REINCARNATE

Extra 2/3: FIVE AND SEVEN

The minute Kenta arrived home, Akari knew something was off. The lithe setter was curled up comfortably on a stool in the kitchen, a cup of custard pudding half-eaten and her nose buried within the latest issue of her favourite manga when she heard the front door click.

"I'm home." Kenta's voice filled the room as he slowly walked into view, dumping his backpack on the floor but not removing his windbreaker.

"You're clearly not in a good mood." She observed carefully, sticking her finger into her book's spine as she closed it and looked up at him. Kenta's hair was damp as though he had taken a shower at school, he looked nothing out of the ordinary but the minute he took a step, alarm bells went off in her head.

He was limping.

"Kenta." Her stern tone made him freeze, he slowly glanced back at her.

"Yeah?"

"Come here."

Kenta backed away quickly and casually leaned against the counter. "Uh no it's fine I'm just going to go take a shower, practice was pretty tough today so I'm extra sweaty."

"Alright. At least leave your windbreaker here, I'll hang it up for you."

One step at a time, Akari slowly inched her way closer, trying to get a good look at what might've happened. Kenta was rarely this on edge, he always took off his jacket alongside his backpack whenever he got home. However, Akari knew better than to bluntly confront him, she had to approach him carefully, coax him to come out from behind his walls.

"No it's fine, I'm just really tired and kinda bruised up." Kenta voluntarily closed the distance between them, reaching over to lightly ruffle her hair as he took off, his footsteps thundering as he charged upstairs two steps at a time.

Akari's lips pressed into a thin line as she watched him go, her feet taking her to the counter he'd leaned against as she poured a glass of water.

"I'll bring him an ice pack later, he probably got injured during practice and-"

A sharp inhale escaped her lips as Akari stared at the frighteningly large rustic smear staining the pristine marble. Curiously, she reached out and dabbed at it with a finger, rubbing the red, metallic-smelling substance between her index and thumb.

"Blood?"

A deafening shatter of glass echoed through the tense atmosphere as the cup slipped out of her hand and shattered on the tile floor but Akari paid no attention to it as she had already bolted out of the kitchen, adrenaline in the form of fear pulsing through her veins. "Kenta!!"

Akari paid no mind for modesty as she burst into the washroom, the door slamming loudly against the wall as she stared at him.

The shower was on full blast, clouds of steam gathering in the small space as Kenta leaned heavily against the sink, his breathing laboured and his eyes blown wide as he stared at her. He wore nothing save his black volleyball shorts, his milky skin marred with angry green-purple bruises and inflamed scrapes.

"You could have knocked a little louder than that." Kenta spoke evenly, the slightest hints of sarcasm in his tone.

A rush of blood made her ears flare red as Akari ignored his jape and wordlessly reached under the sink where the medical kit was. Kenta watched quietly and curiously as she placed the large plastic box on the sink and grabbed a nearby towel, soaking it under the shower head before turning the water off.

"Sit." Her voice was commanding and tense, the whether it was from anger or irritation Kenta couldn't tell. Perhaps it was a mix of both.

"'Kari-"