Sulking, Kagami stood, gently depositing the phone on the nightstand next to the bed. Really, sometimes Tendou made him feel like a guilty child. It wasn't like he'd asked for his help in the first place! If he was such a bother, then Kagami could leave!

Kagami's shoulders slumped at that thought. It…wasn't right to be so ungrateful. Whether Tendou had felt an obligation to assist a fellow Rider or not…it still didn't change the fact that Kagami was in his debt. But then…when wasn't Kagami in the man's debt? He'd been saving Kagami since the day they first met. Even if Tendou claimed ever after that his only goal was to destroy all Worms, not save foolish people who didn't bother to escape when faced by a giant bug like space creature.

Cracking a shoulder, Kagami realized that all the effort he'd just exerted to relax his muscles had been wasted thanks to the last few stressed moments. Rubbing the back of his stiff neck he glanced at the door to the bathroom. An idea struck him. Perhaps…he could take a shower? He wasn't feeling patient enough for a bath but hot water sounded heavenly right about now.

But first…he had to get rid of the mummy-like wrappings on his chest. The small band-aids could stay but the gauze bandages weren't waterproof. Wishing he had a pair of scissors handy, Kagami groped around his torso, looking for the tied down area of the bandage. Perhaps it was along the top of the shoulder??

He'd like to think he didn't shudder too much when he felt another pair of hands joining his; sliding along the back of his neck lightly. Kagami jerked his hands back as soon as their fingers brushed, and Tendou made short work of the connecting ends of the bandages. Turning around, Kagami watched as Tendou set the first aid kit he had fetched onto the bed. He watched, stunned as Tendou started pulling out the necessary accoutrements, then snapped out of it raising a hand like he was back in school trying to get sensei's attention.

"Uh…I was thinking…I could take a shower"

Tendou paused while taking out the salve and nodded.

"Go ahead. Just make sure to clean thoroughly. "

Rolling his eyes, just a little bit, Kagami started unwrap the bandages from around his chest. It was slow going, he couldn't bend all the way and the bandages stuck in some places. He had gotten halfway through when Tendou's fingers once again brushed his aside. Ah, yes. Scissors would probably work best for this. Kagami tried not to shiver as the cold metal brushed his skin, cutting through the sweat stained gauze. He tried not to wince when the sticky bandages pulled a bit at his skin. Tendou gathered the wrappings in a bundle and step aside. Kagami took this as his cue to go wash up. With one last glance at the Tendou, who had his back to him, concentrating on whatever he was doing, Kagami closed himself inside the bathroom.

Shedding pants and underwear, Kagami looked about for the place to put them, feeling that the sanctity of the Tendou bathroom should remain intact. Feeling a bit relieved when he spotted a hamper, he deposited his dirty clothes in it. Pausing to look in the mirror as he crossed the room to the shower, Kagami realized that he looked better than the last time he'd studied his reflection. His face wasn't as exhausted and the smaller cuts and bruises had already healed over. Perhaps Tendou'd been onto something when he said that good food led to good health.

Opening one of the semi-opaque doors, he stepped into the shower. Looking around at the clean white tile, Kagami marveled again at the type of bathrooms such big houses contained. The showerhead was one of those "rainforest" types that poured water down from overhead. It took a few minutes of experimentation with the taps, but he managed to finally get water at a comfortable temperature and pressure.

He was also surprised to see that there was big selection of shampoos, conditioners and soaps. A bit intimidated at the large choice, he reached randomly for a bottle; pouring some onto a washcloth. His nose was assaulted by an incredibly sweet smell.

…The soap was…bubble gum scented? Well, he definitely was seeing a lot of new sides to Tendou these past few days!

The salve for his worst cuts had solidified into dry smears all over his chest. Scrubbing as hard as he could without rubbing the scabbed over skin raw, Kagami noticed that his injuries looked a lot better. The bruises around the hurt areas had faded a lot and it no longer stung when he touched the gouged injuries. Finished with the task of cleaning his body, he reached for one of the various shampoos. Which one to use?? He didn't want to smell like candy all over. Tendou would tease him for sure. Probably say something like "What a sweet fellow". Determined now, Kagami picked up a dark bottle and looked at the label; green tea shampoo? That sounded good; he set to work washing his hair. When he was finished with that, he walked directly under the spray to rinse it out. He stayed that way for a few minutes, head tilted back with his eyes closed, just letting the water run down his bare skin. It felt so good. He was so relaxed he felt drowsy.

In much better spirits, Kagami opened the door to the shower and started to step out.

And then saw Tendou standing there, back to him, setting down a towel and clothes on the sink counter.

"UWAH!" Kagami scrabbled backwards into the shower, covering important bits. Even if Tendou had his back turned…Did the man have a different concept of privacy than regular people?! That'd explain some things.

Tendou, who hadn't even looked up at the noise, continued what he was doing before walking back out.

But not before making one last remark. Of course.

"Don't play around in the shower. You could slip and break something."

Kagami was pretty certain he saw the ghost of a smile on the man's face as he closed the door.

Only dressing from waist down, Kagami slipped out of the bathroom, resolving to explain things like "personal space bubble" to Tendou as he redressed his wounds.

Only to find the man in question…missing. A fresh set of bandages was on the bed but…

A knock at the door.

"Ah…come in??"

"Well, well! I see you're in better health today. Good morning, young man."

"Good morning, Dr. Hirofumi."

"I got a call from young Souji a little while ago. He asked if I would check up on you."

"I see." But where had he gone?? The older man laughed as he directed Kagami to lift his arms so he could start the examination. Carefully pressing against certain areas, the doctor continued the conversation.

"I was quite surprised, actually. That boy is as capable as I am in treating such injuries. But, he said he was being called away for work."

Ah, Kagami frowned slightly. Tendou had gone off to fight again. He hoped he'd gotten enough rest. He winced a bit as the other man padded against a sore spot. Nodding to himself, the doctor then set to applying salve to the injuries.

"But, how strange! I didn't know young Souji had gotten a job! I'm sure Madame Tendou would have mentioned it on her last checkup. Do you know where he's working, Kagami-san?"

"He…um…he does freelance work for my organization…" Kagami trailed off, not wanting to get too detailed.

"Oh? What sort of organization is it?"

"…Security." Kagami hoped that his words didn't come back at to haunt him. He wished he'd just not said anything at all. But…he really was terrible at hiding things. And he found he couldn't keep things from the searching gaze of the doctor. The man probably dealt with a lot of stubborn patients. He was the "Tendou family doctor", after all. Kagami tried not to grin at the mental image of a young Tendou Souji trying to convince the doctor he wasn't sick enough to stay home from school. At any rate, if he'd sensed anything but caring concern from the older man, Kagami wouldn't have tried to give him something to allay his worry.

Done with redressing Kagami's wounds, Dr. Hirofumi wiped his hands on a cloth. Standing up, he patted Kagami on the shoulder.

"Well! It seems you're healing nicely, Kagami-san! Forgive my sudden departure, but I have a few appointments back at my clinic…"

"Thank you for your trouble, Doctor."

"Please give young Jyuka my regards"

"Of course." Kagami was relieved the man hadn't questioned him further.

When the doctor paused at the door, however, Kagami felt a moment of panic at the thought expression on the older man's face.

"Kagami-san…"

"…Yes?"

"I'm not sure what young Souji has been up to lately…but, since you seem to work together, could you watch out for him? From time to time?"

Kagami stilled. He wasn't sure he could make that promise. Or if he even needed to.

"I'll…do my best, sir"

"I'm sure you will, young man, I'm sure you will." And with a parting smile, he left.

Kagami sighed and looked around for one of the books Jyuka had brought to the room. It was going to be another long day of solitude.

He had a feeling he wouldn't be seeing Tendou for while.