My eyelids peeled open slowly as I awoke from my trance. A bright white light blinded me for a moment before I noticed the tall figure sitting next to me holding my hand.

"How are you feeling?" his familiar voice asked me.

As my eyes adjusted, I scanned my very unfamiliar surroundings. "Where am I…?" I questioned.

He squeezed my hand tighter in his grip. "You're at Raira Hospital. You got pushed off the balcony at school…This is exactly why I told you not to get into fights. Those kinds of situations always end here; take it from someone with experience."

I lifted my hand and gently felt the bandages wrapped around my head and sighed. "I couldn't just stand there and do nothing. Anri was being bullied. I had to help her."

"Hikaru," He reached his palm forward and gently caressed my cheek. "Promise me you won't let this happen again…I don't want you to end up like me, understand?"

I sighed and turned my head into his palm and truthfully gazed into his eyes. "I'm sorry, Shizuo. I promise it won't happen again."

A knock on the door interrupted the sweet moment I shared with my room mate. He stood up and walked over to the door and peeked out of it. I'd assumed it was a nurse on the other side until Shizuo's sudden change in attitude convinced me otherwise.

"What the hell do you want?" he aggressively demanded.

I heard a voice respond to him nervously, "Sh-Sh-Shizuo! We- I just- I mean why-?"

"I said what do you want, I don't have all day!"

"W-We were h-here to see our friend and- we must have the wrong-…"

I recognized the uneasiness in his voice immediately. It was Mikado Ryuugamine.

Mikado stuttered nonsense at Shizuo for about a minute before realizing by the unimpressed face that Shizuo wore that he was an unwanted visitor. He then did what was safest for himself and went back to the waiting room, trying to catch his breath.

Shizuo shut the door and sat next to me again. He wasn't looking me in the eyes. He knew what I was thinking. This happens every time. People always avoid me when they find out I'm close to the notorious Shizuo Heiwajima. People are always afraid they'll get the crap kicked out of them if they say the wrong thing. That's why I'd been so hesitant to tell my friends I was living with Shizuo this whole time.

Shizuo peeked up to see if I'd been watching him and sure enough, I was. His cheeks went a bit pink as he looked away and casually rubbed the back of his neck. "Aw, hell…You knew that guy didn't you?"

I nodded my head a little, causing a bit of pain from my bandaged wounds.

"He's that Masaomi guy you talk so much about, right?" the blond man asked.

I felt my cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment. "N-No! That was…just Mikado…" In a way, I was glad it wasn't Masaomi. If it were, he probably would have just as easily been scared off by Shizuo.

"Whatever. Hey, I'm gonna go get something to snack on; you want anything from the vending machine?" Shizuo asked me, pulling some cash from his wallet.

I thought for a moment. "Barbeque chips, if there are any."

"If not?"

"Chocolate bar."

He smirked. "Be back in a minute then."

-

"So you just left? Didn't see her at all?"

"What did you expect me to do? If I'd stayed there any there any longer, he would've beaten the crap outta me!" Mikado explained. He kept looking at the door to see if Shizuo was listening in on the conversation.

Masaomi placed his hand on his friends shoulder. "Dude, she saved your girlfriend. That's how she got hurt in the first place. Don't you think you should thank her?"

Mikado looked down at the ground in shame. "I know…but I wimped out and just…"

"Oh, well. I guess I'll have to do it myself," Masaomi said with a sassy tone. "Later." He then walked out of the waiting room and headed down the hallways towards the room Hikaru was in.

Halfway there, Masaomi stopped walking and stood in the middle of the hall. "Maybe I shouldn't…" He told himself. He had a flash in his mind of the word Hikaru called out as she'd fallen off the balcony; the one word she could think to say in desperation echoed in his head: "Masaomi!" The blond boy shook his head and rubbed his forehead. "Why…Why would she say my name…?" He said aloud to himself.

"Because she cares about you." A voice said from down the hallway. "You're Masaomi, right?"

Masaomi jerked his head around and froze. He instantly recognized the man speaking to him by his signature bar tender attire.

Shizuo walked past him and grabbed his arm. "Come on, we need to have a chat." He said in his deep gravelly voice as he pulled him away.

Masaomi followed him without argument. He was afraid to fight back because he might get himself turned to pudding on the hospital's cold floor. He was dragged into the snack room before he was released.

"Sit your ass down." Shizuo demanded as he walked up to a vending machine and looked around for barbeque chips.

Masaomi sat on the leather sofa and nervously watched as the ex-bartender inserted bills and coins into the machine. He found it ironic, since he usually sees Shizuo throwing venders rather than actually using them.

When he'd gotten some chips and sodas, Shizuo walked over and sat on the same sofa as Masaomi. "Here," He tossed the nervous boy one of the sodas. "Chill out, I'm not pissed off…yet." Shizuo tried to reassure.

It actually worked a little and Masaomi held the soda in his hands. "...So…what did you want to talk about?"

"About Hikaru. You two are friends, right?" The man said, sipping his soda.

"Uh…yeah…"

Shizuo quietly stared at him for a moment, sizing him up.

Masaomi gulped under the burn of his narrow eyes. "W…What are you-?"

"What do you think of Hikaru?" Shizuo suddenly questioned without the slightest change in expression.

The boy's cheeks reddened. "What do I…? Um, well…she's…she's kinda cute I guess…" He now feared for his life. "You're not like, related to her or something…are you…?" He let the words slip between his teeth.

"No, she and I are just roommates. She's been living with me in my apartment for the past year almost." Shizuo answered.

Masaomi gripped the beverage tighter in his hand and built up his courage. "Th-Then why would you care what I think of Hikaru?"

Shizuo glared at him a bit. "I'm deciding whether or not I'll let you visit her room without me hanging around."

Masaomi locked eyes with Shizuo Heiwajima for what seemed like the longest ten seconds of his life. They both stared, trying to read each other's thoughts.

"You were talking to yourself, you know. When you were out in the hall, you asked a question. Say it again."

The blond boy followed Shizuo's commands without hesitation. "Why would she say my name…?" He paused to wait for a response, although he wasn't given one. "I've never heard her voice before that happened. The moment she was pushed off the balcony, she knew there was a chance she was going to die…Why in that moment would she say my name? Why would she want THAT to be her final words?!" Without realizing it, he'd let his voice get louder and louder. He'd been clenching his fist and squeezing his eyelids shut to hold himself back from saying too much.

Suddenly Shizuo grabbed Masaomi by the collar and lifted him off his feet. "Don't be a dumbass, kid! Stop acting like this only affected you. You should be glad that you were in her mind. She knew damn well she could die and who was the first person she thought of? You! I should kick you ass for acting so pathetic!"

Masaomi could feel every ounce of anger emanating from the ex-bartender who was gritting his teeth in his face, but the one emotion that he wasn't overwhelmed with was fear. A single tear slid down the boy's cheek. "You're right…I am pathetic." A faint smile appeared on Masaomi's face as more tears fell. "I'm pathetic…and that's why…I didn't want her to say my name. My name wouldn't be worthy of being her final words…"

Shizuo calmed a bit and lowered him back to his feet, still listening intently with a firm expression.

"What are you waiting for…? Why don't you kick my ass?" Masaomi said, shocking the blond man. "Do it! Beat the shit out of me! I deserve it for being such a fucking pussy…I won't run away from you…I won't run away from her…"

I remained in my uncomfortable hospital bed as I waited for my roommate to return. "How long does it take to get some freaking chips?" I thought. It had been five minutes since Shizuo had left my room. I sighed and twiddled my fingers, getting impatient. "What's taking him so long? I wonder if maybe Izaya showed up and they got into another fight…"

The door opened, interrupting my thought. The person who opened it slowly stepped inside. I felt my heart racing faster than ever before as he stood at the foot of the bed and smiled at me as if the sight of my bandages was somehow painful to him. "Hey, Hikaru." He said in a quiet voice.

I gulped and replied, "Hey, Masaomi." I was suddenly embarrassed to be in such a pathetic state before him. I'd wondered what was going through his head. I'd wondered why his smile was so fake. More importantly, I'd wondered how the hell he got in here without passing Shizuo.

"How are you feeling?" Masaomi said as he sat in a chair beside me. He took my hand in his and gently stroked it with his thumb.

I'd never seen him like this before. Come to think of it, this is the first time our hands have touched, and I'd never imagined how soft his fingertips would be against my skin. "I'm fine…" I whispered. I didn't want to break the beautiful silence we'd shared.

"That's good. I'm glad you're alright." Now his smile seemed normal and genuinely happy. "You have a lovely voice, my lady! For someone who doesn't speak Japanese, you sure seem to have no problem with it! If I wasn't mistaken, I'd say you've just been too shy to talk to someone as good-looking as me!"

Yup, good old Masaomi Kida.

I laughed aloud. "You're so full of yourself." I said with a smile. I glanced over at the door. Where the hell was Shizuo?

Masaomi's smile softened again. "You're wondering where Shizuo is, aren't you?"

DAFUQ?! How did he…?!

"He said he wouldn't come in until I left." Masaomi stated.

"Wait…so he LET you in here? Alone? With me?" I questioned unable to believe my friend. Shizuo is always very protective of me, like an older brother. Why all of a sudden was he being so lenient?

Masaomi closed his eyes as if in a dream. "You know, Hikaru, if you were living with Shizuo this whole time, you could have just told me."

"How did you know that?" I asked nervously.

"It doesn't matter." Masaomi sat on the hospital bed beside me and leaned in over, placing his arms on either side of me to hold himself up. Our faces were so close to each other, I could taste his breath on my tongue.

I felt my face turn a dark shade of red as my cheeks burned with embarrassment. "M-Masaomi…what the hell are you-?"

Without a moment for thought, Masaomi's lips were pressed against my own. My heart was pounding in my chest like it wanted to escape somewhere far away. My mind had gone blank as it tried to process what was happening. I told myself there was no way this was reality. No way…

Masaomi pulled away from our deep kiss, but the sensation still remained as my heart fluttered uncontrollably. He looked at me with dreamy eyes and a gentle smile as he slowly stroked my bangs out of my eyes, further revealing my pink cheeks. "You're so cute when you're surprised, Hikaru" he whispered to me.

I couldn't possibly make up words to say. The boy, who I'd been friends with for the past year at school, who I'd had feelings for since the first time he spoke to me, just kissed me. "You…I…why…?"

He smiled and pulled away from me calmly. "I made a promise to Shizuo before coming in here, two things to be exact. One, I wouldn't run away from you again. I had to tell you the truth about how I feel."

"Truth…?"

"Yes." He said. "I love you."

…..

He loves me…

…..

"For the longest time," Masaomi continued, "I've thought you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever met. I never knew how to ask you out though because I didn't think you spoke any Japanese. But, now that you understand me…"

"Y-Yes…?"

Masaomi kneeled down beside my hospital bed and held my hand in his. He gently placed a kiss on the back of my hand and looked up at me with the eyes of a prince. "Will you be mine, Hikaru Teru?"

Although my cheeks were on fire and my heart was beating rapidly, I looked away and started to laugh aloud.

The blond boy looked confused. "Wait…what's so funny?"

Still giggling quietly, I used what little strength was in my arm and pulled him up off his knee and playfully tugged him toward me, wrapping my arms around him in a passionate embrace. "Quit being so goofy, Masaomi! What girl in her right mind would turn down someone like you?" I said with an honest, cheeky smile.

He smiled back at me and kissed my lips once more. "I love you, Teru."

"I love you, Kida."

There was a sudden knock on the door that killed the moment. Masaomi pulled away immediately as Shizuo walked in the door and looked at us.

"You don't listen very well, do you?" he said to my new boyfriend.

Masaomi nervously looked around for some kind of answer. "What do you…?"

Shizuo pulled out his glasses from his black vest and polished them off with his shirt sleeve. "There were two things you promised me, remember? How long has it been, ten minutes?" he was looking at me when he said that.

The blond boy relaxed and scratched his head. "Oh, right. I forgot," he reached into his backpack and pulled out a bag of barbeque chips, holding them out to me. "Delivery for Hikaru…?"