Another day had passed before he awoke again, things being the same as they were beforehand. Misaki was at his side, and doctors were asking him a question or two every now and again to assess his condition. After a few days exhaustion would take him fewer and farther in-between his spells of consciousness. The only thing that had changed was the area he was in. After waking the first time, doctors had moved him from ICU into a normal room in another wing of the hospital to clear and clean the space for other patients. That was all fine with him. That meant he was getting better.
And he felt better after a while… He felt fully functional, but any attempt to move or get up took a lot out of him, and Saruhiko found it hard to move any limb with ease. The doctors assured that it was normal for his state, and they explained the situation to him then and there. He'd been told that he had come into the hospital in critical condition and had been in a coma for a week. So the lack of mobility sounded worse than it actually was. He was lucky to have come out of his coma with just that problem alone; a problem that could be fixed with a little effort and physical therapy.
After a while they'd given him the privacy he deserved. Misaki had been escorted out, even if it was against his will. Yata fought back, wanting to stay by his side, but was eventually taken away by Izumo who told him to give it a few days. It was okay with Saruhiko—the blue didn't want to see Homra's vanguard around. He couldn't fathom why the other had even bothered to show up, or why he'd stuck around as long as he had after he'd woken up from the coma. He didn't get it. They hated each other. They weren't supposed to be friendly with each other. Enemies…that's what they were.
"He's the one who found you."
The sudden noise startled him and made him jump. He turned towards the door, narrowing his eyes as Munakata Reisi walked into the room, seating himself in one of the vacant chairs. "What do you want? Why'd they let you in? They told me—"
"You'll have your alone time, Fushimi-kun." Munakata interrupted, arms folding across his chest as he leaned back and crossed his legs. "I just wanted to talk with you for a little while. They let me in only because I'm in charge of you. Like a legal guardian, since you work for me."
Fushimi turned his head to the side. "Like hell you are…Wait—what were you saying? When you first walked in?" he asked quietly.
"Yatagarasu." The king comments back, and Fushimi feels his chest tighten at the sound of the nickname. "He's the one that found you and called the paramedics for help. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't be here right now." He pauses, giving his third in command some time to process. Taking things at a slow pace was necessary. Too much would be strenuous on his subordinate's mind.
"Now I need you to fill in the missing pieces of my puzzle, Fushimi." He continues, "Two weeks ago you were sent out into the field on a regular patrol. Scepter4 lost contact with you, and when you didn't return hours later a search party was organized. Homra's vanguard found you in a deserted alley, practically dead." His voice remained calm throughout everything, even though—deep down—this whole ordeal had him worried. "What happened to you?"
Fushimi blinks, staring at his Captain as the events were described. It doesn't all come back to him clearly, and he's not sure if what his mind comes up with is fact or fiction. Everything seems jumbled and disoriented, and he doesn't want to tell the story if it's not going to come out right. So he pauses for the longest time, trying to piece together anything that he can. "I don't remember…" he answers back quietly. "It all happened like you said: I went out and everything went as normal, but the next thing I know I wake up here and a week has gone by…" His fingers curl into a loose fist—just about the only thing he's able to do with his limbs at this point. "I don't have anything for you…not right now."
Munakata nods, settled in his thoughts for a moment before he stands and makes his way to the door, "Take your time. I wasn't expecting much right away. I must apologize for letting this happen. Spend your time getting better and we'll talk again soon. If there's anything you want to share I can come in at any time."
Fushimi is quiet for a long moment, but then something just doesn't click in his mind. Scepter4 organized the search party for him, right? So why was Misaki the one to find him? "Captain?" he calls out before his superior is gone. "How did he know? Why was he the one who found me?" he asks, seeming a bit desperate for an answer. It still didn't make sense. Why would Yata care so much? He was the traitor, so why would Yata save a person he was meant to hate? He should have preferred Fushimi dead…
"Awashima-kun was having a drink at Homra's bar when we called her for help." And Fushimi sees a smirk appear on his superior's face—one that he didn't take too kindly. "You cost her the rest of her day off. I don't think she was too pleased with that, but she must have described the situation to Homra and they were willing to help in the search. Yata just happened to stumble upon you first." And with that he's gone, leaving Fushimi to the privacy he'd asked for, but with more questions left unanswered.
He spent the next two weeks in recovery, physical therapy sessions helping him to move again with ease. They started with his arms, telling him it'd be easier if he started there. He spent the hours rebuilding the muscles and continuously moving limbs. Nurses had told him that since he'd only been asleep for a week, the muscles hadn't loosened and deteriorated too much. It'd be easy work to get them moving again. And Saruhiko, who would normally hate working with others in any situation, was cooperative. It didn't take him long to have a working upper-body again.
His legs were a different story.
The process took more time than his arms had. It was more difficult to support your full body weight than to support a few ounces in the objects he had to pick up with his hands. The nurses encouraged him to walk as much as he could, but there was always a crutch and a wheelchair to back him up. He hated it all. It made him look weak, and it was embarrassing to be so dependent. The sooner he got home the better. Eventually he was able to walk slowly on his own without any support. The task wasn't nearly as exhausting as it had been when he first started.
He denied any and all visitors, though Munakata would unjustly use his power to force himself in to visit. That was fine with him as long as they spent the time trying to figure out what had happened to him. His real reason for keeping visitors out was so Misaki couldn't get in. He'd heard the vanguard had tried to visit multiple times, but he wasn't willing to deal with that. It still didn't click right that Misaki, of all people, wanted to see him.
As time passed, his recovery improved with each and every day. It came to a point around two weeks later where the discussion of discharge from the hospital came into conversation. Fushimi would have been thrilled at the idea. He felt trapped, always in the same room without much leisure to roam as he pleased. If he could get out and go home, then he'd surely go without a second thought.
But things didn't go nearly the way he wanted to, and suddenly second thoughts sounded like a better plan. They weren't going to let him stay alone. Fushimi, the most independent human in all of Shizume City, was going to have to stay with someone else to keep monitoring his progress. No, he wasn't going to allow it. He'd leave on his own, go home, and lock his door. No other soul would enter his home.
He'd suddenly become uncooperative on the subject, and when Munakata came to visit him next it was most definitely a topic of conversation.
"I know you don't want to stay holed up in here." The Blue King states almost immediately upon entering the room. He seats himself in the same vacant chair he would occupy anytime he visited, legs crossed and arms folded across his chest as usual. "You just need to stay with someone for a week or two while you finish recovery."
The third only rolls his eyes, gaze focused out the window and away from his superior. "Why does it matter? I've made progress enough, so I've been told."
"And if something happens to you while you're alone? What would happen then? You need someone by your side."
"You have to let me be independent eventually. I can't…I won't go with someone holding my hand." The teen retorts back, tone harsh.
The Captain sighs, finding his subordinates immature manner to be quite troublesome. "I had planned for you to come stay in the dorm for a while with one of the others, but a…different option presented itself."
Fushimi's brows furrow in confusion. A different option? What could that even mean? Taking his silence as a means to continue, the King spoke again. "We've spoken, and he's willing to put you up and help you until you're fully recovered. You won't need to come to Scepter4 for a while, still, so I figured it'd be a good idea for you two to get…reacquainted." And he smiles innocently, knowing that it's clicked in his trusted third's mind.
And clicked it did. His head snaps back towards his Captain, eyes set into a narrow glare. "No. What in the world made you think that that would be a good idea?" He shook his head. This was going one step too far. "I'm not staying with him." There's no way he'd willingly take Fushimi into his home. "So what'd you bribe Misaki with?"
"Absolutely nothing." Munakata replies back and the grin is wiped from his face. "You don't seem to understand, Fushimi-kun. He found you, he saved your life, and while you were in that coma he never left your side. He's willing to help."
"I don't know why…" he mutters under his breath. "And you're actually okay with this? He and I…we're always about to kill each other. You know that as well as I do."
Munakata merely smiles, confident in the plan that had been set up. "You're in no condition to fight, and I don't think he'll attack while you're weak. I see no problem with it. It's only for a short while. You'll survive."
He looks like he's ready to leave, but Fushimi stops him. "About what happened…" He's quiet for a while, still not remembering it all. There were only small pieces coming back to him little by little. "It was a Strain…one of the ones we'd been looking for recently. I still don't remember much else…" Just like that he was done, feeling exhausted as a headache started to form. Thinking back to that accident was not something he enjoyed doing.
"Thank you, Fushimi." Munakata answered, heading for the exit again. "Don't stress too much." He was gone after that, leaving Fushimi to his thoughts and dreading the moment Misaki walked through the door to see him again.