Tsuki-Dayo

Forty-One | 四十一

Forty One

Tsukishima was left alone after Coach Ukai excused him from their training the next day. He was told to allow his injuries to heal while his teammates lose all their hydration under the hot sun. Though he was relieved to be exempted from training, he was clueless as to what to do.

He wandered around the lodge a little, enjoying a little walk despite the occasional pain in his ankle. Thoughts of [Name] tugged onto his mind but he tried he paid no attention to them.

Or so he thought.

He blinked when he realized he was standing right outside the girl's room. All the girls had left for today's training, leaving [Name] alone. According to Yamaguchi, who had asked Yuki about it, [Name] had been asleep ever since yesterday and has yet to wake up. However, it seemed that her fever was a whole lot better.

He remained standing by the door, contemplating whether he should enter and check up on her. He sighed, finally making his decision and pushed the door open careful to avoid waking her up. As he entered the room, he made sure his footsteps were as quiet as possible.

[Name]'s futon was laid in the center of the large tatami room, where she slept peacefully. He quietly made his way to her side, wanting to take a better look at her. The last time he saw her, she was pale and trembling with bruises and cuts all over her.

Thankfully, her injuries were well taken care of. Anti-septic applied on her cuts and bandages covered the necessary wounds. The gash at her temple was covered by some gauze and medical tape. Her skin had regained it color as well, no longer looking sickly pale. He watched as she breathed steadily without any difficulties. He tugged onto her cover, making sure it covered her properly. Placing his palm on her forehead gently, he felt her temperature and sighed in relief.

He froze when she shifted under his hand. Crap, he thought, did I wake her up? He watched her as her face scrunched up in a constipated face before relaxing again. Once he was positive that she was still asleep, his muscles relaxed and he pulled his hand back to himself.

He remained by her side, unable to pull his eyes away from her. His gaze traced every feature on her face, from the curls of her eye lash to the curved of her lips. Something within him settled down at the serenity on her face. He reached out to her hair, stroking it gently, pushing strands away from her face. The feeling of her soft locks under his fingertips was oddly soothing. He wondered if she had the same look on her when she fell asleep pressed against his back last night.

He never realized what he was actually doing until he noticed the soft smile on her face, and pulled his hand back. Pushing himself back up, he exited the room, sliding the door behind him. He sighed for the umpteenth time that morning.

What am I doing?

--

[Name] woke up to find herself all alone in the girl's room. She pushed herself up from her futon, feeling a little light headed. She was still a little feverish but the throbbing in her head reduced significantly as well. She was about to push herself to head out of the room when the door slid open behind her.

She turned around to find the landlady by the door, holding a small wooden tray. "Oh, you're awake!" She smiled, entering the room.

"Ohaiyo gozaimasu." [Name] greeted, pulling the covers of her. The landlady knelt by her side, setting the tray next to her. On the tray was a cup of warm tea and some medicine.

"You look better today," The landlady commented, observing her face. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, I'm feeling fine now. Thank you, ma'am." [Name] answered.