Howdy there, folks. Just in case you've forgotten the previous chapters, or you're completely in the dark about this adventure, allow me to shed some light on this. This tale speaks of a Snake that's suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, fresh off his darkest trials. A young student, Minato Asagi (inspired by the hot Persona 3 hero, Minato) volunteered to care for him-giving Hal and Sunny a much-needed chance to breathe. Trials were frequent and heavy-practically intolerable. In the previous chapter, Snake was struck down by his horrid ailment and rushed to the hospital. Minato raced after him, but he soon fell ill!

Thank you for reading this adventure of mine. Enjoy the final chapter!

NOTE: If you're allergic to the idea of Old Snake being gay, or even just to the concept of boy/boy love in general, PLEASE DO NOT PROCEED.

He awakened with a start, heart pounding. He instantly sent a hand to his heart, disoriented and frantic. It was as if he had been dragged halfway across the world, and was forced into unconsciousness by a bat. His assailant was absent, but doctors and nurses were readily available. Voices streamed through the icy, clammy room, speaking of topics he could not understand. The words belonged to the medical team inside of his room, but none of them registered. He had awakened on a completely different planet.

Hands pounded the inside of his skull, sending a cold stream of dizziness through his body. At first he wanted to cry out, unable to recognize his surroundings-or himself. It only took a moment for his mind to clear out the clouds, but he was welcomed to something worse than confusion. He was re-acquainted with a 'friend' many would have tossed out of their houses. That friend was commonly known as 'pain', and it was a volcanic eruption inside of his body. It choked him, throttled him, shook his very core. Nausea wrapped its hands around his throat, and toyed with the insides of his cranium. Breathing became an insufferable exercise, for it was accompanied by hot surges of queasiness. Every time he took a breath, his body wanted to throw his lunch onto his doorstep.

He opened his mouth to speak. His reason for breathing, living, was nowhere in sight. His supply of air was no longer in sight. Prying teeth from a horse's mouth would have been easier than keeping his eyes open. People filtered into his room, but their faces were blurry. Their eyes, noses and lips weren't recognizable. All he knew was that he couldn't breathe, because his oxygen supply wasn't anywhere near him. There was someone missing out of his life, an incredibly important link to sanity. Someone was missing, he couldn't breathe-

"Mina? Mina! Mina, focus!"

His eyes fluttered, wiping away a savage bout of dizziness. The face of a gentle, soft-hearted otaku came into view, bearing the sweetest smile. Listening to him was a painfully difficult task, but it was somehow done. "You're back with us," the anime junkie said happily, eyes beaming. He looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks, but was clearly overjoyed with a friend's return to reality. "Thank goodness! I'm so glad you're back, Minato!"

Minato? Was that his name? Yeah, it certainly was. And 'Mina' was his nickname. His friends referred to him as 'Mina', he referred to him as 'Mina'-

That was right. The name of his oxygen supply was 'Dave'. Dave was his life, his air, his happiness. Dave was a man of seventy years, an old war veteran from the world's darkest battles. Dave was a helpless kitten, and floundered whenever he wasn't there. Dave was a sweet soul, a gentle soul, no stronger than a feather. Dave needed him. Dave uplifted him. Dave-

"Mina?"

"Where is he?"

He wanted to speak to Hal. He wanted to celebrate his return to Hal's world. He wanted to acknowledge the otaku's existence, and apologize for everything he had put him through. At the moment, though, he could only focus on what his body needed most-air. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else could matter, if he couldn't breathe!

"Hal, where is he?"

Soft brown eyes gazed at him. The eyes spoke of compassion, warmth and affection, glistening as if the day was being drawn out on a sunny beach. "He's right outside of the door, speaking with your doctors," he explained softly. "You know, you frightened every last one of them. You had us frightened!"

"Are you feeling better, Mina?" a little girl whimpered, hands clamped on the iron bars of his bed. It took the young male a moment to revive the girl's name: Sunny. That was right. She was Sunny, Hal's little daughter-and a close friend of his. A particular face was wreaking havoc inside of his head, giving him the migraine to end all migraines, but he regained his focus on other life forms. The girl's innocence was just too difficult to ignore.

"Yeah, I think I'm okay. Thanks."

He was surprised by his ability to speak, especially since he didn't vomit. Sunny must've sensed his surprise, because she gave a bright smile of relief to her father. He returned the relief, and patted her on the head. "Stress really took its toll on you," the otaku said softly, sharing a discovery he yearned to share ever since he stepped into the room. He was never one to keep quiet whenever news had to be shared. "You've been in such a horrible, malnourished state, your body was like a meteor crashing out of the sky!"

At that moment, so much crashed down on Minato (aka Mina). Loneliness, anger, frustration and grief broke out as hives broke out on people's faces. The end result was exhaustion, which was so explosive it was brutal. He was a toddler inside of a twenty something year old's body, trembling and hungry for nourishment. In the midst of staggering emotions, though, relief was found waving a bright yellow flag. It was so refreshing, so invigorating, it was almost like a drug. There was no way in Hell he would attribute the feeling to morphine. "Sorry," he said breathlessly, desperately trying to catch his breath. He wasn't even sure if his words made sense.

"The two of you were probably scared beyond belief. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," the anime otaku said, as if Minato had only taken an unexpected trip to the grocery store. He swept little Sunny into his arms, who was just as laidback as he was. "We'll see you later! Prepare yourself for a celebration, Mina, because when you're let out of here, there won't be any sleeping!"

Two happy souls made their exit, hearts dancing in a wind of light. Light burst forth, blossoming inside of his hospital room in the manner of a melody. A smile spread across Minato's face, glowing with the luminousity of a blissful moon. All was right with the world.

Another soul entered his room, replacing the two souls that just departed. His heart ceased its rhythm, awaiting the figure's clear appearance. Light surged into his body once the figure was identified, but there was something different about him. The one Minato surrendered his heart to was no longer an old man, but a figure of forty years! He was happier, devoid of a burdensome past. His heart had evidently become much lighter, his eyes held the spirit of a five year old-

"Hey there. Long time no see, huh?"

Minato's heart lodged itself in his throat. Widened eyes looked upon a liberated soul, filled with the euphoria and disbelief of a bewildered yet liberated animal. The one before him had Hal Emmerich's nonchalence, standing underneath the heavens with immense warmth. "Glad you're awake," the older male said, as if Minato had taken a catnap. "Missed you like hell."

Words bubbled and raced to Minato's lips. Incomprehensible streams emerged from the shells of thought. "Dave, how did-where did you-"

"Happened while you were asleep," the older male said, gently placing two fingers against Minato's lips. Crimson light rushed across the younger set of cheeks. "Hal and your doctors managed to put together a cure for me. Amazing, when you think about it."

"But how?! How long was I asleep?"

"A week," Dave replied, face scrunched up in a comical fashion. His facial expression was akin to a disenchanted cat's persona. "You slept like a rock! Hope you're proud of yourself, baby, because you had an entire parade worrying about you-day and night!"

Questions rushed to the surface of a trembling, tearful heart. A quivering, overwhelmed Minato gazed upon the one he loved so dearly, willing to kill himself in order to find the right words. The one he loved as alive and well, smiling, glowing with an angel's beauty...life had become an overpowering force. It was difficult to breathe, let alone comprehend anything. How could he possibly speak if he couldn't even comprehend the human body?

Unborn thoughts were quickly silenced by a kiss. Two hearts became one as pairs of lips met, melting into one another as caramel spread across a sweet delicacy. A spark of determination went off in the younger male's soul, glowing with the vehemence of a thousand flames. So what if his boyfriend was older? So what if he had been an old man? He was going to have a blast explaining the downgrade in Dave's age, but did it matter? When happiness overwhelmed everything in sight, did anything else matter?

Minato's answer was a simple 'no'.

"Just one thing, baby," the war legend said softly, after their ten-minute kiss ended. "You can forget the ring. Don't think I'm marriage material yet."

The question 'what ring?' arose in Minato's mind, but then he remembered the vows he made before the reign of darkness. "You've done wonders, but I'm not yet ready to dive into the deep end of the pool," his lover said warmly, gently, lovingly. "A few things are still bothering me. They don't have anything to do with you, but...yeah. They're here, all the same, and I don't want to drag you down."

"Drag me down? Dave, you can't be serious! I've been with you through your PTSD, and you have the gall to talk about 'dragging me down'?! Are you frickin' kidding me?! I love you, for crying out loud!"

"If you cried out any louder, the entire hospital would know how you feel," the older male replied instantly, face beaming with sweet devotion. "But I can't let you tie the knot with me. You aren't even done with the academy, I've got a lot of shit to sort out-"

"I don't care! We'll sort everything out together, you idiot! We'll do it all together! Just shut up and let me marry you!"

The smile on Dave's face, and their second kiss, made the pain worth enduring. Every trial, every downfall, melted into nothing. Minato knew only happiness from that point on, erasing every tear, every cry, every nightmare.

Yeah, their future would have a pre-mature kick off. But it would be a bright, beautiful, brilliant future.

Dedicated to The Big Boss: a dear friend, a loyal fan and an astounding author.

Bwaaah. The Dante/Snake tribute is still on hold! Life has just been one ball of craziness, on all levels...