When Kise slowly blinked his eyes open some four hours later, he found himself in a completely white room with only two generic paintings hanging from the walls. Looking to his side, he found a single chair, and various machines, some working, some turned off. And when he lifted his arm to scratch his neck, he found an IV had been inserted into his skin. He frowned, not quite remembering why he was here.

It was then that a young girl, only a couple of years older than him, entered the room, smiling at him. Her smile wasn't fake, but apologetic, and Kise did not enjoy being pitied.

"Kise Ryouta, I'm glad you're awake. You have a visitor outside waiting for you, but first, your doctor would like to speak with you about some things. We tried to contact your parents, but were unable to reach them. Is there anyone else we can contact? Perhaps another relative, or a friend that lives nearby?"

The blonde's ears perked up at the sound of a visitor, knowing it had to be Aomine. "Um, is the visitor a tall, tan boy? With blue hair?"

She blinked. "Well, yes, but-"

"I live with him."

Clarity flashed in her doe brown eyes before she frowned, looking at the chart in her hands. "Our records say you live with a Kotaro Yori, though."

Kise couldn't help the flinch that came from the name. Though he had shown a lot of progress with handling his situation, to hear his name so unexpectedly still shot a pain through his heart. He smiled, "Yes, but that changed three months ago."

The girl nodded. "Alright, I will speak with, er, what is that boy's name?"

"Aomine Daiki."

She smiled. "Yes, Aomine. The doctor will be with you shortly."

Kise watched disinterestedly as she walked out the door, but he was soon captivated by her conversation. He could barely hear her voice, as it was just above a whisper, but he could distinctly hear Aomine's. Though he couldn't quite make out everything he said. The bits he understood were, "thank God," "Yes, he moved," and the one that scared him the most, "What?"

The blonde cringed into himself as the door flung open, and Aomine stood before him, eyes dark and scowl in place. But something about his appearance didn't set Kise on edge as Kotaro's had. When Kotaro had been upset, his face showed almost no emotion, especially when the two were in public. Aomine's expressions were almost always harsh, as were his words, but Kise had never felt threatened by the tanned man. And this was no different. What Kise felt right now, looking up at his boyfriend, was far from fear. It was regret, pain, worry. He knew that behind Aomine's angered expression, was a boy that had been hurt by how much concern he held for Kise himself.

"Ryouta, why didn't you tell me?"

The blonde blinked. Even the bluenette's words were soft, unlike his grimace. "Tell you what, Daiki-cchi?"

"… Do you really not know?"

Kise's eyes were wide with curiosity, confusion. He shook his head slowly. "I don't know what you're referring to."

Just then, the doctor came in, a small, worried smile on his face. "Hello, Kise, I am Dr. Sato. I am the one that has examined you, and somewhat determined your diagnosis, and I will also be the one you report to in future events."

The blonde's brows furrowed. "Future events? Diagnosis? Sir, with all due respect, I just overworked myself a little. I don't even know why I'm still here."

Dr. Sato paused, sharing a look with Aomine. Looking back to Kise, he sighed. "Kise, your body is showing major signs of malnutrition. This boy here even told the nurse that you haven't been eating hardly at all. Is that true?"

Kise's golden eyes flickered to the bluenette for a mere second, and suddenly, he knew where this was going. "No, I eat."

"Just, not a lot, and not often?"

"I'm a model. I'm on a strict diet-"

"I spoke to your agent, Kise. You're not on a diet, because so far, you've been rather healthy, what with basketball and everything."

The blonde gulped, his heart racing faster in his chest. He could feel the control slipping away from him. Any minute now, he'd break.

"There are also signs of stomach acid on your teeth, though I will admit I'm no dentist. And Aomine, is it? Has told me you've been exceeding your physical limits as of late, as well."

"N-no, I'm fine. I just overdid it."

Dr. Sato smiled sadly, shaking his head. "If you're in denial, I can't treat you."

"In denial of what? I'm fine!"

The room was quiet, the only sound reaching anyone's ears being the harsh pants under the blonde's breath. The doctor looked at the clipboard in his hand.

"I can't be completely certain, what with this being out of my expertise, but I would say Anorexia." He looked to Aomine then, and Kise could tell he was no longer part of the conversation. "I will set up an appointment at a well trusted psychologist's office. I'll make sure that you, or a parent or guardian, will be able to sit in on his sessions. For the first few visits, anyway. For now, I will suggest multivitamins to renew his health. He will need a lot of rest. No exercise for at least a week, plenty of sleep, actual food." He pulled out a sheet, handing it to Aomine. "This is a list of suggested foods that will help him regain the nutrition he's lost, as well as maintain a healthy weight."

"A healthy weight?" Kise asked, astonished.

The doctor turned back to him, frowning. "Yes. Kise, do you know how much you weigh right now?" The blonde paused before shaking his head. "You are currently at the 130 lb. mark."

Kise's brows knitted together. "And?"

"A boy your height should be at least 165. And weight aside, you're nothing but skin and bones. Mostly bones."

The blonde looked down at himself. Yes, he saw the bones the man spoke of, but he also saw imperfection. How was he supposed to prove himself to Kotaro now?

"… There's something else I would like to discuss with you, Kise. But," he looked to the bluenette beside him, "I am required to have that conversation alone."

Aomine paused, hesitantly looking at his boyfriend, but he nodded, leaving the room once more. The doctor sighed lightly, turning back to Kise. He stepped closer to the blonde's bed, sitting in the chair directly to its side.

"Kise, whilst I was examining you, I came across some things rather, disturbing."

The blonde swallowed thickly, trying not to seem as nervous as he felt. "Disturbing?"

He nodded. "Besides all the signs of an eating disorder, I found some minor scars along your body." Kise stiffened immediately, but it didn't appear that the doctor had noticed. "A small, almost vertical line across your pelvis, a circular mark on your shoulder-blade, which appears to me to be a cigarette burn. Even a single slash in the palm of your hand."

Kise held his breath, refusing to look the man in the eye. The doctor sighed, realizing he wouldn't be receiving a response just yet.

"Now, that last one would initially appear to have been an accident, but upon further inspection and coupled with the others, I've come to the conclusion that that simply isn't the case. But you wouldn't have slammed a blade into your own palm, would you?"

Kise laughed softly, his voice low and dark. "Me, hurt myself? I can't stand pain."

Dr. Sato smiled, nodding. "I figured as much. And with how much you've been in recently, I'm sure it's difficult for you to tell me who did this to you."

The blonde held eerily still, biting at the inside of his lip. "How do you know someone intentionally did this to me, though?" he asked, "It could've really been an accident."

The doctor shook his head. "I also took the liberty to examine your wrists more closely, after noticing the way they appeared. I x-rayed the bones, and do you know what I found?" The blonde shook his head, but he didn't want to hear this at all. "Your wrists have been fractured repeatedly. Though they have healed completely now, they have not healed properly. If you don't have surgery to fix your bones soon, your wrists will collapse on themselves, and you won't be able to play basketball again."

Kise's heart seemed to stop in his chest, tears stinging the backs of his eyes. "Dammit…"

"… Can you tell me who did this to you, Kise? If you tell me, I can help."

The blonde shook his head as his tears slowly escaped, despite how hard he tried to hold them back. "I-it doesn't matter," he muttered, "h-he's not in m-my life anymore…"

Though Dr. Sato longed for more information, wanting to make sure whoever had hurt Kise wouldn't ever hurt anyone again, he nodded and kept quiet. If Kise refused to talk to him, there was nothing he could do. He supposed he just had to be grateful the blonde was out of harm's way now.