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[Sakumoto Fic]: Thunderstorms and Tempest Cloud 7.1: Stormfronts Collide
Pairing: Sakumoto, mistaken Sakumiya, cameos from other members
Rating: G
Word Count: 4,271 words
Genre: Angst
Disclaimer: Purely a figment of my imagination; the fic, that is. Not them, of course. :)
Summary: Sho has awoken. Is it reconciliation for angst-ridden sakumoto yet?
A/N: Interpretation of the symbolism of flowers were sourced from Wikipedia and The Language of Flowers. Apologies in advance for split parts cos LJ keeps telling me I have error whenever each chapter hits around 3000+ words. J As always, comments are love ©.
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The relief that shot through Jun was all-encompassing, and he could not hold in a smile. “Sho.”
“Sho’s awake!” The excited blur that was Aiba practically flew in and occupied the space in front of Sho before Jun could move further forward. Turning to the door, Jun also noted a somewhat stunned-looking Nino just inside the entrance to the room.
“How you feeling, Sho-kun?”
“Nino, Nino! Sho-chan’s awake! He’s fine! Look, look!”
“Masaki… maybe you should breathe… and let go of Sho-san before he passes out.”
“Oops! Sorry… I’m just- Hey did anyone call the doctor yet?”
“Well, we would have before you-”
“I’ve got it! I’ve got it!”
Before anyone else could say or do anything else, Aiba had rushed out off the room, excitably jabbing buttons on his handphone, and announcing to any in the vicinity to call for a doctor to check on Sho.
The serenity that was left in the wake of Aiba’s exit was almost surreal. Through it all, Jun noted that Sho’s initial grogginess of having just awakened had transitioned into a staccato-like blinking observation of the three standing members still in the room.
“Sho,” Jun said gently as he approached the foot of the bed. “How’re you feeling?”
The faint smile as Sho’s eyes drooped close briefly made something in Jun’s heart clench, but he could feel his composure return now that consciousness had returned and reanimated the man lying tiredly on the bed.
“What happened?” Sho’s words were directed at Nino who had moved closer to his bed, his voice scratchy from the lack of use.
“You were in an accident. Car accident. We were talking, and then… you-” Nino hesitated, as if afraid that the words could bring back the hurt.
Pain flitted across Sho’s face as he closed his eyes again, a crease in his forehead as he seemed to struggle to recall the events described.
“You don’t have to think about that right now, Sho. Rest, just… rest, okay?” Jun tried to smile encouragingly at the still-befuddled man who had reopened his eyes and was now watching him with an unreadable expression.
“Car accident? But I didn’t-” A grimace of pain fluttered across Sho’s expression when he tried to lift his left arm to his forehead, and he looked obviously shaken to notice for the first time the bandages wrapped around him.
“Kazu…” Sho started a moment after lying back and abandoning his attempt to move, “We were… Weren’t we discussing things for the concert… No. It was for the drama, right?”
“Drama?” The note of surprise in Nino’s voice probably reflected what Jun himself was feeling.
“What drama, Sho?” Ohno’s quiet manner now drew Sho’s attention.
“The drama… that Nino and I are filming? Yamada Taro Monogatari?”
The collective intake of breath might as well have sucked all the air out of the room.
“Sho,” Jun practically had to force the words out. “What… exactly… do you last remember talking to Nino about?”
The look Sho now levelled at Jun and Nino in turn was filled with his own puzzlement. “The air guitar segments we’re filming for the opening segment as well as in the final episode?”
The hands that Jun had wrapped around the railing at the foot of the bed tightened even as he felt his world splinter around him.
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The news that the doctor delivered upon checking Sho revealed a mild concussion that seemed to have resulted in his amnesia; as far as Sho could recall, it was 2007 during the filming of Nino and his first member-collaboration drama. When probed further, Dr. Tankeda could only hazard that the condition seemed to be temporary, although when Sho would recover fully was up to anybody’s guess. On the plus side, Jun had been grateful to hear that his physical injuries seemed to be holding up well. The puffiness of Sho’s face seemed to have already receded slightly, although the man was still clearly discomforted by his inability to move about freely, even if it was just to shift his body slightly while lying down.
Ever since the announcement by Dr. Tankeda, Jun and the others had sought to keep Sho’s spirits up, to assure him that everything was fine. His parents and sister had come by, initially unsure of how to react to the news of his temporary amnesia. But Sho recognized who they were and again the Sakurais were assured that with rotational visits among the other four members, their son would be in good hands.
Having temporarily surrendered babysitting duties to Ohno, Aiba and Nino, Jun was seated on a chair outside Sho’s room where he sought a momentary reprieve. His face ached from the plastic, almost mechanical smiles he had pasted on his face for Sho’s and his family’s benefit. Squashing down his own feelings of irritation when Sho gravitated towards Nino for every little thing had only served to increase his sense of restlessness as the day wore on; he knew the two had grown even closer during their drama filming three years back, but that didn’t mean his heart was immune to the constant emotional stabs. Finally, he had had to give a flimsy excuse to escape the sense of being increasingly closed in. Other than throwing him a nonplussed look when Jun had made his way out of the room, Sho had not otherwise questioned his departure.
Relaxing his frame into the hard chair, Jun gave free rein to his thoughts. Thoughts that he had kept at bay, knowing that brooding over them would have done no one any good at the time. It might have been well and good that he had promised Ohno to talk things out with Sho when he regained wakefulness, but how could he in good conscience do so when Sho would likely have no idea of what he was talking about?
Back in 2007, the two of them had not even been on overly friendly terms. That their relationship had grown to resemble their early days had only begun sometime in 2008. Added to that, the complications of their recent argument did little to assure Jun that “talking it out” with Sho would yield any fruitful developments, even though circumstances had looked hopeful just before Sho’s accident occurred. Now, just the idea that Sho had forgotten the camaraderie they had had in the last two years added a sense of loss that surpassed even what Jun had felt when they had their blow-out.
“You’re thinking about how to make it up to Sho.” The soft touch to his shoulder would have made him jump, had he not somehow guessed that Ohno would come out after some time to look for him.
Closing his eyes, Jun leaned back and stretched out his body as far as he could on the stiff seat, taking a few moments to stare up at the plain, pale green ceiling to try to centre his thoughts.
“Not really, no.” There was no heat in Jun’s words. It was true that he felt like he was running into deadends everytime he thought of how to resolve things between Sho and himself, but he also didn’t feel defeated. Strangely, the more he thought about it, this seemed like a chance had been given to re-establish his relationship with Sho without all the turbulent emotions of the past couple of months.
As much as it hurt that Sho couldn’t recall their familiarity with each other, it was also somewhat a blessing in disguise that this current distance between them was better than when compared to during their recent spate.
“What are you planning to say to Sho-kun then?” Ohno’s hushed tone seemed actually curious about what Jun intended to do.
Taking a deep breath to strengthen his resolve, Jun said with as much conviction as he could muster, “Let’s first focus on getting him comfortable and better, and reassuring him that he’s not being a burden on us.” Giving Ohno a genuine smile from his heart, Jun felt himself grow that bit calmer and confident. “Even with his memory loss, I doubt he’ll give up being a mother-hen anytime soon.”
And upon re-entry to Sho’s room about fifteen minutes later, it was indeed to the scene of a bandaged Sho trying to awkwardly comfort a relieved-but-crying-on-his-shoulder Aiba, while throwing a “save me” look at Nino.
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[Early May 2010]
The few weeks that followed were a constant battle of willpower for the four members who took turns to keep Sho company; about two weeks after regaining consciousness, Sho started having sporadic nightmares from which he had woken ashen or screaming, trembling like a leaf. He had badly frightened Aiba, and shocking even Nino the first few times it happened.
Wary to add to Sho’s worries, Ohno, Jun and the Sakurais had consulted with Dr. Tankeda privately to discuss what could be done; Nino and Aiba were upset that their filming commitments had kept them from the session, and had insisted on updates the moment they were available
“It’s likely that the trauma from the accident’s manifesting itself.” The gravity in the silver-haired physician brought a knot of worry to Jun’s gut.
“So he will need continued, round-the-clock observation?” The youngest asked tentatively, worried that his interjection as an outsider would be inappropriate with Sho’s family present.
Dr. Tankeda’s smile went some way in trying to alleviate the concern in the faces around him. “So long as he does not try to rip off his bandages or hurt himself, it’s highly likely that Sakurai-san’s condition will stabilize after a proper period of recuperation.” He also added as an afterthought, “It might also be wise to hold off telling the patient specific details of his memory loss for the moment. There’s no need to specifically avoid talking about it, but not to emphasize the need to recall the missing pieces. No need to add unnecessary pressure to his recovery process at this point in time.”
At the affirmative nods around the room, Dr. Tankeda turned to Sho’s parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Sakurai, is there anyone who can watch your son?”
“If it’s okay,” Ohno’s placid voice interrupted, “since the four members are already taking turns to visit Sho, I’m pretty sure I can speak for the rest in volunteering us to rotate staying over with Sho.”
Even as Jun nodded in agreement to Ohno’s sentiments, he could not help but bring under control his desire to laugh at the stunned looks on Sho’s parents’ faces. They were clearly unused to hearing Riida speak so much in one go, and Jun could barely suppress the pride that rose in him for the slighter man beside him.
Hence, it was that management and the hospital staff were informed that one member would stay over each night to keep a mindful eye on Sho… even if the patient himself did try to put up a token protest that was, of course, summarily dismissed.
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Click here for Cloud 7.2.