Chapter 35: Dad
The single toll of a bell drew Miwa´s attention to her phone. A bell toll. Just one. From the one sound, she could deduce in a few seconds who´d sent a message. She also knew the message was bad news.
She reached for the phone. The screen lit up. She hit the notification icon before putting it back on the table.
"Miwa?"
Her eyes went to Rintarou, who sat across from her on one of the Hawaiian hotel´s outdoor restaurants. They´d arrived in Hawaii a bit before Christmas, having been in Alaska and Greenland before. After all the snow and ice, the balmy Christmas weather of the island was nice.
"It´s from Masaomi," she mumbled.
"Messaging to wish you a merry Christmas, I assume?" Rintarou gave her a gentle smile.
She bit her lip. "Masaomi never texts."
He raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't?"
"No. He hasn't called nor messaged for the holidays since he was a little child. Nowadays, he only messages when something is wrong."
"Oh. That´s kind of… cold."
Miwa shook her head. She didn't answer, even though her gut was telling her to defend her oldest son. It was her own fault Masaomi never called when she was away. Which was all the time. He called up to when he was about seventeen years old; for her birthday or for Christmas. Since she didn't answer his calls because she didn't have her phone on her or because she didn't hear the ringing, Masaomi stopped doing it. The time she had brought it up he had said in a very confused and honest manner, "What´s the point in calling? You´re always busy to pay attention to your phone."
She shifted in her chair. With a deep breath, she flipped the object over and peeked at the screen.
Louis has been shot. Fuuto fissured his leg. They´re both at the hospital. They´ll both be fine in a few months. I just thought you would want to know.
Her breath caught in her throat. She reread it three times before looking up Masaomi´s number and calling him.
"Good night, Mom. Merry Christmas." Masaomi´s voice came out hollow.
"Honey, what happened? What did you mean in your message?" she replied, balling her free hand into a fist.
A long silence, then a subdued, "I wouldn't want to trouble you with this, Mom. Please enjoy your night and I will tell you tomorrow."
"How do you know I…?"
"It´s Christmas. You´re with Rintarou-san."
Miwa huffed. "Asahina Masaomi, don't you be so stoic with me. Tell me what happened."
More silence. It wasn't the same as before, though. This pause felt as if Masaomi was counting in his head up to ten to calm down.
"Louis has a boyfriend," the doctor began. "And yes, Mom. It means Louis likes men. Yes, it´s probably why you never heard of him having a girlfriend before. His name is Akiyama Kazuhiko. He´s a good man. He and Louis have known each for almost a year now, I believe. They have been dating much less. Ema has taken a liking to Kazuhiko, which Subaru didn't take very well and thus…"
As Masaomi went on with a very abbreviated, edited and censured version of what had been happening with Louis and Kazuhiko, Miwa began thinking how long it had been since she´d seen her boys and Rintarou´s girl. After the wedding, she and her husband had gone off spend their honeymoon at the Virgin Islands. They hadn't returned to Japan since.
Good grief. It had been well over a year.
That single thought made her say one sentence as soon as Masaomi was done telling her how Louis ended up in the hospital.
"I´ll be back in Japan tomorrow morning."
She hung up on him and began searching for the next flight from Molokai Island back to Tokyo.
"Miwa?" Rintarou asked again. She´d known he was a man of few words from the very beginning. Over time, she´d learned that even him calling her name could mean various things.
"Louis is in the hospital. He was shot. Fuuto has a fissured leg. He was almost run over by a car."
His eyes widened. "What happened?"
She buried her face in her hands. "Fuuto was about to cross a street. The light was blue, but the car didn't stop in time. Fuuto got angry and tried to fight with the driver, who was drunk and had a gun. When the man tried to shoot Fuuto, Louis stepped in and he got shot instead. They´re both at the hospital. Louis is in surgery."
Rintarou blinked, made sense of what she´d said. When he realized how bad the situation was, he pursed his lips, tapped a number into his phone and brought it to his ear. With his free hand, he touched Miwa´s.
"We´ll be there by tomorrow morning," he promised her, then spoke to the lady who´d picked up at the other end of the line.
"I need two plane tickets for the next plane that leaves Molokai and goes back to Tokyo," he said, and quickly added, "the time limit or the price don't matter. I need the tickets, no matter what."
Twenty rushed minutes later, the two of them were on their way to the airport. Miwa had been very quiet and useless since Masaomi had called. Rintarou had booked their flight, packed almost all of their luggage, checked them out and called a cab while Miwa hadn't done anything. He wondered just how worried she was to be acting so unlike she usually did.
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Even under the pale streetlights filtering through the cab windows, he could see she was lacking some serious color.
"Neither of them is going to die," he offered after a moment of hesitation.
She didn't even look at him. "How do you know they won´t?"
"They´re all very strong boys, Miwa. They´re not your sons for anything." He smiled.
Miwa looked out the window. "… Louis isn't my biological son," she whispered so low she could barely hear herself. The first tear slid down her cheek at that statement, and then she couldn't stop the others from flowing.
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December 25th, 8:48 a.m.
Masaomi gave a slight smile at the pictures and videos Wataru had sent him of the brothers around mountains of Christmas presents. Though he wasn't too fond of that western tradition himself, Yuusuke, Fuuto and Wataru had insisted on making the gifts a big deal since they had been toddlers. The tradition had stuck in their own Asahina way. This meant only the kids got gifts. Nowadays, the brothers only gave Wataru gifts, given he was the last child in the family.
With a relieved sigh, the doctor finished flipping through the pictures. He typed some seemingly-cheerful replies before putting down his phone and glancing at the opening door of his consulting office.
"I smuggled in some decent food," Kazuhiko murmured, closing the door behind him. He uncovered what he´d wrapped up in his coat and laid the two bento boxes on top of Masaomi´s desk, the two cups and a thermos.
Masaomi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'smuggle'? Food is allowed in the hospital."
"But only in the cafeteria. I was walking on the first floor and a nurse told me I wasn't allowed to bring all this inside, or that I had to go to the cafeteria." The brunette frowned. "I covered the food with my coat and then kept walking."
"Ah. Well, she was right. We can´t have food just floating through the halls. Some patients here are on diets or come here without haven't eaten anything… I´m sure you know the drill." He eyed the food. "Where on Earth did you get bento boxes and a thermos?"
"My sister stopped by to see how Louis was. Since visits aren't allowed in just yet, we talked at the entrance. She brought me the food and told me she didn't want me to pass out from lack of energy before Louis woke up."
Masaomi hummed. "You´re a spoiled child, aren't you?"
"Not spoiled rotten, but yeah." Kazuhiko reached out to take the food. "You don't have to eat it if you don't want to. I can go out if to eat if I´m bother you too, so…"
Masaomi waved a hand. "It´s fine. To tell you the truth, I am very hungry, I am merely amused at what I´ve seen of the relationship between you and your sister. I mean no offense, but it does seem like she spoils you even today. Louis once mentioned she pretty much raised you?"
"Yep. My mom died a few months after I was born. Dad died when she was fourteen and I was seven. She´s… well, she is to me what you are to Louis: the only mother I´ve ever known."
The elder clicked his tongue, then motioned for Kazuhiko to grab a chair. When they were both sitting down with their respective boxes in front of them Masaomi spoke in an ironic whisper: "Mother…"
"Thanks for the food!" Kazuhiko exclaimed, poured two cups of coffee and picked up his chopsticks.
Masaomi reached for his own. "Thanks for the…"
The door crashed open. The two men inside jumped a mile. Masaomi rose to his feet. He was about to scream at whoever had done such a rude thing. When he saw it had been Miwa and Rintarou the ones who´d spilled inside, he let out a sigh.
"Masaomi!" the blonde woman cried. Much to all the men´s surprise, she threw herself straight into her son´s arms. The latter had no choice but to hug her back.
"Ah, Mom. Welcome home," he said, throwing Rintarou a surprised glance. When she´d called him to ask what had happened yesterday night, he hadn't really thought she would come home. Whenever there was an incident involving any of the Asahina brothers he notified her about, she said she would come home immediately and look into it whether it was solved or not. 'Immediately' to her meant one week at the very least.
The fact she was here a bit under twelve hours after they had talked amazed him a lot.
"Where are Louis and Fuuto?" she asked when she pulled back, her hands on Masaomi´s shoulders.
"Fuuto was sent home yesterday night after he got his leg in a cast." Kazuhiko did notice how the doctor didn't mention the teenager´s other injuries. Which was fine with him. It wasn't like he wanted his boyfriend´s mother to know he´d punched one of her sons.
"Is he fine? Is everyone fine?" she asked. Her worry was almost palpable.
"Yes. They are all fine."
"And Louis?"
Masaomi looked hesitant. "He came out of surgery a few minutes before one in the morning. He should be asleep for a few more hours until the anesthesia wears off."
"What about his injuries?"
"They managed to get the bullets out without a problem. His lungs are fine, too. He lost a lost a lot of blood."
"But he´s okay?"
"His situation could be much worse."
"Oh dear." Miwa covered her face with her hands. Rintarou approached her and wrapped his arms around her.
"Masaomi-kun," he greeted with a smile.
"Rintarou-san."
The older man glanced at the brunette still sitting down with a bento in front of him. "Oh. Who might you be, young man?" he asked.
Kazuhiko blinked, blushed, stood up so fast he almost toppled over his chair. Why? Well, this was it. This was one of those tense lovers went through: meeting the parents. Yeah, he´d met Masaomi and the others already, yet this was somehow different, more formal.
"Ah… I…" Kazuhiko stammered, then bowed. "My name is Akiyama Kazuhiko. I´m Louis´s boyfriend."
Rintarou´s eyebrows went up. Miwa pushed away from her husband and stared at him.
"Louis´s boyfriend?" she echoed.
"Yes. Nice to meet you both." He gave another bow, then peeked at them from under his slightly longish bangs.
Miwa stared at him for a couple of seconds, then she walked over to Kazuhiko and gave him the once over.
"Your name again?" she said, tone suspicious.
"Uh… Akiyama Kazuhiko," the brunette replied, taken aback with her reaction.
"Age?"
"Twenty-three."
"Job?" she barked.
"Part-time in a car shop as of this year. From this coming January, I´ll be working with a construction company."
"Family?"
"Just my older sister and her husband."
"Do you live with them?"
"No. I have my own apartment, which I do pay for myself."
Her eyes narrowed. "Do you drive?"
"Yes, ma´am." Kazuhiko fought the urge to give a military salute. "My car is on the parking lot."
"Have you had an STDs exam done?"
His face flared red. "Yes. All the results came back negative."
She didn't miss a beat. "Good. How many partners have you had before Louis?"
"Huh? Um…"
"Stop cross-examining him, Mom. Kazuhiko-kun is a good man," Masaomi interrupted. Kazuhiko turned to look at him. He´d thought the eldest Asahina brother would be amused. He was wrong. Masaomi was annoyed.
Miwa also turned to look at her son. "Is he, Masaomi?"
"Yes. Now please stop acting so rudely."
When Miwa took a couple of steps back, Kazuhiko raised an eyebrow. It was quite impressive how Masaomi seemed to have this mature aura around him that even made his own mother follow his orders.
This man was terrifying in his own way.
"I´ll take Masaomi´s word for now, Akiyama Kazuhiko-kun." Miwa murmured, and looked back at her son. "Can you take me to Louis´s room? I want to see him."
Caramel brown eyes brightened up at those words. Masaomi caught the look and sighed. Kazuhiko had insisted various times during the early morning how much he wanted to see Louis after the surgery with his own eyes even if he wasn't awake. Masaomi had told him no one was allowed to visit until the injured man woke up not because the hospital didn't allow it but because Masaomi simply didn't want to see Kazuhiko brooding over the redhead. However, if his mother was insisting on visiting Louis´s room, Masaomi had a moral obligation to allow her in. He also had to let Kazuhiko in, just to be fair.
"Sure. Follow me," he said. He walked out while rubbing his temples. After an express introduction between Rintarou and Kazuhiko, the three of them followed the doctor.
They rode up two floors and were in the hall leading down to Louis´s private room in no time. Masaomi had made sure his brother got a room all to himself, and one that had actual walls and a TV inside instead of being made of glass all around.
They found Ema, Subaru, Iori and Hikaru right outside the door.
Masaomi came to an abrupt halt. He was so surprised to see them he went silent for a couple of seconds. His shock quickly turned into annoyance.
"What the hell are you four doing here?" he whispered-hissed. "Visits aren't allowed inside until after midday."
Iori´s eyes widened. He glued himself to a wall. Ema and Subaru stared at him as if he´d sprouted a second head. Hikaru flinched.
"I, ah… took advantage of your name," the redhead admitted.
"How… why?"
"Because they wouldn't let us inside otherwise. I was careful, your reputation is still intact. I promise." He jerked a thumb in Ema´s direction and pulled a face. "Those two tagged along, though."
"Iori did too," Subaru protested.
"At first. Hikaru-nii-san invited me in the end. You and Ema were told to stay home," Iori said.
Masaomi snapped his fingers. The three Asahina brothers turned to him, focused once more. Kazuhiko gaped.
"Why are you here, and why isn't the rest here?" he asked.
Hikaru said, "I snuck out as soon as Rintarou-san called to say he and Mom were coming to the hospital in about an hour. We were about to have breakfast, but there was a time limit, so I thought screw it. I´ll go down and go in to see Louis when Mom does. I figured you wouldn't tell her no."
He pointed at Iori. "Iori caught me when I was getting the car keys. I told him what I was going to do. Since he didn't come to the hospital yesterday he said he wanted to come."
"Hikaru-nii-san yelled at me," Iori put in. "He told me not to spy on other people and scare them by jumping out of nowhere. He also said I had to stay home and be a good boy and take care of Wataru and Yuusuke." He made a face. "I insisted I wanted to see Louis-nii-san, and in the end he told me I could come with him. Then Subaru-nii-san and Ema-san bounded after us telling Hikaru-nii-san they wanted to come."
"Hikaru-nii told us to stay home too and left. In the end, I drove Kyo-nii´s car down here with her," Subaru said.
"Why wouldn't I tell you to stay home? If Louis were awake I doubt very much that he´d want to see the two of you. What was the point of bringing you down here?" Hikaru muttered.
"Hikaru!" Miwa scolded.
"Don't scold me. You don't know what happened, why Louis ended inside that room. You don't know what caused it."
"Masaomi and I talked before I came here."
"It´s not the same, Mom. It isn't the same at all." Hikaru looked at Rintarou. "What about you, Rintarou-san? Do you know why my brother almost dies?"
The oldest man on the hallway glanced at Ema, then shook his head.
"Hikaru…" Miwa began again, but before she could get another word out the door to Louis´s room opened, and a nurse came out.
Her eyes flew wide when she saw the crowd waiting right in front of the door.
"Asahina-sensei?" she said, eyes skating to Masaomi, who walked forward. The nurse whispered something in his ear. It looked like they were good news because an expression of absolute relief came over his face. He said something back to the nurse, who nodded looking hesitant.
"Louis is awake earlier than planned," Masaomi announced. Everyone bristled. He raised a hand to stop any movement. "It might be overwhelming for him if we all troop in at the same time, so…"
Too late. Hikaru and Kazuhiko had already sped past him and straight into the door. Masaomi´s eyes met his mother´s, who made for the door. Rintarou followed her, and Ema followed him inside. Subaru and Iori were the last ones who moved.
Masaomi groaned.
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What made Louis stir was the dull ache he felt on his chest. He didn't feel pain per se, yet it was bothersome.
Opening his eyes took more effort than he thought. His eyelids felt heavy. Sleep tugged at the corner of his minds. His body was yelling at him to go back to blessed unconsciousness both because he was tired but also because he got the feeling he would feel pain when he woke.
He tried to move his hand. It was also very heavy. After lots of trying and stressful effort, he managed to open and close his hand. What felt like a needle was hurting the top of his hand. A piece of rectangular something held the needle in place. Whatever it was, it was stuck to his skin.
He tried to speak. His throat was as dry as cotton. When he shifted on the bed, a blunt jolt of pain shot up from his hip up to the top of his head.
Louis was puzzled. Where was he? What had happened to him? Why did he feel so strange, like he was floating?
His eyes finally fluttered open. He was blinded by the white light above him. He had to turn his head and close his eyes tight to avoid the pain which now made his forehead pulse.
After a few seconds he opened his eyes again, millimeter by millimeter. The white light lost strength. His eyes adjusted enough for him to recognize a white ceiling above his head.
"You´re up earlier than I thought. How are you feeling, Asahina-san?"
Louis moved only his eyes to find the speak. He could make out a feminine shape in scrubs. "Where…?" he croaked before he coughed. The cough made his chest burn.
He let out a weak moan.
"You´re at the hospital, Asahina-san. You were brought here yesterday night," the nurse informed him, guessing what he´d been about to say. She puttered around the room, returned with a small glass of water with a bendy straw in it.
"I will bring the glass to your mouth. Please drink slowly and don't try to raised your head or any other part of your body," she commanded.
With his brain foggy, Louis did as he was told. He took several slow sips of water. It was hard to swallow them for some reason. However, by the time the nurse took the glass away, he felt a bit better. He still wanted to sleep. His throat wasn't killing him anymore.
"Do you remember what happened, Asahina-san? Why you´re here?"
He closed his eyes. He searched his mind for his freshest memories. All he came up was a huge blank space.
"I… no," he admitted.
The nurse stared at him. "Do you remember Asahina Masaomi?"
"He´s my… brother."
"That´s right. Your brother. He told me to go get him when you woke, so I will be calling him now. I was told he would take over after this." She gave a bow, then headed for the door.
Louis turned up to the ceiling as soon as he heard her open it. The room was silent. His ears picked up voices outside the room. They seemed familiar, but he wasn't awake or conscious enough to recognize them.
The door opened once more. There was a sharp intake of breath. Louis turned his head. A tall figure stood close to the bed. His eyes narrowed to slits so he could make out wide caramel brown orbs and a tender face staring at him.
Ironically enough, he had no trouble identifying that man.
"Kaz…" the name spilled from his lips in an almost breathless whisper. He tried to raise the hand that wasn't being poked by a needle –an IV, he was pretty sure–, and his lips trembled as he made the effort to smile. Even in his numb, sluggish state, he was happy to see Kazuhiko.
"Kaz…" he repeated. He was too weak to reach out, but the brunette seemed to understand him because he moved forward with a watery smile, his expression softening.
"Louis, darling!" Kazuhiko´s face disappeared from his limited field of vision. The next thing Louis was able to see was Miwa´s face inches away from his. Both her hands closed over his free one.
Miwa?
Louis´s pulse sped up. He tried to take his hand back. He thought he frowned. What was Miwa doing here? Why wasn't she overseas? Why did she look so worried?
"How are you feeling?" she murmured.
Louis blinked. Was she serious? Why would she ask that? Did she know what had happened to him? No. She couldn't know. She was never around for anything.
Louis didn't want to see this woman. She was no good for him right now. He didn't know her. She didn't know him.
Kazuhiko. Where was Kazuhiko? More important…
"Masaomi-nii-san," he moaned, and gathered all his strength to free his hand. The movement left him breathless, made his heart race. Still, he tried to give her his back. Where were the people he wanted to see? The people he needed?
"Louis," Miwa said. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"No," he whimpered. "No. Don't touch me. No."
"Honey, I…"
"No. Go away. No." He swallowed hard. "Masaomi-nii-san. Masaomi-nii-san?"
"He´s right here, Louis-san. Right here," Ema intervened, trying to soothe him. Guilt and shame aside, she still hated seeing Louis like this. She´d poured her heart out yesterday night. She knew this was her fault. It hurt her, it bothered her to be the cause of Louis´s troubles, especially because she did love him like a brother still. He´d been the first one Juli had allowed close to her. He´d been there when she found out she was adopted. He´d always been kind and sweet to her.
Last night, she´d pondered over what a bitch she´d been to repay his kindness like this: taking a liking to his boyfriend, messing his relationship with half the brothers, outing his own adopted status to those younger than him. She´d ruined his life when he´d always tried to make hers better, cozier.
She wasn't that stupid. She knew she had to make amends, which was the main reason she´d been stubborn for one of the few times in her life and had takn advantage of Subaru´s worry so he could take her down to the hospital.
She did love Louis. She also liked Kazuhiko. Nonetheless, she had to make a choice, and after having almost lost one of her brothers, she knew who she chose.
"Louis-san, you´ll be okay," she tried to assure him. She walked forward, but his eyes went round and panicked.
"No. Not you!" And those three words were the first ones everyone in the room could hear. The machine monitoring Louis´s heartbeat beeped much faster than before. The redhead himself felt his heart hammer the back of his throat. His head throbbed and sharp stabs of pain began eating at the corners of his mind. His leg felt as it if were on fire. He felt like complete and absolute shit. He didn't want to have to see Ema on top of that.
Gritting his teeth, Louis shifted his body. His leg wouldn't obey him, but damn it. He had to get Ema and Miwa out of his sight. He wanted to curl into a ball and hide under the bedsheets until both of them left. He didn't want them here. He wanted only two… make that one person with him.
"Masaomi-nii-san." Where was his brother?
"Louis-nii-san, you shouldn't…" Iori began, just as Hikaru said, "Louie-chan, if you move around so much…"
The redhead became more restless. He kept on calling Masaomi´s name. He kept on calling for the one person who´d never left him, the one who´d raised him. Louis wanted his father with him. No one else. Absolutely no one else mattered right now.
The beeping sped up. Subaru, looking terrified, tried to approach Louis, but the redhead flinched away.
"Get out! All of you! Out! Nii-san, get them away from me! Out!" he screamed. He was so weak some of the effect was lost due to his breathlessness.
"Honey…" Miwa tried again.
"No, no, no! Nii-san…" Masaomi, where was he? Where was…
"Dad…! Dad. Help me. Please." Tears spilled out of his eyes. He shifted on the bed, tying to sit up, trying to roll over, he didn't know what he wanted to do anymore. His leg was a throbbing mass right now. His head felt like it was about to split in two. He was having trouble breathing. "Dad…" he cried out once again, "get them out…!"
All the people on the room froze. Miwa´s eyes watered, and she turned to look at Masaomi, who hadn't moved an inch not because he hadn't wanted to, but because the goddamn crowd on the room had all tried to help Louis when they had done the exact opposite.
With waves of cold fury rippling through his body, Masaomi shoved his way through. He approached Louis´s bed. His heart seized, stung with a fatherly and deep love. The young man suffering and lying on this bed was more his son than a brother, as were all the rest. Louis, however, had been the only one who had ever said it to his face.
What type of… being would he be if he let the redhead down?
"I´m here, Louis. I´m here. It´s okay," Masaomi consoled. He grabbed the youngster´s open hand. He gave a comforting squeeze. He swallowed hard as to not let the lump in his throat get the better of him when he saw more tears spill out of his brother´s half-closed eyes.
He placed his other hand on the pale forehead. "Louis look at me. I´m right next to you. I´m right here," he went on, gulped a couple more times. He would not cry. He would not show any type of weakness when Louis needed him.
Dull mauve eyes met his. "Dad," Louis moaned.
He ran a hand through the reddish hair with slow and gentle strokes. "It´s okay, kiddo."
"Nooooo! Out. All of them. Please." Louis was heaving. "Don't want to… see them. Dad… get them… out." He let out a sound between a sob and a cough.
A lone tear slid down the doctor´s cheek. He took a deep breath. "Yes, Louis. Right away. Right away," he said, then raised his head to address the shocked bunch of people.
"You heard him. Get out of this room. He doesn't want you in here, and I don't either. Leave."
Hikaru and Iori scrambled for the door; as reliable as always. Rintarou nodded in a respectful manner at the doctor, then ushered his crying wife outside. Subaru looked like he wanted to cry too, but in the end he only grabbed Ema by the arm and took her outside.
Masaomi let more tears fall from his own eyes. He glanced at Kazuhiko, who only shifted. His intentions were obvious.
"Give it a try," the eldest Asahina encouraged. He only said it because Kazuhiko had been alongside him for over twelve hours at this point, checking up on Louis´s state with the nurses, waiting for him to wake up and pulling an all-night just like him. Kazuhiko cared for Louis. Masaomi didn't think it was fair to reject such feelings.
Kazuhiko crossed the room in a second. Masaomi pulled back, let go of Louis´s hands and began checking monitors, giving them as much privacy as he could without leaving the room.
The brunette started crying himself as soon as he laid eyes on his boyfriend. He hadn't let out neither a sob or a tear since yesterday. He´d been worried to death. He hadn't thought he´d cry. Seeing Louis unconscious and bleeding had been terrible. Seeing him suffer both in mind and body had been devastating.
"Honey," he murmured, touching Louis´s cheeks with his fingertips.
The redhead moved his head. His beautiful mauve eyes looked alarmed at first. Upon seeing who was in front of him, they softened. The tears didn't stop, though.
"I´m glad to see you awake," Kazuhiko said.
"Kaz… you´re crying," Louis replied.
The brunette shook his head. "Don't be silly. Why would I be crying?"
"Don't. Know. Are you… okay?""
He tried to smile. "I´m fine. Don't you dare worry about me."
"Dad?" Louis swallowed. "Masaomi-nii-san?"
"He´s checking out the machines to see how you´re doing. Try to calm down. Everyone´s gotten out. They´re gone. They won´t bother you anymore."
"I don't want to see them."
"I know. They won´t come back in."
Louis shuddered. "Everything hurts, Kaz," he whispered.
The urge to hold the redhead and make the pain go away was suddenly there: powerful overwhelming. Knowing he couldn't, Kazuhiko forced himself to stay still and help out with words instead.
"Go back to sleep, Louis. You won´t feel pain that way." He leaned in to press a kiss to his boyfriend´s cheek.
"What do you want me to do? Do you want me to go outside and keep them away? Or do you want me to stay here with you and Masaomi-san?" he said softly. He wasn't going to stay if Louis wasn't up to having him around either. At the moment, he was going to do whatever the redhead said, whatever he wanted.
Louis was silent for a little while, then he closed his eyes. "Keep them away," he said in the end.
"Got it. They won´t bother you again, I promise." Another quick and sweet kiss, then Kazuhiko pulled back. Masaomi gave him an approving nod and went back to holding his younger brother´s hand.
"I´ll be outside," the brunette said, voice hollow. "Take care of him, Masaomi-san."
"I will," the doctor vowed.
Kazuhiko nodded, went for the door. He was taken aback when he saw about three nurses huddled in the doorway.
"What the…?" he sputtered.
Two of the nurses exchanged looks. The third one said, "Asahina-sensei called for us. We were about to go in when all the other people came out. By the time we peeked in, Asahina-sensei had already taking matters into his own hands, and you were calming the patient down."
Kazuhiko glanced back at Louis, then wiped the wetness from his cheeks. "Glad I could be of use," he said.
One of the other nurses stared at him. It took him a second to realize she was the one who hadn't wanted to let him inside yesterday.
"You´re really his husband, aren't you?" she asked.
"Of course I am. Excuse me." He walked past them just as Masaomi called, "You three over there. I need some assistance here."
The nurses scurried into the room to do their job, closing the door behind them. Kazuhiko felt lost at first. After some inner debate, he decided he might as well go back to Masaomi´s office and eat his breakfast. Ryoko had done it herself. He didn't think it was going to taste good. It didn't meant he didn't appreciate her efforts. He would eat the food.
"Kazuo, come here."
Before the brunette could react, Hikaru had wrapped him up in a tight hug. He froze at first, then let out a slight chuckle and hugged back.
"I´m not going to cry, you know," he said.
"I wouldn't want you to. I merely figured you needed a hug. I know I needed one."
Another chuckle. He hugged back, let go of the redhead. "I… uh, will go have breakfast. Be right back," he said.
Hikaru gave him a thumbs-up. "We´ll be waiting."
"What Louis said… I don't think he meant it, Hikaru-san."
Olive eyes glittered with genuine amusement. "I´m sure he didn't, not all of it anyway. Plus, I know he didn't say it because of Iori or me. He loves us, and we love him right back."
Kazuhiko smiled. "You´re right."
"That applies to you too, caramel boy. Do you hear me?"
The brunette gave the military salute he hadn't given Miwa. "Yes, sir. I do," he confirmed. "The truth is, I couldn't have said it better myself even if I had tried."
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Masaomi left the room only after Louis had gone back to sleep. He also made sure there was more B blood, painkillers and serum to pump into his body.
The tears had dried long ago on his face. The nurses hadn't made any comment about it. He didn't bring up the subject. He felt drained by the time he stepped out into the hallway, sighing as exited.
"Masaomi, how is he?"
He stopped at the sound of his mother´s voice. His eyes widened when he spotted her sitting on the floor, leaning her back against the wall. She was alone.
"As good as he can be, I guess. We had to put an oxygen mask on him. He was about to hyperventilate," he admitted.
"Our presence overwhelmed him."
Masaomi saw no point on being considerate to her. She was an adult. She could take the truth. "Yes. He was very scared and angry."
"He didn't want me there, specifically."
"I´m afraid not, Mom."
"He kept calling you dad."
"Yes."
She took a deep breath, got to her feet. "Has he always called you that? I don't recall hearing it before."
"He´s never said it to my face until today. However, he has always treated me more like a father than a brother. Kazuhiko-kun has told me how Louis informed him I´m the only father he´s ever known."
"Do you know if Louis has ever mentioned a mother?"
Masaomi looked up at the ceiling, down at the floor, back at his mother´s face. "Not to me or to Kazuhiko-kun," he admitted.
"Then I shouldn't be here today, should I? Louis doesn't want me here." She covered her mouth with her hands. "This is what I get for leaving the children to you and Ukyo, isn't it?"
This is what you get for dumping babies into my lap. This is what you get for leaving me to raise my brothers as if they were my sons. This is what you get for being a baby factory but not the day care center.
This is what you get for abandoning us, for neglecting your role as a mother, for thinking you´re still young, single and footloose.
This what you deserve for making me your husband and babysitter instead of your son.
Those and another whole bunch of meaner, truer thoughts crossed Masaomi´s head. If he were to be truthful, he had stopped seeing Miwa as a mother a long time ago. He respected her, cared for her. He didn't love her the way a normal son would love his mother. She´d stuck around until the triplets were like five years old. After them, she´d come and gone as she pleased.
Miwa had never married the man who´d fathered her twelve biological sons; he´d been an adventurer much like Rintarou. Masaomi and Ukyo had been conceived when the couple first began living together in Tokyo. Kaname and Hikaru were born soon after their father made the family move to Akita and the relationship began going downhill. Miwa found out she was pregnant with the triplets a few months after they returned to Tokyo. For the children´s sake, the couple had tried to stick together. Masaomi´s father didn't last long. A few weeks after Natsume and the twins were born their dad left and never came back.
Miwa picked up her job career and her dreams to travel around the world soon after his departure. She waited until the triplets could go to school before informing Masaomi she was going to be working in France for a few years and that she´d have babysitters and maids all the time to raise him and the rest of his brothers.
She returned from France with an adopted baby when Masaomi was twelve. She left little Louis in one of the many nanny´s care and left the country once more. This time, she went to Russia, where she found the "love of her life". A few months into their encounter, she became pregnant with Subaru. Like he´d done before, Masaomi´s father left her.
Iori and the other three had also been born like that: random encounters between Miwa and that man. They were all their "make-up babies" and not a single one of them had made them come back together. Each time, Masaomi ended with another baby to take care of until Wataru was born when he was twenty-one.
After Wataru, his father vanished from the world once and for all. A decade passed until Miwa found Rintarou. Thank God she was too old now to bear any more children.
"I´m very sorry I´ve done this to you, Masaomi. I´ve ruined your life," Miwa said into the silence that had taken over.
The doctor raised an eyebrow, gave a bitter smile. "I love my brothers. Every single one of them. They´ve given me life, Mom. They haven't taken it away from me, much less have they ruined it" he said, and huffed. Besides bitterness, his face now showed jadedness as well. "I do regret you've used me as a replacement husband and nanny. I don't think I can quite forgive you for it," he added almost as an afterthought.
Miwa flinched. "You have raised your brothers much better than I could ever have," she said.
"Not all of them, apparently. If I had done my job, Fuuto wouldn't be such a bratty boy, and Louis wouldn't be hurt." He pierced his mother with his gaze. "You never helped straighten Fuuto out. Please try to reason with Ema. Be with her the mother you´ve never been with us. If she backs off, nothing similar to this situation will happen ever again. Be a mother. Keep her in line, and tell Rintarou-san the same thing."
He scrubbed a hand over his face. "I´ll be going now. I haven't had breakfast yet, and Louis won´t wake up until tomorrow," he informed.
Miwa swallowed hard. "Should I stay?"
"Don´t ask me, Mom. You´re an adult. You can choose what to do on your own. I can´t take care of you. I can´t." And with that empty remark Masaomi strode off.
To be continued…
Hello everyone! Today I have quite a lot to say, so feel free to skip these notes ´cause they´re gonna be long hehehe.
First of all, the chapters for this story seem to be growing. The last one was over seven thousand words and this is a bit under seven thousand. I would like to know if you guys feel it´s fine like this or if maybe I should make them shorter. Also, my deepest apologies for spelling and grammar mistakes. I don't have a beta and by the time I´m done with the chapter I don't have enough energy left to go back and reread it. :(
About this particular chapter… to be honest, I was feeling sand when writing it, and in the end I liked how it came out. It kind of had some realism and deepness to it. Then again, maybe it was a bit over the top? You guys tell me. ;)
Also, it may feel like we´re back to square one since Louis is still unconscious. However, do not fear! Louis will be awake and talking for good next chapter. We´ll see how the family deals with what he did and said, same with Kazuhiko (plus I need some fluff between those two ASAP :P). Miwa´s finally in the story… and she´s not a very good addition. I said in the very first few chapters how I try to make the story "real". So… let´s face it. She has never been around. She´s always out or working or traveling or whatever and she doesn't know what to do with her kids. Thus Masaomi´s bitterness. Again, I hope you didn't find it… off.
And, Tuliharja, here we have a crazy explanation about the brothers´ father and how they really all are biological siblings LOL ;)
That´s it. I´ll zip it now. Thanks everyone SO VERY MUCH for reading the story (and this bible of notes)! :* 3 3 3 3