They had been talking all evening long. After Curarpikt had just stopped shouting at him for being ignorant and childish, to just NOT UNDERSTAND about being haunted by ones' past, they had had a pretty long and intensive talk- for the first time not only about the blonds' past but also about that of the older man.
To be exact, it had been the first time he had talked about his past at all. For years he had played the happy guy- pretended to be able to just go along with his past without any sad times. Not only pretending it to trick others, but also himself. It was easier, and upon that, he believed that Pietro would have wanted him to be happy as he had always been- that was what he had always been appreciating about Leorio.
... "Leorio!" His friend run down the hill, waving a sheet of paper. The boy jumped to his feet and waited for him. "What is that?" Then he realized that Pietro was nearly crying... He laid his hand on the other boys shoulders and looked at his face. "What happened?"
"They... they say you aren't allowed to stay here anymore... the want you to come to the capital of our island..." Both of them knew what it meant. Being an "alien of enemy nationality", as they called it, Leorio wasn't exactly something of much advantage, not in times like these...
"Don't go! You can't know what they'll do to you! Maybe..." Teardrops were in his eyes. "Maybe you'll never come back here...
I'll hide you! If you live in the mountains and I bring you food and stuff they won't find you!" While the younger boy planned the "Save-my-big-bro"-campaign, Leorio thought about his realistic possibilities. In the end he draw an easy, but nut very pleasant conclusion...
"Pietro?" He had to call the boy twice, as he concentrated very hard on his plan.
Then Pietro looked up, his suntanned face showed an expression between fear and resignation. "It will not work that way, will it?"
The older shook his head. "No, it won't. But I promise you, I'll be back. Ok?" He smiled. "And I'll have loads of chocolate, and some German bread... I heard about a bakery in the state capital..." He poked Pietro in the stomach, then tickled him until the Greek had to give in and laughed. "Ok,ok... But." He got serious again. "You will come back, no matter what?"
The older nodded. "I'll be there if you need me, no matter what."...
He'd broken that promise. When his friend would have needed him most, he hadn't been there... Even if it had been some years before, he had promised it. To be there at Pietros side... To late he had decided to search for a doctor. To long had his dread to be found by soldiers let him stay in the old shed where they tried to hide.
He drank one more glass of port and tried to get rid of his thoughts. The talk yesterday night had opened old wounds...
In contrast to Curarpikt, he didn't live for his past... he lived for the future. To help people then...
He considered this again. After all, maybe it was just the same... revenge. Not killing some bad guys, but some illness... He stared out of the window, to the gray and cloudy sky out there. The same... He lowered his head.
He really had no right to argue about Curarpikts desire for revenge... Not only that it was only up to the young Curta, what he wanted to do, and he had never asked Leorio to try to stop him from doing it- the blond had never questioned Leorios goals, never mentioned that he, to be true, wasn't that intelligent to become a doctor... So why did he? Because he wanted Curarpikt to live... Not to die while fighting the Ryodan. He didn't want to lose for a second time his closest friend.
"Excuse me, Sir..." A nurse stood next to him. He hadn't heard her come. "Are you Mister Curarpikts father?" Oh, no... Did he really look that old?
"No, but I'm his friend... how is he?"
"He sleeps now. The operation is over, and you're allowed to visit him, if you want." She smiled, than turned and went away.
He once again gazed through the window, then stood up and followed her.
Maybe he and Curarpikt were just the same, but one thing he knew for sure: He wasn't the boy he had been when Pietro has died anymore. This time, when he had found a friend wounded and ill, he had been fast enough to save him. Unlike Pietro, Curarpikt would live.