New Line: A Fresh Step   von Xanderionas
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                             Kapitel 5: Chapter 5
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Hifumi groaned as she slowly woke up from her nap, hearing her mother’s voice
echo through the apartment. She squinted through sleep-ridden eyes as she caught
sight of her in the kitchen, happily conversing with someone outside her field
of view:
“Well now, I’m so relieved! To think the hospital had such a capable and
kind intern to assist my daughter!”
No verbal answer came, though Hifumi didn’t need any to understand who she was
talking to. Slowly raising herself from the sofa, her movements were caught by
Mom, who called out in delight:
“Oh Hifumi, you’re awake? How are you feeling?”
Hifumi rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she noticed the blanket drawn over her,
pulling it aside while answering:
“Better... when did you come here, Mom?”
“Oh, I got a call from this wonderful gentleman here that you had come home
safely and I couldn’t wait to see you. He’s such a good man, you really got
lucky with the hospital.”
Hifumi glanced over to the stove, where Anders stood hunched over and busied
himself with a steaming pot, his right hand occupied with writing into his
notebook. She slowly moved over to the kitchen table, seating herself while her
mother moved closer and began fussing with her appearance:
“Oh my, you look so famished! They never feed you anything good in hospitals,
I swear!  Thank goodness Hachiken is happy to help you with food.”
“Hachiken?” she asked, wondering who she was referring to. She briefly
glanced over to Anders, who raised a finger to his lips without letting her
mother see it. Aware of what he meant, she tried her best with an expression
that conveyed understanding.
“Yes... he’s very kind... he helped me a lot in the hospital…”
“That’s right! He’s told me how he’s been assigned by the doctor himself
to watch over you. I had my doubts first about having a man care for you, but
he’s proved me wrong. The doctor even sent me a letter explaining the decision
and I can’t go against his word now, can I? Hachiken dear, what ‘are’ you
making now? Please spoil this secret for an old woman!”
Anders merely shook his head while adding leeks to the broth, passing the
notebook over for them to read:
-	I can’t tell you anything, Yumiko. Family secret. It will be done shortly,
so please get bowls ready if you could.
“Of course! Hifumi dear, just stay seated, I’ll get it done for you!”
“Oh, ok…” she answered half-heartedly, the reason being the familiar cage
that stuck out on the living room floor, covered by a thick towel. Her heart
began beating faster as she slowly shuffled over to it, pulling the towel up a
bit and seeing Sojiro sit there, busy drinking from his canister.
“Sojiro.” she exclaimed while opening the cage, Sojiro letting himself be
picked up and petted without complaint, “I missed you. Are you happy to be
home?”
Sojiro turned and stared at her for a moment, before settling into her hands, a
move that meant he agreed with her. At least, that’s how she perceived it.
“I’m glad. I’m sorry for... leaving you alone like that. I made you
worry.”
His only answer was a quick wiggle of his rear, making her breathe a sigh of
relief.
“Hifumi dear, come wash your hands. Food’s done!”
She turned around and saw how her mother just finished laying out the table,
Anders coming up with her largest pot and placing it on a coaster. The inside
was broiling with something that smelled delicious, the scent of leeks and other
ingredients cleaving through the air. Hifumi quickly packed Sojiro into his cage
again and moved to wash her hands in the sink, soon reaching the table and
seating herself beside Anders. 
Anders grabbed a ladle and began filling Hifumi’s plate with the rich soup,
chunks of vegetables and meat present alongside plentiful leeks. The aroma was
bewitching to her, making her drool unknowingly. 
“Hifumi come on, you’re a grown woman. Wipe that drool off.”
She gave a squeak, wiping her mouth quickly while blushing. It seemed however
like Anders had not noticed her, instead finishing the servings and waiting for
them to bring their hands together.
“Thank you for the meal!”
“Thank you... for the meal.”
With that, they began to dig in, Hifumi blowing gently over her soup before
eating. The moment the thick broth ran past her tongue, she gasped in surprise
at the rich flavor, sensing each ingredient clearly as it rolled down her
throat. She ate the next spoonful with vigor, soon enough finding her bowl
tragically empty. It was quickly refilled though by Anders, who had written a
quick note:
-	Looks like you enjoy it.
She nodded vigorously, already looking forward to the next serving.
“Yes! It’s delicious!”
He smiled warmly to show his appreciation, before looking startled when he
glanced at the other side of the table. Hifumi followed his gaze, until it
landed at her mother giving the biggest grin she had ever seen.
“W-what?” she stammered, only receiving a light-hearted shrug from her.
“Oh nothing. Just that Hachiken would be a pretty good pick if you would start
looking for a boyfriend.”
She had just swallowed a spoonful of soup the moment the word ‘boyfriend’
passed her mother’s lips, forcing her into a coughing fit. Every cough she
released echoed painfully in her chest, thumping against the scar which still
hadn’t fully healed. She felt a warm hand stroke her back, it slowly calming
her down. Once she was back to normal, she eyed her mother with as much anger as
she could muster:
“Stop... joking around already!”
To her surprise however, her mother looked deathly ill, as if seeing a ghost.
She realized then that it was regret her mother was feeling, quickly moving to
allay her concerns:
“Mom... I’m fine... I just had to cough…”
“No, I’m sorry. I should have thought ahead. I don’t want you getting
another attack.”
It both pained and pleased her that she was being cared for so gently, though
the former overran the latter.
“I’m not... a child... I can take... care of myself.”
She was interrupted by a slip of paper entering her view, stating:
-	She’s just concerned. You might have a closed chest, but recovery will take
a lot longer than what you spent in the hospital. So please consider her
feelings.
She looked over towards Anders, whose smile was lacking any pity in it. It was a
smile that felt respectful, soothing the anger she felt earlier. She slumped her
shoulders and muttered:
“Mom... I’m sorry for yelling.”
Her mother cringed a bit.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve dealt with patients like you before, so I
should know how to behave. But when I think it’s you, I... get emotional.”
“It’s alright... I’m not angry anymore.”
The mood grew sullen for a moment when Anders suddenly rapped the table with his
fingers. Both she and her mother faced him with curious expressions, him
revealing another page with writing:
-	Let’s not dwell too much on this. We should be happy that Ms. Takimoto could
finally return home. I promise to do everything I can to help her recover
quickly. So do not worry, Yumiko.
It was impossible to overlook the gratitude in her eyes as Mom wiped them.
“Thank you Hachiken. That means a lot to me. I entrust my daughter’s care to
you.”
Anders gave a serious nod, a glance from him making Hifumi blush again. She
instead focused on eating the rest of the soup, the other two joining in. After
they had stuffed themselves, Hifumi couldn’t withhold a loud yawn. Mom
chuckled as she saw it.
“I think somebody needs to get some sleep. Come on, I’ll help you get washed
and dressed for bed. Hachiken, would you take over the dishes?”
-	Of course. I’ll see you later, Ms. Takimoto.
“Yeah…” was all Hifumi could mutter before Mom took her out towards the
bathroom. The process of getting her undressed and showered was slow, mainly due
to Mom’s hesitancy in touching the region with her scar. Hifumi couldn’t
blame her either. It was an ugly thing, several inches in length and forming a
raw bump where otherwise smooth skin lay. She still didn’t know what to make
of it, the sign that she had almost died haunting her every day since the heart
attack. Soon enough though they had her dressed in her favorite pajamas, dark
red with wisteria flowers. It was a pattern she adored since a young age. Mom
helped her cross the apartment to her bedroom, stopping once they saw Anders
seated by Sojiro’s cage, inspecting the hedgehog as he clambered around his
little home. He pulled the towel over him however as he saw them approach,
giving a cheerful wave that she returned with a small smile. 
“Oh, Hachiken.” Mom commented with a hopeful tone, “Tell me, where do you
live? I can take you back home if you want once I brought Hifumi to bed.”
He gave an appreciative smile but shook his head, pulling out his notebook:
-	I have a car of my own. I’d prefer that Ms. Takimoto first take her pills
for the afternoon. I can take care of it from here.
He produced one of her pill racks and a bottle of water from his pocket, Mom
giving a pleased sound from herself.
“So diligent! As I expect from an intern!”
Luckily, Mom didn’t notice the twitch in his expression, instead moving over
to her bedroom door and holding it open to her. Hifumi noticed how Mom slowly
let go of her, turning to see a satisfied expression.
“Well, I think I’ll head home then as well. I still need to do my own
shopping. Hachiken, please continue to take good care of my daughter. I’ll
come back as often as I can Hifumi, ok?”
“Just... don’t go skipping on work…”
“I won’t, honey. Now then, if you’ll excuse me.”
With that, she left for the foyer, giving a final wink that made Hifumi’s
cheeks burn. She rushed into her room, only to see to her surprise it being
extraordinarily orderly. She recalled having a lot of her stuffed animals thrown
around, only now they were in neat rows along one end. Her posters of Moon
Ranger were still in full display, though she was too tired to make a fuss about
it. Within the next minute, she was already in bed and under the covers, Anders
beside her with the tablets and glass. Somehow, she managed to swallow them
without issue despite the rough texture. Satisfied with her completed duty,
Anders helped her relax into bed and scribbled a note:
-	I’ll be taking my leave as well soon. You can reach me anytime with your
phone, I promise to be there as soon as I can. I’ll be back in the morning,
your mother decided to give me a key to enter. Is that alright?
She gave a nod, him sighing in relief before seating himself next to her. Just
as she wondered what he was doing, he extended his hand out towards her. She
stared at it blankly, until he realized her confusion and explained:
-	You said last time you’d prefer me to stay until you fell asleep. Do you not
want that anymore?
Hifumi didn’t know what to panic about first, the fact that she had held hands
with him or the idea of him never doing it for her again. Unable to speak, she
shot out her hand and grabbed his own, it sufficing as an answer for him. He
gave a warm smile and lowered their hands onto the bed, Hifumi only thinking one
thing:
Please don’t let this be a dream. Please, don’t let this be a dream.
The squeeze he gave her hand was enough to convince her it wasn’t, falling
asleep almost straight away as her mind was enveloped by warm, comforting
thoughts. She had no idea when he let go of her hand, yet the warmth she felt
never left her dreams.

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