intertwined

AFTER

when chishiya shuntaro woke up, he felt as if he were forgetting something important.

the thought strikes him almost immediately, even before he realizes who he is and where his body lays. his eyes blink rapidly against the blinding fluorescent lights and hot, unyielding pain flares like a flame in his abdomen. and yet, all that occupies his mind is that nagging feeling. it makes his head hurt, trying to combat the confusion, and he fights against it. what is it? what am i forgetting? it's something he shouldn't have forgotten. he's aware of that. but the words escape him, like trying to catch light in the palm of your hand, and chishiya can feel it slipping further and further away.

instead, he focuses on the present. the beeping monitor by his head, following the sound of his heart. the blue and white pattern of his clothes, the material thin and scratchy. he notes the distinct smell of bleach, the coldness of the room, and the rush of footsteps outside his door. his senses worked faster than his head, and the blond realizes his whereabouts seconds before the door opens.

a nurse walks in, pausing momentarily by the door as if surprised to find him there. chishiya briefly wonders how long he'd been asleep to warrant such an emotion, though to her credit, she recovers quite quickly, "i see you're awake. how are you feeling? any pain?" she immediately assumes her dutiful role as a healthcare worker, one chishiya assumed himself before whatever...this was. the nurse's steps are light as she walks around his bed and examines his monitor, and chishiya considers her questions, rolls them loosely within his mind, before settling for another.

"how long...have i been asleep?"

"about two months." her reply is immediate, and while most would feel confused, angry, or deny the claim, chishiya accepts it.

once again, he considers the idea. considers the possibilities and the answers it provides. a coma, no doubt, most likely caused by the dull pain in his abdomen. blurry images surface in his mind as he focuses on the feeling, accompanied by the sound of a gunshot. he recalls the blood. on his hands, his face, his lips. and there, a person, fuzzy in his memory, but he briefly catches the sight of tears down their face and their hands on his cheeks. and oh, that's why there was blood on his face. they're saying something. he closes his eyes, trying to concentrate on the words, but the only thing he can decipher is his name.

"don't you want to know why?" he opens his eyes at nurse's voice, finding the her right by his bed, something like sympathy on her face, "most patients ask that once they recover."

"should i?"

the nurse remains quiet for several seconds, lips pursed in thought. her eyes slide towards the tv in the corner of the room, and chishiya follows the movement. on the screen is the news channel, showing smoke from crumbled buildings and hundreds of first responders. it switches over to a construction site, where he assumes reconstruction has already taken place to mend the broken.

"looks serious." he comments absently, though he found he didn't care too much. clearly, it had happened a while ago, and while he was affected, there was no use dwelling on the past.

liar.

"it was. curious, too." she agrees, and chishiya perks up when he registers the end of her sentence.

"and why is that?"

the nurse shrugs, but there is a hint of fascination on her features, "everyone who came into the hospital had their heart stopped. for one minute exactly."

a phenomenon. one that couldn't be explained, not even by science. what are the chances that everyone affected by the disaster would have the same ending? the same fate? if chishiya were anyone but himself, he would see the merit in believing in the impossible, "curious indeed."