When I wake up, the pain is gone completely and I feel extremely energized. Like that time I had drunk an entire six-pack of Red Bull, only less buzzed and more in control. I'm also in what appears to be a hospital room, all white with calming posters here and there, as well as a sink and a few cabinets full of who knows what. Not to mention that I seem to be lying on a bed of some sort.
Dang, whatever hospital I'm in must have drugged me up good to not make me feel anything after that painful hell I just went through. I thought I was gonna be stuck in Pain Central Station for a week, traversing through every torturous tunnel and every aching crevice. It's like a small miracle!
… Heh, just like this day, right?
"Thank goodness you're awake!" Marik says, sounding extremely relieved. I turn to look at him, seeing his smile and thinking how odd it was that he wasn't grinning or smirking. But the concerned smile he wore also looked nice, I had to admit…
"How long was I out?" I ask, trying to sit up only to immediately be pushed back down by Marik's strong hands. Damn him and his Hulk-like strength.
"Not long," he says, but then he says, "half hour –"
"A half hour?!" I exclaim, staring at him in exasperation. "That's pretty long, Marik!"
"Hey, at least it wasn't an hour! And it was enough time for the nurse to give you some strong painkillers and a brace!"
I roll my eyes, before sighing. Now that he mentioned it, I did feel a small pressure not unlike a brace resting on my knee.
"Nurse Mai said that there wasn't much we could do, since surgery would be too risky, but she said the brace would help keep it in a position so it could heal…" He looked a little sheepish for some reason. "And when she said she might as well have been filling you up with elephant tranquilizer, I was prepared to stay here the whole night."
… He was willing to stay the whole night for me? … That… makes me really happy. Just… I can't even explain. "You're weird…" I mumble to hide just how happy that sentence alone made me. Soon I smiled at him, though. "Hey, thanks…"
"For what?" Marik asked, creasing his eyebrows in confusion. "If I hadn't convinced you to ice-skate, you wouldn't be here right now…"
"But I also wouldn't have had as much fun as I did," I reminded him, "Nor know that I could do it…" I take a deep breath, smiling up at the ceiling now. "And I meant thank you for this entire day… I never would have thought I could do all these things, or make such a great friend… before now. So," I look back at him, a little pleased that he seemed caught off guard. "Thank you."
He blushed a little from embarrassment, rubbing the back of his head and looking away. "Heh… you're welcome. But you've still got a lot to learn, brat."
I start laughing, feeling euphoria erupt in my brain. "Right back at'cha."
He just grins at me, not saying another word. Heh, who knows, maybe he's too embarrassed to.
"Where are we, anyways?" I ask, looking around. "Did you carry me all the way to a hospital?"
"Hm?" Marik asked, blinking at me. "No, this Rec-Plex has a hospital-type wing, since it does specialize in people with, you know, health problems."
"Really?" I'm a little surprised; whoever owns this building is really smart, I have to say.
"Yeah," he says, laughing a bit. "The owner is pretty eccentric, but he's also –"
"Marik?" a man's voice rings out as someone barges through the door. Though he also had a surprisingly strong drawl. "Who did you bring in this time?! And why is he hurt?"
"Didn't you talk to Mai?" Marik asks him, grinning a bit to himself still.
The door slams to reveal a pouting, middle-aged man with long, straight, white hair wearing black pants and a red jacket, his arms planted on his hips. The most noticeable thing about him, though, was the stark black eye-patch he wore around his right eye. "She is a busy woman, Marik! I could not find her…"
"Tsk, tsk, Pegasus," Marik said teasingly, shaking his head.
"Um, I'm sorry, but," I cut in, finally being able to sit up as I glanced between Marik and the strange man named "Pegasus." What kind of name was that, anyways? "Who are you?"
"Ah! Silly me," the man said, shaking his head and giving me a very kind smile. "Where are my manners? My name is Maximillion Pegasus! But most people call me by my last name, since I just love it!"
"Oh… Okay?" I say as I swing my left leg out so that it was dangling off the side of the hospital cot-thing I was laying on. I would have moved my right leg off, too, so that I was actually in a sitting position, but I figured gravity would not be the best thing for it right now…
"Pegasus" laughs a little before coming over and sitting next to me on the bed, ever-smiling. "I'm also the owner of this establishment."
"Really?!" I say, surprised. He does not seem like the type of man to own a company!
"Yes, why do you look so surprised?" Pegasus asks, pouting a little and shooting a glare at Marik, who was snickering. The man let out a weary sigh before smiling back at me. "You see, after my eye was gouged out of me during a fight, I became discouraged. I would never be able to see again, and would have to handle all of these people staring at me…" He looked off into space, and I just couldn't help but think… Wow, that sounds like me… all the damn stares.
He sighs, shaking his head. "Long story short, I realized how many others must be feeling the exact same things as me, and how many others had much more severe problems, so I bought this Rec-Plex and turned it into a safe haven for all of those who have been spurned or neglected!"
I just sit and stare at him for a minute after he says that. This man… seems so unreal. Brimming with all this positivity and motivation even after having his eye gouged out – most people I know would sit in their house and wallow in self-pity, but not him, I guess. And look – in the end, he was really successful, and was helping a lot of people instead of just feeling sorry for himself.
Good for him.
"Well," I finally say, giving a smile back, much to his evident pleasure. "You've done a great job, sir – I've never felt more at home anywhere."
Pegasus seems very happy with my answer, and I almost got the feeling that he was going to lean over and hug me, but he didn't. "Why, thank you! Though I'm sure this place would not be as popular if it weren't for my recruiters like Marik."
I look over at Marik with a raised brow, and he just gives me a sheepish, practically guilty smile. "Recruiters?" I ask suspiciously, turning back to Pegasus.
"Yes!" Pegasus exclaims, smiling. "You see, some people take it upon themselves to bring in as many people as they can into this establishment to help their fellow men in need! Marik here is the best one of them." He walks over and puts his arm around Marik, then, smiling at him fondly, much to the other's obvious embarrassment.
Marik coughed uncomfortably. "Uh, thanks, Pegasus…"
I couldn't help but laugh. It seemed Marik couldn't handle any form of praise, which was very amusing!
"Now if you don't mind me asking," Pegasus said, tilting his head at me, "Why are you here in this room…? How did you get hurt?"
"Oh, well," I gesture to my right leg, "I was born with a weak knee, and don't have a brace, and then I fell on it… and that's why I'm here."
"Ah…" Pegasus says with a solemn nod. "I see… Well, I shall leave you alone! Happy healing!" And just like that, he was out the door with a decisive slam.
I turn to Marik immediately, who was avoiding my gaze. "So," I say, watching in amusement as he cringes a little. "Why do you take it upon yourself to invite others?"
Marik sighs and rubs at the back of his head. "Well… It might be because… I also have a health problem," he admits, much to my surprise. He has a problem? But he seems so put-together…! Is there some new type of thing where you can be too kind?
"It's not physical," he explains, only easing my mind somewhat. "It's a… mental problem." He looks up at me as if he's ashamed, though I wish he wouldn't. What, does he think I'll stop being friends with him because of this? Do I seem like that kind of a jerk? I mean, whatever he has probably isn't that sever anyways – I didn't see any problems. Maybe this was another one of his jokes – maybe he was going to grin and say, "I have this thing where I constantly have to joke around!" and then I'd roll my eyes, smiling, and call him a brat.
Instead of that happy picture, however, he says, "I have multiple personality disorder," which shocks me greatly. Multiple…? But he seemed like one guy this whole time to me…
"And my other personality is…" he continues, swallowing slightly. "Very violent, and angry… he's almost hurt people – badly." He looks away then, clenching his fists. "I've lost a lot of friends that way… though I'm in better control now. The trick is to keep calm and not let things bother me – that's why I'm really sarcastic and joke around so much, but… sometimes it's really hard to think positive." He looks back at me cautiously, seeming afraid. "Does knowing this… change anything?"
For around the hundredth time that day, I just stare at him. I can't believe how afraid he is… Is this really such an issue? He did say he's lost friends over this problem, though, so maybe he thinks that'll happen with me, too. After all, that's what I used to think… But you're pretty much stuck with me at this point, Marik – brats stick together.
I still can't believe it, though… MPD, huh? But he seemed perfectly sound to me. Better than most, actually. I would have never guessed…
… I guess… he doesn't really feel "normal" either, then, right? And it really is very selfless of him to want to help others. Maybe he knows what it's like to be all alone, to have no one to call a friend, to have people stare at him like he's dying…
Just like me, and all the other hospitalites.
"No," I say easily, giving him a reassuring smile. "Knowing this doesn't change anything – you've been nothing but nice and awesome to me this whole day. I'd be a real jerk to ditch you just because of this."
He smiles at me then, and he just looks so relieved that it breaks my heart… I mean, I even feel the need to get up and go hug him for Pete's sake! And I don't really hug people! I just… never want him to look like that again… Was it really such a surprise that I'd stay friends with him? Didn't he have more people he could call friends? It certainly seems like he would… But, like he said, maybe his other personality scared them off…
Before I can think about this further, I hear my mother's voice outside the door. Only, it's muffled, so I can't really understand it well. Not to mention that I'm too busy paling and freaking out to really think about paying attention. Shoot, they must have used a phone book to call her, and now I'll have to face her like this after that fight, and she'll probably have to pay for this brace – oh great. More money that they're wasting on me…
I jump when the door opens, revealing my mother looking as worried as ever before she ran up to me and took me in a tight bear hug. "Oh, Ryou! I was so worried!-!" she starts saying, tears appearing on the edges of her eyes. Each word she spoke just made me feel worse and worse… "I couldn't stop thinking about you on the drive back –"
Stab.
"– And when I got home and the clock kept ticking and hours went by I was so sure something had happened to you!"
Maim.
"And then I got the call saying you were here and badly hurt and I…"
Mutilate.
"I rushed right over!-! I'm so sorry, honey!"
"No, mom…" I finally say, my voice cracking a bit upon the words. Great, now I feel like I'm going to start crying… "It's okay – I, I'm the one who should be sorry… I really shouldn't have said –"
"It's all right," she interrupts me, kissing my cheek, much to my extreme embarrassment since Marik was still in the room. "I know you didn't mean it, you were just mad – and I really shouldn't force you to do something you're so against… Especially when you're right about kids your age being brats." She smiles when she says my favorite term, and I can't help but smile back.
"Yeah, mom?" I say, taking a deep breath. "About that, I… I thought about it, and, um… I think it'd be good. If I went to school, I mean."
My mother's eyes widen in surprise, not that I can blame her for how I'd been acting about it this whole time. "Really?" she asks me. "What changed your mind?"
"Well, I…" I laugh a bit before gesturing to Marik, laughing when my mother turns to see him and jumps. She must have not even seen him. "I made a friend today, and it turns out he goes to the same school."
"… Friend?" she asks, in that tone where I just know she's going to make a big deal out of this and embarrass me to no end since I've never had one before.
"Yeah…" I say cautiously. "His name is Marik, and he's really nice…"
Marik smiles politely at my mother before walking up and shaking her hand. "It is nice to meet you, Ryou's mom. I must say, you've raised a fine son."
My mother actually tears up – good gracious, mom! – as she shakes his hand back. "Oh, I can't believe it!" she exclaims as if she's wont he lottery. "My little Ryou hasn't even started yet and he already made a friend…! Oh, come here!" She takes him into a hug, and I just slap my forehead and groan.
Marik just laughs at my obvious embarrassment, going so far as to stick his tongue out at me. I gladly return the gesture, of course, painfully aware of how red my cheeks were getting.
Eventually, my mom stops hugging my friend and stands up straight before looking at me and smiling. "Well, dear, I'm glad you've had a good time tonight – I mean, I assume you did, anyways – but now can we please go home?"
I nod and hop down from the bed, being conscious of my right leg, of course. "Yeah, I'm getting really tired." I turn to smile at Marik. "Goodbye, Marik old brat old pal."
Marik laughs a little before bowing slightly. "The same, my friend."
"Oh!" my mother says, obviously just remembering something, "Before I forget, who do I have to talk to about payment…?"
I cringe upon the word. Unfortunately, it was one I was used to hearing what with all my doctor visits… I could just hear the "Ka-ching!" of the cash register as it gobbled up my mom's poor money – I'm so sorry, mom…
I bite my lip before saying, "I'm not really –"
"It's free of charge, my dear," Pegasus interrupts breezily as he waltzes in through the door, smiling kindly at her and surprising me. "And, if you need, I will be more than happy to pay for a more permanent brace for your son."
"Oh! Y-you don't need to do that!" my mother says, blushing a little. My mom didn't like being looked at as a charity case… There was no way she'd just accept money or help like that, at least not without doing something in return. Sometimes I wish she'd take it, though… After all, a brace would be nice – it would stop all the accidental pain I get from unintentionally bending my leg. And he was offering!
"No, I insist," Pegasus said with a chuckle. "I think of everyone who comes to my gym as family, and what is family for if not to help out in situations like this?"
My mother gets even more flustered now; she did like respectable, selfless people who did good things out of the kindness of their heart. And what Pegasus said probably made her respect him a lot, and make her think that he really would just be happy to know he helped someone out, and wasn't just pitying her – which is what I think he's doing, too. Maybe she'd actually take him up on the offer!
"W-well…" she starts, a little awkward. "If you really want to… But let me buy a membership here as thanks, then…"
"Only if you want to, ma'am," Pegasus replied with a gentle smile. He then turned to me and Marik. "It was nice to see you again, Marik! And Ryou, I do hope to see you around more!"
I smile at him, then my mother, then Marik, thinking how nice it was to see so many smiling faces around me. It was such a change from before I stepped foot into this gym… As you can probably guess by now, "smiling" doesn't happen often around me; it rarely ever happens. Heck, I'd go so far as to say that it never happens. And if there are smiles around me, they're chock full of pity.
… But, you know, if I go to this new school with Marik, and spend time at this specialized gym… I think I'll be able to see these happy smiles more often – and return them, too. I'll be able to be a normal kid, just like I've always dreamed but never thought possible. I'll have friends, and a best friend… Who knows, maybe a guy like me could even get a girlfriend – that's how confident I feel right now!
This is what runs through my mind as I look at them all, and smile the biggest smile I've ever felt myself give.
"… I hope so, too…"
And that's the end! Haha :D What do you think? Any possible changes? :)
I thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed it as I did! ^^
And thanks to noffermans, theabridgedkuriboh, Richi the demon, and Overshadowed Medallion for reviewing last chapter! I hope you all have a wonderful day tomorrow ^^
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Richi the demon: Haha, yeah, a cliffhanger XD It's a pretty spiffy one, if I do say so myself, and I'm glad you agree! :3 Heehee, thanks for reviewing ^^
