I looked around at the window. It was already dark outside by now. The rain had stopped though.
Turning back to Shunsui, I changed the cold compress over his forehead again. The reddish-brown-haired young man was sleeping. Even if his fever has gone down a little, I still felt dead worried about him.
He wouldn't allow me to call a doctor. He didn't want me to inform Tsubasa-sama either because he didn't want to worry her.
But maybe, he'd listen to Gōjun… I said to myself.
Being careful not to make any sound or brusque movements, I reached out for his cellphone which was resting on the night table, and picking it up in my hand, I got to my feet silently and made my way out of his bedroom into the corridor. Since I didn't want to risk waking him up by closing the door, I decided to move to the living room instead.
Should I call Gōjun?
I was really worried about Shunsui.
I'm sure he will know what to do.
Going through the reddish-brown-haired young man's phone log, I searched for Gōjun's number and pressed the green telephone icon.
I held my breath.
He answered within a few seconds.
'Shunsui?'
'Gōjun...' I said, timidly. 'It's Hime.'
'What is it?' he asked, his tone becoming alert.
I took a glance behind me down the corridor in direction of Shunsui's bedroom, before telling him, 'Do you think you could come over at Shunsui's house? He's not feeling well!'
'I'm coming over immediately!' he stated, his tone dead alarmed.
'Alright.'
Five minutes later, I was in Shunsui's bedroom, watching over him, when I picked up the sound of Gōjun's car outside. Within no time, I heard the door of the living room open and urgent footsteps coming into this direction, accompanied by two distinct voices. The first one belonged to Gōjun; the second was unfamiliar to me.
'Gōjun...' I said, anxiously, the moment he walked in the room. He was accompanied by a doctor. The latter was an old wrinkled man with a white beard. I guessed that he was the Doctor Hajime Nakamura, the Shigeizumi's family doctor.
'Gōjun… What are you doing here?' Shunsui croaked out, as he woke up at that moment.
'I've brought the Doctor Nakamura with me!' Gōjun told him, for only reply, and turning to the doctor, he asked the latter to examine Shunsui, while we would wait outside.
He closed the door after us, and we headed for the living room together to wait nervously for the doctor to come out again. When he finally did, we half-ran to catch up with him in the corridor to ask him about how Shunsui was doing.
'It's only a fever. I've given him an injection to reduce it. If he's not fine by tomorrow morning, call me again.'
Gōjun and I looked at each other. Even if it was only a fever, we couldn't help but feel deeply concerned about him.
We nodded.
Shunsui has to be fine by tomorrow morning! Please, Kami-sama!
'I'll just drop him to his house and be back, okay?!' Gōjun told me, after that, and I nodded again.
He left with the doctor, while I headed for Shunsui's bedroom one more time. The latter had fallen back to sleep. I sat myself down on the floor at his bedside to watch over him.
Gōjun made it fast to return.
When he did, he moved to the other side Shunsui's bed to lean against the wall by the night table, with his arms crossed over chest, his worried eyes never leaving the reddish-brown-haired young man's sleeping face, not even once.
'Gōjun,' I murmured, timidly, after a moment, 'do you think I could stay for a little while longer? I could go to work a bit late today.'
He nodded once, and my eyes returned onto the reddish-brown-haired young man's face.
Oh Shunsui… Please, get well soon!
***
Gōjun remained standing where he was for several hours, watching over the sleeping young man alongside the dark-haired girl.
At some point, though, as he took a glance at the latter, he noticed that the girl had now rested her head over the mattress; her eyes tightly shut against the world.
She had fallen asleep on the floor in the position that she was!
He stared at her for a minute, before he sighed.
The dark-haired girl really had the chic to fall asleep without realizing it, and that, just anywhere. He felt that he could excuse her this, however; she had been worrying so much about Shunsui. In fact, she had been so disquieted that she hadn't left his side even once, except when it had been really necessary. Everything has remained as it was in the kitchen, and he feared that she had not even eaten anything since lunchtime.
Moving up to the cupboard, Gōjun took out a thin quilt and came around of the bed to bring it to her, draping it over her shoulders, while being careful not to wake her up.
Taking his cellphone out of the pocket of his jeans then, he moved up to the window, took a glance backward at Shunsui and the dark-haired girl, before he dialed Tsubasa Shigeizumi's number.
After having talked with her, he shifted to the reddish-brown-haired young man's bedside again, to sit down on the floor against the night table, on the same side of the bed as the dark-haired girl, to continue to watch over the sleeping young man more closely.
***
Meanwhile...
Several hours after Sōken Nishoji had left, Naoyasu Hanabusa continued to sit in the dining room, staring silently at the table. Yūsei had not came down even once after the events of this afternoon; he didn't even come down to eat. The red-haired man wondered if Sōken has eaten anything on his side.
When he heard the door of the room slid open, he looked up on the spot, expecting to see Yūsei, but only to be a little disappointed when he saw that it was only his cousin Yahiko.
The latter switched the light of dining room on, giving him a puzzled look.
'Naoyasu, you're still here? Why are you sitting like this in the dark?'
'For nothing!' the older male replied, solemnly. 'It's very late in the night! May I know why are you still up? Go to bed immediately!'
'Hai, sir!' the boy replied, with a small grimace, and he turned away to leave for his room without further ado.
On his side, Naoyasu continued to sit there for another quarter of an hour, before he got to his feet and came out of the dining room into the corridor to make his way upstairs. Arriving in front of the door of Yūsei's bedroom, he took a deep breath, before he knocked on the door very lightly.
'Yūsei?' he called out, in a soft voice. 'Can I come in?'
He didn't hear any reply, but picked up a few sounds of movement from inside of the room.
'Yūsei? I'm coming in!' he called, and slowly, he opened the door to have a look inside.
The light of the room was switched off. In the dim light coming through the window, he could decipher Yūsei's figure on his bed. The latter was lying on his side, with his back turned towards the door, his quilt pulled up to his ears.
The red-haired man was sure that the teenager was not sleeping yet; he was simply refusing to talk to him. Naoyasu pretended, as if, he didn't know this, though, not wanting to pressurize the teenaged young man, and saying good night to him, he closed the door again, and made his way downstairs back into the dining room.
Switching the light off, he went to sit at his usual place at the table and stared at it sadly for a whole moment, before he let his body fall backward on the tatami and brought his clasped hands over his forehead to rest them there, with his palms facing upward, his eyes fixed onto the ceiling.
Taking another deep breath, he sighed, closing his eyes.
***
In the early morning of the following day...
When Shunsui Shigeizumi became awake, the first thing that he realized was that he didn't have the impression of having any fever anymore. Next, he noticed that he was not alone in his bedroom.
His eyes widened at a certain dark-haired girl. The latter was sleeping in a sitting position on the floor at his bedside. She had rested her cheek on the mattress and was clutching the bed-cover tightly with her hands, sleeping like a baby. In fact, she was even drooling. And by her side, was a fast asleep Gōjun. The latter was sleeping on the floor in a sitting position at his bedside too, having rested his head on his arm, which was stretched out in front of himself on the bed.
A mischievous smile came to the reddish-brown-haired young man's lips as an idea suddenly crossed his mind. Sitting himself up quietly, he reached out for Gōjun's hand- the one which was resting on the bed- and he raised it gently to rest it over the hand of the dark-haired girl. Gōjun grunted once, but did not awaken.
Shunsui giggled to himself.
'Shunsui… What are you doing?' a familiar female voice inquired, abruptly, in a sleepy tone.
Instantaneously, the reddish-brown-haired young man's head snapped to his right to look at the face of the person who was sleeping on the floor on other side of his bed. That person was none other than Tsubasa Shigeizumi!
Since he was sleeping on this side of the bed and the latter was very large, he had not noticed the blonde woman until she had spoken. She sat herself more upright from where she was sitting on the floor, rubbing her eyes, having just awakened.
'What-What are you doing here?!' Shunsui gasped.
Her face scrunched up at him. 'Huh? What do you mean what I'm doing here?!' Climbing over his bed with him, she pulled at his ear, scolding him, 'Why didn't you call me when you felt sick?! I rushed to see you immediately when Gōjun phoned me!'
'Ah! Ah! Stop it! You're going to tear my ear off!' he squalled, and she released him, to look at him with tears in her eyes, her nose having started to run a little.
His breath caught.
'I was so worried! So worried!' she exclaimed, and the next second, she had thrown herself at him to rub her face affectionately against his.
'It was only a fever!' he told her, grumpily, while he tried to push her face away, but without any success.
***
I sat up in a jerk, awakened by noises.
'Oh, Kami-sama! It's already day!' I cried out, dreadfully. 'I slept here all night?!'
'Don't worry! Gōjun has asked me to inform your grand-father that you're going to spend the night with us! I've cooked up a nice story; you may relax!'
'Tsubasa-sama!' I exclaimed, my eyes zeroing on her.
When did she arrive?
I guessed I had already fallen asleep when Gōjun had called her.
I had been about to ask Shunsui about how he was doing when, Gōjun stirred up at that moment, and I looked at the latter instead, blushing madly as I realized that, unconsciously, in his sleep, he had placed his hand over mine.
We pulled our hands back on the spot, averting our eyes awkwardly.
My attention drew back onto Shunsui to focus on him rapidly though.
'Shunsui...' I whispered, anxiously, 'how are you doing?'
His expression seemed to be good.
'I think my fever has gone down completely!' he replied, pressing his eyes closed and smiling cheerily.
I closed my eyes too, to sigh in relief, 'Yokatta!'
As I looked up at him again, suddenly, I almost jumped out of my skin. His expression had changed drastically. He was watching me with a frightening look.
'But I thought that I had told you not to call anyone!' he stated, in an even more frightening tone, that made my stomach twist.
Letting out a small squall, I backed away as far as I could and prostrated myself down on the floor several times to beg for his forgiveness.
'I'm sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!'
'Ah, Shunsui! Why are you scaring her like this?!' Tsubasa-sama scolded him, pulling his ear. 'She only did the right thing!'
Getting out of the bed then, she came towards me and pulled me to my feet by my shoulders from the ground, telling me, in a pleasant tone, 'Come, Hime! Don't mind him! I'm going to show you how to prepare a special soup that one should always eat after having been sick! When Shunsui was younger, I would always prepare it for him whenever he would fall sick. It's very reinvigorating! It's a secret recipe that is in our family since generations! It's my mother who taught it to me. She had learnt it from her own mother. And my grand-mother had, in turn, learnt it from my great grand-mother.'
My cheeks reddened a little.
An inherited recipe of her family! And she wants to teach it to me?! I didn't know if I was worthy of it!
'But first, let's clean our teeth and brush our hair!' she chuckled.
I nodded, giggling.
Grabbing my hand, then, she led me to the door.
Just as we came outside into the corridor, we both paused down when we heard Gōjun speaking to Shunsui.
'Don't be too angry with Hime!'
Hime… My eyes went wide, my breath catching. He has just called me by my name! It's the first that I'm hearing him say it! Even when he was not speaking directly to me, he would never take my name.
'Oh, I was only pulling her leg!' the reddish-brown-haired young man replied, in good humor. His tone becoming serious then, he said to Gōjun, with gratitude, 'Thank you for having stayed with me!'
At this, Tsubasa-sama looked at my face, with a delightful smile, saying, 'See?!'
I returned the smile, happily, after which, we moved away.
***
Meanwhile, on the other side...
'You're leaving without taking breakfast?!' a familiar voice called from behind the blond teenager in the genkan.
Yūsei Nishoji turned around immediately to look at Naoyasu Hanabusa. The red-haired male was leaning against the side wall, with his arms crossed over his chest. Even if Yūsei had not come across of the latter since he had awakened, he knew that the older male was already up. In effect, when he had entered the kitchen earlier, he had noticed that breakfast was ready, not to forget that, the Naoyasu always woke up very early in the morning for his martial arts practice.
'I-I'm not hungry...' Yūsei whispered, averting his eyes, feeling uneasy to see the red-haired man. 'Naoyasu, I… I wanted to apologize to you for yesterday.'
He had been thinking over it all night long. He was conscious that he had given the red-haired male a scare when he had run out into the woods, and he felt guilty about it. And he was also conscious that it was Naoyasu's house and he had nothing to say in who he should allow in his home or not. He estimated that should be thankful that the red-haired male had allowed him to stay at his house for the last two years.
'I promise that I won't stay for too long. I'll shift away as soon as I can!'
'Yūsei! I want you to stop talking about leaving!' the man told him, in an agitated tone, stepping closer to him and unfolding his arms. 'Yūsei...' he, stated, staring at him in the eyes with a beseeching look, 'Sōken is your brother! You need to accept him in your life!'
At this, the blond teenager became filled with anguish.
'You know very well that I can't!' he declared, his voice catching with emotion.
The two males realized that they were not alone with each other anymore, suddenly, and they looked at Sōken Nishoji who had appeared outside of the door of the house onto the veranda. There was no doubt that the latter had overheard their conversation. Naoyasu Hanabusa felt sorry for him; he wished he had not heard what Yūsei had said.
The teenaged young man lowered his eyes, feeling uncomfortable. Even if Sōken had deeply hurt him, he had no wish to retaliate. He simply wanted to avoid him as much as he could, until he could cut him definitely out of his life.
'Please, excuse me!' he murmured, and keeping his eyes down, he made past the older blond-haired male.
Thank you for reading!