A/N: So, I was all prepared to wait forever for this fic to be found, but literally overnight, I had three new favorites. How awesome is that? You guys are amazing. I love you all. You make my life amazing. I can't help but wish that my much better story on got such love and reading… hint hint… Anyway, here you go, and I hope you continue to enjoy!

Chapter Two: Secrets and Vigils

Tohru stood, fiddling with the ends of her long hair, a stack of thick, comfortable clothing laid over her arm. Hatori exited the small room, snapping his black leather bag closed, his face showing no emotion as usual. The young woman stepped forward slightly, catching the doctor's eye.

"How is he? Will he be ok?" she whispered, fear and desperation marking her face. Hatori sighed, fiddling with his watch to avoid her gaze.

"He's mostly alright, as far as physical health goes. He was in prime condition going into this, so his body has taken very little lasting physical damage, although he's very weak at the moment. As long as he gets plenty of rest and good food, he'll recover just fine."

"But?" Tohru had known Hatori long enough to know there was more.

"But, psychologically, he's going to be very unstable for a while. The only people I think he should be around right now are me, you and Kazuma-san. And only one or two at a time."

Tohru released her breath shakily.

"Can I see him now? I brought some clothes from home. Maybe that will make him more comfortable…" She trailed off, feeling that it sounded stupid and childish. To her surprise, Hatori smiled gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I think that's a great idea. Go on in. Try not to talk about the past few weeks though, alright?" His tone was kind, and it almost broke the wall Tohru had put up to keep from crying. She nodded, taking a deep breath as Hatori walked away. She was suddenly very afraid to go in. But, steeling herself, she entered, knocking softly to alert him to her presence. He flinched as the sound got to him, but he calmed as he saw who it was.

"Hey." She said quietly, a smile tentatively sliding onto her lips. She paused to close the door, then stayed near it, unwilling to give up her escape route until she was sure he would react ok.

"Hi." He replied hoarsely, grinning with lopsided exhaustion. "How are you? You seem tired." Tohru put her fists on her hips in feigned exasperation, her relief showing through in her sparkling eyes and soft smile.

"What do you mean 'I seem tired'? Have you looked at yourself recently?" Her voice was light, but it cracked, giving away how close she was to tears. Kyo struggled to sit up, and Tohru rushed forward without thought to reassure him. The clothes she had been carrying dropped to the floor.

"Hey, you're still healing. Stay down." He relented, as if just realizing the extent of his body's weakness. Tohru's hands flew to caress his face, calming them both simply by the reminder of their closeness. He relaxed back into the pillow again, closing his eyes and leaning slightly into her hands. Slowly, methodically, she traced his features, a sad smile gracing her lips and tears slowly dripping from her eyes. As a single drop hit Kyo's face, he opened his eyes, seeing her with her eyes closed and crying. He didn't understand what was wrong, but he couldn't stand to see her unhappy, not now that they were finally together again. He gently took her soft hands in his, pressing her fingers to his chapped lips.

"What's wrong?" Her eyes snapped open, shock covering her features, as though he had startled her. It took her a moment to zero in on his face, but when she did, her smile became brighter. She shook her head, kissing his fingers back. But Kyo would not take no for an answer.

"Tell me." His words were slurring slightly from exhaustion, but he forced his eyes open, propping himself up on his elbow so his face was closer to her's. She tried to lay him down again, but he just grabbed her hands, holding them against his bare chest above the bandages. She relented as she felt his strong, steady heartbeat pulsing beneath the warm, scarred skin.

"It's nothing. I'll tell you when you get out here." Kyo scanned her face, noticing that she wasn't quite looking into his eyes. He put it down to slight sheepishness about keeping a secret, but something still felt off. It was clear she wasn't going to say anything though, so he decided to give in to his fatigue. Nodding, he laid down again with a wince. Tohru helped him arrange his blankets, neatly refolding the discard clothes and stacking them on a chair. By then, Kyo was nearly asleep and she only just had time to say good night before he nodded off.

She left quietly, telling the nurse she'd be back the next day. Once she got back to Shigure's house, she slipped upstairs without telling him she was home. Sneaking into her room, she opened her purse and extracted a small vial and removed one of the four tablets that lay inside. She swallowed it dry, grimacing at its bitter flavor. Then she snuck back downstairs and outside, coming back in a moment later with a loud clatter of the door and a warm 'I'm home' to Shigure.

Stepping into the kitchen to begin dinner, Tohru suddenly felt a strong rising of fear in her stomach, a near panic that came from what she had agreed to. Shaking her head, she resigned herself, telling herself determinedly that it was the right choice. She and Kyo could be together, Kazuma had arranged a job teaching at a dojo far away from here, and with Kyo's love, Tohru would be strong enough.

She had to be.

Kyo felt much better after a few hours' sleep and a couple of rice balls. Hatori stayed in the chair, as promised, the entire time Kyo was recharging, but as he awoke, the man stood and prepared to leave.

"You need to call everyone as soon as possible. It's about eleven o'clock at night right now. I'll call everyone to a family meeting at about, say, ten o'clock tomorrow morning. We'll do a conference call at Kazuma-san's house. They deserve to know. We can arrange a visiting schedule so you can get some rest more often." He was clear and concise. Kyo knew that any argument would be futile, but he tried anyway.

"I can take care of both of us. There's no reason to involve anyone else. I refuse to inconvenience anyone." Hatori raised one eyebrow, then surprisingly, his features softened.

"Do you think you're the only one who can love her enough? We all care for her, and we all want to have a chance to try to pay back what she's done for us. Can't you respect that, you of all people?" Kyo's eyes dropped to the floor and he nodded.

"I'll make the call." Hatori nodded, picking up his bag and laying his coat over his arm.

"I'm off. Talk to you tomorrow. If anything changes, let me know." Then he left.

"I will." Kyo muttered to the closed door. Retaking his place by Tohru's side and picking up her hand, he raised her hand to his lips.

"You know, we've got a good family." He murmured softly, rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand.

"They genuinely care and they will do anything to protect you. Maybe not me, but you, definitely. Even Akito; even Kureno; I wish I could inspire that kind of loyalty and love. How do you do it? I'll have to find out when you wake up." She was lying so still, but her head was cocked just slightly, and it made it seem like she was listening.

So Kyo kept talking, about everything and nothing, trying in some small way to give her something to latch onto, as if a lifeline or a reminder of the world was all she needed to wake up. He never knew when he began crying, but suddenly he realized he was. Then he realized he had stopped talking. He let the tears fall a little longer, then took a deep breath and made himself stop.

And that's when the twitching began. It wasn't much, just a little jerk of the head or a hand at random moments. It was eerie, and it scared Kyo almost more than the absolute stillness of before. Leaning forward, Kyo pushed the nurse call button frantically, eyes darting from Tohru's hand to her face. The twitching continued, and then, as if it couldn't get any scarier, her eyes opened. For a moment, Kyo's heart leaped as he thought that she was awakening. But as the twitching continued, he saw that she was still out; her stare was too glassy and her body too limp for her to be awake.

The nurse entered and Kyo breathlessly explained what had happened. She called for a doctor and another nurse and Kyo stepped back to allow them to work. His blood flowed slowly, frozen and burning simultaneously. As the medics chattered in their completely unintelligible jargon, Kyo stumbled back, sitting down heavily on the cot. His hands began shaking and he leaned forward, putting his hands over his ears. He began to rock, wanting it all to stop; the beeping of the machines, the incessant talking, the fear and uncertainty. Closing his eyes, he whispered under his breath, over and over, as if by repeating it, it would come about.

Makeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstop…

A/N: Well? What do you think? And just so you know, Tohru isn't a druggie. All will be explained, have no fear. Please review and I'll see you next time.