Over the course of the following week, things were hectic. While Hanako was recovering in the hospital and grieving the loss of her brother, Keigo and Enji teamed up to search for Subaru Eijiri.

Subaru was a slippery bastard and it was as though each time they came close to apprehending him, he would get away. Keigo was growing increasingly frustrated, but he tried to keep it from clouding his judgment. After yet another failed attempt to catch Subaru, though, Keigo had to step away for a moment to recollect himself.

Aside from having a massive headache, Hanako was feeling better after the first day but she was to be kept under observation for the remainder of her time in the hospital. She spent that time working with a voice therapist as well, but after years of disuse, her voice would take time to fully recover.

Towards the end of the week, Keigo went to the hospital with a bouquet of azaleas, white clovers, white heathers, and sprigs of sage and rosemary and found Hanako awake in her room. He reached up and knocked on the door of her room, presenting the bouquet to her when she looked over.

"Hey."

Hanako was happy to see him and offered him a smile as he came to her bedside, handing her the bouquet. "Hey."

Keigo's eyes widened with surprise. "You're talking."

Hanako nodded. "Not very well, though. My voice is going to be strained and hoarse for a while, but they have me working with a voice therapist."

"When did this happen?"

"When I woke up," Hanako looked over the bouquet, her smile growing when she saw the thought that went into it. "The doctor believes that the concussion from my accident nine years ago damaged my arcuate fasciculus, the band of nerves that connects the parts of my brain that are key to speech, and that the concussion I'm currently recovering from released whatever pressure had been built around it over the years."

"That's remarkable. How did they not know this before?"

"From what I've been told, the damage wasn't significant enough to be picked up on any of the scans I've had over the years but it was enough to still affect my ability to speak on a neurological level."

"And how is the therapy going?"

"It's going well, I suppose," Hanako sighed, setting the bouquet on the bedside table. "It's been difficult to concentrate on my therapy while the news of Shihei's death still fairly fresh."

Keigo sighed. "Miss Itami... this is all my fault... I'm so sorry you got caught up in this and that your brother..."

Hanako shook her head and patted the chair next to her bed. "It isn't your fault, sir. These things happen, it's the price we pay to live in a world like ours."

"No, you don't understand..." Keigo leaned forward, his face in his hands for a moment. "Subaru Ejiri works for a villain that I thought was long dead, a villain against whom I fought and won. Now he's back and looking for payback..."

"You couldn't have known that he was still alive, so please, don't blame yourself."

Keigo sighed. "But he's my responsibility..." He looked up at her when she reached over to grasp his hand. "I promise I will find Subaru and Nitro. I will make them pay for all of this." His brow furrowed with puzzlement as she smiled and chuckled a bit. "What?"

"I was wondering what promise there was," Hanako explained.

"What do you mean?"

"The white clovers are a symbol of a promise."

Keigo looked down at the bouquet. "Oh, I had no idea. I asked the florist to make a special bouquet for you; that explains the questions she was asking, though."

Hanako stroked the back of his hand with her thumb. "The wonder and power of hanakotoba never ceases to amaze me."

"There's that word again," Keigo noted. "Ryushi was telling me it was the language of flowers here in Japan."

Hanako nodded. "It is. Every flower has meaning behind it, even some plants and herbs do. Like these sprigs of sage and rosemary, for example. Sage is used to convey wishes of good health, wisdom, and respect while rosemary is used to convey desires for remembrance."

"What about the other ones?"

"Azaleas symbolize one's wishes to the recipient that they take care, as well as temperance, fragility, gratitude, passion. White heathers symbolize protection." Hanako could see the look of realization on Keigo's face. "What did you tell the florist?"

"I told her the bouquet was for a friend who was injured and recovering in the hospital, one that had just lost her only family."

"She must have put two and two together, especially given your status as a hero," Hanako surmised. She looked up at him and offered him a grateful smile. "Thank you, sir."

Keigo returned her smile and stood. "I should get back to work; I just wanted to check-in and see how you were doing."

"I appreciate it. The doctor said I have a few more days at least before I should be cleared for discharge, but no promises."

"Just take your time to rest and heal. We'll see you back at work soon enough."

Hanako watched as he started walking away, stopping in the doorway to add, "I intend on seeing that promise through, Miss Itami." She nodded and let her smile grow, trying to hold back the tears that were beginning to brew. "I know, just be careful out there, sir."

And with that, Keigo left Hanako's room and made his way out of the hospital- determined not to let her down.