To Infinity and Beyond - Reki Kyan - 1215 fanfiction

Episode 12

When we got to emergency, a nurse told me to go to the washroom and wash my hands for a good five minutes - since some of Reki's blood had gotten on my fingers. After three minutes, I gave up, and dried my hands on one of the rolled towels offered. My phone sat on the side, and it kept buzzing with text messages, and I glanced at it. None of them were from Reki, so why should I really care?

I took a deep, slow breath, and let it out. I picked up my phone and called my brother, who's one of the ones who's been texting me.

"Yuri? How are things? Is he-"

"Tell me." I ordered, "Tell me the story of what happened when you came home injured from skating."

He chuckled for a moment, before he told me without any other questions. Without leaving anything out, he told me about how he came home limping, gripping onto a pissed Kaoru. His left side was totally shredded from skidding on the pavement without any pads on. His elbow and up his arm was bloody, his side was bloody, and his jaw and knees were too. For a second, only his mother was acting frantic, telling him how foolish he was. And then, he said, I started wailing.

I cried and cried and it was like the planet was burning.

"You kept saying things like "don't die, big brother, you can't die" and "I'm scared, don't die"."

I felt shocked on the inside, like my eyes should be wide and it all should be coming back to me. But it wasn't, I still couldn't remember, I was just imagining what it must have looked like from an outsider perspective. I shut my eyes and felt tears, and I felt like I was the only one out of everyone who felt like this.

Because that feeling... it's probably exactly what I felt when I was holding onto Reki, who was coughing and groaning and complaining that his whole body hurt and he just wanted a shower, and a nap...

"Later on, when you settled down and then fell asleep, mom said it might be because of what happened with your biological parents. You never saw them dead, and you never knew them, but they were still people that you knew you were supposed to know. Mom said, it was this video your mom left behind. All you knew is that they were hurt, and that they were scared, and then they disappeared. You must have thought, seeing me hurt and seeing mom frantic, that I would disappear too."

"Aniki." I spoke, my right arm limp beside me, my reflection glaring at me, "Am I just being overly emotional?"

He hummed, "No, not really. Even when you were little, whether you cried because of a little bit of trauma or not, it was normal. Someone you cared about got hurt - you have every right to be upset. But remember what I told you. Even when you get hurt, even when you get scared, you can't give up. The boy you love loves to skate. Support him."

I clenched my teeth, and took another breath. He was right, he was always right even though he was such an idiot, and a womanizer, and a total jock... he was my big brother.

"Hey, Aniki?"

"Yes? "

"Love you."

He gasped slightly, but I hung up before he got to say anything else. I glared at my reflection in the mirror again, but this time it was different. This time I looked at the tears on my cheeks and told myself that despite all this, I was still a bad bitch, and I was going to go out there and tell Reki he did good, and that I was glad he was okay despite everything else.

I stepped out of the bathroom and walked back down the hall towards where the others were waiting, and I stopped short when I saw him walk up to the group at the same time I did. He smiled lightly, fake, his eyes tired.

"They said it'll take two weeks for this to be fully healed." He began, holding up his arm in the sling, "And there's nothing wrong with my head."

I exhaled, and it felt like half the muscles in my body finally relaxed. I quickly turned from the others as they sighed in relief and rubbed my eyes.

"You're lucky you got off with just that much." Miya breathed.

"Sorry about that, Miya. I told you I'd win."

"That's why I told you!" He scoffed, "There's no way a slime could win against the final boss."

I rolled my eyes as I listened.

"But you know..." Miya started again, turning away from Reki, "I'll promote you to a golem or something."

"What was that?"

"He said you were cool." Langa replied, to which I furrowed my brows.

That's... not what he said?

"I didn't say anything like that!" Miya hissed.

"Eh? Japanese is so difficult..." Langa trailed off and I sighed, yelling at myself in my head.

What are you crying for, huh?! Remember how you said you were a bad bitch now?! What the hell is this?!

"Lets not fool around. We have someone here that's next in line for skating against Adam." Shadow called out, silencing everyone.

"It's my fault. I roped you into this, Langa."

"It's not your fault. Besides-"

I almost turned around when he didn't finish his sentence. But I knew even without looking, when Reki called out his name in concern and he quickly said it was nothing, that he was fine. I knew then that I wasn't the only one. Langa... he was scared too. And having to fight that psychotic asshole next, I can't imagine how his stomach would drop.

"Um, Yuri..."

I tensed, my stomach dropped. I swallowed and I clenched my fists as I felt him walk up behind me.

"I'm sorry I worried you. Thanks for your help. The nurses said you did good to stop the bleeding."

"It's... it's f-fine." I stuttered back.

There was a bit of an awkward pause. I wondered in that moment how Langa, a newbie who was taping his feet just a month ago, had beaten a Japanese national hopeful - but Reki was completely destroyed by Adam. And maybe Adam's a completely different level... but... I wish he won. I wish Reki won because for fucks sake, he deserved it.

"Are you mad at me?"

"What?" I gasped, "No-no I just-!" I whipped around, and froze. His eyes were dull, and he wouldn't look into my eyes.

No. That's not right. Smile, Reki... where's your smile?

"I'm just, so glad you're okay!" I claimed, at least reaching some part of my goal, as my eyes blurred again.

He froze when he met my eyes, and even though I was biting my lip and putting on a brave front, and my jaw literally burned from holding it all back, I was okay. Reki quickly snapped out of his saddened mood and looked around frantically as I attempted to wipe my cheeks with my already wet sleeves. So, he offered the sleeve of his free hand instead.

He rubbed my cheeks the best he could, frowning, "Come on, you shouldn't cry for someone like me."

"Why not?" I sniffed, blinking as it finally started to settle. I felt better, "You're my friend, Reki, of course I'd cry for you."

He breathed a laugh, pulling his hand away, "Thanks, Yuri. You've been such a great friend. I'm glad I ran into you that day."

I smiled when he did, and I knew it was genuine. In that moment nothing mattered, my romance plan didn't matter, as long as we could be close to each other, and he was happy.

"Me too!"