Several weeks had passed, and soon it was the beginning of December. KJ spent as much time as she could in the hospital with Hiyoshi, and as she did there seemed to be less and less hope for him.
i "He won't survive…" /i She heard a voice in her mind say. i "It's painfully obvious." /i
She shook her head. She'd been hearing the voices more and more lately, and was starting to get used to them.
i "He'll make it." /i She shot back silently. i "I know he will." /i
But did she really? She wasn't so sure of herself anymore.
As a result, she chose to separate herself from her friends. Kuro didn't mind.
It's better this way so your emo-ness doesn't spread. I don't want to catch it." She told KJ.
Isn't she a good friend?
Constantly, Gakuto continued to annoy KJ. He was always bouncing around and popping up unexpectedly. KJ did her best to ignore him, but it b was /b a rather difficult thing to do.
Luckily, Oshitari was almost always there to drag his friend away and hastily apologize to KJ. She was still a bit shy and apprehensive towards Oshitari, so she always blushed and told him that it wasn't a problem.
There was one day in particular where Oshitari pulled KJ aside.
"If he becomes too much of a problem, I will put an end to his antics." He told her.
She smiled. "Thanks Yuushi- that means a lot to me." She knew how stubborn and prickly Gakuto could get.
There was a break in the conversation where neither KJ nor Oshitari had anything to say.
"Well…Bye." KJ finally spoke, turning around to walk away.
"Wait." Oshitari stopped her. "After school today," He began. "Would you like to go out for coffee?"
KJ felt herself beginning to blush.
"Not as a date." He assured her. "Just as friends."
The smile reappeared on KJ's face.
"That would be nice."
-----
After school, KJ managed to elude Atobe long enough to sneak away with Oshitari. Hospital visiting hours wouldn't start until later, so she would normally be spending quality time with Atobe or doing homework. They went to a small café downtown and sat down.
Oshitari smiled warmly at her. "It's been some time since we last talked."
She stopped herself from rolling her eyes.
i "Now now, be nice…" /i
"Yuushi, the last time we spoke was at the graduation ball." She reminded him.
"Precisely." He nodded. "We did not end our conversation on the best of terms.
She looked down at her hands, which were neatly folded in her lap.
Oshitari leaned across their table and tilted her chin upwards. "I apologize for making you uncomfortable."
KJ's face turned an alarming shade of red as she slowly leaned back and away from Oshitari's touch.
"Yuushi, I love him." She blurted out abruptly, as if that would answer all of his questions.
Oshitari sat back as well. "I know." He replied quietly. "Everyone knows."
KJ looked down again. "Everyone?" She asked softly.
"Everyone."
KJ bit her lip. "Yuushi, I have to go. Hiyoshi's still in the hospital…" She grabbed her things and hastily left the café.
Oshitari found it interesting how she still called him 'Yuushi'.
-----
KJ arrived at the hospital just as visiting hours were starting. The doctors all greeted her in a friendly manner- just like every other day.
Only…on this day…KJ ran into someone she hadn't seen in awhile.
Yukimura Seiichi smiled at her from an open doorway. KJ stopped rushing and talked to him.
"Have you heard anything about Hiyoshi?" She immediately asked him.
Yukimura shook his head and chuckled softly. "I'm afraid not…but your eager attitude is quite enjoyable."
KJ frowned. "Well then…how are you doing?"
During her frequent visits to the hospital, KJ found herself running into Yukimura many times. She learned all about his nerve disorder and why he had to spend so much time there.
"I'm doing better." He assured her. "Right now, you should be the most concerned about your friend."
KJ looked down. "You're right…Bye Yukimura!!" She took off running down the hall without looking back.
Yukimura laughed inwardly. He enjoyed toying with her.
-----
Hiyoshi was showing no signs of recovery; the doctors made this quite clear to KJ and his parents. KJ, in turn, made this quite clear to Atobe.
"I'm worried about you." Atobe told her.
"You're worried about b me /b ?" She asked him. "Why?"
"Aside from the obvious?" He shot back. "You're running yourself ragged balancing academics with martial arts with fretting over Hiyoshi."
She didn't look at him. He had too good of a point.
"You've been skipping your sessions with your therapist to visit him; this can't be good for your own condition."
"Keigo- I'm fine. Sure, I've been hearing voices, but nothing has happened in a long time."
"Then don't you think it's about time something did?"
KJ felt as though Atobe had just smacked her. "What do you mean?"
"Something's bound to happen soon since there's been…how should I put this? A lack of action?"
KJ frowned. "I hate to say it, Keigo b dearest /b , but you aren't exactly making life easier for me."
Atobe was silent for a moment before replying. "Well then maybe we should break up…"
KJ was shocked. What had happened to all of his 'I love you' bull?
"I love you more than anything." He said, answering her unasked question. "But perhaps to make this work, we should take a break…"
As much as it pained her to do so, KJ nodded. "So that by the time we get married, we aren't at each other's throats."
A smile briefly flickered across Atobe's face. He took her hands and kissed her softly.
"Keep the ring." He whispered. "To remind yourself that I'll always be here for you."
KJ blinked rapidly and forbid herself from crying. As he walked away and left her alone, she just couldn't hold it in any longer.
Everything was falling apart.
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b Sorry for the lack of action; I've been busy. I have up to chapter 25 written, though, so expect more later! As for the "contest", here are the results:
Cherushii Nakamura
Rinoa Naramatsu
Sayu Watanabe
Cali
Myoko Mamshina
RuneFang
So that's it!! Those are the winners. The 7 people will be revealed in a future chapter, so hang tight. Thanks guys!! /b