<span style="color: #80BFFF">"Uh, <span style="font-style: italic">doctor</span>?"</span>Shihei's voice was full of disbelief as he glanced at Naruhiko; there was even a slight scoff to be heard at the end of the sentence. To get Naruhiko to the doctor was like to make a five-years-old that had just drank an espresso and was promised a puppy sit still for an hour. The mangaka had a surprising amount of strength and speed in that lanky body of his when threatened with a white-coated expert, that much was for certain, and Tanaka was the last person to try to force him to enter a hospital.<br/>Naruhiko's own eyes widened into inhuman standards once more. He laughed nervously, and there was no humor in the sound. It was an extremely dry and extremely distressed sound - he was as pale as death and the laughter was more akin to the crunching of dry branches.<br/><span style="color: #BFFFFF">"I don't need to see a doctor... I'm perfectly fine... I have all my bones together... Just drive Tachibana-san home, wherever she lives, then drop me off at my place..."</span>he assured Shihei, instinctively shrinking into the corner between the window and the seat.<br/><br/>He didn't need to see a doctor. At the very worst, he would have gotten a few bruises, but definitely nothing more, no damage to his internal organs, no broken ribs or damaged liver and kidney tissue. He was quite certain that would hurt more... It wasn't as if he had never broken a bone. He was quite certain that he'd... Feel that...<br/><br/><span style="color: #BFFFFF">"Shihei-san, please go slow."</span>he instructed him, turning over a little bit, so that he could wedge his shoulder between the seat and the car door, and rest in the corner with his head leaning onto the glass of the window. By then, Tanaka already looked worried. Naruhiko was pale as a ghost and stared blankly; not like that was an unusual occurrence, it happened rather often, but now, he somehow assigned it to the crash; that worried him. He knew that Izumi disliked even looking on car crashes and thinking of doctors... Hopefully that was the sole reason for this.<br/>In truth, Naruhiko wasn't too sure of that himself. The sight of the headlights before him, the feeling of the car hitting him, the screeching of tires and stench of engine, all of that made him<span style="font-style: italic">sick</span>. Very sick. It brought up memories he'd much rather keep subdued somewhere deep down, and that feeling, the sudden shock, the inability to move and being utterly horror-struck, was torturous. He wanted to curl up and cry out of everyone's sight, and not remember a thing, just be gone; yet, he was sure that he would get nothing but disapproval for that, and his father wouldn't like the prospect of him crying after an already big mess-up in the slightest. He wasn't angry at Shihei or Hinata; heck, he was too confused and stressed out by the thoughts, racing through his head, to be even angry at himself.<br/><br/><span style="color: #80BFFF">"Izumi? You okay back there?"</span>It was Tanaka once again that pulled him from his thoughts - Naruhiko perked up at the sound of his voice weakly, raising his head and glancing into the back mirror. Beneath the shadow of Shihei's dark blue hair, there was a worried look in those equally dark eyes. For once, the Oni Taxi was actually serious.<br/><span style="color: #BFFFFF">"Ye-yeah, I'm fine. Just tired..."</span>he assured him, nodding silently, and avoiding Tanaka's piercing gaze.<br/><span style="color: #80BFFF">"Well, you don't <span style="font-style: italic">look</span> like you're feeling okay. Does it still hurt?"</span>It appeared he won't get rid of him that easily. For all that Shihei was a sarcastic, care-free idiot, he was also pretty down-to-earth and not wholly stupid.<br/>Naruhiko shook his head.<span style="color: #BFFFFF">"It never did much. I said I'm fine. Wait..."</span>he looked out the window once more... This wasn't the way home. Was he actually being taken to a doctor? Oh, lord, hope not...<span style="color: #BFFFFF">"This isn't the way to Ikebukuro. I told you to just take me home, Shihei... I'll get you the tickets to whatever con you want to go to, just don't-"</span><br/><span style="color: #80BFFF">"Don't be an idiot."</span>Tanaka cut him short, nodding at Hinata.<span style="color: #80BFFF">"She's <span style="font-style: italic">right</span>, you look like a freaking ghost in a kabuki show. I'm not going to drive you home and see you getting taken back out by the ambulance the next morning, just think for once."</span>The tone did not allow for any more arguing.<br/><br/>With a deep sigh, Naruhiko seemed to shrink even more between the seat and car door; if he could have made himself invisible, he most certainly would have. Pressing a forearm across his stomach, he closed his eyes tightly and hoped that some sort of miracle will happen, and he will avoid visiting the hospital... He was too tired for that...<br/><br/>No miracle happened - the building before which Shihei rather abruptly and quickly parked was most definitely one that, beside other things, housed a doctor. It was clear enough, and at the sight, Naruhiko's eyes widened... He pushed himself deeper into the corner, even avoiding being thrown forth at the abrupt stop, and tried to disappear as Shihei got out of the car and opened a door for Hinata.<br/><span style="color: #80BFFF">"To actually get him to a doctor is... Difficult ain't the right word. More like impossible. I might need to use some force..."</span>the taxi driver murmured to the pink-haired assistant as he stood by, waiting for her to exit. Only then would he release a deep sigh and walk over to Naruhiko's door; as he flung it open, the mangaka almost fell out, only keeping there by holding onto the interior with an almost iron grip.<br/><span style="color: #80BFFF">"C'mon. It's not like a doctor will <span style="font-style: italic">butcher</span> you, Izumi."</span>Shihei proclaimed.<br/>Naruhiko had no words for that; he would most certainly be butchered by a doctor, or so he felt. But he remained quiet, blankly staring forth with his eyes set onto the seat before him.<br/><br/>Shihei smacked his head into his palm; he wasn't getting Naruhiko out with logic... And thus, he'd<span style="font-style: italic">have</span>to use force.<br/>He bent over to undo the seatbelt, and clenched one hand around Naruhiko's upper arm.<br/>He clenched the other one around it as soon as the seatbelt was out of the way.<br/>He pulled at his friend, and dragged him out of the car.<br/><br/>Naruhiko wanted to cry like a little child and be gone on the other end of the earth. He wanted to disappear, completely, never to have left his apartment this morning, and his face was an expression of utter, unfeigned despair as he struggled against Shihei's grip, trying to get him into the doctor's office.