Right. So obviously, 8man wasn't just gonna die like that right?

BTW, to the people who wanted him to die:

(ಠ_ಠ)

I don't write tragedies, m8. Or at least, not yet. Perhaps if I feel like it, I might do an alternate ending where he bleeds out. In saying that, this fic still isn't finished. I'll get a minimum of 2 more chapters out of this one.

Ah, I just reminded myself I owe a certain somebody an Isshiki oneshot. Dammit, sorry. Sidetracked. At least I have the idea now, so don't give up on me.

I fade into consciousness.

My body feels heavy. I don't feel like moving at all. Despite my fatigue, I try to open my eyes. Urgh, too bright. I can't help but groan.

I hear a gasp.

"Hachiman!?"

Who...

Is someone calling me?

"Hachiman!"

I recognize the voice, vaguely.

Finally, my eyes adjust to the brightness. I see white tiles. It only takes a moment to recognize that I'm at a hospital. What happened?

I try to look around. My head feels too heavy to move. I can only turn my eyes.

I look to the side of my bed. My mother is next to me. She looks like she's about to cry.

I try to say something to her.

"Kaa-san..." I can barely manage one word before I have to take a deep breath in recovery. Why am I so tired?

"Hachiman!" She shouts. It rings in my ears, too loud.

Seemingly hysterical, she nearly jumps out of her seat. Grabbing my hand right hand with both of hers, she holds it to her chest, before bringing it to her face and pressing herself into it. She kisses my hand. Ew mom, don't be weird.

Her face scrunches up as if she were about to cry.

"I was so scared." Her voice is quivering.

Hey, don't cry. It's weird seeing you look so helpless.

"Kaa-san..." I breathe in again, "I'm...fine." I try to comfort her.

"My baby!" Her voice raises in pitch as she says this, and she starts to cry.

I let her have her moment. I try to think why I'm here in the first place. It doesn't come to me just yet, but I feel like I know the reason.

After a long moment of sobbing and sniffling, my mother catches my attention -or what little I can offer- with her gaze.

"What...happened?" I barely manage to wheeze out my question.

"Baby, you're a hero." She whispers, giving me a warm smile.

A hero? Me?

Flashes of my most recent memories return to me. That's right. I was on the train. Some lunatic was attempting a stickup and I ended up getting shot.

"Oh...yeah. I rem-...member"

She patiently waits for me to finish.

"Who knows how many lives you might have saved." She praises me and I feel good about it. I can't remember the last time I was praised by my parents.

"But son," she changes her tone "I'd rather let them all die than risk losing you again." She kisses my hand again.

What a terrible thing to say. I hope you didn't go around saying that to other people.

"That's...awful...Kaa-san." I try to joke, but I lack the energy to laugh or even grin at my own remark.

She smiles, though. "It's true."

Why can't you be this affectionate all the time? It'd be nice just to hear you say 'I love you son' occasionally. We barely even talk anymore.

"Kaa-san..."

"Yes, my sweet?"

"I'm...kind of...tired." I wheeze out.

"You still haven't recovered enough blood." She tells me. So that's what it was. "Go back to sleep, sweetheart. I'll be here."

So I do.

Next time I wake up, I feel a lot better.

I flutter into the realm of consciousness. Kaa-san is still there, like she said she would be. She fell asleep on the chair. Wow, you look uncomfortable there.

"Ah, Hikigaya-kun. You're awake." An aged, yet gentle voice catches my attention.

The doctor is something of an old fogey. When I get a good look at him, I realize he's not Japanese at all.

He debriefs me on my condition. Apparently, the bullet went through my abdominal muscles, and I lost a lot of blood because of my blood pressure. Supposedly, I'm lucky because the bullet was small. The bullet lost a lot of velocity because it went through the pocket novel in my sweater pocket. If I didn't have that, the bullet might have gone into my stomach and my stomach acids would have spilled onto my other guts, and I probably would have died.

Damn. I wasn't finished with that novel.

He feeds me a bunch of medical jargon after that, and tells me I have to do some rehabilitation exercises when I'm able. Aside from some damaged muscle tissue, I should be able to eventually make a full recovery. As much as I try to suppress my inner chuuni, I can't help but feel like a scar from a bullet wound is pretty badass.

I ask him if I could keep the bullet. He tells me after they removed it, the authorities confiscated it as evidence for their investigation. The doctor doesn't know the details of the case, so I don't get any more information regarding the shooter from him. I'm not really that curious anyway. I'd rather have as little to do with him as possible.

I was about to ask if I had any visitors, but before I do, I decide I'd rather have that conversation with my mother.

Without any more immediate questions about my health, the doctor adjusts my medical setup and writes some stuff down. Basically, he does his job.

A while after the Doctor left, Kaa-san woke up.

She groans, and slowly rubs her eyes.

"Morning."

She snaps to attention at the sound of my voice.

"Hachiman! You're awake!" She exclaims.

"And so are you." I quip.

"Oh, you sound so much better now." She sighs in relief.

Huh? Did I sound bad before? Oh, right. I remember I woke up and I had a conversation with...was it Kaa-san? I can't remember anything about it. It feels like it was a dream.

"Yeah, I feel better too."

"I'm so glad to hear that, Hachiman."

"Hey, Kaa-san. How long have you been there?" I change the topic.

"Eh? Ah-" She makes an embarrassed face. What the hell Kaa-san, nobody your age has the right to look so cute.

"Well, they wouldn't let me stay overnight, but I've been here all day every day since you were admitted." She says shyly.

"Is that so. How long ago was that?" I ask, trying to hide my suspecting tone.

She looks away and scratches her cheek. "Erm...About four days, maybe?"

"FOUR DA-ARGH!" I try to sit up as I sputter but the intense pain in my gut forces me back down.

"Hachiman!" She panics out of concern.

"Ngh! I'm okay, I think." I try to assure her.

She doesn't buy it. "No, you're not! I'll call the nurse." She scolds me, and then reaches over and presses a button on the wall.

I already know how the thing works. You press the button on the wall, and some miserable nurse has to drop whatever she's doing to come and cater to your every whim. Personally, I endeavor to avoid using the button unless I feel like I absolutely have to, not just because I can't stand the nurses glaring at me, but also because I can't help but pity them, seeing all the other patients abusing the power of the button for mundane purposes.

A brief silence comes over us.

Kaa-san is the one to break it. "...Hey, when school is out, Komachi says she's coming straight here."

Ah, Komachi. I'm sure her presence and undying love will be enough to instantly heal my wounds, and I can be out of here in no time.

"Good. I could definitely appreciate a look at her cute face right about now."

Oh, whoops. I forgot Kaa-san doesn't tolerate my sis-con behavior- I mean, my doting brother attitude. It's unfair for her to scrutinize me for that, though. Since the day she was born, both of our parents have been playing favorites, and neither one chose me.

Instead of berating me, she smiles somberly. "Her face has been anything but cute since she heard what happened to you."

"What do you mean?"

"She's been miserable ever since. She felt like it was her fault because she's the one who sent you uptown."

Ah, Komachi you adorable little thing. I would never blame you, even if I had died for real.

"That's stupid. It was my own fault for being an idiot. Besides, if I weren't there, that kid might have been killed instead."

Kaa-san perks up at this. "Ah, you mean the young girl? She came to visit, you know."

That piques my curiosity. "Did she now?"

"Yeah." She smiles. "A lot of people did. You really are more loved than you think, you know."

Hearing that makes me feel strange. I can't tell if I feel good or bad. It's like, gratitude mixed with guilt.

Then, the smile drops off her face in an instant. "By the way, what's with all the beautiful girls who came to visit?"

Huh?

"Huh? Like who?"

She frowns. "I don't know! There were far too many, and most of them were crying over you! Son, I'll say this once, but you better be living a wholesome lifestyle." It sounds like a threat, and I can't tell if it's a serious one or not.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I misdirect her with my answer. I'm not some shitty harem king, but I can't exactly say my school life is wholesome.

Before she can follow up, the nurse arrives.

"What seems to be the problem?" She asks politely with a forced smile. She's probably irritated at being called out, but can't show it because Kaa-san is here.

Kaa-san answers for me. "Ah, he's in pain from his injury. He tried to move."

Actually, the pain already subsided. Leave it to a frantic mother to exaggerate her son's problems.

"It's fine now, though." I try to shrug it off.

"Well, I'll see if I can do something about the pain." The nurse offers. "I'll be right back."

"Okay, thank you." Kaa-san says gratefully.

The nurse walks off. I wonder if she's going to get permission from a doctor to give me something, or if she's allowed to just do it herself. I wouldn't even know. Maybe that was just a fib, and she's going back to have a cigarette and ignore my problems. I know I said I was fine, but you have a job to do, woman!

That reminds me. "Kaa-san, aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"When I told my boss, he said I could work from home until you're better."

What the hell? It's that easy? You've never been able to take breaks before. When I broke my leg, you never even visited because you were always working overtime.

She continues. "Apparently, his daughter was on that train."

Oh. Okay, that explains it, I guess.

"Huh. What a coincidence."

Not that I have any idea who his daughter is. Most likely, I never even interacted with her. She owes me nothing. I say that, because if the roles were reversed, I wouldn't feel even the slightest bit indebted to her.

"I've never met his daughter, but supposedly she goes to the same school as Komachi."

"That's nice." I offer, though I don't particularly care.

"Her name is Fujisaki Aya."

"That's nice." I repeat myself. I think Kaa-san gets the hint this time.

She huffs. "You should care! You probably saved her life, you know."

"Good for her, I guess."

Kaa-san grins. "Maybe you could use that as leverage to get her to date you?"

Pardon me? It sounded like you said something despicable there.

"Come again?"

"Just saying." She tries to casually shrug off what she just said.

"Kaa-san, I hope that was a joke."

Weren't you the one who was just berating me about wholesome lifestyles or something?

"Oh come on! She's a little young, but maybe what you need is a girlfriend to fix that attitude of yours."

"Kaa-san..." I say her name with a tone that implies I'm warning her to stop.

"Fine, nevermind." She pouts and folds her arms, as if she were a child being told off.

A short while later, the door flies open with a big thud.

It's Komachi. We make eye contact and she freezes in place.

Ah, there's a face I could never get tired of.

"Yo."

"Oniiiiiii-chaaaan!" Komachi wails. Oi, don't make a fuss, okay? You're embarrassing the both of us.

She sprints over to my bed and jumps onto my chest.

"Oof!" Oi, be careful! I'm wounded.

Wrapping her arms around my next and under my shoulder, she squeezes with all her might and buries her face into my neck.

"Oi, oi! Be careful I'm wounded!" I try to berate her.

She panics. "Ah! I'm sorry!" Immediately, she lifts her head up and recoils.

Instead of saying anything, I wrap my own arms around her and pull her into myself.

She buries her head back into my neck. She starts to sob. Muttering incomprehensible gibberish, which is muffled anyway because her face is pressed into my chest.

I let her have her moment.

After a while, she lifts her head.

She brings a hand to my face and cups my cheek. Her face is completely flushed and her eyes are glossy. Her expression is one that's hard to describe, but I don't think it's a face that a little sister should be making at her brother.

...Oi. You're making me uncomfortable here.

She sniffles. "Onii-chaan." Her voice is shaky. "I'm so sorry. It's my fault. I'm sorry!"

Once again, she buries her face into my neck and continues her muffled sobbing.

I hate to see her cry.

I look over at Kaa-san. Seems like she's getting a little teary herself. Since when did you two get so soft? This is embarrassing, since when were we a family of big wusses?

"Hey, come on. It's not your fault at all." I try to comfort Komachi.

"Yes it is!" She says. Or at least I think that's what she said. It was muffled so I can't be sure.

I decide I've already had enough of her self-pity. I push her up off of me and catch her intense gaze with my own.

"Listen to me. It's not your fault. Do you hear me? There's no way anyone could possibly blame your for what that lunatic did."

"But Oni-"

"No buts! Ngh!" I tried to shout. Big mistake. The pain in my abs flares up.

"Onii-chan!" She recoils off of me. Instead opting to hover over my bed without touching me.

I grunt a little, as if to shoo away the pain. "I'm fine."

I catch her gaze a second time. "Komachi. Don't blame yourself, okay?"

Her tears continue to fall. "But Onii-chan..."

"You'll make me sad if you do, okay? I hate to see you unhappy."

She doesn't say anything. After a moment, she just nods, sniffling and wiping her tears away.

We don't say much for a while after that. We just let the moment linger.

Eventually, Komachi breaks the silence.

"Ah! Onii-chan, Yui-chan and Yukino-chan said they'll visit!" She beams. She's finally smiling.

Ah, right. What should I say to those two? I want to make things right, but I'm not exactly sure how.

As if on cue, the door opens again. Not with a violent slam, this time, but slowly. Almost carefully.

Yuigahama is standing at the door. We make eye contact.

Her eyes quickly begin to water.

"Hikki...!"

Ugh. Not you too. I've had more than enough tearful encounters for the foreseeable...ever.

She runs over to the other side of my bed. Luckily, she doesn't bodyslam me like Komachi did. She has a much heavier chest, so the extra weight could be bad for my injury.

Of course, just because she has more self control than my sister, doesn't mean she doesn't break down like a miserable child.

"Hikki, I'm so glad you're okay." She's sniffling as she speaks. If it weren't such a tender moment, I'd think it was kind of gross.

"Okay is subjective. I still have a hole in my gut, you know." I try to cheer her up with my twisted sense of humor. In hindsight, probably not the best way to go about it.

All it does is cause her to panic. "Oh my gosh, of course! Are you going to be okay?" She leans back, as if it would somehow alleviate me.

I almost chuckle at her simple-mindedness. Almost. "Yeah. The doc said I'll eventually make a full recovery."

Hearing that, she quickly calms down. "I see. I'm so glad, Hikki."

Feeling a little shy at the show of affection -especially in front of Komachi and Kaa-san- I try to shrug it off. "I'll live and nobody else got hurt, so there's no problem right?"

For some reason, her face doesn't show relief. Instead, she looks almost angry at what I said. "Don't say that! Don't you dare say it's fine!" Whoa, what's your problem?

Her tone makes it sound as though I said something offensive. "Do you have any idea how I felt when I heard what happened!? How I couldn't stop crying!? How I couldn't stop thinking that I lost you!? That I had to go on living without you!? Do you even...!" Her voice is trembling as much as her body is. The tears are flowing freely and she begins to sob uncontrollably.

"Yuigahama..." I had no idea she cared so much. And to think, I tried to brush her off because I wanted to go home and be my lazy, introverted, pathetic self. I'm such an asshole.

Next thing I know, I'm wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into my chest for a hug. I don't know why I did. We've never hugged before, I don't even know if we've ever made physical contact before. But I can never trust my own words, and I wanted to comfort her. I wanted to somehow explain to her that everything was going to be okay.

She gasps at the sudden contact, and jumps a little. I almost reconsider my decision. It might have been inappropriate now that I think about it.

Before I can retract my gesture, she wraps her arms around the underside of my body.

I thought after a moment the hug would end, but instead, Yuigahama leans forward and gets a better grip on me. wrapping her arms tightly around my chest and clutching my hospital gown, she soaks in the moment. The moment seems to last forever. At some point, she stopped crying.

Then, she breathes in deeply. Oi, are you sniffing me!? Stop!

She doesn't stop, though. And if I'm being honest, I don't mind it just this once.

The one to break that moment is in fact, Kaa-san.

"Oi, Hachiman. You sure you don't have a girlfriend?" She makes a smug face.

"Ah-!"

Hearing that, Yuigahama and I separate at the speed of light. Her face is flushed a deep red, and I think mine is too.

"Kaa-san!" I whine in embarrassment. How could you say something awkward like that right then?

"I'm just kidding! Maybe." She does this face. She's not quite smiling but she's clearly making fun of me in her head. I think that's where I inherited that face from.

Komachi is less subtle, and the grin on her face is absolutely rotten.

I chance a look at Yuigahama, and she immediately looks away.

What the hell this is so awkward!

"Ehehe..." Yuigahama laughs unnaturally, and stares at the far wall. Whether it's out of embarrassment or poor humor, she has an awkward smile on her face.

...

"Oh, right! Um, Yukinon was going to come visit too, but her family needed her for some business stuff." Yuigahama quickly changes the topic.

Oh yeah. Yukinoshita. To be honest I should have expected that she wouldn't visit. It's a little disappointing, okay it's very disappointing but it can't be helped. That's just the kind of relationship we have.

I smile somberly. "Is that so. Can't be helped, I guess."

Immediately, Yuigahama forgets her earlier shyness. "No, you've got it all wrong, Hikki! Yukinon really wanted to visit! She's been coming here every day, same as me." Yuigahama insists. I honestly find that hard to believe.

"Really? That Yukinoshita has?" I try not to sound disbelieving, but I can't help it. The most affection she's ever shown me is when she told me she didn't mean to run me over with her limo.

Yuigahama pouts. "Of course she has! She's been miserable without you, you know? She...we didn't go to school on Monday. I think that's what her business is about. I think her parents are angry." Yuigahama explains, melancholy in her voice.

I still don't believe it. Yukinoshita and I don't get along. It's a fact nobody knows better than me. We can't have one conversation without it turning into banter, and then turning into an insult competition. Sure, it's amusing sometimes, but that doesn't at all mean it's a display of affection.

Does it?

"She probably... still doesn't know you're awake."

If that were true, then it's probably due to lack of interest. I mean, I woke up earlier, right? Kaa-san would have told Komachi, and Komachi would have told you. If you knew, why didn't you tell her?

"Nobody told her?"

Yuigahama furrows her brow in confusion. "Hah? I just found out when I got here. How could Yukinon possibly know?"

Wait, what?

"Didn't Komachi tell you?" I look at Komachi. She looks just as confused as me.

"I didn't know either! I just saw Onii-chan's open eyes when I opened the door, and my heart bloomed in happiness." She says poetically. "Ah! How many points was that?"

Instead of making a retort, I instead look to the next link in the faulty chain of communication.

"...Kaa-san..."

Kaa-san laughs sheepishly, as if realizing her folly. "Aha, um, you see... When you woke up, I was so happy that I forgot to call Komachi, and I ended up falling asleep by your bed. Sorry." She smiles and scratches her cheek. A guilty expression, if I ever saw one.

"Kaa-chan!" Komachi squeals in disapproval.

Well, that's that mystery solved. Back to the topic at hand.

"Ah, right. Don't forget to tell Yukinoshita." I turn my attention back to Yuigahama.

"What are you saying, let's call her now!" Yuigahama exclaims, whipping out her cellphone.

Wait...I'm not really ready for that. In the first place, what am I supposed to say to her? I don't want to be too familiar with her because I know she'll throw it in my face, but recent experience has taught me that I can't be too cold to girls. I also have to consider what Yuigahama said about her earlier. She could have been exaggerating. She could have even been outright lying. I have no idea what to say to Yukinoshita or even how to say it.

Too late, the phone's already dialling.

A moment passes, and as I rack my brain to figure out what to say to Yukinoshita, Yuigahama begins to speak.

"Yahallo, Yukinon!... Oh, you're finished your meeting already?... Oh, good... Yeah... Yeah, I'm standing by his bed right now... Well, about that..."

As she speaks, I try to guess what Yukinoshita was saying by the responses Yuigahama was giving. Before she says anything else, she puts the phone to my ear.

["-is he doing? Has he made any progress? Please, just let me know if he moves, anything at all. I don't know if I can take-"]

"Yo." I decide to cut her off.

["...Hikigaya-kun."]

"How's it going, Yukinoshita?"

["It's really you?"]

"Were you expecting someone else?" I try to lighten the mood with a little joke.

["No, of course not. It's just..."] She goes quiet for a moment.

"...Yukinoshita, you okay there?"

["..."]

"...Yukinoshita? Hello? You still there?"

I hear sniffling on the other line. Seriously? You too? If there was one person I was expecting to keep it together, it would have been you. I'm disappointed. Yet at the same time, I'm pleasantly surprised, if only a little.

["You're okay?"] Her voice is pleading.

"Yeah, I'm gonna be fine." I assure her.

["Thank goodness. *sniffle* Thank..."] Judging from the sound, it sounds like Yukinoshita began to quietly sob.

"Oi, suck it up. Has the snow queen been reduced to a mere puddle? Should I call you Mizutamari instead?"

"Hikki!"

"Onii-chan!"

Komachi and Yuigahama don't approve. But honestly it's the only way I know how to talk to her.

It's a gamble, taking a stab at her in this delicate state. If she's the Yukinoshita I know, she should return with a verbal jab of her own, and I'll know she's okay. But with the recent turn of events, she might be in a state I've never seen before, and I have no idea how she could react.

[*sniffle* "Ara? What might you be referring to? I was merely disappointed that you weren't unconscious for longer. I was rather enjoying my time off from babysitting you, after all."] Yukinoshita tries to adopt a condescending tone. Seems like my gamble paid off.

"Oh? So all that stuff about knowing if I move at all was just courtesy? It sure didn't sound like it." I grin. Gotcha.

She gasps, I think. ["Th-that was merely... b-because it would be a shame if you died! After all, I spent a great deal of my time and energy rehabilitating your rotten attitude throughout this year. Although it seems nothing can be done about your eyes, Hikirotten-kun."]

I grin. You're not fooling anyone, woman. "Is that right? Well, thanks for the courtesy. I'll never walk again, by the way."

It was probably in bad taste. ["Oh my goodness! Hikigaya-kun, I'm so sorry! I didn-"]

"Kidding. Sorry." I stop her before she can

"Hikki!"

"Onii-chan!"

What? I said sorry, didn't I?

["Ugh. To think I was ever concerned for you."]

"Your problem, not mine."

["Indeed. I won't make the same mistake twice."] I can almost hear her pouting.

"Oh, so the great Yukinoshita is admitting to making a mistake?"

["Yes. I should have given up on you from the beginning."]

Ouch.

"Whatever. I'm gonna hand the phone back to Yuigahama now." I look up at Yuigahama, as if to confirm it. She nods her head.

["Yes, please do. I can't stand your voice any longer."]

"Hey Yukinoshita?"

["What do you want?"]

"Thanks for caring. It means a lot."

["Of course. I'm glad you're okay."]

I pass the phone up to Yuigahama.

"Yahallo!... Yeah, I know right?... Well I had to tell him something! He thought you didn't even care!"

When she says that, I try to ignore the rest of her conversation. It's so embarrassing I wish I died of my injury!

Eventually, she says her goodbyes and ends the phone call.

"Ne, Hikki. How long are you gonna be in the hospital for?" Yuigahama asks immediately after ending her call. Does your mouth ever stop?

"A few days. The doctor said once I recover from the blood loss, I just need to do some muscle rehab and be careful with my injury."

"Ah, that's great! Yukinon said she'll come visit tomorrow. She won't say it, but she's dying to see you, you know?"

I scoff. "Hah! I'll believe it when I see it."

"Nargh! You know she'd never let you see her like that."

"Which is exactly why I find it so hard to believe."

Yuigahama sighs, and her face softens. "Nevermind, Hikki."

Kaa-san, who was chatting away with Komachi for a while now, suddenly speaks up.

"Oh dear. It's getting late. Yuigahama-san, would you like me to take you home?"

Yuigahama suddenly becomes shy. "Ah, no I couldn't. Thank you very much, though."

Kaa-san persists. "No, it's late and I couldn't possibly let you go home on a train at this hour. There are all kinds of shady types on those things."

Yuigahama quickly checks the time on her phone. "Um... are you sure it's fine?" She asks reservedly. You sure changed your tune quickly.

Kaa-san just smiles. "Of course. It's no trouble at all. Komachi, are you ready?"

At the sounds of her name, Komachi snaps to attention. "Huh? No way, I'm staying the night with Onii-chan!"

Oh no you're not. You have school tomorrow. And more importantly, you need dinner and a good bed. Neither of which you will have here.

"Komachi..." Kaa-san's tone implies warning.

"Kaa-chan, please?"

"Absolutely not! You have school tomorrow. Besides, they won't feed you properly here."

Well said Kaa-san. Great minds think alike.

Komachi turns to me. "Onii-chan..."

I pat her head. "Komachi, please go home for tonight. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"But-"

"I'm not gonna die overnight, okay? Come on, I'll worry about you if you don't eat properly."

And with that, she relents. Seems like Onii-chan beam can be just as effective as Imouto beam when it needs to be.

"Fine." She sighs. "See you tomorrow, Onii-chan."

"See you tomorrow, Komachi."

Yuigahama offers a farewell too.

"Byebye, Hikki. I'll see you tomorrow. I'll bring Yukinon, okay?"

"Bye, Yuigahama."

"Hachiman. Get some rest, okay?" Kaa-san says.

"Okay. Bye, Kaa-san."

"Good night, sweetheart."

Urk! "Since when were you the type of mom to say stuff like that?"

She smirks. "Since I almost lost you. Now get some rest, sweetheart."

Yuigahama giggles. I'm pretty sure the second time she said it was just to embarrass me.

Komachi hasn't yet moved.

"Komachi, come on. Hachiman needs his rest." Kaa-san tries to coerce Komachi into leaving.

After a moment of pause, Kaa-san grabs Komachi's hand and starts walking her out.

"Onii-chan, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" She says as she's being dragged away.

"Okay." I reply monotonously.

"I'll bring you some light novels, okay?" Oh, good idea. I just realized I'm probably going to be pretty bored for most of my stay.

"Ah, thank you."

She's almost out of the doorway when she plants her feet and makes one final declaration.

"Onii-chan, I love youuu!" And then the door shuts and they are effectively gone.

I sigh. Now what am I going to do until tomorrow?

Wait a minute. That damn nurse never came back!

Kind of a sappy chapter, I know. Whatever. Expect more of it. I know there was a whole lot of boring dialogue, but it couldn't be helped. I didn't want to mess with the directive just to add some funny parts.

I was originally planning to have a chapter before this one, and it was going to imply that 8man wasn't gonna make it and just sort of show everyone's reactions. I decided to cut it, because I felt like it was just cheap angst. Instead, I'll have the characters recount the four days without 8man throughout the story.

I actually made an effort to do some medical research on bullet wounds for this part, but in the end I decided that the content was so boring that I wanted to skip it and just have somebody summarize it during the story. I just don't want some freelance surgeon telling me Hachiman's injury is biologically impossible or something.

As for where in the story this is placed...I was originally thinking some time after Ebina's request, but I decided to put it later in the story just because Yukinoshita didn't really care that much about 8man early in the series. Also, if I had put the story there, that would mean no Irohasu! Blasphemy!

On that note, I should advise the readers to have a vague sense of chronology regarding the start of this story. I just happens okay don't think about it too much.

P.S: I had 8man call his mother 'Kaa-san' for a number of reasons. One, I haven't decided if I want to give her a name just yet. Two, I tried to avoid words like 'Mum' or 'Mom' to avoid reading this in the wrong accent.

P.P.S: I haven't forgotten about Intertwined. Not by a long shot. It's just that every time I start writing, I'll get an idea for something else and I can't help but write it out. I've got most of the next chapter already done. I just need to find a good spot to stop, and then proofread it.