One and Only

Ch. 9 Comfort

  "What did you just say?" I wiped my tears, picking up my head and looked at Satoru.
  "What?" I was confused, did I say something wrong?
  "My name. You just said my given name, right?" He grabbed me by my shoulders, a look of disbelief and excitement across his face.
  "Y-yeah..?"
  "Can you say it again?" My face flushed with embarrassment from his request. I hesitantly opened my mouth.
  "Sa....Satoru.." I watched as his face lit up in blissful joy, throwing his arms in the air like he just won the world cup. I just sat, a slight bemused expressionon my face.
  "I've been trying to get you to say my given name for months!" He eventually explained. I just let out a sigh.
  "Alright, next time I won't." His face dropped as he let out a string of whines.
  "Joking! I was joking!" I laughed out. "I'll keep calling you 'Satoru' from now on." I smiled at him.
  "You're so mean, Mai." He continued to pout.
  "Oh, really? Then maybe I'll just go." I feigned getting off the bed, only to have him pull me back down by my arm.
  "Never said I wanted you to leave." He said, flicking my forehead.
  "Oh so now who's the mean one?" I teased, rubbing the sore spot. "I'm injured and you go and hurt me some more? So rude." I couldn't help but chuckle at the end, which earned a wide grin from Satoru.
  "I'm an absolute gentleman, thank you very much! I let you cry on me! Literally, my shoulder is wet!" He joked. I couldn't help but let out a laugh.
  Before we could continue our playful banter, Satorus ringtone went off. He was quick to fish the phone from his pockets and check the contact. He opened his phone, but didn't answer. Instead very quickly reading something over before typing away at the keypad. He shut the phone and threw it across the bed.
  "What was that about?" I said, adjusting myself to lay down on the bed.
  "Geto sent me a message. Apparently that guy, Dazai or whatever, is looking for you. I told him that you're napping and not to disturb you." I nearly sprang up at the mention of Dazai, what could he have wanted?
  "Aht, aht. You're staying right here," Satoru gently pushed me back onto the bed. "We're hanging out and not worrying about anything." He let himself fall onto the small space next to me. I let out a quiet 'oomph' from the bed bouncing.
  "A nap doesn't sound too bad," I mentioned.
  "Well what's stopping us? Let's take a nap." He replied.
  "Well, for one; there isn't a ton of room. And two; I feel bad sleeping on your bed." I explained.
  "Oh hush," Satoru adjusted himself so that he was lying on his side. He pulled me into his arms and let one drape on my waist. "There, now we fit." I flushed at how close I was to him, but he just smiled at me.
  "This is a little too... intimate?" I tried to pull myself back.
  "Nahhh. It's pretty comfy." He entangled his long legs with mine. "Actually surprised by how comfy it is, since you're pretty tall and all." He continued to tease.
  "Says the one who's what, 6'0? 6'1?" I poked back.
  "I'm a growing boy!" He defended. I hummed in response. A yawn escaping my mouth.
  "See? You're comfy too." I felt his limbs get heavier, signaling that he was relaxing and getting drowsy too. I didn't say anything back, I just let myself doze off into a much needed rest.

  I, reluctantly, woke up to the sound of knocking. I let out a light groan, my eyelids refusing to open. I tried to turn over, but felt something tighten around my body. Remembering that I fell asleep in Satoru's bed, I tried to gently move his arm and leg so that I could answer the ever increasing knocks. As I was crawling down the bed I heard Satoru let out a very tired groan.
  "Who the hell keeps knocking when there's no answer?" He groggily complained. "Stay there, I'll get it." He said sitting up, scratching at the back of his head. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, letting out a big yawn. The knocks only got louder. "Yeah, I'm coming!" He raised his voice. He almost ripped the door off its frame from the force he used to open it.
  "Oh, aren't you.. uh.. Dango?" I heard Satoru say.
  "Dazai. Is Mai-sama here?" I heard the hurried voice of the older man.
  "Is everything okay?" I said as I stepped in front of Satoru.
  "Oh thank the heavens. Geto told me that you were napping, but when I went to check your dorm I didn't see you. I got worried." He said, letting out a sigh of relief.
  "I didn't mean to worry you, but is there something that you need?" I asked, rubbing at my tired eyes. Satoru had went back to the bed. Checking his phone for messages.
  "Ah, yes." Dazai suddenly snapped into his more professional demeanor. "I just got off the phone with Naobito-sama, the head of the Zen'nin clan." I went stiff at the mention of the Zen'nin's.
  "What did they want?" I warily asked.
  "They've requested that you come by their estate. I will tell you more of the details in private." I saw Dazai's eyes shift over my shoulder. Obviously not wanting Satoru to hear about what they wanted. "I believe Ieiri-san wanted to see you for a quick examination and to change your bandages. We can continue after." Dazai gave a bow, and quickly left.
  "Ohhh, a request to go to the Zen'nin place, huh? Must be serious." Satoru called out.
  "I really don't wanna go." I said, shutting the door.
  "Well, they definitely suck, but I wanna know why you don't want to go." He pushed for information.
  "I don't like them. So traditional and sexist. Naobito is insufferable, every time I've seen him he was drunk or getting drunk." I huffed out. Satoru just let out an amused hum, obviously wanting me to continue. "Ogi isn't any better, always complaining about his wife bearing twins or whatever. But god, I really just don't want to see Naoya. I can't stand him." I was pacing the room while ranting.
  "Woooow, didn't know you didn't like the Zen'nin's." Satoru called out.
  "I can't stand them! No offense to you, but I really don't like the major clans. They can shove their traditions up their ass." I spat out. Satoru laughed.
  "Don't worry, I feel the same! I hate all the traditions and backwards ideals the clans have. Everything's so outdated."
  "Yeah, exactly! It's not the Heian period anymore." I agreed, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
  "I've been getting shit from all the bigger clans because they don't see me as someone that could take over as Head." I let my arms fall to my sides, defeat written across my face. "They don't think I'll be able to live up to my father or mother. They have such high expectations of me already, I haven't even gotten the chance to even know if I'll be a good clan leader." I let out an exasperated huff. I didn't want to deal with any criticism, I'm not in the right headspace for any of that. Satoru's phone soon chimed, notifying that he had received a message. He was quick to flip his phone open and gloss over the words.
  "As much as I'd enjoy for us to continue our conversation, Shoko is getting impatient." He turned his phone towards me, I read over the string of profanities and threats that Shoko sent him, insisting that he was keeping me from going to see her. I let out a light chuckle.
  "Yeah, don't want her to come in and try to rip your head off."
  "As if she could," Satoru grinned at me.
  "I'll walk you to the infirmary, I'll skidaddle before Dango-"
  "Dazai."
  "Yeah, him - before Dazai glares daggers through my skull again." Satoru commented on the previous encounter.
  "Oh, shush. He's just protective of me, he's never seen me be buddy-buddy with a guy my age before." I tried to defend.
  "Oh? So he's never seen you with a boyfriend?"
  "He's never seen me with anyone that I had interest in. So, I'm not surprised he'd try to scare you or Suguru off. He thinks you two are just horny dudes wanting something from me. Although he seems fine with Shoko and I being close."
  "Well, yeah. You're both girls and really close... unless?" I chuckled at his reaction.
  "There's nothing going on between she and I. Besides, I doubt she'd be interested in dating a woman anyway." I shrugged. Satoru let out a low 'ohh' sound.
  "Didn't know you were like that." He commented.
  "The heart wants what the heart wants."

  Satoru and I kept up light conversation the rest of the walk, but eventually said our goodbyes as we got in front of the infirmary doors. I pushed them open to see Dazai and Shoko talking.
  "Oh, there she is." Dazai noted. "I'll leave you two to it then. I'll be outside, let me know when it's alright for me to come back in." He said, leaving the room to give me some privacy.
  "Alright, Mai. Let's change these bandages." Shoko began snipping away at the old bandages. "I wanted to change them earlier, but you disappeared."
  "Ah, yeah, sorry about that. Woke up pretty frantic because of.. y'know." I gestured vaguely. "Then I needed some time away from everything just to process." I finished explaining. Shoko nodded in acknowledgment.
  "I get it, don't worry. But at least have your phone on you, I texted you at least 20 times." You gave a sheepish apology.
  "Alright, done." Shoko wiped her brow, looking over the work she just finished. "I'll be right back, I'm gonna go get Dazai and then have a smoke. Unless if you want me to wait for you to come?" She hinted.
  "Nah, don't worry about it. I don't really enjoy smoking." I protested. She shrugged as she pushed the door open. A few moments later Dazai cane in.
  "Mai-sama, are you doing alright?"
  "I'm doing fine, don't worry. So what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" I questioned.
  "Ah, yes, that. You see, you've been summoned to discuss the possibilities and future of the clan. We've been hit a very terrible blow in both losing our clan leader and more than half of the clan itself. The Zen'nin are offering a solution, however.." he trailed off.
  "'However'..?" I pressed him to continue.
  "They want to discuss the topic of an arranged marriage to fuse the clans."