Chapter 5:

The following week passed by in a blur. Satoru started standing longer and even taking his first steps with the walker. He was almost completely weaned off any IV nutrition and was eating closer to a regular diet. Although, he wasn't eating as much food as his team wanted. It wasn't his fault they refused to give him the sweet foods he liked. He was still getting headaches. And even though his team kept him on brain rest, he'd get these breakthrough headaches that hit him like lightning, leaving him immobile and very nauseous until they passed.

The doctor reminded him that he still did have some brain inflammation. And until it completely subsided, he'd probably be stuck with headaches. The nurses were really nice to him when it happened, though. They held the bucket while he threw up. And they would put a wet towel over his head and give him a migraine cocktail of meds that eased the pain until it passed.

He was also finally freed from his heart monitor and his oxygen. The EKG stickers left an itchy red rash on his skin, which drove him crazy. The nurses threatened to tie up his wrists again if he continued scratching, so he had to scratch secretly.

Suguru visited daily, always sneaking in different sweats for Satoru. Ieri finally came and visited. The two talked for a little, and Ieri gave him quite the talk about taking better care of his health. Satoru actually apologized to her, which shocked her. He wanted to let her know he appreciated her help, and she about slapped him because she thought he was joking.

Takeji finally decided to stop steroids by the middle of the second week, which helped Satoru stop having such wild dreams. He felt far closer to normal, though the muscle weakness and fatigue still plagued him. Takeji informed him that he would probably be tired and weak for a while as his body recovered.

Suguru walked in one morning while Satoru was working with the physical therapists. His legs shook far less than they had previously. But, to Suguru, Satoru did not look at all in control of his movements. Satoru's arms struggled to support him on the walker and shook while his core barely kept him upright. The nurses worked hard to support him as Satoru took a couple laps around the room. They sat him down on the edge of the bed. Satoru sweat as he took deep breaths.

The nurses encouraged Satoru to get his legs back on the beg himself. It was painful to watch as Satoru's legs didn't cooperate with what his brain was telling them to do. But with a bit of help from the nurses, he used his muscles to pull himself onto the bed. "As you strengthen, we'll ramp up what we ask you to do. But you're doing great! Every day we're seeing immense progress!" Satoru nodded. He was ready for more. He is prepared to walk on his own, shower on his own, and go to the bathroom on his own. He was sick of carrying a stupid catheter around and having a nurse help him shower because his muscles wouldn't cooperate.

Once Satoru was settled in bed, Suguru made his presence known. The nurses greeted him as they left. "Working hard, I see," Suguru said. "It's really annoying when you're body doesn't do what you want it to," Satoru complained.

"I can only imagine." Suguru chided.

"When I'm back to normal, I'm gonna make you go through this."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Oh, just wait."

The two glared at each other. "Wait." Satoru realized, "What did you bring today?" Suguru still had to hide the sweets in his clothes. Satoru's doctor didn't see sweets' nutritional or healing value, so Suguru did his best to bring things small enough he could sneak in. "I brought Kikufuku." "You're my savior. Have I told you that?" Satoru dug into the sweets. "I heard you're not eating the food they're giving you." With his mouth still of food, "It's not very good." "I think the point is supposed to be that it's good for you." Satoru sighed, "It's hard to eat the same bland food daily. No flavor, no this, no that." "Didn't you vomit when they gave you Mac and cheese?" Satoru remained silent. "I'll take that as a yes." Suguru joked.

"I told them sweets won't make my stomach upset." Satoru said, "But they insist on the most boring food. When you've been here for…" Satoru had to think about how long he'd been in the hospital. "Two-ish weeks?" He asked. He'd lost count at this point; most of the first week was a bit of a blur. He'd vaguely remembered his encounter with Yaga. He knew Yaga had asked him a question but couldn't remember it. All he really remembered was how angry Yaga had seemed.

"16 days." "Geez." Satoru said, "Well when you've been in the same room eating the same bland food for 16 days, you're bound to get sick of it." "If you want to get out, I'd suggest you eat what they tell you. I don't think you'll be able to leave until you get off all the IV nutrition." "Alrighty, Dr. Geto. Never knew you cared so much." Suguru sighed. "Of course, I care. And I wish you wouldn't be so obstinate." Satoru sighed, "It's not like I'm not trying. My body is sure taking its sweet time healing them time around. They tell me to be patient, and things will return to normal, but because this is my second time having this, it will take longer. The inflammation was worse than before. I really overdid it."

"I didn't know you'd had encephalitis before."

"When I was little, I couldn't control my powers very well, so I would stress my brain out. One day I tested how long I could use my technique and gave myself a much milder case of autoimmune encephalitis than this time."

"Always pushing the boundaries."

"You know me."

Something clicked with Suguru, and an annoyed look crossed his face.

"What?"

"So you knew what would happen when you didn't feel well, but you kept pushing?"

"Not like I had much of a choice. Didn't feel like dying."

"Yes, but you didn't have to fight him alone the second time. You could've gotten help and protected your body a bit."

"Guess the thought didn't cross my mind."

"That would mean that you actually ever think before you act."

"Ouch, Suguru. That one hurt. For that, you owe me a favor."

"I'm not bringing you Digimon."

"Oh, come on! It can be so boring in here!"

"You're on brain rest!"

"I think I could at least read or something."

"Aren't you still getting headaches?"

"Not as much as before!"

"Then that's still a yes."

"C'mon, please. The headaches really aren't that bad anymore."

"Only a couple days ago, I saw you curled up with a towel over your eyes, a barf bucked on your lap, and a nurse pushing a bunch of meds in your IV."

"Please?" Satoru asked with a big goofy smile.

"I'll stop bringing sweets if you don't get a grip. I'm not gonna endanger your health."

That shut Satoru up fast, "You're no fun." The two smiled. It was nice to see Satoru acting slightly closer to normal. Suguru was also happy to see Satoru looking much healthier. His face didn't look so sullen, and he didn't seem as tired. Though he still slept most of the day, only waking to eat and do his physical therapy exercises. Suguru could see that Satoru was getting sleepy, slowing his conversation, and his eyes seemed to be closing. Something about that made Satoru seem young to Suguru. He was always the strongest of the three, so he was thrust into the most dangerous missions. So, it was refreshing to see him getting the rest he never got during the year.

Satoru was quickly asleep. Suguru watched his friend's chest rise and fall briefly before cleaning up the crime scene. Satoru had torn through the kikufuku he'd brought, so Suguru had to ensure the nurses wouldn't see the wrappers.

Suguru left, but a nurse stopped him on the way out. "He keeps talking about crepes in his sleep." Suguru smiled; his secret sweets weren't as sneaky as he thought. "I'll help you sneak some in." The nurse mentioned. The two concocted a plan to bring some crepes into the barricade that was the hospital section of jujutsu high.