DARK RED [ITADORI Y.]

―XXXIV. STAY

CHAPTER XXXIV. STAY. DON'T LEAVE ME.
__________________________________

Gojo, in fact, ended up being the one to escort us from the hospital. He didn't seem too happy when he returned, and no one said a word on the car ride back to my house. Ijichi wished us a fast recovery, and even gave me a bouquet of flowers with a get well soon! card, and gave Yuuji some sweets from the bakery down the road. Gojo made sure we were inside and settled before he left, still not having said a single word. Even for him, it was odd.

I placed the bundle of flowers into a vase before filling it up with some water and setting it on the middle of the kitchen table. I fixed some of the ways the flowers were facing, arranging them so they weren't clumped together. Yuuji placed the box onto the table and opened it, offering me a piece of mochi. I shook my head and he closed the box.

We stood in silence. There was a certain edge in the air. I couldn't take it. Leaving Yuuji standing in the kitchen, I left for the bathroom. I closed the door with a soft sigh, reaching to turn the sink on. The water was icy and burned when I splashed it on my face.

I grabbed the towel hanging up and turned the water off. I pat my face dry, looking at my reflection as I placed the towel to the side. I could now understand why everyone was worried or sympathetic.

My cheek and jaw were bruised. There was a cut on my forehead that wasn't quite healed yet and was held close by two steri-strips. My lip was busted, and there were dark bags under my eyes. My neck was bruised, the imprint of two hands fading from my skin.

I closed my eyes for a moment, reminding myself that this was only temporary. It would all fade soon enough. But when I opened my eyes and saw the one person I'd ever been truly terrified of, those thoughts evaporated from my head. I felt my eyes widen, my body freeze with terror as my throat closed.

I don't know how long I stood there, screaming in my head that this was only my imagination and that Kazuhiro wasn't actually standing behind me. But the way his lips pulled into a grin, the same they would when he'd kick me down and stand over me—it felt too real. Too real for my mind to make up.

For however long I stood there, Yuuji must have gotten concerned. I must have not heard him knocking on the door, asking if I was okay. It was only when I heard him say he was coming in and felt his hand on my shoulder that I even realized he was still here. When I felt him touch me, the image of Kazuhiro vanished behind me. I blinked a few times, wondering if that too was my imagination.

"Y/n," Yuuji said softly. "You okay?"

I felt him wipe under my eyes. I was crying and didn't realize it. How embarrassing.

"Yeah," I swallowed the lump in my throat, fearing it could be a sob. "Just...spaced out."

"Come on," He said, slowly leading me away from the mirror. "You should rest more."