Chapter 3 : Are You Okay?
It was already dark when Kouta opened his eyes again, and he just realized he was sleeping under an unfamiliar white ceiling. He looked around to hear a gasp and sighs, his sight found Team Baron and Gaim rounded up together. Looks like he was taken into a hospital.
"Kouta!" cried Mai."Thank God you're awake!"
"Kouta-san, are you okay?" asked Micchy, looking as worried as Mai.
The dark-haired man tried to sit up."W-What happened?"
"You didn't remember?" asked Zack."It was too fast so we didn't really saw it.. You jumped in front of the car and we just found you unconscious with the cat."
Kouta shook and suddenly remembered about what he was doing,"Oh yeah! The cat! Is he alright? O-Oh.. and the driver too, is he alright too?It was my fault I didn't thought of anything.."
The girl with the long hair tried to calm Kouta,"Relax Kouta, they were alright. The driver was asked throughly by the police, but he wasn't getting a penalty or something, it's just a normal procedure. The cat was outside with Peco. You know animals aren't allowed in the hospital."
Micchy continued,"You should worry about yourself first, Kouta-san. You're too reckless sometimes.. What are you doing exactly, jumping in front of the car like that? You're lucky this is the only scars you get."
"I.. I was trying to get the cat?" said Kouta sheepishly, knowing that Micchy and Mai would be over-protective of him for a few days later. He noticed he hurt his head and arm. The long gash was indicated by how long the bandage wrapping his right arm, while he didn't felt really hurt on the head part. Maybe it just a bruise, as his finger found some band-aids covering his forehead.
"The doctor said your overall condition is good. We thought it was pretty bad since you blacked out. Apparently you were just shocked or something," added Micchy.
"That was sooo like you, Kouta," said the current Baron leader while laughing." I began to wonder to what extent will you do to save human. Be careful next time, okay?"
Kouta couldn't help but smiled and thanked all of them. After completing some administrative things, they all walked out from the hospital to found the young Baron member trying to get the cat's attention while sitting on the bench.
"Kouta! Are you alright?" cried Peco, he was relieved to watch Kouta on his feet."What happened back there?"
Mai cut Kouta short, "Apparently he was trying to save a cat."
"I see.. Ah, here it is!" Peco handed him the brown and black-striped cat, which looked really smug right now. "I tried to play with it, but it just ignored me.."
Kouta snickered,"Adult cats rarely interested in playing time anymore. But thank you for watching over him, Peco."
"T'was nothing!" beamed Peco."Is that cat yours? I never knew you're a cat person."
"It's not mine," shrugged the ex-Gaim member."I just found it this afternoon and I thought if I followed it, I can meet with his owner. Cats like this breed is pretty rare around, you know?"
Micchy examined the cat."Indeed it is.. It has mane and a very soft fur. It must have a certain pedigree too. How about reporting it into the police?"
"I thought about that too, but since it was already dark, I will do it tomorrow."
This wasn't what Kaito had anticipated. He was too rash trying to contact his team member. Had Kouta not shielded him from the car, he could't imagined what will happened to him. His green-golden eyes glanced at the white bandages and minor bruises that weren't covered by the band-aids. Sliding on a concrete street were never good for the skin. He felt partially guilty, but he could't help it. Kaito was desperate to return to his previous life after all. He turned his head into Zack and Peco, half-hoping that they would discover his identity, but there was always a next time. He had to be patience.
After the two groups bid their goodbyes, Kouta and the cat were finally alone. The bustling sound of people going home and the neon lights kept them company. The cat could felt the suppressed wince as Kouta carried him. Sometimes the dark-haired man was too nice for his own good. Without further hesitation, Kaito easily leaped from the man's grasp, leaving the other confused. "Neko-chan?"
The cat standing still on his right side, eyeing Kouta then averted its glance into the street in front of them. As if he was saying 'lead the way', the tall man took a few strides to see if the cat was still following him. And right back there, the small body trailed behind him. Kouta was glad the cat decided to stay with him, although he really wished knew the reason why. Right now both of them really could use some rest.
Author's Note : Whew.. a lot of people to write.. Actually I just realized that I might have strayed from the timeline in Gaim.
As Kaito's situation in Chapter 1, I imagined it was around the time when he fought with Bravo for the first time. Unfortunately it won't match with this chapter's timeline. Chapter 3 takes a place after the Group Dance Event (on episode 18). So, I concluded that from now on, the next chapter will takes place before Kaito & Kouta infiltrates Yggdrasil, right after the encounter with Prof. Ryoma (episode 19). I already changed some details in Chapter 1, but it doesn't really matter so I don't think you should read it again.
I must apologize if the settings are confusing. I must've rewatch Gaim again before writing..
I want to write more about Gaim members, not just Micchy and Mai.. Sorry for the short chapter, I'm very busy right now ;;X . X