A/N: Just so you know, the paragraphs between the asterisks is the prompt that JLWafflezBrony wrote which started my venture into this story. Props to you, JLWafflezBrony!

Enjoy!

The family watched in terrified awe and tense apprehension as the Arawashi Asteroid Probe descended from the sky. Although Kenji had successfully activated the GPS to redirect the satellite, he wasn't fast enough to redirect it further away from the Jinnouchi manor. So as the satellite swerved into the garden, the family realized they would not be able to leave in time and huddled together as they waited for the oncoming crash. Kenji was quickly grabbed one of the Jinnouchi brothers—Kunihiko, he thought—and was pulled into the pile when he noticed Natsuki was still standing by himself. Without thinking, Kenji pulled away from Kunihiko, grabbed the stock still girl, and held her close along with the rest of the family.

The abrupt crash transformed into a monsoon, nearly blowing the family off the tatami mats. Kenji could hear the tearing of tiles on the roof, the splintering of wood from the fusuma, the crackle of glass from the lanterns on Mansuke's fishing boat. All of a sudden, he felt a blinding pain in his back, and pulled Natsuki closer so he could protect every inch of her pale, flawless skin. His muffled cries of pain were mute compared the bedlam circumventing the Jinnouchi manor and the combined petrified screams of the family. And as quickly as it started, the maelstrom was over. As soon as the winds died down, there was a violent rush of water coming from the area of the blast, like a deluge.

As the minutes passed, Kenji felt movement coming from the pile of Jinnouchi members. The little patter of feet most likely belonged to the kids, and maybe even Hayate. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but they sounded excited.

Slowly, the pile of Jinnouchi members began to disassemble. Riichi and his three cousins—Yorihiko, Kunihiko, and Katsuhiko—had been the outer layer of the pile, taking most of the brunt of the blast. Mansuke, Tasuke, Shota, and Wabisuke peeled themselves away, allowing the older members as well as the women and remaining children to get on their feet. Kenji felt a nudge against his chest, and it took him a second to realize he was still holding Natsuki. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was her beautiful brown orbs, the dark pools filled with lingering fear and relief. It took him another second to realize that he was still on top of her and that his staring had prolonged. He carefully drew away from her so she could join the rest of her family.

*Kenji stood up, his back feeling oddly sore, and looked on at the family as they celebrated, their cheers just as invigorating as they had been when Love Machine was vanquished. He smiled. The soreness turned into a dull ache. He looked over at the wall, shredded from the glass being thrown through it at a high velocity. The dull ache became a minor pain. He reached up his back to feel where the pain was coming from. His hand came away red. The blood dripped from his back onto the floor, which one of the younger children noticed and called out, "Hey! Why're you bleeding?!"

Now everyone was looking at him. The minor pain flared into agony. He looked at the family again, his eyes focusing on a single person, before his vision went dark and he fell forward. The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was Natsuki's voice, shouting his name and the rest of the Jinnouchi's exclamations of shock at the menagerie of glass embedded in his back.*

…

"Kenji!" Natsuki rushed over to the injured boy, who was now lying face down. Blood continued to profusely seep from the numerous wounds on his back. As soon as she was by his side, she froze. She didn't know what to do. There was so much glass in his back. More blood was coming out by the second. The crimson red puddle had already reached her knees, staining her purely white dress and flooding her nose with a pungent stench. She thought of pulling the pieces of glass out but she was afraid she would make it worse. She suddenly brought out of her stupor when she heard a guttural groan coming from him. Taking his hand, she began to call out to him again. "Kenji! Kenji! Can you hear me?! Stay with me, Kenji!"

It wasn't long until other members of the Jinnouchi clan began to crowd around the boy, rambling in a panic that did not make the situation any more bearable for Natsuki.

"Everybody, calm down!" Mariko's authoritative voice was enough to make everyone quiet down, as usual. "We have to get him to a hospital. Naomi, call an ambulance. Mansuku, help anyone else who is injured. The rest who are able, help pick out the glass from Kenji's back…"

Natsuki stopped listening to her grandmother's instructions as she looked back at Kenji's small, pathetic form. She still couldn't see his face, but if she did it'd probably be very pale and for the moment she was glad she couldn't see his baby face mold in discomfort. She just held his hand, praying he would be able to sustain these injuries until the ambulance came.

She winced as her aunts began pulling out the shards of glasses embedded in his back, his hand clenching hers painfully, and his moans grew louder. All the while she just sat there watching him writhe in pain, helpless, having no clue how to alleviate the agony he was enduring. All she thought was how he pulled her out of her stupor, held her close to the point when she was almost suffocating, shielded her from the maelstrom of glass and wood. It was her fault he got hurt. It was her fault he was in pain. It was all her fault…

She had no idea she was being moved until she felt her hand slip away from Kenji's vice-like grip. She struggled from Shota's arms, trying to take back the hand that was searching for hers. "No! Let go of me! Kenji, he's—!"

"Snap out of it, Natsuki!" Shota scolded. She stopped struggling when she saw his stern eyes. Shota had never shouted at her like that before. His anger was never appointed to her. He said in a softer voice, "Blaming yourself isn't going to help anyone, especially not Kenji. Get a grip and tend to the kids."

Natsuki just nodded. She didn't realize she had been saying those things out loud. But Shota was right. She had get a grip for the sake of her family, and Kenji.

Looking over at the others, Natsuki saw that Kenji wasn't the only one who was injured from the blast. Her three uncles also had pieces of glasses protruding from their skin, but not as many as Kenji. There were many scratches decorating their bodies, mostly from the splintered wood from the fusuma, but they were minor compared to Kenji's injuries. Mansuku was already working on removing the splinters from his oldest son. The kids weren't injured physically, but seeing Kenji and even the parents in such a vulnerable state was enough to emotionally scar them. Thankfully, Kana was too young to understand was going on, and she was slowly drifting into slumber, probably exhausted from all the excitement of today. Kazuma held the little girl as he stood by the kids. His hand rested on her head so she couldn't turn to see the damage, his form completely stiff as he watched the women attend to Kenji.

When his gaze met Natsuki's, they held something she never thought she'd receive from her younger, emotionally-reclusive cousin: empathy. Granted Kazuma and Natsuki never really had a close relationship in the past, this small, tender act surprised her a bit, but she was nonetheless grateful and comforted by the gesture.

Standing from her spot on the floor, Natsuki went over to join Kazuma and the kids, waiting patiently for the paramedics to come.

"So, how is he?"

"He's still in surgery."

"I see." Natsuki heard an exasperated sigh on the other end. "Damn. Out of everybody in the world, Kenji's the last person I'd expect to end up in the hospital, especially for something like this. I'm glad you called me."

"It was no trouble, Sakumo. I didn't know who else to call. I don't have his cellphone, and according to him his parents travel a lot."

"Yeah, you wouldn't have been able to reach them anyway. I have no idea where they are, and Kenji doesn't like to talk about them." There was a long pause, and Natsuki couldn't tell if Sakumo was still there.

The hospital was a much tenser scene than the manor, where her great-grandmother's lifelessly body was still lying, thankfully unharmed even after the blast. Several members had to stay behind to watch over her and the kids, while the injured, as well as their spouses, had to go to the hospital, though everyone, especially the kids, insisted on coming so they could be there for Kenji. Natsuki shamefully hesitated, but surprisingly, an ever stoic Kazuma pulled her into the ambulance next to Kenji's gurney. Now they were both waiting outside the ER as Kenji was still undergoing surgery.

As the seconds ticked away, Natsuki was becoming more fidgety. Kazuma was sitting in a chair, appearing as calm as ever to her. Her uncles were also being treated at the moment, but it wouldn't be long until they also joined them in waiting. Kazuma's mom was also here checking up on the baby just as a precaution. Seeing as Kazuma hadn't said a word in forever, Natsuki thought she should take this time to call Kenji's friend, Takashi Sakumo, the only person Natsuki knew who was relatively close to Kenji.

Sakumo finally spoke after what seemed like ages. "This may not be the best time to say this, but I'm glad I hadn't gone on the trip."

"Why, so you wouldn't end up in the hospital?" she replied sardonically.

"That's not what I meant. It's not like if Kenji didn't come with you and pretend to be your fiancé, he still wouldn't have received that math problem from Love Machine and none of this wouldn't have happened." Natsuki didn't think about that. Kenji wasn't the only one to receive that math problem, and he hadn't even successful submitted the answer. If Sakumo had won at Rock-Paper-Scissors, she wondered how much different things would've been. She doubted Kenji would be in the hospital, though.

As if reading her thoughts, Sakumo continued,"To be honest, if you told me I had to pretend to be your fiancé, I would have gladly gone along with it all, but I don't think any good would've come out of it."

"What are you talking about? Granny's dead, her home nearly got destroyed by stupid Love Machine, and now Kenji's in the hospital! What good has possibly come out any of this?!"

"Well, besides preventing the extinction of mankind, I'd say a lot." She rolled her eyes. "Hear me out. We both know how nervous Kenji gets. He's a very humble guy; he's not one to really complain about his family or his lame social life. But if you haven't noticed, he is so easily influenced by his surroundings; he either goes with the flow of things or he melts under pressure."

Natsuki noticed that, too. Kenji was a very timid boy, but she pretty much expected that from an underclassman who was being pressured into lying to her large, intimidating family. But even when he was accused of hacking into OZ and messing with the system, he went out of his way to help a family he was going to deceive for her sake. And then when the satellite crashed by their home, Kenji just grabbed her and shielded her from the oncoming collision. It was totally out of character.

"What are you trying to say, Sakumo?"

"I'm just saying Kenji's one of a kind. He's one of the few guys in this world that can't hide how he really feels, no matter what. His actions are sincere. And while I'm getting everything out in the open, the only reason Kenji took the job was because he thought he could actually help you, not just because he'd be going on a trip with a really hot girl. I mean, sure, that was a plus, not to mention pretending to be your fiancé was really—"

"I get it," she said irately. Natsuki looked back over to the door where Kenji was still undergoing surgery. Then she looked up at the clock above Kazuma's head. The doctors had been operating on Kenji for half an hour now.

"Look, I realize this whole ordeal is hard enough with your grandmother's passing and all, but… Kenji's a good guy. So as his best friend, I'm only saying this for his own good: If you're not interested in him, at least wait until he's out of the hospital before you break his heart. He at least deserves that."

"W-What? I would never—"

"Well, I better get going," Sakumo interrupted. "After everything that's happened, the maintenance team on OZ has to fix all the issues that Love Machine created. Tell Kenji I said hey." He hung up before she could utter another word.

Natsuki was flustered. How dare Sakumo suggest she would hurt Kenji's feelings like that! After all he'd done, did Sakumo really believe she was just going to ditch Kenji? But as she looked back at the doors of the operating room, Natsuki felt guilt eating away at her insides.

From the beginning, Natsuki had only planned on using Kenji so she could impress Sakae in order to get her pristine morning glory yukata—and so her great-grandmother could see her "awesome boyfriend" before she passed away that summer. It was a very selfish reason, but Kenji went along with it anyway, even though she put a tremendous amount of pressure on him. And even though he went out of his way to help, she still shunned him. She probably hurt his feelings, and clinging to Wabisuke probably did not help. And after all that, he still managed to help her family save the world and get rid of that vicious AI her favorite uncle had created in the first place. He had been there for her family, he had been by her side when Sakae passed away, and in the end, Kenji had saved her life. She didn't even have a single scratch on her, and he ended up with a bloody nose and a possibly scarred back. Kenji deserved much better than a girl who took advantage of him.

Facing away from the door, Natsuki put her hand over mouth as sobs began to slip out. "Oh Kenji, I'm so sorry…"

…

When he woke up, he found himself lying on a sterile-smelling pillow. His back felt really numb and stiff. When he tried to move, he felt a pinch in his arm. There was an IV attached to his wrist. Kenji's eyes widened. He was in a hospital.

He heard distant voices coming from outside his room. He knew it wasn't his parents. They were somewhere overseas, spending the summer without their one and only son. No matter how many times he mulled over it, he never held a grudge against his parents for always leaving him alone, but for some reason, now that he was in the hospital, he couldn't help but feel angry that they couldn't be there for him even though they had no clue of his predicament.

As the voices came closer, he could finally hear traces of the conversation. "… will probably still be asleep, so try not to disturb him. With his injuries, he needs as much rest as he can get."

"But he's going to be okay, right?" He knew the frenetic voice belonged to Natsuki, and he felt his face grow warm hearing her sound so concerned for his wellbeing.

"Don't worry, he's going to make a fine recovery. But like I said, he needs plenty of rest."

When the door opened, he met the slightly surprised faces of the doctor and Natsuki. The doctor, who looked middle-aged and very able, gave him a taut but warm smile. "Welcome back, Kenji Koiso. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I guess." His voice was surprisingly hoarse and scratchy. But that didn't stop him from asking, "Why am I in a hospital?"

He couldn't help noticing how Natsuki's lips began to quiver and her eyes shut tightly. "You had several pieces of glass embedded in your back, Kenji, as the result of the harsh blow from the asteroid probe's landing."

He suddenly remembered it all. The Arawashi crashing, the force of the wind, the blinding pain, Natsuki crying out to him…

"So, um, should I ask what the damage was?"

The doctor laughed. "Don't worry, Kenji. Your injuries weren't too strenuous," he said. "None of the glass reached anything vital, but you did receive several stitches. I wouldn't suggest moving too much until they're completely healed."

Kenji sighed out in relief. "Thanks, doc."

"I'll be back to check on you later. Be sure to get some rest." The doctor left him and Natsuki alone.

She continued to stand, her eyes brimming with tears that were yet to fall. Being in a rather stationary position, Kenji didn't know what to say at the moment. He laid his head back on the pillow, his gaze moving from the wall and then back to the very still Natsuki.

"S-So…" he coughed awkwardly. "How… How's everyone else doing? Did anyone else get hurt—I mean, worse than me?" Natsuki barely shook her head. "That's good. I'm just glad we were able to get through all that. After Love Machine, I don't think anyone will dare develop another AI for a long time. There are families like yours who had to suffer just as much, and I doubt anyone wants to go through any of that ever again. It can only get better from here on out, right? I mean, there's still much to do, like fix your family's manor, but that's the least of our worries. Once I've fully recovered, I promise I'll help in any way I can…"

"Three inches."

Kenji looked back over at Natsuki, whose hands were shaking with tension. "What?"

"Three more inches, and one of those pieces… would've hit your spine. That's what the doctor told me after your surgery. You could've died." Natsuki was now crying, and her voice was soft and quivery. "I didn't want to say anything, but… but then you said all of those kind things. You almost died saving my life, Kenji, and you're still so selfless, thinking of others. You put everyone's wellbeing before your own, and you're stuck in a hospital. And it sucks to know that it's my fault."

"Natsuki…"

"I asked you to come on this trip. I took advantage of your kindness and had you lie to my family. I even rejected you when Wabisuke came back, even though he did all those awful things. But you stuck with us. You helped my family in more ways than you can imagine, and then this happened. I'm so sorry, Kenji. I feel terrible for all of this. I'm such a selfish brat!"

"You're not a brat." With a grunt, Kenji struggled to get up from bed, the stiffness in his back slowly transforming back into pain.

"Kenji, stop! You shouldn't be getting up!"

He ignored her as he stood and supported himself against the empty chair. "You're not selfish. None of this is your fault. You just wanted your family to be proud of you. I wouldn't have agreed to come if I didn't think I was helping you accomplish that goal." That was exactly what Sakumo had told her. Kenji really was one of a kind.

"I guess I already told you this," he continued, "but being with your family has been the greatest time of my life. Since my parents are always away, I thought maybe I could finally have a taste of that life, being surrounded by people who care about me. Granted, we just met, and the only reason I was there was because you asked me to pretend to be your boyfriend, I still think a lot of good came out of it: the world is safe, your family is stronger, and… I'm with you."

Kenji took her hands into his and looked into her teary eyes. "Natsuki, I've wanted to tell you this for a long time… I sort of, kind of… had a crush on you." His cheeks grew warm, but he didn't dare look away. "I've never had the guts to talk you before any of this, so I was really glad when you came into the clubroom and offered me and Sakumo jobs. I've always thought you were amazing: you're smart, athletic, and beautiful…"

He was interrupted by Natsuki, who had pulled him into a kiss. Shamelessly, Kenji had always imagined what it would be like to kiss Natsuki Shinohara—and he definitely wasn't the only one—and now that he was living his fantasy, it still felt surreal. Even Kenji knew his limitations; no one in the world would expect someone like Natsuki to acknowledge let alone kiss him, not by a longshot. But here he was, locking lips with one of the most popular, most beautiful, most wonderful people in their school.

When she pulled away from him, Kenji quietly savored the taste of Natsuki on his lips. He stifled the urge to touch his lips and make sure this wasn't some kind of cruel dream. When he looked back into her eyes, he knew this was in fact real.

"You never cease to amaze me, Kenji," Natsuki whispered. "I still don't think I deserve you, not after all you've been through because of me. You're so sweet; you deserve someone who will treat you right." She put a finger on his mouth when he tried to speak. "When you get out of this hospital, I'm not going to ask you to stay with me; I'm not going to ask you to do something you don't want to do. But I do want you to promise... that you won't leave my family."

With humble smile, Kenji leaned in and put his forehead against Natsuki's, his hands squeezing her in affection and reassurance. "I'm not going to leave any of you, especially not you, Natsuki. I made a promise to Sakae, after all. I promised I would take care of you and protect you, and I don't plan on backing out, not any time soon. We Jinnouchis got to stick together, right?"

Natsuki smiled. She remembered that day. The whole thing was a lie, but Kenji had taken Sakae seriously, answering her questions as seriously as they had been thrown at him. She remembered the look on his nervous face, and if Natsuki didn't know any better, she would've thought he meant every word. Apparently, he did. And as she leaned into his embrace, Natsuki knew he still meant it. Kenji wasn't going to leave, and Natsuki couldn't have asked for more. "Right."

The End

I know a lot of you have been asking for me to make a sequel to "Konton" and I'm not going to lie... I've been thinking about it. I thought it would be fun to write a story based on the manga "Summer Wars: King Kazma vs Queen Ozu". I'm reading it now, and I think it's interesting so far. I'm not making any promises, though.

R&R!