Visibility

By: Aviantei

Chapter 14: Hospital Flowers

The voice of the new arrival to the hospital room was female, although it wasn't anyone that Airi recognized. It did appear, if the newcomer's words were anything to go by, that she did know Tetsuya. There was a faint coil of jealousy in Airi's gut, but she forced it to relax. Out of all the possible things, that was not the one that needed to be focused on right now.

"I'm sorry," Airi said, "but I don't believe I know you. Have we met before?" She only asked because there was a chance. However, it was faint, but Airi thought the other girl's head shake from across the room.

"You're right, we haven't," the girl confirmed. Her voice was light, a bit higher pitched than Airi's own. However, it was pleasant, almost like wind chimes. "My name is Kaizuto Megumi. It's nice to meet you, Watanabe-san."

Airi started at the sound of her name, but bowed her head regardless. There was no point in an introduction if she was already known. It was concerning a bit, but since her name was next to the door, getting too worked up over it wasn't the proper response.

"Why did you come here, Kaizuto-san?" Tetsuya asked. The question was far less pointed than it had been towards Miura. Airi relaxed a bit more. Kaizuto could be trusted. "It's nice of you to visit, but…" Tetsuya trailed off, not providing what had seemed like it would have been an objection.

"Akashi-kun sent me," Kaizuto provided, her voice still coming from across the room. She hadn't shut the door, either. "He knows you didn't ask for help, but he still wants to offer it if you need it. He's been busy with the student council and the basketball team, though, so I offered to do it." Her voice shook a bit, but Airi could still hear the pride in it.

So she knew Akashi, then. Airi had yet to meet the rest of Tetsuya's middle school teammates aside from Kise, but she had asked about them. There hadn't been time to learn too much, but at the very least she could recognize their names.

"You told your teammates?" Airi asked, curious. Tetsuya blushed a bit, shifting in his seat. Miura was now the onlooker, keeping to silence.

"Everyone seemed so surprised that I had found a girlfriend," Tetsuya supplied, a bit of frustration slipping into his voice. It was faint, but it was there. "They kept asking me how things were going, so I told them." Airi smiled. Hearing that Tetsuya talked about her made her happy, and he was cute like this. "Akashi-kun told you, though?"

Kaizuto let out a small noise at the question. "Ah, yes…" Even with her hesitation, she managed to sound happy. Airi wished the girl would come closer so it would be easier to guess her body language, but kept the request to herself. "I'm sorry to pry, Watanabe-san, but do you know when you'll be fit to leave?"

Airi's head turned down, and she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I haven't been given a discharge date yet," she said. It was frustrating, not knowing the exact amount of time she would have to be confined to a bed, but it was just something she would have to deal with it. Besides, it would be easier to return to school when Youta and Tetsuya were both with her, when everyone was there. "They did estimate that it shouldn't take more than a week, though."

"I see. That'll be too late, then," Kaizuto said. Tetsuya's head tilted a bit to the side, and Airi smiled a bit. It was such a subtle motion, but she had still caught onto it. "Like I said, Akashi-kun has his hands full right now. If you would still be here, he was interested in meeting you… Ah, not to say that it isn't a good thing that you'll be out soon."

Airi smiled a bit more. Kaizuto had almost seemed monotone beforehand, but just now her voice had quivered. It wasn't funny that she was nervous, but it was reassuring there was a person under there.

"If Akashi-kun wanted to meet Airi-san, he could have just said so," Tetsuya said. So then Akashi wasn't the type to be honest with his feelings. "I'll be sure to talk to him. If Airi-san's alright with it, we can visit sometime." Airi nodded her consent. After meeting Kise, she had been interested in getting to know all of Tetsuya's former teammates, even if she hadn't met up with the blonde since. "I'm sorry he sent you all the way out here, Kaizuto-san. He really should have just told me so."

"No, it's fine!" Judging by the way her voice shifted, Kaizuto was shaking her head. "He really just needs people to do things for him right now, so I'll do what I can." Once again, there was that pride, even if it was a bit weak. "That and I never got the chance to thank you, Kuroko-san."

"Thank him?" Airi asked, speaking before she could stop herself. She covered her mouth with a hand embarrassed. She hadn't wanted to interrupt, but there was enough context missing in this conversation that she couldn't take it. "Sorry…"

"You don't have to apologize." Tetsuya put his hand on Airi's arm. Kaizuto paused before continuing. "Kuroko-san just helped Akashi-kun last year. He helped me, too." For a moment, enough warmth entered her voice that Airi wanted to believe Kaizuto was smiling. "Akashi-kun hasn't said anything, but he is grateful. And so am I. So thank you very much, Kuroko-san."

This time, Airi kept silent. If there was a story, it would take too much time to explain. Tetsuya would probably tell her later if she bothered to ask.

"I really don't think I did much," Tetsuya said. "But I'm glad that Akashi-kun is feeling better. Please keep taking care of him, Kaizuto-san."

"I try, but most of the time I'm sure he's the one taking care of me." Kaizuto laughed, and it sounded slightly hollow. Not completely, but just enough that Airi noticed. "That being said, take care, Kuroko-san, Watanabe-san. I hope you get well soon."

She didn't even have to walk far to exit—there were just a few of Kaizuto's footsteps before the door shut, and then the girl was gone. Airi wanted to ask Tetsuya several questions, but didn't know where to start. There was a silence until Miura broke it.

"You know too many cute girls, you know that, Kuroko?" he said, and Airi couldn't help but break down into giggles.

I guess I really am that nervous, then…

"You shouldn't say things like that," Tetsuya said, a slight warning in his voice. Airi sat up, focusing in on him. She didn't get the sense that Kaizuto wasn't cute, but then again, Airi couldn't really be sure. She waited, and Tetsuya nodded. "Not to be rude, Miura-senpai, but she wouldn't be interested in you."

Miura made a sound like he had been physically hit, even though no such thing had happened. Airi laughed a little again, taking a breath to contain herself. "Oh, so is she Akashi-san's girlfriend, then?" she guessed. To her surprise, Tetsuya shook his head.

"No, I wouldn't say they're dating. But I do think that Kaizuto-san doesn't want to make anyone else happy but him, even if it's not within a relationship." Airi thought about that for a little bit. Being able to care for someone enough that you would be happy just doing what you could… Everyone else around her was just so incredible.

"Man, no fair…" Miura grumbled. "I just can't win when it comes to girls, seriously…"

Airi smiled. "Don't worry, Miura-senpai," she said, reaching out for Tetsuya's hand and feeling his pulse against hers. "Sometimes these things just happen. I'm sure you'll find someone as long as you don't give up."

And Airi thought she could sense Miura's smile for the first time.

The Seirin Basketball Club was so noisy that they could be heard in the hallway, even when the door was closed. Normally they would have been asked to quiet down, but it was early enough in the afternoon that most people in the hospital were awake. No one had complained yet, at the very least, and they continued their chatter, showering Airi with get well wishes and gifts.

Youta stood outside, listening in. The conversations were muffled, but he could hear Airi's voice, her laughter. It was amazing. All of these people, who had been strangers a month ago, had been willing to play for her eyesight, were concerned about her wellbeing now. And even if she couldn't see, Airi could still smile.

So I guess I gotta earn my spot at her side back, huh?

To be honest, Youta wasn't sure how he was going to do that. It was going to be difficult. Even if he knew that Airi would accept him back, no matter what, Youta didn't quite feel worthy enough. Sometimes, even just thinking about what had happened made him want to cry. He didn't know what would happen if he saw her just yet.

He was content to let Tetsuya and the rest of the basketball club handle take care of her for now. And sometime—he wasn't sure exactly when, but soon—he would be able to put his hand on the doorknob and not hesitate. They would talk, and reconcile, and everything would find a way to settle back into normalcy, or at least it would once his suspension was up.

He hadn't been able to do much besides take up space in the hospital's halls and avoid the staff. Once the night shift settled in, Youta had been able to find empty rooms to sleep in for a few hours at a time. If anyone found him, they didn't stop him, but it was unreasonable to keep think he could keep this up forever.

"Guess it's time to stop running away from home, then…" he muttered, turning away from Airi's hospital door with the intent of heading for the train station. It be nice to sleep in his own bed again, and there was probably an envelope waiting with their allowance. It wouldn't be much, but it would be enough to get Airi a good meal once she was discharged.

The bus ride wasn't as cramped as it could have been, and Youta listened to the passengers chatter. He still felt out of place amongst people, but it wasn't too bad. It wasn't enough to not make him wish for headphones, though. Airi liked listening to music, even if they didn't do it much in public, and his phone's music library was filled with songs that she liked.

If the train ride had been strange, it was even stranger walking the roads. Youta tried to avoid the site of the crash, but it fell in his normal route, and it was clean again. Wiped out, a clean slate showing that nothing had ever happened. The rumors were probably gone, too, and the neighborhood seemed to have moved on.

Finally, he made it home, unlocking the door. Youta stepped inside, prepared to navigate the boxes still sitting around, and was almost bowled over by someone tackling him. Youta tensed up, wondering if thieves had come in—Airi should have locked the door, she always reminded me…

"Where have you been?!" Watanabe Noboru shouted, and Youta realized that the one that had collided with him was his father. Without realizing, Youta froze up, his heart rate going faster than it had inside Hayashi's men's car. "Eiko and I called the school, they said something about an accident, and—"

Youta's mother cleared her throat, bringing her husband's words to a halt. The Watanabe matriarch had gotten her hair cut since Youta had last seen her, and her dark black locks were cut straight and short, framing her face. It made her chin look sharper than before, which matched the glint in her eyes.

"What your father's trying to say," Eiko said, "is that you have some explaining to do. We trusted you to live here on your own, and you've been suspended from school without contacting us." Her eyes glanced past Youta into the doorway, somehow narrowing even further. "Where is your sister?"

Youta couldn't speak. The answer was obvious, but he just couldn't bring himself to admit it. Yes, it had been his job to protect Airi. Yes, he had screwed up. But he had hoped that maybe he could pass it off, that maybe Airi would cover for him, that they could explain their hospital bills some other way.

More than anything, he had prayed that their parents wouldn't find out.

But they had, and Youta was certain he was probably going to be grounded for life. Eiko was staring him down, a hardness denser than usual in her eyes, and even Noboru, who was usually the more lenient parent, looked more than a bit disappointed. The worst part was that Airi wasn't there behind him to be able to help.

She had always had a calming effect over the family. If there was anytime they needed it, it was now.

"We tried calling you," Noboru continued, his fingers fidgeting. This time, Eiko didn't cut him off. "You didn't answer, even when you should have been home from school. Your teachers said something about you missing school? Have you been feeling alright?"

"I…" Youta stammered, and that was all he could manage. How was he supposed to put it into words, the charity tournament, the accident, watching his sister drift away from him bit by bit smiling at Tetsuya, talking about him on walks home from school?

Eiko adjusted her glasses, her frown causing creases in her forehead. "You haven't told us where Airi is," she reminded. Youta's eyes shot to the floor, studying the carpet. "From that guilty expression, I don't think she's safe spending time with friends that you trust her with." Youta almost laughed. His mother didn't know that her guess was actually right, that with Seirin was the only other place Youta would let Airi be than with him. "Answer me, Youta."

"You-tan," Noboru added, his voice pleading.

"You heard the school," Youta said, his voice hard, bitter. "She's in the hospital." It should have been a bomb, but it didn't feel like it. The words were more of a confession of his own guilt than anything, and admitting it was actually uplifting, regardless of the glare Eiko had manifested.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she asked, not screaming. That was the scary part. Eiko never yelled, but her anger was evident, almost a solid presence in the air. "You were supposed to take care of her, make her life go the way she wanted here. Instead, you two are truants from school, ending up in the hospital of all things—"

"Ka-san," Youta said, not sure where he even got the strength to speak, let alone be that assertive. Eiko's eyes widened a fraction, but that was it, barely perceptible. "Ka-san," he repeated, "I get it. I know that I'm in trouble. But is that really what you should be focusing on?"

Eiko looked like she was ready to slap him, even if Youta knew she never would. "Ei-chan," Noboru said, the worry soaking the air almost as much as his wife's anger. "Ei-chan, we need to go check on her, to be sure Ai-chan's alright…"

"You're right," Eiko allowed, her frown still in place. "You're to stay home, Youta. I expect you to be here when we get back, and you will give an explanation."

Youta nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now which hospital is your hospital at?"

"Hashimoto General," he answered, his voice at a whisper. Eiko moved past him without another look, heading out the door. Noboru chased after her, saying something about waiting, and the door shut behind them. Youta stood there, closing his eyes, and took a deep breath, trying not to cry.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the living room beyond the entrance, some of the boxes moved, but the path he had carved for Airi still the same. He took careful steps, making sure not to make a noise, not wanting to disturb anything else. Making it back to the kitchen, he grimaced at the dishes, the plates of food sat out if he and Airi came back.

"I'm home," he grumbled. This was supposed to have been a good thing, and he had been looking forward to saying it, despite everything that had happened. Now the words were just bitter, even if Airi would have wanted him to say them anyway. Finding himself without an appetite, Youta headed back down the hallway.

I should probably let Ai-chan know that they're coming… Checking his cell phone, Youta found it dead. He almost ran down the hall to his room, footsteps pounding, ones he knew his mother would yell at him for if she were here. His room was the same as he had left it, and Youta pulled the charger out of the wall, taking it to the bathroom with him and plugging it in there.

He let it charge, starting to run the bath water and pulling off his clothes. Once his phone had enough power to start up, he sent a text to Tetsuya and turned his phone back off right after. He didn't need a bombardment of questions, and he would go see Airi himself once Eiko let him out of the house.

He washed up quickly, sinking into the bath as soon as he could. He didn't get why people always talked about being numb in these situations. As far as Youta was concerned, he felt overstimulated, like there were too many thoughts trying to grab his attention at once, all of them preventing him from thinking straight.

The boy ducked his head underwater, only surfacing once his lungs burned for air. Even the lack of oxygen wasn't enough to make him stop thinking.

Is it just me, or do real life epiphanies never give you enough time to enjoy them?

All apologies for the week delay. I still haven't figured out how to write and post regularly with my work schedule. I'm doing my best to figure it out, though.

Thanks to WereCat-Yoruichi, KilljoysMakeSomeNoise, the-person-over-the-rainbow, mabellsky, Tamani, Elonwye7Link, KingdomHeartsKeyBladeMaster, Killerddj, Luminence, FALLING-ANGEL24, TheTinyMouse, Darkara, My Name is Alice, amy1945 for your respective reviews, favorites, and follows. I appreciate them all!

Special shout out to FALLING-ANGEL24 for being the fiftieth reviewer! We're super close to beating my record reviews for one single story. (tosses confetti).

I also lied. Exception is still my most viewed story. But I'm sure that Visibility will pass it soon...

Um, I was really surprised at all the comments about not knowing who Megumi was. I mean, I know that no one knows about her, but I didn't think that would be something people would attach onto. As you all can see, she's another OC character that I've been working on her full story. That will come eventually.

The title for this chapter, "Hospital Flowers," is actually a reference to the song that gave me the idea for how to take this arc forward...

And well, I guess the manga ended while I was away from the internet. I enjoyed the end, though it really hasn't hit me yet. Still, at least I don't have to change much in this story to match it up with canon. Just some bits in later chapters I already knew I was gonna have to tweak a bit.

Also holy shit Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney was so good...

But anyway! Again, sorry for the delays. The next chapter will be out next week, so long as I keep my shit together.

So next time, Airi and Youta return to school, words are exchanged in a hospital room, and recovery is celebrated. Please look forward to it!

[POST] 090914