The Troubles with Cat-Sitting
I'm bored and trying to rewrite this story, so please enjoy as I'm trying to figure out the narrative to my crazy mind :)
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"News reports are coming in live from the scene. Tonight, there was disturbance in the sky over where the major cooperation know solely as EASTER was located. Blasts of smog and smoke erupted from some kind of unknown entity seen floating around the area. At this time, there is one report of an injury to a company employee who was listed to be the son of the head of EASTER, himself. More news on the story as it develops..."
...
From the accident with Easter having received national news, primarily due to the numerous amount of explosions caused (thanks in part due to the X-egg energy destroying its remnants in the sky), the head of Easter on top of the many employees are facing charges in Japan's court system for destruction of property, public disturbance and multiple accounts of endangerment to human safety.
...
From this incident, what wasn't covered (thanks to Nikaidou and Tsukasa's interference with pesky news reporters) was Ikuto's accident caused by the incident between the Guardians, Utau and Ikuto, whom to which he was being mind-controlled by Gozen, himself.
...
In the unfortunate aftermath, since Ikuto had sustained multiple life-threatening injuries he was immediately airlifted to a local hospital and had since been there all of last week till now- tomorrow would be December 1st, his 17th birthday.
...
Amu couldn't stop thinking about Ikuto. Day and night with what seemed like a hopeless wish of full recovery , Amu dared crossed the possibility that Ikuto would either not recover from the accident, or be severely impacted the rest of his life due to this scenario. She felt lost, scared even of losing Ikuto. For all that it was worth, Amu would have chosen to sacrifice herself in those few precious moments than have Ikuto be the target; she felt it fair due to Ikuto's past with abusive adults overseeing his everyday life. In a hypocritical sense, Ikuto wasn't much of a free alley cat all along, as that's what Amu questioned through those restless nights she sat awake thinking about her friend.
...
In fact, Amu couldn't tell what she felt about the whole matter- for one thing, while she knew Ikuto's intentions were to keep Amu, and respectfully Tadase out of his business with Easter, she felt hurt and betrayed that he wouldn't share his problems with his family (or her) and those hurtful words he exchanged between the two middle school students, whom one of which he had stayed at her place for a few days until he was found out by the girl's mother only made the questioning feelings Amu was experiencing more distressing. However, Amu knew in her heart that Ikuto, for all he brought to the table with him was her friend, romantic interest and someone Amu deeply cared for.
...
With that being said, it wasn't until a personal discussion between Tadase and herself that Amu had the courage to visit Ikuto in the hospital, once confirmed he was stable and responsive. Utau had called Amu on her cellphone to confirm the girl's arrival, since Ikuto had been transferred to a private room after his temporary incubation in the ICU.
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Amu Pov:
"Amu, are you close to the hospital? Want me to get you a drink or anything?" Utau asked kindly over the cell. Since Ikuto's accident, it felt as though the pop star was kinder to Amu than she ever had been before, especially once revealed that Ikuto slept at Amu's house for a few nights (and shared a bed together!).
"I'm almost there, give me another five minutes to check in then I'll be up- what floor is Ikuto's room on?"
Asking an unfamiliar voice off the phone, Utau responded " he's third floor, room A2. Let me know when you're downstairs so that I can bring you up".
"Ok, see you soon". CLICK.
Flipping her phone off, Amu crossed the street that led to the entrance of the hospital and proceeded to go inside and find her way to the pediatrics wing (Ikuto was still considered a child by Tokyo hospital standards). As she maneuvered her way around the corridors, her shugo Chara character, Su asked mid-flight,
"Amu~, what are you thinking about~"? Is something on your mind~"
Amu's other character, Ran interrupted mid-conversation,
"Amu is concerned about Ikuto. Utau and Yoru said Ikuto was finally waking up!"
Amu pondered that thought for a moment as she attempted once more to figure out her surroundings. The idea that Ikuto was showing progressive signs in his recovery was not only promising, but also alleviated some of Amu's own anxieties and concerns. Still, she wasn't entirely sure what she was expecting once she reached the third floor.
"AH! Didn't we just cross that vending machine? Did we do a circle around here? Ran, Miki, Su- can you guys try to find the front desk please? Utau said she'll meet us there!" Amu desperately asked as she searched around the corners trying to find the correct pathway to the main lobby of the pediatrics wing.
"You got it Amu-chi!!!" The three charas chanted as they flew past Amu and down multiple corridors. It wasn't until a few seconds past that Ran shouted down a hallway-
"Over here Amu! Utau is there too!"
...
"How is he doing? Has he talked yet?" Amu asked nervously as she followed Utau down the hall on the third floor heading to Ikuto's private room.
"He just woke up this morning. The doctor came and checked his vitals; so far he's physically stable but hasn't said anything yet. We're waiting for some test results to come back." Utau explained as she lead Amu to the door, A2.
"You need to knock first to make sure it's ok to come in" Utau stated as she gave a couple gentle knocks to the big wooden door. She opened it slowly and made way for Amu to walk past her.
Amu walked slowly into the room, her shugo charas floating behind. As Amu approached the bed, she took in her surroundings to the best she could muster without running out and tearing up in the hallway. There were an abundance of different tubes running out of Ikuto's pale arms, most of which had different liquids draining into his limp less body. However, there was a woman perched on the corner of the bed, cradling Ikuto in her arms similar to that if she were holding a tiny, delicate and breakable baby. Ikuto, himself was snoring quietly as the woman rocked him forward and back, stroking his blue hair softly and humming peacefully to herself. She looked up in surprise as Amu approached her.
The woman's smile was sweet and inviting, this helping to eliminate the numerous butterflies floating in Amu's stomach as the girl thought who this woman could be?
"Hello, my name is Souko Tsukiyomi, Ikuto and Utau's mother. It's nice to meet you Ms Hinamori" the woman named Souko kindly said as she repositioned her arms to fit Ikuto's head more comfortably by her. She bent her head towards Ikuto's ear, almost whispering to him in a quiet, non-frightening gesture-
"Ikuto, Amu is here to see you. Do you want to say hi?"
Amu stared dumbfounded at the scene. She felt particularly rude at not immediately having introduced herself to Ikuto's mom, but was paralyzed in speech at the sight Ikuto was- tubes, a jaundice yellow hospital gown and oily, unwashed hair mixed with sweat. She didn't know how to process her thoughts right away until Ran interrupted her train of thoughts.
"Amu, say hi to Ikuto! You've been worrying about seeing him; now he's here!" the little pink chara attempted to positively enforce.
"Amu, Ikuto can hear you; it's ok to go up to him." Utau gently encouraged her friend as she steered Amu to the bedside near Ikuto's cradled head. Amu pulled up an oversized armchair that was in the room and sat down, trying to come up with the words she wanted to say to her friend.
"Ikuto, it's me, Amu. Can you hear me? I've been worrying about you- I missed you." Amu quietly said as Souko offered one of Ikuto's hands to Amu to hold. His hand, feeling cold and dry from the lack of proper washing was a weird feeling compared to the countless times Amu could think when she held Ikuto's hands before, strong yet smooth and comforting.
Ikuto squirmed in Souko's arms, attempting to adjust himself the best he could with the tubes attached. He squinted, opening his eyes slowly and looking all around the room. His blue eyes, once filled his mischievous antics and humor seemed to have a screen of shiny sheen around them, almost as if there was some crying having occurred before Amu came. She squeezed his hand, rubbing small circles into his palm.
"Amu"
That voice; his voice. Distinguishable, deep and mature emanated from Ikuto, though it came out raspy and faint.
"I'm here, Ikuto" Amu smiled with tears rolling down her cheeks.
--
"What are we expecting here, doctor? Will Ikuto be able to talk again? Walk?" a worried voice approached outside of room, A2. In close proximity, it sounded like Tsukasa was the one talking outside the door.
"We'll keep him here for a few more days, but I have to tell you: he's making small progress with him just responding to the medicine and IV fluids. Luckily he'll feel better coming up these next few days, physically. Mentally, I'm not so sure. He's not talking coherently, at least for someone his age. His legs may be weak from the accident, but he should have attempted at least to try to stand; Ikuto can't even sit up on his own! The nurses are writing down that he's consistently having incontinence issues and needs adult pull-ups. Frankly, and this is just by observation and the notes written by the surgeon, but there may have been substantial injuries to Ikuto's head that could very well be life impacting."
"Will he need a caregiver? Does he need to stay at a rehabilitation center? The voice asked, though the translation sounded shaky.
"Ikuto will definitely need a caregiver once he leaves. I have no doubt that boy will need round the clock care, 24/7. I figured his mother would take on that role; that can be sorted with the social worker once she comes." The doctor explained.
If looks could kill, Tsukasa may just have very well taken down a herd of buffalo trampling through the hospital wing.
--
"The doctor said Ikuto will need a caregiver once he leaves. Right now, there's no chance that Ikuto will improve enough to care for himself; he'll need someone to watch him at home." Tsukasa sadly shared as the room fell silent. Souko adjusted her eldest child in her arms, cradling him as he stirred under her, restlessly trying to fall back asleep having been woken up by all the commotion.
Amu and Utau, both shocked turned to each other in shared disbelief. The shugo charas, plus Yoru who had joined in on the conversation fell quiet.
"What does that mean, Tsukasa? Is Ikuto not going to recover from this? Will he be able to take care of himself one day? Utau asked worriedly.
Tsukasa sighed heavily, not sure how to go about processing the disheartening news. Amu intervened.
"Who's going to care for Ikuto? Will Easter know about this?" panic issued from the girl.
"Easter will definitely be notified of his injuries; most predominantly that Ikuto could be permanently impacted by their carelessness and abuse. I'm assuming court will be issued, especially since the company is already in deep waters from the destruction caused." Tsukasa informed the group, sharing a worried look over at Souko who effectively managed to put Ikuto comfortably back to sleep.
"Do you think I should go, Tsukasa? The court will need to hear of his current state of being; proving that Ikuto may be immobilized permanently." Souko asked.
"Mama you can't!" Utau abruptly interrupted, standing up from her chair hastily. "Ikuto needs you now more than ever! You can't leave him to go and deal with Easter- we don't know how long that'll take."
Tsukasa placed a gentle hand on Utau's shaking back, trying to comfort the girl to sit back down in her respective seat. Amu squeezed Utau's arm comfortably, giving the younger sister a comforting smile.
"I can care for Ikuto while you work things out with Easter, Souko. I'm sure the school will be accommodating provided the circumstances and necessary action needed for Ikuto." Tsukasa kindly stated. The mother, who at the moment looked down at her son quietly snoring smiled warmly.
"Thank you, Tsukasa. Thank you for helping me, our family in this time of need. If only Alto were here though; I'm sure that's who Ikuto would really want to see after all" Souko sadly shared as she stroked Ikuto's locks.
As Amu processed the site, a sudden idea popped into her head.
"Say, maybe I can help with Ikuto? We've gotten to know each other over the last year, maybe he would be ok if I helped him out? Would that be alright, Mrs Tsukiyomi?" Amu asked nervously.
Souko and Tsukasa, both amazed at Amu's sudden confidence couldn't come up with a response. Souko had briefly heard of Ikuto's time spent at Amu's residence, and Tsukasa heard numerous rumors of the ally cat's sitings with the pink-haired student; yet, the two adults sat dumbfounded at the girl's proposal.
Whilst he assumed the school wouldn't have much issue with the needed time off, Tsukasa was mentally preparing himself to become a full-time caregiver to the teen boy, who in simple matters was nothing more than a baby at this point. Maybe an extra set of hands would be beneficial, especially since Utau would be too busy to help due to her demanding work schedule?
"I think that's a great idea, Amu. What do you say, Souko?" Tsukasa kindly asked. Souko pondered for a moment, almost appearing to seriously contemplate the idea before finally saying,
"I think Ikuto would like that very much, Amu."
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Here's to hastily redoing what I consider to be a proper start to this story! I intend to delete the actual first chapter, and overtime redo and update each chapter. I can't promise when the updates will come nor if they'll be done in the order the chapters were uploaded: I'm kind of going by how my imagination is working on that particular day.
But, if you have any suggestions to better improve this story, let me know via the comment section.
I may also put this store on ao3 if I think it's worth it.
thank you all!:)