Hello again! I just wanted to start by saying the first few chapters based on meetings in the hospital will be slightly shorter then the average chapter length in the rest of this fic which should be around two thousand words or more from here on out. Thank you to all who left comments and kudos, I really didn't expect this reception and it is really encouraging. Also please forgive me for using the term cloudburst, I'm aware it's over used but I'm a sucker for nostalgia. And without further ado, enjoy!


As Arima walked in the room the next day he noticed an immediate difference in his charge. For one he was sitting up, an improvement over his immobility yesterday. In another when he walked in he wasn't met with the flinching figure Haise had been and was instead treated with a small smile. This may have been caused by the change in the nurse's behavior towards him but then again it could also be attributed to the reduction in the amount of suppressants he had circulating in his blood stream.

"Arima Kishou?" the boy questioned tentatively.

"Just Arima is fine. Hello Haise, how are you feeling today?" asked Arima.

"I'm better, thank you," replied the young man with a grin. His hand remained still on the sheets, indicating that he was, in fact, telling the truth.

"Glad to hear it. Are the nurses treating you well?" Considering that Arima had personally picked out the staff in charge of Haise's case he was sure they would treat him fairly, if not kindly. While he couldn't expect them to treat him as they would the other investigators under their care, it would not do to treat him inhumanly as he was to be considered human, diet aside.

"They're…. good," replied Haise, a hand trailing up to touch his chin.

Arima frowned slightly at the gesture. It would seem he had not been careful enough in his selection. "Just good?" prompted Arima, neither expression nor voice revealing his concern.

"Well… they're quiet and they leave quickly after they're done. I don't know, it's just… lonely." Haise lowered his hand as he spoke.

"I see… Have they done anything to make you uncomfortable?" Asked Arima, a slight warning in his voice that went unnoticed by the boy.

"No, they're fine." Arima hadn't expected to encounter this problem. He would have thought the problem, if there was one to be found, would reside in the staff and not in Haise's need for social interaction.

"Good, in that case, do you have any questions?" Arima had come prepared to interact more with the boy today then with him at the semi-full mental capacity he had had yesterday.

"My eyes… they've been itchy all day. Is that normal?" Haise asked warily.

Arima thought about his question before answering. This must be due to the reduction of the RC suppressants. The nurse stationed at the front of the hospital noted that his RC count had increased during the day. While not entirely surprising in itself, it was alarming that even after a small decrease his eyes were beginning to regenerate. He has seen firsthand the Centipede's healing capabilities and he knew that even in dire conditions he would heal quickly, smooth skin appearing new in a matter of minutes as if no damage had been applied to the area. While Arima wasn't well studied on the topic of ghoul organ replication, he could assume that it would take only a few more hours, if not less, for Haise to regain his sight.

"Yes… They were damaged in your accident but they should be fine soon enough," assured the man.

Haise visibly huffed a sigh of relief at the assurance. He hadn't hoped to believe that he would be able to see again. Especially when given the fact that he had been living what seemed to be most of his life in darkness.

"Any other concerns?" inquired the shinigami obligatorily.

"When can I leave?"

"A few more days and you'll be released as long as you agree to certain terms. You still need to understand your position in life and what it will entail," responded the man with little enthusiasm. Arima had no doubt that the conversation to be had would be one of the most dramatic and crushing realizations the boy would have, at least in recent memory. He had no joy in bringing the hopeful boy into the cruel reality he would face just yet. He would save that for another day.

"I guess that's fair." At that moment Haise's stomach gave off a small gurgle, alarming the man who knew all too intimately what a ghoul's hunger looked like.

"Haise, when was the last time you ate?"

"I don't… don't remember."

Off course he wouldn't as the sludge the staff would have given him would have been forced down his throat in a tube while he was knocked unconscious. The reduction in suppressants may have stimulated his regeneration and increase in mental aptitude, but it came at the price of an increase in appetite.

"I'll have the nurses bring you something," Arima got up to leave the seat he was propped in close to Haise's bed when he felt a small tug on his sleeve. Looking down he could see Haise's hand, complete with black nails hanging onto his sleeve. Arima immediately tensed, free hand ready to open his quinque case in a moment if necessary. He could have it open in just under two seconds in these conditions should the need arrive, but it seemed to be unnecessary as Haise's next words stooped him from taking action.

"Wait, could you stay? For just a moment longer… please?" asked Haise, a slightly embarrassed look gracing his slender face with a pale pink flush appearing on his cheeks.

Arima stopped moving to get up and abruptly sat back down. "Of course," responded the reaper, replacing the case he had clenched in his free hand back on the floor beside his chair. Arima didn't exactly relax back into his seat but he didn't remain with his muscles coiled and ready to spring either.

"What do you want to talk about Haise?"

"I.. um…" it was clear he was stalling. He dreaded the moment his sole companion would leave him alone with the timid nurses who scuttled in and out of the room with darting movements and few words to spare.

Arima, never the conversationalist himself, couldn't stand to see the internal struggle the boy was currently undergoing. So he started with the most basic topic he could think of; the weather. "It's raining today," noted the shinigami.

Clearly not expecting this statement, Haise frowned slightly. A quick buzz floated through the back of his mind but disappeared just as quickly. Half-forgotten kanji characters floated through the apex of his mind, refusing to disappear until he addressed them.

"There's kanji for a word that means a sudden rainfall, I just can't quite remember…" he trailed off as the lines of the figure started to blur in and out of focus in his mind's eye.

"Are you thinking of cloudburst by any chance?" proposed Arima, remembering the particular word from one of the novels he had recently finished.

"Yes," replied Haise with a grin, disappearing soon after. "I can't remember how to draw it though," he stated with a frown. "Do you think you could… draw it for me?"

Arima was confused by the question until Haise proffered his callused palm as a palette. Arima glanced once at Haise's concentrated expression before creating the appropriate line with careful strokes of his index finger, pausing a few seconds between characters so his charge could understand them. When he was done he leaned back, watching as a contented smile formed itself on Haise's lips.

"Cloudburst, sounds right. Thank you," said Haise, voice filled with a gratitude so unknown to Arima that he felt a twinge in his chest he hadn't felt before. He stood up quickly, causing his charge to jump in surprise. "I must be going now. Have a pleasant day Haise. I'll make sure you get some food soon enough."

Haise looked disappointed at the announcement but nodded sadly in response. "Same to you Arima. Will you be back soon?"

Arima gave his usual affirmative nod before remembering that Haise couldn't see the gesture so instead he quietly cleared his throat. "I'll see you tomorrow Haise," replied the reaper, leaving before he could get a response from the young adult.

Arima walked briskly through the halls, stopping only to address the current nurse that his charge was to be fed soon, and properly at that, and left. His finger still tingled from its encounter with Haise's palm. Shaking it off, he walked the rest of the way to his vehicle before driving to the CCG headquarters. Even with the situation at hand, a Shinigami's job could never be pushed off for long.