Chapter 9 of Awakening
by: Amber Hermione and Casseia
Disclaimer: Gravitation, its characters, setting, etc are not mine or Casseia's. The plot belongs to us equally.
A/N from AH: While there are many questions in this chapter; there is one larger question lingering at the end. Keep your eyes open for the next chapter; it will be worth the wait.
(See Casseia's review for more information)
Eiri Yuki knew two things; 1 he was in the hospital again because he could hear that damn heart monitor at his side, and 2 his doctor and family were going to be even more annoying than usual because he'd done it again… he'd landed himself in the hospital.
With a groan Eiri opened his eyes. He saw two people seated in chairs beside his bed. First was Tatsuha who got up to stand over him. The second was Ayaka who stepped closer as well.
"Hey bro how are you feeling?" Tatsuha's hair was tousled, dark circles were under his eyes, but his cocky smile formed on his face as he looked down at his brother.
Eiri tried to swallow but his throat was dry. "I've been better Tatsuha," he rasped, "but at least… I'm better off than Shuichi…"
"I will go tell the others; you stay with him Tatsuha." Ayaka gave a slight bow to Eiri smiling as well. She turned in a swirl of brown hair and fabric, and stepped out of the room.
Tatsuha chuckled, "'the others' really means Hiroshi Nakano. I'll go get you some water Aniki… I'll be right back." He turned and left the room.
Hiro passed him grabbing the door to go into the room. "Hey, Hiro…" Tatsuha stopped dead realizing something, "Hang on a sec, can I talk to you?"
The redhead smiled swinging the door open, "Sure, I just need to check on Yuki…"
Tatsuha grabbed his shoulder whispering, "He knew Shuichi left him…" Tatsuha glanced back into the room at his brother still lying on the bed.
"Huh, how could he?" The guitarist's gray eyes registered surprise, "That was two days ago?" Hiro dropped his voice also glancing over at Eiri.
'So, I've been here for two days' Eiri thought still staring up at the ceiling, He sighed not bothering to look at them. "Just because I was unconscious doesn't mean that I can't remember what happened to—to my lover." Eiri sat up looking away from the people in the room.
"You thought of Shuichi first didn't you Yuki-san?" asked Hiro looking at the writer's profile. Light slanted in from the window's blinds falling across Eiri's face.
"Yeah, too little too late as the cliché goes…" Eiri sighed heavily a defeated wariness entering his voice.
"It was you we were all worried about. Your side took the most damage." Tatsuha ruffled his brother's hair.
"I thought I hit my head… humph" Eiri closed his eyes, "it doesn't really matter…"
"Seguchi-san said that by swerving you minimized the physical trauma; if your car had taken the impact head on you'd both be dead." Hiro tried to explain, and reassure Yuki at the same time.
"Both? Yeah, that's what I tried to do two weeks ago." Eiri sighed hanging his head, "It has been two weeks since the accident; two weeks since I lost—my Shu-chan."
"That's not true Aniki! You saved both your lives." Tatsuha grinned expecting his brother to be happy, or at least less irritable.
Hiro came over to the other side of the bed. He squatted down, and looked up into the novelist's eyes. He spoke softly explaining as he does for Shuichi, "No, Yuki the car accident was 8 months ago."
'Two days? Two weeks? Eight months?' Eiri couldn't process all the conflicting information, "What you're telling me—is that I've been in a coma for 8 months?"
", and Shuichi hasn't left your side since, Yuki-san" Fujisaki entered the room with a slight smile on his face.
"Well, until Mika-san drug him home to get some rest." K laughed as he entered guns and all.
Eiri looked into the guitarist's eyes. Hiro nodded as if he understood the determined look that crossed Eiri's face. "I need to see him, Now."
Hiro smiled and stood, "Alright Yuki-san let me go make sure it's ok with the nurses. He was readmitted to the hospital two days ago." He left the room quickly.
The door was not closed for more than a minute before a scream was accompanied by the door being flung open. "Ah! He's really awake!" Maiko ran into the room, and attempted to jump on the novelist.
"Hey!" K raised one of his handguns. "Stop carrying on in such an indecent, loud, and nonsensical manner."
"No, Maiko!" Fujisaki wrapped his arms around her waist to stop her. "Don't jump on him, please he just woke up."
"Oh, darn" she pouted crossing her arms over those of the keyboardist. Eiri raised an eyebrow at their closeness.
"Come on you lovebirds and let Mr. Yuki get some rest." K said holding the door open.
Suguru blushed, "Don't call us that!" he protested.
"Oh, just come on." Maiko said now pulling the green-haired young man from the room. She stopped turning to Eiri "and Yuki-samma" He looked up again, "we won't tell my brother; it will be a surprise for him." she winked as the door closed between them.
This left Eiri alone to resolve the conflicts in his mind. 'I have been in a coma… for 8 months. The last two weeks have been; a dream, a hallucination, a delusion—a nightmare'
"Shuichi—" The writer frowned, 'I've been told that he is dead. I've been told that he is alive. I've been told that swerving saved us both, and I've been told that doing so condemned him. He has sat beside me for 8 months while for two weeks I believed him to be gone forever.' Eiri leant back on his pillows sighing", but I have to see him; to know for sure." Reluctant though he was to leave what he perceived as reality; Eiri closed his eyes as exhaustion claimed him.
Eiri stood shakily on his own feet an hour later preparing to discover the truth. Hiro stood beside him in case he needed support. "Why was Shuichi admitted to the hospital?" Eiri asked pulling a robe over his hospital attire.
"For being a moron" Hiro laughed quietly, "he was trying to get some stuff out of the back of the hall closet, and the whole shelf fell on him."
"Idiot," Eiri sighed, "That's why I tell him to get me if he needs anything. I would have expected it to be because he neglected himself staying by my side," Eiri smirked, "Or something incredibly cliché like that."
"Oh he was, but your sister and brother-in-law would drag him to their place when he got too bad." Hiro put a hand on Eiri's shoulder to steady him as they started to leave the room. Eiri did not pull away this time; he knew he needed the other's support.
"What about Bad Luck? That crazy manager of yours…" Eiri smirked when Hiro shook his head.
"K… he said that Shuichi needed to write a new song. Shu said he wasn't leaving you." Hiro smiled, "So Shuichi would sit for hours toying with lyrics, and talking to you about what he was writing."
"Baka…" Eiri slightly smiled turning to Hiro, "go on."
"Alright," at the end of the hall the two waited beside the elevators, "In the beginning Shuichi just sat beside you. He hardly blinked for fear of missing seeing your eyes open. He talked to you, he sang to you, and he always was fussing over you…"
"You make him sound like my mother." Eiri lent against the wall of the elevator closing his eyes.
"Yeah, Suguru told Shuichi he was acting that way. Things didn't change after the first few weeks; he still refused to leave your side." The elevator doors opened and they exited together as Hiro continued to speak.
"We all had to force him to leave you for anything. Ask him to eat, and he'd get food from the cafeteria, or bring pocky or some other snack. Ask him to shower and his hair would still be dripping as he rushed back to your side. Ask him to sleep, and one of us would have to carry him over to the other bed when he passed out from exhaustion."
'That explains what I've been feeling… his touch on my face, the sound of his voice whether speaking or singing, and the scent of pocky, or his shampoo. That's how I knew he was there.'
"Moron…" Eiri sighed shaking his head, but the corners of his lips curled slightly as he looked back at Hiroshi.
Hiro laughed, "I've said it before he's so devoted to you."
Eiri smirked, "Humph… he is, but some would call him obsessed."
"Yeah," They stopped at a door, "Here we are Yuki. Do you want me to come in with you?"
"No, I'll go alone from here." Eiri straightened taking a few steps forward; he looked over his shoulder, "Thanks, Hiroshi."
"Your welcome, now get in there."
Eiri turned pushing the door open. He stood for a moment to observe the scene. Shuichi lay in the hospital room. Mika was standing beside him, and she placed a baby in his arms. Shuichi smiled, and Eiri saw clearly the happiness in his violet eyes. The baby was cradled in his arms, and the blond in the doorway didn't know what to think.
