Two-shot! Maybe. Let's see how far I get today. I decided that I liked Shun and Runo together for this story rather than Dan and Runo. So let's get started!

~Begin~

How to Save a Life

Dan would be the first to tell you he would never give up. And he will never, ever forget the day he gave up and walked out on one of the most important things of his life.

It had started out as a fantastic week. Marucho's parents had decided that it was time for the original six brawlers to have spring break to themselves entirely. They allowed them to borrow the jet to take a trip to wherever they wanted. In a unanimous vote, the group decided they would take a trip to Los Angeles, California. Dan and Runo were particularly stoked about this trip because it would be an excellent time to spend time with each other. It had been about six weeks since their anniversary. And being that the two were now eighteen, they had spent it very intimately.

Dan grinned. He couldn't wait to get his girlfriend alone again. The last time had been so perfect and it was so great. The only problem was Runo had been acting really weird lately. Her mood swings were off the charts and her cravings were even weirder. Dan had brushed it off as her being on her period, except Dan knew for a fact (against his preference) that Runo's periods only lasted a week. She had been acting strange for about three weeks now.

They were on the plane already when the cravings began for the particular bluenette. Runo had been eating pretty much non-stop for the past two weeks and she had recently started feeling self conscious about the weight she's been gaining. She was beyond confused and when she had thought about it, her mind kept leading her to one conclusion. She was sick. Runo admitted to Dan that she was reluctant about going on this trip due to her not feeling well, but Dan assured her that she would feel better in a couple of days. That was a week ago and she felt no different than she had then.

Shun watched Runo with worried eyes. He saw the hesitance in her eyes when she had boarded the plane and he knew she hadn't been feeling well. Dan was an idiot for making her go on this trip when she wasn't feeling well. Before they had boarded, Shun had offered her some aspirin for the trip, but Runo refused, saying that she'd feel better after she ate.

"Ice cream, anyone? I got chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and cookie dough!" Julie said with a grin as she strutted into the room. Dan immediately requested chocolate. Runo's hand shot up asking for both strawberry and cookie dough.

"You're super hungry these days, Runo. Maybe you should lay off the sweets before you go over 130." Julie teased when she handed Runo the ice cream. The bluenette just glared at her and went to eating the frozen dessert.

The rest of the first day went by smoothly. They watched movies and played video games. At least the guys played video games, while the girls spent the day reading Cosmo and giggling over the hottest celebrities.

"Are you kidding me, Alice? Brad Pitt is way hotter than Daniel Radcliffe! Even if he is older…" Julie exclaimed. Said Harry Potter fan just laughed and took a bite of her cookie.

"Well excuse me, then! Brad Pitt is married you know."

"Ugh! I know. If he wasn't, he would be mine for sure though!"

Runo sighed and got up. Her bathroom trips were becoming more and more frequent every freaking day and she was sure it was turning Dan off. When she finished she washed her hands and turned to open the door. On the other side Dan stood against the wall, smirking. Runo blushed, looking down at her feet.

"H-hey…" she greeted with a small smile, gaining some confidence. Dan smirked some more and wrapped his arms loosely around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"So the guys and I were talking about room arrangements. We find it fitting that you and I should share the room with the double bed, wouldn't you agree?" He murmured seductively into her ear. Runo gave an involuntary shiver as he started kissing her neck. Her hormones were all over the place and it took all of her self control just to keep herself upright.

Dan's hot mouth was on hers in an instant, ravaging her mouth in a manner that was anything but gentle. Runo was forcefully shoved up against the wall and lifted up. She wrapped her thin, bare legs around his waist as she kissed him back with just as much force. Her hips rocked against his in desire. Dan's hands began to wander and found their way underneath her shirt. He removed his lips from hers and looked down at her. She was wearing little pink cotton shorts that stopped just below her ass and one of his band T-shirts. Her hair was tangled in the sexiest way possible and her pink lips were swollen and bruised.

"You have no idea how…amazing you look right now." He said lustfully, "So….sexy…"

He bent down to ravish her again before someone cleared their throat. Shun stood there glaring at the couple distastefully. Dan put his girlfriend back on the ground and she blushed. The brunette man glared at his friend in annoyance.

"Do you mind? We're a bit busy." Dan said, growling uncharacteristically. Runo shot him a fleeting look.

"Sorry about him, Shun. Did you need something?" she said, a warm smile on her face. Shun shook his head.

"Marucho told me to tell you guys that we'll be in Italy by morning. We're all going to bed. You guys should too."

"Will do. Come on, Runo. Let's go to bed." Dan smirked again and grabbed his girlfriend by the wrist, leading her to the bedroom.

When the pair reached the bedroom, Dan immediately set Runo on the bed before locking the door. Runo shifted nervously on the bed. She wasn't really feeling up to it right then, in fact, she feverish and drained. Dan climbed onto the bed and lied down next to her, shooting an expectant look. Runo sighed and got up. She unlocked the door and got under the covers, facing opposite of her boyfriend.

"Runo? What the fuck? We're finally alone and you don't want to?" Dan growled at her. She simply ignored him, which enraged him all the more.

"Hey, I'm talking to you." He said sternly as he rolled her over to face him. He was met with a whimper and tear stained cheeks. "Dear God, what's wrong?" he asked, softening immediately and wiping away a tear with his thumb.

"I'm sorry. I'm really not feeling up to it tonight, Dan." She whimpered, not looking him in the eyes.

"Don't worry about it, alright?" Dan sighed, "Another time is good." She nodded and pulled the covers up to her shoulders.

Dan sighed for the umpteenth time that night and pulled her to his chest. Almost instantly, she fell asleep against him. Even though he wanted to ravish her until morning, he would wait because she was his girlfriend and she deserved that much. Dan ran a hand up and down her side, feeling confused. It wasn't like her to look so vulnerable, especially around him. Thinking back, he satisfied himself in assuming that she was probably just as confused as he was.

~Morning~

Ugh…I feel like shit, thought Runo as she rolled over in bed. She expected Dan to be there by her side when she woke up but he was nowhere to be found. The blue haired girl looked towards her right and sighed groggily when she saw the glowing florescent green numbers on the clock. 10:54. Being a waitress and working at her parents' café for so long, the girl never woke up late, yet she had been doing so for the past few weeks. She put some effort into getting up out of bed. As she stood, doubled over, something churned in her. Instantly, she stood up straight with her hand clasped over her mouth and ran across the hall to the bathroom. She pushed back Shun who was just exiting and vomited vehemently into the toilet.

"Runo! Are you alright?" The raven haired man exclaimed as he turned around to help her. He held her blue locks back as she threw up. When she finished, she closed the lid and slumped down, her back to Shun.

"I'm alright. I've been a little sick for a while now. I should be getting better soon." She insisted, getting up to brush her teeth.

"We landed in Florence a little over an hour ago. We were waiting for you to wake up so we could get to the hotel. Maybe we could stop by a pharmacy and get you something."

"Yeah…that sounds good. I'm hoping it's just the flu or maybe a stomach virus." Runo said quietly, failing to mention that this is not the first time she's thrown up. It's been happening every morning for about a week now. She turned off the faucet and turned around to face her friend.

"Let's hope. If not, we're getting you to a hospital." Shun said, leaning against the door frame. Runo was about to protest when Julie came bounding into the hall.

"Runo! There you- girlfriend you don't look so good." Julie quipped. She stepped into the bathroom and put the back of her hand against said girl's forehead. "No fever… maybe some medicine will do the trick."

"That's what Shun said. You're probably right. "

"I bet I am, too. Now hurry and get dressed, we're leaving soon. " The silver haired girl ushered Runo into the room and began picking out some outfits.

Runo pondered the past weeks silently. Why had she been getting so sick? Her eating habits have been off the charts and she's been gaining weight like crazy! Throwing up every morning should have made her lose weight, shouldn't it? She felt feverish and drained all the time and….. and….

"Julie…"

"Huh? Here, this outfit is cute! Let's just hope it still fits with all the weight you've been gaining." She smirked, looking down at the blue haired woman. "Babe, what's wrong?"

"It's late…"

"It's only eleven o'clock in the morning. Are you delusional now too?" Julie questioned. She was beginning to get worried for Runo. She was being so strange.

"No! My period! It's a week and a half late!"

Julie's eyes visibly doubled in size. "WHAT?"

"…what did you just say?"

Both the girls' heads snapped towards the doorway. Shun stood, eyes wide, staring at the pair. Shun had been listening through the door to make sure Runo was alright. When he heard her mention her period being late he almost fell over in shock. It took him a total of fifteen seconds to put two and two together. She'd been claiming she was sick. She was tired all the time, constantly eating, throwing up in the mornings, and now her period is late. And it would be for about nine months. His eyes shot downwards, towards her stomach. Her hand was placed gently over her belly, not a caring motion, but a frightened one. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes and he knew she was thinking the same thing he was.

"Runo…are you…?" He couldn't even finish. The girl collapsed on the floor, sobbing.

"Runo!" Julie and Shun rushed to the frightened bluenette, crouching to her level.

"Please… please don't tell him." She whimpered, clutching her stomach. Her two companions exchanged looks and nodded.

"We won't…" Shun whispered, bringing her into him. She cried silently into his chest for a bit. Julie bumbled around the room, looking for articles of clothing for the girl. She settled on a loose fitting off the shoulder shirt that was a peach color and some khaki shorts. Shun turned around respectively as she changed.

Marucho looked up silently as the trio walked into the main room of the cabin. "What took you guys so long? We were supposed to leave half an hour ago! "

Runo looked down and Shun spoke for her. "Runo had a bout of sickness this morning. Would it be alright if we stopped by the drugstore to get her something?"

The younger blonde nodded. "Of course, we'll stop by on the way to the hotel."

Soon enough, Dan had arrived back from his morning jog and the group was able to explore the city of Florence. They passed by pizzerias, different shopping centers, a few nightclubs and even a taco stand. But Shun was on a mission. He needed to find the nearest pharmacy and fast. The first drugstore they found they stopped at, although Shun insisted that only he and Runo go inside.

"Shun… we're not here for medicine are we?" The girl asked quietly. Shun shook his head and headed for the aisle labeled "Pregnancy/Prenatal".

"Shun! What are you doing?"

Shun was scanning the different kinds of pregnancy tests. He looked at her with an unreadable expression and shoved two of a random kind into her hands. The young woman looked up at her companion, shocked. Shun walked to the front of the store where they sold cold and flu medicine, picking up a bottle of ibuprofen as well.

"Come on." He said gruffly to Runo, who was standing by the register.

Runo stood there, shocked as Shun paid for the merchandise with a nonchalant expression. The woman at the register looked on with a disapproving face. The raven haired man thanked the woman in Italian before grabbing Runo's hand and leading her out the door. Dan and the others were waiting outside, reading an Italian map that no one could interpret. Runo tottered over to her boyfriend's side, leaving Shun to stand there glaring at an oblivious Dan.

Shun was beyond furious, he was livid. He didn't care that Dan was his best friend; he would castrate him if he dared touch Runo again. The girl was pregnant for god's sake! He didn't need the tests to tell, and neither did she. They were mostly just for confirmation. He looked at her, endearment spreading through him. She looked so sad, clutching her stomach out of what she would later claim as nausea. But he knew better, she was scared. She was scared not only for herself but for the child. Shun knew that if she chose to keep it (and she would, he knew) it would go through struggles in the early years of its life. He knew that she also worried about what Dan would think. Would he dump her? The thought infuriated him even more. If there was one thing he did not respect, it was cowards who ran from the burden of a pregnant girlfriend. Shun's glare hardened, locked on the back of Dan's head.

"Alright then, looks like we found way to the hotel for the night. We'll be back up in the air by tomorrow afternoon." Marucho said, bringing Shun out of his thoughts.

"Great, then let's get going." Shun spoke as he sauntered north. The rest of the crew followed his lead. When they got to the hotel, Dan let out a low whistle.

"Damn…" he gawked openly at the large hotel in front of him. The exterior was extravagantly decorated in Italian and Roman art.

"Come on, let's check in already…" Shun all but growled. The others looked taken aback by the annoyed look on his face, while Runo just looked guilty.

They checked into the hotel and got their respective room keys. Dan and Runo were sharing a room, as always, while the others would have a room to themselves. The interior of the hotel was just as extravagant as the exterior. Leather couches, marble tables, glass sculptures, the works! The color scheme just screamed Italy!

Just as the group was about to head off into their separate rooms, Shun grabbed Runo lightly by the shoulders and turned her to face him.

"Text me the results." He said so simply, and then turned and walked mechanically towards his room.

Runo sat on the edge of the toilet seat, staring towards the corner of the bathroom sink, where the second of her two tests sat. She had decided it was best to wait until Dan was asleep to take them. Runo knew her boyfriend would question her if she spent so long in a bathroom. The first of the two was a negative. Part of her wanted it to be right. Another part of her knew it was wrong. She looked at her watch and decided the ten minutes was up. She reluctantly got up and looked at the object withholding her fate.

"Fuck."

Two little pink lines. She was pregnant.

"Ugh…"

"Babe? You coming to bed?" Dan grumbled from his spot on the bed. Runo walked out of the bathroom, cell phone in hand.

"Yeah… give me a minute." She said, typing a message into her iPhone.

"Who are you texting at this hour?"

"None of your business." He wasn't going to know. Not until she knew what she was going to do.

"Whatever. Come on, it's late." Dan gestured her to come to bed with him, sighing internally, she obliged.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Shun groaned, rolling himself out of bed and into a sitting position. His Blackberry was beeping mercilessly on the nightstand next to him. He groggily rubbed his eyes and took his phone in his hands. It was beeping from a new text message. It took a minute for his vision to focus while he opened the message. He looked down at the screen.

Fuck.

No, he said that aloud so, "Fuck."

He groaned loudly and fell back onto the bed. He knew. He knew it from the very beginning, but somehow he had hoped he was wrong.

Positive.