I am so sorry you guys, I have no excuse really and that is why I am sorry. I just want the chapter to be good, so thank you for your patience. This is rated strong T because Tamaki cusses. Once. Oh and I barely proof read it so there probably will be many mistakes :/ (I was to tired to care anymore) Hope you enjoy!

The ride to the hospital was spent mostly in silence, aside from the siren and noise of the machines. Lights flashed through the small window of the ambulance. Tamaki tried to remember when it had become night.

The paramedics were attempting to keep Kyoya awake because of the massive blood loss they didn't want him passing out. His eyes were glazed over, barely there.

Tamaki wasn't focusing on his eyes though, instead, he stared at his chest that was moving slowly up and down. Tamaki felt the sting of dryness before he saw it, eventually his eyes blurred and fuzzed, in which case was the only time he would blink.

He believed the phrase of if you blinked, you missed it. Probably a little too much for his own good but he was not about to test that now.

In all his frivolous life he never imagined being in the back of an ambulance with his best friend on his deathbed. That was probably an exaggeration since he dimly heard one of the people say that he would be fine. He was also faintly aware that he was biting his lip and that for so odd reason he couldn't feel anything. He wasn't sure how to define it, but he felt cold and numb as if he was caught in an ice storm.

It was then he remembered a weekend over at his house. Just Kyoya and him, it had been snowing outside as they talked. He wasn't sure about what, but he remembered because of the snow, the cold, and something else.

Tamaki thought hard, but the memory was fuzzy. Why was it so hard to remember? It had to be only six months ago. He watched Kyoya's chest struggle to move up and down. So much silence surrounded them even though there was noise everywhere. Then it clicked, the weekend, it had been a sleep over. Kyoya's father was harsher than usual that night and so Tamaki suggested that he get away for a while. That night it snowed and as they watched the small snowflakes descend Kyoya spoke about his family. Nothing dramatic because Kyoya simply wasn't like that, but just this once he let Tamaki in just a little more. Let him a little closer and Tamaki remembered feeling so honored to be Kyoya's closet friend. That night when they fell asleep facing each other, Tamaki made sure to enclose his hand in Kyoya's. Which was very daring since no one was usually allowed to touch him, but that night he believed he needed the support. He must have been right because Kyoya squeezed his hand like someone would a stress ball or maybe a lifeline.

They arrived at the hospital in fifteen minutes flat, which was quite a feat since Kyoya's house was a good thirty minutes away. They took Kyoya away and Tamaki was left to sit in the waiting room. None of his family showed which only infuriated Tamaki, but he was simply to tired to call anyone, not even the host club, and not Haurhi.

Three long hours later the nurse announced that he could see Kyoya. He didn't need to be told twice, and he rushed into the room. To say he was surprised might have been a small understatement. He has never since someone wrapped in so much gauze and bandages. Kyoya was wide-awake now, however, the lines of exhaustion were plainly on his face. " I promise it's not permanent." A small smile was placed upon his lips. Tamaki stood dumbly in the middle of the room. Testing his throat he responded, "That's what you say after you were almost killed?"

"You were almost killed too." Again Tamaki was stunned and he just stared. Kyoya watched him, studying his face with an unreadable expression. "You should go home and rest Tamaki, I'll be fine." Tamaki narrowed his eyes. "Oh no, don't you dare say that to me! I will never leave your side, did you not hear me?" He wasn't sure why he was getting so angry, Kyoya was alive so shouldn't he be happy, reviled? Kyoya was obviously confused as well. "I'm sorry Tamaki, I didn't mean to imply tha-" but Kyoya never got to finish his sentence.

The door to the room burst open without even a knock. It was an investigator by the badge he wore on his chest. Tamaki could have sworn he had seen him before and maybe Kyoya might have mentioned him. That didn't matter though, what did matter was why he had interrupted them. "I'm sorry gentlemen but I am on the case of finding your attacker Mr. Ootori." He said in a short clipped tone. Kyoya glared, obviously not in the mood for all the issues of the case. " Can you not take care of this later?"

"No sir by then we will have lost time and money, and I am sure you are well aware of how time is money Mr. Ootori." Kyoya just glared again but then said, "Fine, just make it fast."

"My pleasure sir." Turning on his heel he strode outside the flung open door. Tamaki stared after him. "What the hell was that?"

"Just forget about Tamaki, I am sure they are just going to ask me a few things, show me the weapons, and all that nonsense. Besides even though he was rude, what he said was true." Tamaki thought for a moment. "I thought they caught the attackers?" "Well, sort of, they believe there was someone who hired those goons."

"Oh." Kyoya slowly held out his hand, and Tamaki immediately strode over to the bed and gently wrapped his hand around Kyoya's bandaged one. Right then the investigator stormed in, obviously his normal gait, Tamaki noted, with a giant plastic box. Tamaki glanced at Kyoya, grateful to see his puzzled expression. He set it on the table at the bed's end and opened the top with two fast clicks. "I am going to need you to identify the specific weapon of use for us."

With a grunt he lifted the gigantic head of the snake. Dried blood caked the scales that glistened in the fluorescent light and the eyes had an eerie look, like soiled pearls, gray and cold. The teeth were showing, also caked with blood and small pieces of flesh, Kyoya's flesh.

The reaction was immediate; Kyoya's breath caught and he gripped Tamaki's hand so hard that it was probably stopping his blood flow. Tamaki stunned, watched his friend fall apart at the site of the creature. "Is this the snake that attacked you Mr. Ootori?"

Kyoya just stared frozen, he was beginning to shake and his breath was becoming labored. After a minute the investigator asked again. "Y..Yes yes, that's the one, now would you please get it out of here." He tried to say it in a harsh voice but it came out as a mixture of pure fear and rage a waver between the two.

The investigator seemed pleased with the answer but continued to stand there with the head in his hands. "Why do you think they used a snake Mr. Ootori?" Now Kyoya was uncontrollably shaking and looked away from the beast, tightly shutting his eyes, and that's when Tamaki lost it. "What is the matter with you, get the fuck out of here!" He waved his free arm for emphasis.

The investigator was clearly shocked and if Kyoya weren't in hysteria he probably would have been too. He didn't care though he was fuming. After the shock wore off the investigator he smiled, pleased at the outburst and the reaction from Kyoya and slowly put the head back in the box that probably contained the rest of the snake. With the smile still plastered on his face, he took the box in his arms and strolled out the door, closing it behind him. Tamaki tired to calm himself, which became much easier when he realized that Kyoya was still shaking. Shifting, so he could sit by him, Tamaki wrapped his arms around Kyoya.

"Hey it's ok, it's gone now."

"Damn it." He muttered, or maybe sputtered since it sounded that he was on the verge of breaking down. "Kyoya, are you afraid of snakes?" He knew it was probably a really stupid question but he wanted to make sure that was the reason for this whole fiasco.

"Yes you moron, I am." Tamaki nodded more to himself than to Kyoya. It was a stupid question after all. "I never wanted anyone to see me like this." Kyoya ground out. "It's not that bad, everyone has something that scares them, like Haurhi and thunder storms."

"That's n..not the po..int. I'm not supposed to fear anything, I am an Ootori damn it!"

"Kyoya, Kyoya, calm down, shhh."

Tamaki shushed him trying desperately to calm him. He had never seen Kyoya in such a wreck. He rocked him back him back and forth gently and after a long hour of Tamaki singing French lullabies (against Kyoya's will) Kyoya finally fell into a restless sleep, and Tamaki's last thought as he drifted off, was that he would get his father to kill that investigator.