--------------------------------------------------------
The dull, rapid pounding of his heartbeat echoed
in his ears as Shinobu woke up. "What is this,
Groundhog's Day?" he muttered darkly to the lights
filtering in from behind his closed lids. A steady
beeping filled the air, and he paused in his musings.
"That's an EKG, " he mused, craking a bruised eye to
survey his surroundings.
A simple glance down revealed that he wore
nothing but a paper hospital shift, and the tenseness in
his face screamed that he did not possess the miraculous
healing abilities his lover did, as the scabs protested
even the slightest of facial movements. His eyes were
sore, and his muscles denied that he had the ability to
move. He tilted his head and wiggled his toes, noting
that they were sticking out of the blankets.
A call button hung low by his head, and he
thought about pressing it, but the door to his room
opened and a blonde head peeked in. Shinobu had to
force a smile away from his face, wincing in pain. The
other grinned when he noticed that he was awake.
"You're up, " his eyes crinkled at the corners.
"Hasukawa-sensei?" Shinobu asked, confused.
Why would the nurse visit him in the hospital? At first
he thought it was Mitsuru, but the man was too old to be
him. He estimated the other to be about twenty-five,
the Sensei's age.
"No! Have you got amnesia or something?" the
blonde laughed. "It's me!"
"Mit--" he cocked his head to the side, hissing
in pain as he did so. "You're kidding, right?" He
looked down in disbelief at his hands, which were almost
no different than they had been minutes ago. At the end
of his bed, his toes wriggled again, and he looked all
the way down the long length to them, frowning. "Give
me a mirror, please, Mitsuru, " he asked politely.
The blonde seemed confused, but complied. As he
held the mirror, Shinobu peered through the bruises and
cuts on his face at the person underneath. It was the
old him, the one from the dream. Or was the re-try the
dream? He couldn't figure it out.
"Wha-?" he stared stupidly at the mirror, then
Mitsuru.
"Are you alright?"
"What happened?!" Shinobu demanded, giving the
mirror back.
"You and I had just gotten off the phone and you
were headed back to the apartment, when there was an
accident. You were hit by a truck!" Mitsuru told him.
"Ah? The apartment?" Shinobu didn't understand
what was going on.
"Our apartment. You went on a business trip,
you remember? And Akira came into town to visit you.
You were coming home so we could go have dinner with him
and Haru, I think, " Mitsuru grinned sloppily. "I can
never remember his name."
"Haru?" Shinobu felt everything click into
place, along with a new set of memories. "We lived
together since high school?" he asked incredulously.
"Yeah! Remember? You're really prone to being
near-roadkill, ne? Right after your father's death, you
were hit by another truck!" Mitsuru chuckled. "Oh, I
know it's not funny, and I don't know what I'll do if I
ever lose you, but I can't help to laugh about this,
because I'm pretty sure either you or the clothes you
wear are magnetic, because you attract automobiles of
the high-speed, dangerous, and moving kind."
"Ha, ha, " Shinobu dryly stated, internally
giddy at the floodgate of memories washing over him now.
He remembered a plethora of miniscule moments--moments
that, at the time they occurred, seemed to go on
forever--such as long park walks, and swims at the
shore, and moonlit dinners. He smiled to himself as he
remembered these pleasant moments.
"What's with you? These mood swings are really
not like you, " Mitsuru's eyes were bright as he sat by
Shinobu's foot.
"I had a bad dream, " Shinobu answered.
"Well, sometimes the drugs in the hospital do
that, ne?" Mitsuru grinned. "Anyway, the doctors say
that you'll be fine. You broke a few ribs, but they
didn't do any major damage, and your wrist is sprained,
and your ankle, too, but you'll be able to come home, as
long as you stay in bed.
"Promise?" Shinobu's eyes softened.
Mitsuru leaned in close to him, his eyes
twinkling merrily. "Of course."
The door opened, and Akira came in, looking no
different for the years, holding a small bouquette and
followed by Haru. The older man winked at them, lay the
flowers down, then ushered his own lover out the door.
"So we'll see you two when you get home?" he asked over
his shoulder.
"Bye!" Mitsuru cheerily called, then pressed a
soft kiss to Shinobu's forehead. After the door closed,
he sat up, looking down into Shinobu's eyes. A warmth
passed between them, and the blonde lay down next to his
love, snuggling under his chin delicately.
"Love you, " Shinobu cooed softly into the
golden silk near his face. He'd seen life without this
perfection, and was still amazed by how he'd survived.
"Love you so much."
"Love you too, " Mitsuru curled his arm around
Shinobu.
--------------------------------------------------------
The dull, rapid pounding of his heartbeat echoed
in his ears as Shinobu woke up. "What is this,
Groundhog's Day?" he muttered darkly to the lights
filtering in from behind his closed lids. A steady
beeping filled the air, and he paused in his musings.
"That's an EKG, " he mused, craking a bruised eye to
survey his surroundings.
A simple glance down revealed that he wore
nothing but a paper hospital shift, and the tenseness in
his face screamed that he did not possess the miraculous
healing abilities his lover did, as the scabs protested
even the slightest of facial movements. His eyes were
sore, and his muscles denied that he had the ability to
move. He tilted his head and wiggled his toes, noting
that they were sticking out of the blankets.
A call button hung low by his head, and he
thought about pressing it, but the door to his room
opened and a blonde head peeked in. Shinobu had to
force a smile away from his face, wincing in pain. The
other grinned when he noticed that he was awake.
"You're up, " his eyes crinkled at the corners.
"Hasukawa-sensei?" Shinobu asked, confused.
Why would the nurse visit him in the hospital? At first
he thought it was Mitsuru, but the man was too old to be
him. He estimated the other to be about twenty-five,
the Sensei's age.
"No! Have you got amnesia or something?" the
blonde laughed. "It's me!"
"Mit--" he cocked his head to the side, hissing
in pain as he did so. "You're kidding, right?" He
looked down in disbelief at his hands, which were almost
no different than they had been minutes ago. At the end
of his bed, his toes wriggled again, and he looked all
the way down the long length to them, frowning. "Give
me a mirror, please, Mitsuru, " he asked politely.
The blonde seemed confused, but complied. As he
held the mirror, Shinobu peered through the bruises and
cuts on his face at the person underneath. It was the
old him, the one from the dream. Or was the re-try the
dream? He couldn't figure it out.
"Wha-?" he stared stupidly at the mirror, then
Mitsuru.
"Are you alright?"
"What happened?!" Shinobu demanded, giving the
mirror back.
"You and I had just gotten off the phone and you
were headed back to the apartment, when there was an
accident. You were hit by a truck!" Mitsuru told him.
"Ah? The apartment?" Shinobu didn't understand
what was going on.
"Our apartment. You went on a business trip,
you remember? And Akira came into town to visit you.
You were coming home so we could go have dinner with him
and Haru, I think, " Mitsuru grinned sloppily. "I can
never remember his name."
"Haru?" Shinobu felt everything click into
place, along with a new set of memories. "We lived
together since high school?" he asked incredulously.
"Yeah! Remember? You're really prone to being
near-roadkill, ne? Right after your father's death, you
were hit by another truck!" Mitsuru chuckled. "Oh, I
know it's not funny, and I don't know what I'll do if I
ever lose you, but I can't help to laugh about this,
because I'm pretty sure either you or the clothes you
wear are magnetic, because you attract automobiles of
the high-speed, dangerous, and moving kind."
"Ha, ha, " Shinobu dryly stated, internally
giddy at the floodgate of memories washing over him now.
He remembered a plethora of miniscule moments--moments
that, at the time they occurred, seemed to go on
forever--such as long park walks, and swims at the
shore, and moonlit dinners. He smiled to himself as he
remembered these pleasant moments.
"What's with you? These mood swings are really
not like you, " Mitsuru's eyes were bright as he sat by
Shinobu's foot.
"I had a bad dream, " Shinobu answered.
"Well, sometimes the drugs in the hospital do
that, ne?" Mitsuru grinned. "Anyway, the doctors say
that you'll be fine. You broke a few ribs, but they
didn't do any major damage, and your wrist is sprained,
and your ankle, too, but you'll be able to come home, as
long as you stay in bed.
"Promise?" Shinobu's eyes softened.
Mitsuru leaned in close to him, his eyes
twinkling merrily. "Of course."
The door opened, and Akira came in, looking no
different for the years, holding a small bouquette and
followed by Haru. The older man winked at them, lay the
flowers down, then ushered his own lover out the door.
"So we'll see you two when you get home?" he asked over
his shoulder.
"Bye!" Mitsuru cheerily called, then pressed a
soft kiss to Shinobu's forehead. After the door closed,
he sat up, looking down into Shinobu's eyes. A warmth
passed between them, and the blonde lay down next to his
love, snuggling under his chin delicately.
"Love you, " Shinobu cooed softly into the
golden silk near his face. He'd seen life without this
perfection, and was still amazed by how he'd survived.
"Love you so much."
"Love you too, " Mitsuru curled his arm around
Shinobu.
--------------------------------------------------------
