Title: Blindsided
By: Kibethan
Disclaimer: Do you think I own it? I certainly hope not. I thought you were smarter than that!
Summary: Yuki isn't exactly a favorite in the public's eye, so his editor decides to shape him up to seem like a good guy by volunteering him to volunteer at a hospital. What will happen when he meets a particularly interesting patient by the name of Shindou Shuichi?
Half-warning: Mild, mild, swearing
Previously, on "Blindsided"
"He didn't accept it," he said quietly. All of the kids looked at him in shock.
"What?"
"He didn't accept the apology. I told him to keep the bear anyway."
"Why?"
"As a companion. He never gets any visitors, and I'm never going to go back in there again."
Chapter 5
Sometimes it Pays to Walk in the Rain
The kids gasped. All of them; in unison. It was funny really, to watch kids gasp all at once because it was something that did not happen very often. Yet, here it was, happening, right in Tokyo's own hospital. It was bigger a gasp than the gasp they had let out when Yuki had told him that Shuichi hadn't accepted it, and that was saying something.
All of them figured that since Yuki had spent so much time trying to find the perfect teddy bear that he would try to be with Shuichi forever. He was Shuichi's prince charming, right? Wasn't that why you spent hours trying to come up with the perfect apology?
It just wasn't logical. There had to be some mistake. However, most of the kids were self-centered and wouldn't usually care, and, actually, the only reason why the kids really did care, though, was because they had seen the look in Yuki's eyes when he had come back rejected. Even if they were kids, the older ones could see the sadness and wanted to help him. The younger ones, always to follow the suit of the older ones, immediately began trying to help too.
Yuki was dead set against going into Shuichi's room again. His ears were deaf to the kids' reasons why he should go back. He just didn't care anymore. He didn't care that his best efforts at an apology –one of the few apologies that he's ever attempted to make- didn't work. He didn't care that the kids were trying to get him to go back in. And he didn't care that Shuichi would be all alone in his room. After all, Yuki had tried.
He did, however, care that his nicotine level was starting to go down and with all the stress that had just happened to him, he needed a cigarette; badly. He was in the children's playroom in the fifth floor of a hospital. He certainly couldn't smoke in the room, but there was no way in hell that he was going to go all the way down the elevator and out the doors just for a smoke.
No. No way.
Instead, he decided on a compromise. He was stay in the hospital but he would leave the playroom. That way the kids wouldn't pick up his nasty habit, but he could get to his cigarette faster.
He walked to the back of the playroom, emptying his pockets looking for where his cigarettes were that he knew he put in his jacket yesterday. Finally his hand located the box and he slipped one out, admiring its beauty. He knew that they were slowly killing him, but currently it didn't matter. His hand then started to search all of his pockets for a lighter.
He felt around and around and around but for the life of him he couldn't seem to find one. After what seemed like five minutes of searching for one damn lighter his hand finally fell into a pocket that he had forgotten about and found it. All was joyous. The birds were singing and the sun was shining; Yuki was finally going to get to have his cigarette. He completely forgot about the stuff that had been in his pockets.
"I'll be right back," he told the kids in the room.
"Are you going to see Shuichi?" they asked innocently.
"No."
"Come on!" they pleaded, "Go see him! He needs company!"
"If you're so desperate for him to have company, why don't you go?" Yuki suggested. He knew it was wrong to get into a fight with the kids, but damnit, they were starting to piss him off. "I'll be right back," he repeated again, opening up the bright door. Yuki stepped out into the hallway. He didn't want to go anywhere near Shuichi's door any more than he had to, so he opted to walk the other way down the hall.
He finally found a place that seemed rather secluded.
He raised the cigarette up to his lips, pausing slightly, as to tease himself. He lit the lighter and raised it up to the cigarette. Unfortunately, Yuki's bad luck streak was running longer than planned and around the corner came none other than Ezaniya Akinori.
Smoking definitely wasn't allowed in hospital and when Akinori saw what Yuki was about to do, he smacked his hand making the lighter drop to the floor. Yuki's cigarette remained unlit.
"What are you doing?!" Akinori asked him incredulously. He refused to believe that someone would be stupid enough to smoke in a hospital. Yuki, so angry that he went into shock, stared longingly towards the lighter that was on the floor. His cigarette remained at his lips as if by some miracle it would magically light.
"I'm smoking," he said to Akinori calmly, still looking at the lighter that was lying on the ground.
"There's no smoking in the hospital!" Akinori chided him. He grabbed the lighter and the cigarette. "I'm confiscating these," he said. Yuki's eyes widened. He hadn't had things confiscated from him since high school. And, ironically, it had been a lighter and a cigarette then too. He just didn't seem to have any luck with keeping them. The one that Akinori had taken was his fifth one is three months. He kept losing them.
No matter, he could just buy another one when he got home. Of course, that didn't solve his nicotine craving that he was currently having. There was a reason that he had wanted to have that cigarette.
It would've made him calmer for the rest of the day. Now he was going to have to attempt to keep his temper in check while he worked with the kids. There was little doubt in his mind that they were going to keep pestering him to go back to Shuichi and after having a cigarette; he might've been able to deal with it. However, since no cigarette was had, it was going to be hell.
Akinori had already walked away; he was going to put the stuff in his office before he continued what he had been doing. Yuki wasn't sure what to do next. He could go back into the playroom, which he knew he was going to have to do eventually but was dreading. Or he could just stand there like an idiot. He could also see if Shuichi was all right, but he knew that that wasn't going to be happening any time soon.
Out of all the options that he had to choose from, going back into the playroom seemed like the best idea, even if it did give him a headache. As long as he could control his temper, life would be just great.
Giving himself a pep talk, he marched into the playroom. The kids had started to get used to his presence and were getting comfortable around him. And, as much as he hated to admit it, he was starting to become more comfortable around them as well. Playing with them was getting more and more relaxing. Sure, he had to break up the occasional fight, but besides that all was well. After all, what's more relaxing than doing a puzzle, or playing a game –even if he had to lose on purpose?
A little girl –she looked about six- with a noticeable limp walked up to him with a puzzle stretched out in her arms. Not even needing to say a word the two of them began to work on said puzzle.
The puzzle was a lot harder than it had looked at first glance and Yuki found himself working on the puzzle with the girl for a long time. They had also gathered some other kids to help them, but it hadn't gone any faster. By the time that Yuki finally finished the puzzle (a beautiful picture of two kitties), it was time for him to go home. He was glad that the kids hadn't pestered him like he thought that they would have.
As soon as he started leaving, the kids started to get worried.
"You're going to come back, right?" they asked him uncertainly. Yuki furrowed his eyebrows.
"Of course I'm going to come back," he said in a surprised voice. The kids kept asking him over and over if he was going to come back. Finally, he was starting to lose his cool. "What don't you think that I'm going to come back?" he asked them in a slightly annoyed voice.
"Because, you're not going to go back to Shuichi's room."
Yuki was shocked by the reply, but quickly got over it.
"I'm not going to never come back," he said again, a little quieter than before. He turned around a marched out the door. In his haste to leave he managed to accidentally leave the stuff that he had had in his pockets in the playroom.
Twenty minutes later, after a brisk walk through the cold, Yuki found himself back at his apartment. Remembering that his editor had wanted him to call her every time that he got back from volunteering he made a beeline towards his phone. The answering machine showed that he had no messages, which meant that his editor trusted him to call her. He didn't really want to break her trust, especially if it could mean his job, so he picked up and dialed the phone.
It rang once, it rang twice, and it rang three times. It was about to go to the machine when she finally picked up.
"Hello, Yuki," she said warmly, "How was your day?"
"It was hell, again, thanks for asking," he said.
"Why was it hell this time?" his editor asked in mock sympathy.
"The kid that I insulted two days ago didn't forgive me when I tried to apologize today," Yuki found himself telling his editor all about how his day had been. Unbeknownst to him, his editor was diligently noting everything that he said. She wanted to record any changed that might happen during the time that Yuki volunteered. After all, there were supposed to be some changes, right?
After Yuki had finished telling his editor his day's story, he hung up the phone. He immediately searched around for a cigarette. He wanted one so badly. He found a pack and he drew one out. There was a lighter by his hand and he lit the stick. For seven minutes Yuki was in absolute heaven, his nicotine craving waning dramatically. After he had finished the cigarette, he was at a loss about what he could do. His mind was drawing blanks on a suitable activity.
His eyes widened as he smacked his palm against his forehead. He was a writer; he should definitely write. He couldn't believe that he had almost forgotten what his profession was. Sure, he didn't have a due date coming up any time soon. His editor had postponed all his due dates because she knew he wouldn't have as much time as he normally would have had due to the volunteer work that he was doing. But that didn't mean that he couldn't get ahead on what he had to do. Full of resolve he walked into his study, fully prepared to get some writing done.
He sat down at his computer, opened the document that contained his latest story and just sat there. And sat there. And sat there. He mentally thought of things that he could make happen, but none of the ideas he liked enough to actually type them out. The great Yuki Eiri had a horrible case of writers block.
It didn't help that his mind kept drifting back to the day's events, mostly the rejection. It had hurt a lot, and even hours later; it still hurt no matter how much he managed to hide it. It was the first time that he had ever been rejected and Yuki was sure that he never ever wanted to experience that feeling again.
As it got later and later Yuki still sat at his computer, just staring at the screen, not typing anything. In the hours that he had been sitting there, he was written nothing. It bothered him a little to know that he had such bad writer's block, especially when he thought that he was immune to it.
Two hours later, with still nothing written, Yuki decided to just call it quits. He was beginning to get a little tired –writing nothing for hours can do that to you- and he laid his head down on the computer desk. Within minutes he was fast asleep.
Yuki's eyes blearily blinked opened. He was surprised to find himself staring at his computer screen. Had he fallen asleep in the computer room? It was comical, really. He blinked trying to clear his eyes. It wasn't really working, but he wasn't that worried.
He was, however, quite happy that he got the day off. He didn't have to go to that blasted hospital and that alone made his day. In fact, he decided that after he had taken a shower he would go out. Have a day on the town. Maybe he would find something interesting to do there. There had to be something he could do.
He certainly wasn't getting any flashing ideas for his story so he figured that he would just bag the idea of writing for the day. If Yuki was not inspired to write, then the story would turn out awful.
He hopped into the shower. Once again, it was quite cold. Yuki didn't mind horribly, but he was a little bit annoyed. He got out of the shower quickly and got dressed into some warm clothes. He started looking around for his wallet and keys.
His keys he found instantly; they were, after all, exactly where he had left them that morning. His wallet, however, was nowhere to be found. He looked around and around trying to figure out where it could have gone. He mined his memory for where he might have put it. He was drawing blanks left and right.
He rummaged through his jacket, seeming to remember that that was the last place that he had seen it. Unfortunately, it wasn't there. In fact, it wasn't anywhere. Yuki had turned his apartment up and down looking for the damn wallet and it wasn't there. He tried, yet again, to remember where it might have been. Perhaps he had been mugged and he didn't know it? He moved to call the police when he remembered.
The cigarettes. He had pulled out his wallet when he was searching for the cigarettes. They were at the hospital and it was the entire cigarettes fault. If he had had half a mind he would've quit right then and there for what they were doing to him.
Yuki sat down on the couch trying to figure out if it was worth it to go to the hospital to get the wallet. Sure, he couldn't get anything anywhere without it, but he really didn't want to go to the hospital.
Besides, he could –Yuki looked around- sit on the couch some more. Or he could attempt to write. He could even clean. Even to him the options seemed bleak and he figured out that he had to go to the hospital, no matter how much he didn't want to.
Groaning loudly he exited his apartment, very much pissed. The weather matched his mood perfectly. When he had woken up that morning it had been bright and sunny, the perfect day. Currently, there were dark clouds in the sky that threatened to pour down rain. Yuki hurried along, hoping to beat the rain. He didn't. He was less than halfway to the hospital when it started to pour.
It was absolutely pouring. Yuki was getting soaking wet. He knew that he shouldn't have gone to the hospital. He should've just taken his chance with the dust bunnies in his house. At least they didn't make him cold.
But, since he was already on his way there, Yuki continued. Finally, after he was thoroughly drenched, he walked through the sliding glass doors of Tokyo General Hospital.
Shaking off as much as the excess water as he could, he walked into the elevator. He had an objective. Get in; get out. The faster that he was out of that hospital the better. He marched into the playroom, ignoring the look of all the kids. He went right to where his stuff was laying; thankfully it was still lying in the same place and grabbed it, carefully stuffing it in his pocket.
He then proceeded to walk out of the playroom.
"In, out, in, out," he chanted to himself quietly as he made his way through the room. The kids were in so much shock that he had come back so soon that they didn't even bother him.
He continued on walked down the hall, his eyes directed down. He did not want to stay in the hospital any longer than he had to.
Since he had his head down, he walked past Shuichi's room without realizing that the door to it was open.
He was about 10 meters past it when he heard the sound of running feet. He turned around just in time to see a bundle of pink hair come flying at him.
Shuichi hit him going fast. Somehow, though, Yuki managed to not fall. He was in shock, though, as to why Shuichi was chasing him.
"I'm sorry," Shuichi mumbled.
"What?" Yuki asked Shuichi.
"I'm sorry for not accepting your apology. It was stupid of me. I'm sorry," Shuichi repeated. Yuki was thoroughly confused. This was the same guy that completely yelled at him the day before.
"Do you know who you're talking to?"
"You're the one who gave me the teddy bear."
"And, you're apologizing to me?" Yuki asked, still in shock. He couldn't believe that that was happening.
"Yes," Shuichi repeated for the last time, "I'm so sorry."
End Chapter 5
...I realize that it's been a while...but we're all friends, right? In fact, I'm willing to overlook the fact that I didn't manage to get 110 reviews. Although, I'm almost there. I'm happy, though, that the average is over 25 reviews a chapter, which is really my goal, but extra reviews are always nice.
Anyway! I'm here to give you an excuse, because I feel that you guys deserve it. I promise, that I am not making this up. I was all prepared to write before school started, was gonna write another chapter, when "BAM", school starts, and all of a sudden I'm thrust into the 18 credit lifeand the joys of teaching my own step aerobics and cycling class at the local YMCA. Needless to say, I'm rather busy. On the plus side, I'm taking a creative writing class, so hopeful my writing will get better...with any luck...
I have a life! That's my excuse.
Anway, onto a review of reviews:
Lily Avalon: Trust me, it wasn't too big of a request, but I just didn't manage to get it out by then. I felt so bad too because I kept your review in mind, Crazi 4 Grasper: I'm glad you like!, tammy: I'm glad that you still like it. As soon as I come up with a question, you'll be the first person I ask, clari chan: I'm glad that you like it, Dark Mimiru-chan: Would you not go depressive after being blinded?, Johnny-Depp-Luv: Sorry it took so long!, Reese: of course, I'm 100 Yu/Shu, xxPetalsAndThorns9xx: Wow...I'm never thought of that. Though, it's always on my mind now. Thanks for the constructive criticism, CassiToTheStars: I'm glad that you like it, koo: Hurray!, Mizuky-chan: of course!, Falcon Zanbandia of Nightmares: Hurray! I'm glad that you liked it!, Kitsune Thief: No worries, no worries, Shuuichi-chan: Thank you! You just boosted my ego, like, a hundred points, goku-the-saru: not for you! for Shuichi! How are you doing in 102, by the way?, Silver on the Tree: Yay, I'm glad that you enjoyed it!, Soralover1: I know who you are, no worries, Sliefoxx: I'm glad that you liked it. I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't as good, Syaoran is kawaii: Yay! That makes me so happy!, DarrkKatt:both!,sakura blossoms4: I'm glad that you like it!,LilAngel12558: Yes, Ryu-chan is an idiot, Needlepoint:Here is my update!, Ivin Artemis Draconis: Kind of funny, I update on the day that you review...
That's it!...I did it!..
Well, that's it for now.
If I missed anyone, well, ごめんなさい。 忙しいですよ。
Until next time, which hopefully won't be that long from now.
じゃね
Ki-chan
p.s. ｶﾞｸﾄが大好きよ
Feel free to chat with me on AIM, my name is Kibethan.