Chapter 38: Sense of Togetherness

Azuma glanced at the wall clock. Almost twelve. The shift was about to start, with him on the first shift, but neither Tsumugi nor Hisoka looked like they'd sleep soon.

This was shaping up into a fun night; Homare had chosen to do some crossword puzzles as his next challenge. Obviously, everyone would love to see how he'd fare with his impairment, but Hisoka showed a little too much enthusiasm for this. He'd pulled his chair even closer to Homare's bed and claimed the best spot.

Not that Azuma minded; in fact, he found it endearing. If he were still a kid and Hajime somehow returned and ended up like Homare, he'd do the same thing too.

Homare opened the book on the overbed table and, upon seeing the crossword grid on the left page, dragged it to his right. He tried to pick up the pencil, only to stop halfway, as if realizing that his movement had pulled the IV line on his left hand a little too hard. Having an injured eye seemed so troublesome; Azuma couldn't imagine Homare fighting with it.

Homare stared at his left hand. Then he sighed and picked up the pencil with his other hand. Although Azuma had seen Homare write with his right hand many times, the sight never ceased to amaze him. Perhaps knowing why Homare learned that skill played a role in it; Homare had viewed writing with his right hand as a challenge to conquer, rather than a skill to help his daily life.

"If you have trouble writing, just tell us," Tsumugi said from beside the bed.

"Certainly."

Once Homare shifted his focus to the crossword, the air around Azuma got colder all of a sudden, and he found himself drawn into Homare's serious face even if bandage covered half of it. Something just felt different when a cheery, airheaded guy like Homare wore that kind of expression, both inside and outside acting.

The whirring of an AC and the scratching of a pencil against paper sounded so loud amid the silence. A few minutes in, and Homare had filled a few grids. His writing looked ragged, with many of the letters going past the lines. It had to be his unsteady hand, yet he never asked for help except whenever the pencil slipped out of him and fell to the ground. Whoever stood the closest to the fallen pencil would pick it up for him and sharpen it if necessary.

As time passed, the progress slowed down. Azuma took a closer look at the crossword clues and found mostly the difficult ones left. Despite knowing the answers to many of them, he refused to give even a single hint; as Tsumugi had said, letting Homare figure things out by himself would boost his confidence and help him recover.

It took several minutes for Homare to solve one clue, and when he did, the corners of his lips took an upturn. Quite an infectious smile, wasn't it? It was so broad, so full of joy and accomplishment. Azuma hadn't seen this lovely smile of Homare for like, a day.

Hisoka patted Homare's head. "You can do it, Arisu."

Homare nodded and checked the other clues.

A few minutes passed, but Homare had yet to solve another clue. His expression had darkened again.

More minutes passed, and frustration began showing in Homare's face as he had yet to add something new to the grid.

Tsumugi approached Homare. "Um, which one are you stuck at?"

"It feels so close, but I simply cannot figure it out." Homare pointed at the clue. Across. Seven words. "E" as the fifth letter.

"I see." Tsumugi nodded. "'A three-pronged spear.'" He looked at Azuma and grinned. "This sure brings back memories. I didn't get to go there, though."

"Where?" Homare asked.

"Santorini," Azuma replied.

"Santorini…" Homare closed his eye. "Greece… Uh, what is the name of that sea god again? Oh!" Homare's eye snapped open. "Eureka! It's 'trident!'" He scribbled down the letters on the grid, making that adorable smile again.

"You're doing good," Hisoka praised.

"I have to thank you all for that."

Homare's words warmed Azuma's heart. Indeed, they could only achieve such a feat by working together. Bless Tsumugi and Hisoka for not sleeping, although Azuma wondered if they could keep going until the morning.

Homare resumed working on the crossword puzzle. Many minutes passed, but he had yet to solve a clue, and his cheery face gradually faded. However, instead of furrowing his brow in frustration, he winced. His breathing accelerated with each second, and a moment later, his grip on the pencil faltered.

"Arisu?" Hisoka asked.

Homare clutched his chest. "The painkiller...must have worn off."

Tsumugi rose from his seat. "I'll tell Kentarumon." Then he dashed out of the area.

"Can you continue? Want me to help you write?" Hisoka asked.

"It is all right. I can manage." The grimacing Homare picked up the pencil and looked at the clues.

Yet when Tsumugi returned with Kentarumon and a trolley full of medical supplies, Homare still hadn't written anything new on the grid.

"Perhaps we should call this a day?" Azuma glanced at the book. "You did well."

"For some reason, I still feel like trying. How do I describe it… Everything feels so close, yet so far."

With a syringe in hand, Kentarumon chuckled. "I doubt you can do that after getting the painkiller, Sir."

"I guess." Homare put down the pencil and leaned back.

Hisoka moved aside to let Kentarumon administer the drug into Homare's IV line. Good thing Digital World had these three-way IV lines, huh? Although the direct injection wouldn't hurt Homare much, it stung Azuma to imagine the needle pricking into Homare's delicate skin.

"You'll feel sleepy soon. Give me a holler if you need anything." After cleaning up the mess, Kentarumon pushed the trolley out of the area.

Instead of resting up, Homare went to check the crossword clues again. Not that he managed to solve anything by the time his eye was half-closed.

"There, there." Azuma patted Homare's back. "Let's continue tomorrow."

Homare's eye closed, but his body remained stooped right there. "So close… Yet so far..."

Azuma blinked. "He's sleep-talking?"

"Arisu, how are you feeling now?"

"Mmm… Sleeping… Talking… Feeling…"

Azuma chuckled. "I think he is. How cute."

Hisoka placed his hands on Homare's chest and back and slowly pushed his body to a proper sleeping position. "Good. I miss Arisu's sleep-talk." He pulled the blanket to cover Homare up to his shoulder.

"Don't we all? Something feels missing if Homare doesn't sleep-talk."

"Yeah." Tsumugi sat on the stool beside Azuma. "Anyway, Azuma, will you be okay if you watch over him by yourself?"

Oh, the shift. Of course, Azuma wished for everyone to stay up together, and he had a hunch that everyone would, but he really understood if everyone disagreed. "I'll be fine," he replied. "You all just sleep."

"No," Hisoka replied.

"Sleep..." the sleeping Homare murmured amid his light snores.

Hisoka smirked at Homare. "I said no."

"Although we've talked and agreed about having shifts, watching Azuma stay up by himself is difficult," Tsumugi added. "Let's just stay up together."

"Yeah."

Azuma looked at Hisoka, then Tsumugi; oh, how much he loved their earnest smiles. Then he shifted his gaze to the sleeping Homare. Despite the injuries, he did return from Lava Cave and was getting better now.

"In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, we shall share our laughter and our tears as those with an intertwined fate…"

Homare's speech replayed in Azuma's mind, and he smiled. They could surely go on until the sun rose and beyond.