heroes and thieves
chapter eight - fools like me (part II)


three weeks later


Yui looks at the screen of her cell phone as she steps into the hospital elevator and giggles again.

Who in the world would want to hire YOU? Aside from my brother, that is.

From what she remembers, Ayumu was never very keen on text messaging while in high school. He'd complained more than a few times about Hizumi sending dozens of messages a day, even while they were sharing the same house and only a room away. As Hiyono, she'd only ever exchanged a few messages with him - usually questions about bentou boxes that were confirmed with brief messages of "yes" or "fine."

But now that he's in the hospital, and has regained the use of his left hand, Ayumu appears to have become quite the texter.

Yui doesn't even get a chance to respond to this latest message before her phone chirps again. Are you here yet? the screen displays, and she smiles as she presses the the number for his floor on the elevator's control panel without looking. She's been at the hospital every day for the better part of the month, and somehow he hasn't complained about her coming around too much, or bothering him right after physical therapy.

She'd call it a miracle, but she's beginning to think it's something else entirely. Something else she never thought to expect.

On my way~ she texts back, watching the doors close in front of her. A few seconds later, as the elevator starts to slow its ascent, her phone chirps again.

Did you remember to bring the books?

She glances at the canvas bag slung over her shoulder and smiles a little wickedly.

Oh no!

A few minutes later, when she slides open the door to Ayumu's hospital room - not bothering to knock or announce herself - she is met with the sight of a rather annoyed brown-haired young man sitting in a wheelchair, a cell phone in his lap. "How many times," he starts, wheeling toward the door, "do I have to ask you - "

"I was just joking, Narumi-san." She laughs, allowing the bag to slide from her shoulder to her forearm. "Madoka-oneesan added a few of her own, in case you read all these."

"That's a poor joke to be making at a time like this." He wheels all the way up to her, taking the bag from her and peeking inside with a grunt. "I've been out of reading material for a week. I've lost count of the times I've gone through the complete Sherlock Holmes collection, and those cases do not prove any more difficult to solve with repeated readings."

She laughs again, smiling down at him. "Are you happy now?"

"Yes. Well. No." He lifts his head, raising an eyebrow at her. "Why, exactly, did you find it necessary to get a job?"

"My rent won't pay itself, Narumi-san…"

"My brother will."

"No, he won't." She sighs. "He only paid for my first two months, and with my contract dissolved… I can't exactly ask for any more money unless I go back to working for him, or with some other agency that would want to send me back to Europe, so…"

"Point taken." He spins his chair around - how he has managed to learn that skill so quickly, Yui thinks she will never know - and deposits the bag of books on his hospital bed, which looks untouched. She wonders if he's been in the wheelchair all day. "A transcriptionist, though?" he asks, with his back still turned. "Wouldn't you be better as some kind of… hacker, or actress, or spy? Maybe you could make a business out of masquerading as a high school student."

"Very funny…" She sighs a second time, reaching up to twirl a lock of hair around her fingers. "Madoka-oneesan referred me for the position, and my typing skills were better than they expected. I'm very lucky that there was an immediate opening for a police transcriptionist… and that they weren't very concerned about the two year gap in my records…"

"What did you tell them, that you were studying abroad?"

"Um…"

"... never mind. I should have figured you'd come up with an excuse like that." He wheels back around, slower this time, and looks up at her with a serious expression. "I want to go outside."

"Wh - what?!" She stares at him. "Now?"

"Yes. Now."

"Na - Narumi-san, are you sure that's such a good idea?"

"Hn." He picks up his cell phone, glances at it, and tosses it over one shoulder onto his bed. "It's boring in here. Neesan's been going on and on about how nice the weather is lately, and yet I'm stuck here in this room."

"But I thought…" She bites her lip. "I thought that your immune system…"

"I can't get hurt if I'm only outside for a few minutes."

"But - "

"I asked one of the physicians about it," he interrupts; then, rolling his eyes, nods at the open door of his room. "He said it shouldn't be an issue, as long as I have a - and I'll quote him directly - responsible individual with me. Because apparently I can't be trusted, now that able to use a wheelchair again."

Yui shifts from one foot to the other, clearing her throat. "Well… Madoka-oneesan did say that the hospital was almost on lockdown when you decided to go to the cafeteria unaccompanied last week…"

"I'm like a prisoner in this place."

"It isn't that, Narumi-san, but… we're all just not used to you being able to get around so easily, and we're worried about your health, so…" She sighs. "I'm sure it's fine, if you want to go outside for a few minutes, but it's not very nice out right now. There were a lot of clouds gathering, and I think the forecast was calling for rain - "

"A little rain won't kill me." He wheels himself past her, to the door, and a small grin appears on his mouth. "And if it does, you can say "I told you so" and be happy with yourself for finally being right."

Yui sputters, crosses her arms, and decides a few seconds later that there's no point to arguing with him, especially since he's already moving out the door. Once Ayumu makes up his mind, there's really no way she can change it.

But that's not really such a bad thing. Usually.


"How long has it been?"

"A year, at least."

"I can't imagine…"

"I had the windows in my room opened as often as the nurses would allow, but after I caught a cold and nearly gave myself pneumonia over the winter, they stopped listening to those requests." Ayumu chuckles, shaking his head, and Yui can't help but smile down at him. They've gone to a small courtyard in the rear of the hospital, a grassy area with paved sidewalks and a few small flowerbeds. The sun is hidden behind gray clouds, and it really looks like rain, but…

"This is nice." Ayumu breathes in deeply, exhales, and shakes his head again. "I forgot just how fresh the air was, out here. And warm."

"Summer's going to be here soon."

"Ah. Maybe I can open my windows again, then." He looks somewhere into the distance, squinting slightly. "Although I'd rather leave before it gets hot. Two summers in this place sounds like torture."

"I'm…" She hesitates, tapping two fingers against one of the handles of his wheelchair. "... not sure if you'll be released so quickly, Narumi-san…"

"Hm. We'll see." He turns to look at her. "How often are you going to be here, now that you're starting this job of yours? I assume it's full-time."

"It is…" She smiles carefully. "But I asked if I could work an earlier schedule, so that I can spend the first part of my day in a quiet atmosphere. So I'll be able to come visit you every afternoon, usually by five. Ah, and if Madoka-oneesan comes to visit on lunch, she promised I could come with her."

"That's…" He pauses, as if he's carefully considering his words; when he finally speaks, it's with a slight grin and a raised eyebrow. "... better than I was expecting, somehow."

She opens her mouth, closes it, and blinks at him. She's really not sure where to start with that one. So he's actually happy that she's planning to continue visiting so often? "Narumi-san," she starts, slowly, "are you sure that… you don't mind me coming here every day?"

He snorts. "Don't get any ideas."

She makes a face at him. "I wasn't!"

"Your company is marginally better than my brother's. You bring flowers that aren't irises. And for some strange reason, I don't get tired of making you mad." He shrugs, but that grin is still on his mouth, so she knows he's at least partially joking. How much of that he means, though… "Besides, you owe me for being gone for so long."

She sighs loudly. "I don't really understand how I owe you for spending two years doing research to save your life."

"Hm. Haven't I told you my theory yet? That you were spending two years in Europe pretending to do research while you just spent my brother's money on expensive clothing and Belgian chocolates?"

She recoils. "Narumi-san!"

He laughs. "Well, we'll know for sure if my arm suddenly stops moving again, right?"

"You - are - urgh!" She crosses her arms, walking a few paces away from him. She hears laughter behind her, and she tries her hardest to ignore the urge to smile, because it's really not funny. Of course she spent those two years researching. Of course, she did buy a nice dress or two in Germany, and a pair of very fashionable heels in Paris, but that is not the point! The point is…

"Hey." He's beside her before she can even think to turn around again, and although his lips are still curved into something resembling a smile, he seems more serious than before. "I was just joking. Don't get mad."

"But you like making me mad, don't you?" She sticks her tongue out at him. "You can't fool me, Narumi-san. I know the only reason you want me around is to torture me with your hurtful words."

"If that was the only reason, I'd have already told the nurses to stop letting you in my room."

"Cruel…"

"Anyway. If you're going to be coming to visit around this time every day, I'll get permission to go outside every afternoon." He nods at his left arm, lying still in his lap. "It'll help with my physical therapy to use my wheelchair more. As long as the weather is good, and I don't get some kind of cold, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Okay, Narumi-san," she agrees.

"And eventually," he says, now looking pointedly at his left leg, "I want to go to Hizumi's grave. Even if I'm still in this damn chair, I want to see him."

"That's fine." She smiles. "I'd like to put some more flowers there."

"And another thing." He looks up at her. "Stop calling me "Narumi-san" all the time."

"What?" She blinks. "Why?"

"Because I said so."

"Narumi-san, that's not a good reason."

"I don't need a good reason." He rolls his eyes. "You talk to me like I'm some old man. The least you could do is use my name once in a while."

"Oh? And you're any better?" She puts her hands on her hips, leaning down to frown at him. "The only thing I ever hear is "hey" and "you." It's never changed since we were at Tsukiomi together, and I know you know what my name is this time!"

"Hn. That's not really the issue at hand here."

"Yes it is! I am making it an issue!"

He opens his mouth to respond, but the dull rumble of thunder interrupts him. They look at each other, neither speaking, perhaps trying to decide whether or not it's worth ignoring the first sign of a storm, and then Yui feels a raindrop on her arm.

"We should go inside," she murmurs. "I think it's about to storm…"

"Is it?"

Another raindrop lands on her skin, and she quickly moves to grab the handles of Ayumu's wheelchair. "I'm not going to get in trouble for this, Narumi-san. We're going inside."

"Hm. It is." He answers his own question, seemingly ignoring her as she begins to push him up the path in the direction of the back doors of the hospital. He holds up one hand, tilting his head up to look at the gray sky. "You should probably push faster. The rain isn't going to wait for you."

She scrunches up her face even knowing that he can't see it. "I can't push any faster than this! You're heavy!"

"Now, now, no need to insult my weight. I've actually lost a few pounds, you know."

She sighs. "Mou…"


By the time they make it back to Ayumu's room, the clouds have completely broken through, and the rain is coming down hard outside. There's rain in their hair and on their faces, but they've otherwise avoided the storm, and Yui quickly finds a towel with which to dry them both off. "I did say there was rain in the forecast," she murmurs, gingerly patting at Ayumu's hair. "But I don't think anyone noticed that we were a little wet, so…"

"Like I said. A little rain won't kill me." He ducks out of the way of the towel, waving a hand at her. "Quit that. I'm fine."

"Narumi-san, I don't want you to get sick…"

"I'm fine." He rolls his eyes. "But I need to lie down."

"Oh - okay! Do you want me to help you out of your wheelchair? Or get a nurse? Or - "

"Just - lend me your shoulder for a minute." He straightens in the chair, leaning up to hook an arm around her shoulders, and she feels a little stupid as he pulls himself easily out of his wheelchair and into the hospital bed. "I'm not supposed to use my legs," he explains (although she thinks he really doesn't need to), "so if I want to do this, I have to borrow someone for help."

"Your arms are getting stronger," she observes, watching him settle down in his bed before pushing the wheelchair out of the way. "And… I think your skin looks a little healthier."

"Hm. I guess." He takes his arm back, leaning into his pillows, and there's a short pause before he looks up at her with a serious expression. "Listen. About what you said outside."

"Y - yes?"

"Do you want me to call you by your name?"

She hesitates, and it takes her entirely too long to find her voice. She should be used to these rapid changes in topic by now, but somehow he always manages to catch her off guard. "I... Truthfully, Narumi-san," she begins, quietly, "I… needed to use a different name to take the position with the police department. So if it's okay with you, then… I'd like to ask you to call me that, instead of… my birth name."

"Oh?" He arches an eyebrow at her, then proceeds to shake the rain out of his hair. She shrieks as water splashes her in the face, scrunching up her nose at him, and the grin that appears on his mouth is far more handsome than she expects. "You're going to ask me to call you "stupid girl" again?"

"No!" She huffs at him, lifting the towel in her hands to wipe off her face. "Not at all!"

"What, then?" He studies her, lifting a hand to smooth his hair (and to flick a few more beads of water in her face). "Haven't you had enough names for one lifetime?"

"Hiyono," she answers him, and sees his eyes widen, and that sends her into a rapid-fire, nervous explanation; this is happening far sooner than she thought it would, and she isn't sure how he'll take it. "I... I was thinking that... Yui was a name that I was given when I was found as a baby, and taken to an orphanage. Hiyono is... it's real to me. And it's real to Narumi-san, too, isn't it? When I called myself Hiyono, it was the first time that I felt like a real person. And... that's why I was thinking about that. And it was easier to go back to it, for my position, but..."

He looks quietly at her, his hand still in his hair - but then, quick as a flash, he reaches out to touch her cheek. She shivers - his fingers are cold - and yelps as he grabs one of her wrists in his other hand and tugs her close, close enough that she can see a bead of moisture on his nose. She has to brace herself against his shoulder to keep from toppling over into his hospital bed, and it's an uncomfortable half-standing position she's in right now -

"It's a stupid name," he murmurs.

She tenses, swallowing hard, and her heart is beating so rapidly that she thinks it's going to leap up her throat. This is happening so fast. "B - but - "

"A stupid name," he continues, and that grin is back, makes her go weak in the knees, "for a stupid girl."

She doesn't know whether to laugh, cry, or scream at him and storm out of the room. So she doesn't do anything at all. And she thinks for a moment, just a fleeting moment, that Narumi Ayumu may actually be about to kiss her -

"Listen," he says, suddenly, and releases her wrist, "I'm having another surgery tomorrow."

She freezes. His hand lingers on her cheek for a moment, but then it falls, and she straightens, watching him settle back in the bed. His room is quiet, and when she finally finds her voice again, the words come out unsteady. "On… on your leg…?"

"Ah."

"Why didn't you… say something… before now?" She swallows and folds her hands together; she realizes that she's shaking a little, and she's not sure if it's because of the skin-on-skin contact or the news he's just delivered. "Is it… was it an emergency?"

"No. Nothing like that. I've known for a while." The grin is gone from his mouth, and he looks up at her seriously, his eyes on hers. "It's the same as before. You would be worked up over it, if you knew any earlier."

She sighs. "Narumi-san…"

"It's nothing to worry about. They're trying to repair the damage on my leg before it gets any worse. Normally they wouldn't operate so soon after the surgery on my arm, but I asked for it." He nods at the wheelchair nearby. "I want a fighting chance at not being confined to that thing. And I want to get out of this hospital."

She studies his face, tilting her head slightly. "It's a little strange… hearing you say that."

"Why?"

"Just a few weeks ago, you didn't seem worried about leaving the hospital at all…"

"My thinking has changed since then. You know that." He shrugs. "So, if you want to come back tomorrow, make it a little later than you normally would. I should be out of recovery by the time you get here. I'll make sure my brother authorizes visitors, even if I'm sleeping."

"O - okay…"

"Oh, and another thing." He smiles slightly. "If you're not completely broke just yet, bring some flowers. If you don't, aniki will try to sneak in some irises again, and I won't be able to get out of bed to trash them."

She can't help but smile back. "Do you have any preferences?"

"Hm. Good question." He settles back in his bed, turning his head to look out the window at the rain, and just when she thinks he won't have an answer he responds: "Daylilies, if they're in season. They'll remind me of you."

"Eh?" She blinks. "Why?"

"No reason," he says, but she can hear the smile in his voice, and she knows there's some reason for it. But she won't pry, because all that matters is that he wants to be reminded of her, and she really couldn't ask for anything more.

"Daylilies, then," she responds, and picks a book up off his nightstand. "Should I read to you for a little while?" she asks.

"Hmm. If you want. Don't you have to get ready for your new job tomorrow?"

"Not yet," she says, and smiles. "Nothing is more important than being here with you, right now."

He turns his head back to look at her, one eyebrow slightly raised, and then he chuckles. "Fine," he replies, "but if you start messing up like you did last week, I'll be the one doing it. For a woman who went through high school twice, you're not very good at reading aloud."

She sighs loudly. "If you weren't confined to this bed, Narumi-san, I'd throw this book at you."

He grins. "From what I remember, you don't have a very good throwing arm, either."

"You really are a jerk sometimes…"

"You wouldn't have me any other way."

And he's right, but there's no way she's going to tell him that.