The Price of Honor

Chapter 2

Unbeknownst to the young masked chojin, there were eyes watching him. For the past few weeks those eyes followed him as much as his elusiveness allowed, taking increased notice of Kevin's sudden and constant fatigue. That information was quickly transferred back to the one who had hired the spy…

Robin Mask read the reports with growing worry. Although he felt guilty for taking such interest in his son's personal affairs, his remorse was outweighed by the knowledge that the ends would justify the means. For so long now, he wanted to make amends with his only son. As he grew older he had come to realize what terrible mistake he had made while raising Kevin, and how his strict discipline had ended counterproductive. He never forgot their final argument. It was years ago and yet he could still remember so clearly the harsh words said, the rage in Kevin's eyes…

When Kevin left that day, Robin figured that he would come back…he always did…

…but after that day, he never returned. In fact, he completely disappeared. For months afterwards, Robin had feared the worst: That Kevin was dead, either by someone else's hand or his own. Throughout his life the old chojin had fought through many battles, some of them against the biggest and baddest creatures ever to walk into the wrestling ring…and yet, the thought of finding his only son dead somewhere frightened him more than anything else ever had.

Slowly, as time elapsed, he truly realized what a monster he had been, and why Kevin had felt the need to get away.

The day that he discovered that his son was indeed alive and well had been one of the happiest ones in his long life. It meant that Robin still had time to repent, and repair their damaged relationship. Yet, Kevin traveled around so often and so randomly…it was impossible to keep track of him. Recently, he began to send personal spies after him with the hopes that Kevin would eventually settle down somewhere just long enough for Robin to arrive and talk to him.

Now…his crimson eyes scanned over the reports again with increased anxiety. Whatever ailments his son was plagued with weren't going away…if anything they were growing more severe. Again Robin immediately feared the worse: Some kind of cancer or life-threatening disease. And as far as he was aware, Kevin never checked into any medical facility for evaluation.

He couldn't just stand there and knowingly let this illness progress. If it was indeed some type of life-threatening illness, perhaps if caught early it could be cured. Yet, right after this report was given to him, Kevin once again escaped their watch. All Robin knew was that the last place his son was spotted was on Earth…in the United States.

The old man crushed the paper in his hands. He could no longer wait for the right time to approach Kevin. His duties be damned, he was going to save his son.

With a roar of the engines, Kevin rode along the countryside. One hand held onto the handlebars, the other rested gently against his throat, which felt tremendously sore. The pain had begun earlier that day along with the ever-present fatigue. The young chojin figured that he was right in his original diagnosis, the fatigue was an upcoming onslaught of influenza. And yet…although the symptoms were similar, why did they feel so much more persistent? The fatigue had lasted for weeks and still refused to relent…that wasn't entirely normal for the flu, was it? Shaking his head to clear it, Kevin placed both hands on the handlebars and kicked the speed up a notch. He wasn't about to let anything, even an illness, rob him even temporarily of his freedom. In fact, he was on his way to meet with Croe at a local sports bar.

The loner had to admit, he enjoyed the time spent with his quiet companion. Under normal circumstances he tried to avoid relationships, as they often threatened to tie him down. But with Croe it was different…instead of feeling constrained, they enjoyed their freedom together.

As much as he normally preferred solitude…being with Croe was a welcomed break from the loneliness…

The young chojin pulled into the parking lot to find his friend leisurely standing by the entrance.

"Waiting long?" Kevin asked as he parked.

Croe shook his head. "Just got here."

The chojin slowly dismounted, holding onto the bike for support. Under normal circumstances he would just hop off the motorbike and be done with it, but his limbs just didn't feel up to it. Although he hadn't been riding for long compared to most of his trips, he felt as if he had ridden for days. Thankfully his friend said nothing, sparing Kevin the awkwardness and discomfort of an explanation.

Croe watched quietly, taking note of his companion's sluggish behavior but opting to remain silent. He was definitely concerned, as Kevin had been acting this way the last couple times they had gotten together. But he knew how stubborn his friend could be and that his best bet would be to wait for Kevin to say something on his own. He was well aware of how stressful life was for the loner, even as much as Kevin tried to disconnect himself from the constraints of others. With that in mind, Croe figured that his pal was probably just depressed and in need of something to cheer him up.

The two walked into the bar and sat down at one of the tables. After making their order, Kevin adding to it an especially strong alcoholic beverage which surprised Croe, the loner rested his arms on the table.

"So how've you been fairing?" the blonde asked.

"Good…pretty good," Croe answered. He was slightly slouched in his chair, one hand resting on the table. Normally, the smaller man was a bit shy and didn't speak with other people. But after knowing Kevin the past couple of years, he no longer really felt uncomfortable around him. "Almost ran over a kid with my motorcycle. Would have been a bit messy."

That brought a quick laugh from the loner. "I imagine it would have been!"

"How about you?" Croe asked. "How've you been fairing?"

"I…" There was a long pause. Kevin leaned forward, his shoulders slouched. He suddenly looked so…old, so worn out. "I don't know, Croe…I haven't really been feeling too well lately…"

"What's wrong?" Croe asked, genuinely concerned.

Kevin felt a small pang of remorse. He shouldn't be whining about physical ailments. He was a chojin, perhaps one of the most powerful if not the most powerful chojin and should not be complaining about something as trivial as a sore throat and weariness. Nevertheless, he retained his stance, too tired to shift position. "Never mind, forget I said anything…"

"Alright…" Croe murmured. "but if you think it might be something bad it may be in your best interest to see a doctor…"

Before anything more could be said, the waiter returned with the beverages. Kevin quickly took a sip of his, sliding the straw underneath his mask. Croe watched him silently, his concern quickly growing. The blonde had a dislike for mind-altering chemicals, and drank excessively only under highly stressful circumstances.

The loner winced as the alcohol burned his throat. He hoped to drown the pain and the apprehension caused by his growing malady. But every sip brought a jolt of soreness and he soon realized that the pain would likely keep him sober no matter how much he drank. With a sigh of discontent he slid the straw out from underneath his mask and pushed the cup back.

"If you need to see a doctor, I can drive you-"

"I'm fine!" Kevin waved his hand in aggravation. His voice softened. "Really, it's nothing."

"Alright…" Croe murmured, although he wasn't convinced.

After eating their meal and playing a game of pool, the two set out on their motorcycles. As the two pulled out of the parking lot, Croe watched his companion with heightened worry. Throughout the last few weeks Kevin had seemed more sluggish than normal, but tonight was the worst. They hardly did anything overly exertive and yet the loner looked as if he was ready to fall off his bike at any moment.

Kevin looked upon the road before him through half-closed eyes. He felt exhausted, his hands could barely grasp the handlebars. Whenever he'd blink, he almost didn't want to open his eyes again. The dashed lines in the center of the road were blurry. He shook his head violently to clear it, but it did little to help. Although his throat was still sore, he was almost too tired to care.

"Hey, Kevin…" He glanced over to see Croe looking over at him. "I'm getting kind of tired, could we stop for the night? There's a hotel right over there…"

"Yeah, ok…" The blonde murmured.

"Oh my gosh…!!" the guy at the main desk exclaimed. "I-It's Kevin Mask!! Sir, I'm so honored to have you here! I've always been a big fan…"

Kevin nodded to him, only half-listening. "Yeah-uh…one room please…"

The man's eyes darted between the object of his adoration and Croe, then nodded knowingly. "Ahhh, I know what you're looking for…Here's the key to my biggest suite! No charge! Just, uh…could you sign my autograph?"

Croe chuckled softly as Kevin tiredly signed a post-it note that the guy pulled out of his pocket. The two were just trying to save money, but the man probably thought that he and Kevin were having a one night stand. Apparently too exhausted to think clearly, it was going right over the loner's head. Not that he would care anyway, Kevin had a tendency to do things at times to purposely come across as flamboyant, just to show that he could. It was one of the many things Croe found so endearing. Although he was the son of Robin Mask, one of the most honorable nobleman and a practically legendary chojin, he refused to 'fit in' by being something that he wasn't. Although the man was definitely wrong in his impression, the idea didn't disturb Croe in the least. In fact, he simply found it comical. That guy's going to have quite a story to report to his friends, I'll bet.

Afterwards, the two walked into their room. As soon as they entered, Kevin literally fell face-down onto the large, king-sized bed and fell asleep. He didn't even remove his mask or coat. Croe shook his head. He wasn't tired in the least, but he knew that Kevin didn't want to be perceived as weak by being the one to tire first.

The smaller man sighed and sat down on the bed next to his slumbering companion. Gently he rested one hand on Kevin's back, fairly certain that it wouldn't wake the sleeping chojin, and rested his own back against the headboard.

"I wish you'd discard your pride just this once, Kev…" Croe whispered. He sighed. The only thing the smaller man could do was hope that if whatever Kevin had was indeed serious, that he would see a doctor before it became anymore severe.

Unfortunately, knowing Kevin, Croe had a bad feeling that something drastic would have to happen before he would take action…

Author's Notes: Anyone who wants to guess as to what Kevin's "malady" is you're more than welcome to! I'm not going to say, because I want you as the reader to be just as confused and unsure as to what it is as the characters are. I'll also know if I'm doing a good job as a writer depending on what your answers are. Sorry this chapter took so long, I had been struck with diseases of my own - the common cold (That's _not_ what Kevin has, incase anyone's wondering ^_^ ) Fortunately it's better now and the next chapters should come more swiftly. Regarding Croe, due to sheer lack of information (and trust me, I've looked anywhere, everywhere and asked everyone and anyone) I had to take some artistic liberties. Hopefully I've managed not to butcher his character, as I really had little to work with but really wanted to add him to the fic. I imagine Croe as being quiet and fairly mellow/easy going. With any luck that's the way he came across. Hope you liked this one and that it was better than the lackluster first chapter.