Chapter 7: Treasure

Ugh, what's going on?

Takahashi Misaki felt woozy as he rubbed his eye and looked around the room he was in.

Television...IV...itchy bed...am I in a hospital? he thought, before looking down at himself.

...huh? he thought.

How did my arm get broken…

Misaki wiggled his fingers as he examined his cast before he continued to look around the room.

His eyes finally rested on his brother next to him who looked oddly out of character. His usually combed and trimmed hair was overgrown and greasy. His clothes seemed wrinkled and dirty, as if he hadn't changed them in a while. Also, his usually sweet and inviting face was covered in the beginning stubble of a beard, and his skin seemed oily, meaning he must not've bathed in a while.

Is that really Nii-chan? Misaki thought, doubting his own judgment.

He looks kinda gross...

"Nii-chan…?" Misaki asked, unsure of himself in his heavily sedated state.

"Yes, Misaki-kun?" Takahiro replied.

The room spun slightly and Misaki felt a little sick. Disoriented and confused, he only had one question on his mind.

"Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital, Misaki-kun." Takahiro said.

Ah, so I was right...he thought.

His head felt heavy and his thoughts were hazy, and a sharp pain hitched in his chest whenever he took a breath. His mouth felt dry as he tried to lick his already cracking lips.

"Could I have some water…?" he asked quietly. His throat was dry and made talking a bit painful.

"Ah, of course!" Takahiro said jumping up from his chair. "I'll be right back, just let me find a vending machine and get you some!"

"Okay…" Misaki replied weakly.

Without another word, Takahiro exited the room quickly and shut the door quietly behind him as he disappeared down the hall.

Misaki coughed slightly, wincing at the harsh pain in his chest. He relaxed his body and laid his head back into his pillows, letting the soft sunlight that was filtering through the window warm his face.

Misaki guessed that he had been on multiple sedatives and medications while he was at the hospital, since his stomach and head both seemed out of sorts. His stomach grumbled and churned uncomfortably and his head made his vision odd - the room still felt as if it were spinning.

Misaki closed his eyes and gripped the edge of his bed tightly with his left hand in an attempt to steady himself. It felt as if he had ridden a roller coaster too many times and was about to get sick.

Kami-sama, please don't let me puke he prayed silently.

He took deep breaths in through his mouth and slowly exhaled through his nose - a trick he had always used as a child when he felt sick. Slowly, he felt his stomach settle. Sighing in relief, Misaki opened his eyes again and gazed out the hospital room window.

He watched the trees outside tremble slightly in the wind and watched as gardeners pulled weeds and packed dirt in the garden below. Beyond the small garden, Misaki could see large office buildings and roads of Tokyo, and watched the small specs of people go to and fro about their business.

Misaki shifted awkwardly to his side and rested his cheek on his pillow before he blew his bangs out of his eyes.

I wonder how long I've been here...he wondered.

Come to think of it, why am I in the hospital anyways…is it just because of my arm?

Misaki dug deep into his thoughts, searching for the answers that he seeked.

He couldn't seem to recall them.

What he did remember, however, was that he was a student at Mitsuhashi University, majoring in engineering, 21 years old, and that he and his brother, Takahiro, were virtually inseparable.

Wait, no...Misaki thought, furrowing his brows.

I feel as if...something's missing…

But what…

Misaki felt as if what he was missing was right in front of him, but he couldn't reach it. Was it a place? An item? A person, perhaps, that he was trying to recall?

His head began to throb and he sighed in frustration. As Misaki went to run his fingers through his hair, he paused as he felt his fingers come in contact with the rough gauze.

His heart rate quickened as he felt that the gauze was wrapped around most of his head, causing his breathing to pick up speed and his chest to ache even more.

He placed his left hand on his chest, only to find more bandages wrapping themselves around his body.

Wh-what? Wh-why am I so banged up?! Why does it hurt to breathe? And to think?!

His panicked thoughts began to invade his mind before Takahiro came back with a bottle of water.

He immediately noticed Misaki's distress and came quickly to his side.

"Misaki-kun? What is it? What's wrong?" he asked in a soothing tone, gently placing one of his hands on his younger brother's shoulder.

"N-nii-chan," Misaki stuttered, shaking slightly. "What's happened to me? Why am I all banged up? What's going on?"

Misaki began hiccuping as his anxiety began taking over - something that had been pretty common with Misaki in his childhood. This time was different, however, since each hiccup made pain sharply pass through Misaki's chest and in turn made him panic and hiccup even more.

"Shh, Misaki, it's all right. Calm down, here, drink some water." Takahiro said soothingly, unscrewing the plastic cap on the top of the water bottle and handing it to his distressed little brother.

Misaki hesitated, but after Takahiro nodded encouragingly at him, he slowly took the bottle with shaky hands. He took small sips of water at first, and then began to take huge gulps as the cool water quenched the thirst in his throat.

By the time he had finished, he had downed about half of the water before handing the bottle back to Takahiro, who was patiently waiting for his younger brother to regain his composure.

After wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Misaki took a few deep breaths until he was calm again. He looked at his brother with gratitude, and in return Takahiro nodded.

"I'm sorry, Nii-chan. I'm just a little...scared. What happened to me?" Misaki asked quietly.

Takahiro cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses before speaking.

"You were in a car accident, Misaki-kun, ah- don't worry!" Takahiro said suddenly, seeing the look of horror on Misaki's face. "You're okay, really! You're pretty lucky, actually. You only got a few broken ribs, a broken arm, and you hit your head."

Misaki gave Takahiro a droll stare.

"Nii-chan, how is that lucky?" he asked, making Takahiro scoff at him.

"Well, you're alive aren't you, Misaki-kun? Isn't that what's most important, in the end?" he asked, giving his brother a knowing look.

Misaki sighed in frustration again.

"Yeah yeah, I get it, Nii-chan. You don't have to treat me like a little kid." Misaki pouted, before playfully sticking his tongue out at his brother and making him laugh.

Misaki smiled, relieved that he had calmed down. Still, he was pretty shocked that he had been in an accident.

"Oh!" he said suddenly, a thought popping into his head. "No one else got hurt, did they?"

Misaki looked genuinely concerned - caring about others before himself was one of the traits that he himself and most people loved about Misaki.

"No," he lied, giving Misaki what he thought was a convincing smile. "No one else was injured...You, you were hit by a car as you were walking at night, but sadly the jerk drove off without stopping!"

Genuine hurt filled Misaki's eyes, before he lowered them down and looked at his own bandaged chest.

Oh no, have I upset him?! Takahiro thought worriedly.

"Well," Misaki began, looking thoughtfully at his injuries. "I guess, I'm lucky that it was me, Nii-chan. I mean, just think - if it were a child, or a woman or an elderly citizen, they could've gotten hurt pretty bad…"

He looked up at Takahiro and gave him a sweet smile.

"I guess this was just fate, huh?" Misaki giggled.

Takahiro was touched, and suddenly hugged his injured brother.

"Hey- ow! Nii-chan, you're heavy…" Misaki said as he awkwardly tried to hug Takahiro despite his casted arm.

"Misaki, you really are too sweet, aren't you?" Takahiro said.

"Eh?!" Misaki said, surprised by his older brother's sudden outburst.

"What are you talking about, Nii-chan? I'm just as plain and boring as everyone else…" he mumbled, blushing slightly. He had never been good at receiving compliments, regardless if they were from strangers, friends or even family. He didn't know what people saw in him, but apparently there was something there.

I've missed you, Misaki Takahiro thought as he pulled away from his brother.

He smiled and gently ruffled Misaki's chocolate colored locks.

"Now, you must be starving, Misaki. It's nearly lunch time now. Is there anything you want to eat?" Takahiro asked, searching for the hospital's food menu.

Now that he had mentioned it, Misaki realized, with a stomach growl, that he was really hungry.

"Yes, please! Um, but I'm not sure what I want…" He said shyly.

"Well, we'll pick something...ah! Here it is!" Takahiro said, triumphantly pulling out the laminated menu from a shelf on the side wall of the room. He began flipping through the menu and reading off food choices to his brother.

Nothing really seemed appetizing to Misaki, who shook his head for the seventh time at Takahiro's suggestion.

"Really, no again? I thought you liked Takoyaki. Oh, well...hm...oh! How about stuffed green peppers? That sounds good." Takahiro rambled.

Misaki stiffened.

Green peppers…?

Misaki didn't know why, but the vegetable sounded really good at the moment.

"Yeah, sure! How about some stuffed green peppers…" he said, racking his brain for where he had heard the food mentioned before.

"I hate green peppers. Don't cook them." he remembered someone telling him, but who…?

"Yeah, well I'm going to make you eat a whole pepper tonight for dinner, then!" he remembered himself saying and laughing maniacally.

He smiled and blushed slightly at the memory and looked fondly out the window. His smile faltered slightly, however, when he realized he couldn't quite place where the memory had come from.

Nii-chan likes green peppers, so it wasn't him that would say something like that…

Misaki shook his head.

Oh, what am I doing! Thinking about peppers! Idiot! I need to focus on Nii-chan right now, and on how long I have to stay here…

Takahiro happily called the nurse and ordered lunch for Misaki who, while he waited, had gone back to looking around the room.

He caught sight of his clothes in the far corner of the room, folded neatly on the countertop table next to a small sink.

"...Nii-chan?" he asked politely after Takahiro had hung up.

"Hm? Yes, Misaki-kun? What is it you need?" he asked cheerily.

"...could you bring me my clothes from over there so I can look at them?" he asked.

"Now, Misaki, the nurses aren't going to let you change out of your hospital gown and into your clothes - I mean, I know it may be itchy but-"

"No no, Nii-chan. That's not what I meant," Misaki said, cutting Takahiro off quickly before he could begin lecturing him like the doting brother Misaki knew he was.

"I just wanted to look at them and see if they had any rips or tears - if there are, I'll have to get them fixed right away, and I just wanted to look at them…" Misaki rambled quietly.

"Well, alright. If that's what you want, Misaki-kun." Takahiro quietly got up out of his chair and went to retrieve his brother's clothes. When he walked back and handed them to Misaki, Misaki was instantly relieved to feel something familiar and soft - unlike the itchy sheets and hospital gown he was covered by.

He looked at Takahiro gratefully, and Takahiro nodded back at him.

"Well, I'll be right back, Misaki-kun." Takahiro said, heading for the door. "I'll be back soon, I just have to use the bathroom. If the nurse comes, don't forget to thank her for the food!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Misaki said under his breath. "Geez, what does he think I am? Some kind of rude behemoth?"

Misaki chuckled quietly to himself as he studied his clothes, looking for any rips or tears in them and savoring the feel of soft cotton in his fingers. He awkwardly moved his casted arm so that he could flip around his jacket.

Surprisingly, there weren't any tears in the jacket, though it did have quite a few stains on it from dirt and oil that must've been on the asphalt. His jeans, however, had holes in the knees - a common pet peeve of Misaki, since he usually ruined his pants this way by rolling around on the floor from cringe attacks, or - even worse - whenever a new chapter of his favorite manga The Kan was out, making him prone to extreme fanboying.

Misaki sighed and folded the pants up neatly and putting them on top of his jacket. There was no side table to his left - just a small one on his right, and it was just out of his immediate reach.

Shakily, he attempted to put the small stack in his fingertips of his casted arm, and slowly moved to put them on the table. Leaning as far as his body would allow, Misaki suddenly yelped at he felt a sharp pain in his side, causing him to lose his grip on the pile. Cursing, he tried to catch it - reaching for anything whatsoever, he only managed to grasp the mahogany colored scarf that had been rolled up inside his coat as the rest of his clothes had fallen to the floor.

Defeated and feeling like a moron, he retreated back into his original position on the hospital bed while clutching the scarf in his hands.

Crap. There's no way I'll be able to pick those up he thought.

Oh no, oh no! I'm going to look so rude! What if the nurse thinks I threw my clothes on the floor on purpose!

I'm going to look so awkward!

Misaki continued to worry in his head over the simple thing while wrapping the scarf around his uninjured hand. He sank into the bed, pulling the covers over his head as he pressed his face into the scarf, letting the warm and soft fabric brush his slightly bruised face.

He inhaled deeply, then stopped. He uncovered his head and lifted the scarf to his nose again, this time inhaling deeply a few more times, closing his eyes and racking his brain for the familiar scent the scarf seemed to have.

Smells like...cigarettes? Clove cigarettes maybe? he thought, baffled by the odd odor on his clothes.

Misaki didn't smoke, and never wanted to in his life for as long as he lived. He hated the smell and he didn't want lung cancer any time soon. He couldn't imagine why his scarf would have any other scent on it than his own.

He sniffed it one last time and, surprisingly, he didn't mind the smell of the cigarettes. They seemed to bring a sort of peace to him, and calm him down, like as if the smell reminded him of a safe, warm place.

It reminded him of…

His thought process faltered.

Of what? he thought.

He hated the feeling of having a thought just out of reach. It felt as if the answer was so simple and he should know it, no, he knew that he knew it, but he just couldn't place it. This feeling had happened most of the time during his life at school, when he couldn't solve a simple math problem that even the slowest of kids in the classroom understood, or when he was taking an English test and he knew a word translated from Japanese into English but he just couldn't remember what it was.

It frustrated him to no end and made his stomach ache just thinking about it.

Shaking his head, he decided that he should just put the problem out of his mind for now, and maybe the answer would just come to him later.

Maybe it's just a coincidence? he wondered. In his head, the idea made sense. But in his gut, he knew that that probably wasn't true.

"Oi, Misaki-kun! I'm back!" Takahiro said cheerfully while coming in, startling Misaki and retrieving him from his deep thoughts.

When Takahiro entered, he was carrying a large tray with what looked like Misaki's lunch.

"I happened to run into the nurse outside the room and offered to bring in to you," Takahiro said with a smile. "Though, I don't know if that was the best idea. She was pretty cute, Misaki-kun, you probably would've liked to see her."

"Nii-chan!" Misaki yelled, half jokingly and half serious. "Don't say such perverted things!"

Takahiro laughed at Misaki who, for effect, covered his ears as he blushed and glared at Takahiro before he placed the tray of food next to Misaki on the bed. In the process, Takahiro accidentally stepped on Misaki's clothing that had fallen to the floor and gave him a questioning look.

"Misaki-kun, why are these on the floor?" he asked as he carefully picked them up and brushed them off before placing them neatly on the side table.

Misaki blushed slightly and, without really meaning to, he silently slid his hand under the covers of his blanket, hiding the scarf from view so that Takahiro wouldn't ask to take it from him.

What the heck am I doing? he thought in the back of his mind.

Why am I being so protective over a stupid scarf?

"Ah, well, I tried to put them on the side table using my broken arm, but I dropped them." he said shyly. "I would've gotten them, but my chest hurts too much to lean over that far to pick them up off the ground…"

Takahiro's eyes were sympathetic as he placed a large hand to Misaki's forehead.

"Does it hurt really bad? Do you need me to call the nurse and request that they put you on more painkillers?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"No, it's fine, really!" Misaki said quickly.

Ugh, that medicine makes me feel sick anyways - I'd rather deal with the pain than the nausea.

"All I really want to do right now is eat, actually." Misaki said, looking down at his lunch hungrily, his stomach growled in agreement.

He looked down at his delicious stuffed green peppers. Takahiro handed him the half full bottle of water Misaki had drank from earlier to drink with his food.

He slowly slipped his hand out of the scarf, keeping it hidden from his brother's view as he took his hand out from under the covers, before placing the tray on his lap. At first, he tried using his fork with his right arm, which resulted into him fumbling with the fork and nearly dropping it on the floor.

Blushing profusely, Misaki took the fork into his left hand and began eating his lunch, though more shakily than he would have liked since he was right handed.

"Is it good?" Takahiro asked, watching his brother eat small bites of his peppers and take sips of water in between.

"Mhm, it's delicious!" Misaki said, his mouth still full of food. He swallowed it quickly before speaking again.

"Hey...Nii-chan?" he asked, poking his pepper with his fork.

"Yes?" Takahiro said.

"Do...do we happen to know anyone who smokes?" Misaki asked quietly, thoughtfully chewing on another bite of his food.

"Where did this question come from all of a sudden, Misaki-kun?" Takahiro asked, laughing nervously.

"Well, my, ah…my clothes sort of smelled like cigarette smoke, so I was wondering…" Misaki lowered his eyes to his lap, putting his tray with him mostly eaten lunch next to him.

"I...I was just wondering, were you the only one to visit me while I was asleep? You're not smoking, are you Nii-chan?!" Misaki asked in a panicked voice.

"Oh, no no! Of course not, Misaki-kun! I'd never start smoking!" he reassured him.

"Hmm, but they smelled like cigarettes, huh? Maybe I should ask the doctor and see if any of the nurses have been smoking around patients when they're not supposed to be…" Takahiro murmured to himself.

"Ah, no no! It's fine, really! It's not that big of a deal, I was just wondering, I mean, I don't want to stir up trouble or anything…" Misaki rambled, trying to convince his brother that everything was fine.

The last thing Misaki wanted to do was to complain about the hospital staff - for all he knew, he could've been imagining the smell all along, which would only lead to embarrassment and more unpleasant mistakes to cringe over later.

After finally convincing Takahiro it was nothing, the siblings talked with each other for hours.

Misaki listened to Takahiro ramble about work and life as a married man, and more than one or two adorable stories about Mahiro.

Misaki didn't talk as much as his brother had, however, because of the fact that a lot of his memories seemed vague and uncertain. He couldn't remember where he had been living the past few years, though he remembered going to Mitsuhashi University everyday. Takahiro had insisted that Misaki had been living with him and his family, but it just didn't seem to add up in Misaki's mind.

He also remembered getting a job at Marukawa publishing, but how or why had he…? He couldn't remember the exact reason, but he did remember his frequent visits and errands for the famous artist and author of his favorite manga, The Kan, so he just assumed that was the reason he had come to work there.

Though, it bothered Misaki that he felt like a lot of important details of the last few years were missing, Takahiro seemed even more cheerful than usual, and not at all alarmed by Misaki's memory lost.

Even though Takahiro had explained what the doctor had said about Misaki's head injury and how he may be prone to memory loss, he had expected his brother to be a little more...concerned.

I guess Nii-chan's just glad I'm alright he thought.

Ah, oh well. Like he said, I'll probably remember what I've forgotten eventually.

The whole time Takahiro and Misaki had been talking, Misaki had held his scarf in a tight grip underneath the covers. For some reason, the scarf seemed to soothe his raging thoughts and frustration at the plot holes of his memories.

He never remembered buying it, or Takahiro buying it, so it must have been given to him from someone else that he couldn't recall.

Maybe a crush or a cute girl? he thought.

It would make sense, being that he felt so attached to it and the fact that none of his other relatives besides Takahiro ever gave him presents on holidays or his birthday.

Well, whoever they are, I have to remember them and fast. I'm sure they'll be devastated if I can't recall their name, let alone their face.

As the sun had begun to set, after many hours of talking, nurses checking in on Misaki and just scheduled medications and injections, Misaki was absolutely exhausted.

As he struggled to keep his eyes open, Takahiro stretched in the chair next to him, lifting his arms high over his head and letting out a monstrous yawn..

"Well, Misaki-kun, I have to get going now. Visiting hours are almost over and I have to get back to Manami and Mahiro back home." Takahiro said, kissing his brother's forehead as he stood up.

"Don't baby me," Misaki grumbled in reply. "'m not a little kid, 'n I don't need any forehead kisses…"

"Yeah yeah, I hear you loud and clear, Adult-san. Now get some rest, and I'll visit you tomorrow."

Takahiro said quietly, opening the door as he watched the vivid sunset come through the window and cast shades of oranges, pinks and blues across the room, enveloping Misaki in a warm light as he began to doze off.

"G'night, Nii-chan." he breathed, curling slightly to one side. Unknown to Takahiro, Misaki had his precious scarf held against his chest as a means to keep it close to his heart - even while he was asleep.

"Sweet dreams, Misaki-kun." Takahiro whispered, quietly shutting the door behind him.

As the night shift for nurses rolled around, Nowaki Kusama - again - had been asked to work overtime.

He sighed as he removed his doctor's coat, placing it neatly in his locker in the hospital locker rooms as he changed back into his regular clothes. He dared to glance at the clock, and physically cringed at how late the time was.

Ah, it's 12:30 he observed.

Hiro-san is not going to be pleased with me one bit, I bet.

The large man sulked slightly as he checked his text message inbox, looking for Hiroki's reply to his texts that he was going to be late again. He frowned when, like always when Hiroki was mad, his replies had been short, monosyllabic and lacked punctuation.

His lover, who was also a literature professor, must have been really bothered this time if he was willing to send Nowaki such incomplete or inarticulate messages like those.

Oh no, I must've really hurt his feelings this time…

Sighing, Nowaki finished lacing up his sneakers and shut his locker closed. He quietly placed his files and paperwork to take home in his small backpack before throwing it over his shoulder.

Taking work home was, he could admit, a pain in the ass, and made him understand why Hiroki hated grading papers so much. Not that Nowaki would complain, but he already tended to so many patients and extra patients during the day, that having to work on their paperwork at home was just even more stressful as it was exhausting.

Nowaki sighed yet again as he stood up to exit the locker room.

As he began walking towards the exit, a certain patient suddenly crossed the giant doctor's mind.

I wonder how Takahashi Misaki-kun is doing… he wondered.

Nowaki had been one of the first responders to help perform Misaki's surgery and, though he would never admit it to anyone, it hadn't been an easy job. Nowaki had been really worried about the young adult, and even more worried so when Misaki's brother, Takahashi Takahiro-san had requested Misaki have his own room.

Nowaki had personally been totally against the idea, but he had kept his mouth shut, not thinking that it was appropriate for him to go against a patient's family members best interests.

Maybe I should check on him? Nowaki considered, pausing at the door of the exit with his hand on the knob.

...I'll just peek in on him. He's in room 623, so I'll make it quick. he convinced himself.

Nowaki quietly made his way through the hospital towards Misaki's room from the locker room, nodding to janitors and night shift nurses as he walked through the halls of the building of the emergency room.

He entered the elevator and listened as it creakily took him up to the sixth floor. When the doors reopened, he quietly made his way to Misaki's new room on the opposite end of the hallway of the room he had first been placed in.

When he reached Misaki's room, he tapped on the door lightly three times and pressed his ear to it, waiting for a reply. When there was none, he slowly opened the door and peeked in to find Misaki fast asleep.

He smiled, looking at the boys peaceful face as he slept as the moonlight illuminated his pale skin.

"...oh." he whispered to himself, noticing that someone had left the curtains open. He tip toed his way over to the window and tightly drew them, pausing as he heard Misaki murmur lightly in his sleep.

He looked over at Misaki, and froze when he saw something red peeking out at him from under the covers, even in the darkness of the room.

Blood? Nowaki thought, assuming the worst.

He took a closer look, lightly lifting the blanket from Misaki with his forefinger and thumb., holding his breath until he sighed in relief.

It was just a red scarf. What he had seen was the scarf Misaki had been holding to his chest, and Nowaki recognized it as the same one the boy had been wearing the day he had been emitted into the emergency room for surgery.

That must be special to you, huh? Nowaki thought, chuckling to himself as he replaced the covers, causing Misaki to smile and snuggle into them in his sleep.

Nowaki silently made his way to the door, and looked back at Misaki one last time before shutting it.

I bet Usami-san gave him that scarf Nowaki thought as he walked down the hallway.

He, unlike most people, knew the relationship Akihiko and Misaki had together, since his own lover, Hiroki Kamijou, was Akihiko's childhood friend and often complained about how doting Akihiko was of Misaki.

Nowaki smiled to himself, remembering the joy on Misaki's face even though he was sleeping, as he held the scarf to his chest.

I hope Hiro-san will be able to give me something like that to treasure, one day.

And with that thought, Nowaki felt all of the heaviness and stress from the day lift off of his chest and shoulders as he made his way home to where Hiroki would be expecting him.

Helloooo everybody!

I was actually able to write this pretty quickly, so yay! Suprise update!

Thank you everybody for the favorites/follows/reviews! It makes me feel like what I'm writing is actually worth reading ;u;!

(Also I think I messed up Manami's name - it's supposed to be Manami not Minami so I'll have to go back and fix that wherever I messed up. Oh well. I'm probably the only one that cares about that small detail anyways...)

Plus writing this fanfiction and keeping it updated has been the single most productive thing I have done in five years. Thanks yaoi for setting my priorities straight (well not straight since it's yaoi and there's nothing straight about it *ba dum tss* ok I'm sorry I'll stop)

Anyways I hope you all are having a super awesome day c: Now I must go catch up on the gay glasses anime and then I'll start working on the next chapter!

-OopsIThoughtICouldFlyy