(A/N): I am on a roll right now. The pace of my chapter uploading has increased because I'm currently on vacation. When my fall semester begins the rate of uploads will decrease. PM if interested in beta reading the story. Please review.

The beeping awoke me. Rhythmic and annoying, I half expected to roll over and face down my alarm clock, but when I opened my eyes it was to a sterile white room. The glare was so bright that I hissed in pain and squeezed my eyes closed.

The rhythmic beeping accelerated, and I heard hurried footsteps approach from the hall. "Hikigaya, calm down." A man's voice warned. It had the timbre of middle age and was curated to be reassuring. "Nurse, inform his sister that he's woken up. Son, what's the last thing that you remember?"

I reached through the mental haze, recalling my vault of memories. Moments that my senses perceived flashed through my mind, greasy food, colorful yukatas, humid air. "The summer festival, I went with some friends." I took a deep breath and winced in pain. "What the hell happened to me?"

"We'll get to that, but first I have to ask because your sister and friends informed us about your sleeping problems, have you been using drugs to reach unconsciousness?" The man's voice was neutral, trying to convey that there would be no judgment no matter my answer.

"No, I haven't; what's this about?" I groaned as waves of pain coasted through my body. "And why the hell am I in so much pain?"

"To put it simply, you were drugged." My eyes went wide in shock, and I forced them open despite the pain, focusing on the doctor's face. "It seems to be a cocktail of date-rape drugs. Your friends said that you stole their drinks and were likely exposed to it there."

I thought back, Yui and Yukinoshita had left me on the bench, whoever tried to drug them likely thought that it was just the two of them; and, if I recall correctly, the two cups that I'd stolen had both been held by Yui. Someone had probably slipped something into those.

"You were quite lucky, your friends kept you alive. Whoever did the dosing had no idea how much was needed, it was double the amount that you would need to knock out a fully grown man." The doctor scribbled something down on a clipboard. "And to answer your question as to why you are in so much pain, we couldn't risk giving you painkillers for the broken ribs, so you just have to tough it out."

"Broken ribs?" I asked, still digesting what I'd been told.

"You stopped breathing, your friend kept you alive by performing CPR but broke your ribs in the process." He smiled, I glanced down and read the name tag, 'Makoto'. "You have great friends, the only reason that you're alive is that one immediately began performing CPR while the other called an ambulance. The fact that she made you eat probably saved your life. Otherwise, the drugs would have hit you on an empty stomach and the effects would have been much worse."

The words seemed unreal, that I had stopped breathing. My lungs which were expanding and contracting so easily now had stopped.

"The fact that you were underweight, didn't help either." Makoto warned but ultimately didn't chastise me further after seeing my stricken expression.

"Big bro!" Komachi raced into the room, barreling past Makoto. An out-of-breath nurse chased after her, gasping for air. "Dr. Makoto, I couldn't stop her." He wheezed.

"It's alright, Kotaro." The older man laughed, he ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair.

My little sister ran up to my bedside, touching me like she wasn't sure that I was there, or that the slightest mistake on her part might break me like fine porcelain. I held her hand as she began to tear up.

"I'm so glad that you're okay." She sobbed into my chest, wiping her runny nose on my blanket. I didn't complain, instead, I just held her in my arms and cradled her gently. "When you weren't waking up, I thought that … that … that you were going to- waaah." She cried wailing, though a treacherous part of my mind compared her cry to Waluigi's 'Waaah'.

"I'm alright. I'm alright. I'm alright. It's okay I'm here. Don't worry I'm not going anywhere." I just kept on stroking her hair and whispering words of reassurance. I met the doctor's eyes over Komachi's head and I nodded. He winked back and then quietly exited the room leaving us to our reunion.

I scooted over, ignoring how much pain it put me in, and tapped the spot next to me. Komachi crawled over and lifted the blanket without a single complaint.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Komachi." I whispered then leaned my head on top of hers while she leaned hers on my shoulder.

"I won't say that it's okay because it's not, but I accept your apology. Just don't do it again." There was no warmth in the last statement, just desperation, a need to see me alright, it broke my heart to have scared her like this.

"I won't." I promised but the words rang empty. I couldn't predict what would happen next, just as I couldn't predict this event occurring. But I said the words anyways, it was a lie, Komachi knew it as well, but she snuggled closer into me and began to drift off.

"Stupid Gomi-chan, don't make promises that you can't keep." She grumbled, already half asleep in my neck. I had no response and was grateful when she fell unconscious. I closed my eyes and let my breathing match hers, all the better to keep her asleep.

An earlier glance at the screen showing my blood pressure revealed that I had been asleep for approximately sixty hours, I wondered if Komachi had slept at all since I had started.

I didn't feel guilt, that would come later I was sure, I just didn't have the capacity for it right now. I had almost died, I had stopped breathing.

I had never been so naive, or perhaps arrogant, to assume that I was invincible, immortal, or anything of the sort. But I had been narcissistic enough to believe my death would be dramatic in some fashion. That it would mean more than dying, on a bench at a local festival.

I didn't stiffen up, I couldn't afford to with Komachi resting on my side. But the emotions inside churned, and the fear swirled. What if that had been it, I wouldn't even have realized that I died. Would there have been judgment or hell waiting for me, rebirth, or nothing at all? I knew heaven wasn't in the cards for me, but what was?

The question weighed on me, but at the moment fatigue weighed heavier. I let sleep overtake me once more.

~/~

"Sir."

"Sir."

"Sir."

I was shaken awake, by a nurse in blue scrubs. Her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail and her lips were curled in a forced smile. My sister grumbled next to me and woke up as well, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"What do you need?" I was curt, more so than was justified, but I was just so tired.

"We're pre-rounding and need to ask you some questions. This is Ichinose, our med student." She pointed to a black-haired boy with sleepy eyes, only a few years older than me. "And this is Rika, our senior resident." She nodded to a short girl with braided brown hair and amber eyes. Rika nodded, first to the nurse, and then to me.

Komachi rolled over and slept, uninterested in the current happenings. Take me with you. They ran me through a series of questions, and I answered to the best of my ability. The one mercy was that after the questions, the nurse handed me a cup of pudding.

Unfortunately, the information that came with it, made me wish that I was still dead. Apparently, as is common in those overdosing on depressant drugs, I had defecated in my pants. Or in this case, my kimono, which made the situation all the more humiliating.

When I asked for my phone (mostly hoping for a distraction), I was told that my sister had taken it back with her about 4 hours before I'd woken up. I nodded off again, thankful that they'd taken the IV drip out.

About an hour and a half later I was woken up again, this time during grand rounds, to be asked the same questions and give the same answers as I had before. Komachi once again looked over, saw the staff, and then, immediately went to sleep.

One last time I fell asleep, at some point, Komachi slipped away, though I barely registered it. Too worn out from everything that had happened, and being woken up so many times in a row.

~/~

The final time that I was awoken, it was irregular compared to the times before. There were raised voices bleeding in from outside my room. The soundproofing made it so that I could only catch snippets.

My sister's voice. "...us…alone"

Hayasaka's. "I'm … friend … his choice … "

Yui's. "... fine. We … later … check on …"

I padded into the corridor, a thin hospital robe giving me modesty and slippers to cover my feet. I shivered at the cool air and went back to my bed to wrap the blanket around myself as well.

Outside, I watched my sister in a standoff with some of the most powerful teenagers in the country and Yui.

"Which part of, 'leave us alone' do you not understand?" Komachi snarled, her stance aggressive and her tone venomous. "I thought that the entire point of your fancy school was to provide a great education." Her tone was sardonic.

Hayasaka stood in front of Kaguya, Miyuki, Kei, Ishigami, Miko, and Chika. "We just want to make sure that he's alright." She said, gesturing placatingly.

Yukinoshita and Yui both looked cautious and curious. I probably would've observed a little longer, if factor: C (Chika Fujiwara) hadn't noticed me. Like the force of chaos that she was, Chika bounded past Komachi.

"Haa-Chi-Man" she exclaimed, drawing out each syllable while circling me. "I'm glad that you're okay. We were all worried when we heard about what happened. I brought you a melon." She was very proud, standing tall as she presented a small melon that was dancing wrapped.

I laughed, as I looked her in the eyes, they reflected my mirth but held concern beneath the surface. "Okay, if you have time let's go inside and eat this." I offered, well aware of her gluttonous proclivities.

Chika's eyes lit up, "That sounds like a marvelous idea. But, if you're tired we wouldn't want to intrude." She gave me a meaningful look. For all her airheaded tendencies Chika was truly a brilliant social navigator. She had successfully offered me a chance to turn her down for Komachi's sake without distributing blame.

Of course, I would be tired after what happened. I shared a glance with Komachi, who rolled her eyes but tentatively nodded. "Well everyone, let's go to my room." I turned and heard the telltale sounds of footsteps behind me. The whole crowd (except Komachi who lingered at the door) poured into my room, lining the sides of the bed.

I remembered my manners and introduced Yukinoshita and Yui to the others. The greetings were respectful from all parties but mostly detached, no one seemed particularly social at the moment.

I fielded the standard well wishes from all and requests to discuss things privately from Ishigami, Miyuki, Hayasaka, and Fujiwara. Yukinoshita excused herself first citing family business, she offered a reluctant Yui a ride, who ultimately accepted.

Kei nodded at me and slipped me a note before saying that she'd go wait in the lobby. Shinomiya offered to go with her and told me to call if I needed anything. Miko Iino bade a polite goodbye and departed swiftly, I imagine being overwhelmed by a large number of people.

I offered Fujiwara the first chance to meet privately.

"Chika, what's up?" I asked, knowing she would provide me with all the information that I needed, and more.

"I'm having a board game club meeting at my house to try a new game, would you like to come? Since you were once a member." She offered, amended, and then blushed. Like this was some sort of a clandestine offer. But I could read the subtext, this was her way of reaching out, and expressing concern. Of saying I'm worried about you.

"Sure that sounds like fun." I smiled, glad to be free of the sadness and anxiety that I'd been feeling.

~/~

The next meeting was also blissfully quick, but certainly more frustrating. Shirogane and I sat in a stairwell, as he ranted about his cringeworthy proclamations in front of Shinomiya.

"How can I live with myself? What if she brings it up? I just wanna die." Cool your jets there, you sound like the old Ishigami.

"Jesus Christ. Just confess already." I turned and exited the stairwell leaving him to his crisis. My patience had been fraying, the whole death scare had stretched my mental endurance, and I was tired.

~/~

I pushed on to the third meeting with Hayasaka. We sat in the courtyard garden of the hospital. The breeze blew gently, rustling the trees around us. Normally I would be a little on edge, sitting with the girl that I had not-so-buried feelings for. But right now I just didn't have it in me.

"Is everything alright with Komachi? She wasn't this angry last time that I saw her." Hayasaka asked.

I sighed, watching a bird hanging in the air. It didn't move its wings, just stayed perfectly still suspended in the updraft. I envied it, to be allowed respite from change is an unobtainable luxury for me.

"Hayasaka," I put a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes. Deep crystal blue met dull black. "Komachi probably didn't tell you. I died, my heart stopped beating for approximately four minutes. I'm only alive and not brain dead because Yukinoshita kept on giving me CPR. She had poor stamina, so she probably pushed herself to the point of passing out to save me."

Her eyes were wide, and her eyes said that many things were still unspoken but she said nothing. Ai took my hand, and let the breeze roll over us. We stayed like that for maybe fifteen minutes, just basking in each other's company.

I felt a hunger to deepen it, but couldn't afford to lose my composure. Even if Ai didn't want me as a boyfriend, I still would hate losing her as a friend, as my friend, because I tried to push for more romantically.

Eventually though, I stood up and gave her a micro hug, anything more would hurt my broken ribs. I made my way towards the roof of the hospital to meet Ishigami.

~/~

He didn't mince words or ask how I was holding up. "Why did you stick up for me?"

I blinked, taken aback, but figured that there wasn't much of a point in lying or obfuscation now. "Does it matter? I helped you, but don't expect anything in return. Don't get used to it."

He continued looking out over Chiba, leaning on the hospital railing. He didn't turn but his shoulder blades tensed. "It does to me. Why did you help me?"

I sighed, "Because I knew you, I believed that there were extenuating factors at play that didn't come to light. If you're expecting me to say that it was because I liked you, I like you well enough, sure. But if I had believed you unjustly attacked that boy, I would've helped you after the expulsion, I wouldn't have prevented it. Besides, Shirogane and Shinomiya both took an interest. My importance was less than you seem to think it was."

"We both know that they never would've taken notice if not for you." He turned around with a smile on his face. "Thank you Hikigaya."

I smiled back, I had been lying, but only a little. I knew what it was like to be treated unfairly, ridiculed, and isolated. I probably would have helped him no matter what. I did, however, still absolutely believe in Ishigami's innocence, that was however not what he needed to hear at the moment, so I told him, a convenient portion of the truth.