AN: Hello there! I'm feeling much better, still my head and throat bother me but not as much as they had been doing it a couple of days ago. The little one is finally letting me sleep which is helping with getting better from my cold. Lately I've been very into Dexter, don't know why but I must say I like that sociopath. Anyways…. There are lots of oneshots I'm working on so they might come in between updates from my update list or at the end of the update cycle which means it will take a while before I begin the cycle again and you see an update from my regular fics.

This chapter has no Aki in it. *runs and hides in fear of raging fans* It is only Takato and Kou but it is still a nice chapter I think. Next chapter will have Aki again and will have more romantic feelings and such.

Thanks to my awesome beta fifteenfeb for getting this betaed for me and helping me out whenever I'm stocked or need fresh ideas.

I own nothing

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A Loyal Friend Chapter 2

It had been a long time since that gaming party at his apartment. He wondered if Akihito was safe. For how long would he have to endure not knowing what had happen to his friend? When will Akihito realize how much he made him and Takato worry? How he wanted to see him and hear his voice.

Kou sat alone on a stone bench at a park he liked to go to. It always helped him think when he was surrounded by nothing but nature and today he had plenty to think about. The spot he was at was secluded from the areas where people usually go and hid a beautiful sight not many were aware of. The pond before him was serene as the clear surface of a mirror and as such reflected the blues and white of the sky above. The willow he was sitting under provided shade and its curtains of leaves swayed swiftly in the warm breeze. Birds sang in an uninterrupted choir of song amalgamations and the cacophony of their sounds was witness to the lack of human presence in this secluded area. It all seemed so undisturbed, so opposite to the feelings and thoughts swirling about inside him. For a very long time, Kou had been hoping the serenity of this place would one day seep into him and make him find some semblance of peace for his troubling heart.

In the horizon, the sun began to set. Kou had no idea how many hours he had been sitting here alone and quiet, considering he had arrived early afternoon, he could make an approximate guess.

As the last rays of the sun reached the glistening surface of the pond, only occasionally disturbed by a fish searching the surface for the unsuspecting meal, the light sparkled over the water like millions of diamonds and soft steps over the grass announcing the arrival of company.

"So this is where you disappeared to." Said a voice from behind him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were looking for me. My phone died several hours ago, I hope I didn't make you look for me too long."

"Nah, when I called several times and you didn't answer, I went to look for you at your place. When I did not find you there, I knew I would find you here. How long have you been sitting here anyways?"

"Somewhere around five or six hours. I had a lot on my mind."

With a sigh, Takato walked the remaining distance to the stone bench and Kou moved to the side to give him space to sit.

"Honestly Kou, this is such a bad way to spend your day off. I admit the view is amazing, especially in a place such as Tokyo, but honestly sitting all alone for hours can't be good for anyone. Why didn't you just call me? You know I would have come to keep you company."

"I know Takato, but I feel bad for keeping you away from your family on a Sunday."

"I told you not to worry about such things. What were you thinking about that has you in such a brooding mood, anyways?" He asked even though he had a good idea.

Silence grew between them making the sound of the birds and the wind seem twice as loud. Takato knew not to press for information; Kou would tell him when he had put his thoughts in order. Kou was grateful for his friend's quiet support; Takato was like a rock to him, unmoving and strong, capable of sustaining him when he could no longer stand on his own, and solid and real when all seemed like a nightmare. After several minutes of quiet contemplation, Kou opened his mouth to talk but closed it before words escaped, Takato waited until words finally came.

"Do you think things would be different if I had told him back when I realized my feelings? If I had not been such a coward, I would not have to be feeling this way now. It tears my heart every time I see him but when I don't, it's like my soul is missing from my body. Every time he disappears for months and doesn't contact us, I fear that he will not come back and my life will end with his absence. What should I do, Takato? How do I deal with this constant worry and pain?"

Takato circled his friend's shoulders with his arm and drew him close.

"I don't know how things could have been Kou, no one does. It does no good to dwell in 'what if's and 'could have been's, all we can do is work on right here and right now. You were not a coward and have never been one, being afraid of rejection is something natural and doesn't make you a lesser man. But you need to move pass this. He is happy Kou, even if he gets angry and cries some times, he is still happy and we need to be happy for him."

"How can you ask me to be happy for him when all I want is for him to be happy with me? I don't know if I can keep doing this."

"I know it's hard Kou, but I want you to be happy too. As long as you are hung up on Aki, you won't find someone to fill the void in your life. Someone to love you and only you, someone who won't have eyes for another."

"I don't need anyone else Takato, I need him. Besides, I got you right now, don't I?" Kou said trying to lighten the mood.

"You do but one day Kou, you will realize I am no longer enough."

Silence engulfed them again; they were used to them by now, those silences that peppered their encounters.

"Do you think one day I will fall out of love?"

"I do."

"It's so hard not to love him."

"I know but you have to remember that right now he is your friend. Right now, that is how you should love him because any other love would bring you nothing but pain."

Takato stood from the bench and walked a few steps away, he turned around and addressed Kou with a small smile on his face. "Let's go, after three and a half months of silence or MIA friend has given sings of life and asked for us to meet him at the bar. I bet he has a lot of lies to tell. They will be amusing, don't you think?" Said Takato.

"Yes, I bet they will. Honestly, how dumb does he think we are?"

Kou walked toward Takato, they had yet to leave the canopy of leaves and remained hidden within it. Takato took his hand and pulled him close until their bodies were pressed against each other.

"It will be alright." He said "I'm here now."

Takato pressed tender kisses onto Kou's lips then pressed their foreheads together and looked into his eyes. When Kou gave him a small smile, he knew it was time to leave their secluded sanctuary and go meet Akihito at their usual bar.

They walked hand in hand out of the park, hidden by the darkness of night and soothed by its comfortable silence.

When they reached the illuminated stone paths, their hands let go of each other. It was a short walk to Takato's car, too short to waste it with small talk. The drive to the bar was short too but to Kou, it seemed to drag on forever. Halfway to the bar he noticed something, as he looked at Takato under the moonlight filtering through the windshield of the car. He had never noticed before how much his friend had changed, noticed the small marks at the corner of his eyes. Takato looked tired but his semblance was still projecting quiet strength and care. In the moonlight, he saw something else he found unexpected. For the first time, he realized the sparkle in those dark eyes and the smooth curve of lips.

'Beautiful' crossed his mind, and had no clue where that thought had come from. For years he had known the man, who was his friend and the one who offered him solace in his moments of loneliness and pain, was handsome in his own way. But this was the first time he had seen Takato as beautiful, his heart jumped slightly in his chest and he worried that he was just making things more complicated than they already were.

"We are here." Takato said, pulling Kou out of his reverie. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit overwhelmed by something that crossed my mind it's all."

"If you need to talk, I'll be here to listen."

"I know." He said, and with that Kou got out of the car and walked towards the bar where he would demand Akihito to treat them to drinks to make up for worrying them so much.

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Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed the chapter even if it is a bit emotionally heavy. But, at least there is hope in the horizon, right? Let me know what you think of the chapter and your guess at what will happen next.

Setsuna