SEQUEL to: 'You'll never know'. I guess this one makes more sense if you've read that one too, but it isn't really necessary ;)

SUMMARY: Now that all six Saint Beasts are allowed to stay together again, they still have to learn how to cope with the inner scars left by the past months. Mainly Rei x Ruka and Shin x Yuda, also mild Goh x Gai. Rated M to be safe ;)

By the way, it's named after the song All Through The Night, by Cyndi Lauper. Because I happened to be listening to that song while trying to think of a title for this fic XD

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters.

Please R&R^^

"Shin? How is Rei doing?" Yuda asked immediately, when Shin came into the living-room.

"He has a fever, so he's sleeping now. Ruka and I will take turns in watching over him tonight," the blue-haired angel replied, unable to hide the tone of worry in his voice.

It hadn't been a surprise that Rei got ill. After all they had been through, it was only natural that his body as well as his mind would need to break down. At least this way he'd be forced to rest, so he'd be able to really give it a place in his mind, and get rid of the uneasy feeling. Better that anyone of them, Shin understood that, being in the same situation as Rei. It was great that Yuda and Ruka weren't banned anymore, that they'd be allowed to stay together. But it would take some time before it would really get through to them that all the pain and fear from the past months truly was over.

"Are you all right?" Yuda's gently voice made him look up, snapping out of his thoughts. "Shin, are you feeling unwell? You look a bit pale."

"Ah, I'm fine," Shin replied with a soft smile. In truth, he felt completely exhausted. Not physically, not after having slept for days during the last part of their quest. Mentally, though, he felt just as drained as Rei almost certainly did. Even though he had told his friend that being passed out, after using his power of reversing time, had counted as a breakdown, in truth he knew it had only helped his body heal from the stress. But Rei didn't need to know, and neither did Yuda. It would only make them worried, and that really wasn't necessary.

"Shall I make dinner for tonight?" Goh offered. "I guess Rei won't feel well enough already to cook."

"That'd be nice," Shin replied with another smile. "Actually, I doubt whether he'll even feel well enough to be able to stand the scent of food."

"Then I'll help Goh cooking dinner!" Gai announced a bit loudly, grabbing Goh's arm. Something in his enthusiastic way of acting was a bit off, though. Even he probably felt the aftereffects of months of continuous stress, though not as much as Rei and Shin.

"Shin?" Yuda asked, after Goh and Gai had left for the kitchen. "The weather is nice, shall we go walk outside for a while?"

"Okay," Shin agreed. That way they'd have privacy. Which was good, since he still had something important to discuss with his beloved one. Or at least something to hint at, as Rei had advised. "Then, can we go to the fields?"

"Had enough of forests?"

"Yes, and we haven't walked in a flower field even once during the quest." Gently, Shin took Yuda's hand. "I think it'll be nice to be surrounded by pretty colors, instead of ghostlike houses and dangerous mountains." And it'd bring the right mood into the air to talk about some things.

"And… could you bring your harp?" Yuda asked, almost shyly. "I've really missed hearing your music."

"Okay," Shin agreed happily. He had missed playing it too, but due to all things that happened, he hadn't even gotten time to think about it. This indeed was a great opportunity to make music again. "I'll go get it, could you wait for me at the front-door?"

Some minutes later, they silently walked to the flower fields, suddenly a bit awkward. It had been so long since it had been just the two of them for a while, without the others. "Eh… so… How do you feel about the rooms?" Yuda suddenly asked. "I mean, about me sleeping in the same bed?"

"It's nice," Shin replied. Then he quickly added; "But if you're more comfortable alone, I understand."

"No, not at all," Yuda said relieved. "I love you, and it's reassuring to have you so close to me at night. I just wanted to be sure that it wasn't a nuisance to you."

Smart enough to point out the most important part of that statement, Shin looked at his beloved one. "Reassuring? Do you have any trouble sleeping?"

"Well… Sometimes," the red-haired angel admitted. "I still get nightmares every now and then, but you shouldn't worry about that."

"You're the most important person in my life. Of course I worry," Shin replied immediately. "If there's anything I can do…"

"You already are doing all you can. Allowing me to hold you at night, to feel your breath, that's all I need to feel safe." Smiling lovingly, Yuda looked at him. "As long as I have you, I'll be all right." Gently, he leaned over and kissed his beloved one's soft lips. The blue-haired angel let out a sigh against him, and then slowly returned the kiss. "Mmh… You taste so good," Yuda whispered in his ear, after breaking their kiss. Shin felt his cheeks heating up, but couldn't help letting out an appreciative sigh.

Oh, he felt so sure he was ready to hint at… that. Hopefully, he'd also have the courage to bring up that subject.

"There are the fields!" he pointed, feeling like he hadn't been here in ages. Though it wasn't as beautiful as in Heaven, it was one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen on earth. Silently, he took Yuda's hand again, walking closely next to him as they walked up the field. It was deserted here, most of the time, and luckily now was no exception.

"Shall we sit down here?" Yuda asked. Shin nodded, and together they sat down, Shin leaning lightly against his beloved one's shoulder. Tenderly, Yuda placed his arm around the smaller angel's shoulder. "You aren't cold?"

"No, not with you so close to me," Shin replied, smiling happily. After taking a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air, he started playing his harp.

The clear sound it produced, immediately made him remember why he loved playing it so much. The sky seemed brighter, the flower's scent deeper and he couldn't help but to put all his emotions into this improvised song. Yuda just stared at him, his eyes full of amazement. And worry, for some reason. "What's wrong?" Shin asked softly, without stopping to play his harp.

"It's just… it sounds sad. Beautiful, but sad."

A faint smile appeared on his face. "I know. But… please listen it to the end?" Yuda only nodded, leaning his head onto Shin's and closing his eyes. For some more time, the sadness kept audible in the tones, then there came a faster, slightly creepy part. Ending with a soft part, warm and nice, but with an emotion mixed through that Shin himself didn't fully recognize. After the song had ended, they both were silent for a while.

"Was that…" Yuda asked unsurely. "Was that about the past few months?"

"Indeed," Shin replied, happy that Yuda had understood. To his surprise, his beloved one suddenly hugged him tightly. "Ah, Yuda?"

"That last part… Shin, you sounded so unsure." Almost scared, Yuda looked at him. "Is it… because of us? I mean, is there anything that bothers you about our relationship?"

So that's what the emotion had been. But Yuda had the reason all wrong. "Not at all. It's…" Gathering his courage, Shin turned to face Yuda. "I've been thinking about it, now that we can stay together for sure. And…" Taking a deep breath, he averted his gaze towards the ground. "How do you feel about…" He felt his cheeks heating up. "Do you think we're ready to go further?"

"Eh? I mean… What…" Yuda's face went as red as his hair when he understood what his beloved one was talking about. "Shin… are you sure?"

"Of course I am." Shyly, the blue-haired angel looked at his angel. "So… In a few days or so… Will you take me?"

Instead of answering, Yuda suddenly dove forward, throwing his arms around Shin. Not having seen that coming, the smaller angel fell backwards, Yuda sprawled on top of him. "Shin… Do you really mean that? Do you really trust me enough to… you know."

"I do." Tenderly, Shin hugged him back. "I love you."

"I love you too." A soft kiss onto his lips. "I love you so much."

When it was dinner-time, Ruka ate later than the rest, so Shin could take over watching Rei. The silver-haired angel seemed tired, obviously from worrying over his beloved one. Still, when he stepped into the room, Shin found Rei looking better than he had a few hours ago. His face was still pale, but didn't seem as tense anymore. He even opened his eyes when Shin sat down at the edge of the bed. "Hey," he greeted faintly.

"How are you feeling?" Shin asked his friend, stroking Rei's hair worriedly.

"Hm… my mind finally stopped over-working. But according to Ruka, the fever got a bit worse." A soft sigh. "Overall, I just feel tired."

Then was this the right time to tell him? Rei was his best friend, so Shin plainly couldn't wait. "Rei, I have to tell you something. I finally talked to Yuda."

Immediately, the hazy look in his friend's eyes disappeared. "How did he respond?"

Shin couldn't help but to smile. "He jumped me. Just to hug, though. But in a few days, when we're both ready for it…" Too shy to finish that line, he just let it trail off. "In short, he said 'yes'!"

"Congratulations!" Though Rei's voice was weak, it was audibly that he really was happy for Shin.

"Thanks. Also for advising me to ask him," Shin replied.

Rei only smiled softly, his eyes slowly turning a bit hazy again. "Shin? Could you stay here… for a while?" His eyes slid shut. "I don't want Ruka… to put too much… pressure on himself."

"Of course." Gently, Shin kept stroking his friend's hair, watching him drifting off to sleep. His breath was slightly quickened, and he had a red blush on his face from the fever. Gently, Shin soaked the towel in the cold water again, hoping the coldness would help his friend. Rei only sighed in his sleep, seemingly relaxing a bit further. "Rei, please get well soon," Shin whispered. Even though he knew it was just a case of too much exhaustion, he couldn't help but to feel worried. Well, it was only logical to hate it to see a friend feeling so ill.

"How is he?" he suddenly heard Ruka asking.

A bit startled, Shin looked up. "He just fell asleep, but we talked for a few minutes. It seems like he's starting to feel better, so I think the fever will lower soon too." At least, he hoped so. "Can I please stay here for while too? He asked me to stay."

"Sure," Ruka nodded, sitting down on the other side of Rei's bed. For a while, an awkward silence hung in the air. "Eh… If you don't mind me asking… What did he say to you about…" Embarrassedly, Ruka stared at Rei's sleeping form. "About… last night?"

"Ah, w-what?" A bit unsure, Shin looked at him, but the silver-haired angel didn't look back. "He said he enjoyed it, and that it only hurt a little. Why do you ask?"

"It's just… I know it's just the stress from the past few months which caused him to break down like this. But… I don't want him to have any more discomfort because of me."

With a soft smile, Shin placed his hand on Ruka's shoulder. "He's happy for what the two of you have done. You should be able to feel that through your power of empathy, right? Besides, does he look like he's in any pain right now?"

As if it were on purpose, Rei sighed in his sleep, and then smiled softly for just a moment. "He seems fine," Ruka admitted relieved. "Still, I hope his fever will be gone soon."

"He's resting now, that should be enough," Shin replied, trying to hide his own worry.

Ruka didn't reply, so they both just sat there for some time, watching their friend. After a few hours, Rei finally woke up, letting out soft gasp. "Rei?" Immediately, Ruka leaned over him. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing, really," the purple haired angel mumbled, his eyes a bit wider than usual. "I woke up, but something just… startled me, I guess." He sighed tiredly. "I don't know what, though."

"How are you feeling?" Shin asked.

"A bit… breathless." A shaky smile. "And a bit nauseous. I don't think I'll fall asleep again anytime soon."

"Shin, could you play on your harp for him?" Ruka asked. "Maybe that'll help."

"Sure. Rei, do you think it'll help you?" Shin asked.

"Well… it would distract me, so yes." Giving Shin a somewhat shy look, he added; "But only if you want to. Please don't feel obligated to play."

The blue-haired angel smiled softly. "I'll go get my harp."

He was back within a minute, in the meantime Ruka had laid down next to Rei, the purple haired angel having his face pushed against the taller angel's collarbone. Without saying anything, knowing Rei felt too sick to talk and Ruka was too preoccupied by being worried, Shin just sat down on the edge of the bed and started playing his harp. Ruka kept staring at Rei's pale face, but Rei did open his eyes and looked at Shin for a moment, giving him a thankful smile.

Unlike earlier that day, when he had put all his emotions of the past few months into one song for Yuda, he now tried to think of peaceful moments, making the song gentle and relaxing. Hopefully, that would help Rei to get calm enough to fall asleep again. For a while, the faint tension on Rei's face stayed, probably also due to his nausea. That seemed to fade after a while, though, leaving the purple-haired angel looking relaxed and peaceful.

"Shin?" he suddenly whispered, his eyes still closed.

"Yes?"

"Your music can always make people feel better. Thanks for making it."

"I'm glad it helps," Shin replied with a happy smile. "But you should try to sleep a bit more."

"Mmh, I know." A faint smile. "Ruka is already sleeping, though."

"Eh? I hadn't noticed," Shin responded. Come to think about it, he indeed hadn't seen the silver-haired angel moving for some time and his eyes were closed. Besides, it was natural for Rei to notice such things without looking, just like Shin would notice it with Yuda.

"Could you stay too?" Rei asked, opening his eyes a little. By the look in those dark golden orbs, Shin could tell that his friend was barely awake enough to remember asking this by the time he'd wake up. Still, he realized why the purple-haired angel asked it. It was due to the deep fear of losing someone close. And he realized that, because he felt the same.

And therefore, he couldn't completely refuse. "I can't leave Yuda alone all night, but I can stay here until you're asleep, and then I'll come back here again early in the morning. Okay?"

"Mmh… 'kay…" Rei mumbled, his eyes closing again. Softly, Shin started playing his harp again, slow and peacefully. It didn't take long until Rei drifted off to sleep, it took some time longer until Shin felt safe to leave the two sleeping on the bed. Luckily, Rei didn't wake up when he left, and neither did Ruka. Shin was sure though, that Ruka would be awake instantly the moment Rei would move. Which meant that the blue-haired angel didn't have to worry too much.

Letting out a tired sigh, he went to his room, hoping Yuda would be there waiting for him.

Yay, first chapter of the sequel :D
I really can't leave these guys alone, so I decided to just go on at the usual pace, instead of waiting longer to start the sequel. I don't have a clear storyline in mind yet, but I do have some ideas, so we'll just have to wait and see where it'll take them (I don't know yet either XD )

Either way, I'll update in a week, as usual^^