Don't Give Up (On Me)

Eleven

The priest in charge of Hitoka's convalescence insisted she stay a few days more, until he was satisfied she was on the mend. He recommended they go to the nearest hospital for a full check-up, but otherwise, he gave them his clean bill of health. They followed his advice and she was examined by a doctor that was a friend with the shrine's healer priest. Hitoka was given a small supply of a topical ointment for her bruise and ankle, a prescription for small dosage painkiller to take only when necessary, and she was fitted with a boot to keep her ankle immobile. They were given instructions on when to go for another check-up, but otherwise, she was free to leave. Soon, they were on their way to the train station in Takashima.

"I'll send you a text once the websites are updated," Kei told them as he bent to kiss Hitoka's cheek. Tetsu quickly followed suit.
"Do you have the pictures?" she asked.
"Yep! Oh, I caught up on some of the fans' messages, too. They're obviously still waiting for Tetsu and Eita to continue their tours, but there are quite a few more that want to know if you're okay."
"I think the pictures will take care of that," she replied with a smile.
"They will indeed." The whistle for the train back to Sendai sounded, and it was time for them to go. "Call us when you get there!"
"We will. You do the same," Eita said as they left.
"We will! Talk to you soon!"

Once the train was gone, Hayato came up and gave Eita a slap on the back. His train would be coming soon; he was headed for Tokyo to meet with Oikawa, and then to visit family.

"I'll iron out the schedule for your tour, and get with Kuroo's manager for the extra shows you and Kuroo plan to do."
"Sounds good. See if you can make extra arrangements for Hitoka, too."
"Well, yeah, duh. If you and Kuroo are going to be performing together, then naturally, Hitoka and Kei will be there, too."
"Smartass."
The train Hayato had to catch eased into the station.
"Yeah, well, I'll email you everything later. See you in a couple weeks?"
"Give or take. We're not going to rush."
"Good thinking. Talk to you two later," Hayato said as he sprinted to catch his train. They waved as his train pulled out of the station.
"Just us now," he said, squeezing her hand a little tighter. "Our train doesn't arrive for another couple hours, do you want to do anything?"
"Being with you is enough."
Eita smiled and guided her to a bench nearby. "Well, why don't we see about getting a snack and a drink, maybe walk around a bit?"
"Sure."

They found several small souvenir shops and bought snacks at the last one. Eita found a table they could sit at while they ate. She was still tired, and he could tell when there was a twinge of pain when she winced after an odd movement. He understood that things would be off between them, but seeing her try to look happy while also troubled, pulled at his heartstrings. It was like she wanted to talk, but couldn't find the words, and remained silent. And he knew he had questions to ask, but didn't want to burden her further. She needed rest. She needed time to heal.

All he needed... was her.

They weren't going home. Not yet. There was one place she was longing to see, even asked if they could go. He was more than happy to take her. Once they were on the train, maybe they'd be able to talk. Except it didn't happen there, either. After making their way to the platform, giving their tickets to the conductor to punch, and then finding their private berth, both of them were just awake enough to settle into a comfortable cuddle and fall asleep.

~*~

"You don't know how much I needed to come here," she whispered as they sat together at the picnic bench they called their own. The waterfall provided the background music, punctuated by the night sounds of crickets, cicadas, and frogs. "I kept hoping they'd let slip where we were, and I'd imagine finally escaping and coming here to find you waiting for me."
"We did come here a few times," he told her, a little apologetically. "It helped us keep calm and try to come up with a plan."
"A few times?"
"Yeah. He was taking you from one coast to the other, and Karuizawa was the mid-point. The last time we were here, Toshi got the call from the person who found your note in Oda."
"We need to invite them over more often," she said.
"After the tour," he reminded her.
"Right."

They were quiet for a little while, and then he shifted a bit. He muttered a soft 'excuse me,' and left to start pacing along the edge of the basin. Hitoka watched him, knowing he was needing to move, to think of a way to ask her whatever was on his mind. He didn't always do this. Most times, he'd just ask whatever he needed to ask. But maybe because of the situation, he was unsure if that was the right way to do it. She had to smile just a bit. Until recently, she'd been the only one to see his vulnerable side. Even then, Kei told her it had taken a week before he opened up for everyone else, too.

"Are you sure you want to come with me for the whole rest of the tour?" he suddenly asked, startling her a bit. She wasn't expecting such a... normal question. "You know how grueling they can be."
"I am aware. I've joined you before."
"But not for a stretch this long."
"No." But she kept looking at him. "Will it be a problem?" she asked cautiously.
"No! You know I love it when you're on tour with me."
"Then why are you even asking me about it?"
"It's just, your bruise..."
"Can be covered with makeup until it fades."
"You're ankle..."
"Will be fine, as long as I'm not on it constantly. Plus, I've got my boot," she lifted her leg to show the brightly colored boot stabilizing her ankle. When she looked back up at him, she saw he'd turned back to look at the water. "What's wrong, Eita?"
"Nothing," he answered, a bit too quickly. "I don't know how to ask," he admitted a minute later, his voice a little softer. "Or even if it would be okay to ask."
She almost didn't hear that last part.
"Is it about Yahaba?"
Eita swung around, his face a mixture of surprise and anger.
"You can speak his name?! After everything he's done?"
She shrugged. "Why give him that much power over me? Over us? Don't get me wrong, I hate Yahaba with every fiber of my being, but there is one thing in his favor... Believe it or not, he never hurt me." Physically, anyway.
"But when you woke up, you were scared and screaming for him to get off you. I thought that he'd... hurt you..."
"Did I?" she asked, trying to remember. "I woke up and thought I was still with them, and then the pain pretty much took over..."
He shrugged and jammed his hands into his pockets. "You screamed, 'Get off me, Yahaba! Leave me alone!' Scared everyone awake, too. And no one knew what to think, much less what to say to try and comfort you."
"Oh. Oh, no, it wasn't like that at all!" She rushed to stand, to join him, to reassure him, but she stumbled in her haste, and sat back down hard, her boot connecting with the table support, jarring her ankle. "Ow..."
"Be careful," he said, rushing over to the bench, scooting her over and sitting in her spot.
"This thing is super awkward, so I'm sure I'll be running it into something else again," she said. "I'm fine, Eita. No need to protect me from the big bad picnic table."

He gave her a look out of the side of his eye, and then smiled. It was his first real smile she'd seen since she woke up. Readjusting in place, he sat with his back against the table, facing the path that led back down to the parking lot. He held out his hand, gestured with his head, and said, "Come here."