."
"Can you move your arm at all, Mikado-kun?" Shinra asked.
Mikado swallowed and forced himself to try. All that resulted in was a lot more pain. "I can wiggle my fingers a bit," he said hopefully.
"Celty, help me brace him," Shinra said.
Celty took off the helmet, figuring they didn't need it in the way. She sat down on the bed next to Mikado, where she wrapped one arm around his waist and set the palm of her other hand in the middle of his chest. She gave Shinra a nod, knowing he could read her expression.
Masaomi clenched his teeth and looked away, knowing this was going to hurt his friend. Shinra carefully maneuvered Mikado's arm into the correct position and then, without warning, popped it back into place. "Son of a bitch," Mikado choked out. Masaomi cringed and Celty rubbed Mikado's back in what she hoped was a soothing manner.
"Painkillers!" Shinra said cheerfully, pulling a bottle out of one of the drawers and emptying two pills into his hand. "Do you need a glass of – " he began, before Mikado took the pills and swallowed them dry. "Guess not."
"His hand got pretty badly cut too," Masaomi said, as if Shinra couldn't see the wad of blood stained yellow cloth wrapped around his hand. He was starting to feel a little light headed. He figured it was just the adrenaline wearing off and he would be fine. He did want to clean up a bit, and wash some of the blood off.
"I'm all right," Mikado said. "I want to lie down for a bit. Please check on Masaomi; he fought a bunch of those guys."
"Your hand is going to need stitches," Shinra said, carefully unwrapping the cloth.
Masaomi nodded and then stopped that, with one eye closing as he tried to keep the world from spinning. "You let him finish with you and I'll go wash up some before my turn."
"Well, go wash up," Shinra said. "I'm going to give him some local anesthetic and I'll have to wait a few minutes for it to kick in. Any other injuries, Mikado-kun?"
Mikado shook his head. "I don't think so. It was mostly my arm . . . he was holding my wrist pretty tightly, but I don't think he did anything beyond bruise it."
"Mm," Shinra said, taking a quick look. "Celty, can you get some ice packs out of the freezer?"
Celty nodded and carefully pulled away from Mikado, trying not to jostle him.
"Yeah, I'm kinda . . ." Masaomi pulled his arm and hand away from his middle, planning to hold his hands out to demonstrate what a mess he was, but he ended up staring at his hand instead. It was completely coated in blood with the wrist of his sweatshirt soaked through. It was not the smear he was expecting. "Huh." He blinked and looked down at himself. Yep, big growing blood stain on his side, under his ribs. "I, uh, think I might have been stabbed."
Shinra looked up, said a word that Celty didn't realize he knew, and hastily put down the needle he had been preparing to use on Mikado. "Mikado-kun, off the bed, please," he said, in a surprisingly professional tone. Wide-eyed, Mikado obeyed with alacrity. Shinra steered Masaomi down onto it and said, "Hope you didn't like this sweatshirt much," as he grabbed a pair of scissors and began cutting it away from the wound.
Masaomi gave a tiny huff of laughter. "Can't get blood out of white anyway." He went where he was put, suddenly too dizzy to do anything else. "The room is kinda spinning."
Celty quickly steered Mikado to the chair in the corner. Then she grabbed a wad of gauze, pressed it into his palm, and curled his hand into a fist around it. They didn't need him losing blood too.
Once he could get to the wound, Shinra cleaned it up and examined it quickly. "You're lucky," he said. "It's long, but shallow. If it'd been much deeper . . . well, we probably don't need to go into that," he added, with a quick glance at the two teenagers. He picked up the same syringe had been about to use for Mikado, frowned at it, and put it aside for later. Masaomi would need an IV, and he went about getting it set up. He opened the small fridge and grabbed a bag of blood; he always kept his infirmary stocked with good old O positive. "Any other injuries you're suddenly remembering you have?" he asked.
"Dunno. They hit pretty hard. Everything sort of hurts." He spoke in a very calm and almost detached manner. "Hey, where's Mikado?" This was a little more urgent.
"I'm right here," Mikado said hastily. He tried to stand and move over to the bed where Masaomi could see him, but as soon as he made it to his feet, waves of nausea rolled over him and he was forced to sit back down.
Celty considered the situation and then just started to move Mikado, chair and all. Anything to keep Masaomi still, until they sorted out what else was wrong with him. Shinra paid no mind to any of this, sliding the needle into Masaomi's arm and then hooking up the IV with some saline and some painkillers, then cutting the shirt the rest of the way off. "Masaomi-kun, tell me if this hurts," he said, pressing down lightly on different parts of Masaomi's stomach and chest. Mikado watched all of this with anxious eyes, his hand clenched down on the wad of gauze.
Masaomi flinched a little at the needle but went limp only a few moments later. "Nothing's going to hurt past that." His speech was starting to slur a bit, and for the most part he didn't seem to care about what the doctor was doing. That was, until Shinra got to his ribs, when he suddenly curled up like a poked hedgehog. "'Cept that."
Shinra made a noncommittal noise and prodded a little more carefully. "Mm," he said, mostly to himself.
"Is that bad?" Mikado asked, his voice rising slightly.
"I don't think the ribs are broken," Shinra said. "Definitely bruised, probably cracked. But it seems there's no internal bleeding, which is good news. You're not going to be very mobile for a few days, Masaomi-kun."
Masaomi cracked one bleary eye at Shinra. "'m trying to care." He turned to Mikado. "See? I'm good. Nothing broken."
"Oh, yeah, you're fine," Mikado said, trying to smile. "You idiot."
Masaomi frowned. "Sorry it took me so long to get there."
"What?" Mikado asked, then shook his head, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have gone with them, I, I just didn't want the Dollars to get hurt protecting me and now you got hurt instead, and that's the last thing that I would have wanted to happen – "
Masaomi reached out and tried to pat Mikado's knee, which was all he could really reach. "'s not your fault." He grinned. "'Sides, Shinra-sensei serves really good cocktails."
"I didn't get one," Mikado said, looking like he might pout.
"That's because you didn't get stabbed in the abdomen," Shinra said absently, pulling on a pair of rubber gloves and getting out his stitching equipment. "It's a house rule. No narcotics without a major injury. Don't sneeze at that stuff, though; it'll work just as well."
"I hurt less," Mikado said, looking away as Shinra began to stitch up the wound in Masaomi's stomach.
"Dislocating a shoulder isn't major?" Masaomi clearly didn't know how to shut up. "But that hurts."
"Not major enough for what I gave you," Shinra said. "He'll be fine. Mikado-kun, tell him you're fine so he can stop worrying about you."
Mikado managed another watery smile. "I'm fine."
Masaomi gave a thumbs up before letting his hand fall limp. "Good."
Mikado was glad to see that Masaomi was going to shut up and let Shinra work for a little while. He was also glad that his friend was so out-of-it that he hadn't noticed the waver in Mikado's voice that betrayed the fact that he obviously wasn't fine. With nothing to do but watch Shinra stitch, Mikado couldn't help but think back to how easily either of them could have been killed. Ceallach had meant business, and his men hadn't been pulling their punches.
He had wanted this. He had been tired of an everyday life. Now all he could do was stare at the bloody fabric from Masaomi's sweatshirt that Shinra had casually tossed onto the floor and think about how stupid that had been.
Celty pulled a blanket from the closet, shook it out, and wrapped it around Mikado. They didn't need him going into shock. When she was done she noticed what he was staring at and with a sweep of her hand she covered the bloody sweatshirt in shadow. After another moment she sat on the arm of Mikado's chair and wrapped her arm around his shoulders in a loose hug. Her PDA fell into her hand and she slowly typed with her thumb. 'He'll be fine.'
"I know that," Mikado said. "I really do. I just can't help thinking about – what if he wasn't fine?" He shook his head. "That guy – he was – he was cold. He would have killed us both. I just feel like I'm in way over my head."
Celty thought about that a little before replying. 'Maybe you are a little,' she said, knowing that Mikado wouldn't appreciate being lied to. 'But you aren't alone. We stick together, right? I think we'll do okay.'
"Yeah, but . . . this isn't okay." Mikado shook his head. "It isn't."
'No, it isn't. But he thinks you're worth it. And you'd do the same for him.' She hugged him tighter and typed, 'He'll be all right.'
"I'd do the same for him if I could," Mikado said, a hint of bitterness tingeing his voice. "All I could do was lie there and get my arm dislocated."
'Not everyone is a fighter that way. That doesn't mean you wouldn't rescue him.' The PDA was blank for a moment. 'Look at Shinra. Is he someone you want to mess with?'
"No, but he's got . . . needles and painkillers and stuff," Mikado mumbled.
"Speaking of," Shinra said, turning slightly, "Masaomi-kun's all done. Your turn. Let me see your hand."
Mikado extended it to him silently. Shinra pulled away the gauze, gave him the local anesthetic, and began to clean the wound.
'He can't fight his way out of a wet paper bag.' Celty gave that a moment to sink in. 'But he would still come for me if I was in trouble. He just wouldn't do it by fighting. You don't have to do what Masaomi does.'
"Of course I would, Celty!" Shinra's eyes sparkled. "I would climb Mount Everest to save you! I would sail across the Pacific Ocean! I would build myself a rocket ship and take it to the moon! I would – "
Mikado nodded silently, watching as Shinra stitched up his hand, his movements still steady despite his excited speech. "I understand," he said, and swallowed. "Thank you."
'You're welcome.'
They were silent a few moments longer. Then Shinra said, "Okay, you're all done." He wrapped the hand in bandages and pulled off his rubber gloves. Mikado studied the bandage and felt a bit woozy. "Why don't you get some rest? It'll be a while before the drugs wear off Masaomi-kun enough that he'll be coherent. Careful of your arm, though."
Masaomi, mostly unconscious at this point, flung an arm out in Mikado's direction. Mikado nodded and said, "Thank you," again before crawling up onto the bed next to Masaomi and curling up beside his friend.
~ ~ ~ ~