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This one will help you in reading and will also entertain you...

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“In Another Life”

LittleLuxray 1

Chapter 1 It had been some time since Akaashi set foot into that hospital. It was a dreary place for him, a place he was not fond of, but a place he was obligated to visit. Akaashi's parents were intent on having him intern in a hospital nearby, so that he could stockpile more things that would look good on his resume, for future purposes. Often times, however, Akaashi would disagree with his parents, unhappy with the suggestions they'd given him. But ultimately, they would urge him to carry out the task that had been pushed on him, and one way or another, he'd do it. Asking around here and there, the male put little to no effort in finding out where he could go to sign up for what. He didn't care, nor did he think he would care in the near future. Akaashi was unhappy with where he was, unhappy with what it was that he was doing. He was wasting time, asking for something that he did not want in the least. Pointing a finger down the hall, a small assistant nurse directed Akaashi to a different desk, one where he would be able to find more information on the subject. Blatantly, he thanked her, and continued on his way, passing by several rooms as he did so. 2

His eyes where set forward. He didn't look into any of the rooms. He didn't want to. It would hurt if he did. Akaashi closed his eyes and sighed, swaying absentmindedly in his step, opening his eyes just in time to swiftly avoid colliding with someone. A doctor- no- just another person. He circled around the male, apologizing flatly before he continued on. An 'It's alright,' could be heard from behind him, but it soon faded as Akaashi continued forward. Do I really want to do this? His eyes stared forward, uninterested in the information desk several meters from him. No, I really don't. Standing still, Akaashi remained in place for quite some time, his legs refusing to carry him further. People walked by him, around him, up and down the halls, to and fro, but no one seemed to notice him. He stood there, hesitant, uninterested, and indifferent. Unfeeling. He remained in place silently. No one was bothered by him, so there he stood. He brought a hand up to push through his black hair, and slowly, his head fell forward. Akaashi stared at his shoes. What am I doing? The thought rattled his mind. Why am I even here?

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Another person walked by at a gradual pace at first, then slowed progressively as they drew near. Their walking then slowed to a halt, and it was then that Akaashi had become aware of the new individual who'd invaded his personal space. From his peripheral, Akaashi could see their hand reaching out to him. He withdrew and looked up. "Oh- you can move." He smiled in Akaashi's direction, bright yellow eyes catching his own. It had been the same guy he'd almost bumped into... Perhaps he'd remained in the hall and watched as Akaashi had gone from a brisk walk to a sudden stop. He understood how that would be alarming to some people. "Is there something wrong with me standing here?" Akaashi asked sincerely. "No, I don't think so." He brought his hand down to his side. "Why did you stop so suddenly? Are you alright?" "I'm fine. I was just thinking." Akaashi blinked slowly. "Of what?" A question asker. How thrilling. "Of this hospital. I've realized that I don't want to come here anymore." The male who stood across from Akaashi shifted his weight to one leg. "Were you sick? Are you checking out?" Akaashi stared through the stranger. "No. I'm not sick, but this place makes me feel like I am." 4

His answer was cold, but it did not seem to cut through the other's pleasant mood. "I feel the same about this place, honestly." He paused. "So you must be leaving soon, then." "Yeah." Akaashi shifted, leaning direction of where he'd come from.

in

the

He had no interest in staying where he was. His only intention was leaving. He figured he would tell his parents that the people in the hospital were too occupied with everything else to tend to him. He started on his way without as much as a second glance in the other's direction. "Goodbye." "Hey, hey!" Akaashi turned his head. "What?" "What's your name?" Why did he want to know his name? When would he ever use it again? The stranger could have been a patient at the hospital for all Akaashi knew, and the last thing he needed was a sickly acquaintance to add to his already short list of friends. "You don't need to know." The male across from him did well in hiding the look of offense that almost surfaced upon his face. "I understand. But for what it's worth, my name is Bokuto." Akaashi cast a weary look in Bokuto's direction, gave a nod, and continued on his way until he was out of the building.

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Chapter 2 Two weeks had passed since Akaashi's last visit, and to his dismay, he found himself on the same aimless path back to the same dreaded hospital. He couldn't stand his parents' persistent natures, but he was somewhat relieved to be out of the house, to say the least. 6

Here we go again. Akaashi entered the building and greeted the woman at the front desk, as always. He wasted no time ascending the steps needed to get to the part of the hospital where he'd almost reached all that time ago. In minutes, the information desk was in his sights, and for the first time in forever, he'd actually gone to it. He spoke with a small woman there, and after several minutes had passed, Akaashi backed away from the desk, some sheets of paper in hand. He started down the hall, sighing heavily, intent on rushing home. "Hey! Hey- it's you!" The familiar voice made Akaashi's throat tighten. Another sigh was forced out, even heavier this time. He turned around. "Bokuto." "Apathy-kun." He grinned from ear to ear. "Don't call me that." Akaashi stuffed the sheets into his bag. "I thought you said you weren't ever going to set foot in here again." There was something strange about the excitement in his tone. "I didn't say exactly that..." "But it was implied!" Akaashi squinted. "Yes, it was implied." Bokuto's smile never left his face, and his tired eyelids contradicted his facial expression. 7

Why must I always run into the strange ones? "So what brings you here again?" "I could ask you the same thing..." Akaashi's lips screwed to the side. Thick, white eyebrows raised above yellow hues. "I'm supposed to be here, actually." Akaashi yawned. "Intern?" "No, patient." His smile was unnerving. Silently, the dark haired male frowned. "I've been insensitive..." A laugh bubbled out from Bokuto. "No you haven't. Don't worry about it." Though he'd been dressed in normal, casual clothing, upon further examination, there was indeed something sickly about him. He was paler than the others who walked along in the halls, and soft, dark circles sat under his eyes. Akaashi made sure not to stare. "I know you aren't going to ask, so I'll just let you know. From what I've heard, the doctors say that whatever I have is called... FFI?" Bokuto folded his arms. He held an air around him as if he were having a normal conversation about the weather. "Fatal Familial Insomnia? If I remember correctly." A cold shiver curled up Akaashi's spine. He'd never heard of that disease before. It worried him enough to get some words out of him. "I don't think I want to ask about the symptoms of this illness." 8

"Well, even if you wanted to, I wouldn't have an answer for you." Another laugh. "All I can say is that sleeping doesn't come as easily as it used to." What normally would have pained someone to say, he delivered with ease, and with that same grin to boot. Akaashi couldn't help but almost smile back, his lips barely twitching. He stared in Bokuto's direction, at him this time. "Are you here every day?" "Of course! Been here for about... Four weeks now." He blinked sluggishly. "I see..." Akaashi nodded once. No words were exchanged for a moment, and soon, the short amount of silence had become awkward. "Well, I'll be going now." Shut him out, don't let him in. He's sick. "Ah-uh, one second-." Akaashi's jaw clenched. "I have to go, Bokuto." He started on his way. Please don't persist. "If you would please listen." His hands at his sides, Bokuto bowed. "Please, it will only take a second." Akaashi was straightforward, but he wasn't heartless. He huffed out a breath and turned around. "What is it? I really have to go." His eyes lighting up, Bokuto straightened his back and fished his hand into his pocket. He pulled out a phone, and to Akaashi's dread, he asked for his phone number. 9

What was he to do? What was he to say? Akaashi literally found nothing special about Bokuto. Why had the sickly one taken a sudden liking to him? He wanted nothing more than to push him away, throw away the forms, and never set foot into that hospital again, but for some strange and irritating reason, Akaashi found it difficult to deny Bokuto. He was trying to, he truly was, but he just couldn't. "I... Don't... Usually text," Akaashi murmured. He looked down at Bokuto's phone. He couldn't look at his face. "I'm often busy. Keeping in contact with me wouldn't be a good idea." He watched Bokuto's fingers curl around the phone, and his hand slowly backed away. "But–" Akaashi shocked himself with that one word. He could still see Bokuto's hand, and it had frozen in place. "I guess I could find some time to talk every so often." He looked up, and his gaze found Bokuto's. Those yellow eyes were gleaming. He entered his number swiftly, and then handed the phone to Bokuto, the name section empty. "Thank you." His voice was full of excitement as he proceeded to enter the name for his new contact. Akaashi watched closely as Bokuto mouthed and typed the name, "A-p-a-t-h-y—k-u-n." Bokuto was close to saving the contact before Akaashi spoke up. "You don't have to put that." He sighed. "It's... Akaashi."

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Chapter 3 The sky burned a strong, orange glow as the sun set in the distance. Akaashi sat in bed, laptop in his lap, as his fingers scrolled and typed frantically. FFI. The page loaded. Akaashi went straight into the reading. (FFI) is a very rare autosomal dominant inherited prion disease of the brain... Akaashi's eyes scanned the screen. FFI has no known cure and involves progressively worsening insomnia, which leads to hallucinations, delirium, and confusional states like that of dementia... Thin lips pressed into an even thinner line. His fingers remained stiff for quite some time as his eyes read the introductory paragraph over and over again. "There is no known cure, huh...?" Akaashi continued to read on. "All the people who've contracted this disease eventually die within a year or less..." This part was read aloud. He rubbed his face quietly. "Of course they do." Akaashi leaned his head on his hand, chin resting in his palm.

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"I wonder if Bokuto knows about all of this." He must have looked it up at some point, right? It was the only normal thing to do, considering how he was the one who was suffering from said disease. "Insomnia." He thought back to the bags around Bokuto's eyes. 'All I can say is that sleeping doesn't come as easily as it used to.' Akaashi exhaled quickly through his nose, making a sound that was almost like a laugh. He read up on the symptoms and blinked gently, a hand over his lips. After several minutes, Akaashi closed his laptop and lay back on his bed. He stared at the ceiling. "Some friend I've made." There wasn't much else to say.

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Chapter 4 New Text Message! From: Bokuto (Sent July 29th at 11:56 PM) [Hey! I hope this isn't a bad time!] Akaashi lifted his head from his pillow and reached a hand out to grab his phone. The bright light caused him to squint as he read the message. Quietly, he contemplated on whether he wanted to respond or not. He blinked weakly and slid his fingers down the sides of his phone, a sign of weariness that he could not disobey. Akaashi watched as the screen went to black, and it was then that he placed the phone back on his nightstand, choosing to ignore the message. He couldn't sleep for about an hour after the text, but ultimately slipped off to sleep. Akaashi never received another message in the remaining hour that he was awake.

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Chapter 5 During the next day, Akaashi decided to stay home. He sat in his room for the majority of the day, and had spent at least six hours awake until he'd picked his phone up in his hands again. He looked at the message Bokuto had sent him the night before. His thumb aimlessly hovered over the keyboard, thinking of what to type. From: Akaashi (Sent at 4:43pm) [Hello.] Bokuto: [Hey hey heyyyyy!] [I must have texted you while you were asleep!] Akaashi was dumbfounded. received a faster response in his life.

He'd

Akaashi: [Yeah, that must've been the case.] 14

never

[You say "Hey" a lot, Bokuto.] Bokuto: [I know! It's kind of my thing!] Akaashi could feel Bokuto's enthusiasm through his text messages. He spoke to Akaashi as if he hadn't had a friend to text in years. Bokuto: [How are you today?] Akaashi: [I'm well, thank you... Just catching up on some volleyball things...] Bokuto: [VOLLEYBALL?! You like volleyball too?! WE HAVE TO PLAY TOGETHER.] Wincing a bit, Akaashi squinted at his phone screen. Such an energetic texter, Bokuto was. He was kind of difficult to keep up with, and Akaashi felt like this would be a long term sort of thing. Akaashi: [Uh, sure. I mean, will they let you out of the hospital?] Bokuto: [I guess. I can still walk around and get to where I have to go! Pretty much the only thing wrong with me is that I can't sleep!] Akaashi scowled. He could feel the ignorance emanating off of Bokuto's text messages. Did he really think he was admitted to a hospital just because he was having trouble 15

sleeping? He knew full well the name of the disease he had. So then why was he so cheerful about his entire situation? Why did he lack the understanding of just how serious his condition was? Unless... Bokuto was purposely playing the fool. He must have been. Right? Akaashi's grip tightened around his phone. He had to be. Akaashi: [Then I guess I'll see you at the hospital around a week or two from now. I know a gymnasium we can go to...] Bokuto: [A WEEK OR TWO?!] Akaashi: [Is that too long a wait? I can probably reschedule...] Bokuto: [Nah, it's alright! I guess I can wait that long. I've got time.] I've got time. The words echoed in Akaashi's head, as if they'd been spoken aloud. He stared down at the screen, his brow furrowing slightly. Did Bokuto know about the lifespan of victims with his condition? Was he just playing the fool after all? Just what kind of guy was he?

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Indifference morphed into curiosity, and said curiosity was what drew Akaashi closer to his new friend. Akaashi: [Great. I'll see you then.]

Chapter 6 "Akaashi!" Another two weeks had passed since Akaashi had seen Bokuto, but this time, he waited outside of the hospital, several meters away from the entrance. Akaashi had looked up from his phone and stuffed it into his jacket pocket as the energetic 17

hospital patient made his way across the lot. In no time, Bokuto was standing in front of Akaashi, eager in every way to make it to the gymnasium. "I haven't set foot outside in weeks." He looked around. The day was strangely chilly, with an occasional breeze now and then, causing the browning leaves to rustle in the trees above. Those yellow eyes examined everything, adamant with taking all of it in. Bokuto tucked his hands into the pockets of his hood, his shoulders hunching. A puff of smoke came from him as he exhaled. He was paler than before, and the bags under his eyes were darker. Bokuto looked exhausted beyond belief, yet there he stood, excited to make his way to the gymnasium. Akaashi hadn't even mustered his first word before Bokuto snapped his head to the side to give him his undivided attention. "The gymnasium's about ten minutes that way." Akaashi pointed down the road. "Then let's go!" Bokuto power walked ahead, obligating Akaashi to catch up to him with a quickened pace, whether he wanted to or not.

Chapter 7 The sounds of their sneakers squeaking against the gym floor was so memory inducing, it 18

caused Akaashi to take a moment and reminisce on the old days, as if doing so would take him back in time to when he'd play volleyball every single day after school. After a while, he opened his eyes and sighed, then moved across the court to the net. He'd brought along a volleyball of his own, just in case they weren't provided with any. "What used to be your position back when you would play?" Bokuto asked aloud, finally pulling his hands from his hood pockets. His head was cocked back as he surveyed the gym. Akaashi bounced the ball off the floor twice. "Setter. You?" Bokuto grinned. "I was the team captain, and the ace." He gave a mock swing of his arm, as if spiking. "Do you think you can toss to me?" "Of course." Akaashi and Bokuto carried a sort of unspoken communication with each other. They had a strange relationship, to say the least. Akaashi would answer his questions coldly, with little to no emotion, but Bokuto would cherish these answers and retort with excitement in his tone. He did not seem to take offense easily. Bokuto was very different from everyone else Akaashi had ever met before him. Where most people would detach themselves, Bokuto took hold and wouldn't let go, being as persistent as he was energetic. It was very unsettling. Akaashi turned away and frowned.

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I wouldn't have given you my number if you weren't a patient... The black haired male bounced the ball again and walked over to position. "This is all so nostalgic." Bokuto's voice was filled to the brim with excitement. He took several steps back to prepare himself for the toss. Mentally, he was more than ready to spike, but not so much physically. Bokuto missed Akaashi's set twelve times. "Shit- shit." His frustration was unmasked. "Please toss to me again!" He threw the ball to Akaashi. There's no stopping you, is there? Taking the ball in his hands, Akaashi aimed for the approximate location as to where Bokuto would spike the ball. He wanted for him to spike it at least once lest Bokuto threw a self hate-induced panic attack. Watching as Bokuto ran forward, Akaashi set the ball perfectly. It brought him back to his high school days. Now if only the sickly one would hit it. The sound of the palm of Bokuto's hand meeting the ball sounded much like an explosion. Akaashi flinched. It had been so long since he'd heard something so loud. It was amazing. "Ha! Did you see that?!" Bokuto was bursting with emotion. He was ecstatic. "I spiked it perfectly just now! That toss was perfect!" Without hesitation, he ran across the court to retrieve the ball. 20

Akaashi knew that running probably wasn't the best thing that he should have been doing, but he said nothing about it. The ball was tossed back to him, and again, he got back to tossing the ball for Bokuto. After three sets, there was another hit, and another cheer from the former ace. Akaashi raised his eyebrows. "Impressive." He watched the ball roll further away from them, and expected to see Bokuto trailing it, but instead saw nothing. He turned his attention back to the only other in the room. Bokuto stared off in the distance from beyond the net, his face carrying a confused expression. After a moment, quietly, he spoke. "They... Aren't really there, are they?" The words left his mouth reluctantly. Akaashi glanced in the direction of where Bokuto was staring. No one. They were the only two in the gym. He dug his thumb nail into the side of his index finger and returned his gaze to Bokuto. "They aren't really there." He had to force himself to say the mere four words. Bokuto mouthed an "Okay," before backing up several steps. "Could you please toss to me some more?" "Sure." Akaashi nodded once, and that was all that Bokuto needed to hear before he ran off to retrieve the ball.

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Chapter 8 At some point during their...