Kazu woke up the next morning, realizing he was still holding so hard onto the sleeping Jun as if he was his lifeline. He failed to notice that Jun’s eyes flew open as he slowly got up from the bed to the bathroom. He spent a long time in there, giggling so happily to himself since Jun might still remember what happened yesterday. After finally cleaning himself up a bit, he walked out of the bathroom, but stopped when he saw his friend screaming and yelling in pain on the floor. It was just like the first time when he saw that happen to him, and he was beginning to worry if this was a serious thing.
“Ka...Kazu...” Jun yelled as he continued to hold so hard onto his head, “It...hurts!”
He stopped walking towards him. What he just heard, was it true? Or was it just his ears playing tricks on them since he’s been wanting to hear Jun say that since forever? Thinking it was the second one, he instead phoned the doctor and told him to come over as soon as possible. After doing so, he ran back to Jun grabbing his hands and telling him everything was going to be alright. But the latter didn’t hear him and just continued to yell in pain. Kazu couldn’t stand watching this, but no matter what, he had to be by his side.
“I came as fast as I can,” the doctor came running towards them, and Kzu wondering if he had accidentally forgot to lock the door yesterday. “You said this was the second time, right?” He nodded his head furiously in response before looking at Jun’s face again.
“Then shall we bring him to the hospital?”
That’s right, why hadn’t he thought about that before. Getting up, also pulling the screaming Jun to his feet, they walked him outside to the doctors car and they were soon already at the hospital. Kazu remembered this place clearly since Jun came in here after the accident. Once the three of them entered, he and the doctor saw a very concerned Aiba running towards them and asking them if Jun was ok. Kazu shrugged, not knowing the right answer while the doctor just said everything is going to be fine. Taking Sho’s word for himself, Kazu finally let go of Jun’s hand so the nurses can place him on a wheelchair...
“Stop pacing around, Nino-chan,” Their high school teacher told him, “It won’t do anything.”
“I can’t. I’m very anxious about J, you know.”
“Well you’re right, but doesn’t it make you dizzy?”
“No,” he lied. In fact, he was very very dizzy ever since he was pacing around the whole time. Every time he told his legs to stop, they just wouldn’t all because he was so anxious about the news Sho would tell them after. “It helps pass the time.” Again he lied because he knew exactly how long Jun had been behind those doors: 2 hours and 16 minutes. He knew very well checking the time didn’t help pass the time, but he couldn’t stop himself from looking at the clock on the wall.
“Sho-chan should be out soon,” Aiba told him, “Maybe if you stop, you can calm down after that. Sheesh, you’re breathing even harder than I do.”
“Am I really?” Kazu questioned and the teacher nodded. “Then I’ll take a seat.” As soon as he decided to take it, the doors finally opened and Sho came out, sweating horribly as he wiped it off with his coat.
“Nino-kun,” Sho came towards him, his eyebrows furrowing so deep making him worried, “Matsumoto-kun is fine. He had to undergo some check-ups on his brain, and unlike when we did at his accident, his brain was already recovered.”
“Does that mean he’s starting to remember?!” Kazu screamed. So when he thought he mistakenly heard Jun say the name he always called him when they were young, this wasn’t a lie.
“We’re not so sure, but keep a close watch on him and tell me by phone everyday, alright? Otherwise, take better care of him. His headaches will subside if he keeps using this medicine,” Sho informed as he handed him a note with a medicine brand written on it. Pushing it in his pockets, Kazu asked Sho if he can visit him and was told that he can after they had finished calming him down. After what seemed like forever, Kazu was finally called into the second floor and soon found himself sitting besides his friend.
It was exactly like a long time ago, waiting for him to wake up from his long slumber so he could ask him if he was ok. However, as soon as he took a seat, his hand was forcefully grabbed by his friend whose eyes shot wide open.
“J,” Kazu sighed in relief, “You’re awake?”
“I keep having this feeling, like I know you from before. But I don’t even know your name or mines.”
Kazu’s heart leaped a little from hearing those words come out of his mouth. He’s never once heard him say that at all whenever his friend loses his memory, but knowing that Jun had no memories of yesterday, he couldn’t help but frown. However, he smiled again for Jun once the latter’s eyes were on his face.
“And this name...Kazu keeps popping into my brain...”
Kazu’s heart, by then leaped up to the sky that he was so sure it would stay there forever. Holding even harder into Jun’s hand, he rested his head on his chest, while staring at him with happy eyes. “That’s what you used to call me,” he told him, “You always called me Kazu ever since I could remember.”
“When was that?” Jun asked him, “When did we meet?”
“Preschool. You and I hated each other, but came to friendly terms after you’ve saved me so many times from bullying.”
“I did that? Then I must have been your life savior then.”
Kazu grinned. “Of course you were! Though I saved you after because you got beat up and couldn’t walk home.”
“Oh,” Jun breathed, “So we always saved each other?”
Kazu nodded his head as an answer and Jun stopped asking him questions after that. It was like when Jun asked him when he was a kid, if everything was going to be the same way as it was, then he only realized what he meant just looking into the latter’s eyes. He didn’t know if it was him, or if it was Jun who came towards each other faces as their lips pressed against each other. Pulling away, Kazu thought to himself that maybe, just maybe, he can have a happy ending with him. Resting his head against the rising and falling chest, he watched him fall asleep as he did the same while smiling so happily to himself...
The next day, as Sho had predicted, Jun woke up screaming in pain. It was a good thing the doctor had given him a supply of the pills and he fed it to Jun as soon as he woke up. Once the screaming and trashing of limbs had stopped, Kazu was able to calm down right after and sat down once again. He watched him fall back to sleep so easily, knowing that the pill had those effects. As time passed by, Jun still so fast asleep, he discharged him from the hospital that same day and came home with Jun so heavily asleep on his back. He saw Ohno then, wandering outside of their apartment.
“Did you hear about J?” Kazu asked him as he set the sleeping body on his bed before heading out in their living room.
Ohno nodded. “Kind of in that situation, but I saw it yesterday so I stood outt here waiting.”
“You didn’t have to do that, you know? You could have just visited.”
“I would have,” Ohno told him, “But I felt like I shouldn’t.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I’m indebted to Jun-kun. I couldn’t face him after what happened.”
“And exactly what happened?”
“I...I tried to kill myself after you rejected me... He must have seen us and went after me in the water...”
“Oh-chan...”
“But I’m ok now,” the sleep man grinned, “I realized I was being stupid because of Jun-kun. Truthfully speaking, I’ve been wanting to thank him for that day, but I couldn’t face him.”
“Then why don’t you do that now? I think he’s awake.”
Ohno turned around at the same time Kazu stood up and pulled Jun towards the couches. While his friend was busy rubbing his eyes of sleep, Kazu left them alone towards his room so he can stay out of their business. He wanted to stay besides Jun, but he would feel guilty if he did so in front of Ohno. As he laid on his bed, waiting for either one of them to come in, he inhaled the faint scent of Jun’s shampoo on his pillow, loving how it smelt so nice. If things does stay the way they are now, then he and Jun can finally have the happy ending he also wants.
At the same time he closed his eyes, the door of his room opened and closed and arms wound around his body. He shuffled towards the wall, letting the latter lay behind him as he felt a head nuzzling on the crook on his neck.
“How was it?” Kazu asked.
“I didn’t know who he was, but I kind of feel glad he thanked me. I kind of feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.”
“Is that so?”
“Mhmm. He left right after and told me he’ll see us again at the supermarket.”
“That’s good,” he sighed, “I was starting to wonder why he didn’t show up two days ago.”
“Can I call you Kazu?”
Said man nodded his head, smiling even wider into his pillow.
“I don’t know why but... I can’t stop thinking of the way you kissed me yesterday. Are we in a relationship?”
Kazu didn’t answer, or more so he wanted to but it was up to Jun to figure that out for himself. Getting up out of bed, he crawled over his friend’s body and to the floor until he was standing up and holding out his hand. Jun took it after, though he kept questioning him, and he led him to their living room. He motioned for Jun to sit besides him, ignoring the questions as he started to play. He had no clue as to what overcame him as he played a melody that was playing in his head awhile back. Then it hit him, he remembered making this song for the both of them a long time ago, but he could never get himself to play it in front of Jun because he was afraid of being laughed at. However, Jun was quiet as he played and right after he stopped, the latter was clapping so wildly.
And as he had long promised to him years ago, no matter how much he had to sacrifice for him, he would promise to help him remember, not only who he was, but everything else that had happened in all his lifetime. Because he was always besides him, then there might be a chance that they can finally have a happy ending together.
