Mitsui found himself screaming in his bed, tossing and turning while his fists swung in panicking motions in front of him, as if he were combating a demon. Hands grabbed his and pinned them by his head a pair of chocolate colored eyes loomed over him. His screaming stopped, seeing the familiar face of his red head teammate.
"It's a nightmare, it's okay. No need to be fighting air molecules." Sakuragi said, giving him a reassuring smile, hoping to lighten the mood. He was sitting sideways, his torso directly above Mitsui while he held his hands down. He released him and grabbed the bottle of water by the table handing it to him once he was sitting up. Mitsui took long gulps of the cool drink. Sakuragi stood up to take out a small towel from the bathroom shelf and handed one to him, which Mitsui used to wipe off the cold sweat forming on his temples, forehead and neck. "You woke me up. Your screams scared me."
Just as the line flew out of Sakuragi's mouth a nurse popped in to the room. "Is everything all right here?"
"Yes. My roommate was just having a nightmare." Sakuragi said. "He's okay. Nothing to worry about."
The nurse nodded, reassured. "Should there be any problem, just page us by the desk." She left without another word.
Sakuragi turned on the lampshade, the room suddenly illuminated and shadows released from their dark corners. He took the towel and empty bottle of water and disposed of it.
"Six o'clock. Six dreams." Mitsui brought his hands to his face, rubbing the tired muscles. "God, I'm going nuts."
Sakuragi did not press him on the matters. "Don't worry. They're just dreams, they can't hurt you. Just forget about it." Mitsui wished a thousand times that it were that simple. "Ah! But here's a thought for you. The doctor told me that disks on my spinal cord are in line perfectly again. Just one more week of therapy and I'm out of here, of course that doesn't mean I would stop taking oral medication, but heck I'll bear with it as long as I'm out of here!"
"Really?" Mitsui suddenly grinned, feeling for the first time glad that his redhead teammate was going to come out of this forsaken-place they were currently stuck in. "That's great news! Really, I'm glad for you! You will be able to play again right?"
"Well, he said I can, but I should limit myself to half an hour for the next one month. Just to get my bones – especially my back – accustomed to heavy work. Gets?" He said, rubbing the back of his head, grinning happily.
"That's probably one of the best things I've heard since I woke up!" Mitsui said, and they both laughed.
None could go back to sleep. Mitsui, for one, dared not to. He was afraid of what he might dream again, and that sight of the disfigured bloody face pressed harshly against the fiberglass was etched on his memory that he refused to look at any glass surface. He kept his eyes fast down, for whenever he looked at anything that was glass, he could see the face. He never felt so jumpy and so afraid of his own mind before.
Both watched TV till their therapy began.
They never saw each other till the late afternoon of that rainy day.
*
He was dead tired. He did not understand how a few minutes on a treadmill with electrodes attached to your chest could be so exhausting. Plus – flash news! The doctor said that on of his arteries coming to his heart has constricted. That was a shock to him – and as if he needed anymore. The day passed by in a daze because the fact that he had a heart problem has not sunk in completely. The funny thing was, he never felt any pain his chest or showed any symptoms that may lead to a heart problem. But a full body scan that morning showed that he was on his way to heart-disease-lane.
"Heart problems?" Sakuragi cocked an eyebrow, watching as Mitsui rubbed his chest towards the left hand side. "That's weird. I mean, I wasn't expecting something like that. I mean you play basketball and you're not even over weight!"
"I don't know. The doctor can't even point out why I have such a problem." He sighed, taking in a shaky breath.
"Weird. Really weird." Sakuragi shifted his weight on the bed. "So you've packed your stuff right?" Mitsui nodded. "Bet you can't wait to get home huh?"
"Not really." Mitsui said. "Being alone is the last thing I want to do right now."
Sakuragi understood why.
*
Mitsui refused to sleep at all last night. He purposely drank two cups of sugar-less black coffee just so that he could stay awake. He did not want to have any more nightmares. Doctor said that he should avoid stress and those nightmares were enough stress to boost up his ageing speed. Sakuragi was snoring on the bed beside him, oblivious to nearly everything. Well, except perhaps for the stuffed brown bear he was currently hugging and probably squeezing the life out of it. He had laughed his butt off when he saw that bear. He immediately stopped laughing when Sakuragi said that it was the first gift his mother gave him before she past away. The only gift, because she died before he could turn one.
Now, all he did was stare at the ceiling. He thought of turning on the TV and watching reruns on a few anime, but he respected Sakuragi and so he did not. Instead, he listened to the Discman Sakuragi lent him. It was now giving him a warning that the batteries were going to go out. A few minutes later, he was lying there again with nothing else to do.
A grumble in the stomach made him grunt. He had not eaten anything that day. He got up from his bed and pulled on a bathrobe over his pajamas and headed for the hospital's cafeteria. It was deserted – considering that it was already two in the morning – save for the plump bald man watching a replay of the FIFA world cup (Brazil VS Germany). He ordered a sandwich before leaving the man to his TV. He hungrily devoured it while he was in the elevator. When the door opened, a nurse pushing a cart saw him chewing, a piece of lettuce hanging down his chin. She gave him a look of disapproval, before he stepped out and entered his ward. By then, he finished his sandwich and tossed the plastic wrapper into the wastebasket by the nurse's desk.
Once inside the room, he padded to his bed and lay down on his side. He was looking at the window, beside it was a poster of Michael Jordan doing a dunk. Sakuragi adored Michael Jordan because of his fantastic dunks. He tried doing them too, only majority of the times he did, he ended up getting a swollen head from banging it repeatedly on the basketball ring board. He smiled at the memory and snuggled deeper on to his pillow. He suddenly frowned. He could hear sprinkling of water – in the garden's maybe? No, it was a bit rougher. Tap water – the showers! Mitsui's mind screamed. The sound reminded him of the times he shared with his teammates after a heated game or a rough practice when they would be in the showers, tossing the bar soap around and passing the bottle of shampoo. He smiled and closed his eyes again.
The sound footsteps walking on water replaced the sound of the shower.
Ah yes! He thought. When the good ol' boys would be clambering out of the shower room and getting dressed. He was feeling sleepy now. A sigh escape his tired lips. A prickling sensation was upon his back. Something wet was dripping on to his pajamas. His eyes opened and he frowned once more. He reached out for the back of his arm and touched it. It was wet, a bit slippery – like soap.
Soap?
He was frowning even more, disturbed. There were more wet drips falling upon the sleeve of his pajama and it did not stop for the next few minutes. He shifted, slowly turning to his side. He found a hand – a pale white hand with long pianist's fingers wrapped around a white bar of soap. It was being handed to him. He could feel his breath come out in quick gasps. Slowly, he raised his eyes and found a pair dark hollow ones staring down at him, through a curtain of long dark hair that was also wet – thickly wet – and it was dripping on the floor and sheets. He looked down at the sheets and found crimson drops marring the whiteness.
"No." He said, shaking his head. "You're not real." He looked up, hatred in his eyes. "You're not real!"
She was still holding out the soap to him and this time she gave it a little thrust. And drop it in to his hands. "You hold your heart in your hands. As you did mine."
Mitsui frowned and looked at his hands. He found a beating heart in the middle of his hand, and quickly dropped it, scrambling back and falling from his bed. He did not know he was screaming. The heart was white, the blue-violet veins protruding like tree roots from its white meat, the somewhat lout lub-dup sound deafening in his ears. His left arm was beginning to go numb. He could vaguely see the girl moving around the bed and straddling him, wrapping her thing fingers around her neck.
"You liar! You said we were equal halves! Half of the school is mine! Half of the school is mine!" She gnashed out.
"No! No!" Mitsui gasped, feeling pain in his chest. "No!"
*
His eyes shot open and he sat up with a loud yell, his left arm slightly numb and Sakuragi gripping his shoulder. Almost immediately his head whipped on to the other side of the bed, which was above him and floor cold, expecting to find the beating heart lying there. All he saw was clean disinfected gray floors. He swallowed the lump in his throat then looked up at Sakuragi.
"I – I'm sorry. A dream." He mumbled, bringing a hand to his temple. "A bad dream."
"Want to talk about it?" Sakuragi asked, meaning well.
"No. I – I don't. Not just yet." He shook his head as he spoke the words out loud.
Sakuragi nodded. "Well, better get off the floor then. I woke up when you fell. You knocked the vase down." He gestured to crystal vase that was now lying in pieces. Mitsui apologized and shakily got up, not sitting on the bed, but taking the couch. A hand came up to his chest, just where his heart was and he began to rub it gently. It was beating hard under his ribcage, beneath his fingertips. "Are you all right? You're so – so pale. Maybe I should call the doctor."
"No." He said immediately, shaking his head. "You don't have too. Just a little bit shaken from what – what I saw."
"What did you see? Man, I've never seen you like this!" Sakuragi said in a frustrated manner.
"Could you turn on the ceiling lights then?" Mitsui asked.
*
Mitsui was dressed and ready to go home. He was planning to go on his own, but Sakuragi refused to let him go on his own. So, Mito Youhei popped in half an hour before Mitsui was supposed to leave and gave him a cheeky little grin.
"I'll be your chauffeur today monsieur." He said, saluting him, more in a mocking manner than teasing or joking. He and Youhei never really got along – and never did since that incident at the gym.
"What?" Mitsui looked at Sakuragi, who was finishing his fruit yogurt. "You called him – of all people – to take me home?"
"Hey!" Youhei said, protesting.
"Well, he's my best friend. He won't do anything to you. I mean, he's not a sadist – right Youhei?" Youhei frowned at Sakuragi as an answer. "Besides, he's got a scooter. For starters, you haven't got cash with you right now, plus I gave him the keys to your apartment so that he can get it cleaned for you."
"You. Gave. Him. My. Apartment. Keys?" Mitsui said ever so slowly. Youhei pulled out said keys from his jean pocket and waved it at him. He then tossed it in his direction, which he caught easily. "You didn't steal anything did you?"
"No. Nothing worth stealing. Though I must compliment you on your wonderful collection of porn. You even have the 'completely sold out' issue that was released six months ago. None of us could even get a hand on it. I heard it sold out on the first day itself." Youhei shrugged.
"You!" Mitsui howled, turning red immediately. "You touched my porn! That was my favorite! How dare you?" Youhei blinked. "And you!" He turned to Sakuragi and pinched his ears, causing the red head to yelp. "This is your entire doing! You nosy little git! What else did you tell him to do?"
"Well, nothing. Just that I guess." Youhei said, shrugging. "Come on, senior. Let's get you home." Youhei picked up Mitsui's sportsbag and left the room. "See ya' Hanamichi!"
Sakuragi waved a hand. Mitsui gave him a death glare before heading for the door. "You're not mad are you?"
Mitsui left the room, slamming the door. Sakuragi sighed, feeling suddenly unwanted and horrible. He stared at his hands, not really intending to upset the now pissed-off shooting guard. The door suddenly opened and Mitsui's head popped. "I'll bring you something tomorrow." His head was then gone.
Sakuragi then threw his head back, laughing.
*
Mitsui found his house – well what could he say? – clean. Clean and empty. There was no sign of life anywhere and it was spotless. Youhei went directly in to his room and placed his bag down by the foot of the bed. The sheets were clean, the curtains washed and pressed, the carpets vacuumed. He opened the closet and found that all his clothes were inside, hanged and folded, all of them ironed.
"Hey thanks." Mitsui said, turning to Youhei.
"Hey come on." He said shoving his hands in to his jean pockets. "It's the least we could do." Silence hand upon the both of them, Youhei sighed. "Look, I know we did not really get along at the beginning and stuff, but you really had us all worried. I mean it." Mitsui's lips twitched to a smile. "Sakuragi tells me you want to get a haircut? I know a friend who can give you what you want for a good price."
"Yeah?"
"Well, that is if you want." He shrugged again.
"Lead the way."
*
Mitsui could feel the wind on his face and the back of his neck. He got it cropped, and now, when he looked at the mirror, he could see his once handsome face, eyes hollow than normal. "Ah! Good to feel the air again."
"Suits you better than the long one. I swear, you look like you're wearing a wig." Youhei said, shaking his head. Mitsui burst out laughing. It was pretty funny, because he remembered Tetsuo saying the same thing long time ago. "Hey I'm starved. I bet you are too. I mean, you look like you could fit in to a girl's uniform." Mitsui threw him a dirty look. "Want to eat pizza? I think I have enough cash with me now."
"You're paying?" Mitsui asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah." Youhei said. "Hey, you got cable in your apartment. I'll call for pizza and we'll watch a movie. That all right?"
"Fine with me." Mitsui shrugged.
Once in the apartment, with the box of pizza and the movie starring Pamela Anderson on the twenty-one inch screen TV, they enjoyed each other's company even more. Mitsui learned that Youhei was not such a bad guy, In fact, he was pretty cool and he could see why Sakuragi enjoyed hanging out with this guy.
He tossed the last pizza crust in to the open box and took a long swig from the can of Sprite he had beside him. "Be right back." He said and got to his feet, heading for the bathroom to wash his hands. He was soaping his hands then rinsing them when he suddenly felt his eyes burn again. Frowning, he bent over the sink and rinsed his eyes with water. He was hissing as the burning sensation grew more. He did not know how long he's been rinsing it but gradually the pain went away. He groped for the towel by the hanger and dried his face with it. He stood his full height and dried his neck as well. He looked around him, blinking several times, for the entire bathroom was filled with steam. He looked about and tried to clear the mirror before him. He stopped when he felt his toes dipped in water. He looked down and saw crimson water flooding the bathroom floor. He approached the bathtub and found it filled with thick red liquid. Feeling fear rise in his throat, he turned around to run outside, to go to Youhei, to ask for help – to be with someone who is not a figment of his imagination.
A pair hands grabbed him by the front of his face as soon as he turned around and pulled him down. "Youhei!" He yelled out loud, before falling in to a sea of red. He began to struggle to get up from his own bath tub – he even made sure he had a nice long blue one – but in vain. Someone was on top of him, straddling him and there were hands around his neck. Black hair floated all around him and when he opened his eyes, he found a wrinkled skin of a girl staring down at him, an eye missing and mouth open in a snarl.
"Youhei!" He yelled out in the water, before the gray face that was blotched with brown moldy spots and wrinkled from being in water too long snarled loudly in his face.
TBC
Well, dear readers. I tried to cut back on scary stuff (simply because my mind is completely dry). I want to thank everyone for reading – issei, Rumiko, Mayumi, Miyhara Yuuki and all the new reviewers! I love you guys all! Hope this ain't too scary. I am still thinking about the YAOI part, but the chances are low. I guess because I want to show more love in friendship and teamwork rather than love, love. But we'll see okay? I might make two endings, or I might not. Still pending. I think there will be around about six more chapters, or I might drag it up till fourteen – Mitsui's number.
Once again, thanks for reading! I love you all!