∆ Clock Strikes FIVE

I was woken up when someone touched my head. I blinked in confusion until my head was pulled back up. Shuu was supporting my head from falling. I realized I was sleeping but my head fell off the pillow, and off the bed. 'Th-Thank you...' I stuttered and then yawned.

'You can go home if you want,' I told him lazily. 'I'll be too sleepy to deal with that window man if he ever appears again.'

'Just go to sleep.' He spoke and I fell asleep immediately.

-

The two nurses in charge of the ward looked at me with an unintelligible enthusiasm in their eyes. 'So? That blonde lad is your boyfriend?' the one on my right asked.

'Huh?' I blinked.

The one on the left poked my arm. 'Come on! Don't act clueless! We saw him coming out of your ward this early morning!'

'Ah? Oh, yeah, he came to visit last night.' I replied awkwardly.

'He looks so cool! How did you get him?' Nurse R (the nurse on my right) queried.

Nurse L (the nurse on my left) nodded vigorously. 'Yeah, how did you get him? You certainly don't look like his type!'

I pursed my lips into a thin line. That's unpleasant. 'Well... he sort of agreed to my proposal, so...'

Nurse R giggled and shoved a thermometer into my mouth. I flinched. After they were done with the examinations, they left, still babbling about Shuu. I clicked my tongue. Fancying over my boyfriend, I see.

A groan was heard. 'Come on! It's not that serious!'

I turned my head to the door. (Another) blonde-haired guy entered with a pout, obviously mad at the person behind him. The one behind him was an elder man, frowning. I blinked at them. The blonde limped towards the bed beside mine, and sat on it.

'Here, happy?' he said.

The elder man huffed in reply. 'Sit there until your leg recovers or I'd cut down your salary by half!' he barked.

The one on the bed clicked his tongue. 'Just go die, old man.'

The elder man left the ward. Both of them had yet to notice me, I guess.

'Good morning.' I spoke and the blonde turned his head to me, shocked. I waved my hand.

He was startled for a moment and then nodded and waved back.

'I'm Akaito Koyuki, what's yours?' I introduced myself.

He tilted his head and averted his gaze. 'Mukami Kou.'

'Nice to meet you, Mukami-san.' I bowed my head.

He shook his head. 'Kou is fine.'

He looked at me and looked as if he was about to say something but instead, he turned his back on me and lied down on the bed. I looked out of the window and sighed. Nurse R and L came in again. Before I could ask whatever I wanted to, Nurse L shoved a thermometer into my mouth yet again.

'What the heck?!' I yelled.

Nurse L frowned as she removed the thermometer and read the reading. 'I told you! The thermometer you used was damaged! Her temperature is 39ºC!!' she chided Nurse R.

'That high?! We've got to report this to Dr. Kubota!' Nurse L said and they ran out. I chuckled at them.

Not long than 5 minutes later, Dr. Kubota came running in, her worried face made me laugh. She placed her palm on my forehead and grunted in dissatisfaction.

'Didn't you eat the antibiotic last night?' she asked.

I saluted her. 'I did, Doctor!'

She frowned and then patted my shoulder. 'Just rest well, then. Make sure you eat the antibiotic tonight as well.'

I nodded and she left. Right after, the pain came back. I winced and groaned, gripping the blanket tight. I glanced at the nurse call button and was about to press, but decided against it. The pain wouldn't last long anyway; it'd be better not to disturb the nurses. What could they do anyway?

After a while, the pain settled down and the panting died down gradually. I breathed out a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off my forehead; glad I was able to contain the pain by myself.

'Why didn't you press it?'

I turned and saw Kou, sitting up looking at me. 'I didn't want to bother anyone. Besides, that kind of thing is normal.' I replied.

'Really?' he cooed. 'Your face is really pale and I heard you have a fever...'

My head spun and I shook it vigorously. 'I'm fine, really.'

He exhaled sharply. 'If you say so.'

'That aside, why are you here? You seem fine.' I questioned.

'Fine?' Kou frowned and pointed at his right leg. It was blue and black, as if someone had swung a baseball bat on it with the intention to smash his leg into pieces.

I gasped. 'Whoa, it's swollen badly! No wonder your father was mad.'

'Father? That was my manager.'

'Manager?' I frowned. 'For what?'

Kou sighed. 'As I thought, by the look of it, you really don't know me.'

'Mukami... Kou right? You told me that.'

He shook his head. 'It's better if you don't know.'

I pouted and looked away. When's night going to come?

-

'Are you waiting for someone?' Kou spoke.

'Hmm?' I tilted my head to him. 'How did you know?'

Kou gestured at the window with his head. 'You kept looking out there. Besides, who comes in through the window?'

'He does.'

Kou fiddled with his hair. 'You're weird.'

'How old are you, Kou?' I asked.

'Why do you want to know?'

'Just asking.' I said and placed my feet down. Wearing the hospital slippers, I stood, although unbalanced.

Kou blinked at me. 'Where are you going?'

'The roof, I need some fresh air.' I answered.

'You could just open the window,' Kou shrugged. 'Besides, you wouldn't be fine on your own, right? You have a bad illness.'

I giggled. 'I'll be fine, I'll be fine!'

He hummed. 'The hallway is dark, and the morgue is just a feet away from this room.'

I gulped nervously and began to hesitate. The morgue...? 'T-Then... Kou, let's go with me.' I suggested.

Kou leaned against his pillow. 'Don't want to. My leg hurts, why would I go with you?'

I clicked my tongue in annoyance and pushed the door open. 'Fine, then. I'll go by myself.' I said.

'I saw someone who was sent to the morgue earlier this morning. The nurses said he was murdered and his corpse—'

'Don't tell the rest!!!!' I screamed and ran out, shutting the door behind me quickly. I breathed out a sigh of relief and opened my eyes. However, due to God knows what reason, I turned my head to the right, where the morgue was located.

The door to the morgue was slightly ajar. The nurses said he was murdered...

I inhaled deeply and turned around but ended up bumping into someone...'s chest. I squealed in surprise and backed away, shutting my eyes close. The nurses said he was murdered—

'I didn't kill you!' I said in panic.

An arm was wrapped around my waist, pulling me forward. 'Koyuki.'

I opened my eyes and gasped. 'S-Shuu!'

'You killed someone?' he questioned.

I waved my hands frantically. 'No, no! This morning a man was murdered and was sent to the morgue so I thought he wanted to take revenge.'

Shuu chuckled and his chuckle was real, like he was really amused by my sentence. 'Why do you believe so much in ghosts?'

I shrugged. 'Well you're practically a ghost too, Shuu. A vampire lives for a very long time, able to fly and do things humans can't.'

He gave me that gentle gaze and spoke, 'Why are you outside?'

'I wanted to go to the roof for some fresh air!' I grinned.

He glanced at my ward. 'You have a window in your room, why bother going outside?'

'There's a new patient beside me. I can't babble freely.' I told him.

Shuu hummed.

'Why are you here anyway? Shouldn't you be at school?'

'Since when I attend classes anyway?' he questioned me back and turned around.

'Actually,' I trailed after him. 'The reason I braved myself to enter the music room that day was because Gin-sensei asked me to bring you to class or you'd have to repeat a year.'

Shuu didn't reply and kept walking.

'But once I saw you, I forgot everything about what I was asked.' I laughed afterwards. 'My mind is always messed up whenever I see you.'

Again, he ignored my statement but I knew he heard me because one of his earphones is pulled down. I smiled and quickened my pace to walk beside him.

-

The wind was blowing strongly that night as we arrived at the rooftop. The rooftop has always been a place for patients to relax but there weren't anyone there when we stepped in.

I sat on a bench and swung my legs back and forth. Shuu sat beside but he sat facing the opposite. He plugged in his left earphone into my left ear. I smiled.

'Why do we say good afternoon?' I spoke. 'Why is there no good noon? Before afternoon is morning, so we say good morning, but if I were to greet you right at 12pm, then can't I say good noon?'

'Let's use that then.' He replied.

I laughed. 'We won't even meet at noon. You'd be sleeping after all.'

'It's not a must for vampires to sleep in the morning. I might be awake.'

'Might. What else do you do besides sleeping?'

He tilted his head to me. 'That's rude. I eat and drink as well.'

'Well besides that!'

'I visit you.'

I blushed at that.

'Koyuki,' he called out. 'Look at me.'

I turned my head to the right and stiffened. His nose met mine. I halted breathing and looked straight into his eyes. 'You didn't go breathless today. That's an achievement.' He whispered.

My heart palpitated vigorously. 'I-I was excited to come here.'

'I know,' he leaned forward slightly. 'I'm glad you didn't. But at the same time, I'm not.'

My lips parted slightly, wanting to ask what he meant but he had answered beforehand.

'I like seeing the flustered you.' He added.

I gulped and shivered. H-His voice! His eyes! What a blessing to have met this man before me!

He tilted his head even more and our nose lost contact. I took a short breath through my mouth and he moved his head forward. Our lips met. I wasn't breathing by then. He smirked against my lips.

I blacked out.