Shirakumo: Starting Over

Chapter 5

I'm sitting in the nurse's station, my foot tapping on the ground restlessly, my eyes feel like they have weights on them and I'll pass out any minute, but I can't. After Shirakumo was brought back he passed out in my arms and I brought him here. I want to be here when he wakes up, so he'll see someone familiar. Looking over him he's dressed in a patient gown and his light blue hair is flowing over his pillow. It's him, he's actually here. I take his hand and hold it in mine, letting myself get used to the feel of his clamy skin. I've missed him so much, if only Hizashi could be here, it'd be like old times, but he went to take Eri home since it's so late. My mind races, but I'm snapped back to the present when I feel Shirakumo's hand tighten against mine. "Shirakumo?" I whisper.

"Shota?" He asks, his voice raspy and hoarse.

"Yeah, yeah it's me Shota." I say putting my hand on his forehead, tears forming in my eyes. He seems to lean into my hand and for a moment I flash into the past, before our we had to worry about villains and missions, when we could just have fun and be kids. I see his eyes open and there are tears filling them. I've never seen Shirakumo cry before, aside from after a sad movie, he looks just like the happy boy I used to know except for his eyes, they are filled with years of sadness and the sight is almost too much for me. Seeing my friend cry I don't know what else to do, but wrap my arms around him and hold him. So I do, I sit down on his bed and take him with both arms, holding him close to my chest. And we sit there rocking as he cries into me, and I hold him, trying to show him a shred of comfort. I don't know if it worked. After a while he stopped crying and we just sat there, me holding him in my arms and him clutching to me. He reminds me of Eri when she's had a nightmare. Maybe the past fifteen years of his life had been a nightmare, and now he's finally awake.

"Shota?" He asks quietly.

"Yes?" I reply, not letting go of him.

"How long?"

"...Fifteen years." I tell him, and I can feel his heart sink.

"My family, are they-" He pauses, and I know what he's gonna ask, I don't want to answer it. "-is my family dead? My parents?"

"....yes." I say quietly, and I notice his left hand is shaking so I hug him tighter.

"H- how."

"Shirakumo-" I say, but he interrupts me.

"Shota. Please." He whimpers.

"Your father died of a heart attack two months after we thought you had died, and your mother died in her sleep three years ago." My heart falls as I remember attending their funerals. He falls deeper into me and I hold him tighter.

"Are we in UA?" He asks looking around the familiar room.

"Yeah, the nurse's office." I say happy he recognized the room. "We brought you to UA so Eri could change you back from Kurogiri."

"Kurogiri?" He asks confused. "Is that the monster's name?"

"Yes." I reply.

"Kurogiri..." He whispers to himself. He's silent for a moment before he lets go of me and turns to face me. "So Eri?"

"Yeah?" I say smiling at his curiosity.

"She's your daughter?" He asks and I nod. "Who's the lucky guy?" I laugh the first real laugh in what feels like forever and he smiles at me. His smile hasn't changed, even if his eyes have, his smile is as bright as ever.

"Hizashi." I say while laughing and raising my hand to show him my wedding ring. His eyes go wide and his smile grows.

"Really!? Congrats!" He says and he hugs me. "So you and Hizashi settled down and had a kid huh?"

"Two actually." I say and he smiles. "Our oldest we adopted last year. His name is Hitoshi Shinso."

"Wow." Shirakumo says. "Shinso, that's great. I'm really happy for you Shota."

"How 'bout we get out of here, huh?" I ask him and he looks away from me.

"And go where, my parents are dead."

"To my house, Hizashi is setting up a room for you in Shinso's room." I say hoping to cheer him up.

".....ok." He says quietly and I help him up, he's stiff and shaky, but we manage to make it out and into my car.