HOSPITALITY

[005] AN INTERVENTION.

Shuichi's eyes were half-lidded, the taunting black eyelids dragging underneath his face as he stared distantly outside of the window. The window was small, brimmed with white-metal corners and light-coated curtains. Birds pecking on the banister held on the outside of the window, feeding off of the small-seeded weeds planted into the dirt of the miniature pots.

Shuichi had been thinking a lot about Kokichi now, especially something he could do the please the smaller male; making him happy like Kaede did when she got him a gift. He hadn't known much about the leader, nor had he gotten to know him well enough in the simulator either. Though, he could recall a few distinct things Kokichi had mentioned about his likings.

So, Shuichi had found himself asking Sonia for a grape fanta from one of the vending machines. He promised to pay her later for it, but she declined and got it without much convincing or arguing. And now, he had a small-purple bag on the side of his end table, topped off with a black bow on the top, inside resting the fanta he had bought.

Shuichi was darting his eyes both toward the door and window, his eagerness and anticipation thumping loudly inside his chest along with his raging heartbeat.

The sun was just coming out from behind the window, red and orange streaming into the light blue sky as it peeked into the air.  Birds were flocking over the clouds, swooning down into the grass and picking up speed again as their wings flapped steadily against the air and pushed through the wind.

Shuichi searched around for the clock, spotting the time and assuring himself they weren't running late.  His breathing quickened a few paces, making him shiver against the cold A.C., despite how sweaty and clammy he felt.

Shuichi scraped his head toward the door, hearing the old and climactic creaking noise as it hinged back and clicked backward.  The light from the hallway illuminating the two figures, their shadows casting against the marble ominously before walking forward slightly.

Shuichi narrowed his eyes toward the two, making out the figure of Sonia, and a wheel-chaired patient, who he presumed was Kokichi.  The patient's hair sprawling out chaotically through the shadow as Sonia pushed them into the light, closing the wooden door behind them.

"Saihara,"  Sonia called, Shuichi letting out a pent up breath he didn't know he had been holding.  "We're here!"

Kokichi scanned his eyes around the hospital room, before waving to the detective and casting out his usual grin.  His confidence was faltered, his stature slanting down slightly as he hunched his back in the chair.  Kokichi's smile quickly died down with his posture, though.

Shuichi observed the leader, his purple hair was stuck against his skin—his sweat prominently acting as if it was glue—before springing into the air and flourishing against the light.  Kokichi's purple highlights darkened over time, the tips of his hair flailing in the air and curling against the tampered knots.  The leader had dark-purple bags stretched underneath his eyes, overlapping against the skin and piling up on the dark black-like color.  His fingernails had been chewed down to the soles of his fingertips, puffy-irritated skin surrounding the ends of his nails like a needy mites.  Grime surrounded the outer parts of his temples and dug underneath his fingernails, as he fiddled with his fingers nervously.

"Heya Shumai..!"  Kokichi boasted, his confidence feigning at the end as his voice died down lowly, rasping against the insides of his throat like sandpaper.  The leader's voice was hollow, the exclamation barely reaching above a scratchy whisper.  It almost sounded strained, like he had been trying to hold back something—or hadn't used it in a long time.

"I'm sure you both know why you're here,"  Sonia seethed her lips into a firm and serious line.  "My subordinates and I have decided that this therapy would be most beneficial for both of you, especially considering the state of death you two went through."