Catching Up [Rin]

“Rin-san.” He said in surprise when he recognized the person standing just at the door to his hospital room. His smile grew fond and quiet when he welcomed an old friend. “I heal fast, luckily.” He added nearly as an afterthought just to keep the conversation going, and making sure she knew he appreciated her relieved words. He picked up the glass of water he just poured himself and turned toward her, leaning his body against the table behind him slightly. His left arm, or its lack thereof was hidden under his button-up shirt, just like any other injury he had. He was watching her for a few moments as she approached before he remembered he was not wearing his contact lenses, and hence decided it would be more polite to look away. Even if she would never admit it, even if she would reassure him it was okay, no one appreciated being looked at by the pair of eyes he had. So he hung his head just enough to have his fringe fall into his eyes when he hid himself behind the glass of water as he drank.

They have known each other for years now, even though their meetings were scarce ever since they started attending the hero school. What was first awkward and tolerated, had quickly grew to be a welcomed comfort, a needed serenity in Naoru’s life. He never knew why Rin was so adamant on spending time with him in middle school. As far as he knew, she might have only gone to him because there was no one else to spend time with, because he was a form of last resort. Even now, he didn’t know what drove her back then, but this form of unknown was okay by now. Back then, he never dared to ask, and now, he didn’t feel the need to. Back then, Naoru let the girl do as she pleased, and now he was happy she still remembered to check up on him.

She was the only one among his friends who knew him with a matching pair of arms, and one of the few that saw him first with his Aura out, forming a new limb in place of a lost one. Anger, despair and frustration were the common emotions in him when he remembered why he lost his arm, when he remembered another person lying unconscious one floor above him, when he remembered his dominant arm will never be the same as before. When he dropped his chopsticks one time, and purposefully threw them at the wall the next, she was there to pick them up, wash them quickly and give them back to him. She was there even when he was frustrated by his own inability to cope, his slow pace of learning, and he was ever grateful for her for that.

There was a moment of pause in his movements when she mentioned he had to get his energy back after what happened. After putting the glass back on the table, he stepped away, and back toward the bed. “Thank you so much, Rin-san. You should not have bothered.” It was reflexive politeness, even though he knew there was no need for it, not with Rin. But it was something he was used to, it was a kind of shell, it was something that told others they didn’t need to go out of their way for him. “Shall we try it? Please, do make yourself comfortable.” Sitting back on the bed from the opposite side where Rin was standing, he reached for the box she placed nearby. There was a chair by the wall put there for the visitors, but she could chose to sit on the other end of the bed, opposite of where Naoru was sitting cross legged by the pillow. He fiddled with the box with his right hand while listening to her, making himself busy, and making sure his eyes were somewhere else, where they wouldn’t stray toward her accidentally.

“They have told me too, yes. I did not sustain many injuries, but what happened there was...” a momentary pause, his eyes glassed over for the fragment of a second, then continued as if nothing happened. “In any case, I would definitely feel more at ease if someone I know was doing the checkup.” He smiled, honest and wide. “Does that mean you are getting better in your medical knowledge in all fields? I am quite interested in what you have learned, actually.” Yet again, there was a pause, his mind trailing toward more mundane things this time. He pulled his shoulders in just a little. “And... you are right. Please, let me apologize for not seeking you out at school. I am sure you were rather busy with studies and other things, but still, I have no excuse. Before any kind of check-up, would you mind telling me about, um, your class maybe? Did you make many friends?” She must have. She did not seek him out for a little quiet time anymore, so she must have found friends, right? She must have people to rely on now. “There are only so many things I could learn from the chatrooms.” I miss talking to you... He didn’t say it out loud, but maybe it was obvious from his quiet, lonely smile.

For some reason, he couldn’t yet open the box of chocolate he got. If he took his time with it on purpose, or there was some other reason, it wasn’t obvious.