Welcome Home
Hospital room – after visiting hours
It was quieter now, having taken on that peaceful yet anxious quiet that is unique to a hospital at night. Outside of the individual rooms only the occasional beep, footstep or echo of indistinct chatter broke through. It was the kind of quiet that someone could rest in, but at the same time could be shattered at any moment. Natsuo's room was also quiet, the only sound coming from the TV mounted to the wall across from the bed currently showing a cooking competition program that the two occupants of the room were silently watching. The only other source of light besides the TV was a small lamp on the bedside table, which only provided enough illumination to view the area immediately around the bed leaving the edges of the room in shadow.
On the bed, Natsuo and Rui were cuddled together: she lay on his left side opposite the arm with the IV, her head on his chest, legs wrapped around his and his left arm holding her close. While the staff had provided a small, fold out cot she'd move to eventually, she was not ready to relinquish her comfort just yet. At the thought of having to move she snuggled closer still, Natsuo unconsciously giving her a reassuring squeeze with the arm holding her in return.
Visiting hours had ended shortly after she and her father arrived, so they'd unfortunately had to part with everyone for the night. It had been a unanimous and unspoken decision that Rui would be the one staying the night with Natsuo in the hospital. She wished they could have stayed longer, but at the same time she was glad that she was able to have time with him to herself after the long and stressful plane trip back to Japan.
She then thought back to Miyabi: how exhausted she seemed, her injuries and most of all the look in her eyes that had told Rui that she was still very much reeling from the events of the night before. It was that look which made Rui embrace her and thank her as she did. She needed Miyabi to understand how much what she did meant to her, but she'd only been able to repeat the words "Thank you" over and over. It taken a moment for Rui to recognize that Miyabi had returned the embrace and had broken down into tears, and she realized for the first time she was genuinely grateful that Miyabi had entered Natsuo's life.
As the cooking competition continued Rui tried and failed to stifle a yawn, the sudden new sound pulling Natsuo out of his own thoughts to asked, "Tired huh?"
"You don't know the half of it," Rui muttered into his chest, "I've lost track of how long I've been awake."
Glancing down at her, Natsuo could tell she was completely exhausted both physically and mentally. He had mixed feelings: on one hand the fact that she'd dropped everything to fly across the world for him meant more than he could express... but on the other hand she'd abandoned her culinary training part way through and from a few things he'd heard Jou say to his father and Tsukiko it sounded like she'd decided she wasn't going back to New York.
"What's wrong?" Rui asked, her concern laced with concern.
Blinking out of these new thoughts Natsuo asked in turn, "Huh?"
Pouting slightly, Rui clarified, "You were just staring at me and frowning... so what's wrong?"
"It's just..." he trailed off as he collected his thoughts before continuing, "I don't want you to think I'm not happy you're here. Of course I'm happy you're here... but your training..."
She reached up to touch his cheek as she smiled lovingly before saying, "Don't do that. Don't you start blaming yourself for me leaving early. Me leaving early may set me back a little, but it's not like everything I learned is going to be wasted. I'll still be working and learning at the restaurant here. I'm not going to regret this decision, so you're not allowed to blame yourself. Understood?"
He was silent as she watched her face, amazed that she could have that authoritative and determined fire in her eyes while still maintaining her pout from before. After a moment he found himself laughing quietly; he then composed himself to reply, "Understood. Thank you Rui."
She tilted her head slightly in confusion as she questioned, "For what?"
"For everything," he answered simply as he leaned down to kiss her forehead softly.
Meanwhile – Nearby inn
Miyabi examined herself in the bathroom mirror, grimacing at the ugly shades of blue and purple surrounding her eye; she was not looking forward to all the strange looks it was likely to attract until it faded. She heard the door to the inn room open and close as Tsukiko returned, having stepped out to take a sudden phone call. "I hope everything is alright... she seemed annoyed when she saw who was calling," she thought to herself as she brushed her teeth, the last thing she needed to do before heading to bed.
As she exited the bathroom she saw that Tsukiko was sitting on one of the two beds, head held in one hand with an agitated expression that she was clearly trying to suppress. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "I'm sorry if I'm intruding but... is everything okay Fuji-san?"
Tsukiko's eyes widened slightly as she sat up before she replied apologetically, "Oh... sorry Serizawa-chan. It's just... well that call I just took... how much do you know about Rui's older sister?"
"Hina-san? I've heard about her from Natsuo-kun but I don't know much about her. I know that a few weeks ago she left town after sending you all a strange message and hasn't responded to any of you," Miyabi said as she sat down on the other bed, across from Tsukiko.
"That's right," Tsukiko stated with a sigh, "That was her just now; she was apologizing that she didn't see or respond to our message about what happened to Natsuo until just now. Said she had her phone off all day." She was silent for a few moments while she took a calming breath before adding, "I can't believe her."
Miyabi could see the stress and concern plainly on Tsukiko's face, despite her attempts to hide it. She thought for a moment before deciding to say, "Fuji-san... I know this is a family matter, but it's clear this is eating at you. From everything Natsuo-kun has told me about her: Hina-san sounds like a very caring person, I find it hard to believe that she'd knowingly cause this kind of stress without a good reason."
"She is a caring person, you're right about that. She's actually done something like this before, and that's what has me concerned," Tsukiko replied, her tone a mix of several conflicting emotions. When Miyabi was silent for a moment she added, "Without going into too much detail, Hina got involved in a very complicated and potentially harmful situation. When things came to a head she removed herself from the equation – literally. She left town in order to think on things and reevaluate, that time we had to hire a private investigator to track her down."
Miyabi's eyes widened marginally in shock, Natsuo had alluded to something like the current situation happening previously, but he'd never chosen to elaborate on the matter and she hadn't pressed. After a moment she responded, "Without knowing the full situation I'd say that her vanishing both then and now seems like a drastic measure... whatever she's trying to deal with must be very important. Is this the first time any of you have heard from her?"
Tsukiko couldn't help but give a sardonic laugh as she answered, "Drastic is putting lightly, Hina's always been more on the dramatic side. And yes, as far as I'm aware this is the first time she's reached out to any of us since she left. When I spoke to her just now she asked how Natsuo was doing, and apologized for not being able to be here and that she'd still be gone for a while. When I told her that Rui had already arrived she didn't even sound surprised, she just said 'I'm glad' before moving on."
"Fuji-san... it almost sounds like part of the reason you're frustrated is because Hina-san only just now called, while Rui-san managed to get here from New York before she did so," Miyabi observed carefully.
"You're right," Tsukiko confirmed quickly, "It honestly doesn't surprise me that Rui came back home given the situation. It's just mind boggling that in the time it took Rui to book a last minute flight, fly home, and then make it out here that Hina only just now checked the multiple messages we sent her and responded." She was silent for a moment before adding, "I'm sorry Serizawa-chan. After everything that's happened the last thing I should be doing is venting this to you."
Giving a reassuring smile, Miyabi replied, "It's okay, sometimes we just need to vent. It's no bother at all, I promise. I'm sure that whatever is going on things will work out in the end. Natsuo-kun and Rui-san are very important to her from everything I've heard, so whatever is keeping her away for now must important but she did reach out, and that must count for something."
Tsukiko caught herself smiling at Miyabi's genuineness, knowing that even without all the details she was likely right on the core issue. A thought occurred to her and she asked, "You're a very formal person aren't you?"
Confused by the question, Miyabi asked her own, "What do you mean Fuji-san?"
"I mean the way you refer to Natsuo and Rui; 'kun' and 'san' respectively. It surprised me is all, with how close you clearly are I expected the honorifics to be dropped," Tsukiko explained earnestly.
Miyabi laughed nervously at this before responding, "I don't know about that. Natsuo-kun and I are good friends, but I think it would be presumptuous of me, and Rui-san and I don't know each other very well at all."
"Could have fooled me," Tsukiko laughed, "They didn't seem to see a need for them when addressing you."
"What do you..." Miyabi trailed off as she she thought back on the day. Not once since he'd woken up that morning had Natsuo attached any honorific to her name, and neither had Rui after she arrived. They'd both simply referred to her by her first name the entire time. She'd been so caught up in everything she hadn't even noticed until it was pointed out to her, and now for the second time that night she felt tears form as a tired but happy smile spread across her face.
In another inn room...
"Sorry you've gotta bunk with me Akihito-kun. I'm glad we were able to find another room so last minute though," Jou said as he exited the bathroom and making his way to his bed, both men now having finished getting settled in for the night.
Akihito, from the bed opposite him, shook his head with a laugh as he replied, "It's no bother Jou-san, none at all. The plan had been for me to stay at the hospital while Serizawa-chan bunked with Tsukiko anyway. And I imagine that Rui-chan is so tired she won't mind those cots they have at the hospital."
Giving a quick, tired laugh of his own Jou commented, "You're probably right about that. Today has been a whirlwind for everyone, but I can't imagine what it was like for her. I'm still amazed she didn't pass out either on the plane or on the drive out here. She'd already heard the details thanks to Serizawa-chan but I don't think anything would have put her mind at ease until she saw him for herself you know?"
"I think I can understand it a bit, I know I felt better after we actually got here and saw he was okay. But then again I don't think I could have stayed awake as long as she did," Akihito replied with a sigh. The two were silent for a moment before he added, "I'm also relieved that things seem to be going smoothly on the police's side of things, quickly too for that matter."
"That's right," Jou perked up slightly, "Before we all had to leave you and Tsukiko mentioned that the prosecutors had already filed charges? That's some fast turn around."
Nodding, Akihito clarified, "Ah right we didn't get a chance to explain. The detective said that because all of the statements, physical evidence and Kuzuoka's own answers during questioning pointed towards her having planned it in advance and committing the act they decided to file the charges immediately. He didn't elaborate on what exactly she said though, I imagine that's confidential for now."
There was another moment of silence between the two men before Jou said, "The fact that whatever she said in questioning helped them decided to file charges though... makes me she think she didn't even try to deny it, that doesn't seem normal. Did Natsuo-kun or Serizawa-chan tell you about this Kuzuoka girl other than what happened last night?"
"Natsuo didn't feel up for talking about her much... but Serizawa-chan told Tsukiko that this girl had been trying to seduce Natsuo for a while and that her behavior had been getting concerning. Neither of them thought she'd resort to something like this though obviously or they wouldn't have only tried resolving the situation themselves. Apparently she has her own theory about Kuzuoka's behavior, which she did relay to the detective handling the case; she didn't go into detail with Tsukiko, but I get the impression that she's not mentally stable or something along those lines," Akihito explained, concern managing to leak into his voice despite his best effort.
"That raises its own concern then..." Jou commented, "If she has some kind of mental condition she may get off on a lighter sentence. Or she may be committed to a mental hospital for treatment... Though I guess whether she goes to prison or to a mental hospital the end result is the same."
Jou's statement hung in the air after he had said it. Both men knew that cases involving criminals with mental illnesses were complicated things, and not being legal professionals themselves there were too many factors for them to fully speculate on what may happen. After a moment Akihito shook his head before saying, "That's enough about that for now though. What's going to happen with Rui-chan's training?"
Nodding in agreement with the change of topic Jou answered, "That ultimately depends on her. From what she told me on the way here she doesn't intend to go back to New York to finish out the program there. While there are some drawbacks for her not finishing it out I don't blame her. She went over there when her and Natsuo's relationship was in a delicate spot and a lot has happened, so if she decides to stay here that might be for the best in the long run. If she finished out the program with high marks I was intending to have her be the sous chef, and eventually the executive chef of the new restaurant here. That's still the end goal, it'll just take a bit longer now. She'll have to get more on the job training here before we take that step: right now I feel comfortable making her a chef de partie and the sous chef and I will mentor her as much as we can to prep her."
"Forgive me, I'm not familiar with chef hierarchy..." Akihito chuckled to himself.
Jou laughed before replying, "Ah sorry about that, second nature you know? Chef de partie, or 'station chef' is in charge of a specific station in the kitchen. Think sauces, soups, pasta, fish etc. So Rui will be in charge of one of those, with everyone at that station reporting to her. The sous chef is second in command of the kitchen, all the station chefs report to them, and the executive chef – that's me, is in charge of the of whole kitchen: overseeing, creating menus, managing all the staff. In my case I also double as the owner."
"Ah so I guess in office worker language you'd call the station chef 'middle management' or 'team lead'?" Akihito asked, the explanation clicking.
"Exactly! Based on the reports I received she's more than capable of handling that responsibility. She still needs more experience and training to go any higher though," Jou replied with a proud smile stretching across his face.
The two continued to discuss the parallels between office workers and kitchen staff for a time, but once that conversation had wound down Akihito asked, "Jou-san... have you heard from Hina-chan by any chance? Rui-chan and Tsukiko both messaged her but as far as I know they didn't get a reply."
"No, I haven't heard from her at all since she left. I also tried calling her after Rui told me what was going on, but it went straight to voice mail. Even when she was a little girl Hina would always take drastic steps to do things but... she's worrying me. According to Tsukiko she did this once before a few years ago right? Do you have any idea why she'd do it again?" Jou asked somberly, the worry for his daughter clear in his expression.
"Well... that's..." Akihito trailed off. He and Tsukiko had an idea about why Hina had left, but he wasn't sure how to explain it to him.
Seeing Akihito struggle to voice his thoughts, Jou succinctly asked, "It has something to do with Natsuo-kun doesn't it?"
"How – actually, I shouldn't be surprised: she's your daughter after all," Akihito replied with a small sigh.
"I thought so. I noticed small things here and there when Hina interacted with him, there was also something Tsukiko almost said that night Rui and Natsuo-kun revealed their relationship to you two, but Hina cut her off. I won't press for details, not sure I want to know honestly. Whatever it is though, I feel confident saying it's one sided: I've never seen any of the same signs from Natsuo-kun towards Hina, for as long as I've known him he's been head over heels for Rui. Children can be such a headache..." Jou said with a sigh of his own.
Chuckling in agreement Akihito added, "That they can be... some more than others. If we hear anything from her we'll keep you posted."
"Same here. We're all in this crazy situation together after all, gotta look out for one another," Jou replied, his easy going grin making its way back onto his face.
At L'Amant...
The normally bright and cheerful cafe took on a somber tone after hours, only the light above the bar itself providing any illumination, casting the dining area into inky darkness only broken by thin strands of light shining in from outside. Hina sat at the bar, her phone now off and placed down in front of her next to an untouched drink as she rested her head on one hand, still thinking about the tone her mother's voice had during their conversation. She was having trouble deciding if it was annoyance, disappointment or accusatory.
Kobayashi had waited in silence as Hina made the phone call to apologize to her mother, with her admittedly half baked excuse for why she had only just responded to messages so important. When she'd finished the call he'd poured her a drink, on the house, for her to settle her nerves but she hadn't touched it yet. He gave a polite cough before saying, "That's going to get watered down if you wait too long you know."
"Huh... Oh! Sorry, thank you Mari-san," Hina replied as she snapped back to reality. She hastily took up the drink and took a long gulp from it - draining nearly half of it in one go, the clinking of the ice cubes unnaturally sharp in the quiet cafe. As she set the drink back down her face scrunched at the sourness of the drink before taking a breath and saying, "I needed that."
"I could tell. I couldn't hear exactly what your mother said but it was pretty clear she wasn't happy. I thought you'd have come up with something a bit better in the time it took to get back here," he commented with a tired sigh.
"Yeah... I thought I would too. I guess I'm still a pretty bad liar aren't I?" she asked with a self depreciating laugh.
Kobayashi was quiet as he came around the bar to take a seat next to her. Once seated he replied in quiet, even tone, "I think the only person you're able to consistently lie to is yourself."
"Maybe you're right... I just don't know what - " she began, but was cut off.
"You need to be honest with yourself. If you can't do that then nothing will get better."
"You say that like it's easy Mari-san..."
"And what exactly is so difficult about it?"
"You don't know - "
"Yes I do. I've been the only person you've confided in all this time, so don't try that with me Hina-chan. And I know better than most what kind of hell you put yourself through living in denial."
"But... I can't..."
"Then are you just going to keep running? Keep making excuses to your family they don't believe?"
"I don't want to - "
"Or are your feelings not real?!" Kobayashi raised his voice for the first time. The frustration he was feeling in watching her do this to herself clear as day.
Hina felt the stinging burn of tears form her eyes, along with the shock of her friend's sudden change in tone. Then she felt a burning pressure form in her gut that quickly rose, making her feel like she'd get sick. Before she realized it she was shouting, "Fine! I love Natsuo-kun! I never stopped loving him and I'm jealous of Rui! I'm jealous of how he looks at her, how he dotes on her, how she has his complete attention, how she was able to be his main support even from across the world!" Her tirade was broken as she choked on her sob, almost dry heaving, but she managed to get another string of words, "And I feel like a fool! If I hadn't isolated myself I could have been there for him today! But she still beat me... she flew home and got there before me... There! Are you happy now?!"
As he watched Hina completely break down into tears, having finally let her her true feelings be heard, Kobayashi frowned as he placed his hand on her back and responded, "No, I'm not happy. But at least you've finally admitted it." He didn't say another word as he let the young woman cry until she had no tears left.
Mid Afternoon of May 7th...
"Are you sure you don't want us to drop you off at home? It's no bother," Akihito asked from the driver's seat of the car, Miyabi having exited the car along with Natsuo and Rui at the apartment building.
Shaking her head with a smile Miyabi replied, "I'm sure Fuji-san. I appreciate the offer, you driving me back to Tokyo is already enough but my home is out of your way. I can take the train from here and be home soon enough."
"Well if you're sure then we won't insist. You take care Serizawa-chan, next time we see you will be under better circumstances," Tsukiko said with her own smile, putting her hand on Akihito's shoulder to interrupt him from offering again. She then turned her head slightly to address Natsuo and Rui, "You two get some more rest, Rui still looks half asleep. We'll figure out a time tomorrow to help bring over the rest of her things."
Pouting slightly at being called out, Rui replied, "I'm fine mom... but thank you. We'll see you tomorrow. Sorry you had to drive us all back. I'll check with dad later to see what happened at the restaurant to make him have to head straight there this morning."
"No need to apologize!" Akihito chimed in, "Hopefully it was nothing too major and he was able to resolve it."
The group exchanged a few more pleasantries before the car drove off, leaving the three young adults standing on the sidewalk waving after them. After a moment Natsuo spoke, "You do still look half asleep you know."
Rui swatted his arm as she muttered, "Shut up! Those guest cots they have at the hospital are uncomfortable! Every time I fell asleep I'd move and get jabbed by the support bars..."
"Well then first order of business for you is a nap while I check in on any emails from the university, work and Tougen-sensei," he paused when he saw her frown before adding, "It won't take me long, and then I'll join you for the nap."
As Rui's face softened into a small smile Miyabi couldn't help but laugh quietly as she watched the exchange. Seeing the couple's questioning looks she managed to calm her laughs enough to get out, "Seeing you two in person like this, you're like an old married couple." Her laughter was redoubled by the matching blushes the pair grew at the comment.
Once Miyabi's laughter had subsided Rui asked her, "What about you? Going to keep icing that eye I hope."
"I will," Miyabi nodded, "But I'm going to stop somewhere on the way home to get some concealer. Last thing I need is people at school and the club all staring at it. Then I'm going to probably do the same: catch up on anything I missed the last few days and rest."
"Let everyone know that I'm okay, and that I'll be at the meeting the day after tomorrow for me? Tomorrow is going to be a bit busy after class so I won't be able to drop by," Natsuo asked earnestly, though they could both tell he wasn't looking forward to the questions he was bound to get once he was around the other members of Forester.
"Will do, though you should message Mizusawa-san too just to be sure," Miyabi responded with another nod.
"Thank you, and I will," Natsuo sighed in relief. He then turned slightly away before saying, "We're going to head in, see you later Miyabi."
Giving a nod towards her, Rui added, "Yes, and again: thank you Miyabi."
As the two started walking towards the building Miyabi smiled and called out, "Natsuo! Rui!" She waited as the two looked back towards her before she added, "See you both soon!"
Both Natsuo and Rui paused for a moment, before realizing exactly what she had said before returning her smile with ones of their own as she waved and turned away and walked towards the station.
They made their way up the stairs quietly, Natsuo pausing near one of his neighbor's doors for a moment before continuing and commenting, "Kuwaba's not in... that's kind of a relief."
"Oh? I thought he was a good neighbor?" Rui asked with a confused expression.
Chuckling slightly Natsuo replied, "He is. But sometimes his energy is hard to keep up with, and I don't have it in me right now. You'll see what I mean when you meet him."
The two were quiet as Natsuo unlocked the door and entered the apartment, both suddenly very relieved to be out of the afternoon sun, today having been very warm and only just realizing it when entering the comparatively cool apartment. As she removed her shoes Rui let out a satisfied sigh be fore saying, "Yeah... a nap is definitely in order..."
"Sorry Rui," Natsuo said quietly, with little intonation for her to read into the meaning behind the words.
She turned to face him, now concerned as she worriedly asked, "Natsuo? What are you sorry for?"
He turned to face her, an uneasy smile having grown on his face as he answered, "I know I promised there be tiramisu waiting for you when you came home... but there isn't any."
She stared at him incredulously for a few a seconds before she slapped his arm, harder than the playful swat outside, as she hissed, "You ass! I was worried something was actually wrong!"
Seeing the look on her face Natsuo chuckled again before saying, "Sorry, I couldn't resist." He paused as he pulled her into an embrace, resting his chin atop her head and added, "Welcome home Rui."
She felt her eyes water slightly as the weight of his words was felt, so she wrapped her arms around him just as lovingly while nuzzling into his chest and replying, "It's good to be home."
AN: And so ends this arc of the story. This chapter ended up being longer than I expected because this chapter was never supposed to exist: that final scene with Natsuo and Rui going back to the apartment was supposed to be how the previous chapter ended. Every other scene in this chapter was made up as I went.
Having resolved Miyabi's canon character arc much earlier in the story I had to create a new conflict for this section to revolve around; and I think the two conflicts: Hina's conflict with herself and her feelings, and Nene taking such insane steps to get what she wanted worked well.
I will admit that having Rui decide to move back to Tokyo was a last minute decision on my part, I had originally planned to keep her in NYC for a bit longer but I feel that given the scenario I created she would make that decision.
There will be a bit of time skip in the next chapter - jumping forward by a couple months to mid summer.
With this arc being completed I'd love to hear what you all think: good and bad. Constructive criticism is always welcome along with letting me know what you enjoyed.