Chapter 4 - Bedside Matters
"Did you say 'I love you too much to let you go now.' after you hit me?" His brown eyes searched her once radiant ones for the answer, but found only tears and remorse. After a few seconds silence, she tried to look away, but his hand kept her head in the same position. "If you don't want to answer, you don't have to." He sighed. "How long have I been out?" He dropped his hand with a weak smile. 'Thank God he's changing the subject.' She looked at her watch and thought a second. "About three days. You lost a lot of blood." "Really? Wow. How's Mutsumi doing?" He asked to take his mind off his own problems and with other people's. "She'll be fine in a few days. She got a few scrapes, a pulled muscle, and a cracked rib, but nothing she can't bounce back from." "And the girls?" "They're holding up fine. Shinobu is a little frantic, but they seem to be taking it better than I would have thought. Motoko has been wearing herself out at practice and Su is in her room constantly. Probably working on a "Bone-Fixer-Upper" or something like that." They both chuckled at that thought. "Yeah, most likely. How about you? How are you holding up?" A small smile crept across his face. "Huh?" He sat back a little. "Me?... I guess I'm fine." "Have you studied at all?" His grin flickered slightly, anticipating the answer. "Honestly." She looked down again. "No. I haven't thought about much besides you and how I hurt you. I guess I've been too worried to concentrate." His smile became miniscule as she said this. He picked up the glasses on the table next to his bed. 'Guess these are hers, not mine.' "You know that you have to get into Tokyo U this year, right? I'm used to being a ronin. I can handle another year. But I need you to get in this year. I need someone to show the way for me next year. Promise me. Do want three years of studying to be in vain. All those missed opportunities, all that missed fun." By now his voice was raising in anger. "And think of your promise to Mutsumi. I hereby terminate our promise to get in together, just go on without me." Tears started streaming down her face. "No. I will not abandon you. I promise that we will get in together. No matter what." "Naru." His smile brightened while his eyes dimmed a little. His voice dropped in a softer tone. "It's unlikely that I'll get in this year. Don't worry about me and stop torturing yourself by taking all the blame. I should have asked why the fires of hell burned in your eyes instead of running off." They both laughed a little at his joke. "It's probably better that you did. I was able to calm down a lot. If you hadn't, the entirety of the Hinata House would be grieving over their loss. I never wanted you to suffer like this. I wanted you to apologize for what I had thought you had done, so I could just hit you and forget about it, like usual. I wanted you to tell me I was wrong. I wanted to forgive you after a while. When you said you had no clue what I was talking about," her voice started to rise in hysterity, "I wanted you dead. Now I've done something much worse." She started to cry again. "Ple.*hic* please forg.*hic*please forgive me." "Naru.don't cry Naru." He slipped his good arm over her shoulder. "I'll be fine. I'm immortal, right?" She looked up at him, her eyes shining from the water of her tears. Another strange light seemed to emanate from within. "I'll be studying with you in a few days." His voice lowered as he inched his face closer to hers. "I can't stay mad at you too long. That would affect.our.studies." His face was an inch from hers when the door burst open. The ronins shot back like teenagers caught in the act to their original positions as Su bounded into the room. "Hiyas." The blond haired foreigner went to her Big Brother's side. "Whatcha doin'?" Motoko walked in and stood behind her. "You too looked pretty close." Motoko raised her fist over Su's head. "Were you about to get it on?" WHAP!!
End Chapter 4
"Did you say 'I love you too much to let you go now.' after you hit me?" His brown eyes searched her once radiant ones for the answer, but found only tears and remorse. After a few seconds silence, she tried to look away, but his hand kept her head in the same position. "If you don't want to answer, you don't have to." He sighed. "How long have I been out?" He dropped his hand with a weak smile. 'Thank God he's changing the subject.' She looked at her watch and thought a second. "About three days. You lost a lot of blood." "Really? Wow. How's Mutsumi doing?" He asked to take his mind off his own problems and with other people's. "She'll be fine in a few days. She got a few scrapes, a pulled muscle, and a cracked rib, but nothing she can't bounce back from." "And the girls?" "They're holding up fine. Shinobu is a little frantic, but they seem to be taking it better than I would have thought. Motoko has been wearing herself out at practice and Su is in her room constantly. Probably working on a "Bone-Fixer-Upper" or something like that." They both chuckled at that thought. "Yeah, most likely. How about you? How are you holding up?" A small smile crept across his face. "Huh?" He sat back a little. "Me?... I guess I'm fine." "Have you studied at all?" His grin flickered slightly, anticipating the answer. "Honestly." She looked down again. "No. I haven't thought about much besides you and how I hurt you. I guess I've been too worried to concentrate." His smile became miniscule as she said this. He picked up the glasses on the table next to his bed. 'Guess these are hers, not mine.' "You know that you have to get into Tokyo U this year, right? I'm used to being a ronin. I can handle another year. But I need you to get in this year. I need someone to show the way for me next year. Promise me. Do want three years of studying to be in vain. All those missed opportunities, all that missed fun." By now his voice was raising in anger. "And think of your promise to Mutsumi. I hereby terminate our promise to get in together, just go on without me." Tears started streaming down her face. "No. I will not abandon you. I promise that we will get in together. No matter what." "Naru." His smile brightened while his eyes dimmed a little. His voice dropped in a softer tone. "It's unlikely that I'll get in this year. Don't worry about me and stop torturing yourself by taking all the blame. I should have asked why the fires of hell burned in your eyes instead of running off." They both laughed a little at his joke. "It's probably better that you did. I was able to calm down a lot. If you hadn't, the entirety of the Hinata House would be grieving over their loss. I never wanted you to suffer like this. I wanted you to apologize for what I had thought you had done, so I could just hit you and forget about it, like usual. I wanted you to tell me I was wrong. I wanted to forgive you after a while. When you said you had no clue what I was talking about," her voice started to rise in hysterity, "I wanted you dead. Now I've done something much worse." She started to cry again. "Ple.*hic* please forg.*hic*please forgive me." "Naru.don't cry Naru." He slipped his good arm over her shoulder. "I'll be fine. I'm immortal, right?" She looked up at him, her eyes shining from the water of her tears. Another strange light seemed to emanate from within. "I'll be studying with you in a few days." His voice lowered as he inched his face closer to hers. "I can't stay mad at you too long. That would affect.our.studies." His face was an inch from hers when the door burst open. The ronins shot back like teenagers caught in the act to their original positions as Su bounded into the room. "Hiyas." The blond haired foreigner went to her Big Brother's side. "Whatcha doin'?" Motoko walked in and stood behind her. "You too looked pretty close." Motoko raised her fist over Su's head. "Were you about to get it on?" WHAP!!
End Chapter 4
