"Saitō-san, you should get some rest." Shimada, one of the physical therapists, gently reminded him. Kondō-sensei had told him to keep an eye on him, since Saitō-san could go without sleep for a few days at a time.
Hajime looked up from a patient's chart and nodded. "Yes, I will, thank you, Shimada-san." He'd been up for a full 24 hours, he'd forgotten about sleep. After assisting with a surgery, he had decided to stop by Hijikata-sensei's office to drop off a cupcake he'd made and organize his patient files. He had took it upon himself to cover a night shift for another coworker, since this month was especially hard on him and the others, especially Chizuru. The best way for him was to keep himself occupied on work.
He had to admit he was more tired than he had thought. When his head hit the pillow, he fell into a dreamless sleep.
He slept like a log for about four hours.
"Ha~ji~me-kun~!"
Someone was calling him, but he couldn't bring himself to wake up. Instead, he shifted onto his side, unaware of the person next to his bed.
"Ha-ji-me-kun!"
This time, the voice was louder, bringing him out of his sleep, but he remained still. He recognized the voice. Hajime chided himself, knowing that it was impossible to hear that voice again. Perhaps he should go home and sleep like a log for ten hours. That should cure him of hallucinations.
He could feel someone loom over his face, and he grabbed the hand that was about to touch him. He was disappointed with himself that he didn't notice it sooner. His senses were dulled from the lack of sleep, or perhaps he had skirted his gym and martial arts sessions too much this month.
Hajime's dark blue eyes narrowed in annoyance, wondering who dared to disturb the little sleep he had gotten. A familiar grinning face greeted him in the dark. He couldn't mistake that face and voice. In surprise, he released his finger as his usually stoic eyes displayed a flurry of emotions. "S-Souji?" He reached over to turn on the lamp to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him in the dark.
Souji straightened and waved at him. "Hmm, you look almost like him."
The indigo-haired man stood up to stare at him some more, unable to speak. He'd lost Souji five years ago now, the very best friend that he'd met when he was child. They went through elementary, middle school, high school, college, and med school together. They'd been roommates after graduating high school up until Souji got engaged to Chizuru. They'd been involved in the Kendo club and Judo, and they had sparred so many times, they could reach each other so well. When Souji had died, he'd lost a friend, a brother, a part of himself. He never could've imagined his daily life without an annoying Souji prank.
"Hajime-kun?" Souji grew concerned with each passing moment that the shorter man stared at him with his dark blue eyes.
"Spar with me."
Souji blinked, but shrugged. "Lead the way."
Hajime led him to the rooftop after grabbing the wooden bamboo swords from Kondō-sensei's office. He mostly kept them around for decoration, but they still were used from time to time when they needed a small break at the hospital.
They stood across from each other, taking their respective stances.
When they crossed their bamboo swords, Hajime could feel the difference in skill and strength. The person in front of him moved similar to the Souji he knew, but each blow was more powerful and graceful.
Souji found it curious that the Hajime-kun in this time moved similarly enough, but he lacked the same grace and finesse that Hajime-kun displayed in his time. He could easily read his moves.
"My win." Souji smirked, pointing his bamboo sword in front of Hajime-kun's face. They bowed to each other.
"Who are you?" Hajime took a moment to catch his breath, noticing how undisciplined he was compared to the person in front of him. He had barely even broken a sweat.
"Okita Souji."
"How…can you look just like him?"
"I wonder how many more times I'll be telling my story." Souji shrugged and began telling his tale to him.
Hajime listened quietly to him, taking a few moments to process what Souji told him. Like the others, he just couldn't believe it, but it was true, the proof was standing right in front of him. He struggled to accept the fact that there was another person that looked, sounded, and acted like the Souji he'd known his whole life. "It seems what you say is true…Kondō-sensei and Hijikata-sensei had the right idea to confine you to the room. You could cause great panic and confusion in the hospital."
Souji gave him an amused smile. He had already known that would've been his answer. "You probably know me, Hajime-kun."
"Yes…You cannot listen to orders and stay still." Hajime sighed, but the corners of his mouth were upturned into a very slight smile. "Let's return to the room." He checked his smart watch. When Hijikata-sensei came in early, it was normally around five am, and it wasn't long before then.
The two made their way back to the room where Hajime suddenly became a little chatterbox as soon as Souji mentioned the Shinsengumi. He asked many questions about swordsmanship and what their past counterparts were like.
Souji was more than happy to satisfy Hajime-kun's curiosity, since he had plenty of questions of his own, especially about Chizuru and her relationship to his future counterpart.
