I Need You || K. Shinsuke [ON HOLD]

Chapter 7 - The Missing Half

3rd Person POV

Her eyes slowly fluttered open, trying its best to adjust to the well-lit surroundings. Fluorescent lights, white-painted walls and the strong smell of disinfectant - she was in a hospital. She immediately noticed the needle attached to her forearm, its other end was connected to a tube which traveled all the way to a bag of IV fluid. Akane already had a vague idea how she ended up in the facility. She let out a sigh as she scanned the room, eyes searching for a particular person. Surely enough, he was already there.

He was still wearing his volleyball jersey and his hair was visibly wet from sweat. He sat on the small couch near the foot of the bed as he held a sports magazine in his hands. He looked up to meet Akane's gaze and gave one of his shit-eating grins.

"Yo onee-chan."

The boy put emphasis on the last word, earning a glare from the girl.

"Stop calling me that, it makes me sound old."

The boy chuckled and replied: "And here I thought you were supposed to be the responsible older sister."

"I am responsible."

The grin left his brother's face and Akane knew that she just ticked a nerve. "So passing out on the way home because you've been awake for almost 48 hours is responsible?"

Akane was the first to break eye contact. As much as she wanted to retaliate, he was right. She was being irresponsible. But what was she supposed to do? It was exam season and she had to make sure she'd come out on top. She was able to answer all of the test questions without breaking a sweat, but it seems that her actions took a toll on her health. She looked back in her brother's direction and guilt immediately consumed her. He must've ditched practice as soon as he heard what happened.

"Sorry" was all that she could say.

"You're lucky that you passed out in front of the old lady's flower shop. Who knows what would've happened to you if it was elsewhere?"

Akane had always been the calm and collected sibling while his brother was the stubborn and noisy one. The latter was always on the receiving end of scolding, whether it was when he came home at 1 in the morning, when he broke their mom's favorite vase or when he overworked himself during volleyball practice. Seeing him scold Akane was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. However, he was the type of guy to never stop once he started so the girl braced herself for a long lecture.

Akane didn't say anything and just stared out the window. They didn't agree on a lot of things, and their priorities were one of them. Her brother was too immersed in volleyball and he carried the glorious "ace" title on his back. She poured every ounce of her effort in the academic field, earning the top place in every subject. He wasn't fond of studying and she wasn't a big fan of sports. Despite being born from the same womb, there were times when they can't seem to understand each other.

She turned her gaze back to her brother when he grew silent. An irk mark was visible on his forehead.

"You weren't listening, were you?"

Akane gave him a smile, the one that she always wears when she wants to get away with something. She replied, "Nope."