Chapter 25: Back to Room 316
Watari shook Kousei in attempt to snap him out of it but Kousei remained frozen. He saw images of Kaori as she stood beside him moments ago shedding tears of joy as she thanked him smiling beautifully. {What just happened... ?} Watari brought his right hand up as he back handed Kousei instantly snapping him out of it. "We have to go come on!" Kousei followed behind Watari as they left the building hopping on the bike they arrived on.
About 15 Minutes later the Miyazono's arrive at the hospital. Yoshi carried his daughter inside and instantly received attention. Kaori was taken to room 316 once again where she was given the needed care and injections. The nurses exited the room as the Miyazono's waited for her to wake up. Moments later Kaori opened her eyes as she sat up.
Room 316
(Kaori) -She looked at her parents as she smiled faintly- "I guess i passed out again huh?"
(Ryouko) "It was bound to happen, you missed your appointment here last night" -She got up from the chair she sat in and moved to the bed where she sat beside her daughter placing her back against the wall behind the bed-
(Kaori) "Yeah i know -She leaned closer to her mother resting her head on her chest- They would have kept me over night. I'm... Glad i didn't come. Not only did the crowd truly love us... I finally got to play that duet I've always wanted with Kousei Arima. It was worth it, It was worth everything"
(Yoshi) "To me nothing is worth risking your health... But as long as you're happy, i'm happy"
(Kaori) -She looked over at her dad playfully sticking her tongue out at him- "Don't be such a drama llama i'm fine. But... I'm surprised i don't have a pounding headache this time around. That always comes with passing out like that"
(Ryouko) "That's probably because you didn't hit your head on your way down this time" -She smiled as she rubbed Kaori's head with her left hand before kissing it softly-
(Kaori) "Really? That's a first" -She closed her eyes and smiled-
(Yoshi) "Hey dear, you were recording the performance weren't you? Did you catch the very end?"
(Ryouko) "O-Oh! -She drew her phone as she looked through it's gallery looking for the video of Kaori's performance. Upon finding it she fast forwarded it to the end and handed her phone to Kaori-
(Kaori) -She took the phone and stared at the screen- "Huh what's up?... I don't want to watch myself passing out guys it's embarrassing! Delete that!"
(Ryouko) "Keep watching dear, there's something you should really see"
(Kaori) -She sighed as she watched the screen intently. She saw herself walking to Ryoma as she held her left hand to him meaning to hand her violin to him. She saw her violin fall from her hands as she moved the phone closer to her face focusing on Ryoma's face. Her expression shifted to a sad one when she noticed the look of terror and fear in his eyes. She continued to watch as she saw herself falling backwards her back arched with her head tilted back. Her eyes widened the moment she saw Ryoma taking off in the video as he slid along the stage floor turning his body mid slide so her head could land softly in his lap- "R-Ryoma, He was there for me yet again... -She closed her mothers phone as she handed it back to her blushing lightly, again resting her head on her mothers chest a big bright smile on her face- Where... Where is he now?"
(Yoshi) "If i know him, he's on his way here, more than likely with his other friends too. I told him to come"
(Kaori) "You what?! -She sat up as she faced her father- Why would you do that? I don't want them to see me here like this!"
(Yoshi) "That's too bad. They deserve to know you're okay. He... Deserves to know"
(Ryouko) "I agree" -she rubs the back of Kaori's head-
(Kaori) "I guess... I guess you're right"
(Nurse) -She entered the room and bowed at the Miyazono's respectfully. "Here is your gown Kaori, please change out of that dress you'll be staying the night for the treatment you missed last night and for some additional testing. Before we can get started we'll have to clean you up, however all of the showers are currently being used so i will be giving you a sponge bath okay?"
(Kaori) -She sighed as she nodded in agreement- "Well at least i know my friends are coming and i got to play with Kousei finally. The crowd loved us so today's not all bad! -She smiled at her parents as she hopped up from the bed to hug them- "I guess this means i'll be seeing you guys tomorrow then"
(Ryouko) -She hugged her daughter tightly- "Of course, see you tomorrow Kaori, I love you"
(Yoshi) -He hugged his daughter and kissed the top of her head- "Tomorrow then" -he exited with his wife as the two headed on home-
Meanwhile mere minutes away from the hospital Tsubaki continued to peddle as fast as she could. "Tsubaki! We're right behind you!" She looked back as she saw Watari riding just behind her, she nodded her head and faced forward continuing to ride. She has a flash back of Kaori passing out as she saw her falling back the way that she did. {Everything happened so quickly, Ryoma how the hell were you able to catch her so fast like that? You're really in love with her aren't you... ?}
As they were mere meters away from the hospital Tsubaki hit the brakes just as Ryoma released his grip on her. The bike came to an instant stop and since the brakes had been on the front the back of the bike kicked upwards causing Ryoma to fly off of the bike over Tsubaki's head just as Kousei did. Her eyes widened as she extended her right hand to him "Oh crap sorry!" While in mid air he tucked his knees into his chest using the momentum to flip forward hitting a front flip as he landed on his feet before taking off running into the hospital. She slowly placed her right hand back on the handle bars a moment {I swear he's like a freaking ninja or something}
She got off the bike and ran in following behind him. Moments later Kousei and Watari arrived on the scene as well. Ryoma and Tsubaki headed to the the receptions desk and asked for Kaori Miyazono.
(Receptionist) -She inserted her name into the computer- "Kaori Miyazono room 316"
(Tsubaki) -She took off towards room 316 as Ryoma followed behind her. Upon reaching the room she slid the door open "Kaori are you al- her eyes widened as Kaori stood facing away from the door her bare back and neck exposed. She watched as Ryoma and Kaori locked eyes-
(Kaori) -She looked back at the two gripping the shirt she held close to her chest tightly as she locked eyes with Ryoma a moment her pale face beginning to shift to a pink color- "R-Ryoma...?"
(Ryoma) -His eyes widened as he locked eyes with her before looking at her slender back and arms. He blushed lightly turning his head to his right looking away from her bringing his right arm up scratching his right cheek with his right index finger nervously- " Uh... K-Kaori... Hey"
Kousei and Watari turned the corner and stood at the door way as they noticed the shirtless Kaori receiving her sponge bath. Their eyes widened as they stared at her in awe. Kaori's eyes widened as she jumped onto the bed screaming out "GAH, NO GET OUT YOU PERVERTS!" The nurse glared back at her friends "Ever heard of a thing called "Knocking!?"
(Tsubaki) "Lose that memory!" -She turned around instantly and kicked both Watari and Kousei on the head knocking them both out of the room and into the ground as she too walked out-
(Ryoma) -He followed behind her as he bowed to the nurse and to Kaori, he then exited the room closing the door on his way out-
Totsuhara hallway
(Ryoma) "Tsubaki you should have knocked before you entered!"
(Tsubaki) "I know i know! I'm so sorry i really messed up huh?"
(Ryoma) "Yeah you did. But... If you didn't burst in there like that first i think i would have done it anyway"
(Tsubaki) "There's no doubt in my mind about that. I only wish these two pervs didn't see as much as they did!" -she kicked Kousei and Watari as they were down-
(Ryoma) "... I wish we didn't either. She deserves better than that -He sighed as he shook his head- I hope she isn't too mad at us"
(Tsubaki) -She smiled as she playfully punched Ryoma on his right arm- "I doubt she's mad at you. I saw the way she looked at you. She didn't freak out until after Watari and Kousei showed up"
(Ryoma) "... I sort of noticed that too. Still i really wish we didn't catch her like that"
(Tsubaki) "Yeah i know... Anyway that could be a minute we should go grab something to eat. Let's bring something for her too"
(Ryoma) "Yeah, that sounds good. Maybe she'll forgive us for that. What about these two?"
(Tsubaki) "Let them sleep for now, come on lets go" -The two exited the hospital and headed to a nearby store where Ryoma bought some food and some snacks for his friends and himself-
Room 316
(Nurse) -She continued to rub the towel like sponge along Kaori's back- "I'm really sorry about that, i should have locked the door just in case, but they should learn how to knock!"
(Kaori) -She smiled lightly as she closed her eyes- "It's not your fault don't be sorry. The one who opened the door, Tsubaki she can be really hot headed but i know she was just really worried. I'm sure any other time she would have knocked"
(Nurse) "That's good i guess. What about the other one, the boy with the green eyes? I couldn't help but notice the way you looked at each other. Is he your... You know boyfriend?" -She smiled as she dried her back before helping her put her shirt back on-
(Kaori) -She hopped up onto the bed sitting on it with her legs crossed as she remained silent a moment. She looked up at the nurse closing her eyes smiling brightly- "Yup! He's my boyfriend!"
(Nurse) "Mmm well at least we know he's not a perv. He looked away, you know eventually" -she laughed-
(Kaori) -She laughed with the nurse- "He's perfect"
(Nurse) "Aww i'm glad to hear that. Well i'll be out of your hair for a while enjoy your company" -She slid the room door open as she looked down to see Kousei and Watari out cold on the ground- "Uh are they going to be okay?"
(Kaori) -She laughed as she nodded her head- "They're fine don't worry"
Tsubaki and Ryoma arrive just as the nurse was heading out.
(Nurse) "Alright you guys can see her now" -she left to attend other patients-
(Tsubaki) -She gave Ryoma the box of snacks and pushed him into the room "Say sorry to her for us, then come get us when it's safe!" -She closed the door behind him-
(Kaori) -She stared at him as she smiled warmly noticing that her violin had been strapped to his back- "Aww you took care of my violin for me? I knew you would!"
(Ryoma) -He took it off of his back and placed it on the floor just beside her bed and sat on the bed beside her- "Yeah, i couldn't just leave it there. I know how much it means to you, it means a lot to me too" -he smiled as he handed the box to her-
(Kaori) -She took the box and opened it- "It was on my mind honestly when i woke up here, but i just knew that you were going to take care of it for me. So! How'd you like our performance?" -she took a warm burger from the box and tried to open it but struggled with the wrapper-
(Ryoma) "I... I don't want to talk about your performance right now Kaori -he took the burger from her and opened it before handing it back to her- "We're sitting in a hospital room right now and you're wearing a gown. I imagine you'll be kept over night or longer. Please don't pretend like nothing happened"
(Kaori) -She took a bite and chewed her food slowly swallowing it after a while- "Okay, go get the others i don't want anyone to worry so let's get it all out of the way"
Ryoma exited the room a moment and later entered again with his friends. He sat on the bed beside Kaori, Tsubaki sat at a chair placed just in front of the window. Watari took the second chair and placed it at the end of the bed while Kousei stood in a corner beside Tsubaki.
(Tsubaki) "Hey... Are you feeling okay? You getting carried out of the building by your dad like that and getting hospitalized like this had us all worried. Especially the friggin ninja over there" -she pointed at Ryoma-
(Kaori) -She laughed as she rested her head on Ryoma's right shoulder- "My dad is a serious drama llama, he asked them to keep me a while to run some tests and stuff to be sure, but i'm fine. So why are you calling Ryoma a ninja anyway?"
(Tsubaki) "Well after you passed out before you hot the ground he somehow ran to you faster than you could hit the ground. And after you were taken by your dad we hopped on those bikes, you know the one's we "borrowed" to get to the competition? Well i was riding as fast as i could with Ryoma behind me, and well as we all know i'm crazy fast! So when we got here without thinking i sort of just slammed on the brakes and the whole bike practically tossed him off and he flew over my head"
(Kaori) "Like friend A did earlier?" -she giggled into Ryoma's arm-
(Watari) "That seriously looked like it hurt!" -He laughed as he looked at Kousei-
(Kousei) -He rolled his eyes and looked out the window to his right-
(Tsubaki) "Yeah! Exactly like that! But unlike Kousei while this guy was in the air he hits a front flip like a freaking ninja and just storms inside the hospital. I'm telling you... He was seriously worried about you... we all were but he was on a whole other level -She looked at her hands that sat on her lap as she smiled-
(Kaori) -She smiled as she wrapped her arms around Ryoma's right arm squeezing it tightly- "Now i know why my dad and Ryoma get along so great, They're both drama llamas! -she laughed-
(Ryoma) "Haha that's hilarious... Not" -He nuzzled her forehead- "We really care about you Kaori, we all do. But about those bikes, i want you guys to return them when you get out of here, i mean it"
(Kousei) -He shifted his attention to Kaori- "Have you ever passed out like that before?"
(Kaori) -Her laugh slowly came to a stop- "Hmm? No first time. But i always have been rather anemic though. It's a good thing i'm getting a clean bill of health right? I'm sure it's because i pushed myself pretty hard this past week. Between the heavy violin practice and the daily martial arts with the ninja. Oh! and not to mention having to chase friend A around all week when we could have been practicing for the competition"
Watari and Tsubaki both turned and glared at Kousei as they began the kick him repeatedly.
(Tsubaki) "That's true! Making poor Kaori run around looking for you when you could have just been helping her out!"
(Watari) "Have i taught you anything Kousei? When a cute girl asks for something you do it and that's that!"
(Kaori) -She laughed while they beat up on Kousei as she leaned her head onto Ryoma's shoulder again finishing the rest of her burger- "What have we learned today friend A?"
After beating up on him Tsubaki and Watari took their seats and each grabbed some food out of the box. Kousei looked at Kaori a moment before he sat down in the corner deep in thought. {Even after all her practice and hard work we didn't make it to the next round. I mean how could we? We were a total train wreck. Massive deductions. We even stopped halfway through. Not just me, but she stopped too. There's no coming back from that. I keep on thinking "We" But in reality it was all "Me". It was all my fault. But... you have yet to give me any blame at all... }
(Tsubaki) -She stood up and stretched as she looked out the window- "Hey we should seriously head on out. We probably shouldn't over stay our welcome right?"
(Watari) "w-wha? I think maybe i should stay a bit longer, you know so i could make sure Kaori is okay and all"
(Kaori) -she turned to face the door as Tsubaki headed towards it-
(Tsubaki) -She began to push Watari out of the room as she headed out of it- "Yeah... No there's no need for you i'm pretty sure Ryoma's got that covered, See you back at school Kaori!"
(Kaori) -She waved at them as she giggled- "Thanks guys, take care"
(Kousei) -He waved at Ryoma a faint smile on his lips as he headed towards the door-
(Ryoma) -He moved from the bed to the chair where Tsubaki sat beside the window as he waved at Kousei- "I'll see you later"
(Kaori) "So friend A"
(Kousei) -He shifted his gaze to his left and looked at Kaori as he stopped walking a moment-
(Kaori) "Do you plan on playing the piano a little more after today?"
(Kousei) -He stared at her in silence a moment- {I really wish you would yell at me or show some sort of anger towards me. After all you lost because of me} "I haven't really thought about it. Probably not though"
(Kaori) "Why not? You were great out there towards the end"
(Kousei) "I guess because... Well i'm beginning to feel like playing the piano is the only thing i'm useful for. Isn't there more to me than just that?"
(Kaori) "I'm sure there's a lot more. But would that really be such a bad thing? You've accomplished so much through the piano in such a short time. Do you think you could ever just forget achievements like that?"
(Kousei) -He stared at her in silence before waving to her- "I dunno. See you around Kaori" -he exited the room and left the building to join his friends-
(Kaori) -she turned to face Ryoma who sat by the window- "You sure you don't want to head on out with them? You wouldn't have to walk home alone that way"
(Ryoma) "Yeah, i'm sure. So how long do they plan on keeping you here? I honestly can't stand the thought of leaving you here alone"
(Kaori) -She smiled lightly- "You're... You're going to have too, i'll be here another day or two"
(Ryoma) "That's a prolonged amount of time for someone who was given a "clean bill of health" don't you think?"
(Kaori) "Yeah maybe, but i don't make the rules you know?"
(Ryoma) -He stood up and sat on the bed beside her- "Hey are you sure everything is alright Kaori?"
(Kaori) -She reached into the box taking the last honey bun and opened it, she then scooted closer to him and held it to his lips- "Yeah everything is fine"
(Ryoma) -He brought his right hand up and pushed the honey bun away from his lips- "I kept getting this weird pain in my chest that brought with it an unsettling feeling. That same unsettling feeling i had sometime ago that resulted in you being gone for two months. This time without warning you passed out and almost severely hurt your head. I'm not so sure everything is as "fine" as it seems Kaori..."
(Kaori) -She pushed the honey bun against his lips once more- "If you're having chest pain maybe you should be the one in the hospital and not me -she laughed- Seriously you're just being a drama llama like dad, it's not that serious i'm fine okay?"
(Ryoma) -He closed his eyes and took a bite out of the honey bun- "Alright fine, but you better not be here more than two days alright?"
(Kaori) "Yes sir! -she laughed- So... That's twice you saved me now" -She took a bite out of the honey bun then held it to his lips again-
(Ryoma) -He took another bite- "Huh? What are you talking about?"
(Kaori) "The day we met, you stopped Tsubaki's baseball from sending me to the hospital remember? And just today i saw what Tsubaki was talking about. I saw how you broke my fall. Turns out my mom recorded my performance and she ended up catching that too. You really are always there for me" -she took one last bite from the honey bun and held the last piece to his lips-
(Ryoma) -He opened his mouth as she pushed the treat into it- "Why do you sound surprised? I promised you didn't i?"
(Kaori) "That's just exactly it. You have no obligation to do anything for me. You don't have to always be by my side but here you are anyway. It's... Nice"
(Ryoma) -He laid down on the bed beside her- "Of course i'm obligated to do these things. I'm your boyfriend remember? So...You still want to know what i thought about your performance today?"
(Kaori) -She smiled and nodded her head as she laid down beside him laying her head on his left shoulder placing her left hand on his chest- "Yes please!"
(Ryoma) -He wrapped his left arm around her scratching her scalp softly as he placed his right hand on her left hand- "I'll start from the beginning. I'll tell you the story of our Ninja our beautiful violinist and our trusty accompanist okay?"
(Kaori) -She giggled as she closed her eyes her grip tightening on his shirt lightly-
(Ryoma) -He squeezed her hand lightly- "The beautiful violinist headed on stage with her trusty accompanist as the ninja stood at the doorway that separated the stage from the backstage. He promised our violinist that he would be nearby while she performed so he did just that"
(Kaori) "What did the violinist look like?" -She buried her face into his neck-
(Ryoma) -He laughed lightly as her bangs tickled him- "She had long elegant yellow hair and wore a purple flower hair clip that kept her bangs in place. She also had these big blue eyes as blue as the ocean. She wore a long purple dress that gently hugged her perfect and slender frame. She had these small purple heels. You know come to think of it, our violinist wore a lot of purple. It's her favorite color maybe"
(Kaori) "I don't think it was, but i think she wore lots of purple for the ninja. She might have known that it was his favorite color and she wanted to shine extra brightly for him. Do you... Do you think that she did it?"
(Ryoma) "Yeah she shined brighter than any star or sun ever could. I truly believe that. But it was for more reasons than just all of the purple that she wore and her beauty"
(Kaori) "Why else did she shine so brightly?"
(Ryoma) "The violinist shined so brightly because of the reasons she went up on stage that day. You see all of the other violinist's went up on stage that day for the sake of doing their best and to entertain the crowd but it was mainly to win the contest that they entered. But our violinist went up there to do her best to leave behind a performance that everyone would remember. She didn't care about the contest at all. She also went up there to show our trusty accompanist that he truly could play beautifully again just as he once did. At first he battled within himself to conquer his fears so it greatly affected his performance but in the end through her sheer tenacity and heart she was able to help him give a performance that he could be proud of as much as he thought that to be impossible. Together our violinist and our trusty accompanist left behind a performance that could never be forgotten. It will forever be engraved in the hearts of those who were fortunate enough to be there that day. Legend has it that if our violinist or accompanist were to some how disappear their music would live on in us all forever"
(Kaori) -She spoke in a quiet and sleepy tone- "D...do you really... Think that the-ir perfor-mance will for-Ever be remembered... ?"
(Ryoma) -he continued to scratch her scalp gently as he rubbed her hand softly- "Of course, i believe the legend. Anyway the ninja was feeling this strange pain in his heart that wouldn't go away but still he focused on our violinist's performance. And like everyone else he loved it. The two took what was first a violin competition and turned it into a beautiful concert that took everyone's fears and troubles and washed them all away. It's safe to say that our beautiful Violinist may have completed all of her dreams that day"
He looked down at her as she was fast asleep. She was even more beautiful this time around. He looked out the window and saw how dark it was and knew that he should get going but he really just wanted to hold her a while longer. And so he held her for about another hour watching her sleep soundly in his arm. He kissed her forehead softly and scooted out of the bed as softly and quietly as possible so he wouldn't disturb her. He covered her in the blankets and made his way towards the door when suddenly he heard her voice. When he turned around and followed it she had been sitting up her big blue eyes looking into his emerald green eyes.
(Kaori) "Ryoma... Please don't go"
(Ryoma) -He drew his phone and looked at the time before showing his phone screen to her- "It's 9:30 p.m almost 10:00 Kaori, i have to get home i have school tomorrow. And you already know what i promised you"
(Kaori) "... Stay with me please? I really don't want you to go" -she looked at him her big blue eyes beginning to to fill with tears-
(Ryoma) -He looked into her eyes before looking through his phone's contacts as he approached the bed sitting beside her. Her eyes followed him the entire time- "Ayane... ? Yeah it's sort of late i get it, but i won't be coming home tonight okay? Yeah i'm fine i promise, i'll explain everything to you tomorrow alright? Okay goodnight, I love you too. Say goodnight to the family for me, Okay bye. -He slid his phone back into his pocket- "I guess if i get up extra early i could be home in time to shower change clothes and all that and still make it to school on time to keep my promise" -He wiped her tears before laying down beside her once again-
(Kaori) -She grabbed the blanket and placed it on the two as she laid back down on him resting her head on his shoulder placing her hand on his chest closing her eyes smiling lightly- "Goodnight ninja"
(Ryoma) -He wrapped his left arm around her and once again placed his right hand on top of her left hand holding her as he laughed lightly- "Goodnight Kaori Miyazono"
The two slept soundly together in room 316 of totsuhara university hospital.