6: Ketsugi II: Resolve part 2

Chitose sat on a cot in the infirmary with a bandage over a scrape on his cheek and a cold pack on his chin. He hadn't realized how beaten up he had gotten. Koki pulled back the curtain and handed him a couple of pills and a glass of water.

"The nurse isn't around, but I found something for the pain." He said, not meeting Chitose's eyes.

"Mn." Chitose took the medicine and chased it down with some water. "Why are you helping me?"

Koki paused for a moment and sat down in a chair across from Chitose. He stared at the floor. "I thought about what you said to me last night." He paused and took a deep breath. "It isn't fair of me to distance myself from you just because I can't remember. Obviously, we used to be really close," Chitose thought he saw a flinch, but it was gone so quickly he may have imagined it, "so I figure that maybe I should try calling a truce. I'm not making any promises, but—if you want to, that is—I can try to be more...civil with you. Maybe you can help me remember..."

Chitose was a bit shocked. He hadn't expected something like this from Koki, who had always been so incredibly stubborn. Chitose looked down at his own shoes. "I...I'm not sure where to really go from here. Honestly, I'm not sure if you yourself will want to remember. You were the one who blocked it out. I am willing to start over with you, though. Can we begin again?" Chitose gave Koki a weak smile.

Koki gave a moment of pause. Without looking up at Chitose, he said yes.

Koki was glad to have a fresh start with Fuyuki. He wasn't quite sure why, but it eased his mind a bit knowing they could be civil with each other.

The clinic door slid open. Koki and Chitose both turned to see Akira poke his head in.

"Jeeze, Koki-kun. You missed first period. What are you two doing in here?"

"I just had to take care of something." Koki stood up and glanced back at Chitose. "Come to class when you feel like it. I'll tell the teacher what happened."

"Yeah," Chitose nodded, "Thank you."

Koki slid the door shut behind him.

"So, you want to tell me what happened and why that guy is sitting in there with a compress and a bandage?" Akira fell into step with Koki.

"There was an incident with some first years. I took care of it though."

"So are you two getting along now?"

Koki peered at Akira from the corner of his eye at the slight irritation in his voice. Koki wondered why he was so on edge. "We called a truce for now. I figure we'll be living together, so we might as well get along. And I won't get in trouble for fighting again, if that's what you're worried about. There weren't any teachers around."

"Sou ka." Akira crossed his arms behind his head. "So, do I need to talk to these guys for you? I could use some exercise."

Koki laughed. Akira hadn't gotten in a real fight since freshman year. "Not worth the trouble. Besides, I think I took care of the issue."

"Alright, but let me know if I need to help."

"No problem."

Chitose almost didn't know what to do with himself. He glanced across the classroom at Koki, surrounded by people as usual, and sighed. What did he do from here? He knew better at this point that he shouldn't let himself believe in anything that couldn't happen.

He felt someone flick his ear lobe.

"Ow!"

He turned to glare at Shouta. "What was that for?"

"You were spacing out again. Are you sure you don't have a concussion?"

"I didn't hit my head, I got kicked in the face."

"Oh, that's right." Shouta glanced at Chitose's lunch box. "You didn't lose your appetite, did you? That lunch looks pretty good."

"Huh?" Chitose was knocked out of his dazed thoughts again. "Oh right. Itadakimasu."

Chitose broke his disposable chopsticks and looked down at his lunch. It did look pretty good. "How long has Ko-Yamato cooked for? When I still lived here, he wouldn't even boil water."

"We had to take a home ec class during our first year. He started cooking and got pretty good. I doubt he'll admit it, but I think he liked it," Shouta explained. "He made that?"

"Its like some kind of apology or something." Chitose shrugged, trying to look nonchalant.

He picked up some of the flat noodles and eggplant from the bento and took a bite. "It's good."

"You sound surprised." Shouta laughed.

"Well, I didn't expect it."

He glanced back at Koki one more time, and saw his eyes dart back to his conversation. Chitose smiled. Maybe they would get along again, after all.